Otago can still reflect on a wonderful season but they will not get to do it while gazing adoringly at the NPC trophy.
They won the Ranfurly Shield, they brought the buzz back to provincial rugby, and they unleashed a handful of new young stars.
Unfortunately, Canterbury proved just too strong at the final hurdle.
Otago were good value for some of the NPC final at a sold-out Apollo Projects Stadium in Christchurch this afternoon.
Canterbury, however, were better at crucial moments, showed all their defensive stoutness and dominated the second half to win 36-28.
It was a first NPC title in eight years for the Cantabs, and made it a double to go with the Crusaders’ Super Rugby victory earlier this season.
Otago had led 14-10 at halftime but there was a sneaking suspicion they had not done enough with the wind behind them.
Canterbury looked set to erase the halftime deficit immediately but Otago’s turnover king, Jona Nareki, shut them down.
Canterbury looked set for another dangerous foray when that man Nareki again came up with a big ball-pinching play, running back on the perfect angle to snatch an intercept.
Then came a classic example of why Canterbury, curse them, are so hard to beat.
They held on to the ball, ground away at the line with relentless forward rumbles, and eventually dished the ball wide for Braydon Ennor to score.
Chay Fihaki’s second conversion made it 24-14 to the home side, a handy but far from insurmountable advantage.
Otago botched another lineout – theirs was the best set piece in the NPC this season – and struggled to get out of their own half.
Canterbury made them pay for that.
Quick ball was spread to Mataele, who beat one defender and dished to first five Andrew Knewstubb.
He then passed inside to halfback Louis Chapman, playing his 50th game, for what appeared to be the dagger try.
Otago did not get that memo.
Reserve midfielder Josh Whaanga made the break of his life and, from the subsequent breakdown, Dylan Pledger set up substitute prop Ben Lopas for a crucial try.
Cameron Millar’s conversion made it 31-21 to Canterbury with 16 minutes to play.
Anything was possible but Otago really needed to score next.
The tension was nearly unbearable as Canterbury launched another long attack, only to be met with some withering Otago defence.
Heart, courage, commitment – everything was on full display at this stage of the season.
And then Otago’s season was effectively sealed.
It was sealed by some bloke called Gus Brown, a reserve prop who chose this moment to score his first try for the red and blacks.
A 15-point lead with nine minutes to play was commanding for Canterbury.
Too commanding, as it turned out.
Nareki scored a consolation try, and Finn Hurley kicked a lovely consolation conversion.
But it is doubtful many Otago fans could be immediately consoled.
Earlier, Otago had capitalised on their first attacking foray of the game.
A clean lineout was followed by a series of daring offloads and a classic Pledger dart then a Thomas Umaga-Jensen smash that carried the centre over for the first try.
The 7-0 advantage lasted just a couple of minutes.
Canterbury lock Jamie Hannah found a gap in the defence wider than the Rakaia River and stormed 40m upfield.
A few phases later, second five Dallas McLeod staged an acrobatic leap over a ruck to score right in the corner.
The game was being played at a frantic place but also with plenty of physicality.
Otago showed plenty of patience as they worked their way back, at one stage holding on the ball for 25 phases.
Their dominance led to a series of penalty advantages and an attacking scrum.
Christian Lio-Willie went close before loose forward team-mate Lucas Casey caught the defence napping and scored Otago’s second try under the posts.
That was a quarter of the game gone – and it had been breathless. Sunny afternoon rugby at its best.
A Millar kick got away on him in the breeze, allowing Canterbury to get back on attack, and they duly ground out a second try through hooker Brodie McAlister.
Fihaki missed a second conversion – the wind and the angle did him no favours, to be fair – leaving Otago holding a 14-10 lead.
Canterbury knocked on, Otago knocked on, and there were signs a couple of big-game nerves had crept on to the field.
Either that or the sheer tempo of the first stages of the game had taken a toll.
You sensed the final 10 minutes of the half would be crucial.
Otago were looking good but, given they had the wind, they dearly wanted more points to take into the break.
Likewise, Canterbury would have been massively boosted had they levelled the scores or even taken a slightly unwarranted lead.
Otago won a couple of handy scrum penalties and got an attacking lineout with three minutes left in the half.
But a late knock on from golden boy Pledger, after a ball that came flying out of a ruck, gave Canterbury a chance to close out the first half.
NPC final
The scores
Canterbury 36
Dallas McLeod, Brodie McAlister, Manasa Mataele, Braydon Ennor, Louis Chapman, Gus Brown tries; Chay Fihaki 3 con
Otago 28
Thomas Umaga-Jensen, Lucas Casey, Ben Lopas, Jona Nareki tries; Cameron Millar 3 con, Finn Hurley con
Halftime: Otago 14-10.
