This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 211.30.206.11 (talk) at 13:11, 6 September 2018 (→Former Clubs & Expansion). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 13:11, 6 September 2018 by 211.30.206.11 (talk) (→Former Clubs & Expansion)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Shute Shield" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| File:Shute Shield logo 2015.pngLogo introduced for the 2015 season | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1923 |
| Motto | Lachlan Ward |
| No. of teams | 11 |
| Country | Australia |
| Most recent champion(s) | Sydney University |
| TV partner(s) | 7Two |
| Official website | www.nswrugby.com.au |
The Shute Shield is a rugby union competition in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is the premier grade club tournament in NSW rugby. The Shute Shield is awarded at the end of the Sydney Club Rugby season to the team that wins the Grand Final.
History
Club-based rugby football began some time before 1865. The Sydney University Football Club began in 1863 (although this date is questioned by some historians) and is the oldest existing football club outside the British Isles. The first recorded rugby season in Australia was in 1865 with Sydney University, Sydney Football Club and the Australian Club reported as playing games.
On 24 June 1874, a meeting was held between ten prominent football clubs to create a governing body to administer the game within New South Wales. The Southern Rugby Football Union was formed. The first task of the Union was to decide on a set of rules for all clubs to adhere to. Clubs were given "senior" or "junior" status which could change from season to season. Although a governing body had now been formed, there was no centrally controlled competition until many years later.
The Sydney Rugby Premiership
Initially, a competition was loosely arranged by the Union where the clubs were in charge of organising their own matches. This would result in clubs not playing the same teams or the same number of teams. A "Premier Club of the Colony" was declared by the Union at an end of year meeting. It was not necessarily given to the team that had the best results on the field. Results mattered, but other criteria may have also been used. What these were are not known.
In 1883, the Gardiner Challenge Cup was introduced with a mixture of "senior" and "junior" clubs competing. Foundation clubs were Redfern, Sydney University, Wallaroo, Newtown, Burwood, Oriental, Glebe, Balmain, St. Leonards, Parramatta, Arfoma and Paddington. This introduced a more structured competition with a centralised list of fixtures arranged by the Union. The first Cup was won by Redfern who were undefeated. At the beginning of the season, a proposal was put to the Southern Rugby Union to change the rules determining how a game was decided. Prior to the 1883 season, a game was decided by the number of goals scored. The amendment that was successfully passed by the Union declared that games would be decided by number of points scored. A try was awarded 2 points, a conversion was 3 points and a goal kicked from the field of play 4 points.
The Sydney Rugby Premiership came under the control of the Metropolitan Rugby Union, a branch of the New South Wales Rugby Football Union (formally the Southern Rugby Football Union), in 1897.
The District Competition
As early as 1893 it had been suggested to change the current structure of the premiership to a district-based formula. In early 1900, a meeting of the Metropolitan Rugby Union was held and a recommendation to establish district football in the coming season was made. Eight clubs competed in the inaugural season: Balmain, Glebe, Newtown, South Sydney, North Sydney, Western Suburbs, Eastern Suburbs and Sydney University. The first district competition was won by Glebe who were successful in all three grade competitions.
It was during this period, in 1907, that the supremacy of the Sydney Rugby Premiership was threatened. The imminent arrival of a professional football team from New Zealand sparked heated discussion about professionalism and compensation pay for lost time at work. In August of that year, the New South Wales Rugby Football League was formed. During the following season, a professional league competition was begun. Over the next few years, players switched across to the professional competition resulting in crowd numbers falling at Union matches.
Despite this, the district competition continued to run, rebuilding its supporter base, until the outbreak of World War 1 with the last season held during 1914. With the outbreak of war, competition was suspended.
The Return of the Premiership
At the conclusion of the war, the Sydney Rugby Premiership was recommenced. With the competition returning under the control of the NSW Rugby Football Union, only six clubs competed: Cambridge, Eastern Suburbs, Glebe-Balmain, Manly, Sydney University and YMCA. The competition remained as a district-based premiership until approximately the 1940s.
The Shute Shield
The Shute Memorial Shield was struck in honour of the late Robert Elliott Stewart Shute, who died on 6 June 1922 aged 23, following a match at Manly Oval. Shute served as an infantryman in 30th Battery A.I.F. during World War One. On his return to Australia he took up his studies at the University of Sydney and joined the Sydney University rugby club as a front row forward in the first XV. The Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday 7 June 1922 reported:
As a result of injuries received while playing at Manly in the Rugby football match between the team which toured New Zealand and the Next 15, Robert Elliott Shute, a front row forward in the latter team, died at a private hospital at Manly yesterday morning. The accident occurred during the latter portion of the first spell of the match. Shute secured the ball and when tackled fell heavily. He was removed to a private hospital, where it was ascertained that he was suffering from cerebral hemorrhage. Without recovering consciousness he died at 6am. A former pupil of Sydney Grammar School, Shute, who was 23 years of age, was a third year student at Sydney University and he played for the University first fifteen. He served in the AIF for four years.
The University club had the shield made following his death and donated it in 1923 to the NSWRFU to be used as a perpetual trophy for the Sydney first grade competition.
