It was the Highlanders' first win in the opening game of the season since 2007 and was built on brilliant defence, some fantastic individual efforts and a refusal to concede defeat.
Unlike so many games in the past three years, the Highlanders managed to stay on at the end when the score was close.
It was no classic - after all, it was the first game of the season - but the Highlanders showed some true grit and a never-say-die attitude to run out deserved winners.
They made all the running in the game, and were never behind.
They were tenacious on defence and just refused to lie down at the breakdown, knocking Hurricanes bodies over at crucial times.
Like any Highlanders game it was close the whole way but some spine at the end and a refusal to go away gave the Highlanders the competition points.
Although it would be hard to signal out any player above another, halfback Jimmy Cowan had a fine game.
Cowan showed why he is the incumbent All Black halfback and had his best running game for the Highlanders for many a year.
He set up the first try, got his side going forward around the rucks and also made some gutsy tackles around the fringes.
Not far behind was the dynamic loose forward trio of No 8 Nasi Manu and flankers Adam Thomson and Alando Soakai, who tackled anything that moved and dominated their opponents.
Josh Bekhuis got round the field, Jamie Mackintosh never stopped and, in the backs, Shaun Treeby impressed alongside midfield partner Kendrick Lynn.
The match was a nail-biter at the end and, with 10 minutes left, the visiting team did itself no favours when replacement hooker Brayden Mitchell was yellow carded for slowing the ball down in the ruck.
But that just made it an even contest after Ma'a Nonu had been sent from the field for good midway through the second half.
Nonu had tried to charge down a kick from Cowan and only managed to collect Cowan's head with his shoulder.
Cowan went down like a sack of spuds and it was an effort that would not have looked out of place about 5km down the road at the Mirimar acting studios. But it did look ugly and referee Stuart Dickinson had no option but to send Nonu off.
Lima Sopoaga, to add to the drama, then could not kick the penalty straight out in front.
The Highlanders were doing all of the attacking but could not get over the line, and that was the story for much of the first half.
After Nonu picked up his first yellow card, for hands in the ruck after 30 minutes, the Highlanders spent the final 10 minutes of the first half attacking the line but could not cross it.
Ben Smith and Alando Soakai nearly went over while Jason Rutledge was held up on the line on the stroke of halftime.
There was only one man dominating the game in the opening stages and that was referee Dickinson who was handing out the penalties an average of once every two minutes.
The game was struggling to come to life as neither side could find a way through a tight defence and both sides were running too much across field.
But the Highlanders finally managed to put the game's only try on the board midway through the first half. Cowan ran through a gap from the back of the lineout 22m out and he set up Sopoaga to dive over beside the posts.
Somehow Sopoaga missed the easy conversion. He did though slot a beautiful penalty goal with 10 minutes left in the first half, sailing the ball between the posts from 43m out on the angle.
The Waratahs beat the Rebels 43-0 in Melbourne last night.
HIGHLANDERS v HURRICANES
- The scores
• Highlanders 14
Lima Sopoaga try; Sopoaga 2 pen, Robbie Robinson pen.
• Hurricanes 9
Aaron Cruden 3 pen.
• Halftime: 11-6.
• Crowd: 11,091
