ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union

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.

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.

The ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union administers three senior competitions:

• ACT Rugby Union
• Far South Coast Rugby Union
• Southern Inland Rugby Union

{{Main|ACTRU Premier Division}}

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

• Bermagui
• FSC Falcons (Tathra)

• File:Sunshine_Coast_Rugby_Colours.svg Broulee Dolphins

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

• File:Sunnybank_Colours.svg Hillston Hogs (invitational team)

• 20x20px Condobolin
• 20x20px Cootamundra Tri-Colours
• 20x20px Deniliquin Drovers
• 20x20px Grenfell Panthers
• 20x20px Junee Rams (folded 2016)
• 20x20px Temora Tuskers
• 20x20px West Wyalong Weevils
• File:Sunnybank_Colours.svg Young Yabbies

{{citation needed span|text=The Territory's representative team hosted the All Blacks at Manuka Oval in the winter of 1938.|date=November 2022}} {{citation needed span|text=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.|date=November 2022}} Coached by Frank O'Rourke, the home team had played its inaugural match only three months earlier.{{cite news

|date= 14 May 1938

|title= Rugby Union. Fire Brigades here for big game. Manuka Oval today

|work= The Canberra Times |page=3

|url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2489943

|access-date= 24 December 2015}}

{{cite news

|date= 16 May 1938

|title= Rugby Union. Fire Brigades win. Canberra beaten but not disgraced

|work= The Canberra Times |page=2

|url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2482715

|access-date= 24 December 2015}}

The team's original strip featured an all gold jersey with two green bands.{{cite news

|date= 10 May 1938

|title= Rugby Union. Representative team's training. Smoke Concert.

|work= The Canberra Times |page=2

|url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2476970

|access-date= 24 December 2015}}

They defeated the Hawkesbury College at the Country Carnival earlier in 1938,{{cite news

|date= 12 June 1938

|title= Country Week

|work= Truth |location=Sydney |page=7

|url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169090673

|access-date= 8 February 2017}}

{{cite news

|date= 13 June 1938

|title= Rugby Union. FCT win in Sydney

|work= The Canberra Times |page=5

|url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2480677

|access-date= 11 January 2016}}

and later that season won against the Bathurst side.{{cite news

|date= 22 August 1938

|title= F.C.T wins brilliantly. Bathurst beaten in fast Rugby Union game

|work= The Canberra Times |page=2

|url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2473194

|access-date= 11 January 2016}}

Three players from the Territory team were selected for NSW Combined Country to play Sydney that year. {{citation needed span|text=The Australian Capital Territory team, often referred to simply as "Canberra", grew in stature in the decades following the Second World War.|date=November 2022}} {{citation needed span|text=ACT won the Caldwell Cup for the Country Championship for the first time in 1964 and retained it for the following two seasons.|date=November 2022}}

{{Football kit and logo

|pattern_la= _hoops_gold_3_inch_blue_1_inch

|pattern_ra= _hoops_gold_3_inch_blue_1_inch

|pattern_b= _hoops_3_gold_3_2_1_inch_3_blue_1_inch

|pattern_so= _hoops_2_blue_1_inch_gold_3_inch

|leftarm= FFFFFF

|body= FFFFFF

|rightarm= FFFFFF

|shorts= 002d64

|socks= FFFFFF

|logo =

|logo_size = 95px

|title = 1990s Kookaburras rep team kit and logo.

|width = 256px

}}

Rugby in Canberra came of age in the 1970s. ACT scored a 17–11 away win over Queensland in 1972,{{cite news

|date= 3 July 1972

|title= ACT upsets Queensland

|work= The Canberra Times

|url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101992641

|access-date= 24 December 2015}}

{{citation needed span|text=and then had their first win over a national side, defeating Tonga by 17–6 in 1973.|date=November 2022}} {{citation needed span|text=In 1975, ACT won promotion for the following season to the top division of the Wallaby Trophy, Australia's provincial championship at that time.|date=November 2022}} {{citation needed span|text=The triumph was short-lived, however, because the planned tournament for 1976 was officially cancelled.|date=November 2022}}

