Highlanders Rugby: History, Stadium, Colours and the Super Rugby Team

The Highlanders are a professional rugby union team based in Dunedin that represents New Zealand’s deep south in Super Rugby Pacific, the leading provincial-level competition in the Southern Hemisphere. Drawing their players from the Otago, North Otago and Southland provincial unions, the club wears a Scottish-influenced identity with pride, from the blue playing strip to the sword-and-shield crest. This guide explains who the Highlanders are, where they came from, where they play, their fiercest rivalry and how the team is set up today.

History of the Highlanders

The Highlanders were formed in 1996 as the Otago Highlanders for the inaugural Super 12, the professional competition that grew into today’s Super Rugby. The name and branding were chosen to reflect the Scottish heritage of settlers in Otago and Southland, and the club quickly became the standard-bearer for rugby across the lower South Island.

The early years were a mix of promise and frustration. The team finished eighth in its first season, then reached the playoffs for the first time in 1998 before losing a semi-final to the Blues. In 1999 the Highlanders went one better and made the Super 12 final, only to be beaten by the Crusaders. A lean period followed: after 2002 the club endured a playoff drought that stretched for more than a decade.

Form finally turned in 2014, when the Highlanders returned to the knockout rounds before falling to the Sharks in a qualifier. The breakthrough came the next year. In 2015, under head coach Jamie Joseph and sharing the captaincy between Nasi Manu and Ben Smith, the Highlanders won their first and only title. It was an unlikely run: without the household names of the bigger franchises, they beat the Chiefs 24–14 in a qualifying final, then stunned the New South Wales Waratahs 35–17 in Sydney in the semi-final, before overcoming the Hurricanes 21–14 in the final in Wellington. Winning three knockout matches on the road is still regarded as one of the great Super Rugby title campaigns.

Since then, trophies have been harder to come by. The club’s next appearance in a decider was the 2021 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final, which they lost 23–15 to the Blues. The Highlanders remain a developing side rather than a perennial contender, but the 2015 championship secured their place in the history of New Zealand rugby.

Two names dominate the club’s record books. Fly-half Lima Sopoaga is the Highlanders’ all-time leading points scorer with 866 points, while scrum-half Aaron Smith is the most-capped player in the club’s history, having made more than 180 appearances before moving overseas.

Notable Highlanders Players

Over nearly three decades the Highlanders have developed and showcased a long line of All Blacks and international players. The 2015 title-winning side alone featured fullback and co-captain Ben Smith, scrum-half Aaron Smith, fly-half Lima Sopoaga, wing Waisake Naholo and loose forwards Nasi Manu and Elliot Dixon – several of whom went on to long test careers.

Because the club draws on the Otago and Southland talent pool, it has long been a pathway for southern players into the national set-up. Many Highlanders have gone on to represent the All Blacks, while others have used the competition as a springboard to professional contracts in Europe and Japan. That development role – turning provincial talent into test-level players – is central to how the franchise measures itself, alongside results on the field.

Home Ground: Forsyth Barr Stadium

The Highlanders play their home matches at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin. The venue opened in August 2011 and replaced Carisbrook, the old ground nicknamed the “House of Pain” that had hosted provincial and test rugby for generations. Forsyth Barr seats roughly 30,000 spectators for rugby and is notable for combining a permanent roof with a natural grass pitch, a rare pairing that keeps crowds and players sheltered from Dunedin’s southern weather.

The stadium is a true multi-purpose arena. Beyond rugby it has staged football, cricket, concerts and community events, and it was built in time to host pool matches at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. It later hosted fixtures during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and over the years its covered bowl has welcomed major touring artists, helping the venue pay its way outside the rugby calendar.

For supporters, the roof is the venue’s defining feature. Dunedin is one of the cooler, wetter parts of New Zealand, so a fully covered ground means matches are rarely disrupted by weather and the atmosphere stays loud. The move from the open, exposed terraces of Carisbrook to a modern enclosed stadium marked a clear change in how the club presents its home fixtures.

Colours, Crest and Kit

The Highlanders’ traditional colours are blue, gold and maroon, drawn from the three provincial unions the club represents: Otago, North Otago and Southland. Blue is the dominant shade and also a nod to the Scottish saltire that inspired the franchise’s identity.

The crest features a Highlander – a Scottish warrior carrying a sword and shield – which gives the team its name and its on-field persona. The club’s values are tied directly to that imagery. As the Highlanders put it on the team’s 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.”

