They may be considered a long shot but the Highlanders are not counting themselves out of the Super 14 semifinal race.
They must win against the Sharks, though, or their post-season hopes are gone.
Lying 10th on the table before the weekend, the Highlanders may seem to most pundits to have no chance of seeing play-off action later this month.
But the team and coach are not listening to those critics.
Winger Ben Smith says the players still believe they can make the final four, starting with a win over the Sharks in Durban tomorrow morning (NZ time).
"We are still definitely in with a shot. It would help if results went our way this weekend but we just have to get on and do our job," Smith said.
Smith, who has started every game for the southern franchise in his first year at this level, said the team was determined to put on a show against the Sharks.
"We've just got to play with a bit more confidence and back ourselves to play our game."
He said the side's main aim was to win the game, and bonus points would come along if they played well.
Smith has had a fine year for the Highlanders and picked up his first try last week.
A foot injury at the start of the year, which resulted in surgery and weeks in a plastic moon boot, initially put paid to any thoughts he had of playing at Super 14 level this season.
But he had worked hard in rehabilitation and was happy with his game.
He will have his hands full at Absa Stadium, marking Springbok winger JP Pietersen, but Smith said he studied opposing wingers' play before a game to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Highlanders coach Glenn Moore echoed his winger's thoughts in saying the side was not out of the semifinals race.
"I've been saying it all year but this is an extremely tight competition. You can be travelling along in 10th like we are, but a lot of those guys [teams] above us have to play each other," Moore said.
"We've still got an opportunity to get into the top four. All we can do is win the game and let the rest take care of themselves."
Moore said the side would not be playing reckless rugby to try and win the game and score a four-try bonus point, but it wanted to show more attack.
That would come from having a good platform up front, something which had been lacking in recent weeks.
The scrum was surprisingly wonky last week in the loss to the Stormers and will have to be on its game against an all-Springbok front three in the Sharks engine room.
World Cup-winning skipper John Smit will start in his new position at tighthead, with explosive hooker Bismarck du Plessis at hooker and Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira, a cult figure in Durban, on the loosehead side.
Highlanders vice-captain and loosehead prop Jamie Mackintosh needs to step up and prove his All Black credentials.
The visitors need to achieve at least parity up front and get some of their best attacking players into the game.
Second five-eighth Daniel Bowden has been largely anonymous in the past couple of weeks and needs to have more input if the Highlanders attack is to get going. Winger Fetu'u Vainikolo also has to find some try-scoring form.
The Highlanders have had hardly any ball or field position in the past couple of matches and need to get some phases into their game.
Whether they can do that depends on referee South African Phillip Bosch, about whom the Highlanders know little.
Steven Setephano was confirmed as the starting No 8 in the side yesterday, as George Naoupu has not recovered from a hamstring injury. Tim Boys moves on to the bench, while Johnny Leota is also on the bench, ahead of Jayden Hayward.
Mathematically the side can still make the semifinals, although it looks a tall order.
In the Highlanders' favour is the fact that the Sharks are coming off the bye, and few teams have played well after a week off.
Before that the Sharks had lost two in a row, so their form is not great, after an impressive start to the competition.
The home side will be buoyed by the return of the talented Ruan Pienaar, and must start as the favourite.
Upsets, though, have been a feature of the competition this year.
The Highlanders will do themselves a huge favour if they can cause another boilover.
