KEY POINTS:
North Harbour are going back to basics as they look to turn over a new leaf in their Air NZ Cup rugby campaign.
A disappointing first-half to the season reached its nadir last Saturday night with the concession of the Ranfurly Shield to Waikato by the numbing scoreline of 52-7.
Coach Wayne Pivac admits it has been a "tough week for everyone" with the Log o' Wood heading south.
"I know our public is hurting, our supporters are hurting," he said.
"I see that on a daily basis when I clear my emails."
He had been contacted by plenty of fans prepared to give him advice.
He had no complaints about that, instead answering every message.
"They let me know what they're thinking," he said.
"I applaud that. If you're that passionate that you're going to hunt down the coach and let him know how you're feeling..."
With the cup's round-robin phase at its mid-point, Harbour have managed just one win, a record that has left them back in ninth place.
Next up is Manawatu at Albany on Sunday, and Pivac said it was time to re-focus.
"We've said good-bye to the first half of the season now," he said.
"We're looking at it as a fresh start and the Air NZ Cup is what it's all about - getting into the top eight and staying there."
To do that, Harbour would have to pick up on their fundamentals, Pivac said.
The execution of simple things like passing and catching needed to improve, as did the speed of the clean-out.
"It has cost us dearly because teams are being able to re-group in numbers," he said.
"So we've gone back to some simple drills looking at our body position into the contact, the presentation of the ball on the ground and the speed of the support players."
Harbour will be under a new skipper against Manawatu, with lock Greg Rawlinson replacing No 8 Nick Williams, who suffered a possible season-ending knee injury in the Shield loss.
Williams' unavailability is a key setback for Harbour, whose loose forward stocks are being ravaged.
His replacement at No 8 against Waikato, Viliame Ma'afu, is also out after undergoing surgery on Monday for an eye injury he got during the match.
Another player, Chris Smith, who has been used off the bench as cover in all three loose forward positions, was sidelined with a leg problem picked up in training before the Shield match.
While Manawatu might be one of the minnows in the competition, have also managed just one win and are coming off a 64-10 defeat to Canterbury, Pivac said he had been impressed by how the Turbos had gone this year, especially in attack.
"They certainly move the ball a lot," he said.
"It can be very close to their own goal-line and they're still prepared to move the ball, which is a positive sign. They had a good win against Bay of Plenty, so that will have given them confidence."
- NZPA
