Rugby World Cup: Wilson and Gregan tackle their 1994 encounter

Australia halfback George Gregan makes a try-saving tackle on All Black winger Jeff Wilson in the Bledisloe Cup match at the Sydney Football Stadium on August 17, 1994. Photo / Tim Clayton

Former All Black winger in TV interview with Wallaby who robbed him of his try

It is the image that will follow Jeff Wilson for all his life.

The photograph that announced the arrival of George Gregan at the top table of international rugby was taken at the Sydney Football Stadium in 1994.

In a one-off Bledisloe Cup test, Wilson had beaten his marker Damien Smith in the dying minutes of the match and blazed to the tryline. The try would have brought victory and kept the cup in All Black possession for another year.

Gregan appeared from nowhere and, with a textbook covering tackle, knocked the ball out of Wilson's grasp.

The All Blacks had fought back bravely after being 17-6 down at half-time - Shane Howarth's try, conversion and penalty getting them to 20-16 when Wilson made his break.

"It will follow me around for the rest of my life," said Wilson, who is commentating on the World Cup for TVNZ. "Every year when the Bledisloe Cup tests are on - out comes the footage and I start copping it from my mates.

"The extraordinary thing is the number of people who swear they were in the stands in the corner of the SFS that night.

"I reckon about 100,000 have sworn they were there and saw it happen. But the stadium only holds about 40,000."

Wilson and Gregan will appear for the first time together in a media interview on TV One's Rugby World Cup 2011 tonight to talk about the incident as they look ahead to Sunday's semifinal between the All Blacks and Wallabies at Eden Park.

"As if there aren't enough painful memories around the World Cup for me as it is," laughed Wilson - a beaten finalist and semifinalist in the 1995 and 1999 tournaments respectively.

"Now they throw me an interview with George Gregan.

"I expect he will want to go out of his way to thank me - I think it's fair to say I did plenty for his career that night."

Wilson can joke about the incident now but he says it took "years" before he could even contemplate talking about the non-try without reliving the frustration of the moment.

"At the time is was very difficult. It was only my third test for the All Blacks - and my only test that year.

"They say that going through a bit of adversity makes you stronger. And I am testament to that.

"I was just a kid at the time and I could easily have gone into my shell and never played any decent footy after Sydney.

"But I knuckled down, put the yards in, did everything I could to come back better."

Wilson went on to be one of the game's great wings playing in 60 tests before retiring in 2001 as the then All Blacks record test try scorer.

George Gregan and Jeff Wilson will feature on Rugby World Cup 2011, tonight at 7.30 on TV One along with former All Black captains Taine Randell and Anton Oliver.