# ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union

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The ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in the Australian Capital Territory and southern regions of New South Wales. The union is represented by one team in the Super Rugby competition, the Brumbies. The ACT is also home to the Canberra Vikings in the National Rugby Championship.

## History

The union was founded in 1937 as the Federal Capital Territory Rugby Union (FCTRU). It became the Australian Capital Territory Rugby Union (ACTRU) in 1939, and eventually the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union. It received its current name prior to the 2005 Super 12 season, when the Far South Coast and Southern Inland unions of New South Wales joined the ACT and Monaro Rugby Unions. This change also led to the former ACT Brumbies being renamed Brumbies Rugby.

## Jurisdiction

The ACT and Southern New South Wales Union has jurisdiction over the southern-most bordering towns of New South Wales from the eastern coast over to Albury-Wodonga and Deniliquin. It also includes Griffith, Young, Yass, Taralga, as well as Goulburn, Batemans Bay, Wagga Wagga and Canberra.

## Competitions

The ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union administers three senior competitions:
* ACT Rugby Union
* Far South Coast Rugby Union
* Southern Inland Rugby Union

## ACTRU Premier Division (John I Dent Cup)

ACTRU 1st XV Teams :
| Team | City/Suburb/Town | Home Ground |
| Premier Division |||
| Canberra Royals | Canberra | Canberra Rugby Club |
| Gungahlin Eagles | Gungahlin | Gungahlin Enclosed Oval |
| Penrith Emus | Penrith, Sydney | Penrith Rugby Club |
| Queanbeyan Whites | Queanbeyan | Campese Field |
| Tuggeranong Vikings | Tuggeranong | Viking Park |
| Uni-Norths Owls | Australian National University | University Oval |
| Wests Lions | Belconnen | Wests Rugby Club |
| First Division |||
| ADFA | Australian Defence Force Academy | Dowsett Rugby Fields |
| Cooma Red Devils | Cooma | Rotary Oval |
| Easts ACT | Griffith, Australian Capital Territory | Griffith Oval |
| Goulburn Dirty Reds | Goulburn | Simon Poidevin Rugby Park |
| Hall Bushranger | Hall | Hall Sportsground |
| Royal Military College | Royal Military College, Duntroon | Portsea Oval |

## Far South Coast Rugby Union (Incorporated into ACTRU Lower Grades)

This union is officially affiliated with the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union instead of the NSW union.
| Team | Nickname |
| ADFA | ADFA |
| Batemans Bay-Broulee | Boars |
| Braidwood | Redbacks |
| Bungendore | Mudchooks |
| Cooma | Red Devils |
| Crookwell | Dogs |
| Hall | Bushrangers |
| Jindabyne | Bushpigs |
| Milton-Ulladulla | Platypi |
| Taralga | Tigers |
| Yass | Rams |

### Junior Teams

* Bermagui
* FSC Falcons (Tathra)

### Former Teams

* Broulee Dolphins

## Southern Inland Rugby Union

This union is officially affiliated with the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union instead of the NSW union.

### Clubs

| Club | City | Home Ground | 1st Grade Premierships |
| 1st Grade ||||
| Albury-Wodonga Steamers | Albury/Wodonga | Murrayfield, Alexandra Park | 1999-2000, 2013, 2015 |
| Charles Sturt University Reddies | Wagga Wagga | Conolly Park | 2005 |
| Griffith Blacks | Griffith | Exies Oval No.1 | 1995, 2002–03, 2014 |
| Tumut Bulls | Tumut | Jarrah Sportsground | None |
| Wagga Ag College | Wagga Wagga | Conolly Park | 1997, 2007, 2009, 2012 |
| Wagga City | Wagga Wagga | Conolly Park | 2020 |
| Wagga Wagga Waratahs | Wagga Wagga | Conolly Park | 2001, 2004, 2008, 2010–11, 2016, 2018, 2019 |
| Leeton Phantoms | Leeton | Leeton No.1 Oval | 2017 |
| 3rd Grade Only ||||
| Hay Cutters | Hay | Hay Park Oval | 1998 |

### Affiliated Clubs

* Hillston Hogs (invitational team)

### Former clubs

* Condobolin
* Cootamundra Tri-Colours
* Deniliquin Drovers
* Grenfell Panthers
* Junee Rams (folded 2016)
* Temora Tuskers
* West Wyalong Weevils
* Young Yabbies

