Luisetti Seeds Combined Competition reaches its pinnacle this weekend, with two North Canterbury to battle it out for the silverware.

Rhodes Park and Kaiapoi RFC both hosted spectacular semi finals performances last week, with two North Canterbury teams coming out on top and booking a place in the Luisetti Seeds Combined Country Final to be held this Saturday.

While the final result of Glenmark-Cheviot vs Waihora may give the illusion of a comfortable win, those on the sideline will be able to tell you a very different story. The dying minutes of the game saw the visitors score a try off a line out, and come away with a 17-26 win.

Across the Waimakariri bridge, blood pressures were also soaring as the game went into extra time and reached its 100th minute before Kaiapoi could celebrate winning a Combined Competition semi final for the first time in the clubs history. Emotions were running so high across the gold and blue, the after match handshakes were slightly delayed, “If you were watching it as a Hollywood movie, you would think it was too cheesy” laughed Justin Mills, Head Coach of the Kaiapoi side.

Glenmark-Cheviot is renowned for its crushing forward pack, and while Mills is all too aware, he says the Kaiapoi focus this season has purely been about their own abilities. “It’s going to be a backline versus forward pack to see who wants it. They’re certainly a well known opponent” says Mills,”But we have a rule this year, that we’re not allowed to speak of anything from past years. The less we talk about them the better. We have a saying, ‘our best is better than anyone else's best’ and we just know that rather than relying on opposition, injuries or fixtures, so long as we do our best we win, and we’re on eleven in a row so it’s working”.

While Kaiapoi are heading into their first Combined Competition final, Glenmark-Cheviot are all too familiar with the pressures that finals footy brings, and are revelling in the mental preparations ahead of Saturday's game.

“It helps having been there before, but every final is a new final” says Jack Hyde, Head Coach of the Glenmark-Cheviot side. “The good thing about having lost a couple of games in the year, having been put under pressure and having a couple of tight games is you learn a lot. When the pressure comes on you can get stage fright which is what helped us with Waihora last week. It’s not a jittery feeling in the shed, it's a ‘we’re back and this is where we’re meant to be’ sort of feel”.

With some newer members to their side, who haven’t been across a Premier final before, Hyde says the partnership with the experienced players is especially helpful, “AJ Morris is only 19 and he’s partnered up with Jordy Gray who’s played 130 odd senior games for us, and he sponges information, he said to me it’s the way the group talks and the way we hold ourselves, it’s not about being complacent but being ultra confident in our own space”.

Naturally the support from both clubs will be rampant on the sidelines. Glenmark-Cheviot have their traditional “G-Train” bus departing Omihi to take supporters down the road, and Kaiapoi may end up needing some security at the try line for their smaller supporters after creating a strong connection with the clubs JAB teams throughout the season. “I actually had to speak to the Club Captain, there were so many little kids over the line cause they wanted to be a part of it!” said Mills.

“We are thrilled to have the final in North Canterbury this year” says Annalise Eade, North Canterbury Rugby Operations Manager. “It’s a great result for North Canterbury rugby, with two local teams in the final and Kaiapoi making its first ever appearance in the Luisetti Seeds Combined Competition Final”.

Bringing some additional excitement to the day, Kaiapoi and Glenmark-Cheviot Colts sides will play as the curtain raiser as well as the Kaiapoi Women's playing Marist Albion and Glenmark-Cheviot moving their division 2 home game vs Saracens there. “Hopefully we can put on a real good day and highlight country footy” says Mills.

Forwards versus backs, history versus momentum. Will Kaiapoi be engraving their club on the silverware for the very first time, or will Glenmark Cheviot be adding yet another year to their long list of successful campaigns?

Kaipoi Rugby Football Club

Colts 1pm kick off

Div 2 1pm kick off

Luisetti Seeds Combined Country Final kick off 2:45pm.

- Get involved here and pick the score for the chance to win a 2026 Canterbury Rugby Membership!

- Can't make it? The Final will be live streamed on the Canterbury Rugby Facebook!

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words by Hannah Yates