England vs France, Bordeaux, 17th May 2026. The Utrecht Shield record is one win away.
The Briefing • Utrecht Shield • Women's Six Nations 2026
England vs France, Bordeaux, 17th May 2026. The Utrecht Shield record is one win away.
England are on 18 matches, having equalled their own all time record. A Grand Slam, a Six Nations title, and history are all on the line in Bordeaux on Sunday. France have not beaten England in eight years.
Everything is on the line in Bordeaux on Sunday. The Six Nations title. The Grand Slam. Eight years of French hurt. And for those of us who track the Utrecht Shield, something else entirely: the possibility of England making history.
England beat Italy 61-33 in Parma on 9th May to reach 18 consecutive matches as Utrecht Shield holders. Eighteen matches equals their own all time record, set between 1993 and 1997. Win in Bordeaux and they are at 19, into territory no England side has ever reached. Beat whatever comes next and they equal the all time record of 20 set by New Zealand between 2002 and 2009.
France are standing in the way. They always are.
The rivalry in numbers
England and France have been trading the Utrecht Shield back and forth since the early 1990s. New Zealand have taken it from England more times than anyone, five in total, but that rivalry plays out across World Cups and tours. The Six Nations rivalry with France is different. It is annual. It is in England's backyard. And across more than three decades it has produced the most evenly matched head to head record in the shield's history.
France have taken the shield from England twice. In March 2002 in the Women's Six Nations, winning 22-17. In March 2016 in the Women's Six Nations, winning 17-12. Both times in the Six Nations. Both times, England got it back within the same year.
England have taken it from France twice. In July 2016 in the Women's Rugby Super Series, winning 17-13. In February 2019 in the Women's Six Nations, winning 41-26.
Two each. Every time France have taken it, England have come back and got it. Every time England have taken it from France, they have held it deep into the next season. Sunday is the fifth chapter of that rivalry.
The closest it has come to ending
France have faced England three times in the current run of 18 matches. They are the only nation who have come close to ending it. In April 2025 at Twickenham, they came within one point. England 43, France 42. The entire record chase, this entire conversation about New Zealand's all time mark, nearly died at match six of the current run by a single point in the Women's Six Nations last year.
France then came to Bordeaux in August 2025 for a summer tour match. England won 40-6. Then France met England again in the semi final of the 2025 Rugby World Cup. England won 35-17. Three meetings in this run. Three England wins. The closest margin was one point.
France know exactly how to hurt England. They have done it before. One moment of accuracy, one missed kick, one opportunity taken, and the run ends at 18 having equalled the record rather than broken it.
The best teams don't always hold the Utrecht Shield. But the best teams hold it for the longest. England are one win from going further than any English side has ever gone.
What the record actually looks like
England's previous record was 18 matches, running from June 1993 to February 1997. It spanned the 1993 Canada Cup, the 1994 Women's Rugby World Cup, two seasons of the Home Nations Championship, and ended when France beat them 17-15 in an uncapped match on 23rd February 1997. Not at Twickenham. In Northampton. A match that barely anyone was watching.
The all time record of 20 belongs to New Zealand, running from May 2002 to November 2009. England ended it. A 10-3 win on 21st November 2009. Seven years of Black Ferns dominance, two World Cups, and England finally broke through. That record has stood for nearly seventeen years. Win in Bordeaux and England are two away from it.
A record crowd. Eight years of French hurt. Bordeaux.
Stade Atlantique holds 42,000. The expectation is a record home crowd for a France women's match. France have not beaten England since 2016. Eight years. That is the context they bring to this match. A Grand Slam to win, a title to take, a run of eight defeats to end, and a shield to claim in front of their biggest home crowd.
For England, the shield is one layer of the story rather than the only one. They are going for the Grand Slam. They are going for another Six Nations title. They are going for history. All three are available from one afternoon in Bordeaux.
