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Highlanders

Highlanders Form last 5 games 🥶 5 loss streak

🥶 Streak
5 losses

Highlanders News

Highlanders' Rookie of the Year one of two re-signings

'I'm almost in tears': Lima Sopoaga's 'best Jamie Joseph story'

The Super Rugby factor proving a huge hit with fans

Australia wins most selections in Super Rugby Pacific Team of the Year

Latest

‘Allergic to the try line’: Ethan de Groot reflects on Highlanders’ season

Highlanders vs Chiefs: A final All Blacks audition, an embarrassment of riches

Tupou Vaa’i hat-trick helps Chiefs secure top spot ahead of playoffs

Highlanders continue re-signing spree with All Black Ethan de Groot

Highlanders re-sign two of New Zealand's brightest up-and-comers

Etene Nanai-Seturo returns as Chiefs visit Dunedin

Highlanders Matches

Fri 30 May, 2025

Super Rugby Pacific

FT
Forsyth Barr Stadium
Highlanders Highlanders
-
Chiefs Chiefs
2:05am
Round 16
LIVE
24
41

Highlanders Forwards

Name
Position
Dan Lienert-Brown
Prop
Ethan Groot
Prop
Josh Bartlett
Prop
Rohan Wingham
Prop
Soane Vikena
Hooker
Henry Bell
Hooker
Jack Taylor
Hooker
Sosefo Kautai
Prop
Saula Mau
Prop
Mitchell Dunshea
Lock
Tai Cribb
Lock
Fabian Holland
Lock
Tom Sanders
Back Row
TK Howden
Back Row
Veveni Lasaqa
Back Row
Oliver Haig
Back Row
Will Stodart
Back Row
Sean Withy
Back Row
Hayden Michaels
Back Row
Michael Loft
Back Row
Hugh Renton
Back Row
Taumua Naeata
Back Row
Nikora Broughton
Back Row

Highlanders Backs

Name
Position
Folau Fakatava
Scrum Half
James Arscott
Scrum Half
Nathan Hastie
Scrum Half
Adam Lennox
Scrum Half
Cameron Millar
Fly Half
Ajay Faleafaga
Fly Half
Jonah Lowe
Outside Back
Jona Nareki
Outside Back
Taniela Filimone
Outside Back
Thomas Umaga-Jensen
Centre
Tanielu Tele'a
Centre
Josh Timu
Centre
Jake Hiwi
Centre
Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens
Outside Back
Timoci Tavatavanawai
Outside Back
Michael Manson
Outside Back
Caleb Tangitau
Outside Back
Josh Whaanga
Outside Back
Sam Gilbert
Outside Back
Taine Robinson
Outside Back
Finn Hurley
Outside Back

Highlanders Tournaments

Super Rugby Pacific
Super Rugby Pacific

Highlanders Rugby

The Highlanders (currently known as the Speight's Highlanders for sponsorship reasons) are a professional rugby union team from New Zealand that compete in the Super Rugby and Super Rugby Aotearoa tournaments. The team regularly makes the knockout rounds of Super Rugby and were crowned as the tournament's champions in 2015.On this page you can discover everything there is to know about the Highlanders Rugby Club. As well as reading more about the team's history and professional record, you can see their squad, upcoming fixtures and latest results.

When the Highlanders Rugby Club first joined the Super 12 (now Super Rugby), they were known as the Otago Highlanders. In their first season in the competition, they finished eighth. The year after, their slow start to the competition worsened and the team finished bottom of the table.However, in 1998, 1999 and 2000, the team qualified for the knockout stages of the competition. But, the Highlanders Rugby team failed to win the title during this period because they were knocked out in the semi-final stage twice and lost the final once. Even when the team reached the knockout stage again in 2002, they were beaten by the Crusaders. It marked the third time in four seasons that the Crusaders defeated the Highlanders Rugby team in the knockout stages of the competition.  Following this, the Highlanders Rugby team entered into a bit of a barren phase and it was over a decade until they reached the knockout stages again, when they lost the qualifier to the Sharks in 2014. But, the year after, they won the competition for the first and only time in the history of the franchise when they defeated the Hurricanes in the final. Since then, they've reached the knockout stages of the competition every season.

Although the Highlanders Rugby team haven't been as successful as some Super Rugby franchises, several notable international stars currently play for the Highlanders Rugby Club, including Aaron Smith, who has been capped almost 100 times by New Zealand.In addition to this, the team also contains a number of international players, such as Kazuki Himeno, Jermaine Ainsley and Fetuli Paea who have been capped by Japan, Australia and Tonga respectively.

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