Early years of rugby in ACT

Rugby union football has a long history in the region around what is now Canberra. The British Isles opened their 1899 tour of Australia with a match in Goulburn. However, it was not until 1937 that the ACT Rugby Union (ACTRU) was finally established.^[6] Lieutenant-Colonel H. C. H. Robertson was the first President of the ACTRU.^[7]

The First Grade competition was started on 30 April 1938.^[6] Four clubs playing in the inaugural season: University, Easts, the Royal Military College (RMC), and Norths.^[8] There were strict eligibility rules for each of the four teams:^[6]

• University players were required to be graduates or undergraduates at a university (at the time, Canberra University College, operated by the University of Melbourne, was the only university in Canberra);^[9]
• Only service personnel, not members of RMC staff, were entitled join RMC; and,
• Easts and Norths players had to be residentially qualified for two months.

Also in 1938, a representative ACT side faced off against the All Blacks, with Frank Hassett scoring the ACT's only try in a 5–56 loss.^[10]

Five ACT players were chosen for New South Wales Country in their 1966 match against the British & Irish Lions at Manuka Oval:^[11]

• Barry Sibley (Canberra Royals);
• David Grimmond (Queanbeyan Whites);
• Mel Dunn (Ainslie Rugby Football Club);
• Peter Ryan (Queanbeyan Whites); and,
• Bruce Bailey (Goulburn Dirty Reds).

The first international victory for the ACT was in 1973, when they defeated Tonga 17-6 after trailing 0–3 at half time. The ACT team were praised for their hard work, stamina, and willingness to take shots at goal when they were on offer.^[12] In 1978, the ACT defeated Wales, who were Five Nations champions at the time, with a late penalty goal to win 21-20 after trailing 6–16 at half time. Head coach Colin Maxwell explained that his team beat the best team in the world by being "the first team in Australia to take them on up the guts", with the ACT forwards starving the Welsh of possession and the team ensuring territorial advantage through pressure on the Welsh kickers.^[13] Tactical kicking, ball retention, and pressuring opponents in their own half are still considered to be "The Brumbies' ... traditional strength[s]".^[4]

The ACT adopted the name 'Kookaburras' in 1989.^[14] The Kookaburras defeated the Waratahs 44–28 at Sydney's Concord Oval in 1994. The Waratahs team was filled with international representatives, which made the Kookaburras win all the more impressive, and led the way for the ACT becoming a professional franchise. Concerns over player depth in the ACT were assuaged when the ACT reserve team beat the New South Wales reserve team.^[15]

The ACT Brumbies was formally established on 9 December 1995 in Jindabyne, Southern New South Wales and became Australia's third provincial team with the start of Super Rugby.^[16][17]

Super 12 era: 1996–2005

In the inaugural Super 12 season, under coach Rod Macqueen, the Brumbies finished fifth on the table after the regular season, narrowly missing out on a finals position. The following season was even more successful as the Brumbies entered the 1997 Super 12 Final, but lost to the Auckland Blues.^{[citation needed]}

Eddie Jones took over as head coach in 1998, but the Brumbies fell to tenth place on the 1998 season ladder. However, the following season saw a big improvement, as they finished fifth for the second time in their Super rugby history, just missing out on the finals. In 2000, the Brumbies made it to the 2000 Super 12 Final for the second time, and were actually hosting it as well. They were however beaten by the Crusaders, losing 19 to 20.^{[citation needed]}

In 2001 they backed up their good performance in 2000 to again enter the final, this time against the Sharks from Durban. The Brumbies won the match, and in doing so, became the first team outside of New Zealand to be crowned Super 12 champions (and the only such team in the Super 12 era; the Bulls of South Africa won the 2007 Super 14). That year the British Lions also came to Australia, and played a match against the Brumbies. The combined strength of four nations was pitted against the Brumbies Second XV with the tourists winning by just two points, 30 to 28.^{[citation needed]}

