Andrew Mehrtens may have played a crucial part in lifting the Ranfurly Shield off Bay of Plenty, but even he could see the rewards that had been reaped in its short three-week tenure there.
It was the All Black first-five's third successful challenge, coming in his 100th match for Canterbury andhe celebrated with an 18-point haul from four penalties and three conversions.
But there was a tinge of sadness and genuine reflection on having to take the shield away from such worthy holders.
"I said that wasn't the case during the week because you can't really afford to concentrate on any other thoughts during the week other than preparing to win, and that's what we did.
"But I love the history of the game and I love the history of the Shield and, while I love it being in Canterbury, I don't want to see it in two or three provinces continuously," Mehrtens said.
"We'll certainly respect the Shield. When we came on the bus to the ground, obviously we were determined to win, but I thought then if we did win it would be a bit of a shame for the Bay, because it was obviously great for the region and they all turned out having a great occasion today."
Mehrtens believed the first 15 minutes after halftime, when he kicked a penalty and converted Justin Marshall's try, were the winning of the game for his side, despite the Steamers' comeback.
"To go to 26 points was the big one for us -- at that point without relaxing, we were able to ease up a bit and we were able to enjoy the occasion a little bit more thinking we were a bit more in control. That was the crucial bit for us."
Canterbury skipper Sam Broomhall was also in the side which beat Waikato in 2000 but it was a special occasion to lead a side to Shield victory.
"We knew it was going to take a special effort to lift it and that's what it took," Broomhall said. "We really had to be on top of our game to beat them."
