Tasmanian Rugby Union
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The Tasmanian Rugby Union, or TRU, is the governing body for the sport of rugby union within the state of Tasmania in Australia. The Tasmanian Rugby Union was first formed in 1934[1] and incorporated in 1975.[2] It is a member of Rugby Australia.[3]
| TRU | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
| Founded | 1934 |
| RA affiliation | 1949 (founding member) |
| Website | www |
Currently, the Tasmanian Rugby Union holds a variety of competitions for male and female players, in several age groups and divisions.
The headquarters for the Tasmanian Rugby Union are at Rugby Park, Cornelian Bay, Tasmania.
From its founding in 1934 and over its first decades the Tasmanian Rugby Union was in effect operated by the Northern Rugby Union (Launceston) and Southern Rugby Union (Hobart).[2][4] These bodies jointly organised North vs South contests, a state club championship game, and Tasmanian representation as a precursor to the formal incorporation of the TRU and a statewide club competition.[2][4]
Rugby in Tasmania before the TRU founding (1934)
Rugby football was first played in Tasmania in 1847-49 by students at Christ College in Bishopsbourne.[5] The college's headmaster was Rugby School old boy John Philip Gell.[5] This remains the earliest known instance of the game being played in Australia,[5] giving the current Christ College rugby union side (playing in the University of Tasmania in-house competition) the oldest rugby provenance of any club or team in the nation.[6]
While rugby union rules, traditions and features were contextually part of the colony's 1860s-1870s experimentation with various codes of football,[7] the first club was not formed until 1905, and that was by visiting Royal Navy personnel.[8]
Despite no domestic rugby union presence, three Tasmanians gained international honours in the sport,[9] namely Lyndhurst Giblin (for England 1896-97), Allan 'Bill' Stewart (Scotland 1913-14) and Henry Yule Braddon (New Zealand in 1884).[9] Tasmanian-born brothers John 'Jack' Ford and Eric E. Ford who moved to Sydney when young boys, later played for Australia (now the Wallabies) in the 1920s.[9]
Local club rugby union football in Tasmania began in 1933 under the Northern Rugby Union (Launceston) and Southern Rugby Union (Hobart).[4] The first North v South representative game was played in August 1933 at South Hobart Oval.[10]
Affiliated Clubs
As at the end of 2019, there are 13 clubs which make up the TRU.
Ten of these clubs field senior men's sides, eight field senior women's sides, and five field junior sides. There is also a "golden oldies" club for players aged 35+.
| Club | Colours | Teams | Nickname(s) | Home Ground | Entered Union |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnie RUFC |  Blue & Red |
Men's | Emus | Upper Burnie Sports Ground | 1961 (reformed 1997) |
| Devonport RUFC | Green with Black | Men's, Women's, Junior's | Bulls | Don Oval | 1964 |
| Eastern Suburbs RUFC |  Maroon with White |
Men's, Women's, Juniors, Golden Oldies (35+) | Roosters, Chicks | North Warrane Oval | 1964 |
| Glenorchy RUFC |  Black |
Men's, Women's, Juniors | Stags | Eady Street Sports Ground | 1935 |
| Hobart Convicts RUFC |  Grey & Black |
Golden Oldies (35+) | Convicts | No set Ground | ??? |
| Hobart Harlequins RUFC |  Green, Blue, Red & Black |
Men's, Women's, Golden Oldies (35+) | Quins, Queens | Rugby Park | 1933 |
| Hobart Hutchins Lions RUFC | Grey, Black, Yellow & Magenta |
Men's, Juniors (association with The Hutchins School) | Lions | War Memorial Oval | 1974 |
| Launceston RUFC | Black, Red & Gold | Men's | Tigers | Royal Park | 1999 |
| North West RUFC | Purple with Black | Women's | Panthers | Upper Burnie Sports Ground | 2018 |
| Tamar Valley RUFC | Orange & Teal | Women's | Vixens | Royal Park | 2017 |
| Taroona RUFC |  Blue & White |
Men's, Women's, Juniors, Golden Oldies (35+) | Penguins | Rugby Park | 1947 |
| University of Tasmania RUFC | Red | Men's, Women's | Red Men, Red Women | UTAS Rugby Ground | 1933 |
| Australian Maritime College RUFC currently in recess |
Light Blue with Royal Blue Trim | Men's | Vikings | Royal Park | 2012 |
The Tasmanian Rugby Union Referee's Association is also directly affiliated with the TRU.
Defunct clubs
- Associates
- The club was formed in 1964 as the University Associates Rugby Football Club. The club won six First Grade Southern and State Premierships in 1965, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1984. The club also won 3 Reserve Grade Premierships in 1965, 1981 and 1982.
- West Coast
- George Town
- Wellington
- Port Dalrymple
- Glen Dhu
- Riverview
- Glen Dhu and Riverview merged in 1998 to become the Launceston Rugby Union Club (Tigers)
- Williamsford
- Australian Maritime College Vikings
- Army Rugby Club
- Reportedly played in a dark green jumper with a white V
Divisions
Rugby Union in Tasmania consists of the following divisions: Men's Premiership (First Grade), Men's Championship (Reserve Grade), Women's, Junior Under 18, Junior Under 16, Juniors Under 14 and Tassie Devils (under 12).
Partnerships
Rugby Balls
The Tasmanian Rugby Union uses W RUGBY[11] branded rugby balls across all divisions during matches.
