Ranfurly Shield - Original Rules
The following rules were drawn up by the NZRFU management committee for competition for the Ranfurly Shield:
The Shield shall be a Challenge Shield, open to all Unions affiliated to the New Zealand Union, subject to the following rules:
- At the end of 1902 season the Management Committee of the New Zealand Union shall allot the shield to the union whose representative team it considers to have the best record of the year.
- Such a union shall hold it subject to the right of challenge by an affiliated union, but not to be called on to play more challenge matches in the season than the Management Committee of the New Zealand Union considers advisable, provided that any union meeting the holder of the shield in the course of its ordinary union matches shall have the right to declare beforehand to the New Zealand Union and to the union holding the shield that such a match shall also be a challenge match.
- All special challenge matches shall be played on the ground of the holder of the shield for the time being, except in the event of the shield being held by one union for two consecutive seasons. Such unions shall have the option of declaring any matches played on tour shield matches.
- Any union desiring to play a challenge match with the holder shall give notice to the New Zealand Union of such a desire not later than the end of August in each year, provided that the holder for the time being shall not be required, unless they elect otherwise, to play any challenge matches before the first Sunday in July.
- The New Zealand Union shall have the right to declare which, if any, of the challenges shall be allowed.
- A challenge match shall be played on a date to be arranged by the unions engaged; but, failing such arrangement, the date of playing shall be fixed by the New Zealand Union. No match, however, shall be played after the last Saturday in September.
- In all challenge matches for the shield (as distinguished from an ordinary match declared to be a challenge match under Rule 2) the New Zealand Rugby Football Union shall, if requested by either the challenging or the challenged union, appoint the referee. The challenging union shall be entitled so far as the proceeds of that particular match will allow (after payment of all actual ground charges, gatekeepers' wages, advertising, and other incidental expenses of the match) to reasonable expenses incurred by the challenging union in playing the match. Any balance of such proceeds shall belong to the union challenged. Provided however that 5 per cent of such balance shall be paid to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union to form the nucleus of a fund for the assistance of such unions requiring it.
- The union for the time being holding the shield shall keep the same insured against fire to the full insurance value thereof, and in the event of the shield being damaged or destroyed will contribute the amount of such insurance towards the cost of making good such damage or replacing the shield.
- If any dispute shall arise as to the amount of expenses to be paid to the challenging union, or as to any matter or question arising out of these regulations, then the question in dispute shall be referred to the Management Committee of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union.
* In accordance to Rule 3, Auckland did not play any challenge matches for the shield in 1903, as its team was on tour that season and did not play any home games. Thus the first challenge match was played against Wellington in 1904, the holders being defeated 6-3 and the Ranfurly Shield passed to Wellington. However, some shield holders have taken the trophy on tour, the first to do so being Wellington, who defeated Canterbury at Christchurch in 1919. In the next season Wellington played five shield matches away from home, losing the trophy to Southland at Invercargill.
Text taken from 'The Ecyclopedia Of New Zealand Rugby'
