KEY POINTS:
If ever a rugby team needed the benefit of a home town decision, it is the Highlanders as they play on Carisbrook for the first time in their Super 14 campaign tomorrow night.
Rocked by narrow losses to the Reds and the Brumbies - where they were on the wrong end of dubious calls by the referee and television match officials - the Highlanders are hoping for a change of fortune against the Waratahs.
The Highlanders were under no illusions pre-season how challenging this season would prove after mass defections, including their All Blacks front row and pivot Nick Evans.
What they had not factored in was wretched luck in Brisbane and Canberra, where two doubtful tries were awarded against them, and two players sinbinned.
One of them, lock Hayden Triggs, was yellow carded for a marginal high tackle and the Brumbies were awarded a penalty try last weekend, despite replays suggesting Huia Edmonds had already scored wide out.
The conversion gave the home side a 22-20 advantage after James Wilson was astray with a late penalty that would have won it for the Highlanders.
Prop Jamie Mackintosh would not lay the blame for the Highlanders' losses entirely at the feet of the officials.
"We can't really complain about the referees too much. As much as the calls didn't go our way we're still putting it down to our own performance - handling errors and not being able to finish off opportunities."
Maintaining their spirit was a theme of this week's build-up, the Southlander said.
"As we said at the start of the year, if things don't go well and we lose a couple, the worst thing we can do is turn up to training and not enjoy it.
"We don't want the environment to become negative although it has been a testing couple of weeks."
Predictably the drawing board at headquarters has been revisited after lineout malfunctions and physical presence at the breakdown also contributed to their demise.
"We've talked about it long and hard, particularly our set piece," Mackintosh said.
"We haven't been happy with our lineout, traditionally it's one of our strengths and we're also working hard in the contact area - we're turning over too much ball and giving penalties away.
"Once we sort that our we're 10 per cent off having a couple of good wins."
The Highlanders have made two changes to their pack, partnering Canterbury draft player Issac Ross in the second row with Tom Donnelly and moving Triggs to the blindside flank for the benched Adam Thompson.
Out wide the key change is enforced after Daniel Bowden incurred a one-week suspension for a dangerous tackle against the Brumbies, leaving Bay of Plenty's Mike Delany to combine with Jimmy Cowan.
Predictably the front row is unchanged with Mackintosh and Clint Newland bookending captain Jason Macdonald.
Mackintosh, who packs down on the loosehead against Wallaby Matt Dunning, was diplomatic when asked if the scrum was an area the Highlanders could expect to dominate given Australian international Al Baxter has been replaced by Waratahs debutant Sekope Kepu, a former New Zealand Colt and Counties-Manukau prop.
"It's maybe not a front row to intimidate teams but we're not taking them lightly, they're probably the best scrummaging unit in Australia."
- NZPA
