The Blues and Crusaders first met at the iconic Eden Park for a Super Rugby final was 1998 - a match that has since gone down in competition folklore.
In the final minute of regulation time, wing James Kerr pounced on an awkwardly bouncing kick from Andrew Mehrtens to break the deadlock, as the Crusaders secured the first of 10 Super Rugby titles and sent the parochial crowd into a stunned silence.
Although part of the squad, Crusaders stalwart-turned Blues head coach Leon MacDonald wasn't on the field that day, but remembers the emotion of the moment well and expects the same degree of tension come Saturday, when the two rivals reunite for the Super Rugby Pacific final.
"That was a huge game," MacDonald recalled. "That dramatic finish at the end with James Kerr scoring the try and the crowds were just chocka.
"It's going to be a lot like that… there's going to be drama on the weekend, there's no doubt about it .
"Two very good teams and it's going to be something that splits them, and whether it's a play like that or a moment, our job is to make sure that, when that moment happens, we're the ones that grab it."
This time around, MacDonald will hope the outcome is more reflective of the 2003 final, when the Blues prevailed 21-17 on home soil.
This weekend promises to match those showpieces, with the first allotment of 35,000 tickets flying out the door within a matter of a few hours on Monday, as locals clammer to ensure they're on hand, when the Blues strive for back-to-back Super Rugby titles.
Undoubtedly the two best teams in the competition, the contest promises to be a fitting swansong for the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific variation of the long-standing competition.
"It's massive for us," said MacDonald, envisioning a soldout Eden Park. "It's going to be an amazing atmosphere and it's going to be a great game.
"You've got two good teams that want to use the ball and have a lot of firepower across the park. If the weather plays its part and we're able to get a dry enough ball to use, I think both teams are going to have a crack."
The Blues may well have gone through their entire campaign unbeaten, if not for a baffling late lapse that saw the Hurricanes reel off 18 straight points in the final 10 minutes to steal victory in their season-opener.
The Crusaders have hit a few more judder bars, most notably in week 10 loss to the Waratahs at Sydney, but that defeat seemed to ignite a spark within the team, which have since reeled off six consecutive wins to clinch their place in yet another final.
You only need to look back to the week eight clash between the Blues and Crusaders for proof of what this weekend may bring, when the Blues prevailed at Christchurch in the clearcut best game of the season.
MacDonald says the way the team has improved week-by-week - and, particularly, that night down south - has instilled an unwavering belief among his players.
"We take confidence in what we've done throughout the year," he said. "We don't expect to do anything that we haven't done already this year, as a group.
"We've shown, at times, we can be really dogged on defence, and we've got a lot of heart there and can be physical. On attack, when we get things right, we're hard to contain.
"We've been down there and we were able to beat them at home, and we've got a big crowd behind us now at home, so that gives us confidence as well."
On a personal level, victory on Saturday would be the crowning achievement in MacDonald's tenure with the Blues.
Taking the reins from Tana Umaga in 2019, MacDonald has transformed the perennial underachievers into the kind of consistent force they were in the late '90s, breaking their title drought with their Super Rugby Trans-Tasman triumph last year.
But there's a different sense about this one. MacDonald hasn't had to stray far from home to be reminded how much this one would mean to the local fanbase, who've endured more downs than ups over the last 19 years.
"There's a lot of hype around town everywhere you go," he said. "Every time you're walking down the street, there's somebody wishing you well, which is awesome.
"We're just embracing it and enjoying it. It's our last week together as a group, last training run today and we're trying to enjoy this week as much as we can.
"Getting to find your place, I suppose, in a new city and with a new team always takes a bit of time, but I feel a big connection with this group now, and we've just evolved as a coaching group and a playing group
"Now we're in a place where we're feeling really comfortable with what we're doing - on the grass and off it."
Join us at 7pm Saturday for live updates of the Blues v Crusaders Super Rugby Pacific final
