Lane Cove Rugby

Lane Cove men began playing regularly at Tantallon Oval in 1949, and in 1950 the Club entered a team in the Burke Cup. The club amalgamated with the Lane Cove-Artarmon Team. The distinguished New South Wales rugby player and sports administrator J. Darvall-Hunt served as Lane Cove's first Club Patron, with P. Siccard as President.[2] Lane Cove Juniors began in 1951.[3] The Club achieved notable successes in Sydney rugby through the 1950s and 1960s. Big name players of these early years included Wallabies Ken Yanz and Saxon White.[4] Ken Yanz began playing in the original Lane Cove-Artarmon juniors in the 1940s and later played for Lane Cove in the Whiddon Cup and Burke Cup.[5] Later selected for Gordon Rugby Club, he became a long-standing player and captain for this Sydney Grade Club and was selected as a Wallaby in 1957.[4] Lane Cove's juniors enjoyed strong success through the 1950s and their Under 21 side were New South Wales State Champions in 1958 after winning the North Harbour Competition and then defeating the winners of the South Harbour competition.[6]

The New South Wales Suburban Rugby Union is affiliated to the New South Wales Rugby Union and runs the competition known as "Subbies" rugby, the major trophy for which is the Kentwell Cup, awarded to the first grade premiers of the first division competition. Lane Cove won the Whiddon Cup in 1965, Kentwell Cup in 1967 and 1968 and Judd Cup in 1968 and 1977.[7][8][9] The Club won the Bruce Graham Shield as Division One Club Champions in 1968.[10] Australian rugby league captain Johnny Raper assisted as coach of the 1977 Judd Cup winning side, whose players included advertising magnate John Singleton.[11]

The Club was prominent in Division One rugby through the 1950s and 1960s and competitive into the 1980s.[3] The Club no longer competes in Division One, but won the Division Five Jeffrey Cup in 1982.[12]

In 2006, the club won the Division 4 Club of the Year.

In 2011, the seniors fielded a team in Division Five of the New South Wales Suburban Rugby Union Competition.[13] The Club now has a separately administered Juniors Club. The Juniors have won many competitions through the six decade history of Lane Cove Rugby.[3] They participate in the Gordon Juniors competition, which is responsible for developing Junior Rugby in the Gordon District of Sydney's Northern Suburbs.[14]

Lane Cove are part of the player pool for Gordon Rugby Football Club, a leading club in the New South Wales Grade Competition (Shute Shield).[15] A number of Lane Cove players have played Grade rugby for Gordon.