In fact, is there anything better in sport in this country than getting one over the big noisy neighbour?
The Highlanders might have had a season to forget but can still put some runs on the board in the final three weeks of their 2010 campaign, as they meet three Australian sides.
The side starts its Australian encounters with a match against the Waratahs in Invercargill tonight.
It is the last home game for the team which jets off next week to firstly take on the Brumbies in Canberra, and then the Reds in Brisbane.
So Aussie bashing will be in vogue for the next fortnight, and that is exactly what the game tonight in Invercargill may turn into - a bash.
The Highlanders have chosen Mathew Berquist at first five-eighth, which gives an indication on where they think the game will be won.
Berquist has never been the greatest of running first five-eighths and his boot will have to be accurate tonight against a Waratahs team that defines the word gritty.
You would never die of excitement watching the Waratahs - they were booed off their home base in Sydney earlier this year for their boring play, and managed to finish ahead of the Brumbies last week in a match which never rose to great heights. The one try of the game came courtesy of a cross-field kick.
But the Waratahs have been winning and, with a solid forward pack and strong, talented backs, they sit one point out of the top four on 33 points.
That means they have much to play for tonight, knowing a loss will have grave consequences for their season.
As for the Highlanders, they have nothing to play for in terms of top-four aspirations but that should not deter them from putting on an earnest effort tonight.
Many of the side are back on home territory at Rugby Park, and will relish having a run in familiar surroundings.
Captain Jimmy Cowan will want to expose his opposite, Josh Holmes, and look to snipe around the fringes, while the likes of Alando Soakai and Adam Thomson will want to continue their good form of last week.
Props Chris King and Clint Newland need to zero in on the experienced Al Baxter and greenhorn Dan Palmer up front, although the Waratahs are boosted by the return of hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau.
The Highlanders made progress last week against the Hurricanes and will want that to continue.
They gave the ball more air and had players running into space against the Hurricanes, which is the key in beating the defensively strong Waratahs.
The Highlanders have a reasonable record in Invercargill, having won seven, lost five and drawn one, but it could hardly be called a fortress.
Highlanders prop Jamie Mackintosh was due to play a club game for Southland team Woodlands last night, to try out his injured toe, and see if he could be a candidate to travel to Australia next week. Mackintosh injured his toe against the Lions late last month.
• HIGHLANDERS v WARATAHS
Venue: Rugby Park, Invercargill
Time: 7.35pm, tonight
Referee: Bryce Lawrence
Odds: Highlanders $2.60, Waratahs $1.45
Previous Matches:-
2009: Sydney, Waratahs, 34-16
2008: Dunedin, Waratahs, 15-12
2007: Sydney, Highlanders, 26-25
2006: Dunedin, Waratahs, 20-3
2005: Dunedin, Waratahs, 41-20