David Nucifora took over as head coach at the Brumbies for the 2002 season. Under Nucifora the Brumbies entered their third Super 12 final in a row, again against the Crusaders who had defeated them in the 2000 final. The Crusaders won the match, 31 to 13. The following season, going for four straight final appearances, the Brumbies fell just short, being knocked out in the semi-finals by the Blues. They did however go on to beat Fiji and Tonga later that year.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004 the Brumbies finished at the top of the Super 12 table, six points clear of the next best team. The Brumbies hosted the 2004 Super 12 Final as well, and were to face the Crusaders once again. Though this time, the Brumbies won, 47 to 38 in front of a record crowd at Canberra Stadium. During the off-season the ACT Rugby Union was renamed the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union, and the name of the team was changed to Brumbies Rugby.^{[citation needed]}

Laurie Fisher took over as coach for the 2005 season. After an undefeated run in the early stages of the season, injuries began to mount up and the Brumbies eventually finished fifth, missing out on the finals. The following year the competition was expanded to the Super 14, introducing one new team from Australia and one new team from South Africa.^{[citation needed]}

Super 14 era: 2006–2010

In 2006 the Brumbies finished sixth, missing out on the finals by 1 point, having never dropped out of the top four all season prior to the last round. Later that year the Brumbies played in the inaugural Australian Provincial Championship (APC). In their opening game they defeated the NSW Waratahs 14–13 at Viking Park. This win snapped a 3-game losing streak against their traditional rivals. They then went on to defeat the Western Force 25–10, again at Viking Park. Despite narrowly losing, 20–19, to the Queensland Reds on the road in Brisbane, the Brumbies won the right to face the Reds in the final back in Viking Park. They won this more comfortably, 42–17, securing the inaugural APC.^{[citation needed]}

The side failed to make the playoffs at all during Super 14, though they never finished lower than ninth.

Super Rugby era: 2011–present

After a succession of coaches over the same period, including Laurie Fisher, Andy Friend and Tony Rea, former South Africa coach Jake White took over as coach of the side in April 2011, signing a four-year deal with the club.^[18] However, he was granted a release from his contract in September 2013, with two years left on his four-year contract.^[19]

In 2012, the Brumbies became the first Australian Super Rugby team to host an international fixture against a touring side. On 12 June, the Brumbies played Wales at Canberra Stadium while Wales was on their 2012 Summer tour. Wales won 25–15.

The Brumbies returned to form in the 2012, finishing second in the Australian conference, and seventh in the overall standings, narrowly missing the final-six and a place in the quarter finals.

In 2013, the Brumbies and the other Australian super rugby teams played the British & Irish Lions as part of the Lions' 2013 tour to Australia. The Brumbies earned a hard-fought 14–12 victory, the first defeat of the Lions on their tour.^[20]

The Brumbies continued their strong performances in 2013 by finishing first in the Australian conference and 3rd on the ladder to make their first finals appearance since they won the Super title in 2004. After defeating the Cheetahs in a close home final 15 – 13, the Brumbies travelled to Pretoria to face the Bulls and again achieved victory, 23–26. The team had to travel from South Africa to New Zealand to meet the Waikato Chiefs for the championship final the following week, and the Chiefs proved to be too strong, winning the final 27–22.

Following the end of the Super Rugby season the Brumbies sent a squad captained by Robbie Coleman to the invitational World Club 7s in England. The Brumbies won the series, defeating the Auckland Blues 17–14 in the final. Henry Speight was named the player of the tournament.^[21]

During the 2017 Super Rugby season, the Brumbies were one of three Australian franchises threatened with contraction when the Australian Rugby Union prevailed upon competition organiser SANZAAR to reduce the number of Australian sides in the competition from five to four after that season. The ARU later announced that the Brumbies would remain in the competition.^[22]

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New South Wales Waratahs

The Brumbies have traditionally had a fierce rivalry with the NSW Waratahs. Ascendency in the rivalry is now formally recognised by holding the Dan Vickerman Cup.^[45] The Brumbies are currently on an eleven-game winning streak against the Waratahs.^[46]

In July 1994, before the formation of the Brumbies, the Canberra Kookaburras defeated the Waratahs 44–28 at Concord Oval in Sydney.^[47] The 1994 Waratahs side was otherwise unbeaten, but had missed an opportunity to compete for the 1994 Super 10 title due to a refusal to tour Apartheid South Africa.^[48] As a result, the Brumbies were the only team to beat the 1994 Waratahs.

