Rugby union in Australia

Rugby union is a popular sport in Australia.

There are five Australian teams that compete against New Zealand and South African teams in the international Super Rugby tournament. These are the Brumbies from the Australian Capital Territory, the Reds from Queensland, the Waratahs from New South Wales, the Western Force from Western Australia and the Melbourne Rebels from Victoria.

The national team is called wallabies and has twice won the title at the world championships.

History

The Rugby Australia's history began in the early 19th century. The army then played a few games against the crews of the ships present. The first club, the Sydney University Club, was founded in 1864. Ten years later there were enough clubs to make a small unsubscribe League in Sydney. At the same time, the Southern Rugby Union, the first rugby union in Australia, which was organized by the English counterpart Rugby Football Union was formed. 1881 was left to the administration of the game action the Australians, in 1892 the Southern Rugby Union and the Northern Rugby Union merged.

The newly formed association as directed in 1899 the first games of an Australian national team against a British team. The first batch of four comprehensive series of games won Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground with 13:3, the other games went to the British. At that time, the team played not in the national colors, but ran into blue ( New South Wales), respectively brown ( in Queensland) Jerseys on. 1903 they met before 30,000 spectators for the first time in New Zealand. The match against the New Zealand " All Blacks " became one of the most important and exciting Rugby Union. Four years after the first meeting already 50,000 people came to Sydney to see the two teams play against each other.

1908 were the " Wallabies " for the first time on tour, and toured the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America. Due to the popularity of the New Zealand Haka, the association was forced to select a similar ritual for the Australian team. Players should perform a war dance of the Aborigines before the start of the game but it did not seem as impressive as the performance of the All Blacks, so that this custom was soon laid aside. The tour ended with the Olympic Games in London, where the Australians were allowed to participate. They won the gold medal by defeating a selection of Cornwall, the team representing Great Britain. Eleven players the gold medalist changed in connection to the newly formed Rugby League, where the actors were paid as opposed to Rugby Union.

With the onset of World War I ended the League operation because many young men were drafted. The pause in the play mode lasted until 1928. During this period, the Waratahs were the only surviving team. They toured the UK, France and North America, there were a new, unknown style that was dominated by attractive attacking game. 1931 gave the Governor-General of New Zealand, Lord Bledisloe, the Bledisloe Cup named after him in order to play since then Australia and New Zealand. By 1947, the Waratahs were still as representatives of Australia, until the association suspended the establishment of a central national goal. A year later, took the world governing body, the International Rugby Board, Australia are joining. In 1949, the states of the Association of Australian Rugby Union ( ARU). The Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory came only in the 1970s to do so.

In 1987 the first World Championship was held. The idea of introducing such a tournament came from Australia and New Zealand, which also organized the World Cup together. 2003 taught Australia again a World Cup.

Competitions

The most important competition for Australian club teams is the international Super Rugby, where they meet teams from New Zealand and South Africa. Australia currently provides five teams, the Brumbies succeeded in 2001 and 2004, winning the title twice and the second place. The Waratahs reached in 2005 and 2008, the final, subject to there but the record champion Crusaders from New Zealand. At the beginning were the teams in the so-called Super 10, which included teams from Samoa and Tonga. In this league, the Queensland Reds were able to twice win the championship title. Later came the Super 12 and Super 14, in which participated also South African franchise teams.

In 2007, one of the Australian Association of the Australian Rugby Championship ( ARC), in the teams below the Super 14 competed against each other. It was based here on Air New Zealand Cup, where the New Zealand provinces participate. In Australia, however, this model was not successful and had to be disbanded due to financial difficulties after only one year.

Below the provincial leagues exist in the cities and larger regions leagues for clubs. The competitions in Sydney and Brisbane are the oldest and most popular of its kind in New South Wales called the Shute Shield will be played.

National

The Australian national team, " Wallabies ", has won twice, in 1991 and 1999 the title at the World Championships. The jersey colors are green and gold, the traditional colors of the Australian national teams. The first official international match, the team won in 1899 against the British Isles with 13:3. Every year, it plays against New Zealand Bledisloe Cup to the. This duel is one of the oldest and TIGHTEST COMPETITIONS in rugby. In 2000, came to the meeting of the two rivals 109 874 spectators. This is still the world's attendance record. In addition to New Zealand Australia meets each year as part of the Tri Nations on South Africa. With England joins the " Wallabies " traditionally an intense rivalry. So the Australians were able to defeat the hosts in the finals at the World Cup 1991 in England. The British retaliated twelve years later, when they won the title in 2003. In addition, Australia difference two more times against the rivals in a World Championship tournament prematurely.

Australia also has a successful selection in the 7- Rugby, which has twice reached the final of the World Cup, but lost there each. The reserve of the national team is called Australia A and exits at the Pacific Nations Cup. The women's team " Walla Roos " plays since 1994 on an international level. So far, she has participated in three Women's World Cups.

Popularity

Rugby Union is next to cricket, Australian Rules football, soccer and rugby league one of the most popular team sports in Australia. With the introduction of the 1987 World Championships, the interest of the people rose up to host the 2003 World Cup on almost continuously.

In Australia, registered according to IRB 66 395 players spread over 752 clubs. There are also 4821 referee.