Otago Spirit coach Duncan McEwan knows how Wales coach Warren Gatland feels.
Like Wales at the Rugby World Cup, the Spirit has been decimated by injuries and needs to call in reinforcements for its final match of the women's NPC against Auckland in Dunedin on Saturday.
Winger Hollie Fraser joined four other players already in the casualty ward at the weekend, when she picked up a serious knee injury in the loss to Counties Manukau in Pukekohe.
Fraser is yet to have a scan but it is thought she has a combination of a ligament and cartilage injury, McEwan said.
She joins flanker Georgia Mason, midfielder Georgina McCullough, prop Nicola Crawford and winger Rian Sanerive on the injured list.
Sanerive broke her arm in three places against Bay of Plenty last weekend, Mason suffered a grade two MCL tear in the club final last month, and McCullough and Crawford took knocks to the head and are battling concussion symptoms.
The Spirit cannot qualify for the semifinals and all five are unavailable for the team's final game of the season.
''We've been ravaged, mate,'' McEwan said.
''It's been a difficult one. Our depth is being sorely tested. I'm struggling to put a team together for the final match of the season.''
McEwan is not helped by the unavailability of prop Gemma Tuhega and halfback Deirde Roberts to family commitments, and halfback Sam Wong is in Europe on holiday.
Tuhega copped a nasty head knock against Counties and probably would not have been available to play anyway, McEwan said.
He is bringing prop Gabby Gilli and utility back Summer van Loenhout into the squad. Both were in the wider training squad.
''With those two, that will give me 22 available players, but only one back reserve,'' McEwan said.
He said the run of injuries, which was down to bad luck and his team being the smallest in the competition, showed it was important to build a larger playing pool.