Rugby writer Steve Hepburn assess their opportunities of getting into the post season.
The bad news is the Highlanders are 12th - in a 15-team competition.
The good news is the side is just two points outside a playoff spot.
And the season is by no means over. An optimist could argue all the side needs to do is win its remaining home games.
Easier said than done. And the chances of a home playoff game - where the real coin is made - appears about as likely as a Donald Trump crewcut.
This week's game against the Crusaders marks the eighth game in the 2019 competition for the Highlanders - the midway point of the regular season.
With seven games played so far the side has two wins, a draw from a canned game and four bonus points - to make up its 14 points.
It is actually tied with three other teams on 14 points - the Reds, Stormers and Jaguares.
In terms of making the playoffs it may not be so much about the points, but more about the number of sides still in contention.
The Sunwolves sit in last position, but on 10 points are far from out of the race. It is just a couple of wins away from getting into the playoffs at this stage.
Looking back at the competition when it was made up of 15 teams, sides have generally had to have racked up eight wins to get into the playoffs.
Last year was an exception, in which the Sharks just pipped the Rebels for eighth place, finishing with 36 points - made up of seven wins, a draw and six bonus points. From 2011-15 when the competition had 15 teams, the minimum number of wins required was eight wins, though bonus points also came into it.
With teams knocking over each other with more regularity this season and a few upsets around as player depth is tested, there is a strong chance the Highlanders could make the playoffs with just the seven wins.
That would mean five victories in the next nine games - which is totally feasible.
The side has five games at home, including one in Invercargill, and if it can grab a couple more wins in its four remaining away games it can quite easily make the playoffs.
The four away games are against the Crusaders, Sunwolves, Lions and Stormers.
The side does not play the Sharks or the Brumbies, which is not altogether bad, as the Sharks are leading the South African conference, while the Brumbies can be a tough side to beat, especially at home.
In a close contest, which is what this year's competition is, bonus points are going to come into play.
At the moment, only the Sharks - with five bonus points - sit ahead of the Highlanders, who along with the Waratahs, have four bonus points.
Doubling that bonus points tally in the second half of the season may ultimately get the Highlanders across the line.
So now who said bonus points were a waste of time?
Comments
True lets stay positive Highlanders fans. There still a reasonable chance the Highlanders will sneak into the playoffs. It ll be hard to get much out of Fridays game but you never know. A shock Highlanders win is unlikely but there has been at least one surprise result every round this year.