Rugby union in Queensland has traditionally been one of the most popular professional and recreational team sports in the state. Rugby union was introduced in the British colony's capital Brisbane in 1876. Initially it struggled to gain a foothold due to the popularity of Australian rules there until it got its break in 1882 with the first inter-colonial matches against New South Wales, and the formation of the Northern Rugby Union. Between 1885 and 1887 it became the dominant code after the leading schools association decided to play it exclusively and after 1890 spread virtually unopposed throughout the colony.
The rise of professional Rugby league in Queensland in 1908 and the Great War ultimately saw the disbandment of the Queensland Rugby Union (‘QRU’) after the 1919 season however it was later revived and continues to this day as ‘Queensland Rugby’. Despite increasing competition from three other football codes, rugby thrived in its niche nursery, with the Greater Public Schools competition and also representative football holding maximum prestige in the state. With the establishment of a permanent new home at Ballymore Stadium from the 1960s rugby experienced a golden era from the 1980s to 2000s. However it went into sharp decline in the 2010s and by 2018 was the least participated of the four major football codes in the state behind rugby league, soccer and AFL though representative matches still attract a significant audience. The Union has been reluctant to publish participation figures in recent years and has been focused on rebuilding the code.
Queensland's most notable product is Rugby Australia Hall of Famer John Eales who was Australia’s most successful Rugby captain. All of Queensland's Hall of Famers have also captained Australia and include Tim Horan, Des Connor, Tom Lawton Snr, Mark Loane, Paul McLean, Tony Shaw and Andrew Slack.
History of rugby union in Queensland
Earliest matches
Rugby football commenced in Queensland in 1876, when the Brisbane FC (which had played according to the ‘Melbourne Rules' (now Australian football) since its founding in 1866), and two newly formed football clubs (Bonnet Rouge FC and Rangers FC) elected to play Rugby football. Rugby continued to be played for three seasons. In 1870 Bonnet Rouge and Rangers folded in 1878 and Brisbane FC (which had periodically played both soccer and rugby as well) returned to playing ‘Victorian rules’ (formerly ‘Melbourne rules’). As a result, rugby was rarely played in the following years.
Fred Lea, an Englishman educated at Allesley College near Rugby in Warwickshire, arrived in Brisbane in 1878 and was amazed to find that Victorian Rules in Queensland was the only football being organised. Lea took up the Victorian game, playing it in 1879-81. However, in 1880 he was able to sway two of the local clubs, Brisbane FC and Wallaroo (1878), to try rugby. Take-up of the code, however was initially very slow.
Queensland Football Association era
The Queensland Football Association was formed in April 1880 by both rugby and Victorian rules members. While vastly outnumbered by Victorian Association members rugby members lobbied the QFA to schedule matches on a Saturday every 4 weeks during the Victorian Association season, however due to insufficient numbers rugby play was infrequent in the first few seasons.
Just two rugby matches were played in Queensland in 1880. Three matches were played between the clubs in 1881.
By 1882 newly formed football clubs in rural areas began to debate the adoption of either Australian or Rugby rules. Despite just a handful of rugby clubs being overwhelmed by the QFA's 50 senior Victorian association clubs, the push for representative matches saw the voice of the rugby fraternity grow extremely strong.)
The 1882 the QFA accepted a challenge to play intercolonial football against New South Wales. Rugby members of Brisbane FC instigated the move in contact with the Sydney Wallaroo club. The Sydney Rugby Football Union won a bidding war against the Sydney Football Association, as to which code to play under. The SRFU promised to pay full travel and accommodation costs if the Queenslanders agreed to play only rugby, whereas the SFA offered half of the gate takings if the Queenslanders agreed to play only Victorian rules. Due to the prohibitive costs of travel and expected low gate takings for Victorian rules in Sydney, the rugby offer was far more attractive.