The slow-starting Hurricanes have dropped to 0-3 and the knives are out for head coach Mark Hammett, who is in his fourth year in charge in the capital.
Social media and fan forums indicate people have grown tired of the broken promises about the long-awaited turnaround in the Hurricanes' fortunes.
Former coach Colin Cooper was no miracle worker but at least he took the side to the Super Rugby playoffs, something which Hammett has failed to do.
The former Crusaders assistant infamously cleared the so-called bad apples out of Hurricanes country in 2011 and has stamped his own mark on the side in the past couple of seasons.
The problem is, Hammett has only led the team to mid-table finishes, while some of New Zealand's other franchises have improved and Hurricanes fans have had to watch their homegrown talent achieve noted success in other jerseys.
Last Friday's 29-21 loss to the Brumbies in Wellington was viewed as a disaster and Hurricanes hooker Dane Coles said there was an honest appraisal of the performance on Monday.
"The coaches really put it on the players and a lot of bullets were shot, which was good," Coles said. "The players really needed that so we have taken those learnings on and we've worked hard this week, we've worked hard every week, but we can't train like Tarzan and play like Jane."
It's never fair to put an entire campaign down to one game but it's hard to think of a more important contest during Hammett's tenure than tomorrow's fixture against the Cheetahs at the Cake Tin.
The game has a fan-friendly 4.35pm kick-off, captain Conrad Smith will make his 100th appearance for the franchise and it will be a good indication of whether the public still have any faith in Hammett's ability to turn this side around.
Only 8096 people turned up to watch the Hurricanes last Friday night and considering it was the first home game of the season on a fine evening that crowd figure was a disgrace.
On March 30 last year, the Hurricanes got their best crowd of the season when 15,103 people turned up for a 4.35pm kick-off at Westpac Stadium to watch their side do a number on the woeful Southern Kings.
Hurricanes chief executive James Te Puni said in a radio interview during the week that the franchise had unwavering faith in Hammett and his assistant Alama Ieremia and the pair would see out their contracts to season's end regardless of results.
It was a ringing endorsement from Te Puni and one that Hammett probably needed to hear and while the players have said all the right things about being behind their coaching staff, you have to wonder how much longer they can handle losing before something gives.
"It is desperate times and we know this game has its pressures," Hammett said. "All of life has pressures, whether it's your relationship, job; for us it's this game.
"I'm confident in what we are doing and I'm confident in the guys we've got out there playing. But of course there's pressure, we definitely want to win."
There has been an improved marketing effort this week from the franchise and there's ticket specials on to entice the punters but fans will show their support based on whether they turn up tomorrow.
If the Hurricanes go down again the sound of their knives being sharpened will grow louder.
- By Daniel Richardson of APNZ
