On Sunday morning at Norths Brisbane Rugby Club, twenty four Spartan players supported by ten Spartan staff and supporters achieved what we had been building towards for the last two years. A final win and silverware won. In twelve Bingham Cups, across twenty four years, this club had never won one. Now we have.
Six from six
We went to Australia in the Challenger tier and won the pool: 54 to nil against Melbourne Chargers Purple, 31 to nil against San Francisco Fog 3, then 41 to 5 against Dallas Lost Souls. Topping the pool lifted us into the Hoagland tier for the knockouts, where we beat Melbourne Chargers Red 22 to 5 in the quarter final and San Francisco Fog 2 by 12 to 5 in the semi.
That put us in the final against the Appalachian Thunderkatz, a combined Charlotte Royals and Nashville Grizzlies side. Charlotte’s own Bingham story started at the tournament we hosted in Manchester in 2012. Fourteen years later we met them in a final on the other side of the world, and we won it 28 to 7.
Sunday 23 August 2026, Norths Brisbane Rugby Club
Manchester Village Spartans 28, Appalachian Thunderkatz 7
Played six, won six. 188 points scored, 22 conceded.
Twenty four years, and a first trophy
We have been to every Bingham Cup since the first one in San Francisco in 2002. We have been in finals before: the Bingham Cup final in London in 2004, the Bingham Plate in Manchester in 2012, the Hoagland Plate in Rome in 2024. Every one of those sides did the club proud, and every one of them came home without the trophy. This squad finished the job for all of them.
Among the tourists was Matt Whiteley, who has been a Spartan since our first year and has now played in all twelve. He was in San Francisco in 2002 and he was in Brisbane in 2026. Alongside him were players making their tournament debuts, some of whom had never played rugby union at all before they walked into Sale Sports Club.
I have never played in a squad which has come together so well, I saw players, supporters and staff who were united in producing incredible results on the pitch.
There were brand new players who played like they had many more years of experience than they did, there were players who stepped up and played out of their skins. We also had three players play every single minute of every game, the 240 minute club was born.
I know the memories from tour will last a lifetime, for five members literally on their bodies as they had Spartans crest tattoos.
A letter from Twickenham
The day after the final, the Rugby Football Union wrote to the club. The letter came from its President, Sir Bill Beaumont.
Sir Bill Beaumont GBE DL, President, Rugby Football Union
“To travel all the way to Australia and return with a trophy from the tournament for the first time is a tremendous achievement. Your victory over the Appalachian Thunderkatz in the final will rightly go down as a landmark moment in your club’s history.”
He also set our result alongside a wider one. Three English clubs took honours in Brisbane this year, and he was good enough to say that we had played a significant part in an outstanding weekend for inclusive rugby in England. Read the full letter from the RFU President.
How we got there
Brisbane was almost two years in the making and it was paid for by the biggest fundraising effort this club has ever run. We did that deliberately. Months ago we decided we would take a squad of experienced and brand new players together, and that we would raise the money so that as few people as possible were kept at home by the cost of going. That is what Stronger Together means when you put it into practice.
The squad went on stage in drag at The Church on Canal Street for a sold out Easter Bash. One of our players sailed round the Greek islands for sponsorship. Two more rode a tandem from the Gay Village to Brighton. Members marshalled at marathons and 10K races across Manchester. Every one of those days ended with us a little closer to the plane.
Thank you
Getting a touring party of that size to Australia and back is not luck. Christian Davis, Matt Brown, Ale Lewis and George Campbell carried the organisation of this tour, and the club owes them a great deal. Fionnuala Wharton looked after us throughout and was still looking after us on the morning of the final. To the coaches, the medical staff, the volunteers, the supporters who came with us, and everyone at home who bought a raffle ticket, marshalled a race or came to a fundraiser: this is your trophy as much as ours.
Over to you, Christian
This was my last tour as Chair of this extraordinary club, and I could not have asked for a better way to finish. Touring is intense, and it binds you together, and I think everyone who was in Brisbane understands now what I meant by that. From September 1st, Christian Davis takes over as Chair. He has earned it several times over, most recently in his work on this tour. He is a true clubman, and I know he has the best interests of the club at heart. It gives me great comfort to know that I am passing the baton to him. The club is in good hands. I wish him the very best.
Joshua Sanderson-Kirk
Chair, Manchester Village Spartans RUFC, 2024 to 2026
