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 ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

has traditionally been one of the most popular professional and recreational team sports. The earliest known Rugby football matches were played in Brisbane from 1876 through to 1878. Rugby struggled to gain a foothold until it got its break in 1882 with the first inter-colonial matches against New South Wales, and the formation of the Northern Rugby Union. Between 1885 and 1887 it surpassed the popularity of

Australian rules football in Queensland Australian rules football in Queensland (typically referred to as "AFL", or less frequently "Australian Football", "Aussie Rules" or "Australian Rules") was the first official football code played in 1866. The Colony of Queensland was the secon ...

after the leading schools association decided to play it exclusively and after 1890 spread virtually unopposed throughout the colony. The rise of professional

Rugby league in Queensland Rugby league is the most popular winter sport in the Australian state of Queensland. Prior to the introduction of rugby league, rugby union was the state's most popular sport. After the introduction of League in 1908 it became popular as rugb ...

in 1908 and the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

ultimately saw the disbandment of the

Queensland Rugby Union The Queensland Rugby Union, or QRU, is the Sports governing body, governing body for the sport of rugby union within the state of Queensland in Australia. It is a member and founding union of Rugby Australia. The QRU was founded in Brisbane in ...

(‘QRU’) after the 1919 season however it was later revived and continues to this day as ‘Queensland Rugby’. Despite increasing competition from three other football codes, rugby thrived in its niche nursery, with the Greater Public Schools competition and also representative football holding maximum prestige in the state. With the establishment of a permanent new home at

Ballymore Stadium Ballymore is a rugby union stadium situated in Herston, Queensland, Herston, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It is the headquarters of Queensland Rugby Union and was the home ground of the Brisbane City (rugby team), Brisbane City team in the ...

from the 1960s rugby experienced a golden era from the 1980s to 2000s. However it went into sharp decline in the 2010s and by 2018 was the least participated of the four major football codes in the state behind

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

though representative matches still attract a significant audience. The Union has been reluctant to publish participation figures in recent years and has been focused on rebuilding the code. Queensland's most notable product is Rugby Australia Hall of Famer

John Eales John Eales AM (born 27 June 1970) is an Australian former rugby union player and the most successful captain in the history of Australian rugby. In 1999, he became one of the first players to win multiple Rugby World Cups. Early life Eales ...

who was Australia’s most successful Rugby captain. All of Queensland's Hall of Famers have also captained Australia and include

Tim Horan Tim Horan AM (born 18 May 1970) is a former Australian rugby union footballer. He played for the Queensland Reds in the Super 12, and represented Australia. He was one of the best centres in the world throughout the 1990s due to his attacking ...

Des Connor Desmond Michael Connor (born 9 August 1935 in Ashgrove, QLD) is an Australian former rugby union halfback who represented internationally both the Australian and New Zealand national rugby union teams. He is an inductee in the Australian Rugby ...

Tom Lawton Snr Tom Lawton Snr (16 January 1899 – 1 July 1978) was an Australian rugby union player, a state and national representative five-eighth who made 44 appearances for the Wallabies, played in 14 Test matches and captained the national side on ten o ...

Mark Loane Mark Edward Loane AM (born 11 July 1954) is an Australian former rugby union football player, who played 89 games for Queensland and 28 Tests for the Wallabies. Described by Bret Harris in his book, ''The Marauding Maroons'', as "the closest t ...

, Paul McLean, Tony Shaw and

Andrew Slack Andrew Gerard Slack (born 24 September 1955 in Brisbane) is an Australian former state and national representative rugby union player who captained the Wallabies in 19 Test matches in between 1984 and 1987. His 133 appearances for Queensland bet ...

History of rugby union in Queensland

Earliest matches

Rugby football commenced in Queensland in 1876, when the Brisbane FC (which had played according to the ‘Melbourne Rules' (now

Australian football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modifie ...

) since its founding in 1866), and two newly formed football clubs (Bonnet Rouge FC and Rangers FC) elected to play

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

football. Rugby continued to be played for three seasons. In 1870 Bonnet Rouge and Rangers folded in 1878 and Brisbane FC (which had periodically played both soccer and rugby as well) returned to playing ‘Victorian rules’ (formerly ‘Melbourne rules’). As a result, rugby was rarely played in the following years. 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 in Queensland was the only football being organised. 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 FC and Wallaroo (1878), to try rugby. Just two rugby matches were played in Queensland in 1880. Three matches were played between the clubs in 1881.

