Highlanders · History

On 4 July 2015, at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, the Highlanders beat the Hurricanes 21-14 to win Super Rugby for the first time. A drop goal in the closing stages protected a lead that the home side tried to overturn until the end. The franchise, based in Dunedin, has played in the competition since its first edition in 1996 and represents three provincial unions from the south of New Zealand’s South Island: Otago, Southland and North Otago.

Foundation and the early Super 12 years

The team was created in 1996 as one of the five New Zealand franchises in the new Super 12, the professional championship New Zealand shared with South Africa and Australia. It played its first seasons under the name Otago Highlanders. Gordon Hunter coached the side in 1996 and Glenn Ross in 1997, before Tony Gilbert took charge for 1998 and 1999. Gilbert’s team reached the semi-finals for the first time in 1998, losing to the Blues.

The 1999 final and the early 2000s

In 1999 the Highlanders went one step further and hosted the Super 12 final at Carisbrook, their ground in Dunedin. The Crusaders won that match 24-19. Peter Sloane coached the side in 2000 and 2001. The 2000 season brought a 65-23 win over the Bulls, the widest winning margin in the club’s records, and another semi-final, lost 37-15 to the Crusaders in Christchurch. Laurie Mains, the former All Blacks coach, was in charge in 2002 and 2003; in 2002 the team again fell to the Crusaders in the last four.

A long wait and a new stadium

After 2002 the Highlanders went more than a decade without a play-off appearance. Greg Cooper coached the team from 2004 to 2007 and Glenn Moore from 2008 to 2010. Carisbrook remained the main ground until the end of the 2011 season. Forsyth Barr Stadium, opened in Dunedin in August 2011 with a capacity of 30,748, became the franchise’s home from 2012. Jamie Joseph had been appointed head coach in 2011, and in 2014 he took the side back into the play-offs.

Champions in 2015

In 2015 the Highlanders finished fourth in the regular season, with 11 wins and 5 defeats. In the qualifier they beat the Chiefs 24-14 in Dunedin, Waisake Naholo scoring both tries, and in the semi-final they won 35-17 against the Waratahs in Sydney. The final against the Hurricanes in Wellington, played in front of more than 35,000 spectators, was decided by tries from Elliot Dixon and Naholo: 21-14 and a first title, nineteen years after the team’s debut in the competition. In 2016, still under Joseph, the Highlanders reached the semi-finals and lost to the Lions.

From Tony Brown to Aaron Mauger

Joseph’s spell ended in 2016 and Tony Brown succeeded him in 2017. Aaron Mauger coached the team from 2018 to 2020. The Highlanders qualified for the play-offs in every season from 2014 to 2019, the longest such run in their record.

The Trans-Tasman final and later seasons

With international travel interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the New Zealand sides contested Super Rugby Aotearoa in 2020 and 2021; the Highlanders finished fourth in both editions. In 2021 they played the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final, which the Blues won 23-15. Tony Brown returned as head coach for 2021 and 2022, and the team reached the play-offs again in 2022. Clarke Dermody led the side in 2023 and 2024, a period that included another play-off qualification in 2024. In 2025 Jamie Joseph, the coach of the 2015 title, returned to the post.