But there will be no joking for the rest of the season.
In the run-in to the playoffs on what is a very tight competition ladder - eight teams are within six points of each other - every match from here is almost a season decider.
The 32-20 loss to the Crusaders on Saturday night at Forsyth Barr Stadium is not a mortal blow to the Highlanders' playoff chances.
Sure, it would have been nice to win but the Highlanders are still handy enough to make the top six and clinch a playoff spot for the first time in 12 years.
The Highlanders are in sixth place on the overall table but are only three points away from the second-placed Waratahs.
Their next game is against the bottom-of-the-table Reds in Brisbane on Friday night, a game when they must cash in.
Most of the other teams around the Highlanders are playing each other this weekend, so some are going to fall behind.
That makes this Friday night's game against the bottom-placed mob from Brisbane vitally important.
Joseph said at least the Highlanders could decide their own playoff destiny.
''In terms of the competition, and where we sit and who we are playing, the guys that win go forward, as we are playing each other,'' he said.
''If you were playing other teams then you would be relying on other teams. But the destiny of our future is in our own hands and that is a nice thing.
''The treadmill keeps running and they [Reds] will be waiting for us. It is another tough one for the team. Every game is tough for the Highlanders so we have to be ready for the game.''
Joseph said at one stage in the match against the Crusaders on Saturday night it looked as though his side would be on the wrong end of a heavy scoreline.
''We made a lot of mistakes. We missed a lot of tackles. We made a lot of unforced errors. At one stage there we looked as though we were going to cop a hiding.
''But I guess that shows the character of the team. Our All Blacks and experienced players really stood up when we really needed them to.''
Highlanders centre Malakai Fekitoa, the find of the competition, had another storming game, and he can start measuring up his All Black jersey.
Joseph was full of praise for his young midfield star.
''What I like about Malakai is his consistency. As the games are getting bigger he is really improving.
''He has had two big games over the last two weeks to actually show he has the right mental aptitude to play well.''
Co-captain Ben Smith said it was disappointing to lose but the Highlanders were still right in the competition.
''We showed a lot of ticker to come back into it and give ourselves a chance. We have had a couple of games which have gone our way. It was touch and go there at the end,'' Smith said.
The Highlanders welcome back Liam Coltman this week, recovered from a calf strain, while fellow hooker Brayden Mitchell has served his three-week ban and will be available.
Dunedin hooker Sam Anderson-Heather made a good fist of his 20 minutes on the park although he injured his ribs in the last play of the game.
In other games, the Waratahs beat the Rebels 41-19 in Melbourne, the Bulls defeated the Brumbies 44-23 in Pretoria, the Hurricanes thumped the Chiefs 45-8 in Wellington, the Force downed the Lions 29-19 in Perth, and the Stormers blanked the Cheetahs 33-0 in Cape Town.
