Queensland Reds

Queensland Reds

Union	Australian Rugby Union
Founded	1882 (first QLD match) 1996 (Super 12 begins)
Location	Brisbane, Australia
Region	Queensland
Ground(s)	Suncorp Stadium (Capacity: 52,500)
Coach(es)	Ewen McKenzie
Captain(s)	James Horwill
Most caps	Sean Hardman (148)
Top scorer	Elton Flatley (609)
League(s)	Super Rugby
2011 season	1st
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.redsrugby.com.au

The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland. With the introduction of the professional Super 12 competition they moved to a model where players are contracted to the Reds through the Queensland Rugby Union rather than selected on the basis of club form.

From 1996 to 2005 they were one of three Australian teams competing in the Super 12 competition, alongside the New South Wales Waratahs and the ACT Brumbies. Queensland finished as minor premiers in 1996 and 1999. From 2006 to 2010, they competed in the expanded Super 14 competition as one of four Australian sides. Beginning in 2011, they are one of five Australian sides in the expanded and renamed Super Rugby, and are the current tournament champions.

History

Early Queensland years

Prior to Super rugby competition, Queensland were a representative team that was selected from the rugby union clubs within the state. Rugby in the state of Queensland has its origins as far back as 1876, which is when it is thought the earliest games were played. In 1882 the first interstate matches were played between Queensland and New South Wales, and the following year the Queensland Rugby Union was formed. That season the first interstate match in Brisbane took place, with Queensland defeating New South Wales 12 to 11 at the Eagle Farm Racecourse. In 1896 the first Queensland team departed for a tour of New Zealand. They played New Zealand in Wellington on 15 August, losing 9 to nil at Athletic Park. In 1899 Queensland recorded their first win against an international team, defeating Great Britain 11 to 3 at the Exhibition Ground.

Pre-Super competitions

With the start up of rugby league as well as World War I, Queensland rugby was dormant for a number of years, and the QRU was disbanded in 1919 and was not be revived until the late 1920s. In 1928 the QRU was re-formed, and the GPS competition and major clubs soon returned.^[1] The game struggled during World War II, but growth was nonetheless apparent, with the advent of the Queensland Junior Rugby Union and the Country Rugby Union. In 1950 the QRU secured the Normanby Oval at nominal rent from Brisbane Grammar School, before they moved into Ballymore Stadium in 1966, which would serve as the spiritual home of Queensland. In 1980 Queensland defeated the All Blacks, which was the first win against New Zealand. The match was played at Ballymore on 6 July and Queensland won 9 to 3. Two seasons later centenary celebrations took place, with Queensland defeating New South Wales 41 to 7 in the celebratory match.

Early Super Rugby

The first Super 10 was held in 1993. QLD were grouped in Pool A alongside Auckland, Natal, Western Samoa and Otago. Queensland finished with five points, in fourth place. The subsequent Super 10 competition of 1994 saw Queensland finish at the top of Pool A on 13 points, edging out North Harbour on for and against differential to finish at the top. The Queensland Reds went on to play the winner of Pool B, South African side, Natal. The Reds won the final, 21 points to 10 at Kings Park Stadium in Durban. The following season was even more successful for the Reds, who were playing in Pool B for the 1995 season. They finished the season with 16 points, four points clear of second placed team in their pool, the Free State. South African team Transvaal had finished at the top of Pool A and the final was to be decided at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Queensland won the final 30 to 16, and thus became back-to-back champions.

Super 12

With rugby union going professional, there was a reworking of competitions. The SANZAR partnership was formed between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), the South African Rugby Football Union (SARFU) and the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and the Super 12 was born. In the 1996 season Queensland finished at the top of the table.

Queensland hosted their Super 12 semi-final on 18 May 1996. The game was played at Queensland's home of rugby union, Ballymore, and was played against the Natal Sharks. The Sharks defeated Queensland 43 points to 25. The 1997 season saw the Reds finish in ninth place. In 1998 the Reds had a much better season, finishing in fifth position at the end of the season.