In 1966, the Sydney Rugby Union was formed to administer the running of Sydney rugby and the Shute Shield.
The NSW Championship
In late 1986, the Sydney Rugby Union (SRU) approved a new competition structure for the Shute Shield. The SRU were concerned about the falling number of clubs involved in the lower divisions. The new structure involved distributing all teams in the three competitions evenly across three new divisions with some teams earning the right to play for the premiership in the first division.
The clubs that made up first division were opposed to the new structure and sought the opportunity to form a breakaway competition affiliated directly with the NSWRFU. This resulted in the formation of a 10 club competition called the NSW Championship, while the remaining lower division clubs remained with the SRU Championship. Both competitions ran during the 1987 and 1988 seasons.
For the 1989 season, the NSW Championship clubs returned to the SRU and the Shute Shield.
In 1992, the NSW Rugby Union again took over the administration of the Shute Shield competition.
Toohey's New Cup and the Australian Rugby Championship
From 2002 through 2006 the Toohey's New Cup was run to fill the void between Grade Rugby and Super Rugby in Australia. This became the Sydney Premiership competition, with the Shute Shield becoming the First Grade pre-season competition. However, in 2004 the Shute Shield was awarded to the Second Grade competition.
In 2007. the Toohey's New Cup was merged into the Shute Shield to become the Toohey's New Shute Shield when an attempt at an Australian wide domestic rugby competition, the Australian Rugby Championship, was started. The Australian Rugby Championship only lasted the one season.
From 2014, a new national championship was begun. The National Rugby Championship, run by Rugby Australia, has become the highest tier of rugby competition in Australia sitting below Super Rugby.
Teams
There are currently eleven clubs that compete for the Shute Shield.
| Jersey | Club | Location | Home Ground | Nickname | First Season | Premierships | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 Eastern Suburbs |
Upper Eastern Suburbs (Rose Bay) | Woollahra Oval, Rose Bay | The Beasties | 1900 | 9 | |
 |
 Eastwood |
Northern Suburbs (Eastwood) | T G Millner Field, Marsfield | The Woodies | 1947 | 6 | |
 |
 Gordon |
Upper North Shore (Chatswood) | Chatswood Oval, Chatswood | Highlanders | 1936 | 8 | * Never relegated to 2nd division. |
 |
 Manly |
Lower Northern Beaches (Manly) | Manly Oval, Manly | The Marlins | 1906 | 7 | * Never relegated to 2nd division. |
 |
 Northern Suburbs |
Lower North Shore (North Sydney) | North Sydney Oval, North Sydney | The Shoreman, Norths, The Red and Blacks | 1900 | 7 | *Originally formed as North Sydney. Changed name in 1928. |
 |
 Parramatta |
Parramatta | Granville Park, Merrylands | Two Blues | 1879 | 3 | *Originally formed as Cumberland. Changed name in 1900. Joined Sydney premiership in 1934. Never relegated to 2nd division. |
 |
 Randwick |
Lower Eastern Suburbs (Randwick/Coogee) | Coogee Oval, Coogee | Galloping Greens, The wicks | 1882 | 32 | *Joined Sydney premiership (post 1900) in 1914. Never relegated to 2nd division. |
 |
 Southern Districts |
St. George and The Shire | Forshaw Park, Sylvania Waters | The Rebels | 1989 | 0 | *Formed from merger of St. George (founded 1906) and Port Hacking (founded 1957). |
 |
 Sydney University |
Camperdown | University Oval No. 2, Camperdown | The Students | 1863 | 40 | |
 |
 Warringah |
Upper Northern Beaches (Narrabeen) | Pittwater Park, Warriewood | The Rats, Ratties | 1963 | 1 | *Joined 1st division in 1971. Never relegated to 2nd division. |
 |
 West Harbour |
Inner West (Concord) | Concord Oval, Concord | Pirates | 1900 | 2 | *Originally formed as Western Suburbs. Named changed in 1995. |
Former Clubs & Expansion
Below is a list of some of the clubs that have once competed in the Sydney Rugby Premiership.
| Club | Location | First Season | Last Season | Premierships | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Balmain |
Balmain | 1874 | 1895 | 1 | *Currently playing in the NSWSRU. |
 Wallaroo |
North Sydney | 1874 | 1899 | 7 | |
 Balmain District |
Balmain | 1900 | 1914 | 0 | *Merged with Glebe District to form Glebe-Balmain in 1919. |
 Glebe District |
Glebe | 1900 | 1914 | 7 | *Merged with Balmain District to form Glebe-Balmain in 1919. |
 Newtown District |
Newtown | 1900 | 1921 | 3 | |
 South Sydney |
Redfern | 1900 | 1914 | 1 | |
 Sydney District |
Sydney | 1905 | 1910 | 0 | |
 Drummoyne |
Drummoyne | 1919 | 1994 | 2 | *Originally Glebe-Balmain. Renamed in 1931 as Drummoyne. Currently playing in the NSWSRU. |
| St George | St George | 1906 | 1988 | 1 | *Merged with Port Hacking to form Southern Districts before 1989 season. |
| Port Hacking | The Shire | 1957 | 1985 | 0 | *Merged with St George to form Southern Districts before 1989 season. |
 Newcastle |
Newcastle | 1995 | 1999 | 0 | *Played in Shute Shield as 'Newcastle Wildfires'. |
 Canberra |
Canberra | 1995 | 2006 | 0 | *Currently playing in the National Rugby Championship. |
 Penrith |
Penrith | 1995 | 2018 | 0 | *Founded in 1965. Removed early in the 2018 competition due to a failure to 'meet the standards set for all clubs to compete at the premiership level'. |
These clubs also played in the Sydney premiership (1st division after 1962) in the period after 1900.
