Friday Flashback
FLASHBACK FRIDAY: WEST COAST MARK JUBILEE WITH CANTERBURY UPSET
In honour of this weekend’s Thacker Shield clash between ISC Canterbury Cup rivals Greymouth Greyhounds and Papanui Tigers at Wingham Park, Flashback Friday marks 34 years since a memorable encounter between archrivals Canterbury and West Coast at the same venue. West Coast Rugby League celebrated its 75th jubilee in 1989, and the representative side played…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: HALSWELL SNATCH EPIC ’95 GRAND FINAL
As CRL premiers Linwood prepares to take on Halswell in a Massetti Cup blockbuster at Ngā Puna Wai 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 1995 decider. Linwood…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: A TRIO OF PAPANUI-HALSWELL GRAND FINALS
With Papanui’s ISC Canterbury Cup clash against Halswell on Saturday a centrepiece of the Tigers’ centenary celebrations this Easter weekend, Flashback Friday revisits the most eventful period of a keen rivalry between the clubs. Papanui and Halswell are intrinsically linked, playing annually for the Kevin Williams Memorial Trophy, named in honour of the Canterbury fullback…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: SOUTH ISLAND STUNS AUSTRALIA AT THE SHOWGROUNDS
Ahead of South Island Scorpions’ NZRL National 20s Ruben Wiki Cup final appearance, Flashback Friday goes 42 years back in the time tunnel to revisit South Island’s memorable 12-11 upset of all-conquering Australia at the Addington Showgrounds in 1980. New Zealand’s previous Test win over Australia had been way back in 1971, while the Kiwis…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: WARRIORS AND CANTERBURY PLAY TO PACKED SHOW GROUNDS
Ahead of Sunday’s trial match between the One New Zealand Warriors and Melbourne Storm at Rugby League Park (currently Orangetheory Stadium) – the first match between NRL teams in the city for almost four years – our first Flashback Friday of 2023 relives a landmark Christchurch encounter between the Canterbury provincial team and the fledgling…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: ENDACOTT STARS AS NZ XIII SHOCK GREAT BRITAIN TOURISTS
Rockcote Canterbury Bulls stars Tevin Arona, Brad Campbell, Jope Tagicakibau, Ben Ilalio, Alex Todd and Michael Butson will line up for NZ Residents against the England Community Lions in Auckland on Friday night. Arona has been named co-captain of the Residents, who are coached by Bulls mentor Andrew Auimatagi. Flashback Friday revisits a famous victory…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: CANTERBURY WINS 1985 RUGBY LEAGUE CUP
As the start of the Rockcote Canterbury Bulls’ NZRL Premiership campaign draws near, this week’s Flashback Friday celebrates the province’s memorable 1985 season, in which it clinched the Rugby League Cup. The code was enjoying a resurgence in New Zealand during the mid-1980s courtesy of the Graham Lowe-coached Kiwis’ drought-breaking Test wins over Australia in…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: CANTERBURY UPSETS GREAT BRITAIN
With New Zealand’s Test match showdown against Great Britain in Christchurch just over three months away, Flashback Friday relives Canterbury’s famous defeat of the 1990 Lions at the Addington Showgrounds in one of the great tour match boilovers. Coming off a trying rebuilding season in ’89, the Frank Endacott-coached Canterbury side went into their match…
Read MoreWIND-BACK WEDNESDAY: CANTERBURY REF IN THE MIDDLE FOR FIRST ORIGIN DECIDER
We move our flashback piece forward a couple of days this week to coincide with tonight’s third State of Origin encounter, remembering a prominent Canterbury Rugby League figure’s integral role in the first-ever decider in 1982. The runaway success of Origin’s one-off matches in 1980 and ’81 – largely due to Queensland’s stunning upset wins…
Read MoreFLASHBACK FRIDAY: EAST V WEST 2011
Ahead of the East v West representative fixture tomorrow afternoon at Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub, Flashback Friday revisits the last time the match was played prior to its return to the Canterbury Rugby League schedule in 2017. East recovered from a 14-point halftime deficit to run out 26-18 winners in the 2011 clash, keeping…
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