Shute Shield 2016
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BAZinga
Stan Wickham (3)
Some pretty big changes seem to be happening at Parramatta for next season. I hear coaching changes have already been confirmed with the head coach being replaced. As well as a recently retired former wallaby legend as part of the coaching set up. And from speaking to some extremely talented players, they are all in advanced discussions to play in 2 blues in 2016. Could be a 'team to watch' for next season.
Beer on the hill
Ward Prentice (10)
Who is the new coach?
also, who is paying for it
also, who is paying for it
BAZinga
Stan Wickham (3)
I think they were there season just gone as well, the 2 guys from St Pats and NSW Subbies, and also Jeremy Paul. In terms of who is paying, no idea. Your guess as good as anyones. One of the players I know who is discussing said they have some pretty interesting plans which is why he is keen.
B
BellyTwoBlues
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B
BellyTwoBlues
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That's good to hear. We've made some key signings already for next year. With more to come in the coming days. You never really know how keen a player is until he puts pen to paper, and in some cases even that is not a lock in as we experienced this year, so if the cards fall where we want them to fall we'll be very happy.
Hugh Jarse
Rocky Elsom (76)
A great read from the Rats Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/warringahrats/posts/1061534617191795
::::: THE SHUTE SHIELD - A TALE OF TWO SHUTES :::::
The Shute Shield. A prize many clubs covet but only one can win each year. Club Rugby's premiership trophy is well known to many, it's name rolling off our tongues each and every season. But have you ever wondered just why it's called the Shute Shield?
Like most of Rugby's greatest prizes, NSW's Premiership trophy.....or more appropriately Shield....has an interesting, if somewhat tragic history. And it is somewhat fitting that we explore the history of the Shute Shield in the lead up to this year's Grand Final - one that ironically features Eastwood, a club that will forever remain woven into the very fabric of the Shute Shield story.
This is a tale of two Shutes - Jack and Robert. Ironically, though sharing an unusual surname, they were not related but as fate would have it, they would forever be tied together through their passion for the sport and ultimately one tragic incident.
In an article that featured in the 'Stock and Station Journal' in the lead up to the NSW v Springboks clash of 1921, Jack Shute was described as "diminutive, ginger and plucky, afraid to tackle nothing and a straight runner."
Jack Shute was an old boy from Parramatta High School who was playing Junior Rugby in the Eastwood district.
With WW1 coming to an end, Rugby was looking to restart the local competition and by 1919 the young winger was selected to join a newly formed "Western Sydney" team that was to compete in the Sydney Premiership.
Jack Shute showed great promise....a solid defender with a penchant for scoring tries. It wasn't long before he caught the eyes of NSW selectors and joined the state team in 1920. Though narrowly missing selection in the team to face the All Blacks in 1921, a spate of injuries to the team saw Jack Shute recalled to the side that ultimately went on to record the best NSW touring record against New Zealand (winning ten out of twelve matches). It was his performance on that tour that saw Jack Shute selected to join the NSW team that was to play a trial match against a second squad of players, also vying for selection......this second team was colloquially known as "The Rest". The game was played on the King's birthday holiday, Monday the 5th June 1922 - interestingly at Manly Oval.
Selected into "The Rest" side was a young lad called Robert Shute. He was not related to Jack Shute. Robert Shute was an old boy of Sydney Grammar School. Upon leaving school he was employed as an Engineer's Apprentice but he, like many young men at the time, enlisted in the Australian Army on 19th April 1917 just three months after he turned 18.
He was assigned to the 35th Reinforcements of the 8th Field Artillery Brigade as a Gunner. War diaries of the 8th FAB tells of the constant bombardment of their positions and exposure to gas warfare. Robert Shute ultimately ended up in a hospital in Italy before finally returning to Australia and his post war life on 24 November 1919. By 1922 he had enrolled at Sydney University, studying Engineering and making a name for himself as a sturdy prop of great promise in their rugby team.
Both men could not have known that following that fateful match, their lives would forever become intertwined.
The trial game was played on Monday the 5th June at Manly Oval, then considered to be the premier rugby ground in Sydney. Towards the end of the first half Robert Shute had possession when he was tackled by Jack Shute. Robert fell heavily, hitting his head on the ground. He initially tried to get up but fell back to the ground unconscious. An ambulance was called and Robert Shute was taken to hospital.
The game continued without any of the players knowing the true extent of Robert Shute's injury and was ultimately won by the NSW 1st XV over "The Rest" 27 to 18, with Jack Shute scoring two tries and retaining his place in the NSW team. Robert Shute would later succumb to his injuries early the next morning at 6am on Tuesday 6th June, 1922, having never regaining consciousness.
The inquest into Robert Shute's death found it to be an unfortunate accident and that no one was to blame. Though devastated at their loss, Robert Shute's mother wrote an extraordinary letter to Jack Shute 10 days after the accident - a letter that remains preserved in the Shute family archives to this day;
"June 15 /22,
My Dear Boy,
In the midst of our own sorrow we have so often thought of you, and I feel I would like to write and tell you that you must not grieve too much over what happened to our darling. It was just an u fortunate accident, and no one was to blame in any way, and we feel very sorry so much has been said about it for your sake, as everyone says what a good clean player you are, and like our own Bob a true sport.
Thanking you very much for your kind sympathy.
Believe me
Yours Sincerely
Amy Shute"
It was hard to believe a man who had survived one of the most intense battlefields of WW1 and an infection that hospitalised him in Italy could die in a simple tackle on the rugby field. The circumstances of Robert Shute's death so shocked the rugby community that the Shute Memorial Trophy was established. It would ultimately become known as "The Shute Shield" and remains today as the ultimate prize in the NSWRU premiership competition.
After the death of Robert Shute, despite showing such great promise, Jack Shute's own rugby career as a player was also short-lived due to injury. He retired from playing not long after Robert Shute's death. He would eventually have a successful career in international business. But he would not desert rugby altogether. Jack Shute was instrumental in establishing the Eastwood Rugby Club and would become the Club's first President. He is credited with steering the Eastwood club towards success, something he often attributed to his business acumen and skills in administration but also to the skills and discipline he learned through the game.
He is still held in high regard by Eastwood and became the Clubs first Life Member in recognition of his services to the club. The Shute family ties to Eastwood and to NSW rugby remain strong to this day. Jack's son Douglas played for Eastwood straight out of school in 1956, ultimately representing Eastwood in 1st grade. In the 80s he would become Vice President of Eastwood before succumbing to fatal heart attack in 1986 while playing a game of touch rugby on the field. He was just 46.
Jack Shute's other son - Douglas' brother - is Robert, known well around NSW rugby as Rob Shute. Rob is involved with Division One subbies rugby and the Knox Old Boys Club. Rob's eldest son Nathan is a NSW referee and can from time to time be seen refereeing the lower grades in the Premiership competition. Rob's youngest son Chris was also a talented sportsman, representing Eastwood which went on to win the state championship in 1986. He went on to study at the Australian Institute of Sport for three years and represented Australia at the World Junior Athletic Championships in 1994.
The legacy of Robert and Jack Shute remains today, some 90 years after that tragic day. Robert Shute wasn't a well known player but simply a young player of notable talent trying to break into representative football.
As Eastwood and Manly take to the field today many of their players represent those same aspirations - some have achieved state and even national recognition while others are striving to get there. It is the same for players of the other 10 clubs who fought hard all season but didn't quite make it to this final round today. But in their own ways they represent and honour the memory of Robert Shute.
The Shute Shield is more than just a trophy to be won by the best on the day. As the Sydney Rugby Union declares on their website, "It also symbolises the heart and soul of rugby at its grass roots level. It is a reminder of the reasons we play rugby. The vast majority do not become household names but take to the field to give their best and to take what rugby has taught them into their lives off the field. Robert Shute is a symbol of all those players and the desire to strive to be the best you can."
(images and background courtesy of Jack Shute's Family archives, Eastwood Rugby Club and the Sydney Rugby Union)
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-AK (Andrew Kellaway)-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/11873442_1061470757198181_6480590076498896708_n.jpg?oh=3b9dcda5d215e27c0ef2c686fcc73af4&oe=56727990&__gda__=1450309039_e029ad53d10315e561f756dd34c97c29
A copy of the team list in the Program for the 1st trial match between Western Suburbs and "The Rest" played two days before their fateful clash at Manly Oval, featuring both Jack and Robert Shute
A photo of the backs of the NSW team featuring Jack Shute on the far left.
::::: THE SHUTE SHIELD - A TALE OF TWO SHUTES :::::
The Shute Shield. A prize many clubs covet but only one can win each year. Club Rugby's premiership trophy is well known to many, it's name rolling off our tongues each and every season. But have you ever wondered just why it's called the Shute Shield?
Like most of Rugby's greatest prizes, NSW's Premiership trophy.....or more appropriately Shield....has an interesting, if somewhat tragic history. And it is somewhat fitting that we explore the history of the Shute Shield in the lead up to this year's Grand Final - one that ironically features Eastwood, a club that will forever remain woven into the very fabric of the Shute Shield story.
This is a tale of two Shutes - Jack and Robert. Ironically, though sharing an unusual surname, they were not related but as fate would have it, they would forever be tied together through their passion for the sport and ultimately one tragic incident.
In an article that featured in the 'Stock and Station Journal' in the lead up to the NSW v Springboks clash of 1921, Jack Shute was described as "diminutive, ginger and plucky, afraid to tackle nothing and a straight runner."
Jack Shute was an old boy from Parramatta High School who was playing Junior Rugby in the Eastwood district.
With WW1 coming to an end, Rugby was looking to restart the local competition and by 1919 the young winger was selected to join a newly formed "Western Sydney" team that was to compete in the Sydney Premiership.
Jack Shute showed great promise....a solid defender with a penchant for scoring tries. It wasn't long before he caught the eyes of NSW selectors and joined the state team in 1920. Though narrowly missing selection in the team to face the All Blacks in 1921, a spate of injuries to the team saw Jack Shute recalled to the side that ultimately went on to record the best NSW touring record against New Zealand (winning ten out of twelve matches). It was his performance on that tour that saw Jack Shute selected to join the NSW team that was to play a trial match against a second squad of players, also vying for selection......this second team was colloquially known as "The Rest". The game was played on the King's birthday holiday, Monday the 5th June 1922 - interestingly at Manly Oval.
Selected into "The Rest" side was a young lad called Robert Shute. He was not related to Jack Shute. Robert Shute was an old boy of Sydney Grammar School. Upon leaving school he was employed as an Engineer's Apprentice but he, like many young men at the time, enlisted in the Australian Army on 19th April 1917 just three months after he turned 18.
He was assigned to the 35th Reinforcements of the 8th Field Artillery Brigade as a Gunner. War diaries of the 8th FAB tells of the constant bombardment of their positions and exposure to gas warfare. Robert Shute ultimately ended up in a hospital in Italy before finally returning to Australia and his post war life on 24 November 1919. By 1922 he had enrolled at Sydney University, studying Engineering and making a name for himself as a sturdy prop of great promise in their rugby team.
Both men could not have known that following that fateful match, their lives would forever become intertwined.
The trial game was played on Monday the 5th June at Manly Oval, then considered to be the premier rugby ground in Sydney. Towards the end of the first half Robert Shute had possession when he was tackled by Jack Shute. Robert fell heavily, hitting his head on the ground. He initially tried to get up but fell back to the ground unconscious. An ambulance was called and Robert Shute was taken to hospital.
The game continued without any of the players knowing the true extent of Robert Shute's injury and was ultimately won by the NSW 1st XV over "The Rest" 27 to 18, with Jack Shute scoring two tries and retaining his place in the NSW team. Robert Shute would later succumb to his injuries early the next morning at 6am on Tuesday 6th June, 1922, having never regaining consciousness.
