Rugby: Highlanders tackle lack of support after bad patch

Highlanders player Adam Thomson leaps for the ball. Photo / Daily Post.

When Jamie Joseph arrived back in Dunedin, he admits it was a welcome - in terms of rugby - he did not expect.

Those halcyon days when he last wore a rugby jersey in the south were long gone. But now it is his job to help restore some of the lost pride.

"I think it is because the results have not been forthcoming in the previous five years, but sadly in many ways a lot of guys do not care any more," he said.

"While there are all those people who are wishing ourselves well, there are a lot of people who I thought would still be rugby followers who aren't, and that is a sad thing."

Still, Joseph feels his team can win support, and while the easiest way would be to win games he is a realist.

"We're coming from a team that last year came 12th, so going out there and saying we are going to win every game of rugby would not be accurate."

The Highlanders won just nine games in the past three seasons, and lost too many games right at the death.

The reasons could be endlessly debated, but Joseph says there are three things he wants to do this season.

"It is about winning, going out there and winning a game of football, gaining a bit of respect as a football team, and improving on last year.

"That is why I am very mindful and careful about saying it is all about winning. We want to get better, get some respect, and we can't just rely on winning a game to get that."

Joseph has had to basically build a side. He has not been able to call on home-grown talent, so he has had to draw players in from all over - 26 of the 32-man squad are not from Dunedin.

He has attempted to bed in a culture of accountability and identity, and feels the players have come together well.

But the Highlanders are not packed with All Black talent. Their task got doubly difficult when their star recruit, Colin Slade, went down with a broken jaw, followed by All Black lock Tom Donnelly injuring his shoulder.

"Injuries are not ideal but every team could use that as an excuse. It is just life."

"My expectations, from since I arrived in Dunedin, is that everyone hopes we go well. And I think it is a different reflection than when I coached in Wellington where we had a star-studded team on paper and were expected to win."