It’s sudden death time in the Bunnings NPC, and we need your support as we take on our old foe Auckland in a home Quarter Final.

We’ve earned the right to host a knockout game at home, and we need your support to get us over the line tonight.

We love getting out on our home turf, in front of the people we represent. The crowd plays a massive part out on the field, the boys feed off the energy and fervour of our fans, and we’d love to have you join us in the stands against Auckland.

It’s been a good year of rugby, and tonight’s game is the first of three massive games to end the season, we can’t wait to make Canterbury proud.

Ngā mihi,

Marty Bourke

Bunnings NPC Head Coach, Canterbury Rugby Football Union

Community Welcome

Focused on finishing as Canterbury get set to repay Auckland in Quarter Final

Drawing on the energy of a passionate home crowd will be key for Canterbury as they look to repel old foes Auckland in Friday night’s NPC Quarter Final.

With their season on the line, Head Coach Marty Bourke is calling on the people of Canterbury to turn out and be the difference. “There’s no doubt the boys get a real kick out of playing in front of the people that we represent, especially when they’re vocal and cheering us on. When the crowd get in behind the boys it brings a real energy to the team.”

Bourke has challenged his charges to stay in the fight right through to the final whistle. “We’ve had opportunities to finish the game and control the results in the past few weeks but haven’t managed to do that on a couple of occasions, so let’s not sugar coat things, we know that our season is on the line, we will need to be at our best on Friday. They got one over us earlier in the year, so there’s plenty of motivation.”

Experienced props Oli Jager and Daniel Lienert-Brown have been given the task of building the foundations, along with Zach Gallagher and Sam Darry in the second row. George Bell has been challenged to be on target, finding Gallagher, Darry and Cullen Grace as lineout options. Skipper Billy Harmon will start in jersey six with Tom Christie at openside flanker. “We’ve got the team to do it, we’ve prepared well, it’s a case of putting it all together,” said Bourke.

Chay Fihaki has been welcomed back to fullback after sitting out last week’s road trip to Hamilton, partnering Manasa Mataele and Solomon Alaimalo in the back three. Mitchell Drummond and Fergus Burke will drive the backline at 9 and 10 with Rameka Poihipi and Dallas McLeod linking up in the midfield.

Bourke’s desire to close out the match has seen a vastly experienced bench named, with Willi Heinz (75 caps) at half back, Ben Funnell (89) jersey 16, Reed Prinsep (81) covering the lose forwards while Ryan Crotty (75) will cover the midfield.

Kick off is at 7:05pm, with tickets available here.

South Island U16 Boys’ Tournament

The weekend saw the conclusion of the South Island U16 Boys’ Tournament in Ashburton, with five Canterbury teams involved in the action.

Waitaha topped North Canterbury in the Pennant final, Metro Red beat Ellesmere in the Plate Final, and Metro Black drew the Cup Final 37-all against Otago Metro, but went down by the barest of margins on total trys scored!

Check out a little piece of the action in our gallery below.

Te Waipounamu Māori Rugby Tournament

Three Waitaha sides will travel to Ōtepoti/Dunedin this weekend to take part in the Te Waipounamu Māori Rugby Tournament taking place at Kettle Park.

Waitaha will field an U17 Girls’ side and both an U15 and U17 Boys’ side at the tournament, with squad lists available here.

The teams will play against sides from Southland, Tasman, Otago Metro and Country on Saturday, with each team playing two games on the day.

The weekend is also as important off the field, with teams staying at local marae and immersing themselves in Māori culture over the weekend, further growing the connection to their heritage.

U18 Girls’ representative sides face off

Today will see the New Zealand Māori Nga Māreikura Under 18 Girls’ take on the New Zealand U18 Barbarians in Auckland, wtih a strong Canterbury contingent involved both on and off the field in both squads.

Keighley Simpson and Penelope Taulafo have been selected for the New Zealand Māori Nga Māreikura Under 18 Girls squad, with past Canterbury Farah Palmer Cup players Steph Te Ohaere-Fox and Terauoriwa Gapper assisting the side as coaches alongside Suburbs’ Jayson McRoberts.

Playing for their opposition will be Harriet Cochrane and Loren Edwards for the New Zealand U18 Barbarians, with FPC Head Coach Jimmy Sinclair and another past player Kendra Cocksedge in the coaching crew.

Kick off is set for 12pm, with the match livestreamed here.

Larry’s South Island Club 7’s

Canterbury Rugby is excited to host Larry’s South Island Club 7’s this November, taking on the hosting duties as sevens is re-energised in the South Island following a COVID enforced hiatus.

Played on the 11th and 12th of November on the hard and fast grounds of Ilam Fields, there will be both Male and Female grades, with a $5000 prize pool on offer to the teams that enter.

For more information, follow the button below:

Find out more about Larry's South Island Club 7's!

