The Hurricanes have been left to rue what might have been, after captain Ardie Savea was denied what he believed was the matchwinning try in the Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final against the Brumbies at Canberra.
With time expired and after a sustained assault on the Brumbies tryline, Savea burrowed over the chalk inside the right post and emerged celebrating a try that would have sent his side into the semis.
The try was sent upstairs for review, but the TV official deemed there was insufficient evidence to overturn referee Nic Berry's onfield decision of 'no try', sparking scenes of celebration for the Brumbies and dropping crestfallen Hurricanes players to their knees.
The emotion was written all over Savea's face in the immediate postmatch interview, as he remained adamant he'd grounded the ball successfully.
"I scored it... initially, I scored it and then he held me up, but it is what it is," he told Australia's Stan Sport.
"It came down to that last play and as much as I disagree, that's just the way footy is - sometimes it doesn't go your way and sometimes it does, just got to live with it."
Heading to Japan on a one-year sabbatical after the upcoming World Cup, Savea choked up with tears, as he reflected on a brutal end to the season with his beloved 'Canes.
"I'm gutted, but honestly, brother, I'm just truly grateful and blessed to be here, and play this game for my club and my team."
The Wellingtonian doubled down on his comments at the postmatch press conference, insisting he'd scored the gamewinning try.
"I said it, 100 percent [I scored it]," he insisted. "I can sit here and argue, but it's done now.
"It's one of those things. Just gutted, bloody gutted.
"It all came down to a moment and that moment didn't go our way. I feel for the boys who have played their last game for the team.
"It's heartbreaking, mate, but you just have to live with it."
All Blacks-bound head coach Jason Holland rode a similar rollercoaster of emotions in his final match in charge of the Hurricanes. He stopped short of claiming the officials had got their ruling wrong, but he clearly sided with his skipper.
"I suppose you just bite your tongue, when the journalists ask you questions straight after the game," said Holland.
"There’s nothing much to be said. [Savea] has said he scored the try, but we’ve got to be able to control what we can control."
The Hurricanes may have been able to steal the match just a moment before Savea's effort, when Jordie Barrett chose to ignore an unmarked Bailyn Sullivan in support, tucking the ball and running it himself, only to be pulled down short of the line.
"We could have scored a couple of other times in that game with opportunities we created and we weren't quite accurate enough," Holland added.
Savea's effort would've put the icing on a remarkable comeback by the Hurricanes. After trailing 25-16 at halftime, Savea opened the second stanza with a try, followed by a brilliant 60m score by flanker Devan Flanders.
With less than nine minutes to play, Brumbies fullback Tom Wright dotted down in the corner to edge his side back in front.
"I thought, when we went ahead, we’d taken the wind out of the Brumbies a little bit," said Holland. "They were putting us under massive pressure with their carry, but we put a stop to that in the second half and I thought we were getting on top."
Instead, the Canberrans ended the Hurricanes' campaign for a second straight season.
They will move on to face the Chiefs at Hamilton in the second semi-final next Saturday. The Crusaders host the Blues in the first semi-final on Friday.
Join Newshub at 7pm Saturday for live updates of the Chiefs v Brumbies Super Rugby Pacific semi-final
