Few were expecting much from the Southland Stags heading into 2018. Anyone who did would have been fuelled by hope rather than any sort of calculated guesswork.
But that aside, it would be sugar-coating it to call 2018 anything but a disappointment for the Southland Stags.
It is now two straight seasons without a Mitre 10 cup victory, and that hurts proud Southlanders.But it’s not just that losing record which makes 2018 fall into that disappointment category.
It is the fact that, barring the 26-22 loss to Bay of Plenty, the Stags were unable to take teams right to the wire.
There was very little edge-of-the-seat type rugby for the Southland faithful to lap up.
Coach Dave Hewett said the goal this year was to return some pride to the Stags jersey. It’s hard to measure that.
People would have differing opinions, but the cold hard facts don’t make for great reading.
The average losing margin through the 10 games this season was 24 points.
The Stags leaked an average of 40.2 points per game and scored an average of 16.8 points each game.
The year before Southland gave up 45.4 points per game and scored an average of 15.4.
For Southland rugby it is now all about what happens next.It is obvious there needs to be some improvement for the side to be competitive at the Mitre 10 Cup level; improvement in both the development of the current players and an improvement in recruitment.
We’ll start with that player development aspect.
Many in the 2018 squad were very green when it came to the world of professional rugby.
During the campaign Hewett indicated fitness and mental toughness within the group needed to be addressed to ensure the Stags do not continue to fade in and out of games as they did this year.
That’s where the off-season needs to be on point, because the reality was the build up to this season probably wasn’t as slick as it needed to be.
Hewett was appointed late in the piece and for various reasons spent little time based in Southland at a time when this group desperately needed coaching and guidance.
That needs to change in the lead up to 2019, a year in which Southland rugby cannot afford yet another bleak season.
Then comes the recruitment aspect.
Southland needs some bolstering in certain areas, but it’s about getting the right players with the resources available to attract them to Southland. That’s easier said than done.
Jackson Ormond had played more than 50 games for Taranaki and was brought in as a marquee-type signing to add some experience to the Stags setup this season. His impact, however, was minimal.
Melbourne Rebels’ Tayler Adams was signed to fill the first five-eighth gap.
His season was hindered by injury, but even in the small sample size of two games, it became obvious he probably was not the person to run this team in the all-important No 10 jersey.
On the flipside Tony Lamborn and James Wilson, who were also brought in to add experience, did tick most of the boxes. There is enough talent in the current group that if they are playing to their potential they should be able to win a game or two at this level.
Chuck in a couple of big bruising forwards and a first five-eighth who can take charge and the Stags could push for a semifinal spot.
But there are few pieces of the jigsaw puzzle which need to be found. Only time will tell if those in charge can get them in place.
- Logan Savory
