The Maori All Blacks were a credit to their rugby culture, and so were the Leicester Tigers.
A bright, crisp match ebbed and flowed, the tries were well crafted, the hits were as intense as any Premiership weekend, the crowd played its full part.
And what about that Haka?
Spectacular, spine-tingling, simply awesome.
It’s not as if we haven’t all seen the Haka a hundred times. It's not like the amateur era when TV caught up with the All Blacks once in a blue moon and their Haka always ended with the leap in the air, arms outstretched, legs bent.
With a virtually never-ending season, summer tours and autumn internationals, we see the Haka (or technically ‘a’ Haka) up to 10 or 12 times a year.
But just because you know Santa brings toys at Christmas it still wouldn’t calm your excitement if you actually bumped into him on the stairs halfway through a mince pie and a sherry in the early hours.
The Haka coming to town was always going to be special. But did we all honestly think it would be THAT special?
Dozens of video clips already exist of Tuesday's showpiece, the Leicester Tigers website version is filmed from right in front of the Maori, and The Tig’s spine still tingles with every look.
In every clip you can hear a murmur of excitement in the Welford Road crowd as the Maori go into a huddle. Then there is a Maori shout and the stadium is wrapped in an epic silence.
No chanting, no singing, just total respect and anticipation.
Somehow the stadium became even quieter than the usual silence for a goal-kicker. Sounds silly, but somehow that is exactly how it felt. You didn’t just ‘hear’ the silence, you really could actually ‘feel’ it.
The choreography was amazing, the timing impeccable, the message totally understood.
A momentary cheer as the Maori paused, then silence as they continued, and a mighty round of applause all round as they finished.
Only the event hadn’t totally finished because as the Maori turned away, fully pumped and inspired, the Tigers line-up stood motionless on halfway.
Make no mistake, the challenge had been accepted. What an amazing start to the evening.
And what an amazing finish, with a well-earned, hard-fought, utterly memorable triumph to treasure for a long, long time.
Thanks Maori All Blacks. Thanks Tigers.
