Now the real work starts for new Highlanders coach Clarke Dermody.
He and his staff have two major jobs before they return to the field in February 2023 for the second season of Super Rugby Pacific.
They need to work with some existing contracted players to get them back into form or to help them take the leap from adequate to excellent, and they need to strike gold in the recruitment market.
Firstly, it needs to be determined who is even on that staff.
Dermody now has the head coaching role on a three-year deal, and will still have skills coach Riki Flutey beside him.
Outgoing head coach Tony Brown has returned to Japan, and defence coach Shane Christie is coming off contract.
That leaves at least two spots open — unless Dermody is keen to have Christie stay on staff.
One obviously needs to be a backs coach.
Local contenders could include Highlanders under-20 coach Ryan Bambry, Highlanders talent development manager Kane Jury and North Otago coach Jason Forrest.
Perhaps a wildcard is former Otago assistant Ryan Martin, who made his Super Rugby debut as part of the Melbourne Rebels coaching team this season.
As Dermody will have to relinquish some forwards coaching duties, the other coach will need to be in that area with a particular focus on the lineouts.
That would seem to be a role made for Tom Donnelly, the former All Blacks and Highlanders lock who will complete his third (and possibly final) season coaching Otago in the NPC this year, and who is the New Zealand under-20 coach on the upward path.
All would be revealed soon, Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark said this week.
"We’ll appoint a group of coaches in the next few weeks that will ensure we’ve got the right capacity and capability to take this club forward," Clark said.
"We’re still to confirm the coaching structure but we think we’ve got a pretty good plan in place."
Asked if Dermody’s assistants would be external or local appointments, Clark replied: "A bit of both."
The Highlanders will also be looking for some sort of mentor for Dermody.
Former coach Tony Gilbert held that role for three different coaches — Brown, Aaron Mauger and Jamie Joseph — over nearly a decade.
"Over my time here, we’ve always had that sort of coaching kaumatua, if you like," Clark said.
"That’s been Tony Gilbert, who’s done an outstanding job with Jamie, Aaron and Tony.
"It’s a very important role, especially for a new head coach. Tony will always be around but we need somebody to be hands on in that sort of role."
Meanwhile, it will be intriguing to see if the Highlanders can make any sort of splash in the market as they seek to fill half a dozen holes in the 2023 roster.
They have not traditionally gone after big-name signings — they had a terrible season in 2013 when they tried that — so the likelihood is they will promote some of the exciting talent from their under-20 team or wait for the NPC to find some new stars.
The Otago Daily Times understands Highlanders under-20 captain Noah Hotham is set to join the Crusaders to replace Bryn Hall.
That makes reasonable sense, as Hotham is a Tasman player and the Highlanders have the two best halfbacks in New Zealand.
More concerning is talk the Crusaders are chasing Otago loose forward Christian Lio-Willie, who made his Highlanders debut as a replacement this year but has not yet signed for 2023.
Confirmed or likely departures from the Highlanders are Liam Coltman, Sio Tomkinson, Kayne Hammington, Bryn Evans, Josh Hohneck, Ngani Punivai, Solomon Alaimalo, Denny Solomona and Vereniki Tikoisolomone.
