1927 was the year when the Old Anniesland War Memorial Pavilion opened and how fitting the first international team to run down its front steps were The Waratahs who were representing the whole of Australia as Queensland was still recovering from the Great War
The ANZACs had shared the tragedy of Gallipoli with the Scots and now they shared a rugby rivalry
The Glasgow XV team that day came entirely from Anniesland --six from Old and nine from New
One of the men from New was Andy Dykes Accies asst coach Chris Reid's grandfather

The Aussies have returned on many occasions since then like the match described below with some some familiar names pulling on the Cities shirt

Glasgow v Aussies
3 November 1996
Glasgow–Edinburgh 19–37 Australia XV
Try: Logan
Con: Donaldson
Pen: Donaldson 4
Try: Connors, Manu, Wilson, Knox, Campese
Con: Knox 3
Pen: Knox 2
Old Anniesland, Glasgow
Referee: A. Watson (Ireland)

Australia's driving maul is a quick step to victory Scots must find an answer to illegal move that puts Wallabies on a roll
Derek Douglas, chief rugby writer
Monday 4 November 1996
Glasgow-Edinburgh Select 19, Australia 37 WALTZING Matilda turned out to be the Last Post for the combined cities side at Old Anniesland as the Wallabies mauled their way to the fourth successive victory of their European tour and immediately set Scotland a poser on just how they are to counteract the driving maul come the Murrayfield Test on Saturday. It is tempting to suggest that the maul, the complete maul and nothing but the maul had been the key factor in Australia's victory at a dreich and rain-swept Old Anniesland, but that would be well wide of the mark. Again, just as Scotland A discovered at Netherdale last Wednesday, it matters not a jot that you are still in contention with 20 minutes remaining. That final quarter is when the game is won and lost. On Saturday, with 63 minutes played, the Select side were trailing by just the single point, at 19-20 but, as coach Kevin Greene observed later, the Australians had the ability to push the pedal still further to the metal while the Scots were already travelling flat-out. The Australians, especially in the second half when they capitalised on their complete domination of the lineouts, used the driving maul to devastating effect. In fact, I do them a disservice by calling their maul a waltz. England, and Leicester, with Dean Richards leading, execute a waltz. The Australian version is more of a quick-step, direct, at pace, and utterly illegal. This is not sour grapes and I daresay if Scottish sides could maul like this and - more importantly - convince our referees that we were not driving a coach and horses through the obstruction laws, then we might fashion something similar ourselves. Nevertheless, on a strict interpretation of the laws - and on Saturday the Irish referee Alan Watson obviously didn't agree - if you have a couple of players hugging and tugging in advance of the ball carrier then that is obstruction. End of story. Glasgow-Edinburgh manager Bruce Hay and coach Greene hinted as much afterwards and Australian coach Greg Smith, when pressed to give his interpretation of how the maul obstruction law works, refused point blank to do so. He is not daft. He said that, of course, he had an opinion, but he preferred to keep it to himself. The driving maul, when the ball is out of reach to the defending side, is impossible to defend against legally. If it cannot be stopped at source then the only means of defence is to bring it down and concede the penalty. Glasgow-Edinburgh would have been better served conceding a possible three penalty points than allowing the thing to rumble on with the seven-point, try and conversion, harvest that invariably accrued. There was, though, more to the Australian victory than that. Smith reckoned it was the best performance yet from the four tour games, against Italy A and Italy, Scotland A and the cities' select, and some of the Wallabies' ball handling skills on a day made for ducks were a delight to behold. The Wallabies' most pressing problem now is their mounting casualty list. No.8 Mark Connors damaged knee ligaments and will return home. Daniel Manu was also hurt and joins Jason Little, Michael Brial, David Giffin and Brett Robinson on the injury list. Smith indicated that, even though two replacements should be arriving soon, he will have to field prospective Test players against the Districts Select at Perth tomorrow night. At Old Anniesland, Ally Donaldson kicked Glasgow-Edinburgh into a second minute lead with a penalty goal. David Knox replied in kind and, after Derek Stark had been tackled head-high by Campese, Donaldson kicked the Scots further ahead. A scrummage on the Scotland line after 32 minutes, during which Connors kept the ball at his feet for what seemed an age, saw the No.8, eventually, pick and drive for the try, converted by Knox, which put Australia into the lead. Donaldson closed the gap to a single point with another penalty goal and, in stoppage time, Knox was over for a try after delightful handling skills. The Currie fly-half kicked Scotland back on terms with a penalty goal two minutes into the second half, but a Campese try put daylight between the two sides. Scott Hastings, who led the Scots and must have assured his Murrayfield place, tested the Wallabies with a searing break and then, out of the blue and from 15 metres out, chose the direct route to the line. He was pulled down a yard short but Logan - another who confirmed his readiness for Saturday's fray - picked up at pace and was over for the try which Donaldson converted to make it 19-20. The final 20 minutes belonged, exclusively, to Australia with tries, following the ubiquitious rolling maul, from Manu and Wilson, both converted by Knox and a penalty goal from the Aussie fly-half. For a scratch side, Glasgow-Edinburgh had performed admirably enough, but this gallant losers' tag is becoming too comfortable by half. SCORERS: Glasgow-Edinburgh - Logan 1t; Donaldson 4p, 1c. Australia - Campese 1t; Manu 1t; Connors 1t; Wilson 1t; Knox 1t, 3c, 2p. Glasgow-Edinburgh Select XV - Lee (Watsonians); Stark (Melrose), Hastings, captain, Garry (both Watsonians), Logan (Stirling County); Donaldson (Currie), Beveridge (Boroughmuir); Watt (Currie), Bulloch (West of Scotland), Stewart (Edinburgh Academicals), Jennings (Boroughmuir), Lucking (Currie), Reid (Boroughmuir), McLeish (West of Scotland), Clark (Currie). Australia - Roff; Campese, Herbert, Howard, Tune; Knox, Gregan; Harry, Folley, Blades, Waugh, Welborn, Manu, Connors, Wilson (captain). Replacements - Kefu for Connors (46min), Caputo for Manu (71). Referee - A Watson (IRFU).

This article was originally posted on 19-Nov-2013, 11:12 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 19-Nov-2013, 12:03.