BY MARK CASHMAN

GORDON V MANLY at Glen Willow Sports Stadium, Mudgee

All the early season talk has been about the merits of Warringah and Eastern Suburbs as Shute Shield title contenders.

But as we lean more heavily into the 2026 it’s becoming apparent that Gordon are emerging as something special.

They’re not perfect by any measure, but they do have some points in them and if they can get a bit more edge in their defence the Highlanders could be anything.

This was on show as they headed to Mudgee for a weekend of rugby, good wine, good food and showing off the merits of the Shute Shield to the regions.

The Highlanders won 47-33 running in seven tries by various methods, most of them quite spectacular.

The game was up for grabs in the first half but once the scoreline edged out to 28-12, the score at the break, the game was there’s.

Watching the replay on Stan Sport underlined the importance that Harry Snook has in the way that this team runs things on the field.

The wider shots showed him directing play through as series of breakdowns and then once he was ready to strike call resolutely for the ball to come his way.

Lachie Albert at scrum half was another to contribute throughout the afternoon with his sixth sense with Snook and crisp service critical.

All this cannot be done without the input of the big blokes with no necks and there were numerous contributors with Tom Horan and Dan Stovold in the middle of most things.

That said about the Highlanders, the Marlins held their hands up for most of the afternoon but the synergy and pace that Gordon brought to Mudgee was significant.

Billy Dickens had another good game while centres Ben Kafer and Simon Kennewell made some good plays and charges.

There was even a little touch of “home” at Glen Willow with the Chatswood Oval ground announcer, who some say can be annoying, on duty.

Ah the serenity!

WS TWO BLUES V SOUTHERN DISTRICTS at Holroyd Sports Ground

Earlier this season Director of Rugby Sailosi Tagicakibau spoke to Rugby News about the Two Blues getting the best version of skipper and No.10 Rodney Iona.

Fast forward to Round 6 of the Shute Shield competition and they had to go to that well to conjure up a bonus point 50-24 victory against a brave Southern Districts side on Saturday.

Early in this game Souths were very much the dominant party, competing well at the breakdown and making a mess of some of the Two Blues systems.

But all through this time Iona kept his patience, waiting for the right time to make his mark on this encounter.

It did come eventually – the Rebels led 17-7 at the break – and it saw the Two Blues run in seven tries in an effort that has them in the top six on 16 points heading into Round 7.

There’s lot to like about the way that the Two Blues went about things with line breaks eagerly supported, crisp line out work and playing the game at the right end of the field.

It was the very best of Pasifika rugby on show and demonstrated that they could be a deadly team come final time, but that topic of discussion may be putting a cart in front of t of the horse in the middle of May.

Souths had some good contributors and seem to be growing from week to week under coach Scott Fava.

Leading the way on the weekend were winger Drew Nicol with his two tries while Cam Mackenzie looks to me to be a centre who can cope further up the food chain.

Replacement hooker Lindsay Stevens worked hard when given a chance and is keeping the pressure on to get a starting spot.

EASTWOOD V NORTHERN SUBURBS at Harley St, Cowra

As Stan Sport’s eloquent commentator Toby Lawson said at the time it came from nowhere in Eastwood’s 27-17 win over Northern Suburbs but we all know that months, no years, goes into moments like this.

Angus Griffin, the son of Woodies coach Anthony, did one of those charge down attempts in the early moments of the second half that give no return nine times out of 10, but this time he struck gold.

Charge down, reset the bearings quickly and regather before diving over for a try that seemed to energise the Woods in this annual trek for these two teams to the banks of the Lachlan River.

The Woodies first came here to play cricket against the locals under the guidance of Neil Tyler, ‘Monster’ as many in the Shute Shield would know him as.

Cricket developed into a game of footy and Cowra is one of the more fancied road trips that Shute Shield teams embark on in season.

The hospitality is first rate and I’m told the lamb and gravy rolls post match are something to get your chops around.

Back to the Griffin and the charge down – it was a play that got the Woodies on the front foot after Norths had looked pretty good in the first 40 minutes.

Norths had led 17-12 at the break but the switch was flicked with Griffin’s heroics and from then on Eastwood dominated possession and field position to manage the game to the finish.

Flyhalf Brad Roderick-Evans was instrumental in that game management cape and he scored a handy try down the short side and then put the game beyond reach with a late penalty goal.

The win escorts the Woodies into the top four while Norths will need to win a few more on the trot to work their way through the log jam that is the middle of competition table.

