Shute Shield: This is the game that Australian rugby has been craving
TODAY’S battle of the beaches between fierce rivals the Manly Marlins and the Warringah Rats is the game that Australian rugby has been crying out for.
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TODAY’S battle of the beaches between fierce rivals the Manly Marlins and the Warringah Rats is the game that Australian rugby has been crying out for.
With local Super Rugby teams losing 20 straight games against New Zealand opposition over the first 14 rounds the derby at a packed Manly Oval will provide the code with a shot of adrenaline for it’s jaded supporters.
It is Sydney rugby’s very own version of State of Origin full and genuine passion and a proud tradition of rivalry.
Sydney Rugby and former Marlins president David Begg said the appeal of the game is that it what sport used to be, compared with the vanilla, sanitised product it has become today.
“The really good thing about the Marlins and the Rats is that it is unsanitised, it is pure in that regard, pure tribalism,” Begg said.
“What gives it added bite is that it is two clubs on a peninsula surrounded by water so there is an insularity to both the clubs to start with.”
Begg said what added to the sense of occasion was the dynamic that existed between the two clubs.
“Warringah have the view they are the younger brother who is on the rise and Manly have the view they are the older brother who has been there a long time,” Begg said.
Warringah fullback Dave Feltscheer summed up the feeling surrounding today’s game when he said: “It’s one of the reasons why you play footy.
“Everyone is really amped for it.
“It’s not only a big event for Shute Shield rugby it’s a big day for Australian rugby it’s what Australian rugby needs.”
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