2023 Canterbury Rugby Awards - Coach of the Year Finalists

Finalists for the Coach of the Year create a positive team environment with their players enjoyment of the game at the heart if it, they will bring out the best in their team. Retention of players into the next season will be one of their key focuses, as will their players learning new skills and developing as people. On field results may play a part in the Coach of the Year, however this is not their key focus. They will be leaders through role modelling and display behaviours that support their club or school to be successful in the long term.

This year’s finalists are an embodiment of this criteria, with all three providing positive, safe and fun environments for the teams they are a part of. Let’s find out more about why each coach has been nominated in 2023.

Angie Sisifa - Christchurch Girls’ High School, Christchurch U17 and Canterbury U18 Black

A great coach on and off the field and brings a positive aspect to any team. Angie has taken the reins of the Christchurch U17 side introduced this year alongside supporting the Christchurch Girls’ High Rugby programme. Creating a positive environment, Angie has energised her sessions and helped encourage the next generation into the game, continuing a legacy that began when she was leading the way on the field too.

Robbie Fruean - Horomaka Combined 1st XV and Metro U16 Red

An amazing Role Model for players, seeking to develop the skills of his charges, aware of the diversity present in his side. Robbie wants players to see diversity in coaching and has made 1XV rugby a reality for the Horomaka Combined Team, who performed admirably in their first season in the Miles Toyota Championship.

Anna Livingstone - HSOB U17 and Farah Palmer Cup side

Anna is our Head Coach our of Senior Girls program where she runs two teams (while also looking after a 9 month old). Its the first time HSOB has been able to do this and have been successful on the field (winning both the trophy and plate) as well as off the field, creating connection between players from different schools and year groups. This is down to Annas hard work by building relationships with players and creating a fun and enjoyable environment. Players have come to HSOB because of this environment. Anna is an epic role model for these young players but also to past players and mothers to get back into the game. Anna has two young female assistants who are just starting their coaching pathway and they have enjoyed her knowledge and openess to allow them to learn. Anna has also been rewarded with a resource coach role with the FPC this season.

2023 Canterbury Rugby Awards - Volunteer of the Year Finalists

Volunteering takes many forms and positively impacts our communities in ways that are immeasurable. Enabling our game to be played, administered and delivered, our Volunteer of the Year will be someone who gives their time to rugby, making it a better place for those they are serving and supporting.

This year’s finalists are club members that are dedicated to their community, putting their needs behind those of others. Check out this year’s finalists nominations below.

Hunter Johnston - Christchurch

He is the first to put his hand up to help with anything at the club. He is down every Saturday 7.30am to set the fields up rain or shine. He helps with any running repairs around the club as well as goes above and beyond to host any visiting team either canterbury or travelling teams to the club. Offers his time for extra skills/ training sessions to junior teams and organises and runs rugby events to get more teams down to enjoy our club. He epitomizes our club values. For someone who is not a paid employee he gives up his time freely to help with all things in club.

Michelle Tocker - Woodend

Michelle is an outstanding volunteer who puts in countless hours for both Woodend RFC and NCRSU. I work closely with Michelle, in her role as Senior Rugby liaison person with the NC Senior representative rugby team. She constantly supports us, advocates for the players and also does a lot of work around JAB rugby in NC. She is an outstanding communicator and willingly makes things happen. Her ability and vision are extraordinary along with her passion and drive for grassroots rugby. She has a calm, approachable demeanour and on any given week, dedicates 20+ hours in a voluntary capacity to enable many young (and older) players are able to get out and play the game they love. I could not think of a more fitting recipient.

Steven Richmond - Marist Albion

Steven ‘Blocker’ Richmond has been a long-standing volunteer for Marist Albion. He is a passionate club man who has devoted countless hours to both Marist Albion as a club and the Division one team. Blocker is well-known throughout the club and is a consistent presence at all club functions and fundraisers. Blocker can always be counted on to arrive early to games with the team trailer. He is diligent and reliable in not only unloading the trailer, setting up the warmup and the changing rooms with uniform but also in ensuring and setting up Edgar Macintosh on home game days. This is an incredibly thankless task attributable to his selfless nature and passion for the club and its success. During the game, Blocker is sideline, water bottles in one hand and a towel to dry the ball off for both teams. He’s the first person to run water on the field and support the team. He ensures we have ball kids staying engaged, enjoying themselves and sharing a joke with them. Blocker can then be seen post game, when the crowd has dispersed and the players have retired to the changing rooms, packing away the flags, post protectors and sideline rope, often by himself, come rain, hail (as we saw this season) or shine. He is present at both Tuesday and Thursday trainings and can be relied on to give inspirational speeches and ensure players are in line with team culture and behaviour expectations. He treats the clubrooms like his own home (where he has often held team functions and events) and expects all club members to do the same, leading by example. Blocker is a stalwart of Marist Albion and someone that exemplifies the values of Volunteer of the Year and is a worthy nomination for this award.