Highlanders player Lima Sopoaga is hoping that the Highlanders can make the playoffs again in 2017.

Highlanders star Lima Sopoaga is hoping that Super Rugby team success will help his All Blacks aspirations in 2017.

The 26-year-old is set to play a pivotal role as the 2015 champions chase a spot in the Super Rugby finals again.

The Southland No 10 is hopeful that the Highlanders, who start their campaign on Friday night against the Chiefs in Dunedin, can get some early victories under their belts as they aim for the playoffs.

"Hopefully we win some games, that is probably a good start, then as a team you want to put yourself in contention for the playoffs and then whatever happens in playoffs happens," he said.

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A strong early showing should provide Sopoaga with opportunities at a higher level, including making the All Blacks squad to play the British and Irish Lions.

Sopoaga shapes as a likely contender to join Hurricanes playmaker Beauden Barrett in the All Blacks squad, with Aaron Cruden set to join Dan Carter playing in France later this year.

The former Wellingtonian is taking a conservative approach to the opportunity to add to his six test caps.

"We will just see what happens, if you play well enough you will get selected, if not, then bad luck," he said.

"Head down and keep working and see what happens."​

The goal-kicking ace got some much needed rest and relaxation over summer, which included playing chess, going to the beach and diving with sharks.

According to Sopoaga, the pre-season counts for nothing as he enters Friday night's game on the back of just 40 minutes of rugby action.

He was part of the star-studded Highlanders side, which edged out the Waratahs 50-47 in hot Sydney conditions in their final warm up match.

"That wasn't too bad, it was all right, it was good fun," he said.

He also admitted that the new tackle laws didn't affect him too much.

The Highlanders face a tough first month of local derbies in the 2017 Super Rugby season, which runs from the last week of February until the final on August 5.

They host the Chiefs and Crusaders in their first two games, before tackling the Blues and Hurricanes in tricky away fixtures as they search for a playoffs spot.

Sopoaga is taking a wait and see approach ahead of the local derbies, with plenty of player movements in the off-season making it difficult to predict how things will pan out.

"I guess we will find out when we start playing them," he said.

He is looking forward to Friday night's opening Super Rugby match at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

The match, which coincides with University of Otago Orientation week, is bound to draw a boisterous crowd, with Sopoaga enjoying playing in front of a large home crowd.

"It is pretty good, see what happens. It is good fun," he said.

The first-five-eighth is picking fullback Ben Smith to get on the score sheet in their opening game after he scored two tries against the Waratahs.

"If I was a betting man I would put $20 on Ben Smith to score the first try," he said.