The fifth Rugby World Cup was officially opened with a gala ceremony in front of 83,000 people at the Telstra Stadium in Sydney.
The threatened rain did not materialise to dampen the enthusiasm for a 45-minute mix of light, fire, dance and song that produced spectacular scenes similar to those seen in Australia when the Olympic Games opened three years ago.
The highlight of the performance, split into 10 segments and choreographed by director of ceremonies Andrew Walsh, was the Earth routine performed by the Professional Indigenous Dance Company emphasising Australia's Aboriginal past.
The vivid displays of orange and red, representing the geographical and spiritual heart of the country gave way to flame and finally water, as an eclectic band of mythical sea characters emerged from white fabric spheres.
Sydney's world famous waterside landmarks, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House were also brought into the show as the platform for some of the 80 drummers who generated the rising rumble which marked an opening which followed a prolonged rendition of Australian rugby anthem Waltzing Matilda.
A cast of 1,700, including 900 schoolchildren, took part in the event, which was being broadcast worldwide to an audience approaching one billion.
Former Wallabies captain John Eales, the man who lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy in Cardiff four years ago, was also involved, placing a rugby ball symbolically on a podium before being mobbed by a collection of enthusiastic children who moved into place to form the shape of Eales' body and then, smoothly, scoring a try.
International Rugby Board officials will hope it will be an occurrence repeated with more regularity than was the case four years ago.
It was left to Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who paused to commemorate the anniversary of the Bali bombing on Sunday, to officially declare the 20-team tournament open for business, starting a 44-match, six-week rugby feast.
PA