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ACT Brumbies

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For the wild horse, see Brumby.

Brumbies
UnionAustralian Rugby Union
Founded1996
LocationCanberra, ACT
Australia
RegionAustralian Capital Territory and southern New South Wales
Ground(s)GIO Stadium (Capacity: 25,011)
Coach(es)Stephen Larkham
Captain(s)Christian Lealiifano and
Stephen Moore
League(s)Super Rugby
2015Semifinalist
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.brumbies.com.au

The Brumbies (for sponsorship reasons known as the Aquis Brumbies and formerly known as the ACT Brumbies) are an Australian professional Rugby union football team competing in the Super Rugby. The team is based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and named for the wild horses which inhabit the capital's hinterland. The team represents the ACT and southern New South Wales (NSW) regions.

The Brumbies were formed in 1996 to provide a third Australian franchise for the newly formed Super 12 (now Super Rugby) competition. It was predicted that the Brumbies, made up of so-called 'reject' – players not wanted by the other two teams – would perform poorly. Since then, they have enjoyed more success than all the other Australian teams combined, reaching six finals and winning two.

The Brumbies play in navy blue, white and gold kits. The team plays at GIO Stadium (formerly known as Bruce Stadium and Canberra Stadium) in Canberra and is currently coached by former Wallabies fly-half Stephen Larkham. Larkham shared the coaching duties with Laurie Fisher as Director of Football, after the unexpected departure of Jake White in September 2013, who had two years left on his contract, until Fisher left to become Head Coach of Gloucester Rugby after the 2014 season.

History

Brumbies previous headquarters in Griffith, Australian Capital Territory.
See also: Rugby union in the Australian Capital Territory § History

Rugby union football has a long history in the ACT. The British Isles opened their 1899 tour of Australia with a match in Goulburn. However, it was not until 1938 that the ACT Rugby Union was finally established.

Early years of rugby in ACT

Four clubs made up the first local competition; University, Easts, RMC and Norths. Also in 1938, a representative ACT side faced off against the All Blacks, losing 5 to 56.[citation needed]

The first international victory for an ACT representative side was in 1973, when they defeated Tonga 17 points to six. In 1978 an ACT side defeated Wales, who were Five Nations champions at the time. ACT had trailed at half time, 6 to 16, but came back and won with a penalty kick in the final moments of the match.

The ACT representative side became known as the Kookaburras in 1989.[1] ACT defeated NSW 44 to 28 at Sydney's Concord Oval in 1994, which led the way for the ACT to become a franchise, and be included in the new professional international Super 12 competition, alongside the Reds and Waratahs. ACT became Australia's third provincial team in the new competition, known officially as the ACT Brumbies.[citation needed]

Super 12 era: 1996–2005

In the inaugural Super 12 season, under coach Rod Macqueen, the Brumbies actually finished fifth on the table after the regular season, narrowly missing out on a finals position. The following season was even more successful as the Brumbies entered the 1997 Super 12 Final, but lost to the Auckland Blues.[citation needed]

Eddie Jones took over as head coach in 1998, but the Brumbies fell to tenth place on the 1998 season ladder. However, the following season saw a big improvement, as they finished fifth for the second time in their Super rugby history, just missing out on the finals. In 2000, the Brumbies made it to the 2000 Super 12 Final for the second time, and were actually hosting it as well. They were however beaten by the Crusaders, by just the one point, losing 19 to 20.[citation needed]

In 2001 they backed up their good performance in 2000 to again enter the final, this time against the Sharks from Durban. The Brumbies won the match, and in doing so, became the first team outside of New Zealand to be crowned Super 12 champions (and the only such team in the Super 12 era; the Bulls of South Africa won the 2007 Super 14). That year the British Lions also came to Australia, and played a match against the Brumbies. The combined strength of four nations was pitted against the Brumbies Second XV with the tourists winning by just two points, 30 to 28.[citation needed]

David Nucifora took over as head coach at the Brumbies for the 2002 season. Under Nucifora the Brumbies entered their third Super 12 final in a row, again against the Crusaders who had defeated them in the 2000 final. The Crusaders won the match, 31 to 13. The following season, going for four straight final appearances, the Brumbies fell just short, being knocked out in the semi-finals by the Blues. They did however go onto to beat Fiji and Tonga later that year.[citation needed]