### Premiers (1995-present)

Riverina Zone/SIRU Premiers 1995–present :
| Year | 1st Grade Premiers | 2nd Grade Premiers | 3rd Grade Premiers | Women's Premiers |
| 1995 | Griffith | Griffith | Griffith | N/A |
| 1996 | Army | Rivcoll | N/A | N/A |
| 1997 | Wagga Ag College | Griffith | N/A | Wagga City |
| 1998 | Hay | Rivcoll | N/A | Griffith |
| 1999 | Albury | Waratahs | N/A | Leeton |
| 2000 | Albury | Grenfell | N/A | Leeton |
| 2001 | Waratahs | Waratahs | N/A | Wagga City |
| 2002 | Griffith | Grenfell | N/A | N/A |
| 2003 | Griffith | Rivcoll | N/A | N/A |
| 2004 | Waratahs | Rivcoll | N/A | N/A |
| 2005 | Rivcoll | Rivcoll | N/A | N/A |
| 2006 | Cootamundra | Rivcoll | N/A | N/A |
| 2007 | Wagga Ag College | Rivcoll | N/A | N/A |
| 2008 | Waratahs | Waratahs | Wagga Ag College | N/A |
| 2009 | Wagga Ag College | Tumut | Wagga Ag College | N/A |
| 2010 | Waratahs | Waratahs | Griffith | N/A |
| 2011 | Waratahs | Waratahs | Hay | N/A |
| 2012 | Wagga Ag College | Wagga Ag College | Waratahs | N/A |
| 2013 | Albury | Waratahs | Junee | Leeton |
| 2014 | Griffith | CSU | Junee | Wagga City |
| 2015 | Albury | Leeton | Griffith | Leeton |
| 2016 | Waratahs | Waratahs | Waratahs | Leeton |
| 2017 | Leeton | Wagga City | Deniliquin | Leeton |
| 2018 | Waratahs | Waratahs | Waratahs | CSU |
| 2019 | Waratahs | Waratahs | Griffith | Griffith |
| 2020 | Wagga City | Leeton | N/A | Wagga Ag College |

## ACT representative teams

The Territory's representative team hosted the All Blacks at Manuka Oval in the winter of 1938. The Canberra side managed to score a try before the interval and trailed the visitors at half time by 24–5 before the New Zealanders went on to win by 57–5. Coached by Frank O'Rourke, the home team had played its inaugural match only three months earlier.
The team's original strip featured an all gold jersey with two green bands. They defeated the Hawkesbury College at the Country Carnival earlier in 1938, and later that season won against the Bathurst side. Three players from the Territory team were selected for NSW Combined Country to play Sydney that year. The Australian Capital Territory team, often referred to simply as "Canberra", grew in stature in the decades following the Second World War. ACT won the Caldwell Cup for the Country Championship for the first time in 1964 and retained it for the following two seasons.
1990s Kookaburras rep team kit and logo. :
Rugby in Canberra came of age in the 1970s. ACT scored a 17–11 away win over Queensland in 1972, and then had their first win over a national side, defeating Tonga by 17–6 in 1973. In 1975, ACT won promotion for the following season to the top division of the Wallaby Trophy, Australia's provincial championship at that time. The triumph was short-lived, however, because the planned tournament for 1976 was officially cancelled.
When Wales toured Australia in 1978, the ACT defeated them in a rousing 21–20 come-from-behind victory. The win over the reigning Five Nations champions showed that ACT could compete against the top tier of rugby players in the world.
The name "Canberra Kookaburras" was used for the ACT representative team from 1989, but it was to be a further five years before the Canberra Kookaburra club was officially founded. When the ACT comprehensively beat New South Wales by 44–28 in 1994, an invitation was issued for a Canberra club to play in the expanded 14-team NSWRU Premiership sponsored by AAMI for the following season.

### Australian Rugby Shield

The Vikings entered the Australian Rugby Shield in 2006, playing as the "ACT & Southern NSW Vikings" following the renaming of the ACT Rugby Union after its expansion into Southern New South Wales the previous season. The team had two close matches against NSW Country and Perth Gold during the season, but managed to progress undefeated through the three pool games, semi-final and final to win the competition and take the shield. The Vikings played the Melbourne Axemen in the grand final at Viking Park and never looked back after the third minute when inside centre Josh Staniforth scored the first of the side's five tries for the match in a 36–10 win.
In 2022, with the Revival of Australian Rugby Shield ACT and Southern New South Wales Griffins were crowned champions defeating NSW Country 34-31 in the Grand Final at Brighton Oval, Adelaide.

### Honours

* Australian Rugby Shield Winners (2006, 2022)