The Highlanders may have won on Friday night but they are still in a bad place on and off the field, writes Gregor Paul.
Massive changes are in the offing at the Highlanders as the franchise has been rocked by a record financial loss - and a stream of players eager to leave.
It's been a miserable season for the Highlanders, who have won just three games. Without victories, the crowds have stayed away, plunging the franchise deeper into financial strife with losses of about $400,000 expected to be posted.
In 2008 the Highlanders had to be bailed out by the New Zealand Rugby Union, with the national body effectively pumping in $250,000 to re-finance the Dunedin-based team to prevent them from going under.
In a year when the NZRU posted a record loss, the news out of Dunedin is alarming, especially as the continued lack of success is believed to be deterring a number of current Highlanders from staying there in 2011.
Adam Thomson has hinted he will be shifting to the Crusaders next year and Alando Soakai is weighing up an offer from a Japanese club.
Jamie Mackintosh, who was close to leaving for the Hurricanes last year, is believed to be disgruntled with the lack of progress made on and off the field and may well look to move but remain loyal to Southland.
Other fringe All Blacks such as Tom Donnelly and Ben Smith will have to weigh up whether staying at the Highlanders is the right call to help them fulfil their dream of playing at next year's World Cup.
The Chiefs are desperate for quality tight forwards and would love to take Donnelly next year while the Hurricanes will be looking for a versatile footballer to replace Tamati Ellison.
"We are working with all the franchises right now through the issues of player retention and the transition to direct contracting," says NZRU chief executive Steve Tew.
"It's not a simple process but in the medium to long-term we believe this will benefit the Highlanders as there are some players who are going to be able to be better paid.
"But in the short-term, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that when you are not a winning team that will have an effect on your ability to retain players. It is a concern but not everybody can play for the Crusaders."
Tew confirmed he was also aware of an incident involving assistant coach Peter Russell following the Highlanders game against the Force in Queenstown that required team management to investigate.
It's understood some players raised the point that, as Thomson and Michael Hobbs were stood down in South Africa for breaking a team curfew, similar sanctions should apply to management.
Russell's behaviour is believed to have embarrassed some players at the after-match function. He had been drinking.
Highlanders chairman Ross Laidlaw believes the franchise will only be able to turn itself around if it undergoes an extensive review at the end of the season when the performance of players, coaches, management and the board will be scrutinised.
While neither Laidlaw nor Tew want to make any predictions about the outcomes of that review, both concede the franchise can't carry on with such chronic underperformance.
"We want to have a team in that part of the world," says Tew, "but we need to have a very serious discussion with the Highlanders about the future."
The expectation is that the review will lead to a change in coaching personnel, possibly changes in the administrative team including chief executive Richard Reid and even the arrival of new board members.
On-field results have been poor under the current coaching regime of Glenn Moore and Russell and it is understood some players are eager to see change. It is even thought that without new blood in the coaching set-up, some key players will definitely leave.
Tew says the business is set up in such a way that no more costs can be taken out. The only route to a better financial future is to create more revenue.
And the only avenues open are local sponsors, gate money and merchandise.
All three mechanisms would be helped by better performances, but Laidlaw says that won't stop the review asking whether everything that could be done to boost crowds was in fact done this year.
Southerners face fight to retain best players
* Adam Thomson
Easily the best player in the Highlanders. Under the old law interpretations he gave them turnover ball and under the new a ball-carrying presence and he also breaks the line.
Thomson is a critical part of the Highlanders' lineout and gives the side an athletic edge and sense of confidence. He has hinted strongly he will move on after this year by signing a provincial contract with Canterbury that will also take him to the Crusaders.
* Alando Soakai
Had a huge game against the Hurricanes when he showed up strongly in the loose, making some significant runs. He's a consistent performer, the kind of rugged, dynamic No 7 that can be relied upon to front in tough venues.
The Highlanders have Tim Boys as back-up but Soakai is bigger, faster and more experienced. He also works well with Thomson.
But he has a big offer to move to Japan and, having been around for a while with little chance of national honours, it will be tempting to move on.
* Jamie Mackintosh
Signed a contract last year to stay with Southland - the province he loves and wants to play for. He was tempted, though, to play Super Rugby for the Hurricanes and felt he needed to get out of his comfort zone. The move was discouraged by the NZRU, who didn't want such an important player to leave.
But Mackintosh is clearly not sold on the Highlanders set-up and wants to push for a World Cup place. He could stay with the Stags but play for the Hurricanes next year.
* Matt Berquist
Probably not one of the lynchpins, but a decent squad member whose value can't be discounted. He is looking to head offshore but so far hasn't found an offer. Hawke's Bay will sign him for this campaign if he's still here and the Highlanders might be able to pick him up in the draft. But he's keen to move on.
* Michael Hobbs
Contracted to Wellington, Hobbs has had a good campaign and was on fire in the early rounds. Has won game time he might not have had at another franchise so has to balance that against any desire to be based in one city all year round.
* Ben Smith
Managed to make the All Blacks out of Otago but that was for the end-of-season tour. It's tougher, even with Sitiveni Sivivatu injured, to make Tri Nations and World Cup squads.
Smith has had precious few opportunities to shine and it will be a surprise if he's named in the first All Black squad. That will leave him with ground to make up and he must ask whether he feels the Highlanders is the right place. A shift to the Hurricanes or Blues would likely see him receive more ball and show what he can do as part of a better-balanced, higher-performing backline.
* Tom Donnelly
Has missed most of this campaign through injury but the Highlanders have served him well in the past. Being part of a pack under pressure has allowed his old-fashioned blood-and-guts game to shine. He's competitive and shows that each week. He might worry, though, that if there is an exodus, there won't be enough talent around him.
* Israel Dagg
Good decision to turn down the Crusaders last year for the Highlanders. He has played regularly and come of age in a backline short of personalities.
Now he's shown how good he could be, his chances of holding down a first-team place at the Crusaders are greatly improved.
The Blues were keen on him last year, too. Because he is only drafted to the Highlanders, he could shift easily.
