Forget the poor decision-making, the occasionally shabby defence, the wonky goal-kicking and the rather awful record of nine losses from 10 games.
The sourest aspects of the Highlanders' season from hell have been their regular run-ins with the law.
The Highlanders have one of the worst disciplinary records in the Super 14, having lost seven players to the sinbin. That means they have played 70min - nearly the equivalent of a full game - down a man.
Another telling statistic is that the opposition has scored tries five of the seven times the Highlanders have been reduced to 14 men. And on two of those occasions, the Highlanders lost by fewer than seven points.
Only the Bulls, who have lost six men to yellow cards and one to a red, have a worse disciplinary record than the Highlanders.
The three best teams in the Super 14, the Crusaders, the Waratahs and the Sharks, have each had just two players carded.
They say good teams get the rub of the green from referees and bad teams feel the sharp end of their whistles. That applies to the Highlanders, who can probably feel aggrieved at two of the yellow cards dished out to their players.
Lock Hayden Triggs was the most unlucky. He was sinbinned for an innocuous tackle against the Brumbies in the second round, and referee Craig Joubert salted the wound by awarding the Australians a penalty try.
Jamie Mackintosh was similarly hard done by against the Chiefs, when he did not interfere with play but was ruled to have made insufficient effort to get back behind the offside line.
Otherwise, the Highlanders can have no complaints about the on-field punishments meted out to their players. Swinging an arm, lashing out with a boot and tackling people in the air are dumb actions that rightly lead to time on the sideline.
There are just three games left but the Highlanders have two players, Mackintosh and Fetu'u Vainikolo, on ‘‘death row‘‘. Both have been yellow-carded twice and will face the Sanzar judiciary, and almost certain suspension, if they get another.
While they have committed too many one-off offences, the Highlanders are in the middle of the pack in terms of overall infringements.
They have conceded 142 penalties and free kicks in 10 games, ranking them sixth equal in the Super 14 beside the Sharks.
The Bulls (164) provide the most work for a referee, followed by the Stormers (159) and the Hurricanes (150). The cleanest teams are the Chiefs (125), the Reds (126) and the Cheetahs (128).
The Highlanders conceded no fewer than 22 penalties or free kicks against the Stormers on Sunday. Only two teams have conceded more in a game this year.
The Highlanders obviously cannot help the fact they are inexperienced and do not have the star power of other sides. One thing they can control is their discipline.
