Following another historic Charter Hall Shute Shield season, Sydney Rugby Union (SRU) has today announced the fixtures for all eighteen rounds of the 2025 premiership, with the competition to officially kick off on Saturday 5 April.
The 2025 competition commences with a host of marque matchups, as Eastwood hosts heavyweights Randwick and the Marlins welcome rivals Northern Suburbs at Manly Oval.
Round One will also see defending champions Eastern Suburbs travel south to Forshaw Rugby Park to face the Rebels. Easts ended their long-standing premiership drought in 2024 following a thrilling 1-point grand final victory against Norths in August.
The Beasties attention now turns to an eleventh Shute Shield title, however, the last club to successfully defend a Shute Shield premiership was Sydney University in 2019.
The opening five rounds of the competition offer fans both traditional and emerging rivalries; the Shoremen against Gordon (Round Two), Warringah against Sydney University (Round Three), West Harbour versus Two Blues (Round Four) and Easts against Manly (Round Five).
Next season will also feature a return of Friday rugby, with the Marlins to host Warringah at Manly Oval on ANZAC Day weekend.
“The countdown is well and truly underway for the 2025 Charter Hall Shute Shield season, and today’s announcement will only heighten the excitement amongst all rugby fans and players,” said SRU General Manager Peter Watkins.
“After another competitive and entertaining season, each club is working hard to ensure next year is one of the most competitive in recent Shute Shield memory.
“The Charter Hall Shute Shield is an incredibly proud and historic rugby competition, and we look forward to seeing all the rugby community and fans enjoying the action in 2025.”
With the 2025 competition featuring eighteen rounds spanning April to August, the clubs will enjoy a bye weekend following Round Nine before the run to the finals series begins on 14 June.
With only 6 points separating the 2024 Shute Shield finalists at the end of the regular season, the closing rounds of 2025 will no doubt help shape this year's finals narrative.
The Wildfires and Two Blues, teams looking to return to finals in 2025, will both play two vital home games across the concluding weeks of the season.
The closing month of the season will also feature finals shaping matchups between Eastwood and Manly (Round Sixteen), West Harbour against Southern Districts (Round Seventeen) and Gordon versus Easts (Round Eighteen).
The 2025 season culminates in a three-week finals series beginning on 16 August, with the Charter Hall Shute Shield Grand Final to play out on 30 August.
You’ll be able to catch all the action Live, Ad-Free and On-Demand on Stan Sport.
