They say there are lies, damned lies and statistics. Rugby writer Steve Hepburn looks at 10 statistics which show the Highlanders should go into Saturday night's final with some confidence.
1 The Highlanders have won the last four games between the sides at Westpac Stadium in Wellington. They may have won only three games in 2013 but one of them was over the Hurricanes in Wellington. They lost to the Hurricanes this year in the away match but it was played in Napier.
2 The Highlanders have set a franchise record this year for most tries. They have scored 61, smashing the previous record of 42.
3 Waisake Naholo is the leading try-scorer in the competition with 12 tries. That is one ahead of Hurricanes halfback TJ Perenara.
4 Lima Sopoaga is the second-leading scorer in the competition with 183 points. He is likely to go top as the only one ahead of him is the Waratahs' Bernard Foley, who is just four points ahead of Sopoaga. Beauden Barrett is the leading scorer for the Hurricanes at a lowly 112 points.
5 The Highlanders have an excellent lineout with a success rate of nearly 89%. In contrast, the Hurricanes have one of the the worst lineouts in the competition, with a success rate of just 81%. The Hurricanes have lost the most lineouts of any team in the competition.
6 Winning turnovers is an art done best by the Highlanders. They get nearly nine turnovers a game, while the Hurricanes average a couple less.
7 The Hurricanes do not really have home advantage. The Highlanders coach, one of the assistant coaches, the goal kicker and a couple of other key players all come from the region.
8 On average, Hurricanes fans in the Cake Tin are about 1.25km away from the playing field. It may hold a few people but you need binoculars designed by Nasa to see anything happen. The home crowd advantage is vastly inflated.
9 The Hurricanes have never hosted a final and won.
10 If it is a close game - and chances are it will be - it may come down to dropped goals. The Highlanders have slotted five of them this season, a franchise record. The Hurricanes have not hit a dropped goal since April 2013. With five minutes to go and scores tied, you know which side has the advantage.