Whatever happens on Sunday, somebody's Utrecht Shield story gets written. If England win, they go to 19 and the conversation about New Zealand's record of 20 becomes the most urgent story in women's rugby for the rest of the year. If France win, they end an eight year wait and take the shield that England have held through a World Cup, three Six Nations campaigns, and 18 consecutive matches.
The thread that runs from Utrecht in 1982 passes through Bordeaux on Sunday. It always keeps moving. That is the whole point.
The Utrecht Shield has been running since France beat the Netherlands in 1982. Every match, every holder, every moment is tracked right here. If Sunday's match has you gripped, you can own a piece of the physical shield or get your name on it permanently.
England are 17 matches into the Utrecht Shield run. Here is how they got here and what is at stake.
The record books • Utrecht Shield
England are 17 matches into the Utrecht Shield run. Here is how they got here and what is at stake.
They lost it in a World Cup final. While they were locked out, Australia and Canada claimed the title for the very first time. Now England are one win from their own record and three from the greatest run in the shield's history.
At the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup semi final, I bumped into Vivienne Brodier. Twenty five thousand people in the ground. Most of them walked straight past her. I doubt many would have known her foundational role in the game we were all there to watch. I did. Vivienne was the fullback for France in Utrecht in 1982, the first ever women's rugby international. She was the first person to hold the Utrecht Shield.
I had the shield with me. I got it into her hands. And standing there, I could draw a straight line from Vivienne through every woman who had held it since, through the great Black Ferns sides of the 2000s, all the way to the England number 15 who would be running out that day. Same position, 43 years apart, connected by an unbroken thread that has been running through women's rugby since the very beginning.
No governing body created that thread. No official decided it should exist. It just does. It has always been there. We just need to tell the story.
Right now, the story is England. Seventeen matches and counting. One win from their own all time record. Three wins from the greatest run in the shield's history. And all of it started with a World Cup final they lost.
Where the run really begins: New Zealand, 12th November 2022
England went into the 2022 Women's Rugby World Cup final as Utrecht Shield holders. They had carried it for 16 matches, one of the longest runs any nation had ever put together. They played New Zealand in Auckland. They lost 34-31. The Black Ferns took the shield.
That loss ended England's run and started a two year wait to get it back. In those two years, England never crossed paths with whoever held the shield. It passed through New Zealand, France, Australia, and Canada without England getting a look at it. Their moment came at WXV1 in October 2024 when they finally faced Canada, who held it, and won it back 21-12.
The two years England spent locked out
This is the part of the story that I love telling, because it shows you exactly why the Utrecht Shield is different to any other measure of how good a team is.
After the World Cup final, New Zealand held the shield for five more matches. Then at WXV1 in October 2023, France beat them 18-17 and took it. One week later, Australia beat France 29-20. The Wallaroos had never held the Utrecht Shield in the title's entire history. Not once across four decades of women's rugby. They had it now, for two matches, for the first time ever.
Then in May 2024, Canada beat Australia 33-14 in the Pacific Four Series. Canada had never held it either. They beat New Zealand, they beat France, they held it for four matches before England beat them 21-12 at WXV1 on 12th October 2024 to get their hands back on it.
Think about what happened in those two years. The Utrecht Shield passed through four nations. Two of them, Australia and Canada, claimed it for the first time in the title's 43-year history. England, the dominant force in women's rugby across the same period, never crossed paths with whoever held it until October 2024. When they finally did, they took it back.
That is the shield. You can be the best team in the world and still have nothing to show for it if you never get your moment. The best teams don't always hold it. But the best teams hold it for the longest. And England are building something that looks like it could go a very long way.
Seventeen matches since
Since getting it back in October 2024, England have taken the shield through a summer tour, a World Cup, and now into the 2026 Six Nations. They have defended it against 17 challengers across three competitions on two continents. The closest anyone has come was France in the 2025 Six Nations, who lost 43-42 at Twickenham. They have beaten France three times in this run alone.
