There’s an unassuming honesty about TK Howden that’s more and more interesting to selectors. The Manawatu captain made his debut for the All Blacks XV towards England A in Bath on Saturday, and it couldn’t have gone any higher. Enjoying within the unfamiliar place of lock, he made helpful contributions with three lineout catches and 9 tackles, serving to the All Blacks XV safe their sixth consecutive win by 31-12.
“They’re a high quality facet, so it was an effective way to debut. We have been affected person; it was 12-7 for a very long time, however we didn’t overplay our hand. We caught to our plan and took our alternatives within the final twenty minutes,” Howden instructed RugbyPass.
“I hadn’t performed lock since highschool. There’s not a lot distinction between lock and flanker, apart from having to push tougher within the scrum. I ate a bit extra this week to try to pack on some additional kilos.”
Howden’s sport has had additional starch in 2025. Within the NPC, he performed all ten matches for Manawatu, rating inside the highest ten for tackles made (147), carries (124), and lineouts received (45).
Manawatu received three of their first six matches, together with a Howden attempt in a 38-28 win over Wellington and a shock 36-26 upset of Waiakto. Sadly, they collapsed when the playoffs have been inside attain, shedding their final 4 consecutive matches.
“I’m a proud Manawatu man, so it was an enormous honour to captain my province. It’s a giant accountability. The largest lesson I’ve discovered is figuring out when to talk and when to not converse,” Howden shared.
“Constructing relationships with everybody—from coaches to gamers to academy boys—can be extraordinarily necessary. If we’re all aligned, we’ve a greater likelihood of success.
“We began properly, however then unhealthy habits crept in. Manawatu has had a shedding tradition, so when issues go unsuitable, doubt units in and we second-guess ourselves. We’ve got to create new habits, which take time, to make sure we don’t roll over.”
In 2022, Manawatu lost all ten games, their worst showing in any season since 1919.
The Highlanders managed solely three wins in Super Rugby Pacific in 2025, however for Howden, beginning in 9 of 11 appearances represented a major enhance in workload from his time on the Hurricanes, the place he averaged simply 43 minutes of enjoying time in 17 appearances.
Howden is adamant that one thing is brewing on the Highlanders, who misplaced eight video games by ten factors or much less and have secured promising expertise, reminiscent of fellow All Blacks XV teammates Jack Taylor, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, and Josh Jacomb (2027), for the longer term.
“There’s plenty of expertise within the deep south. The good-looking fellow beside me, Folua Fakatava, the beast Fabian Holland, and Jamie Joe. I really like the best way he coaches. Whereas the outcomes don’t mirror it, there was plenty of development final season, and I can’t wait to tear in.”
The quick precedence is ending the All Blacks XV tour with a win towards Uruguay, who’re assured after beating Portugal 26-8 final Saturday and having not too long ago secured qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Howden admits he doesn’t know a lot about Uruguay, however he isn’t taking something as a right.
“We’ll examine some footage and deal with them with the utmost respect. What we do know is that they’re a passionate group, comparable in strategy to Argentina. They may look to dominate the collisions, so we have to be at our greatest in that space.”
Uruguay’s most well-known participant is unfastened ahead Diego Ormaechea. A World Rugby Corridor of Fame inductee (#148), he earned 54 caps for Los Teros between 1979 and 1999, scoring 30 tries and captaining his nation 37 instances. When he performed towards South Africa on the 1999 Rugby World Cup, he turned the oldest participant to seem within the match at 40 years and 26 days—a document he nonetheless holds immediately.
It’s possible that All Blacks centurions Sam Whitelock, Aaron Smith, and Codie Taylor will sooner or later be inducted into the Corridor of Fame alongside Ormaechea. Remarkably, the trio, together with Black Ferns legend Sarah Hirini and Pink Roses Rugby World Cup winner Amy Cokayne, all attended Feilding Excessive College, a semi-rural coeducational establishment that punches properly above its weight in rugby. This 12 months, the boys’ First XV completed as runners-up within the Nationwide Prime 4 and even made headlines nationally for his or her cheeky “Aggies” Budgy Smugglers. Maori All Black Howden performed within the First XV from 2016 to 2019, and he usually assists with observe when he can.
“What’s within the water at Feilding? That’s a superb query. The Whitelock household, for starters. Dad Braeden has helped for years with recruitment and training. It’s only a no-bull tradition constructed on exhausting work and caring for each other.”
