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WATCH: Remembering the only time the Wallabies won in Dunedin
By Jamie Wall
In over a century of trans-Tasman rivalry, the Wallabies have only managed to win one test in New Zealand’s southern-most city. It was back in 2001, a lifetime ago in rugby terms.
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They were coached by none other than Eddie Jones and captained by the great John Eales. Their first five was Stephen Larkham and outside him was Nathan Grey. At the time they were the current World Champions.
By contrast, the All Blacks were at a low ebb – by All Black standards. They hadn’t had the Bledisloe Cup since 1998, were still somewhat reeling from the shock 1999 World Cup exit, and were going through players at a great rate of knots to try and fix the problem. The test before they’d managed to scrape past the Springboks in Durban 12-3, in a match that featured no tries and a scoreless second half.
However, hopes were high. The All Blacks had never lost to the Wallabies at Carisbrook, the old ground in Dunedin before they built their wisely roofed Forsyth Barr Stadium across town.
It was a typically cold winter’s day in Dunedin. The test was the great Jonah Lomu’s 50th, and he didn’t take long to get into the game. He scored after only two minutes and it seemed that the All Blacks were back on track to regain the Bledisloe. However, that’s about as good as it got for the home team.
But then Matt Burke answered, scoring one of the best tries you’ll ever see in a Bledisloe Cup game to open the Wallabies’ account. The World Champs then flexed their muscles and ground out the game using an excellent kick chase, dominating territory and possession.
By the last 10 minutes, they’d opened up an unassailable 23-8, three score lead – helped by Ron Cribb giving away the first penalty try in All Black history.
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Jeff Wilson pegged that back with a converted try, but the game was in the bag for the Wallabies. There was one last curious decision by All Black captain Anton Oliver, who turned down a shot at goal on the last play of the game that would’ve given them a bonus point. Instead the ball was tapped and the futile attack smothered by the Wallaby defence that had been safely doing that all day.
Final score 23-15 and the Bledisloe Cup was retained. A few weeks later the two sides played out another epic in Sydney, when Toutai Kefu scored on the final play to win the game.
Eddie Jones now coaches England, while Larkham and Grey are assistant coaches of the Wallabies. Jonah Lomu has sadly passed away and Anton Oliver now lives in relative obscurity in London.
That win at Carisbrook wasn’t only the sole victory for the Australians in Dunedin, it also marks the last time they have beaten the All Blacks in New Zealand.
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16 years. If it seems like a long time, it’s because it is.