Cambridge (1919), YMCA (1919, 1923-1928), GPS Old Boys (1921-1924), Petersham (1922), Police (1929), University of NSW (1966-1979), Hornsby (1976-1978, 1981), Macquarie University (1976-1978), Illawarra (2007).
Media coverage
From 1957 until 2014, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation had broadcast the Match of the Day from the Shute Shield competition in NSW/ACT every Saturday afternoon and replayed nationally on Tuesday mornings. The ABC ended its 57-year partnership with the competition at the completion of the 2014 season, following the Australian Government's decision to cut funding to the national broadcaster.
On 17 March 2015, Sydney Rugby formally announced that the Seven Network would become the new free to air Match of the Day broadcasters of the Shute Shield in NSW, commencing on 21 March on 7TWO showing a match between Eastern Suburbs and Gordon. The Prime Network will broadcast to regional areas of NSW. This agreement has been renewed for the 2018 season.
Competition format
The competition format currently involves an 18-week round-robin competition which is followed by a three-week play-off series culminating in a grand final. The playoffs are contested by the top six placed teams following the round-robin. The first week of the play-offs sees 1st play 6th, 2nd play 5th and 3rd play 4th. The lowest two losers are eliminated and the three winners plus the highest ranked loser proceed to week 2 of the play-offs. The two winners from week 2 proceed to the Grand Final in week 3.
Premiership Results
- Up until 1886, the premiers were declared by the Union at an end-of-year meeting. It was not made clear how the premiership was decided at these meetings.
- In 1886 and 1887, and from 1890 to 1898, the season consisted of a first round of games organised as a round-robin with the second round a knockout competition, followed by a final.
- In 1888-89, and from 1899 till 1906, the season consisted of either one or two rounds of round-robin games. No knockout system was included. The premiership was awarded to the team who finished the season at the top of the ladder. After 1907 there was a final played in some years after the round-robin.
- In 1919 and 1920, the premiership returned to the previous structure of a round-robin. Again, the premiership was awarded to the team who finished the season at the top of the ladder. From 1921 there was a final played in some years after the round robin.
- From 1932, the premiership was decided by a Grand Final.
- For 1987-88 a NSW Championship existed along side The Shute Shield. The first grade teams played for the rebel NSW Championship, while the Shield contained clubs from the lower grades.
- From 2002 to 2006, the Shute Shield was awarded to a pre-season competition.
The Sydney Rugby Premiership
Individual awards
Ken Catchpole Medal
Fairfax/Herald Cup
See also
- Australian club championship rugby union
- List of Australian club rugby union competitions
- New South Wales Rugby Union
- New South Wales Waratahs
- List of oldest rugby union competitions
References
- "Sydney University Football Club", Misplaced Pages, 9 June 2018, retrieved 27 August 2018
- ^ "Sydney Club Rugby History". Green and Gold Rugby. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- "FOOTBALL RULES". Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912). 11 July 1874. p. 46. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "Sydney Club Rugby History". Green and Gold Rugby. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- "FOOTBALL". Sydney Daily Telegraph (NSW : 1879 -1883). 17 May 1883. p. 3. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- "FOOTBALL". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). 28 October 1893. p. 7. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- "Football Notes". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 14 March 1900. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- "FOOTBALL FATALITY". The Brisbane Courier. Brisbane, Queensland: The Brisbane Courier. 7 June 1922. p. 4. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- "FOOTBALLER'S DEATH". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales: The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 June 1922. p. 10. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- "Local History from Manly Library". Manly Library. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
- ^ According to Sydney University records, different clubs were declared premiers. The following are the clubs listed by these records: 1874- Wallaroo, 1875- University & Waratah, 1876- Wallaroo, 1877- University, 1878- Wallaroo & Waratah
- ^ Undefeated.
- ^ Royal Agricultural Society Final displayed.
- Randwick did not make the RAS final. However, they remained on the top of the ladder after the games had been run and won.
- The Pirates were declared winners of the RAS Shield as Randwick had fielded an illegal player.
- Sydney University and Glebe agreed to not play a final due to an international tour to New Zealand. Both teams were declared joint premiers.
External links
- "2007 Tooheys New Shute Shield Draw". nswrugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 May 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
- "2007 Tooheys New Shute Shield Draw". nswrugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 May 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2007.
| Shute Shield seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| New South Wales Rugby Union | |
|---|---|
| Member of Rugby Australia | |
| Super Rugby team | New South Wales Waratahs |
| Super W team | Waratahs Women |
| NRC teams | |
| Shute Shield | |
| Regional bodies | |