The two remaining undefeated sides in the Premiership of the Farah Palmer Cup go head-to-head this weekend, as Canterbury welcome Waikato to Ōtautahi on Saturday.  

Dear People of Canterbury,

Being the Head Coach of the Canterbury Men’s NPC side isn’t a role I take lightly. It’s a role I’m extremely honoured to have accepted and one I’ve taken with the full knowledge of the expectations that go with it.

Following on from the conclusion of the North Canterbury and Ellesmere Senior competitions last weekend, it is now Metro’s turn to see at the end of the season, with the Premier Reserve, Colts and Senior/Classics finals all taking place this weekend.

Terauoriwa Gapper is in line for her first appearance of the Farah Palmer Cup season as she returns from a knee injury suffered during the club season, named on the bench to take on Counties Manukau in Round 4, with the first five set to play her 34th game for Canterbury.

Canterbury heads to Palmerston North looking for a fast start to their Bunnings Warehouse NPC campaign against Manawatu.

The Coleman Shield has a new home, with Darfield defeating Prebbleton in the dying moments 27-26 to secure their maiden title.

Following their breakthrough success in 2021, Kaiapoi ensured that it wasn’t a fluke, backing it up with a 14-6 win over Hurunui to be crowned the 2022 North Canterbury champions.

It was a big day for Sydenham fan Jason Ryan on the weekend, with son Olly and his beloved Sydenham side taking out the Metro Premier Final, and Jase being appointed the new All Blacks Assistant Coach.

An integral part of the refereeing team at the Metro Premier Final was 93 year-old Burt Powell, who, alongside Jonty Gallagher, performed the role of sub controller last Sunday.

Both Darfield and Prebbleton will be looking to end considerable droughts on the weekend, when they go head-to-head in the Luisetti Seeds Ellesmere Division 1 final as part of the Ellesmere finals day in Darfield, with all levels of Ellesmere senior rugby on show.

For the first time in the combined club’s history, Hurunui will feature in a Division 1 final, with the club taking on Kaiapoi in this weekend’s Luisetti Seeds North Canterbury final.

The long wait has finally ended for Sydenham, with the club securing their first Metro Premier title since 1999 over the weekend with a 23-15 win over Marist Albion.

Sydenham and Marist Albion will battle for club rugby supremacy on Sunday, as the two sides meet in this year’s Canstaff Metro Premier final.

Christchurch’s Charntay Poko and Ona Palu will don a different red and black jersey this weekend, when they feature for Canterbury in Saturday’s first match at home in this year's Bunnings Warehouse Farah Palmer Cup.

New Zealand Under 20 representatives George Bell, Seb Calder and Joel Lam are the three newcomers to Canterbury’s Bunnings Warehouse NPC squad. 

The Canterbury team to represent the region in the opening clash of the Farah Palmer Cup season has been named, with all nine of Canterbury’s current Black Ferns set to feature at Jerry Collins Stadium against Wellington on Saturday.

On opposite sides of this year’s Canstaff Metro Premier draw, the Pawson brothers will be looking to ensure their team’s are well prepared ahead of this weekend’s Preliminary Finals.

Following years of plying his craft in town, Ashley’s Andrew Olorenshaw has brought up a milestone he once didn’t think would be possible, tonning up for the Ashley Division 1 team.  

With School holidays around the corner, so too is the Cantabrians U15 Development Camp, with close to 100 U15 players from around the region taking part in the three-day camp set to start on Sunday the 10th of July!  

Canterbury halfback Kendra Cocksedge will take on a new role in 2022, joining forces with Canterbury Rugby and Miles Toyota to become a Miles Toyota Community Rugby Ambassador.