In 2004 the Brumbies finished at the top of the Super 12 table, six points clear of the next best team. The Brumbies hosted the 2004 Super 12 Final as well, and were to face the Crusaders once again. Though this time, the Brumbies won, 47 to 38 in front of a record crowd at Canberra Stadium. During the off-season the ACT Rugby Union was renamed the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union, and the name of the team was changed to Brumbies Rugby.[citation needed]

Laurie Fisher took over as coach for the 2005 season. After an undefeated run in the early stages of the season, injuries began to mount up and the Brumbies eventually finished fifth, missing out on the finals. The following year the competition was expanded to the Super 14, introducing one new team from Australia and one new team from South Africa.[citation needed]

Recent times: 2006–present

Brumbies vs Waratahs, April 2006

In 2006 the Brumbies finished sixth, missing out on the finals by 1 point, having never dropped out of the top four all season prior to the last round. Later that year the Brumbies played in the inaugural Australian Provincial Championship (APC). In their opening game they defeated the NSW Waratahs 14–13 at Viking Park. This win snapped a 3-game losing streak against their traditional rivals. They then went on to defeat the Western Force 25–10, again at Viking Park. Despite narrowly losing, 20–19, to the Queensland Reds on the road in Brisbane, the Brumbies won the right to face the Reds in the final back in Viking Park. They won this more comfortably, 42–17, securing the inaugural APC.[citation needed]

The side failed to make the playoffs between 2007 and 2011, during which time they finished between 5th and 13th on the ladder. After a succession of coaches over the same period, including Laurie Fisher, Andy Friend and Tony Rea, former South Africa coach Jake White took over as coach of the side in April 2011, signing a four-year deal with the club.[2] However, he was granted a release from his contract in September 2013, with two years left on his four-year contract.[3]

In 2012, the Brumbies became the first Australian Super Rugby team to host an international fixture against a touring side. On 12 June, the Brumbies played Wales at Canberra Stadium while Wales was on their 2012 Summer tour. Wales won 25–15.

The Brumbies returned to form in the 2012, finishing second in the Australian conference, and seventh in the overall standings, narrowly missing the final-six and a place in the quarter finals.

In 2013, the Brumbies and the other Australian super rugby teams played the British and Irish Lions as part of the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia. The Brumbies earned a hard fought 14–12 victory, the first defeat of the Lions on their tour.[4]

The Brumbies continued their strong performances in 2013 by finishing first in the Australian conference and 3rd on the ladder to make their first finals appearance since they won the Super title in 2004. After defeating the Central Cheetahs in a close home final 15 – 13, the Brumbies travelled to Pretoria to face the Bulls and again achieved victory, 23–26. The team had to travel from South Africa to New Zealand to meet the Waikato Chiefs for the championship final the following week, and the Chiefs proved to be too strong, winning the final 27–22.

Following the end of the Super Rugby season the Brumbies sent a squad captained by Robbie Coleman to the invitational World Club 7s in England. The Brumbies won the series, defeating the Auckland Blues 17–14 in the final. Henry Speight was named the player of the tournament.[5]

Colours and name

Brumbies and Southern Inland Rugby Union office in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.
File:Brumbieslogo96-04.png
ACT Brumbies logo, used between 1996 and 2004.

The Brumbies traditional colours are navy blue, white and gold. Their primary jersey is navy with gold trim, with navy shorts and socks. The alternate jersey is gold and yellow, generally worn for away matches. The Brumbies also have a traditional jersey which is used for games against fellow Australian Super 12 foundation teams NSW and Queensland, which reflects the original home jersey worn between 1996 and 2005. This features a navy 'saddle' across the shoulders and white below chest level, with gold trim.[citation needed] The primary jersey sponsor is the University of Canberra.[6]

