It had been a long time coming, and some Blue Believers had almost given up hope.
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Since the beginning of Super Rugby in 1996, the NSW Waratahs - the oldest union in the competition - had never won the competition despite finishing runners up on two previous occassions
The first win by NSW, and only the fourth by an Australian team, was a gritty one with the Waratahs establishing an early lead before being caught and overtaken by the Crusaders.
Nearing the end of the match, which had show-cased expansive attacking rugby to the Super Rugby record crowd of 61,823, the Waratahs kicked to a slender 33-32 with only minutes on the clock.
Waratahs 32 (Ashley Cooper 2 tries, Foley conversion, Foley 7 penalty goals) defeated Crusaders 32 (Todd, Nadolo tries, Carter, Slade conversions, Slade 6 penalty goals).
