CANTERBURY RUGBY LEAGUE 2025: A YEAR OF GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENT
As 2025 draws to a close, we’re reflecting on an action-packed year in which the Canterbury Rugby League community has gone from strength to strength.
Flourishing playing numbers, achievements from our juniors in Australian competitions through to international level, valuable partnerships established, thrilling senior club competitions and the historic and overwhelmingly successful staging of the National Youth Tournament at Ngā Puna Wai…it’s certainly been one to remember.
Let’s revisit the big moments from the year that was:
CRL Secondary Schools Nines highlight rangatahi rugby league growth
Canterbury Rugby League’s 2025 Ngā Puna Wai schedule kicked off in March courtesy of the CRL Secondary Schools Nines tournament – featuring 17 teams across three grades, playing in 36 matches in total, with 250 rangatahi showing their skills.
Rolleston College took out the Girls’ title, defeating Avonside Girls’ High School 10-8 in a tough final, while St Thomas’ of Canterbury College outlasted previously undefeated Christchurch Boys’ High School in the Senior Boys’ final. St Thomas’ two entries faced off in the final of Junior Boys’ grade.
“The really cool thing is we are introducing the game of rugby league to new players – people that might play already had the opportunity to bring their friends along and represent their school,” CRL Director of Football Jamie Lester enthused.
“Having new players playing the game was a big part of the day. If 20 percent of the players today were new to the game, it means we’ve introduced rugby league to 50 rangatahi.”
CRL SECONDARY SCHOOLS NINES TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHT RANGATAHI RUGBY LEAGUE GROWTH
Sport Canterbury report reveals rugby league as 2024’s top growth sport
Sport Canterbury’s annual Sport Report uncovered an outstanding result for rugby league in the region, revealing our game as the biggest growth sport in Canterbury in 2024.
Canterbury Rugby League’s clubs’ memberships increased by 631 participants last year – a rise of 21.5 percent.
Rugby league topped the Sport Report’s growth figures, ahead of swimming (+206, 20%), dragon boating (+84, 19%), canoe racing (+77, 12.8%) and football (+1,031, 6.7%).
SPORT CANTERBURY REPORT REVEALS RUGBY LEAGUE AS 2024’S TOP GROWTH SPORT
Canterbury products shine in NSWRL and QRL junior comps
Canterbury juniors flooded the NSWRL’s Harold Matthews Cup (under-17s), SG Ball (under-19s), Jersey Flegg (under-21s) and Tarsha Gale Cup (women’s under-19s), and the QRL’s Mal Meninga Cup (under 18s) competitions again in 2025, with several featuring in high-stakes matches at the pointy end of the season.
Powerhouse Hornby forward Bishop Neal replicated fellow St Thomas’ player Lennox Tuiloma’s 2024 feat of winning player of the match in a Warriors Harold Matthews Cup grand final win, earning best-on-ground honours in the Warriors’ 30-16 defeat of Newcastle. Neal scored two tries in the decider to cap a sensational season in the grade.
Aoraki product and Hornby player Dougal Grant partnered Neal in the second-row, while Sydenham’s Kenny Lafituanai came off the bench.
Another Hornby product, Jackson Stewart, celebrated in Sydney Roosters’ 33-26 SG Ball Cup grand final triumph over Parramatta Eels.
A thrilling decider went to extra-time after fullback Stewart had a hand in a score-levelling try on fulltime, before the Roosters clinched the title with a field goal and a converted try. He went on to make his Jersey Flegg debut in 2025.
Hornby Panthers’ Manisha Seebeck featured on the wing as Sydney Roosters’ outstanding Tarsha Gale Cup campaign ended with a 28-16 loss to Parramatta Eels.
Seebeck was in magnificent tryscoring touch throughout the Roosters’ season, topping the competition with 10 touchdowns.
Greymouth centre Antonio Verhoeven, who turned out for Eastern Eagles 18s and St Bede’s in 2024, starred in Burleigh Bears’ capture of the Mal Meninga Cup title.
Later in the season, Riccarton Knights product K-Ci Newton-Whare helped Melbourne Storm to a 38-16 win over Penrith Panthers in the Jersey Flegg Cup grand final.
