Wallabies’ hopes in series decider hang on lessons of past SCG encounters | Angus Fontaine

Saturday’s Test in Sydney will be a street fight in which Australia must match England for mongrel, then punish them with speed and skill

The first rugby international staged at the Sydney Cricket Ground was on 24 June, 1899. Australia wore sky blue jerseys, fielded two five-eighths and played two men in the front row. The British XV, featuring players from all four Home Nations, employed a tactic of dribbling the ball upfield at their feet in a rush. But it didn’t work. After being locked at 3-3 for most of the Test, Australia scored two converted tries in the final seven minutes to win 13-3.

According to referee, WG Gerrard, Australia won because “they kept slogging all the time. They were workers not waiters. The English forwards were waiting for chances that never came. And the reason why the chances did not come was because [the Australians] were too fast. They swept on in a body and did not allow the game to become an open one.”