Rugby Victoria

Last updated

Rugby Victoria
Rugby Victoria logo.png
Sport Rugby union
Founded1888
(Melbourne R.U.)
refounded VRU
1893, 1909, 1926,
renamed Rugby
Victoria in 2017
 (1888
(Melbourne R.U.)
refounded VRU
1893, 1909, 1926,
renamed Rugby
Victoria in 2017
)
RA affiliation1949
(founding member)
Website www.rugbyvic.com.au

Rugby Victoria, formerly the Victorian Rugby Union, is a member and founding union of Rugby Australia. Within the state of Victoria, it is the governing body for the sport of rugby union.

Contents

Rugby Victoria manages competitions for males and females in several age groups and divisions, and involving clubs from metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Rugby union was founded in Melbourne in 1888. However competition lapsed and was twice re-established during the first twenty years, and again after the first World War when the present governing body was founded in 1926, then known as the Victorian Rugby Union, or VRU. [1]

In December 2017, the VRU was re-branded as Rugby Victoria. [2]

History

Early years: 1888 to 1945

The Melbourne Rugby Union was established in 1888 and the first two clubs were founded in that year. [1] Later that season, a Victorian team was selected to play the British side known then as the "English Footballers" but now recognised as the First British Lions team. [3]

The visitors won the match, 9-3. Melbourne's club competition ceased in 1890 but a new administrative body, the Victorian Rugby Union, was formed in 1893. The Victorians played their first inter-colonial rugby match in 1894, beating South Wales by 3-0 at the East Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Competition lapsed again after the Victorians were defeated 30-0 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) by the British Lions in 1899, but the Victorian Rugby Union was re-formed in 1908. Australia played Victoria at the MCG in August of that year, on their way to Great Britain for what became known as the First Wallabies Tour.

Of the seven clubs comprising the new Union in 1909, Melbourne, East Melbourne, South Melbourne and University were the first to compete for the Dewar Shield, a trophy which is still awarded today to the premier first grade team. Competition ceased during the First World War and recommenced under a re-established VRU in 1926.

The subsequent decade later became known as the Golden Years of Victorian Rugby and included the selection of the first Victorian-born player to represent Australia, Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop, in 1932. Dave Cowper, who played for the Melbourne Rugby Club and represented Victoria in the 1930s became Victoria's first, and so far only, Wallaby captain in 1933.

In 1939, four Victorian players were selected in the Wallaby side to tour Europe: Andy Barr, Max Carpenter, Stan Bisset and George Pearson. [4] However the tour was prematurely ended by Britain's declaration of war on Germany just two days after the team arrived at Plymouth on 2 September 1939, with all sport in Britain cancelled. [5]

Amateur rugby: 1945 to 1995

Logo until late 2017 Victorian Rugby Union Logo, June 2013.png
Logo until late 2017

In 1958, the first test match in Victoria was staged at Olympic Park Stadium, with Australia hosting the Maoris.

Modern era: 1996 onward

The Victorian Rugby Union (VRU) bid unsuccessfully for the fourth Australian Super 14 licence, which eventually went to the Western Force prior to the 2006 season. However, New South Wales gave up a fourth franchise for the Australian Rugby Championship, allowing Victoria to field the Melbourne Rebels in that competition.[ citation needed ]

In November 2009, SANZAR announced that Australia had won the 15th Super rugby franchise licence, and the Australian Rugby Union awarded it to the Melbourne Rebels consortium led by media magnate Harold Mitchell.[ citation needed ] The VRU did not initially own or run the Melbourne Rebels.

On 27 June 2013, the Rebels announced that foundation shareholders Harold Mitchell AC, Bob Dalziel, Lyndsey Cattermole, Alan Winney, Ralph D'Silva, Gary Gray, Paul Kirk, Leon L'Huillier, David Ogilvy and Michael Bartlett had transferred 100% of their shares to the Victorian Rugby Union.[ citation needed ] The two organizations combined operations as a result of the transfer with Ross Oakley concluding his tenure as CEO of the VRU once the transfer was made. Rebels CEO Rob Clarke took responsibility for both organizations. Jonathan Ling became the chairman of the Melbourne Rebels, replacing Harold Mitchell.[ citation needed ] Peter Leahy was appointed General Manager of Community Rugby to oversee the operations of local competitions and all Victorian Community Rugby activities.

Current competition

Victoria has twenty-six rugby clubs as of 2022. Senior player numbers have grown from 1,400 in 1998 to well over 2,200 in 2012. Teams in the competition have grown from 4 in 1909 to 173 in 2013.

The eight teams that play for the Shield in the domestic Premier 1 Division are:

As of 2018, Rugby Victoria has seven teams in their senior women's competition.

Representative teams

Kit left arm whitelower.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body navyhoops.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm whitelower.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Magnify-clip (sans arrow).svg
Victoria Country Barbarians

The Victoria Country Barbarians team competed in the NRC Division 2 tournament from 2018 to 2019. [6] From 2000 to 2008, the Melbourne Axemen played in the Australian Rugby Shield. In 2022 the team was renamed Victorian Axemen

Honours

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junction Oval</span> Australian sports ground

Junction Oval is a historic sports ground in the suburb of St Kilda in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in Australia</span>

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.

