Can the Highlanders please give their New Zealand conference pals the Hurricanes some advice on how to beat the Brumbies?
Whatever juju juice Jamie Joseph has given to his team (and especially try-scoring hooker sensation Jason Rutledge), can someone share the recipe with Mark Hammet and the Hurricanes, who are slowly but surely digging themselves to the bottom of the Super 15 pile?
Their performance against the Bulls was a definite improvement, with more commitment and urgency shown on defence and around rucks, but it still wasn't enough.
Winning is contagious and, unfortunately, so is losing. The Highlanders have managed to catch the winning bug and are going from strength to strength with each game, but the wind is slowly being drained out of the Hurricanes.
Despite amazing players such as Ma'a Nonu, Hosea Gear, Cory Jane, and Andrew Hore, the name Hurricanes has gone from evoking images of a natural force to be reckoned with to a gust of wind one might expect on a balmy summer's evening.
After their valiant efforts against the Bulls still came up short, Nonu said it's the lowest he has felt in his long rugby career.
Does this have something to do with lower levels of testosterone apparently recorded after a loss or is it because he is genuinely frustrated? He needs to be part of a destructive duo like SBW and Robbie Freuan.
Instead, he has players better known for being light-footed and nifty inside and outside him, which means he is heavily marked as one of the only line breakers in the team.
Although their collective confidence may be at an all-time low, some players have stepped up and put their bodies on the line.
Loosies with names similar to Disney characters (Jack) Lam and (Serge) Lilo were anything but cuddly against the Bulls. Hore puts his body (or should I say face?) on the line every week but the downside of this is that the penalty count against him is high.
Hammet demanded a show of character, determination and urgency from his team against the Bulls but by default this meant adrenaline was high at the expense of reason, patience and a broader focus.
As a Manawatu resident, I can't help but will the coach to put Aaron Cruden on earlier so that he can get into the groove of his game and set alight his outside backs like I've seen him do many times for the Turbos. At the moment he seems so desperate to get game time and prove himself that he takes risks that don't pay off like they used to.
And that is the plight of the Hurricanes.
They've lost their mojo and are frantically trying to get it back. The problem with mojo is, the more frantic you get, the harder it is to find it. The Hurricanes have been criticised in the early part of this season for being too laid-back and lazy.
Against the Bulls they over-corrected and were intense but narrow in their focus, and as Nonu put it, that turned them into headless chickens.
It is a great art finding that space between happy-go-lucky and highly-strung that creates great performances. You see it when a player is in the zone, or when a team is on fire. That is the space that the Hurricanes need to try to find.
The Highlanders seem to have found it and it makes hookers catch balls at their feet while running at high speed on the wing. So, if there is any mojo left in the Highlanders tank, can you send some of it with the Hurricanes to Canberra?
