One of the fastest players ever to wear the Canterbury jersey, Paula Bale is better known for his deeds at provincial level than he is for the eight appearances he made for the Crusaders. The Marist winger was a popular servant for Canterbury throughout a distinguished career where he joined a select group of players who had appeared for the province in excess of 100 times. Bale signed off on Canterbury’s end of season trip to Argentina in late 1996, having registered 103 caps, from which he scored 429 points. As a Crusader, Bale featured five times during the inaugural campaign and added three more caps in 1997, scoring his only try during a 29-49 loss to the ACT Brumbies in Canberra. He also featured at international level for his native Fiji.