Highlanders (rugby union)

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The Highlanders (Māori: Kahupeka;[1] formerly

the Otago Highlanders) is a New Zealand
professional rugby union team based in Dunedin
that compete in Super Rugby. The team was
formed in 1996 to represent the lower South
Island in the newly formed Super 12 competition,
and includes the Otago, North Otago and
Southland unions. The Highlanders take their
name from the Scottish immigrants that founded
the Otago, North Otago, and Southland regions in
the 1840s and 1850s.

Highlanders

Union New Zealand Rugby

Union

Nickname(s) The Highlanders, Landers

Founded 1996

Location Dunedin, New Zealand

Region North Otago

Otago
Southland

Ground Forsyth Barr Stadium

(Capacity: 30,748)

Coach Jamie Joseph

Captain(s) Hugh Renton

Timoci Tavatavanawai

Most caps Aaron Smith (185)

Top scorer Lima Sopoaga (866)

Most tries Waisake Naholo (45)

League Super Rugby Pacific

2025 11th overall

1st kit 2nd kit

Official website

[Link]

Their main ground through the 2011 Super Rugby

season was Carisbrook in Dunedin, with home
games occasionally being played in Invercargill
and Queenstown. The Highlanders moved into
Carisbrook's replacement, Forsyth Barr Stadium
at University Plaza, for the 2012 season; the
stadium opened in time for the 2011 Rugby World
Cup, but after the Super Rugby season.

They finished the inaugural season eighth, and

the following season finished last after winning
only three of eleven matches. However, in the
1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons they qualified for
semi-finals; hosting the 1999 competition final
against fellow South Island team the Crusaders.
They lost the match 24–19, and the following year
were again knocked out by the Crusaders—this
time in their semi-final. In the following fifteen
seasons they would only finish in the top four
once more, in 2002. But in 2015, they were
crowned Super Rugby champions after beating
the Hurricanes at Westpac Stadium .[2]

Current Highlander, Aaron Smith has played a

record 176 games for the Highlanders, and 47
other players have played over 50 games for the
team. The Highlanders' highest career points
scorer is Lima Sopoaga with 866 points, and
highest career try scorer is Waisake Naholo with
45 tries.

History
Main article: History of the Highlanders

The Highlanders' franchise was created as one of

five New Zealand teams in the Super 12. Originally
named the Otago Highlanders, the Highlanders'
franchise area encompassed the lower South
Island of New Zealand, and was formed from the
North Otago, Otago, and Southland provincial
rugby unions.[3]

The 1996 team was captained by John Leslie and

coached by Gordon Hunter.[4] Their first Super 12
match was against the Queensland Reds at
Carisbrook on 3 March 1996, whom they defeated
57–17.[5][6] After three matches the Highlanders
were undefeated and leading the competition.
However the following week at Loftus Versfeld
Stadium in South Africa they were defeated 59–
29 by Northern Transvaal.[7] They only won two
more games that season, against Natal at
Carisbrook and against the Canterbury Crusaders
at Lancaster Park,[8] and they finished the season
eighth on the table.[9]

1997 was the least successful season ever for the

Highlanders.[3] They finished last in the
competition, and managed only three wins.[10]
They were now coached by Glenn Ross and
captained by Taine Randell.[4] Their eight defeats
that season included a 75–43 loss to Natal in
Durban. The points scored by Natal included
50 points by Gavin Lawless – a competition
record.[11] Following their last place in the 1997
season, Tony Gilbert was appointed as coach.[4]
Their first game under his guidance was an upset
26–19 win over the Queensland Reds.[12] The
Highlanders eventually became the first New
Zealand side to defeat all four South African
teams in one season.[12][a] After defeating the
Bulls at Loftus Versfeld they needed the
Queensland Reds not to defeat the Brumbies by a
large margin. Queensland were defeated by the
Brumbies 23–16 and the Highlanders finished
fourth, thus qualifying for the semi-finals.[13] In
the semi-final, they faced defending champions
the Auckland Blues at Eden Park. The Blues were
leading 20–16 at halftime, and were leading 30–
26 before a controversial try to Adrian Cashmore
pushed the Blues to a 37–26 lead. Joeli Vidiri had
illegally taken out Highlander Stanley off the ball.
[14]

