It was formed on 28 July 1976[2] and is an affiliated state of the Australian Rugby League Commission.

Representative teams are selected each year to compete in the Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League (ASSRL) National Championships at both 15 and 18 years of age respectively, competing against Western Australia, Victoria, Northern Territory, Tasmania and New South Wales Combined Independent Schools (NSW CIS) at both age levels.

The Olympic Dam Barbarians based in Roxby Downs have played in various formats including intra club and in the Spencer Gulf competition.

There have also been efforts to establish the presence of the game in areas including Coober Pedy, however there remains little competitive Rugby League in Northern SA.

The following South Australian junior players have played in the National Rugby League.