There is no point going back to the drawing board when you are fresh out of chalk.
For Jamie Joseph's Highlanders, slumping to their eighth straight loss - 24-8 - at the hands of an angry Crusaders side surely spells the end to any hopes of redeeming their 2013 season.
A multitude of injuries, under-performing ‘superstars' and a woeful set-piece have left a changing room packed with experience only one question to ask: "What else could we possibly try?"
In 2011 and 2012, Joseph was hailed as the saviour of rugby in the deep South, bringing back some pride to a franchise which had fallen flat for almost a decade.
One thing he brought was a healthy dose of mana, something we have seen glimpses of in the past couple of weeks with the addition of some young Otago talent.
It is no secret Super Rugby is a considerable step up from ITM Cup rugby.
TJ Ioane's performance in Christchurch was nothing short of outstanding. The young Otago loose forward was at his menacing best against the Crusaders, and his work rate at the breakdown is something the Highlanders have missed with the departure of Adam Thomson and the season-ending injury to Nasi Manu.
Hayden Parker was equally impressive in his second start for the Highlanders, and the 22-year-old's kicking game brought another element to the team's game plan.
Colin Slade may find himself the second All Black in as many years to be forced to find a comfortable seat on the bench due to the undeniable talents of a youngster.
Anchored at the bottom of the competition ladder, and with crowd numbers slowly dwindling, going back to the same routine week after week seems a pointless exercise for the Highlanders.
But if Joseph continues to borrow some chalk from Otago coach Tony Brown through the young locals in his ranks, he may continue to sketch up a plan to reclaim the mana which has driven the the blue-and-gold changing shed under his leadership.
It has been a while since my last edition, but I will end with my take on what was hot, and what was not for the Highlanders against the Crusaders.
Hot: Young local talent - Ioane, Parker, Fumiaka Tanaka, Liam Coltman and now Tony Ensor are all young Otago players whom Joseph has used for the first time this season, and all have shown their ability to step up to franchise level rugby - long may it continue!
Not: The lineout - a proven combination of Andrew Hore and Brad Thorn should give the Highlanders dominance in this area; the fact that it hasn't will continue to astound astute rugby brains around the country.