The following season in 1999 the Highlanders

improved on their 1997 season record by reaching
and hosting the tournament final. They opened
their season with a 19–13 victory over the
Auckland Blues at Carisbrook.[15] This was
followed by a victory over the Northern Bulls, the
Stormers at Carisbrook, and the Cats, before their
first loss of the season to the Sharks.[16] They
returned to New Zealand to defeat the Waikato
Chiefs and then the Crusaders.[17] After defeating
the Reds, the Highlanders lost to the New South
Wales Waratahs at Carisbrook. The next week
they defeated the Brumbies at the same venue. In
their next match, despite leading the Wellington
Hurricanes 14–3 at half time, the Highlanders lost
when Hurricanes half back Jason Spice scored in
the corner to give the Hurricanes a 21–19 victory.
[18]
Had the Highlanders won they would have
finished top of the table and hosted a semi-final at
Carisbrook. Instead they then had to travel to
South Africa where they defeated the Stormers
33–18.[19] The Highlanders travelled back to
Dunedin for the 1999 Super 12 Final, which was
against South Island rivals the Canterbury
Crusaders, and was billed as "the party at Tony
Brown's house" after Highlanders first five-eighth
Tony Brown. The Highlanders scored first, and led
14–9 at half time. However the decisive try was to
Crusaders wing Afato So'oalo, who chipped the
ball then out-sprinted All Blacks winger Jeff
Wilson to collect the ball and score.[20][21]
Although the Highlanders scored a try to Isitolo
Maka with three minutes remaining, the Crusaders
won 24–19.[20]

The Highlanders opened their 2000 season with a

50–13 victory over the Queensland Reds at
Carisbrook.[22] They won their next three
matches, against the Sharks, Hurricanes and
Cats. However they then lost their following three;
against the Crusaders, Brumbies, and Blues.[23]
They played the Crusaders at Jade Stadium in
their semi-final, and were defeated 37–15 after
Marika Vunibaka scored two tries for the
Crusaders in the last 20 minutes.[24] The next
season opened with a 23–8 victory over the
Blues.[25] Their 39–20 defeat of the Waratahs at
Carisbrook on 7 April was the first defeat of New
South Wales by an Otago-based side since the
Otago provincial team defeated New South Wales
5–0 in 1901.[26][b] The Highlanders narrowly lost
to the Hurricanes in Napier 35–33 before
defeating the Brumbies at Carisbrook on 20 April.
Although the Highlanders went undefeated at
home for a second consecutive season, they
finished fifth with six wins that season.[26]

The Highlanders playing the

Hurricanes at Wellington in 2005; their
first win over them at that venue

Laurie Mains had returned from South Africa to

coach Otago in the 2001 National Provincial
Championship (NPC), and was appointed the
Highlanders coach for 2002.[27] Their season
started with a narrow 30–28 loss to the Crusaders
at Jade Stadium.[28] That year the Highlanders
also achieved a win over all four South African
teams.[28] The Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy
was also introduced that season to be contested
between the Highlanders and Blues. Gordon
Hunter had coached both teams before dying
from cancer in 2001.[29] The match was played at
Eden Park, and the Highlanders were ahead 15–3
at half time, and eventually won 20–13. Their last
home match of the season was against the Reds
at Carisbrook. The Highlanders' 40–26 win meant
that they had gone three seasons undefeated at
Carisbrook.[27] The Highlanders finished fourth
and played the Crusaders in Christchurch where
they lost 34–23, although Jeff Wilson did score a
try in his last match for the franchise.[30]

The 2003 season started with a 29–16 win over

the Chiefs in Hamilton.[31] They then defeated the
Stormers and Bulls before losing to the Cats in
Johannesburg. Their second loss occurred when
the Crusaders defeated them 17–16 at Carisbrook.
The Highlanders had gone three seasons, 2000,
2001 and 2002, and 16 games unbeaten at
Carisbrook before that loss.[32] The Highlanders
then defeated the Blues 22–11 to retain the
Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy. In April that year
it was revealed a rift had developed between
coach Laurie Mains and some of the senior
players in the squad.[32] Anton Oliver was
branded the ringleader by Mains,[33] and after
their final game of the season Mains resigned and
was replaced by his assistant Greg Cooper.[33]

