NEW ERA GLAZING CANTERBURY BULLS PRIMED FOR 2022 CHARGE

The dust has barely settled on an extraordinary CRL Grand Final Day, but the province’s elite players are already gearing up for the New Era Glazing Canterbury Bulls’ 2022 NZRL Men’s Premiership campaign. A 25-strong squad brimming with quality experience and exciting youth – including 15 players who featured in Sunday’s epic Linwood-Hornby decider –…

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KEAS SNATCH TITLE FROM PANTHERS IN STUNNING GF FINISH

Linwood Keas regained Canterbury Rugby League supremacy on Sunday with an epic 34-30 victory over defending champs Hornby Panthers, with Penitito Ilalio etching his name into grand final folklore courtesy of a phenomenal 50-metre solo match-winner in the dying seconds. The Keas reeled in a 12-point halftime deficit to lead 24-18, but the Panthers appeared…

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KEAS RUN DOWN SWANS TO TAKE OUT WOMEN’S GRAND FINAL

Linwood Keas clinched their first CRL Women’s Premiership since 2018 with a 22-20 over two-time defending champs Sydenham Swans in a grand final thriller at Nga Puna Wai. Trailing by 10 points with 14 minutes remaining, the Keas scored the last three tries of the decider to snatch the title. Swans forward Janaya Mata crashed…

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KEAS OUT TO THWART SWANS’ PREMIERSHIP THREE-PEAT

Sydenham Swans are gearing up for a historic three-peat in the CRL Women’s Premiership grand final on Sunday – but table-topping Linwood Keas represent a serious roadblock to the feat in what is shaping as an epic climax to the 2022 season. The Swans carved out emphatic grand final wins over Woolston Rams in the…

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UNBEATEN KEAS LAST HURDLE IN RESURGENT PANTHERS’ BACK-TO-BACK BID

Hornby Panthers’ premiership defence has been far from smooth, forced to walk the tightrope for several weeks just to keep their bid for back-to-back Canterbury Rugby League titles alive. But after finding form at the right team of the year with a new-look and rapidly improving line-up, the club finds itself facing Linwood Keas in…

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PAT SMITH’S ENDURING LEGACY

Most people know the Pat Smith Trophy is the greatest prize in Canterbury Rugby League, but how much do you know about the man it is named after? Ahead of Sunday’s CRL premiers grand final, we revisit an article by The Press’ Tony Smith about New Zealand Kiwis and Canterbury legend Pat Smith. First published…

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CRL 2022 – FINALS WEEK 2

Sitting outside the top four a week out from the playoffs, defending CRL champs Hornby Panthers have surged into their sixth Pat Smith Trophy grand final against archrivals Linwood Keas in seven years. The Panthers carved out a gritty 16-6 Bartercard Men’s Premiership preliminary final defeat of Halswell Hornets on Saturday to keep their bid…

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