Ex supersport
The Wellington Hurricanes' Super Rugby title aspirations all but ended with their 18-16 loss to the Otago Highlanders on Friday though the damage was undoubtedly done in their first five games of the season.
The Hurricanes are seventh on 31 points after the loss and one place out of the top-six playoffs positions but are fourth in their conference and have played more games than the three New Zealand sides ahead of them.
Australia's sixth-placed Western Force (31) and eighth-ranked New South Wales Waratahs (29) should also be able to put space between themselves and Mark Hammett's side this weekend with victories against the lowly Stormers and Lions.(Hey kiwis I trust you will be shouting for the MIGHTY Stormers!!)
The Hurricanes must win their remaining four games - most with bonus points - and rely on other results going their way to try to sneak in to the postseason.
The problem is that all of their remaining games are against New Zealand sides, starting with the conference-leading Waikato Chiefs next week.
"Yep. It's going to be tough for us from here," a dejected Hurricanes captain Conrad Smith told reporters.
"The team is gutted but ... come Wednesday when we get back together we'll get excited about the Chiefs ... and we will be pretty determined against a really good New Zealand side."
With a squad blessed with attacking backline talent, the Hurricanes forwards were more than matching bigger teams this season to give the backs a platform to launch.(Actually they were not maching bigger teams in the forwards and the forwards were simply not up to it)
Although leading the competition in all of the attacking statistics measured by the competition's governing body Sanzar, they were unable to break down a resolute defensive effort by the Highlanders.
Struggles against organised defences were also evident in the Hurricanes' opening three losses to the Sharks, Stormers and Brumbies.
A mid-season revival, winning four successive games to sit atop the tightly packed New Zealand conference, had fans hopeful they were back in contention.
However, seeking their fifth win on the trot two weeks ago, they relinquished a 17-point lead to lose to the Waratahs and unleashed the demons of past implosions.
A 25-15 win over the Melbourne Rebels kept them hanging on but an injury to flyhalf Beauden Barrett, their attacking fulcrum over the last month, took a toll on Friday.
Barrett's hip injury stymied his tactical kicking game, leaving the Highlanders defence safe in the knowledge they would not need to turn to chase a midfield bomb or a chip into space behind the line.
Having dominated the game, the Hurricanes could have won it had fullback Andre Taylor been successful with one of his two missed penalty attempts.
A try awarded in the 76th minute that gave the Hurricanes a 21-18 lead was also over-ruled after a video review.
"To be honest, technically it was the right call but you could look at every ruck in the game and that would happen," Smith said of TJ Perenara's second try which was disallowed due to obstruction.
Smith and Hammett felt there were still positives to take from the loss but, more than likely, face another mid-table finish or worse.
Eleventh last year, the Hurricanes' last play-offs were in 2009, and Hammett has failed to lift a talent-laden team above eighth position since launching a big clean-out upon taking the reins in 2011.
"You're annoyed you lose a game. It's just tough to take that it all comes down to a little thing like that," Smith said.
"But to be fair that's what seasons come down to - little things like that."
Hard luck to the wee hurricanes and side that never recovered from their visit to Newlands.
