Ranfurly Shield

The Ranfurly Shield, colloquially known as the Log o' Wood, is perhaps the most prestigious trophy in New Zealand's domestic rugby union competition. First played for in 1904, the Ranfurly Shield is based on a challenge system, rather than a league or knockout competition as with most football trophies. The holding union must defend the Shield in challenge matches, and if a challenger defeats them, they become the new holder of the Shield.

The Shield is currently held by Wellington, who won it from Auckland in Round 8 of the Round Robin in the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup.

Although the professional era of rugby has seen competitions such as the National Provincial Championship and its successor, the Air New Zealand Cup, and Super Rugby detracting from the pre-eminence of the Ranfurly Shield, many still regard it as the greatest prize in New Zealand rugby, thanks to its long history, the fact that every challenge is a sudden-death defence of the Shield, and that any team, no matter how lowly, has a chance to win.

History

In 1901, the Governor of New Zealand, the Earl of Ranfurly, announced that he would present a cup to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union, to be used as the prize in a competition of their choosing. When the cup (which actually turned out to be a shield) arrived, the NZRFU decided that it would be awarded to the union with the best record in the 1902 season, and thenceforth be the subject of a challenge system. Auckland, unbeaten in 1902, were presented with the shield. The shield was also designed as a trophy for soccer, not rugby. This was because the picture in the centrepiece was a soccer one. The picture was modified by adding goal posts on the soccer goal that comprised the picture, to create a rugby scene.

Auckland were on tour in 1903 and did not play any home games, and thus did not have to defend the Shield. Their first defence was against Wellington in 1904, and was unsuccessful.

Since the introduction of the National Provincial Championship in 1976, all home games a Shield-holder plays in the NPC or its successors, the Air New Zealand Cup and Heartland Championship, are automatically challenge matches.

Auckland hold the record for the greatest number of consecutive Ranfurly shield defences which stands at 61 matches between 14 September 1985 and 18 September 1993. During this period Auckland took the Shield on tour to provincial unions that, mainly for financial reasons, would be unlikely to be able to mount a challenge for the trophy. While dismissed by some critics, usually because of the one sided scores, it was widely regarded as a success by those involved.

In 1994 when Canterbury wrestled the Shield from Waikato, the shield was in battered condition, with large cracks, chips and peeled varnish. Nearly a century of use had taken its toll. Canterbury player Chris England, skilled in woodwork, fully renovated the Shield, bringing it back once again into pristine condition.

Challenges

The Shield holder at the end of each season is required to accept at least seven challenges for the following year. All home games during league play, but not during knockout playoffs, in the Air New Zealand Cup or Heartland Championship are automatic challenges. The remaining shield defences must be made up of challenges from unions in the other domestic competition. For example, since North Harbour, an Air New Zealand Cup team, held the Shield at the end of the 2006 Cup season despite losing their home quarter-final to Otago, they were forced to defend the Shield against Heartland Championship teams during the 2007 pre-season. Having successfully done so, all their home fixtures in the round-robin phase were Shield defences until they lost the shield to Waikato.

The Shield-holder is never forced to defend the Shield in an away match, although they may choose to, as Auckland, for example, did on a number of occasions during their record tenure as Shield-holder between 1985 and 1993. More recently, Auckland played both their mandatory defences against Heartland teams in 2008 on the road.cite news|url=http://allblacks.com/index.cfm?layout=showRanfurlyNews&newsArticle=7328 |title=Auckland accepts two Ranfurly Shield challenges |publisher=New Zealand Rugby Union |date=2007-12-06 |accessdate=2008-01-15]

If a challenger successfully takes the Shield, all of their home matches for the rest of the season are defences of it.

Proposed rules changes

In August 2008, the New Zealand Rugby Union released a competitions review that proposed dramatic changes to the Ranfurly Shield rules:cite news|url=http://www.scrum.com/39_55575.php |title=Holders back proposed changes to Ranfurly Shield |author=NZPA |publisher="Scrum.com" |date=2008-08-06 |accessdate=2008-08-30]

* Once a team has successfully defended the Shield four times, all of the holder's subsequent matches in league play would be mandatory defences, whether home or away. The Shield, however, will not be at stake in semifinals or finals.
* If an Air New Zealand Cup team holds the Shield at the end of the league season, that season's winners of the Meads Cup and Lochore Cup, the two trophies contested in the second-level Heartland Championship, will receive automatic challenges in the following year.

The changes have not yet been implemented, but did receive support from Auckland, which held the Shield when the NZRU released its report.

Past shield-holders

Next Scheduled defence

* 2009, date and opponent TBD

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.ranfurlyshield.com/ ranfurlyshield.com] (history, matches, records, etc.)
* [http://www.primerugby.com/news/article.asp?id=7217 Rampant Aucks take the 2007 shield ]
* [http://www.nzrugby.com/history/ranfurly.asp Ranfurly Shield at nzrugby.com] (history, stories, audio highlights, trivia)