Queensland lost only three games during the regular season, and finished at the top of the ladder on 36 points (beating the Stormers to first position due to for and against points). The Reds hosted the Canterbury Crusaders at Ballymore for a semi-final. Canterbury won 22 to 28. In 2000 the Reds finished in seventh place on the ladder. In 2001 the Reds finished in fourth place on the ladder and played in the semis. They played fellow Australian team, the Brumbies in Canberra, and the Brumbies won 30 points to six. The following season, 2002, the Reds finished in fifth place. For the 2003 season, Queensland finished in eighth place. QLD finished tenth in the 2004 and 2005 Super 12 seasons.

Super 14

In 2006, the Super 12 became the Super 14 with the addition of the Western Force (AUS) and the Central Cheetahs (RSA). Queensland played the Waratahs in the opening game of the season, which was a close loss. The Reds also played new team the Western Force, which QLD won. Queensland finished 12th on the ladder. Former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones took over from Jeff Miller as coach for the 2007 season.

New coach Eddie Jones got off to a winning start at Queensland Rugby, with a Queensland XV, 63–22 victory over the NEC club. The Reds took part in the one-off Australian Provincial Championship not getting the start they wanted, losing to the Force 32–6 at home in round one but turned it around the next week beating the Waratahs 39–17 in Gosford. The following week the Reds beat the competition leaders The Brumbies 20–19 after a penalty goal by Lloyd Johansson to qualify for the final in the ACT against the same team they beat. However, Queensland lost 42–17. Later in the year Queensland beat the Cherry Blossoms 29–22 in Japan.

The 2007 Super 14 season saw the Queensland Reds finishing a poor season by winning the wooden spoon, they couldn't have started the competition any better when they beat 2006 Grand Finalists the Wellington Hurricanes in Round 1, after that win they would not taste victory again until Round 12. The season was summed up in the final round of the regular season where Queensland were defeated 92–3 by the Bulls. This defeat was by the largest margin in Super Rugby history, although the NSW Waratahs had 96 points scored against them in their loss to the Crusaders in 2002.

The 2008 Super 14 season witnessed a mini-resurgence of the QLD Reds, with the youthful side playing exciting and enterprising rugby under new coach Phil Mooney, they gained revenge against the Bulls after the 2007 thrashing by beating them 40–8, in what was the highlight of the season for the Reds. The Reds continued to play exciting rugby for the rest of the season but lost close matches against the Crusaders, Blues, Chiefs and Waratahs, whilst the side finished 12th they showed plenty of promise and regained some respect.

The 2010 Super 14 showed the real potential of a team that had been on the ropes for the last 6 years. After losing their star back Berrick Barnes to the Waratahs they unearthed the talent they had not noticed like that of Quade Cooper, Digby Ioane and Will Genia. They became the feel–good team of the year becoming the only team to beat both the year's finalists under the new coach, former Waratahs mentor Ewen McKenzie. The highlight of their year was their 19–12 victory over the Bulls in which they played out a fast game to beat a truly world class side. A late injury plague affected the last two games of the season and ultimately a finals spot. Although the Reds missed the finals, they showed good prospects for the 2011 Super 15 season.

Super Rugby/Super 15

In the debut season of the renamed and revamped Super Rugby (Super 15) competition, the Queensland Reds showed their improvement from the last few years. After several seasons of mediocrity, the Reds finished the regular season at the top of the table, with 13 wins and 3 losses. In the final, Queensland Reds achieved their first Super Rugby Championship in the professional era, beating the Crusaders (18-13) in front of a record crowd (52113) at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. Following the win the Reds were handed the keys to the city after a ticker-tape parade through Brisbane. ^[2]

Colours and logos

2007 commemorative logo.

