Australia 16-6 New Zealand
27 October 1991 – Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Australia were seconds away from crashing out in the quarter-finals of the IRB Rugby World Cup in 1991 before David Campese set up Michael Lynagh for the winning try against Ireland, and it was the Campese-Lynagh axis again that took defending champions New Zealand apart in the last four.
In a match which would cement 'Campo's' place in rugby folklore, the wing took the first ball from the ruck before angling crossfield, bamboozling New Zealand's John Kirwan to touch down in the sixth minute.
The All Blacks, favourites at the start of the tournament, had little by way of answer to Campese's masterclass – or the boot of fly half Lynagh, whose chip-kick set the stage for Campese to produce one of the moments that would define his career.
Over the shoulder
Gathering the ball and accelerating towards the line, Campese looked set to be thwarted as New Zealand's John Timu and Kieran Crowley bore down on him. However, in the second before he was hauled down Campese threw a blind pass over his shoulder to centre Tim Horan, who scored the 35th-minute try with Lynagh's conversion making it 13-0.
New Zealand fly half Grant Fox put six points on the board with the boot, but his opposite number Lynagh kicked his second penalty to secure a 16-6 victory and set the Wallabies up for a date with destiny – the final against host nation England, in which Campese would also have his say.
This semi-final will always be remembered for Campese's piece of magic and the wing went on to be named as the player of the tournament, having scored six tries along the way as the Wallabies lifted the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time.
But without the calm authority of captain Nick Farr-Jones, Lynagh, the midfield defensive wall provided by Tim Horan and Jason Little and a bustling forward pack anchored by Simon Poidevin, John Eales and Willie Ofahengaue, the Webb Ellis Cup may have been etched with something other than Australia for the year 1991.
RNS pr/md/kb
