The Highlanders will get back to work this week, knowing what is in front of them and their destiny is still in their hands.
The side had its second bye in the competition in seven weeks — do not bother asking why, it just did — and now gets ready to take on the Brumbies at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Saturday night.
A few years ago teams would get four points for a bye. If that was still the case, the Highlanders would be still be behind the three New Zealand teams above them — the Hurricanes, Crusaders and Chiefs.
What is becoming clear in this competition is the games between the four New Zealand teams still in the reckoning are going to be very important.
So far the Highlanders have bagged a win and two losses against the other three teams. They next meet a New Zealand team when they face the Blues on April 20 at Eden Park. The Blues — who could still get in the playoffs but, then again, there could be peace in the Middle East — have been all over the place but must be due for a good performance.
The Crusaders lead the New Zealand conference after a 40-14 win over the Jaguares in Buenos Aires yesterday. It was not a classic Crusaders performance but they scored the points when they were offered and outlasted the Jaguares, who do not have the discipline or concentration to go far in this competition. Otago prop Donald Brighouse made his Super Rugby debut, getting 15 minutes at the end of the game off the bench for the Crusaders.
The Crusaders will get their first bye this week, while the two New Zealand teams below them clash at Westpac Stadium.
The Hurricanes got out of jail on Friday night in Napier with a last-gasp win over a skilful Sharks outfit. The Chiefs edged the Blues 21-19 in Hamilton on Saturday night.
The Brumbies will arrive in Dunedin fresh off a come-from-behind win over the Reds in Canberra. The Reds went out to a 15-0 lead but the Brumbies hauled them in and eventually won the match, 45-21.The Brumbies last played at Forsyth Barr Stadium five years ago, when they won.
In other games over the weekend, the Waratahs beat the Sunwolves 50-29 in Tokyo and the Lions went top of the table with a 52-31 victory over the Stormers.