2024 Ralph Moir LTD Rugby Southland Academy Named

Ten players, including a number from the successful Southland Boys’ High School first XV, have been included in Rugby Southland’s 2024 year one academy programme.

The Year 1 group features a host of local talent committing to the province, headlined by several of the victorious national champion Southland BHS 1st XV squad, including impressive prop JJ Fisher (NZ Barbarians U18), tireless flanker and outstanding leader Gregor Rutledge, athletic number-eight Justin Shaw, workhorse lock TJ Gallen & hard hitting, skilful midfielder Jerome Buckley Fa’atoia (all players were selected in the 2023 Highlanders Schools Squad).   

“Our first priority this year was to ensure we identified and secured our best talent locally, our belief is these young men all have some of the tools required to not only pull on a Stags jersey, but potentially also play fully professional rugby if they really apply themselves”. 

“JJ, Gregor, Justin, Jerome & TJ have all worked extremely hard this year, what I like about each of them is their stories as well as the challenges they’ve overcome are all different.  Having these quality young men commit to our programme is fantastic and exciting for our region”, said Scott Eade, Rugby Southland Academy and Pathways Manager.  

Rugby Southland are excited to also have secured several talented young men from around the country who will add and further enhance Rugby Southland through our Phillips Group representative teams, particularly the Supreme Site Works U19 squad in 2024, as well as the SBS Bank Southland Stags moving forward. Midfielder Tayne Harvey (Palmerston North BHS, NZSS 2023) and outside back Josh Augustine (Napier BHS, NZ Barbarian U18 2023) will both be part of the Highlanders High Performance Programme in 2024.  This is an exciting first for Rugby Southland having players from outside the region in the Highlanders programme commit to Southland over neighbours Otago at provincial level. 

“We have been on the lookout for quality young backs who will be a good fit in our programme while also adding real value on the park, we are excited Tayne and Josh have chosen us to help take their game to the next level, our job now is to get to work and help these quality young men achieve their goals while also enhancing and building the Stags NPC squad moving forward” said Eade.  

Additionally, Auckland Grammar 1st XV Captain Louis Lepionka will provide some quality loose forward balance alongside Rutledge and Shaw.  John McGlashan College halfback Henry Scott & Hamilton BHS First Five Wyndham Patuawa add quality to the inside backs ranks and should be key figures in the U19 programme next year.  All three will get a taste of the Stags NPC training environment in 2024. 

A portion of the group will be based in Dunedin while they complete their tertiary study at Otago University. They will play in Dunedin during the club rugby season, while being in Invercargill during the semester study breaks and NPC season with training assembly time which doubles as being at the same time as the Southland U19 or Southland Development seasons.   

“Many of these lads will be in contenders for the Highlanders U20 programme not only next year but for someone like Gregor potentially the next three years”. 

Players will receive Strength & Conditioning support while in Dunedin while also having rugby sessions delivered during the club season. Access to Nutrition, Mental Skills & Personal Development education and mentoring across the entire year is a centrepiece of the programme.  

“With these young men completing their chosen University courses we now have an ability to retain, keep & develop a connection with Southland”.  The aim is at the conclusion of their study players who haven’t yet reached a Super Rugby environment will flow into our Southland club rugby competition.   

“With technology we can service elements of our programme digitally while also providing face to face support for these young men while they go about their tertiary studies”.  

NZSS winger and prodigious talent Kiseki Fifita is heading away to complete his Mormon mission in early 2024 so will be unavailable for the time being.  

“Rugby Southland would like to wish Kiseki all the best as he embarks on the next exciting chapter in his life.  We look forward to staying in contact and seeing him return home in a couple of years”. 

Returning to the Rugby Southland Academy are a host of local talents. Hunter Fahey who lined up six times for the SBS Bank Southland Stags in 2023 will be back for his second year and will be pushing for significant game time in the Stags squad.  Prop Liam McIntosh who was recently named in the NZ U19 Development squad will be hoping to build towards a massive 2024 after his recent national selection. McIntosh is one of 50 players selected nationally for a weeklong camp in Wellington next week.   

Others such as first five Kaea Nikora Balloch and lock Hunter Areaiiti Burgess will enter their third year of the Academy with a real determination to wear a Stags jersey in 2024. 

A real focus has also gone into ensuring a larger group of young men are provided with opportunity to grow.  The Rugby Southland Academy Development group caters too Southland’s best young U18 players as well as the next crop of U19/U20 players locally.   

“This group is an evolution of the Pre-Academy and players who sat outside previous Academy models. The Pre-Academy model will be retained for our best young teenage talent, but this group will push our best U18 talent while encompass our next group of school leavers/U20 athletes. As we reinforce to our young men all the time, not everyone’s pathway is linear, this group allows for a wider group to be exposed to S&C, individual & positional skills & given feedback and resource across the pillars of Athlete Development”.