A 39-31 win over the Western Force on Saturday night was inevitably going to be viewed as a timely message from the Highlanders on behalf of their rejected coach.
For Joseph, however, it was all about getting his team back on track after two straight losses in Super Rugby.
"There are two different kinds of things going on," he acknowledged after the game.
"There was a personal thing going on for me, but for the team, there was a bit of grit today.
"The Force were really ready for that match. So were we.
"I’m really proud of the boys."
The Highlanders misfired at times in the first half and switched direction trailing by four points.
But they found their spark in the second spell, scoring a couple of cracking tries and unleashing the attacking talent they have in the backs.
While it certainly felt like the Highlanders were creating lots, it was eye-opening to review the match statistics and find they produced a staggering 610 attacking metres to the Force’s 352m.
Winning is everything, obviously, but you earn a lot of love when you have players like Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens (109m, five defenders beaten), Jona Nareki (94m), Caleb Tangitau (60m and two tries) and Timoci Tavatavanawai (57m, nine defenders beaten and two turnovers won) doing their thing.
Less pleasant was looking at the lineout numbers.
The Highlanders started with six botched lineouts and, while they improved, they finished with just a 60% success mark, worryingly low when that set piece produces so many attacking and scoring opportunities.
Joseph highlighted the fact the Force had an exceptional defensive lineout led by internationals Jeremy Williams and Darcy Swain, and at least the Highlanders got a lot better in the area.
"They’ve got a couple of Wallaby locks in there and they read our cues, if you like. I can’t take anything away from the Force.
"Generally what happens is lineout callers get a bit stressed, and perhaps don’t see the space, and it becomes a bit of a snowball effect.
"Halftime, we got it sorted out. I’m glad we got it right in the end."
Fabian Holland’s season-ending injury was a massive blow to the Highlanders’ set piece, obviously.
There is some curiosity over why veteran Pumas lock Tomas Lavanini has not seen any top-level action since arriving in January.
Joseph said the Argentine hardman, who has had a couple of runs for the club’s Bravehearts development team, offered plenty of experience and size but it was about adjusting to the speed of Super Rugby.
Both Lavanini and No 8 Hugh Renton could be handy reinforcements soon.
The Highlanders, up to seventh with a 2-2 record, are off to Christchurch next weekend for the rematch with the Crusaders in the penultimate game at the “temporary" stadium of a dozen names, before returning to Dunedin to play the dangerous Hurricanes.
Two-try centre Jonah Lowe is in doubt after leaving the Force game seven minutes from the end with a shoulder injury.
That forced the Highlanders to defend with 14 men, as they had emptied their bench by then, and would only have been allowed to replace Lowe if he had been removed for an HIA.
There are now no unbeaten teams in Super Rugby following the Reds’ 34-31 upset of the Brumbies, after the game was delayed by 90 minutes due to lightning strikes in Canberra.
The Blues kept the Crusaders scoreless in the second half before winning 29-13 at Eden Park, and the Hurricanes smashed the Waratahs 59-19 in the late Friday game in Sydney, following the Chiefs’ 57-24 win over Moana Pasifika.
