They will not want to get too far ahead of themselves before Saturday night's game against the Chiefs, but the Highlanders are three wins away from the ultimate glory.
If all goes to plan, the Highlanders will start the path to the holy grail by beating the Chiefs.
They will want the Brumbies to beat the Stormers in Cape Town in the other playoff game this weekend.
That would mean the Brumbies would travel to Wellington to take on the table topping Hurricanes while the Highlanders would head across the ditch to play the Waratahs.
If the Brumbies and the Highlanders won their respective semifinals - a long shot, but possible - the Highlanders would host the final.
Under the format, the highest placed semifinal winner - it would be the Highlanders in that instance, as the Brumbies finished sixth after the regular season - hosts the final.
That would be the only way the final could be played in Forsyth Barr Stadium.
If the Stormers beat the Brumbies this weekend and the Highlanders beat the Chiefs, the Highlanders will head to Wellington for a semifinal.
If they beat the Hurricanes, the final will be in either Sydney or Cape Town.
The playoff format, which has been roundly criticised for its structure, as the Highlanders actually had the second highest points tally yet finished fourth, will disappear next year when the competition shifts to 18 teams.
