Queensland Reds: History, Squad, Stadium and Super Rugby Record

The Queensland Reds are a professional rugby union team based in Brisbane, in the Australian state of Queensland. Run by the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU), the side plays in Super Rugby Pacific, the cross-border competition that brings together clubs from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. The Reds have taken part in Southern Hemisphere club rugby, in its various formats, since the competition began in 1996. This guide covers the club’s history, its major titles, home ground, colours, rivalries, coaching and the current playing group.

From colonial roots to a professional club

Organised rugby in Queensland dates back to the 1880s, with the first formal club competition held in 1884. The Hospital Cup, established in 1899, became the state’s premier club trophy and is still contested by Brisbane’s leading clubs today. In the early 1900s, however, rugby union lost ground to rugby league, which offered players a clearer path to representative football. In 1908 the QRU banned players who took part in league, a decision that ultimately helped the rival code grow.

The pressures of the First World War, which drew many clubs and schools toward rugby league, led to the Queensland Rugby Union being wound up in 1919. The body was re-established in 1928 as schools and senior clubs returned to the union game. Rugby union pushed through the Second World War, and the following decades brought fresh structure, including the Queensland Junior Rugby Union in 1961 and country rugby administration in the 1960s.

In 1966 the QRU moved to Ballymore in the Brisbane suburb of Herston, a ground that became the spiritual home of Queensland rugby. Terry Doyle was appointed the union’s first chief executive in 1980, and the organisation grew steadily from a one-person office into a fully professional administration over the following decades. Ballymore remains central to the club’s identity as a training and heritage base.

The Super Rugby era

When professional Super Rugby launched in 1996 as Super 12, Queensland were one of three Australian entrants alongside the New South Wales Waratahs and the ACT Brumbies. The Reds finished top of the regular-season standings in both 1996 and 1999, but fell short in the play-offs and did not convert either campaign into a title. Success stayed out of reach through the Super 14 era (2006–2010) as well.

The 2011 breakthrough

The format was renamed Super Rugby in 2011, and that season delivered the club’s defining moment. Playing at home at Suncorp Stadium, the Reds beat the Crusaders 18–13 in the final to claim their first title of the professional era, with a long-range Will Genia try proving decisive. It was a landmark result for Australian rugby and the high point of a golden generation that included Quade Cooper, Genia and captain James Horwill.

The Super Rugby AU years

COVID-19 travel restrictions forced the Southern Hemisphere competition to pause in 2020, and Australian teams instead played a domestic tournament known as Super Rugby AU. The Reds reached the inaugural final but lost to the Brumbies. A year later they turned the tables, defeating the Brumbies 19–16 in the 2021 decider at Suncorp Stadium — with fly-half James O’Connor scoring all of the team’s points — to lift the Super Rugby AU trophy.

Super Rugby Pacific today

Since 2022 the Reds have competed in Super Rugby Pacific, the restructured competition featuring Australian and New Zealand clubs plus Fijian side the Drua and Moana Pasifika. The club remains a regular finals contender: in 2026 it again reached the play-offs before losing a quarter-final to the Chiefs in Hamilton. You can follow where the club sits across a season on the Super Rugby table.

Rivalries

The Reds share derby rivalries with the other Australian Super Rugby clubs, but the fiercest by far is the interstate clash with the New South Wales Waratahs. The two unions have met since the 1880s, a contest so long-running it has often been likened to a backyard scrap between brothers. Across the full history of the fixture, New South Wales holds the overall edge.

In the professional era, meetings between the Reds and the Waratahs are played for the Bob Templeton Cup, introduced in 2000 and named in honour of the late Queensland and Australia player and coach Bob Templeton. The Super Rugby record between the clubs is very close, and the fixture regularly draws some of the club’s biggest home crowds. The Reds also contest keenly fought matches with the ACT Brumbies and the Perth-based Western Force.

Colours, crest and home ground

Colours and crest

Maroon is the traditional colour of Queensland rugby, adopted by the state union in the 1890s, and the Reds wear a maroon jersey, typically paired with white shorts and maroon socks. The club’s emblem is a stylised koala, a native Australian marsupial first adopted as the Queensland rugby symbol in 1934 as part of a campaign to protect the animal. A modern version of the koala crest has been used by the Super Rugby franchise since the early 2000s.

