All Blacks v Wallabies: Eden Park hoodoo and how Australia last beat New Zealand at Auckland venue
THE Wallabies last victory at Eden Park was in 1986, following a shrewd ploy by coach Alan Jones to embark on a ‘short four match tour’ of New Zealand.
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THE Wallabies last victory at Auckland’s Eden Park way back in 1986 followed a shrewdly-orchestrated ploy by coach Alan Jones to embark on a ‘short four match tour’ of New Zealand.
He made the decision in the aftermath of Australia’s highly-controversial 13-12 loss to the All Blacks in the second international in Dunedin after the Wallabies had won the first encounter two weeks earlier in Wellington by the same margin.
By rights, Australia should have won the Dunedin Test as it was later confirmed by All Blacks skipper David Kirk that Welsh referee Derek Bevan had erred in disallowing a try by Wallabies No. 8 Steve Tuynman that would have delivered victory.
When he assembled his 30-man touring group the next day, and with the deciding Test only two weeks away, Jones challenged the Andrew Slack-led Wallabies to arrive at Eden Park with a clean sheet, the perfect aperitif for the big day.
The Wallabies duly swept aside Southland 55-0, Bay of Plenty 41-13 and Thames Valley 31-7 en route to Auckland, the latter a torrid game just five days before the decider.
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“Looking back now, that was a tremendous effort by the 1986 Wallabies,” Jones recalled last night.
”They threw everything into being in a position to stand history on its head in Auckland,” he said. “In many ways, Michael Cheika’s men have done something similar by winning three big games on the trot against the Springboks, Pumas and All Blacks in the lead into next Saturday. Let’s hope history can repeat itself”.
Since that 1986 victory, the All Blacks have not only won the 15 encounters between the two teams at Eden Park they’ve piled on 418 points along the way, exactly double what the Wallabies have compiled.
The Wallabies did more than just win the third Test 22-9 there 29 years ago; they clinched the Bledisloe Cup on New Zealand soil for the first time since Trevor Allan’s Wallabies in 1949.
With 11 of the run-on team survivors from the Jones-coached 1984 Grand Slam Wallabies — fullback Andrew Leeds, inside centre Brett Papworth, flanker Jeff Miller and prop Mark Hartill were the only newcomers — the Wallabies were high on confidence when they ran on to Eden Park before a capacity crowd of 48,000.
Young Parramatta No. 15 Leeds, making his Test debut, will surely never forget the day. From a brilliant Steve ‘Skylab’ Cutler lineout win and some dazzling Brett Papworth footwork, Leeds showed great strength to plunge over for a first half try. Michael Lynagh’s conversion and his two penalty goals gave Australia a 12-6 cushion at the break.
What will always stand out in the final minutes before halftime was strongman Topo Rodriguez’ driving tackle right on the Wallabies’ line on All Blacks hooker Hika Reid that’s now part of rugby folklore.
Campese drove the final nail into the All Blacks coffin closing in on fulltime with one of his classic touchdowns and two more Lynagh penalties pushed the Wallabies safely into the clear and into the record books.
It’s rare for an All Blacks team not to score a try in a Test match, but that’s what happened that day at Eden Park, with fullback Kieran Crowley’s three penalty goals the only entries on the home scoresheet.
THE TEAMS
Australia: Andrew Leeds, David Campese, Andrew Slack [c], Brett Papworth, Matthew Burke, Michael Lynagh, Nick Farr-Jones, Steve Tuynman, Simon Poidevin, Jeff Miller, Steve Cutler, Bill Campbell, Enrique Rodriguez, Tom Lawton, Mark Hartill
New Zealand: Kieran Crowley, John Kirwan, Joe Stanley, Arthur Stone, Craig Green, Frano Botica, David Kirk [c], Mike Brewer, Jock Hobbs, Mark Shaw, Gary Whetton, Murray Pierce, Gary Knight, Hika Reid, Steve McDowall.
Referee: Brian Anderson (Scotland)
Australia 22 (A Leeds, D Campese tries; M Lynagh 4 pen. goals, goal) d New Zealand 9 (K Crowley 3 pen. goals).
*John Fordham called the three Test matches in New Zealand in 1986 for Radio 2UE
Originally published as All Blacks v Wallabies: Eden Park hoodoo and how Australia last beat New Zealand at Auckland venue