On This Day
Streaking into rugby history ... at a cost of £10
Scrum.com
April 20, 1900
Michael O'Brien, an Australian trainee accountant, is escorted away by the police after his half-time streak. The picture become one of the most syndicated of the decade © Getty Images
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1974
France beat England 26-7 at Twickenham in a special charity match to raise funds for the Paris Air Disaster Appeal. The match was arranged following what was then the world's worst air crash on March 3 that year where a Turkish DC-10 crashed into the woods north east of Paris killing 346 people, including rugby fans travelling back from the Five Nations match in Paris. Although the game will not be remembered, the actions of Australian Mike O'Brien will be as he became British sport's first mainstream streaker. "We arrived at the ground early, and had a few drinks," he told the papers the next day. "My mates were talking about how impossible it would be to streak across, the park. But a few drinks later I said it could be done. My friends surrounded me and I stripped off. Two of them went across to the other side of the terracing and waited there with my clothes. When the half-time whistle went just ran out." He was fined £10 by Richmond magistrates for "insulting behaviour".

1985
Neath fly-half Jonathan Davies scored a try and drops a goal on his debut for Wales in a 24-15 defeat of England in their Five Nations Championship clash at the Arms Park in Cardiff. "England's Wade Dooley and John Orwin need to learn that total and aggressive commitment has nothing to do with the fist," wrote Barry John. "Wales deservedly won this hangover game to end their losing run at the .National Stadium but it was abundantly clear there is still a lot of work to be done before they are again an accepted force in world rugby."

1946
Welsh prop Cliff Davies withdraw from the Welsh XV due to fly to France for the Easter Monday "Victory" International in Paris as he did not have a passport. A crisis was averted when his brother-in-law Billy Jones, having propped for Cardiff against the Barbarians earlier in the day, travelled to France play under Davies' name.

2002
Almost 75,000 inside Twickenham saw London Irish upset the form book to thrash Northampton 38-7 in the Powergen Cup final and so win their first major silverware. Northampton were blitzed in a rousing first-half and left the field 24 points adrift and with Budge Pountney and Matt Dawson openly rowing. Northampton were never able to get into the game in a scrappy and niggly second half during which Robbie Morris and Michael Worsley were sin-binned for fighting.

1996
As the professional era dawned some of the world's top players received £3000 a head to play in a jamboiree at Twickenham as Leicester went down to a World XV 31-40. There were 11 tries and a streaker - male - as Leicester pocketed £100,000 for their day in the sun.

1940
The Army beat Great Britain 23-15 in a well-attended charity match at Richmond. Twenty-one of those playing won international caps before the outbreak of War.

1957
The Barbarians inflict a 40-0 beating on Cardiff, the then biggest score achieved by the Baa-Baas in the annual Easter Saturday fixture.

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