Fabian Holland: 'I feel like I've elevated myself as a person but also as an athlete'

Fabian Holland has picked up where he left off in the black jersey, returning from a six-month stint on the sidelines to play a crucial role in the All Blacks‘ dramatic win over the Springboks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test series opener.

Fresh off a World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year award in 2025, the towering Highlanders lock lasted just a few minutes in his first pre-season game of 2026, picking up a shoulder injury that would then see him miss the entire Super Rugby Pacific campaign.

It was a long road to recovery, but Holland was quick to reframe his mindset, knowing there’s an opportunity in every setback.

Sitting down with RugbyPass on a sunny afternoon in Johannesburg, the 23-year-old’s inherent and enduring optimism was clear when reflecting on his trying 2026 to date.

“I think it’s always a bit of an emotional roller coaster when you do an injury,” he said. “You go for the scan, you see how bad it is, and obviously mine wasn’t that great.

“It is what it is, and how you make the most out of the time. I had a quick mindset change after I heard I needed to get surgery. So I wanted to use that opportunity to come back into this space in a better mental space but also in a better physical space. I feel like I’ve elevated myself as a person but also as an athlete, to keep contributing to this group.”

While a fair share of the credit for the game-one win has, rightly, been directed at the 56th-minute All Blacks scrum penalty that ended South Africa’s dominance in the set-piece battle, the Kiwis had a three-point lead at the time thanks to a 47th-minute try from their Dutch import.

Holland had been testing Springboks halfback Grant Williams’ box-kick speed with some mild pressure throughout the opening half, though never got particularly close to charging him down until he spied his opportunity shortly after the halftime break.

It was almost instantly after the Boks had re-taken the lead with a Cheslin Kolbe penalty, and the play perfectly illustrated how successful Holland’s rehab had been.

“Obviously the main priority was getting the shoulder right,” he explained. “But also, a lot of stuff around my movement on the field, being able to do that for an extended time. So I worked a lot on the biomechanics of running, moving more efficiently; for a big man, it’s always important to get around the park quite easily. I’ve been very lucky with the people around me. I’m in a good space physically.”

Fixture

Rugby Union Hybrid Friendlies

Lions

10:00

25 Aug 26

New Zealand

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That good physical space is even more important in the new Dave Rennie system. The coach has introduced a bespoke statistic named B.I.G.G.A. – Back In Game, Go Again. It’s been used to help raise standards in both fitness and work ethic.

“It’s an awesome stat,” Holland says. “It’s his way to put a measurement on how involved you are in the game and how quickly you can get back involved in the game. We try to play a fast-paced game, and we try to play to our strengths. It takes a toll on the body.

“We need to make sure that we’re well prepared to play that style. I’m tracking alright with it; there’s always room for improvement.”

Rennie invites those who fall short of the B.I.G.G.A. 85 per cent threshold to what has been described as a rather unpleasant extra training run on Tuesdays. Holland explains he’s “been pretty good so far”, with only a couple of extra reps required after his return against the Stormers.

Furthering that emphasis on working hard, the 2.04-metre lock sees his role in the “engine room” as a tone-setter for the team.

“I think every second-rower takes a bit of pride in that. The ones who have gone before us, you look at your Sam Whitelocks, your Brodie Retallicks, your Brad Thorns, they were the hardest workers on the field, in the engine room. It’s for us to carry on that legacy and try and fill those boots.

“But at the same time, we’re just trying to make sure that we do our job, and go above and beyond for our team. And make sure that we get a win at the end of the day.”

Working hard enough, and effectively enough, to generate attacking momentum is one challenge, but maintaining that level and outlasting the Springboks at the back end of an 80-minute performance is something else. But that was the big goal for the All Blacks at Ellis Park, to wear the big Boks down and be ready to strike when that fatigue starts to show.

“Obviously the Springboks are a quality team. But we trust our game plan, and we trust the way we play. Obviously, we’re trying to play to our strengths, and we back ourselves, whatever that looks like; whether it’s in the last 20 or whether it’s throughout the game. We’re just going to try and play our game and focus on how we can get the ball rolling.”

Working himself back into excellent physical shape was only part of the equation for Holland. During his rookie season with the All Blacks, he was introduced to the work of Dr Ceri Evans, the team’s long-time mental skills coach. Evans became world-renowned for devising the red-blue mind model that now plays a central role in the All Blacks’ mental skills training. However, Evans’ time with the team was cut short this year when Dave Rennie turned instead to Gilbert Enoka, who had an even longer tenure with the team before his 2023 departure.

Over 20 years with the All Blacks, Enoka had become deeply embedded in the All Blacks’ management systems, in addition to overseeing his specialist area.

“I always say that the top two inches is what makes the difference between a good rugby player and a great rugby player,” Holland told RugbyPass, in reference to his interest in the mental skills work he’s enjoyed with both Evans and Enoka.

“I’ve been lucky to work with both of them, and both of them were awesome. They’re very unique in their own way. I’m just trying to take all the nuggets from both of them and develop the mental skills part of rugby, which is hugely important, especially for games like this, where there are going to be momentum shifts, and there is going to be pressure; the bigger the game, the better. We’re not running away from it, we’re just trying to embrace it.

“Obviously there are some things that are going to go your way and some that are not going to go your way. It’s the ability to reset and be able to go back to your job and do that multiple times over and over again to get a win at the end of the day.”