Saturday marks the start of the second half of the 2018 regular season and its looks as though we’re in for a seriously good few months of Shute Shield rugby.

At present, nine teams look to be a genuine chance of playing their way into the top six by the end of the regular season, but they’ll need to find their best in a handful of crucial matches.

Round 10 – Warringah v Sydney University

The defending premiers host the competition leaders at Rat Park on Saturday in a match that’s tough to get a read on. Warringah have looked brilliant at times but struggled at others, while the Students have been consistently good all season.

Sydney Uni will be without their Waratahs on Saturday but still boast plenty of size up front. The set piece battle will be intriguing and if either side gets on top, they will be hard to stop.

Round 11 – Eastern Suburbs v Eastwood

Easts play five top six teams on the run following a 21 day spell thanks to a bye and the mid year break. They could name as many as six Waratahs players in their side on the final weekend of the June Test window and they may need them.

Heading into such a difficult string of matches, the Beasties can’t afford to drop this match at home.

Round 12 – Eastwood v Northern Suburbs & Manly v Sydney University

Round 12 sees four genuine premiership contenders face off against one another on a bumper afternoon of Shute Shield footy.

The Woodies and Norths will head west to Cowra and play in front of one of the best country rugby clubhouses you’ll see, while the Students head to Manly Oval to tackle a Marlins outfit that looks more star studded every week.

Round 13 – Warringah v Manly

Derbies rarely disappoint and this one will be no different. It’d be worth watching Warringah play Manly for a meat tray, but with a spot in the top three on the line, it’s certainly a match not to miss.

Round 14 – Eastern Suburbs v Southern Districts 

Souths fought back and beat Easts in round six to claim just their second win of the season and the Rebels have looked like a much better side ever since.

By round 14, Souths are expected to have halfback Dewet Roos, flyhalf Rohan Saifoloi and centre Apo Latunipulu back on deck. If their big forward pack can get going, they will be very tough to beat. 

Round 15 – Manly v West Harbour

After a sluggish start to the year, the pieces appear to be coming together for Manly heading into the pointy end of the season.

They’ll host a West Harbour side who could be anything by round 15. Todd Louden has said all season that he wants his side to improve week by week and if the Pirates can do that, they’ll pose a serious threat in August.

Round 18 – Manly v Eastwood & Southern Districts v Warringah

It’d take a brave punter to try and predict where things will be heading into round 18 but there is fair chance both of these matches will have serious finals implications.

Manly and Eastwood are both starting to look more like the sides that belted one another in the 2015 grand final while Souths and the Rats are nothing less than brilliant when at their best.

Finals footy will likely start a week early for these four.