Suncorp Stadium and Ballymore

The Reds play their main home matches at Suncorp Stadium, a rectangular, roughly 52,500-seat venue in the inner-Brisbane suburb of Milton. Formerly known as Lang Park, it was rebuilt into a modern all-seater arena in 2003 and is shared with rugby league and football tenants. The club moved its premier fixtures there in the mid-2000s, a step seen as a major investment in the game’s future in the region, while Ballymore continues to serve as a training and community base. The Reds also take selected matches to regional Queensland to broaden the game’s reach.

Coaching and leadership

Former New Zealand international and World Cup winner Brad Thorn coached the Reds from 2018 before departing. He was succeeded by Les Kiss, who led the club through to the end of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season before taking over as head coach of Australia’s national team, the Wallabies. Experienced international coach Vern Cotter was then appointed Reds head coach, taking charge from the September 2026 Super Rugby AUS domestic season and signed to lead the club through the 2027 and 2028 Super Rugby Pacific campaigns.

Flanker Fraser McReight was named sole captain for 2026, taking over the role previously shared by Tate McDermott and Liam Wright. McReight, a two-time Super Rugby Pacific Player of the Year, leads a group that includes several current and recent Wallabies.

The current squad

The Reds field a squad of around 38 players each Super Rugby Pacific season, built around a strong core of internationals. Because professional rosters change every year through signings, departures and national selection, the official club website publishes the definitive, up-to-date list. Recent squads have featured a number of capped or emerging Wallabies across the forwards and backs, organised in the usual rugby positions.

Notable players associated with the club’s recent squads include:

• Forwards: Fraser McReight (captain, back row), Harry Wilson (No. 8), Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (lock), Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (prop), Zane Nonggorr (prop), Matt Faessler and Josh Nasser (hookers).
• Backs: Tate McDermott (scrum-half), Tom Lynagh and Carter Gordon (fly-halves), Hunter Paisami and Josh Flook (centres), Jock Campbell (fullback) and Filipo Daugunu (utility back).

For the complete, current roster by position, see the official Queensland Reds website, which lists every contracted player.

The Reds in Australian rugby

The Reds are one of Australia’s most important development pathways for the national team, the Wallabies. Queensland’s club and schools scene feeds players into the Super Rugby squad, and from there into the Australian set-up, so a strong Reds season often shapes Wallabies selection. Over the years the club has produced a long line of internationals, from the professional-era stars of the 2011 title team to the current crop of capped and emerging Wallabies.

Alongside the senior men’s team, the Queensland Reds name also covers a women’s side in Super Rugby Women’s, Australia’s elite domestic women’s competition, and the club fields teams in national under-age tournaments. From 2026 the men’s group also plays in a revived Australian domestic competition, Super Rugby AUS, which runs separately from Super Rugby Pacific and gives fringe and developing players extra game time.

How to watch the Queensland Reds

In Australia, Super Rugby Pacific matches — including the Reds — are shown on the streaming service Stan Sport, with selected games also on free-to-air television. In New Zealand and other markets, broadcast and streaming arrangements vary by season and rights holder, so it is worth checking the local provider for fixtures before each round. Home games in Brisbane are open to the public, with tickets sold through the club and venue.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What competition do the Queensland Reds play in?

The Reds compete in Super Rugby Pacific, a cross-border club competition featuring teams from Australia and New Zealand along with the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika. They have taken part in the Southern Hemisphere’s main club competition in each of its formats since it began in 1996.

Have the Queensland Reds ever won Super Rugby?

Yes. The Reds won the 2011 Super Rugby title, beating the Crusaders 18–13 in the final at Suncorp Stadium. They also won the Australian-only Super Rugby AU competition in 2021, defeating the Brumbies in the final.

Where do the Queensland Reds play their home games?

The club’s main home ground is Suncorp Stadium in Milton, Brisbane, a rectangular venue seating about 52,500. Ballymore, in the suburb of Herston, remains the club’s traditional training and heritage base, and some matches are taken to regional Queensland.

Who is the Queensland Reds head coach and captain?

Vern Cotter was appointed head coach, taking over from Les Kiss, who left to coach the Wallabies. Flanker Fraser McReight is the club captain, named as sole skipper for the 2026 season.

Why are they called the Reds and what is the koala emblem?

The name comes from Queensland rugby’s traditional maroon playing colour, adopted in the 1890s. The club’s crest features a stylised koala, a symbol first adopted by Queensland rugby in 1934 during a campaign to protect the native animal.