Every single one of those 17 matches, the shield was on the line. Every player who has run out for England since October 2024 has been part of this, whether they are still in the squad or not. And the player stories within that are only just beginning to be told. I think of the data that sits behind someone like Scarratt. How many times she held the shield across her entire career. What her win percentage was as a holder. What the full picture looks like. That story exists in the data. When I can connect individual careers to the shield at that level, the whole thing comes alive in a completely different way. We are getting there.
The player who started this run and never stopped being part of it
Emily Scarratt, known to everyone in the game as Scaz, was on the pitch for match one of this run. England beat Canada 21-12 at WXV1 on 12th October 2024. That was the day England got the shield back.
What makes that even more remarkable is what Scarratt had been through to get there. In 2023 she had a bulging disc in her neck that threatened her spinal cord. She needed disc replacement surgery and spent 13 months recovering. She missed the entire inaugural WXV1 tournament in 2023, the one where the shield was passing through New Zealand, France, Australia for the first time, and Canada. While the shield was on its journey without England, Scarratt was working her way back from surgery that could have ended her career.
She came back. She was part of the squad that got the shield back. She played through to match nine of this run, England's World Cup opener against the USA in August 2025. Then she retired, a World Cup winner for the second time, the first English player of any kind to compete at five World Cups, and England's all time leading points scorer with 754 international points across 119 caps.
The run she helped start is still going. And here is the part of this story that I love most: Scaz has not left it. She is now backs coach at Loughborough Lightning and in a specialist coaching and mentoring role with the RFU, working with the next generation of England players. The same run she was part of as a player, she is now connected to as a coach. The thread keeps running. She is still in it.
Every player who has appeared in these 17 matches is part of this run, whether they are still in the squad or not. The shield does not forget. Scarratt's name is woven into this from the very first match, and it stays there no matter what comes next.
What is left to chase
England's own all time record is 18 matches, set between June 1993 and February 1997. Four years of defending it across the Home Nations and a World Cup. France ended it 17-15 at Northampton in February 1997. One more win and England equal that.
The all time record across the shield's entire history belongs to New Zealand. The Black Ferns ran 20 consecutive matches between May 2002 and November 2009, across two World Cups and five years of international rugby. England ended it with a 10-3 win in November 2009. To equal that record, England need three more wins. To own it outright, four.
Italy are next.
Why this matters beyond the numbers
I have been doing this for a long time. Maintaining the data, telling the stories, turning up at stadiums with the shield, getting it into people's hands. I do most of it lying on my back beside a child going to sleep, or on dog walks in the morning before work. There is no team. There is no office. There is a spreadsheet and a deep, stubborn love of rugby.
And what keeps me going is moments like the one with Vivienne Brodier. The idea that a thread has been running through women's rugby since 1982 and most of the people who held it never knew. Every time England defend the shield now, they are adding another entry to something that connects all the way back to that first match in Utrecht. Every player in this squad who runs out with the shield on the line is part of that story whether they know it or not.
We just need to keep telling it until everyone does.
The best teams don't always hold the Utrecht Shield. But the best teams hold it for the longest. England are building something that could go all the way to the top of the all time list. Italy are next.
The Utrecht Shield has been running since the Netherlands hosted France in 1982. Every match, every holder, every moment of the thread is tracked right here. If this run has got you gripped, you can own a piece of the physical shield, cut from the same wood with a certificate tracing the lineage back to Vivienne Brodier and that very first game. And if you want your name on it permanently, engravings are open now.
Italy and the Utrecht Shield
The record books • Utrecht Shield
Italy have only ever been Lineal World Champions once. Here's the mad week it happened.
Five weeks. Four different Lineal World Champions. One tournament nobody talks about enough. The 2015 Women's Six Nations was absolute chaos, and Italy were right in the middle of it.
England vs Italy is coming up in this year's Women's Six Nations and on paper it looks comfortable for England. They are on a 17-match Utrecht Shield run, one of the longest in the title's history, and they have never lost the shield to Italy across nine meetings.
