Cardiff played the first Wallabies on December 28th, 1908. Snow and frost had threatened the cancellation of the game (and given the tourists their first exposure to such) but it went ahead after a colossal effort to make the pitch playable. The Wallabies performed their own version of a ‘War Cry’ ahead of the game only to be greeted by Percy Bush waving a spear and shield that were allegedly relics of the battle of Rorke’s Drift. A crowd of 30,000 saw the Blue and Blacks triumph 24-8.
Thus was set in motion and incredible club record against Australia as between then and 1984, the club side met the tourists on five further occasions and secured victories each time.
There was a forty-year gap before the next fixture was played in season 1947-8, a golden year in the club’s history in which thirty-nine out of forty-one matches were won, including the 11-3 victory over the Wallabies.
The next three wins, in 1957, 1966 and 1975, had remarkably similar score lines: 14-11, 14-8 and 14-9 respectively, and were played out in front of crowds averaging almost 40,000 spectators at the Arms Park. After the 1957 game, the tourists concluded that ‘We fell to the world’s best R.U. club’.
The 1984 match was against a great Australian side that was to complete its only ever ‘Grand Slam’ against the four home nations. Unusually, the game was played on a Wednesday rather than the traditional Saturday, resulting in a reduced attendance of 20,000. The Wallaby side included Mark Ella, Andrew Slack and Simon Poidevin.
Despite being without Terry Holmes, who had dislocated a shoulder the week before, a try by Adrian Hadley together with a penalty try and a conversion, penalty and dropped goal by Gareth Davies saw Cardiff achieve a 16-12 win and the completion of a remarkable record of six wins in six games.
Thus was set in motion and incredible club record against Australia as between then and 1984, the club side met the tourists on five further occasions and secured victories each time.
There was a forty-year gap before the next fixture was played in season 1947-8, a golden year in the club’s history in which thirty-nine out of forty-one matches were won, including the 11-3 victory over the Wallabies.
The next three wins, in 1957, 1966 and 1975, had remarkably similar score lines: 14-11, 14-8 and 14-9 respectively, and were played out in front of crowds averaging almost 40,000 spectators at the Arms Park. After the 1957 game, the tourists concluded that ‘We fell to the world’s best R.U. club’.
The 1984 match was against a great Australian side that was to complete its only ever ‘Grand Slam’ against the four home nations. Unusually, the game was played on a Wednesday rather than the traditional Saturday, resulting in a reduced attendance of 20,000. The Wallaby side included Mark Ella, Andrew Slack and Simon Poidevin.
Despite being without Terry Holmes, who had dislocated a shoulder the week before, a try by Adrian Hadley together with a penalty try and a conversion, penalty and dropped goal by Gareth Davies saw Cardiff achieve a 16-12 win and the completion of a remarkable record of six wins in six games.