Cowan coos with confidence
February 04 2010
Highlanders captain and All Black scrum-half Jimmy Cowan is confident the Highlanders can kick on from last year's progress in the Super 14.
The Otago side made the last of their Super Rugby play-off appearances in 2002, with dwindling finances and an egress of personnel making times tough in Dinedin and Invercargill since.
But last year's side, while not exactly tearing all apart, made significant steps forward, not least providing much in the way of entertainment. With more or less the same personnel as last year, this year could be a breakthrough year for the franchise.
"Without a doubt," said the combative half-back to Stuff.
"You look at our team on paper, and there's no reason why we shouldn't win games this year. We've got a good coaching structure, good training facilities, and we've had a good training base. Everything's in place.
"If we don't perform this year we've only got ourselves to look at. The players understand that too, which is why everyone is working so hard to put best our foot forward.
"It's the whole setup really. The guys have had a great pre-season and it's probably the fittest we've been. You'll see a lot of the bigger guys have trimmed right down, and are doing PBs in skinfold and fitness levels.
"And this year we've tweaked a few things, and brought a game-plan in to suit the players we've got. It's a mixture of Southland play, Otago's play and bit of what the Hawke's Bay boys bring. Everyone's bought into the concept."
Cowan and Thomson were the only two All Blacks in the side for a time, but lock Tom Donnelly and wing Ben Smith both entered the international frame last year.
Then there is the rising star that is Israel Dagg, along with hardened old campaigners like Jason Shoemark and Matt Berquist.
The team has won two out of two warm-up matches, including taking the scalp of last year's finalists the Chiefs, giving Cowan all soerts of reason for optimism despite a tough start, which pits them against the Crusaders and Blues before a three-match tour of South Africa.
"What it does is give the boys a bit of confidence," he said.
"This time last year we didn't win one pre-season game, and went into the competition slightly doubting ourselves. We didn't know how to win, and that showed in all the games we were up with 20 to go and ended up losing.
"This year hopefully we can improve in that area.
"We've had two good wins over them (Crusaders) the last two years, there's good confidence around the boys at the moment, and we hope to hit the ground running. The key for us this year is getting off to a good start."