The teams' home strip traditionally was a maroon jumper with a white collar, navy shorts with maroon socks with white hoops. In more recent years the jumper has become more red in colour with the home playing strip now red jumper (no collar), red shorts and red socks. The jersey is manufactured by KooGa, and the primary shirt sponsor from 2011 St George Bank . Traditionally, the Reds Super Rugby logo as well as the traditional Q logo both appear on the jersey, however for 2007 a commemorative shield was worn instead, which incorporated the QRU's four logos over the past 100 years. The Super Rugby logo and sponsors Tooheys New appear on the sleeves. The alternative jersey is similar, except that it is predominantly white. The Reds' logo is a Koala, a native Australian animal, with Reds written underneath it.

Prior to 1895 the Queensland team wore a variety of jerseys until the red/maroon colour became the Queensland jersey.^[3] In 2007, the Reds used a commemorative jersey in celebration of 125 years of Queensland rugby. This was accompanied by a new logo featuring four Queensland crests from the past.^[4] The 125-year crest featured four sectors; the Northern Rugby Union logo from 1882 (top left), the emblem from 1910 (top right), the 1935 logo (bottom left) and the current koala logo (bottom right).

Awards

Pilecki Medal Awarded to the best Reds player at the end of each season

Stadium

Suncorp Stadium.

The traditional home of Queensland Rugby is Ballymore, which was built in the late 1960s in Brisbane. Throughout the Super 12, the Reds played their home matches at the stadium. The stadium hosted a number of matches during the first ever Rugby World Cup in 1987, including a quarter final. Ballymore was set to host games at the 2003 Rugby World Cup as well, but due to ticket demand, all games were moved to Suncorp.^[5]

With the expansion of Super 12 to 14 for the 2006 season, the Reds made the move to the 52,500-seat Suncorp Stadium, the stadium has been described as an investment in the future of the QLD Rugby with easier access and world class facilities.

At the end of the 2006 season they took their last home game to Dairy Farmers Stadium in North Queensland, home of National Rugby League team the North Queensland Cowboys. However during the Super Rugby off-season, the Reds play a number of friendlies out at Ballymore. In addition the Reds have played pre-season matches on the Gold Coast at Carrara Stadium.

Sponsorship

In 2011 the Reds featured the following Apparel sponsors - Principal Naming Rights, St George Bank - Rear of Jersey, Stratco - Sleeve, Volvo Cars - Collar, Mac Services - Shorts, Gatorade

Anthem/fans

In January 2007 the QLD Reds released a Team Anthem to be sung by the crowd during the match and after wins as well. The song was sung in the Queen Street Mall by members of the team including John Roe, Ben Tune, Peter Hynes and Berrick Barnes^{[citation needed]}. The lyrics can be found on the Queensland Reds official website. The Reds also launched new marketing campaigns for 2007 (e.g. "Join the Revolution"/"The Red Army Needs You"); and the fans have since been referred to as "The Red Army". Major sponsor St George Bank sponsor a cheer squad at some games known as the St George Fan Bank. Rugby legend Conor O'Donovan is a diehard Reds fan, he recently travelled as far as Galway, Ireland to watch the Reds play Connacht in a pre-season friendly.

Rivalries

Queenslands most popular rivalries are obviously the other Australian teams in Super Rugby (Brumbies, Force, Waratahs and, from 2011, the Melbourne Rebels). However, the most famous of these is the interstate clash between the Queensland Reds and the New South Wales Waratahs. The match between these two sides usually draws the largest crowd for the Reds when they are hosting the match, which is sometimes (such as 2006), used as the first game of the season. The matches contested during the season are also for the Bob Templeton Cup, which is a trophy awarded to the winner of the Queensland/New South Wales match.

Former Queensland captain John Eales, prior to the Queensland and New South Wales clash in 2001 quoted former Wallaby Mark Loane to sum up matches against New South Wales, "the most hard fought fights are fighting with your brother in the backyard."^[6] There have been over 270 matches between the two teams, with New South Wales well in the lead with over 170 wins, and Queensland over 80, with 12 drawn.^[6] Since the start of professional Super rugby in 1996, 17 matches have been played, Queensland winning 9, New South Wales 7 and one being drawn.

