The Wyndham Rugby Club capped off its 125th year in style, after its division one men’s team defeated Edendale to win the Ack Soper Shield for a third straight year. The tight contest between the two teams finished with a score of 28-25, leading to Wyndham not only winning their third consecutive title but also a second undefeated year. Wyndham RFC president Dean Rabbidge said it was a back-and-forth match which more than lived up to the clubs’ historic rivalry and put a cap on a very special season. “There would have been a couple of thousand people there supporting the team, watching the game. It was country rugby at its absolute best, really. “There’s no love lost at all [between Wyndham and Edendale]. The final probably lifted everyone up and those games are always ferocious, without it being a final on the line as well. “There’ll be some sore bodies out there today, that’s for sure,” he said. Mr Rabbidge said there were plenty of big milestones for the team this season, as Kirk Given and Andy Hill passed 250 games capped, alongside others passing 150. Wyndham has played in every division one final since 2014 aside from 2020, and competed against Edendale in five of those finals. In more bittersweet news for the team as well, coaches Jimmy Sinclair and Keiran Anderson are standing down, happy to go out on top. Mr Rabbidge said the Wyndham community was intensely supportive encouraging the team from the very start of the preseason all the way to last weekend and the glory. “The boys can take credit for the final and winning the game, and the community and supporters take a lot of pride out of it as well,” Mr Rabbidge said. “The club wouldn’t be nearly as strong or effortless to run without [the community support], it’s really cool,” he said. In Invercargill on Saturday, the Pioneer women’s team lost 27-22 to Star in the 2026 Go Bus Southland Wide Premier Women’s final.
