Two players of Fijian heritage were among the five new recruits in the Highlanders squad for next year’s Super Rugby Pacific competition.
Hooker Soane Vikena and flanker Veveni Lasaqa have signed two-year contracts with the team.
Vikena hails from Nasilai in Rewa and was a member of the Blues squad that won the Super Rugby title. In 2020, he was part of the Blues Under-20s and was named Blues Development Player of the Year. He represented the New Zealand U20 team from 2020 to 2021 and played for Auckland in the National Provincial Championship. Vikena made his Super Rugby debut for the Blues in 2021 against the Crusaders.
Vikena is known as an energetic hooker with strong open-field running, excellent tackling, and accurate line-out throwing.
Lasaqa made his Super Rugby debut against the Reds this year. The 22-year-old played for Bay of Plenty in the NPC. Born in Lautoka, Lasaqa moved to New Zealand to attend Tauranga Boys’ College.
The other three recruits are Will Stoddart, former New Zealand sevens rugby winger Caleb Tangitau, and Josh Wahaanga.