Warriors help launch new Christchurch league ground

Canterbury Bulls coach Andrew Auimatagi was proud of how his team performed against a Warriors combination in a festival match to mark the opening of the new rugby league facility at Christchurch’s Nga Puna Wai sports complex.

The Warriors ISP New South Wales Cup team scored 10 tries to six in a 40-24 win over the Bulls on Saturday.

The Bulls dominated the first and fourth quarters and got a pass mark from coach Auimatagi.

‘‘Tevin Arona and Brad [Campbell] in the halves got us off to a flying start. I was impressed with the way the combinations came together.

‘‘[The Warriors] guys are fulltime trainers so it was awesome for our guys to compete and gauge where they were at compared to those boys.’’

Campbell – a West Coaster who commutes to play for Christchurch club Hornby – was the Bulls’ player of the day, unleashing a clever kicking game despite blustery wind conditions and standing out on defence and attack.

He was denied what would have been a deserved try when the ball spilled from his grasp in a lunge for the line in the final quarter.

The men’s game was preceded by a Warriors’ women’s grade South Island trial.

Warriors women’s team coach Luisa Avaiki said some trialists ‘‘haven’t played rugby league but play other sport and want a chance to try and put themselves forward to make the Warriors team. We wanted to see what the talent was like across the country.’’

The matches were the first held at Nga Puna Wai, where Canterbury Rugby League will make its new home after more than a century at Addington on the former Showgrounds (now Christchurch Stadium) site.