The inquest into Robert Shute's death found it to be an unfortunate accident and that no one was to blame. Though devastated at their loss, Robert Shute's mother wrote an extraordinary letter to Jack Shute 10 days after the accident - a letter that remains preserved in the Shute family archives to this day;
"June 15 /22,
My Dear Boy,
In the midst of our own sorrow we have so often thought of you, and I feel I would like to write and tell you that you must not grieve too much over what happened to our darling. It was just an u fortunate accident, and no one was to blame in any way, and we feel very sorry so much has been said about it for your sake, as everyone says what a good clean player you are, and like our own Bob a true sport.
Thanking you very much for your kind sympathy.
Believe me
Yours Sincerely
Amy Shute"
It was hard to believe a man who had survived one of the most intense battlefields of WW1 and an infection that hospitalised him in Italy could die in a simple tackle on the rugby field. The circumstances of Robert Shute's death so shocked the rugby community that the Shute Memorial Trophy was established. It would ultimately become known as "The Shute Shield" and remains today as the ultimate prize in the NSWRU premiership competition.
After the death of Robert Shute, despite showing such great promise, Jack Shute's own rugby career as a player was also short-lived due to injury. He retired from playing not long after Robert Shute's death. He would eventually have a successful career in international business. But he would not desert rugby altogether. Jack Shute was instrumental in establishing the Eastwood Rugby Club and would become the Club's first President. He is credited with steering the Eastwood club towards success, something he often attributed to his business acumen and skills in administration but also to the skills and discipline he learned through the game.
He is still held in high regard by Eastwood and became the Clubs first Life Member in recognition of his services to the club. The Shute family ties to Eastwood and to NSW rugby remain strong to this day. Jack's son Douglas played for Eastwood straight out of school in 1956, ultimately representing Eastwood in 1st grade. In the 80s he would become Vice President of Eastwood before succumbing to fatal heart attack in 1986 while playing a game of touch rugby on the field. He was just 46.
Jack Shute's other son - Douglas' brother - is Robert, known well around NSW rugby as Rob Shute. Rob is involved with Division One subbies rugby and the Knox Old Boys Club. Rob's eldest son Nathan is a NSW referee and can from time to time be seen refereeing the lower grades in the Premiership competition. Rob's youngest son Chris was also a talented sportsman, representing Eastwood which went on to win the state championship in 1986. He went on to study at the Australian Institute of Sport for three years and represented Australia at the World Junior Athletic Championships in 1994.
The legacy of Robert and Jack Shute remains today, some 90 years after that tragic day. Robert Shute wasn't a well known player but simply a young player of notable talent trying to break into representative football.
As Eastwood and Manly take to the field today many of their players represent those same aspirations - some have achieved state and even national recognition while others are striving to get there. It is the same for players of the other 10 clubs who fought hard all season but didn't quite make it to this final round today. But in their own ways they represent and honour the memory of Robert Shute.
The Shute Shield is more than just a trophy to be won by the best on the day. As the Sydney Rugby Union declares on their website, "It also symbolises the heart and soul of rugby at its grass roots level. It is a reminder of the reasons we play rugby. The vast majority do not become household names but take to the field to give their best and to take what rugby has taught them into their lives off the field. Robert Shute is a symbol of all those players and the desire to strive to be the best you can."
(images and background courtesy of Jack Shute's Family archives, Eastwood Rugby Club and the Sydney Rugby Union)
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-AK (Andrew Kellaway)-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/11873442_1061470757198181_6480590076498896708_n.jpg?oh=3b9dcda5d215e27c0ef2c686fcc73af4&oe=56727990&__gda__=1450309039_e029ad53d10315e561f756dd34c97c29
A copy of the team list in the Program for the 1st trial match between Western Suburbs and "The Rest" played two days before their fateful clash at Manly Oval, featuring both Jack and Robert Shute
A photo of the backs of the NSW team featuring Jack Shute on the far left.
blindsider
Billy Sheehan (19)
Sydney Uni's new rugby grandstand coming along.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
Sydney Uni's new rugby grandstand coming along.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What do your reckon the chances are of the Stars playing out of there when it's finished?
blindsider
Billy Sheehan (19)
Pretty good. It's a $10m grandstand with all the bells & whistles, including indoor cricket & rugby training facility underneath!! Plus a media room and platform for the cameras etc.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
B
BellyTwoBlues
Guest
Lights?
