Never mind the lack of training. Nor the long flight back.
This is a New Zealand derby - with plenty to play for and a sell-out crowd watching.
The Highlanders take on the Chiefs tonight at Forsyth Barr Stadium in the final regular season game of the season for both teams.
The two sides are into the playoffs but how they perform tonight - and how others fare in distant lands - will decide where they are headed next week.
Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph said the obvious incentive was to play well, win and then hope other games go the Highlanders' way.
"[Next week] we could be in Cape Town, we could be in Australia, we could be back here in New Zealand. But we want to stay right here, where we are, at Forsyth Barr Stadium,'' he said.
"To do that we have to perform really well, we have to play well. We're coming up against a quality side. They are not top of the ladder by accident. It is shaping up to be a top game.''
Joseph said the side had come through its recovery from the long flight back from Argentina and there was plenty of energy among the team.
"We are pretty excited about the game, really. We're back home now in our own beds. We are just doing what we do every week. Just a little bit shorter really.
"We have not done a lot of training. But we have done a lot of training since November, so really, it is about freshening the body up. The boys are pretty keen to go.
"We prepare a certain way. All that means is we have to do a little bit on the plane and a little bit here and there. But ultimately the leaders stand up, Ben [Smith], Aaron [Smith] and all the guys really. They really help the guys get across the finish line in terms of preparation.
"We pride ourselves in how we travel. We are a really tight team and stay tight when we travel together. But it is good to be home, to have a full house. That is a real reflection of the fans support down here and we are keen to put a performance on so they keep coming back.''
The Highlanders should go into the match with some confidence, having won the past five games against the Chiefs.
But Joseph rejects suggestions the Chiefs have a soft underbelly against the southern men.
"I'm not sure they struggle with anything we do. They are fiercely competitive games. We have won the last few and created a lot of pressure at certain times. In those games we have had our backs against the wall and that is sometimes when we perform at our best.
"It is a bit like that in the weekend. We're dragging the chain a bit and we are a little bit behind and we need to play well. But we have got a home crowd and we want to play well here.''
Potentially, it could be the last home game for Joseph as the coach of the Highlanders, as he takes over as Japanese coach next season but he was not thinking about that.
It was all about playing well tonight and then taking it from there.
Flanker James Lentjes gets another chance and Joseph said that was reward for his efforts last week against the Jaguares.
Lentjes will have a big game, facing All Black Sam Cane.
Liam Messam is quickly back into the starting side and it will be interesting to see if he has the lungs to go the whole game from No8.
Both backlines have excitement right through them.
Last time the two sides met, the Highlanders kicked the ball a lot to the Chiefs who coughed the ball up.
The same tactics are not likely to work tonight under cover, so the Highlanders will look to keep hold of the ball more.
The bench may well come into play in what is expected to be a fast encounter.
