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Carisbrook - Source: Photosport -
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Carisbrook plays host to Test rugby this weekend for the 37th time - and possibly the last.
Otago Rugby is pushing for a Wales test in Dunedin next season, but if they are unsuccessful and the new stadium is delivered on time, Saturday night's clash between the All Blacks and Les Bleus will be Carisbrook's final bow on the international stage.
That news will arouse feelings of nostalgia amongst New Zealand fans, and sighs of relief from opposition teams who have found the "House of Pain" to be a nigh-impregnable fortress.
Only four times in 104 years have the All Blacks been beaten at the 'brook, making it their most successful hunting ground.
Ominously for the French, no Northern Hemisphere team has ever won there, except for the Lions in 1930 and 1971.
The Wallabies had to wait 96 years and 11 Tests before they first tasted success in 2001, while the Springboks' thrilling victory in last year's Tri Nations was their first in seven attempts there.
So what is it that makes the 'brook such an impregnable fortress?
The hostile atmosphere certainly plays its part. Especially in the days when standing-room-only areas allowed crowds of up to 50,000 to pack into the ground, visiting teams would run out into a maelstrom of frenzied home support.
Weak-willed opponents are easily overwhelmed by the eye-popping intensity of the atmosphere, whilst the home team seems to grow an extra leg.
And the atrocious conditions couldn't be farther removed from the hard, dry tracks of South Africa or the well-manicured Twickenham turf.
Many a touring team has been frozen in their tracks on a rough night at Carisbrook (and most of them are), when the rain is horizontal, the Antarctic southerly gale-force and the conditions underfoot treacherous.
The ground has witnessed its share of classic contests over the years, five of which are detailed below.
And the 30,000 fans who pack the House of Pain to the rafters on Saturday night will be hoping that if this is indeed Carisbrook's curtain call, the protagonists serve up an encounter worthy of its long and decorated history.
All Blacks 32, British Lions 5 - June 6, 1908
1908 marked the season in which the balance of power shifted firmly to the Southern Hemisphere. The All Blacks had already written themselves into rugby folklore during their 35-game UK tour three years earlier that showcased their superior skill, strength and athleticism. And under the direction of tactical mastermind Billy Stead at first five, the home side showed Boxer Harding's Lions no mercy in their maiden Test on New Zealand soil. The seven-tries-to-one, 32-5 trouncing was a master class in free-flowing rugby and enough to convince the Lions to enlist the help of the Scottish and Irish unions for future tours.
All Blacks 18, British and Irish Lions 17 - July 18, 1959
Not often is a team outscored by four tries to nil and still wins, but Wilson Whineray's All Blacks could thank the prodigious boot of Don Clarke for guiding them to a nail-biting win and 3-1 series triumph. 41,500 fans packed into the ground that day, each and every one wearing a hat. Legend has it that with each of Clarke six successful penalties, the crowd would collectively yell "hurrah!" and throw their hats in the air, occasioning 10 or so minutes of jostling as friends and strangers alike fought to retrieve their rightful property.
All Blacks 62, Scotland 31 - June 15, 1996
The highest-scoring Test in Carisbrook history saw a total of 12 tries run in under murky skies. The Scots showed plenty of enterprise but came up against an All Black team at the peak of its powers, with a dominant forward pack delivering quality ball for their lethal backline. In just his second Test, 20-year-old Christian Cullen scored four scintillating tries, the first of which involved stepping the entire Scottish backline (twice), while a Jonah Lomu special added insult to Scottish injury. Even Andrew Mehrtens scored a rare try to go with seven conversions as the All Blacks ran up a then-record score against one of their oldest foes.
All Blacks 36, Australia 24 - August 16, 1997
Cullen scored many a spectacular try in his 58-Test career, but none more memorable than his stepping, swerving, length-of-the-field effort against the hapless Wallabies on a balmy Dunedin afternoon. In the most clinical 40 minutes of rugby in recent memory, tries to Cullen, Justin Marshall and Taine Randell and a quintet of Carlos Spencer penalties gave the All Blacks a 36-0 halftime lead. The Aussies ran in four unanswered tries of their own in the second half but by then the game - and the Tri Nations - was already gone.
All Blacks 28, South Africa 30 - July 12, 2008
Graham Henry's men had not lost at home in five years and 30 Tests, but the plucky Springboks finally snapped the streak and recorded their first win in 87 years at the feted ground. In a see-saw encounter that saw the lead change hands several times, the decisive play came in the dying minutes when halfback Enrico Januarie burst through a ruck, chipped and regathered and dotted down under the bar to give the Boks a lead they did not relinquish. The jubilant scenes at the fulltime whistle - and the All Blacks obvious dejection - demonstrated the significance of this result.
