Jason is the son of 1978-1980 All Black Leicester Rutledge who also played over 100 matches for Southland from 1972 to 1983.
He came on as a substitution for David Hall in the season opener against the Brumbies, scoring a try minutes from full-time which briefly put the Highlanders in the lead.
[1] On 13 September 2020, aged 42, Jason came on the field as a replacement for Greg Pleasants-Tate in the 72nd minute in Southland's first Mitre 10 Cup fixture for the season, against Hawke's Bay.
This appearance, 20 years after his debut for Southland, made him the province's oldest player.
This biographical article relating to New Zealand rugby union, about a person born in the 1970s, is a stub.