If there were any fears over Sam Cane's return from neck fracture, they have been put to rest with a performance that lifted his Chiefs to an unlikely win over the Super Rugby champion Crusaders in Fiji.
Playing just his third game back - and his first without minutes restriction - the All Blacks flanker went the distance in a lung-busting encounter that saw his side rally from 20 points down early to prevail 40-27 in tropical conditions.
The Chiefs captain lead from the front, creating a couple of crucial late turnovers, as the wheels fell off their Christchurch-based rivals.
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"There wasn't much left to give by the end, that's for sure," said Cane afterwards. "That was a seriously tough game.
"That heat and humidity just sapped us. I think they adjusted and started the game a lot better than we did, but far out, we dug deep and I couldn't be prouder."
The Chiefs scored three straight tries to Solomon Alaimalo, Samisoni Taukei'aho and Jesse Parete to close to 20-19 at halftime, and then scored the last three, through Brad Weber, Shaun Stevenson and Tumua Manu, to close out victory.
Cane admitted he was struggling as the game wore on.
"It was a mental challenge," he said. "I started breaking the game into little sections to get through, but when Tumua Manu took that 22 kick-off to score, I was stoked to be out there."
The key to victory was not panicking at 20-0 down.
"I looked around and everyone was sucking air big time," said Cane. "When it's like that, you know everyone's working hard - it's just about fixing things.
"I credit our back three, to be honest. The way they defused those bombs and sparked the team back into life through pretty impressive counterattack and turnover running, they got us back on the front foot and back in the fight.
"Our ability to use the ball, even when we were hurting, resulted in some pretty good points."
After their incredible defensive effort against the Reds last week, the injury-depleted Chiefs have somehow battled to within striking distance of the Super Rugby playoffs, but have a bye week scheduled next.
They currently sit ninth, three points off the top six, with just one more outing against the Rebels looming. They need other results to help them sneak into the cut.
"A lot of confidence comes from a game like that," said Cane. "It would be nice to build on that momentum.
"We'll be watching the Crusaders v Rebels game [next Saturday] with interest, because that's who we've got next."
Cane also had encouraging words for the fans that packed Suva's ANZ National Stadium for the final Super Rugby game scheduled for Fiji on the current contract.
"Fijians' passion for rugby is unmatched anywhere in the world," he said. "To come out here over an hour before kick-off and the stadium's packed… the atmosphere is so much fun, and they're cheering and supporting good running rugby.
"Luckily for them it was a heck of a spectacle tonight.
"It's been pretty successful. It's obviously not in my hands, but I suspect it won't be the last game in Fiji."
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