Frustration is part of any job and Glenn Moore has had his full quota this season. In tomorrow morning's final of the Super 14 the Bulls will play the Chiefs. Moore's Highlanders demolished the Bulls and were narrowly beaten by the Chiefs.
But the season is more than two games. It lasts 13 games, and with nine losses, the Highlanders finished 11th on the table, the same as last year, scoring just one more win than in 2008.
Moore said to ponder victories which did not happen was frustrating.
"We just have to be far more consistent," he said.
That meant more work on the training paddock, and players getting more experience.
"As a player you've got to really, really focus for 80 minutes. You can't afford at this level to have one person away for even 30 seconds. You've got to shrug off any little setback and focus on the game and you have to do that sometimes when under a lot of pressure."
He said his side did a lot of game situation training, and he had put more pressure on the players this year.
The next step was being able to convert tight situations into wins, and he admitted two or three of those close losses should have been victories.
"But we are like the Chiefs were three years ago."
He believed his side had the tools to do the job.
"I think we had a seven or an eight [out of 10] for development.
We have exposed a few more talents, particularly in the backs, who will be a hell of a lot better off for the experience," he said.
"In terms of winning I suppose you could only give it a five and we should have won a few more games."
Moore said he could compare the Highlanders with coaching North Otago.
"At North Otago it took three years to dig our way out of a division. There are a lot of parallels between the two. You grow together, learn as a group how to approach things, how you play the game and learn how to close games down.
"But that takes a lot of time and effort to build up."
The side had stated a three-year plan last year with the goal of making the semifinals in the final year.
Moore said that goal was still attainable, and more pressure would go on the players next year.
Moore felt under no pressure himself.
"I can't let the pressure get to me as I've got to concentrate on the team."
He said there was a good group which had come through last year and another core group which had experienced Super 14 rugby this year.
Two or three of these players might leave the franchise but Moore said he was looking at ways to retain key players.
It was important for the Highlanders that both Otago and Southland performed well in the Air New Zealand Cup this year.
"The players need to go back to respective provincial unions, apply a lot of things they have been working on when under a little less pressure and develop their game.
"Otago needs to have a good year and I'm sure Southland will have a good year."
As for players, he had high praise for loose forward Alando Soakai and Adam Thomson.
"I thought Alando had a big year. He was relatively fresh from not playing in the Air New Zealand Cup and set out to do certain things and he achieved those.
"Adam played like an All Black week in, week out. I would be surprised and very disappointed if he does not make the All Blacks. He performed like an international player every week."
Moore had surprised some with his choice of captain in Jimmy Cowan but he said the Southland and All Black halfback had grown in the role and would continue to do so.
"Jimmy is a proud southern man - a guy who is passionate about the Highlanders and playing rugby for Southland. He wears his heart on his sleeve and I wouldn't want to take that away from him."
