Club History
History of Hornsby Rugby Club
There is some evidence that Rugby was played in Hornsby as early as 1906. There exists a photograph of a Hornsby “Football” team taken in that year. The photograph includes an obviously Rugby shaped ball as well as Jimmy Bancks, the creator of the Ginger Meggs comic strip. There are also photographs of Hornsby Rugby teams taken during the1940s and 50s.
Moves to re-establish the club began with an initial public meeting at the Pymble Community Hall in late 1961. The move to form the club was in response to the Sydney Rugby Union’s decision to establish a Second Division of the Sydney Grade Competition in 1962.
The Club opened the season with twenty-nine players and entered two teams in the competition. Numbers of players increased in ensuing years and a Third Grade side was entered in 1963 and a Fourth Grade side in 1964.
In 1965 Hornsby was the first district club in the Sydney Rugby competition to form a Colt’s team. This year also saw the great All Black and Waikato player Don Clarke tour Australia. While here he agreed to play for Hornsby (who copied the Waikato colours) against Mosman at Waitara Oval.
During the 1970s Hornsby developed as a strong Second Division Club and held hopes of gaining entry into the Sydney First Division competition. The introduction of promotion and relegation provided the club with this opportunity in 1976. Hornsby struggled to be competitive at this level of competition as a club however our First Grade produced some creditable performances.
The late 1970s also saw Hornsby Rugby Club establish a strong link with the Fijian community as a number of players from the Nadi district arrived to bolster our ranks. Some of these players were Fijian internationals and included Nasivi Ravouvou and Joe Savou. In more recent years Hornsby Rugby has welcomed players from many backgrounds and has developed a particularly strong association with the Tongan Community.
Hornsby returned to the Second Division in 1979 a much stronger club and was determined to return to the top level. This was achieved in 1981 and the club managed two First Grade wins and one Second Grade win but was unable to avoid relegation. It is worth noting that Hornsby fielded four Colt’s teams in 1981, a fact which undoubtedly made some neighbouring clubs nervous and may well have hastened the Sydney Rugby Union’s decision to abandon the promotion and relegation system.
Hornsby continued as a strong Second Division club, regularly having all or most of our teams playing in the finals. The Club was still hopeful that promotion and relegation would be introduced giving us the opportunity to regain access to the higher level of competition. The promotion of Drummoyne in 1990 appeared to create that opportunity but Hornsby was denied access to the First Division despite winning the Second Division Club Championship three years in succession.
This was an era of significant success on the playing field for the Club. We won many premierships including the 1991 First Grade trophy and had a series of almost invincible Colt’s teams.
In 1993 the Second Division competition was combined with the Sydney Suburban competition. While the club performed well in the first couple of years of this new format, the removal of our district club status and the dominance of old boys clubs and premiership “satellite” clubs made it difficult for the Hornsby club.
Hornsby is now in the Second Division of the Sydney Suburban competition and continues to provide the opportunity for local players to play with a friendly and committed club. Strong associations with local schools and the continued development of our Junior club will stand us in good stead as we approach our fiftieth year celebrations in 2012.