Records and Achievements

• Champions: 1992, 1994, 1995, 2011
• Semi-Finalists: 1996, 1999, 2001

Super 6

Season	Ladder Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
1992	1st	-	-	-	-	-

Super 10

Season	Ladder Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Notes
1993	4th	5	1	0	4	5	–
1994	1st	5	4	0	1	13	Won final against Natal Sharks
1995	1st	5	4	0	1	16	Won final against Transvaal Lions

Super 12

Season	Ladder Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	BP	Pts	Notes
1996	1st	11	9	0	2	320	247	+73	5	41	(lost semi-final to Natal)
1997	10th	11	4	0	7	263	318	−55	4	20
1998	5th	11	6	1	4	273	229	+44	5	31
1999	1st	11	8	1	2	233	170	+63	2	36	(lost semi-final to Canterbury Crusaders)
2000	7th	11	6	0	5	317	305	+12	6	30
2001	4th	11	6	0	5	300	277	+33	8	32	(lost semi-final to ACT Brumbies)
2002	5th	11	7	0	4	336	287	+49	6	34
2003	8th	11	5	0	6	281	318	−37	6	26
2004	10th	11	5	0	6	217	246	−29	5	25
2005	10th	11	3	0	8	185	282	−97	5	17

Super 14

Season	Ladder Pos'n	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	BP	Pts	Notes
2006	12th	13	4	0	9	240	320	−80	6	22
2007	14th	13	2	0	11	201	438	−237	3	11
2008	12th	13	3	1	9	258	323	−65	4	18
2009	13th	13	3	0	10	258	380	−122	4	19
2010	5th	13	8	0	5	366	308	+58	7	39

Super Rugby

Season	Ladder Pos'n	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	BP	Pts	Notes
2011	1st	16	13	0	3	429	309	+120	6	66	Won final against Crusaders

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB nationality.

Player Position Union Saia Faingaa Hooker Australia James Hanson Hooker Australia Ben Daley Prop Australia Greg Holmes Prop Australia Guy Shepherdson Prop Australia James Slipper Prop Australia James Horwill (c) Lock Australia Van Humphries Lock Australia David McDuling Lock Australia Radike Samo Lock Australia Rob Simmons Lock Australia Adam Wallace-Harrison Lock Australia Liam Gill Flanker Australia Scott Higginbotham Flanker Australia Ed Quirk Flanker Australia Beau Robinson Flanker Australia Jake Schatz Number 8 Australia

Player Position Union Will Genia (vc) Scrum-half Australia Ben Lucas Scrum-half Australia Quade Cooper Fly-half Australia Michael Harris Fly-half New Zealand Anthony Faingaa Centre Australia Ben Tapuai Centre Australia Rod Davies Wing Australia Chris Feauai-Sautia Wing Australia Digby Ioane Wing Australia Luke Morahan Wing Australia Dom Shipperley Wing Australia Aidan Toua Wing Australia Peter Hynes Fullback Australia Jono Lance Fullback Australia

Queensland Reds Player Award Winner

Pilecki Medal (Players' Player)

• 1992 Peter Slattery
• 1993 Rod McCall
• 1994 Matthew Pini
• 1995 Jason Little
• 1996 Jason Little
• 1997 John Eales
• 1998 John Eales
• 1999 Chris Latham/Daniel Herbert
• 2000 Chris Latham
• 2001 Toutai Kefu
• 2002 Chris Latham
• 2003 Julian Huxley
• 2004 Chris Latham
• 2005 Nathan Sharpe
• 2006 Rodney Blake
• 2007 David Croft
• 2008 David Croft
• 2009 Digby Ioane
• 2010 Will Genia
• 2011 Will Genia

Queensland Reds' Australian Super Rugby Player Award Winner

• 1998 John Eales
• 2000 Chris Latham
• 2003 Chris Latham
• 2004 Chris Latham
• 2005 Chris Latham
• 2010 Quade Cooper
• 2011 Will Genia

Queensland Reds' Australian Super Rugby Coach Award Winner

• 1998 John Connolly
• 1999 John Connolly
• 2011 Ewen McKenzie

Queensland Reds' Australian Super Rugby Rookie of the Year Award Winner

• 1999 Nathan Sharpe
• 2001 David Croft
• 2004 Drew Mitchell
• 2006 Anthony Mathison
• 2009 Laurie Weeks

