A STEP IN THE WRONG DIRECTION

Without saying as much, the new Highlanders coaching panel are starting anew and it has a distinct ‘Cantabrian’ flavour.

New lead man, Mauger is joined by former team-mate Mark Hammett and one-time Mitre 10 Cup-winning Canterbury coach, Glenn Delaney. Mauger’s ascent is the biggest surprise as Hammett was earmarked as the next boss from the armchair when he joined Tony Brown in 2017 and the fact that Mauger was initially signed as an assistant.

However, his coaching CV [although light] already boasts a trophy and taking his former team, the Leicester Tigers to the Anglo-Welsh Cup after only 11 games in charge is an indication of his ability.

Highlanders’ fans’ expectations have been collectively raised since the breakout 2015 season and they are content after so many unfulfilled years. A visible step backward in the possession of so many world class test players would ratchet up the pressure on a coaching panel that are starting from scratch as a collective.

In recent times, the Highlanders have been the match of any Super franchise and a change in status or fortunes would be conspicuous. Signed for two seasons, the coaching trio have at least one year’s leeway.