But the Utrecht Shield does not care about form guides or world rankings. It cares about one game, one result, one moment in time. And Italy know that better than anyone, because they have been Lineal World Champions of women's rugby. Once. For exactly two matches. The way it happened is one of the best stories in the shield's history.
Go back to the 2015 Women's Six Nations.
The tournament where nobody could hold onto it
England arrived at that Six Nations as Utrecht Shield holders. They had carried it through the entire 2014 World Cup in France, going nine matches unbeaten. Wales came to Swansea on 8th February 2015 and beat them 13-0. Wales were Lineal World Champions.
Wales defended it against Scotland the following week, 39-3. Looking solid. Then France came to Montauban on 27th February and won 28-7. France were Lineal World Champions now. The shield had already changed hands twice inside three weeks of the same tournament.
This is where it gets properly brilliant.
The day Italy became world champions
14th March 2015. Nuovi Impianti Sportivi Comunali, Badia Polesine, a small town in northern Italy not far from Padova. Italy vs France, round four of the Women's Six Nations. France came in as Lineal World Champions. Italy beat them 17-12.
Italy were Lineal World Champions of women's rugby. It had never happened before. It has never happened since.
They backed it up the following week, beating Wales 23-5 in Padova to make it two matches as champions. For a fortnight in March 2015, the Utrecht Shield sat in Italian hands. In the entire 43 years of the title's history, that remains the only time.
In the entire 43 years of the Utrecht Shield's history, Italy have held it once. A fortnight in March 2015. Seventeen points to twelve against France. That was their moment.
The 2016 Six Nations came around, France travelled to Bourg-en-Bresse and won 39-0. The shield was gone.
You get your moment. You take it or you don't. Italy took theirs.
What does this mean going into England vs Italy?
England's current run stands at 17 matches, the joint second longest in the shield's history. Italy have never taken the shield off England across nine previous meetings. England beat Italy 38-5 in round one of this year's Six Nations as part of the current run.
On paper, nothing about this fixture threatens England. Nobody in Badia Polesine in March 2015 expected Italy to beat France that afternoon either. Every single time the Utrecht Shield is on the line, a thread of history is being written. Sometimes the result nobody expected is the one that gets written down.
Italy have tasted it once. They know what it feels like. Somewhere in that squad, someone has been thinking about it.
The Utrecht Shield has been contested 215 times since that first match in Utrecht in 1982. If Italy's moment got you, you can own a piece of the physical shield, cut from the same tree and same slab, with a certificate tracing the full lineage back to the very beginning. And if you want to be part of it permanently, your name can be engraved on the back of the shield itself.
The Origin Story of the Raeburn Shield
Every good rugby story begins with a conversation.
Sometimes it happens in a clubhouse after a match. Sometimes it happens in a pub while a replay rolls across the television. And sometimes it happens online, where rugby fans gather to debate the game they love.
The story of the Raeburn Shield began in exactly that way.
A handful of rugby supporters talking about results, statistics and the strange details that live inside rugby history.
Then someone raised an idea that sounded both simple and intriguing.
What if international rugby had a winner stays on world title?
A Question Raised on Rugby Rebels
The discussion took place on an online forum called Rugby Rebels, on the Southern Hemisphere board.
Like many rugby forums it was full of passionate debate. Fans arguing about teams, results and the endless details that make the sport so compelling.
One particular thread was called “statistics of the day.”
It was exactly what it sounded like. A place where rugby supporters shared unusual records and curious facts pulled from the game’s long history.
At some point during those conversations someone asked a simple question.
Could you track a winner stays on title through international rugby results?
The more people thought about it, the more intriguing the idea became.
Discovering the Chain of Champions
To test the concept the discussion returned to the beginning.
In 1871 Scotland hosted England at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh in the first international rugby match.
Scotland won.
Under the logic of a winner stays on title that result makes Scotland the first champion.
The next time Scotland lost an international match the title would pass to the team that beat them. That happened in 1872 when England defeated Scotland.
From there the chain continued.
Each result added another link.
