Warriors' proud Canterbury product Tanner Stowers-Smith eyes long-awaited home game in Christchurch

Saturday, 20 June 2026

Tanner Stowers-Smith on the charge for the Warriors against the Sharks. He will feature in Sunday’s game against the Cowboys in his Christchurch home town.

What: NRL round 16, Warriors v Cowboys. Where: One NZ Stadium, Christchurch. When: 4pm Sunday, Sky Sport 1.

Warriors prop Tanner Stowers-Smith admits he has had his eye on Sunday’s NRL clash with the Cowboys in his Christchurch home town for some time.

Just a fortnight ago, the 22-year-old made a bye week trip home to watch some former Crusaders Knights cobbers play a Super Rugby qualifying final at One NZ Stadium.

Now he is set to tread the same turf in the first NRL game at Te Kaha.

Warriors coach Andrew Webster reckons the opportunity to play in his hometown is Stowers-Smith’s “State of Origin”.

It’s certainly a fixture the front rower has ringed on his calendar.

“I’ve had my eye on this game for a while now,’’ he said. ”I didn’t play in last year’s one [in Christchurch}, but I got a bit of a taste in that pre-season game [at Addington] a few years back.

“I’m really looking forward to playing in this one in front of mates and family.”

Stowers-Smith has cemented a starting place with captain James Fisher-Harris sidelined, in a breakthrough season.

He grew up with a long league lineage - his great-grandfather Pat Smith captained the Kiwis 80 years ago in 1946 and his grandad Peter Smith was a South Island representative.

But Stowers-Smith played in St Bede’s College’s first XV and was in an under-18 Crusaders Knights development squad, alongside current Crusaders Cooper Roberts, Johnny Lee, Manumaua Letiu, Liam Jack, Kurtis MacDonald and Tahlor Cahill, and Bedean buddy Isaac Hutchinson (Chiefs) and Torian Barnes (Blues).

He watched some of them during the Crusaders-Blues qualifying final at Te Kaha and enjoyed his first taste of the new stadium.

Canterbury hooker Makaia Tafua on his NRL debut against the Sharks last week.

“It was pretty hectic; it was crazy. The atmosphere is amazing.”

Stowers-Smith is looking forward to playing under the roof on a dry track, noting it won’t be “wet and dewy’’ like it was at Mt Smart Stadium last week for the loss to the Sharks.

The Canterbury local quips that he has had “about 50 million messages” for tickets. He’s not sure how many he can get for family and friends, but he will be calling in favours from teammates.

“It’s cool that we continue to do something like each year in Christchurch because there’s a lot of Christchuch boys coming through the grades now.”

The Warriors have long included a smattering of southern talent, from their start in 1995 when the squad included several of Frank Endacott’s champion Canterbury team.

The late, great Quentin Pongia and Terry Hermansson were other Canterbury representatives who played for the Warriors after stints at rival NRL clubs.

Corey Lawrie - who only retired in 2024 aged 44 - played four games off the bench in 2007.

Stowers-Smith is the only Cantabrian in Sunday’s 19-man squad this year, but Canterbury hooker Makaia Tafua (Linwood Keas) made his debut off the interchange bench against the Sharks and forward Jason Seu Salilio (Papanui Tigers) was an unused substitute.

“I was really rapt for my mate Makka,’’ Stowers-Smith said of Tafua. “We played all through the grades together for Canterbury and the Scorpions. There’s no-one more deserving for all the work I’ve seen him do.”

Stowers-Smith doesn’t think it will be long before Salilio, 21, steps up while another Christchurch prospect Bishop Neal, an 18-year-old from the Hornby Panthers, is a “generational freak” who is “killing it” in NSW Cup.

“It’s good to see the Christchurch boys on the rise. It’s real cool to see the pathway from Christchurch grow and kids realise you can make it out from here.”

Teams

Warriors: Taine Tuaupiki, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Ali Leiataua, Adam Pompey, Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Te Maire Martin, Tanner Stowers-Smith, Wayde Egan, Jackson Ford, Jacob Laban, Marata Niukore, Erin Clark. Interchange: Sam Healey, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, Demitric Vaimauga, Kayliss Fatialofa, Rocco Berry, Luke Metcalf.

Cowboys: Scott Drinkwater, Braidon Burns, Zac Laybutt, Tom Chester, Murray Taulagi, Jaxon Purdue, Jake Clifford, Thomas Mikaele, Reed Mahoney, Jason Taumalolo, Helium Luki, Jeremaiah Nanai, Reuben Cotter. Interchange: Soni Luke, Griffin Neame, Matthew Lodge, Coen Hess, Liam Sutton, Sam McIntyre.

Referee: Grant Atkins. Senior review officer: Wyatt Raymond.