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Highlanders sign Chiefs winger and extend young lock for 2023 and beyond
Only a few days after being appointed as Highlanders head coach, Clarke Dermody is already adding to his 2023 squad.
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Announcing today a mix of youth and experience with the inclusion of Chiefs winger, Jonah Lowe and young Dutch lock, Fabian Holland.
Lowe has signed a three-year agreement to relocate from the Hamilton-based Chiefs to the southernmost Super Rugby Club. 26-year-old Lowe had a standout season and showed his try scoring prowess against the Waratahs during the Melbourne Super Round where he picked up 20-points on his own.
Sharing his name with another powerful winger, Jonah Lomu, Lowe stands at 1.84m and weighs in at 92kg. He brings a physical approach to the game and can play centre or wing.
He made his first-class debut for Hawkes Bay in 2015 in his first year out of school and was the Magpies Back of the Year in 2016. In 2017 he played against the British & Irish Lions for the NZ Provincial Barbarians and made his debut Super Rugby appearance for the Hurricanes the following year.
In 2020 he was selected for the NZ M?ori All Blacks and in 2021 moved to the Chiefs seeking more playing time. He has been a regular starter for the Chiefs and has clocked up 18 caps over the last two seasons.
Coach Dermody likes the power and skill of Lowe’s game:
“What I like most about Jonah is the combination of pace and power that he possesses, and they are two great assets for any winger.
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“He will strengthen our outsides and in combination with our other Jona (Nareki) will give us some more strike force out wide. I also like his work ethic, he’s a busy player that works hard with and without the ball.”
Lowe is delighted to be making the move South:
“I have to say I’m looking forward to it and I am very grateful for the opportunity to play for the Highlanders and to play some exciting footy under the roof. Playing in front of the Zoo for the home side will also be a thrill.”
Holland to the Highlanders – is not only a headline, but also the description of the journey young Otago lock Fabian Holland has taken to get to the Highlanders.
Since the age 5 Holland has enjoyed rugby, so much so, that in 2019 he left his family and friends in the Netherlands as a 16-year-old and travelled to the other side of the world.
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Holland landed in Christchurch and had initially planned the trip as six-month rugby immersion experience to learn as much as he could about the game, he was so passionate about.
Fast forward 3 years and it would seem he has learned plenty. During that time, he has played for the prestigious Christchurch Boys High School 1st XV, the NZ U20 team, Otago NPC team, and received two caps for the Highlanders in 2022 as an injury replacement.
A meteoric rise by anyone’s standards but when you consider he has achieved it all away from his family support network and with English as a second language – it’s a truly remarkable story.
Initially the Highlanders had planned on Holland being involved in 2024 but his development has been so rapid his talent could not be ignored.
It’s his passion for the game and desire to improve that caught the attention of Clark Dermody:
“We all saw Fabian’s physical attribute, at 6’8 they are hard to ignore, but when you really get to know Fabian, you understand that he has a genuine love of the game and of our club. It’s very impressive to see that in a man of his age.”
Dermody acknowledged this young lock still has a way to go but has been impressed by his development so far:
“Virtually every development target he’s been set has been achieved well before we anticipated. When he played for Otago last year, we were interested in how he would manage – no problem, the same when he got an opportunity with us this season, he handled it well both physically and mentally. We’re obviously excited about where he could get to with further time to develop over the next few years.” said Dermody.
Holland who is currently assembled with the NZ U20 team prior to their Oceania Rugby U20 Championship was typically passionate in response to his selection.
To become a Highlander means everything to me, a little kid’s dream that has become a reality. I love this club and the people of the region and can’t wait to get started. I am looking forward to the years ahead.”
-Press Release/Highlanders
Comments on RugbyPass
You probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
12 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
1 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
1 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
16 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
16 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
16 Go to comments