Small New Zealand Town Sends 3 Players to National U20 Team

When Jackson Hughan moved from Dunedin to rural Southland to pursue a trade and play rugby, his friends probably thought he was crazy. This week, he's heading to South Africa with the New Zealand under-20s national team.

Southland, a remote province at the bottom of New Zealand's South Island, just matched a feat it hasn't accomplished since 2012. Three local players—Mika Muliaina, Jackson Hughan, and Jay Reihana—made the prestigious national under-20s squad, with a fourth player named as standby.

For perspective, only 100 players nationwide made the initial camp. Eight came from Southland, a region with a fraction of the population of major rugby centers like Auckland or Wellington.

The secret? Rugby Southland stopped accepting brain drain as inevitable.

Traditionally, talented young players would leave for university in bigger cities and never look back. Their home province would wave goodbye and hope they might return someday as professionals.

Rugby Southland flipped the script. They created a split academy system with ten players based locally and ten in Dunedin, where many Southland students attend university. Now they stay connected to players who leave for school while keeping them on track to eventually play for their home province.

The Dunedin academy even attracted outside talent. Jay Reihana moved from Timaru to study in Dunedin this year and chose to join Rugby Southland's academy instead of the local program. He's now South Africa bound.

Why This Inspires

Jackson Hughan's story shows how regional communities can compete with big cities by getting creative. He wasn't getting noticed in Dunedin despite attending a major rugby school there. When Rugby Southland offered him an academy spot, he made the full-time move south to work in a trade.

Within months of dedicated training and support in Southland, the 19-year-old made his provincial debut and caught national selectors' attention. Pathways manager Liam Howley calls him "a great advertisement for people coming down here and having a crack."

The program proves young people don't have to sacrifice career dreams for education or vice versa. "If there's any tradies out there, get yourself down to Invercargill," Howley told local media.

Even more remarkable: all four Southland players selected are backs, defying the stereotype that small rugby towns only produce big forwards. Rugby Southland hasn't had an outside back make the national under-20s in decades.

Two of the architects behind this success are Scott Eade and Marty McKenzie, who themselves were part of Southland's last three-player selection in 2012. They've turned their experience into mentorship, creating the pathway they wish existed when they were coming up.

Small communities worldwide struggle to retain young talent, but Southland's model offers hope: meet young people where they go, not just where they are.