After all, the team placed sixth in the Championship last season, behind smaller provinces like Manawatu and Southland.
But the Highlanders' remarkable Super rugby victory has helped redefine what is possible when you put together a largely unheralded but determined group of individuals.
Emulating that success is keeping Otago coach Cory Brown occupied.
''I guess that is where Otago has always done well,'' he said.
''They have always been able to fight their way through. That is what the Highlanders did.
''With a fair bit of hard work, and guys putting their heads down and getting stuck in, they were able to do well.
''That is what every individual will need to do so we can ride on the back of what the Highlanders have done.''
The Otago players who were involved in the Highlanders' campaign will get ''a few weeks off''. But from July 27, Brown will be able to pick from his best players.
Otago will play two pre-season games under the Sassenachs banner - against Mid Canterbury on Tuesday and the Southland Spartans on July 26. Both games are at Forsyth Barr Stadium, and Otago has an away pre-season game against Tasman organised for August 1.
With the club finals next weekend, Brown has picked the Sassenachs squad for the game against Mid Canterbury from the bottom six clubs. He plans to name the Otago ITM Cup squad following the Sassenachs-Spartans game but was keeping an open mind as to who might make the final cut.
''I've listened to the advice from a number of people and gone out and watched as many club games as I could. We're also getting four games recorded ... so I think we've got a pretty good understanding and haven't really missed anyone in Dunedin club rugby.
''We've gone out and looked at country rugby as well. We looked at selecting a couple of guys in the Sassenachs but they were injured.''
Highlanders and Otago lock Tom Franklin's broken arm is out of plaster but, best-case scenario, he will not be available for Otago until towards the end of the season.
Fellow lock Josh Dickson, who is returning from a sternum injury, will play 20 minutes for University A today. He has been named in the Sassenachs, as has outside centre Jayden Spence, who has returned from a stint overseas.
Fellow centre Kieran Moffat has been talking to Southland and is not part of Otago's plan, Brown said.
Sassenachs
The squad: Craig Millar, Jonah Aoina, Tom Hardy, Lachlan Landels, Donald Brighouse, Shaun Stodart, Blair Tweed, Jared Williams, Josh Dickson, Mark Grieve-Dunn, Josh Clark, Theo Commissaris, Hame Toma, Matt Vaai, Ben Tuiomanufili, Ed Hoadley, Caleb Gray, Peter Breen, Matt Te Tana, Lachie Moore, Jayden Spence, Tili Puloka, Sean Conner, Fapene Popoali'i, Matt Jones, Christian Walker, Tony Ensor, Noah Cooper.
Otago's opening ITM Cup game is against Canterbury on August 15 at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
