The Stags were very close to pulling off a second consecutive upset win in the Mitre 10 Cup on Saturday.
They had Bay of Plenty backed up hard against its own line in the final minutes of the second-round game in Rotorua.
The Stags trailed 17-14 and had turned down a shot at goal which could have forced extra time.
They wanted the win but could not quite find the extra inch or two they need to get the ball across the chalk.
The Bay got a relieving penalty and then All Blacks captain Sam Cane nabbed a turnover to close out the game.
Plenty of guts but no glory in the end for Southland. But the camp will take away an enormous amount of pride and a growing belief.
The Stags of 2020 are a much tougher prospect. And their game has expanded.
Southland showed plenty of early enterprise. Winger Amanaki Nicole fumbled but regathered and made a clean break.
The move was snuffed out but the Stags continued to spread the ball as promised by the talk leading into the game.
Bay of Plenty’s defence was tested again when centre Isaac Te Tamaki stepped his way through close to the ruck.
But it was the Steamers who scored first. Winger Fa’asiu Fuatai slipped through in the 12th minute after his side finally secured some ball in the right area of the ground.
Southland’s lineout really caught the wobbles. The Stags lost four in a row and they put themselves under unnecessary pressure.
They won the fifth but it was untidy.
Hooker Greg Pleasants-Tate extracted some redemption when he intercepted a pass from Cane.
Moments later, Nicole gathered in a kick from Te Tamaki and scored in the corner. Scott Eade nailed the sideline conversion to level the score.
Pleasants-Tate then put himself in the boot of a maul from a lineout drive and scored his third try in two games.
The Bay struck back just before the break when halfback Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi nipped past a defender and shrugged off another to score.
There was some aimless kicking to get the second half under way. Ten minutes drifted by with each team unable to break the 14-14 deadlock.
Black eventually nudged his side in front with a 55th-minute penalty and the Bay launched a series of assaults on the Southland line.
Pleasants-Tate earned a trip to the naughty step with 20 minutes to go. The home team pounded away but the Stags were proving tenacious on defence.
Having defended for so long, Southland pounced. Ray Nu’u took a short pass and found himself in space.
The Stags went wide from the ruck but Te Tamaki spilled the ball forward.
However, the ensuing scrum netted a penalty and they kicked for touch to set up a lineout drive.
Now back to 15 players, they inched ahead. They had a couple of scrums 5m out as they continued to build pressure.
The game was there to win for the Stags and they went for it.
Respect.