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Premier Men’s Match Report

12 April 2025 at Burwood Park

CFC vs Shirley 

Won 37-26

Player of the Match: Will Edwards
 

The opening 20 minutes saw both teams trading penalties, with the score locked at 6–6. Shirley had the better of this early period and looked threatening, but some solid defence, including some big tackles by little Japanese halfback Yuta Ohata on rampaging forwards, kept them out.Suddenly, the floodgates opened. Shirley went wide down their left flank and came close to scoring in the corner. Shortly after, Christchurch had a player sent to the sin bin, and Shirley took advantage, finding space out wide on the left to score two impressive tries. Both tries were built from inside their own half, showcasing their intent to keep the ball in hand. A series of missed tackles, dropped balls, and a missed touch finder from a penalty allowed Shirley to capitalise. The score quickly ballooned out to 18–6.

Halftime: 18–6 to Shirley – and deservedly so.

Shortly after the break, Christchurch put together their first meaningful attack, moving the ball accurately and maintaining possession. A series of pick-and-go phases ended with tighthead prop Felix Harvisen crashing over the line.

Shirley responded with a penalty.

Then came Christchurch’s best period of the match. Sustained pressure inside the Shirley 22 led to a penalty try, awarded after a Shirley player attempted an intercept as Christchurch looked to go wide. The pendulum had swung.

Quick thinking from Christchurch No. 8 Xavier Saifoloi saw him take a quick tap from a penalty on the 22 and catch Shirley napping. Soon after, halfback George McLean chased down a long kick and tackled the Shirley fullback in front of the posts. Christchurch won the resulting ruck, and centre Aki Tuivailala powered through a tackle to score.

Shirley wasn't done, though, and hit back with a well-worked try down Christchurch’s right flank.

However, a late scrum penalty to Christchurch sealed the match, capping off a spirited comeback win.

COMMENTARY

The scrum was dominant and the lineouts showed noticeable improvement. The penalty count was kept to 15 and was fairly evenly distributed. The loose forwards lifted their game in the second half as Christchurch enjoyed more possession. However, coaches will likely be disappointed with the amount of space and time Shirley had on the ball in the first half, along with the high error count.

Cullen Moody directed play well and kicked accurately. Close behind was hooker Zac Langdon-Lane, who led the way up front with an industrious performance. Will Edwards was named Player of the Match.

A promising start for this young squad – but a big effort will be needed in the next outing against Brighton at the Sandpit.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

You can’t win matches on talent alone. It takes a hell of a lot of hard work from everyone — think 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.

And don’t eat too many Easter eggs.

Happy Easter – enjoy the break, then it’s back to business!
 

Written by David Stuthridge (Sponge).
 

Premier Reserve Men’s Match Report

12 April 2025 at Burwood Park

CFC vs Shirley 

Lost 24-15

Player of the Match:  Joe Ohtsuru
 

A fine day indicated there would be some good running rugby, and with a pitch in good condition underfoot, this proved to be the case.

Christchurch started well in the first half with periods of both strong attack and stern defence.Shirley countered with the same, creating a good back-and-forth battle.Shirley then scored three tries— all converted — as well as a penalty, to take a halftime lead of 24-10.

The team appeared to have the intensity to carry that momentum into the second half, with some great defence leading the way. However, this fell away slightly as the half progressed, with enforced changes due to injury impacting the team’s flow.

Christchurch managed to score a further two well-worked tries in the second half, to Kuresa Lesa and Cyril Tamou, both converted by Joe Ohtsuru. Shirley only managed one further try in the second half, which was unconverted, holding a lead of 29-24 going into the final 10 minutes.

Christchurch’s spirited challenges were met with firm defence. The team worked both sides of the field as well as through the centre to find a way through. The ball was spun wide in the final few minutes in search of what appeared to be a well-executed try, however, the last pass was ruled forward.The resulting play saw Shirley shut up shop and hold the ball until time was up before kicking for touch to take the win, with no further changes, at 29-24.

A disappointing loss, as the Crocs looked to have worked themselves back into positions to capitalise and force errors, as well as stretch the defence to create overlaps. Three yellow cards in the match — one to Christchurch and two to Shirley — show there's work to do on both sides.The Crocs were very grateful to the lads who came down from the Premier Men’s team to lend a hand. A great performance from Joe Ohtsuru saw him awarded Player of the Day.

There are promising signs as the group continues to build cohesion and form strong combinations.

With a week off for Easter and some solid training sessions ahead, the team is set to return with renewed determination to keep progressing.

A big thank you to all who came out to support — it was truly appreciated.

Written by Muir Don.

Colts

The Colts squads have been working hard in the lead-up to the season, getting valuable minutes under their belts with an internal pre-season match and a pre-season match against New Brighton. These games have been key in building combinations and sharpening match fitness. A big thank you to everyone who came down to support the teams during these pre-season fixtures — your encouragement means a lot as the Colts gear up for an exciting season ahead.
 

Choppers

The Choppers’ season kicked off over the weekend under superb conditions at Christchurch Park #1. During the off-season, it was clear numbers were lacking, so as the forgotten 15 took to the field to do battle against Suburbs, the first hurdle of the season was leaped. The guys defended really well for the first 20 minutes, denying an extremely large Suburbs team any points, but as the sun shone, the lack of a bench really started to take its toll and the tap started to leak. However, it was a great first half!

