Latest news with #CanterburyRugby
Otago Daily Times
07-08-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Richie Mo'unga back in red and black next season
Richie Mo'unga will return to New Zealand to play for Canterbury next season. Mo'unga has signed with NZR, the Crusaders and Canterbury Rugby for 18 months from July 2026 to December 2027. The agreement sees him return to Canterbury Rugby for the 2026 and 2027 NPC seasons and the Crusaders for the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific season. After moving offshore in 2024 to play for Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo in Japan, Mo'unga will once again don the red and black jersey, adding to his legacy in the red and black that first began in 2016 when he became Crusader #190. 'The Crusaders have always been a huge part of my life – not just as a player, but as a person,' says Mo'unga. Richie Mounga playing for the Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo. "I can't wait to return in 2027 and continue to build on the legacy of the franchise. I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with the fans and contributing to the environment both on and off the field.' He still has one more season in Japan and will keep his focus on that before coming back to New Zealand. 'I've grown a lot during my time in Japan with Toshiba, both on and off the field. It's been an incredible experience with my family that I'll always be grateful for, and I'm really excited for one more season with them,' he says. Mo'unga's return marks a significant moment for the Crusaders who will welcome back one of the most influential players in Super Rugby history. He has 109 appearances and scored 1230 points in the red and black. Richie Mo'unga playing for the Crusaders in the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific semi-final. Crusaders head coach Rob Penney says Mo'unga's homecoming is a massive boost for the team. 'Richie's connection to this club runs deep and he is a great Crusader man. "We're really blessed with the talent that we have in the Crusaders and having Richie back will not only enhance the team and have a positive influence over the group, but it will also ensure his legacy lives on long after he has departed.' Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge says Mo'unga embodies what it means to be a Crusader. 'The word care is thrown around a lot in this place, but the care Richie has for this club and this team is second to none. "He has this gift of bringing out the best in those around him and we can't wait to have him back here in 2027.'
Otago Daily Times
25-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Canterbury stint helped shape Lions star
Lions first-five Finn Russell honed his catch-pass skills during his brief time in Canterbury. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES St Andrew's College director of sport John Haggart is not surprised that British and Irish Lions star Finn Russell's playmaking skills are becoming the story of the Lions tour. Once seen as too flashy and unpredictable, the Scotland No 10 is now widely recognised as the complete package. What is less widely known is where Russell's world-class passing game was sharpened: Canterbury. Back in 2013, a 20-year-old Russell spent 15 weeks playing for Lincoln University, coached by Haggart, who was also the head of Canterbury Rugby's international high performance unit at the time. Russell came to New Zealand courtesy of the John MacPhail Scholarship – a Scottish Rugby programme which sends young players overseas to learn from elite systems. 'Finn wasn't your typical, driven, high-performing academy boy coming out of a private school. He worked as a stone mason,' Haggart told Telegraph Sport. 'He loved a beer. He loved being around students. He loved enjoying himself after a game. Because of the environment he was in, he was able to flourish rather than being restricted by boundaries.' But while Russell embraced the social side of Kiwi rugby culture, his time in New Zealand was defined by the hard yards. PHOTO: LINCOLN UNIVERSITY RUGBY CLUB Haggart said the Canterbury system placed huge value on mastering the basics – passing, catching, and decision-making. 'You spend time before training and after training just working on the fundamental run-catch-pass. 'When Finn came out, he had an opportunity as a young man, in the 15 weeks that he was over here, just to spend time on his run-catch-pass. 'It is pretty simple stuff but because Russell was at a stage of learning in his life, he was able to adopt those principles really quickly and put that into practice,' Haggart said. By the end of his stay at Lincoln, Russell had won the club's player-of-the-year award. And, according to Haggart, there was real interest from within Canterbury Rugby to keep him longer. 'Canterbury had spoken to me and we had spoken to Finn about the possibility of him extending his stay here and I know Canterbury were very keen to bring him in,' Haggart said. 'But he was under contract and we had a long-standing relationship with the SRU (Scottish Rugby Union) that we needed to respect. 'If he had been out here on his own, I am sure Canterbury would have hidden his passport and said 'you are not going anywhere'.'
Reuters
23-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Former All Blacks coach Wyllie dies aged 80
March 23 (Reuters) - Former All Blacks coach Alex Wyllie died on Saturday at the age of 80, Canterbury Rugby said. Wyllie coached New Zealand in 64 tests from 1988 to 1991, winning 58 times, losing four and drawing once. "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Alex 'Grizz' Wyllie, who left us peacefully overnight," local media quoted Canterbury Rugby as saying in a statement. Reuters has requested comment from New Zealand Rugby. The former flanker led the All Blacks as joint head coach alongside John Hart at the 1991 Rugby World Cup, where the All Blacks were eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual winners Australia. Wyllie represented New Zealand 11 times as a player in international fixtures having played for Canterbury in provincial rugby more than 200 times from 1964 to 1979. He took over as Canterbury head coach in 1982 and, after his three-year stint with the All Blacks, led Argentina to the quarter-finals of the 1999 World Cup.
