Although the Intrust Shute Shield doesn’t have a salary cap, it does have a ‘points cap’ which limits the number of representative players each team can field in a particular match.

With the finals around the corner, here’s a quick summary.

All players points ratings are determined at the start of the year. A first grade team may not exceed 100 points in a particular match and a second grade side cannot exceed 60 points. 1st grade colts teams are limited to 40 points while 2nd grade colts sides must be below 35 points.

A number of discounts are available for players, which are explained below.

Category A – 20 points

– A player who has played a 15-a-side Test match for a tier one nation

Category B – 16 points

– A player who has at least five Super Rugby or Heineken Cup caps

– A player for has played a 15-a-side Test match for a tier two nation

Category C – 10 points

– A player who holds a current Super Rugby contract

– A player who has at least 50 Shute Shield 1st grade caps

– An Australian U20’s representative in 2014 or 2015

– A player who has at least five ITM Cup or Curry Cup caps (or overseas equivalent i.e Aviva Premiership) in 2014 and 2015

Category D – 6 points

– A player who has a current Australian 7’s contract

– An Australian Schoolboys representative in 2014 or 2015

– A player who has between 35-49 1st grade Shute Shield caps

Category E – 4 points

– A player who is not an Australian citizen and was not a resident in Australia in both 2014 and 2015

– A player who competed at the Division 1 Australian Schools Championships in 2015

Category F – 2 points

– All other players

Discounts

Family

– Up to 5 points for new players to a club (in their first year only) if they are a sibling of a player in 2015 or a son of a past player

Local

– One point per year discount for players who have previously played with the club or previously played with a local junior club (U10’s – Opens)

Long Service (Category A,B,C,D only)

– 50% discount for eight years or more service with one club

Experience (Category A,B,C only)

– One point per year discount for each year a player has not been playing international or Super Rugby.

Finals Eligibility

To be eligible to play finals, a player must of played four regular season matches. If a player has been on representative duties, he is eligible to play if he has played two regular season matches, or if he has been registered at the club for the past two seasons.

A player is not eligible to play in a finals fixture in any grade lower than the grade in which he has played the majority of his last seven matches in the regular season.

Players playing at an Australian Super Rugby franchise that dictates the player must play in the local competition may lodge an eligibility appeal.