Rugby union in Queensland

Rugby football commenced in Queensland in 1876, when the Brisbane FC (which had played according to the ‘Melbourne Rules' (now Australian football) since its founding in 1866), and two newly formed football clubs (Bonnet Rouge FC and Rangers FC) elected to play Rugby football. Rugby continued to be played for three seasons, when the clubs reverted to ‘Victorian rules’ (formerly ‘Melbourne rules’) for the 1879 season, together with periodic Rugby games.

Fred Lea, an Englishman educated at Allesley College near Rugby in Warwickshire, arrived in Brisbane in 1878 and was amazed to find that Victorian rules (now called Australian Rules) was the only form of football being played. Lea took up the Victorian game, playing it in 1879-81. However, in 1880 he was able to sway two of the local clubs, Brisbane F.C. (founded 1866) and Wallaroo (1878), to try rugby. Three matches were played between the clubs.

In the following seasons, Brisbane's four football clubs played matches under both codes, although the majority were overwhelmingly Victorian rules games. In the late winter of 1882 the Brisbane F.C. contacted the Sydney Wallaroo club, challenging them to a rugby match.

As the NSWRU were keen to keep the inter-colony matches going, a NSW team journeyed to Brisbane in 1883. Trained in readiness by Fred Lea, the Queensland team ambushed the visitors and gained a victory over the New South Welshmen.

The win gave rugby in Brisbane a huge boost, with many footballers wanting to try the code. It was thought that Brisbane's four clubs would simply increase the number of rugby matches for 1884, while still playing Victorian rules as well.

However, it soon became clear that moves were afoot to form a ‘Queensland Football [Victorian rules] Association’, meaning affiliated clubs could no longer play rugby. With Fred Lea (who would be later called 'The Father of Queensland rugby') actively involved, it was decided to form the Northern Rugby Football Union now named Queensland Rugby Union (QRU). On 2 November 1883 a meeting was held at the Exchange Hotel, in Brisbane and the decision was made to form a rugby association in the Colony of Queensland. The name of the newly founded union the Northern Rugby Union, was used to distinguish it from the Southern Rugby Union, which was the governing body of rugby in New South Wales. Enough players aligned with the rugby body to form two clubs.

The decisive blow to Victorian rules came after the decision to make the NSW v Queensland matches an annual fixture, and the visit of a British rugby team in 1888. Teams from New Zealand soon followed. Unable to provide comparable attractions, Victorian rules lost its grip on Brisbane and rugby union quickly spread throughout Queensland to Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Maryborough, Gympie and Charters Towers. Such was the development of Rugby throughout the colony as a result of the formation of the new union, that the three large grammar schools in the south-east region (Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba) changed their football code from Victorian Rules to Rugby. The top-level Rugby competition begun by those schools continues in the local Great Public Schools' Association of Queensland (GPS) system to this day.

The year 1893 saw the Northern Rugby Union formally constituted and the name changed to the Queensland Rugby Union. The first organised Brisbane club competition had begun in 1887, but by 1899 the Boer War had reduced player numbers and, to counteract this, electorate rugby was initiated which only allowed players to join the district club in the electorate in which they lived.[1] An annual challenge trophy competition, the Hospital's Cup was introduced in 1899. This trophy is now the Premiership trophy contested by Queensland Premier Rugby clubs.

The first decade of the 20th century brought with it a drop in the fortunes of rugby union in Queensland. Electorate rugby collapsed in 1905 allowing for the return of club rugby,[1] but the advent of the professional code, rugby league, in New South Wales saw many union players leaving for Sydney to play rugby league and get paid in the process, something which the amateur code of rugby union could not offer. In 1908, the QRU banned its players from going to Sydney to play rugby league, which resulted in disgruntled players forming the Queensland Rugby League. Of particular note was that at this time, league put down strong roots in the bush and in working class communities and these areas are still the heartland of the modern game of rugby league.

In 1913 nine Christian Brothers' College Football Club (Brothers) players represented Queensland in the interstate clash in Sydney and helped the team to a 22 - 21 victory.

1913 Qld Rep Rugby: Pat Murphy, Jimmy Flynn (2nd row 2nd from right), M J McMahon, R McManus, Hugh Flynn (Back row 3rd from right), Vin Carmichael, Tom Ryan, Bill Morrissey and Joe Russell (seated front).

Brothers were such a strong club in these years that they entered two teams "A" & "B" in the senior premiership in 1914 with the teams meeting each other in the Hospital Cup. Both sides were strong and contained internationals and interstate representative players. During these pre war years Brothers also won the inaugural "College" grade competition in 1911.

World War I, from 1916 to 1918, was almost the final death blow to rugby union in Queensland. Many players went away to war and never returned, and the burgeoning popularity of the professional code saw some major clubs and all the GPS schools switch to rugby league. It seemed that the resultant disbandment of the QRU at the end of the 1919 season, heralded the end of rugby union in Queensland.

