Sean Maloney: The inside story of one of rugby's greatest tries as Christian Cullen's SFS masterpiece is unpacked 30 years on

There's no doubt 1996 was a simpler time.

Independence Day was box office gold, a gum-chewing batsman nicknamed 'Tubby' was captaining the Aussie cricket team and the Macarena, the worst song ever recorded and a school formal go-to, spent a staggering 60 weeks on top of the charts.

No cost of living issues, no doom scrolling.

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That same year also saw the arrival of Super Rugby and with it, weekly exposure to the biggest players on the planet.

Jonah Lomu, Joost van der Westhuizen, Andrew Mehrtens and Justin Marshall on high rotation against Australia's best.

Games in those early days had wild scorelines as teams adjusted to professionalism and travel and they also gave a platform to the next generation of greats.

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Enter Hurricanes rookie Christian Cullen and the greatest solo Super try the Sydney Football Stadium has ever seen (watch the video at the top of the page).

Waratahs fullback Matt Burke was opposite Cullen that night.

"I remember going into that game and saying to our centre Jason Madz: 'Madzy, whatever you do, do NOT give him any space. Stand a couple of steps outside him, do NOT let him get around you'."

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Burke then paused and laughed. "I also remember Madzy waving me off and saying: 'Na, I got it Burkey, I reckon I'm alright'."

What unfolded has to be seen to be believed.

Running towards the SCG end, Cullen took a long pass under his own crossbar, ran straight at, then around, Madz who was left laid out on the turf clutching at the air-space Cullen previously occupied.

All Blacks legend Tana Umaga was on the wing and just 22 years of age that night.

''I saw him have a crack and thought he'd pass it to me, but when he cut back inside, I just stayed out because I thought he'd get tackled," Umaga said.

"But as Christian Cullen would do back then - and I don't know how he did it - he just kept breaking tackles."

So, away from Madz, past Alistair Murdoch, too quick for a diving Richard Tombs and into the backfield went Cullen. Scott Bowen was playing flyhalf for NSW and had no idea what was coming.

"What a freak," Bowen recalls.

"We had a pretty smooth fullback of our own in Burkey but Cullen was something else. I remember after he got past Madzy and away from some of the other boys that he was just gliding."

Bowen is right. By the time the Hurricanes fullback reached halfway, he'd already beaten six defenders with hardly a hand laid on him.

Then, there in the very last line of defence, was Burke. The man who had told his team-mates that under no circumstance were they to allow Cullen to run on their outside.

What happened next? Cullen dummied the outside and ran past Burke's inside shoulder to set up a clear 50m run to the line.

"Earlier that game I hit him with everything, I mean everything," Burke marvels.

"Nothing happened. He was bouncing guys for fun. The only way to get him down was to sneak up behind him and basically take his head off."

After the Burke miss Cullen found top gear as Murdoch, one of the fastest men in world rugby, came flying back to give chase.

Incredibly, Murdoch struggled to eat into the margin and after one final desperate dive came up with nothing.

He didn't land a single finger on Cullen despite the huge effort.

The Sydney Morning Herald rugby guru Iain Payten has been covering the game for two decades and spent plenty of time at the SFS in those early days of the competition with his old man and brother.

"Lomu, Beale, Folau and Egerton have all scored some ripsnorters at that ground but as far as solo tries go, Cullen's wins by the length of the straight," Payten says.

"The guy had wheels for feet. Cheslin Kolbe has the same ability to routinely make professionals look silly, but Christian Cullen was one-of-one. They broke the mould."

Gordon Bray, legendary Australian sports caller, was in the commentary box that night alongside Chris Handy.

"The Paekakariki Express was a scary attacker," he says.

"My heart started racing when he sped through that first hole. At that moment it was just sit back and enjoy the remaining demolition.

"Yes, best individual try I've seen at the SFS."

The final count on Cullen's try read: Defenders beaten: 7. Metres gained: 120.

'Cully' went on to play 85 times with the Hurricanes and earn 60 caps with the All Blacks while becoming a genuine fan favourite all across the world.

He's a top man who's now as comfortable on a golf course as he was on the field.

"Mate, jeez, that was 30 years ago, sometimes I can't remember what I did last week," Cullen told me.

"I think at the time we were down by 40 so we were chasing the game and decided to have a crack from our own tryline. It probably is one of my favourite tries Super Rugby-wise.

''That said, I reckon it was easier scoring that try than parring the 5th at my local in Paraparaumu. That par 3 is brutal."

WHAT THEY SAID

TANA UMAGA - ALL BLACKS LEGEND

"Sometimes it'd amaze you, but I'd become so used to seeing Cully do it. He was just so good."

MATT BURKE - WALLABIES WORLD CUP WINNER

"Yep, the try was that good. It's one of the greats."

SCOTT BOWEN - WARATAHS AND WALLABIES FLYHALF

"That try put him on the map and he went on to make his Test debut that year."

GORDON BRAY - COMMENTATOR

"Absolutely magnificent. What a talent."

CHRIS 'BUDDHA' HANDY - WALLABIES PROP AND COMMENTATOR

"Absolutely sensational individual performance, you won't see better than that.''

THE NEXT INSTALMENT

The 2-0 Waratahs - with their own try-scoring freak Max Jorgensen, play the 1-1 Hurricanes at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.

Watch all the action on Stan Sport from 7pm AEDT.

WARATAHS (1-15): Tom Lambert, Folau Faingaa, Daniel Botha, Matt Philip (c), Miles Amatosero, Leafi Talataina, Charlie Gamble, Pete Samu, Jake Gordon, Lawson Creighton, Max Jorgensen, Joey Walton, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Triston Reilly, Andrew Kellaway

Replacements: Ioane Moananu, Isaac Kailea, Siosifa Amone, Angus Blyth, Clem Halaholo, Teddy Wilson, Jack Debreczeni, Sid Harvey

HURRICANES (1-15): Xavier Numia, Asafo Aumua, Pasilio Tosi, Warner Dearns, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Devan Flanders, Du'Plessis Kirifi (co-c), Peter Lakai, Cam Roigard, Callum Harkin, Fehi Fineanganofo, Jordie Barrett (co-c), Billy Proctor, Bailyn Sullivan, Josh Moorby

Replacements: Jacob Devery, Siale Lauaki, Tevita Mafileo, Brad Shields, Brayden Iose, Ereatara Enari, Lucas Cashmore, Jone Rova

Referee: James Doleman