Canterbury Rugby League

Canterbury Rugby League

Club Information
Nickname(s)	Bulls
Current Details
Ground(s)	Rugby League Park ()
CEO(s)	Graeme Sole
Coach(s)	Brent Stuart and Dave Perkins
Competition	Bartercard Premiership

Canterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the regional side which competes in the Bartercard Premiership. Previously teams have competed in the Bartercard Cup and Lion Red Cup.

[edit] Local Competition

Eight teams currently compete in the Travel King Premiership;

• Linwood Keas
• Kaipoi Bulldogs
• Celebration Lions
• Aranui Eagles
• Halswell Hornets
• Papanui Tigers
• Riccarton Knights
• Hornby Panthers

The winner is awarded the Smith Trophy, which dates back to 1913.

[edit] NZRL Bartercard Premiership

The Canterbury Bulls compete in the inaugural, six-team NPC.

[edit] 2008 Fixtures

[edit] Previous National Competitions

[edit] Glory Years

The early nineties saw a regional Canterbury side that included many future stars. The side was coached by Frank Endacott and included players such as Quentin Pongia, Terry Hermansson, Whetu Taewa, Logan Edwards, Brendon Tuuta and Mike Doreen. With the creation of the Lion Red Cup however, many moved franchises and eventually ended up in Australia or England.

[edit] Lion Red Cup

In the Lion Red Cup, from 1994-1996, Canterbury was represented by the Christchurch City Shiners and the Canterbury Country Cardinals.

[edit] Bartercard Cup

The Canterbury Bulls competed in the Bartercard Cup from 2000-2007, winning the title in 2000 & 2003. They were the only franchise from the South Island and the only franchise to play in every season.

[edit] National Provincial Competition

The Canterbury side competing in the National Provincial Competition will retain the Bulls moniker and will again be coached by Brent Stuart and Dave Perkins. Former Kiwis assistant coach and Bartercard cup winning Phil Prescott has returned as director of coaching.^[1] The Canterbury U16's and U18's sides will be involved in curtain raiser matches before the Senior home games.^[2]

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-4977-0-0-0&sID=64815&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=5439540&sectionID=64815 Bulls score Prescott The Press Tuesday, 13 May 2008
2. ^ http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-4977-0-0-0&sID=64815&articleID=5258749&news_task=DETAIL Canterbury happy with six-team series The Press Tuesday, 01 April 2008