Canterbury rugby league team

Club information
Full name	Canterbury Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s)	Bulls, Reds
Colours	Red   Black
Founded	1912
Exited	2009
Former details
Ground(s)	Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch
Coach	Andrew Auimatagi
Competition	National Competition
Records
Premierships	1975, 1993, 2014
Runners-up	1997, 1998
Bartercard Cup	2000, 2003
Bartercard Premiership	2009
Rugby League Cup	1934–35, 1962, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1980–82, 1985–86, 1990, 1991–92, 1992, 1993–94, 1997, 2007, 2009–2012

The Canterbury rugby league team (also known as the Canterbury Bulls) are a rugby league team who represent the Canterbury Rugby League. They currently compete in the Albert Baskerville Trophy. Their home ground is Orangetheory Stadium in Christchurch.

Canterbury played its first match on 7 September 1912 against Wellington at the Show Grounds, losing 4–5.^[1] The following weekend the hosted the touring New South Wales side and lost 5–28. Included in the Canterbury team was captain Charlie Pearce, Jim Auld, Abbie Shadbolt, Billy Mitchell, Bill Bussell and David McPhail.

Canterbury's first win was in their third match, against Hawke's Bay, with Canterbury winning 10–8 in Napier. Jim Auld and Abbie Shadbolt scored tries and Shadbolt kicked two goals.

In 1955 Canterbury defeated the touring French side 24–12.^[2] They defeated Great Britain 18–10, in 1990.

The early nineties saw a Canterbury side that included many future stars. The side was coached by Frank Endacott and included players such as Quentin Pongia, Terry Hermansson, Mark Nixon, Whetu Taewa Aaron Whittaker, Logan Edwards, Brendon Tuuta and Mike Dorreen. With the creation of the Lion Red Cup however, many moved franchises and eventually ended up in Australia or England. Canterbury defeated Auckland in the 1993 final, winning 36–12.^[3]

In the Lion Red Cup, from 1994 to 1996, Canterbury Rugby League was represented by the Christchurch City Shiners and the Canterbury Country Cardinals. When this was folded Canterbury reverted to having one representative team, initially called "the Reds". However eventually "the Bulls" was adopted as a nickname and this was used when the Bartercard Cup was formed.

Between 2000 and 2007 the Bulls played in the now defunct Bartercard Cup. They won two Bartercard Cup trophies, in 2000 and 2003. In addition, they were defeated in the last seconds of the 2004 final. This makes them one of the most successful teams in the competition, alongside the Mt Albert Lions. Out of the seven seasons they only missed the finals once, in 2002.

The Bulls were the only team from the South Island to ever compete in the Bartercard Cup and were the only club to compete in every season. During this time they were coached by Ged Stokes and Phil Prescott.^[4][5]

They finished second in the 2006 season standings and defeated the Waitakere Rangers 26–20 in the non-elimination Semi-final. This qualified them for the Qualifying Semi-final which they lost to the Auckland Lions 27–14 at Western Springs Stadium. They bounced back in the preliminary final, smashing the Tamaki Leopards 30–6 but could not defeat the Lions, losing the Grand Final 25–18.

Before the start of the 2007 season legendary coach Philip Prescott retired and was replaced by former New Zealand national rugby league team prop Brent Stuart. The Bulls finished the regular season in 3rd place. The highlight of the season was a 72–8 thrashing of the Waicoa Bay Stallions. The Bulls lost the Preliminary Final to Harbour League.

In 2008 and 2009 they played in the Bartercard Premiership where they made both grand finals. They finished minor premiers both years and defeated Auckland in the 2009 final.

In 2010 the team was replaced in national competitions by one represented the new South Island Zone.^[6] Canterbury lost the Rugby League Cup to Auckland on Queen's Birthday 2012, after holding it since 2009.

In 2013 the Canterbury Bulls were added to the Albert Baskerville Trophy, replacing the South Island Scorpions. Until 2016 the Bulls represented the entire South Island and were able to select players from the other South Island districts.^[7]

Since 1912, Canterbury had been a frequent stop for international touring rugby league teams.^[8]

Game	Date	Result	Venue	Attendance	Notes
1	14 September 1912	NSW Firsts def. Canterbury 28–15	Addington Showgrounds	4,200	1912 NSW Tour of New Zealand
2	23 August 1913	NSW Firsts def. Canterbury 45–5	Addington Showgrounds	4,000	1913 NSW Tour of New Zealand
3	9 August 1920	Northern Union def. Canterbury 29–14	Addington Showgrounds	3,000	1920 Great Britain Lions tour
4	16 August 1924	England def. Canterbury 47–10	Addington Showgrounds	7,000	1924 Great Britain Lions tour
5	26 September 1925	Qld Firsts def. Canterbury 57–15	Monica Park Speedway,		1925 Queensland tour of New Zealand
6	7 October 1925	Qld Firsts def. Canterbury 58–10	Monica Park Speedway
7	28 July 1951	France def. Canterbury 13–7	Addington Showgrounds	6,990	1951 French tour of Australasia
8	15 August 1953	Canterbury def. USA 39–8	Addington Showgrounds	5,000	1953 American All-Stars tour
9	7 August 1954	Great Britain def. Canterbury 60–14	Addington Showgrounds	1,544	1954 Great Britain Lions tour
10	30 July 1955	Canterbury def. France 24–12	Lancaster Park	2,200	1955 French tour of Australasia
11	2 August 1958	Great Britain def. Canterbury 21–41	Lancaster Park	6,000	1958 Great Britain Lions tour
12	30 July 1960	France def. Canterbury 15–8	Addington Showgrounds	7,529	1960 French tour of Australasia
13	2 August 1962	Great Britain def. Canterbury 26–5	Lancaster Park	2,500	1962 Great Britain Lions tour
14	15 May 1965	NSW Country Firsts def. Canterbury 32–10	Addington Showgrounds	3,000	1965 NSW Country tour of New Zealand
15	12 June 1965	Australia def. Canterbury 19–4	Addington Showgrounds	2,654	1965 Kangaroo tour of New Zealand
16	29 May 1966	NSW Country Firsts def. Canterbury 21–12	Addington Showgrounds		1966 NSW Country tour of New Zealand
17	13 August 1966	Great Britain def. Canterbury 53–6	Lancaster Park	1,192	1966 Great Britain Lions tour
18	6 May 1970	NSW Country Firsts def. Canterbury 38–12	Addington Showgrounds		1970 NSW Country tour of New Zealand
19	5 June 1972	Qld Firsts def. Canterbury 21–11	Addington Showgrounds		1972 Queensland tour of New Zealand
20	5 May 1974	NSW Country Firsts def. Canterbury 34–11	Addington Showgrounds		1974 NSW Country tour of New Zealand
21	24 June 1975	Wales def. Canterbury 25–18	Addington Showgrounds	2,500	Welsh 1975 Rugby League World Cup tour
22	13 June 1990	Canterbury def. Great Britain 18–10	Addington Showgrounds	3,000	1990 Great Britain Lions tour
23	15 July 1992	Great Britain def. Canterbury 17–6	Lancaster Park	3,021	1992 Great Britain Lions tour

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