Ten years on from the Waratahs first and only Super Rugby title, they took on the Crusaders yet again, this time under far different circumstances. But similar to 2014, it was a Waratahs fly-half who kicked his side to a dramatic 43-40 win with the championship winning team watching on from the stands.
It was Bernard Foley who wrote his name into the Waratahs history books when he booted a 42-metre penalty goal to secure the Tahs Super XV victory over the Crusaders all those years ago. On Friday night it was young Will Harrison, a player who's spent two years on the sideline, who not only kicked the penalty goal to send the most enthralling match of the season to golden point, but who would slot the drop goal from in front to break Crusaders hearts yet again and finally -- finally -- end his side's string of heartbreaking losses in 2024.
Touted as the 2014 grand final rematch, it was poetic that the match would not only go down to the wire, but that it would be determined by the boot of a player who was inspired by Foley's actions a decade earlier.
Just 14-years-old when Foley kicked the Tahs to their famous 33-32 win at Stadium Australia, Harrison was watching from home, unable to find a ticket to the game, and never dreaming he'd be in a similar situation.
"It's not quite a grand final, but yeah, I don't think so," Harrison said when asked if he ever thought he'd replicate Foley's kick to win the 2014 final. "I don't think you're gonna put yourself in that position, but you always dream of it.
"I dreamed of playing for the Waratahs and then you know to be there and a golden point and to kick a field goal, that's another thing in itself. It's definitely special and it's a highlight of my career so far, but now they I've had the taste I want to keep chasing those moments again because it's a bloody sick feeling.
"There was a bit of confusion [before the drop goal]. [Jack] Grant was trying to set up left post but for a right foot, I wanted to get it right post, so we just had to stay calm there and just work around.
"I don't even know, but apparently, we ended up having advantage, so it was a free shot anyway, but to nail it was my first ever droppy. You always want one and to come up with that in the 83rd minute of the Tahs versus Crusaders at Allianz Stadium, yeah, it's pretty special."
It's been a long two years back to the pitch for the 24-year-old, who suffered a horrific knee injury in the Waratahs loss to the Chiefs at Super Round in 2022, before he injured his knee again last year in a Shute Shield match. It's this grueling journey Harrison credits for preparing him for this clutch moment.
"I've always prided myself on trying to be the hardest worker in the room. I love practicing my craft. I love kicking, I've always loved kicking, to be honest with you, if you ask my parents, I probably skipped a bit of homework to get down to Kensington Oval pretty early as a young fella to kick till the lights were out.
"It's like anything, right, the more you practice, the better you're going to get and the more confident you're going to be so to have a moment like that, you know I was pretty calm. I surprised myself. In the past I feel like I've had those nerves creep into me, but I think a lot of it's got to do with what I've been through the last couple of years. I've been in pretty tough situations, uncomfortable situations and to get through that, I think I'm reaping the rewards of that right now."
Unlike 2014, where the Tahs sat top of the table with 12 wins and the Crusaders second with 11, the Waratahs entered the fixture on a five-game losing streak and sitting 10th on the Super Rugby Pacific table, while the Crusaders sat one place behind with just the one win for the year and looking nothing like the franchise that earned seven back-to-back titles.
There was little confidence the Tahs would bring much of a fight on Friday after they were dismantled by the Brumbies last week and were struck again on the injury front with Angus Bell ruled out for the remainder of the season, but for the first time since Round 2, they rose to the occasion, showed cohesion in attack and starch in defence and came home with a fitting victory.
The clash wasn't without it's ugly moments from the Tahs though, after they conceded a try in just the first minute from a poor collection at the kick-off, with their restarts proving a trouble area yet again, while Sevu Reece was a one-man wrecking ball for the Crusaders, punching through the most minuscule of gaps and shutting down several Tahs' try scoring opportunities.
But for the 12,894 fans that stuck behind their team -- a far cry from the 61,800 who broke the Super Rugby final record 10 years earlier -- they were treated to one of the Waratahs most entertaining matches since they downed the Crusaders in Super Round earlier this year.
Hitting back quickly, the Tahs saw Lachie Swinton over the line in just the fourth minute off the back of a beautiful backline move created from a Lalakai Foketi cutting unders line. It was just the start of what would be 13 lead changes in a match that saw neither side able to grab the ascendency, with Reece and Riley Hohepa leading the charge for the Crusaders and Harrison, Foketi and Max Jorgensen producing moments of magic for the Waratahs.
There were passages of brilliance from Tahs reminiscent of 10 years ago. A Ned Hanigan, Langi Gleeson, to Jake Gordon off-load combination in the 17th minute that took them metres from the line; Jorgensen collecting a one-hand pick up down the sideline, offloading to Harrison and then to Foketi to eventually lead to a Dylan Pietsch try; and young hooker Julian Heaven charging his way to the tryline in the 71st minute to what looked like certain victory.
The Crusaders managed to claw the lead back with just a minute left on the clock and all looked lost yet again for under fire coach Darren Coleman and his men, but determination shown through as they managed to disrupt the men in red and black at the restart and set themselves up for a barnstorming finish led by Harrison.
Harrison's inclusion from the 57th minute changed the game for the Tahs and was a mastermind moment from Coleman with the Crusaders beginning to take control of the match and fly-half Tane Edmed unable to give the side the direction that was needed. With just a few touches, Harrison had the Tahs back on the front foot and quickly barreling down the field.
His kicking game was astute, pinning the Crusaders back on several occasions, while his vision and ball handling was on point, having his hands in two of the side's final tries before his magic with the boot sealed the win.
In front of the champions of a decade ago, and former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Harrison put down a strong case to see himself elevated to the starting fly-half role, while no doubt capturing Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt's attention. But for now, he'll be celebrating this moment, alongside his teammates and several Waratahs greats, for at least a few more hours.
"Jesus, it's crazy, to be honest," Harrison said when asked about the celebrations. "It's just a different feeling like being in the sheds the last couple of weeks has almost been a bit of funeral, you know, like boys are really, really hurting and, to have some tunes blasting, the 2014 team, having a few Coopers cans with them, singing the team song. It's special and I think we got to keep chasing that feeling."