Chiefs learning history lessons

Legend has it Julius Caesar was warned about the Ides of March, the middle day of that month on which he was assassinated.
It's the whole month Chiefs coach Ian Foster needs to worry about, however, and if history repeats for Foster, by the time we wind our clocks back for the end of daylight saving, he too may sense swords being sharpened.
There may be many reasons why, for the past four Super seasons, Foster's team has languished no better than eighth on the respective tables by the time April rolls around.
This year there were reconditioned All Blacks sidelined and injuries galore, last year injuries and the draw, and 2005 had a rebuilt team struggling to fire.
But bare, undiluted statistics bare out one of the Chiefs great problems - they generally start worse than a diesel Lada on a frosty Morrinsville morning.
"We don't think it's a strategic problem we've got," Foster explained. "But in the past two years, we've lost a few games early."
Actually, it's more than a few. Last year, they lost their first five on the trot. By the time they'd crashed to the Blues in round nine, the semifinals were gone.
In 2006, they lost four of their first six matches. By the time they scrambled a 26-all draw against the Bulls at home in Hamilton, the top-four was again out of reach.
In 2005, the Chiefs lost four of their first five games, with their horrendous 20-9 fourth-round loss to the Reds in Hamilton ultimately wrecking their season once again.
Even in 2004, Foster's first in charge and a watershed season when they made the playoffs for the first time, they still lost heavily to the Reds and the Crusaders in the early rounds, and were 10th out of 12 teams as they neared the halfway point of the season.
So how does Foster plan to turn things around?
"We certainly will be trying to up the ante and doing a couple of little things differently."
On paper, however, the 2008 Chiefs aren't as strong as they supposedly were going to be this year.
Gone from their ranks are All Blacks Keith Robinson (retired), Byron Kelleher, Steven Bates and Marty Holah, who have taken up European contracts.
Roy Kinikinilau has also departed, while an understated loss is prop Nathan White, who is recovering from back surgery.
There's also the uncertainty around captain Jono Gibbes, who with 63 games, is now the most experienced player left in the franchise. He missed Waikato's Air New Zealand Cup campaign with a knee injury, and his sporadic involvement over the past two seasons of Super 14 has been a crucial factor in the team's fitful starts.
While departures have been heavy for most New Zealand teams, Foster's recruitment has hardly snared a host of household names to fill the ominous gaps yawning in his side.
His prize scalp is Canterbury lock Kevin O'Neill, while the barrage of draft players includes Otago's New Zealand Maori first-five Callum Bruce and North Harbour wing Viliame Waqaseduadua.
Loose forwards Tom Harding (Wellington), Hayden Hopgood (Canterbury) and Fafili Levave (Wellington) have all been used extensively off the bench for their home provinces, while Tasman prop Ben May has promise but not much in the way of proven ability.
"In the previous four years, I've drafted six players in total - this year we've drafted six at once," Foster said. "That's probably reflective of the quality we saw available to us.
"We looked within the franchise - which is our first port of call - and just felt there's a lot of talent there that's probably not at our level yet. There's a clear message that we've got a lot of work to do."
It's also reflective of the form of the franchise partners - Waikato provide 15 of the 28-strong squad, while Bay of Plenty gave four and Counties-Manukau three. Waikato lost in the quarterfinals of the Air New Zealand Cup, while the Steamers and Steelers filled the bottom two spots after dire seasons.
The 2008 Chiefs contains a withering armoury of pace out wide, where Sosene Anesi, Lelia Masaga, Mils Muliaina, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Viliame Waqaseduadua will prowl with menacing intent.
But the midfield - even with Muliaina providing cover - looks thin and the tight forwards won't send many opposition packs scurrying for cover.
The loss of Holah and Bates has transformed an outstanding loose-forward contingent into one which is merely highly promising, with Sione Lauaki supported by first choices Liam Messam and Tanerau Latimer.
"I have lost a lot of experience but I've got 21 players from last year, which is a bonus for us," Foster said. "We've only had about 18 back in the last few years."
Ironically, his biggest asset might indeed be the month of March next year. After a tough start against the Blues, Waratahs and Hurricanes, Foster's men come home for four consecutive matches, against the Cheetahs, Storm, Bulls and Highlanders.
They are four intriguing tests to flow into the cooler months of April - but for the 2008 Chiefs, they'll be must-win matches against the blazing heat of history.