Queensland Premier Rugby

Queensland Premier Rugby
Sport Rugby union
Founded 1887
No. of teams 9
Country Australia
Most recent
champion(s)		 Brothers
Most titles University of Queensland
TV partner(s) Reds TV Youtube

Queensland Premier Rugby is a club rugby union competition in Queensland, Australia. Nine clubs compete in the competition, eight of which are from Brisbane, with a club from the Gold Coast also competing. The competition has been contested in its present form since 1929.[1]

History

Queensland Premier Rugby (QPR) evolved out of the Brisbane club competition that had been running since 1887. It was created by players, administrators, referees and coaches to expand and improve the top level of Queensland non-professional rugby. QPR provides Queensland rugby players a stepping stone for selection into the Queensland Reds and other teams in Super Rugby or other professional rugby competitions.

Previous to 1920, the Hospitals Challenge Cup was established as a fund-raising exercise for the Brisbane General Hospital. After the devastation of World War I the competition was suspended until the Hospitals Cup was established. The Brisbane Club competition recommenced in 1929.

The 1975 Grand Final was played between the Brothers club and GPS and Brothers won the match. Teachers-Norths, Wests and again Brothers won the next seasons. In 1979, the first ever draw in a final occurred with a 24-all draw between rivals University and Brothers, a reply of the final was held, which saw University defeat Brothers by a mere 3 points. Brothers dominated the next few seasons, winning the 1980 to 1984 premierships. Souths won their first title in 1986, and University won a number of titles at the end of the decade.

Souths came to major prominence during the 1990s, winning the competition five times in a row from 1991 through to 1995, and then again in 1998 and 2000. They also featured in the 1996 season final which GPS won, and the 1997 final which Easts won. Canberra also competed in the competition, and found major success, winning three titles in a row from 2001 to 2003. The Gold Coast Breakers also began to become a force in the competition, featuring in five finals from 2001 to 2007, although they were on the receiving end of the competitions largest ever grand final score being thrashed 85-19 by the Sunnybank Dragons in the 2007 Grand Final.

In future, teams from other Rugby regions in Queensland may also join the competition, thus encouraging the pursuit of Rugby excellence across the state, not just confining it Queensland's south-east corner. However at a meeting of the Sunshine Coast Rugby Union in October 2013, it was decided by the members not to compete in the 2014 QRU’s Premier Rugby Competition, but will instead focus its energy on becoming the leading force in regional rugby. [2]

Other trophies

Welsby Cup: The top two premier grade teams at the end of the first full round of home and away matches contest the Welsby Cup in their second round meeting. The cup was originally donated by Thomas Welsby.

Doughty Shield: Named for businessman Hector R Doughty,[3] a former Queensland rugby representative, boxer and rower,[4] the Doughty Shield is awarded annually to the champion Brisbane club, based on competition points won across all participating grades.

Teams

Club Nicknames Home Ground                                    Premierships Foundation Date Admitted to Premier Grade
Brothers The Filth Jack Ross Oval, Albion 28 (27 QRU, 1 BRL)  1905 1905
University of Queensland Students Field 5, St. Lucia 30 (28 QRU, 2 BRL)  1911 1912
GPS Old Boys Jeeps Ashgrove Sports Ground, Ashgrove 5 1931 1931
Southern Districts Magpies R.A. "Chipsy" Wood Oval, Annerley 10 1948 1948
Eastern Districts Tigers David Wilson Field, Norman Park 4 1947 1950
West Brisbane Bulldogs Sedgman Oval, Toowong 3 1951 1955
Sunnybank Dragons Oldmac Oval, MacGregor 3 1969 1989
North Brisbane Eagles Hugh Courtney Oval, Wooloowin 0 (2 as Teachers-Norths) 1991 1991
Bond University Breakers Bond University Field, Robina 0 (1 as Gold Coast Breakers) 2014 2014

Grand Final results, Hospital Cup winners (since 1946)

