He played for Canterbury in 1993, being part of the side that defeated Auckland to win the National Provincial Competition.
[2] Harding was then selected by Howie Tamati to be part of the New Zealand national rugby league team squad that toured Great Britain and France that year.
[citation needed] In 1994 Papanui won the Canterbury Rugby League's Pat Smith Challenge Trophy.
Harding also played for the Canterbury Country Cardinals in the new Lion Red Cup competition.
[3] In 1995 Harding moved across town to join the Christchurch City Shiners, Canterbury's other Lion Red Cup team.