Eastwood Rugby Club

Eastwood Rugby Union
Full name Eastwood District Rugby Union Football Club
Nickname(s) The Woodies, Woods, The Timbercutters
Founded 1927
Location Eastwood, Northern Suburbs/Hills District, Sydney, Australia
Ground(s) T G Millner Field, Marsfield, New South Wales
Coach(es) John Manenti
Captain(s) Hugh Perrett
League(s) Shute Shield, Sydney Rugby Union
2015 Premiers
Team kit
Official website
www.eastwoodrugby.com.au

Eastwood Rugby is a rugby union club playing in the Sydney Premier Rugby competition. The club is based at T G Millner Field, named in honour of its benefactor Colonel Tom Millner MC VD. The Club's players and supporters are primarily drawn from the Northern Suburbs and Hills District of Sydney. Eastwood's first Australian test player was John Ballesty, and its first touring Wallaby was J.G. Bain.

Club information

Nickname: The Woods,Woodies
Premiership Titles: (6) 1999, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2014, 2015

Club history

Rugby Football has a long history in the Eastwood District, with a team representing the area since the 19th century. Prior to the First World War, a number of local sides existed playing against Eastwood in a local competition. The Eastwood side at this time played on an unfenced paddock bordering a dry creek bed which was used to provide some privacy for players changing before and after the game.

With the outbreak of the Great War, senior Rugby was suspended with many of the players enlisting, a number paying the supreme sacrifice.

Following W.W.1, the strength of Rugby in Eastwood was centred on the Eastwood Young Men’s Institute which officially founded the Eastwood DRUFC fielding junior sides and a senior side in the Burke Cup from 1927. This competition was next in importance to the Sydney Premiership Competition. Eastwood won the Burke Cup in this first year of competition.

In 1927 the Club moved to Eastwood Oval as its home ground where the Club remained until their move to T G Millner Field in 1963.

Following success in the Burke Cup in 1935 and the existence of other strong sub-senior clubs in the area a momentum was building to seek admission by Eastwood into the Sydney Senior Competition.

The outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 caused a deferral of this plan until 1946 when a successful application was made for inclusion in the Sydney Senior Competition from the beginning of the 1947 Season.

Due to the foresight of early administrators, and the support of Colonel Tom Millner MC VD, the Club seized the opportunity in 1950 to purchase four acres of land at Marsfield. This was the beginning of what is now known as the T G Millner Complex.

The Club has won a number of minor grade and Colts competitions over the years but did not win the 1st grade major premiership trophy until 1999. In an historic win, the Club won the Shute Shield for the first time by defeating Sydney University in the Grand Final.

Since formation, the Club has produced numerous players who have worn the “Green and Gold” of Australia. Recent Wallabies include Matt Dunning, Benn Robinson, Ben Alexander and Lachie Turner.

Eastwood has a strong junior base which has won many NSW Junior Rugby Union State Championships over the last decade.

Junior Clubs

Australian representatives

Current Representative Players

Super Rugby

English Aviva Premiership

French Top 14

Japanese Top League

International Representative Players

References


External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, April 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.