Inga Tuigamala: Can we justify the Highlanders?

The Highlanders have won just two games so far this season. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

I'm as baffled as the next person about the shaky state of our Super 14 teams.

But the situation is starting to look so deep-seated that one potential solution is as drastic as the problem.

I never thought this day would arrive but, in all honesty, we have reached a point where New Zealand doesn't actually have sufficient talent to warrant five truly competitive Super 14 teams.

Just as the Super competition is supposed to be on the rise with a new team in Australia, New Zealand's form has plummeted in the other direction.

In other words, do we still need the Highlanders?

I doubt that the New Zealand Rugby Union would ever contemplate reducing the number of our Super teams - it's just not the done thing of course.

And we will all hope that a brilliant turnaround can be engineered, and quickly.

But I make this point to illustrate how bad things have got.

There is a very real chance that the semfinals will not include any New Zealand teams this season, and not one of our teams is playing close to the standards we expect. I'm actually shocked at how bad the situation is.

In days of old, I would have been confident the Crusaders - our leading hope as per usual - could score at least one win from their mammoth upcoming battles against the impressive Stormers and Bulls. Nowadays though, I'm not too sure.

There will be many opinions out there on both the problems and the solutions.

I'll throw two observations into the mix. Against South African teams in particular, we are getting physically monstered. There is also a lack of cohesion between our forward units and backlines.

As for Graham Henry and his fellow All Black coaches and selectors, I would be extremely worried if I was in their shoes.

A bookmaker may have listed New Zealand as the World Cup favourites next year, but there are not many others who would. South Africa should be stonking favourites.

As for the Blues, there are players who need to take a long hard look at themselves.

I'll leave it at that for now, and hope against hope that something magical happens for our rugby teams over the weekend.