The team is named after the wild horses which inhabit Canberra's hinterland. The Brumbies mascot is Brumby Jack. The Brumbies were originally known as the ACT Brumbies when they were accepted into the Super 12 for its inaugural season in 1996. Shortly after the 2004 season, two regional governing bodies in New South Wales – Far South Coast Rugby Union and Southern Inland Rugby Union, joined the ACT Rugby Union, which then renamed itself the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union.[7] The team adopted a new name and logo for the 2005 season, dropping the "ACT" to become known simply as "The Brumbies". The name change identified that the team represented an area much larger than the Australian Capital Territory – with "Brumbies Territory" incorporating a number of regions through southern New South Wales including the Riverina, Shoalhaven, and Southern Highlands as well as the Sunraysia region incorporating parts of Victoria.[8]

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Period Kit manufacturer Major Sponsor Minor Sponsor Shorts Sponsor
2009 ISC CA Navy
2010–11 Kooga CA Canberra Milk
2012 Kooga University of Canberra Canberra Milk
2013 BLK University of Canberra Land Rover Canberra Milk
2014 Classic Sportswear University of Canberra Land Rover Canberra Milk
2015 Classic Sportswear Aquis Group[9] Land Rover Canberra Milk

Stadium

Canberra Stadium, the home of the Brumbies

The Brumbies play all their home fixtures at GIO Stadium, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. They share the ground with the Canberra Raiders rugby league team. Also, the Canberra Vikings, the Brumbies' affiliate in the short-lived Australian Rugby Championship, played one of their four regular-season home matches there. In 2003 matches from the 2003 Rugby World Cup were played at the stadium. Capacity is a nominal all-seated 25,011, however the largest crowd is actually 28,753, which was for the 2004 Super 12 Final. The Brumbies team did not use Canberra Stadium for their post-season APC games, instead taking their home fixtures to Canberra's Viking Park, which has a smaller capacity.

Rivalries

The Brumbies have traditionally had a fierce rivalry with the NSW Waratahs. The original Brumbies team was formed of rejects from the Waratahs – ironically however the Brumbies have had more success over the duration of the Super 12/14. Brumbies v. Waratahs games are notoriously difficult for the away team to win – indeed the away team has only won on two occasions, including the Brumbies 51–10 humiliation of NSW in the 2002 semi finals. Brumbies/Waratahs games routinely attract sell out attendances. Since 2012 the interstate rivalry with the Queensland Reds has intensified as the two teams have been in close competition for the automatic conference semi-final qualification spot.

Another notable rival of the Brumbies is the Crusaders. The two sides have met in three grand finals (The Brumbies winning one and the Crusaders two). In common with the Waratah rivalry the away side rarely wins in encounters between the two sides. The Brumbies are the only team to have scored 50 points against the Crusaders and have recorded the highest ever score in a grand final (48 points) against this side. The Brumbies remain one of few sides to have a competitive win/loss record against the Crusaders.

Development teams

The Australian Capital Territory's two elite development squads just below full-time professional level are the Brumbies A and ACT Under 20 teams. These teams are closely aligned with the Brumbies and train at the University of Canberra, the same venue used by the Brumbies. In partnership with the University of Canberra and Tuggeranong Vikings, the Brumbies also own and manage a team in the National Rugby Championship which draws from many of the players in these development squads. – See: University of Canberra Vikings

Brumbies A

The Brumbies A team plays matches against interstate and international representative teams, and has also competed in tournaments such as the Pacific Rugby Cup. Known by various names including ACT A, ACT XV, Brumbies A, and Brumby Runners, the team is selected from the best emerging rugby talent in the ACT and Southern NSW. The squad is composed of Brumbies contracted players, extended training squad members, ACT Under 20s, and selected Premier Division club players.[10]

Under 20

The Brumbies under 20 side competes in the National Under 20 Rugby Championship. ACT teams played in the Southern States Tournament up until 2015 and also played occasional matches against other representative sides such as Pacific Rugby Cup teams. Prior to 2008, state colts teams at under 21 and under 19 age levels were fielded in national competitions.

