Prince Harry was at Sydney’s Olympic stadium 23 years ago when England won the 2003 Rugby World Cup, celebrating later with the players after England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson kicked a drop goal in the last minute of extra time to defeat Australia.
The Duke of Sussex is expected to be back at a rugby match in Sydney on Friday after Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, were invited to attend a Super Rugby match in a private suite at the former Sydney Football Stadium.
The person who issued the invitation was none other than Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh, who has far different memories of that 2003 final — he was on the field as vice captain of the Wallabies and was actively involved in the play when Wilkinson kicked the winning goal.
Harry and Meghan have only one night in Sydney as part of their first visit to Australia since 2018.
The 10th-round match between the NSW Waratahs and Moana Pasifika will be played exactly 18 months before Australia’s follow-up Rugby World Cup begins in October 2027.
Waugh says the Duke of Sussex loves his rugby and they are looking forward to hosting him and Meghan at Friday night’s game.
The Waratahs play Moana Pasifika at 9.35pm Friday.
In other games, the Blues take on the Highlanders at 7.05pm Friday, the Chiefs play the Hurricanes at 7.05pm Saturday, the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua will meet the Brumbies at 9.35pm, while the Force will face the Crusaders at 11.55pm.