As the data was traced across the decades the title travelled through the Home Nations and eventually across the wider rugby world as the international game expanded.
What had started as a simple forum question suddenly looked like a continuous championship stretching back to the very birth of international rugby.
Naming the Shield
Once the idea had taken shape it needed a name.
The location of the first match provided the perfect answer.
Raeburn Place in Edinburgh had hosted the game that began international rugby in 1871.
Naming the title after that ground felt entirely fitting.
The Raeburn Shield.
A name rooted directly in the history of the sport.
The Fan Who Carried the Idea Forward
The idea first emerged during rugby discussions online in 2008. Dave Algie was part of that conversation and went on to found the Raeburn and Utrecht Shields, turning the idea into a long running mission to celebrate rugby’s history.
Many online discussions fade away after a few days.
This one did not.
Dave kept following the data. He continued tracking the results and documenting the chain of champions that emerged.
Slowly the project grew.
What began as a statistical curiosity became a way of telling rugby’s history through a different lens.
A lens that revealed the drama already hidden inside the results.
A Story Hidden in the Results
One of the reasons the Raeburn Shield resonates with rugby fans is that the concept feels familiar.
The idea of defending a title against challengers is already part of rugby culture.
Domestic challenge trophies have long created moments of drama and pride because every match becomes a defence of something tangible.
The Raeburn Shield simply applies that same spirit to international rugby.
As Dave has often explained
“We’ve all played winner stays on, right? You beat somebody, you take the prize off them.”
That simple principle creates a powerful dynamic.
Every time the champion takes the field there is a challenger trying to take the title away.
From Forum Idea to Global Rugby Story
What began as a discussion between a few rugby fans quickly turned into something much bigger.
As more supporters discovered the concept they began following the title as it travelled through international rugby.
Fans debated the greatest reigns.
Fans celebrated unexpected champions.
Fans started asking the same question before big matches.
Could the shield change hands today?
The story of the Raeburn Shield was no longer just about statistics.
It had become a narrative connecting generations of rugby history.
The Beginning of a Mission
For Dave Algie the shield became more than an interesting historical exercise.
It became a mission.
A mission to celebrate rugby’s history through a winner stays on championship.
A mission to help fans see familiar matches in a new light.
And a mission to ensure that the story of the lineal champions continues to grow.
Because every international match has the potential to add another chapter.
The Story Continues
Right now the Raeburn Shield is still travelling.
One result at a time.
One champion after another.
And the next chapter could arrive in the very next international match.
But understanding where the shield came from only answers part of the story.
The next question rugby fans usually ask is the practical one.
How does the shield actually work?
Click here to find out
The Secret Championship Running Through 150 Years of International Rugby
The idea behind the Raeburn and Utrecht Shields sounds almost too simple.
Winner stays on.
But once rugby fans hear about the shields, the same questions tend to appear very quickly.
When is the shield actually on the line?
What happens during a Rugby World Cup?
Can smaller nations really win it?
The answers reveal why the concept works so well.
The Core Rule
At the heart of the shields is a single rule.
The team holding the shield must defend it every time they play an international match.
If they win, they remain the champion.
If they lose, the team that beat them becomes the new holder.
Nothing else changes.
No additional fixtures are required.
No tournament structure is needed.
The story simply follows the results that already exist in international rugby.
As Dave Algie often explains, the idea comes from something every rugby fan already understands.
“We’ve all played winner stays on. You beat somebody and you take the prize off them.”
Apply that logic to international rugby and the lineal title naturally travels from team to team.
When Is the Shield on the Line?
The answer is straightforward.
Whenever the current holder plays an international match, the shield is at stake.
That could mean a Six Nations match in February.
A summer tour test in July.
An Autumn Nations Series match in November.
Wherever the champion plays, the title travels with them.
Sometimes that means the shield moves frequently across a season as teams trade victories.
Other times it can stay with a dominant side for years.
Those long reigns become part of the legend of the shields.
Winning the title is one thing.
