Rugby: Canterbury beat Waikato to win the Farah Palmer Cup with a thrilling finale

Canterbury have won their fourth straight Farah Palmer Cup title in exciting fashion, with lock Cindy Nelles crashing in an 82 minute attempt to sink Waikato 8-7 at Rugby Park in Christchurch.

Waikato showed they were up to the task through their suffocating defense from the opening whistle. While Canterbury had most of the possession and territory in the first 40 minutes, they only had a 3-0 lead to show for it at halftime, as a string of shot-scoring opportunities were begging for.

It took until the 64th minute for the game’s first try, when Waikato winger Kennedy Simon stepped over the line to put him on the backboard and lead, which was extended beyond a penalty goal thanks to the conversion. from Captain Chelsea Alley.

For Canterbury, chasing a second straight undefeated season, the pressure was on. But as they did in the first half, they continued to test Waikato’s defense and while the visitors remained stoic, they eventually broke through death when Canterbury hit them from close range and Nelles scored the winning goal.

“It was a challenging year for everyone, obviously, but we were very grateful to have rugby,” Canterbury captain Alana Bremner said after the game. “We are happy to be here playing rugby and I’m sure the rest of the teams can say that too.”

For Waikato, reaching the final and within seconds of lifting the title is a sea change from their 2019 campaign in which they won just one game.

“There was a lot of confidence in our team and we gave it our all,” Alley said. “Canterbury is a classy team and they need to be really proud, but I’m proud of my girls for the season we’ve had. But we’re not broken yet, we’ll be back next year bigger and better than ever.”

Canterbury 8 (Cindy Nelles tries; Kendra Cocksedge pen)
Waikato 7 (Kennedy Simon attempt; Chelsea Alley scam)
HT: 3-0

Here’s how the match unfolded: