ACT Brumbies throw support behind Indigenous Voice to Parliament

Less than a week after it was revealed the board of directors had unanimously decided the club would not have a formal, public stance on the referendum, the Brumbies threw their support behind the "Yes" vote.

The initial decision was made without consultation with players or staff and came just days before Rugby Australia endorsed the Voice to Parliament.

Nobbs said the board backed RA's move and decided a public stance should be made by the national governing body rather than state and territory unions.

The chairman has learnt plenty from the past week and vowed to ensure the Brumbies grow from the experience.

"It's been a tough week," Nobbs said.

"I put my hand up right from the start and owned it.

"It's been tough but there are some positives that will come out of it. Our connection with our Indigenous cultural advisory group will be stronger. There's a lesson in that, there's a lesson in the poor consultation between that group, the players and the staff. We've taken that on board and moving forward that's something that will be rectified."

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The Brumbies' initial stance prompted fierce criticism from fans and former players, many criticising the desire to keep sport and politics separate.

ACT Indigenous leader Andy Muirhead was disappointed with the decision and had numerous conversations with Nobbs during the past week.

The winger addressed the playing group on what the Voice means to Indigenous Australians on Thursday.

The Brumbies' official endorsement of the "Yes" vote comes after discussions with the Indigenous cultural advisory group and the move was backed by the body.

"The Brumbies are leading the way in Australian rugby in their commitment to reconciliation and furthering the lives of First Nations people through their Indigenous game day experience and thriving First Nations pathways program," Ritchie Allan said.

"Our hope as a collective is that this has been an opportunity to learn and grow, and that we may use this week to celebrate Indigenous culture through rugby."

While the Brumbies initially opted not to have a formal stance, players and officials were still free to express their opinions and coach Stephen Larkham backed the Voice in a press conference.

Among the things that frustrated Nobbs most was the perception the franchise did not support the Voice.

The chairman revealed he will be voting "Yes" and said the Brumbies will work to ensure all staff are educated before making a personal decision on how to vote.

"Our stance of not having a stance was purely because we felt that message should come from the national body, being Rugby Australia," Nobbs said.

"It was disappointing that it got construed as meaning not to support the Voice because that couldn't have been further from the truth.

"If you look at our connection to the Indigenous community, we do a lot of work in that space, we're proud of the work we do in that space and we'll continue to do that."

The Brumbies' official support of the Voice comes as they launch celebrations for Saturday night's Indigenous match against the Chiefs at Canberra Stadium.

The team will wear a special First Nations jersey designed by Jayden McLachlan, the brother of ACT pathways player Dylan McLachlan.

The clash had long been highlighted as one to celebrate Indigenous culture, however has been overshadowed by the debate over the Brumbies' stance on the Voice.

The franchise has worked hard to establish pathways for First Nations rugby players and spent time introducing the sport to Indigenous boys and girls.

The Brumbies hold Indigenous talent identification camps and a number of players, including Jarrah McLeod, have been promoted into the First Nations pathways program.

Nobbs was disappointed the hard work put into these programs has been overshadowed by one board decision, but said the club will continue to facilitate opportunities for Indigenous players.

"It's disappointing but we'll move on from this and we'll strengthen our commitment to the Indigenous community," Nobbs said.

"First and foremost, we want Indigenous males and females, boys and girls, playing rugby. We want that to be their choice of sport.

"If they have desires to be part of a high-performance program and they're good enough, we want their first choice to be the Brumbies."

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