Quarter final previews: A legend was born here 14 years ago, when an unheralded Lions coach came to Brisbane and reorganised his team and tactics after an unprecedented hiding in the opening Test.
The Lions, taunted for that pitiful performance, reacted ferociously to win the bloody "Battle of Ballymore", then won again on their return to Sydney.
For the first time ever they had won a series after losing the opening game and their coach Ian McGeechan was duly feted.
Now the Scot is in Brisbane again on his final campaign as a coach and the task before him is even more daunting. Australia are 100 to 1 on to beat his lacklustre Scotland side in today's quarter-final, McGeechan's men having scraped into the last eight only with a last-gasp win over Fiji. And yet the hosts' coach, Eddie Jones, is only too aware "Geech" may have one surprise left for what everyone expects to be his final game in charge.
Earlier in the week Jones suggested McGeechan might resort to rough tactics, like his 1989 Lions, as a "last resort" but yesterday he displayed more respect for Scotland's legendary leader.
"Ian is a tremendous coach who has been enormously successful over a long period," Jones said. "The Lions won that game at Ballymore by playing some very good rugby. Scotland are quite capable of rising above their previous performances and we are pretty sure they will put in their best display of the whole thing."
McGeechan, for his part, suspects the game will be won not by brawling but by kicking - the ball.
"If you look at any top side now, it's often the kicking game that determines the difference between the teams or the way the game is shaping up."
He has made some major changes, bringing in Jason White at blindside flanker and switching Simon Taylor to number eight and Cameron Mather to openside flanker. And he remains confident about the legacy he will leave when this campaign ends.
"I think we've moved the game on in Scotland," he said. "We're hopefully handing on players who are educated in a modern, flexible game.
"All I hope is that for all my involvement at international level, the players feel it's been worthwhile. I didn't expect the second opportunity with Scotland and I like to think I've achieved as much as I could."
McGeechan will move upstairs to fill the chair currently occupied by Jim Telfer as director of rugby while the former Leinster boss Matt Williams takes over the day-to-day coaching duties.
McGeechan will oversee the development of rugby in Scotland and has stated he will never coach an international team again, not even his beloved Lions, who tour New Zealand in 2005. He regrets not applying for the 2001 job but admits "it is somebody else's turn now". He has had a mighty good run.
l Guardian Service
AUSTRALIA: M Rogers; W Sailor, S Mortlock, E Flatley, L Tuqiri; S Larkham, G Gregan (capt); B Young, B Cannon, B Darwin, N Sharpe, D Giffin, G Smith, P Waugh, D Lyons. Replacements: J Paul, A Baxter, J Harrison, M Cockbain, C Whitaker, M Giteau, J Roff.
SCOTLAND: G Metcalfe; S Danielli, G Townsend, A Henderson, K Logan; C Paterson, B Redpath (capt); T Smith, G Bulloch, B Douglas, N Hines, S Grimes, J White, C Mather, S Taylor.Replacements: R Russell, G McIlwham, S Murray, J Petrie, M Blair, J McLaren, B Hinshelwood.
Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
