Sunnybank Rugby Union Club
Encyclopedia
Sunnybank are an Australian rugby union
club, currently competing in the Queensland Premier Rugby
competition. They were established in 1969.
The club's players were also available for selection to the Australian Rugby Championship
franchise East Coast Aces
.
club, in the southern Brisbane
, Queensland
, Australia
suburb of Sunnybank
. As a junior club, it was founded on the principle that any boy, no matter how good or bad a rugby player he was, would get a game. And so it remains in the ranks of the junior players at Sunnybank, however the word "boy" has been changed to "child".
In its first year, the club fielded an Under 8s team coached by Bill Horsley and an Under 11s side coached by Graeme Page. The club played their home games at Sunnybank State High School
, until 1974, when the club moved to its present home ground of Biggs Field in the nearby Brisbane suburb of Macgregor
. The Sunnybank High School colours of black, green and white were adopted and the Chinese dragon adopted as the emblem of the new club.
The Dragons went from strength to strength, consistently being one of the strongest clubs in the Queensland Junior Rugby Union competition. The high point of this was claiming the President's Trophy for champion junior club in 1980.
In 1975, Sunnybank expanded from being solely a junior club, to being one with more senior players, with the introduction of an Under 19s side in that year. The club then proceeded to field its first Senior team in 1979, with a team playing in the Sub-Districts Competition coached by former Souths Magpies prop David McNiven.
The club was finally promoted to First Grade status in 1989. Sunnybank had only to wait until 1993 before it made its first appearance in a First Grade Grand Final. The game was lost to Souths, but it signalled a dramatic change in the club's fortunes. Another First Grade Grand Final berth was secured the following year, but again they went down. However, in these two years, Sunnybank produced more than its fair share of representative players, especially in the Australian Under 19s side and the Australian Under 21s side. The mid-1990s saw a drop in Sunnybank's fortunes, with a large exodus of talented players.
. In 2002, the Sunnybank First Grade team defeated the Gold Coast Breakers
in the Hospital's Cup Grand Final, to claim the club's first senior top division championship. This performance was repeated in 2005, when once again the Dragons defeated the Breakers in the Premier Grade Grand Final at Ballymore
, the spiritual home of Queensland Rugby
. 2006 saw the opening of a new main oval and the opening of a new club house. Also the Premier grade team was knocked out in the semi-finals after losing their two props to wallaby commitments.
The 2007 season got off to a steady start with wingers Liam Bibo and Karel Bos impressing as with fullback and captain John Dart, towards the end the development of young fly-half Ben Lucas and the return of QLD Reds player Digby Ioanie, Rodney Blake, Greg Holmes, Henari Veratau and Nic Berry saw the Dragons develop impressive form in the lead up to the finals, culimating in an impressive 85-19 Grand Final victory over the Gold Coast, with Ben Lucas hauling a personal tally of 35 points.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club, currently competing in the Queensland Premier Rugby
Queensland Premier Rugby
Queensland Premier Rugby is a club rugby union competition in Queensland, Australia. Ten clubs compete in the competition, eight of which are from Brisbane, with a club each from the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast also competing. The competition has been contested in its present form since 1929...
competition. They were established in 1969.
The club's players were also available for selection to the Australian Rugby Championship
Australian Rugby Championship
The Australian Rugby Championship, often abbreviated to the ARC , was a domestic Rugby union football club competition in Australia which ran for only one season in August–October 2007...
franchise East Coast Aces
East Coast Aces
The East Coast Aces were an Australian rugby union football club that played in the now defunct Australian Rugby Championship. The Aces were formed as one of two Queensland based clubs that participated in the inaugural season of the championship, which started in August 2007 The East Coast Aces...
.
History
Sunnybank Rugby Union Club was founded in 1969 as a junior Rugby UnionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club, in the southern Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
suburb of Sunnybank
Sunnybank, Queensland
Sunnybank is now a suburb in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia much reduced in size from the previous suburb of Sunnybank. The separate Town of Sunnybank was absorbed into the City of Brisbane. This older Sunnybank area is still known locally as Sunnybank...
. As a junior club, it was founded on the principle that any boy, no matter how good or bad a rugby player he was, would get a game. And so it remains in the ranks of the junior players at Sunnybank, however the word "boy" has been changed to "child".
In its first year, the club fielded an Under 8s team coached by Bill Horsley and an Under 11s side coached by Graeme Page. The club played their home games at Sunnybank State High School
Sunnybank State High School
Sunnybank State High School is a Queensland Government State School located in the suburb of Sunnybank, approximately 15 kilometres south of the city of Brisbane, in Queensland, Australia. The school has its predominant frontage on Turton Street and is also bordered by Gager and Boorman...
, until 1974, when the club moved to its present home ground of Biggs Field in the nearby Brisbane suburb of Macgregor
Macgregor, Queensland
Macgregor is a suburb in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Its postal code is 4109. It is in the Australian Federal electorate of Moreton and its current member is the Honourable Mr Graham Perrett MP. Most of Macgregor is in the Queensland state electorate of Sunnybank, with only the northern tip...
. The Sunnybank High School colours of black, green and white were adopted and the Chinese dragon adopted as the emblem of the new club.
