2021 Swindale Shield draw released

The run up to the southern hemisphere’s most hotly contested local rugby competition starts today, with the release of the 2021 Wellington club rugby Swindale Shield draw.

The 2021 season starts a little later this year, with opening day on Saturday 10 April.

That is the date for the first of 13 games on consecutive Saturdays, that will see each of the 14 teams play each other in a round-robin format for the Swindale Shield.

There is then a new four-week format that will decided the championship rounds including the coveted Jubilee Cup. A 17-week competition season could still be considered as being one or two weeks too short, but such are the challenges of fitting 14 Premier teams into the window allocated to play the season.

All going well, 2021 will also see the return of representative rugby so another big season ahead for leading and aspiring players.

The Swindale Shield kicks off with a home and away round, with the match at Porirua Park between Northern United and Old Boys University for the Ken Douglas Trophy at Porirua Park the feature clash of the round. This will be a replay of this year’s Jubilee Cup final, won by OBU. OBU will also go into the season as the Bill Brien Challenge Shield holders.

Other games on opening day include defending Swindale Shield champions MSP and 2019 winners HOBM meeting for the Father Cleary Shield, Avalon v Upper Hutt Rams for the Harper Vine Trophy, Poneke v Wellington for the Spud Lindsay Memorial Trophy, Tawa v Petone, Wainuiomata v Ories and Johnsonville v Paremata-Plimmerton.

There are a host of interclub fixtures to look forward to throughout the season, including HOBM v Petone for the McBain Shield in round six, Poneke v Ories for the Jimmy Grbich Memorial Shield in round 11 and Tawa and Norths for the the Sammy Saili Memorial Trophy in round 11. Next year’s MSP – Petone match for the Bill Elvy Memorial Shield in round 12 could also have some extra spice in it next season.

The Swindale Shield runs through to the first weekend of July, ahead of the aforementioned Jubilee Cup and championship rounds starting a week later.

DRAW:

View the draw below or click HERE TO VIEW IT OR DOWNLOAD IT

The draw will be inputted into Club Rugby, the home of rugby Draws & Results, over the coming few weeks. For more view HERE

Swindale Shield winners 1969 – 2020

1969 Petone
1970 Petone
1971 Petone
1972 Wellington and Petone shared
1973 Petone
1974 Petone
1975 Petone
1976 Petone
1977 Marist-St. Pat’s
1978 Athletic
1979 Marist St Pats
1980 Marist St Pats
1981 Petone
1982 Wellington
1983 Petone and Marist St Pats shared
1984 Wellington
1985 Wellington
1986 Petone
1987 Marist St Pats
1988 Marist St Pats
1989 Hutt Old Boys
1990 Upper Hutt
1991 Avalon
1992 Petone
1993 Avalon
1994 Marist St Pats
1995 Marist St Pats
1996 Marist St Pats
1997 Hutt Old Boys Marist
1998 Johnsonville
1999 Marist St Pats
2000 Marist St Pats
2001 Avalon
2002 Poneke
2003 Northern United
2004 Petone
2005 Upper Hutt
2006 Northern United
2007 Northern United
2008 Marist St Pats
2009 Petone and Northern United shared
2010 Northern United
2011 Northern United
2012 Hutt Old Boys Marist
2013 Tawa
2014: Marist St Pat’s
2015: Hutt Old Boys Marist
2016: Old Boys University
2017: Old Boys University
2018: Northern United
2019: Hutt Old Boys Marist
2020: Marist St Pat’s