The Sydney University Football Club, founded in 1863, is the oldest club now playing rugby union in Australia, although this date is disputed by historian Tom Hickie who argues that it was 1865.

The state of Victoria, Australia, has a strong sporting culture and includes many popular sports.

Ross Graham Oakley is an Australian businessman and former Australian rules footballer with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He is CEO of the Victorian Rugby Union and was appointed CEO of the new the Melbourne Rebels rugby union franchise in September 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian rules football in Victoria</span>

Australian rules football in Victoria is the most watched and second most participated code of football. Australian rules football originated in Melbourne in the late 1850s and grew quickly to dominate the sport, which it continues to. Victoria has more than double the number of players of any other state in Australia accounting for approximately 42% of all Australian players in 2023 and continues to grow strongly. Only Soccer in Victoria has more football participants, though the code's growth in Victoria has made up much ground lost to that code over previous decades such that they have now a similar number of players. The sport is governed by AFL Victoria based in Melbourne. The national governing body, the AFL Commission is also based in Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Johansson</span> Australia international rugby union player

Lloyd Johansson is an Australian rugby union professional player of Tongan and Swedish descent. He plays for the Melbourne Rising in the National Rugby Championship, and his usual position is centre.

The 1992 AFL season was the 96th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured fifteen clubs, ran from 21 March until 26 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top six clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Rugby Union Football Club</span> Rugby team

The Melbourne Rugby Union Football Club, is a rugby union football club based in Melbourne, Australia. Nicknamed the Unicorns, the club plays at Romanis Reserve in Prahran and was founded in 1926. The club's colours are green, blue and gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Rebels</span> Rugby team

The Melbourne Rebels is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Melbourne with teams in the Super Rugby Pacific and Super Rugby Women's competitions. The Rebels made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. The club shares its name with a former Australian Rugby Championship team, but is unrelated. The team plays home matches at AAMI Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Sewart</span> Australian sportsman

William Isaac Sewart was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He was also a first-class cricketer, representing both Queensland and Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in Victoria</span>

Rugby union in Victoria describes the sport of rugby union being played and watched in the state of Victoria in Australia. The code was first introduced some time between the 1850s and 1880s but remained a minor sport played primarily in the private schools and amongst interstate expats. This has changed, particularly since the professionalisation of the game in the mid 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Rising</span> Australian rugby union club, based in Melbourne

The Melbourne Rising was an Australian rugby union team based in Melbourne that competed in the National Rugby Championship (NRC). The team represented the rugby community in Victoria and was organised and managed by Rugby Victoria with the coaching and training programs used by the Melbourne Rebels being extended to players joining the team from the Rebels, the local Dewar Shield competition, and local Victorian juniors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewar Shield</span>

The Dewar Shield is a rugby union competition in Melbourne. It is the professional and semi-professional premier grade for rugby in Victoria. A total of nine teams from the Victorian Rugby Union compete for the trophy. Local TV Channel 31 broadcasts one game a week on Wednesday evenings. The Rebel Army periodically have online text-based commentary of matches.

Tetera Faulkner is an Australian professional rugby union player. He currently represents the New South Wales Waratahs in the Super Rugby competition. His regular playing position is prop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sefa Naivalu</span> Rugby player

Sefanaia "Sefa" Naivalu is an Australian rugby union professional player who currently plays as a centre or wing for the Queensland Reds in the international Super Rugby competition. He also represented Melbourne Rising in the inaugural National Rugby Championship. He has a 100 metre recorded time of 10.5seconds in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide Black Falcons</span> Rugby team

The Black Falcons is a representative rugby union team based in Adelaide, South Australia. The team is selected from the best senior club players in South Australia and represents the state in matches against other Australian representative teams. They currently play in the Emerging States Championship against Tasmania, Victoria Country and the Northern Territory. The Black Falcons previously competed in the Australian Rugby Shield run by the Australian Rugby Union.

Melbourne University Rugby Football Club (MURFC), the oldest rugby club in Victoria, is a Foundation Club of the Victorian Rugby Union, participating in the top-tier Victorian Premier Division since 1909. MURFC is the only Foundation Club to remain continuously in the Victorian Premier Division since its inception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorabbin Rugby Club</span> Australian rugby club

The Moorabbin Rugby Union Football Club, is a rugby union football club based in Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia. Nicknamed the Rams, the club's home ground is located in Keys Road reserve in Cheltenham and was found in 1965. The club's colours are black and white.

References

  1. 1 2 "About VRU". Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  2. ↑ "A new chapter begins for rugby in Victoria". rugbyvic.com.au. 4 December 2017. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018.
  3. ↑ "IRB Hall of Fame 2013 Induction: "The British & Irish Lions and Australia"" (PDF) (Press release). International Rugby Board. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "For England: Rugby Players Leave". The Age. Melbourne. 20 July 1939. p. 6 col. 5. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  5. ↑ "Rugby Union team returning". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 6 September 1939. p. 11, col. 4. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  6. ↑ "NRCII tournament comes to Adelaide". Rugby Union SA. 5 September 2019. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019.

Archives

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.