NZ coaches already face ‘must-win’ games in Super 15
Crusaders’ Todd Blackadder and Hurricanes’ Mark Hammett under pressure to produce results after just three rounds
The pressure on Canterbury Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder was lifted just a little with Tom Taylor's last-gasp penalty handing his side their first victory of the Super Rugby season, but it is a different story for former teammate Mark Hammett.
Both Hammett and Blackadder are widely considered by fans, the media and pundits in rugby-mad New Zealand to be the two coaches most likely to be looking for work should they not produce results this season.
The seven-time champion Crusaders scraped to a 14-13 victory over South Africa's Stormers with a performance that lacked any real cutting thrust or brutal efficiency so often associated with the Christchurch-based side.
There’s a long way to go and this is a good team and we have time to show that
"It was ugly and we didn't play too well, but we're happy," All Blacks fullback Israel Dagg said after the win. "We're a long way off where we want to be.
"This [the win] is huge. Three losses, it would have been a sad Sunday."
Hammett's Wellington Hurricanes, however, did slump to their third loss with a muddled display in a 29-21 defeat by Australia's ACT Brumbies on Friday that local media variously described as "limp, lacking conviction" and "without a redeeming feature".
The team had returned home from two matches against the Sharks and Stormers in South Africa, the latter a narrow 19-18 loss and there were hopes the Wellington-based side could get their campaign on track against the Brumbies.
However, they failed to string together any consistent pressure by turning over the ball too often and seemingly lacked any attacking spark that has run counter to the X-factor associated with previous Hurricanes teams.