The Australian Rugby Shield is a National XV-a-side tournament for Senior Men and Women participating in States and areas of Australia, including Australian Capital Territory (ACT), New South Wales Country (NSWC), Northern Territory (NT), Queensland Country (QLDC), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC), and Western Australia (WA), competing in a group style format with finals to determine the champions.

It was launched in 2000 by Rugby Australia. The competition was intended to unearth new talent outside of the existing rugby strongholds of Sydney and Brisbane. The competition was suspended after the 2008 season, but has since been revived.

Rugby Australia (RA) has announced the location and dates of the 2023 and 2024 Australian Rugby Shield (ARS) competition. The 2023 and 2024 ARS tournament will be played at Ballymore, Brisbane, QLD. The 2023 ARS competition dates are Thursday 27 September to Monday 2 October.

This year, 'The Axemen' will challenge the following participating teams:

• Australian Capital Territory and Southern New South Wales (ACT & SNSW) Griffins
• New South Wales Country (NSWC) Cockatoos
• Northern Territory (NT) Mosquitoes
• Perth (PER) Gold
• Queensland Country (QLDC) Heelers
• South Australia (SA) Black Falcons
• Tasmania (TAS) Jack Jumpers