Last year was annus horribilis for the Highlanders. But things have improved markedly this season. Rugby writer Steve Hepburn looks at the two years and wonders what has changed.
Attack
2013 The Highlanders ran around a lot but never really went anywhere. They made the most metres of any side, but the problem was the attacks usually ended with an error or a dumb option. The attack was all purpose, but with few results.
2014 Things have become more precise. The Highlanders still look to move the ball around but are not adverse to kicking for territory. There is more route one play, some nice tries through individual and team skill, and not as many miracle balls attempted. Players are not spilling the ball as often.
Defence
'13 The side had occasions when it just went to sleep on defence. Players were not quick enough to get back into position and could not stop opposing teams getting on a roll. In nine games - more than half - the team conceded 30 points or more.
'14 You only have to go back to last Friday night to see how well this defence has performed. A more heroic display of tackling would be hard to find. Tackling comes down to desire, and the Highlanders have possessed it for many of their victories.
Set piece
'13 Statistics said the Highlanders had the best scrum in the competition, but like many statistics, it was a mirage. In some of the games played, the side only fed a handful of scrums. And opponents did not target their scrum as they concentrated on winning the breakdown battle. The lineout was average, and tended to have one or two meltdowns.
'14 The scrum is performing well and a penalty won at scrum time on Friday night was key to the victory. The lineout is going all right - there is still the odd muck-up - but lineouts on attack tend to go all right.
Goal kicking
'13 Just not quite good enough. And when you start losing, kicks that are meant to go over don't. If Colin Slade had a dollar for every time he hit the post last year with a kick, he could have cleared the stadium's debt.
'14 Lima Sopoaga is kicking at nearly 90%. Then his back-up, Hayden Parker, comes in and slots every goal in the crucial win over the Hurricanes. The importance of kicking goals can not be overplayed.
Loose forwards
'13 Banked on Adam Thomson coming back. He didn't. Then Nasi Manu fell over in the first game. The rest were too slow, error-prone and outplayed.
'14 Manu back and is playing out of his skin. Improved and impressive efforts from the likes of Elliot Dixon and Gareth Evans, while Shane Christie has been particularly useful.
Coaching
'13 Hard work never hurt anyone. But training from 6am to dusk sure made players tired. At times, there was not much left in the engine after training to play the game. Throw in two rookie coaches at this level and a cluttered coaching structure, and it all got a bit messy.
'14 Tony Brown has come on board and working on the attack has sharpened the focus. The players are not being flogged in training, which is shorter and more intense. The clearer roles for the coaches appear to be working.
Discipline
'13 Last year, the Highlanders had the most yellow cards of any team. That chair players sit in when sin-binned was worn out bythe end of the season. Penalties were given away throughbrain explosions and panicking.
'14 The side has picked up three suspensions, but these days they hand out bans like confetti at a wedding. The Highlanders have been on the wrong end of some referees' decisions of late and have been lucky it has not cost them more.
Star power
'13 The Highlanders were dripping with big names. Up to a dozen internationals. But on senior wages, they played like young apprentices. They were big Hollywood names in the world of rugby but performed like they had bit parts in the sixth Police Academy movie.
'14 Just a few stars, and they have played up to their billing. The two Smiths, Nasi Manu and, um, er, some others have all played at or above their abilities.
Culture
'13 What does it mean? Is it not just about having a happy bunch of players who get on with each other? And how do you get on? By winning. So, last year's culture: not great.
'14 See above. Culture good.
Luck
'13 Through injuries, poor TMO decisions and bounces of the ball, the Highlanders had not one ounce of good fortune.
'14 One just has to look at the past two weeks. A couple of very fortunate decisions against the Lions and then a key TMO call going their way in Wellington showed luck is on the Highlanders' side. They have also been helped by a low number of major injuries.