| 2016 Varsity Shield | |
|---|---|
| Countries | South Africa |
| Date | 1 February 2016 — 18 April 2016 |
| Champions | Wits (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | UWC |
| Promoted | Wits |
| Relegated | None |
| Matches played | 21 |
| Tries scored | 165 (average 7.9 per match) |
| Top point scorer | Tristan Tedder (114) |
| Top try scorer | Thobekani Buthelezi (9) |
The 2016 Varsity Shield was contested from 1 February to 18 April 2016. The tournament (also known as the FNB Varsity Shield presented by Steinhoff International for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the Varsity Shield, an annual second-tier inter-university rugby union competition featuring five South African universities.
Following a disruption during the Varsity Cup Round Three match between UFS Shimlas and NMMU Madibaz[1][2] and general unrest on various university campuses, all fixtures scheduled for 29 February were postponed to 4 April,[3] with the semi-finals and final also postponed by a week. On 1 March, it was also announced that the round of matches scheduled for 7 March would also be postponed, with the situation at various universities being monitored to determine when the competition will resume.[4] After a meeting by the executive management of Varsity Rugby on 9 March, it was decided that all remaining matches in the competition would be played at neutral venues and that matches should resume on 14 March.[5]
The tournament was won by Wits for the second time; they beat UWC 39–2 in the final played on 18 April 2016. Wits was also promoted to the top-tier Varsity Cup competition for 2017.