CRL Rd 13 Wrap: Knights clinch playoffs spot as massive final round looms
Riccarton Knights sealed a top-four finish and Greymouth Greyhounds took a big step towards a second straight finals appearance in the penultimate round of the CRL Whitehead Plumbing and Gas Men’s Premiership.
The Knights remain in outright third after grafting out an 18-6 victory over Halswell Hornets in a crunch match at Halswell Domain.
Riccarton led 12-0 at halftime after tries in quick succession to second-rower Joel Leka and winger Tristan Griffith.
The Hornets struck back midway through the second half through winger Roan Brown and it wasn’t until lock Jamieson Ilalio crossed with six minutes to go that the Knights wrapped up the win.
The Greyhounds moved to outright fourth via a comprehensive 46-6 defeat of Papanui Tigers in Greymouth.
Captain Jordan Campbell marked his 50th game for the club with an early try to kick-start the onslaught, which saw the hosts jump to a 20-0 halftime lead. Greyhounds centre Brett Rees had completed a hat-trick by the time the Tigers belatedly got on the Wingham Park scoreboard with Antonio Lemalu’s try 10 minutes from fulltime.
The Greyhounds face a must-win final-round assignment on the road against the Knights. The Hornets are two points in arrears but have a bye next week and a superior for-and-against, so a Greyhounds loss would be enough to catapult them into the finals.
Linwood Keas marked their retention of the Massetti Cup with a 50-22 win over Hornby Panthers at Leslie Park.
Keas fullback Xavier Talatonu scored the first two tries of the match, but the Panthers fought back to trail 22-12 at halftime. The unbeaten defending champs added another six tries after the break, with winger Julius Mumuta and interchange forward Domanyc Fidow-Kele also finishing with doubles.
Braedon Williams and Toby Gibson both grabbed two tries for the plucky Panthers, who racked up 20-plus points for the sixth consecutive game.
Their top-two positions already locked in, the Keas and Eastern Eagles meet in Round 14 at Linwood Park – essentially a dress rehearsal for the major semi at the same ground a week later.
There’s still plenty to play for in the last round of the CRL Sidekick Chartered Accountants Canterbury Cup Conference League after Saturday’s results left a couple of logjams on the ladder.
Second-placed Linwood Keas beat Hornby Panthers 52-4 and third-placed Halswell Hornets overwhelmed Riccarton Knights 74-12. The Keas and Eastern Eagles will essentially duel for top spot next weekend, while the Hornets – who have the final bye – will jump up to a second-place finish if the Keas lose.
The race for the last place in the playoffs is going down to the wire. The Panthers remain in outright fourth, one point ahead of Greymouth Greyhounds and Papanui Tigers. The Greyhounds powered to a 46-10 win over the Tigers in Round 13 to keep their finals hopes afloat.
Next weekend, the Greyhounds face the Knights – who have just one win on the board in 2026 – while the Tigers host the Panthers.
CRL WHITEHEAD PLUMBING AND GAS MEN’S PREMIERSHIP – ROUND 13 RESULTS
Riccarton Knights 18 (Joel Leka, Tristan Griffith, Jamieson Ilalio tries; Jimmy Wihongi 3 goals) defeated Halswell Hornets 6 (Roan Brown try; Tommy Moriarty goal) at Halswell Domain
Greymouth Greyhounds 46 (Brett Rees 3, Jordan Campbell, Peter Te Rakau, Franklin Barry, Jeremiah Lesoa, Mac Gibson, Matthew Molloy tries; Gibson 5 goals) defeated Papanui Tigers 6 (Antonio Lemalu try; Puke Vincent goal) at Wingham Park
Linwood Keas 50 (Xavier Talatonu 2, Julius Mumuta 2, Domanyc Fidow-Kele 2, Thomas Ruwhiu, Maoluma Sakaria, Chanel Feala, Thomas Irving tries; Ruwhiu 5 goals) defeated Hornby Panthers 22 (Toby Gibson 2, Braedon Williams 2 tries; Blake English 3 goals) at Leslie Park
CRL SIDEKICK CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS CANTERBURY CUP CONFERENCE LEAGUE – ROUND 13 RESULTS
Halswell Hornets 74 defeated Riccarton Knights 12 at Halswell Domain
Greymouth Greyhounds 46 defeated Papanui Tigers 10 at Wingham Park
Linwood Keas 52 defeated Hornby Panthers 4 at Leslie Park