Keeping it is something else entirely.
Which Teams Can Challenge?
The shields are only contested in full international matches between national teams.
That means invitational or composite sides do not take part in the lineal chain.
The British and Irish Lions cannot win it.
The Barbarians cannot win it.
Club sides cannot win it.
The title only moves between national teams representing their country.
Dave Algie often describes the rule in a way that rugby fans immediately understand.
If a team could qualify for a Rugby World Cup, then they can qualify to challenge for the shield.
That simple idea keeps the story focused on international rugby while still leaving the door open for surprises.
And history shows those surprises can happen.
What Happens During a Rugby World Cup?
World Cups can create some of the most fascinating journeys for the shields.
Because every match involving the current champion becomes a title defence, the shield can change hands multiple times during a single tournament.
Imagine a scenario where the champion loses a pool match.
The title suddenly moves to another team in the group.
If that new holder then loses a quarter final, the shield travels again.
By the time the tournament reaches the final, the title might have passed through several nations.
Sometimes the holder reaches the final and the shield sits on the biggest stage in the sport.
When that happens something special occurs.
The winner lifts the Rugby World Cup and the lineal title at the same time.
A moment of undisputed supremacy in international rugby.
Can Smaller Teams Really Win It?
This is where the shields become particularly fun.
Because the title changes hands through individual matches, any team capable of beating the champion can become the new holder.
That means the lineal champions are not always the same traditional rugby powers.
One of the most famous examples came in 1984.
Scotland arrived in Bucharest as Five Nations champions and holders of the Raeburn Shield.
Romania beat them.
In that moment Romania became the lineal world champions of international rugby.
A result that still surprises many fans today.
But it happened.
The shield simply reveals it.
What About Test Series?
Series between two nations create another interesting wrinkle.
Each match in a series is treated individually.
If the champion wins the first test, they keep the shield.
If they lose the second test, the title moves to their opponent.
That means the shield can change hands even if a team eventually wins the series overall.
A perfect example came when Ireland toured South Africa.
The Springboks won the first test and retained the Raeburn Shield.
Ireland then won the second match.
The series finished level, but the lineal title travelled back to Dublin.
One match.
One new champion.
A Story Hidden in the Results
The remarkable thing about the shields is that none of these rules required new competitions or official recognition.
The matches already happened.
The results were already written into rugby history.
The shields simply connect those results into a continuous story of challenge and defence.
The results that define the lineal titles have always existed in international rugby. The shields connect them into a winner stays on story running through the game’s history.
Every time the champion takes the field, the same question hangs in the air.
Will they keep the shield?
Or will a new champion be crowned today?
The Story Is Always Moving
Right now somewhere in international rugby the shield holder is preparing for their next defence.
One match could extend a historic run.
One upset could create the next unexpected champion.
That is the magic of a lineal title.
The story never pauses.
It simply moves forward with every international result.
And some of the greatest chapters in that story have come from matches that rugby fans will never forget.
What Are Rugby’s Lineal World Titles?
Every rugby fan knows the feeling when a match begins to turn.
The clock is running down. The crowd is louder with every phase. One team is trying desperately to hold on while the other senses an opportunity.
Something is about to change.
Now imagine if every international match carried an extra layer of meaning in those moments. Not another competition added to the calendar. Not another trophy introduced by administrators.
Something much simpler.
A title that can only be taken by beating the team that currently holds it.
That is the story behind rugby’s lineal world titles, represented today by the Raeburn Shield in the men’s game and the Utrecht Shield in the women’s game.
The principle behind them is beautifully simple.
Winner stays on.
Beat the champion and the title becomes yours. Lose the next match and the title moves on again.
It is an idea every rugby fan instinctively understands. It is the same logic that drives playground games, training ground challenges and countless contests between friends.
As Dave Algie, the founder of the shields, often explains it
“We’ve all played winner stays on, right? You beat somebody, you take the prize off them. International rugby would be a hell of a lot of fun if we had a winner stays on prize.”
