Historic Canberra club Easts have withdrawn from the John I Dent Cup in 2020 in a major blow for one of the ACT's oldest teams.
Easts are the last remaining foundation club in the John I Dent Cup but have been unable to bring together enough players to compete in premier grade this season.
The Brumbies released a statement on Friday morning confirming that Easts would not be part of the competition this year, for the first time in 82 years, but they would be "flexible" about their future.
‘’Easts are a foundation club with a rich and proud history," Brumbies deputy CEO and general manager community rugby Craig Leseberg said in a statement.
"It's important that we remain flexible and adaptable to support their needs during this challenging time.
‘’We are committed to working closely with Easts Rugby President, Huia Edmonds and the Easts Executive over the coming months around their coach and player development strategy to relaunch in 2021."
President Huia Edmonds said they were glad to still be able to be part of some level of competition in Canberra.
"We are obviously disappointed we can’t field a Premier First Grade team for the revised 2020 season, however being able to keep our club alive by fielding a Division One team is a big relief."
"I’d like to thank ACT Rugby and SNSW Rugby Union for their support, encouragement and commitment to keep Easts surviving as a club.
"Thank you to all the players and staff who are standing by our historic club for the remainder of 2020 and we look forward to being stronger and more competitive once again in the Premier First Grade division in 2021."
