Now the Highlanders just need to add some ball-handling, accuracy and try-scoring.
Loose forward Gareth Evans said the Highlanders were staying calm and focused despite starting the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific competition with three straight losses, the latest a 21-14 setback to the Hurricanes with a performance littered with mistakes and turnovers.
‘‘I’ve been in teams where I’ve been 0-8 before," Evans said yesterday.
‘‘You’ve just got to look at the positives and keep working on things that are going well, and improve things that aren’t going so well.
‘‘We’re trying hard. We know the areas we need to improve in. We’re there, and we’re not far away."
It does not get any easier for the Highlanders, who head to Whangarei on Friday to play the talented Blues.
Evans is relaxed about the challenge and thinks his side, especially in the past two weeks, has shown enough to suggest it can get on the board sooner rather than later.
‘‘I think we were there or thereabouts for 70 minutes against the Crusaders.
‘‘And it was just about ball retention at the weekend. Trying to build pressure ... and we gave the Hurricanes easy outs by not holding the ball.
‘‘If we can stick to our structures and hold on to the ball, I’m sure we will be more of a threat."
Evans, at 30, is now a senior hand with 47 caps for the Highlanders and 34 for the Hurricanes.
He has started all three games this season at No8, confirming he made a good decision to return south at this stage of this career.
‘‘It’s an awesome mix of blokes and a great team environment."
Highlanders assistant coach Clarke Dermody reported no fresh injuries to emerge from the Hurricanes game.
The review of the game tape was not as pleasing, but at least there was no great mystery about the loss in Wellington.
‘‘It was pretty clear straight away why we lost," Dermody said.
‘‘We turned over the ball 48% of the time. That’s a stat we track through the game.
‘‘So its about learning from that, and if we are heading that way again, how we change it during the game.
‘‘It was a game where we felt like if we executed, we win."
Dermody said there was a belief in the squad that results would come if the turnover plague could be sorted.
‘‘To me, the boys are trying really hard. The effort in our team is outstanding.
‘‘Now it’s about being accurate with it, so you’re not over-running balls or balls aren’t hitting you on the chest.
‘‘There’s no question about effort. Now it’s just about dialling in the accuracy."
There has been plenty of buzz about the Blues this season.
It is too early to tell if that hype will translate into genuine success, but Dermody said the Highlanders were well aware of the threat the Blues posed, especially with the ball.
‘‘They’re using the ball a lot more, they like to play on top of you with a little momentum, and they’ve got big ball carriers.
‘‘They’re a team you don’t want inside your 22m. They’re pretty clinical when they get opportunities in that last zone of the field.
‘‘It’s going to be a real challenge for us. But I’m pretty confident if we get our game right, we can go up there and get a win."
