The Highlanders will be without their Southland All Blacks Jimmy Cowan and Jamie Mackintosh for their Super 14 rugby match against the Hurricanes on Friday after both failed to recover from injury.
The number of ground member ticket holders have plummeted at Carisbrook, with the drop blamed on the credit crunch, night rugby and team performance.
A heart-breaking drop goal with a minute left on the clock saw the Highlanders go down to the Brumbies in a thriller at Carisbrook last night.
Injured Highlanders Jimmy Cowan and Jamie Mackintosh did not train yesterday but coach Glenn Moore says it is still too early to rule them out for Friday night's game against the Hurricanes.
Twenty minutes of Super 14 rugby brilliance subsided into a hugely frustrating opening night for the Highlanders who crashed to a 31-33 loss to the ACT Brumbies in Dunedin tonight.
Highlanders coach Glenn Moore was left ruing his side's inability to close out games after last night's heart-breaking loss.
Hayden Triggs used to fix engines for the New Zealand army. Now his job is to help keep the Highlanders engine room humming. Rugby writer Steve Hepburn talks to the former Manawatu lock/loose forward about the upcoming season and life as a new dad.
It may sound a touch desperate but tonight's match really is a must-win for the Highlanders.
