When the Highlanders met the Sharks in their Super Rugby quarterfinal in Durban last year, there was a nagging suspicion that they were just glad to be there.
That's having not a dig at the Highlanders, either. It's just taking in the fact that expectations were pretty low at the start of the season, given they had finished second-last in 2013 and later farewelled a bunch of All Blacks. So when they lost 31-27 to the Sharks at King's Park it was almost a case of "oh, well" than "oh, hell".
But these Highlanders are no flakes. Boss Jamie Joseph, who knew he had to make adjustments to his own coaching methods after his side won just three games in 2013, has once again instilled his boys with the sort of self-belief that would be worth a small fortune if you could bottle it up and merchandise it.
The result of all this is that the Highlanders, still buzzing from their 44-7 humiliation of the Blues at Eden Park, are now assembling a plan to spike the Chiefs in their quarterfinal at Dunedin's enclosed Forsyth Barr Stadium next weekend.
The Chiefs arrived at New Plymouth's Yarrow Stadium on Saturday night with the intent of showing the locals why they should be supporting them as their new Super Rugby masters, and not the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes, equally, felt they needed to make a statement. Although they had already secured the minor premiership, were guaranteed to have a bye the following weekend and were without Ma'a Nonu, Ardie Savea and James Broadhurst, they didn't want to drift into the post-season as losers.
Despite being down 13-0 late in the first spell, the courageous Hurricanes fought back to win 21-13. What would a round of Super Rugby be without some controversy from the officials?
This time the Chiefs felt they got a dud deal. Referee Chris Pollock ruled fullback Tom Marshall's no-arms tackle on wing Julian Savea, who was in the motion of scoring a try, was a yellow card offence and a penalty try was duly awarded. It was undoubtedly the turning point and the Hurricanes ralled to lead 14-13 at halftime.
The celebrated Sonny Bill Williams, in his return from a back injury, was later issued with a warning by the Sanzar citing commissioner after he had unleashed a no-arms tackle but escaped suspension.
Some rugby romantics noted the fine win was a fitting farewell for the departing Dan Carter and Richie McCaw, but the reality is far different. Given their contribution to Super Rugby for over a decade, Carter and McCaw deserved to be in the playoffs. However, they were denied the opportunity because their team was just too inconsistent for the first two-thirds of the season.
The Waratahs and Stormers, the Australian and South African conference winners, churned-out contrasting performances.
While the Waratahs smashed their interstate rivals the Reds 31-5 in Sydney, the weakened Stormers were thrashed 34-12 in Durban.
The Waratahs have earned the bye before hosting a semifinal while the Stormers will meet the Brumbies in Cape Town for their quarterfinal.
The Sanzar conference system guarantees the Stormers third place as the top South African side, that's despite them gathering just 45 points - one less than the seventh-placed Crusaders.
The good news is this flawed system will be ditched when the expanded 18-team format is introduced next year. The bad news is the new competition structure is so confusing it gives you a headache to even think about it.
