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HSBC SVNS 2 2026
Montevideo
Super Rugby Pacific

David Kidwell joins Highlanders coaching staff for 2026

David Kidwell assistant coach of Argentina Rugby and Argentina Rugby Head Coach Michael Cheika during the team’s Captains Run at Cardiff and Vale Colleges rugby field on November 11, 2022 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)

Experienced former Argentina defence coach David Kidwell has joined Jamie Joseph’s coaching staff at the Highlanders for the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign, replacing Dave Dillon.

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Dillon, who has been the Highlanders’ defence coach for the past three seasons, is leaving the club after his commitments in Italy with the New Zealand U20 team taking part in the World U20 Championship.

Kidwell has previously held roles with Michael Cheika at Argentina and the Leicester Tigers, before spending some time with Eddie Jones at Japan’s Brave Blossoms.

Joseph, who will be in his second season back at the Highlanders in 2026, is looking forward to joining forces with the experienced coach.

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“David brings a unique skill set, an intense defensive mindset, and strong mana. His experience at the international level, both in league and union, makes him an exciting addition to our coaching group. We’re confident he’ll bring real steel to our defensive identity.”

The former Kiwis Rugby League coach hopes to add value to the Dunedin-based franchise on and off the field.

“I’m really excited to be coaching the Highlanders, and to be back home in New Zealand 30 years on from when I left as an 18-year-old to pursue my dream of playing in the NRL – a journey built on grit, hard work, and a winning mindset,” Kidwell explained on a Highlanders statement.

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“Now, as a defence coach, I thrive on adding value to organisations both on and off the field. I bring a strong focus on physicality, mindset, and team culture, and I believe that success is built not just through discipline and effort, but also through having some fun along the way. ”

David Kidwell – Coaching Career:

2024-25           Japan

2022-23           Argentina

2018-22           Paramatta Eels

2018-20           Maori All Stars

2014-18           NZ Kiwis

2013-16           West Tigers

2011-13           Melbourne Storm

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Comments on RugbyPass

R
RC 48 minutes ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

The All Blacks pioneered and perfected the final 20 onslaught from 2012-2017…

The boks boring “bomb squad” doesn't compare 🤣



...

5 Go to comments
J
Jordan 01 51 minutes ago
Jamie Joseph’s simple take on where the Highlanders are struggling

Well If fakatava didn’t kick the ball back to the opposition everytime he gets the ball they might make some progress 😒

11 Go to comments
P
PB 1 hour ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

Been saying all along, trying to fit pieces around Ardie in the loose trio is costing the AB’s

Ardie is an impact player! He doesn’t want to play the Sam Cane type role that Sam Cane and Mc Caw played, and is essentially to small to play 6 or 8



...

5 Go to comments
L
Ludovici 1 hour ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

Love it, everyone following the Springboks recipe.

5 Go to comments
H
Hammer Head 1 hour ago
Johann Ackermann's Bulls gore Cardiff in Pretoria

Nah. Just straight up the middle, garden variety, kants.

11 Go to comments
I
Icefarrow 2 hours ago
Wallabies appoint former All Blacks defence coach as assistant

Wallabies going all out on ex-NZ coaches. Must be desperate to end their losing streak against us. Kidding, good appointment though.

1 Go to comments
I
Icefarrow 2 hours ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

We don’t need a 6-2 split. Almost every team we’ve beaten in the past two years went with one, and lost. It doesn’t add the impact many think it does. And why would you want a playmaker like Christie to come on and slow down the game? You need pace in the last twenty, in which case Hotham is your man.

5 Go to comments
B
BH 2 hours ago
Elliot Dixon: 'When I got to the line, I knew the ball had landed on the boot'

Great read. Dixon was a champ of a player.

All a try needs is to touch a single blade of grass. It did. So the try was awarded and history was made.



...

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c
cnw 3 hours ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

I like the thought process. Thats a powerful bench. Would like to see the starting bench to see how the spread of mass works. Curious too about how he would use this bench. I dont know that it is the last 20 thats key. If the Bok game in Wellington, the Autumn series and the 6N is anything to go by - the key period for momentum is between minute 30 and minute 65. It seems teams are playing a super high intensity first 25-30 minutes and the team that can keep accelerator down from minute 30 through to 65 will take control of the game. While orthodoxy suggests a 50 / 30 split - reversing that and going 30 / 50 so the ABs get say Sititi or Lakai going mad for the first 30 and Ardie comes on minute 30 could do exactly that while having him on the field in the finish too.

