The All Blacks stood up tall when it mattered most, holding off a brilliant Ireland side to win 28-24 in their World Cup quarterfinal in Paris and advance to the semi-finals.
Despite the setbacks of two yellow cards, the men in black remained focused and determined to secure their most memorable and important victory of the Ian Foster era.
Here's a look at the All Blacks that were at the top of their game in this morning's victory:
Sam Cane
The All Blacks skipper played out of his skin, putting in a performance that was arguably his best in the black jersey.
He played with heart, courage and left it all out on the park in what was the biggest game of his captaincy career. Cane was a rock in defence, shutting down several Irish attacks and making huge tackles in the biggest moments. Overall he made 21 tackles and won two turnovers.
For years, questions have hung over Cane's head regarding his leadership and place in the team, but he silenced the critics in a performance his predecessor Richie McCaw would've been proud of.
Ardie Savea
Always a crucial and reliable member of the side, Savea stood up once again, forming an incredibly hard-working and dominant duo with Cane.
He was brilliant in the first half, winning a penalty in the opening minutes to help build a lead for the All Blacks, before showcasing his versatility with a clearing kick under pressure on his own goal line.
He topped it off with a diving try in the corner to extend the lead before the break. With the All Blacks down to 14 men twice, Savea remained tireless in defence and was still creating havoc in the ruck as the clock ticked past 80 minutes.
Jordie Barrett
In a game as close as this, goalkicking was always going to be crucial.
Barrett nailed a long-range penalty from halfway in the early moments of the game, before slotting a critical two points from the sideline following Will Jordan's try in the second half to make it a two-score game.
With the All Blacks leading by just one point, Barrett missed a penalty in the 67th minute, but shook it off and remained calm to slot another one just two minutes later.
Those three points proved to be critical in the final minutes, with the four-point lead meaning Ireland needed to score a try in order to win the game.
Moments later it was Barrett to the rescue again, using immense strength to hold up Ronan Kelleher over the line in the 71st minute and prevent Ireland from taking the lead.
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