CRL Rd 3 Preview: GF rematch headlines Saturday’s schedule
The third round of the CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership features a trip to the West Coast for Hornby Panthers, a clash between two impressive Round 2 winners at Halswell Domain and a grand final rematch at Crosbie Park.
The Panthers and Greymouth Greyhounds are both striving to open their Massetti Cup account for 2026.
After a first-up 44-4 loss at Riccarton, Hornby faded late in a 46-24 home defeat to Halswell – a match that was very much in the balance midway through the second half.
Similarly, the Greyhounds held the Hornets to a 10-all scoreline at halftime in Round 1 before being overrun 38-20. The Kurt Dixon-coached side had the bye last weekend.
Greymouth is searching for a maiden CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership victory over Hornby. Last season, the Panthers earned a 22-18 victory over the Greyhounds at Leslie Park and carved out a 32-12 win at Wingham Park for the postponed fixture played on Matariki.
The Hornets are aiming to maintain their unbeaten 2026 record when they host Eastern Eagles.
Following a 26-24 Round 1 loss as Papanui Tigers pulled off a fairytale result, the Eagles bounced back with an impressive 30-16 win over the Knights at Wainoni Park.
The Halswell-Eastern ledger was square in 2025. The Hornets prevailed 24-16 at Wainoni Park, while the last-placed Eagles produced one of their best wins of the year at Halswell Domain to win 12-10.
The Knights will have a bit of grand final revenge in mind when they welcome Linwood Keas to Crosbie Park.
The Keas carried off the Pat Smith Trophy via a 30-6 win over the Knights in the decider at Ngā Puna Wai. Sitting out Round 1 with the bye, the Keas opened their title defence with an authoritative 50-6 win over the Tigers at Linwood Park last Saturday.
Riccarton last rolled Linwood early in the 2024 season.
All three CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership matches kick off at 2.45pm on Saturday, preceded by the corresponding CRL Premier Reserves fixtures at 1pm.
Adversaries in the past two Canterbury Cup grand final encounters, the clash between the Hornets and 2024-25 champs the Eagles should harbour a bit of extra feeling.
The CRL Division One Round 3 schedule is headlined by a showdown between undefeated teams Linwood Keas and Northern Bulldogs at Linwood Park.
Halswell Hornets and Eastern Eagles make it a trio of matches between the clubs at Halswell Domain, while Shirley Hawks welcome Ashburton Barbarians to Macfarlane Park with both sides searching for their first win.
All three CRL Division One matches kick off at 1pm.
