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Opinionated Rugby Commentary - by Fans for Fans
Spill what you really think about events in the rugby world.
Super Rugby - Why The Highlanders Stink! 14 views
04 April 2013 by The Swede Eaters
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Scotty Donaldson a true Highlanders fan looks at why they are sitting bottom of the table!
I am writing this as a disgruntled Highlanders Super Rugby fan. The 2013 season was supposed to be the year that the Highlanders got back into the semi finals courtesy of their off season recruits, but unfortunately, things haven't turned out as planned. While there have been some positive signs, like the form of the outside backs, there are other areas where the Highlanders have let themselves and their fans down and are still the only team to not secure a win in the first eight rounds of Super Rugby 2013.
Here are 10 reasons why the Highlanders stink in 2013,
1) The loss of Adam Thomson, Nasi Manu and Tamati Ellison from last season, have deprived the Highlanders of three players with that additional grunt and X Factor spark on both attack and defence. The loose forward balance has been affected with players like Joe Wheeler and Jarrad Hoeata not really the answer at Number Six. I wonder if TJ Ioane is more similar to what Adam Thomson used to do for the Highlanders?
2) The Highlanders have been lacking the strong counter-rucking and aggressive defence from the past few seasons, this helped them turnover opposition ball and remain on the right side of both the possession stats and scoreboard more often than this year. It could be because of the change of personnel, but also because the opposition teams are aware of it and now know how to combat them. They don't seem to be any good at slowing the opposition ball down either. We miss Adam Thomson here! Other players like Aaron Smith are no longer as good as they were last season, but it seems that maybe opposition teams are more aware of the way the Highlanders play.
3) The recruitment of older players in the form of Brad Thorn, Mose Tuiali'i, Neil Brew, Jason Rutledge, Ma'a Nonu, Tony Woodcock, Andrew Hore and Jake Parangatai have provided plenty of experience for the Highlanders in recent times, but I wonder if it is at the expense of some spark and a bit of pace. It is hard to know if getting players straight from a cushy retirement gig in Japan is the answer, given how intense Super Rugby is. Would more local younger players give more passion for the jersey even though they aren't big name All Blacks? Although it must be acknowledged that the Highlanders have a tiny player base to choose from, and neither Otago nor Southland are setting the world on fire at the moment in the ITM Cup.
4) It is difficult to know if the injury toll which has mounted over the past three years is because of the training regime (both pre and actual season) or just because some players are more suceptible to injuries? The Highlanders seem to lose players from the same position. Last season they kept losing openside flankers and first five eighths. This season it is Number Eights and centres.
5) The Highlanders have made some basic errors which have cost them some of their matches. It is like they are lacking the confidence to win some of these tight matches which in the past they would have ground out. I thought all this experience would help them win! The disappointing thing is that they have been breaking the advantage line with their amazing outside backs more than I can remember them doing in the past, but they will miss a key lineout or three by going long when they have had success going to the front of the lineout or will make a great break but then lose the ball forward just before the tryline. It seems that they are in many ways like the Cheetahs and Waratahs from 2012 who both had poor seasons, but would have finished so much higher if they had the resolve to convert the narrow losses into wins.
6) Unfortunately the Forsyth Barr Stadium has made going to the rugby comfortable for fans, but it has also made playing conditions better for the opposition. Traditionally the Highlanders have struggled to play an open style of play, yet ironically, they have the stadium with the best conditions in New Zealand to do it at. It also means than their opponents don't have to deal with cold and damp conditions that they are not used to. Highlanders sides in the past have relied on these conditions to spoil their opponents ability to play the open style of play they are used to. So while the Forsyth Barr Stadium means more fans are keen to go to the game, the results at the stadium in part caused by the lack of home advantage means that less people may soon turn up to the stadium to watch their team lose. It is a vicious cycle!
7) It is funny how New Zealand's worst team, now has the best stadium. The Highlanders since 1996 have now averaged the lowest position out of any of the New Zealand teams. See the graph below. The Highlanders now average about 8th position. This would have been terrible in Super 12, but is midtable in Super 15.
8) I wonder if Jamie Joseph is necessarily the saviour that many people painted him to be. It seems that he has run players into the ground in other years with the team falling down the home stretch, while now that he has all the rockstars available, they haven't won any matches. Someone like Dave Rennie with the help of Wayne Smith are taking the Chiefs which is a team with a similar number of star players to another potentially Super Rugby title winning performance.
9) Ma'a Nonu - His cutout passes have a habit of going forward. He sometimes drops the ball. Is Ma'a Nonu the poisoned chalice? The Hurricanes fell apart under him in 2011, the Blues fell apart under him in 2012, is he to blame for the Highlanders demise?
10) The Highlanders are not only losing matches through their own stupid mistakes, but sometimes when the chips are down, there are refereeing decisions which also go against you. I think back to some interesting decisions in their last three matches. Rugby is a game where there are so many rules and things to watch, that referees make mistakes, but it seems that if you are losing matches, you seem to sometimes get a bad rub of the green. Didn't Sam Cane lose that ball at the ruck leading up to Tim Nanai-Williams first try? Didn't the Reds lose the ball forward in the lead up to one of their tries? I actually wonder if the TMO should intervene like the assistant referees if they see something is wrong?
Anyway, the Highlanders can hopefully turn their season around this week against the Blues, although it would take the most optimistic of fans to pick them to break their long winless streak on Friday. I am actually left thinking that the Highlanders miss the passion of more young players who are just happy to wear the jersey. What has happened to the defence? Sometimes it just takes a ball to bounce differently and things will be fine, and I hope this happens sooner rather than later for the Highlanders, otherwise they may struggle to get very big crowds for future games as they may lose their loyal fans. Winning is a habit that this side is not used to, it seems, but things may come right eventually. The only problem is that they haven't played outside New Zealand yet.
What do you think about the Highlanders?
Have your say!
http://www.superrugbytips.com/2013/04/10-reasons-highlanders-stink-in-2013.html
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