The second half started off much the same, but as the opposition upped their rolling sub policy, we just couldn't keep up. But give up we did not, and we kept fighting for our first points of the year. Finally, Arthur pushed his way over for a great forwards try after a real team effort. As the second half dragged on, Suburbs' sportsmanship disappeared and the final 15 wasn't really much fun. Finally, the whistle blew, the chilly bin was opened, and we were rewarded.

Overall, it was a good hit-out first up and we're looking forward to a long season. Thank you to all our helpers!

Up up the Choppers!
 

Written by Richard Spivey (Spitty).

 

The Choppers are a family-friendly crew where men of all ages, shapes, sizes, and rugby skills come together for some good ol' camaraderie on the field. 

What to look forward to when joining the team?

- The team minibus is ready to roll for away games and trips.

- Watch your little ones play in the morning and then show 'em how it's done in the afternoon! Or play alongside your big ones for a bit of father and son rugby.

-Training is optional but is usually a bit of touch rugby, a chin wag and team run.

If you’d like to join the Choppers or for more details contact Spitty - 027 828 5317.
 

New Appointments

The board is delighted to announce the following appointments:
Mark Arneil (Chairman of the Board)
John Sherratt (General Manager)
Craig Mullan (Rugby Development Manager)

Each brings a wealth of experience, passion, and a shared commitment to growing our club on and off the field. Hear from them as they share a few thoughts and introduce themselves.

Mark Arneil

Mark brings over 30 years of global management and business development experience in hospitality, events, and sport & recreation. His roles in New Zealand and internationally span corporate, multi-national, non-profit, local government, and venture capital businesses. As a self-confessed "rugby and sports tragic," he says, "It's an honour and privilege to be given the opportunity to play an active role in the direction of such an esteemed club and I look forward to continue working with our new Board, operational committees, and loyal members and supporters to bring CFC back to its glory days both on and off the field."
 

John Sherratt

“I am very honoured and privileged to be given the opportunity to be the Christchurch Football Club’s new General Manager. I joined the club in 1989 to further develop my career as a player, to challenge myself as a person and to make new friendships & relationships. Who would have thought that 36 years later due to all the opportunities and support that the club & its members have given me, I would have this amazing opportunity of leading our great club and working alongside so many awesome club members, many of whom I consider friends, who strongly believe like I do in our amazing club not only right now but well into our future. Lastly I want to thank my family who, as always, have supported me in making significant decisions in my life as they know how important & grateful I am to the Christchurch Football Club and its members for all they have given to me and my family.”
 

Craig Mullan 

“I came to the Christchurch club in 1986, straight out of school, when a friend suggested they had pretty decent coaches at Under 19 level. It was then I met an aspiring coach called Mike Cron. With Mike, Merv Jaffray, Tony Murdoch and Jerry Rowberry the club had more than a couple of inspirational coaches that players respected and wanted to play for.

For the next 11 years Christchurch played an important role in developing me as a rugby player and a human. I made my way through the grades as young players had to do back then. Under 19s, 21s, Senior Bs and then Seniors. I also made appearances over the years for the Bangorians and the Argonauts.

My last senior game for Christchurch was in 1997. I took a year off but was lured back into coaching the Senior B side and we were lucky enough to make a final. By then I had moved into North Canterbury as a School Principal.

My love of the game didn’t stop, it just continued to grow as I moved into coaching, with the odd appearance in the front row, right up until I was in my 40s.

Once again a friend encouraged me to begin coaching and I started with the newly formed Saracens club working alongside Shane Fletcher, former Crusaders manager, and Andrew Robinson. I started coaching senior rugby and at the same time coaching my 6 year old son although training methods were different for the two teams.

Like most dads, I then worked my way through the underage grades coaching. I was involved coaching the North Canterbury representative team for a number of years then I took on the role of coach with the Rangiora High School 1st XV. In my 4 years we were lucky to have some great talent and made 2 semi-finals of the Championship, plus a trip to the Top 4 where we lucked out to St Peters Cambridge in the Final, damn you Cam Roigard.

I resigned from my principalship during Covid and took up a role with the Sydenham club in 2020. 2021 saw me move into the Game Developer part time role with the CRFU based in North Canterbury where I had the responsibility of working with all clubs and all coaches and players from Kaiapoi to Kaikoura. I would like to think that in my time in that role coaches and players have benefited. During this period I also worked in the Crusaders space with their international Academy and Academy focussing on the set piece development of the players.

I applied for this role thinking that I could make a difference and add value to the club and I believe I can. I am looking forward to being back at Westminster Street and continuing my rugby learning at Christchurch where it all started. I look forward to the support of a wonderful Rugby Community.”

Save the date - Club Day 3 May!

Mark your calendars  – Club Day at CFC is shaping up to be a full day of fun, footy, and festivities! With a packed schedule of activities planned across the club, it’s the perfect chance to come together, celebrate our community, and show your support across all teams. Keep an eye on our social media pages for more details - you won't want to miss it! 

Thank you!

A heartfelt thank you to all of our valued sponsors whose generous support plays an essential role in helping our club thrive, both on and off the field. Their contributions make a real difference in the experience we can offer our players, members, and community. We’re proud to have them as part of the wider CFC family, and we encourage our members to keep them in mind whenever possible — supporting those who support us is a great way to show our appreciation.
 

Article added: Thursday 17 April 2025