| Brumbies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Union | Australian Rugby Union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Canberra, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Region | Australian Capital Territory and southern New South Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground(s) | Canberra Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 24,647 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Laurie Fisher | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Captain | Stirling Mortlock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Super 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | 9th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Brumbies (formerly known as the ACT Brumbies, for sponsorship reasons referred to as CA Brumbies) are a Super 14 rugby union team based in Canberra, Australia and named for the wild horses which inhabit Canberra's hinterland. The Australian Rugby Union (ARU is the governing body of Rugby union in Australia. Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory Canberra Stadium (originally known as Bruce Stadium) is a facility primarily used for Rugby league and Rugby union games located adjacent to the Laurie Fisher born in Canberra was the Head coach of the ACT Brumbies between 2005 and 2008 Stirling Austin Mortlock (born 20 May 1977 in Sydney is a professional Rugby union player The Super 14 is the largest Rugby union football club championship in the Southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland/Reds 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common CA Inc &mdash formerly Computer Associates Inc &mdash is a multinational Computer software corporation headquartered in Islandia New York. The Super 14 is the largest Rugby union football club championship in the Southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland/Reds Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The team represents the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and southern New South Wales (NSW) regions. } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory
The Brumbies were formed in 1996 to provide a third Australian franchise for the newly-formed Super 12 (now Super 14) competition. The 1996 season of the Super 12, the Rugby union competition was the inaugural season and was won by the Auckland Blues. It was predicted that the Brumbies, made up of so called 'rejects' — players not wanted by the other two teams — would perform poorly. Since then, they have enjoyed more success than the other two (the New South Wales Waratahs and the Queensland Reds), reaching five finals and winning two, being the only Australian team to have done so. The New South Wales Waratahs (referred to as HSBC Waratahs for sponsorship reasons the Waratahs or simply the ' Tahs) are an Australian The Queensland Reds (for sponsorship reasons referred to as QR Queensland Reds) represent Queensland in the sport of Rugby union.
The Brumbies play in navy blue, white and gold kits. The team plays at Canberra Stadium (formerly known as Bruce Stadium) in Canberra and is currently coached by Laurie Fisher who is stepping down at the conclusion of the 2008 season and will be replaced by Andy Friend for the 2009 season onwards. Canberra Stadium (originally known as Bruce Stadium) is a facility primarily used for Rugby league and Rugby union games located adjacent to the Laurie Fisher born in Canberra was the Head coach of the ACT Brumbies between 2005 and 2008 The Brumbies are captained by Stirling Mortlock with George Smith serving as interim captain for the first half of the 2008 season while Mortlock recovered from off-season shoulder surgery. Stirling Austin Mortlock (born 20 May 1977 in Sydney is a professional Rugby union player George Smith (born 14 July 1980 in Manly, NSW) is an Australian Rugby union player The 2008 Super 14 season started in February 2008 with pre-season matches held from mid-January [1]
Contents |
Rugby union football has a long history in the ACT. The British Isles opened their 1899 tour of Australia with a match in Goulburn. The British and Irish Lions (until 2001 known as the British Isles Rugby Union Team or "British Lions" Rugby union side comprises a pick of the best players from Goulburn is a provincial City in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Goulburn Mulwaree Council. However, it was not until 1938 that the ACT Rugby Union was finally established. Four clubs made up the first local competition; University, Easts, RMC and Norths. Also that year, a representative ACT side faced off against the All Blacks, losing 5 to 56. The All Blacks are New Zealand's national team in Rugby union, the country's National sport.
The first international victory for an ACT representative side was in 1973, when they defeated Tonga 17 points to six. In 1978 an ACT side defeated Wales, who were Five Nations champions at the time. The Six Nations Championship (referred to as RBS 6 Nations for sponsorship reasons known before 2000 as the Five Nations Championship, is an annual international ACT had trailed at half time, 6 to 16, but came back and won with a penalty kick in the final moments of the match.
