CRL News
FLASHBACK FRIDAY: BROWN SENDS WARRIORS INTO GRAND FINAL
As the finals series in CRL’s 2023 senior competitions get underway this weekend, Flashback Friday relives arguably the greatest finals moment in the Australian premiership involving a Canterbury product. Lewis Brown, a grand final winner with Riccarton Knights and a Canterbury Bulls rep as a teenager, played 198 NRL games for the Warriors, Penrith and…
Read MoreCRL FINALS FEVER GRIPS GREYMOUTH
Wingham Park in Greymouth is steeped in rugby league history, hosting many memorable club grand finals, myriad Thacker Shield encounters and West Coast-Canterbury representative fixtures, the province’s matches against France, Australia and Great Britain, and a Test between New Zealand and the 1954 Lions tourists. High-profile footy at the hallowed venue has been comparatively scarce…
Read MoreCRL YOUTH WRAP & WEEKEND PREVIEW
YOUTH WRAP – JULY 31-AUGUST 2 The weather and ground conditions forced the cancellation of last week’s CRL Youth Night Competitions, and although the 16s boys were back in action at Ngā Puna Wai on Monday, the weather intervened again on Wednesday. Linwood Keas stayed undefeated atop the 16s table with a 32-6 victory over…
Read MoreCRL REFEREE PROFILE: NELLA NGAHURU
Nella Ngahuru’s tenure as a player in the CRL Women’s Premiership spans more than 16 years – but she’s simultaneously in the formative stages of blazing a trail in the Canterbury Rugby League refereeing ranks. First pulling on the boots for Addington Magpies, Ngahuru represented Canterbury from 2007-09, moved to Wellington and played for that…
Read MoreRED AND BLACK REPORT 2023: EDITION NO.11
The Red and Black Report shines a spotlight on Canterbury Rugby League products featuring in Australia’s elite and lower-grade competitions. NRL Dolphins winger Jamayne Isaako continues to head the NRL’s pointscoring charts with 183 points from 16 tries and 59 goals. Isaako takes off! 🚀#NRLBulldogsDolphins pic.twitter.com/uc27YuuHN2 — NRL (@NRL) July 30, 2023 The Aranui junior…
Read MoreHAPPY HIRE TEAM UP WITH CRL FOR GRAND FINAL DAY
The climax of the local rugby league season will be proudly known as Happy Hire CRL Grand Final Day following a naming rights sponsorship agreement between Canterbury Rugby League and the marquee and event equipment rental company. Happy Hire started operating in Christchurch more than a decade ago and now has branches in Dunedin, Wellington…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: CANTABRIANS IN THE CHALLENGE CUP FINAL
After last week’s stunning Challenge Cup semis set up an unlikely Wembley final between Hull KR and Leigh Leopards on August 12, Flashback Friday celebrates the history of Cantabrians featuring in British rugby league’s greatest occasion. 1929: Len Mason was selected for New Zealand from Canterbury and played three Tests on the Kiwis’ infamous 1926-27…
Read MoreBULLDOG BROWN’S JOURNEY A BLUEPRINT FOR PERSEVERANCE
If young sportspeople need an example of resilience and positivity amid adversity to draw upon, they need look no further than Fa’amanu Brown. The tenacious Christchurch-born utility’s rugby league journey has taken him from Hornby Panthers’ juniors, to an NRL debut at Cronulla as a teenager, through multiple career-threatening injury setbacks, personal trials, a spell…
Read MoreCRL 2023: RD 15 CLUB WRAP
The 2023 CRL Men’s Premiership regular season concluded amid a Saturday deluge that saw two matches to finish early, while the weekend’s weather event forced the cancellation of Sunday’s penultimate round of CRL Women’s Premiership fixtures. Hornby Panthers had managed to run in eight tries to two against Northern Bulldogs at Murphy Park when the…
Read MoreCRL YOUTH WRAP & WEEKEND PREVIEW
YOUTH WRAP – JULY 17-19 After a two-week breather for school holidays, the CRL youth night competitions resumed on Monday at Ngā Puna Wai. Undefeated Linwood Keas retained their lead on the 16s boys table with a 66-6 win over Papanui Tigers, while Hornby Panthers Black consolidated second with a 38-10 defeat of Celebration Lions.…
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