John McNamara, Research Officer, Port of Yamba Historical Society, Clarence Valley Independent

The first rugby union club to be established in Australia was Sydney University’s in 1863.

A decade after the first club was formed, a body called the Southern Rugby Union was formed as a result of a meeting at the Oxford Hotel in Sydney, a Sydney competition was established, which was administered from the England Rugby headquarters at Twickenham. The first competition commenced the following year in 1865 with six teams.

On 12 June 1880, the game was first introduced to the Clarence River by James Ellis, quarry manager at the Clarence entrance breakwater works.

Being an ardent footballer in the old country, Mr. Ellis lost no time getting the quarrymen to join him in forming a club in 1879. Great scratch matches were held round the lighthouse, much to the annoyance of Pilot Smith, who promptly ordered them off.

Thus, deprived of their ground, the footballers procured all the available axes in Yamba and set about clearing a new one. The Yamba Bowling Club now stands on that place. The ground cleared, a challenge was forthwith sent to Grafton and a match arranged.

Contractor Walter Macquarie captained the Yambaites, promising them a half day’s pay in the event of a win.

The eventful day at last arrived and after a hard battle the Yamba men won by three points to nil. Macquarie kept his word and after the game the participants retired to Walter Black’s Woolli Hotel for supper and toasts. Old residents of Yamba affirm that never before or since was there such merrymaking in Yamba.

The return match, held in Grafton on 15 July was won by the Grafton team.

In 1888, there were two Union clubs in Grafton, the Carltons and the Rugbys.

In 1895 an attempt was made to resuscitate the game, and teams from Southgate, Ramornie, Maclean Pirates, Harwood, Brushgrove and Grafton were playing each other regularly.

In 1897, a central authority, the Clarence River Rugby Football Association, was formed with teams from Ramornie, Southgate, Ulmarra, Grafton (Upper Section), Brushgrove, Harwood and Maclean (Lower Section). The association formed the NSW Rugby Football Union, Clarence River Branch, in 1898.

By 1903, the Union code on the Clarence was well established, and there was a senior and a junior competition. Senior teams were Maclean, Southgate, Cities, United and Rovers. Junior teams were Harwood, Albions, Ulmarra, Federals, Maclean, Rovers, South Grafton and Cities. By 1905, the teams in the Lower Clarence Rugby Association competition were Maclean, Scottish Rifles and Victors ( who later disbanded), Palmers Island, Harwood, Shark Creek and Lawence.

In 1907, Rugby union’s amateur high ideals, irked the working-class rugby players who sought compensation for time away from work. A meeting took place at Bateman’s Crystal Hotel in Sydney on 8 August 1907, where a resolution was made to form the New South Wales Rugby Football League. They played their first season in 1908.

By 1907, an upper River competition consisted of four senior Clubs as well as four junior sides.

An event that was to greatly shape rugby union’s future in Australia was the onset of World War One in 1914. While rugby league continued to play in the form of NSWRL competitions, rugby union competitions were suspended due to an overwhelmingly high percentage of rugby union players enlisting to serve in the Australian Imperial Force. A Rugby Football League was introduced to the Clarence Valley and Rugby Union was ‘wound up’ in April 1915.

Rugby Union was resuscitated in 1927, when a breakaway body called the South Grafton and District Football Club revived the Union code under the Clarence River Rugby Football Union as the controlling body . The Mayor of South Grafton was president, Mr. E. Watman treasurer and Mr. J. J. Lawrence secretary.

The Clarence River Rugby Football Union conducted a Challenge Cup competition from 1927 with teams South Grafton Kangaroos, Woolgoolga Undaunteds, Grafton Centrals and Ulmarra Ramblers. A second-grade competition was introduced in 1929 between Kangaroos and Undaunteds. In first grade, Pirates replaced Glenreagh. The Kangaroos were the dominant team.

In another Challenge Cup competition in 1931, Kangaroos, Undaunteds, Ulmarra Ramblers, Yamba Seagulls and High School took part. Grafton High, South Grafton Public, Ulmarra, Grafton Rural and Grafton Convent took part in the schools’ competition. High School wrestled the Cup from the Kangaroos

In 1932 four teams played in the Clarence River Rugby Football competition Wanderers, Kangaroos, Federals and Tucabia, but in May it was decided to abandon the competition and adopt the league code. The clubs affiliated with the new Upper Clarence Rugby Football League. The Clarence River Rugby Football League was disbanded and the Upper Clarence and Lower Clarence football centres formed separate leagues.

The first rugby union post-war team was formed by members of the Yamba Surf Club in 1968. A squad consisting of R Banwell, R Grieves, Ron Hearfield, Ray Hearfield, J McDonald, R Cutler, B McIntosh, G Davis, G Lang, D Jordan, B McKnight, R Moloney, R Mulville, R Andrews, J McIntosh, D Baldwin, J Zietsch, E Donovan, G Sanders, K Alford, C McGrath, F Dunn, R Hickey, D Lee and T Sahlqvist, S Ling, H Donovan, NG Weiley and A Kilroy formed a team to play against Guyra in May, Glen Innes in June and Lismore City in August. Some members of that team were instrumental in promoting rugby union in the following year when it was voted to form the Grafton Rugby Union Club at a meeting on 19 February 1969.