The home jersey is predominantly blue with gold and maroon detailing. As with every professional club, the Highlanders rotate through home, away and alternate strips each season, and the exact design changes with sponsors and apparel partners, but the core colours and crest have stayed consistent since 1996.

The Crusaders Rivalry and the South Island Derby

The Highlanders’ fiercest rivalry is with the Crusaders, the only other Super Rugby club based on the South Island. Their meetings are billed as the South Island derby, one of the most anticipated matches on the New Zealand rugby calendar and a fixture that carries regional bragging rights every season.

On the scoreboard the rivalry has been lopsided. Since the first season in 1996 the two sides have met more than 45 times, and the Christchurch-based Crusaders – among the most successful clubs in the competition’s history – have won the clear majority, with the Highlanders claiming roughly a dozen victories and one draw. That imbalance is a big part of why the fixture means so much in Dunedin: beating the Crusaders is treated as a marquee result.

The Highlanders also contest competitive derbies against the other New Zealand franchises – the Blues, Chiefs and Hurricanes – which traditionally sit higher on the Super Rugby table and provide a benchmark for the club’s progress.

Coaching and Leadership

For the 2026 season the Highlanders were led by head coach Jamie Joseph, who returned to the club he guided to the 2015 title. Joseph first took charge in Dunedin in 2011 and, after leaving to coach Japan at the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups, came back to oversee the franchise’s rebuild. His appointment reconnected the current squad with the club’s most successful era.

The captaincy in 2026 was shared between loose forward Hugh Renton and utility back Timoci Tavatavanawai, a co-captaincy model the club has deliberately echoed from its 2015 championship group. Playing squads turn over heavily from one season to the next, so rather than a fixed line-up the Highlanders field a rotating group built around a young core and players promoted from Otago and Southland in the National Provincial Championship.

If you are new to the game, it helps to understand the different rugby positions – props, hookers and locks in the forward pack, and halfbacks, midfielders and outside backs behind the scrum – because a Highlanders match-day squad is selected to balance all of them.

Where the Highlanders Stand Today

Recent seasons have been a rebuild. The Highlanders finished bottom of the standings in 2025 and climbed to ninth of the eleven teams in 2026, winning five of their fourteen matches and missing the playoffs. The competition itself has evolved: Super Rugby Pacific now features five New Zealand clubs, four Australian clubs, Fiji’s Drua and Moana Pasifika, with the top sides advancing to the knockout rounds and the Super Rugby final.

For a club of the Highlanders’ size, success is measured not only in titles but in developing players, representing the lower South Island and remaining competitive against better-resourced rivals. With a proven coach back in charge and a youthful squad, the franchise’s aim is to move steadily back up the table.

Following the Highlanders

The Super Rugby Pacific season runs roughly from February to June, with each club playing a mix of home and away fixtures before the playoffs. The Highlanders’ home matches are at Forsyth Barr Stadium, and tickets are sold through the club and the venue, with memberships available for supporters who attend regularly.

Fixtures are broadcast through the competition’s official television and streaming partners, which vary by country. Because kick-off times, broadcasters and squad lists change every year, the most reliable place to confirm the current schedule, roster and ticketing details is the club’s official website. If you are tracking how the Highlanders are performing week to week, the league standings are the quickest way to follow their progress through the season.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the Highlanders based and who do they represent?

The Highlanders are based in Dunedin and represent the Otago, North Otago and Southland provincial unions, covering the lower part of New Zealand’s South Island. They play their home games at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

Have the Highlanders ever won Super Rugby?

Yes. The Highlanders won their only title in 2015, beating the Hurricanes 21–14 in the final in Wellington under head coach Jamie Joseph. They also reached the Super 12 final in 1999 and the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final in 2021, finishing runners-up on both occasions.

Why are the Highlanders linked to Scotland?

The club’s name, colours and crest reflect the strong Scottish heritage of settlers in Otago and Southland. The dominant blue strip echoes the Scottish flag, and the crest depicts a Highlander warrior carrying a sword and shield.

Who are the Highlanders’ biggest rivals?

Their fiercest rivalry is with the Crusaders, the only other South Island club, in a fixture known as the South Island derby. The Crusaders have historically won the large majority of meetings, which makes every Highlanders win over them especially prized.

Who coaches and captains the Highlanders?

For the 2026 season the team was coached by Jamie Joseph, who previously led the club to its 2015 title, and was co-captained by Hugh Renton and Timoci Tavatavanawai. Coaching staff and squads change from season to season, so always check the official club site for the latest line-up.