This match was organised as part of the British Olympic Association's celebrations of the centenary of the first Olympics in London.

 

Australia took the rugby union gold medal in 1908 with a 32-3 victory over Great Britain, represented by the South-West English county of Cornwall.

 

The Barbarians, in honour of that match, all wore yellow Cornwall socks as they departed from their usual tradition of players wearing their club socks.

 

Baa-Baas try-scorer Jerry Collins, who last year played for Cornish side Barnstaple, even dyed his hair yellow.

 

Initially, the 1908 organisers expected three teams to take part in the Games, but reigning champions France withdrew, leaving the touring Wallabies to play the Britain rin a one-off match for gold at the White City Stadium in Shepherd’s Bush on Monday, October 26.

 

However they still offered scant resistance, the Wallabies scoring seven tries on a wet and greasy pitch to record their second biggest winning margin of the tour and claim the prestigious gold medal.

 

The 1908 Games was one of four occasions when Rugby was played at the Olympics, with France winning gold in 1900 and the United States victorious in 1920 and 1924.

 

Victory was sealed tonight for Australia two minutes from time by replacement Lachie Turner's breakaway try after South Africa's Francois Steyn, who missed two goalkicks, was turned over.

 

The result meant Australia had won four of their six tour matches, also beating Italy, England and France but losing to New Zealand, in Hong Kong, and Wales last weekend in Cardiff.