The Bledisloe Cup | Part III
The Resurgence and Regularity: From Lost Trophy to Annual Battle (1950-1989)
This exhibition explores the institutional journey of the Bledisloe Cup as it transitioned from sporadic contests to a cornerstone of annual rugby tradition.
Australian Rugby Football Union - Australian Team Tour to New Zealand (1958) by Melba Studios, SydneyRugby Australia
1958 | Australia Tour to New Zealand
The second test of the 1958 Australia tour of New Zealand was played at Lancaster Park, Christchurch, on September 6. In front of a capacity crowd, Australia successfully defeated New Zealand with a final score of 6–3.
1964 | Australia's Record Away Win in Wellington
Australia beat New Zealand by a 15-point margin (20-5) in Wellington, their largest winning margin at that time away from home.
1978 | Cornelsen's Record Performance
Wallaby player Greg Cornelsen scored four tries in a single Bledisloe Cup match against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland, tying the record for most tries scored by an individual in the fixture.
Linesmans Flag - Australia v New Zealand (1979)Rugby Australia
1979 | Ending a 30-Year Drought
Australia won the single Test match played on July 28, 1979, at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) to secure the Bledisloe Cup. This victory marked Australia's first time winning the cup since 1949.
Australian Rugby Football Union - Australia v. New Zealand (1979) by Melba Studios, SydneyRugby Australia
1980 | Series Victory in Australia
Australia successfully defended the Cup, winning the three-test series 2–1 against New Zealand. The decisive third Test was won by the Wallabies 26–10 at the SCG.
1980s | The Trophy Rediscovery
During this amateur era of irregular contests, the actual Bledisloe Cup trophy was "lost" at some point, only to be reportedly rediscovered in a storeroom in Melbourne in the 1980s.
1982 | Formalising the Annual Contest
A pivotal institutional change occurred when both Australia and New Zealand formally agreed to contest the Bledisloe Cup on an annual basis. This ended the era (1931–1981) where the trophy was contested irregularly during tours.
Australian Rugby Football Union - Australian Team Tour to New Zealand (1986) by Melba Studios, SydneyRugby Australia
1986 | Historic Series Win in New Zealand
The Wallabies toured New Zealand and won the series 2–1. This was the first Australian team to win a three-test series in New Zealand, securing the Cup for only the fifth time in its history.
1987 | Co-Hosting the Inaugural Rugby World Cup
Australia and New Zealand co-hosted the first-ever Rugby World Cup. This event cemented the sport's global structure and increased the profile of the trans-Tasman rivalry, which immediately resumed with a one-off Bledisloe match won by New Zealand later that year.
Story created by Museum, Archives and Art Services for Rugby Australia.
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