Super title for the fans
Highlanders captain Nasi Manu praised his team's work ethic and their fans after they lifted their first Super Rugby title in Wellington.
The Hurricanes launched a late fight back but Manu's men held out for a seven point victory thanks to earlier tries from Elliot Dixon and Waisake Naholo.
"I'm so proud of the boys and we always believed that we could win if we performed well on the day. I'm just really proud of the boys and what a way to end the Super Rugby.
"We just play as a team. We're a champion team and to come away with a result. We want to say a big thank you to all our supporters who managed to get to the game. They have been awesome for us the whole year and we're just glad we could get the win for them," Manu said.
Dixon, whose try gave his side an eight-point lead going into the half-time break, put in a stellar performance and spoke of the lengthy review from the TMO.
The flank forced his way over and seemed to have placed the ball on Nehe Milner-Skudder's boot and the ground before losing control of the ball.
"I thought I got the boot and the ground at the same time so I don't know. A couple haven't gone my way this year so I thought I was probably going to get no good from the TMO but I was pretty happy when it went over," he said.
The Highlanders beat the Chiefs in the play-off match before traveling to Sydney for a win over the Waratahs, and Dixon said the belief had not faltered throughout the knock-out stages of the tournament.
"I think [head coach] Jamie Joseph said three weeks ago that people don't stumble upon quarterfinals or semifinals but I think we did our work in the pre-season.
"We knew deep down we're a championship-winning team. We just didn't get the support that we thought we should have earned and I think we showed everyone tonight that we could do it.
"I think that Waratahs game – some people called it boring rugby, but it was just tactics and we knew that was how we had to win. We came here with a never-say-die attitude," he added.
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