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Find your frequency“Gave us a good lesson”: Canterbury ready to return Taranaki's favour in NPC semi-final
Sport Nation • October 15th, 2026 10:31 am
Corey Kellow of Canterbury is tackled during the August Taranaki Bulls v Canterbury clash | Photo: Andy Jackson/Andy Jackson
Canterbury assistant coach Kieran Coll says a growing rivalry with Taranaki has added an extra edge as the sides prepare to meet in this week’s NPC semi-final on Sunday.
Taranaki knocked Canterbury out of the competition in 2023, and their previous meeting in round 5 this year ended 40-26 to the amber and blacks.
“I think there's been a pretty good rivalry building between these two unions for a while,” Coll told Sport Nation on Wednesday.
“Last time we played Taranaki, they gave us a good lesson.
“At that stage, it was sort of head down, bum up, and week in and week out, and to get through the end of the round play, and we sort of took a minute to have a look up, and we'd finished on top.”
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With the final taking place next weekend, everything is on the line for the four remaining teams, and Coll has seen the intensity rise within the Cantabrian team.
“Come finals footy, I noticed definitely a different edge to the boys last week when we climbed in and that's only gone up this week, so really exciting about what's ahead.
He said Canterbury’s connection with its community has been a major part of the team’s 2026 campaign season, especially with the new Te Kaha Stadium.
“We've engaged quite heavily in our community and built our game around that this year and obviously having a new stadium to be able to enjoy those occasions with our community is massively important for us.”
Listen to the full interview below:
