The World Rugby Museum has recently embarked on a long-term programme to permanently accession digital material into its collection. This material includes audio and visual recordings and other things, that were traditionally physical but are increasingly becoming digital, such as photography, match tickets and match programmes.
During this process, a cassette tape recording was discovered containing a radio interview, hosted by Cliff Morgan for BBC Radio Four in 1993. The subject of his interview was an elderly lady called Ms FC Christie, or 'Chris' for short, who had been attending rugby matches since 1914.
In the interview Chris recalls being present for a famous England Wales match at Twickenham in 1923 when England scored a try from kick-off without Wales even touching the ball. She describes England forward Wavell Wakefield kicking the ball off into a strong wind, which returned the ball into the arms of teammate Leo Price. Price attempted a drop kick but the wind carried the ball back into his arms just yards from the try line. Thinking quickly, Price took the ball over the line and scored a legitimate try, much to the consternation of the travelling Welsh support.
Chris then pacifies her Welsh interviewer by recalling the passion with which Welsh fans have always sung 'Land of Our Fathers' at a variety of sporting occasions. Morgan himself was one of the finest fly halfs of his generation, helping Wales to a Grand Slam in 1952, but he takes clear delight in interviewing someone who remembers the international game years before he was born, despite himself being in his 60s at the time of the interview. As well as a player Morgan was a commentator and executive director of the BBC.
Chris remained a regular at international matches into the 1990s due to being a debenture holder. Debentures, which are still available, allow their holder access to tickets for all home internationals. Their sale in the early 1900s were fundamental to the Rugby Football Union raising enough finance to fund the construction of Twickenham Stadium in 1909.
Morgan finishes the piece for Sport on 4 with an all-male Welsh choir. The narrator credits Morgan and the producer Nick Mullins, who, of course, has since become an experienced Six Nations commentator in his own right.
Listen to the full interview below.
