Henry could not have known that the country did not have long to wait.
There was a hint of the miraculous about Saturday night as the Highlanders finished a disappointing season on an unimaginably high note with a 26-14 win against the Crusaders.
It was the Highlanders' first win in Christchurch since 1996, when AMI Stadium was known as Lancaster Park, and it was the first time in four years the Crusaders did not pick up at least a bonus point at home.
In danger of ending with the wooden spoon before the weekend, the Highlanders finished in 11th place.
There were scenes of jubilation at the final whistle as the Highlanders, variously described as battling or beleaguered since the Super 14 started in February, celebrated the upset of the season.
Craig Newby, playing his 66th and final game for the franchise, pumped his fist in triumph, and his excited team-mates soaked up the sound of a stunned Christchurch crowd.
Outside the Highlanders' dressing room, coach Moore wore a smile of satisfaction at ending his first year in the job with a result that helped ease the pain of 10 losses from 12 games.
"I thought there'd been signs through the year, in a patchy way, that we had the ability to put teams away," Moore said.
"Two weeks ago, against the Cheetahs, we showed a new level of maturity in terms of how to control a game and how to soak up pressure.
"I did actually have a level of confidence going into this game."
Moore said he never doubted his ability as a coach this year, and he never doubted the painstaking rebuilding of the Highlanders would eventually pay off.
"First and foremost, I'm really delighted for those boys in that dressing room.
''They put out a complete performance.
"What it shows is that we've brought a group of young guys together.
''They've grown and I think they've showed real signs of maturity.
"The real drive now has to be for us to bring them back and get better next year."
The shock loss did not affect the Crusaders, technically, as they were already guaranteed home advantage for the play-offs.
But it proved to the rest of the competition that anything is possible.
The TAB is smiling.
It had its biggest windfall since rugby turned professional after a punter laid $100,000 on a Crusaders win at odds of $1.08.
