Welcome to this edition of our InTouch Newsletter

Firstly, congratulations to three of our Premier Girls who have made the Black Ferns World Cup squad for 2022. Not many clubs in NZ can boast that accomplishment.

Our cover photo is of the three girls after their excellent victory against strong rivals University at CFC No 1 ground Saturday. Pip Love, Lucy Anderson, Amy Du Plessis.

What a thrill it was to see our CFC women Pip Love, Amy du Plessis, and Lucy Anderson, a star and stalwart of our champion women’s team over many seasons. Lucy began her career as a blockbusting No12, hence her nickname of ‘dozer’ prior to moving into No 8 and now earning her selection in the Black Ferns as a prop.

Last Saturday I really enjoyed seeing our Women smash arch-rivals University albeit without their star, ex CFC player Kendra Cocksedge. What impressed me was the continuity of their game with players such as Lucy Jenkins to the forefront here, their backing up and overall skill set. Their coaches Ross Tarawhiti and Pete Manson have developed a very well drilled team. Keep up the good work team.

I was also chuffed to see the Nomads ‘stuff’ Lyttelton, particularly at their home ground. This is no easy feat as Lyttelton have been at the forefront of Div 2 for many seasons. Mase and Kitey tell me they were pretty buggered after however but they have more heavy artillery arriving soon.

After a good day at CFC it was home to watch the Crusaders, I might add a bit nervously. It was a pretty long ‘two bottle’ build up to the game but once started back came the Crusaders of old scoring some great tries.

Having watched the earlier game between the Chiefs and The Brumbies the Crusaders will need to be at the top of their game to beat the Brumbies in Canberra on Friday as they are a good side.

Div One are not too far off but will need a win against University at Ilam this week to stay in contention. Go the ‘red and blacks!’

In the meantime, see you Saturday.

Give Em The Axe.

WEEKLY DRAWS:

SENIOR RUGBY

JUNIOR RUGBY

FROM THE SIDELINE

A busy day at CFC Saturday, and another great day for footie.
Firstly a great turn out of our Junior teams kicking off their season complemented by our President Jerry Rowberry and his wife Brenda spending all morning at the Club supporting the teams.

The 1.00pm matches featured the Premier Women’s Team against arch rivals University on ground 1. A good win by the girls who showed they are building toward back to back championships. Great to see Steph Fox still putting in the yards and our three recent World Cup Black Ferns getting game time along with a number of new faces. Coaches Pete Manson and Ross Tarawhiti once again ensuring the work is done with no short cuts.

Premier Reserve using Ground 2 for the first time this year christened the new turf with a great win. Defeating unbeaten Shirley with a come from behind win 21-20.

This was a great boost as there two previous matches this year resulted in a last minute 2 point loss and last week losing by one point. What is more they were without George McLean, George Win and Jesse Bryant who were all on Premier Men’s duty.

The excitement at the end of the game was befitting of a team with great camaraderie and which gives great support to the Club. Great to see Darryl Moody and his wife as always again on the sideline supporting as they have done every Saturday for the past 8 years with their son Travis the evergreen still contributing massively both on and off the field.

Premier Men’s Reserve team celebrating as if they had won the final.
Having had two one point losses in their two previous games this season they beat the previously unbeaten Shirley by one point at CFC No 2 ground. 21-20

Special mention must be made of the Nomads team, winners of Div 3 competition last year, taking the step up to Div 2. They missed the first two games whilst the competition was still being sorted out. No greater challenge first up than Lyttelton, perennial top 4 four team every year and at Lyttelton to boot. They got home 17-7 for a great win.

This team is made up of a number of former Premier players from various clubs, under the guidance of CFC legend Chris Mason, who just want to get out on a Saturday, have fun and play some good footie. Few if any would be under the age of 30.

It would be only fair if Canty Metro Rugby saw fit to at least give them a point (or two) for the first two games they missed through no fault of their own.

Colts had a close hard fought match against a good Sydenham side only losing 27-24.
This shows these lads with their win last week will be very competitive this season.
Matt Mustchin and his team of coaches and managers have put in a lot of hard work, with some difficulties, injuries etc in getting the team prepared for season’s start.
 

Colts v Sydenham. Sadly a three point loss
Lineout. How it should be done.

Premier Men’s game was disappointing as a spectacle. Mainly from the stop start nature of the match where a record number of penalties were dished out.
The other aspect that has an impact is the rule that Crusader Academy players only get limited game time because they do so many minutes during the week at training. I know it is the same for all clubs, but don’t get me going in this. As a result Ben Lopas who made a big difference in the first half and Will Gaulter the same in the second half got only 40 minutes each.

Again the Christchurch scrum was strong, but the lineout still poses a problem.
Josh Ree at first five kicked well with two sideline conversions and a long range penalty.
George McLean  half back made a good fist of his first start and made a strong break which led to a good try.

Jesse Bryant got limited opportunities but made the most of the one he had.
Sam Tatupu midfield took the ball up strongly as did Will Gaulter in the second half.
However the passing looked laboured across the field.

