Buckle up Canterbury, it’s a weekend of trophies, historic shields and new shields on the line in representative rugby across the province.

Starting your weekend off strong, The Tane Norton Trophy is up for grabs between Cavaliers and Waitaha tonight at South Hagley Park at 7pm. The competition this season has been incredibly close so far, with the Cavaliers winning all three of their games with very tight margins, and the Waitaha side winning two and drawing one. Five Linwood players among the Waitaha side will have an extra desire to claim the prestigious trophy tonight, named in honour of the late All Black captain, Canterbury Rugby Legend, and Club stalwart.

Then tomorrow, the attention turns to Rangiora Showgrounds, where the battle for the Southbridge Shield returns.

It’s set to be another epic day of representative rugby between two Canterbury Sub Unions, carrying all the rivalry and history of the past 104 years along with it. This year also brings a new challenge, a new mark in the history books and before any team takes the field – already a massive win for rugby across Canterbury.

Known across Ellesmere and North Canterbury as being their own version of the Ranfurly Shield, or their equivalent of a Test match, the Southbridge Shield is possibly the highest point of the Sub Union calendar each season.

Having held onto the silverware since winning it in 2022, North Canterbury will be going for another retention but Ellesmere Captain, Liam Robinson, feels his side are in a good place to contest for the Shield, “there have been some really tight Tane Norton fixtures that could have gone either way. The belief and passion in the group is definitely high”.

North Canterbury Senior player Dan Brooker says his message to the younger lads running beside him this weekend is always about respect. “You can never take anything for granted. Ellesmere are going to come and put their best foot forward, respect them and ride the ebbs and flows of the game” says Brooker. “All the games are so close, even if the scores don’t quite show that, they’re still close, hard battles. You can never take anything for granted, Ellesmere always have a real strong team”.

Brooker is a name that will be floating around another game on the day, with the inaugural Bremner-Brooker Shield being played for. In the first year of North Canterbury holding a Womens side, they’ll be lacing up on Saturday to take on Ellesmere and what better way to set a new challenge and create history, than playing for a brand new shield named after two families with rugby roots in the sub unions.

Trina Ashby, captain of the Ellesmere side, is over the moon about the fixture and what it means for the future of women’s rugby, “I just want everyone to go out there and have fun. Every week they've been building and getting stronger, and everyone comes off the field laughing and having a good time” she said, “The last few years, North Canterbury have heaps of teams and Ellesmere is kind of rebuilding again. So hopefully it'll just be building the game for all the girls coming through”.

With both sides having great success on the field already this season, it is bound to be an exceptional battle and set to be yet another exciting expansion on the growth of women’s rugby in Canterbury.

In the lead up to the two Shields, the age grades will set the scene for the day with their own trophies on the line. Dan Brooker remembers being part of the age grades, watching his senior idols playing long before understanding the importance of the Southbridge Shield, and says it’s vital to get down there and support the up and coming players. “If you can make a difference to one or two of those young fellas, that’s who’s going to be coming through in the next few years, to take the jersey off us. So, it is really important to get out there and support them”.

TRI Rugby will also feature in this year’s event line up. Providing inclusive rugby opportunities for people with disabilities and vulnerabilities across Canterbury, TRI Rugby adds another dimension to a day that brings players of all ages and abilities together. Playing their last game of the season, the Ohoka, Prebbleton and HSOB teams will be donning Ellesmere and North Canterbury colours adding to the occasion.

It’s the ultimate showcase of representative rugby. Silverware is on the line, the right to host next year is up for grabs, and a new chapter in sub union rugby history is ready to be written.

Saturday's Schedule

- U16s | 10:30am, Field 2
- U18s | 11:00am, Field 3
- Development | 12:00pm, Field 2
- TRI Rugby | 12:00pm, Oval
- Colts | 12:30pm, Field 3
- Women |1:00pm, Oval
- Seniors | 2:45pm, Oval

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words by Hannah Yates

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