Canterbury beat Waikato to win third successive NPC final

The weekend round up starts with highlights of Canterbury’s 33-13 win over Waikato in the ITM Cup Final at a rain drenched AMI Stadium in Christchurch on Friday. It was their third successive national provincial championship win as they continue to be the dominant force in New Zealand rugby.

Only Auckland had achieved such a feat so this win, without Canterbury’s All Blacks who are on tour in the UK, was all the more special. Played in wet and miserable conditions, it was the home side that coped better on the day and came away with a comfortable win.

“It was raining pretty heavily and the reality is the track was in good knick and we got to show our skill - we played, especially in the first half,” said Canterbury captain George Whitelock.

Rob Penney, now Canterbury’s most successful provincial coach in the professional era, said he was keen to stay on despite his contract ending at the end of the year. He has been offered an extension, but also said he’d like to coach Super Rugby at some stage.

"It's not a burning must-do. I certainly believe I could do it; it's whether other people believe that. That's the question mark and I can't control that," he said yesterday.

Canterbury now have the ITM Cup and the Ranfurley Shield, capping off a successful season for the men from Christchurch, a city that’s been through some tough times of late. Economic hardships, extremely poor weather, and the lack of All Blacks on show will account for the disappointing turnout.


Time: 05:08

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