has any union ever gone downhill so fast after winning the Shield?

i mean really - what the f**k is happening???

after losing players at the end of every season since Otago got given a chequebook by the Murdoch family, i thought holding rugby's oldest trophy would have finally given us a chance to finally keep a constant team line-up for 2 seasons in a row. not to mention use the newfound sponsorship deals to throw money at our players and maintain some sort of semi-professional set-up for the year. get some buzz going for the defences, get some crowds to the stadium, rack up some wins, force ourselves into the reckoning should the Super 14 get too dull and then turned into a Super 16. the draw even gave us a chance of getting a home QF and retaining the log of wood for the whole season (by avoiding Can'terbury and Auckland). we could feasibly have finished the season with the NPC and Ranfurly Shield in the cabinet.

but no, Shield Fever was avoided, we're below Hawke's Bay and Southland on the table, we somehow have a team lineup that bears little resemblance to the team of 2006, the Shield is a long distant memory, performances have been at 1997 standards if that (at least we showed heart, if not the greatest of skills that year), and can anyone see our remaining NPC standard players (Tuitavaki, Williams, anyone else?) turning down a Big Five union this summer?

i'm loath to blame the coach (as i applauded his appointment), but he really can't have got a lot right can he? Bring Back Polly is about all i can say now.>

i mean really, what happened?

just, you know, what?

Regards

Colin