Corey Kellow: tries in five NPC games running, an NPC title at openside and three Crusaders title squads

On 26 October 2026 Corey Kellow wore the No 7 jersey for the full 80 minutes of the NPC final at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch, as Canterbury came from 21-10 down at half-time to beat Northland 43-24 and win the title. It capped a run in which the openside had scored tries in five NPC games in a row for Canterbury, a feat RugbyPass noted had been managed before by Randall Scott in 1980, Dale Atkins in 1986 and Justin Marshall in 2001 and 2002. Kellow spent four seasons at the Crusaders, part of three Super Rugby title-winning squads, and moves north to the Chiefs for 2027.

Sacred Heart and the water polo pool

Kellow was born on 25 May 2001 and went to Sacred Heart College in Auckland, where his contemporaries included the future All Black Josh Jacomb and Chay Fihaki, RugbyPass reported. He was an all-round sportsman. The Crusaders' profile of him records that he was in the Sacred Heart water polo team that won the North Island Senior Schools Championship in 2019, that he went on to be vice-captain of the New Zealand Secondary Schools water polo team, and that he competed at national level in athletics.

In rugby he was picked for the New Zealand Schools team, the Crusaders say.

Lincoln and Canterbury

In 2020 Kellow moved south on a rugby scholarship to Lincoln University, RugbyPass reported, and helped Lincoln's senior side win the Christchurch metropolitan club competition in his first year. He graduated from Lincoln with a commerce degree majoring in property, according to the Crusaders.

In 2021 he played for the Crusaders Under 20 side and joined the Crusaders Academy, and he made his debut for Canterbury the same year. It came off the bench against Auckland at Eden Park on 8 August 2021, and he scored a try in the 48th minute. Later that season he scored again in the Premiership semi-final against Waikato at Rotorua International Stadium on 13 November 2021. In 2022 he started at blindside flanker in the NPC final against Wellington at Rugby League Park in Christchurch on 22 October 2022.

Crusader No 255

The Crusaders named him in their squad for the 2022 season, and he became Crusader No 255 when he came off the bench in the 68th minute against the Highlanders in Dunedin on 25 February 2022, a 34-19 win, RugbyPass's match ratings show. He played seven games that season and five in 2023, both title-winning years for the Crusaders, and five more in 2024, when he scored his first Super Rugby try.

In 2024 he toured Europe with the All Blacks XV under Clayton McMillan. He played in both of their wins, the Crusaders record: against Munster at Thomond Park in Limerick on 2 November 2024, which the All Blacks XV won 38-24, and off the bench against Georgia at GGL Stadium in Montpellier, France, on 10 November 2024, a 31-13 win that completed an unbeaten tour.

His busiest Super Rugby season was 2025, with 12 games and a try as the Crusaders won their 13th title. On 15 March 2025 he started at blindside flanker against the Western Force at Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch, the day his Crusaders team-mate Macca Springer equalled the Super Rugby record with five tries in a 55-33 win. In 2026 he played seven more games and scored another try, taking his Crusaders record to 36 games and three tries, according to RugbyPass's match data.

Five in a row

The 2025 NPC brought his most tries in a season. He scored against Wellington at Jerry Collins Stadium in Porirua on 2 August 2025, then against Bay of Plenty at Tauranga Domain on 16 August 2025 and Hawke's Bay at McLean Park in Napier on 22 August 2025. On 30 August 2025 at Rangiora Showground Oval he scored in the first minute and again before half-time in a 53-14 win over Manawatu.

On 6 September 2025, at Rugby Park Stadium in Invercargill, Canterbury took the Ranfurly Shield off Southland with a 54-14 win, and Kellow scored the first try in the fifth minute. It was the first Ranfurly Shield game of his career. He hurt his knee in the same match and needed surgery, RugbyPass reported, and he missed the rest of the season as Canterbury went on to win the 2025 title. He finished with six tries in six games.

He came back for Canterbury's first game of the 2026 NPC and scored again. On 1 August 2026, at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch, he crossed in the 24th minute of a 38-31 win over Auckland, his fifth NPC game in a row with a try, from Bay of Plenty through to Auckland.

Champion at openside

Kellow played all 13 of Canterbury's games in the 2026 NPC and scored four tries. He was in the side that won the Ranfurly Shield back from Otago, 19-15, at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on 9 August 2026, his second Shield-winning game in 11 months. He opened the scoring in the second minute of a 66-19 win over Wellington on 12 September 2026 and scored in a 34-21 win over Southland on 26 September 2026, both at One NZ Stadium. In the semi-final against Taranaki at the same ground on 18 October 2026 he scored Canterbury's first try, in the 15th minute, as they won 38-28.

In the final, on Labour Day, 26 October 2026, Northland led 21-10 at half-time before Canterbury won 43-24 to keep the title they had won in 2025. Kellow, at openside, played the whole match. Across six seasons he has played 56 games for Canterbury and scored 15 tries.

Where he is now

Kellow has signed for the Chiefs for 2027, one of the new faces in Jono Gibbes's squad. The Chiefs said he would strengthen their loose forwards after the departure of All Black Samipeni Finau, and that he was heading north "after helping his Canterbury side win the 2026 NPC". He joins a loose forward group with Luke Jacobson, Wallace Sititi, Simon Parker, Kaylum Boshier and Jahrome Brown, and his former Crusaders team-mate Taha Kemara, who has also moved to Hamilton for 2027. He has not played a Test.

Career at a glance

Canterbury figures combine Wikipedia's 2021 record (nine games, ten points) with RugbyPass's match data from 2022 to 2026, and agree with Wikipedia's match-by-match records of his 15 tries. Crusaders figures are from RugbyPass's match data.