Covid-19: Winter Sydney, Illawarra, Country rugby comps canned, including Shute Shield, school rugby

Major announcements have confirmed the status of local rugby competitions around NSW. Find out which comps have called time on 2021. Live updates.

The Shute Shield is one of the comps affected.

NSW Rugby Union (NSWRU) and the NSW Country Rugby Union (CRU) have called time on the remainder of the winter rugby competitions in the country zones.

The decision was prompted by the NSW Government announcing an extension to the current stay at home orders for regional NSW until September 10.

The competitions affected include Central Coast Rugby Union, Mid North Coast Rugby Union, New England Rugby Union, Far North Coast Rugby Union, Central West Rugby Union, Newcastle Hunter Rugby Union, Western Plains Rugby Union, Central North Rugby Union, and Illawarra Rugby Union, which was previously announced alongside the cancellation of the metropolitan winter season.

The cancellations affect all participants in these areas from juniors to seniors.

NSW RUGBY SERIES MOVES TO QUEENSLAND

NSW has missed out on a major rugby event due to the coronavirus pandemic with Rugby Australia confirming Queensland will host the remainder of the 2021 eToro Rugby Championship.

Originally matches were to have been played in Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra.

Instead four double-headers between the Wallabies, All Blacks, Springboks and Argentina will be contested in Brisbane, on the Gold Coast and Townsville.

Refunds are available for ticketholders who bought seats to the previously scheduled matches in Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra, with information to be sent to them shortly.

TOUGH NEWS FOR RUGY PLAYERS

The NSW Rugby Union (NSWRU) has made the decision to pull the pin on all winter rugby competitions in the Sydney region.

The competitions affected include Sydney Junior Rugby Union, NSW Suburban Rugby Union, and the Sydney Rugby Union which runs the marquee Shute Shield.

The women’s Jack Scott Cup, regular schoolboy competitions scheduled to be held in term three have also been suspended.

NSW Rugby boss Paul Doorn said the organisation had assessed a number of contingency options and after consultation came to the decision that the 2021 season could not proceed under current Covid restrictions.

“In these challenging times, it is imperative that our community work together, to keep not only ourselves, but our peers, teammates, coaches, volunteers and the whole NSW community safe,” he said.’

Mr Doorn said regional zones in NSW were still progressing with plans to run competitions, dependant on lockdowns.

“Once we are clear how long we are in lockdown, those associations will develop a plan of attack to see what finals series can still be done,’’ Doorn said.

LATEST:More sports cancelling events, changing dates

ILLAWARRA

Competition status – Abandoned (August 4)

Stage of the season: Round 12

Premiers? – None to awarded

Competition leaders: Shoalhaven – 11 wins from 11 matches

What they said: “It is a line in sand until 2022. Unfortunately we had a couple of disruptions during the season, we had a couple of wet weather weekends and a couple of other things came up which meant not all teams had played the same number of games. There was a whole lot of varying factors and it just wasn’t appropriate to award a premiership.” – Darin Crofts, Illawarra Rugby Union president

NEWCASTLE & THE HUNTER

Competition status – Abandoned (September 1)

Stage of the season: Round 15

Competition leaders: Merewether – 10 wins from 12 matches

CENTRAL COAST

Competition Status: Abandoned (September 1)

Stage of the season: Round 9

Competition leaders: Terrigal – 8 wins from 9 matches

What they said: “We got a draw done for a final series but we have to sit down and just see what happens after the 28th of August. Council has given us grounds to mid-October so we can go a little longer than normal. I think if the lockdown is extended we are simply just going to run out of time. (If the competition is abandoned) I can’t see how you can crown a premier on half a competition, but that’s just my opinion.” – Larry Thomson, Central Coast Rugby Union president in mid-August

CENTRAL WEST

Competition Status: Abandoned (September 1).

Stage of the season: Finals and Grand Finals

Competition leaders: Cowra Eagles – 10 wins from 15 matches

What they said: “While we could have earlier played just first grade grand finals we’ve elected not to as lower grade grand finalists were impacted by lockdown restrictions and that’s not what our zone is about – it doesn’t matter what grade you play in you’re important. I think there may be further restrictions on community sport, no crowds … we just don’t know. We are dealing with the great unknown. At the moment, all I’m doing is liaising with clubs and getting a feel for what they want to do. Some clubs are saying ‘just call it’, other clubs are saying ‘we gotta hang on, we gotta hang on’,”. – Matthew Fink, Central West Rugby Union president in mid-August.

MID NORTH COAST

Competition Status: Abandoned (September 1).

FAR NORTH COAST

Competition Status: Abandoned (September 1).

NEW ENGLAND

Competition Status: Abandoned (September 1).

WESTERN PLAINS

Competition Status: Abandoned (September 1).

CENTRAL NORTH

Competition Status: Abandoned (September 1).

SOUTHERN INLAND

Competition Status: Suspended indefinitely.

Latest end to the season: September 25 (Requires lockdown restrictions ending by September 12)

What they said: “There is a meeting with the clubs this afternoon (Thursday) to decide what the rest of the competition can look like. There is no plans this weekend or next weekend and hopefully then restrictions will ease.” – Jack Heffernan, Southern Inland Rugby Union competition manager in mid-August

MAJOR CHANGES TO SHUTE SHIELD AS BIG MOVES AFOOT FOR WOMEN

The Western Sydney Two Blues and Hunter Wildfires will stay but the Penrith Emus are out of the Shute Shield next year.

And in another shake-up of the club rugby landscape, the 12 participating clubs must field women’s teams from 2023 onwards.

“Clubs must have a women’s rugby XV’s team from 2023 onwards,’’ the Sydney Rugby Union said in a statement on Friday.

“SRU will work with Sydney Women’s Rugby during 2022 to create opportunities for all female players to experience XV’s rugby.

While officials managed to get a modified season of matches and a grand final in last year, the Shute Shield in 2021 has been decimated by coronavirus lockdowns, rules and restrictions.

And the immediate future of the competition looks bleak, with expectations the Shield will be cancelled next week.

Gordon after their win last season.

If this is the case, the Penrith Emus, who only returned to the fray last season, have played their last match.

Their demise means the Two Blues and West Harbour Pirates are the only two clubs representing western Sydney in the famous club rugby competition.

The Sydney Rugby Union confirmed Penrith would be missing from next year’s comp in the statement issued late Friday.

“The SRU would like to take this opportunity to thank the Penrith Emus, their board, management, coaches, volunteers, and players for their efforts in being part of Sydney Premier Rugby since they joined in 1995,’’ it read.

Souths Christian Kagiassis runs at Norths in the 2020 Shute Shield.

“We appreciate the strength of the local Penrith Junior program in the region and will work with NSWRU to find ways to provide pathways for local juniors to stay engaged with Rugby within the wider GWS district and the Western Sydney Two Blues.’’

The statement said Western Sydney Two Blues have been provided dispensation to give them time to build, improve their performance and meet all criteria of the Participation Agreement.

Hunter Wildfires have been provided dispensation as they “form an integral part of ensuring Rugby outside of Sydney continues to grow and provide pathways for aspirational players across the region’’.”