Wallabies' 14-year Bledisloe Cup drought

Australia last won the Bledisloe Cup back in 2002. Photo / Mark Mitchell

It's been 14 long years since the Wallabies last savoured a celebration drink out of the Bledisloe Cup - the symbol of transtasman rugby.

And tonight in Sydney the All Blacks will launch their mission to ensure the victory drought continues for our arch-rivals from across the ditch.

While the Wallabies' form against the All Blacks hasn't improved since 2002, the world definitely has.

It was four years before the invention of social media platform Twitter; back then a tweet was something a bird did.

Twitter was yet to exist. Photo / File

And the last time the Wallabies were triumphant in a Bledisloe Cup series was two years before fellow social media outlet Facebook posted its first status update.

The average house price in Auckland in 2002 was just $303,000 compared to the eye-watering $975,000 it is today.

New Zealand was also punching above its weight in the movie world too.

Sir Peter Jackson had just released the second of the Lord of the Rings trilogy The Two Towers, which went on to be the biggest grossing film on the planet that year, raking almost a billion dollars at the worldwide box office.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was released. Photo / Supplied

It was also the year a young Keisha Castle-Hughes first shot to stardom in the Kiwi smash-hit flick Whale Rider.

Keisha Castle-Hughes shot to fame in Whale Rider. Photo / Supplied

On the pop music front, a young Canadian singer-songwriter topped the New Zealand charts this time 14 years ago. Avril Lavigne spent 9 weeks at No 1 with her debut single Complicated.

Avril Lavigne was just 14 at the time. Photo / AP

And in 2002, the Aussies were also just beginning to get used to the fearsome sight of Richie McCaw in an All Blacks shirt.

McCaw had just started the second year of his record-breaking 148 test career.

McCaw's rugby career might now be over, but given the All Blacks' mid-year form - and the New Zealand dominance of Super Rugby - the omens are good for the All Blacks to keep their Bledisloe Cup where it belongs.