Once that idea is applied to international rugby results, something remarkable appears.
A hidden championship running through the entire history of the game.
A Champion Hidden in Rugby History
The remarkable thing about the shields is that they do not invent anything new.
The matches already happened. The scores already exist in rugby’s historical record. Every victory and defeat was already written into the story of the sport.
The shields simply connect those results into a continuous chain.
The results that define the lineal titles have always existed in international rugby. The shields connect those results into a continuous winner stays on story running through the history of the game.
Follow the chain of results and a clear pattern emerges.
A champion rises.
A challenger arrives.
The title changes hands.
Then the story begins again.
Where the Story Begins
To find the beginning of the Raeburn Shield you have to go back to the very first international rugby match.
In 1871 Scotland hosted England at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. It was the first time two nations had met on a rugby field to settle the question of who was stronger.
Scotland won that match.
Under the logic of a lineal title that victory makes Scotland the first champion in international rugby history.
When Scotland next lost an international match the title would pass to the team that beat them. That moment arrived in 1872 when England defeated Scotland.
The championship moved across the border and the story continued.
From that point forward the lineal title can be traced through every era of international rugby.
Sometimes it moves quickly between rivals. Sometimes a dominant team holds it for years and builds an extraordinary run of defences.
But the rule never changes.
Beat the champion and the title becomes yours.
The Women’s Story Begins in Utrecht
Women’s international rugby has its own starting point.
In 1982 the Netherlands hosted France in the first recognised women’s international rugby match in the city of Utrecht.
France won that match.
Under the same winner stays on logic that result makes France the first holders of the women’s lineal title, now known as the Utrecht Shield.
From that moment onward the title followed the same path as the men’s championship.
Every time the champion lost an international match the title moved to the team that defeated them.
Different players. Different generations. The same continuous chain of champions.
The Fan Who Carried the Idea Forward
The concept of tracking rugby’s lineal champions first appeared in an online conversation between rugby fans.
The idea first emerged during rugby discussions online in 2008. Dave Algie was part of that conversation and went on to found the Raeburn and Utrecht Shields, turning the idea into a long running mission to celebrate rugby’s history.
At first the idea was simply a statistical curiosity. Could the results actually be traced all the way back to the first international match. Would the chain of champions hold together.
When the data began to take shape something surprising became clear.
The story was full of remarkable moments.
Historic upsets suddenly took on new meaning. Unexpected nations appeared as world champions. Famous victories became the moments when the title passed from one rugby country to another.
Dave realised there was a powerful narrative hidden in the results.
“I can track through the data who held each of those lineal world titles and follow it all the way to today,” he has explained. “Once you start looking at it you realise how much fun it would be if people followed that story.”
What began as an online discussion slowly became a mission.
A fan driven effort to bring this hidden narrative of rugby history into the light.
Why the Shields Add Drama to Every Match
International rugby already delivers extraordinary moments.
World Cup finals.
Six Nations title deciders.
Touring victories that echo for decades.
But the Raeburn and Utrecht Shields add something different.
They bring meaning to the matches between those famous tournaments.
A summer tour match suddenly becomes a title defence. A mid season international becomes an opportunity to become world champion.
Every match involving the current holder becomes part of the story.
Dave often describes the tension that this creates.
“You might not be the best team in the world but you have the opportunity to take that title. And the team who holds it has the chance to say no, you’re not taking it off us.”
That simple dynamic between challenger and champion lies at the heart of rugby culture.
It is the same reason challenge trophies have always captured the imagination of supporters.
The shields bring that spirit to the international stage.
A Story That Belongs to Rugby Fans
The Raeburn and Utrecht Shields are not official trophies created by a governing body.
They are something different.
They are a fan driven mission to celebrate rugby’s history.
Dave founded the shields and carried the idea forward, but the story has grown because rugby supporters have embraced it.
Fans track the title defences. Fans debate the greatest holders. Fans follow where the championship might travel next.
What began as one fan’s project has become something larger.
