It is not how you start - it is how you finish.
No-one remembers who led the league table halfway through the season, but this is a start by the Highlanders few would have thought possible, and one with which they must be thrilled.
In the opening six games, they faced a perennial contender, the past three champions, the competition leader and the South African conference leader.
Pretty damn tough.
To have four wins from those first six games has set them up well for the remainder of the season.
But do not start counting those chickens yet or pencilling in the playoff dates. There are some significant hurdles to overcome.
The Highlanders have to rest their All Blacks and they also have to play three New Zealand sides away.
On the plus side, they have two matches against the Blues, who cannot buy a trick at the moment, and also arguably have the two weaker South African sides when they cross the Indian Ocean.
Last year, the Highlanders made the playoffs by winning eight games and adding 10 bonus points. So they could squeeze into the playoffs again by winning fewer than half the games they have left.
But there are banana skins around.
The Highlanders have just two more games at Forsyth Barr Stadium, a place where they have been playing well.
They play in Canberra, Christchurch and Perth - where they do not have great records - and also face a trip to Invercargill, never the happiest of hunting grounds for the team.
The fans will also be wondering when the two Smiths and Malakai Fekitoa are going to have their allotted two-game break.
Coach Jamie Joseph said last week he had a plan for them, but he is the only one who knows it.
He may be tempted to leave them behind when they head to South Africa. It seems hard to believe they will miss next week's match against the Crusaders in Christchurch.
The trio's absence will leave a big hole in the side.
But match-winners have emerged in the likes of wingers Waisake Naholo and Patrick Osborne, and loose forwards Elliot Dixon and Gareth Evans have stood up.
The front row has battled on with injuries and Liam Coltman has to be congratulated on his accurate lineout throwing.