Southland Stags add halfback to squad

Connor McLeod joins Jay Renton, Jahvis Wallace, and Kaisei Tamura as those now vying for the Stags No 9 jersey.

Connor McLeod, who has previously played for Hawke’s Bay, has joined the Southland Stags NPC squad.

The Southland Stags have bolstered its halfback stocks replacing Liam Howley who has been ruled out for the season with a torn bicep.

Former Hawke’s Bay halfback Connor McLeod joined the Stags camp this week meaning the Stags have four halfbacks in the mix.

McLeod joins Jay Renton, Jahvis Wallace, and Kaisei Tamura as those now vying for the Stags No 9 jersey.

Howley suffered his season-ending injury coming off the bench in the round one loss to Waikato.

Wallace has also missed the first three rounds of the competition after breaking a bone in his hand playing for the Eastern-Northern Barbarians in the Galbraith Shield final.

It meant Pirates-Old Boys and Toyota Verblitz halfback Kaisei Tamura has been called on for the past two games and now McLeod also enters the mix.

McLeod has previously played 12 NPC games for Hawke’s Bay from 2019 to 2022.

However, with Brad Weber and Folau Fakatava both in the mix at Hawke’s Bay - and Sam Wye named as their third halfback - McLeod has taken up the opportunity to join Southland.

McLeod has most recently been playing for the Utah Warriors under Greg Cooper in the US Major League League rugby competition.