Current holder: Australia
Australia won the shield from New Zealand, 14–0, on 27 October 2024, and have defended it 8 times since. The most recent defence was 124–6 against Wales on 1 November 2026. The next defence is against Fiji on 8 November 2026.
See the full match log (59 matches) and reign history (12 reigns).
Records by nation
Nation Reigns Defences Best reign (defences) Days held Shield matches New Zealand 6 23 16 6,079 44 Australia 6 24 13 5,373 47
Ordered by total days as holder, counted to 7 November 2026. Longest reigns
Holder Reign Defences Days New Zealand 29 Oct 1999 – 29 Sep 2009 16 3,623 Australia 5 May 2017 – 28 Oct 2023 13 2,367 Australia 27 Oct 2024 – present 8 741 New Zealand 1 Jul 1995 – 27 Sep 1999 7 1,549 Australia 29 Sep 2009 – 11 Jul 2013 3 1,381
Ranked by number of successful defences. Challengers yet to win it
Nation Shield matches (all lost) Great Britain 6 England 5 Samoa 5 Cook Islands 3 Canada 2 France 2 Papua New Guinea 1 Tokelau 1 Tonga 1 Wales 1