Our weekly Red and Black Report charted the progress of Canterbury’s products in Australia’s senior and junior competitions throughout 2025.
Wally Wilson and Rochelle MacPherson awarded CRL life membership
Two of Canterbury Rugby League’s most dedicated and respected servants were awarded life membership at the 2025 CRL AGM in May.
Linwood and Canterbury legend, former New Zealand Test player and tireless coach, administrator and volunteer Wally Wilson, and long-serving CRL Executive Assistant and Office Manager Rochelle Macpherson – who has been an integral part of the organisation since 1992 – were bestowed with Canterbury Rugby League’s highest honour.
WALLY WILSON’S LIFETIME IN RUGBY LEAGUE RECOGNISED WITH CRL HONOUR
ROCHELLE MACPHERSON’S LIFE MEMBERSHIP A TRIBUTE TO CRL’S BACKBONE
CRL forge partnerships with Business Canterbury and BCITO
Canterbury Rugby League announced key partnerships during 2025 with Business Canterbury and BCITO
Canterbury Rugby League’s partnership with Business Canterbury, initially forged in 2024, represents a step forward that promises to provide significant value for our stakeholders, sponsors and the wider rugby league community for years to come.
Business Canterbury (formerly The Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce) is a member-based organisation with the purpose of enabling and supporting a thriving business community across Canterbury. It offers members easy-to-access business services, including business growth and strategy support and mentoring, and HR and employment law advice and support.
BUSINESS CANTERBURY AND CANTERBURY RUGBY LEAGUE FORGE NEW TERRITORY
BCITO Sports is an innovative programme helping athletes build a career in the trades.
BCITO (Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation) is New Zealand’s leading building and construction apprenticeship provider, focusing on training apprentices and helping them build successful careers, as well as working with employers, educators and industry stakeholders, and offering grants and scholarships.
BCITO Sports delivers a customised programme for athletes at all levels, enabling them to build a long-term career in the trades, and providing support for clubs and employers.
CANTERBURY RUGBY LEAGUE TEAMS UP WITH BCITO SPORTS IN EXCITING NEW PARTNERSHIP
Huge Youth Pathways 2025 Youth Grand Final Day at Ngā Puna Wai
Five champions were crowned after a massive Youth Pathways 2025 Youth Grand Final Day at Ngā Puna Wai in June.
The action at the home of Canterbury Rugby League got underway with the 14s Girls grand final, which saw Linwood Keas edge out Eastern Eagles 18-16 after the eastside teams were locked 8-all at halftime.
Linwood Keas also took out the 14 Boys decider via a 20-0 shutout of Hornby Panthers, having led 14-0 at the break.
In the third grand final of the day, Hornby Panthers outlasted Sydenham Swans 22-16 to clinch 15s boys title. The Panthers were 12-4 in front at halftime.
Linwood Keas collected their third trophy of the afternoon when their 16s Girls team defeated Hornby Panthers 32-16 after a free-flowing second half. The Keas led only 8-4 at halftime.
The Youth Pathways 2025 Youth Grand Final Day concluded with the 16s Boys final, with Riccarton Knights overwhelming Linwood Keas 30-14 on the back of a dominant 22-0 first-half display.
FIVE CHAMPIONS CROWNED ON YOUTH PATHWAYS 2025 YOUTH GRAND FINAL DAY AT NGĀ PUNA WAI
Canterbury Rugby League subsequently announced a partnership with Youth Pathways, designed to help young players from our region navigate the myriad challenges of advancing their careers through to the elite levels away from home.
Youth Pathways is an NGO based in Canterbury that has been supporting youth and their whānau for almost a decade. They have a diverse team of 20 staff and provide multiple services across Canterbury, from mentoring to intensive wrap-around supports for rangatahi aged 10-21 years.
YOUTH PATHWAYS PARTNERSHIP SET TO SHOW THE WAY FOR CANTERBURY RUGBY LEAGUE RANGATAHI
Among other highlights in the partnership and sponsorship space, BIM Seismic Services came on-board to support Canterbury Rugby League’s referees, while Ōtautahi Interior Liners generously provided mouthguards for every player in CRL’s six-year-old grade.
