A pre-season camp will be a priority for the Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby team next year as they strive to redeem themselves in the wake of a disastrous 2016 Mitre 10 Cup campaign.
"The success of the New Zealand Super franchises meant the late arrival of our super rugby players and so we had to prioritise game planning and new law understanding over our normal team building camp," Magpies head coach Craig Philpott said as he reflected on his team's recently completed end-of-season review following the side's relegation from the Premiership to the Championship with a two-win, eight-loss record.
"We see the camp as crucial and valuable at the development stage of the season and not having one was a mistake. When you've got 17 or 18 players coming back from having played for five different Super Rugby teams using five different forms of defensive patterns that period of transition is crucial in terms of defining our season and learning our systems," Philpott said.
"At the same time those Super players can throw things into our basket which they have picked up at Super level."
Injuries, in particular the loss of quality Super players before the season started was at the top of Philpott's list of factors which contributed to the disappointing season. The Chiefs pair of lock Michael Allardice and outside back Sam McNicol along with the Highlanders pair of prop Brendon Edmonds and loosie Gareth Evans all missed the season with injuries.