Holland to the Highlanders – is not only a headline, but also the description of the journey young Otago lock Fabian Holland has taken to get to the Highlanders. Since the age 5 Holland has enjoyed rugby, so much so, that in 2019 he left his family and friends in the Netherlands as a 16-year-old and travelled to the other side of the world. Holland landed in Christchurch and had initially planned the trip as six-month rugby immersion experience to learn as much as he could about the game, he was so passionate about.

Fast forward a few years and it would seem he has learned plenty. During that time, he has played for the prestigious Christchurch Boys High School 1st XV, the NZ U20 team, Otago NPC team, and received twenty caps for the Highlander. In 2024 he played for the All Blacks XV, and had a standout performance against Munster where he was named the Player of the Match, and joined the All Blacks travelling squad an a injury replacement on the end of year Northern Tour.

A meteoric rise by anyone’s standards but when you consider he has achieved it all away from his family support network and with English as a second language - it's a truly remarkable story.

Favourite rugby player?

Brodie Retallick

What does representing the Highlanders mean to you? Everything. It means representing a proud region and their people and history. It means representing my family, my brother who lives here, myself, my mates back home, my brothers lining up next to me wearing the same jersey and my mate Connor that wore his last jersey here. 

Favourite movie?

Inception