Coach Leon MacDonald was among the thousands of parochial Blues fans throughout the country rubbing their eyes in disbelief, when prop Ofa Tuungafasi bolted out of the defensive line to make the defining play of Saturday's Super Rugby Pacific semi-final.
With the Blues reduced to 14-men courtesy of a late yellow card to Adrian Choat, the Brumbies surged back into the contest, trailing by just a point and with a chance of stealing victory in the final attacking movement of the game.
Hearts dropped into mouths across Eden Park, when Brumbies first-five Noah Lolesio moved back into the pocket to set up his game-winning dropped goal attempt, only for Tuungafasi's ample frame to race forward and charge down the kick, sending the ball back deep into enemy territory to kill off the match and seal the Blue's spot in next week's final against the Crusaders.
"It was nearly like theatre with them lining up a droppy on fulltime," MacDonald said after the game.
"I was thinking, 'surely not?', and your tighthead prop gets up off the line and charges it down. I think he made the tackle as well.
"They're just huge, those little moments you're hoping to grab in the big games."
It was another fittingly dramatic finish between the two teams, after the Blues needed a buzzer-beating dropped goal from Beauden Barrett to pinch a 21-19 win at Canberra back in week 13.
Indiscipline was the Blues' downfall in the second half, allowing the Brumbies to surge back into the game, after they'd trailed 20-7 at halftime and seemed on the precipice of being subjected to a one-sided defeat.
As they simply had to be, the Brumbies were the first to cross the chalk in the second stanza. Yellow cards to Kurt Eklund and Choat then opened the door for the Australians and they nearly burst right through it. Had Lolesio been able to slot a relatively straightforward conversion of Lachlan Lonergan's first of two tries, it may well have been a different outcome.
But as they've done so many times this season, the Blues were able to make critical plays at key moments. Lock Tom Robinson made an audacious late lineout steal to deny the Brumbies another crack at their lethal 5m maul, while Stephen Perofeta and Finlay Christie both executed try-saving tackles.
"I thought we played really well in the first half," said MacDonald. "It rained a lot at halftime, and a couple of little moments went their way.
"They went to the air and got a little bit of reward there, and got a little bit of reward at the maul, and all of a sudden we were defending our line.
"We spoke all week about not giving them penalties and defending their maul. We did that well in the first half but unfortunately it started to eventuate in the second half."
Now undefeated through 15 consecutive games, the Blues eye the ultimate challenge against the Crusaders - who beat the Chiefs 20-17 in their semi-final - back at Eden Park on Saturday.
As far as showpiece finals go, MacDonald said they don't come any better. The first time the teams met in a Super Rugby final at Eden Park back in 1998, where James Kerr's famous late try sealed the Crusaders' maiden title.
In their lone clash this season, the Auckland-based side tipped up their southern rivals 27-23 at Christchurch back in week eight in one of 2022's most entertaining games.
"The last game was a cracker,"MacDonald noted. "Hopefully the weather plays its part because it's two teams who like to use the ball, and use it well.
"If we can fill the stadium up and, if it's anything like the last game, it's going to be one hell of an event.
"This is their bread and butter, finals rugby. They love it. This is our second final in two years and we're at home again and excited too.
"There's everything to play for. You couldn’t script it any better."
Join us at 7pm, Saturday for live updates of the Super Rugby Pacific final between the Blues and Crusaders
