Highlanders 2026
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I remain a bit unconvinced about Te Hiwi.
He’s clearly shown some flashes of brilliance, but I wonder if he’s Josh Timu or TUJ 2.0. Ironically, both have been relatively injury-free this year.
He’s been in the NPC for four seasons but has only played fifteen games out of about forty. In his first start for the Highlanders, he went down injured two minutes into the game, and he seems to have been made of glass since then. There are blokes with all the attributes of excellent midfielders—size, pace, power, and decision-making—but they can’t stay on the field long enough to turn that into consistent results.
To be clear, I’m not advocating pulling the pin on him yet. But I am reminded that both TUJ and Timu had people calling for higher honours early on, yet neither has really kicked on consistently at Super Rugby level because of injuries. This feels like that again.
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@Nepia As mentioned, I am sure contracting and available places in the 38-man squad mean some teams don't have slots available, even if you have a great NPC. And the younger players don't seem to be patient enough to wait if only a WTG contract is available.
In the article, Casey said that Joseph first spoke to him after the Wellington-Otago game, and just basically said just keep playing as he was. It wasn't until a couple of weeks later when they met again that a contract was offered and signed.
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@Landers92 said in Highlanders 2026:
Highlanders are pushing for Nic Shearers signature as the 4th halfback/wider squad guy. Similar to what Lennox was last season.
Will post more as I hear. Should be decided by end of NPC season.
Following up on my post from a month ago. According to what I was told yesterday, the deal has been signed on a widers contract.
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@handa457 said in Highlanders 2026:
I remain a bit unconvinced about Te Hiwi.
He’s clearly shown some flashes of brilliance, but I wonder if he’s Josh Timu or TUJ 2.0. Ironically, both have been relatively injury-free this year.
He’s been in the NPC for four seasons but has only played fifteen games out of about forty. In his first start for the Highlanders, he went down injured two minutes into the game, and he seems to have been made of glass since then.
I know it is old school style but maybe they should spend a couple of seasons fencing or on the shearing stand to physically toughen themselves up rather than being using the "gym fit" method where they might look a million dollars but break when the slightest gust of wind or powerful squirt from the water bottle hits them?
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@Higgins I think it’s actually a case of being pushed into senior professional rugby too early. People forget that in 2018 and 2019 we signed TUJ, Pari Pari Parkinson, Fakatava, Ayden Johnstone, Marino M, and Josh Scott. Outside of Johnstone, all of them spent the next few seasons wrecked by injury. I think there’s a case to be made that the body probably isn’t even ready for the rigours of Super Rugby before the age of 22 or 23, and pushing a young bloke into that environment too early can ruin development long term.
I think big Pari Pari is the best example. He was an absolute talent who, from what I’ve heard, was actually going to be named in the 2020 All Blacks squad but got injured in his final game for the Landers that season. Tupou Vaa’i got picked instead, and Pari Pari never really bounced back from the injury. You could argue that a lot of Fakatava’s issues come down to the same injury problems as well.
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@handa457 said in Highlanders 2026:
@Higgins I think it’s actually a case of being pushed into senior professional rugby too early. People forget that in 2018 and 2019 we signed TUJ, Pari Pari Parkinson, Fakatava, Ayden Johnstone, Marino M, and Josh Scott. Outside of Johnstone, all of them spent the next few seasons wrecked by injury. I think there’s a case to be made that the body probably isn’t even ready for the rigours of Super Rugby before the age of 22 or 23, and pushing a young bloke into that environment too early can ruin development long term.
I think big Pari Pari is the best example. He was an absolute talent who, from what I’ve heard, was actually going to be named in the 2020 All Blacks squad but got injured in his final game for the Landers that season. Tupou Vaa’i got picked instead, and Pari Pari never really bounced back from the injury. You could argue that a lot of Fakatava’s issues come down to the same injury problems as well.
There is a separate thread for this, but this is similar to the argument that some of us make that the current pathways are not fit for purpose.
Since Super sides are signing players up younger, we should really have a pathway through Super rugby that has recognition (i.e., un U20 championship that actually gets TV time and would be something fans can follow), rather than pushing these guys straight across to NPC or straight into Super rugby,
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Regarding the injuries I think that the players are just bigger now weight wise and the collisions mean players are more likely to get injured.
There are players who will try to be physically dominant as a big part of their game and they tend to accumulate more injuries. Players like Cane and Tuipulotu. Parkinson was a guy who used to go out and look to physically dominate people from what I saw.
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@Landers92 Awesome news! Great wee player, well deserved.
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With a number of the young Otago loose forwards stepping up this year and the Highlanders number 8-shirt still up for grabs in all likelihood, I wanted to take a closer look at some of the numbers from the NPC and see whether anyone stands out in particular.
What is important for a number 8?
The number 8-position and its requirements have obviously changed throughout the years but today, I think, two particular traits stand out. The 8 must provide go-forward and lay a platform for the rest of his forwards. And, secondly, a number 8 should be able to hold onto the ball. An 8 that has a high turnover-rate is like a winger who is easily pushed into touch or an openside who commits the same penalty twice; it’s the position’s cardinal sin.This becomes clearer if we take a look at some of the Super Rugby number 8’s running around in the NPC currently.
Lio-Willie, Flanders and Sotutu all average between 17 and 23 carries per turnover, while they produce around 30 to 35 post-contact metres per 80 minutes (all data originate from the 2025 Bunnings NPC).
These number 8’s, in other words, don’t often lose the ball while taking it into contact, while they’re also able to generate consistent go-forward in the game.
How do the Highlanders candidates stack up?
Looking at the potential Highlanders’ candidates – Broughton, Howden, Withy, Stodart, Haig and Casey (I’ve left out Renton for now because he hasn’t played in this year’s NPC) – a few things quickly stand out.
Broughton is probably the candidate which would most conventionally suit the role, as he produces very similar numbers to SR number 8’s like Lio-Willie, Sotutu and Flanders. And while Howden is able to generate go-forward for the Turbos, his turnover numbers are just too high for the position, with only 7.3 carries per turnover.
Both Haig and Withy are also unlikely candidates for the jersey on the basis of these numbers, as both produce quite low post-contact metres per 80 minutes while not being particularly safe with ball-in-hand either.
The outliers
The most interesting options, however, are the two outliers, Casey and Stodart. While Stodart doesn’t rack up the post-contact metres as he probably would want, his turnover rate is remarkably low, at nearly 37 carries per turnover. He might be an interesting option if Joseph wants to play a possession game, with a high number of carries in close to consistently pressure the opposition.Still, the most fascinating option has to be Lucas Casey, who is putting up excellent numbers both with his post-contact metres per 80 (48.9) and his carries-per-turnover (20.2). The Highlanders have been crying out for a volume-carrier who can generate consistent post-contact metres for a few seasons now, and in Lucas Casey it looks like they might have found him.
A loose forward trio of Casey at 8, Withy at openside and Howden at blindside could be an intriguing combination for the 2026 campaign.
