Chiefs coach Warren Gatland has revealed his son Bryn predicted that he would kick the game-winning drop goal for the Highlanders in the opening match of Super Rugby Aotearoa Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.
Bryn slotted a stunning 40-metre drop goal in the closing minutes to give the Highlanders an upset 28-27 win over Warren's Chiefs.
What made the moment more magical was that the younger Gatland was initially omitted from the Highlanders side, but found out on Thursday that he'd be a late inclusion after Josh Ioane suffered a groin injury at training.
In what was going to be his first rugby game in 13 months, Bryn opted not to tell his father. But the secret was out on Friday when he had dinner with his mother Trudi and father in Dunedin - and that is where the drop goal prediction was made.
"We went out to dinner last night [Thursday] and I got a text to say Josh Ioane was out," said Warren Gatland after the defeat.
"I looked at him and I went, 'Are you on the bench tomorrow?' And he said, 'I am'.
"I said OK. He wasn't going to tell me, which was good.
"And then we had a joke, and he said, 'I've got a feeling I'm going to come on and kick the winning drop goal.'
"And it ended up happening. I'm not happy about the result, but he showed a bit of calmness there, and he's done that in the past and won games in clutch moments.
"Unfortunately we gave him that opportunity and in fairness, he was able to step up to the plate and deliver for them."
This isn't the first time Bryn Gatland has kicked his team to glory with a late drop goal. In 2012, he slotted a late drop goal to help Hamilton Boys' High School win the national secondary school championships against St Kentigern College from Auckland, while in 2016, the first five-eighth slotted a composed kick to help North Harbour beat Otago in the Mitre 10 Cup premiership, also at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
"Often those things come pretty late in the game, so once we got behind on the scoreboard by a drop goal margin, the plan was to get the ball back and get into an area where you win a penalty or land a drop goal," he said.
"It just happened to fall on our side. It was a wee bit wonky, a wee bit left to right and I was pretty lucky to get that over, and I was just happy to get on the field.
"The credit goes to the team on how they performed."
The younger Gatland was just pleased to be back on the field after suffering a nasty foot injury playing for the Highlanders against the Sunwolves in Tokyo last year. Gatland got his foot trapped, and according to coach Mark Hammett said he'd "broken at least two of the metatarsals, done his ligaments and displaced something".
The injury was so severe, Warren - who was living in Wales at the time - rushed back to New Zealand to assist in his recovery.
"That was my first long-term injury and my first training afterwards was actually on that field [in Tokyo], I just had a run around with the Welsh boys [at the Rugby World Cup]," he said.
"It's unfortunate for Josh to get that injury but sometimes you get that opportunity."
Gatland might be back in action when the Highlanders are back out on the field in two weeks against the Blues after Aaron Mauger said Ioane is in doubt for the trip to Auckland.
The Chiefs meanwhile face the Blues in Hamilton next weekend.
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