5. Argentina 19 – 32 Australia: 1991 Rugby World Cup (Pool 3)
4th October 1991, Stradey Park, Llanelli
We now re-wind four years prior to the height of Australian rugby, with the Wallabies at their very best for the 1991 Rugby World Cup. The great entertainer David Campese have a career defining performance, in this opening weekend match for the tournament across the UK, Ireland and France. Only 11,000 fans packed themselves into the former home of the Scarlets, to see the soon to be World Champions take on Los Pumas, in a thrilling exhibition of Southern Hemisphere rugby.
The legends of the Australian backline shone in this opening match, as winger Campese and centre Tim Horan each scored twice against Argentina. Hooker Phil Kearns added a fifth for the Wallabies, with Argentina’s try scoring efforts coming in the form of a brace from winger Martin Jose Teran Nougues. The sharpshooting of Michael Lynagh added a further 10 points from the tee, with the Wallabies setting off on the front foot, in the journey to their sole Rugby World Cup title to date.
There has to be an honourable mention to New Zealand’s 18-12 victory over England on this very same weekend. In doing so, the All Blacks became the first team in Rugby World Cup history to defeat a host nation at the tournament, with the New Zealand victory taking place at Twickenham Stadium. However, this one-try match was a slower burn than the high-octane action of Argentina vs Australia, which is why that gets the nod as the final instalment, on this list of the greatest opening weekend matches.