Nickname(s) | Wallabies | ||||||||||
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Emblem | Wallaby | ||||||||||
Union | Australian Rugby Union | ||||||||||
Head coach | Michael Cheika | ||||||||||
Captain | Michael Hooper | ||||||||||
Most caps | George Gregan (139) | ||||||||||
Top scorer | Michael Lynagh (911) | ||||||||||
Top try scorer | David Campese (64) | ||||||||||
Home stadium | Stadium Australia | ||||||||||
World Rugby ranking | |||||||||||
Current | 4 (as of 17 June 2017) | ||||||||||
Highest | 2 (2016) | ||||||||||
Lowest | 6 (2015) | ||||||||||
First international | |||||||||||
Australia 13–3 British Isles (Brisbane, Australia; 24 June 1899) |
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Biggest win | |||||||||||
Australia 142–0 Namibia (Adelaide, Australia; 25 October 2003) |
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Biggest defeat | |||||||||||
South Africa 53–8 Australia (Johannesburg, South Africa; 30 August 2008) |
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World Cup | |||||||||||
Appearances | 8 (First in 1987) | ||||||||||
Best result | Champions, 1991, 1999 | ||||||||||
Medal record
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The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies (or Qantas Wallabies for sponsorship purposes) and competes annually with Argentina, New Zealand, and South Africa in The Rugby Championship, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand, as well as the Mandela Challenge Plate with South Africa and the Puma Trophy with Argentina.
Australia have competed in all eight Rugby World Cups, and have won the World Cup on two occasions, in 1991 beating England in the final, and in 1999 when their opponents in the final were France. Australia also lost in the final after extra time to England in the 2003 competition and against New Zealand in 2015. Australia are governed by the Australian Rugby Union (ARU). Eleven former Australian players have been inducted into either the International Rugby Hall of Fame or the IRB Hall of Fame. Three are members of the International Hall only, four are members of the IRB Hall only (one of whom was recognised for non-playing accomplishments in the sport), and four are members of both Halls of Fame.
In 1882 the Southern Rugby Football Union (renamed the New South Wales Rugby Union in 1892) toured New Zealand. The New Zealand national team toured New South Wales in 1884 – defeating New South Wales in all three matches, and winning all nine matches on tour.