{{citation needed span|text=When Wales toured Australia in 1978, the ACT defeated them in a rousing 21–20 come-from-behind victory.|date=November 2022}} {{citation needed span|text=The win over the reigning Five Nations champions showed that ACT could compete against the top tier of rugby players in the world.|date=November 2022}}

The name "Canberra Kookaburras" was used for the ACT representative team from 1989,{{cite news

|date= 12 April 1989

|title= Fijians out for revenge in ACT

|first=Michael |last= Foster

|work= The Canberra Times

|url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122253565

|access-date= 24 December 2015}}

{{cite web

|date= 12 April 1989

|title= Fiji vs Canberra Kookaburras

|publisher= Fiji Rugby

|access-date= 1 August 2014

|url= http://www.fijirugby.com/matchreport.cfm?fixtureid=966B71D5-11D8-27B2-F97DD286BA1908D8

|url-status= dead

|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141106053130/http://www.fijirugby.com/matchreport.cfm?fixtureid=966B71D5-11D8-27B2-F97DD286BA1908D8

|archive-date= 6 November 2014}} [http://www.peeep.us/f508f891 Alt URL]

but it was to be a further five years before the Canberra Kookaburra club was officially founded. {{citation needed span|text=When the ACT comprehensively beat New South Wales by 44–28 in 1994,|date=November 2022}} {{citation needed span|text=an invitation was issued for a Canberra club to play in the expanded 14-team NSWRU Premiership sponsored by AAMI for the following season.|date=November 2022}}

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.{{cite web | url=https://xplorer.rugby/ars/fixtures-results?comp=All&team=All&tab=Results | title=Australian Rugby Shield | News | Fixtures & Results | Events }}

{{Football kit |title=Historical Kit |pattern_so= _3_hoops_colour_and_blue_on_black

|pattern_la= _white_blue_hoop_colour_border |pattern_ra= _white_blue_hoop_colour_border

|pattern_b= _white_chest_blue_gold_hoops_blue_collar_and_lower_coloured

|leftarm= FFC700 |body= 000000 |rightarm= FFC700 |shorts= 000000 |socks= FFC700}}

• Australian Rugby Shield Winners (2006, 2022)

• Rugby union in the Australian Capital Territory
• Brumbies
• ACTRU Premier Division
• ACT Veterans Rugby Club

{{Reflist|30em|refs=

{{cite news

|date= 10 November 2004

|title= Historic change for South Coast rugby union

|newspaper= Batemans Bay Post |publisher=

|accessdate= 26 May 2014

|url= http://www.batemansbaypost.com.au/story/1022640/historic-change-for-south-coast-rugby-union/

|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140526135709/http://www.batemansbaypost.com.au/story/1022640/historic-change-for-south-coast-rugby-union/

|archive-date= 26 May 2014}}

{{cite news

|date= 21 July 1937

|title= Rugby Union

|work= Canberra Times|page=4

|url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2437667

|accessdate= 24 December 2015}}

{{cite web

|date= 23 March 1938

|title= Club Control – Rugby Union By-Laws

|work= Canberra Times

|accessdate= 27 December 2014

|url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2454577}}

{{cite news

|date= 28 March 1939

|title= Rugby Union. 'Year full of promise'. Annual meeting held.

|work= Canberra Times |page=4

|url= http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2475094

|accessdate= 24 December 2015}}

}}

• [http://www.brumbies.com.au/ Brumbies Rugby] - official site of ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060821042912/http://www.actrugby.rugbynet.com.au/ Australian Capital Territory Rugby Union] - unofficial fan site

{{ACTRU}}

{{Rugby union in Australia}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Australian rugby union governing bodies

Category:Rugby union in the Australian Capital Territory

Category:Rugby union governing bodies in New South Wales

Ru

Category:Sports organizations established in 1937

Category:1937 establishments in Australia