Australian Rugby Shield

The Australian Rugby Shield comes to the Newcastle & Hunter Rugby Union No. 2 Sportsground from 8 to 11 October, bringing community rugby from across the country to the Hunter. It's a national 15-a-side tournament, and the draw pulls teams from New South Wales, Queensland and Sydney Women, so you'll see sides from different states competing over the four days.

It's not just one competition, either. The Shield runs Men's, Women's and Under 20 Colts divisions, meaning there's rugby on the go for different age groups and genders throughout the event. If you've got a family with players of different ages, you can follow a few different grades across the weekend rather than just one.

The tournament is hosted by The Waratahs Rugby Union Club, a Newcastle side that's been around since 1945. They played their first junior competition match in 1980 and launched a 'rebuild the red' campaign back in 2018. The club has a strong following of Old Boys, whose association held a 2026 Sports Luncheon at Hamilton North Bowling Club with former Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones as guest speaker.

With the tournament running from Thursday 8 October through to Sunday 11 October, you can drop in for a single afternoon or stick around for the whole thing. It's community rugby at its most straightforward: teams from around the country meeting up in Newcastle for a few days of 15-a-side footy.