But it also shows a steely resolve among the side which is quickly becoming the obvious difference between making the playoffs and heading away on holiday early.
Statistics show the team has improved in its ability to win the close ones.
The Highlanders are a team which never goes out and smashes an opponent.
They might have logged up a couple of 50-pointers this year but one has to go back 200-odd games to then find the previous time they notched a half-century of points.
The side does not tend to make a habit of staging comebacks either.
It is more of a team which stays in contention for most games and, for the past few seasons anyway, ends up on the right side of the ledger.
The effort on Saturday morning was one of its few big stunning comebacks.
The previous major comeback for the side was in 2012 and was also against the Cheetahs, again in Bloemfontein.
It was down 30-9 early in the second half but came flying back to tie the game up 30-30 before the scores then went to 33-33 with each side scoring a penalty.
The Cheetahs then missed a kick in front before Chris Noakes hit a penalty from 48m out to win the game for his side.
In 2014, the Highlanders came back from 21-0 down at halftime to get level with the Reds 31-31 before conceding a last-minute try to go down 38-31.
The latest comeback was spectacular - the team found itself down 41-24 with less than five minutes left on the clock.
Tries to Tevita Li, Matt Faddes and Waisake Naholo, all converted by Marty Banks, got the Highlanders over the line for a 45-41 victory. The Highlanders played well in those final minutes but had a big advantage with the Cheetahs being down a man when substitute forward Uziah Caseem was yellow carded with about eight minutes left in the contest.
The Highlanders have plenty of grit in their play and often point to the spirit in the side getting it across the line.
That spirit has helped over the past few seasons.
In the 64 games the team has played since the start of the 2014 season, 35 of them have been decided by eight points or under.
In those 35 games, the Highlanders have come out on top in 21 of them, or 60%, which is a more than acceptable pass mark.
Compare that to the period from 2008 to 2010 when the Highlanders just could not win a close match.
In the 39 games in those three seasons, the winning margin was eight points or under in 22 of them.
However, the Highlanders won just four of those games, and consequently finished well out of playoffs contention.
In the 2009 season, nine of their 13 games were decided by eight points or under, the Highlanders losing seven of them.
If they had won all seven they would have been top of the table rather than finishing the competition well down in 11th.