The original Brumbies team was primarily made of players from the 1994 Kookaburras game, Waratahs 'rejects', and Queenslanders: all groups with reasons to dislike the Waratahs.^[47] Brisbane-born Brumby Troy Coker summed it up with "There was this entitlement thing around NSW rugby that the Canberra boys had a real distaste for."^[47] Ironically, despite being a team of 'rejects', the Brumbies have been the most successful Australian team in all competitions in the Super Rugby era.

Traditionally, the ACT-NSW rivalry was dominated by home victories (The only Brumbies away loss in the 2000 Season was against the Waratahs), with only two away victories in the Super 12 era, and none in the Super 14 era. The first away win in the rivalry came in the 2002 Semi Final, which the Brumbies won 51–10 at Sydney Football Stadium. The Waratahswon the first regular season away game in 2005. Dan Vickerman played for the winning team in both victories.

Since 2011, home dominance is no longer as significant: the first clash in the Super 15 era saw the Waratahswin 29–22 at Canberra Stadium, with the Brumbies getting revenge the following year with a 19–15 victory at the Sydney Football Stadium. Between the round 12 clash in 2015 and the round 17 clash in 2019, the homes team lost six of the seven games.

The Waratahs got revenge for the 2002 Semi Final in the 2014 Semi Final, which they won 26–8. In the absence of Dave Dennis (their regular captain), the Waratahs were captained by Michael Hooper, who was named the Brumbies' best forward only two years earlier.^[49]

Brumbies fans took a lot of joy from beating the Waratahs 40–31 in the final round of 2018, as this prevented the Waratahs from finishing 2nd on the overall table. Daryl Gibson, head coach of the Waratahs, exclaimed that his side "was not focused on the job at hand, and getting ahead of itself in terms of already being in next week".^[50] Brumbies fans got additional joy from Gibson's post-match press conference, where he (incorrectly) claimed that the result did not affect the Waratahs playoffs picture.^[51]

Crusaders

The Brumbies have a historic rivalry with the Crusaders due to the two teams' predominence in early Super Rugby history. However, the Brumbies are currently on an eleven-game losing streak against the Crusaders.

Between 1997 and 2006, every Grand Final included at least one of the Brumbies or the Crusaders.^[52] The two sides have met in three grand finals:

• 2000, at Bruce Stadium, Canberra, which the Crusaders won 20–19.
• 2002, at Jade Stadium, Christchurch, which the Crusaders won 31–13.
• 2004, at Bruce Stadium, Canberra, which the Brumbies won 47–38.

Former players and pundits likened the intensity of the clashes in the Super 12 and Super 14 era to Test match rugby, saying "It was basically the Wallabies v the All Blacks" and "Every time they met it was just great running rugby".^[53]

In common with the Waratahs rivalry, the away side rarely won in encounters during the Super 12 and Super 14 era. The Brumbies are the only team to have scored 50 points against the Crusaders (when they beat them in 2001), and have recorded the highest ever score in a grand final against them (47 points in the 2004 final). However, the Brumbies last won against the Crusaders in 2009, taking only two out of a maximum forty-five competition points from games against the Crusaders in the 2010s.

Despite this, the Brumbies are rarely criticised for their poor record against the Crusaders since 2009. Although the Brumbies are on a streak of eleven losses against the Crusaders, both the Reds and Waratahs have previously lost more consecutive games against the Crusaders, and the Brumbies are generally competitive with the Crusaders, having been within a score in their 2013, 2017, and 2021 fixtures.

