In going from Super Rugby's basement into a playoffs position, the Highlanders have shown resilience over the past fortnight and now appear far greater prospects than the Blues or Chiefs.
Aaron Mauger's men put 52 points past the Sunwolves in Tokyo, a place where the Hurricanes have struggled recently, and they did it without Ben Smith, their talisman on an All Black rest week.
They may get the injured Waisake Naholo and Liam Squire back for their next match – against the Chiefs in Dunedin on Saturday – and in any case will be big favourites against a Hamilton-based team in second to last place and low on confidence after their thrashing at the hands of the Hurricanes.
"There's no guarantees," Mauger told Stuff. "There's still a lot of work to get through before they are considered for selection but they've been very dedicated to the plans put in place by the medical staff."
The Blues slipped from eighth to 11th after their bye and face a difficult trip to Canberra to face the Brumbies before returning home to play the Hurricanes and Chiefs and after a promising streak where they strung four wins together, it will be touch and go for Leon MacDonald's men in terms of a place in the top eight.