The Highlanders turned their dressing room under AMI Stadium into a bunker of celebration on Saturday night after their famous 24-16 win against the Crusaders.
Halfback Toby Morland, one of the first to emerge, said the poor season to date and the departure of captain Craig Newby, among others, provided motivation for the performance.
"This means everything.
Newby's going and other boys might never play for us again," Morland said.
"To come together this week and pull out a performance like that is bloody awesome.
"We knew we weren't given a chance.
But we still have a huge level of self-belief.
"Games we'd lost earlier in the year were by two or three points, so we knew we were as good as anyone.
"Round 13's obviously a bit late but we've just beaten the Crusaders, so who cares?"Adam Thomson is both one of the stories of the Highlanders season and the southern equivalent of Richie McCaw.
Where McCaw was educated in Dunedin and whisked away by Canterbury, Thomson was schooled in Christchurch but is enhancing his reputation in Highlanders colours.
He comes off contract at the end of this year but indicated he was enjoying life too much in Otago to be tempted by a move overseas.
"I'm enjoying my rugby at the moment and to be playing every week is fantastic.
I'm definitely looking to stick around," Thomson said.
