CRL News
Bulls Launch 2016 Premiership Campaign
Pride. Unity. Integrity. Grit. These are core values that will drive Canterbury Bulls’ 2016 season, as revealed by new coach Andrew Auimatagi at the team’s season launch on Wednesday night. The Bulls’ players and management, Canterbury Rugby League Board members, CRL staff, sponsors and supporters gathered at Hornby Working Men’s Club to officially kick off…
Read MoreKeas Dedicate Win To ‘The Godfather’
BY MAT KERMEEN – THE PRESS A Christchurch rugby league club have celebrated Father’s Day by honouring the man they called The Godfather. Less than two hours after Linwood Keas captain Agaese Fiso lifted the Pat Smith Memorial Trophy at AMI Stadium on Sunday, the Keas stood around Teni Tuli’s grave in an emotional tribute…
Read MoreCRL Grand Final Preview
Photo: Hornby Panthers’ Corey Lawrie (left), and Linwood Keas’ Aga Fiso (centre) and Paul Sauni pose with the Pat Smith Trophy at AMI Stadium. KEAS PRIMED TO HEED LESSONS OF 2015 Last year’s grand final loss still stings for the Linwood Keas, but coach Andrew Auimatagi is confident his team will use that experience to…
Read MoreKeas Score Convincing Grand Final Win Over Panthers
A devastating first-half performance from the Linwood Keas laid the platform for a convincing 29-10 defeat of the Hornby Panthers in the 2016 CRL grand final at AMI Stadium. Linwood scored the first five tries of the match inside 25 minutes, and although Hornby clawed back bravely to score the only two tries thereafter, it…
Read MoreCanterbury Development Primed For All-or-nothing Challenge
Canterbury Development coach Te Hira Niha insists his team needs to put a truncated build-up behind them ahead of Saturday’s do-or-die clash with Auckland Development. In a revamped national competition format, the winner of the showdown at Mt Smart Stadium No.2 will progress into the second-tier NZRL Championship, along with the winners of the Northern,…
Read MoreChristchurch to host the Kiwis in 2017 Rugby League World Cup
The Kiwis-Scotland game will be the first rugby league test staged in Christchurch since 2006 when New Zealand beat Great Britain 18-14 in a Tri-Nations game at Jade Stadium.Christchurch will host the Kiwis for the first time in 11 years and also stage a Rugby League World Cup quarterfinal in 2017. Canterbury Rugby League chairman…
Read MoreCanterbury Bulls Preliminary training squad
Bowden, Shane Linwood Keas Butson, Michael Northern Bulldogs Fidow-Kele, Jiordan Linwood Keas Grace, Dene Hornby Panthers Leka, Kyle Celebration Lions Lima, Jonathan Celebration Lions Tafua, Roger Papanui Tigers Te Amo, Reuben Riccarton Knights Tou, Patella Aranui Eagles Arona, Tevin Hornby Panthers Bamford, Christopher Linwood Keas Baxendale, James Hornby Panthers Ka, Josh Papanui Tigers Kakoi, Alani…
Read MoreMilestone man Tamatea sets sights on another Knights title
Riccarton Knights legend Shane Tamatea brought up the rare 250-game milestone on Saturday, but typical of the selfless clubman, he was more concerned with the side’s crucial 28-22 win over Northern Bulldogs. “It was good, the boys dug deep on Saturday and got the result,” Tamatea said, before revealing what the honour means to him.…
Read MoreBaxter brings a lifetime’s experience to CRL President role
On the score of experience, along with service to – and passion for – rugby league in Canterbury, few people are better credentialed to take on the role of CRL President than Gary Baxter. Baxter’s association with the code stretches back to 1961, when he began playing in the Halswell Hornets’ junior ranks, while he…
Read MoreFlashback Friday – 1992 CRL Grand Final
One of Canterbury Rugby League’s greatest servants, Gary Baxter, was recently announced as the new CRL President. We’ll have a story on the refereeing stalwart later this week, but Flashback Friday takes a look at the 1992 grand final, which Baxter controlled. The ’92 decider pitted two fairytale sides against one another. Papanui had finished…
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