Highlanders 2026
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We have three guys who are interchangeable at six in Stodart, Haig and Howden.
We have three who are likely to be interchangeable at seven in Lasaqa, Casey and Withy.
We do not have an option at eight.
The workrate Withy offers means he will be a starter. Doesn't offer what we need off the bench.
JJ likes a tall six. He likes an explosive seven.
Has shown a track record of like a workrate guy at eight.
Citing his W/L record in generally por performing Landers/Southland/Otago sides is a bit of a moot point
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@SouthernMann will stodart is definitely destined to be our 8 long term (not saying that's what happens round 1 2026) I guess at super level he needs time as bench loose forward firstly but his days as the landers reserve Lock should be done with
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2026:
We have three guys who are interchangeable at six in Stodart, Haig and Howden.
We have three who are likely to be interchangeable at seven in Lasaqa, Casey and Withy.
We do not have an option at eight.
The workrate Withy offers means he will be a starter. Doesn't offer what we need off the bench.
JJ likes a tall six. He likes an explosive seven.
Has shown a track record of like a workrate guy at eight.
Citing his W/L record in generally por performing Landers/Southland/Otago sides is a bit of a moot point
Withy has played six career games at number eight. There is very little about him currently that suggest he is a number eight, other than the fact he is an above-averaged height openside flanker. Size and Height are two very different things.
For the Highlanders, he only ended up there because Stodart was too young and both Broughton & Renton were injured. He played his one and only game at 8 for Southland this week because Tupou Taeiloa was injured.
If he wants to be a number eight, he probably needs to add a good 8kg to his frame, because as mentioned he does not have the dynamic ball-playing skills the likes of Lio-Willie has, nor the natural size of a Parker.
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@SouthernMann Definitely gonna be a difficult decision for Jamie, I think all three of (Casey, Withy, Lasaqa) need to be in that starting 23 somehow. But then you also have guys like Howden, Haig, Stodart and Broughton who deserve a spot aswell.
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@upthelanders said in Highlanders 2026:
@SouthernMann Definitely gonna be a difficult decision for Jamie, I think all three of (Casey, Withy, Lasaqa) need to be in that starting 23 somehow. But then you also have guys like Howden, Haig, Stodart and Broughton who deserve a spot aswell.
It is a nice problem to have. One we haven't had in a long time. It has generally been we have a first 15 with some average guys in a few spors, then gets a bit scratchy from the bench on. A few injuries and we have been in this shit. It was only a couple of years ago that Gilbert and Jona were our star players.
Having three guys in several positions we can rotate our squad will be a massive improvement.
Will come down to the style JJ wants to play.
Have only got a couple of positions where we are a bit rooted if the top guy falls over. If we don't land Jacomb for example, we may not even have a top guy at 10.
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@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2026:
@Dan54 said in Highlanders 2026:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2026:
Bringing in a 38-year-old Aaron Smith into a squad he has been away from for years is not the answer. We also have a perfectly capable cohort of halfbacks. With Pledger being absolutely top draw. With Lennox, Taranaki need to stop stuffing with his development. The kid is a halfback. Leave him there. We also don't need another small utility back. We have Solomon and Hurley. Both are better outside backs than Lennox.
Go hunting for a 110kg no8? Will stodart is 116kg. Withy can play thr workhorse role at 8. Casey can go there as well. Looking at the loosie mix. Sure, we are not the Chiefs with five All Black sixes. We do, have a strong group of guys all 24 and under. We have a strong group of sixes and opensides. We now need to leverage them to work out how to get them to cover the 8 gig as well.
With Frizzell. We'd be dumb to knock him back. From socials it looks like Dunedin is his primary NZ base too. If he wants to be around for a couple of years. That is a win.
Loosie isn't a major issue. A starting 10, prop depth, hooker depth and centre is where our issues are. The squad has come a long way in recent years from when Jona Nareki and Sam Gilbert were some of our star players.
On the Lennox thing the Naki isn't stuffing him around, simple playing him where they is best for the Naki, they aren't there to develop Clan players. We got Logan Crowley at 9 too, and even at club level Lennox plays a lot or 14/15 as Stratford also got a handy 9, so use their recourses as best for club. I think it a huge string to Lennox's bow how good he is at 14/15 as well as 9.
Of course they should sign Frizzell,, a no brainer, he got pissed and caused trouble etc, and so deserved to be punished, but that's over.Take your eye patch off buddy. They are stuffing Lennox around. He isn't going to be a Super level outside back. He is a Super level halfback. Their selection priorities are impacting the ability of him to develop career wise.
He will say he will do whatever the team needs. However, the is a classic case of high performance processes not working. You need aligned processes. From a NZ rugby perspectife. Halfbacks are halfbacks. 10s are 10s. Lennox's career prospects are not improving because he can cover the outside backs. It improves because he is a quality halfback. If he doesn't play there. He does not get rhe ability to develop.
