Uncovering the oldest treasure in women’s rugby

2026-01-25 - 21:08

The oldest shield in international women’s rugby didn’t physically exist for 40 years. Stranger still, the club it’s named after has no official record that the competition’s inaugural match was ever played there. Introducing the Utrecht Shield – a concept created by David Algie, a Dunedin-born, London-based product marketing manager at LexisNexis, a leading provider of legal and regulatory intelligence. Algie would prefer to dedicate his efforts exclusively to rugby. A former tighthead prop for the Harbour Hawks, bartender, scuba diving instructor, landlord, and father of three, Algie envisioned two imaginary challenge trophies the current holders would defend in every test match they play, whether at home or away – similar to how a world boxing title works. Win the match to claim the shield; lose, and it passes to your opponent. The shields are named in honour of two historic encounters: the Raeburn Shield, named after Raeburn Place in Edinburgh, where Scotland and England played the first men’s international match in 1871; and the Utrecht Shield, which commemorates the first women’s international match in 1982, when the Netherlands faced France in Utrecht. “I was in an internet chat group with a few others discussing the All Blacks’ shocking exit from the 2007 Rugby World Cup against France,” Algie recalls. “The All Blacks were clearly the best team in the tournament, winning 42 out of 47 games from 2004 up to the match in Cardiff, yet they came away with nothing. “What if every result mattered? What if rugby had a central unifying trophy – one that followed the game itself, moving match by match across continents and competitions? It wouldn’t replace existing trophies; it would strengthen international rugby, ensuring that every result matters beyond rankings or tournament tables.” Armed with a keen eye for data, Algie and a group of internet friends went back through every result in male international rugby and constructed a retrospective list of holders for the Raeburn Shield. Unsurprisingly, during Richie McCaw’s time with the All Blacks from 2001 to 2015, the All Blacks won 85 of their 104 Raeburn Shield tests. England and South Africa were the next most successful sides during that period, with 34 and 31 wins respectively. England is the current holder of the Raeburn Shield, a physical version of which Algie hopes will be complete before England plays Australia at Twickenham in November. Black Fern star Carla Hohepa helped inspire the creation of the Utrecht Shield. Photo: Cameron Clement Tracking down women’s results proved more complicated, but Algie’s motivation increased tenfold after watching the Black Ferns beat England 13-10 in the 2010 Rugby World Cup final at the Twickenham Stoop. “It was easier to get tickets back then,” Algie laughs. “I’ve always been a big fan of the women’s game and wanted to connect its past to the present. In that final, I remember how dynamic Carla Hohepa was and how incredible Anna Richards was at 45. Some players are simply a cut above.” The Black Ferns first won the Utrecht Shield in 1997 and have enjoyed the following tenures with the trophy: 14 (1997-2001), 20 (2002-09), one (2010-11), six (2016-17), five (2017-18), four (2019-21), and five (2023). The current holders, world champions England, have won 107 Utrecht Shield matches. Utrecht is the fourth-largest city in the Netherlands, located in the centre of the country. It is home to the country’s largest university and the busiest bus and train station. The Utrechtse Rugby Club (URC) was founded in 1967. Stan van den Hoven, who played lock for Bay of Plenty, is a notable member of the club. The men’s senior team competes in the second division, as does the women’s team, which requested to drop a level after several years in the top grade. Joe Webb, a stalwart of the club and an architect, jokes: “We’re the club that produces good players for everyone else.” URC has extensive grounds, a vibrant junior community, and a clubhouse decorated with photos of past teams, as well as a vivid portrait of French rugby legend Sebastian Chabal. Interestingly, there is no record or photograph in the clubhouse of the first women’s rugby international, played between the Netherlands and France at the club on June 13, 1982. However, Algie notes there’s now a memorial bench at the ground, installed as part of the 2022 40th anniversary celebrations. Utrecht rugby legend Dees van den Berg with a Utrecht Shield plaque. Photo: Adam Julian An inquiry from a confused Kiwi (I interrupted a junior coaching seminar to ask about it) led to a phone call to Dees van den Berg, who braved pouring rain to cycle for half an hour to meet me. She holds a PhD in stress cardiovascular regulation and brain corticosteroid receptors. Van den Berg played from 1981 until 2020, covering every position from hooker to flanker to wing. She represented the Netherlands between 1982 and 1995, often serving as captain. In 1998, she helped organise the Rugby World Cup in Amsterdam and managed the national team. At URC, she’s held various roles, including coach, secretary, and chairperson. “Rugbyclub Wageningen was the initial driving force for women’s rugby in the Netherlands,” van den Berg explains. “They had many university students as players, inspiring others to follow suit. In 1982, the Netherlands Rugby Union celebrated its 50th anniversary and decided to mark the occasion with an international match against France. Although the match was supposed to be hosted in Hilversum, the Dutch union’s base, our Sportpark Strijland de