QANTAS Wallabies - writing history from the start
The QANTAS Wallabies have written a glorious chapter in Australian rugby history on the playing arena of ANZ Stadium.
The very first Test match played at the venue in June 1999 was an historic clash against the Mother Country. A 22-15 victory over England in the Cook Cup was the perfect introduction to a new era.
Next up was an unforgettable night. On August 28 1999 a 28-7 win over New Zealand allowed the Wallabies to retain the Bledisloe Cup in front of a then world record rugby record crowd of 107,042.
How do you top that? By unveiling a match heralded the “greatest rugby game ever”. In July 2000, a new world record crowd of 109,874 gathered for the Bledisloe Cup. The contest was fitting of the massive crowd. The All Blacks started the match with a flurry and led 24 nil after just 11 minutes. The Rod MacQueen-coached Wallabies didn’t panic and levelled the score at 24-all by half time. When Jeremy Paul crossed in the 73rd minute the Wallabies looked home with a 35-34 lead. Enter Jonah Lomu and another magical moment in his stellar career. His injury time try in the corner gave the All Blacks the great escape 39-35 in the greatest rugby game ever.
Wallaby legend John Eales described the match as the greatest in which he had ever played. Eales would have his own moment of glory at ANZ Stadium just a year later when he played his 86th and final Test for the Wallabies, going out a winner with the Tri Nations trophy when Toutai Kefu crashed over beside the posts for a 29-26 win over the All Blacks.
ANZ Stadium’s rugby heritage was complete when it was the centerpiece of the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Once again, the Wallabies defeated the All Blacks in a magnificent semi-final, but the boot of Jonny Wilkinson gave England a heart-breaking 20-17 win in extra time in front of a capacity 83,000 crowd.
ANZ Stadium will host two Wallabies’ Test matches each year until 2011, including Bledisloe Cup in 2009 & 2010.
More than 1.6 million fans have watched the Wallabies play at ANZ Stadium, with an average attendance over 73,000. There are more good times ahead.
