THE BLAIKIES
First brother: John (lock) made his Highlanders debut against the Crusaders in 1997. Finished with 53 caps before heading to France and Cambridge University.
Second brother: Duncan (flanker) made his Highlanders debut against the Brumbies in 1999. Made two appearances as a sub the following year, before spending a season with the Chiefs then heading to Cambridge University.
The oil: Two extremely smart chaps — no surprise, really, as dad Oke was a judge — and two solid rugby players. John formed an outstanding locking partnership with Brendon Timmins, while Duncan was an underrated player who could have gone further had he not headed off to pursue careers in medicine and law. John is now a minority owner of the Highlanders.
THE MAKAS
First brother: Isitolo (No 8) made his Highlanders debut against the Crusaders in 1996. Played 34 games for the Highlanders before joining the Chiefs for a season, and earned four test caps.
Second brother: Finau (flanker) made his Highlanders debut against the Sharks in 2001, having previously represented the Blues and Hurricanes. Made nine appearances in his sole season with the Highlanders.
The oil: Big Isi joined Taine Randell and Josh Kronfeld in the first great Highlanders loose forward trio. His peak did not last long, to be fair. Later coached Tonga. Finau played his best rugby elsewhere, and hit the headlines in 2012 when he was fined in court in a "modern slavery" case in France.
THE COWANS
First brother: Jimmy (halfback) made his Highlanders debut against the Cats in 2003. Finished with 108 caps — sixth-most in club history — for the Highlanders and played 51 tests for the All Blacks.
Second brother: Scott (halfback) made his Highlanders debut against the Waratahs in 2009, and made two more appearances the following year.
The oil: Two proud sons of Southland. Jimmy was a beloved larrikin who poured heart and soul into a career that included a century of caps for the Stags. Scott’s career was less luminous but he was a solid provincial player who also had a stint overseas.
THE ELLISONS
First brother: Tamati (midfielder) made his Highlanders debut against the Chiefs in 2012, having previously represented the Blues and Hurricanes. Finished with 77 Super Rugby caps (23 for the Highlanders) and four test caps.
Second brother: Jacob (prop) made his sole Highlanders appearance against the Stormers in 2012, having previously represented the Hurricanes.
The oil: Tamati was a tidy player who bounced around New Zealand teams and also played in Japan. He was later an assistant coach at the Crusaders, and has joined Scott Robertson’s staff in the All Blacks. Jacob earns a start at front row in a XV of players with one Highlanders cap.
THE GEARS
First brother: Rico (winger) made his Highlanders debut against the Reds in 2000. Finished with 79 Super Rugby appearances (four for the Highlanders) and 19 All Blacks caps.
Second brother: Hosea (winger) made his Highlanders debut against the Chiefs in 2012, having previously represented the Hurricanes. Finished with 108 Super Rugby caps (32 for Highlanders) and 14 test caps.
The oil: Rico was a heck of a player but obviously better known for his exploits elsewhere after his one season with the Highlanders. Hosea was a class act, and scored plenty of tries in his two years in Dunedin. Later played in France then came home to coach East Coast.
THE HORES
First brother: Charlie (first five) made his Highlanders debut against the Lions in 2007. Made six Super Rugby appearances in his single season.
Second brother: Andrew (hooker) made his Highlanders debut against the Chiefs in 2012, having previously represented the Crusaders and Hurricanes. Finished with 141 Super Rugby caps (29 for Highlanders) and 83 All Blacks caps.
The oil: Patearoa royalty. Charlie was a heck of a player — just a bit unlucky to be behind other first fives in the queue. Andrew was a magnificent Hurricane and All Black but his two seasons for the Landers were not the team’s best.
THE SOPOAGAS
First brother: Lima (first five) made his Highlanders debut against the Hurricanes in 2011. Finished with 92 Super Rugby caps, scoring a club-record 866 points for the Highlanders, and earned 16 test caps.
Second brother: Tupou (loose forward) made his sole Highlanders appearance against the Rebels in 2017, after stints in the NRL with the Sharks and Panthers.
The oil: A Highlanders great and another interesting one-cap wonder. Sopoaga was a class act, and one of Jamie Joseph’s most astute signings. Scored points for fun and did everything well in the No 10 jersey. Still playing in Japan, and represented Samoa after becoming eligible. Tupou captained the Cook Islands in both league and union before becoming a player agent.
THE EVANSES
First brother: Gareth (loose forward) made his Highlanders debut against the Blues in 2014. Finished with 87 Super Rugby caps (31 for Hurricanes) and a test cap against Japan in Tokyo in 2018.
Second brother: Bryn (lock) made his Highlanders debut against the Crusaders in 2021, after previously representing the Blues and Hurricanes. Finished with 52 Super Rugby caps (24 for Highlanders) and two test caps in 2009.
The oil: A couple of all-action forwards who followed the time-honoured path from Hawke’s Bay to Dunedin. Gareth was a key man in a good era of Highlanders rugby. After playing for the Hurricanes then in Japan, he came back to the Highlanders to play a season alongside his brother. Bryn was a yeoman lock who was very much in senior statesman mode when he played in the South.
THE ALLAN/HOWDEN DUO
First brother: Lee Allan (loose forward) made his Highlanders debut against the Chiefs in 2014, finishing with two sub appearances.
Second brother: Te Kamaka Howden (loose forward), known as TK, made his Highlanders debut this year, and has made seven appearances.
The oil: Howden, who joined the Highlanders from the Hurricanes, did not meet his older brother till he was in his teens. Allan, a South Otago product, retired at 25 due to concussion.
THE WHAANGAS
First brother: Matt (midfielder) made his Highlanders debut against the Reds in 2023. He has six caps over two seasons.
Second brother: Josh (utility back) made his Highlanders debut against the Crusaders on Saturday.
The oil: Learned their trade on the fields of Balclutha. Matt was a schoolboy star, once scoring 60 points in a game for the South Otago High School First XV, before settling into a solid career with the Taieri club and the Southland Stags. Josh was part of an exceptional John McGlashan team that made it to the national top four in 2022. He became an Otago regular straight out of school and is now a fully contracted Highlander.