Sadly Reuben Spicer (Half Back) has a season ending injury and did not play. Along with Jack Capill that has been a blow to the team. Still awaiting Sam Cotton, Zac McKay and Charlie Barrett to return from injuries. Nick Annear was unavailable.

University this week at Ilam which really comes down to a game of significant importance.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:

Some teams let things happen
Good teams make things happen
Other teams wonder what’s happening.
A certain rugby league team falls into the latter category.
You choose which belongs to you.

Finally, and importantly the Club sends out it’s thoughts and hopes that Jerry Thompson makes a full recovery from a serious infection that has him in hospital at present. Jerry is the father of Andre, current board member and a manager of our Premier Reserve team.
Jerry is a cousin of the late Ruk Wainahu, but they treated each as brothers.
He first played for Christchurch Senior team as an 18 year hooker in 1959 and was a part of the successful 1961 Championship side. Playing around 90 games for ChCh.
He also played for Southland and the West Coast when his job as a builder took him to those provinces. He remains a very respected member of the  Club.

Thinking of the family at this time.

“ Run until you’re buggered and then increase the pace,”
Give em the Axe.

David Stuthridge
Sponge

Premier Men’s Report

Premiers vs Shirley Vikings 

Half time 8-14 Full time 18-24

Christchurch kicked off another week at home against the Shirley Vikings on Saturday. A solid kick chase got the horses out the blocks and created some assertive pressure from the home side as a forced penalty followed by a lineout drive landed an early try for the hooker Sam Stewart. 

Shirley tried to come back instantly with a few line breaks and honest kicks but the defense of Christchurch was seemingly too good. A heroic penalty from Hunter Wilson in Christchurch's 22 forced Shirley out of Christchurch's half as phases were building. Kicking on both sides of the field meant possession and territory didn't stay long. However, an *out on the full* allowed Shirley some pretty handy momentum as they nudged into the corner to start their own lineout drive. A near identical try Shirley’s way proved the forwards were going to be big drivers of the game for a 5-7 lead. 

This back and forth pendulum continued throughout the majority of the first half. Crucial mistakes in crunch time for both teams meant points were missing for their efforts. It was clear Christchurch was showing some resilient defense but a wide ball towards the end of the first half allowed a slick Shirley back line to offload and run away for a vital 7 points. The scrum of Christchurch was a real strong point to finish which earned a needed gap closer of 8-14 at half time. 

Christchurch began their comeback mission straight away with another penalty around 45 meters out from Josh Ree to make it 11-14. On the back of the kick off a clear momentum for Shirley began as a buildup of phases was becoming overwhelming for Christchurch. A series of pod work on our 5 meter meant Shirley was able to extend the gap right under the posts for 11-21. 

As the game drew out, again, the sense of the back-and-forth gameplay was still very apparent. Some really strong carries for Shirley looked promising for a potential try however yet again some great defense left them scoreless. A couple back-to-back penalties and strong scrums pushed Christchurch further forward, a snipe from the halfback George Mclean was a much-needed front foot in the Shirley 22. A scream of “go wide” was evident in the crowd as Jesse Bryant did exactly that, scoring for 18-24.

A solid attempt for a fight back showed heart from Christchurch but being behind the 8 ball for majority of the game forced some vital errors and cost them some unnecessary points. The side will be hoping to take their promising defence into next week as they take on the University of Canterbury Vipers at the Ilam Fields.

PLAYER PROFILE

LUCY ANDERSON

A good catch up with Lucy after her game on Saturday.
Our newest addition to the Black Ferns being selected for the first time in the World Cup squad 2022.
Her story is one of perseverance and belief. It all started at age 11 where she had a dream of being selected for the Black Ferns This all started when she commenced playing for the MacKenzie Club Junior Boys team in Sth Canterbury. In a fortnight’s time she will turn 31.

In 2011 she had two seasons playing for Otago whilst she completed her Occupational therapy degree. At the time she was a 12 in the midfield.
 

She was selected for the Black Ferns wider squad as a 19-year-old and in 2018 was called up as an injury replacement but never earned a cap. At the time she had thought seriously about quitting rugby to concentrate on her medical career.

However, a change to the forwards gave her new enthusiasm and she went from being a 12 then a 8 and now a 1, when last year with the Black Ferns playing in the UK, the Canterbury coaches were looking for props to fill in. Lucy put her hand up.

Under the expertise of Ross Tarawhiti her Christchurch coach, and now time spent under the watchful eye of Black Ferns scrum guru Mike Cron, there is no holding back.

Lucy comes from good rugby stock, her Dad Bill Anderson a farmer and former lock in the Sth Canterbury team that won the Ranfurly Shield in 1974. Bill also was an All Black trialist, so is obviously thrilled that his daughter has gone one step further.

