History of Qld Country Rugby
Country Rugby Overview
The Queensland Country Rugby Union (QCRU) provides a number of representative pathways for players in regional areas:
- The Country Championships & Outback Championships
- Queensland Country Heelers
- Central Queensland Barbarians
The Queensland Country Championships and Country Outback Championships
The 11 Sub unions of Queensland Country may participate in the Queensland Country Championships or the Queensland Country Outback Championships.
These options provide each union with an appropriate level of competition, designed to increase the strength of rugby in the Country areas.
Country Championships
The Country Championships are held annually and in 2010 included teams from Cairns, Townsville, Central Queensland, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Darling Downs. Sunshine Coast won the 2010 title, breaking the Gold Coast's recent stranglehold on the tournament.
Country Outback Championships
The Country Outback Championships is held annually for those regions not involved in the Country Championship. Mt Isa won the 2010 event.
Queensland Country Heelers
The Queensland Country Heelers consists of players selected from both competitions. The 2010 squad can be found here.
Xstrata Outback Barbarians
This program was introduced to allow players from central unions such as Mt Isa, Western Queensland, Central Highlands and Bundaberg to field a representative team against an east coast union. The 2010 squad can be found here.
