Eastern Suburbs District RUFC
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| Full name | Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Beasties | |
| Founded | 1900 | |
| Location | Rose Bay, Sydney, Australia | |
| Ground(s) | Woollahra Oval (Capacity: 5,000) | |
| Coach(es) | Darren Coleman | |
| Captain(s) | Club Captain is Hugh Brownhill | |
| League(s) | Shute Shield, NSWRU | |
| 2010 | Shute Shield Semi-Finalists, Henderson Shield Grand Finalists, Henderson Cup Premiers | |
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| Official website | ||
| www | ||
The Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Football Club is a team in the Intrust Super Shute Shield, the premier club rugby union football competition in New South Wales.
The club is based in Rose Bay in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, and is the oldest district rugby club in Australia, having been founded in 1900.
Easts have won a total of 77 NSWRU premiership titles or shields across all grades, as well as 9 club championships.
Club information
- Club Colors: Navy Blue, White and Red
- Home stadium: Woollahra Oval (1949-), Waverley Oval (1936–1948), Rushcutters Bay Oval (1900–1935)
Coaches:
- Head Coach: Craig Morrison
- Forwards Coach: Matthew Evrard
- Rugby Director: Pauli Taumoepeau
Club history
Eastern Suburbs District Rugby Union Football Club was formed at a meeting at the Paddington Town Hall on Thursday, 22 March 1900. In an assembly presided over by the mayor and aldermen of Woollahra Council, 200 Eastern Suburbs residents turned out to hear Colonel J.C. Nield put forward a case for the birth of a local rugby club. The famous sports journalist Jack Davis motioned for the formation of the club and, from that point forth, Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Football club came into being. To this day, Easts Rugby is the oldest district rugby union club in Australia.
Since then, Easts Rugby has seen a lot of great players. The first ever try-scorer for Eastern Suburbs in a first grade premiership match was H.D. Thompson, who scored a try on May 19, 1900 playing Glebe at the Sydney Cricket Ground. That same day, Leo Finn made the conversion and became Easts first goal scorer. That year, Easts Rugby was honoured to have test forward A.J. (Tiger) Kelly become its first NSW representative, when he helped lead NSW to victory over QLD 11-9 in Sydney on July 21, 1900. However, it wasn’t until 1903, when J.W Maund was named in the Australian side, that Easts saw its first Wallaby.
As the years moved on, Easts Rugby saw glory on many occasions. The club was helped along by a raft of talent that included such luminaries as H.H. (Dally) Messenger, G.C. (Wakka) Walker, sports star Harald Baker, and Victorian Cross winner Bede Kenny. Easts also had a touch of glamour in the backline when Stanley R. Rowley – Australia’s first Olympic sprint medalist – graced the team in the early 1900s. Other noted players included Dr Alex Ross, Robert Westfield, Colin J. Sefton, Wallaby Murray Tate, famous goal-kicker John Cox, World Cup winners Tony Daly and Jason Little, the worlds best number 8 in his era Tim Gavin and H.R. (Perc) Newton who played a record 264 grade games for Easts.
In all, Easts Rugby has won a total of 79 premiership titles or shields across Grade and Colts from 1900 to 2013. Along with this, they have won 9 club championships and continue to be a breeding ground for superstars of the future.
Nowadays, Easts Rugby is served by a dedicated group of players, supporters, administrators and board members who are looking to carry on over 110 years of strong traditions and write the next chapter in the Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union history pages.
Honours
FIRST DIVISION
- 1st Grade Premiers (Shute Shield since 1923): 1903, 1913, 1921, 1931, 1941, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1969
- ES Marks Minor Premierships: 1953, 1969, 1970, 2000
SECOND DIVISION
- 1st Grade Premiers (Colin Lawson Memorial Trophy): 1981, 1984
Recent titles in other grades:
- 2009 Colin Cairn Shield
- 2010 Henderson Cup
- 2013 Bill Simpson Shield
Players of note
- Tom Bowman
- Ryan Cross
- Tony Daly
- Huia Edmonds
- Ted Fahey
- Tim Gavin
- Matt Hodgson
- Neill Hunt
- Jason Little
- Malcolm McArthur
- Keith McLellan
- Dally Messenger
- Ed Slater
- Tiaan Strauss
- Fred Thompson
- John Welborn
- Brendan McKibbin
- Matt Toomua
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