ACT defeated NSW 44 to 28 at Sydney's Concord Oval in 1994, which led the way for the ACT to become a franchise, and be included in the new professional international Super 12 competition, alongside the Reds and Waratahs. The New South Wales Waratahs (referred to as HSBC Waratahs for sponsorship reasons the Waratahs or simply the ' Tahs) are an Australian Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 ACT became Australia's third provincial team in the new competition, known officially as the ACT Brumbies.
In the inaugural Super 12 season, under coach Rod Macqueen, the Brumbies actually finished fifth on the table after the regular season, narrowly missing out on a finals position. Rod Macqueen was coach of the most successful Australian Rugby union side to date The following season was even more successful as the Brumbies entered the 1997 Super 12 Final, but lost to the Auckland Blues.
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, by just the one point, losing 19 to 20.
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). The Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Bulls, are a South African Rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition The 2007 Super 14 season started in February 2007 with preseason matches held from mid-January 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.
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 onto to beat Fiji and Tonga later that year.
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.
Laurie Fisher took over as coach for the 2005 season. Laurie Fisher born in Canberra was the Head coach of the ACT Brumbies between 2005 and 2008 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 South Africa.
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). The Australian Provincial Championship ( APC) is an Australian Rugby union tournament that will commenced in 2006 In their opening game they defeated the NSW Waratahs 14-13 at Viking Park. Viking Park is a 8000 capacity stadium (2000 seated in Canberra, Australia. 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. Western Force is a Rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super 14 competition 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. The Queensland Reds (for sponsorship reasons referred to as QR Queensland Reds) represent Queensland in the sport of Rugby union. Viking Park is a 8000 capacity stadium (2000 seated in Canberra, Australia. They won this more comfortably, 42-17, securing the inaugural APC.
The Brumbies have announced that Andy Friend will succeed incumbent coach Laurie Fisher at the conclusion of the 2008 Super 14 season. Andy Friend born in Canberra, Australia is a Rugby union coach and former player Laurie Fisher born in Canberra was the Head coach of the ACT Brumbies between 2005 and 2008 The 2008 Super 14 season started in February 2008 with pre-season matches held from mid-January [2]
The Brumbies traditional colours are navy blue, white and gold. Navy blue is a dark shade of the Color Blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with white worn by officers in the Royal Navy since White is a Color, the perception which is evoked by Light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive Cone cells in the Human eye Gold, also called golden, is a Yellowish orange Color which is a representation of the color of the element Their primary jersey is navy with gold trim, with navy shorts and socks. The alternate jersey is primarily white with navy sides and gold trim, generally worn for away matches. The Brumbies also have a traditional jersey which is used for games against fellow Australian Super 12 foundation teams NSW and Queensland, which reflects the original home jersey worn between 1996 and 2005. The New South Wales Waratahs (referred to as HSBC Waratahs for sponsorship reasons the Waratahs or simply the ' Tahs) are an Australian The Queensland Reds (for sponsorship reasons referred to as QR Queensland Reds) represent Queensland in the sport of Rugby union. This features a navy 'saddle' across the shoulders and white below chest level, with gold trim. The primary jersey sposor is software company CA with DHL the sleeve sponsor and clothing sponsorship by ISC. CA Inc &mdash formerly Computer Associates Inc &mdash is a multinational Computer software corporation headquartered in Islandia New York. DHL (originally standing for Dalsey Hillblom and Lynn) is a Deutsche Post World Net company of Germany that provides international mail International Sports Clothing is an Australian sports apparel manufacturer
