2006 Australian Rugby Shield

The ACT & SNSW Vikings players celebrate winning the 2006 Australian Rugby Shield.

The Australian Rugby Shield (ARS) is a national competition that aims to provide regional teams and developing unions with a regular schedule to compete against each other at a higher level of competition than would normally be possible in their individual states or territories.

The 2006 Australian Rugby Shield has been expanded to include eight teams - the NSW Country Cockatoos, Queensland Country Heelers, Darwin Mosquitoes, Adelaide Black Falcons, Melbourne Axemen, Perth Gold, the Tassie Jack Jumpers and the ACT & Southern NSW Vikings.

Conducted under the Super 14 style rules and regulations, the competition aims to assist players, coaches, managers and referees in their professional development. It gives them the opportunity to achieve a pathway to full representative level including education in coaching, selecting and refereeing.

The teams will compete in two pools in a three week round robin competition with the winners and runners up in each pool progressing to the Semi Finals (27 May 2006) and Final (3 June 2006).

The pools include:

2006 Australian Rugby shield

Pool 1	Pool 2
Darwin Mosquitoes	Melbourne Axemen
Queensland Country Heelers	Adelaide Black Falcons
NSW Country Cockatoos	Perth Gold
ACT & Southern NSW Vikings	Tassie Jack Jumpers

2006 Australian Rugby Shield Final

The ACT & Southern NSW Vikings have claimed the 2006 Australian Rugby Shield Championship in their debut year, with a convincing 36-10 victory over the Melbourne Axemen on Saturday, 3 June at VikingPark, Wanniassa ACT.

Click here for 2006 ARS Points Table.

Click here for 2006 ARS Photo Gallery.