Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd has praised his side's character and composure after they qualified for the Investec Super Rugby playoffs with a come from behind 28-17 win over the Waratahs in Sydney.
The win means the Hurricanes have secured one of the Australasian Conference's three wildcard spots in the playoffs with a week of the regular season to spare.
Boyd's side will now reset their focus on beating the Crusaders in Christchurch next Saturday and the possibility of winning the New Zealand Conference and gaining a home quarterfinal at Westpac Stadium.
But first the Hurricanes will take a moment to reflect on a gutsy win over the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium, their first win in Sydney since 2012.
"It's a tough place to win, especially when both sides have so much to play for," Boyd said after the match. "I was particularly pleased with how we ground the victory out."
The Hurricanes led by just one point at halftime and, after losing Willis Halaholo to the sinbin, fell behind 17-11 shortly after the break when Israel Folau produced a brilliant solo try.
"The biggest positive was we started losing momentum just before halftime, then had the worst possible start to the second half when they scored again, but we had the ability to refocus, show composure, start building phases, and ultimately score down the other end and get the scoreboard ticking over again," Boyd said.
Beauden Barrett continued his rich vein of form with a try, three penalties and two conversions for a personal tally of 18 points, while wings Cory Jane and Julian Savea bagged the Hurricanes other tries.
Boyd was most pleased with his forwards who stood up to a huge Waratahs pack in tricky wet conditions.
"The Waratahs try to beat us up and dominate us physically. After halftime they went into that direct combat mode and we stood up to that. Our plan as to absorb that pressure then move it around and that was successful.
"When a team comes to bully you physically you can stand up or wilt. We made a collective decision not to wilt... It was one of our two or three best efforts this year."
The win extended the Hurricanes regular season record for 2016 to 10 wins and four losses, and came a year after the Waratahs pack had out-muscled them on their home track.
Boyd's only injury concerns after the match were a cut ear and possible concussion to prop Chris Eves and a hamstring strain to centre Matt Proctor, who came off early in the match and was replaced by Ngani Laumape.
Barrett opened the scoring with two early penalties before scoring himself when he chased a well weighted Jane chip kick to put his side out to an 11-0 lead after 20 minutes.
The Waratahs responded when big wing Taqele Naiyaravoro powered over close to the line and when Halaholo was yellow carded for a high tackle, the home side grabbed three points on the stroke of halftime to make it a one point match at the break.
Folau produced some magic to score himself after the resumption and suddenly the Hurricanes had leaked 17 unanswered points.
This was where the team's character kicked in. Barrett and halfback TJ Perenara expertly marshalled the team, working them into position and getting the ball into the hands of the right people at the right time.
Jane scored first after Eves had busted the line and off loaded to lock Michael Fatialofa, then Julian Savea showed a clean pair of heels to scoot in for a healthy 28-17 lead with 20 minutes to play.
The final quarter saw the Hurricanes produce a gritty collective defensive effort that frustrated the Waratahs attack all the way to fulltime.
Scorers:
Hurricanes 28 (Beauden Barrett, Cory Jane, Julian Savea tries, Barrett 3 pen, 2 con) Waratahs 17 (Taqele Naiyaravoro, Israel Folau tries, Bernard Foley 2 con, pen). HT: 11-10.