In contrast to their previous season, in 2004 the

Highlanders conceded 44 tries, twelve more than
in 2003, but scored nine more tries then in 2003.
[34]
Not only did they have a new head coach, but
also thirteen new players in their squad.[4] This all
contributed to them finishing the season ninth
that season.[35] The Highlanders' 2005 season
started with a loss to the Blues at Carisbrook.[36]
Following this the side won six games
consecutively, the first time the franchise had ever
done so.[37] After a draw with the Stormers and a
bye, the Highlanders had gone unbeaten for eight
weeks. Three weeks from the end of the round
robin they were third, but after losing their
remaining three matches fell to eighth for the
season.[37]

After ten years the Super 12 was expanded to

include two extra teams; the Western Force from
Australia, and the Cheetahs from South Africa.
The expanded competition was renamed the
Super 14. The Highlanders continued under
Cooper in 2006. After losing their first match of
2006 to the Crusaders, they then won their next
three. After only won two of their last six games,
they finished the season ranked ninth.[38] The
2007 ended with a similar result to 2006. The
Highlanders again finished ninth on the table, and
worst of the New Zealand teams.[39] They
finished the season with five wins and eight losses
from their thirteen matches.[40]

The Highlander mascot performing

before a match at Carisbrook stadium
in 2007

While the fortunes of the franchise had been

declining for a few years, they would bottom out
with a player exodus following the 2007 Rugby
World Cup. The squad's entire All Black front row
of Carl Hayman, Anton Oliver, and Clarke
Dermody left for lucrative contracts in Europe,
while star first-five Nick Evans moved north to
Auckland to play for the Blues, and hugely
talented young lock James Ryan was forced to
retire at age 24 due to injury problems. Joining
the exodus were several other veteran starters,
along with coach Greg Cooper who left the
franchise to take up an assistant coaching
position with the Blues.[41] The coach for the
2008 season, Glenn Moore, was appointed 28
August 2007.[42]

Moore was left with a weak side of young and

inexperienced players which would stumble to a
franchise-worst record of only 3 wins against 10
losses during the 2008 Super 14 season, and
finished as the lowest-placed New Zealand team
on the table. Jimmy Cowan, one of the team's few
bright spots through this period, was appointed
team captain for 2009, but things would improve
little over the following two seasons as the team
again limped to the worst record of the New
Zealand clubs. When Moore was released as
coach following the 2010 season, the franchise
had compiled a record of only 10 wins against 29
losses in three seasons under his leadership.

Former All Black Jamie Joseph was hired as

coach for the 2011 Super Rugby season, while
Jamie Mackintosh replaced Cowan as team
captain. The campaign would prove to be the
franchise's most successful in several years, as
they raced out to a 3–0 start including a
monumental away win over the Bulls in Pretoria.
They remained in playoff contention for almost
the entire season, sitting 8–4 at one juncture,
before slumping under an injury cloud at the end
of the year to finish 8th on the table.

Highlanders won the 2015 Super Rugby season

defeating the Hurricanes 21–14 in Wellington. Phil
Gifford called the win the "greatest Super Rugby
comeback this century".[43]

In 2017, the Highlanders won over the British &

Irish Lions 23–22 at Dunedin, during the Lions
tour to New Zealand.

2018 was a season of ups and downs for the

Highlanders. They started their season 3–0
including a win over the defending champions
Crusaders in Dunedin and finished their season in
6th place. Despite this, they would suffer a shock
loss to the Waratahs after leading 23–3 at one
point, they lost 30–23 in Sydney.

2019 was another up and down season for the

Highlanders. At the end of the overall season the
Highlanders had won 6, drawn 3 and lost 7, which
somehow put them into 8th for the playoffs.
However, they would lose to the Crusaders in that
game (38–14)

After 7 rounds of the 2020 Super Rugby season,

the Highlanders were 11th overall and 5th in the
NZ conference. They were bound to play the
Jaguares in round 7 but the COVID-19 pandemic
suspended play of that game and cancelled the
rest of the tournament. However, domestic Super
Rugby competitions started up, and the one in
New Zealand was Super Rugby Aotearoa. The
Highlanders finished 4th in Super Rugby Aotearoa
2020 winning only 3 games, 2 of which were
against the Chiefs (28–27) and (31–33) and one
against the Hurricanes (38–21)

The 2021 season of Super Rugby Aotearoa saw

the Highlanders finish 4th again, with 3 wins.
They beat the Chiefs (23–39), Crusaders (12–33)
and the Blues (35–29). After the season of Super
Rugby Aotearoa finished, the Highlanders will
partake in Super Rugby Trans-Tasman
(competition between the NZ and Australian
teams) in which they won all 5 of their games
against Australian opposition, and went to the
final against the Blues, which they lost 23–15.

