Burnside Rugby Union FC wins four flags in historic SA clean sweep

Burnside claimed three Rugby Union SA men’s flags as well as the women’s flag over the weekend to complete a clean sweep never seen before in South Australia.

Burnside's premier men's team celebrates with the cup. Picture: Yulia Dinan.

At the start of the 2021 Rugby Union SA season Burnside president Greg English set out to reshape the club’s coaching panels and pre-season strategy.

His work culminated in an historic premiership run.

The club’s premier, reserves and thirds men’s sides and senior women’s team all won their grand finals on Saturday to achieve a feat never seen before in South Australian rugby.

The closest achievement is Brighton’s sweep of senior men’s titles in 1987, before women’s teams were introduced.

The weekend’s big games kicked off with the thirds defeating Brighton 22-13, which was then followed by a convincing 29-0 women’s win over Old Collegians.

The reserves team then beat Old Collegians by five points before the premier grade side ousted rivals Brighton by nine points to complete a perfect day.

Zac Ellis catches the ball from a throw-in for Burnside. Picture: Yulia Dinan.

English was thrilled with his club’s success.

“We’re so proud and happy. A hell of a lot of hard work has gone in since the end of last season and it’s really shown in our performances,” he said.

“We were confident we could be competitive heading into the season but no one could have predicted winning all four grades.”

The club bolstered its coaching staff for the men’s and women’s teams at the start of the year and made some changes in training.

English said this led to a culture shift at the club and the ultimate success last weekend.

“All the coaches this year have been so committed. It’s the hardest working group of coaches I’ve been around,” he said.

“One thing we’ve tried to do is bring the juniors at our club through and we’ve been really proud to see players come through the juniors and win at senior level.

Burnside women's captain Johanna Redden lifts the premiership cup. Picture: Yulia Dinan

“We’re also one of the few clubs who have really embraced their women’s team – you can’t be a strong club without a strong women’s team.”

Women’s veteran Kathryn Van Dieman retired after Saturday’s victory, having played 17 years of rugby.

She said the win was the ideal way to finish her career.

“It feels pretty amazing. We worked hard all year and it’s great to have been part of the success. I couldn’t think of a better note to finish on,” Van Dieman said.

“It’s wonderful to see the club making such an effort with fielding strong women’s teams.

“We have a special and positive culture. It’s like a big family.”

Leon Immelman charges forward with the ball for Burnside. Picture: Yulia Dinan

Burnside’s premier men had finished top of the league multiple times over recent years but always failed to achieve the ultimate success.

Coach Tom Hankey was over the moon with the club’s achievement.

“To win our grand final is amazing but to win in all senior grades is unheard of,” he said.

“The goal was to win a premiership for the men and for the women but we’ve ended up with four.

“Brighton is a very powerful opponent and has pipped us many times but we played great and I thought everyone held their nerve extremely well.

“We have a thriving senior set up and a thriving junior set up so the future is very bright – we’re going to see huge inroads as a club.”