2019 Senior Men's competition
There were 11 teams from 9 clubs competing in the club rugby divisions These were:
Premiership Grade
- Devonport Rugby Union Club
- Glenorchy Rugby Union Club
- Hobart Harlequins Rugby Union Club
- Hobart Lions Rugby Union Club
- Taroona Rugby Union Club
- Australian Maritime College Rugby Union Club – withdrawn from competition prior to start of season
Championship Grade
- Burnie Rugby Union Club
- Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Club
- Hobart Harlequins Rugby Union Club
- Launceston Rugby Union Club
- Taroona Rugby Union Club
- University of Tasmania Rugby Union Club
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 9 |
| Holders | Premiership Launceston Championship Eastern Suburbs (2019) |
| Most titles | Glenorchy Rugby Union Football Club Est.1935 "The Black Stags"
(10+ titles) |
Premierships
| Season | Grand Final winners | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Premiership/First Grade | Championship/Reserve Grade | ||
| 2024 | Launceston | Hobart Lions | |
| 2023 | Launceston | ||
| 2022 | Launceston | Launceston | |
| 2021 | Devonport | Launceston | |
| 2020 | Taroona |
 Launceston | |
| 2019 | Devonport | Eastern Suburbs | |
| 2018 | Taroona |
Glenorchy | |
| 2017 | Devonport | University of Tasmania | |
| 2016 | Taroona |
||
| 2015 | Taroona |
||
| 2014 | Devonport | ||
| 2013 | Hobart Harlequins |
University of Tasmania | |
| 2012 | Taroona |
||
| 2011 | Glenorchy |
||
| 2010 | Taroona |
||
| 2009 | Hobart Lions |
||
| 2008 | Glenorchy |
||
| 2007 | Taroona |
||
| 2006 |  Launceston |
||
| 2005 | University of Tasmania | ||
| 2004 | Launceston |
||
| 2003 | Glenorchy | ||
| 2002 | Glenorchy | ||
| 2001 | Glenorchy | ||
| 2000 | University of Tasmania | ||
| 1999 | Launceston |
||
| 1998 | Launceston |
||
| 1997 | No record | Riverview (Launceston) | |
| 1996 | No record | ||
| 1995 | Glenorchy |
||
| 1994 | Glenorchy |
||
| 1993 | Glenorchy |
||
| 1992 | Glenorchy |
Glenorchy | |
| 1991 | Glenorchy |
Glenorchy | |
| 1990 | University | ||
| 1989 | No record | ||
| 1988 | Hobart Harlequins |
||
| 1987 | Taroona |
||
| 1986 | Glenorchy |
||
| 1985 | Glenorchy |
||
| 1984 | No record | ||
| 1983 | Taroona |
Glenorchy | |
| 1982 | Taroona |
||
| 1981 | Eastern Suburbs |
||
| 1980 | Glenorchy |
||
| 1979 | Taroona |
Glenorchy | |
| 1978 | No record | ||
| 1977 | Glenorchy |
||
| 1976 | Glenorchy |
Glenorchy | |
| 1975 | Glenorchy |
||
| 1974 | Hobart Harlequins |
||
| 1973 | Glenorchy |
||
| 1968 | Taroona |
||
| 1967 | No record | Glenorchy | |
2019 Senior Women's competition
Generally, senior women's competitions consist of a series of sevens tournaments spread across the year along with several games of 15s format. There were nine clubs competing in the club rugby divisions
These were:
- Devonport Rugby Club
- Eastern Suburbs RUFC, identified from the men's team as "the Chicks"
- Glenorchy Rugby Union Football Club
- Hobart Harlequins Rugby Union Club, identified from the men's team as "the Queens"
- North West Panthers Rugby Club
- Tamar Valley Vixens Rugby Club
- Taroona Rugby Club
- University of Tasmania Rugby Union Club, identified from the men's team as the "Red Women"
Representative teams
| Tasmania | |
|---|---|
| Names | |
| Nickname | Jackjumpers |
| Former nickname | Bumble Bees |
| Club details | |
| Competition | Australian Rugby Shield |
| Ground | Rugby Park |
The senior men's state representative side for the Tasmanian Rugby Union are the Tasmanian Jack Jumpers, named for the jack jumper ant (Myrmecia pilosula), a species of venomous bull ant commonly found in Tasmania.
From 2018 an additional competition was formed for teams from so-called "Minor States", called the Emerging States Championship,[12] featuring the Jack Jumpers, Northern Territory Mosquitoes, Adelaide Black Falcons and Victoria Country Barbarians. The first Competition was held in Adelaide in September 2018, and the Black Falcons were the inaugural winners.[13]
- 2018 NRC Division 2 Runner Up
Notable players
- Adam Coleman, Wallaby 895, and currently playing for London Irish
- Eddie Jones, Head Coach of the Wallabies, Japan Sakuras and England national team, born in Burnie, Tasmania
- Jack Ford, Wallaby 224, 11 caps, born in Sheffield, Tasmania
- Eric E. Ford, Wallaby 240, 7 caps, born in Launceston, Tasmania
- Justin Collins, Flanker – Chiefs 1998–1999 (10 caps), Blues 1999–2009 (92 caps)
- Ollie Atkins, Waratahs, Edinburgh, Scotland A, Exeter Chiefs, Rouen-Normandie
