The team holed up in Sydney over the weekend waiting to find out its opponent for the semifinal of the Super rugby competition. It had qualified for the semifinals following a 15-9 win over the Brumbies in Canberra on Friday night.
The Lions duly answered that question with an emphatic 42-25 win over the Crusaders in Johannesburg.
The Crusaders failed to fire, conceding two tries in the opening 10 minutes, and it was a sad way for coach Todd Blackadder to farewell his troops after seven years in charge.
If the Crusaders had won, the Highlanders would have returned to Dunedin to host a semifinal, following the Chiefs' massive 60-21 win over the Stormers. But it was not to be as the Crusaders failed to get into the match.
The Highlanders left for Johannesburg yesterday from Sydney, which cuts one day from the usual travel from Dunedin to the republic.
The team has won seven out of its past eight games and is winning the key moments in games, so important at this level.
The side is expected to be without prop Siosiva Halanukonuka, who is likely to miss the rest of the season, after picking up a nasty looking ankle injury in the win in Canberra.
Hooker Greg Pleasants-Tate has joined the squad and is heading to South Africa while a third halfback is also expected to join the flight to the republic.
The team should have quiet confidence heading into the encounter against the Lions, a team it beat under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium earlier this season.
The Highlanders should at least get some decent weather in Johannesburg and enjoy playing on a hard deck.
The win in Canberra was played in terrible conditions with heavy rain and strong gusts of winds.
The Lions are a surprise side to be playing this late in the competition.
They have few internationals in their side but play an up-tempo game with some big and athletic loose forwards.
The sides last met in Johannesburg last year, when the home team came away with a narrow victory, thanks to a strong second-half comeback.
The Highlanders have done plenty of travel over the past month, which may catch up with the side.
Usually the defending champion has the pick of the draw at the start of the season but this does not seem to have been the case with the Highlanders, who have done the bulk of their travel at the end of the season, which would not have been their preference.
A replay of last year's final is a distinct possibility as the Hurricanes host the Chiefs at Westpac Stadium, in Wellington, on Saturday night.
If the Hurricanes win, they will host the final on August 6, in Wellington.
The final can also be played in Johannesburg or Dunedin, depending on results.
The Hurricanes are looking ominous, with a big 41-0 win over the Sharks in rainy and windy conditions in Wellington on Saturday night.
It was the first time in the 21 years of the Super rugby competition the Hurricanes had kept a side scoreless for a whole match.
The Sharks looked at sea in the game and never fired a shot.
The third South African side in the semifinals, the Stormers, showed how ill-prepared they were to take on a New Zealand side when they were completely outplayed by the Chiefs.
The Chiefs led 34-14 at halftime and just pulled away in the second half, scoring three tries in the final four minutes to hoist a half-century.
Both the Hurricanes and Chiefs have injury issues.
Hurricanes captain Dane Coles left the field in pain just after halftime with what appeared a serious rib injury, while Chiefs co-captain Sam Cane did not emerge from the shed after halftime with concussion symptoms.
The Chiefs now have to head back to New Zealand but should go into the match against the Hurricanes with some confidence, having enjoyed some success over the the Wellington-based side in the past few contests.
