It’S the biggest Down Under derby in 12 years — but is the Waratahs vs Brumbies rivalry the biggest in Australian rugby full stop?

NSW vs Queensland has long been the marquee match-up for Aussie outfits, and with 140 years of tradition to back it up it’s little wonder.

But the battle between the Tahs and their “little brother” from down the road in the ACT might have trumped it in recent times.

Wallaby hooker Stephen Moore has the unique experience of playing the Waratahs both as a Reds player (from 2003-08) and now with the Brumbies.

Way back in 2009, when he had just arrived in Canberra, Moore observed of the Tahs-Brumbies enmity that: “it’s equally as big as the Queensland-NSW rivalry.”

And Wallabies great Stephen Larkham, a Brumbies legend as a player and well on his way to becoming one as a coach, reckons it’s gone even beyond equal status.

Larkham this week told The Australian that Waratahs v Brumbies was now the biggest rivalry in Australian rugby.

The stats back that belief up. The Tahs and Brums have played each other 24 times, with the Waratahs narrowly leading the head-to-head 13-11.

But it’s more than just a closely fought fixture, there’s genuine animosity when it comes to Waratahs v Brumbies. We track a history of hatred between the two fierce Australian rivals.

CANBERRA CAST-OFFS

The ACT Brumbies were formed ahead of the 1996 Super Rugby season, when the competition expanded from 10 to 12 teams.

Littered with “rejects” from NSW among other states, there was a feeling of an inferiority complex right from the start.

The Waratahs were viewed from Canberra, rightly or wrongly, as the glamour boys of Australian rugby with the best resources, so-called best players and even believing they had a “right” to win.

The sentiment, while it may have evolved from the cast-offs phase, remains.

“It goes back forever, I guess it’s big brother (and) little brother isn’t it?”, Brumbies director of rugby Laurie Fisher said this week.

BRUMBIES’ SUPER SUCCESS

What’s the worst thing that can happen to big brother in a rivalry? Little brother wins, and wins big.

Tahs players and fans quickly tired of the “everyone’s against us” mantra adopted by the Brumbies, but even more painful was watching them use it to drive them to sustained success.

While the Waratahs have been close on several occasions, notably reaching two grand finals, the Brumbies are Australia’s most successful Super Rugby franchise.

They’ve won two titles (in 2001 and 2004) along with reaching another three deciders.

Waratahs supporters could only look on and jealously admire the culture created in Canberra first by former NSW coach Rod Macqueen, and carried on by the likes of Eddie Jones.

SEMI-FINAL SMACKDOWN

Saturday night’s semi-final showdown is being billed as the biggest Australian derby in 12 years.

The reference point from 12 years ago? The 2002 Super 12 semi-final showdown between, you guessed it, the Waratahs and Brumbies.

NSW hosted the clash at the then Sydney Football Stadium, and were embarrassed on their home turf with a 51-10 flogging.

It remains one of just two matches the Brumbies have won against the Tahs in Sydney — and easily their biggest result over their rivals.

DUBLIN DRINKING DRAMA

Reckon the dislike has died down in recent years? Think again. The Dublin drinking drama of late 2013, when seven players were suspended from Wallabies duty for a late night out, brought NSW-ACT tensions to the fore.

Talk of a “get-square” emerged before the openers Waratahs-Brumbies clash of 2014, in Canberra back in round five, as rumours of a rift in the Wallabies camp following the incident were aired in public.

NSW prop Paddy Ryan, one of the Wallabies to cop a ban, this week dismissed the saga as “blown a bit out of proportion”, but admitted that he and his Tahs teammates were relishing a clash with the Brumbies.

MASCOT MADNESS

But we couldn’t write a rivalry reflection without mentioning two of the biggest adversaries, especially given the controversy that has embroiled them this week.

Tah Man and Brumby Jack, the two club mascots, have a history of baiting each other and have even squared off on occasion.

Even NSW flanker Stephen Hoiles, a former Brumby, reckons the heavy-handed call from Waratahs officials is a gee-up.

“I’m one of those ones who thinks let them come and carry on like this and entertain the crowd,” Hoiles said.

“But he’s a brumby, he’s a wild horse, he can’t be tamed so maybe he’s better off just sitting in the stands.”