The ARU today announced the introduction of two new initiatives for this year's National Rugby Championships - The Horan-Little Shield and the Australian Barbarians. The Horan-Little Shield Named after Wallaby legends and great mates Tim Horan and Jason Little, the Horan-Little Shield will be played for during the nine-week regular season. 2014 Buildcorp NRC minor premiers, Melbourne Rising, will be in possession of the Horan-Little Shield for the start of the campaign having gone undefeated for the regular season last year. Melbourne Rising has confirmed the Horan-Little Shield will be put up for grabs in their opening clash when they take on Queensland Country at the Gold Coast this coming Sunday. How the Horan-Little Shield will work: Whoever holds the Horan-Little Shield is required to put it up for challenge at every home fixture. For away fixtures, holders of the Horan-Little Shield may choose to accept challenges but are not obligated to do so. In the event the holder win