It had been 12 years since the Māori All Blacks had taken on a bonafide tier one test nation and they ensured it was worth the wait with their 32-17 win over Ireland at Hamilton on Wednesday.
Excluding their 2017 clash with the British and Irish Lions, they hadn't had an opportunity to square off with one of world rugby's heavyweights since their 2010 win over England at Napier.
They made up for lost time against the world No.4 ranked Irish, putting on a scintillating first-half of attacking rugby in difficult conditions to essentially kill off the contest by the interval.
Granted, the tourists were without their test starters - who were in cotton wool ahead of Saturday's opening test against the All Blacks.
But nevertheless, this was a classy victory which should rank among their best and go some way to ensuring the team get more opportunities against opponents of this calibre.
Head coach Clayton McMillan wouldn't get drawn into where this win ranks within a larger context, only to say it was a result of the players' desire to stamp their mark in the hallowed Māori jersey.
"That's for other people to decide," said McMillan.
"Our job is just to go out there and try to make people proud through the way that we play, and if we play well then we inspire the next generation to want to follow.
"We talk about trying to create deep footprints. The challenge for anyone that comes in is to leave their own deep ones, not ones that can be washed away in the first tide."
McMillan admitted he'd feared there may be some "stage fright" among his players taking on such vaunted opposition but those fears were quickly allayed in a first-half blitzkrieg.
Fullback Zarn Sullivan, wing Shaun Stevenson, and pivot Josh Ioane led the charge as they ran in four tries - among them a couple of all-time classics - on their way to a demoralising 32-10 halftime, defying the rain with some trademark Māori All Blacks rugby.
"We've been waiting for this opportunity to play a tier-one nation for a long time," McMillan said. "My biggest fear was that we would get stage fright on the big stage. And we didn't.
"We scored some great tries, and I've just got to applaud our guys for having the courage to play what we know here in New Zealand as Māori rugby – to give it a bit of air and express yourself.
"The boys just backed their instincts. Even though it was drizzly, we didn’t want to go into our shells and just get into a kick battle."
Ireland coach Andy Farrell credited his team with battling their way back into the contest in the second half but acknowledged they'd been comprehensively outplayed on the night.
"It could have been a landslide, the way the score was at halftime," said Farrell.
"The boys are disappointed… they feel that they could have given a better account of themselves, certainly in that first half.
"The Māori team 100 percent deservedly won that game. I thought the skillset was pretty good in that first half, as far as the conditions were concerned.
"But I'm proud of the boys, the way they came back."
The two sides will meet again at Wellington on July 12.
Join us at 7pm, Saturday for live updates of the first test between the All Blacks and Ireland
