The Australian Schools Rugby Union luncheon celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Australian Schoolboys team, captained by Ricky Stuart, which went undefeated in 15 matches, including three tests: England, Scotland, Ireland, scoring 426 pts for with 36 pts against. In 10 matches, the Schoolboys kept the opposition scoreless.
The luncheon was held at the Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney on 4 April 2025, with just under 300 guests, and raised over $50,000 for Schools Rugby.
David Mortimer, Chair of the Australian Schools Rugby Foundation and a great patron of Rugby, opened the annual luncheon, firstly welcoming Phil Waugh, CEO of Rugby Australia and two-time Australian Schoolboy himself. He thanked and congratulated Ricky Stuart and the 1985 Australian Schoolboys team for their outstanding achievements (a full video of Ricky’s outstanding speech and the panel with Ricky Stuart, David Wilson and Brian Short is below).
Mr Mortimer also gave respects to Graham Reed, a member of the famous undefeated 1977 Australian Schoolboys rugby union tour of the UK, and a key member of ACT Rugby over many decades. Graham sadly passed away on 16 March 2025. A recent video interview with Graham was shown at the luncheon.
Mr Mortimer spoke of the critical importance of Schools rugby, reminding the audience that the Australian Schoolboys has produced over 210 Wallabies and 142 Australian Sevens players since its inception, with an outstanding winning percentage of 73 per cent over 50 years.
Not only that, he said, the Schoolboys have had contined success and impact of Australian Rugby where in 2015, for example, 72 per cent of the Super Rugby Teams in Australia came through the Australian Schools pathways, representing their State at the Australian Schools Championships and in the Australian Schoolboys team.
Now, he said, it has been with enormous success that the ASRU has introduced the Girls Sevens. In only its second year, the Australian Schoolgirls Sevens team has already produced 14 players who have gone onto either Super W, Australian U18 Sevens, Australia Sevens or Wallaroos representation. He said Girls Sevens Rugby at the school level, with the added attraction of Olympic representation, is attracting the best young female athletes from all sports.
“I was reflecting on that team and the great players I played with in the Schoolboys. Our back row was David Lyons, George Smith and myself, and six years later we played in the World Cup Final together against England. We also played and beat England Schoolboys in 1997, and that team had four players, Andrew Sheridan, Stephen Borthwick, Mike Tindal and Jonny Wilkinson, who had played in that Schoolboys game.” Phil Waugh, CEO, Rugby Australia
Phil Waugh, a great supporter of Schools rugby, spoke of how Schools rugby was important to him in his development, reinforcing that Schools rugby aligns with the Rugby Australia pathway.
“Schools rugby was very important to me. To play [the Australian Schoolboys] in 1996 and 1997 and to beat New Zealand Schoolboys at Ballymore,” said Waugh. “I was reflecting on that team and the great players I played with in the Schoolboys. Our back row was David Lyons, George Smith and myself, and six years later we played in the World Cup Final together against England. We also played and beat England Schoolboys in 1997, and that team had four players, Andrew Sheridan, Stephen Borthwick, Mike Tindal and Jonny Wilkinson, who had played in that Schoolboys game.
“It is just my own personal reflections of how special Schools Rugby is and how it aligns to the pathways pf Australian Rugby,” he said.
Stephen O’Donnell, Honorary Secretary General, Australian Schools Rugby Union (ASRU) spoke of the priorities of the ASRU, as well as interviewing Manao Moleka, Vice Captain of the 2024 Australian Schoolgirls Sevens team and Ashley Mewburn, coach of the 2023 and 2024 Australian Schoolgirls Sevens teams.
The Australian Schools Rugby Foundation and ASRU wishes to thank the following:
The generous donations supplied for our live auction, one hundred percent of funds raised which will go directly to funding the Australian Championships, Australian Schoolboys and Australian School Sevens teams
The Coast House, Tasmania https://www.coasthousetasmania.com/
Bonville Golf: https://www.bonvillegolf.com.au/
Jonah’s: https://www.jonahs.com.au/
Rugby Australia: https://australia.rugby/
Howden: https://www.howdengroup.com/au-en
The Four Seasons: https://www.fourseasons.com/sydney/
Gilbert Rugby: https://www.gilbertrugby.com/
We also wish to thank Michael Atkinson from Stan Sports, our fabulous Emcee, and Jason Kirk Photography, the photographer for the event.
All speeches at the luncheon can be found at @SchoolsRugbyTV, the ASRU’s YouTube Channel, and on our Facebook @ausschoolsrugby/
