Fabian Holland (rugby union)

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Fabian Holland
Date of birth (2002-10-09) 9 October 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Alkmaar, North Holland, Netherlands
Height204 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Weight124 kg (19 st 7 lb; 273 lb)
School Christchurch Boys' High School
University University of Otago
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock
Current team Otago, Highlanders
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2021– Otago 28 (25)
2022– Highlanders 34 (5)
Correct as of 25 August 2025
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2021 New Zealand U20 2 (0)
2024 Barbarians 1 (0)
2025 All Blacks XV 1 (0)
2025– New Zealand 5 (0)
Correct as of 25 August 2025

Fabian Holland (born 9 October 2002) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for Otago in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship (NPC) competition [1] and for the Highlanders in Super Rugby. [2]

Contents

Born in the Netherlands, he represents the New Zealand national team, having lived in the country since 2019.

Early life

Holland was born in Alkmaar in the Netherlands, [3] and grew up in the nearby village of Akersloot. Holland began playing rugby at Castricumse Rugby Club at age five. In 2014, the All Black Sevens team held a training camp at Holland's club, further inspiring his pursuit of rugby and a passion for the All Blacks. [4]

Holland moved to New Zealand in early 2019 to study and play rugby at Christchurch Boys' High School for what was initially meant to be a stay of six months. [5]

Career

After leaving high school, In 2021 Holland moved to Dunedin and signed with the Highlanders, joining the under-20 squad. He also joined the Dunedin Rugby Football Club (Inc) where he has played for the Premier team when available. [5] [6] [7]

In 2021, he signed a high performance contract with the Highlanders and played for the Highlanders development team, known as the Bravehearts. [5] On 23 June 2022, the Highlanders announced that Holland had signed a three-year (fully professional) contract with the Dunedin-based franchise. [2]

International career

Holland played for the New Zealand under-20 team in 2021 [8] and the New Zealand Barbarians under-18 team in 2020. [9] In 2020, Holland made the New Zealand Schools team.

In June 2025, Holland was named in the All Blacks squad for the 2025 France tour of New Zealand. [7]

References

  1. ↑ "2022 Bunnings Warehouse NPC Players". Otago Rugby. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Youth and experience to bolster 2023 squad" (Press release). Highlanders. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  3. ↑ Meikle, Hayden (3 July 2025). "Holland — the making of an All Black" . Otago Daily Times.
  4. ↑ "Passion propels unlikely new NZ U20 rep". Otago Daily Times . 24 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Meet Fabian Holland, the teenage Dutch lock chasing his All Blacks dream". Stuff NZ. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  6. ↑ "Dunedin Rugby Football Club (Inc)".
  7. 1 2 "Three Otago players picked in national under-20 squad". Otago Daily Times . 12 May 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  8. ↑ "New Zealand Under 20 ready for home campaign". New Zealand Rugby . 7 July 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "New Zealand Barbarian Under 18 rugby squad announced". College Sport. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
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