The Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Club Canberra, based out of

Griffith, Australian Capital Territory Griffith is an early inner-south suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Griffith contains the Manuka Shopping Centre, one of the earliest shopping areas built in Canberra. Noted buildings in the suburb include the Russian ...

, was founded in 1938. Easts compete in the first division of the ACTRU competition since 2020, having been unable to field teams in the John I Dent Cup, the highest level rugby competition in the region.

History

Easts are one of A.C.T rugby's foundation clubs. They were once affiliated with the RMC Duntroon Rugby Club. RMC provided Easts with a great deal of rugby talent, which dramatically increased the capacity of Easts to turn out competitive sides on a weekly basis. In the mid-1980s, the RMC rugby fraternity split from the Easts to establish itself as an independent entity. RMC now compete in the ACT Division 1 competition. The club survived tumultuous years in the early 2000s, which saw the clubhouse in Manuka sold. Whilst Easts played regular finals football in these years, the financial stability and ongoing future of the club was in jeopardy. In 2008, Easts made the grand final on the back of a strong playing roster and depth in the club's ranks. Easts narrowly lost to the Queanbeyan Whites 22–15 in front of a large crowd at

Viking Park Viking Park is an 7,000 capacity (1,000 seated) multi-sport stadium located in the Tuggeranong Valley suburb Wanniassa, Canberra, Australia. It has a rectangular playing surface which is used primarily to host rugby union matches but additiona ...

. In 2009 to 2012, the club struggled on the field. In 2012, Brumbies head coach, Jake White (Springboks RWC winning coach) undertook an initiative to bolster the local ACT competition. Five

ACT Brumbies The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005–2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the brumby, feral horses whi ...

players were allocated to Easts, including: Stephen Moore (Brumbies/Wallabies – Hooker), Jerry Yanuyanutawa (Fiji, Brumbies, London-Irish – Prop),

Ben Hand Ben Hand (born 24 April 1982 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian rugby union player who plays for the Brumbies in Super Rugby. His playing position is lock. He made his Super Rugby debut for the Waratahs during the 2007 Super 14 season ag ...

(Brumbies, Grenoble RFC – Lock), Michael Hooper (Australian U20's, Wallabies, Brumbies, Waratahs – Flanker) and Andrew Smith (Brumbies -Fullback/Centres). New Brumbies contracted players were allocated to local Premier Division clubs, with David Pocock, Clyde Rathbone, Jordan Smiler, Etienne Ooshuizen, Stephan Van der Walt and Ruan Smith joining Easts. Previous players associated with Easts, Stephen Moore and Andrew Smith were also amongst this group. 2012 saw a change in presidency with Mr Arch Vanderglas taking on the role. He was re-elected to the presidency for 2013, alongside many changes to the Easts board and coaching ranks. 2013 saw Easts celebrate their 75th anniversary, coinciding with the ACT's centenary celebrations.

Participation

Easts currently participate in the

ACTRU Premier Division The ACTRU Premier Division is a rugby union club competition based in Canberra, Australia, and conducted by the region's governing body, the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union. It contains four Senior Grades of competition plus Colts, and is compet ...

based in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. Easts have not secured a premiership title since 1947, with the club coming close in 2008, runners up to the

Queanbeyan Whites The Queanbeyan Rugby Union Football Club is a rugby union club based in Queanbeyan, New South Wales. They have earned the nickname 'Queanbeyan Whites' due to the colour of their playing jersey. The club competes in the ACTRU Premier Division. C ...

Notable players

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eastern Suburbs Rufc (Canberra) Rugby union teams in the Australian Capital Territory Rugby clubs established in 1938 1938 establishments in Australia

History

Participation

Notable players

See also

References