Tamworth vs Pirates: a royal rugby union rivalry

With Tamworth moving to the New England competition, largely due to financial reasons and the desire to give its players regular rugby matches, the famous rivalry has been put on ice – but with such a long and intertwined history, it will by no means lose any of its heat.

Local legend has it that in 1962, Tamworth was such a strong club, it could afford to bring in a “no training, no playing rule”. The club had won back-to-back premierships in 1959 and 1960, and went on to win one in 1963.

Some of the Tamworth players, who were in their twilight rugby years, had no ambition to train more than once a week (if that), so they decided to form a new club – the Pirates – which would have a greater focus on the social side of the sport (aka post-game beers).

The formation years for the Pirates were littered with blow-out scores, with the team constantly scratching for players. However, the club quite proudly never forfeited a game because they were short of players – but it was quite common in the early days for the Pirates to do a round of the local pubs in whatever town the team was playing in, to see who wanted to have a game.

The Pirates stuck to their creed, with no training in their first season and a different captain leading the team each week, while players had to be willing to take the field in any position necessary.

While the Pirates struggled on the field for many years, Tamworth continued to be competitive, winning another premiership in 1969. It was a long time between first-grade premiership drinks for the two club after that. It was the Pirates who got there next, taking home the club’s first premiership in 1985 – 23 years since the club’s inception – beating Moree 18-15. 

Avid local rugby historian and long-time referee Bruce Stewart had front row seats to many of the clashes between the two clubs. He said on that fateful day in 1985, Pirates were “massive underdogs”.

“You wouldn’t have backed them with bad money, they beat Moree against all odds,” he said.

It was only a couple of years later in the early 90s that the Magpies entered a golden era, winning four out of the next six grand finals, starting in 1991, then back-to-back title wins in 1993 and 1994.

The last gold era grand final win in 1996 was arguably the most satisfying in the club’s history – it was the first, and so far only time, the city’s two teams have met in a first-grade grand final. And Tamworth came away with the trophy, defeating their long-time rivals 21-6. 

While Pirates fell short at the last hurdle, it was by no means a failure. The club had been wooden spooners the year before. 

Pirates president Stu Prowse, who first strapped on the boots for the club in 1996, said the team was far from disappointed by the loss.

“We were bouncing off the ceiling, we were just happy to be in the grand final,” he said.

“We were the underdogs. No one expected to make it that far.

“With both teams going so well, the whole town was talking rugby that year. It was the sporting story of the year, it was all over the place.”

Tamworth first-grade coach and a former “toe-poking front rower” Peter Burke said regardless of what decade it was, the Tamworth vs Pirates derby was “always a special day”.

“It didn’t matter where you were on the ladder, it tended to be a very competitive game,” Burke said.

“The majority of the time, the players are pretty good mates off the field. The bottom line is we’re all one big rugby family.

“But when it comes to game day and those same people aren’t wearing the colours you’re wearing, and you cross that white line, it didn’t matter if they were your friends.

“If they’re not flying your flag, you do everything in your power to smash them, to beat them.”

Barry Everingham has been involved with Pirates for more than three decades, either as a crafty five-eight or a coach.

“Whether it was playing or coaching, you knew that playing Magpies was always going to be a big day,”  Everingham said

“The whole mentality of the grude match always added a bit of spice for the players and often the spectators.

“Those two games a year were always battles of mental and physical attrition. Both clubs lifted.”

And while the two teams went hard on the field, the players “always had a good time afterwards”.

“I’ve got good mates from Magpies that I became friends with over the years due to the rivalry,” Everingham said.

“Plenty of Pirates blokes have got mates from across the river. We catch up, have laugh and a yarn about running around on the field all the time.”

Burke has got plenty of fond memories of running around the field against Pirates.

“We played Pirates in a minor-semi final at Rugby Park. It was 6-all at full time and I kicked a couple from the sideline to win 12-6 in overtime,” he said.

“Another time we played them at the Longyard, and it was an important game, we had to win to get into the semis.

“We scored a try late in the game to win, and the Tamworth crowd poured onto the field to celebrate. I went over to hug my mother, we both put our heads on the same side – I headbutted her and broke her nose.”

Former Tamworth fullback Peter Thompson played a big part in the club’s golden era, and finished up in 1994.

“It was always hard and pretty fair – there was the odd blue here and there but no one got hurt out of it,” Thompson said.

“We’d always have a beer together afterwards. We went to the Tudor for their home games and back to the Goodies when it was our home games. Sometimes we’d all end up at the Workies at 1am. There are a few stories from those nights, but I won’t put those in the paper.”

While no one knows when the Tamworth vs Pirates derby will be, both clubs are confident they’ll meet again.

“That merger [of the Central North and New England competitions] is 20 years in the making, so it’ll happen eventually,” Prowse said.

And when they do clash again, they’ll be picking up where they left off.

“It doesn’t matter how long we don’t play each other for, it’s not going to dampen the rivalry,” Burke said.