Underdogs Matatū have stunned defending champions Chiefs Manawa to claim the Super Rugby Aupiki crown 33-31 in a thrilling finish at Hamilton's FMG Stadium.
With time up on the clock and the southerners leading by two points, Chiefs were awarded a penalty in front of the posts and began celebrating, as sharpshooting fullback Tenika Willison lined up the kick from pointblank range.
Matatū players resigned themselves to their heartbreak, but dismay turned to unbridled joy, as Willison pushed her kick right of the uprights, gifting the spoils to the challengers.
The champions wasted no time signalling their intentions, dominating the opening exchanges to build a substantial lead. They regained the opening kickoff and took the ball across the tryline, only to have it stripped, as prop Tanya Kalounivale tried to force.
Matatū dropped out from their goal-line, but the Chiefs replicated that opening drive with their second possession and this time, Kalounivale was not to be denied.
Their second try saw halfback Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu dart around the back of an attacking lineout, breaking a couple of weak tackles on her way to the line.
Matatū forwards tried hard to compete with the peerless Chiefs forwards, who had bossed their opponents all season, and as the contest wore on, the southern pack did enough to hold their own and set a foundation for their attacking raids.
Kalounivale had her second try, when she took an offload from hooker Luka Connor and carried three tacklers a few metres to the line.
After a period of sustained pressure and trailing 19-0, Matatū finally responded with a try to prop Amy Rule and had another moments later, when centre Amy du Plessis broke the defence and found fullback Renee Holmes in support to score.
"We knew it was finals footy and momentum does change," said Matatū captain Alana Bremner.
Matatū seized the lead after a Holmes penalty and intercept try from winger Martha Mataele, who snatched the ball from midair inside her 22 and galloped 80 metres.
From an attacking scrum, Mererangi Paul ran an angle off her wing, slicing through the Matatū defence to give the Chiefs a 26-22 advantage at halftime.
Almost 20 minutes passed before Matatū pushed ahead, with du Plessis spinning through the defence from an attacking scrum and Holmes finishing in the corner. Holmes extended the lead with a pair of penalties, before the Chiefs came roaring back.
Connor rumbled over for a try in the dying moments, but Willison missed a difficult conversion that would have tied the scores and Matatū seemed to have escaped.
Chiefs had one last raid, as time ticked down and won a breakdown penalty in front. The rest, as they say, is history.
"Chiefs Manawa are an incredible side, with a pack that has been performing well above the others this whole season, so our pack knew we had to step up and we're proud to do that," said Bremner.
"We had to step up in the forwards, we weren't good enough last time. They have a drive and scored a lot of points off that this year, so we had to turn them around and take the momentum back where we could."
Victory was especially sweet for Bremner, whose sister Chelsea moved north to join Chiefs Manawa this season.
Matatū could not win a game during their maiden campaign and their only win in the 2023 regular season came against the Blues in their opener. They overcame the Blues again in the semis, but their final victory was just their third ever.
On the flipside, Chiefs Manawa suffered their first-ever defeat, as the title headed south.
Matatū 33 (Holmes 2 Rule & Mataele tries; Holmes 2 conversions & 3 penalties) Chiefs Manawa 31 (Kalounivale 2, Marino-Tauhinu, Paul & Connor tries; Willison 3 conversions)
