CRL YOUTH WRAP & WEEKEND PREVIEW

YOUTH WRAP – JUNE 26 Linwood Keas have retained the Canterbury Rugby League 18s boys title after a thrilling 38-22 victory over a gallant Hornby Panthers outfit in Monday’s grand final at Ngā Puna Wai. The round-robin ledger was square between the archrivals heading into the decider – and it was the second-placed Panthers who…

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY: LOCKE’S MIRACLE FINISH IN CHRISTCHURCH

The on-fire New Zealand Warriors host South Sydney Rabbitohs at Go Media Mt Smart Stadium tonight – and fans are bracing for a cold, wet and windy night in Auckland. But conditions in the City of Sails are set to be relatively tropical in comparison to arguably the most iconic NRL match played in Christchurch.…

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CANTERBURY’S GREATEST TRIUMPH – 30 YEARS ON

This month marks 30 years since arguably Canterbury’s greatest-ever victory – the unforgettable thrashing of Auckland at the Addington Showgrounds in the 1993 provincial championship final. During the ’93 championship round-robin fixtures, Frank Endacott-coached Canterbury trounced Auckland 40-12 in Christchurch before going down 9-6 at Carlaw Park to set up another showdown in the final.…

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CRL 2023: ROUND 12 CLUB WRAP

Canterbury Rugby League’s inaugural Massetti Cup Magic Round at Ngā Puna Wai saw the premiership’s top three teams consolidate their positions on the table with three regular-season matches remaining. Linwood Keas dominated from start to finish, while Hornby Panthers and Halswell Hornets powered to convincing wins on the back of assertive second-half performances. The Keas…

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MASSETTI CUP RIVALS AIM TO WEAVE SOME MAGIC AT NGĀ PUNA WAI

Ngā Puna Wai, the home of Canterbury Rugby League since 2019, celebrates another milestone on Saturday in the form of the inaugural Massetti Cup Magic Round. All three CRL Men’s Premiership Round 12 matches will be staged at Ngā Puna Wai tomorrow afternoon in a massive festival of local footy: Northern Bulldogs and Linwood Keas…

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY: BULLDOGS OUTLAST KEAS FOR MAIDEN TITLE

It’s been a tough 2023 Massetti Cup campaign so far for Northern Bulldogs, but they’ll be up for the daunting battle against defending champs Linwood Keas at Ngā Puna Wai in Saturday’s Magic Round. Flashback Friday revisits the blue-and-whites’ historic 2007 premiership triumph, when these clubs met in the Pat Smith Trophy grand final. Kaiapoi…

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CRL YOUTH WRAP

YOUTH WRAP – JUNE 19-21 Linwood Keas and Hornby Panthers will square off in the 18s boys final after both clubs carved out convincing semi-final wins on Monday night at Ngā Puna Wai. The table-topping Keas defeated Halswell Hornets 44-10. The Panthers were equally impressive victors in a 44-22 defeat of Papanui Tigers, who won…

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RED AND BLACK REPORT 2023: EDITION NO.8

The Red and Black Report shines a spotlight on Canterbury Rugby League products featuring in Australia’s elite and lower-grade competitions. NRL The fledgling Dolphins have hit a rough spot in recent weeks, but Aranui product Jamayne Isaako’s form and pointscoring exploits have remained a high level as his career-best 2023 season continues. The winger was…

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CRL 2023: ROUND 11 CLUB WRAP

CRL Men’s Premiership co-leaders Linwood Keas and Hornby Panthers extended the gap at the top of the ladder with authoritative wins over top-four rivals on Saturday, while Riccarton Knights carved out an important victory in a wet Round 11 of the Massetti Cup. A first-half shutout at Linwood Park propelled the Keas to a 26-12…

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CRL REFEREE PROFILE: TOBY FOLEY

This time two years ago, Toby Foley was pulling on Marist Saints-Papanui’s No.9 jersey every Saturday as the club embarked on a memorable charge to the ISC Canterbury Cup title – but fast-forward to 2023 and you’ll see him with the whistle in the same grade, or running the touchlines in the Massetti Cup. Foley…

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