Friday Flashback
Flashback Friday: Warriors’ miracle win in Christchurch
As Ōtautahi Christchurch prepares for a historic showdown at One New Zealand Stadium (Te Kaha) – the Round 16 NRL clash between the One NZ Warriors and North Queensland Cowboys – Flashback Friday relives another iconic venue in the city’s last taste of top-level rugby league, which featured one of the greatest finishes in premiership…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: HORNBY AND HALSWELL DUEL IN FOUR STRAIGHT GRAND FINALS
As neighbouring archrivals and 2024 grand final combatants Halswell Hornets and Hornby Panthers gear up for a vital CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership Round 9 encounter at Halswell Domain, Flashback Friday revisits the period that created one of Canterbury Rugby League’s great club rivalries. Halswell gained premier status in 1979 and reached its…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: EASTERN SUBURBS INTERRUPTS PAPANUI DYNASTY
As Eastern Eagles prepare to avenge their Round 1 loss to Papanui Tigers in this weekend’s CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership clash, Flashback Friday recalls one of the great grand final performances from Eastern Suburbs – the only blip in eight years of overwhelming Papanui dominance. Papanui won four straight grand finals from…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: HORNBY-HEAVY FRONT-ROW POWERS KIWIS TO TEST TRIUMPH
With Suncorp Stadium the centre of the rugby league universe this weekend for NRL Magic Round, Flashback Friday recalls one of the Kiwis’ greatest – and a heavily Hornby-influenced – victories at the iconic Brisbane venue. The Kiwis approached the 1987 season in a state of flux. Graham Lowe’s influential reign as national coach, which…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: HALSWELL SNATCH EPIC ’95 GRAND FINAL
As Halswell Hornets prepare to take on defending premiers Linwood Keas in a CRL Whitehead Plumbing & Gas Men’s Premiership blockbuster tomorrow, Flashback Friday is celebrating a truly epic grand final between the clubs – when a shorthanded Hornets side staged an extraordinary comeback to snatch a last-minute 20-19 triumph over the Keas in the…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: WARRIORS AND CANTERBURY PLAY TO PACKED SHOW GROUNDS
Ahead of the One New Zealand Warriors’ first trial match of 2026 against Manly at McLean Park in Napier our first Flashback Friday of the year relives a landmark Christchurch encounter between the Canterbury provincial team and the fledgling Auckland Warriors. A record 12,811-strong crowd packed out the Addington Show Grounds as Warriors-mania gripped New…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: BULLS OVERRUN LEOPARDS FOR INAUGURAL BARTERCARD CUP TITLE
As the Trillo Metals Men’s Canterbury Bulls prepare for their NZRL National Men’s Premiership final showdown with Counties Manukau Stingrays in Papakura on Sunday, Flashback Friday marks 25 years since one of the Canterbury provincial side’s greatest triumphs since taking on the Bulls moniker – the 2000 Bartercard Cup success. Coached by the late Gerard…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: CANTABRIANS IN NRL GRAND FINALS
Ahead of Sunday’s night’s NRL grand final between Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos, who will field Hornby Panthers product and 2024 Kiwis debutant Jordan Riki in the second-row, we recognise the 11 players from the Canterbury region that have previously featured on the game’s biggest stage. Bill Noonan – Canterbury-Bankstown (1974): Simultaneously becoming the first…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: WHITE AND MOHI EARN HISTORIC MĀORI SELECTION
As we celebrate Matariki weekend, Flashback Friday revisits the historic selection of Canterbury duo Pat White and Mita Mohi for New Zealand Māori in 1962. Māori rugby league boasts a rich history dating back to 1908, when a squad made a historic tour of Australia – playing their first match just two days after the…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: BROADHURST FAREWELLS TEST ARENA IN ICONIC LANG PARK UPSET
In honour of Canterbury Rugby League great Mark Broadhurst’s 70th birthday earlier this week, Flashback Friday goes back 42 years to his last Test appearance – which doubles as one of New Zealand’s greatest-ever victories. Papanui and Marist-Western Suburbs hardman Broadhurst carried on the fine tradition of teak-tough Canterbury prop-forwards, playing 17 Tests for New…
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