Canterbury Rugby Football Union
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| Founded | 1879 |
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| Region | Canterbury Region |
| Ground(s) | Rugby Park, Christchurch |
| Chairman | David Rhodes |
| CEO | Hamish Riach |
| League(s) | ITM Cup |
The Canterbury Rugby Football Union (CRFU) is the governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury region, in the middle of the South Island of New Zealand. Its colours are red and black in a hoop design.
Canterbury's top representative team has won New Zealand's top provincial rugby competition nine times including a "fourpeat" 2008-9-10-11, with five in the National Provincial Championship, two in the Air New Zealand Cup, and two in the ITM Cup.
The Canterbury union makes up the base of the Crusaders Super Rugby franchise, who compete in a competition involving New Zealand, Australian and South African based teams.
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[edit] History
The Canterbury Rugby Football Union was, along with Wellington, the first Rugby Union established in New Zealand in 1879.
[edit] Establishing the First Union
Delegates representing Christchurch, Christ's College, Temuka, North Canterbury (Rangiora), Eastern (Christchurch), South Canterbury (Timaru), Ashburton, and Southbridge clubs met at Timaru on Saturday, 26 July. In later years clubs in the southern portion of the province were to break away as South Cantebury and Mid-Cantebrury unions, and sub-unions, each affiliated to the parent body, formed in other districts.
In 1888, Canterbury union was divided with the setting up at Timaru on 8 March of the South Canterbury union. This comprised South Canterbury (later Timaru), Fairlie Creek, Geraldine, Temuka, Waimate, Winchester, and Timaru Pirate clubs.
[edit] Ranfurly Shield
The Ranfurly Shield is a provincial challenge trophy that was donated to New Zealand rugby by the Earl of Ranfurly, the country’s Governor General between 1887 and 1904. The trophy was initially played for by Auckland and Wellington in 1904, with Wellington winning the inaugural ‘challenge’ 6-3 in Auckland.
Canterbury first bid for the trophy in its second game in 1904, and challenged for the shield on 11 occasions before it was finally successful for a first time, when beating Manawhenua 17-6 at Palmerston North. This was the first of 12 tenures that Canterbury enjoyed as shield holder, to the end of the 2007 season.
Canterbury’s longest term as shield holder, and the equal second longest by any side in the history of the prestigious trophy, was achieved between 1982 and 1985 when a Don Hayes-led side resisted 25 defences. The province’s next best run is 23 which has been achieved twice: by the 1953-56 side, and also between 2000 and 2003.
Canterbury’s first run with the shield lasted just two games, with the 17-6 win over Manawhenua in 1927 being followed by a successful defense early in 1928 against South Canterbury before Wairarapa snuck an 8-7 win at Lancaster Park to return the trophy to the North Island.
Only Auckland (15) has successfully challenged for the shield on more occasions than Canterbury’s 12.
They have been in a number memorable shield matches including their 5-3 win over West Coast on August 27, 1932, led by Jack Manchester and Beau Cottrell, their 9 all draw in 1954 and 22-20 win in 1994 over their southern rivals Otago.
[edit] Club Strength
Cantebury have the most clubs out of all New Zealand rugby unions with 47 in 3 sub-unions. The first clubs Christchurch, Christ's College, Temuka, Rangiora, Eastern, Timaru, Ashburton and Southbridge clubs who were the founding members of the Canterbury Union. The PGG Wrightson Cup is the premier competition played over the Ellesmer and North Canterbury Sub-Unions and also includes team from the Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union.
[edit] Club Rugby
The Canterbury Union consists of 47 clubs, the most of any other New Zealand Union, split into three sub-unions, Ellesmere, North Canterbury and Metropolitan.
[edit] Affiliated clubs
The 47 clubs belong to three respective sub-unions.
[edit] Ellesmere
There are 16 clubs in the Ellesmere Sub-Union.
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[edit] North Canterbury
There are 14 clubs in the North Canterbury Sub-Union.
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[edit] Metropolitan
There are 16 clubs in the Metropolitan Sub-Union.
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[edit] PGG Wrightson Country Cup
The PGG Wrightson Country Cup is the Premier Competition over the region known as the Canterbury Country. The region includes clubs from the Ellesmere and North Canterbury Sub-Unions and the Mid Canterbury Rugby Football Union.
