MAGNFICENT MILESTONES A POSITIVE OMEN FOR TRILLO METALS MEN’S CANTERBURY BULLS
The Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls head to Pukekohe for the NZRL National Men’s Premiership final against Counties Manukau Stingrays as distinct outsiders – but a sequence of significant milestones can provide extra inspiration this Sunday.
This year marks a century since Canterbury’s maiden victory over Auckland, a 6-5 result at Monica Park. Fifty years ago, the red-and-blacks carved out their first-ever win over heavyweights from the north at Carlaw Park. Meanwhile, 2025 is the 25th anniversary of the fledgling Canterbury Bulls’ 38-24 defeat of Ōtāhuhu Leopards in the inaugural Bartercard Cup final, again at Carlaw Park.
Linwood Keas legend Wally Wilson, who was awarded Canterbury Rugby League life membership earlier this year, captained Canterbury’s famous 15-14 triumph in the 1975 Rothmans Cup national tournament final.
“We became a team under Gary Clarke’s coaching and good management,” 1981 Kiwi Wilson recalls.
“We had a very good team, but we were a team that could have been easily overlooked because there were no real huge names in it.”
WALLY WILSON’S LIFETIME IN RUGBY LEAGUE RECOGNISED WITH CRL HONOUR
The 1975 Canterbury team had overcome Waikato, Wellington and West Coast to earn their midweek opportunity against Auckland under the Carlaw Park lights.
Auckland led 6-2 at halftime after tries to 1974 New Zealand Test forward Wayne Robertson (who earlier won a premiership with Hornby and represented Canterbury) and Dave Kerr.
But halfback Wilson, fellow future Kiwi Lewis Hudson and veteran three-quarter Mocky Brereton – who had recently played the last of his 24 consecutive Tests for New Zealand – scored tries to put Canterbury in front.
Kerr scored a second try for Auckland, while the visitors had to nervously watch Bill Sorenson Jr’s conversion attempt of Neville White’s late try swing wide before they could celebrate a historic one-point victory.
Former Test halfback Clarke (who, like Wilson, is a celebrated long-term servant of the game, serving as CRL president in the past decade) was hailed as the mastermind of the win, blending a youthful team with hardened former internationals like Brereton and Graeme Cooksley into national champions.
Tyro forward Mark Broadhurst and Alan Rushton would also later represent New Zealand.
Canterbury had pushed Wales in a fiery 25-18 loss at Addington Show Grounds earlier in a memorable 1975 campaign.
“It was a special year – and it still is a special year for a handful of footballers that have got those memories,” says Wilson, who was elevated to the captaincy in just his third season at provincial level.
“The whole year, the whole season was a learning curve for a lot of us. We had Mocky Brereton in the side and I can tell you, for me being the captain – Mocky was up for his 50th game and I asked him to lead the team out.
“He said, ‘Wally, you’re the captain and I’m following you’. So you got out and think, ‘I’m going to play my heart out’.
“Those guys, we’re friends forever.”
Wilson would go on to skipper Canterbury in 30 of his 40 appearances, but the province’s next wins over Auckland would not arrive until the halcyon early-1990s era under Frank Endacott’s coaching.
The symmetry of a Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls victory this weekend – after landmark victories 100, 50 and 25 years ago – is a tantalising prospect…particularly for the likes of Wilson and the survivors of ’75.
Pictured: Wally Wilson (centre) with the 1975 Rothmans Cup, flanked by Mocky Brereton (left) and Lewis Hudson (right).
