While the Melbourne Rebels launched at the Weary Dunlop Club lunch, there were two more established rugby teams preparing to commence hostilities in what is possibly world rugby’s most celebrated rivalry.
The Wallabies returned to Melbourne for the first time in just over 12 months, hosting an All Blacks team that was always going to be the most formidable challenge that Australia could hope to face.
Rebels coach Rod Macqueen said that the match was always going to be a litmus test for the Wallabies, and said it was important as being so close to the World Cup it was going to show the test side where they were at.
Unfortunately for Melbourne, Victorian and Australian rugby fans, the Wallabies fell 49-28 to a rampant All Blacks who recorded their 12th successive victory.
Macqueen told AAP, "I suspect this is probably a (All Blacks) side at the moment which is on the verge of greatness and looking back on the past decade getting back to the (Sean) Fitzpatrick-type days."
And if anyone would know about that, it would be the Rebels mentor, who took control of the Wallabies while the All Blacks were in the midst of the dominant Fitzpatrick era, and proceeded to compile one of the finest records a test coach had ever notched against New Zealand.
Macqueen won five of his seven tests against the All Blacks, including the famous 28-7 win over them in Sydney in 1998, which remains to this day New Zealand’s biggest test loss.
Somewhat fittingly, Macqueen’s first test against the All Blacks was in Melbourne.
It was the 22nd test match in Melbourne, and the 16th time that the Wallabies have played here. They have won on 13 occasions, with this just being their third loss (twice to the All Blacks and once to England).
Every year since 2000 the city has hosted a test match, and in 2003 hosted no less than seven World Cup matches.
Every time international rugby has come to Victoria, there has been an emphatic response, with 51,409 seeing the game this weekend, and when the Wallabies beat the All Blacks in 2007 at the MCG, 79,322 rugby fans were at hand.
From 2011, the great sporting city will have rugby on its calendar every year, with the Rebels set to continue a proud rugby tradition in the city that has had its test roots since 1961.
History of test rugby in Melbourne
(note stadium names are based on sponsorship at the time)
Sat, 31 Jul 2010 - Australia v New Zealand 28-49 @ Etihad Stadium
Sat, 20 Jun 2009 - Australia v Italy 34-12 @ Etihad Stadium
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 - Australia v Ireland 18-12 @ Telstra Dome
Sat, 30 Jun 2007 - Australia v New Zealand 20-15 @ MCG
Sat, 17 Jun 2006 - Australia v England 43-18 @ Telstra Dome
Sat, 25 Jun 2005 - Australia v Italy 69-21 @ Telstra Dome
Sun, 13 Jun 2004 - Australia v Scotland 35-15 @ Telstra Dome
Sun, 09 Nov 2003 - WC QF - France v Ireland 43-21 @ Telstra Dome
Sat, 08 Nov 2003 - WC QF - New Zealand v South Africa 29-9 @ Telstra Dome
Sat, 01 Nov 2003 - WC Pool A - Australia v Ireland 17-16 @ Telstra Dome
Sun, 26 Oct 2003 - WC Pool C -England v Samoa 35-22 @ Telstra Dome
Fri, 17 Oct 2003 - WC Pool D - New Zealand v Canada 68-6 @ Telstra Dome
Sun, 12 Oct 2003 - WC Pool D - Wales v Canada 41-10 @ Telstra Dome
Sat, 11 Oct 2003 - WC Pool D - New Zealand v Italy 70-7 @ Telstra Dome
Sat, 21 Jun 2003 - Australia v England 14-25 @ Telstra Dome
Sat, 22 Jun 2002 - Australia v France 29-17 @ Colonial Stadium, Melbourne
Sat, 07 Jul 2001 - Australia v Lions 35-14 @ Colonial Stadium, Melbourne
Sat, 08 Jul 2000 - Australia v South Africa 44-23 @ Colonial Stadium, Melbourne
Sat, 11 Jul 1998 - Australia v New Zealand 24-16 @ MCG
Sat, 26 Jul 1997 - Australia v New Zealand 18-33 @ MCG
Sat, 25 Jun 1994 - Australia v Italy 20-7 @ Olympic Park
Sat, 01 Jul 1961 - Australia v Fiji 3-3 @ Olympic Park