The ACT Brumbies have once again found a way home as they took down the Highlanders 14-10 in Dunedin.
Again, the visitors looked consigned to defeat but a match-turning yellow card provided all the opportunity for the Brumbies to strike.
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So what did we learn?
The Brumbies seriously got out of jail with the yellow card to Henry Bell but it was 100% the right call.
The Highlanders had them on the ropes on their line but the TMO intervention completely shifted the game after spotting Bell’s high shot on Nick Frost. In that situation, the onus is on the defender to drop their body height, with the hooker unfortunately paying the price.
Sometimes, that’s all that quality teams need and the Brumbies capitalised. It's become a staple of the Brumbies season, capitalising on any lapse from their opposition.
It came after the visitors were nearly blown off the park after a steep penalty count against them.
In tense games like this, it only adds value to players who can create something out of nothing, with the wingers for each side stepping up in the second half.
Corey Toole set the tempo with an impressive break from his own line, followed up by a 50-22.
But the Highlanders pair of Jona Nareki and Caleb Tangitau one-upped Toole, with Tangitau sparking the hosts with a break before Nareki crossed himself with a chip and chase.
It makes you appreciate players like this more, worth the price of admission every day of the week.
Luke Reimer may have his eyes on a starting role but his value as a finisher is too crucial at the moment.
The flanker is a constant energy bunny and sparked the Brumbies' win with his late charge-down. This forced scrum half Adam Lennox to throw into the lineout, easily pinched by the visitors.
It was fitting that the incoming Waratah was the man to cross the line, proving the hero once again after past quarter-final heroics.
Darcy Breen also solidified the scrum off the bench, whilst it was a welcome return for Lachlan Lonergan after his long absence with injury
For all the talk about Super Rugby being all attacking, this was a proper arm-wrestle under the roof in Dunedin.
There were 15 minutes before the first 22 entry for either side and a further eight-minute wait for the first points.
Ryan Lonergan eventually got the opening try, but it was another 30-minute wait for the Highlanders to respond.
The Highlanders made close to 100 tackles more than the Brumbies, but it was the work of the visitors late in both halves that proved decisive, keeping the hosts out.
With points at a premium, it put further pressure on the set-piece game, as both teams dominated their respective areas.
At scrum-time, it was all the Highlanders as they won two early penalties to continue their dominance to start the year.
But it meant little as the Brumbies were far more clinical at the lineout, pinching five turnovers in the first half and a crucial steal late at the game before Reimer's try.
