For Liam Coltman and Ash Dixon, some friendly rivalry appears to be doing the job.
The Highlanders hookers have been sharing the No 2 jersey all season and the duelling runs right though the week as they provide motivation for each other.
Dixon said the contest between the pair helped not only each other but the team.
''It's pretty good having a guy like Colty [Coltman] right there working beside you. We challenge each other during the week,'' he said.
''We have a wee game we play during the week and whoever loses gets the other one scratchies. At the moment I'm up 3-1. We're doing lineout drills, hitting targets, playing little games with each other.
"You try and keep things friendly, give a bit of banter. To me it brings out the best in our play.''
So how does Dixon think his form is going?''It is OK. There are always things you want to do better.
''But to me it is more about the team than how I play. We're happy with how we are going. I'm more happy the boys are putting on a good performance out there.''
Being a hooker, Dixon knows how his game is going to be judged - throwing in to the lineout.
He simply accepts that.
''That is what everyone else sees and there is no-one else on the field that is going to do it. You have to do it and do it well. The scrum and lineout, you need to nail.
''That is your core role and you have to do it and do it well or you will get changed.''
Dixon (26) is at his third Super rugby franchise - after the Blues and Hurricanes - and said he was enjoying being in the South.
''They're [franchises] all pretty similar, really. Trainings are pretty much the same and the week is structured the same. But I really like it down here. They're a good bunch of dudes willing to play for each other and I think that it's really good for a team.''
Dixon was originally from Christchurch but moved to Hawkes Bay about six months out of school to have a look around, and he is still based in the Bay.
Wife Mikayla and children Paiyton (3) and Boston (7months) are with him in Dunedin and have settled well, although the cold weather this week has been something of a shock to the system.
Come tonight, weather will not be an issue for Dixon, who swaps roles with Coltman for the Blues game.
The bushy-bearded Alhambra-Union man gets the start.
Dixon said the Blues could be dangerous, but it was better to just worry about the Highlanders' game and not be too concerned with the Aucklanders.
''They've only just lost by a couple of points. They have got nothing to lose and will throw it around. We have just got to look to hone our game.
''If you worry about them too much, you'll forget about your own game. At the end of the day, we have to play some footy and do the basics well.''
The Blues will be looking to get some momentum into their season after their first win last week.
The Highlanders will be wary of that and know they must be accurate throughout the field.
Coach Jamie Joseph has highlighted the importance of the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy to his side.
Both Joseph and assistant coach Tony Brown were heavily involved with Hunter when he coached Otago and the Highlanders.
The Highlanders hold the trophy at present.
The Highlanders need to start well and convert chances that come along.
They have some real talent out wide and a good start will suck some of the newly won confidence out of the Blues.
Three questions
Rugby writer Steve Hepburn looks at three questions surrounding tonight's game.-
1 Are the Blues as bad as their record suggests?
Perhaps. Good sides win games. The Blues are 1-7, so they are not a good side. And the opposite of good is what?
The Blues have gone close often this season but make too many mistakes to win games. They lack class players in key positions and are just too sloppy in some of the basics.
The win over the Brumbies last week should give them some much-needed confidence.
But maybe not.
In 2013, the Highlanders lost eight straight before they won one. Did that turn around their season? They promptly lost the next three.
2 Who got the better deal with players heading in opposite directions?
The Highlanders have former Blues Malakai Fekitoa and Waisake Naholo in their ranks, while Aaron Smith was in the Blues for a while when a youngster. Hooker Ash Dixon has also played for the Auckland mob.
The Blues have former Highlanders Jimmy Cowan, Josh Bekhuis, Hayden Triggs and Daniel Bowden and one-season Highlander Tony Woodcock.
It appears pretty obvious who got the better deal. But before we tar and feather John Kirwan, it simply comes down to some players revelling in new environments.
Naholo and Fekitoa have enjoyed the South, and Smith would have shone, no matter where he went.
Woodcock had a disappointing year with the Highlanders and Bowden come south too early. The others simply moved because their time was up.
3 With a third of the country's population - if not more - in their catchment, shouldn't the Blues be better?
If only it was that simple. Does Bangladesh dominate the Black Caps at cricket? Why is India not better at hockey? How can a small country like Uruguay be so good at football?There are a lot of people in Auckland but many of them - in fact, a lot of them - do not care for rugby.
Going on population-match attendance ratios, the Highlanders are much better supported.
School rugby is very important up north but is it producing the sort of player needed for Super rugby? Having a major league club at your back door does not help matters, either.