Hugh Jarse
Rocky Elsom (76)
It'd have to have lights wouldn't it?
I see in the overhead photo that there looks like a cricket square and practice nets. Hopefully they will get rid of that when the field is redeveloped.
Cricket wickets ruin rugby ovals, and damage a lot of players. In the dry, they are like concrete, and they become ice rinks with the slightest bit of rain as well as taking forever to dry out.
I see in the overhead photo that there looks like a cricket square and practice nets. Hopefully they will get rid of that when the field is redeveloped.
Cricket wickets ruin rugby ovals, and damage a lot of players. In the dry, they are like concrete, and they become ice rinks with the slightest bit of rain as well as taking forever to dry out.
B
BellyTwoBlues
Guest
It looks magnificent and I am completely jealous. However it doesn't look like there's lights. Maybe they go in last.
Hope those cricket wickets are removed though
AussieDominance
Trevor Allan (34)
I am pretty sure the Uni redevelopment will get rid of the cricket wickets.
Just a thought how about starting the season two week earlier so the draw is fairer and play June long weekend and a 4 team finals series to make it 22 rounds.
Eastwood, West Harbour, Penrith, Parramatta, Warringah, Southern Districts, Sydney Uni, Eastern Suburbs don't have any cricket wickets.
What is stopping Gordon, Norths, Manly, Randwick from playing Super Saturday's away or if they really want to host colts at other potential grounds like Latham etc for the first two/three rounds.
I just think it makes the competition a whole lot fairer the only negative would be it would limit the money coming into the Sydney Rugby Union that they take from the finals series.
Just a thought how about starting the season two week earlier so the draw is fairer and play June long weekend and a 4 team finals series to make it 22 rounds.
Eastwood, West Harbour, Penrith, Parramatta, Warringah, Southern Districts, Sydney Uni, Eastern Suburbs don't have any cricket wickets.
What is stopping Gordon, Norths, Manly, Randwick from playing Super Saturday's away or if they really want to host colts at other potential grounds like Latham etc for the first two/three rounds.
I just think it makes the competition a whole lot fairer the only negative would be it would limit the money coming into the Sydney Rugby Union that they take from the finals series.
Quick Hands
David Wilson (68)
Isn't the whole point of the development to have a rectangular ground for rugby, soccer, league sans cricket pitch?
B
BellyTwoBlues
Guest
AD a few of the clubs who DON"T have cricket wickets in the middle of their footy field are becoming increasingly frustrated. I know one club (not mine but we agreed with the concept) made the point that they get the home games early in the season when crowds are low and as a result they always end up with away games in the run up to finals. Clubs who don't have cricket wickets are punished at the end of the year by away games. Crowds are always bigger in the back half of the season, interest is higher and takings are always up because of it. The clubs with the cricket wickets such as Manly, Randwick, Uni get an advantage with a stack of home games running into finals.
So what's the solution? There's not a lot that can be done about it. The clubs with the wickets also have the most influence higher up the tree so I'd be surprised if SRU awoke from their slumber to address it. There was a push from a couple of clubs this year that if the draw ended up with home games during March for the cricket fields then that home club would have to find an alternate venue and be done with it. Be interesting to see of that has any legs this year.
I do know though, that we'll be drawn Manly, Uni, Randwick and Norths in first 4 rounds though. That is a given........................
Hugh Jarse
Rocky Elsom (76)
Get the CV in by today if interested.
John S
Chilla Wilson (44)
Yeah I saw that - will be interesting to see.
AussieDominance
Trevor Allan (34)
http://www.rugbynews.net.au/schoolboy-jack-mcgregor-ready-to-take-on-the-kiwis/
Jack McGregor to Gordon I would be surprised if he didn't play grade.
Jack McGregor to Gordon I would be surprised if he didn't play grade.
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