However, all was not lost. In 1928, the QRU reformed and the major clubs and GPS schools returned to union as a result of bickering amongst league officials and the Senior Club competition restarted in 1929. World War II saw the game struggle once more, but this time it was strong enough to pull through and rugby union continued to grow. In 1950, the QRU secured the use of Normanby at a nominal rent from the Brisbane Grammar School Board of Trustees. In 1961, the Queensland Junior Rugby Union was formed and 1965 saw the formation of the Queensland Country Rugby Union. And finally, in 1966, the QRU moved to the home of Queensland rugby union, Ballymore.

Having paid a secretary to perform various tasks during the 1960s and 1970s, Terry Doyle was appointed as the first chief executive officer of the QRU in 1980. He stayed with the QRU until 1996 and saw the organisation grow from one person to 32 personnel.

From 1980 to 1997, the QRU offices were located underneath the McLean Stand at Ballymore. In 1997, the administration arm moved to Mallon Street, in the Brisbane suburb of Bowen Hills. The Reds staff, however, remained at Ballymore and were joined in 1998 by the staff of the Reds Rugby College. And finally, in 2004, the administration personnel were relocated to the newly built Rugby House at Ballymore, bringing the entire organisation back to one location.

Rugby union in Queenlsand has seen extremely high growth since the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

There are now more than 50,000 players throughout Queensland, including 8,600 seniors, 23,000 regular school players (more than any other state) and over 14,000 junior club players.

There are 200 clubs throughout the state and more than 235 Queensland schools - with many non-traditional rugby schools adopting the code as well. Queenlsand Rugby is held together by the strong and dedicated supporters. More than 8,000 volunteers work to support their clubs around the state.

The National Rugby Championship (NRC) was launched by the ARU in 2014,[2] reinstating the national competition after an absence of six years. The previous competition was the Australian Rugby Championship (ARC) which was discontinued after only one season in 2007.[3] The NRC is contested by nine professional teams from around Australia, with the season running from August through to November.[4]

Queensland is represented by two teams in the NRC:[4]

• Brisbane City, playing out of Ballymore
• Queensland Country, playing out of Bond University on the Gold Coast.

The teams are based in the same cities as the former ARC sides, the Ballymore Tornadoes, and East Coast Aces respectively. Both are managed by the QRU, with the coaching and training programs used at the Queensland Reds extended to players joining the NRC teams from the Reds and local Queensland clubs.[5][6]

Brisbane City won the inaugural NRC competition, defeating Perth Spirit in the 2014 grand final.[7]

• 1876 - Earliest record of rugby football being played in Queensland
• 1882 - First interstate matches between Queensland and NSW
• 1883 - QRU formally constituted (known as the Northern Rugby Union)
• 1883 - First interstate match in Brisbane; Queensland beating NSW 12-11 at Eagle Farm Racecourse
• 1887 - First organised club competition in Brisbane
• 1896 - First visit by a Queensland team to New Zealand
• 1899 - Queensland defeat Great Britain 11-3 at Exhibition Ground to record first win against an international team
• 1929 - Revival of Club competition after code was inactive since start of First World War
• 1949 - Australian Rugby Football Union formally constituted
• 1961 - Formation of Queensland Junior Rugby Union
• 1964 - Sub-districts Rugby Union started
• 1965 - Queensland Country Rugby Union formed
• 1966 - Barraclough Shield played for the first time between Queensland (QSRU) and New South Wales (NSWSRU)
• 1967 - First premiership at Ballymore Rugby ground
• 1971 - Queensland Schools Rugby Union formed
• 1980 - Queensland defeated New Zealand All Blacks, their first win against New Zealand
• 1982 - Queensland defeated NSW 41-7 in Centenary match
• 1987 - Ballymore hosts five inaugural World Cup matches including quarter and semi finals
• 1992 - Queensland Reds won Super Six
• 1994 - Reds Super 10 champions
• 1995 - Reds Super 10 champions
• 1996 - Rugby becomes professional
• 1996 - Reds finish season on top of Super 12 table
• 1999 - Reds finish season on top of Super 12 table
• 2005 - Chris Latham wins Australian Super 12 player of the year for a record 4th year
• 2006 - Reds begin playing all Super 14 matches at Suncorp Stadium
• 2011 - An epic Reds final win at Suncorp Stadium sees a "Nightmare wallabies revival" in time for the rugby world cup
• 2013 - Queensland Suburban / Sub-Districts celebrate 50 years of competition

1. Horton, Peter A (1990). A history of Rugby Union football in Queensland 1882-1891 (PhD thesis 101MB). The University of Queensland.

• Queensland Rugby official website
• Australian Rugby official website