Strengths and opportunities Work ethic, collective desire and a strong understanding of how they want to play will allow the Highlanders to be more effective than the sum of their component parts. They have four game-breakers in Aaron Smith, Ben Smith, Malakai Fekitoa and Patrick Osborne and an under-rated playmaker in Lima Sopoaga.
The pace and width of their attacks stretch the best defences and they would probably stack as one of the better-conditioned sides.
Their big improvement last year was in their mental capacity.
Previously they had been the sort of team that stuck in hard for 70 minutes then, with the game in the balance, managed to lose. Their self-belief grew hugely last year as they found a way to stay strong in those final 10 minutes and continue to make good decisions under pressure.
If they can continue to stay calm and faithful to their game-plan, it will be their best asset.
Possible vulnerability?
The Highlanders were scrummaged out of a few games last year - especially the playoff game against the Sharks. They are inexperienced in the tight five and lack grunt and presence.
There were a few games where their set-piece pretty much fell apart and they were left to live off scraps - and at this level, it's not possible to hang on for 80 minutes when the foundation stone is not in place.
They combat that set-piece weakness to an extent with the aggression and technical expertise of their loose trio - but it's a big weakness to hide for the whole campaign. They also start to look a little short of quality once they encounter a few injuries.
The biggest coaching challenge for Jamie Joseph has been learning how to use the full extent of his resources. With limited depth, he had to ask a lot of many frontliners and fatigue crept into late season performances. He's conscious of it but doesn't have a lot of means at his disposal to avoid falling into that same trap in 2015.
Which player will give them the X-factor?
The two Smiths and Fekitoa all deliver the point of difference. The latter in particular will provide the bulk of the line breaking and momentum-changing moments with his explosive defence and fast feet. He's capable of scoring extraordinary tries.
Where they will finish and why?
They might struggle to make the playoffs this year as their depth has been further challenged by the exit of seasoned veterans such as Chris King and Jarrad Hoeata. They will also have to be flexible in their gameplan as teams will try to shut down Fekitoa.
Last year they looked for him to build the momentum in the midfield and for Ben Smith to run lines on both sides of him. They will have to be more creative and adventurous this year - shift the point of attack and allow Fekitoa to be a decoy at times.
But while they might end up a few points short of the top six, expect them to be competitive in every game and take a few big scalps on the way.
