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 of 5, Holland has enjoyed rugby so much that in 2019 he left his family and friends in the Netherlands as a 16-year-old and traveled to the other side of the world. Holland landed in Christchurch and had initially planned the trip as a 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 seems he has learned plenty. During that time, he played for the prestigious Christchurch Boys High School 1st XV, the NZ U20 team, and the Otago NPC team, and earned 20 caps for the Highlanders. In 2024, he played for the All Blacks XV and had a standout performance against Munster, where he was named Player of the Match, and joined the All Blacks traveling squad as an injury replacement on the end-of-year Northern Tour.

Holland had a standout 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season, earning Forward of the Year and Defender of the Year at the 2025 Highlanders awards. His strong performances earned him a call-up to the All Blacks for the Lipovitan D Test series against France, where he debuted in the starting line-up for the first test. He continued to appear regularly in All Blacks squads from 2025 onwards, cementing his place as one of New Zealand’s emerging locks.

In the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific preseason, Fabian dislocated his shoulder against Moana Pasifika, causing him to miss the entire 2026 season. However, he bounced back after the Super Rugby Pacific season and returned to rugby in the NPC, which led to his selection in the 2026 All Blacks squad.

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