The Highlanders face a nervy wait across Saturday's remaining Super Rugby Pacific games, as their hopes of reaching the playoffs now hinge on other results falling their way.
Their 16-9 defeat to the Blues at Eden Park saw the southerners miss their chance to cement eighth place on the ladder and opens the door for other sides to overtake them.
With just five wins from 14 games in 2023, the Highlanders have 24 points, trailling the seventh-placed Reds on points differential.
One result has already fallen their way, with the Brumbies defeating the Rebels 33-17 on Friday night, but the Highlanders also need the Reds to overcome Fijian Drua away at Suva, as well as a heavily rotated Chiefs side to defeat Western Force at Perth.
Highlanders coach Clarke Dermody says he won't pay any attention to the games still to be played.
Instead, he and his team will begin their preparations for what could come next week - a trip to Hamilton to face the tabletoppers.
"We'll plan for playing the Chiefs," said Dermody. "We'll start looking at them.
"That's the only thing you can do and just wait and see what happens.
"I don't know whether it's a good thing to watch all those games. Maybe I'll just wait for a text to come through."
Despite any disappointment over their regular season performance, the Highlanders know anything can happen during the playoffs.
Regardless of how unlikely it may seem, with their place in the top eight still to be determined, Dermody insists his side won't die wondering, if a trip to Hamilton eventuates.
"A lot would have to go our way. As you've seen tonight, we competed for long periods, but we probably didn't have the polish to take our opportunities.
"When you get to a playoff - or if we got to a playoff - against the Chiefs, who are flying pretty high at the moment, hopefully, they fly high again in Perth on Saturday night... it is a knockout.
"We've got nothing to lose, we've pretty much been written off all year.
"It'll be a good challenge, if we can get there."
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