Gee and here's me seeing him play on wing for the Highlanders during the season, for a nic of SouthernMann, you should know that.. Of course he a 9 that can play wing or fullback where he does for his club team. And why is it wearing an eyepatch to say the Naki should play Lennox where it does best for Naki. Lennox has said multiple times he is happy playing at wing or fullback, probably because it makes him more vale to teams like the Highlander etc. He is never probably going to be more than 3rd 9 for the Clan so he's worth more as a utility. He's not AB material so aligned principles from club-NPC-Super etc wouldn't be even considered. It's probably about what's best for player personally (more $s being utility) and for Barnes it best for Naki. Barnes , and his club coaches aren't paid by NZR.. And as I said, JJ was happy to play him on wing.
Just out of interest JJ agrees with me, a quote from him.
But Joseph’s comments suggest that Lennox is firmly in the mix for one of the three halfback spots for 2026, and his ability to cover the outside backs is a skillset that would allow the Highlanders to go to a 6-2 bench split when needed. -
@upthelanders said in Highlanders 2026:
@SouthernMann Definitely gonna be a difficult decision for Jamie, I think all three of (Casey, Withy, Lasaqa) need to be in that starting 23 somehow. But then you also have guys like Howden, Haig, Stodart and Broughton who deserve a spot aswell.
The beauty of all that is these things tend to work themselves out. Injuries happen. Eg Haig and Howden were both injured at the start of last season at 6. We lost Renton and Broughton at 8.
A tough decision when they are all healthy, yes, but it always works itself out. Most depth we’ve had in the loose trio in a long time.
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@upthelanders said in Highlanders 2026:
@SouthernMann Definitely gonna be a difficult decision for Jamie, I think all three of (Casey, Withy, Lasaqa) need to be in that starting 23 somehow. But then you also have guys like Howden, Haig, Stodart and Broughton who deserve a spot aswell.
What works in Withy’s favour at 7 is that he is a genuine lineout target. Stats may be wrong but Casey hasn’t received a single line out this NPC season and Lasaqa has one.
The big area of concern is the breakdown. We had the worst breakdown in the comp and the loose forward trio plays a big role in that. Howden and Withy were serial offenders in that regard.
Having all three small 7s on the 23 means our breakdown and lineout is going to get shredded, so those three can’t co-exist in the same 23.
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I just hope that JJ doesn’t muck around with guys like Pledger and Casey. These guys are pure talent and need game time straight away.
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@upthelanders I trust he will back them, as we saw last season Lasaqa and Hurley game 1 were asked to provide impact which they did then the following week were rewarded with a start against the blues
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Saw @Steven-Harris pop up on an NPC post om Facebook saying three Super franchises chasing Casey. This will be a shocker if we lose him.
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From today’s ODT article.
‘Casey understood to have signed with Highlanders’
‘The Otago Daily Times understands the openside has inked a deal.
Details of the agreement are unclear — whether it is a full contract or a wider training squad deal, for example — but anyone with eyes can see why the Highlanders have shown interest despite having a full roster of loosies.’Sounds awfully similar to a certain message sent above
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The best thing the Landers can do is just confirm it.
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Is this where we are sitting right now?
- Ethan de Groot (cc)
- Jack Taylor
- Saula Ma’u
- Mitch Dunshea
- Fabian Holland
- TK Howden
- Sean Withy
- Will Stodart
- Folau Fakatava
- Cam Millar
- Jona Nareki
- Timoci Tavatavanawai
- Tanielu Tele’a
- Caleb Tangitau
- Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens
- Henry Bell
- Josh Bartlett
- Angus Ta’avao
- Oliver Haig
- Lucas Casey
- Dylan Pledger
- Finn Hurley
- Jake Te Hiwi
(24) Hooker: Soane Vikena
(25-26) Props: Rohan Wingham/Sefo Kautai + 1
(27) Lock: Tomas Lavanini
(28-31) Loose Forwards: Veveni Lasaqa, Nikora Broughton + 2
(32) Halfback: Adam Lennox
(33-34) First Fives: Taine Robinson + Josh Jacomb
(35-36) Midfielders: Josh Whaanga + Thomas Umaga-Jensen
(37-38) Outside Backs: Stanley Solomon, Xavier Tito-HarrisA few thoughts on those wider positions:
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It is possible there is seven props, meaning both Wingham and Kautai are retained. That +1 will regardless be a loosehead in place of DLB
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On the Assumption Hugh Renton is not back, there will definitely be a number eight (Any suggestions here?)
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As well as possibly being a seventh prop, the final forward spot could go to a fourth hooker or a fourth halfback, however it is most likely it'll either be a lock or loose forward (I'm picking it to be a loosie)
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Josh Jacomb is still not a done deal, but obviously if we get him, he will start. The alternative may well be a second-five given the links to Peni and Pasitoa
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Am tipping TUJ will be retained, but it is possible they opt with Pasitoa here
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Given Lennox can in theory play on the wing, I think they will be happy to head into the season with the current outside options.
good on the other 2 teams being interested because if the shoe was on the other foot and he was up north playing the house down I would hope we would inquire