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.
New All Blacks prop Ethan de Groot has sent a message to aspiring rugby players from Southland, and their parents, following his inclusion in Ian Foster's New Zealand squad.
Highlanders co-captain Ash Dixon didn't mince his words when explaining why his side went into Saturday's Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final as firm underdogs against the Blues.
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.
Super Rugby 
Super Rugby Aotearoa 
Super Rugby Trans Tasman Super Rugby 
Super Rugby Super Rugby Aotearoa Super Rugby Trans Tasman | Round 7 | P | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP T | BP -7 | BP | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-  Sharks | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 213 | 153 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
-  Crusaders | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 189 | 105 | 84 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
-  Brumbies | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 208 | 115 | 93 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
-  Blues | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 192 | 134 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
-  Chiefs | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 194 | 128 | 66 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
-  Stormers | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 118 | 94 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
-  Jaguares | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 169 | 135 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
-  Hurricanes | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 168 | 135 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
-  Rebels | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 166 | 160 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
-  Reds | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 219 | 176 | 43 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
-  Highlanders | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 91 | 163 | -72 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
-  Bulls | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 115 | 152 | -37 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
-  Waratahs | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 104 | 214 | -110 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
-  Lions | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 109 | 200 | -91 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
-  Sunwolves | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 101 | 292 | -191 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Round 7 |
|---|
| - Sharks |
| - Crusaders |
| - Brumbies |
| - Blues |
| - Chiefs |
| - Stormers |
| - Jaguares |
| - Hurricanes |
| - Rebels |
| - Reds |
| - Highlanders |
| - Bulls |
| - Waratahs |
| - Lions |
| - Sunwolves |
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.
Ethan De Groot Prop 
Josh Hohneck Prop 
Dan Lienert-Brown Prop 
Ayden Johnstone Prop 
Ash Dixon Hooker 
Liam Coltman Hooker 
Ricky Jackson Hooker 
Siate Tokolahi Prop 
Jeff Thwaites Prop 
Jermaine Ainsley Prop 
Josh Dickson Lock 
Sione Misiloi Lock 
Bryn Evans Lock 
Maanaki Selby-Rickit Lock 
Pari Pari Parkinson Lock 
James Lentjes Flanker 7 
Shannon Frizell Flanker 7 
Liam Squire Flanker 7 
Billy Harmon Flanker 7 
Kazuki Himeno Flanker 7 
Hugh Renton Flanker 7 
Teariki Ben-Nicholas Number 8 
Marino Mikaele Tu'u Number 8 
Freedom Vahaakolo 
Jack Regan 
James Arscott 
Kayne Hammington Scrum half 
Folau Fakatava Scrum half 
Aaron Smith Scrum half 
Tim O'Malley Fly half 
Mitch Hunt Fly half 
Josh Ioane Fly half 
Sam Gilbert Wing 
Thomas Umaga-Jensen Centre 
Fetuli Paea Centre 
Patelesio Tomkinson Centre 
Ngane Punivai Wing 
Nehe Milner-Skudder Wing 
Jona Nareki Wing 
Scott Gregory Fullback 
Caleb Makene Fullback 
Connor Garden-Bachop Fullback 
Michael Collins Fullback 
Solomona Alaimalo Fullback 
Vilimoni Koroi Fullback 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.
