The Highlanders will be buoyant after their 33-15 win over the Stormers on Friday night but know they will have to go up another level when they face the Crusaders.
The Crusaders lost 29-19 to the Hurricanes in Wellington on Saturday night but were handicapped with the loss of two main men in their side early on.
Midfielder Ryan Crotty left the field after being involved in an ugly head clash early in the match. He clashed heads with fullback David Havili and lay on the ground for some time before he walked off gingerly.
About the same time, captain and lock Sam Whitelock had his head thrown backwards in attempting to tackle Hurricanes first five-eighth Beauden Barrett.
He continued playing straight after the incident but was taken off the field after the independent doctor at the game reviewed the clash and decided Whitelock had to be tested for concussion.
He failed the test, as did Crotty. Neither came back on the field.
The absence of the two senior men took a toll on the Crusaders who were down 19-0 early on before fighting back to get within a sniff.
A late Jordie Barrett penalty denied the Crusaders a bonus point.
Crotty and Whitelock were said to be walking around well after the game but they will enter the concussion protocol and whether they will be available for the derby game on Saturday will be decided later this week.
The Highlanders have loose forward Elliot Dixon in the concussion protocol after he picked up a head knock last week. That appears to be the only major injury concern for the Highlanders, now the only unbeaten New Zealand side in the competition.
A bonus point in the win over the Stormers has the side up to fifth on the table, though it is early days.
The Highlanders will get some encouragement from the display of its development team in Christchurch on Saturday.
Captained by halfback Kayne Hammington, the Bravehearts, as they are known, were too good for the Crusaders Knights, winning 31-5 after leading 14-0 at the break.
The teams will clash again on Saturday in a curtain-raiser to the main game at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
In other games played over the weekend in Super Rugby, the Rebels, who finished dead last in 2017, bagged their third win in a row and now sit on top of the ladder.
The Rebels beat the Brumbies 33-10 in Melbourne while in Brisbane on Saturday, the Reds beat the Bulls 20-14. The Sharks beat the Sunwolves 50-22 while the Blues scored a try in the dying minutes to beat the Lions 38-35 in Johannesburg. In Buenos Aires yesterday, the Jaguares scored their first win, with a 38-28 victory over the Waratahs.
Members of the Highlanders and Crusaders will get together today at an All Black foundation day in Christchurch where All Black coach Steve Hansen will set out the plan for the coming year. The Highlanders declined on Friday night to say who from their squad would be attending.