Old Collegians Rugby Club
 | |
| Full name | Old Collegians Rugby Union Football Club |
|---|---|
| Union | Rugby Union South Australia |
| Founded | 1937 |
| Ground(s) | Tregenza Reserve Laurel Ave, Linden Park SA |
| Official website | |
| oldcollegians | |
Old Collegians Rugby Club, also known as Old Coll's, is a rugby union club in Adelaide, South Australia. The team was founded in 1937,[1] and plays at Tregenza Reserve. The club's jersey is red and blue.[2]
History
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2024) |
Old Collegians first played in 1937 as Prince Alfred Old Collegians Rugby Club.[3][4]
During World War II, the competition ceased from 1941 and the club was reformed on the renewal of the competition in the state in 1945. The club was then named Old Collegians Rugby Club.
OC's first home ground was in the centre of Victoria Park racecourse; the club later moved to the dairy cow-grazed pastures of the south parklands and in 1953 moved again to its current location at Tregenza Oval.
In the early 1980s the club ran an U/18 team for three years and then formed the Junior Collegians in 1985. OC now competes in each junior age bracket.
OC is one of the two founding clubs (the other being Adelaide University) of the women's South Australian rugby competition and the only club to compete continuously from the first games in 1995 until 2018.
Many OC players have captained or represented the state at senior and junior levels over the years and have taken out SARU individual player awards. The greatest achievement so far has gone to Rod Hauser, who was selected for the Wallabies while playing for OC.
The Club Guernsey has changed colours from the initial maroon and blue jumper with a PAC crest, to broad maroon and navy hoops in 1955, to its current light red and blue hoops in the mid-1970s.
Controversy
Following a women's state premiership victory in 2018, 20 female players left the club for Adelaide University after allegations of mistreatment and misogyny were left unaddressed by the Old Collegians club committee. Additionally, a sexual harassment claim was made by a female player against a male coach which was investigated by the club.[5]
In early 2020, the club was awarded a $500,000 grant from a governmental sport infrastructure fund, as part of the "sports rorts" affair, for new facilities including female changing rooms despite the club not having fielded a female team since 2018. The club stated its intention was to reinstate a women's team for the 2020 season, but at the time the grant was awarded, no team had yet been registered.[5]
Notable past players
Brock James represented Australia as an under 16, 19 and 21. He played for both the Queensland Reds and the Western Force in Super Rugby before going on to be the top points scorer in the Top 14 in France with Clermont Auvergne, appearing in numerous grand finals and the Heineken Cup.
Liam Gill (rugby) played for the Queensland Reds, RC Toulonnais, Australian National Rugby Union Team, the Australia national rugby sevens team and currently Lyon OU in the Top 14.
Notable current players
Alex Rokobaro is a former professional rugby player who played for the Fijian national rugby team, the Stade Français Paris, the Melbourne Rebels and Rugby Calvisano.
References
- ^ "About us". Old Collegians Rugby Union Club. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
- ^ "Brighton defeats Old Collegians 22-19 in Rugby SA grand final". Sunday Mail. Adelaide. 21 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ "Rugby". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 23 July 1937. p. 17, col.2, "Rugby at Princes and Saints". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ "Improved Rugby in SA". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 9 July 1937. p. 17, col.2, "Rugby in Schools". Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Sports grants: rugby club gets funding for female change rooms but has no women's team". Guardian Australia. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.