There was plenty of healthy debate after a committee was formed, in particular the Club colours. A motion of red and white hoops and white shorts was passed by those in attendance by the barest of margins, 10-9.

It was during the 1980s when the club rose to its best, clinching first grade shields in 1986 and 1988.

The success did not stop there for the club. The Grafton Redmen have since clinched another two first grade premierships (1998, 2006), more than ten minor grade titles and at least seven club championships.

The Yamba Rugby club was formed at a meeting on 03 December 1974. It was the brainchild of Norm Ratjens, Kevin Durkin, Allan Wearne and Doug Anderson. Initial office bearers were Des Thompson, Doug Anderson and Bob Clark, whose task involved the preparation of a second division side to enter the 1975 North Coast Zone competition. The 1975 squad was Bob Clark (captain), Doug Anderson, Kevin Durkin, John McConnell, Peter Gordon, Alan “Dubbo” Lawrence, Rob McDermid, Peter McDonnell, Barry Martin, Bob Cook, Phil Lavallee, Gary Roberts, Phil Rutherford, Trevor Lee, Robert McPherson, Warren McPherson, Bede Cooney, Jim Dougherty, Peter Engel, Ross Andrews, Bede Cooney, Bruce McPherson, Gordon Law, Warwick Stubbles, Rick Sawyer, Des Thompson, Jim O’Keeffe, Phil Harvey, Kevin “Curly” Anderson, Alan Wearne, John Drum and Norm Ratjens (playing coach). The team finished its first season in third spot, before losing in the first semifinal. New black and gold jumpers were introduced in the 1975 season.

Dick Kaye took over as coach in 1976, followed by John “Masher” McLennan, Paul McNamara, Frank Watkins and Steve Miller (1979). The highlight of this era was undoubtedly the spectacular first Premiership win in the 1982 grand final for second grade against Coffs Harbour Snappers, 13 to 6, after finishing fourth on the points table. The team was under the leadership of back-rower Kim Morgans and Coach Steve Miller.

In 1983 Mark Burns gave the name “Buccaneers” to Yamba Rugby as he had played for the Pirates in Tamworth.

In 1984 the club expanded to second and third grades but was promoted to the first grade 15 in 1985 and played under captain-coach Mark Burns in 1986, but both grades struggled up to the 1989 season it reverted to Reserve and third grades. It reverted to second grade in 1989. Third grade was successful in making the final but were soundly beaten by Ballina. Seconds were finally beaten convincingly by College in the grand final 16 to 4. The club entered the First-grade competition again in 2005.

An Under-19 team coached by Doug Anderson and Kim Morgans, entered the North Coast rugby competition in 1994. The team secured the club’s first premiership in almost 20 years in 2001.

It also fielded an Under-15s team for the first time in 1997 organised by local dentist Andy Hamilton and they managed to reach the finals.

Andrew Bennett took over the organisation of juniors from Andy Hamilton in 2002 and that season the club entered all age divisions from under 11s to under 17s as player numbers warranted. In 2006 an under 17 team, coached by Anthony Begg and former junior Lee Everett and superbly led by Kane Douglas had a thrilling grand final win. The Under12s won the premiership in 2010

Yamba Junior Rugby was a massive success, producing such players as Wallabies Kane Douglas and Jed Holloway as well as Conor Young who has represented Canada.

The code obtained a boost in 2003 when the international Rugby World Cup was held in Australia.

In 2008, former junior Buccaneers player, 18-year-old Kane Douglas had ten minutes of fame playing alongside a number of test players for the NSW Waratahs opening Super 14 trial match against the Reds at Campbelltown. He went on to play for the Waratahs and in 2010 was chosen in the Wallabies squad and after playing forty-three times for the Waratahs went on to play against Argentina in 2012. He went on to play for the Wallabies on fourteen occasions before joining the Irish club side Leinster in 2014. He was released from that club in 2015 and returned to Australia to play for the Queensland Reds Super Rugby side, when he was chosen to play for the Wallabies against Fiji in the Rugby World Cup in September at Cardiff. In recognition of his Yamba Rugby Union club roots, the Yamba Rugby Field 2 was renamed “Kane Douglas Rugby Field” in May 2017.

The Buccaneers have won Senior Premierships in 1982 (reserve grade), 2004 (third grade undefeated), 2010 (Under 12s, President’s Cup) and 2018 (President’s Cup) with numerous defeats in grand finals during that period.

In 1990 a discussion at Sedgers Reef involving John ‘Masher’ McLennan, Michael Paterson and Graham Duff resulted in the emergence of the Iluka Rugby Club. In 1991 they were still playing as Yamba-Iluka but had adopted Cossacks as their nickname. This was derived from friendly banter by players from Yamba who referred to Iluka as ‘Siberia” as it was difficult to reach and on the edge of a wilderness. Hence, they were named after the Russian soldiers the Cossacks who are thought to have originated there. There was always a problem obtaining players and 2021 was their last season in the President’s Cup competition before re-entering in 2026.

This article has been sourced from newspaper articles and a publication “RUGBY NORTH A History of Far North Coast Rugby Union” by John Drysdale from 2011 kindly loaned to me by rugby union stalwart Graham Mackie, along with his vast knowledge of the subject.

This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 19 June 2026.
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