Despite a long losing streak, the Brumbies remain one of few sides to have a (relatively) competitive win–loss record against the Crusaders. At the end of the Super 14 era, the Brumbies' record against the Crusaders was eight wins in eighteen games (44%). As on 19 March 2023, that record was eight wins in twenty-nine games (28%). At that time, only three other current Super Rugby teams have a higher win rate against the Crusaders: The Blues (12/42, or 29%), the Hurricanes (13/44, or 30%), and the Chiefs (18/48, or 38%).

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brumbies did not play any non-Australian teams between 15 March 2020 and 15 May 2021.^[54] With pandemic conditions easing, the Brumbies played the Crusaders in May 2021, losing 29-31 in Christchurch after Noah Lolesio missed a conversion after the siren. This was the closest that the Brumbies had come to beating the Crusaders since their 13-17 loss in 2017.

Queensland Reds

The 2020 Super Rugby AU final was contested by the Brumbies and the Reds, with the Brumbies winning 28–23. The Reds only won one game between these teams in the first fifteen years of Super Rugby. The Reds have the only away win in this rivaly since 2015, beating the Brumbies 40-38 in Canberra in a great Australian derby^[55] despite trailing 17-0 early in the game.^[56] The fierce rivals contested the 2021 Super Rugby AU final later that year, with The Reds winning 19-16.

The four years that Ewen McKenzie, who played for the Brumbies in Super 12, was coach of the Reds was considered the high water mark of the interstate rivalry. In 2010, 2012, and 2013, the Rod Macqueen Cup games decided whether either the Brumbies or the Reds made the playoff. In 2010, the Rod Macqueen Cup game was the difference between the Reds finishing 4th (in the playoffs) and 5th (not in the playoffs). In 2012 and 2013, if the losing team had won just one of the Rod Macqueen Cup games, they would have won the conference ahead of the other.

Brumbies A

The Brumbies A team plays matches against interstate and international representative teams, and has also competed in tournaments such as the Pacific Rugby Cup. Known by various names including ACT A, ACT XV, Brumbies A, and Brumby Runners, the team is selected from the best emerging rugby talent in the ACT and Southern NSW. The squad is composed of Brumbies contracted players, extended training squad members, ACT Under 19s, and selected Premier Division club players.^[57]

Under 19

The Brumbies under 19 side plays in the URC competition. ACT teams played in the Southern States Tournament up until 2015 and also played occasional matches against other representative sides such as Pacific Rugby Cup teams. Prior to 2008, state colts teams at under 21 and under 21 age levels were fielded in national competitions. In 2018, an under 19 age limit was reinstated for the colts teams.

Club Captains

(Correct as of 10 April 2023)

All Time Brumbies XV

During the gap between Super Rugby 2020 and the 2020 domestic competition, the Brumbies ran a fan poll to select an All Time Brumbies XV.^[63]

List of individual accolades

Several Brumbies players have gone on to achieve greater recognition in the Rugby community, achieving such things as:

100 Club

• 154 – Ben Alexander
• 150 – Christian Lealiifano
• 142 – George Smith
• 136 – George Gregan
• 136 - Tevita Kuridrani
• 123 – Stirling Mortlock
• 122 – Henry Speight
• 122 - Sam Carter
• 117 – Stephen Moore
• 116 – Stephen Larkham
• 116 - Scott Sio
• 112 – Jeremy Paul
• 102 – Mark Chisholm
• 100 – Bill Young

Note: Accurate as of 30 January 2020. Players in Bold are still playing for the Brumbies. Players in Bolded Italics are still playing Super Rugby.

Individual Records

As of 26 September 2021.
Players in bold currently play for the Brumbies.

Team Records

As of 31 March 2024.
Drua and Moana Pasifika to be added after at least five fixtures.

• Note: The Brumbies also played four Super Rugby fixtures against the Jaguares and two Super Rugby fixtures against the Southern Kings, but due to their small sample size, their results are not included in this table.