[edit] Format
It is a 19 team competition with teams divided into two sections, 10 teams in section 1 and 9 teams in section 2. It is a straight round robin format with every team facing each other once and the Rugby Union Bonus Points System being used to determine the best teams. The top four teams from each section go one to the Quarter-finals, the winners from these matches go to the Semi-finals, and the two winners from the semis go on to compete for the PGG Wrightson Country Cup in the final.
Players who play in this tournament are eligible to lay for the Canterbury Country representative team.
[edit] CBS Canterbury Cup
The CBS Canterbury Cup is the premier club competition in the Metropolitan sub-union. There a currently three divisions under the CBS Canterbury name plus a fourth, colts and classics grade. All formats are similar and the trophies include the CBS Canterbury Trophy, Plate and Bowl.
[edit] Division One
Division One has 11 teams competing in 2009 competition. The top team at the end of the season receive the Division One CBS Canterbury Cup and the top team at the end of the season is rewarded the Division One CBS Canterbury Trophy.
[edit] Round One
The First Division runs for over four months, normally beginning in April and finishing in August. The round-robin is run over 2 months where every team faces each other once and the Rugby Union Bonus Points System is used to determine the top placed team. The top placed team at the end of the round-robin is rewarded the CBS Canterbury Cup.
[edit] Round Two
At the conclusion of the round-robin the team are split into two sections based on the CBS Canterbury Cup round, i.e. Section One - teams 1, 4, 5, 8 and 9; and Section Two - teams 2, 3, 6, 7, 10 and 11. A round-robin of 4 games and a bye in section one and 5 games in section two. The winner of the round-robin will receive the bye in the first round of the trophy matches.
At the completion of Round Two the first and second placed teams in each section play-off for the CBS Canterbury Trophy, the third and fourth placed teams in each play-off for the CBS Canterbury Plate and the remaining three teams compete for the CBS Canterbury Bowl.
The play-offs consist of a round-robin of the three matches in the Trophy and Plate sections and two matches and a bye in the Bowl section. The finalists are the first and second placed teams at the end of the round-robin. From this the remaining Trophy and Plate teams go on to a semi-finals with a final the following week while the two remaining Bowl teams go straight to a final.
[edit] Second and Third Divisions
The Second Division consists of 15 teams with a Cup round-robin and the top placed team(s) receiving the Second Division CBS Canterbury Cup, after the Cup round, the teams are split into three sections with five teams each. The top ten ten teams from the Cup round are split into two sections that compete for the Second Division CBS Canterbury Trophy, through a round-robin and play-offs, the third and fourth placed teams from the top two sections play-off for the Second Division CBS Canterbury Plate, and the bottom placed team from each top section compete for the CBS Canterbury Pennant. The remaining five teams play a round-robin, then the top four teams play in two semi-finals and final for the Second Division CBS Canterbury Bowl.
The Third Division is slightly different than there superiors. It has only ten teams and features a double round-robin that starts in April and ends in August. The top four teams from the round-robin go on to compete for the Third Division CBS Canterbury Trophy, with two semi-finals and a final, while the 5-8th placed teams compete for the Third Division CBS Canterbury Plate and the bottom placed teams face off for the Third Division CBS Canterbury Bowl.
[edit] Representative Rugby
Canterbury have 16 representative sides. The top team compete in the Premier New Zealand Rugby Competition, the Air New Zealand Cup.
[edit] Men's
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[edit] Women's
- Canterbury Women's
- Canterbury Schoolgirls
[edit] Notable players
The union has produced countless players for New Zealand's storied national team, the All Blacks. This includes Andrew Mehrtens, who has the record for the most All Black Test points (967 in 70 Tests). Also of note is Justin Marshall who is the second most capped All Black of all time, with 81 Test caps. Both players, arguably the province's greatest inside back pairing of all time, now continue to play professionally, Mehrtens in France and Marshall in the United Kingdom. The current All Blacks backs coach is former Canterbury representative and All Black Wayne Smith.
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
[edit] Former
[edit] Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB nationality.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Supporters Club
- AMI Stadium Site
- Canterbury rugby (NZHistory.net.nz)
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