The Tasmanian Rugby Union, or TRU, is the governing body for the sport of rugby union within the state of Tasmania in Australia. The TRU was established in 1933. It is a member and founding union of Rugby Australia.
Currently, the Tasmanian Rugby Union holds a variety of competitions for male and female players, in several age groups and divisions.
The headquarters for the Tasmanian Rugby Union are at Rugby Park, Cornelian Bay, Tasmania.
As at the end of 2019, there are 13 clubs which make up the TRU.
Ten of these clubs field senior men's sides, eight field senior women's sides, and five field junior sides. There is also a "golden oldies" club for players aged 35+.
| Club | Colours | Teams | Nickname(s) | Home Ground | Entered Union | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnie RUFC | Blue & Red | Men's | Emus | Upper Burnie Sports Ground | 1961 (reformed 1997) | |
| Devonport RUFC | Green with Black | Men's, Women's, Junior's | Bulls | Don Oval | 1964 | |
| Maroon with White | Men's, Women's, Juniors, Golden Oldies (35+) | Roosters, Chicks | North Warrane Oval | 1964 | ||
| Glenorchy RUFC | Black | Men's, Women's, Juniors | Stags | Eady Street Sports Ground | 1935 | |
| Hobart Convicts RUFC | Grey & Black | Golden Oldies (35+) | Convicts | No set Ground | ??? | |
| Hobart Harlequins RUFC | Green, Blue, Red & Black | Men's, Women's, Golden Oldies (35+) | Quins, Queens | Rugby Park | 1933 | |
| Hobart Hutchins Lions RUFC | Grey, Black, Yellow & Magenta | Men's, Juniors (assoc. with The Hutchins School) | Lions | War Memorial Oval | 1974 | |
| Launceston RUFC | Black & Red | Men's | Tigers | Royal Park | 1999 | |
| North West RUFC | Purple with Black | Women's | Panthers | Upper Burnie Sports Ground | 2018 | |
| Tamar Valley RUFC | Orange & Teal | Women's | Vixens | Royal Park | 2017 | |
| Taroona RUFC | Blue & White | Men's, Women's, Juniors, Golden Oldies (35+) | Penguins | Rugby Park | 1947 | |
| University of Tasmania RUFC | Red | Men's, Women's | Red Men, Red Women | UTAS Rugby Ground | 1933 | |
| Australian Maritime College RUFC currently in recess | Light Blue with Royal Blue Trim | Men's | Vikings | Royal Park | 2012 |
The Tasmanian Rugby Union Referee's Association is also directly affiliated with the TRU.
Rugby Union in Tasmania consists of the following divisions : Men's Premiership (First Grade), Men's Championship (Reserve Grade), Women's, Junior Under 18, Junior Under 16, Juniors Under 14 and Tassie Devils (under 12).
The Tasmanian Rugby Union uses W RUGBY[1] branded rugby balls across all divisions during matches.
There were 11 teams from 9 clubs competing in the club rugby divisions These were:
Premiership Grade
Championship Grade
| Tasmanian Statewide Mens Competition 2015 | |
| Sport: | Rugby union |
| Teams: | 9 |
| Season: | 2019 |
| Champion: | Premiership Devonport Bulls Championship Eastern Suburbs |
| Most Champs: | Glenorchy Rugby Union Football Club Est.1935 "The Black Stags"(10+ titles) |
| Season | Grand Final winners | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiership/First Grade | Championship/Reserve Grade | |||
| align=center | 2020 | Taroona | Launceston | |
| align=center | 2019 | Devonport | Eastern Suburbs | |
| 2018 | Taroona | Glenorchy | ||
| 2017 | Devonport | University of Tasmania | ||
| 2016 | Taroona | |||
| 2015 | Taroona | |||
| 2014 | Devonport | |||
| 2013 | Hobart Harlequins | University of Tasmania | ||
| 2012 | Taroona | |||
| 2011 | Glenorchy | |||
| 2010 | Taroona | |||
| 2009 | Hobart Lions | |||
| 2008 | Glenorchy | |||
| 2007 | Taroona | |||
| 2006 | Launceston | |||
| align=center | '2005 | University of Tasmania | ||
| align=center | 2004 | Launceston | ||
| 2003 | Glenorchy | |||
| align=center | 2002 | Glenorchy | ||
| align=center | 2001 | Glenorchy | ||
| align=center | 2000 | University of Tasmania | ||
| align=center | 1999 | Launceston | ||
| align=center | 1998 | Launceston | ||
| align=center | 1997 | No record | Riverview (Launceston) | |
| align=center | 1996 | No record | ||
| 1995 | Glenorchy | |||
| 1994 | Glenorchy | |||
| 1993 | Glenorchy | |||
| 1992 | Glenorchy | Glenorchy | ||
| 1991 | Glenorchy | Glenorchy | ||
| align=center | 1990 | University | ||
| 1989 | No record | |||
| 1988 | Hobart Harlequins | |||
| 1987 | Taroona | |||
| 1986 | Glenorchy | |||
| 1985 | Glenorchy | |||
| 1984 | No record | |||
| 1983 | Taroona | Glenorchy | ||
| 1982 | Taroona | |||
| 1981 | Eastern Suburbs | |||
| 1980 | Glenorchy | |||
| 1979 | Taroona | Glenorchy | ||
| 1978 | No record | |||
| 1977 | Glenorchy | |||
| 1976 | Glenorchy | Glenorchy | ||
| 1975 | Glenorchy | |||
| 1974 | Hobart Harlequins | |||
| 1973 | Glenorchy | |||
| 1968 | Taroona | |||
| 1967 | No record | Glenorchy |
Generally, senior women's competitions consist of a series of sevens tournaments spread across the year along with several games of 15s format. There were nine clubs competing in the club rugby divisions These were:
The senior men's state representative side for the Tasmanian Rugby Union are the Tasmanian Jack Jumpers, named for the jack jumper ant (Myrmecia pilosula), a species of venomous bull ant commonly found in Tasmania.
From 2018 an additional competition was formed for teams from so-called "Minor States", called the Emerging States Championship,[2] featuring the Jack Jumpers, Northern Territory Mosquitoes, Adelaide Black Falcons and Victoria Country Barbarians. The first Competition was held in Adelaide in September 2018, and the Black Falcons were the inaugural winners.[3]