On the 25th July 1829, some six years after William Webb Ellis's epoch making feat, the Sydney Monitor recorded that: "The soldiers of the Sydney Barracks amused themselves with a game of football." That was the advent of Rugby Union in the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Speculation exists that rugby was first played by the military as a diversion from other erstwhile and less healthy pastimes. Services teams emerged during the World Wars, perhaps none more so than the First AIF team which, in 1919, won 12 of its 16 encounters, including wins over the NSW, Queensland and Australian teams. Representative rugby union in the ADF did not take on any great significance until the 1950's. Throughout the 1950's, Combined Services played a number of touring teams, including the Fijian's in 1950 and the All Blacks in 1951. However it was not until 1963 that a formal Services Union came into being.
Gradually progress was made and in 1968 ASRU was honoured with a match against the touring All Black side. In this particular match there was one Lance Bombardier R. Fulton who took the field for ASRU, and this was two days after the Rugby League World Cup Final! This match was a true indication that ASRU had come of age as a representative Union.
Throughout the late 1960's and 1970's National Service had a great impact on Service Rugby, ending in 1972 with victories against strong Sydney and Queensland sides. 1980 saw the strongest side since 1972, and was the inaugural year of what is now an annual event, the National Inter-Service Rugby Carnival. It was also during 1980 that ASRU recorded an 18-7 victory over an ACT side in which a young fellow named David Campese made his senior debut.
During the 1980's ASRU met with mixed fortunes and could not repeat their achievements of 1972 and 1980. The turning point came in 1992, when what was arguably the best side ASRU had fielded in 20 years, recorded a 21-9 win over a Sydney side. Following that win ASRU ventured to the USA and swept all before them.
Since that tour, ASRU has continued to gain strength and experience. Recent highlights include making the final of the 1993 Southern States Carnival, the 1994 tour of the UK, winning the Healthway International Cup in Perth in 1995 and victories over NSW Country in 1994 and 1997. Victories over Sydney Suburbs and other high profile teams, along with victories at the Arafura Games (1999) are also common place.
An important recent development has been the emergence of an ASRU Women's side. In 1997 ASRU Women competed in the National Women's Rugby Carnival in South Australia. At the conclusion of the 1997 carnival three ASRU Women players were selected in the Wallaroos squad. In recent times, ASRU's most successful women's player has been Kate Porter, who has been selected for the Wallaroos on several occasions.
Rugby continues to enjoy patronage as the prestige sport within the ADF. Servicemen have reached the highest levels of representative rugby, including all states and Australia and ASRU policy continues to actively encourage its members to strive for the highest representative honours. At the modern provincial level, the ADF's highest profile serving player was Captain Murray Harley who was a member of the founding ACT Brumbies team in the mid 1990's. Former Sapper Jim Williams is the most recent Australian Wallaby representative. ASRU's former Chairman Brigadier Bob Brown was also a Wallaby.