Queensland Football Association era

The Queensland Football Association was formed in April 1880 by both rugby and Victorian rules members. While vastly outnumbered by Victorian Association members rugby members lobbied the QFA to schedule matches on a Saturday every 4 weeks during the Victorian Association season, however due to insufficient numbers rugby play was infrequent in the first few seasons. The 1882 the QFA accepted a challenge to play intercolonial football against New South Wales. Rugby members of Brisbane FC instigated the move in contact with the Sydney Wallaroo club. The Sydney Rugby Football Union won a bidding war against the Sydney Football Association, as to which code to play under. The SRFU promised to pay full travel and accommodation costs if the Queenslanders agreed to play only rugby, whereas the SFA offered half of the gate takings if the Queenslanders agreed to play only Victorian rules. Due to the prohibitive costs of travel and expected low gate takings for Victorian rules in Sydney, the rugby offer was far more attractive. 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. Enough players aligned with the rugby body to form two clubs. Filling the void left by the folding of Bonnet Rouge and Rangers, two new clubs, Fireflies and Wanderers were formed. Rugby members of the QFA became disgruntled with the Victorian Association's unwillingness to consider intercolonial matches. As a result of increasing pressure from the rugby fraternity to play representative matches against New South Wales, QFA clubs in 1883 voted annually as to whether to continue under the Victorian Association or adopt Rugby Union rules. Rugby Union members were more than prepared to cover the costs of the shorter trip to Sydney. However Victorian Association officials from Melbourne showed apparent disinterest in sending teams to Queensland. After two Victorian rules tests against New South Wales Queensland rugby footballers began to bypass the QFA and directly organise rugby tests with New South Wales. This angered the QFA and a motion was passed by the QFA secretary that effectively barred players found to be playing Rugby Union from playing at a Victorian Association club, effectively segregating the two codes for the first time since its inception. The move was to backfire as it antagonised its rugby members spurring them into action.

Rugby breaks away from the QFA: Formation of the Northern Rugby Union (1883)

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 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 ...

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 ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. NRU clubs in response to the QFA, instituted the barring of rugby players from playing Victorian rules and Rugby players and officials began derogatively reverting to the term "Melbourne Association" and "Melbourne Rules" in reference to the QFA and its rules fuelling a sentiment of them being increasingly anti-rugby and anti-Queensland. Another club Wasps were formed the following year in 1884 and in 1885 Wallaroo (who had been playing both codes) announced it would drop Victorian rules to reform as a rugby club.

Rugby becomes Queensland's premier football code

Brisbane Grammar through Richard Powell Francis had switched to rugby in 1885 and while continuing to play both codes pushed for the other Independent Schools to also. The association of Independent Schools headmasters in 1887 by 1 voted to adopt rugby exlusively feeling it would best represent Queensland's interests not to play a code with "Victorian" in its name.Ronald Lawson, University of Queensland Press, 1973, page 203 As a result, the big schools of Brisbane Grammar, Ipswich Grammar and Toowoomba Grammar, once strongholds of Australian rules, helped establish rugby throughout the colony. The top-level Rugby competition begun by those schools continues in the local Great Public Schools' Association of Queensland (GPS) system to this day. Between 1885 and 1887, for the first time in the history of the colony, mainstream newspapers began to report rugby results first, followed by Victorian Association (Australian rules) and Anglo Football (soccer) and take a generally greater interest in rugby signalling the premier status of the code. 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 (the last matches were played in 1890) and rugby union quickly spread throughout Queensland unopposed establishing strongholds in Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Maryborough, Gympie and Charters Towers. Townsville_vs_Charters_Towers_The_North_Queensland_Register_Page_35_Wednesday_10_July_1895

Townsville_vs_Charters_Towers_The_North_Queensland_Register_Page_35_Wednesday_10_July_1895

Queensland Rugby Union

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. 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 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 ...

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, but the advent of the

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

code,

, in New South Wales saw many union players leaving for

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

to play rugby league and get paid in the process, something which the

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

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 The Queensland Rugby Football League QRL Constitution, 2009: 3 (QRL QRL Constitution, 2009: 2) is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL Commission) and selects the membe ...

. Of particular note was that at this time, league put down strong roots in the

bush Bush commonly refers to: * Shrub, a small or medium woody plant Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to: People * Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name **Bush family, a prominent American family that includes: *** ...

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. 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 World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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

Board of Trustees. In 1961, the Queensland Junior Rugby Union was formed and 1965 saw the formation of the

Queensland Country Rugby Union The Queensland Country Rugby Union, or QCRU, is the governing body for the sport of rugby union within most of the state of Queensland in Australia. It is affiliated with the Queensland Rugby Union. The Queensland Country Rugby Union administe ...

