Cantabs optimistic despite poor start

Canterbury coach Mark Brown refuses to believe the red and blacks were outpassioned or lacked hunger in defeats to Taranaki and Hawke’s Bay.

The first-year co-coach with Reuben Thorne promptly rebuffed any such suggestion when dissecting the pair of one-point defeats which have rocked their Mitre 10 Cup campaign early doors.

‘‘No. I dispute that, I don’t like that word at all, outpassioned,’’ Brown said yesterday.

‘‘But I think we, as Canterbury players and a Canterbury team, have to realise that we are in everybody’s sights. So, moments of indecision, or times when we make mistakes and don’t rectify them . . . other teams are turning up to bring us down.’’

Regardless, there was ample passion on show from Hawke’s Bay last weekend, when Ash Dixon rumbled over for the match-winner well after the final hooter to end a 38-year drought against Canterbury.

Dixon, born and bred in Christchurch, arguably never looked happier after condemning the red and blacks to a 1-2 start, which leaves them fifth in the premiership standings with seven points.

Rather than just address their latest defeat, Brown said Canterbury started this week by taking a closer look at both it and the 23-22 Ranfurly Shield loss to Taranaki the previous week.

In both matches Canterbury fell behind early, before fighting their way back in front, only to fail to put the game to bed.

‘‘That’s what we’ve addressed. Everyone is hurting with the results, but the big thing is knowing what’s happening and why. We’ve addressed the why,’’ Brown said.

The fact Canterbury had All Blacks Joe Moody, Codie Taylor, Sam Whitelock, Richie Mo’unga, George Bridge and Cullen Grace come and go the first fortnight hadn’t been disruptive, Brown added.

Their shaky start to the campaign isn’t foreign.

Winners of nine titles in 10 years between 2008-17, and a runners-up finish in 2018, Canterbury dropped their first three games last year, before rebounding to make the semifinals.

Brown, an assistant coach under Joe Maddock last year, doesn’t see a link between the flaky starts.

‘‘The way we’re losing and the reasons why we’re losing are completely different. It’s a new year. That made us stronger last year, and I expect it to do the same again.’’

Flanker Tom Sanders missed last year’s 1-3 start due to injury, but said the team, so accustomed to winning, had done some ‘‘soul searching’’ ahead of Saturday night’s home game against second-placed Wellington.

That included leaders making their voices heard in a bid to shake off another rusty start and fall further behind pace-setting Tasman.

‘‘What’s been particularly pleasing this week is some of the younger guys, and guys in the medium stages of their Mitre 10 careers, have expressed a real desire to turn this around. That’s a good sign for this group,’’ Brown said.