Highlanders in no Mauger rush

even as the losses have piled up this year.

Mauger also remains involved in planning for next year, with Clark revealing that in the past few weeks he was part of player recruitment conversations with Brown and Dermody for 2021.

But rugby is increasingly a bottom-line business in New Zealand and the Highlanders need to see some wins to keep the fans coming to Forsyth Barr Stadium, where the Highlanders have already lost twice this year.

Those two defeats had contributed to what Clark called ‘‘a tough season’’ so far as some players had failed to step up as expected.

‘‘But that’s not all about coaching,’’ Clark said. ‘‘With the good group of players we’ve lost we haven’t been able to replace them as quickly as we would have liked to.

‘‘When you select your team at the start of the season you’d like to think a nucleus of the guys who you’ve had in there are going to be able to step up to that level.

‘‘Some of them are finding it harder than others to do that as quickly as you would have liked, or need.’’

The Highlanders have Brown and Dermody locked in beyond 2020, with Mauger and Mark Hammett coming off contract this year.

Brown and Dermody’s contract status has given the Highlanders some breathing room with regards to the head coaching position and Clark said the franchise was frequently assessing what it can do better.

‘‘At this stage I don’t envisage us finalising our coaching team until June for next year.’’

The Highlanders have had poor seasons before. In 2013, Jamie Joseph won just three games but kept his job and then developed into a world-class coach.

However, Clark was wary of drawing too many parallels between that season and 2020.

‘‘2013 was earlier, it was only our third year together and we made some mistakes, strategic and selection mistakes.

‘‘This year it’s quite different. We’ve got quite a young team. We haven’t got the same challenges we had in 2013 except the results.’’