Josh Tengblad: the 2.02m lock who helped New Zealand win the U20 Rugby Championship in South Africa

At 202 centimetres, Josh Tengblad is hard to miss on a rugby field, and the Highlanders have made sure nobody else gets the chance to sign him. The Auckland-schooled lock was part of the Sacred Heart College side that won the Auckland 1A title, scored for New Zealand Schools in Canberra, started every game as New Zealand's Under 20s won the U20 Rugby Championship in South Africa in 2025, and came off the bench for Otago in the province's biggest winning margin over Auckland. A knee injury cost him the 2026 Super Rugby season, but he turned 21 in October 2026 with a Highlanders contract that runs to at least 2028 and a debut in his sights.

An Auckland schoolboy

Tengblad was born on 19 October 2005, according to his Highlanders profile, which lists him at 202 cm and 115 kg. He went to Sacred Heart College in Auckland and played for its First XV.

His final school season was a famous one for the college. In 2023 Sacred Heart won the Auckland 1A competition for the first time in 58 years, beating their rivals St Kentigern 39-29 in the final, a result Te Waha Nui, the AUT student newsroom, described as ending a "58-year drought". Tengblad's Wikipedia entry, citing the NZ Herald's report of that day, records him as part of the First XV. That year he was also named in the Blues Under 18 squad, one of several Sacred Heart players on the list.

New Zealand Schools

The selectors noticed. Tengblad was picked for the 2023 New Zealand Schools team, coached by the Highlanders' Kane Jury, and he scored in both of the matches RUGBE could find reports for.

On 23 September 2023 New Zealand Schools beat the New Zealand Barbarians Under 18 side 57-22 at St Paul's Collegiate in Hamilton. New Zealand Rugby's match wrap singled out the "towering presence" of the two locks, Tengblad and Aisake Vakasiuola, as the factor that wore the Barbarians down, and Tengblad was among the try scorers.

Five days later, on 28 September 2023, the team played Australian Schools and Under 18s at Viking Park in Canberra in the first of two Tests. The scores were level going into the last half hour before New Zealand pulled away to win 34-3. Rugby Australia's report described captain Oli Mathis bumping off four defenders and putting Tengblad over for his side's second try in four minutes.

Heading south

After school Tengblad moved to Dunedin and the Highlanders' John Jones Steel High Performance Programme. He played for the Highlanders Under 20 team in 2024 and 2025, and when the club later signed him it said that he and halfback Dylan Pledger had "led the Highlanders U20 side over the past two seasons". His Highlanders profile lists his home club as Dunedin.

Asked by the Highlanders to name his favourite player, the young lock picked Josh Kronfeld, the openside who played 54 Tests for the All Blacks. Asked what he would be if he were not a rugby player, he said a pilot.

Champions in Gqeberha

In 2025 Tengblad made the New Zealand Under 20 team, and his three appearances for the side all came at the U20 Rugby Championship, played in Gqeberha, South Africa, between 1 and 11 May 2025. Wikipedia and all.rugby both credit him with three matches, all starts at lock.

The tournament opened with a 29-29 draw against Australia on 1 May 2025. Five days later, on 6 May 2025, New Zealand ran in 11 tries to beat Argentina 75-21, and Tengblad scored one of them in the 22nd minute. The decider came on 11 May 2025 against the hosts, South Africa, in front of 14,835 people. New Zealand won a wild match 48-45 and finished top of the table on 11 points, one ahead of Australia, to keep the title they had won in its first edition.

When New Zealand Rugby named its 30-man squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy on 27 May 2025, Tengblad was one of only three locks, alongside Jayden Sa and Vakasiuola. New Zealand topped their pool unbeaten and reached the final, where South Africa beat them 23-15 in Rovigo on 19 July 2025. The appearance records RUGBE checked do not list Tengblad in any of the World Championship matches, and he was not in the 23 for the final.

A Highlanders contract

On 21 August 2025, a month after the World Championship, the Highlanders announced three signings from that New Zealand squad: Pledger, outside back Stanley Solomon and Tengblad. The club called him "a genuine lineout weapon" and a mobile, athletic second rower. "Signing with the Highlanders is such a massive honour," Tengblad said, adding that he was excited to step up into a fully professional environment. Head coach Jamie Joseph said the three were "outstanding young men who have absolutely earned this opportunity". Tengblad's deal covered the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

Otago debut in a record win

Tengblad was named as a replacement player in the Otago squad for the 2025 NPC, and his chance came in round 10. On 4 October 2025 Otago played Auckland at Auckland Grammar School, and Tengblad came off the bench in the second half with Otago already well clear.

It turned into a historic afternoon. Otago won 51-17, a 34-point margin that the Otago Daily Times reported as the province's biggest win over Auckland in 92 meetings. The previous record had been 18 points, set with a 22-4 win in 1975. Tengblad played his part in the last Otago try: when hooker A-One Lolofie peeled off a lineout drive to score, it was Tengblad who had won the ball. "Tengblad grabbed the lineout," the ODT's Adrian Seconi wrote, adding a nod to the debutants: "Nice job by the rookies there."

It was his only game of the 2025 NPC. Otago went on to reach the final, losing 36-28 to Canterbury in Christchurch on 25 October 2025.

A setback in 2026

On 7 November 2025 the Highlanders named Tengblad in their nine-man wider training group for the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season. The club noted that "at over 2.0m" he "sticks out in a crowd", but said it was his rugby ability that had set him apart since he left Sacred Heart.

The 2026 season did not go to plan. When the Highlanders named their team to play the Hurricanes on 18 March 2026, Tengblad was listed as unavailable with a knee injury. A week later the club listed him among its season-ending injuries, and on 8 April 2026 it named the injury as an anterior cruciate ligament.

On 19 June 2026 the Highlanders announced that 15 players had committed their futures to the club, and Tengblad was among them, with a deal running to at least 2028.

Style and standing

The Highlanders' profile describes him as a lock known for his lineout presence, work rate and physicality around the park, and says he has earned a reputation as one of the most promising second rowers in the age-grade system. His record backs up the lineout part of that description: the ball he won for Lolofie's try against Auckland, and the "towering presence" New Zealand Rugby described in his New Zealand Schools debut.

Joseph, explaining the depth of his 2027 squad, said the club wanted competition everywhere. "We don't want players waiting for their turn," he said in October 2026.

Where he is now

Tengblad is one of the young players the Highlanders highlighted when they named their 2027 squad on 28 October 2026, listed among the locks alongside Mitch Dunshea, Fabian Holland and the Argentina international Tomás Lavanini. His profile on the club website states the target plainly: in 2027 he will look to push for his Super Rugby debut. The squad assembles on 26 November 2026, and the Highlanders open the 2027 season against the Fijian Drua in Fiji on 13 February 2027.

Career at a glance

New Zealand Under 20 and Otago figures are from Wikipedia and all.rugby, which agree. New Zealand Schools tries are from the New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia match reports of September 2023.