TrustBank Central Shield Under 18 Competition Starts On Saturday
The Hurricanes Under 18 Competition for the TrustBank Central Secondary Schools Shield kicks-off on Saturday with three fixtures being played in Gisborne, Wairoa and Wanganui.
The Shield was donated to the former Central Region Secondary Schools governing body in the 1990’s by TrustBank Central (formerly Wanganui Savings Bank and Eastern & Central Savings Bank) which operated from Gisborne in the East to Masterton and Levin in the South and New Plymouth in the West.
(The TrustBank Central Secondary Schools' Rugby Shield)
In 2016, five Under 18 teams representing that history are competing for the Shield (East Coast, Horowhenua-Kapiti, Poverty Bay, Wairarapa-Bush and Wanganui), with the sixth team from Wellington, representing the Wellington Samoan Rugby Union.
Of note, the game between East Coast and Wairarapa-Bush is being played at Wairoa Athletic Rugby Football Club, which itself was created in 1939 from the merger of various clubs in the region.
The competition is played in three rounds over three consecutive weekends.
Wellington RFU is the current holder of the Shield but will not defend its title in 2016.