Our Club

Honours Board

About Us

Canberra Royals is a proud, inclusive and family club comprising seniors (women and men) and juniors (girls and boys) playing groups and was established in 1949.

Canberra Royals has been showing excellence on and off the field in ACT club rugby since this time, winning over 20 First Grade Men’s Premierships.

Over the years, Canberra Royals has always maintained the philosophy that representation, at whatever level, was the right of its players regardless of the cost to the club’s on-field performance. This drive for professionalism, not in monetary terms but in attitude, is reflected across playing, coaching, and administration.

A History of Success

Royals men’s seniors have won more premierships and provided more home-grown ACT (including Brumbies) and Wallaby representatives than any other ACT rugby club.

Royals Juniors is the oldest continuously operating junior rugby club in the ACT. Royals Juniors field teams in most, if not all, boys’ and girls’ age divisions and have strong community support in Weston Creek, Woden Valley, and, more recently, Molonglo Valley.

Royals men’s seniors have won more premierships and provided more home-grown ACT (including Brumbies) and Wallaby representatives than any other ACT rugby club.

A Proud Connection to Country

Royals have a proud indigenous history and have established programs to promote indigenous participation inside and outside the ACT.

Royals was the first Australian rugby club to have an Indigenous woman President.

Inclusion for All

Royals support programs such as ‘Every Chance to Play’ to ensure that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are included in participating in rugby.

Royals also has a disability inclusion program, which promotes the participation of disabled people in all aspects of the club’s operations. Royals are committed to fostering an inclusive environment and eliminating discrimination in sports.

Royals seniors and juniors have over 2,000 active members, primarily based in the ACT region but with significant interstate and international support. In 2019, the Royals family expanded to include Royal Volleyball.

The Cups & Trophies

Grand Final Day 2024

With thanks to Ben Houston (@benhoustonphotography) for capturing all the special moments.

Our History

Seventy-four years of Rugby excellence by Canberra Royals was founded not in stone but on cloth. A row over new jerseys worth less than two dollars – 18 shillings in 1949 – resulted in Jack Waters, the club’s first president, along with several enthusiastic youngsters such as Noel Hansen, Keith Hawke and Bob Brown, splitting away from Norths to form the club now known as Canberra Royals Rugby Union Football Club.

For seventy years since, Canberra Royals has been showing excellence on and off the field in ACT club rugby. The proud history of Canberra Royals follows and is built on an impressive first season in 1949, with the Royals entering two teams in the reserve grade competition, with the reserve A team crowned undefeated premiers.

Women's Rugby

In 1992, Royals was the first ACT rugby club to field a women’s team and won the first version of the women’s national championship that year. Royals continued to field a team in the Sydney women’s competition and were the driving force behind establishing the first ACT women’s competition in 1996.

Royals women’s seniors have won most of ACT women’s premierships and provided more ACT and Wallaroo (national women’s team) representatives than any other Australian club.