Name the game

[naza]

Williams was playing a blinder, and Wilson was dominating the rucks (NZ having selected "Razor" Robertson at 7 - an epic blunder). Connors was going OK. So what did MacQueen do? Bring on big Kef for Wilson. Massive mistake - Kef should've either replaced Williams (who was tiring, but deserved to stay on the field) or Connors (to the detriment of the lineout), but not Wilson. Without Wilson, the backrow was too slow and no-one else in the pack could compete on the ground. If I remember correctly, Australia lost its dominance at the ruck as Kronfeld and Flavell made an impact off the bench, and Wilson was taken off. It cost us the game, in the end. (Just like the midfield for NZ nearly cost them the game.)

Absolutely spot on. Rod Macqueen single handedly lost us that game.

 

[cyclopath]

That try always makes me smile Rusty. I remember watching it live on the telly and being astonished at the sheer audacity of it. Fifteen man rugby at its absolute finest.

Few teams can score a try like that; stating the bleeding obvious as few ever have. Sublime.

 

[Eyes and Ears]

I almost forgave Andrew Walker for coming in as the the unwanted extra man to tackle (Randell ?? ??) who dished the ball for Jonah.

Andrew Walker is often blamed for this as it was his wing but my memory of the incident was that Jason Little was defending on the wing and came in. Can someone who has watched it recently confirm who the final defender was?

 

[Lindommer]

I was there, it was Andrew Walker.

 

[Elfster]

Another game from that era that was quite memorable was Eale's last game...against the AB's and won on the bell by Kefu.

 

[Grandmaster Flash]

Another game from that era that was quite memorable was Eale's last game...against the AB's and won on the bell by Kefu.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTGbY6a3MSQ - Kefu's performance during that game.

Also found someone has uploaded highlights from each Lions game in 2001:

Game 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJfj1rILtHo

 

[Rob42]

What a fantastic game that was - I was there, too, perhaps just a few rows in front of the Jarses by the sound of it. Man, those seats were a long way from the field. My strongest memory is of sitting there with my head in my hands after the third NZ try, surrounded by bloody Kiwis as always seemed to be the case in those games. But I do remember that the Wallaby supporters found their voices like never before when Stirling grabbed that first try back.

 

[Ruggo]

That was a great game but deffanitly not the best Wallaby test ever. To be so far behind so early in the game was dissipointing. Macqueen and the players must of really screwed up their famous SWOT analysis for that to happen. The come back was fantastic but it should of never got to that if it was sush a great test. From an atmosphere perspective it probably was the greatest test ever as I can only imagine it being electric. If I was to pick the greatest Wallaby test (in my lifetime) it would be the 99 RWC semi final vs South Africa.

 

[Lee Grant]

It's hard to convince folks which game was the best because by its very nature "the best game" is a matter of opinion.

My opinion is that the Sydney Bledisloe game in 2000 was the greatest game of rugby I ever saw and certainly the best I was ever at. You could argue that it was poor that the Wallabies were down 24 points in just a few minutes; so it couldn't have been great, but it was the comeback that had the seeds of greatness in it.

You could argue that it wasn't a great Wallabies game when the All Blacks won it because they got too far behind to start with, but it can't be argued that it was a great game, that happened to involve the Wallabies as one of the participants.

One of the other great games of rugby I was at we lost also: the 1987 RWC semi at Concord v. France. There was a knock on IIRR before that final movement but it was the destiny of France to win that one. Not a great Wallaby game by some definition but a great game of rugby.

That 1999 RWC semi-final was a cracking game of an entirely different kind. I wish our current players could play that type of rugby. I've watched it so many times I could write a chapter on the try we were wrongly disallowed from the lineout - for "numbers". But without that decision, and Finegan's silly infringement for De Beer to tie the game with a penalty kick, we would not have had the drama of overtime.

The Gregan tackle match I was at also was good too, and the 3rd Lions test in 2001 - and as a teenager I was at the 1956 deciding match in Auckland when the All Blacks beat the Boks in a series for the first time and the whole country rejoiced.

But we could go on and on - and the distinction between great games and great occasions will get blurred for me. Better stop LG; better stop.

 

[Reddy!]

Aus vs Sa this year was better.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

The 1987 semi will always rate for me, due to the closeness of it and the fact that it contained one of those Classic French Tries (tm) to win it.

The 2000 return Bleddie in Wellington when Nobody kicked that winning penalty was pretty special too.

 

[RugbyReg]

1991 QF v Ireland!

 

[rustycruiser]

We have, in a round about way, got to the reason I started this topic in the first place by watching this game. It is one of two games that I use to introduce friends to the game of rugby. Living in the US, no one really knows much about it, but my love of the game eventually rubs off on people who come in contact with me and they ask to watch a game to learn about rugby. I use this game, and one other one in particular, because if they do not enjoy it, they certainly won't enjoy some lessor games. To me it is a bloody brilliant match, even as a neutral.

The other game I use? The 1999 Rugby World Cup semi final between New Zealand and France.

I have been thinking of adding the 2nd Boks vs British Lions match to the two above. It was a great match, with a great ending. But I might be a bit biased.

 

[RugbyReg]

Wales v Fiji at the 2007 RWC was bloody awesome.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Rusty and Reg, agree with all of those picks. And I also agree that they are good games to introduce people to the game. This years game in Bloem wouldn't be a bad one either.

 

[Budgie]

An absolute belter of a game. Not all that upset that we didn't win, cause we'd just seen something special. It had it all, and I'd thoroughly recommend this for showing to rugby newbies.

On the night, I was being spoiled by Corporate freebies. Really made the night even more special.

 

[Cutter]

My good old Dad, Hugher, used to refer to the Son of Our Lord as being originally playing on the wing for Jerusalem Old Boys.

Clearly JC must have been one of the originals in the run on squad for Heaven's First Grade team.

I think your Dad might be confused:

"Jesus Christ he's so fine,
he plays nine for Palestine.
Has anybody seen JC, JC, JC,
Riding on a donkey,
its Palm Sunday...etc"

 

[Cutter]

Agree with all of those games. Fiji v Sth Africa and Wales in 2007 were both good too. Wales v England and Wales v the ABs in 2003 also good games. I love rugby played well.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Amen to that

 

[Bullrush]

The other game I use? The 1999 Rugby World Cup semi final between Jonah Lomu
and France.

Fixed