David Latta is feeling equally pleased to have witnessed the end of a hoodoo - 56 years of Ranfurly Shield pain - that ended when Otago beat Waikato on Friday night.
''It's just ... I don't know. I'm just elated,'' Latta told the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
''It feels like we've put 56 years of demons to bed.''
The former long-serving Otago captain and hooker still lives in Balclutha but could not resist zipping up to Dunedin airport on Saturday to welcome the team home.
''It was such a proud moment. I talked to some of the boys and I don't think they fully grasped what they'd done.''
Latta, of course, is inextricably linked with Ranfurly Shield heartbreak.
The moment he was penalised at Lancaster Park in 1994, leading to a penalty that helped Canterbury retain the shield, has gone down in Otago rugby folklore.
''That's all part of the history of the shield. It's what makes the shield so special.
''It's not just 1994. We've been close so many times. How often have we been robbed at the death?''Latta took special pride in watching a fellow son of South Otago, Paul Grant, hoist the shield aloft in Hamilton.
He watched the game with Grant's father, Neville, in Balclutha.
''Neville was a very proud father. That was pretty humbling to see.
''I really enjoyed the game. I just thought we showed so much composure. We stuck to the plan right to the end and kept making tackles.
''Tactically, they were very astute, and they showed so much courage.''
Latta will be at Forsyth Barr Stadium for the first shield defence, against Hawkes Bay, and hopes to be part of a crowd of 20,000.
