"Home semifinal was always the goal. I’m pretty happy with how we’re tracking," head coach Matt Direen said.
So he should be.
The Spirit have set the benchmark for the Farah Palmer Cup Championship this season, going through the round-robin phase unbeaten after five games.
That leads them to tomorrow, where they will host the North Harbour Hibiscus in their semifinal at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
It was an entertaining encounter when the pair last met back in the opening game of the Championship, when the Spirit won 34-33.
The home side have come a long way since then, dispatching teams non-stop.
But finals rugby is always different and Direen knows the Hibiscus will not be easy.
"We recognise that they play a similar sort of brand of rugby to us.
"They like to play width, with some good ball handling. They have a a pretty good set piece.
"Their 10-12 combo last week looked pretty good, so yeah, we’ll be certainly taking them pretty seriously."
Direen was rapt with the connections the Spirit team had formed in such a short amount of time, and said every player had taken their chances with both hands.
Stalwart back Sheree Hume is carrying a hand complaint and is expected to miss the semifinal. Direen hoped she would be available if the side makes it to the final.
Northland, who were relegated from the Premiership this season, will host Wellington in the other semifinal.
The two teams played each other last week, where Northland prevailed 22-13.
