Australia is the sixth largest country in the world despite its location in the smallest continent and, having become a commonwealth of the British Empire in January 1901, has a population today of some 20 million people.
Rugby, or at least one form of the game, is said to have been played in Australia since the 1820s, although the first club – the Sydney University Rugby Union Club – was not formed until 1864 with others appearing over the next decade.
An Australian team played their first ever Test in June 1899 against a touring Great Britain side, a match they won 13-3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and nine years later the Wallabies were crowned Olympic rugby champions at the Games in London.
The Australian Rugby Union, or Australian Rugby Football Union as it was known until 1997, was not formed until 1949 after the International Rugby Board had extended an invitation to join its ranks.
Australia, which is divided into six states and two territories, has more than 850 clubs and more than 30,000 seniors playing the game, a number that is rising steadily and with Rugby World Cup 2003 on home soil this popularity surge is set to continue.