Captain Scott Barrett said after their game in Melbourne the first-round loss to the Chiefs had been a reminder of how difficult it can be to win in Super Rugby Pacific.
"We lost a few of the critical areas [against the Chiefs], the collisions on both sides of the ball, and off the back of that we lost the territory battle, so it was a good lesson of where we need to be to win this competition."
Looking to next week's game in Fiji, he said several of the team had played there before.
"At times, it's a bit like breathing through a straw – the humidity, the heat, the crowd as well. They're behind their passionate team, so we're anticipating a huge challenge up there. It's going to be 80 minutes, and it's going to be gruelling."
Acting coach Scott Hansen said first five-eighths Richie Mo'unga's effort had highlighted the way he could play when given a good platform to work on from the forwards. He led the team around the field well and also had the chance to utilize his flair when running the ball with time and space to excel.
Highlanders captain Billy Harmon said despite the loss to the Crusaders, there were things to take out of the game, just as there had been from their loss to the Blues in the opening round.
"We didn't have the accuracy at the lineout and our exits, and if we can tidy up those, there was some awesome stuff within our phase defence and attack that challenged them.
"It's only round two, we're not going to get disheartened, we still want to keep growing and keep getting better. The funny thing is I felt like we did get better."
Coach Clarke Dermody said the Crusaders were a smart team, and their defensive pictures were changing all the time.
"The players recognized that they were defending 14 in the front line, so it was awesome to see the players recognize that and be able to exploit it. We just weren't accurate tonight around our set-piece, the lineout and, giving up ball on attack in the right areas of the pitch, you see how dangerous the Crusaders are."
In a post-match discussion with former England first five-eighths Freddie Burns, Dermody said the pace of the game was new to him while he found teams attacking from different places on the field than he was used to.
"I'm really happy with how he's leading the team around the field, his voice, and his experience is rubbing off on the guys around him."