Scott McLeod always believed in his troops as they came from behind to stun the British and Irish Lions 23-22 in Dunedin.
The Highlanders trailed 22-13 in the second half but fought back to hand the Lions their second loss of their tour of New Zealand.
McLeod told reporters post-match that the team trains for moments exactly like this, and the team's attitude ultimately got them over the line.
"I have to be honest, I was sitting on the edge of my seat," McLeod said.
"We've played a few games this year where we've come back after being down. We train the attitude to do that.
"There was always belief we were going to come out of that. With Marty Banks' game management and his execution, that really brought it home with the effort of everybody behind him."
McLeod is leading the Highlanders while Tony Brown is away with Japan coaching the Brave Blossoms during the international window.
Brown text his fellow coach post-game and told the team he was proud of their performance against some of the best from the Northern Hemisphere.
"He was into his third beer. He reckons the beers always taste better when you win.
"He really enjoyed that. I imagine he'd be feeling a couple of pings that he is not here.
"He has led this team really well this year. He has created lots of the attitude you saw out here tonight.
"I'm sure he'd be missing this occasion, but he is extremely proud and wanted to convey that to the team and the staff."
McLeod also added that the Highlanders scrum played a big role in the outcome of the match.
With the Highlanders missing nine first choice players, the Lions were expected to trample the young Landers, but they stepped up when needed most and that pleased McLeod.
"The most pleasing thing was a couple of moments in the second half when we applied that pressure and kept bringing that attitude. I'm extremely proud.
"We knew we would bring on that [scrum] in the second half."
"We wanted to match that as well so we could continue to play the way we wanted. We're extremely happy with the scrum and that was a key moment in the game."
Highlanders captain Luke Whitelock credited the entire team for the win saying it will be something he will never forget.
"It was an awesome way to finish off a big week for us," said Whitelock.
"It was an awesome way to finish off a big week for us. Everyone was really excited. It was a huge effort by the whole squad, from players to management. We put a lot of preparation into it.
"It is about believing in what we are doing and sticking to our plans. I guess it was against the flow but we wanted to focus on what we could do and keep believing, and keep to our game plan.
"Everybody was outstanding… it was a tough battle and it was a game that came down to those key moments and it is an awesome feeling being on the right side of it."
The Lions will now head north to face the New Zealand Maori, who defeated the Lions 19-13 last time they battled back in 2005.
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