Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark enjoys losing about as much as any diehard fan.
In fact, he is trying not to look at a Super Rugby Pacific table that shows his team in last position, on three competition points and with a record of zero wins and six losses.
The Highlanders have had a horrid draw — six games against New Zealand opposition, and just two games at home — meaning this Friday’s game against Moana Pasifika at Forsyth Barr Stadium has assumed even greater importance.
"It’s not ideal, and we are disappointed with a couple of the games along the way," Clark said yesterday.
"But this is a tough competition to be in when you’re a team like the Highlanders with only a couple of All Blacks.
"Unless you’re at your very best for 80 minutes of every game, you’re not going to beat the Crusaders or the Blues or the Chiefs or the Hurricanes."
In the old Super 12, when only four teams made the semifinals, the Highlanders’ playoff ambitions would have been toast.
But they need only to make the top eight to have an equal chance of winning the inaugural revamped competition, and Clark has been buoyed by the team’s efforts in recent weeks, particularly last Friday, when the Highlanders nearly grabbed another upset in Christchurch.
"Hopefully, the fans have been proud of some of the performances, and that’s what we will always strive to do.
"I think the last 40 minutes against the Blues, and the 80 minutes against the Crusaders, showed the coaches have got these boys on a bit of an upwards trajectory.
"We are where we’re are. But we just need to make sure we do a bloody good job this weekend and in the games ahead.
"We’re here to win, not to come second. When you come off the field and you’ve given it everything you’ve got and you lose 17-14 to the Crusaders, you just have to pick yourself up and do it again next week.
"What I’m seeing around the team is a bunch of guys determined to put a ‘W’ on the scoresheet. The proof will be in the pudding on Friday night."
Clark said Tony Brown and the coaching team remained focused on getting as many wins as possible in the nine remaining rounds of the competition.
"They’re doing what they always do — they coach a team to win every week, and they’re disappointed with the results.
"We just want to get our season back on the right note. You’ve got to finish in the top eight to get on the dance floor and give yourself a chance of winning the competition, and that’s still the goal."
The Highlanders were excited to host newcomer Moana Pasifika on Friday after their initial clash was postponed due to Covid, Clark said.
Three home games after that would give both the Highlanders and their supporters a chance to get some momentum going.
"We’re all in this together, both the fans and the team. Every time they come along to Forsyth Barr Stadium, it’s worth another 10 points to us. I know people will be there to support us and I hope we can win for them."
Meanwhile, Clark has confirmed new winger Denny Solomona is contracted to the Highlanders until the end of the season and they have not yet looked beyond that.
"At the moment, he just wants to play his footy, and he’s enjoying being in Dunedin at this stage."
