Joseph made his tongue-in-cheek comment after his side's nail-biting 16-11 win over the Bulls at the Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday night, but it had a ring of truth to it.
It was the eighth victory of the season for the Highlanders and all but one of them - the second half romp over the Rebels in Invercargill - have gone right down to the wire.
That they managed to beat the Bulls, Joseph said was the culmination of a tough week for his side.
"I was pretty proud of the guys.
"We were in a corner this week, having the injuries we had to contend with.
"The guys played for their season and that is what I am really proud of," Joseph said.
"We wanted to play the whole game really quickly.
"Not just parts of the game but the whole game.
"And that yellow card worked in our favour."
Joseph said the contest was always going to be about the size of the Bulls against the mobility of the Highlanders.
It also proved his side could mix it with the big sides of the competition.
"This year it is about being contenders for the competition.
"And to be contenders you have to be able to play well under a lot of pressure.
"We were under a lot of pressure this week, with more players coming in.
"And you look at three or four key plays in that match and it was those players who stood up.
"My hat goes off to those guys.
"This was the first time we have played in extreme pressure in regards to the way the result would have an effect on our season.
"Funny enough, we get to go into the washing machine next week again.
"That loss last week against the 'Canes was really disappointing.
"We would have been looking better than we are.
"We are still under the pump.
"But you take a little bit of stock out of this game and use it."
The win keeps the Highlanders in the hunt for the playoffs as the side stays in seventh position.
The team immediately above it, the Sharks, beat the Cheetahs 34-20 in Bloemfontein, and secured a bonus point, but has a tough game against the Stormers next week.
The Highlanders travel to Auckland to face the struggling Blues on Saturday night, while the Chiefs and Bulls clash in Hamilton on Friday night.
Any talk of a stroll to victory at Eden Park was soon dampened down by Joseph, quickly remembering the first time the two sides met this season, when the Highlanders only just won.
"The Blues will always be dangerous.
"They have got a lot of All Blacks. You look at all their All Blacks in their side ... and you start shivering."
The Highlanders does not have a great history at Eden Park, having won there only once since the competition started, in 2002.
The Blues can only get better after a woeful effort against the Crusaders in Christchurch, losing 59-12 on Saturday night.
On Friday night, the Brumbies beat the Hurricanes 37-25 in Wellington while the Reds beat the Lions 34-20 in Brisbane on Saturday.
Yesterday, the Stormers beat the Waratahs 19-13 in Cape Town.
In Perth last night, the Rebels edged the Force 32-31.
