Highlanders 2026
-
Lasaqa and Howden re-signing until 2027. Which is a further year on their current deals.
A subscribers ODT article from the ODT featuring an interview with Joseph. Says several players are leaving. Out of the guys leaving they only wanted to keep Gilbert.
Joseph looking at the positives
That was probably not how Jamie Joseph imagined his first season back as Highlanders head coach would pan out.
-
@SouthernMann Thrilled TK and Lasaqa are extending through 2027. Either could have easily thought to go elsewhere after 2026.
Interesting that it sounds like Gilbert was the only one who chose to head offshore. Makes these other players leaving even more interesting
-
Means we now have at least eight guys locked in to our top side for 2027.
Plus you'd expect guys like Ma'u, Taylor, Bartlett, Withy, Haig, and Hurley will be there then too.
That core group will have around 50 games each by 2027.
Then we'd expect Pledger, Tengblad, Harvey and Muliaina to be there by then too.
Plenty of gaps and some questions over lads like Whaanga, Millar, Te Hiwi, Wingham etc. Which we will get answers around when departures are announced, the NPC or after next year.
-
Yes, confirmed in Paul Cully's article.
-
Odd TK is just taking one year deals.
-
-
@frugby said in Highlanders 2026:
Reading the tea leaves. Shannon Frizell to the Highlanders 2027
god i hope not, even putting aside his history off field....he'll be what 33 in 2027 and a several years out of super rugby...hes not going to be the same player he was...and to replace someone only coming into their playing prime....
-
@frugby said in Highlanders 2026:
Reading the tea leaves. Shannon Frizell to the Highlanders 2027
then I certainly hope @Nepia doesn't drink tea.
-
@nostrildamus said in Highlanders 2026:
@frugby said in Highlanders 2026:
Reading the tea leaves. Shannon Frizell to the Highlanders 2027
then I certainly hope @Nepia doesn't drink tea.
I'm a coffee drinker.
-
@Landers92 theres been a lot of talk in the media that Frizzell is planning on returning in 2027 to make a run for RWC.
He lives in Dunedin and my impression seems to be that there’s a strong chance he wants to return to the landers.
To be clear though. That’s not inside scoop, that’s just the sense I get from reading a few different articles this last week.
-
Hopefully we can get to a point where there is high quality competition between players of international standards within positions. We have seen at with other franchises and it does show good health.
-
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2026:
Hopefully we can get to a point where there is high quality competition between players of international standards within positions. We have seen at with other franchises and it does show good health.
I suspect Frizell returning will depend a bit on how the All Blacks go this year. From the Highlanders perspective, would we want a 33 year-old who is returning just to go to the World Cup before shooting off again?
I'll reserve judgement, but if you could keep them, Haig and Howden is your blindside flank sorted for the foreseeable.
-
@frugby said in Highlanders 2026:
@SouthernMann said in Highlanders 2026:
Hopefully we can get to a point where there is high quality competition between players of international standards within positions. We have seen at with other franchises and it does show good health.
I suspect Frizell returning will depend a bit on how the All Blacks go this year. From the Highlanders perspective, would we want a 33 year-old who is returning just to go to the World Cup before shooting off again?
I'll reserve judgement, but if you could keep them, Haig and Howden is your blindside flank sorted for the foreseeable.
I'm more than happy with a Haig/Howden mix. Haig will come right. Never looked himself this season. Mix those two up between bench and starting. But, if Frizzell wants to, we should look to accommodate him.
It would be nice to be in a similar position to the Chiefs with their loosies/halfbacks/midfield, Crusaders with hookers/outsides, Hurricanes with loosies. We lose some spots and we are in a world of hurt.
You don't want to be playing your best players every minute of every game.
-
People forget Frizzell can and has covered lock for the Highlanders. If we loose Dunshea end of next year, Frizzell slotting into the second row could be massive while Stodart, Tengblad and whichever other young locks we have develop.
We can't afford to turn down a world class player, who wants to join the team. Even if it just provides depth.
Also remember how there was talk we were targeting an overseas ten. Could that be Sopoanga returning home? Same with prop could that be Ma'fau Fia? Both are still playing well overseas and Jamie gave them both a shot years ago. Could be he calls a couple of the fellas back for a final season or two. Bonus points if he gets Aaron Smith back for 2027.
-
was he "world class"? excellent for a couple of years at super level....but didn't kick on at international, his final season was more average for us form memory and by 2027 he will have been swanning around the Japanese league for 5 years...its not like we're talking about bringing back a great rugby mind that will wont have dulled even if the body has
-
@handa457 said in Highlanders 2026:
People forget Frizzell can and has covered lock for the Highlanders. If we loose Dunshea end of next year, Frizzell slotting into the second row could be massive while Stodart, Tengblad and whichever other young locks we have develop.
We can't afford to turn down a world class player, who wants to join the team. Even if it just provides depth.
Also remember how there was talk we were targeting an overseas ten. Could that be Sopoanga returning home? Same with prop could that be Ma'fau Fia? Both are still playing well overseas and Jamie gave them both a shot years ago. Could be he calls a couple of the fellas back for a final season or two. Bonus points if he gets Aaron Smith back for 2027.
Nah to Sopoaga. He's been playing div 2! Same to Fia and Aaron Smith. Both Sopoaga and Smith live primarily up in the Waikato too.
-
I can confirm there was a short discussion held between the Highlanders and Sopoaga for next season. I was told this a few weeks back and have heard nothing about it since.
Unsure of how far along those discussions got but what I can say is that he stated his preference was to be up north(Waikato) around family, this leads me to believe Moana will be the favorites to land his signature.
