The Highlanders have suffered their third straight loss this season with a disappointingly narrow Round 5 Super Rugby defeat this weekend against the Hurricanes and in many ways I believe they are losing favour with the rugby public.

The Highlanders now boast a side with plenty of big names, but they are actually going worse than they did in previous years as a bunch of battlers. Popular characters like Jason Rutledge gave their guts for the Highlanders and have since been overlooked for new recruits. They recruited the poisoned chalice of Ma'a Nonu along with others from Dad's Army like Brad Thorn, Tony Woodcock, Jake Paringatai, Hosea Gear and Andrew Hore in the past few seasons, but they still lack cohesion in the back division and strength at set pieces which they need given they struggle to break teams up outwide. The Highlanders just can't seem to score tries to put other teams away, despite other sides like the Hurricanes and Blues having less proven performers in their sides.

It seems that Jamie Joseph has placed an emphasis on experience at the expense of youth, although admitedly the Highlanders have had another bad year of injuries, although you wonder if it is through bad lack or bad management? It could be a long season for the Highlanders given the difficult nature of the competition and their inability to overcome more dangerous and physical opponents to score tries. They have also played most of their games at home already, so things are looking bleak if they are to have any chance of making the playoffs.

Injuries to Tamati Ellison, Nasi Manu, Andrew Hore, Brayden Mitchell, Shaun Treeby and Ma'a Nonu are really costing the Highlanders and in some ways many of the things that made rugby fans throughout New Zealand respect the Highlanders, like courage and punching above their weight using a bunch of journeymen and rejects from other teams, no longer exist, yet they still haven't won a match.

Rugby is so fast these days that you probably need the express pace of young players in some positions, especially in the backline, while I think someone like Joe Wheeler isn't the answer to fill the shoes of the departed Adam Thomson. The Highlanders need to drastically improve their set pieces because they struggle to carve teams up outwide and so they need some point of difference from some of the other teams. Last night against the Hurricanes some mistakes were made at set pieces and they were going backwards in the scrums. In theory too, young players shouldn't get injured as often or if they do, they shouldn't take as long to recover. Hence why maybe getting so many older players into the squad may not have been ideal!

Maybe recruiting big named signings in the offseason isn't the best way of building a team, do you think the Highlanders will eventually start winning matches? Do you think they have recruited wisely? Should the Highlanders have gone for younger recruits instead of the vastly experienced Ma'a Nonu, Brad Thorn and Tony Woodcock?

I think it is still too early to write this season off, but the Highlanders probably haven't won any fans by getting in these big guns who actually deliver less early season results than usual. They have become the Green Bay Packers, although in their defence, they don't have the depth within their region to call upon, but I think there were some good younger up and comers who may have been more beneficial for the Highlanders to recruit.

Have the Highlanders lost their darlings tag?

Have your say!

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