Coach Clayton McMillan has remained relatively stoic in the aftermath of each of his team's previous eight Super Rugby Pacific wins this season.
But after the Chiefs extended their streak to nine with their second win of the year over the defending champion Crusaders, even he can't suppress the faintest hint of a smile.
Any lingering second-guessing over the Chiefs' championship potential has been comprehensively put to rest with a 34-24 victory that McMillan says was founded on "grit and determination".
The Chiefs defence withstood repeated redzone raids from the southerners - who had three tries crossed off the scoreboard by the TMO - then countered at opportune moments, with some well-crafted scores to continue their undefeated run.
"We really had to grind that one," said McMillan. "We probably rode our luck a bit... got a couple of 'Get Out of Jail Free' cards in that first half, but we stayed in the fight.
"We came in at halftime up, probably against the run of play, but we scored in the moments we really needed to score tries… really happy."
Buoyed by their team's ongoing success, the Waikato fans flocked to FMG Stadium in their droves to create one of the most lively atmospheres since their glory years of 2012 and 2013, when they won consecutive titles.
Captain Sam Cane admits the 23,000-plus on hand played a significant part in propelling his team to victory, particularly during the more demanding moments, when they were camped on their line and forced to do a mountain of defending against their relentless opponents.
Looking across the stadium at the final whistle, Cane confesses the sheer joy emanating from the stands had him close to choking up.
"I didn't see it coming, but I almost got a bit emotional talking about the amount of people that came out to support us tonight," he said. "You just don't take it for granted, because it shows they're getting in behind us.
"They believe in what we're doing. I suppose, in a funny way, we've earned their trust and respect and belief, that they want to come out and support us.
"It makes a difference."
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson is almost as flabbergasted by the impact of the Chiefs faithful.
"Pretty hostile, wasn't it?" he said. "It was awesome... the old 'Tron', what a place.
"It's great, it's what Super Rugby needs."
With second-placed Brumbies falling to the Hurricanes on Friday, the result means the Chiefs are now eight points clear atop the standings.
With more mandatory All Blacks rest to come, McMillan notes the buffer will make his job much easier down the final stretch of the competition.
Only five rounds remain before the playoffs, with the Chiefs' run including a home clash with the Hurricanes and a trip to Canberra the following week for an intriguing top-of-table showdown with the Brumbies.
"What games you choose to do that in becomes a bit easier when you have that breathing space, but the season is far from over and I think this group is really well grounded," said McMillan. "We'll celebrate the win tonight.
"It was an important fixture for both teams and to be on the right side of the ledger is great."
On the other side of that ledger, Robertson was left almost bemused that his Crusaders' sustained assaults couldn't produce the points they needed to avenge their heavy defeat at Christchurch in the competition's opening round.
"We needed this game, but we just couldn't execute in a couple of moments," he said.
"We felt we put so much pressure on them. Those three disallowed tries... everything just added up.
"We played some great footy, some of the boys were exceptional. There's a lot of positive stuff, as long as we get bodies and enthusiasm and energy each week, and make sure we're doing that for finals footy, but remember the lessons from today."
The defeat drops the Crusaders to fifth in the standings, outside the all-important top four that will determine quarter-finals hosts.
They'll move on to host the Force at Christchurch on Saturday, while the Chiefs head south to take on the struggling Highlanders at Dunedin on Friday.
