There were scenes of ecstasy at the final whistle as Alhambra-Union players embraced each other and rushed to the terrace to acknowledge their fans.
For Dunedin, there was the bitter taste of final defeat for the second straight season.
Miserable conditions created plenty of handling errors and Alhambra-Union led just 9-3 after an uninspired first half.
But Alhambra, sparked by tireless captain Matt Clutterbuck, always looked the more dangerous team and took control of the game in the 51st minute when speedy prop Dane Maraki chased down the ball to score.
Casey Stone then dropped a goal to push Alhambra to a 19-3 lead, and after replacement hooker Sam Anderson-Heather had closed the gap with a try for Dunedin, Alhambra prop Scott Manson crossed in the 79th minute to seal the title.
Lock Filisione Koloamatangi was the other stand-out in a quality Alhambra-Union pack, while Karne Hesketh always looked dangerous out wide.
Dunedin's loose forwards, with captain Scott McKee and Chris Damsteegt most prominent, were magnificent, but the Dunedin backs lacked penetration.
In the play-off for third and fourth, University A thumped Kaikorai.
Scores.-
Alhambra-Union 26 (Dane Maraki, Scott Manson tries; Luke Reihana 2 conversions, 3 penalty goals; Casey Stone dropped goal), Dunedin 10 (Sam Anderson-Heather try; Tumua Ioane conversion; Tom Halse penalty goal). Half-time: Alhambra-Union 9-3. Referee: Todd Pullar.
Other results:
Play-off for third: University A 30 (B Cameron 2 R Ryan R Kamea C Swart S Hibbert tries) Kaikorai 12 (A Herron J Stevenson tries, A Reid con). Ht: Varsity 10-5.
Countrywide: Zingari-Richmond 40 (C Cuthill, N McGrath, P Breen, C Bell, C Te Hura, K Schrader tries, Breen con 2 pen, Cuthill con) Green Island 5 (J Short try). Ht: 15-0 Pirates 33 (R Martin 2 C Sneddon J Clark S Parata tries, G Dickson 4 con) Heriot 5 (A Kirk try).
LAWRENCE 25
UNIVERSITY B 5
A decisive territorial advantage to Lawrence lay the platform for a 25-5 victory over University B, in the main game at the University Oval in the Countrywide competition.
Despite opening the scoring with a try through full back James Miller, after 10 minutes, University B were seldom out of its own half.
Lawrence 25 (Ben Goldstone (2), Tom Brown, Lex Kaleca tries; Sam Young 1 conversion; Tony Potter penalty goal), University B (James Miller try). Halftime: Lawrence 10-5. Referee: Adam Morrison.
