 |  What is gut wrenching is that we have been losing by such small margins |
The arrival of Carlos Spencer was meant to herald a new dawn at Northampton, but so far the sun has yet to rise over Franklin's Gardens.
The season is only three months old, but already Saints find themselves at the foot of the Premiership and out of the Powergen Cup following Saturday's defeat at Leicester.
But true to form, Spencer is refusing to panic, although he admits to a deep frustration in the way the season has panned out.
"Discipline has been a major issue for us - the amount of penalties that we have been giving away has been killing us," he told BBC Sport.
"What is gut-wrenching is that we have been losing by such small margins - and especially so when we're giving away stupid penalties which just let the team down.
"It's never fun when you're losing games, and all we can do is just get our heads down and work hard."
Northampton certainly have much to mull over, particularly a pack that is finding life something of a struggle at the moment.
Packs win prizes in a Premiership that thrives on physicality and aggression, a fact Spencer ruefully acknowledges.
"It's a different way of playing over here. You get a few sides who want to throw it about a bit and the other 80% who just get behind their pack and play 10-man rugby," he said.
"There's far more emphasis on having a big pack over here and a 10 who can kick the ball.
"The way the breakdown is controlled is key. too. The referees let players get away with a lot more, and as a result it's slower."
Spencer earned 35 caps for New Zealand in a glittering career that earned him the nickname 'King Carlos' in honour of his mercurial skills.
| (Dan Carter) hasn't really been under any pressure yet |
And if the 30-year-old has been slightly surprised by the style of play in the Premiership, he was not too shocked when New Zealand completed only their second-ever grand slam tour of the British Isles. The All Blacks routed Wales and Ireland and narrowly beat England before sealing the historic series win by beating Scotland 29-10 at Murrayfield.
"I wasn't that shocked to be honest. Apart from England, none of the teams really put up much of a fight," he said.
"And it was probably the best year to come over and do a grand slam.
"There were a couple of players who stood out for Wales and Ireland, and you could understand England as they were coming off a poor year, but it wasn't a massive shock."
New Zealand have been installed as favourites for the 2007 World Cup, with fly-half Dan Carter tipped as the star of the tournament - but Spencer has a word of warning.
"It all depends on how good the forwards get. At the moment, Dan's getting a good ride, but he hasn't really been put under any pressure," he said.
"The World Cup is a totally different scenario to a tour, it's a one-off and you don't get any second-chances. It's far too early to make any predictions."
MMIX
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