Easts vs Souths at Bottomley Park, 11 April 2015
Year Premiers Score Runners-Up
2016 Brothers 31–28 University of Queensland
2015 Southern Districts 39–12 Eastern Districts
2014 University of Queensland 20–18 Sunnybank
2013 Eastern Districts 27–22 GPS Old Boys
2012 University of Queensland 46–20 Sunnybank
2011 Sunnybank 35–24 Brothers
2010 University of Queensland 19–11 Sunshine Coast
2009 Brothers 26–19 Southern Districts
2008 Eastern Districts 22–21 Brothers
2007 Sunnybank 85–19 Gold Coast
2006 West Brisbane 23–22 Brothers
2005 Sunnybank 41–17 Gold Coast
2004 Gold Coast 24–18 University of Queensland
2003 Canberra 29–16 Gold Coast
2002 Canberra 45–3 Eastern Districts
2001 Canberra 32–10 Gold Coast
2000 Southern Districts 34–30 West Brisbane
1999 Eastern Districts 16–15 West Brisbane
1998 Southern Districts 34–18 West Brisbane
1997 Eastern Districts 18–16 Southern Districts
1996 GPS Old Boys 12–6 Southern Districts
1995 Southern Districts 27–11 Eastern Districts
1994 Southern Districts 19–8 Sunnybank
1993 Southern Districts 27–8 Sunnybank
1992 Southern Districts 44–10 University of Queensland
1991 Southern Districts 22–15 West Brisbane
1990 University of Queensland 19–10 Brothers
1989 University of Queensland 34–9 Southern Districts
1988 University of Queensland 18–10 Southern Districts
1987 Brothers 20–19 Southern Districts
1986 Southern Districts 31–13 Brothers
1985 West Brisbane 10–7 University of Queensland
1984 Brothers 18–3 Eastern Districts
1983 Brothers 30–15 University of Queensland
1982 Brothers 25–16 University of Queensland
1981 Brothers 36–13 North Brisbane
1980 Brothers 19–0 Southern Districts
1979 University of Queensland 16–13 Brothers
1978 Brothers 19–15 University of Queensland
1977 West Brisbane 15–10 Brothers
1976 Teachers-Norths 16–4 GPS Old Boys
1975 Brothers 23–6 GPS Old Boys
1974 Brothers 27–19 GPS Old Boys
1973 Brothers 20–10 GPS Old Boys
1972 GPS Old Boys 23–18 University of Queensland
1971 Brothers 17–3 Eastern Districts
1970 University of Queensland 24–6 GPS Old Boys
1969 University of Queensland 22–14 Brothers
1968 Brothers 17–6 University of Queensland
1967 University of Queensland 17–15 GPS Old Boys
1966 Brothers 36–9 University of Queensland
1965 University of Queensland 17–15 GPS Old Boys
1964 University of Queensland 29–9 Teachers
1963 Teachers 28–6 University of Queensland
1962 University of Queensland 18–12 Southern Districts
1961 GPS Old Boys 19–13 University of Queensland
1960 University of Queensland 11–6 Brothers
1959 Brothers 13–11 University of Queensland
1958 Southern Districts 9–5 University of Queensland
1957 University of Queensland 23–18 Southern Districts
1956 University of Queensland 19–6 GPS Old Boys
1955 University of Queensland 18–16 Southern Districts
1954 University of Queensland 19–3 GPS Old Boys
1953 Brothers 11–9 University of Queensland
1952 University of Queensland 11–3 Brothers
1951 Brothers 17–6 GPS Old Boys
1950 Brothers 21–10 University of Queensland
1949 Brothers 13–8 University of Queensland
1948 University of Queensland 21–18 GPS Old Boys
1947 University of Queensland 8–6 Brothers
1946 Brothers 11–6 GPS Old Boys

Total Premierships (since 1946)

Team Premiers (Hospitals Challenge Cup) Runners-up (Vince Nicholls Memorial Shield)
University of Queensland 21 17
Brothers 21 11
Souths Magpies 10 10
Easts Tigers 4 5
GPS Old Boys 3 13
Wests Bulldogs 3 4
Sunnybank Dragons 3 4
Norths Eagles 0 0
Bond University 0 0
Canberra Vikings 3 0
Gold Coast Breakers 1 4
Teachers-Norths 1 1
Teachers 1 1
Sunshine Coast Stingrays 0 1

Former clubs (since 1929)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Queensland qru | Hospital Cup Winners Archived August 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ http://www.scru.com.au/2013/10/scru-to-consolidate-its-position/
  3. ↑ "Eagle Junction's good season". The Courier-Mail. 13 February 1937. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "New manager and referee Mr. Doughty and Major Craig". Referee. 5 July 1922. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
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