Josh Whaanga: the offload that sparked Otago's Ranfurly Shield comeback in Christchurch

With 25 minutes left in Christchurch on 20 September 2025, Otago trailed Canterbury 36-21 and the Ranfurly Shield looked to be staying put. Then a 21-year-old off the bench from Balclutha found Jae Broomfield with what the Otago Daily Times called a "miracle offload", Broomfield scored, and Otago kept coming until they had won 38-36. Josh Whaanga has been a Highlander since 2025 and is in their 2027 squad. This is the story of the John McGlashan midfielder who grew up wanting nothing more than to wear blue and gold.

Balclutha and a rugby family

Whaanga was born in Balclutha on 15 March 2004, the date given by the Highlanders and Wikipedia, and both describe him as coming from South Otago. Rugby ran through the house. His father was a well-regarded schoolboy coach, and his older brother is Matt Whaanga, the centre who played for Otago from 2018 to 2020 before joining Southland, and who has also worn the Highlanders jersey.

"I've always been around rugby, ever since I was little," Josh told the ODT in 2022, remembering trips to training with his father. Of his brother he said: "Matt's been awesome. Just around the professional side of sport."

The family moved to Dunedin around 2016, when Josh was 12. He spent a year at Taieri College before moving to John McGlashan College.

John McGlashan College

Whaanga's First XV career began in 2019, as a Year 10 pupil on the school's tour of South Africa, and he was still there four seasons later. A hamstring injury early in 2022 put his milestone in doubt, but by September of that year he had played 50 games for the McGlashan First XV, and the 2022 side went further than any McGlashan team before it.

McGlashan went through the season unbeaten and won the Highlanders regional title, which earned a South Island final against Nelson College in Nelson on 3 September 2022. Whaanga led the team out for his 50th game. Nelson started strongly, but McGlashan's first try came when the forwards made ground and Whaanga popped a pass for his fullback to score. Later, with the score at 22-12, his first five chipped ahead, Whaanga regathered and handed back for a try that made it 29-12. Nelson came back hard, but McGlashan held on to win 29-26. The ODT called it the "McGlashan Miracle" and praised Whaanga's "virtuoso display".

"We knew we could do it. We haven't lost a game this season," he said before the national Top Four in Palmerston North. It was McGlashan's first appearance there in the 40 years of the championship. They lost their semi-final to Hamilton Boys' High School, who went on to win the title.

By then his next step was settled. He had signed a three-year development contract with the Highlanders and Otago and would play his club rugby for Taieri. "I grew up watching Otago and the Highlanders, and that's always been the dream," he said.

Straight into the Otago backline

Whaanga was named in Otago's 2023 NPC squad as one of the uncapped players, initially to cover for injuries and national duty. He made his first-class debut in the season opener against Tasman at Trafalgar Park in Nelson on 4 August 2023, which Tasman won 27-15, and he never left the team. He started all ten of Otago's games that season, seven on the wing and three at centre.

He finished his first provincial season with four tries. The first came on 20 August 2023 in a 33-32 loss to Hawke's Bay in Napier. He scored again in the sixth minute of a 31-21 win over Southland in Dunedin on 26 August 2023, in a 27-24 loss to North Harbour at North Harbour Stadium in Albany on 6 September 2023 and in a 38-22 win over Counties Manukau in Dunedin on 1 October 2023.

The 2024 season was much the same story of reliability. He again played all ten of Otago's games, nine on the wing, and scored in the second minute of a 27-25 win over Auckland in Dunedin on 16 August 2024.

Age-grade honours

Early in 2024 the brothers were in the same Highlanders team sheet. When the Highlanders named their side for a pre-season game against Moana Pasifika at Queenstown Events Centre in February 2024, both Matt and Josh were among the newcomers, Josh on the wing. "I'm also stoked to have the chance to play alongside my brother," Matt said.