. 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 A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the QRU in 1980. He stayed with the QRU until 1996 and saw the organisation grow from one person to 32 personnel. The_Duke_of_Edinburgh,_Brisbane,_October_1982

The_Duke_of_Edinburgh,_Brisbane,_October_1982

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 Bowen Hills is an inner north-eastern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the Bowen Hills had a population of 3,226 people. Geography Bowen Hills is by road from the Brisbane CBD. Mayne is a neighbourhood within the s ...

. The

Reds Reds may refer to: General * Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism * Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863 * USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during th ...

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.

Recent events

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.

Queensland state team

Intercolony/Interstate matches

The year 1882 saw the first of many intercolony and interstate matches between Queensland and New South Wales rugby union teams. New South Wales took out the inaugural match, 28-4. The following year, Brisbane hosted its first intercolony match, defeating New South Wales 12-11 at the

Eagle Farm Racecourse Eagle Farm Racecourse is a heritage-listed horse racing venue in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located at the northern end of Racecourse Road in the suburb of Ascot, from the Brisbane central business district. The turf track is wid ...

. Today, the Queensland team in

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

, the

Queensland Reds The Queensland Reds is the rugby union team for the Australian state of Queensland that competes in the Southern Hemisphere's Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996, they were a representative team selected from the rugby union club competition ...

, face

NSW ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, ACT, WA and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

representative teams home and away each season.

National championships

The

National Rugby Championship The National Rugby Championship, known as NRC, was an Australian rugby union competition. It was contested by eight teams, seven from Australia and one from Fiji. The tournament ran from 2014 until 2019 before being disbanded in 2020 following t ...

(NRC) was launched by the ARU in 2014, reinstating the national competition after an absence of six years. The previous competition was the

Australian Rugby Championship The Australian Rugby Championship, often abbreviated to the ARC and also known as the Mazda Australian Rugby Championship for sponsorship purposes, is a now-defunct domestic professional men's rugby union football competition in Australia, which ...

(ARC) which was discontinued after only one season in 2007. The NRC is contested by nine professional teams from around Australia, with the season running from August through to November. Queensland is represented by two teams in the NRC: * 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 Brisbane City is an Australian rugby union football team based in Brisbane that competes in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team is one of two Queensland sides in the competition, the other being . Brisbane City is organised and mana ...

, and

East Coast Aces Queensland Country is an Australian rugby union football team that competes in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team is one of two Queensland sides in the competition, the other being . Queensland Country is organised and managed by t ...

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. Brisbane City won the inaugural NRC competition, defeating

Perth Spirit Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is p ...

in the 2014 grand final.

Competitions

Premier rugby

is currently the highest level competition in the state and equivalent to the

Shute Shield The Shute Shield is a semi-professional rugby union competition in Sydney, Australia. It is the premier club competition in New South Wales. The Shute Shield is awarded to the winning team from the Sydney premiership grand final held at the end ...

. There are currently nine teams that compete in the annual competition: * Bond University *

Brothers Old Boys Brothers Rugby Club (formally Brothers Old Boys) is an Australian rugby union club based in Brisbane, Queensland. The name alludes to its beginnings as a rugby club founded by alumni of schools established by the Congregation of Christian Brothe ...

* Easts *

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...

* Norths * Souths * Sunnybank *

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

* Wests

Country rugby

The

has eleven country sub-unions, each running their own club competitions during the year. The sub-unions are grouped into three regional divisions in Northern, Central, and Southern Queensland: North Queensland *

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

* Mount Isa * Mackay Central Queensland * Rockhampton * Central Highlands * Western Queensland * Wide Bay – selected from Bundaberg and District Rugby Union, plus teams from Fraser Coast, Gympie, and South Burnett. South Queensland *

Sunshine Coast Rugby Union The Sunshine Coast Rugby Union is the local rugby union competition on Australia's Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast. Through Sunshine Coast Rugby Union Limited it serves as the governing body for rugby on the Sunshine Coast. History ...

* Darling Downs Rugby Union *

Gold Coast District Rugby Union The Gold Coast and District Rugby Union, or GCDRU, is the local Sports governing body, governing body for the sport of rugby union on Australia's Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast. The GCRU runs a club rugby competition for men's teams with thr ...

