Back Highlanders (Superrugbyspan) Afrikaans Highlanders German Highlanders (rugby) Spanish Highlanders (errugbi taldea) Basque Highlanders French Highlanders Galician Highlanders Italian ハイランダーズ (ラグビー) Japanese 하이랜더스 (럭비) Korean Highlanders (Super Rugby) Polish
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| Union | New Zealand Rugby Union | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Highlanders, Landers | ||
| Founded | 1996 | ||
| Location | Dunedin, New Zealand | ||
| Region | North Otago Otago Southland | ||
| Ground(s) | Forsyth Barr Stadium (Capacity: 30,748) | ||
| Coach(es) | Clarke Dermody | ||
| Captain(s) | Billy Harmon | ||
| Most caps | Aaron Smith (185) | ||
| Top scorer | Lima Sopoaga (866) | ||
| League(s) | Super Rugby Pacific | ||
| 2023 | 9th overall | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| thehighlanders | |||
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.
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. They are currently coached by Clarke Dermody and are captained by Billy Harmon
- ^ "Kahupeka - te Aka Māori Dictionary".
- ^ "Highlanders upset Hurricanes to claim first Super Rugby title in Wellington | Stuff.co.nz". 5 July 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
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