Woods winger Lachlan Shelley was special in the first half with his two tries and work off the ball.

There’s nothing complicated about the way Eastwood play but they hang in there, compete for every ball reflecting the coaching pedigree of their gaffer.

WEST HARBOUR V WARRINGAH at Concord Oval

It’s hard to get a handle on this game on Saturday – was the take “Pirates Brave in Defeat” or was it “Rats come Home with a Wet Sail”.

As you can see I’ve written a few screaming headlines in my day but I just feel that the sensible centre from this one was somewhere in the middle of those two.

The Rats won 50-29 to maintain their spot at the top of the Shute Shield competition ladder with a bonus point victory but the home side came roaring out of the blocks scoring three tries and dominating much of the first 40 minutes.

Eamon McCoola, Matt Whelan and Drew Sellers had all got themselves on the scoresheet before the visitors had stopped worrying about where they had parked their cars.

The Rats did hit back with a rolling maul try to Zac Barnabas just before the break but either way it was going to be an uncomfortable 12 minutes with head coach Josh Holmes metering out some “feedback”.

Holmes’ mood wouldn’t have been made any brighter by the yellow card that Barnabas copped once the second half began but from there it was hard earned traffic that saw the Rats run and roll in seven tries.

One could say it was mission accomplished but the review session this week for the Rats is sure to see some home truths spoken.

Barnabas did have a day out with three tries and a yellow card and I’m sure if he fronted up for the boat race post match he would have stood out.

For Ben Rutherford he’d be happy with the way his side opened the game against the defending premiers but the search for an 80 minute effort continues.

RANDWICK V SYDNEY UNI at Coogee Oval

The Coogee Oval faithful would probably have preferred a bit more one way traffic in their 27-26 win over Sydney Uni but hey, as they say, you only live once.

This was the Galloping Greens second win on the trot in a game that produced more than its fair share of drama and entertainment, not unalike a series wrapping episode of The Real Housewives of Sydney.

It keeps Shaun Berne’s side alive in the race for a playoff spot but the winning play didn’t arrive until the 78th minute with a clinching penalty goal from replacement scrums half Tim Sippel.

Before that Uni had burst out of the blocks with a couple of tries to No.8 Teviuta Ahokovi and centre Eddie Poolman to lead 12-0 before the home side bothered the scoreboard attendant.

Emmet Burns and Tyler Mayberry on his Shute Shield debut scored to edge Randwick into the lead and they went further in front when James Henderson slotted a nice penalty goal and Kaleb Ah-Colt crossed.

That energised Uni and they got within a shout of the lead with a try to James Mangelsdorf and then edged in front with a try on the short side to Joey Fowler.

That set up the final dramatic few minutes with a penalty giving Sippel his time in the spotlight.

The Wicks are now only a point out of the top six on 15 points while Uni are not far behind on 14 but three losses on the trot is a real worry for coach John Manenti.

Continuity has been a real problem for Manenti’s side but it is what it is and they have to work their way through it quickly our their season could be shot.

EASTERN SUBURBS V HUNTER WILDFIRES at Woollahra Oval

While the Waratahs were picking apart the Fijian Drua in Suva, Eastern Suburbs were doing a similar job on the Hunter Wildfires on Saturday.

The Beasties put on close to their most dominant performance of their Shute Shield season so far with the 36-20 win that kept them at the sharp end of the competition table.

The performance involved some grounding stuff at the front end of the game, which I felt would be more keenly contested, and once things had settled some of that razzamatazz that Easts do so well on their home deck.

Many in the Shute Shield feel that playing on the artificial surface at Woollahra gives the Beasties a marked advantage, but I feel it is a challenge to the other teams to lift their game and learn how to play that quick ruck game that happens there.

The Beasties haven’t lost there since 2024 and the way things are looking it won’t be happening any time soon.

Their rolling maul from line out is a thing of beauty, it’s compact and well disciplined and produced the first try of the encounter after the Wildfires had got things underway with a penalty goal.

Archie Gavin, the favourite son as he is known, got a couple of tries from “that sexy thing” in the first 40 minutes and it wasn’t until the game was well and truly put to bed that the Wildfires added to their total with a try to Brendan Palmer.

There was a bit of grizzle late in the game but it was more about the frustration that the Wildfires must have felt after being out classed for much of the contest.

Referee Matt Kellahan handle things well but the many juniors that were at the grounds for Juniors Day certainly had some thing to aspire to.