Celebrating the London 1908 Olympic centenary, the British Olympic Association is hosting the first ever rugby union match to take place at the spectacular new Wembley stadium in a historic rematch of the 1908 Rugby Union final between Great Britain and Australia. Being staged at Wembley stadium on Wednesday 3rd December, 90,000 fans will have the opportunity to see world class international rugby in action.
The Barbarians will be seeking to avenge the 1908 game in which Australia defeated the British side (represented by Cornwall) 32-3 to claim the gold medal. This momentous event will be the culmination of the Australian Wallabies six match autumn tour and continues the Barbarian tradition of playing a southern hemisphere team at the end of their European tour for the ‘Final Challenge’.
This historic occasion also marks the climax of the 1908 centenary celebrations with a spectacular half time Olympian parade with the victorious Team GB from Beijing - who have scooped the most medals of any British Olympic team since 1908.
BOA Chief Executive, Simon Clegg, commented: “As we focus on preparing Team GB for London 2012, it is appropriate to mark the 100th anniversary of the Olympic Games first coming to London. This game at Wembley is a unique chance to see top class international rugby played at one of the world’s greatest venues. I hope the sporting public will support this event in the knowledge that they will be seeing top class sport which is also part of Britain’s proud Olympic history.”