Highlanders co-captain Nasi Manu said that his side are happy to be written off ahead of the Super Rugby Final against the Hurricanes.
Despite having just 3 All Blacks in their side the Highlanders upset the defending champion Waratahs in their Sydney semi-final on Saturday, and Manu said they relish being underdogs.
“It just added fuel to the fire, coming over here and everyone writing us off,” Manu said. “No-one really expected anything from us. I guess we have always been the underdogs and I believe we thrive off that.”
The Highlanders will be up against the weight of history as well in Wellington, as since the conference system was implemented in 2011 no team that finished outside the Top-2 places on the competition ladder has won.
The Brumbies, Sharks and Crusaders have all made it all the way to the final, only to stumble at the final hurdle.
On top of this the Highlanders lost both of their regular season games to the Hurricanes and Manu acknowledged that the table-toppers will present an altogether different challenge next week.
“We know the Hurricanes are a tough team,” Manu acknowledged. “They are the best attacking side and the best defensive side. We are just looking forward to a big week, we have given ourselves another chance and another Monday. We are pretty excited about it.”
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