It’s pre-season bronco time, and one Kiwi Super Rugby Pacific membership has at this time posted their greatest two occasions, with no surprises round who stands out as the fittest on the membership.
The Highlanders are coming off a disappointing final place end in 2025, however they confirmed indicators of threatening the playoff spots, with some spectacular performances all through the marketing campaign beneath skilled head coach Jamie Joseph.
Joseph has simply returned from a three-from-three All Blacks XV marketing campaign, the place his consultant facet beat England A, the Barbarians, and Uruguay respectively throughout their tour of Europe.
Joseph’s teaching workers additionally has a slight change for the brand new marketing campaign, bringing in former Kiwis head coach David Kidwell because the defensive coach, after New Zealand U20 assistant Dave Dillon left to pursue different alternatives overseas.
Two of their new additions in 2026, Andrew Knewstubb and Dylan Pledger, have come by way of the health take a look at with the perfect occasions, with the previous Sevens star taking the sweets on this pre-season take a look at.
Knewstubb’s time for his 2026 pre-season bronco was 4:20, whereas Pledger’s was 4:23. Knewstubb’s 4:20 bronco yesterday for the Highlanders isn’t his quickest in his profession, beforehand hitting the 4:11 mark, sooner than each Beauden Barrett and Cameron Roigard, who’re believed to have the file within the All Blacks.
One of many essential causes for Joseph leaving Pledger at residence in the course of the All Blacks XV tour was to permit him to have a while off after a protracted marketing campaign with each Otago, and the New Zealand U20’s, and have a full Tremendous Rugby Pacific pre-season beneath his belt.
Pledger had a standout marketing campaign for Otago within the 2025 NPC competitors, the place he was nominated for the New Zealand Rugby Age Grade Participant of the 12 months alongside Oli Mathis and Black Ferns star Braxton Sorensen-McGee.
The 20-year-old halfback (Ngati Tuwharetoa) was introduced as Te Tama-a-Ranginui, Junior Maori Sportsman of the 12 months yesterday on the awards, and can look to proceed his rise in 2026 beneath Joseph in Dunedin.
Knewstubb, however, who’s coming off a strong marketing campaign for Canterbury within the NPC at first-five, will head right into a Tremendous Rugby Pacific marketing campaign after the All Blacks Sevens administration instructed him he wasn’t of their future plans.
“It’s a humorous outdated feeling, clearly seeing all of the [sevens] boys heading away to Dubai and that, and I’m down right here getting amongst a little bit of Tremendous Rugby,” Knewstubb instructed Stuff NZ final week.
“It’s a little bit of a protracted [story]. I sort of had a number of conferences with sevens they usually weren’t too positive what was greatest for me. I had a little bit of a tough time final 12 months and the 12 months earlier than, off discipline sort of stuff, they usually thought it could be time to have a wee break.
However his break wasn’t to be, with the Highlanders coming calling after the NPC remaining victory for Canterbury over Pledger’s Otago.
