KEY POINTS:
The year was 1986: New Zealanders were coming to grips with GST, mullets were considered cool haircuts, Top Gun was a box-office hit and the Wallabies beat the All Blacks 22-9 at Eden Park.
Although GST is still with us, mullets are definitely out unless you live in Henderson, nobody admits they watch Tom Cruise films and the Australian rugby team have not beaten the All Blacks at Eden Park since.
Over the past two decades Australia have played the All Blacks eight times at Eden Park and have lost each time. The closest scorelines between the teams was 6-3 in 1991 and 21-17 in 2003. And the consensus among former players is that the losing streak is likely to continue.
Former All Black first five-eighth Frano Botica, who played in the 1986 match, said the ground could have "some kind of jinx for the Wallabies" but this side was capable of beating New Zealand tomorrow night.
He said the All Blacks needed to tidy up their performance after their 20-15 loss against the Wallabies in Melbourne.
"We're scoring the points but we're scoring them late and if we scrape in then it may give them the opportunity to snatch a win, which they've done so often."
Botica, who blamed the 1986 loss on an over-willingness to run the ball at all costs against a "very good side", said the All Blacks' rotation policy wasn't helping the team.
"When guys come back to play after a month they're going to be rusty and you can't expect them to gel. In my opinion the same team should have played for the whole Tri-Nations."
Another starter in the 1986 side, Kieran Crowley, has banished all memories of the loss that year.
"To be honest, mate, I can't remember anything about it ... Did we win ?" he said.
Crowley said Australia had a formidable starting line-up but that was all.
"At the moment they're not too bad but I don't think they have the depth New Zealand have and with a couple of injuries I think they'll struggle."
Former Australian representative and rugby columnist Peter FitzSimons said he doubted Australia could beat the All Blacks three times in a year.
He said he would prefer the Wallabies to triumph in the likely semifinal showdown with the All Blacks at the World Cup in France.
"But then again the Wallabies have hit form at the right time while the All Blacks have started to wobble once again in World Cup year.
"If Australia could beat them it would triple the interest going into the World Cup and the expectation would just be delicious."
The last of the 46,000 tickets on sale for the match were snapped up yesterday morning. Auckland Rugby Union marketing manager Grant McKenzie said ticket sales were on a par with the Bledisloe Cup test match held in Auckland last year.
"There's a lot on this game."
