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. The union is represented by one team in the Super Rugby competition, the Brumbies. The ACT is also home to the Canberra Vikings in the National Rugby Championship. History The union was founded in 1937 as the Federal Capital Territory Rugby Union (FCTRU). It became the Australian Capital Territory Rugby Union (ACTRU) in 1939, and eventually the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union. It received its current name prior to the 2005 Super 12 season, when the Far South Coast and Southern Inland unions of New South Wales joined the ACT and Monaro Rugby Unions. This change also led to the former ACT Brumbies being renamed Brumbies Rugby.

Jurisdiction The ACT and Southern New South Wales Union has jurisdiction over the southern-most bordering towns of New South Wales from the eastern coast over to Albury-Wodonga and Deniliquin. It also includes Griffith, Young, Yass, Taralga, as well as Goulburn, Batemans Bay, Wagga Wagga and Canberra.

Competitions The ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union administers three senior competitions:

ACT Rugby Union Far South Coast Rugby Union Southern Inland Rugby Union

ACTRU Premier Division (John I Dent Cup)

+ACTRU 1st XV TeamsTeamCity/Suburb/TownHome Ground Canberra RoyalsCanberraCanberra Rugby Club Gungahlin EaglesGungahlinGungahlin Enclosed Oval Queanbeyan WhitesQueanbeyanCampese Field Tuggeranong VikingsTuggeranongViking Park Uni-Norths OwlsAustralian National UniversityUniversity Oval Wests LionsBelconnenWests Rugby Club Former teams Easts ACT Penrith Emus

First Division TeamCity/Suburb/TownHome Ground ADFAAustralian Defence Force AcademyDowsett Rugby Fields Cooma Red DevilsCoomaRotary Oval Easts ACTGriffith, Australian Capital TerritoryGriffith Oval Goulburn Dirty RedsGoulburnSimon Poidevin Rugby Park Hall BushrangerHallHall Sportsground Royal Military CollegeRoyal Military College, DuntroonPortsea Oval

Far South Coast Rugby Union (Incorporated into ACTRU Lower Grades) This union is officially affiliated with the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union instead of the NSW union. +TeamNickname ADFAADFA Batemans Bay-BrouleeBoars BraidwoodRedbacks BungendoreMudchooks CoomaRed Devils CrookwellDogs HallBushrangers JindabyneBushpigs Milton-UlladullaPlatypi TaralgaTigers YassRams

Junior Teams

Bermagui FSC Falcons (Tathra)

Former Teams

Broulee Dolphins

Southern Inland Rugby Union This union is officially affiliated with the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union instead of the NSW union.

Clubs ClubCityHome Ground1st Grade PremiershipsRef1st Grade Albury-Wodonga SteamersAlbury/WodongaMurrayfield, Alexandra Park1999-2000, 2013, 2015 Charles Sturt University ReddiesWagga WaggaConolly Park2005 Griffith BlacksGriffithExies Oval No.11995, 2002–03, 2014 Tumut BullsTumutJarrah SportsgroundNone Wagga Agricultural CollegeWagga WaggaConolly Park1997, 2007, 2009, 2012 Wagga CityWagga WaggaConolly Park2020 Wagga WaratahsWagga WaggaConolly Park2001, 2004, 2008, 2010–11, 2016, 2018, 2019 Leeton PhantomsLeetonLeeton No.1 Oval20173rd Grade Only Hay CuttersHayHay Park Oval1998

Affiliated Clubs

Hillston Hogs (invitational team)

Former clubs Condobolin (moved to Central West Rugby Union) Cootamundra Tri-Colours (moved to Central West Rugby Union) Deniliquin Drovers (fields only junior teams since 2025) Grenfell Panthers (moved to Central West Rugby Union) Junee Rams (folded 2016) Temora Tuskers (moved to Central West Rugby Union) West Wyalong Weevils (moved to Central West Rugby Union) Young Yabbies (moved to Central West Rugby Union)

