NOS Sport••Amended
It sounds unlikely: a Dutchman at the All Blacks, the most famous rugby team in the world. Nevertheless, 22-year-old Fabian Holland from Akersloot in North Holland received an invitation for the National Team of New Zealand.
“It is still a bit unreal,” says Holland from New Zealand. “The last 24 hours were quite hectic, but now I have ‘landed’ again and I will prepare for the training camp that starts on Wednesday.”
Rugbyer holland first Dutchman in the shirt of the All Blacks
The Dutchman with an impressive figure – 2.04 meters long and 124 kilograms – left for New Zealand at the age of sixteen to go there rugby. He played for his high school Christchurch Boys’ High and now plays as a professional with the Highlanders, from Dunedin.
So
Performing the Haka, the ceremonial dance that the All Blacks show before the start of the competition, should therefore not be a problem for Holland. “Maybe I have to watch a video to freshen up my memory, but I have seen it quite often. It is a sign of respect to immerse yourself in the Maori culture. I think it is fantastic to learn about it.”
Holland, who already played for New Zealand youth teams, was invited by coach Scott Robertson for a triptych with France, in July. A player can come out for a country other than where he was born when he lived in that country for more than five years.
Holland is praised in the announcement of the All Blacks for his physical strength, his technology and his contribution to line-outs. The Dutchman plays as a lock. At that position he is the engine of the Scrum, where the players stand opposite each other in a bent position when the game is resumed.
Holland already told in an interview about his dream to become an All Black in 2021. At the age of five he started with rugby at the Castricum rugby club. The fire in him was further fueled when the All Black Sevens invested a training camp at the club where he played in 2014. “I thought it was so cool to see that the players worked as a whole hard to become the best in the world. I thought: wow, I want to be in between later.”
High ambitions
That dream now becomes reality. “I want to leave my blood, sweat and tears in the black shirt. I have high ambitions and I still have a long way to reach them. I am extremely proud to wear the silver sailing (the symbol of New Zealand, ed.) On my chest.”
His younger brother Quinten (19) has the same ambitions. He also lived in New Zealand since 2022, where he also chases a career with the Highlanders.
