Eastwood Rugby Club

Eastwood Rugby

Full name	Eastwood District Rugby Union Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Woodies, Woods
Founded	1947
Location	North West Sydney
Ground(s)	TG Millner Field, Marsfield, New South Wales
Director of Rugby	John Manenti
Coach(es)	1st Grade: David Telfer
League(s)	Sydney Rugby Union,
2023	3rd
Team kit
Official website
www.woods.rugby

Eastwood Rugby is the Premier Rugby Club covering North West Sydney and plays in the Sydney Premier Rugby competition.

The Eastwood District extends from the Parramatta River at Meadowbank to the Hawkesbury River at Wisemans Ferry. The Club currently plays at TG Millner Field. On 25 November 2020, the Club announced that it had secured approval for its new home ground at the Old Pony Club in Fred Caterson Reserve, Gilbert Rd Castle Hill ^[1]

Honours

Shute Shield Titles: 1999, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2014, 2015

• Australian Club Champions: (2) 2015, 2016

Club history

Rugby has been played in the Northern Districts of Sydney since the latter part of the 19th century. In the 1890s a number of local sides existed, playing at a variety of venues, the main one being Brush Farm in Eastwood. Interestingly, a Rugby Union Club was also formed in Castle Hill around this time (in 1894) and they also played in Blue and White^[2]

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 and in Epping was centred around the respective Young Men's Institutes which fielded junior and senior sides in the Suburban Competition. At this time, Epping played at Epping Oval and Eastwood played at Eastwood Oval. Epping won the Kentwell Cup in 1926 and Eastwood won the Burke Cup in 1927.

Following further success in the 1930s, momentum was building to seek admission into the District Competition. The outbreak of the Second World War caused a deferral of this plan until 1946 when a successful application was made for inclusion in the District Competition from the beginning of the 1947 Season. This was following the amalgamation of the Eastwood and Epping Clubs. As a result, the Eastwood District Rugby Union Football Club was formed and it has played in the Sydney District Competition ever since. Initially the new club's home ground was the Top Oval in Eastwood. In 1963, EDRUFC moved its home ground to TG Millner at Marsfield.

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 played International rugby. Eastwood has a strong junior base which has won many NSW Junior Rugby Union State Championships.

Junior Clubs https://www.woods.rugby/juniors

Golden Oldies

The Charcoals (the "burnt out Woods") for players over 35 was formed in 1983 and have played ever since. They have made many overseas tours and are regular participants in tournaments all over the country^[3] https://www.facebook.com/charcoals/

Eastwood players who have at some time played some level of International rugby

*uncapped

Current provincial representatives

Super Rugby

• Tim Anstee
• Lachie Anderson
• Tane Edmed
• Mark Nawaqanitawase
• Charlie Cale

Life Members

References

External links

• Eastwood Rugby