Meern field was selected instead due to maintenance work. The actual field where the game was played is now covered by a highway. Nonetheless, it remains a proud moment in our club’s history.” For the record, France won the match 4-0, thanks to a second-half try scored by winger Isabelle Decamps. Interestingly, France’s team featured three pairs of sisters: Judith and Sylvia Benassayag, Véronique and Pascale Champeil, and Monique and Nicole Fraysse. Dutch rugby captain Lisa Groenedijk (left) and French player Viviane Berodier with the Utrecht Shield. Photo: supplied In 2022, a 40th-anniversary celebration of the match was held. As well as the original 18 Dutch and 6 French players in attendance, Dave Algie brought a physical representation of the Utrecht Shield. The city of Utrecht contributed 500 euros towards creating the shield, made from French oak by Kiwi rugby enthusiast and Scotsman Freddie Main, of Oak and Black in Edinburgh. The Utrecht Shield made its appearance at the Women’s Rugby World Cup matches in Brighton last September, with Algie getting his son to hand “I Love Women’s Rugby” stickers to security so they would let the Shield through. “For a while, I sought official recognition, but I’m not one for wearing blazers, so that doesn’t concern me as much anymore,” says Algie, who wants each shield to belong to the fans. “My vision is to see it shared with the crowd before a game, then taken into the dressing room by the holders, who bring it out onto the field. Just like the Ranfurly Shield, if it changes hands, there will be a ceremony involving the two captains afterwards. “It’s not meant to be a sanitised, corporate affair. I want it to inspire further discussion about international rugby. If it ever becomes a financial entity, there should also be a grassroots component to it.” Black Ferns are born in Amsterdam The first New Zealand women’s rugby team to win the Rugby World Cup was virtually unknown before they departed for Amsterdam in 1998. Today, players like Dame Farah Palmer, Louisa Wall, and Melodie Robinson are household names. New Zealand’s inaugural world champions crushed their opponents, slaying Germany (134-6), Scotland (76-0), Spain (46-3), England (44-11), and the USA (44-12) on their way to claiming one of their six world titles. They played a fast, dynamic, and innovative style of rugby, so much so that prominent rugby writer Stephen Jones, typically a strident critic of New Zealand, proclaimed their dominance would never end. Back home in New Zealand, there was a public outcry for the team to receive recognition by adopting a name like those of other leading New Zealand sports teams. Coach Darryl Suasua and the players, however, had no part in a gimmick; they were instead eager to create their own identity. “When we were at the World Cup in Amsterdam, there was a competition on the primetime Holmes show to name the team,” Suasua recalled. “We wanted to come up with something to present to the Rugby Union, so we had ownership of the name and culture we were trying to create. The idea of ‘Black Ferns’ was to combine the Silver Ferns of netball with the All Blacks. The mamaku is also the strongest female part of the fern, so everything tied together nicely.” What has happened to the NRCA Stadium, where Vanessa Coutts scored her legendary five tries in that World Cup final against the USA? It remains active, but within the expansive Sportpark de Eendracht complex. Only two of the 27 fields are dedicated to rugby. One of those fields is owned by Rugby Netherlands, and the other is leased to Amsterdamse Atletiek Club. This club has won 11 national senior titles and has hosted the annual Amsterdam Sevens since 1972; it’s also had a women’s senior team since 1984. The complex is dominated by football and hockey, with cricket, tennis and handball catered for. It also includes gyms, office buildings, swimming facilities, basketball and volleyball courts, and a nearby school. Adam Julian and Utrecht St Martin’s Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in 1254. Photo: supplied Interestingly, Piet Wierenga, the architect behind the original stadium, has strong ties to the Castricum rugby club, which is home to the first Dutch-born All Black, Fabian Holland. Wierenga has held several positions throughout the club. Seven of his sons and grandsons have played for Castricum, including Bart Wierenga Jr, part of the 2018 Bay of Plenty team that won the national U19 Jock Hobbs Memorial title. Notably, All Blacks Emoni Narawa and Leroy Carter were also members of that team. Meanwhile, the Black Ferns’ first Rugby World Cup trophy resided in the Dunedin student flat of centre and tournament leading points scorer Annaleah Rush for over three months. It served as a decorative piece above a non-functioning fireplace and was even used for drinking games. When the trophy was dented, Rush returned it to captain Farah Palmer, who then had to explain what had happened to the New Zealand Rugby Union. “What did I say? We accidentally dropped it, and that’s the truth,” Palmer laughs. “I didn’t mention any names. The original cup was purchased from a discount trophy store. It wasn’t very sturdy, and the base kept coming off. It fell off its plastic base twice when I received the trophy during the presentation ceremony on the field after the final match.” In 2014, Palmer was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. In 2016, she became the first female elected to the New Zealand Rugby Board, 124 years after the union was founded. In the same year, the women’s National Provincial Championship was renamed the Farah Palmer Cup.