An historic finale against the Barbarians at Wembley will cap the six-match Wallabies’ 2008 Spring Tour schedule announced by the Australian Rugby Union today.
The match against the Barbarians on December 3 is at the invitation of the British Olympic Association and commemorates the Olympic gold medal for rugby won by Australia at the 1908 London Games at White City.
Rugby remains the only football code in which Australia has ever won an Olympic medal.
Coincidentally, the match marks the 60th anniversary of the first meeting between the Wallabies and the Barbarians at Cardiff Arms Park in January 1948 when the hosts won 9-6 in front of 45,000 fans.
The Spring Tour starts with the recently announced fourth Bledisloe Cup Test in Hong Kong on November 1, the first time the trophy has been contested outside of Australia or New Zealand.
The European leg of the tour begins with a Test against Italy on November 8.
Australia will be out to avenge its 12-10 Rugby World Cup quarter-final loss when defending the Cook Cup against England at Twickenham the following Saturday.
The Wallabies then travel to France to face Les Blues on November 22, the third time they will play the World Cup semi-finalists this year.
The fifth Test of the tour is against newly-crowned Six Nations champions Wales at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on November 29.
ARU CEO John O’Neill said the tour was one of the most significant undertaken in the modern era.
“We are playing five Tests, starting with an historic Bledisloe Cup game in Hong Kong, then ending the trip with a sixth game against the Barbarians which has major historical connections,” said O’Neill.
“We’re excited about what lies ahead on Robbie Deans first tour to Europe as Qantas Wallabies coach.
“It is, in many respects, a ground-breaking venture; a first ever Bledisloe Cup Test offshore, playing at the famed and redeveloped Wembley Stadium, and the opportunity to celebrate our Olympic Games success 100 years ago.”
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Spiro Zavos said | March 18th 2008 @ 10:59pm | Report comment
It’s about time that the 1908 Wallabies triumph in winning Australia’s first Olympic gold medal for a team sport, rugby, is being honoured. Admittedly the Wallabies only had to be a Cornwall side. England, stupid as ever, refused to field a national side and put forward a leading county side. The Wallabies won the game easily under difficult circumstances. There was an Olympic 100 yards swimming pool running along one side of the ground. Balls had to be retrieved from the pool with pick-up nets. Nets covering parts of the pool saved the players from falling into the pool when pushed over the sideline. At the end of the match cries of ‘coo-eee, co-ees’ rang round the ground.
It would be great if the Wallabies played in the original jerseys, blue for NSW I think, and England played in the red, white and blue stripes of the home side.
One other intriquing aspect of this Olympic gold medal is that strictly speaking it half belongs to NZ, as well. The team for the 1908 Olympic Games in London was an Australasian side. This was a common formation. The Davis Cup team before the First World War was an Australasian side. As the Wallabies were part of an Australasian team it seems obvious that the medal should be shared with the NZ part of the combined team.
Don’t tell the NZers, though. My guess, and this is from memory, is the first gold medal NZ won at an Olympics was for hockey in 1976 when the favourites Australia were beaten in the final.