Rugby: Five great Bledisloe battles

Australian No 8 Greg Cornelsen stole the show at Eden Park in 1978 with four tries.

Jonah Lomu, Greg Cornelsen, George Gregan and the weather all played their parts.

1. 1986: Australia 22 New Zealand 9; Eden Park - Auckland.

A history changer, although not a surprise as reports listed Australia - who hadn't won the Bledisloe in New Zealand since 1949 - as favourites. Australia, full of great names such as Farr-Jones, Lynagh, Poidevin, Burke and Campese played it straight, while the All Blacks were also cast against type as derring-do battlers. The mighty Aussies snared the cup. Years later, coach Alan Jones told the Sydney Morning Herald he knew the game was won early on when his prop Topo Rodriguez hurled Hika Reid away from the tryline. Post match, Poidevin was quoted as saying: "Life is now very liveable."

2. 2000: New Zealand 39 Australia 35, Stadium Australia - Sydney.

In the pantheon. A stunning test, played before a 109,000 crowd. This is a leading candidate for that mythical award of the greatest test match ever played. In a nutshell: New Zealand led 24-0 after eight minutes. It was 24-all at halftime. Australia took a lead just three minutes from the 80-minute mark. Taine Randell scooped a pass to Jonah Lomu, who ran around Stephen Larkham's outstretched, grasping tackle for the winner with the TV clock showing three minutes past the 80.

3. 1994: Australia 20 New Zealand 16, Sydney Football Stadium, 1994.

The tackle. George Gregan's game-saving hit on Jeff Wilson is an iconic moment in sport. In a later interview, Gregan said: "You try and make that tackle another 100 times and you'd never make it." Wilson had made an excellent run, beating three moderate tackle attempts, and looked certain to score close to fulltime before halfback Gregan flew into the picture. Looking at the tackle again, the force of Gregan's tackle hits Wilson around the midriff, but in doing so makes solid contact on the underside of the ball. Success and failure - a matter of millimetres.

4. 1996: New Zealand 43 Australia 6; Athletic Park - Wellington.

The weather was poor, the All Blacks definitely not. Wellington whistled up an icy, wet wind, but the consensus was that the All Blacks responded with a display that was just about perfect. As for a curio: this game delivered the first bonus point in test rugby. The Australians caused a stir by trying to defuse the haka by turning their backs towards it by warming up at the other end, a move driven by management apparently and not supported by all the players.

5. 1978: Australia 30, New Zealand 16; Eden Park - Auckland.

Aussie No 8 Greg Cornelsen powered into the history books scoring four tries in one of the most famous one-man demolition jobs in test history. The drama had begun way before Cornelsen crushed the All Blacks. Coach Daryl Haberecht had suffered a heart attack a few days earlier, leaving manager Ross Turnbull and players to organise the test build up. According to renowned Australian rugby author Greg Growden the Wallabies accepted an offer from former All Blacks coach JJ Stewart to coach one session. And Turnbull delivered a stirring pre-match speech. Remarkably, Cornelsen did not score a try in his other 24 tests.