Rugby: Balancing a seesaw season

Jamie Joseph.
Jamie Joseph.
Coaches talk about it. Players strive for it. In fact, we all look for it in life and sport.

Consistency.

If ever two sides needed it in this competition, it would be the Rebels and Highlanders, about now.

The Rebels started their season with an impressive win over the Cheetahs but then slumped to a horrible loss to the Force.

Then followed two losses, before some good form returned last week when they scored an upset win over the Brumbies.

The Highlanders have also been far from a steady ship.

Two wins and three losses - the same record as the Rebels - have the southern franchise mixing the good with the bad.

With the next two games at home, the Highlanders need to get back into the positive ledger.

Lose one or both of these games and the promise of the season will be all but gone.

Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph said the side was beat-up after the loss to the Blues last week but faced up to what had gone wrong.

''Some guys performed, some guys didn't get up to the levels of expectations. It is a short turnaround and it was the toughest game we have played all season based on the number of collisions we had in the game,'' Joseph said.

''I feel we are going OK. That Force game still really hurts. The Blues game was hard. They played really well, with all their guns back.''

Joseph said this year was the toughest he had coached in terms of closeness in the competition, and it was only going to get harder.

Though it was a cliche, every game was tough, Joseph said.

''This year has probably been the toughest so far. Everyone knows a whole lot more. There is more intelligence around, more rugby being played. We can monitor each other.

"Players are getting bigger and stronger, and coaching teams are getting bigger. So I can only see it getting tougher and tougher.''

He said teams with greater resources had advantages over smaller teams.

''You look at our team. We have one physio, while other teams I know have three or four physios. That helps getting players in recovery and getting them back on the field.''

The Highlanders have made some changes to their pack and Ma'afu Fia, after a difficult start to the season with weight issues, gets another chance with regular prop Kane Hames out for a week because of a suspension.

Gareth Evans gets a deserved recall to start and he needs to be busy throughout the game.

Out the back, Kurt Baker - who has never quite convinced at this level - will want to put his hand up, and Shaun Treeby will be looking to cement a starting berth.

Much will again depend on the two Smiths in the backline and the Highlanders' ability to dominate the breakdown.

The Rebels scrum is not a monster and set-phase power is not a deal-breaker at the covered stadium.

With both teams looking skittery, the side which does the basics well and takes chances will come out on top.

The teams fought out a ding-dong battle last year, with the Rebels coming home strongly and scoring in the final play of the match to win 38-37.

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