Pakuranga's Riley Harrison broke the hearts of the defending champion High School Old Boys Light Bears in the National Club Cup Under 85kg final at Sky Stadium on Saturday.
His conversion from out wide of Francis Morrison's try, deep into injury time, made the score 23-22, ending a thrilling match that crowned the Black Panthers as the top weight grade side in the country.
It was the fifth time the competition had been held and the second time the final was a curtain-raiser for an All Black test.
Earlier, Harrison had nailed three shots at goal after Pakuranga were awarded a string of penalties. Their dominant set piece propelled them to the Auckland U85kg title and subsequent charge to the national final.
HSOB finally got their hands on the ball and into the game after a break by wing Tom Anderson, and while he couldn't get a pass away for what would've been a certain try, they kept themselves in the Pakuranga 22 for Ned Milne to eventually score under the posts. His side took a 13-9 lead into the halftime break.
By then, it had become clear both sides were keeping things tight and going to the boot often. Defence was extremely tight and chances were at a premium, with both sets of forwards' fitness levels tested immensely.
Taine Cordell-Hunt banged through a 40-metre penalty in the 49th minute to stretch HSOB's lead to 19-9.
But Pakuranga's lineout and scrum got them back into the game shortly after, when a drive first yielded a penalty and the subsequent scrum saw replacement loose forward Logan Kinnear take the ball off the back and crash over.
Riley Harrison of the Panthers kicks the winning conversion. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
The game looked likely to finish with a HSOB victory as they worked the ball into the Pakuranga half and camped out in the 22, then were awarded a penalty.
Crucially, it was Cordell-Hunt's only miss of the day, leaving the door open just enough for Pakuranga to mount their furious last assault on the line.
Around 30 phases later, Morrison crossed to give Harrison and Pakuranga their moment of glory.
Grade patron Sir Graham Henry said post-match the final was a "wonderful advertisement" for under 85kg rugby.
NZ Rugby was expected to confirm a schedule for New Zealand's first Under 85kg side in the coming weeks.