Queensland Reds' Australian Super Rugby Try of the Year Award Winner

• 1998 Dan Herbert
• 2001 Nathan Spooner
• 2009 Quade Cooper
• 2010 Quade Cooper

Queensland Reds' Current International Capped Players

• Quade Cooper
• James Horwill
• Peter Hynes
• Digby Ioane
• Luke Morahan
• Will Genia
• Ben Daley
• James Slipper
• Saia Fainga'a
• Rob Simmons
• Beau Robinson
• Scott Higginbotham
• Radike Samo
• Leroy Houston
• Guy Shepherdson
• Anthony Faingaa
• Rod Davies

2012 Signings

• David McDuling (Sydney University)
• Jono Lance (Reds Academy)

Notable players

Players with 100 or more caps.

Mark Connors David Croft Dan Crowley John Eales Elton Flatley Michael Foley Peter Grigg Sean Hardman Daniel Herbert Tim Horan Toutai Kefu Chris Latham Jason Little

Michael Lynagh Rod McCall Paul McLean Brendan Moon Stan Pilecki John Roe Tony Shaw Andrew Slack Peter Slattery Damian Smith Ben Tune David Wilson

Coaches

• John Connolly – 1989 to 2000
• Mark McBain – 2001 to 2002
• Andrew Slack – 2003
• Jeff Miller – 2004 to 2006
• Eddie Jones – 2007
• Phil Mooney – 2008 to 2009
• Ewen McKenzie – 2010–present

Captains

• Tim Horan (1996–1997)
• David Wilson (1998–1999)
• John Eales (2000–2001)
• Daniel Herbert (2002–2003)
• Toutai Kefu (2003)
• Elton Flatley (2004–2005)
• John Roe (2006–2008)
• Sam Cordingley (2008)
• James Horwill (2008–present)
• Berrick Barnes (2009) (as replacement for injured James Horwill)
• Will Genia (2010) (as replacement for injured James Horwill)

Honours

• Super 6:
  • Champions: 1992

• Super 10:
  • Champions: 1994, 1995

• Super 12:
  • Minor premiership: 1996, 1999

• Australian Provincial Championship:
  • Runners-up: 2006

• Super Rugby:
  • Champions: 2011

Records and statistics

• Highest point scorer in a career – Elton Flatley (629 points, 1996–2006)
• Highest point scorer in a season – Quade Cooper (228 points, 2011)
• Highest try scorer in a career – Chris Latham (38 tries, 1998 to 2008)
• Highest try scorer in a season – Chris Latham (10 tries, 2002)
• Try hat trick – Rod Davies (vs Auckland Blues (Semi Final, 2011)

See also

• Queensland Rugby Union
• Australian Rugby Championship
• Queensland Premier Rugby
• Reds season 2009

References

1. ^ "History of Queensland Rugby". Queensland Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 2006-08-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20060830153713/http://www.qru.com.au/qld/qld.rugby/page/30954. Retrieved 2006-09-13. 
2. ^ . http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/ticker-tape-parade-for-victorious-queensland-reds/story-e6freon6-1226092352700. 
3. ^ "NSW and Queensland Jersey Colours". Queensland Rugby Union. http://www.colonialrugby.com.au/jerseys.htm. Retrieved 2006-09-14. 
4. ^ "Reds unveil commemorative badge". Scrum.com. http://www.scrum.com/super14/2006/news/news_detail.asp?newsid=39377. Retrieved 2006-12-22. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ "Brisbane WC games moved". www.colonialRugby.com.au. http://www.austadiums.com/news/news.php?id=15. Retrieved 2006-09-13. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "Waratahs v Reds preview". www.rugby.com.au. http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2001_may/waratahs_v_reds_preview_11164,4702.html. Retrieved 2006-09-13. 

External links

• Official site of the Queensland Reds
• Official site of the QRU