The Queensland Reds is the rugby union team based in Brisbane 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 competitions in Queensland. With the introduction of the professional Super 12 competition they moved to a model where players are contracted to the Reds through the Queensland Rugby Union rather than selected on the basis of club form.
Bradley Carnegie Thorn is a New Zealand Australian rugby union coach and former rugby league and rugby union footballer. Born in New Zealand, he represented Australia in rugby league and New Zealand in rugby union in a twenty-two year career as a player, starting at age nineteen and finishing at age forty-one. He was the head coach of the Australian Super Rugby Pacific team, the Queensland Reds. Thorn is their second longest-serving coach in history and their longest serving coach in the professional era.
Rugby union in Australia has a history of organised competition dating back to the late 1860s. Although traditionally most popular in Australia's rugby football strongholds of New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT, it is played throughout the nation.
Nathan Sharpe is a retired professional Australian rugby union player. He began his rugby career at the Queensland Reds in 1999 before joining the newly created Western Force in 2006, where he captained the club until his retirement in 2012. He played 116 test matches for Australia, including 20 as captain. His usual position was lock.
Petero Civoniceva, is a Fijian-Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative prop forward, in 2009 he broke the record for most international matches for Australia of any forward in history. Civoniceva played his club football for the Brisbane Broncos, with whom he won the 1998, 2000 and 2006 NRL Premierships, as well as for the Penrith Panthers, whom he captained. Late in his career whilst playing for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Queensland Cup, Civoniceva captained the Fiji national team in their 2013 Rugby League World Cup campaign. The Petero Civoniceva Medal is awarded to the Australian Fijian rugby league footballer of the year, while the Civoniceva Medal is awarded to the Queensland Cup player voted as the best and fairest.
Lote Daulako Tuqiri is a former professional dual-code rugby footballer who primarily played as a winger across both codes. He represented Australia in both rugby league and rugby union, and Fiji in rugby league. Tuqiri first rose to prominence as a professional rugby league footballer for the Brisbane Broncos and Queensland Maroons, as well as the Fiji and Australia national sides. He was therefore a high-profile signing for rugby union in 2002, winning 67 caps for Australia and being a part of their 2003 and 2007 World Cup squads. He played rugby union for the Waratahs in the Super 14 and Leicester Tigers in England in season 2009–10. Tuqiri's contract with the Australian Rugby Union was terminated on 1 July 2009. No immediate reason was given, and Tuqiri returned to rugby league in 2010, playing for the Wests Tigers of the NRL. In September 2013, he signed a short-term contract with Irish rugby union giants, Leinster to play in the Pro12 in a three-month deal. Just 6 weeks out from the 2014 NRL season, Tuqiri signed with his third NRL club, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, on a one-year deal.
Akuila Uate, also known by the nicknames of "Aku", and "Akuila the Thriller", is a former professional rugby league footballer who played on the wing. He was both a Fiji and Australian international.
Nemani Nadolo is a Fijian-Australian rugby union player. He currently plays for New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby, usually as a wing or centre, and the Fiji national team.
Scott Higginbotham is a retired Australian rugby union player. Capped 32 times for Australia's national team, the Wallabies, Higginbotham's usual positions are blindside flanker and number eight.
The Super Rugby competition in rugby union, including teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands and, in the past, from Argentina, Japan and South Africa, is based on a "franchise" system of teams. The original member countries – Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – all have several regional franchises, while the expansion countries – Argentina, Fiji, Japan and the Pacific Islands – have/had one franchise each. The article covers specific detail as to the areas covered by each Super Rugby team. Bold denotes stadiums that are current primary stadiums for the franchises.
Jarrad Butler is an Australian professional rugby union player. He primarily plays as a flanker but also plays at number 8. Butler currently plays for Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro14. Before joining Connacht, Butler played in Super Rugby, first for the Reds and then for the Brumbies. While playing for the Brumbies, Butler also played for National Rugby Championship the Canberra Vikings, where he served as captain.
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 the change of the Australian rugby TV broadcasting deal from Fox Sports, who had funded the competition, to Stan Sport. The 2020 competition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Etonia Nabuli is a Fijian-born Australian professional rugby footballer who plays rugby league for the Wentworthville Magpies in the Ron Massey Cup. He previously played rugby league for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League as a wing, also representing Fiji. He also played rugby union for the Queensland Reds.
Suliasi Bainiua Vunivalu is a professional rugby union footballer who plays for the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby and the Australian national team. His regular playing position is wing.
The 2017 National Rugby Championship was the fourth season of Australia's National Rugby Championship. It involved nine professional rugby union teams, one more than the previous year, with eight teams from Australia and one team from Fiji.
Mosese Jacob Dujon Kepa Sorovi is a Fijian Australian professional rugby union player. Currently contracted to the Fijian Drua in the Super Rugby, he began his career with the Queensland Reds and joined the Melbourne Rebels briefly. He has also represented Australia at Schoolboy's level.
Liam Wright is an Australian professional rugby union player who co-captains the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby. He also played for Queensland Country in Australia's NRC. His usual position is flanker. He is also the current captain of Australia in international rugby, receiving the honour under coach Joe Schmidt for the Wallabies’ 2024 Test series against Wales and Georgia.
The 2019 National Rugby Championship was the sixth season of the top flight of Australian domestic rugby union. The competition began on 31 August and concluded on 26 October. The match of the round was broadcast live each week on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports, with all matches streamed on rugby.com.au live. The championship featured eight professional teams, seven from Australia and one from Fiji.
Ed Craig is a teacher at SHORE school in North Sydney where he teaches PDHPE and Christian studies. Previously, Craig was a PDHPE teacher at Barker College in Sydney. He has played rugby union for the NSW Waratahs the Melbourne Rebels and the Queensland Reds. He played for Australian Schoolboys and Australian Under 20s and for Sydney in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). Craig is currently playing in the Sydney Shute Shield competition for his home club Eastwood. His position is hooker.
Ryan Smith is an Australian rugby union player who plays for the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby. His playing position is lock.
