It was ugly, gritty and threatened to boil over on several occasions, but the Waratahs scraped home against a desperate Western Force in Perth - and Dan McKellar chalks it down to the 'excellent attitude' of his side following their loss to the Crusaders.
The match marks the first time the Waratahs had departed Perth with a victory in three years, and now sees them sitting just two points outside the top six - with the match against the Blues next week a potential sudden death clash for the last finals spot.
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McKellar didn't hide how big a win it was in the context of his time at the Waratahs - and for their finals hopes.
"It's massive," McKellar admitted to reporters after the match.
"We've had a rough few weeks and you feel for the players. Reviews are always honest and they have to be, because we want to get better. But their attitude has been excellent and we've bounced back.
"Tonight we can have a couple of quiet beers and celebrate a good win.
"I'm sure it wasn't pretty. It won't down as a classic, but it's four points in the bank and we stay alive."
The Waratahs had to do it the hard way, losing Taniela Tupou to the bin early in the second half - however McKellar lauded his side's defense and composure, especially winger Tristan Reilly, as the game threatened to boil over on several occasions.
"There's a fair few former Tahs and former blokes that [we'd] played with and against," Hugh Sinclair added in post-match.
"I think everyone knows each other pretty well. I don't think there was too much in it. Both teams trying to win, desperately wanting to win.
"It was all good fun.
"[We] didn't let them get away. [We] kept them out of our end and eventually managed to tie it up. Probably could have done a little bit earlier, but we'll take it."
"I thought our defense in our D zone was excellent tonight, even when they scored that first try in the corner," McKellar added.
"It was really good signs. What we did through the middle of the field allowed our edges to get nice and high, Tristan Reilly benefited off the back of that a couple of times with obviously an intercept try and then a couple of turnovers via intercept as well.
"Against the Force, they challenge you in and around the breakdown and come hard in that area. You've got to be really accurate with your carry and your clean and they put us under pressure there at times, and made attacking tough.
"Then obviously the rain on top of it didn't make it any easier either.
"It's just part of our system. If we get good spacing and speed to set in and around that, that allows our edges to get up nice and high.
"If we don't, like we did last week, then it puts them under pressure. I thought Tristan, he's been excellent all year in terms of his defensive positioning."
McKellar was up and about following the golden point period, not only commending the efforts of Darby Lancaster, but also his finishers.
"Watching it live I thought he'd scored it. I was surprised it went up as a no-try," McKellar admitted.
"I was pleased that I think it was Brett Cronan who got the decision right.
"In the end I thought we were really calm in that five minute break there, that was the messaging that I was getting from Tom Carter.
"I thought Teddy Wilson and Jack Bowen really stood up and guided us around the park. A little line break from Jamie Adamson, which put us in the right area of the field, and Darby once again showed that he's got some pretty special finishing qualities."
The Waratahs will fly back to Sydney on Sunday, and have a lot of travel and work to focus on for their final match of the season.
Bar a Moana Pasifika win over the Hurricanes in Wellington, the Eden Park clash between the Blues and Waratahs will likely be a sudden death clash for the last finals spot, with the hosts coming off a bye in Round 15.
The Waratahs have not defeated the Auckland franchise since 2015, with the defending champions currently holding a ten-match winning streak over their Sydney counterparts.
Even worse, the Waratahs have not tasted victory at Eden Park since 2009.
However, after breaking a similar hoodoo earlier this year against the Brumbies, McKellar believes with effective use of their recovery time, the Waratahs can pull off a surprise win.
"We'll have a pretty light week," McKellar said of plans for their next match.
"It's a long trip over here. We'll make sure that we have a big focus on recovery and you've just got to go over there and be tactically really smart with how you play.
"They're a quality side and they've got threats across the park. if you want to try and beat them at their game, you'll come second best.
"We've got to be smart about how we approach it as a coaching group, to give the boys the best chance to go over there and achieve something pretty special."
