By MARK CASHMAN

We’re not far from the start of the 2021 Shute Shield season and the phone has been ringing hot with all the news and views from the greatest club competition in Australia. Here’s what we are hearing:

Big wraps out there from all concerned about the official launch of the Shute Shield this week and the welcoming on board of Charter Hall as new naming rights sponsor.

Club footy is run largely by volunteers and that means they need to work and with the comp a little over a week away the “get in and get it done” nature of the launch was much appreciated.

Stan Sport’s MORGAN TURINUI hosted the shindig, spoke to some players, SRU president PHIL PARSONS and Charter Hall boss DAVID HARRISON and then called full-time.

It’s a critical time for the Shute Shield and the new configuration of three grade and two colts teams requirement will test some clubs.

Throw in 19 rounds of competition and it’s essential that the pulse of the clubs in the west is monitored very closely once the grind of the middle of the season becomes a week to week reality.

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Lots of opinion out there about the moving on of Waratahs coach ROB PENNEY last weekend and whether he was the right man for the job.

Rugby News spoke to a major rugby powerbroker from the time that the Waratahs were the hottest ticket in town and he said that there were only two people who could bring about the change needed.

“One is MICHAEL CHEIKA and the other is EWEN MCKENZIE,” the backroom guru who wished to remain anonymous said.

“‘Cheik’ can bring about change simply through the force of his personality and there would be lots of head butting in getting what needed to be done done in the initial stages.

“While ‘Link’ knows the business of rugby from top to bottom and to be honest would make a pretty good fist as a CEO.

“One brings the emotion while the other is all about the detail.

“To be honest I can’t see either of them taking on this one but the decision makers would be foolish not to get them in a room and try and map out some sort of way to happier times.”

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Stan Sport kicks off its coverage of the Shute Shield from Round One on Saturday April 10 and they will be using a fresh crop of commentators to bring the action to the great and the good of the rugby world.

Patrick Foulkes, Dan Parks and Richard Svenson are the callers more familiar to rugby followers and the cohort will bring 480 minutes of action to our screens each week.

The others joining the above trio include Robbie Feldmann, Ben Homer, Daniel Herrero, William Davies, Phil Prior and Jack Clifton.

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Good Friday is a day of quiet contemplation for many in the rugby world but if you head to Woollahra Oval you can get some insight into how a couple of the Shute Shield heavyweights are shaping.

Eastern Suburbs and Sydney Uni are having a final trial before the season gets underway with games running from 9am until 7.45pm when the women’s teams will have a hitout.

Most clubs are having the weekend off before launching into the season proper on April 10 but Easts under coach Pauli Taumoepeau and Uni under Rob Taylor are keen to explode out of the blocks.

I’m sure the two clubs first round opponents (Easts play Souths and Uni host the Wildfires) will be pouring over the video from the Friday trial in the holiday period.

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Anyone who played club footy in the 1970s and 1980s would know of, and more than likely shared part of the third half with, HUGH ‘FLASH’ GORDON.

So we were all shocked earlier this week when news filtered down from the mid-north coast of NSW that he had passed away.

The former Gordon hooker had lived near Hawks Nest for a number of years and part of his daily routine was to have a swim in the ocean, rain, hail or shine.

Gordon, who at different times had wrestled with the “black dog”, collapsed walking up the beach after his dip and could not be revived. He was 66.

He had dabbled in coaching at the highest level and had worked at the NSW Waratahs when BOB DWYER was in the chair and had also done some work with the Queensland Reds.

The great ALEC EVANS took ‘Flash’ with him when he coached at Cardiff in Wales.

Gordon, whose first part of his working life was as a pretty handy carpenter, took the opportunity to study for a sports science degree, and was renowned for his work in Wales as a player mentor.

He will be missed.

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Where Rugby News checked in with Penrith coach JOHN MUGGLETON last week as the Emus prepared for a trial against Southern Districts there wasn’t much good news.

With the big wet and floods numbers hadn’t been great at training and you could feel the frustration in his voice.

‘Muggo’ did indicate though that they were on the verge of putting a number of pieces in place to make them more competitive at Shute Shield level.

So it’s great that a few of those pieces of the jigsaw have come through with the announcement that Andy Fiagatusa will be skipper for the 2021 season.

Fiagatusa is a former Wests Tigers Under 20s player and has impressed in the pre-season.

The Emus have also announced that JACKSON CLARKE and CALLUM ADAMS will be on board for the journey.

Adams, who has been the Counties Manukau for the past two seasons, is a lock or backrower while Clarke is a prop who has been in the Taranki wider Mitre 10 Cup squad.

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Best April Fools prank in clubland goes to the Tuggeranong Vikings who announced on Thursday that they were joining the Shute Shield “effective immediately”.

The big news was announced on social media with a link that took you to the club’s website and the fact that it was April fools Day.

It got Rugby News big time!

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There always seems to be a steady flow of Kiwis heading across the Tasman to try their hand at cracking it big time in the Shute Shield.

But the question Rugby News keeps asking his circle of influence is why? Why when the quality of their Super Rugby franchises and national team is so high?

We have been told that the quality and depth of their club rugby is on the wane and the Shute Shield is seen as good, hard footy on a week to week basis, not say once every four or six weeks.

Makes sense!

IMAGE: KAREN WATSON / RUGBY AUSTRALIA