Honours

Super Rugby

  • Champions (2)

2001, 2004,

  • Runners-up (4)

1997, 2000, 2002, 2013

  • Australian Conference Champions (1)

2013

Australian Provincial Championship

  • Champions (1)

2006

World Cup Sevens

  • Champions (1)

2013

Season standings

Super 12 Super 14 Super Rugby
Season Pos Pld W D L F A +/- BP Pts Notes
1996 5th 11 7 0 4 306 273 +33 4 32
1997 2nd 11 8 0 3 406 291 +115 9 41 Lost final to Template:Rut Blues
1998 10th 11 3 0 8 248 364 −166 6 18
1999 5th 11 5 0 6 278 195 +83 8 28
2000 2nd 11 9 0 2 393 196 +197 9 45 Lost final to Template:Rut Crusaders
2001 1st 11 8 0 3 348 204 +144 8 40 Defeated Template:Rut Sharks in final
2002 2nd 11 7 0 4 374 230 +144 10 38 Lost final to Template:Rut Crusaders
2003 4th 11 6 0 5 358 313 +45 7 31 Lost semi-final to Template:Rut Blues
2004 1st 11 8 0 3 408 269 +139 8 40 Defeated Template:Rut Crusaders in final
2005 5th 11 5 1 5 260 266 −6 7 29
2006 6th 13 8 1 4 326 269 +57 4 38
2007 5th 13 9 0 4 234 173 +61 4 40
2008 9th 13 6 0 7 277 317 −40 6 30
2009 7th 13 8 0 5 311 305 +6 6 38
2010 6th 13 8 0 5 358 291 +67 5 37
2011 13th 16 4 1 11 314 437 −123 7 33
2012 7th 16 10 0 6 404 331 +73 10 58
2013 2nd 16 10 2 4 430 295 +135 8 60 Lost final to Template:Rut Chiefs
2014 4th 16 10 0 6 412 378 +34 5 45 Lost semi final to Template:Rut Waratahs
2015 6th 16 9 0 7 369 261 +108 11 47 Lost semi final to Template:Rut Hurricanes

Current squad

For player movements before and during the 2016 season, see List of 2015–16 Super Rugby transfers § Brumbies.

The current squad for the 2016 season:[11]

Brumbies Super Rugby squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wings

Fullbacks

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped, EPS denotes extended playing squad.

Notable players

100 Club

Note: Players in Bold are still playing Super Rugby.[12]

Coaches

Since Super 12 (Games-Win-Loss-Draw-Win%)

Team records

  • Highest point scorer in a career – Stirling Mortlock (994 points, 1998–[needs update] (round 13, 2009))
  • Highest point scorer in a season – Stirling Mortlock (194 points, 2000)
  • Highest try scorer in a career – Joe Roff (57 tries, 1996 to 2004)
  • Highest try scorer in a season – Joe Roff (15 tries, 1997)
  • Largest defeat – 44–10  – Waratahs (1995/1996  – Super 12)[13]
  • Largest Victory – 64–0 – Cats (Now known as the Lions) (2001), 79–15 – Bulls (1999)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Scholes, Gary (29 March 1989). "Kookaburras unveil major sponsorship". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  2. ^ Dutton, Chris (28 April 2011). "Former Springboks coach White wants to bring back the 'Brumbies aura'". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Jake White granted release from final two years of contract as coach of ACT Brumbies". ABC. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  4. ^ Brumbies claim famous win against Lions
  5. ^ Brumbies claim inaugural World Club Sevens title
  6. ^ Principal Sponsor; Our Partners. Brumbies. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  7. ^ ACT & Southern NSW Rugby Union – A Brief History; brumbies.com.au; Retrieved 25 February 2008.
  8. ^ Brumbies Territory; brumbies.com.au; Retrieved 25 February 2008.
  9. ^ Aquis joins Brumbies family as major sponsor with six-year deal Brumbies Rugby. 2 November 2015.
  10. ^ "ACT XV team named to open Pacific Rugby Cup". Brumbies Rugby. 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Squad - Brumbies Rugby". Brumbies. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  12. ^ HSBC Waratahs Media Unit. "Centurian Mitchell hoping for a milestone to remember". Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  13. ^ "ACT Brumbies". itsrugby.com. Retrieved 16 September 2006. [dead link]
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Preceded by Super 12 Champions
2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Super 12 Champions
2004 		Succeeded by
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