Why the rise of Sydney’s most powerful rugby club is causing a stir

During the decades when Sydney University dominated the Shute Shield and Sydney club rugby’s lower leagues, those not in the sandstone lecture theatres used a unifying mantra: “Anyone but university”.

The student-run team’s hold on the Shute Shield has all but disappeared in the past five years, spurred by the growth of global raiders and rival clubs. But the slogan remains – it’s just changed the postcode.

This year, Uni-style dominance was on display at Woollahra Oval across the city, sparking such strong emotions and even vitriol that the mantra now is: “Anyone but the East End team”.

Eastern Suburbs Rugby Club, to be exact. Or, more colloquially, “The Beasts”.

This year, after a relatively quiet period of building, East End Rugby has soared to become Sydney’s strongest rugby club. East End won the minor league championship in the Shute Shield and three other men’s level competitions, as well as the minor league championship in two of the three Colts competitions.

In a total of 118 men’s matches, East lost just 17. That was enough to give them their first club title since they were tied for the title in 1971, and with the Shute Shield and SRU in the semi-finals this weekend, every level of competition is alive and well in the chase for the title.

The Eastern Subs first-class side, coached by former Waratahs Ben Batger and featuring Super Rugby stars, will take on Warringah at North Sydney Oval on Saturday in a bid for its first Shute Shield title in 55 years. The club last won the 102-year-old trophy in 1969 and the team’s picture has been featured a number of times recently thanks to the presence of Chris Dawson. Teacher’s Pet infamy. The previous title was 1947.

Normally, many would cheer the founding club for breaking its long title drought. But after a year of off-field drama, it’s fair to say the Rats will have the backing of neutrals.

This year, the Eastern Conference team has found itself the subject of scrutiny — both from officials and rivals — as controversy plagued the club’s successful season. Westport players suffered racial discrimination She was verbally abused by fans during a pre-season trial at Woollahra Oval, and while the independent panel found abuse had occurred, there was insufficient evidence to prove it came from East End fans.

East Recently investigated again It turned out that the club had violated the player points system (a talent equalization mechanism that prevents clubs from hoarding an unfair number of stars). The club explained the error and was initially forgiven by the SRU, but the decision sparked outrage from rivals and an investigation was subsequently launched. East District was deducted five points.

However, that wasn’t enough to stop East from winning the minor league championship, nor did it stop the onslaught of attacks on East from social media and rival clubs.

The Tricolours are star-studded on the field, having fielded nine Super Rugby League players this year, including Australian Wallabies winger Darby Lancaster, Waratahs halves Teddy Wilson and Jack Bowen, and New South Wales forwards Charlie Gamble, Fergus-Lee Warner and Miles Amatosero.

Privately, many clubs questioned the ability of Eastern Conference teams to not only stay in points compliance, but also abide by the SRU’s $227,000 salary cap.

“I was surprised at the level (of criticism). But I called my classmates in college and they just laughed at me and said, ‘Toughen up, we’ve been taking this for 20 years,'” East President Dave Allen said.

loading

“We got five points deducted, which was nothing. That’s what they ultimately saw as it. We didn’t appeal, we continued to play. But there still seems to be a lot of animosity.”

The club’s renaissance began in 2014 when they were struggling financially. With the help of donors, the East End club’s clubhouse was not sold, as other clubs had to do since Rugby Australia cut off funding, and then-chairman Sydney businessman John Murray began a turnaround by redeveloping the clubhouse.

“2014 was probably the low point for the club. When people asked, ‘How are you going to bring East End back to prominence?’ I said, ‘Well, I’m going to start with food,’ ” Murray said. “People thought it was crazy, but the board decided that coming to East End should be a fantastic experience for everyone.”

The Easts clubhouse is now a thriving multi-purpose centre, bar and restaurant which, in addition to the strong Easts foundation, has injected capital into the Easts rugby program. In 2020, Easts hired former Sydney Sixers General Manager Dom Remond as Chief Executive Officer, whose business acumen has further increased the club’s revenue.

With a strong financial base, the club has continued to climb the ladder, investing heavily in coaching and facilities. Allen, who succeeded Murray as chairman in 2021, said he had no hesitation in emulating the best: Sydney University.

“We used to call Uni the ‘Death Star’ but I’ve always thought the almost hatred towards Uni was very naive,” Allen said. “We should certainly look at what they are doing and see what we can learn from them. But sometimes in Australian rugby it can be a bit like that. It’s easier to beat someone than to learn from them.”

Allen sat down with Sydney University boss David Mortimer, who generously shared the blue-and-gold playbook. Like Sydney University, East Sydney’s two main focuses are strengthening the Colts program and establishing a mentoring group that can attract players to the rugby club and then help them succeed outside of rugby.

“They had ‘Friends of Sydney University’ and we basically copied that,” says Allens. “Our organisation is called Future Leaders and it’s 30 kids – boys and girls – from different teams who really want to excel in life. A lot of them are from out of town, rural kids and we build the right networks for them… We recognise that despite the best intentions, 95 per cent of kids will never become professional rugby players.”

East hired Pauli Taumoepeau (later the Waratahs’ forwards coach) to reinvigorate the Colts program, and talent began to pour in.

East End began winning lower-level competitions but failed to find success in the Shute Shield, with Buttger being recruited from Eastwood after finishing 10th last year. He brought with him experienced assistant coaches Brian “Billy” Melrose and Jed Gillespie, as well as a number of players and a determined attitude towards winning trophies.

“We’ve won just about every championship except Division One for the last three years,” Redmond said. “So we’ve been trying to get there. But hiring a coach who knows how to be competitive and win the Shute Shield is a huge step forward.”

Buttger’s pursuit of a winning margin apparently irritated Shute Shields rivals. At the end-of-season awards ceremony, he was not one of the three candidates for Coach of the Year, an award voted on by the 12 Shute Shields coaches.

The award was shared by 2023 Randwick champions coach Stephen Hoyles and Gordon’s Harry Felich (North’s Zach Beer was the third nominee.) Hoyles and Felich have had strong seasons and deserved the recognition, but East was puzzled that Buttger was not nominated.

“You would think going from 10th to 1st, he would have had a chance, but he didn’t even get nominated. It’s kind of ridiculous,” Allen said.

Asked if they were complying with the salary cap, Allen said “absolutely, unequivocally”, adding that due to the club’s quality and proximity to Bondi Beach, overseas players often “come in and want to be at the club” for a while.

“It’s despicable,” Redmond said of the whisper campaign against the Easts salary cap and points. “As (NSW State of Origin coach) Madge Maguire said, ‘glass house’. That’s what I’m saying. We’re spotless. You have to be.

“But I would say it needs to be more robust, just like we’ve seen with the points system, and future salary cap audits need to be more robust as well.”

It may take some time to tally all the minor league champions, but it is not a small number at the moment. Allen played for the Eastern Division One side in 2000 that went undefeated but were knocked out by Uni in the final, and he knows all too well the pain of an incomplete season.

“The club’s efforts this year are definitely something we can be proud of,” Allen said.

“But honestly, man, nobody remembers the little premiere. There’s a lot of work to be done.”

Watch Shute Shield Doubles semi-finals this Saturday Randwick v Northern Suburbs (12:30pm AEST) Eastern Suburbs v Warringah (3pm AEST) ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport, the home of rugby.