Ranfurly Shield goes back to Canterbury!

When his team faced off against Waikato on Saturday night, Canterbury captain Corey Flynn had a feeling something special was in store.

The mainlanders scored an impressive five tries in the first half, giving them a 33-13 lead at halftime. By the end of the game, Waikato had gained some ground, but only enough to bring the final score to 33-20 and not enough to hold onto the prized Ranfurly Shield.

In excellent form, the Canterbury Crusaders dominated the match (three tries in fifteen minutes isn’t half bad!) even in the presence of a near-capacity home crowd in Hamilton. Their win brought to an end Waikato’s seven day Ranfurly Shield tenure (the shortest on record in the history of the prize) and was a sweet victory for the Crusaders after losing the Shield to North Harbour last year. Stand-out performances were seen from Stephen Brett, Hamish Gard and Scott Hamilton.

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