It's been eight long years for Auckland but they've returned to the champions' circle this afternoon after stunning Canterbury in Christchurch to win this year's Farah Palmer Cup final.
Led by braces from wing Angelica Vahai and captain Eloise Blackwell, Auckland took down the defending champions 39-27 at Rugby Park to reassert themselves as premiership winners.
Despite the 12-point margin in the end, the blue and white had to work to secure the title with Canterbury looking to pull off a comeback late in the match from 27-13 down.
In fact, Canterbury started perfectly after Martha Mataele perfectly read an Auckland offload for an intercept that set up a long-range effort for fullback Karla Wright-Akeli in just the second minute of the match.
But it didn't take Auckland long to respond as Vahai finished off a slick sequence that started on halfway to even the scores three minutes later.
After Canterbury reclaimed the lead through a penalty from Rosie Kelly, Auckland again threw a counter this time through their forwards as a rolling maul sent Blackwell over for her first try of the afternoon.
Kelly and Ruahei Demant then traded penalties to make the score 17-13 favouring the visitors and it looked destined to stay that way after the scoring dried up in the second quarter of the match.
However, Auckland delivered a decisive blow just before the break through Vahai again on the left wing as she finished off 14 phases of play to score on the stroke of halftime.
Blackwell put Auckland in full control shortly after the restart off a well-worked scrum set piece to make it 27-13.
But there's a reason this Canterbury side had won five of the last six premierships.
Tries to Amy du Plessis and Georgia Ponsonby saw the scores suddenly levelled at 27-all in the final quarter but like Canterbury, the Auckland Black Ferns decided to step up.
Maia Roos and Demant sealed the title for Auckland with two late tries and with it, ended their eight-year drought.
Auckland 39 (Angelica Vahai 2, Eloise Blackwell 2, Maiakawanakaulani Roos, Ruahei Demant tries; Demant 3 con, pen)
Canterbury 27 (Karla Wright-Akeli, Amy du Plessis, Georgia Ponsonby tries; Rosie Kelly 3 con, 2 pen).
HT: 22-13
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