After a couple of close losses in the previous two weeks, the Highlanders finished in front of the Brumbies in Invercargill on Saturday night.
The final scoreline of 23-10 sounds quite convincing but it was a close game throughout and the home side was never well out in front.
Highlanders lock Alex Ainley said it was good to get back on the right side of the board.
"Obviously, there was a bit of pressure there after a couple of losses but it did not weaken the team at all. More than anything, we wanted to play for each other and get the win,'' Ainley said.
"We felt last week we were good enough. We are a good team and good teams come through in the end.''
The Highlanders were slow out of the blocks in the opening quarter and the Brumbies had all the ball.
However, they did not do a lot with it and three times were penalised at lineout time just as they were going to go into a driving maul formation.
That got the Highlanders out of trouble and the side backed its defence as the Brumbies offered a rather one-dimensional attack.
The heavens opened about half an hour before the game and the rain stopped only after the game began.
This had a major impact on the match as players struggled to move the ball on quickly.
Ainley said the side had faith in its defence and that eventually helped it all round.
"In that first half we did not have a lot of ball but the defence held strong. If they have all the ball and are not getting through, you can't help but grow from it.''
Ainley said the side had worked a lot this week on its defence and on getting up and putting the Brumbies behind the advantage line.
"We knew that they set deep and we have been pinged a lot for being offside. So we had to take a metre and a-half behind the ruck and really line speed them. That was the plan all week and it seemed to work.''
Ainley, who will return to Tasman after this season, said the side also knew it would have a battle with the Brumbies set piece.
"They were going to have a good scrum. They would scrum long - a lot of teams do that now - and we just had to stay in the battle. The lineouts we had to change a few options after 15 to 20 minutes.
"It was one of those games that felt it was going to break open but it never really did. It was a grind but, as a tight forward, you love those sort of games.''
The Highlanders managed to go into the break ahead, with Lima Sopoaga spying a gap 5m out and racing through to score a try two minutes before halftime.
Five minutes into the second half, Malakai Fekitoa got away from his opposite, Tevita Kuridrani, drew the last defender and sent fullback Ben Smith over.
The Brumbies came back with a try to hooker Josh Mann-Rea but the Highlanders' defence stood firm.
Sopoaga kept kicking penalties and he made the game safe with eight minutes to go when he pushed the side 13 points clear.
Brumbies captain Christian Leali'ifano said his side did not take the opportunities on offer, especially in the first half, and then the Highlanders took over in the second.
Best for the Highlanders were Sopoaga and centre Fekitoa, while up front, lock Tom Franklin and prop Daniel Lienert-Brown got through plenty of work.
Highlanders v Brumbies
The scores
Highlanders 23
Ben Smith, Lima Sopoaga tries; Sopoaga 3 pen, 2 con
Brumbies 10
Josh Mann-Rea try; Christian Leali'ifano con, pen
Halftime: 7-3 Highlanders
Crowd: 10,000
