Highlanders fans need to buckle up for a bumpy ride once the final few weeks of the Super Rugby competition play out.
The Highlanders currently sit just outside the top six by a margin of a only one point. So grab the calculator and take a look at the ifs, buts and maybes with me as we approach the business end of the season.
Currently the Landers sit on 44 points, tied with the Reds (separated by points differential); both teams are one point behind the Hurricanes and Sharks. The loss to those very clinical Crusaders at the weekend really hurt us, not just in the fashion in which we were pulled apart but it also put a severe dent in our playoff hopes.
The competition is going to be flipped on its head in these last few weeks and this is when the big gun players earn their dough whilst paying dividends for their franchise and their fans. This is where the likes of Tamati Ellison, Hosea Gear and Andrew Hore will need to be firing on all cylinders as we need them to deliver the goods now, no mistakes needed.
As I look at the Super XV table there are really only three teams almost guaranteed a playoff berth: the Chiefs, Stormers and Brumbies, but even the Brumbies are in a precarious position as they face a tough road to the finish.
However, it gets really interesting for the next five teams on the table. Starting with the Highlanders we have a bye, a home game against the Chiefs and a battle in Brisbane with the Reds. We are guaranteed four points for the bye but we must win at least one of the games against the other two. If we drop either of them we are doomed for a mediocre finale.
The Hurricanes are sitting in a fragile position at the moment with games looming against the high-flying Crusaders and the Chiefs, along with picking up four points from a bye. The flying squadron from the capital have over-achieved all year, I feel, but Hammett has glued this team together well getting some great wins on the board.
The Canes could easily lose their two remaining games though, therefore enabling a window of opportunity for the Landers but we must pick up at least one victory to leapfrog them.
The Sharks can also play a pivotal part in the makeup of the teams that will contest finals footy as they take on the Cheetahs and Bulls both at Kings Park in Durban after a bye following the June internationals.
Most fans would expect the Sharks to pick up at least one victory from those games to go with the four points from a bye which would put them on 53 points, and I would not put it past them to beat the Bulls either as they have some real class in their squad. The Sharks could easily prove to be a real bogey team for the Highlanders and may bump us from the top six, which would be a tragedy.
All this is going to have to wait though as we are now getting to terms with a new All Blacks squad and the coming test matches against the Paddies before Super Rugby resumes with a home game for our boys as we take on SBW and the Chiefs in the Glasshouse before an away leg in Brisbane to conclude our round-robin campaign.