Highlanders (rugby union)
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| Union | New Zealand Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Highlanders, Landers |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Location | Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Region |
North Otago Otago Southland |
| Ground(s) | Forsyth Barr Stadium (Capacity: 30,748) |
| Coach(es) | Tony Brown |
| Captain(s) |
Ash Dixon and Ben Smith |
| Most caps | Anton Oliver (127) |
| Top scorer | Tony Brown (857) |
| League(s) | Super Rugby |
| 2016 | Semifinalist 2nd (New Zealand Conference) 3rd (Australasian Group) 5th (overall) |
| Official website | |
| thehighlanders |
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The Highlanders (known as the Pulse Energy Highlanders for sponsorship reasons and formerly known as the Otago Highlanders) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Dunedin that compete in Super Rugby. The team represents the North Otago, 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. Their main ground through the 2011 Super Rugby season was Carisbrook in Dunedin, with home games occasionally being played in Invercargill and Queenstown. The Highlanders moved into Carisbrook's replacement, Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza, for the 2012 season; the stadium opened in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but after the Super Rugby season.
The team was formed in 1996 to represent the lower South Island in the newly formed Super 12 competition. They finished the inaugural season eighth, and the following season finished last after winning only three of eleven matches. However, in the 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons they qualified for semi-finals; hosting the 1999 competition final against fellow South Island team the Crusaders. They lost the match 24–19, and the following year were again knocked out by the Crusaders—this time in their semi-final. In the following fifteen seasons they would only finish in the top four once more, in 2002. But in 2015, they were crowned Super Rugby champions after beating the Hurricanes at Westpac Stadium .
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