2022 was one of the worst years ever for the

Highlanders. The Highlanders were winless until
Round 8, when they beat Moana Pasifika 37–17.
After two more losses, things began to look up for
them, beating the Drua 27–24, the Reds (27–19)
and the Force (61–10) which put them in quarter-
finals contention, since they had many losing
bonus points alongside that. However, they lost
their last two games of the regular season, and
despite the final round loss to the Rebels (31–30)
they only just made it into the quarters thanks to
their losing bonus point. They ended up getting
heavily beaten by the Blues in the quarter finals
35–6, ending the Highlanders worst season ever,
with 4 games won from 14 in the regular season.

a. ^ The Crusaders achieved the same feat one

day later.

b. ^ Prior to the Super 12 in 1996, Otago had

played New South Wales in 1925, 1991 and
twice in 1995.

Name and colours

The logo of
the Otago
Highlanders
before they
changed
their name

The name Highlanders was chosen after the early

Scottish settlers in the lower South Island. These
Scottish settlers were the founders of Dunedin—
known as the "Edinburgh of the South", and the
city where the Highlanders are based.[44]
According to the Highlanders official website: "
The name and image of the Highlander conjures
up visions of fierce independence, pride in one's
roots, loyalty, strength, kinship, honesty, and hard
work."[44]

The colours of the Highlanders formerly

encompassed the provincial colours of North
Otago, Otago, and Southland; yellow, blue and
maroon. Blue is also the predominant colour of
the Flag of Scotland, and is used by many sports
teams in that country.

On 3 June 2011, the Highlanders introduced—

controversially—a new predominantly lime green
home kit.[45] It was debuted in the Highlanders'
final home match of the 2011 Super Rugby
season.

Despite the resounding negative feedback from

fans, this kit was initially confirmed for the 2012
season. On 6 September 2011, however, the club
announced a change of heart—they would be
returning to their traditional blue strip for home
matches, and using the lime green kit for away
matches during the 2012 Super Rugby season.[46]

Franchise area

The unions that

encompass the
Highlanders' region

The Highlanders' franchise area consists of the

region controlled by the North Otago, Otago and
Southland Rugby Unions.[44] Both Otago and
Southland compete in the semi-professional Mitre
10 Cup (formerly the ITM Cup and Air New
Zealand Cup),[47] and North Otago in the amateur
Heartland Championship.[48]

Song and cultural impact

In the 1990s, Dunedin City Councillor Bill Acklin

wrote and performed a supporters’ song for the
Highlanders, which was frequently sung by fans
before kickoff at Carisbrook Stadium and helped
energise the terraces among supporters. [49]

In 2024, an updated version of the Highlanders

song was released by the Dunedin City Council as
part of the "They Save We Pay" campaign
opposing proposed clinical service cuts to the
New Dunedin Hospital project. The council
described the revised song as a rallying cry for
the southern community and encouraged
supporters to learn and sing it at campaign
events. [50]

Stadiums

Carisbrook stadium

Starting with the 2012 season, the Highlanders

moved into the Forsyth Barr Stadium, opened in
August 2011. It was built to replace their original
home of Carisbrook, which was no longer suitable
for international rugby, or as a venue for the 2011
Rugby World Cup.[51] The Carisbrook Stadium
Trust was established in 2006 to manage the
planning and construction of a new stadium.[52]
The new stadium is not on the current Carisbrook
site, but instead near the University of Otago and
Otago Harbour.[53] It is a roofed, all weather
stadium with a rectangular configuration, and
permanent seating capacity of 25,000 that could
be expanded to 30,748 if necessary.[54]

The Highlanders' original home ground was the

29,000 capacity Carisbrook in Dunedin.
Carisbrook is also known as "The Brook", or as
"The House of Pain" due to its reputation as a
difficult venue to visit.[55] The stadium was also
well known for Dunedin's large student population
(known as "Scarfies") that occupied the terraces
—an uncovered concrete embankment at the
eastern end of the ground.[56]

The Highlanders usually play at least one regular

season match outside of Dunedin, at either Rugby
Park in Invercargill or the Queenstown Events
Centre in Queenstown. Prior to 2007 the regular
season match was usually played at Rugby Park,
[57]
however in 2007 they played a match at the
[58]