CRL NEWS
Real the latest local league news
FLASHBACK FRIDAY: PANTHERS EDGE HORNETS IN EXTRA-TIME GF THRILLER
As westside neighbours Hornby Panthers and Halswell Hornets prepare for their do-or-die preliminary final showdown at Leslie Park, Flashback Friday revisits the last of the clubs' 11 Pat Smith Trophy Challenge encounters. The Panthers and Hornets had previously squared off in the 1984-87, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2001 and 2012...
CRL YOUTH WRAP & WEEKEND PREVIEW
YOUTH WRAP – AUGUST 7-9 The dominant teams in the CRL 16s and 14s Boys grades will contest next week’s youth night competition grand finals after all four carved out convincing semi-final victories at Ngā Puna Wai. In Monday’s 16s semis, unbeaten Linwood Keas defeated fourth-placed Celebration Lions 40-16, while...
NZ MEP FABRICATIONS SECONDARY SCHOOLS RUGBY LEAGUE COMPETITION KICKS OFF NEXT WEEK
Canterbury Rugby League is pleased to announce the details of the NZ MEP Fabrications Secondary Schools Rugby League Competitions, featuring 16 teams across three grades. Played on Mondays, the competitions get underway on August 14 and wrap up with finals on September 11. The 13-a-side Boys Championship and the 11-a-side...
CRL 2023: FINALS WEEK 1 WRAP
Playoffs experience came to the fore as Linwood Keas’ CRL Men’s Premiership and ISC Canterbury Cup sides defeated the minor premiers of the respective grades on a dramatic opening day of the 2023 finals series. The Keas snared the first spot in the Pat Smith Trophy Grand Final via a...
FLASHBACK FRIDAY: BROWN SENDS WARRIORS INTO GRAND FINAL
As the finals series in CRL’s 2023 senior competitions get underway this weekend, Flashback Friday relives arguably the greatest finals moment in the Australian premiership involving a Canterbury product. Lewis Brown, a grand final winner with Riccarton Knights and a Canterbury Bulls rep as a teenager, played 198 NRL games...
CRL FINALS FEVER GRIPS GREYMOUTH
Wingham Park in Greymouth is steeped in rugby league history, hosting many memorable club grand finals, myriad Thacker Shield encounters and West Coast-Canterbury representative fixtures, the province’s matches against France, Australia and Great Britain, and a Test between New Zealand and the 1954 Lions tourists. High-profile footy at the hallowed...
CRL YOUTH WRAP & WEEKEND PREVIEW
YOUTH WRAP – JULY 31-AUGUST 2 The weather and ground conditions forced the cancellation of last week's CRL Youth Night Competitions, and although the 16s boys were back in action at Ngā Puna Wai on Monday, the weather intervened again on Wednesday. Linwood Keas stayed undefeated atop the 16s table...
CRL REFEREE PROFILE: NELLA NGAHURU
Nella Ngahuru’s tenure as a player in the CRL Women’s Premiership spans more than 16 years – but she’s simultaneously in the formative stages of blazing a trail in the Canterbury Rugby League refereeing ranks. First pulling on the boots for Addington Magpies, Ngahuru represented Canterbury from 2007-09, moved to...
RED AND BLACK REPORT 2023: EDITION NO.11
The Red and Black Report shines a spotlight on Canterbury Rugby League products featuring in Australia’s elite and lower-grade competitions. NRL Dolphins winger Jamayne Isaako continues to head the NRL’s pointscoring charts with 183 points from 16 tries and 59 goals. https://twitter.com/NRL/status/1685506835116134400?s=20 The Aranui junior scored a sizzling 80-metre solo...
HAPPY HIRE TEAM UP WITH CRL FOR GRAND FINAL DAY
The climax of the local rugby league season will be proudly known as Happy Hire CRL Grand Final Day following a naming rights sponsorship agreement between Canterbury Rugby League and the marquee and event equipment rental company. Happy Hire started operating in Christchurch more than a decade ago and now...
FLASHBACK FRIDAY: CANTABRIANS IN THE CHALLENGE CUP FINAL
After last week's stunning Challenge Cup semis set up an unlikely Wembley final between Hull KR and Leigh Leopards on August 12, Flashback Friday celebrates the history of Cantabrians featuring in British rugby league's greatest occasion. 1929: Len Mason was selected for New Zealand from Canterbury and played three Tests...
BULLDOG BROWN’S JOURNEY A BLUEPRINT FOR PERSEVERANCE
If young sportspeople need an example of resilience and positivity amid adversity to draw upon, they need look no further than Fa’amanu Brown. The tenacious Christchurch-born utility’s rugby league journey has taken him from Hornby Panthers’ juniors, to an NRL debut at Cronulla as a teenager, through multiple career-threatening injury...
