Taieri coach Jason Macdonald cut a disconsolate figure moments after the Dunedin premier final at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday.
Southern defied the odds to win 26-20 and ruin what had been an otherwise flawless campaign for the Eels.
A third consecutive title and nice slice of history was within grasp.
Taieri was hoping to become the first team to go through the grade unbeaten since Southern won 16 games in a row in 1982.
But then Mackenzie Haugh produced an utterly brilliant play to set up the match-winning try late in the game. Hence the morose mood Macdonald found himself in.
"The season right up until [Saturday] had been outstanding," he said.
"But unfortunately, we saved our worst for last and Southern absolutely turned up and played outstanding.
"We let a few moments get away from us. It is hard to pick on any one thing.
"We probably just did not capitalise on the small amount of pressure that we were able to create."
One of those moments was shortly after veteran Southern No 8 Mika Mafi was sent to the bin midway through the second half.
Taieri opted for the scrum rather than take the three points on offer. It shunted the Southern scrum back but stalled, then swung it to the right but Magpies flanker Jordan Dwight snaffled a turnover.
It was the sort of moment Taieri had dominated all season. In hindsight, the Eels would have been better served kicking what was a regulation penalty attempt.
"Unfortunately hindsight is always twenty-twenty, so I back the decisions made by the people out there.
"We had plenty of opportunities out there that we just didn’t execute.
"Whether we’d taken those kicks or not, I don’t know if that was ultimately what dictated the outcome of the game."
