The British Olympic Association (BOA) has confirmed plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Olympic Games first being held in London with the restaging of the 1908 Rugby Union final between Great Britain and Australia. The historic event will be staged at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday,3rd December (kick-off 7.45pm), and will be the first time a rugby union match has taken place at the new venue, giving 90,000 fans the chance to see world-class rugby in action.

Representing Great Britain on this occasion will be the Barbarians and they will take on the Wallabies in a re-match of the 1908 Olympic Final, in which the Australians defeated a Great Britain side (represented by the county of Cornwall) 32-3, to claim the gold medal. This will be the culmination of the Wallabies’ six-match autumn tour and continues the Barbarian tradition of playing a southern hemisphere team at the end of their European tour for the “Final Challenge”.

The Wembley fixture will be the climax of a host of the BOA’s 1908 event centenary celebrations. Half-time will feature an Olympian parade, which will give fans a welcome home to all of the 2008 Team GB squad, as it will be the first time that the BOA invites all athletes to come together after the 2008 Olympic Games.

BOA Chief Executive, Simon Clegg, commented: “As we focus on preparing Team GB for Beijing 2008 and, beyond that, London 2012, it is appropriate to mark the 100th anniversary of the Olympic Games first coming to London. This game at Wembley is a unique chance to see top class international rugby played at one of the world’s greatest venues. I hope the sporting public will support this event in the knowledge that they will be seeing top class sport which is also part of Britain’s proud Olympic history.”

Simon Clegg continued, “We are indebted to the IRB, RFU, Premier Rugby and other rugby governing bodies that have worked with the BOA to accommodate this fixture and we look forward to building an even closer relationship with rugby union in the future.”

Rugby Football Union Business Operations Director Paul Vaughan added: “The RFU fully supports this fixture to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the London games when rugby was an Olympic sport and we hope one day that it will be again. This match complements an exciting autumn programme of four England internationals at Twickenham (Pacific Islands, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand) and coincides with an exhibition here at the World Museum of Rugby on a hundred years of Wallaby touring.”

Premier Rugby’s Chief Executive, Mark McCafferty, commented, “On behalf of the 12 Guinness Premiership clubs, Premier Rugby is pleased be associated with the Barbarians FC and with the British Olympic Committee in supporting this Olympic centenary match at Wembley Stadium."

The Barbarians have played the Wallabies on nine occasions and games between the two sides have always been exciting show case spectacles and close fought contests. Their last meeting in 2001 was at the Millennium Stadium when the Australians ran out 49-35 winners and this Wembley fixture should also prove to be one of the highlights of the 2008 rugby calendar.

Micky Steele-Bodger, President of the Barbarians, remarked, “The Barbarians have a long standing history with Australia, as the club's first international match was against the Wallabies in 1948 - the same year as London hosted its second Olympic Games… We are delighted to be working this time round with the British Olympic Association in their Centenary year celebrations and also playing at Wembley, as it was the preferred choice of the BOA because of its Olympic heritage, past and future.”

ARU Managing Director & CEO John O’Neill said: “We’re excited about what lies ahead, with a game against the Barbarians which has major historical connections. It is, in many respects, a ground-breaking game, playing at the famed and redeveloped Wembley Stadium, and the opportunity to celebrate our Olympic Games success of 100 years ago.”

Wembley Stadium Managing Director, Alex Horne, said: "We are delighted to be hosting the Barbarians v Australia game in December as part of the centenary celebrations for the 1908 London Olympic Games. It will be the first rugby union match to be held at the new stadium and the first time that the sport has been played at Wembley since the epic match between England and Wales in 1999. As such, we are very much looking forward to showing off our state-of-the-art venue to the visiting teams as well as up to 90,000 rugby union fans. This fixture will be one of the highlights of this year's event calendar and demonstrates the diversity of Wembley Stadium as a world-class sports and entertainment venue."

Some of the proceeds of the game will go to the BOA, which receives no government funding, to help fund the costs of preparing and sending Team GB to compete at future Olympic Games.

Tickets for the Barbarians v. Australia Olympic centenary match are now on general sale and can be purchased by calling the 24 hr Ticketmaster Ticket Hotline on 0844 847 2500 or click here to buy online.

Tickets prices are as follows: £60, £45 and £30. Concessions are also available for over 60 and under 16 at £30, £22.50 and £15 (Booking fees apply).