Fabian Holland explains decision behind representing All Blacks

Born in Alkmaar and raised in the nearby village of Akersloot, which has a strong contingent of Kiwis living there, Holland began playing rugby at just five years old with Castricum Rugby Club.

An early moment of inspiration came in 2014 when the New Zealand sevens team held a training camp at his club, sparking his ambition to one day reach the highest level of the game.

In early 2019, he moved to New Zealand to study and play at Christchurch Boys' High School, after contacting them himself and expressing an interest to study and play rugby there. What was meant to be a short six month stay quickly became permanent.

Initially playing as a first five-eighth, he was shifted into the lock position by coach Mike Drury, a move that proved pivotal in shaping his career.

After finishing school, Holland moved to Dunedin in 2021, joining the Highlanders under 20 setup and linking up with the Dunedin Rugby Football Club at Premier level.

His development progressed quickly, earning a high performance contract and game time with the Highlanders development side before securing a full professional deal in 2022.

His international rise followed a similar trajectory. After representing New Zealand at Schools, Under 18 and Under 20 level, Holland was named in the All Blacks squad for the 2025 France tour.

He went on to play all six matches in The Rugby Championship and featured during the end of year internationals. His debut season ended with global recognition as World Rugby’s Men’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year, beating the likes of Henry Pollock and Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i.

The decision to turn his back on the Netherlands internationally was not taken lightly, but it was driven by a desire to fully commit to one pathway.

"I went through my age-grade stuff when I was playing in The Netherlands for the Dutch nationals, but once I left [for] New Zealand, I wanted to fully commit, put all my eggs in one basket and I knew that if I commuted from New Zealand back to The Netherlands for international games, I wasn't going to get the most out of each experience.

"Instead of doing two things at 50%, I'd rather do one thing 100% which is why I decided to fully commit to New Zealand and leave the Dutch national team behind me.

"With that being said, I do have a lot of mates who play for the Dutch national team and it's awesome to see how rugby develops there and see how, in the men's and women's space in the Netherlands, rugby develops."

Despite choosing a different international route, Holland says the reaction from back home has been overwhelmingly supportive.

"Overall, from the Netherlands, everyone's really supportive. I went off when I was 16 on a bit of a wild goose chase and they wished me the best of luck, they knew that it was the dream. My mates sometimes give me a bit of stick for it, but that's what good mates are for."

While he no longer represents the Netherlands on the field, Holland believes his journey can still have a meaningful impact on the sport there. He hopes his success encourages young players to think beyond traditional limits.

"For me, it was always my dream and to use the position that I'm in to help encourage Dutch kids, to show them that it's okay to dream big and it's possible to do that kind of stuff.

"When I was first in The Netherlands and said I wanted to be an All Black, you get laughed at half out of the room, it's not something that's realistic.

"When I made my debut for New Zealand, I saw a lot of Dutch kids wearing an All Blacks jersey saying that they want to do the same thing which is awesome for me, so the impact that it has naturally is unreal."

He also places importance on staying connected with fans and sharing his experiences beyond rugby itself.

"It means the world to me and for me is bigger than rugby. That just comes somewhat naturally, I always try to give the time of day to kids whether they're from The Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany, wherever, to just meet me as not just a rugby player.

"At the end of the day, we're playing rugby, we're not rugby players, it's about the person that you are."

"For me, it's really cool to drop a few golden nuggets here and there, like the All Blacks Sevens boys did when they came to The Netherlands."

Currently sidelined with a shoulder injury that will rule him out of the 2026 Super Rugby season, Holland is focusing on recovery while also studying a social work course.