The Dragons went from strength to strength, consistently being one of the strongest clubs in the Queensland Junior Rugby Union competition. The high point of this was claiming the President's Trophy for champion junior club in 1980.
In 1975, Sunnybank expanded from being solely a junior club, to being one with more senior players, with the introduction of an Under 19s side in that year. The club then proceeded to field its first Senior team in 1979, with a team playing in the Sub-Districts Competition coached by former Souths Magpies prop David McNiven.
The club was finally promoted to First Grade status in 1989. Sunnybank had only to wait until 1993 before it made its first appearance in a First Grade Grand Final. The game was lost to Souths, but it signalled a dramatic change in the club's fortunes. Another First Grade Grand Final berth was secured the following year, but again they went down. However, in these two years, Sunnybank produced more than its fair share of representative players, especially in the Australian Under 19s side and the Australian Under 21s side. The mid-1990s saw a drop in Sunnybank's fortunes, with a large exodus of talented players.
Coming of age
However, the new millennium brought another high in Sunnybank's story. A major coup for SBRU was the signing of England Sevens Star Ben GollingsBen Gollings
Ben Gollings is a rugby union footballer who plays fly-half for Rugby Lions and formerly for England Sevens.-Career:...
. In 2002, the Sunnybank First Grade team defeated the Gold Coast Breakers
Gold Coast Breakers
The Gold Coast Breakers are an Australian rugby union club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland. The team competes in the Queensland Premier Rugby competition, which is a state-club competition....
in the Hospital's Cup Grand Final, to claim the club's first senior top division championship. This performance was repeated in 2005, when once again the Dragons defeated the Breakers in the Premier Grade Grand Final at Ballymore
Ballymore Stadium
Ballymore is the name of a rugby union stadium situated in Herston, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It was the home of Queensland Rugby Union, and used to be the home ground for the Queensland Reds and the Brisbane Strikers Football Club. The Queensland Reds have since moved to Suncorp Stadium...
, the spiritual home of Queensland Rugby
Queensland Rugby Union
The Queensland Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Queensland. It is a member and founding union of the Australian Rugby Union.-See also:*Queensland Reds*Australian Rugby Union*The Wallabies*Rugby union in Queensland...
. 2006 saw the opening of a new main oval and the opening of a new club house. Also the Premier grade team was knocked out in the semi-finals after losing their two props to wallaby commitments.
The 2007 season got off to a steady start with wingers Liam Bibo and Karel Bos impressing as with fullback and captain John Dart, towards the end the development of young fly-half Ben Lucas and the return of QLD Reds player Digby Ioanie, Rodney Blake, Greg Holmes, Henari Veratau and Nic Berry saw the Dragons develop impressive form in the lead up to the finals, culimating in an impressive 85-19 Grand Final victory over the Gold Coast, with Ben Lucas hauling a personal tally of 35 points.
Finals results
- Queensland Premier Rugby
- 1993 Souths 27-8 Sunnybank
- 1994 Souths 19-8 Sunnybank
- 2005 Sunnybank 41-17 Gold Coast
- 2007 Sunnybank 85-19 Gold Coast
Current S15 Players
- Greg HolmesGreg HolmesGreg Holmes is an Australian rugby union footballer. He currently plays for the Queensland Reds in the international Super 14 competition and has played for Australia. His usual position is at prop.-Career:...
- Digby IoaneDigby IoaneDigby Ioane is an Australian rugby union footballer playing for the Queensland Reds. He has previously played for the Western Force in their inaugural year in 2006 to 2007, and has been capped 11 times for the Wallabies.-Early life:...
- Ben Lucas
- Jake SchatzJake SchatzJake Schatz is an Australian rugby union player and former Anglican Church Grammar School boy. Schatz currently plays at flanker for the Queensland Reds. He made his debut for the Reds during the 2010 Super 14 season.Jake was selected as the 2008 QLD Premier Colts player of the year...
Internationals
- David GiffinDavid GiffinDavid Giffin is a former vice-captain of the Wallabies in rugby union, where he played in the lock position. Queensland-born, he played most of his professional career with the ACT Brumbies in what was then the Super 12. At this level, he earned 81 caps - earning a further 49 at international level...
(1996) - Greg HolmesGreg HolmesGreg Holmes is an Australian rugby union footballer. He currently plays for the Queensland Reds in the international Super 14 competition and has played for Australia. His usual position is at prop.-Career:...
(2005) - Rodney BlakeRodney BlakeRodney Blake is a professional Australian rugby union footballer. He plays prop for the Melbourne Rebels. He previously played for Bayonne in France. He is sometimes referred to as Rodzilla. His father Paul is a former Otago flanker. In June 2006, Blake made his debut for the Wallabies.- Career...
(2006) - Digby IoaneDigby IoaneDigby Ioane is an Australian rugby union footballer playing for the Queensland Reds. He has previously played for the Western Force in their inaugural year in 2006 to 2007, and has been capped 11 times for the Wallabies.-Early life:...
(2007) - Rob SimmonsRob Simmons (rugby union)Rob Simmons is an Australian rugby union footballer. He currently plays for the Queensland Reds in the international Super 14 competition and has also represented Australia. His position is lock.-External links:...
(2010)