The great rivalry - Canterbury v Auckland

Here's the abbreviated history:

1906: Auckland 29 Canterbury 6 The first shield match played by the famous Goldfields fullback Jack Dufty (pictured with hat), a remarkable kicker whose scoring records remained unbroken for more than 20 years despite his playing only four shield matches. In this game he converted four of Auckland's five tries, kicked a penalty and landed a goal from a mark inside his own half to total 14 points.

1910: Auckland 6 Canterbury 4 Canterbury's first-half dropped goal stood up until two minutes from time, when Auckland scored their second try. Auckland dominated the second spell, crossing the line on two or three occasions before the final try, only for the referee (an Aucklander, by the way) to recall play for some infringement.

1932: Canterbury 14 Auckland 0 Played during Canterbury's second spell as holder. Auckland were not particularly strong and their southern tour had been little short of a disaster: this match saw the lowest score against Auckland in the South Island.

1935: Auckland 13 Canterbury 16 Canterbury ended the shield's brief stay in Auckland - the only time it was there between 1913 and 1952 - in a match with six lead changes. Ron Bush had a difficult penalty shot in the last minute that would have saved the shield, but his kick was wide. It was to be the last shield match in the North Island until 1950.

1955: Canterbury 12 Auckland 6 An exciting match, if not spectacular. Auckland led 6-3 at halftime but were kept scoreless in the second spell as the home side piled on the pressure.

1960: Auckland 19 Canterbury 18 One of the greatest shield matches, played before a record crowd for a midweek provincial match in New Zealand. Auckland jumped out to an early 8-point lead before Canterbury kicker Buddy Henderson began chipping away at it. He eventually scored all his team's 18 points and with time up, Auckland trailed 14-18. The shield was being moved to the presentation area for the handover when Colin Currie won a tighthead from test hooker Dennis Young and Mac Herewini put in a cross-kick which bounced straight into Waka Nathan's arms. The flanker ran 15m and scored behind the posts, giving Mike Cormack an easy kick to save the shield.

1962: Auckland 15 Canterbury 6 Auckland were at the height of the power that would carry them to a then-record number of defences. The sides were captained by the Graham brothers- Bob at Auckland (right) and John at Canterbury.

1966: Auckland 11 Canterbury 11 Not a particularly exciting match but notable for Alex Wyllie kicking one of Canterbury's two penalty goals.

1971: Canterbury 16 Auckland 20 Three long-range penalties landed by Bryan Williams proved the heartbreaker for Canterbury. Alan Watkins scored Auckland's only try after charging down Doug Bruce's attempted clearance near the line.

1972: Auckland 6 Canterbury 12 Auckland had won the shield back from North Auckland 10 days earlier and this remains their shortest run as holder and the second-shortest by any team.

1983: Canterbury 31 Auckland 9 An outstanding performance by Canterbury but a dreadfully inept one by Auckland saw the holders give the Queen City side one of their biggest hidings in shield rugby. Canterbury scored five tries to none.

1985: Canterbury 23 Auckland 28 One of the classic shield matches. Canterbury stood to equal Auckland's record run of 25 defences, which had endured since 1963. Auckland jumped out to a 24-0 lead at halftime before the home side came storming back to get within a whisker of saving the shield. The crowd (52,000) remains the largest in Ranfurly Shield history. This win started Auckland's record-breaking 61-match run.

1986: Auckland 28 Canterbury 15 This match was seen as a chance for payback by Canterbury, but Auckland always had matters in hand. Grant Fox, with 16 points, kept the scoreboard ticking over and the home side in charge.

1988: Auckland 31 Canterbury 10 Auckland controlled it from the outset, scoring three tries to one. Fox figured once again with 17 points.

1990: Auckland 33 Canterbury 30 The infamous no-scrums game. After John Buchan had been sent off in the first five minutes, Canterbury sent on Phil Cropper, a former hooker who had played on the side of the scrum for the previous two or three years. It was decided that free kicks would replace scrums. Canterbury scored two tries to one, but Fox (29 points) kept Auckland in front.

1992: Auckland 47 Canterbury 38 Canterbury posted the then-record score by a challenger but were never likely to win, as Auckland scored five tries to four and led most of the way.

1995: Canterbury 0 Auckland 35 Auckland recorded the highest score and biggest margin by any successful challenger. The margin still stands but Taranaki were to beat the score a year later. Canterbury was only the seventh holder to get blanked.

2001: Canterbury 38 Auckland 10 Canterbury got rolling early and simply piled on the agony. A fortnight later, in the NPC semifinal, they repeated the dose by winning 53-25, setting a new scoring record against Auckland by any team.

2003: Canterbury 31 Auckland 40 Auckland needed to win the shield to claim an NPC playoff spot and, by playing a superb brand of attacking rugby, achieved both goals. They scored six tries, the most by a successful challenger. Auckland won the NPC title while Canterbury finished a dismal seventh.