Queensland rugby union team
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| Union | Australian Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1882 (first Qld match) 1996 (Super 12 begins) |
| Location | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Region | Queensland |
| Ground(s) | Suncorp Stadium (Capacity: 52,500) |
| Coach(es) | Nick Stiles |
| Captain(s) | James Slipper |
| Most caps | Sean Hardman (148) |
| Top scorer | Quade Cooper (770) |
| League(s) | Super Rugby |
| 2016 | 4th (Australian Conference) 9th (Australasian Group) 15th (overall) |
| Official website | |
| www |
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The Queensland Reds is the rugby union team for the Australian state of Queensland that competes in the Southern Hemisphere's Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected 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, winning the competition in its first season in its new format. In 2012 they finished first in the Australian conference.
Refer also to Rugby union in Queensland
The first recorded games of rugby in Queensland were played in 1876, when the existing Brisbane Football Club (formed in 1866), switched to rugby to align with the newly formed 'Rangers' and 'Bonnet Rouge' football clubs. However, it was reported that the game was soon varied to suit the preferences of the local players, and “rugby, with Brisbane variations, was the game played” (The Brisbane Courier, 10 July 1876). Most of these games were played at the Queen's Park (now part of the City Botanic Gardens (see image at right). However, the Brisbane Courier reported in 1879 that the Brisbane FC had reverted to what had become known as the 'Victorian rules', “in place of the Rugby Union Rules played by the club during the last three seasons”.
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