Ten Southland Stags have secured full Super Rugby Pacific contracts for 2027, with six named in the Highlanders squad unveiled by coach Jamie Joseph on Wednesday.

Props Ethan de Groot and Jack Sexton, hooker Jack Taylor, lock Mitch Dunshea, loose forward Sean Withy and first five-eighth Mika Muliaina are the Southland contingent in the 39-player Highlanders group.

Sexton is the new face. The loosehead spent 2026 on a wider training contract with the Crusaders and fills the gap left by Daniel Lienert-Brown's move to the Chiefs. Muliaina, in his second year out of school, steps up from a development deal to a full-time contract.

The remaining four Stags are spread across the north. Lock Alefosio Aho joins No 8 Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa at the Hurricanes, halfback Nic Shearer has signed with the Blues, and tighthead prop Paula Latu, who spent 2026 with Moana Pasifika, is named in the Chiefs' front row.

Highlanders' new look

Joseph's squad holds few surprises beyond Bay of Plenty tighthead Benet Kumeroa, a 26-year-old with 40 games for the Steamers and eight for the Chiefs. Shannon Frizell returns after three years in Japan, and previously announced signings include hooker Ioane Moananu, lock Josh Tengblad, Otago loose forward Joseva Tamani, first fives Josh Jacomb and Patrick Pellegrini and winger Tuna Tuitama.

Joseph said players from the Highlanders' environment were getting opportunities at the next level and he wanted competition for places across the squad. "We don't want players waiting for their turn," he said.

The squad assembles on 26 November and opens the season against the Fijian Drua in Fiji on 13 February.

Wider contracts next

The next test of Southland's depth comes on Thursday, when each club names a wider training group of up to 12 players. A draft involving all five New Zealand teams was held on Tuesday to fill those spots.

The Southland Tribune reported that hooker Jayden Henderson and 22-year-old loose forward Konrad Toleafoa are the leading Stags candidates, most likely with a team other than the Highlanders. Toleafoa was expected to miss the NPC after a neck injury in February but was cleared in time for round one.

Tayne Harvey, a member of the Highlanders' wider group this year, faces shoulder surgery after an injury-hit season and will rebuild through club rugby, while winger Denzel Samoa's season was limited to two games by a hamstring injury.

Teenage first five Jimmy Taylor, 19, has attracted interest from several clubs, but teams were reportedly told to hold off contracting him for 2027. Both he and Muliaina remain eligible for the New Zealand Under-20s next year.

Outside backs Michael Manson and Fletcher Morgan will again be part of the New Zealand Sevens programme.

The haul of ten full contracts follows a season in which the Stags won two games and finished 13th in the NPC.