Victorian Rugby Union
Encyclopedia
The Victorian Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union
in the state of Victoria
, Australia
. The VRU manages 26 clubs in metropolitan Melbourne, regional Victoria,and the border region of NSW (Denniliquin RFUC participate in VRU competitions) which compromises 156 junior, senior mens and women's teams.
The VRU union became defunct in the late 1890s but was re-established in 1908 to play a practice match against the Wallabies
departing for an English tour. The representative Victorian side wore blue and gold, and lost 26-6 in front of 1500 people at the MCG.
The VRU administers the oldest club rugby competition in Australia. The 102-year old Dewar Shield, comprising 10 teams, was donated by scotch whisky manufacturers John Dewar & Sons in 1909, to commemorate the Union's inauguration.
The ten teams that play for the Shield in the domestic Premier League are:
An additional eight teams play in lower divisions:
The Union un-successfully bidded the fourth Australian Super 14
licence, which eventually went to the Western Force
. The NSWRU gave up a fourth franchise for the Australian Rugby Championship that allowed the VRU to field the Melbourne Rebels in that competition.
In November 2009, SANZAR announced that Australia had won the 15th Super rugby franchise, and the ARU awarded the licence to the Melbourne Rebels consortium led by media magnate Harold Mitchell. The VRU do not own or run the Melbourne Rebels, they share a CEO (Ross Oakley, former CEO of the Australian Football League
) and have representatives on the board.
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...
in the state of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, 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...
. The VRU manages 26 clubs in metropolitan Melbourne, regional Victoria,and the border region of NSW (Denniliquin RFUC participate in VRU competitions) which compromises 156 junior, senior mens and women's teams.
History
The Victorian Rugby Union was first instituted after provincial sides were formed to play touring English by the Melbourne Rugby Club in 1888. In 1894 the fledgling union opened official dialogue to begin intercolonial matches against NSW. Victoria won the first game 3-0.The VRU union became defunct in the late 1890s but was re-established in 1908 to play a practice match against the Wallabies
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
departing for an English tour. The representative Victorian side wore blue and gold, and lost 26-6 in front of 1500 people at the MCG.
The VRU administers the oldest club rugby competition in Australia. The 102-year old Dewar Shield, comprising 10 teams, was donated by scotch whisky manufacturers John Dewar & Sons in 1909, to commemorate the Union's inauguration.
The ten teams that play for the Shield in the domestic Premier League are:
- Melbourne (based in Prahran)
- Power House (Albert ParkAlbert Park, VictoriaAlbert Park is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip. At the 2006 Census, Albert Park had a population of 5827....
) - Harlequin (AshwoodAshwood, VictoriaAshwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash...
) - Booroondara (HawthornHawthorn, VictoriaHawthorn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...
) - Melbourne University
- Box HillBox Hill, VictoriaBox Hill is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2006 Census, Box Hill had a population of 8,616....
- Endeavour Hills
- Moorabbin
- Southern Districts (FrankstonFrankston, VictoriaFrankston is a suburb within the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area in Victoria, Australia. It is located 40 km southeast of the state capital Melbourne at the southernmost edge of Greater Melbourne, near the beginnings of the Mornington Peninsula...
) - FootscrayFootscray, VictoriaFootscray is a suburb 5 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Footscray had a population of 11,401....
An additional eight teams play in lower divisions:
- Cerberus/Navy
- Wyndham City (Werribee)
- Northern (ReservoirReservoirA reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
) - Eltham
- Maroondah (CroydonCroydonCroydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
) - Geelong
- Monash UniversityMonash UniversityMonash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
- Warnambool
The Melbourne Rebels
For an in-depth description of their SANZAR bids see:Melbourne RebelsMelbourne Rebels
The Melbourne Rebels are a professional rugby union team based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. They made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They are the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia...
The Union un-successfully bidded the fourth Australian Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
licence, which eventually went to the Western Force
Western Force
Western Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super Rugby competition. They first competed in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in that year, however their performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
. The NSWRU gave up a fourth franchise for the Australian Rugby Championship that allowed the VRU to field the Melbourne Rebels in that competition.
In November 2009, SANZAR announced that Australia had won the 15th Super rugby franchise, and the ARU awarded the licence to the Melbourne Rebels consortium led by media magnate Harold Mitchell. The VRU do not own or run the Melbourne Rebels, they share a CEO (Ross Oakley, former CEO of the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
) and have representatives on the board.