Premiers (1995-present) +Riverina Zone/SIRU Premiers 1995–presentYear1st Grade Premiers2nd Grade Premiers3rd Grade PremiersWomen's Premiers1995GriffithGriffithGriffithN/A1996ArmyRivcollN/AN/A1997Wagga Ag CollegeGriffithN/AWagga City1998HayRivcollN/AGriffith1999AlburyWaratahsN/ALeeton2000AlburyGrenfellN/ALeeton2001WaratahsWaratahsN/AWagga City2002GriffithGrenfellN/AN/A2003GriffithRivcollN/AN/A2004WaratahsRivcollN/AN/A2005RivcollRivcollN/AN/A2006CootamundraRivcollN/AN/A2007Wagga Ag CollegeRivcollN/AN/A2008WaratahsWaratahsWagga Ag CollegeN/A2009Wagga Ag CollegeTumutWagga Ag CollegeN/A2010WaratahsWaratahsGriffithN/A2011WaratahsWaratahsHayN/A2012Wagga Ag CollegeWagga Ag CollegeWaratahsN/A2013AlburyWaratahsJuneeLeeton2014GriffithCSUJuneeWagga City2015AlburyLeetonGriffithLeeton2016WaratahsWaratahsWaratahsLeeton2017LeetonWagga CityDeniliquinLeeton2018WaratahsWaratahsWaratahsCSU2019WaratahsWaratahsGriffithGriffith2020Wagga CityLeetonN/AWagga Ag College2022Wagga CityWagga CityWagga CityWagga Reddies2023WaratahsWagga CityHayWaratahs2024WaratahsWagga CityHayTumut2025WaratahsWagga CityWagga CityWaratahs

ACT representative teams The Territory's representative team hosted the All Blacks at Manuka Oval in the winter of 1938. The Canberra side managed to score a try before the interval and trailed the visitors at half time by 24–5 before the New Zealanders went on to win by 57–5. Coached by Frank O'Rourke, the home team had played its inaugural match only three months earlier.

The team's original strip featured an all gold jersey with two green bands. They defeated the Hawkesbury College at the Country Carnival earlier in 1938, and later that season won against the Bathurst side. Three players from the Territory team were selected for NSW Combined Country to play Sydney that year. The Australian Capital Territory team, often referred to simply as "Canberra", grew in stature in the decades following the Second World War. ACT won the Caldwell Cup for the Country Championship for the first time in 1964 and retained it for the following two seasons.

Rugby in Canberra came of age in the 1970s. ACT scored a 17–11 away win over Queensland in 1972, and then had their first win over a national side, defeating Tonga by 17–6 in 1973.In 1975, ACT won promotion for the following season to the top division of the Wallaby Trophy, Australia's provincial championship at that time. The triumph was short-lived, however, because the planned tournament for 1976 was officially cancelled.

When Wales toured Australia in 1978, the ACT defeated them in a rousing 21–20 come-from-behind victory. The win over the reigning Five Nations champions showed that ACT could compete against the top tier of rugby players in the world.

The name "Canberra Kookaburras" was used for the ACT representative team from 1989, Alt URL but it was to be a further five years before the Canberra Kookaburra club was officially founded. When the ACT comprehensively beat New South Wales by 44–28 in 1994, an invitation was issued for a Canberra club to play in the expanded 14-team NSWRU Premiership sponsored by AAMI for the following season.

Australian Rugby Shield The Vikings entered the Australian Rugby Shield in 2006, playing as the "ACT & Southern NSW Vikings" following the renaming of the ACT Rugby Union after its expansion into Southern New South Wales the previous season. The team had two close matches against NSW Country and Perth Gold during the season, but managed to progress undefeated through the three pool games, semi-final and final to win the competition and take the shield. The Vikings played the Melbourne Axemen in the grand final at Viking Park and never looked back after the third minute when inside centre Josh Staniforth scored the first of the side's five tries for the match in a 36–10 win.

In 2022, with the Revival of Australian Rugby Shield ACT and Southern New South Wales Griffins were crowned champions defeating NSW Country 34-31 in the Grand Final at Brighton Oval, Adelaide.

Honours Australian Rugby Shield Winners (2006, 2022)

See also Rugby union in the Australian Capital Territory Brumbies ACTRU Premier Division ACT Veterans Rugby Club

References

External links Brumbies Rugby - official site of ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union Australian Capital Territory Rugby Union - unofficial fan site