Highlanders invest in future by signing five New Zealand U20 players from 2024
The Highlanders have invested heavily in their future, signing five New Zealand U20 representatives on three-year deals from 2024.
Southland loose forward Hayden Michaels joins Otago quartet Nathan Hastie, Cam Millar, Jake Te Hiwi and Oliver Haig in signing with the Dunedin-based franchise.
Michaels, Millar, Te Hiwi and Haig were all part of the New Zealand U20 team that recently won the Oceania U20 Championships, while Hastie featured for last year’s New Zealand U20 side.
Of the five players, only Michaels and Millar have first-class playing experience.
Michaels made two bench appearances as a reserve loose forward for Southland at the backend of last year’s NPC, while Millar featured in four matches at first-five for Otago.
A long-time prospect after coming through the ranks as a local schoolboy, Millar impressed in his Otago debut, a non-competition match against Wellington, scoring 18 points from the boot in his side’s 33-28 win.
Millar will join his former Otago Boys’ High School teammates Haig, a flanker, and Te Hiwi, a midfielder, in this year’s Otago squad.
Hastie, meanwhile, was also included in last year’s Otago squad and partook in pre-season training with the Highlanders earlier this year, but is yet to make his NPC debut, despite being named on the bench to face Taranaki in round six.
With incumbent halfback Kayne Hammington now gone after taking up a contract overseas, Hastie was in line to jostle with fellow youngster James Arscott for more game time this season.
However, the 21-year-old will miss most – if not all – of this year’s NPC after undergoing shoulder surgery about a month ago.
All five players hail from within the Highlanders’ catchment region, and are all either current members or graduates of the Highlanders High Performance Programme and Highlanders U20 side.
Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark said that reflects the work done by the franchise to prepare local talent to make the step up to Super Rugby Pacific.
“Our High Performance group have done a good job identifying and helping nurture the young talent from within our own regions,” Clark said in a statement.
“They’ve been working closely with Otago, Southland, and North Otago to provide a development pathway for players and it’s great that this group will realise their dream of becoming Super Rugby players. I am sure there will be more to follow.”
Rugby Southland chief executive Steve Mitchell echoed Clark’s sentiments, saying the Highlanders have provided young, local talent a “a realistic pathway to higher honours”, which Otago Rugby chief executive Richard Kinley agreed with.
“These young players have put in the hard work and as a result, the local high performance pathway has rewarded them,” Kinley said.
“It is especially pleasing to see the aligned approach and early commitment from the Highlanders to these players. It’s a real win for everyone to be able to keep them in the region where they can continue to grow and develop.”
Following the upcoming NPC campaign, all five players will continue their development with their respective unions and the Highlanders’ High Performance unit next year.
Comments on RugbyPass
Big empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
34 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to comments