Brisbane Hustlers Topple Sydney Convicts To Take The Purchas Cup In A Cliffhanger
The Brisbane Hustlers have made history, securing their first-ever Purchas Cup in a nail-biting final. In a stunning performance, the team defeated their long-time rivals, the Sydney Convicts, with a tight 7-5 scoreline at the premier inclusive rugby tournament in New Zealand, as first reported by Dean Acuri for QNews.
A win six years in the making.
The victory was clearly an emotional moment for the Brisbane club. Speaking just after the match, a tearful Hustlers President, Steve Bevan, struggled to find the words. “I’m over the moon but also quite speechless,” he said. “It’s been a long, hard slog to get to this point.”
For Bevan, who has been with the club for six years, the win felt surreal. The Hustlers had never beaten the Convicts before, but on the day of the final, they managed it twice. He praised his team’s resilience, especially after sustaining injuries leading into the final match. “In the last 10 minutes of the game, we held them off down our line,” he explained. “We just held them off and held them off, and it all came down to that last 30 seconds.”
Brisbane puts the world on notice…
This win carries extra weight as Brisbane prepares to host the Bingham Cup, the world tournament for inclusive rugby, in 2026. The victory serves as a powerful statement to international competitors. “I said to our guys in the last eight weeks that we were gonna come over here and we were gonna win the Purchas Cup,” Bevan said. “That we were gonna show the Australian and New Zealand teams what they’re up against next year… and we did it.”
Convicts celebrate a hard-fought Shield victory.
While the top prize went to Brisbane, the Sydney Convicts did not leave empty-handed. The club’s second team defeated the Perth Rams 14-0 to win the Purchas Shield. Mully Williamson, the team’s captain, said he was “incredibly proud of the entire team and what we achieved today.” The win was particularly special given that many of the players are in their first season of rugby.
The Perth Rams’ coach, Jeb, was gracious in defeat, congratulating the Convicts. “The Perth Rams always come with the biggest hearts, the biggest spirit,” he said. “We play for each other, the ones that came before us, and the ones still to come.”
Honours and future horizons for the other clubs.
The Melbourne Chargers also had a weekend to celebrate, with captain Mac Gosewisch being named the Best And Fairest player of the tournament. Club President Chris Pezet acknowledged the progress of his team, noting that a third of the squad were first-year players. “While the Purchas Cup is over for another year, this is just the midway point of the Chargers as we work on our two-year plan,” he said.
With the local victors sending a clear message, all eyes now turn to Brisbane for the Bingham Cup in 2026.
