CRL NEWS
Real the latest local league news
League 4 Life Needs Canterbury’s Support
Sir Peter Leitch, aka The Mad Butcher, leads an all-star rugby league cast including Warriors CEO Jim Doyle and former Warriors and Kiwis Test back Jerome Ropati on its way to Christchurch this week to raise funds for the League 4 Life Foundation. Instigated by Doyle during his time as...
CRL Masetti Cup Round 1 Wrap
Here’s how the opening round of premiers matches unfolded around the rugby league fields of Christchurch on Saturday. HORNBY PANTHERS 38 d. LINWOOD KEAS 12 @ Branston Park Hornby Panthers extracted a modicum of revenge with a resounding 38-12 over Linwood Keas in Saturday’s rematch between the 2016 grand final...
Bulls’ Brigades’ Departures Create Opportunity For Rugby League Talent
Via The Press/stuff.co.nz Club pride and Canterbury Bulls jerseys are on the line when the rugby league premiership kicks off for another season. Canterbury have lost five New Zealand Residents representatives with Matt Sauni (Linwood) and Tevin Arona (Hornby) now part of the Warriors reserve grade squad and Phil Nati (Celebration),...
Rolleston Warriors Primed For Debut
Rolleston has long been synonymous with its roadside sign: ‘The town of the future.’ But the Selwyn district satellite town gets a blast from the past this weekend when the Rolleston Warriors junior teams make their debuts – the first time a rugby league based in Rolleston has competed since...
Papanui Tigers 2017 Preview
Papanui broke a 17-year premiership drought under coach Shane Endacott in 2015, edging Linwood in an epic extra-time grand final. But the Tigers fell a couple of notches short of those achievements last year in defending their title, finishing fourth before going down to Hornby in the preliminary final. Endacott...
Northern Bulldogs 2017 Preview
After two straight wooden spoons and a winless 2015 campaign, Northern Bulldogs’ resurgence was the feelgood story of last year’s CRL premiership. They went unbeaten through the first month of the competition, before injuries and a lack of depth caught up with first-year coach Te Hira Niha’s side. A top-four...
Halswell Hornets 2017 Preview
After dominating the CRL premiership at the start of the decade, it’s been a lean trot for Halswell Hornets in the past two seasons. The Hornets topped the table in four straight seasons from 2011-14, reaching the grand final in all four years and taking out titles in 2011 and...
Aranui Eagles 2017 Preview
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...
Hornby Panthers 2017 Preview
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...
Riccarton Knights 2017 Preview
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...
Celebration Lions 2017 Preview
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...
Linwood Keas 2017 Preview
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...
