Matthew Hayden hits the biggest score in the history of Test cricket, Telstra Stadium opens the 2003 World Cup, a record 81,350 crowd for a World Cup match turns up and the Wallabies duly beat Argentina by 24-8 to underline their status as holders, hosts and, in truth, the heavyweights in Pool A.
Not for the first time in recent years, Australia seemed like the epicentre of the sporting world yesterday.
As is so often the case with World Cups, after all the build-up and the opening ceremony, the opening match itself was something of an anti-climax. Rather than simmering gradually and coming to the boil, it sprang into life from the kick-off as Australia hit the ground running, but then rather tapered away. A final flurry sent the weekend crowd away in good spirits.
The ominous aspect of Australia's benchmark performance is that they've emerged from eight weeks in camp regenerated and better for it, and they'll assuredly improve still further.
"As a group we would like to have played better," maintained coach Eddie Jones, while still looking smugly satisfied and perhaps even relieved that his side will not be the faltering holders many in the Australian media and public had expected.
"We created opportunities but didn't finish them off. But having said that we've beaten Argentina with something to spare and there's room for improvement. So we're pretty positive about where we are."
His counterpart, Marcelo Loffreda, could scarcely conceal his disappointment over what had been a distinctly flawed and below-par performance by Los Pumas. When asked about the areas of concern his team would face in what is now a critical game for them against Ireland three weeks hence, Loffreda replied sardonically, "in all areas".
"In relation to our own lineout especially," he added in reference to Mario Ledesma's howlers, the hooker guilty of five crooked throw-ins in addition to three pinched balls.
All in all, it was a celebration of all things Australian. Word had it that yesterday's opening ceremony to the World Cup was put together at a cost of merely Aus$5 million (about €2.9 million), as compared to the extraordinary, extravagant and indulgent opening ceremony for the Olympics at a reputed cost of Aus$60 million. Either that puts the two events in their respective places, or Australians have become more modest about these things.
The 40-minute pageant based on the themes of earth, wind and fire began with a synchronised drum fanfare and was a vivid celebration of Australian talent in front of a watching audience of "hundreds of millions" to "one billion". Pick a figure.
A cast of 1,700 took part, in addition to a crew of 200, 120 volunteers and 5,000 metres of material used for the "Rocky" segment alone, in which 710 children formed a human animation of a rugby figure scoring a try.
If that drew the second-biggest cheer of the ceremony from the crowd, the loudest was when Australian Prime Minister John Howard declared the tournament opened - though that was after he had received the most sustained catcalling and booing one can recall a politician ever receiving at such an event.
One presumes, as with all such things, you had to be there to fully appreciate it. But it was perfectly staged for the real business to follow. Then the teams came out. Now that was a roar. At last, some rugby.
