Ella scored a try in each of the four Tests on the Grand Slam tour of 1984. Source: News Limited
THE Wallabies begin their quest to be the first Australian side to complete the Grand Slam since Andrew Slack's 1984 team when they face England at Twickenham on Saturday night.
And while it might not be as prized as either the Rugby World Cup or Bledisloe Cup nowadays, the Grand Slam was one of the most-sought after achievements of the amateur era.
Slack's side completed the sweep of the four Home Nations - England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales - as part of an 18-match tour across three months.
The squad featured names like Campese, Farr-Jones, Lynagh, Poidevin and Pilecki but the tour would be remembered for the magic of one man - the great Mark Ella.
The brilliant Wallabies No.10 scored a try in each of the four Tests, set up a host of others and kicked a couple of incredible drop goals in a series of stellar performances.
"I played the game a little bit different to a normal No.10," Ella told Fox Sports News when he was announced as one of the first four Wallabies Invincibles earlier this year.
"I stood flat and always challenged the opposition and I guess I read the play better than most people at my time.
"And I guess that always made the difference."
The Wallabies finished that tour with 13 wins, four losses and a draw and won the four Tests with a combined points total of 100 compared to 33 against.
The feat hasn't been matched by an Australian side since but after some improved performances against Argentina and then the All Blacks, and perhaps the most similar styled player to Ella at No.10 in Quade Cooper, the Wallabies look to have an outside chance of ending the 29-year wait for another Grand Slam.
The local British media aren't giving them much hope but neither did their counterparts of 1984.
Watch highlights of the 1984 Grand Slam tour and the magic of Mark Ella at the top of the page.
31 Oct, 2013
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Source: http://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby-gold/video-mark-ella-stars-as-wallabies-achieve-grand-slam-in-1984/story-fndpt9s1-1226750405846?from=public_rss
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