5 Go to comments
J
Jono 5 hours ago
Petaia et Perpignan : pourquoi ça ne prend pas

Une analyse sévère qui passe complètement à côté de l'essentiel. Petaia a débarqué dans un club en plein chaos et a été tranquillement l'un des joueurs les plus fiables de l'effectif dans les domaines qui comptent vraiment — son travail défensif a été le meilleur de l'équipe, son jeu au pied levé est de classe mondiale, et juger un arrière uniquement sur le nombre d'essais dans une équipe qui peine à produire du jeu vers l'avant est une analyse paresseuse.

Zéro essai ne veut pas dire zéro contribution. Regardez ce qu'il fait dans les phases de construction, les passes décisives, le travail qui met ses coéquipiers à l'essai. Rien de tout cela n'apparaît dans les statistiques.



...

1 Go to comments
J
JW 5 hours ago
The five performers of the week from Super Rugby Pacific round six

I think you need to give Brumbies their due, they’ll push the top four this year and continue to be a threat at home.

7 Go to comments
J
JW 5 hours ago
The five performers of the week from Super Rugby Pacific round six

He’s a lot smaller than Parker, two different styled 6/8’s, so depends what you’re after.

7 Go to comments
S
Spew_81 5 hours ago
Jamie Joseph’s simple take on where the Highlanders are struggling

I thought that Kidwell would prepare a better defense.

11 Go to comments
J
JW 5 hours ago
Jamie Joseph’s simple take on where the Highlanders are struggling

Thats the Canes third 50 the thing to stand out of this game was their defense, or at least the lack of points conceded.

That scoreline partly to blame with what Joseph about not staying calm when getting behind. I think they did make it worse for themselves and this is represented in what you highlighted with the amount of errors/handling. If they hold onto the ball and score then you are also not seeing one or two, maybe even three, of those Canes tries, so upto four try swing in that one area alone.



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11 Go to comments
J
JW 6 hours ago
Damian McKenzie weighs in on NZR's approach to eligibility after departures

Thats what he’s describing happens now.

11 Go to comments
J
JW 6 hours ago
Damian McKenzie weighs in on NZR's approach to eligibility after departures



How about if you don’t think they will fit back in then don’t pick them.

But now you’re having to pick someone who wasn’t as good as DMac when he needed to play in SR.



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E
Ed the Duck 6 hours ago
'There's always a lot of chat with them. They're quite mouthy'

“There’s always a lot of chat with them. They’re quite mouthy.”

Arrogant team. Arrogant players. Arrogant fans.



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4 Go to comments
J
John Breslin 6 hours ago
What The Rugby Championship needs to do to rival the Six Nations

Yep. Japan in 2015 - still the only team to win 3 pool games and not progress. Shafted by the scheduling

Tonga beat France in 2011 but still got trapped in the pool, scheduling didn't exactly help them



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61 Go to comments
N
NH 6 hours ago
Aussie Super Rugby takes: Don't doubt the Brumbies, Hurricanes the joker in the pack

Nice one john, i made a similar point elsewhere about the table and the run the brumbies vs the canes have had. Brumbies will need to make sure they don’t get complacent and bank their next few games which are against bottom 6 teams. Impressed with reds D and composure in fiji where they usually come unstuck. I thought the forwards in particular looked fit and hungry in D, plugging any gaps the drua tried to find. Hunter and Henry firming as a very solid partnership, hunter had a number of key involvements in that 2nd half. Only real blip was their exit kicking, drua had a bunch of attacking lineouts 25-30m out, it was just lucky for the reds they were able to disrupt their lineout. Almost all kickers seemed to shank the ball i assume because it was so wet, with it coming off the side of their boot. Drua much better at knowing to just hoof it as far as you can down the other end. HMP realised this in the second half.

1 Go to comments
J
John Breslin 6 hours ago
Ben Kay: 'I’d put my money on Ollie Chessum being the next England captain.'

He's a humble big lad and Leinster, the humble heroes, got humbled on the day

It's fine. It happens in sport. Still only March. Fear not, Ed - he'll be there when they're giving out the prizes 👌



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62 Go to comments
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