University of Queensland Rugby Football Club, known as the Red Heavies, is a rugby union club based on the University of Queensland campus at St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1911, it calls itself Queensland's most successful and prestigious rugby union club and, by its own count, has won 33 first-grade premierships. Its men's first grade plays in the Hospital Cup.
History
The club was founded in 1911 as an unincorporated association, then called the University of Queensland Football Club. In April 1911 the secretary of the university's Sports Union declined an offer to take up Australian rules football, replying that "we have decided to play Rugby Union". In its first season the players changed in an old pigeon loft covered with hessian, and wore maroon jerseys with a royal blue stripe. The club's first home ground was The Domain, a park turned football paddock in the grounds of Old Government House on George Street, beside the Brisbane River.
The Queensland Rugby Union did not re-form after the First World War, and in the years up to 1929 all clubs, the university's included, played rugby league as amateurs in the Brisbane Rugby League competition. The club won the Brisbane Rugby League premiership in 1928 and 1929. In 1941 the Army took over The Domain and built barracks on it, ending the club's training there; after the war the club moved to St Lucia.
In 1975, while a group of influential old boys sought the university's approval to build a clubhouse, the club started Harpoon Harry's, a player-run bar, to give it a home base for socialising. The club became an incorporated association in December 1987 as University of Queensland Football Club Incorporated, and changed its name to University of Queensland Rugby Football Club Inc. on 16 June 2010. The University of Queensland Rugby Union Foundation Trust, a charitable trust that supports rugby at the university through the club, was established in 1994. By the club's count, its 2021 premiership was its 33rd.
The club has proposed a new clubhouse on Sir William MacGregor Drive, designed by Blight Rayner Architecture, overlooking its rugby field.
Honours
By the club's count, its first-grade premierships (Premier grade, previously First Grade or A Grade) are:
- Brisbane Rugby League premiers: 1928, 1929
- Rugby union first-grade premiers: 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1938, 1941, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1979, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021
- Wheelchair rugby National League champions: 2022, 2023
Ground
The club is based at Building 40, Sir William MacGregor Drive, St Lucia QLD 4067, on the University of Queensland campus. Junior rugby is played at Graceville Memorial Park.
Teams and training
In September 2026 the club had a men's 1st Grade and 2nd to 6th Grade teams, four colts teams, a women's 1st Grade team and an under-20 women's side, the Fillies. Men's and women's sevens teams play in the Queensland Premier 7s competition, which runs from September to November. The club also runs a wheelchair rugby team.
Junior rugby starts with the Puppies programme for children aged three to five, followed by the Junior Bullsharks from under-6 to under-12. The Junior Heavies programme, set up in 2019, provides a pathway from the Junior Bullsharks to senior rugby at the club, from under-13 to Junior Colts. A Girls Touch 7s programme is also offered. Its junior rugby runs through its affiliation with Junior Reds – Taylor Bridge. The junior club traces its activity at Graceville Memorial Park to 1990, when it was known as Taylor Bridge Rugby Club.
Training for 2026, as of September 2026:
| Group | Training |
|---|---|
| All grades and Colts | Tuesday and Thursday 6:30pm–8:30pm |
| Puppies | Friday 5:30pm, Graceville Memorial Park, school terms from May to mid-August |
Players unsure which grade to join are invited to come to a training session and talk to the coaches.
Club life
The club plays in maroon and gold. Over its history it has been known as "Uni", "Varsity" and "the Students", and later as "The Red Heavies". Its motto is "Scientia ac Labore" ("by means of knowledge and hard work").