KNIGHTS EYE ONE LAST CONQUEST AFTER HISTORIC GRAND FINAL CHARGE
Several near misses, tough seasons and rebuilds later, Riccarton Knights return to the CRL Happy Hire Grand Final Day stage for the first time in 21 years.
The Knights face minor premiers Linwood Keas at Ngā Puna Wai on Sunday (3pm kick-off) after carving out a stunning 36-16 preliminary final victory over Halswell Hornets.
Keeping a lid on the euphoria of achieving a long-awaited Pat Smith Trophy Challenge grand final appearance is easier said than done, but the club is looking to utilise this wave of momentum to its advantage.
“They’re stoked, everyone’s on a bit of a high,” Knights coach Brent Ringdahl said.
“What I loved about Saturday [at Halswell Domain] was after the game and all the kids and the parents went out onto the paddock. That’s what the club’s about.”
CRL FINALS WEEK 2 CLUB WRAP: KNIGHTS SEAL FIRST GRAND FINAL BERTH SINCE 2004
Riccarton narrowly missed out on a second-place finish after going down 10-9 to Halswell in the final round.
But the Knights regrouped with a gritty 18-4 elimination final win over Greymouth Greyhounds at Crosbie Park, before ambushing the Hornets by storming to an 18-4 halftime lead and scoring the first three tries of the second stanza.
“[The scoreline was a surprise] but we had been building,” the veteran mentor explains.
“During the year we’d play two games, then it’d be a long weekend, it was rained off one weekend – we’re a team that needs to play football. We’ve made a few changes and we’ve had a lot of injuries … they’ve just grown as a team.”
The Knights last lifted the Pat Smith Trophy in 2004 with a 33-14 victory over the Keas – after having won their maiden title with a 54-14 triumph when the teams met in the grand final two years earlier.
Ringdahl coached both wins. Even more remarkably, current Knights front-rower Kyle Leka was a rookie forward in the latter. Leka will run out alongside son Joel on CRL Happy Hire Grand Final Day in a unique family achievement.
BACK TO THE FUTURE FOR KEAS AND KNIGHTS IN 2025 CRL GRAND FINAL
But with such a lengthy gap between grand final appearances, sentiment extends far beyond the nostalgia of those past successes. Stalwart hooker Justin Lynch will line up in his first decider after more than 200 games for the Knights, prop Caleb Reweti brought up a century of premier appearances for the club last year, and the likes of Sidney Tagicakibau are long-term club servants.
“You should have seen the look on [Lynch’s] face after the game,” Ringdahl says.
“That’s what this league’s all about. That’s why I’ve done it this year is, just to pass a bit of knowledge on. (Assistant coaches) Sean Spooner and Nepia Reweti, they’ve been amazing – I’m just overseeing them and they’ve been running a lot of it.
“I think they’ve learned a lot too. Even me this year, you’re still learning.”
Ringdahl also coached Papanui (1998) and Hornby (2006) to premierships, as well as guiding the Tigers (1997), Celebration Lions (2014) and Northern Bulldogs (2020) in losing grand final efforts.
He knows grand finals are won on big moments – and there’s no shortage of game-breaking spark in Riccarton’s ranks. Winger Matariri Halbert-Pere and five-eighth Jimmy Rangiawha both scored two tries in the preliminary final, while Rangiawha dotted down in both regular-season defeats to the Keas this season.
The coach emphasised the importance of every player stepping up and making their mark on the decider if the Knights are to roll an imposing Keas outfit, however.
“They’ve all had their moments, especially the last three weeks. I just feel as though we’ve got to put in a team effort. Everyone’s got to do their job. Otherwise, if they don’t, we can’t put Linwood under pressure.
“We’ve got to play our game – they’re going to play theirs.
“They’ve been the best team for years and years – without having clubrooms – you’ve got to take your hat off to them, it’s unbelievable what they’ve done.
“We’ve just go to put everything together, show patience and just play our game.
“It’s mainly just focus on what we’ve got, what we’ve done all year and all week building into it. Don’t rush things and just keep going.”
