CRL News

Aranui Eagles are aiming for a return to the top four for the first time since 2012 – and coach Christian Swift will be relying on the players he blooded during a promising 2016 campaign to break the finals drought. The Eagles have lost key trio Kahi Tipene, who was the side’s top try-scorer last…

Hornby Panthers, Canterbury Rugby League’s most prolific club with 27 titles, come into 2017 on the back of a convincing grand final loss at the hands of Linwood Keas last season. But while the pain of that defeat will help spur the Panthers on this year, it’s the success ingrained in the club’s DNA that…

The Riccarton Knights haven’t appeared in a grand final since Brent Ringdahl and Aaron Whittaker led them to the 2004 title, but the club has been a model of consistency in recent times. After three straight seasons qualifying for the top four, however, the Knights face a difficult task retaining their lofty standing in 2017…

A high turnover of experienced players has seen Celebration Lions slide down the ladder in recent years. The 2014 grand finalists landed in fifth the following season, while the departure of Canterbury Bulls prop Chris Bamford, along with sabbaticals taken by the likes of Kyle Leka, Abraham Fonomoa and Francis Tuiletufuga, saw the Lions finish…

After surging to CRL grand final glory last year, Linwood Keas are aiming to become the first club since Hornby in 2012-13 to win back-to-back titles. But Keas coach Andrew Auimatagi says that although taking out this year’s crown will be more difficult than last season’s success, motivation won’t be a problem for his side.…

Each week we’ll be keeping you up to date with how our Canterbury Rugby League products are performing in Australia’s elite and lower-grade competitions. Here’s how they went in Round 4: NRL Manly utility Lewis Brown played 18 minutes off the bench in the Sea Eagles’ 36-0 demolition of Canterbury on Saturday, slotting in at dummy-half and…

Each week we’ll be keeping you up to date with how our Canterbury Rugby League products are performing in Australia’s elite and lower-grade competitions. Here’s how they went in Round 3: NRL Halswell product Matt McIlwrick was powerless to stop the attacking might of the Canberra Raiders on Sunday, but the Wests Tigers hooker was nevertheless solid…

Few people in the Canterbury Rugby League fraternity are as decorated as Frank Endacott, but the legendary coach received a rare honour recently at the Canterbury Sports Awards as one of eight local sporting stalwarts given a lifetime achievement award. “I was in pretty good company too, and I think they said between the eight…

Each week we’ll be keeping you up to date with how our Canterbury Rugby League products are performing in Australia’s elite and lower-grade competitions. Here’s how they went in Round 2: NRL Former Halswell Hornet Matt McIlwrick was one of Wests Tigers’ better performers at hooker in a heavy 36-2 defeat to Penrith on Sunday, making 29…

It was a case of quality over quantity at the Canterbury Secondary Schools 9s tournament on Thursday, held at Northern Bulldogs’ Murphy Park. St Thomas of Canterbury College, Hornby High School and Haeata Community Campus were the only three entrants for the tournament, playing each other twice in the round-robin stage before the top two…