Stu Piddington

Oct 9, 2024 | timarucourier.co.nz | Stu Piddington

An injury-ravaged South Canterbury side snuck past West Coast in a 43-38 in a thriller at Greymouth on Saturday to seal top position as the No 1 seed for the Meads Cup. South Canterbury will host fourth-placed Mid Canterbury at Fraser Park on Saturday after the Hammers cruised past woodenspooners Poverty Bay 47-24. The game was a notable occasion for five players. Halfback Willie Wright notched up his 100th first class game.

Sep 25, 2024 | timarucourier.co.nz | Stu Piddington

South Canterbury have sealed a spot in the Heartland Championship semifinals with two rounds left in the regular season. It was a hard-fought 28-24 win over Horowhenua Kapiti at Eden Park, Auckland, after leading 21-12 at the break. It was the first time South Canterbury had played at Eden Park since 1979 when they were in the first divisionThe win also stretched South Canterbury’s unbeaten recordbreaking streak to 37 games in the Heartland Championship.

Sep 11, 2024 | timarucourier.co.nz | Stu Piddington

South Canterbury’s record Heartland Championship run has stretched to 35 wins after a 33-19 win over King Country at Geraldine on Saturday. The ‘‘Green and Blacks’’ are the only unbeaten team after Whanganui edged out Thames Valley 16-14. Wairarapa Bush got their first win of the season with a 39-24 win over Poverty Bay, while West Coast snuck past Buller 20-17 in Westport to win the Rundle Cup.

Dec 19, 2023 | timarucourier.co.nz | Stu Piddington

The impressive South Canterbury team and loose forward Siu Kakala won the top awards in their respective categories at the New Zealand Rugby Awards. The South Canterbury Heartland side beat the Crusaders and the Taranaki Bulls to be named national men’s team of the year, after going unbeaten in 2023 to claim their third title on the bounce. South Canterbury pipped both the Crusaders and NPC champions Taranaki for the title.

Sep 13, 2023 | timarucourier.co.nz | Stu Piddington

The frontrunner for the Heartland Championship crown will be decided after the South Canterbury-Thames Valley clash at Whangamatā on Saturday. South Canterbury kept their winning streak going with a with a tightly-fought 39-26 win over West Coast in Fairlie on Saturday, while Thames Valley accounted for Mid Canterbury in another close encounter, edging the Hammers 34-31. The Green and Blacks and Swamp Foxes are the only unbeaten teams in the championship after five of the eight rounds.