ACT Brumbies
The ACT Brumbies[1] (known from 2005 to 2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the feral horses which inhabit the capital's hinterland.The Brumbies are traditionally known for their strong tactical kicking, set piece play, ball retention, and pressuring of opponents in their own half.The ACT team were praised for their hard work, stamina, and willingness to take shots at goal when they were on offer.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.[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.[citation needed] Eddie Jones took over as head coach in 1998, but the Brumbies fell to tenth place on the 1998 season ladder.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.[citation needed] 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.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.[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.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 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.Also, the Canberra Vikings, the Brumbies' affiliate in the short-lived Australian Rugby Championship, played one of their four regular-season home matches there.[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.[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.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.[52] The Brumbies' victory over the Waratahs in the last round of 2018 regular season kicked off their currently unbroken 13 match winning streak against their rivals.[53] The Brumbies have a historic rivalry with the Crusaders due to the two teams' predominance in early Super Rugby history.At that time, only two other current Super Rugby teams have a higher win rate against the Crusaders: the Hurricanes (15/46, or 33%), and the Chiefs (20/51, or 39%).The Reds have the only away win in this rivalry since 2015, beating the Brumbies 40–38 in Canberra in a great Australian derby[57] despite trailing 17-0 early in the game.[59] 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.The Australian Capital Territory's two elite development squads just below full-time professional level are the Brumbies A and ACT Under 19 teams.The squad for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season is:[61][a] Props Hookers Locks Loose forwards Scrum-halves Fly-halves Centres Outside backs As of 10 April 2022, there have been nineteen Brumbies captains.
BrumbyRugby AustraliaACT and Southern NSWCanberraAustraliaAustralian Capital TerritorySouthern New South WalesGIO StadiumStephen LarkhamAllan AlaalatoaSuper Rugby Pacificrugby unionSuper Rugbyferal horsesNew South WalesCanberra StadiumheadquartersGriffithBritish Isles1899 tour of AustraliaGoulburnLieutenant-Colonel H. C. H. RobertsonFirst GradeUniversitythe Royal Military College (RMC)NorthsCanberra University CollegeUniversity of MelbourneAll BlacksFrank HassettBritish & Irish LionsManuka OvalCanberra RoyalsDavid GrimmondQueanbeyan WhitesPeter RyanBruce BaileyGoulburn Dirty RedsFive Nationsthe WaratahsSydney's Concord OvalWaratahsJindabyneRod MacqueenEddie Jones2007 Super 14ACT and Southern NSW Rugby UnionLaurie FisherAustralian Provincial ChampionshipViking ParkWestern ForceQueensland RedsAndy FriendTony ReaSouth AfricaJake White2012 Summer tourLions' 2013 tour to AustraliaCheetahsPretoriaWaikato ChiefsRobbie ColemanWorld Club 7sAuckland BluesHenry SpeightAustralian Rugby UnionSANZAARWagga Wagga, New South WalesQueenslandRiverinaShoalhavenSouthern HighlandsSunraysiaVictoriaClassicCanberra MilkCanterburyUniversity of CanberraLand RoverAquis GroupPlus500O'NeillsVodafoneAll HomesAustralian Institute of SportCanberra Raidersrugby leagueCanberra VikingsAustralian Rugby Championship2003 Rugby World CupDan Vickerman CupNSW WaratahsCanberra KookaburrasConcord Oval in SydneyKookaburrasBrisbane-bornTroy Coker2000 Season2002 Semi FinalSydney Football StadiumWaratahswonDan VickermanWaratahswinDave DennisMichael HooperDaryl GibsonGibson'sCrusadersBruce Stadium, CanberraJade Stadium, Christchurch47 points in the 2004 finalHurricanesChiefsRod Macqueen Cupthe Redsthe Reds'James O'ConnorEwen McKenzieNational Rugby ChampionshipPacific Rugby CupPremier DivisionSuper Rugby AURicoh National ChampionshipWorld Club 10s1996 Super 12 season1997 Super 12 season