Mauger embraces Landers culture

There’s a new head coach at the Highlanders this year, but Elliot Dixon says the team won’t turn into the Crusaders 2.0.

Aaron Mauger was associated with the Crusaders throughout his playing career and was an integral part of the franchise that dominated Super Rugby between 1998 and 2008.

Dixon says Mauger has looked to put his own stamp on the team, but hasn’t tried to change the Highlanders’ culture.

‘‘That’s a big one as a coach,’’

Dixon said.

‘‘If you come in and rip up all the carpet and try to start something new, it’s going to take at least a couple of years to get used to it.

‘‘He’s made a few tweaks to our game plan that will be different to last year, but he’s kept the base of it and we’ve retained the same culture in Dunedin, even though we’ve only got two people in the team who were actually born and bred there and the rest of them are imports as you’d say.’’

Changing a team dynamics was a criticism levelled at Mauger’s former Crusaders team-mate, Mark Hammett.

He was appointed Hurricanes coach in 2011 and tried to change how things operated.

He got rid of two of the team’s iconic players, Ma’a Nonu and Andrew Hore, while Piri Weepu decided he didn’t want to be a part of the new regime and joined Nonu at the Blues.

Coincidentally, Hammett is now an assistant coach to Mauger at the Highlanders.

Mauger’s coaching career hasn’t been overly successful so far, he was axed by Leicester last March, with a year left to run on his contract.

As a player he always showed he had the credentials to be a good coach. He was a good communicator and was clearly someone who understood the tactical side of the game.

Dixon says those traits are still there with Mauger.

‘‘I first started chatting with him when I was playing in the Mitre 10 Cup for Southland and that was maybe four months before preseason started,’’ he said.

‘‘He gave me a ring and we chatted about last season, what we wanted to do this season and some changes to make.

‘‘It was cool to hear how passionate he was about coming down and from being a Crusaders man, playing for them and helping out with that stuff, but then changing so quickly to become a southern man and really embrace the culture of the Highlanders. But he’s still brought his own flavour to it.’’