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Coach Jake White celebrates the win with Brumbies halfback Nic White. Picture: Themba Hadebe Source: Themba Hadebe / Getty Images
TEARS welled in the eyes of Jake White - standing on the Loftus Versfeld turf, 68km from where he was born 50 years ago, now the engineer of a two-year doghouse to penthouse story.
The Brumbies are in the Super Rugby grand final - from third-last in 2011 - having won a last-minute semi-final thriller 26-23 against the Bulls early Sunday morning (AEST).
White, the puppeteer of this fairytale, is a master strategist and planner, but the tears behind his black-rimmed spectacles revealed so much more to his golden touch.
The emotion, the raw human feeling we so rarely see, spilled over at this latest milestone: the Brumbies became the first team in history to win an away finals match against the Bulls.
More historical barriers await them on Saturday in Hamilton, where defending champions the Chiefs are favoured to go back-to-back.
No foreign team has won a grand final in New Zealand, no team has flown to South Africa and back to claim the premiership, and only the 1999 Crusaders have won the title finishing out of the top two (the Brumbies finished third).
"It's going to be an uphill battle that has never been done before," White said. "But there are a lot of things that haven't been done by teams before and the Brumbies have done them week in, week out."
As he hugged his winger George Speight in the aftermath of the Pretoria revolt, White's hearty outpouring belied his stern, calculated aura.
This isn't about making plans on paper come to life. It is about a journey that a group of young men who have overcome personal tragedy and professional rejection are undertaking to etch their names in history, and White is riding every bump.
White boldly predicted the path to glory three weeks ago, saying he had formulated plans on how to beat the Cheetahs at home, fly to Pretoria to beat the Bulls, and win the championship in Hamilton. He believes, and his players unwaveringly buy in with every chip in their pot.
If you want to win in Pretoria, the last scenario you would hope to confront is having to score a try in the last minute.With the Brumbies facing this predicament, they conjured what White describes as the greatest victory in their history.
"I spoke to George Smith and he said he has never experienced anything like that in his life," White said. "We defended and defended and the law of averages told us we were going to get out of our half and have one crack at getting the win. And then it happened."
It wasn't in the fashion of their glitzy predecessors who won titles in 2001 and 2004, but the Brumbies showed similar resolve and disposition.
The breathtaking expanse of Gregan, Larkham, Roff and co has been replaced by the industry of Mowen, Kimlin and Moore.
The Bulls didn't hit the lead until the 60th minute, but after the Brumbies had led 16-11 at half-time and then 19-14 in the 48th all the momentum swung to the home team.
Winger Clyde Rathbone and man-of-the-match Smith are the only players from the 2004 victory still in the team.
Having been replaced, Rathbone was on the sidelines observing the final quarter as the Bulls were storming home with a 20-19 lead.
"It's a crucial next 15 minutes for us," Rathbone said. "Every game against the Bulls is tough but especially a semi-final. It has a Test feel to it.
"We've just got to back our D now and make sure we don't give away any penalties."
They did, but the Bulls descended into madness.
Having earned two kickable penalties in the opposition half, they rejected shots at goal to take attacking lineouts. After coughing the ball over after the first, Steyn inexplicably attempted a field goal from the second, which missed.
Another penalty inside the Brumbies' half was given in the 72nd minute, yet again the Bulls opted for a lineout. By now their rabid fans were aghast, but when their team lost the ensuing lineout many were exploding.
In the Bulls coaches box, Frans Ludeke was severely testing the microphone's capacity in his walkie-talkie, thundering his displeasure down the line.
When the Bulls received another penalty in the 76th minute, the Loftus faithful were frantically pointing at the posts or at the coaches box where Ludeke was demanding a shot be taken.
The Bulls' trainer raced to skipper Dewald Potgieter to relay the message, twice to be sure, before Steyn pointed to the sticks, bringing about the biggest roar in the stadium this season.
Steyn duly kicked the goal to give his side a 23-19 lead.
Brumbies coach White was now pacing back and forth in his box, realising this game could no longer be won by a penalty or field goal.
As the seconds raced away, the Brumbies won the ball and pressed away in Bulls territory, scrambling for an answer.
It came when five-eighth Matt Toomua took the ball on the short side, targeting the lumbering forwards caught wide with 100 seconds remaining.
He dummied and raced through a gap, with only fullback Zane Kirchner to beat.
Having thrown just six passes in the previous 78 minutes, Toomua threw his seventh and most vital back inside to centre Tevita Kuridrani, who dashed to the tryline with an arm in the air and the other clutching the ball, diving in to silence 58,000 of White's former countrymen.
From glamour club to grafters, the reinvention of the Brumbies has been 24 months in the making under the World Cup-winning coach, who freely admits this squad is much further advanced than he'd predicted.
The voyage is one final hurdle from its conclusion.
White's eyes are already long dried, and staring straight at the Chiefs.
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