Lucy’s mother Di is a school teacher and she has a supportive brother and sister.
The family live in Fairlie. Her parents follow her everywhere on her rugby journey. Lucy attended Craighead Diocesan Girls School in Timaru. In her early sporting days, she played hockey.

Her partner Inga Finau played for Christchurch for a couple of seasons. He is now based in Hamilton as part of the Chiefs squad.

Lucy is a busy girl trying to fit in morning rugby training at 6.00am then cycling 20 minutes to Christchurch Hospital where she is a team leader in the Occupational Therapy Dept 7.30 am to 4.00pm Mon -Fri. Cycles home and then straight to training again.

However now after three different chapters in her career, and her support from her teammates and coaches at CFC, she is on the verge of reaching a fairytale ending.
We wish her every success and look forward to that World Cup journey.

David Stuthridge
Sponge

CFC Junior Corner

How great to see all our junior teams back out in action again last week, as the first week of grading began for our teams.

U6 Little Ninjas - the 1st team to post a pic in our FB Mother's Day Competition

All teams should now be completing their weekly training, with the clubgrounds busy and almost at capacity during the week between 3:30pm-6:30pm. Please be considerate of other CFC teams training at the same time. Generally speaking you will need to share space, there is room for everyone but you must keep to your scheduled times and respect the fact that other teams will be around too…..this is a great opportunity to get to know other teams and families better, so make the most of your time at the clubgrounds.

We are aiming to have our clubrooms and facilities open to provide afternoon tea and meals on Wednesdays and Thursdays before the end of May – we will send out schedules to all teams shortly.

A series of photos from last Thursday’s trainings showing everything we love about our club.

1 - The first official meeting of our all girls U13 & U11 wahine Toa teams (only club in Canterbury to achieve these all girls teams) Supported by both our Prem Woman and awesome coaching team led by Jono Campbell

2 - Our U13 Toa putting the hard yards on No2 for the second time this week, great bunch of enthusiastic boys being bought together by Peter Grant and his coaching team.

3- Our U12 Pango, Whero & Mā teams being put through an awesome Scrum Clinic by club RDO and CRFU guru Craig Dunlea. Our teams instantly becoming better and filling that “Learning Pot”

4 - Parents watching a group of Under 8s being put through a practice by one of our clubs favourite volunteer coaches George Allen from Christchurch Boys High, not related to any of these kids and giving up his time to support and give back to our wee ones. Legend

How can you not love our community!

Sideline Behaviour

We were pleased to confirm that we received no issues or complaints relating to CFC Teams or families from the first weekend of rugby. However, a timely reminder that the club is committed to the Applaud Sideline behaviour and expects ALL players, parents, supporters, coaches and managers to demonstrate these behaviours at all times.  

The most important thing is for the players to be provided with a positive environment where they can develop and have fun. Junior games are not part of a competition ranking system and the whole point is enjoy their time out on the field in an inclusive and welcoming environment – this means our supporters should be leading by example and not berating mistakes, screaming from the sideline or sledging opposition teams. Please remember that you set the example for your child, and they look to you for guidance – being a positive role model!

Should there be any issues during your game, please ensure that your REGISTERED Coach first works with the coach on the opposing team to resolve any issues. If these are not able to be resolved and there are any safety concerns, the registered coach CAN halt the game if needs be.

Any formal complaints or concerns MUST come via CFC Club representatives via agreed CRFU channels not directly to the CRFU. Please email cfcjuniors@christchurchpark within 48 hours of any incidents if required.

KEEP IT POSITIVE NOMINATIONS:

To promote and assit with the above the CRFU are keen to Keep It Positive on our sidelines, encouraging everyone to get involved and to thank the amazing volunteers who have helped us all get out on the field!

If you see someone Keeping It Positive, make sure to nominate them here to win awesome prizes! - https://www.canterburyrugby.co.nz/keep-it-positive

To finish up our Junior Corner, below are three former members of CFC Under 13 Junior team from 2019 who had an impressive record of results and some great team spirit throughout their time in the junior club.

On Saturday Finn McLeod, (lock), James Moore (No8). William Haig (Fullback),
all made their debut for the Christchurch Boys High First fifteen against Timaru Boys High at Straven Road.  ChCh Boys winning 59-19, Timaru having been the victors last season 15-8.
Well done lads, look forward to watching your progress and being here at CFC in a couple of years! We hope to see many more of their players continue with a lifelong love of rugby as they grow and develop through the years!

Finally, wishing you all a fantastic weekend of rugby and remember to post your team pics to our @cfcjuniors Facebook Page before Sunday night, to be in with the chance to win a $150 team voucher at our Gold Club Sponsor – The Elmwood Trading Company.

CFC Apparel

All gear bags should now be with the coaching teams and playing jerseys should have been handed out. If any issues or swaps needed, Tina from our Junior Committee oversees running this side of things. She can be reached on 027 2288411 if needed.

For anyone needing new shorts and socks, please go online to order via the CFC Gear Store: Christchurch FC Sports gear Store | Impakt

Article added: Wednesday 11 May 2022