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The Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch, who compete in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in the competition's history and have won a total of 14 titles.
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island and the second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of 415,100, and a metropolitan population of over half a million. It is located in the Canterbury Region, near the centre of the east coast of the South Island, east of the Canterbury Plains. It is located near the southern end of Pegasus Bay, and is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean and to the south by the ancient volcanic complex of the Banks Peninsula. The Avon River (Ōtākaro) winds through the centre of the city, with a large urban park along its banks. With the exception of the Port Hills, it is a relatively flat city, on an average around 20 m (66 ft) above sea level. Christchurch has a reputation for being an English city, with its architectural identity and nickname the 'Garden City' due to similarities with garden cities in England, but also has a historic Māori heritage. Christchurch has a temperate oceanic climate with regular moderate rainfall.
The National Provincial Championship (NPC) is an annual round-robin rugby union competition in men's domestic New Zealand rugby. First played in 1976, it is the second highest level of competition in New Zealand alongside the Ranfurly Shield. It is organised by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and since 2021, it has been known as the Bunnings NPC after Bunnings, its naming rights sponsor. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, the Farah Palmer Cup.
Andrew Philip Mehrtens is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He was regarded as a top first five-eighth, having played first for Canterbury in 1993, before being selected for the All Blacks in 1995 when he played in the 1995 World Cup.
Paul John Wiseman is a New Zealand former international cricketer. "Wiz", as he was nicknamed, was an off spinner who took nine wickets in an innings for Canterbury against Central Districts in Christchurch to record the second best bowling figures in New Zealand domestic cricket. Internationally, however, he was unable to forge a significant career due to the incumbency of first-choice spinner Daniel Vettori. Wiseman was a member of the New Zealand team that won the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy.
Lancaster Park, also known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium for sponsorship reasons, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium closed permanently due to damage sustained in the February 2011 earthquake and demolished in 2019. It has since been transformed into a public recreational park with facilities for community sport, and was re-opened in June 2022.
Justin Warren Marshall is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He played 81 games for the New Zealand All Blacks between 1995 and 2005.
Steven John Price is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s primarily as a prop. An Australian international representative, he retired as Queensland's most capped State of Origin forward. Price captained Sydney club, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs as well as New Zealand NRL club, the Warriors.
Roy Asotasi is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop in the 2000s and 2010s. A New Zealand international captain, he also played for Samoa. Asotasi played in the NRL for Australian clubs Canterbury-Bankstown and the South Sydney Rabbitohs from 2007 to 2013. He then played in the Super League for the Warrington Wolves.
The Fiji national cricket team is the men's team that represents Fiji in international cricket. Fiji has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1965, although the team's history goes back to the late 19th century.
Sam Perrett, also known by the nickname of "Pez"' or "Sammy", is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer. A representative for New Zealand at international level, he was a versatile back who was capable of playing on the wing, in the centres and at fullback. He played for the Sydney Roosters and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League (NRL). Perrett was a member of the World Cup winning New Zealand team in 2008.
Rugby union has been played in New Zealand since 1870 and is the most popular sport in the country as well as being the de facto national sport. In a 2023 survey, 75% of respondents said they followed the sport.
Donna Wilkins is a New Zealand representative in netball and basketball. She married Southland farmer Mike Wilkins on 17 March 2007. Wilkins returned to the Southern Steel for the 2012 season, after a short stint with the Canterbury Tactix in 2011.
Meredith Dawn Orr is a field hockey midfielder from New Zealand, who represented her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. There she finished in sixth place with the Women's National Team. Orr made her international senior debut for the Black Sticks in 2001 against Korea in Wellington.
Environment Canterbury, frequently abbreviated to ECan, is the promotional name for the Canterbury Regional Council. It is the regional council for Canterbury, the largest region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is part of New Zealand's structure of local government.
Steven Yates is a New Zealand rugby union player who played for the New Zealand Sevens team. He currently plays for Japanese club Toyota Verblitz.
Alfred Pelenise, also known as Afeleki, is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played for the New Zealand Sevens team and Professional Rugby for Castres Olympique and FC Grenoble in France.
Wilding conifers, also known as wilding pines, are invasive trees in the high country of New Zealand. Millions of dollars are spent on controlling their spread.
The National League is the top-level women's football (soccer) league in New Zealand. The teams were run by regional federations until 2021, when New Zealand Football started to move to club-based football.
The 2005 New Zealand rugby league season was the 98th season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand. The main feature of the year was the sixth season of the Bartercard Cup competition that was run by the New Zealand Rugby League. The Mt Albert Lions won the Cup by defeating the Canterbury Bulls 24–22 in the Grand Final.