The Dutch teenager set to make his Super Rugby Pacific debut for the Highlanders
He may be a teenager from a minnow rugby nation, but Fabian Holland has the total faith of Highlanders head coach Tony Brown ahead of his Super Rugby Pacific debut.
The 19-year-old Dutch lock has been named on the bench for his side’s round six clash against the Blues at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin after having trained with the Highlanders as a wider training squad player throughout the course of the season.
Injuries and positive Covid cases within the Highlanders squad have since paved the way for Holland to earn a call-up to the franchise’s reserves bench this weekend.
Holland’s rise to Super Rugby Pacific comes just four years after he moved to New Zealand from the Netherlands to pursue a career in rugby, which has proved fruitful thus far.
Already, the 2.04m second rower has played for the New Zealand Schools and New Zealand U20 teams, and made his first-class debut for Otago in last year’s NPC.
Now he will tick off a Super Rugby Pacific debut on Saturday, and Brown is eager to see what his new recruit can offer in the infancy of his rugby career.
“He’s an impressive man. He’s come over to New Zealand from Holland for a reason, and that’s to play professional rugby,” Brown told media in the lead-up to this week’s match.
“He gets his opportunity this weekend to debut for the Highlanders. It’s a team he grew up watching, he’s super stoked to be part of, and he’s added to our team environment.
“I think as a rugby player, he’s always going to be successful, and hopefully this weekend’s a start for him.”
Holland’s rugby journey isn’t dissimilar to that of Blues rookie Anton Segner, the German flanker who was Holland’s teammate in last year’s New Zealand U20 squad and has an eye on becoming an All Black in the coming years.
Like Segner, Holland first harboured an interest in rugby in his homeland, where the sport only has a niche following compared to other codes such as football.
That is why Brown was so impressed at Holland’s extensive depth of rugby knowledge, as well as his ball-playing qualities after having grown up as a first-five in the Netherlands.
“I was [impressed] when he told us that he learned English by watching rugby and listening to Justin Marshall commentate, which is a bit of a concern really,” Brown joked.
“But his love for the game and his love for the Highlanders and New Zealand rugby is huge. He’s so passionate about the game, he’s so knowledgeable, and he grew up being a first-five-eighth in Holland.
“Being a 2.03m or 2.04m lock with first-five-eighth skills is pretty unique, so looking forward to seeing him out there. I know that he’s going to be a good rugby player, we’ve just got to get him out there and give him some time.”
Brown will be hopeful that Holland’s big physical frame and mobility around the park will help propel the Highlanders to their first win of the season after having lost their first four matches of the campaign.
All Blacks Sevens star Vilimoni Koroi has also been called into the match day squad in bid to add some versatility and class into the Highlanders lineup following the unavailability of numerous outside backs.
“He hasn’t been injured, but he was a bit of a late starter. He came in late into our environment, so we’re just getting him up to speed,” Brown said of Koroi.
“This weekend’s his first opportunity, and, like you say, he’s a utility player who can fill in either at 10, 15 or on the wing, so whatever we need at any given time, he’ll be ready to go in any one of those positions.”
Those unavailabilities have also resulted in the recall of Otago wing Freedom Vahaakolo into the squad as an injury replacement player.
Vahaakolo made his Super Rugby debut for the Highlanders last year, but missed out on a contract this season despite starring in the 2021 NPC.
Without a franchise for this season, the 24-year-old joined the Crusaders in a training capacity earlier in the year, and featured for the Christchurch-based in their pre-season matches against the Highlanders and Hurricanes.
However, Vahaakolo has returned to the Highlanders and is on standby as the depleted southerners await the return of their frontline players.
“We’ve brought in Freedom Vahaakolo this week, so he’s been in helping us out,” Brown said.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries in the outside backs. We’re really struggling to keep players on the field for more than two games in a row, so hopefully we get a bit of luck around that injury side this week and going forward and we can consistently pick the same players.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Are the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
2 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!
3 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 …
30 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 commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
2 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to comments