It took place on 26 July 1879, where delegates representing Christchurch, Christ's College, Temuka, North Canterbury (Rangiora), Eastern (Christchurch), South Canterbury (Timaru), Ashburton, and Southbridge clubs decided to form the union.

[7] The first rugby match at Lancaster Park was played the following year,[8] which served as the Union's home until the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

The CRFU had originally voted to join the NZRU in 1891, but when the time came to ratify the agreement in 1892, they resisted following reluctance from their members.

[11] Along with the Otago and Southland provinces, the CRFU objected to the requirement that NZRU executive committee members reside in Wellington.

[14] In 1992, the National Provincial Championship established playoffs, with the top four sides playing in a knockout format.

Canterbury began to see the development of important players such as Andrew Mehrtens, Todd Blackadder, and Reuben Thorne.

Canterbury also hosted the final owing to Counties Manukau, upsetting Waikato 43–40 in the other semi-final.

Canterbury posted a record of 7 wins and 3 losses, finishing 3rd in the round-robin, then losing to Tasman in Nelson, 6–26.

Canterbury finished top of the table, recording 9 wins and 1 loss, then beat Taranaki in the semi-final, 46–20.

[27] In the 2017, Mitre 10 Cup season, Canterbury finished second in the round robin after posting a record of 8 wins and 2 losses.

Canterbury Captain Tim Bateman stated after the game only winning the competition would help alleviate the loss of the shield.

[29] In 2018, they opened with a 25–17 loss to Tasman, beat Wellington (27–20), Bay of Plenty (19–31), Manawatu (34–23), and North Harbour (21–31).

The Shield is based on a challenge system, rather than a league or knockout competition as with most football trophies.

In the first challenge on 6 August 1904, Wellington defeated Auckland 6–3 to lift what has become known colloquially as the Log o' Wood.

Canterbury's first bid for the trophy in its second game in 1904 and challenged for the shield on 11 occasions before it was finally successful for the first time when beating Manawhenua (an amalgamation of the modern-day Manawatu and Horowhenua Kapiti provincial unions) 17–6 at Palmerston North.

Canterbury defeated Wellington on 18 September 1982 gaining the Ranfurly Shield for the first time in nine years.

Canterbury would defend the shield for a then-record number of 25 times before Auckland would challenge on 14 September 1985.

However, Alex Wyllie's Canterbury came back at the last minute when a Robbie Deans kick bounded over the dead ball line.

Canterbury got revenge on Southland prevailing in a sold-out game 26–15 in round 11 of the 2010 ITM Cup.

However, Jordie Barrett kicked two penalties to seal a Canterbury win 29–23, gaining the Ranfurly Shield in the process.

Canterbury's main home ground was the 36,000-capacity AMI Stadium in Christchurch, formally known as Lancaster Park.

However, they stopped playing there after the 2010 season due to damage inflicted by the February Christchurch earthquake.

Christchurch is hopeful a new roofed multi-use arena will be constructed by 2022 with a capacity of 25,000, providing a world-class venue for sports and entertainment events including Crusaders, All Blacks, and Canterbury games.

[32] On 5 October 2020, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that a funding agreement had been signed with the Christchurch City Council.

[33] On 14 July 2022, the Christchurch City Council voted to sign a $683 million contract to build Te Kaha.

In July 2024, a sponsorship agreement was announced granting the telecommunications company One New Zealand naming rights to the stadium for the next 10 years.

However, in recent times Canterbury has turned the table, defeating Auckland in two finals in the past five years.

Players who compete in this tournament are eligible for selection in the Canterbury Country representative team.

The top side at the end of the round-robin receives the Bascik Transport Minor Premiership Cup.

The Premier Colts operates under a double round-robin format; the winner is awarded the Cup.