The team is named after the wild horses which inhabit Canberra's hinterland. The Brumbies mascot is Brumby Jack. The Brumbies were originally known as the ACT Brumbies when they were accepted into the Super 12 for its inaugural season in 1996. Shortly after the 2004 season, two regional governing bodies in New South Wales - Far South Coast Rugby Union and Southern Inland Rugby Union, joined the ACT Rugby Union, which then renamed itself the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union. The ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union is the governing body for Rugby union in the Australian Capital Territory and southern regions of New South Wales. [3] The team adopted a new name and logo for the 2005 season, dropping the "ACT" to become known simply as "The Brumbies". The name change identified that the team represented an area much larger than the Australian Capital Territory - with "Brumbies Territory" incorporating a number of regions through southern New South Wales including the Riverina, Shoalhaven, and Southern Highlands as well as the Sunraysia region incorporating parts of Victoria. The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales (NSW Australia "Shoalhaven" redirects here For the river of the same name see Shoalhaven River. The Southern Highlands, also locally referred to as the Highlands, is a geographical area in New South Wales, Australia, 103km south west of Sydney Sunraysia is an area of northwestern Victoria and southwestern New South Wales in Australia, known for its sunshine grapes and oranges [4]
The Brumbies play all their home fixtures at Canberra Stadium (formerly the much more evocative Bruce Stadium), located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. Canberra Stadium (originally known as Bruce Stadium) is a facility primarily used for Rugby league and Rugby union games located adjacent to the The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS leads the development of elite sport and is widely acknowledged in Australia and internationally as a world best practice model for elite athlete They share the ground with the Canberra Raiders rugby league team. The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games Also, the Canberra Vikings, the Brumbies' affiliate in the short-lived Australian Rugby Championship, played one of their four regular-season home matches there. The Canberra Vikings (formerly known as the Canberra Kookaburras) were an Australian Rugby union football club that played in the now-defunct Australian The Australian Rugby Championship or ARC (also known as the Mazda Australian Rugby Championship or the Mazda Championship for sponsorship In 2003 matches from the 2003 Rugby World Cup were played at the stadium. The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby union world cup and was won by England. Capacity is a nominal all-seated 24,647, however the largest crowd is actually 28,753, which was for the 2004 Super 12 Final. The Brumbies team did not use Canberra Stadium for their post-season APC games, instead taking their home fixtures to Canberra's Viking Park, which has a smaller capacity. Viking Park is a 8000 capacity stadium (2000 seated in Canberra, Australia.
The Brumbies have traditionally had a fierce rivalry with the NSW Waratahs. The original Brumbies team was formed of rejects from the Waratahs - ironically however the Brumbies have had more success over the duration of the Super 12/14. Brumbies v. Waratahs games are notoriously difficult for the away team to win - indeed the away team has only won on two occasions, including the Brumbies 51-10 humiliation of NSW in the 2002 semi finals. Brumbies/Waratahs games routinely attract sell out attendances.
Another notable rival of the Brumbies is the Crusaders. The two sides have met in three grand finals (The Brumbies winning one and the Crusaders two). In common with the Waratah rivalry the away side rarely wins in encounters between the two sides. The Brumbies are the only team to have scored 50 points against the Crusaders and have recorded the highest ever score in a grand final (48 points) against this side. The Brumbies remain one of few sides to have a competitive win/loss record against the Crusaders.
