GPS Rugby Club, colloquially known as GPS, is an Australian

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

club based at Ashgrove in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

that plays in the

Queensland Premier Rugby Queensland Premier Rugby is a semi professional club rugby union competition in Queensland, Australia. Nine clubs play in the competition, eight of which are from Brisbane with one club from the Gold Coast. The premiership has been contested ...

competition. GPS also participates in the Brisbane Grades and Colts competitions, and in the "Golden Oldies" competition for the over 35's. The club has produced more than fifty Wallabies, including

Ben Tune Ben Tune (born 28 December 1976) is a former Australian rugby union player. He played most of his rugby career on the wing but later switched to outside centre. Early career Tune was born in Brisbane and educated at St Paul's School, Bald Hill ...

Daniel Herbert Daniel Herbert was born 6 February 1974 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He won 67 caps playing at centre for the Australian rugby union side since 1994. He made his test debut at the age of 20 against Ireland on 11 June 1994. He battled ...

, and

Matt Cockbain Matt Cockbain (born 19 September 1972) is an Australian rugby union football coach and a former international player. He played over 60 tests for the national team, the Wallabies including winning the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Cockbain was an assis ...

, and many other representative and professional players. StateLibQld 1 139947 Brisbane Grammar School's first Rugby Union team, 1887

Club names

"Jeeps" is derived from "GPS Old Boys", which was adopted as the name of the club in the 1930s. The club traces its origins back to 1887, when the "Past & Present Grammar Club" was formed from teachers, students, and past students of the

Brisbane Grammar School , motto_translation = Nothing Without Labour , established = 1868 , type = Independent, day & boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Non-denominational , slogan = , key_people = , ci ...

(BGS). "Past & Present Grammar" evolved into "Past Grammar", and eventually "BGS Old Boys". The "BGS Old Boys" became "GPS Old Boys" when broadening the membership base in 1931, as players were sought from other

Great Public Schools The Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales (AAGPS) is a sporting association of boys' schools in New South Wales, Australia that contest Sport, sporting events among themselves. The AAGPS was formed on 30 March 1892, ...

(GPS). Jeeps has no formal link with the GPS Association, apart from the name, and the club is open to senior and junior players from all schools and backgrounds.

History

GPS Old Boys claims to be one of the oldest rugby clubs in Australia, and traces its heritage back to a Past & Present Grammar club formed in 1887. The Past & Present Grammar Club fielded teams made up of teachers, students, and some past students of the Brisbane Grammar School through to 1890. At a meeting of the Old Boys on Thursday 5 March 1891, it was decided to form a Club composed of past members of the Brisbane Grammar School. ''(ref: Brisbane Courier Saturday 7 March 1891)''. This Past Grammar Club was a separate entity from the Past & Present Grammar Club. The Past Grammar Club played in the Senior Grade competition in Brisbane from 1891 through to 1900, until the introduction of the Electorate Football System in 1901. The club returned with the reintroduction of the Club Football System in 1905, and played through to 1914. After WWI, Past Grammar rejoined Brothers, Valleys & University and played in the 1919 QRU competition, but moved over to Rugby League in 1920 when the Rugby Union was disbanded in the 1920s. The Past Grammar Club that moved to Rugby League would later become Northern Suburbs Districts and finally Norths Devils in the Brisbane Rugby League. A new incarnation called BGS Old Boys Football Club was formed in 1928, when a small faction of members from the original Past Grammar left the club to play in the reinstated rugby union competition. ''(Ref: Norths Devils website)'' BGS Old Boys played a number of exhibition games against the newly formed YMCA Club. However this new Club was quite separate to the original Past Grammar Club which was still playing in the Brisbane Rugby League Competition. These 2 Clubs would form the heart of the 5 Club 1929 QRU Senior Rugby Competition which also included Valleys, Wynnum District and Past Commercials. According to noted rugby historian Ian Diehm in his book Red! Red! Red!, Past Grammar reformed along with other clubs after the devastation of the first world war, and eventually became GPS Old Boys in 1931 after a change of constitution, which broadened its membership beyond old boys of Brisbane Grammar. The first president of GPS Old Boys was Dr Kenneth Fraser and its first coach Dr "Jacky" Beath, the former Wallaby and Australian Infantry Forces fullback. Four members of the club - "Blow" Ide, Bill McLean, Boyd Oxlade and Llewellyn "Welly" Lewis went to England with the 1939 Wallabies, but only McLean continued after World War II. McLean was the first of GPS's two Australian captains, Arch Winning being the second. The club has had many homes: New Farm Park, Finsbury Park and, since 1977, Ashgrove Sports Ground. Past Grammar had won premierships in 1892, 1898, 1899 and 1914. GPS won the 1942 and 1943 "A" Grade Premierships (Keith Horsley Memorial Trophy) against Eagle Junction and University respectively, but had to wait until 1961 to win the Hospital Challenge Cup, coached by the former GPS player and later Queensland and Australian coach, the late Bob Templeton. The club won the premiership again in 1972 and for a fifth time in 1996, when the A Grade team upset Souths 12-6. After a 22-year drought, GPS won the premiership for a sixth time in 2018. ''HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY '' ''School Team (BRISBANE GRAMMAR SCHOOL)'' *Brisbane Grammar School - 1887: Northern Rugby Union (NRU) Senior Grade *Past & Present Grammar - 1888-1890:(NRU) Senior Grade ''Old Boys Team (PAST GRAMMAR)'' *Past Grammar - 1891-1900:(NRU/QRU) Senior Grade *Past Grammar - 1905-1914: Queensland Rugby Union(QRU) Senior Grade *Past Grammar - 1919:(QRU) Senior Grade *Past Grammar - 1920-1921: Queensland Rugby League (Metropolitan) Senior Grade *Past Grammar - 1922-1932: Brisbane Rugby League Senior Grade renamed Northern Suburbs Districts Rugby League Club in 1933 ''(Ref: "Passing of Past Grammars, Brisbane Courier Friday 24 February 1933)'' ''Old Boys Team (GPS OLD BOYS)'' *BGS Old Boys - 1928-1930 (QRU) "A" Grade *GPS Old Boys - 1931-Present (QRU) "A" Grade

