 In 2015, Higginbotham left the Melbourne Rebels after signing a two-year contract with the NEC Green Rockets, based in Abiko, Chiba, Japan.Higginbotham signed a three-year contract in 2016 to return to the Queensland Reds for the 2017 Super Rugby season.On 1 February 2018 Scott Higginbotham was named captain of the Queensland based side.