Was there ever a case of a team doing less with so much?
They seemed to have all the ingredients:
Brimming with game-breaking talent: Aaron Smith, Ben Smith, Gear, Poki
Energetic youngsters: Ioane, Coltman, Dixon, Treeby
Loads of experience: Woodcock, Thorn, Ellison, Hore, Tuiali'l, Nonu
Pretty good flyhalf in Slade.
Season started off with a bang with that cracker of a game against the Chiefs where even though they were on the losing side they showed great promise but deteriorated all season to probably the low point where they gave up 34 points to the Kings - a team with a far inferior pedigree. Todays dramatic loss after a 24 point half-time is a fitting end.
Normally this kind of scenario would lead to a coach's instant firing - many have lost their job for far less (take a bow Plumtree) - but not with Jamie Joseph whose contract has a clause that prevents him from being fired for on-the-field performance. What ?!
If ever there was a recipe for complacency, surely that is the first ingredient - Highlanders management have no one to blame but themselves.