Premiership finals results

Past Grammar

''Premiers (5)'' *1892 - Past Grammar 15 def Athenians (Ipswich) 5 *1898 - Past Grammar 11 def City 3 *1899 - Past Grammar 26 def City 0 *1914 - Past Grammar 11 def Brothers 8 *1927* - Past Grammar 13 def Western Suburbs 11 ''Runners-Up (9)'' *1891 - Arfomas 8 def Past Grammar 5 *1893 - Boomerangs 10 def Past Grammar 0 *1894 - Boomerangs 6 def Past Grammar 0 *1896 - City 6 def Past Grammar 5 *1900 - City 16 def Past Grammar 3 *1905 - North Brisbane 8 def Past Grammar 0 *1913 - Brothers 12 def Past Grammar 0 *1931* - Fortitude Valley 27 def Past Grammar 9 *1932* - Western Suburbs 8 def Past Grammar 7

GPS Old Boys

''Premiers (6)'' *1942 - GPS 11 def Eagle Junction 9 *1943 - GPS 10 def University 8 *1961 - GPS 19 def University 13 *1972 - GPS 23 def University 18 *1996 - GPS 12 def Souths 6 *2018 - GPS 23 def University 16 ''Runners-Up (19)'' *1931 - University 16 def GPS 15 *1934 - University 20 def GPS 18 *1940 - Eagle Junction 6 def GPS 3 *1944 - YMCA 8 def GPS 3 *1946 - Brothers 11 def GPS 6 *1948 - University 21 def GPS 18 *1951 - Brothers 17 def GPS 6 *1954 - University 19 def GPS 3 *1956 - University 19 def GPS 6 *1965 - University 17 def GPS 15 *1967 - University 17 def GPS 15 *1970 - University 24 def GPS 6 *1973 - Brothers 20 def GPS 10 *1974 - Brothers 27 def GPS 19 *1975 - Brothers 23 def GPS 9 *1976 - Teachers-Norths 16 def GPS 4 *2013 - Easts 27 def GPS 22 *2017 - University 23 def GPS 14 *2021 - University 29 def GPS 12 Notes
* Past Grammar played in the

Brisbane Rugby League premiership The Brisbane Rugby League is a rugby league football competition in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was first held in 1922 and for every year until 1997. The competition was reinstated in 2001, known as the FOGS premiership under the Quee ...

from 1920-1932. The rugby union competition was disbanded from 1920-27. In 1928, a group of players from Past Grammar formed the BGS Old Boys club to play in the reinstated rugby union competition. BGS Old Boys was renamed GPS Old Boys in 1931. In 1933, the Past Grammar club was absorbed into the newly created Northern Suburbs Districts Rugby League Club when the Brisbane Rugby League implemented a "District Scheme".

National Club Champions

The Australian Club Championship is a challenge match between the Brisbane and Sydney club premiers. GPS have played in the fixture twice, winning it in 2019.

Internationals

* A.C. Corfe * C.S. Graham * R.H. Mc Cowan * A.H. Henry * S.B. Boland * H.H. Bullmore * A.M. Oxlade * C.E Parkinson * F.R.V. Timbury * L.G. Brown * A.W. Kent * T. Lawton Snr * J.B.T Donely * G.S. Sturtridge * E.S. Hayes * W.D. Douglas * B.D. Oxlade * L.S. Lewis * W.P.J. Ide * W.M. McLean * J.R. McLean * E.G. Broad DFC * A. Ware * D.I. MacMillan * P.D. Thompson * K.C. Winning * C.J. Primmer * R. Colbert * G.G. Jones * J.N. Greene * G.R. Horsley * I.P. Colquhoun - 1954 (Australia to Tonga & Fiji) * B.A. Wright * A.F. McBoyd * D.W. Lowth * O.F. Edwards * P.D. Perrin * D.J.A. Clark * D.A. Taylor * D.S. Rathie * C.M. Carberry * D.W. Hillhouse * G.G. Shambrook * A.J. McIntyre * D. Codey * T. Coker * I. Tabua * A.G. Herbert * D.J. Herbert * R. Constable * B.N. Tune * M.J. Cockbain * B.J. Cockbain * T.P. Atkinson * D.P. Heenan * T. McVerry * P. Hynes * R. Samo * A. Faingaa * S. Faingaa * B. Toolis for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

* M. Ngauamo for

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

External links

GPS Rugby
- Official website
GPS Over 35's
- GPS Golden Gallopers Over 35's

References

* {{QRU Rugby union teams in Queensland Sporting clubs in Brisbane 1887 establishments in Australia Rugby clubs established in 1887