''It was the best thing that happened to us as a team,'' captain Charlie O'Connell said.
''It made us really appreciate what it's like to win it. It's something we have learnt from. We know both sides of the equation, win or lose. I enjoy winning more.''
Making the final and playing at Forsyth Barr Stadium is special to captain Sam Sturgess and his University A team.
''We can win the final. Taieri have had a good season but we just need the self-belief,'' Sturgess said.
The students gained confidence from their second-half comeback in the semifinal against Southern,''We always knew we could do it,'' Sturgess said.
''It was just about momentum for us. Halftime came at the wrong time for Southern. The break completely broke their momentum and gave us the opportunity to re-think and get back in the game.''
It is the fourth time O'Connell (27), a Speight's Breweries sales representative, has captained Taieri to the club final.
Taieri beat Harbour in 2011 and Dunedin in 2012, and lost to Dunedin last year.
''I don't think it gets any easier,'' O'Connell said.
''There is still the same excitement and anxiousness that there was in 2011. It's a pretty cool feeling.''
The Taieri team knows what to expect. There is a lot of experience in the squad, with players in the team since Taieri came back into premier rugby in 2009, after eight years in the wilderness.
''That is a big plus for us,'' O'Connell said.
''But it's never over until the final whistle. Everything you've achieved to this point goes out the window. Varsity is an 80-minute team and will keep attacking until the final whistle. We know that no lead is big enough.''
Taieri looked safe at halftime in last year's final but Dunedin came back strongly in the second spell to win the banner.
''It's something we are aware of,'' O'Connell said.
''At the back end of the season, our performances have been a lot more consistent. We need a perfect performance on Saturday. It's going to take a team effort and for everyone to be 100% committed to it.''
Sturgess (23), a technical field officer for Farmlands, has filled the hooking berth in the University A team since 2011 and has made two semifinals.
''It was a rebuilding period when I first came into the team after we won the banner in 2010,'' Sturgess said.
''We had a couple of hiccups in the semifinals in the last couple of years. It is awesome to be in the final this year.''
The students have made a remarkable resurgence since they sat at ninth spot after five games.
''We were always a good side. We just needed to get the boys to believe and buy into the systems we have.
''We have got intricate systems and a pretty wide play book and it is just a matter of learning it. It has come right at the end of the season.''
Sturgess was a member of the Waitaki Boys' High School First XV that finished runner-up to Southland Boys' High School in the inaugural Highlanders First XV competition in 2009. He is now based in Oamaru.
Dunedin club final: The facts
Where: Forsyth Barr Stadium.
When: Today, 2.30pm.
Referee: James Doleman.
Banners: University A 49, Taieri 3.
University A: Sam Aitken, Gavin Stark, Faasiu Fuatai, Fletcher Smith, Matt Faddes, Stephen Fenemor, Nick Annear, Sione Teu, Jack Wolfreys, Nick O'Connell, Josh Dickson, Alex Grogan, Tama Tuirirangi, Sam Sturgess (captain), Angus Williams. Reserves: Liam Privett, Barnaby Weir, Hamish Walker, Dillon Hunt, Wai Koia, Harry Corkill, Kieran Parker. Coach: John Hyde.
Taieri: Kori Rupene, Dwayne Burrows, Kieran Moffat, Michael Collins, Shannon Young, Hayden Parker, Kurt Hammer, Charlie O'Connell, James Lentjes, Willis Scott, Kurt Webster, Mike McKee, Aki Seuli, Henry Parker, Nick McLennan. Reserves: Karl Still, Jarrod Graham, Matt Davidson, Brodie Hume, Will Cosgriff, Alex Fitzgerald or Josh Casey, Kurt Schrader. Coach: Jason Macdonald.