Sub-union teams compete in Regional Championships against other teams in their regional division. Representative sides from the three regions are then selected to play at the

Queensland Country Championships The Queensland Country Championships, also known as the Graincorp Country Championship, is a rugby union competition for teams from regions of Queensland outside of Brisbane. The Queensland Country Rugby Union administers the competitions at Se ...

. Following the Country Championships, a representative

Queensland Country Heelers The Queensland Country Heelers is an amateur rugby union football team that represents the regions of Queensland outside of Brisbane. The team is selected by the Queensland Country Rugby Union following the annual Queensland Country Championship ...

team is selected by the

to play regular fixtures including City-Country matches against Brisbane selections, and the "Battle of the Borders" Cup against the

New South Wales Country Cockatoos The New South Wales Country Cockatoos is an amateur representative rugby union football team. Players in the team are selected by the New South Wales Country Rugby Union from regions of New South Wales excluding Sydney and Southern NSW. New Sout ...

Queensland State Cup

The Queensland State Cup was an early-season statewide premier competition that was run for just one season in 2009. It involved 16 Queensland teams; 9 Brisbane clubs and 7 teams based in the major sub-unions of Queensland Country. The competition ran prior to the Queensland Premier Rugby competition. Due to logistical issues the competition has now ceased.

Brisbane club rugby

Club rugby in Brisbane starts at an Under 7 years of age level and goes right up to an open age group level just below the premier level.

Suburban rugby

The grassroots rugby competition colloquially known as "Subbies" in Brisbane and South East Queensland is run by the Queensland Suburban Rugby Union (QSRU). The purpose of this competition is to provide community-based recreation for participants, irrespective of ability. It provides another tier of rugby behind the main Brisbane club competition. The "Subbies" competition has around 1,000 players and 25 clubs competing across 3 divisions: As of 2014, the First Division clubs competing for the

Barber Cup A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...

and Pegg Cup are: * Brisbane Irish RFC * Caboolture RFC * Everton Park RFC * Goodna RFC *

Ipswich RFC Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

* Pine Rivers Boars RFC * Redlands RFC * Springfield RFC * Wynnum RUC The QSRU also selects a Queensland Suburban team to play an annual match against New South Wales Suburban for the Barraclough Shield.

Women's rugby

USC Rugby versus Nambour Toads women 2021-06-26 6

Club competitions for women's 15-a-side teams are run in Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Cairns. The Queensland Rugby Union sends a Queensland side to the ARU's

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

each year. Queensland also selects 7-a-side teams to compete in the National Sevens Championships and tournaments such as the

Darwin Hottest Sevens The Darwin Hottest Sevens, known as the Hottest 7s in the World or the Hottest 7s, is a rugby sevens tournament held annually in Darwin, Australia on a weekend in early October. The event is sponsored by Heineken and is hosted by the Northern ...

. The ten clubs in the Brisbane Women's competition, as of 2014, are: *Albany Creek-GPS *Colleges *Goodna *GPS *Logan City *Norths *Redlands *Sunnybank *University of Queensland *Wests

Schools and Junior rugby

The Queensland Rugby Football Schools Union (QRFSU) administers the game within Queensland schools and selects state teams for national championships at various age group levels, including the Australian Schools Rugby Championships. Clubs for junior rugby players (up to 17 years of age) operate within the Queensland Junior Rugby Union (QJRU), which also holds state championships for representative teams from metropolitan and country regions.

Ballymore Cup

The

Ballymore Cup The Ballymore Cup is an under 17 schoolboys rugby union competition run by the Queensland Rugby Union The Queensland Rugby Union, or QRU, is the governing body for the sport of rugby union within the state of Queensland in Australia. It is a m ...

is the largest school boys rugby competition in Queensland. It was founded to promote the sport of rugby across rural and metropolitan Queensland. The winner of the 2012 Ballymore Cup in the open age went to Rockhampton Grammar, and in the under-15's St Brendan's College, Yeppoon.

Important Dates

*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 The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

, 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 -

won Super Six *1994 - Reds

Super 10 The Super 10 was a rugby union football tournament featuring ten teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Tonga, and Western Samoa. The competition ran for three years from 1993 to 1995 and was the predecessor of Super 12 and Super 14, ...

champions *1995 - Reds Super 10 champions *1996 - Rugby becomes professional *1996 - Reds finish season on top of

Super 12 Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

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 Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...

*2011 - An epic Reds final win at

sees a "Nightmare wallabies revival" in time for the rugby world cup *2013 - Queensland Suburban / Sub-Districts celebrate 50 years of competition

References

External links

Queensland Rugby
official website
Australian Rugby
official website {{Rugby union in Australia