The Highlanders is a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Dunedin that compete in Super Rugby. The team was formed in 1996 to represent the lower South Island in the newly formed Super 12 competition, and includes the Otago, North Otago and Southland unions. The Highlanders take their name from the Scottish immigrants that helped found the Otago, North Otago, and Southland regions in the 1840s and 1850s.
The Blues is a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Auckland, New Zealand who play in the Super Rugby competition. Like New Zealand's four other Super Rugby teams, the Blues were established by the NZRU in 1996. One of the most successful teams in Super Rugby history, the Blues won the competition in its first two seasons, 1996 and 1997, and again in 2003. Additionally, the team were finalists in 1998 and semi-finalists in 2007 and 2011.
Tony Dale Woodcock is a New Zealand former rugby union player. His position was loosehead prop, and he played 111 tests for the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. Woodcock played for the All Blacks from 2002 to 2015, scoring eight test tries. He was described by The Dominion Post as "widely regarded as the world's premier loosehead", and by The New Zealand Herald as having the "best range of skills of any prop on the planet". He is now the most capped All Black prop of all time, and is the second most capped player in Blues history, behind Keven Mealamu. He was a key member of the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup winning squads, becoming one of only 20 players to have won multiple Rugby World Cups.
Kurt Baker is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a fullback or wing for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup competition. He is a New Zealand Sevens representative, who has played in 43 World Rugby Sevens Series tournaments and has won two Rugby Sevens World Cup titles and two Gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2018 Commonwealth Games. He has also played for the Māori All Blacks.
Benjamin Robert Smith is a New Zealand rugby union player, currently playing for the Kobelco Steelers. He formerly played for the Highlanders in the Super Rugby competition and for Otago in the ITM Cup.
Aaron Luke Smith is a rugby union player who plays for New Zealand, the All Blacks, in international rugby. He plays at scrum-half in the team and is the most-capped scrum-half to ever play for New Zealand.
Liam James Coltman is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a hooker for Otago in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship (NPC) and the Highlanders in the international Super Rugby competition.
Luke Charles Whitelock is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a loose forward for Canterbury in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Highlanders in the international Super Rugby competition.
Rhys Joseph Jennings Marshall is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays as a hooker for Waikato in the National Provincial Championship and Highlanders in Super Rugby Pacific.
Gareth Owen Evans is a New Zealand rugby union player, who currently plays as a loose forward for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition and the Highlanders in Super Rugby.
Craig Millar is a New Zealand-born Japanese rugby union player who currently plays as a loosehead prop for Otago in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and previously for the Tokyo based Super Rugby franchise the Sunwolves.
Jackson Nikora Hemopo is a New Zealand All Black and rugby union player who currently plays as a lock or loose forward for Manawatu in New Zealand's domestic Mitre 10 Cup and the Highlanders in the international Super Rugby competition.
Caleb Makene is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as an outside back or fly-half for Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition and Utah Warriors in the Major League Rugby (MLR).
Shannon Michael Frizell is a Tongan born New Zealand rugby union player who plays for Tasman in the Bunnings NPC and the Highlanders in Super Rugby. His position of choice is flanker.
Marino Mikaele-Tu'u is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a loose forward for the Highlanders in Super Rugby and Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition.
The 2019 Super Rugby season was the 24th season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. The 2019 season was the second season using the reduced 15-team format consisting of three geographical conferences since being reduced from an 18-team competition in 2017.
Raymond 'Ray' Niuia is a New Zealand born Samoan rugby union player who currently plays for Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby and North Harbour in the Bunnings NPC. He has also played for both the Highlanders and the Blues. His position of choice is Hooker.
Ngantungane Gisborne James Punivai is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays for the Highlanders in Super Rugby. His playing position is wing. Punivai attended Christ's College in Christchurch, where he was captain of the 1st XV and the deputy head prefect. He has signed for the Crusaders squad in 2019. In 2019 it was announced he would be switching to play for the Highlanders. Punivai scored his first try for the Highlanders against his former team, the Crusaders on 4 July 2020
Josh Iosefa-Scott is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays for the Highlanders in Super Rugby. His playing position is prop. He has signed for the Highlanders squad in 2019.
Folau Fakatava is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for the Highlanders in Super Rugby and Hawke's Bay in New Zealand's domestic National Provincial Championship competition.