The opening round of The Air New Zealand Cup provided a grim insight into the possible future of rugby in the deep south of the country.

The walloping of Otago by Wellington and the capitulation of Southland in the face of a determined Hawkes Bay should be of major concern to the New Zealand rugby public in general.

These stalwart provinces have fallen away as rugby has progressed in the professional era. Otago will lose their three best players next year – the world’s top tighthead Carl Hayman, former All Black captain Anton Oliver and Dan Carter's back-up Nick Evans will all head off to greener pastures. Add Southland AB Clarke Dermody to the exodus and the stocks down that way look mighty sparse.

'People like Warren Gatland and Aussie McLean would be a major boon for the Highlanders, and be much more beneficial to the greater rugby good than where they are at the moment'


And it gets worse. The region's Super 14 franchise, the Highlanders, have lost the services of their coach to an assistant’s position at the Blues. What does it say about your structure when the head coach would rather take an assistant's role, then have the top job for your franchise? Nothing good, I’m sure.

Then there are the problems that are beginning to arise with the building of a new stadium in Dunedin. The moribund Carisbrook has at times been in horrendous condition recently, and the much-needed future stadium (with complimentary roof) looks to be having difficulty in getting off the ground. This begs the question that all things in life are built around the basics, and what can be more basic about rugby than the ground you play it on? The ball? The players?

Speaking of the players, this season the Highlanders tried to stymie their lack of depth by only picking players from within their catchment area (with a couple of notable exceptions). This was to develop a new generation of local talent from within their boundaries, one of those ‘looking to the future’ moves that CEOs love to talk about when times in the present are tough.

The result has been that present times aren’t just tough, they are dour. The lack of experience in both teams means that the youth is being exposed to thrashings which severely deplete their self-belief, which in turn affects their form, which winds up affecting their overall career. Not the best way to build for the future, really.

Help is needed NOW. Those other areas with real depth need to be willing to give some up. Particularly within the Blues, who probably have the largest pool of talent at the moment. Coaching maestros currently being wasted in assistant roles and provincial jobs should also be made to make the move down that way. People like Warren Gatland and Aussie McLean would be a major boon for the Highlanders, and be much more beneficial to the greater rugby good than where they are at the moment.

Sort out these necessities and maybe, just maybe, this region can live up to its proud traditions again and possibly exceed them. If not, then it’s a sad day for New Zealand rugby and an indictment on those of us who looked the other way.