The pain of letting their standards slip for the first time this season is driving the Highlanders ahead of a daunting Super 14 rugby match against the Stormers in Cape Town tonight.
Southland prop Jamie Mackintosh said he and his largely inexperienced teammates were stung by their 17-47
loss to the Bulls in Pretoria last week, the only time they have been overwhelmed despite losing eight of their nine games.
"To be honest we were embarrassed really," said Mackintosh. "We went out there telling ourselves to make them make the tackles because we were at altitude and we didn't want to waste energy. But we ended up turning over the pill 20 times in the first half, so we set ourselves up for trouble."
A torturous debrief on Monday removed some gloom from the system but Mackintosh said he remained determined to prove the Highlanders are better than their 12th-placed standing in a season dogged by close losses.
Their fourth-placed opponents' fortunes are a contrast, with another sellout crowd expected at Newlands tomorrow morning.
Led by relentless loose forwards Schalk Burger and Luke Watson, they outgunned the Hurricanes at the breakdown last weekend and once again provided an iron wall on defence. Mackintosh said the Stormers' record of five wins from their past six matches served as extra motivation.
Interest will surround the performance of both first five-eighths, who are making their first starts for the season.
Otago and Highlanders supporters will have mixed emotions at the sight of one of their icons, Tony Brown, plotting the downfall of his old province.
Bay of Plenty playmaker Mike Delany will wear No 10 for the southerners in one of three starting changes from the humbling at Pretoria.
- NZPA