In March 2024 Josh captained the Highlanders Under 20 side at the Super Rugby Under 20 tournament in Taupō, and in April he was named in the New Zealand Under 20 squad for the first U20 Rugby Championship, played at Sunshine Coast Stadium in Queensland in May and won by New Zealand. He made two appearances for New Zealand Under 20 that year, both off the bench.

The Shield season

The 2025 NPC began with Whaanga recovering from a knee injury, and he worked his way back from the bench. By September Otago coach Mark Brown was using him in the midfield, and when Jake Te Hiwi was injured he started at second five against Taranaki in Dunedin on 13 September 2025. Otago won 28-26. The ODT noted that while he had played on the wing in 2024, he was better suited to the midfield.

He hurt his ankle in that game and was bracketed on the bench for the Shield challenge a week later. He made it onto the field, and with Otago 15 points down and the clock running, his offload sent Broomfield over. Lucas Casey scored a 40m try, Liam Coltman crashed over from a lineout drive, Cameron Millar converted, and Otago had the Ranfurly Shield, which the ODT noted they had last held, for a week, in 2020. The Highlanders' profile of Whaanga notes that his strong 2025 season came with "the Ranfurly Shield-winning Otago team".

Otago kept going. Whaanga started the semi-final against Bay of Plenty in Dunedin on 17 October 2025, a 41-17 win, and came off the bench in the 56th minute of the final against Canterbury in Christchurch on 25 October 2025, which Canterbury won 36-28. He played ten games that season, seven of them as a replacement, without scoring.

Holding the Shield, and 2026

Otago's first Shield defence of 2026, against North Otago at Forsyth Barr Stadium on 16 June 2026, came with most of Otago's Super Rugby players resting. Whaanga was named at centre outside his captain, Te Hiwi, and scored twice, in the fourth and 47th minutes, in a 46-14 win.

In the 2026 NPC he played eight games and scored two more tries, in the 71st minute of a 61-22 win over Wellington in Dunedin on 23 August 2026 and in the 27th minute of a 57-33 win over Tasman in Dunedin on 11 September 2026. He was on the bench for the semi-final against Northland in Whangārei on 16 October 2026, which Northland won 38-19.

The Highlanders

Whaanga's development contract became a place in the Highlanders squad for 2025. An injury update before the club's game against Moana Pasifika on 28 February 2025 listed him with a back problem, but by late April he was ready. On 26 April 2025 the Highlanders named the 21-year-old local on the bench for the southern derby against the Crusaders at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, and he came on to make his Super Rugby debut, becoming Highlander No 368. The Crusaders won 43-10.

He was retained for 2026, when the Highlanders named him with Te Hiwi as the challengers to Timoci Tavatavanawai and Tanielu Tele'a in midfield, though he did not add to his single Super Rugby appearance that season. On 28 October 2026 he was named again, as one of four midfielders in the 2027 squad alongside Tavatavanawai, Meihana Grindlay and Reesjan Pasitoa.

Asked by the club what representing the Highlanders means, he said: "Everything, I grew up dreaming of wearing the jersey."

Style and standing

The Highlanders list Whaanga at 1.93m and 100kg and call him a "dynamic" back; the ODT described him as a "towering" midfielder in his school days. He spent most of his first two Otago seasons on the wing, 16 of his 20 games, before Otago began using him at centre and second five in 2025. His favourite player, he told the Highlanders, is Jordie Barrett.

He has not played Test rugby for any country.

2027

The Highlanders assemble on Thursday 26 November 2026 and open the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific season against the Fijian Drua in Fiji on Saturday 13 February 2027. Whaanga goes into it with 38 NPC games for Otago, a place in the side that won the Ranfurly Shield in 2025 and one Super Rugby cap.

Career at a glance

NPC figures by season: 2023, 10 games and 4 tries; 2024, 10 games and 1 try; 2025, 10 games and no tries; 2026, 8 games and 2 tries. Figures are from Kerry Geertson's NZ Rugby History records to 2025 and RugbyPass for 2026, checked against the try-scorers in the published match records; the two sources agree for every season they share. Otago won the Ranfurly Shield on 20 September 2025 with Whaanga in the match-day squad.