Greyhounds grab historic finals berth in absorbing CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership
In their second season in the CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership, Greymouth Greyhounds qualified for the finals series – at the expense of defending champs Hornby Panthers in a thrilling conclusion to an incredibly even 2025 Massetti Cup.
The Greyhounds did their part in the final regular season round by overwhelming bottom-placed Eastern Eagles 40-24 at Wainoni Park.
Greymouth still required Hornby to lose to Linwood by a margin of 15 points or more to jump into fourth place – and the table-topping Keas obliged with a 34-12 result at Linwood Park.
The Keas took out the Massetti Cup with 10 wins from 12 games, finishing six points clear of the second-placed Halswell Hornets with Riccarton Knights another point back in third.
CRL ROUND 13 CLUB WRAP: GREYHOUNDS PIP PANTHERS FOR HISTORIC FINALS SPOT
Knights surge into grand final, Keas reclaim Pat Smith Trophy
Riccarton Knights returned to the CRL Happy Hire Grand Final Day for the first time since 2004, eliminating finals debutants Greymouth Greyhounds 18-4 at Crosbie Park before overwhelming 2024 runners-up Halswell Hornets 36-16 on the road in the preliminary final.
But top-seeded Linwood Keas, who cruised into the Ngā Puna Wai decider with a 30-4 major semi win over the Hornets, proved too strong in the Pat Smith Trophy Challenge grand final – prevailing 30-6 against the Knights.
With Andrew Auimatagi returning as coach, the Keas clinched their eighth title in 10 years. Veteran playmaker Daniel Hartley scored two of the Keas’ five tries among a 16-point haul, while lock Malyche Tafili received the prestigious Mel Cooke Trophy as player of the grand final.
Eastern Eagles earned back-to-back CRL ISC Sports Canterbury Cup titles with a 20-16 win over Halswell Hornets, while the returning Celebration Lions capped a dominant CRL Division One campaign with a 40-6 romp against the Eagles to kick off a magnificent CRL Happy Hire Grand Final Day at Ngā Puna Wai.
KEAS RETURN TO CRL PREMIERSHIP PEAK WITH RESOUNDING GRAND FINAL RESULT
Swans go back-to-back in CRL Bartercard Women’s Premiership
Sydenham Swans defended their CRL Bartercard Women’s Premiership by holding off table-topping Linwood Keas 24-22 in an epic, seesawing grand final at Ngā Puna Wai.
Two-try performances from key spine duo Kyla Lynch-Brown, who claimed player of the match honours in the decider for the second straight year, and Charntay Poko underpinned the Swans’ triumph.
Unforgettable week at Ngā Puna Wai for National Youth Tournament
The NZRL National Youth Tournament at Ngā Puna Wai – the first event of this description held in our city since the 1990s – was a spectacular success, with the best young talent from around Aotearoa producing a week of wonderful rugby league while enjoying Canterbury Rugby League’s peerless facilities.
The tournament also saw Canterbury 16s and 18s Girls teams fielded for the first time since 2008, following Canterbury Rugby League’s return to standalone district status last year, while all Canterbury youth rep teams were known as the Bulls.
Capping a momentous occasion for the region, the Canterbury Bulls 18s Boys powered to a stirring 30-18 victory over Akarana Falcons in the final, scoring three late tries to carry off the national title.
The Canterbury Bulls 16s Boys were also superb and rounded out their campaign with a 30-16 victory over Auckland Vulcans in the third-place playoff.
The Canterbury Bulls 18s Girls also landed third, shutting out Wellington Orcas in their playoff, and the Canterbury Bulls 16s Girls wrapped up their foray with a 18-all draw against South Island Scorpions in the seventh-place playoff.
Trillo Metals Men’s and Women’s Canterbury Bulls produce stellar campaigns
Trillo Metals extended their support of Canterbury Rugby League’s senior representative teams by coming on-board as major sponsors of both the Men’s and Women’s Canterbury Bulls teams.
Both teams made enormous progress in 2025.
The Trillo Metals Women’s Canterbury Bulls chalked up three wins against Auckland Vulcans, Waikato and Wellington Orcas to claim a richly deserved third-place finish in the NZRL National Women’s Premiership. Coached by Joseph Purcell-Mika, they also produced spirited displays in losses to finalists Counties Manukau Stingray and Akarana Falcons.
The Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls outfit went undefeated through the southern section of the NZRL National Men’s Premiership, solidifying the combinations and culture built during during Walt Wilson’s initial 2024 campaign in charge.
Led by young captain Etalani Pouli, the Bulls were overwhelmed 46-0 by Counties Manukau Stingrays in the national final – but the result could not detract from a season of significant achievement.
Stowers-Smith cracks regular NRL spot
Halswell Hornets product Tanner Stowers-Smith created history as the first Cantabrian to emerge through the Warriors’ junior grades to play for the club at NRL level.
The 21-year-old, who is the great-grandson of former New Zealand Test captain and Canterbury legend Pat Smith, debuted in the Warriors’ Round 11 clash against the Dolphins and finished the year with 13 appearances in the top flight – including the club’s gallant qualifying final loss to Penrith.
Stowers-Smith and Papanui and St Thomas’ product Jason Salalilo were part of the Warriors’ historic NSW Cup grand final and State Championship triumphs. Promising Linwood hooker Makaia Tafua played 16 games for the NSW Cup team and was unlucky to miss out on a stacked squad for the twin deciders.
Meanwhile, Dolphins winger and Aranui product Jamayne Isaako led the NRL in 2025 with a career-high 278 points – the 12th-highest individual tally in premiership history.
Riki tastes NRL premiership glory
Hornby junior and 2024 Kiwis debutant Jordan Riki featured in Brisbane Broncos’ epic 26-22 grand final victory over Melbourne Storm, playing the full 80 minutes and reeling off a team-high 47 tackles.
Riki joined Brent Todd, Quentin Pongia, Jason Williams, Tonie Carroll and Jeremy Smith as the only players to be born in Canterbury, come through Canterbury’s junior ranks or represent Canterbury at senior level to win an Australian premiership.
International honours for Canterbury juniors
Several Canterbury products featured during the post-season international window, including a number of debutants.
Aranui Eagles product Jamayne Isaako kicked 16 goals across New Zealand’s three victories as the Kiwis took out the Pacific Championships.
Burnham Chevaliers junior Jazz Tevaga lined up in all three matches of Toa Samoa’s impressive campaign. Another Chevaliers junior, Sydney Roosters forward Siua Wong, was one of a disappointing Tonga outfit’s better performers in the Pacific Championships.
After being named in the Kiwi Ferns’ wider squad, ex-Sydenham Swans backline gun Martha Mataele featured in Tonga’s Pacific Bowl campaign. She starred in the 42-6 win over Papua New Guinea, scoring three tries, laying on another and making four line-breaks and 210 metres.
Former Sydenham outside back Isabella Waterman played a prominent role as Fiji took out the IRL Women’s Rugby League World Series in Canada, booking the island nation’s berth in the 2026 Rugby League World Cup.
Swans and Trillo Metals Women’s Canterbury Bulls hooker Caitlin Sears played in both of Canada’s matches at the tournament.
The year’s best and brightest recognised at CRL awards
The Hornby Club once again hosted the Canterbury Rugby League prizegiving, celebrating the highest achievers and hardest workers of 2025.
Riccarton’s Jimmy Wihongi carried off the Canterbury Rugby League Sportsperson of the Year award, while the Knights won the Club of the Year gong.
The Trillo Metals Women’s Canterbury Bulls Sportswoman of the Year was Cassie Siataga and Jamieson Ilalio earned the corresponding Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls award.
WIHONGI’S SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR NOD A LESSON IN LEADERSHIP AND HUMILITY
Papanui Tigers’ premier return confirmed
The CRL Board endorsed Papanui Tigers’ return to our premier men’s grade in December.
As per Canterbury Rugby League’s by-law requirements, Papanui will enter teams in the 2026 CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership and CRL ISC Sports Canterbury Cup Premier Reserves competitions.
Papanui Tigers last featured in CRL’s top tier in 2022. The club has since partnered with Greymouth Greyhounds (2024) and Riccarton Knights (2025) as their Canterbury Cup affiliate, with Tigers players lining up at premier level for the Greyhounds and Knights during those seasons.
PAPANUI TIGERS’ RETURN TO MEN’S PREMIER STATUS IN 2026 CONFIRMED
