The Chiefs have had to dig deep to book a clash with the Crusaders in this year's Super Rugby Pacific final after surviving a bullish effort from the Brumbies.
The 19-6 win tonight was an absolute contrast to last night's free-scoring frenzy by the Crusaders against the Blues with defence well and truly the theme of the match and, ultimately, one of the major deciders.
With fans braving another wet evening in Hamilton, the ball spent most of the evening either in the hands of the forwards or in the air as both sides looked for territory or three points when they were on offer.
That was until a bit of Damian McKenzie magic in the 78th minute led to the first and only try of the contest with Brodie Retallick getting to finish it off and with it punch their ticket to a home final next week.
But the final nail in the coffin was as much McKenzie delivering in the moment as it was the Brumbies getting lost in it with a fatal error effectively ending any chance of an upset and with it, their season.
With 15 minutes left and down 9-6, the Brumbies opted to be brave and turned down a chance to even the scores with a kick for the corner.
The ensuing lineout drive went sideways instead of forwards and eventually, thanks to some brilliant work from Pita Gus Sowakula, there was a knock-on and the Chiefs were let off with the lead in tact.
Adding insult to injury, McKenzie - who was once again on song from the boot with a five-for-five effort and superb backfield kicking - added another penalty at the other end of the pitch to extend the lead to 12-6, meaning the Brumbies now had to score a try to keep their season alive.
Any chance of doing that seemed to fade with Noah Lolesio kicking the restart out on the full and giving the Chiefs possession again with a scrum on halfway.
Soon after, McKenzie was cutting the Brumbies line to bits and Retallick was setting the stadium alight with his finish.
It was a brutal way for the Brumbies' season to end after a superb 65 minutes to that point and giving the Chiefs - one of the best attacking sides of the competition - no space to showcase their stellar backline in front of a hungry home crowd with a big defensive effort.
But that allowed others to step up with Luke Jacobson, Samisoni Taukei'aho and Retallick leading the way for the forwards - the latter showing more and more glimpses of the powerhouse lock that made a name for himself in the 2010s.
They'll need every bit of that Retallick and more for next week's final against the Crusaders with the eventual visitors showing last night regardless of their injury situation, they are a deep squad who can follow a gameplan and execute to surgical precision.
They've already managed to fend them off twice this season but finals football is a different beast - it's up to the Chiefs to live up to their potential and tame it.
Chiefs 19 [Brodie Retallick try; Damian McKenzie 4 pen, 1 con]
Brumbies 6 [Noah Lolesio 2 pen]
HT: 6-3
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