The Highlanders is a rugby union club based in Dunedin, New Zealand, which competes in Super Rugby Pacific. The side plays its home matches at the Dunedin Stadium; its home kits are typically comprised of dark blue, yellow, and red.
📜 Highlanders History
The Highlanders franchise was formed in 1996, ahead of that year's Super 12 season, and was originally known as the Otago Highlanders. The club was established as a representative of the North Otago, Otago, and Southland rugby unions, regions it still represents today.
The club's inaugural campaign saw the side finish eighth in the table, but the club then ended the 1997 season at the bottom of the Super 12 standings. In 1998, however, the Highlanders achieved a fourth-place finish, sealing a play-off berth for the first time.
The following season saw the club go one better, reaching the final of the competition, where they were defeated 19-24 by the Crusaders.
The Highlanders then had to wait 16 years for a second Super Rugby grand final appearance, eventually progressing to Super Rugby's decider for the second time in 2015. After defeating the Chiefs and the Waratahs in the play-offs, the Highlanders faced the Hurricanes in the grand final in Wellington, and emerged 14-21 winners, securing the club's first title. The side has regularly qualified for the play-offs since, but has not yet contested a third grand final.