| Season | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | BP | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 5th | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 306 | 273 | +33 | 4 | 32 | |
| 1997 | 2nd | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 406 | 291 | +115 | 9 | 41 | (lost final to Blues) |
| 1998 | 10th | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 248 | 364 | -166 | 6 | 18 | |
| 1999 | 5th | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 278 | 195 | +83 | 8 | 28 | |
| 2000 | 2nd | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 393 | 196 | +197 | 9 | 45 | (lost final to Crusaders) |
| 2001 | 1st | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 348 | 204 | +144 | 8 | 40 | (defeated Sharks in final) |
| 2002 | 2nd | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 374 | 230 | +144 | 10 | 38 | (lost final to Crusaders) |
| 2003 | 4th | 11 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 358 | 313 | +45 | 7 | 31 | (lost semi-final to Blues) |
| 2004 | 1st | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 408 | 269 | +139 | 8 | 40 | (defeated Crusaders in final) |
| 2005 | 5th | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 260 | 266 | -6 | 7 | 29 | |
| 2006 | 6th | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 326 | 269 | +57 | 4 | 38 | |
| 2007 | 5th | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 234 | 173 | +61 | 4 | 40 | |
| 2008 | 9th | 13 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 277 | 317 | -40 | 6 | 30 |
| Player | Position | ARC | Club | Super 14 caps | Wallaby caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Ashley-Cooper |
Utility Back | Wallabies Squad | Northern Suburbs (NSW) | 28 | 12 |
| Peter Betham |
Fullback/Wing | N/A | Sydney University (NSW) | 0 | 0 |
| Alister Campbell |
Lock | Canberra Vikings | Sydney University (NSW) | 29 | 4 |
| Mitchell Chapman |
Lock/Back Row | N/A | The University of Queensland (QLD) | 28 | 0 |
| Mark Chisholm |
Lock/Back Row | Wallabies Squad | Tuggeranong | 57 | 35 |
| Huia Edmonds |
Hooker | Canberra Vikings | N/A | 2 | 0 |
| Anthony Faingaa |
Centre | Canberra Vikings | Queanbeyan | 3 | 0 |
| Saia Faingaa |
Hooker | Canberra Vikings | Queanbeyan | 15 | 0 |
| Francis Fainifo |
Wing | Canberra Vikings | Tuggeranong | 8 | 0 |
| Gene Fairbanks |
Utility Back | Canberra Vikings | Easts (QLD) | 32 | 0 |
| Mark Gerrard |
Wing | Wallabies Squad | Warringah (NSW) | 59 | 23 |
| Nic Henderson |
Prop | Canberra Vikings | Southern Districts (NSW) | 50 | 3 |
| Stephen Hoiles |
Back Row | Wallabies Squad | Randwick (NSW) | 43 | 15 |
| Josh Holmes |
Scrumhalf | Western Sydney Rams | Eastwood (NSW) | 4 | 0 |
| Julian Huxley |
Utility Back | Wallabies Squad | Sydney University (NSW) | 50 | 9 |
| Peter Kimlin |
Lock/Back Row | Canberra Vikings | Western Districts | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Lealiifano |
Flyhalf | Canberra Vikings | Tuggeranong | 0 | 0 |
| Salesi Ma'afu |
Prop | N/A | West Harbour (NSW) | 10 | 0 |
| Stirling Mortlock (c) |
Centre | Wallabies Squad | Gordon (NSW) | 99 | 63 |
| Patrick Phibbs |
Scrumhalf | Canberra Vikings | Randwick (NSW) | 19 | 0 |
| Peter Playford |
Wing | Melbourne Rebels | Sydney University (NSW) | 8 | 0 |
| Clyde Rathbone |
Wing | N/A | Canberra | 45 | 26 |
| Julian Salvi |
Back Row | Canberra Vikings | Tuggeranong | 24 | 0 |
| Guy Shepherdson |
Prop | Wallabies Squad | Southern Districts (NSW) | 46 | 18 |
| George Smith (vc) |
Flanker | Wallabies Squad | Manly (NSW) | 94 | 83 |
| Tyrone Smith |
Centre | N/A | N/A | 2 | 0 |
| Richard Stanford |
Lock/Back Row | Melbourne Rebels | Eastern Suburbs (NSW) | 6 | 0 |
| Jone Tawake |
Back Row | Canberra Vikings | Canberra | 26 | 0 |
| Afusipa Taumoepeau |
Center/Wing | N/A | N/A | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Toomua |
Flyhalf | N/A | N/A | 0 | 0 |
| John Ulugia |
Prop | Canberra Vikings | Tuggeranong | 3 | 0 |
| Adam Wallace-Harrison |
Lock/Back Row | Canberra Vikings | Eastern Suburbs (NSW) | 31 | 0 |
Since Super 12
| Preceded by 2000 - Crusaders 2003 - Blues |
Super 12 Champions 2001 (first title) 2004 (second title) |
Succeeded by 2002 - Crusaders 2005 - Crusaders |