Southland (National Provincial Championship)

For the Southland Rugby governing body, see Rugby Southland.

Southland (often known as the Southland Stags) are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Invercargill, New Zealand. The union was originally established in 1887, with the National Provincial Championship established in 1976. They now play in the reformed National Provincial Championship competition. They play their home games at Rugby Park Stadium in Invercargill in the Southland region. The team is affiliated with the Highlanders Super Rugby franchise. Their home playing colours are maroon and gold.

Southland

Official emblem
Union	Rugby Southland
Nickname(s)	Stags
Founded	1887; 138 years ago (1887)
Location	Georgetown, Invercargill, New Zealand
Ground(s)	Rugby Park Stadium (Capacity: 18,000)
CEO	Hua Tamariki[1]
Coach(es)	Matt Saunders[2]
Captain(s)	Sean Withy
Most appearances	Jason Rutledge (143)
Top scorer	Simon Culhane (980)
Most tries	Bruce Pascoe (46)
League(s)	Bunnings NPC
2024	12th
Team kit
Official website
www.rugbysouthland.co.nz

Current squad

The Southland Stags squad for the 2025 Bunnings NPC is:^[3]

Southland Stags squad
Props Ethan de Groot Hunter Fahey Paula Latu Liam McIntosh Morgan Mitchell Jack Sexton Jone Tiko Joe Walsh REP[a] Hookers Shaun Kempton Aukusitino Salanoa DEV Nic Souchon Jack Taylor Locks Ale Aho REP[b] Mitchell Dunshea Cian Hurley Woody Kirkwood Alex Yallop	Loose forwards Leroy Ferguson Sam Fischli Hayden Michaels Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa Nathan Va'atausili REP[c] Sean Withy (c) Half-backs (scrum-halves) Connor Collins Connor McLeod Nic Shearer First five-eighths (fly-halves) Dan Hollinshead Mika Muliaina DEV Byron Smith	Midfielders (centres) Scott Gregory Tayne Harvey Fletcher Morgan Faletoi Peni Isaac Te Tamaki Matt Whaanga Outside backs Brad Kooman Michael Manson Sevu Reece Rory van Vugt
(c) denotes team captain. Bold denotes internationally capped. DEV denotes a development player. REP denotes a replacement squad player. Walsh wasn't named in the original Southland squad, but was announced in the side for Round 3.[4] Aho wasn't named in the original Southland squad, but was announced in the side for Round 1.[5] Va'atausili wasn't named in the original Southland squad, but was announced in the side for Round 2.[6]

Honours

Southland have never been overall Champions. Their full list of honours, though, include:^[7][8]

National Provincial Championship Second Division South Island

• Winners: 1982, 1984

National Provincial Championship Second Division

• Winners: 1989, 1994, 1996

Current Super Rugby players

Players named in the 2025 Southland Stags squad, who also earned contracts or were named in a squad for any side participating in the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.^{[9][10][11][12][13]}

Player	Team
Ale Aho	Waratahs
Ethan de Groot	Highlanders
Mitchell Dunshea	Highlanders
Michael Manson	Highlanders
Hayden Michaels	Highlanders
Sevu Reece	Crusaders
Nic Souchon	Hurricanes
Jack Taylor	Highlanders
Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa	Moana Pasifika
Sean Withy	Highlanders