We came, we saw, we conquered.
It's been 19 long years, but good things come to those who wait.
We had a blip in 1999 but there was no way to stop this team this year. Jake and Browny's unsung heroes were an unstoppable force, and the Hurricanes will continue in their bridesmaid role for many more years.
The day dawned fine and clear. Dunedin Airport was humming with an air of anxious expectation, and the Speight's was going down rather slowly (mainly due to the fact they only had five glasses at the bar and 42 drinkers).
The good news was that the 1000 posters I delivered on Thursday were all gone.
Wellington was awash with Highlanders supporters. The Shepherd's Arms was enveloped in a seething horde, and the Lovelock was overrun and owned by a blue, gold and maroon army.
All the signs looked ominous for the Hurricanes as the Landers Army marched to the Cake Tin.
Up to the fourth floor lounge we stormed, and with 500 crammed in and only 70 Highlanders supporters, I thought we were in with a chance of being out-vocalised.
But as soon as the Highlanders hit the front, the southern supporters dominated the lounge with gusto, ably led by verbose former Otago player Hunter Darry.
As an intrepid videographer and columnist for the ODT, I stormed the field after the game to snag those first priceless interviews with the aforementioned Darry as my cameraman.
We bagged those interviews as the players got their tankards and headed into the victorious changing rooms for the long aftermatch celebrations.
What a couple of hours that was - singing, drinking, toasts and speeches.
The lasting impression was what a remarkable group of young men these are representing our region.
Humble in victory, polite, respectful - and you suspect they would die for each other, such is the extraordinary bond among them.
We managed to wheedle our way on to the team bus for good measure. More revelry back at the team hotel, and the night continued on. To borrow the line from Paper Lace: ''Brother what a night it really was''.