A shared story about the history of international rugby.
And the chain of champions continues every time a match is played.
The Story Is Still Being Written
Right now somewhere in the world the current champion is preparing for their next defence.
One match could change everything.
A famous victory could extend a dynasty. An unexpected upset could crown a new champion.
That is the magic of a winner stays on title.
The shields already exist in the results of rugby history.
The story is still being written.
And if the idea of following a hidden championship through every international match sounds like a brilliant way to experience rugby, the next question is obvious.
**Match Report: All Blacks Topple Ireland 23-13 to Claim Raeburn Shield in Dublin**
In a gritty 23-13 victory, the All Blacks overcame Ireland at the Aviva Stadium, ending Ireland’s 19-game unbeaten home streak and bringing the Raeburn Shield—a prestigious lineal title that passes only by direct victory—back to New Zealand.
In a gritty 23-13 victory, the All Blacks overcame Ireland at the Aviva Stadium, ending Ireland’s 19-game unbeaten home streak and bringing the Raeburn Shield—a prestigious lineal title that passes only by direct victory—back to New Zealand. This high-stakes win saw New Zealand use their precision and discipline to outlast the Irish, who fought hard but struggled with penalties. The Shield now continues its journey in the hands of the All Blacks as they head to face France next.
### Key Moments of the Match
The match started with a charged atmosphere as Ireland met New Zealand’s haka with intensity, with Andrew Porter even charging down a kick in the opening minutes. Yet, the game took a slower, tactical pace, and both sides struggled to find clear attacking opportunities in the first half.
New Zealand’s Damian McKenzie proved invaluable, kicking three penalties to give the All Blacks a slim 9-6 lead at the half. Ireland nearly gained the upper hand when Jordie Barrett was yellow-carded just before the break for a high tackle on Garry Ringrose, and Ireland capitalised on the advantage early in the second half when Josh van der Flier crossed the line to put Ireland ahead 13-9.
However, New Zealand’s experience and patience paid off as Ireland’s discipline issues led to penalty after penalty in range for McKenzie, who expertly added nine more points to put New Zealand ahead 18-13.
In the closing stages, the All Blacks delivered the final blow when Will Jordan dived over the line for a try, securing the win and extending their dominance in this fierce rivalry.
### Raeburn Shield: Tradition and Extra Tension
Though not officially recognised, the Raeburn Shield adds an extra layer of excitement for fans and players alike. This lineal title passes only when the current holder is defeated, creating high stakes in every game and offering all nations a chance to compete for it.
The Shield’s impact on the game is felt in these key ways:
- 🔗 **Lineal World Title:** Only passed by direct victory, the Shield turns every game into a title defence, raising the stakes and intensity on the field.
- 📜 **Rugby Legacy Across Borders:** The Raeburn Shield’s journey connects players and fans across nations, adding pride to each win and honour to each defence.
- 🏆 **Inspiring Fan Engagement:** Thousands of fans engaged with the Shield online throughout the weekend, showing how much this lineal title resonates with the global rugby community.
- 🌍 **An Open Challenge for Every Nation:** Any team has a chance to hold the Shield, creating rare opportunities that make each defence meaningful. With their next test against France, the All Blacks face their first title defence—and there’s no guarantee it will stay in New Zealand.
### What’s Next?
With Ireland now regrouping to face Argentina, the All Blacks turn their attention to France. The upcoming match will mark New Zealand’s first defence of the Raeburn Shield since reclaiming it in Dublin, and with every match, the legacy of this lineal title grows.
**#RaeburnShield #AllBlacks #IrelandRugby #FranceRugby #RugbyTradition #LinealTitle**
The Raeburn Shield Cumulative Winners 1871 to 15/09/2023
Press play (bottom left) to see how cumulative wins have totalled for all nations since 1871
The Telegraph shares our story to spread joy in international rugby
Go and read the great article by Charlie Morgan on how the Raeburn Shield and Utrecht Shield can enhance World Rugby,