ACT Brumbies
| File:Brumbies logo.gif | |||
| Union | Australian Rugby Union | ||
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| Founded | 1996 | ||
| Location | Canberra, Australia | ||
| Region | Australian Capital Territory and southern New South Wales | ||
| Ground(s) | Canberra Stadium (Capacity: 25,000) | ||
| Coach(es) | Laurie Fisher | ||
| Captain(s) | Stirling Mortlock | ||
| League(s) | Super 14 | ||
| 2006 | 6th | ||
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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 team represents the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and southern New South Wales (NSW) regions.
The Brumbies were formed in 1996 to provide a third Australian franchise for the newly-formed Super 12 (now Super 14) competition. 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 Brumbies play in navy blue, white and yellow kits. The team plays at Canberra Stadium (formerly known as Bruce Stadium) in Canberra and is currently coached by Laurie Fisher, and captained by Stirling Mortlock.
History
Rugby union football has a long history in the ACT. The British Isles opened their 1899 tour of Australia with a match in Goulburn. 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 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. 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. 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 McQueen, the Brumbies actually 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 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 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, as of 2006, the only team). That year the British Lions also came to Australia, and played a match against the Brumbies, with the tourists winning by 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 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. 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). 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.
Colours and name
The Brumbies traditional colours are navy blue, white and yellow. Their primary jersey is navy on the body and top shoulders, with white sides. Yellow trimming, collar and stripes make up the jersey. Their alternative jersey is similar, but is primarily white. The Brumbies also have a traditional jersey which is used for games against fellow Australian Super 12 foundation teams NSW and Queensland, which is similar to the home jersey except that is white below chest level. This jersey was used between 1996 and 2005 as the main jersey. The shorts and socks are also navy. The kit is made by ISC (International Sports Clothing); the main jersey sponsor is CA, and DHL is the sleeve sponsor. 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, the Far South Coast and Southern Inland Rugby Unions, joined the ACT Rugby Union, which then renamed itself the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union. At the same time, the "ACT" was dropped from the name of the team, in large part because the team now officially represented an area much larger than the ACT. Thus the team logo was changed, and now says Brumbies Rugby, as opposed to ACT Brumbies.
Stadium
The Brumbies play all their home fixtures at Canberra Stadium, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. They share the ground with rugby league team, the Canberra Raiders. In 2003 matches from the 2003 Rugby World Cup were played at the stadium. Capacity is a nominal all-seated 25,000, 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.
Season standings
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 Auckland 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
Current squad
Official 2007 squad - 2007 Membership Brochure - contains squad (PDF)
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Props
Hookers
Locks
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Back row
Centres
Wings
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Fullbacks Halfbacks
Flyhalves
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2007 Super 14 table
Current internationals
- Teams as of 2007 Super 14 season
- Adam Ashley-Cooper
- Mark Chisholm
- Gene Fairbanks
- Mark Gerrard
- George Gregan
- Daniel Heenan
- Stephen Hoiles
- Stephen Larkham
- Stirling Mortlock
- Jeremy Paul
- Clyde Rathbone
- Guy Shepardson
- George Smith
Notable players
Coaches
Since Super 12
- Rod McQueen - 1996 to 1997
- Eddie Jones - 1998 to 2001
- David Nucifora - 2002 to 2004
- Laurie Fisher - 2005 to present
Franchise records
- Highest point scorer in a career - Stirling Mortlock (825 points, 1998-present)
- Highest point scorer in a season - Stirling Mortlock (194 points, 2000)
- Highest try scorer in a career - Joe Roff (57 tries, 1996 to 2004)
- Highest try scorer in a season - Joe Roff (15 tries, 1997)
- Largest defeat - 44-10 - Waratahs (1995/1996 - Super 12)[1]
Famous Fans
See also
References
External links
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