Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu, a huge slab of a man at 1.98m and 125kg, walks into the media room about half an hour after the celebrations have finished on the Eden Park pitch.
He is carrying the Super Rugby Pacific trophy.
He is also holding a full bottle of lager, which the ever-polite Tuipulotu doesn’t drink from while speaking to us, and wonders where to put the big silver prize which looks like a cross section of a cup surrounding a rugby ball and which some of the Blues players would later fashion into a drinking vessel.
Here on the table in front of him? No, it’s obscuring your face, replies a camera operator. "I'll just hold it then," Tuipulotu says, cradling it.
While he found an elegant solution, it’s the first time all night that Tuipulotu appears slightly unsure of himself.
A couple of weeks after being ruled out of all rugby for a month and a half, Tuipulotu not only started for the Blues in their 41-10 grand final demolition of the Chiefs, he dominated in an inspirational performance which carried his teammates along with him.
He was at the forefront of everything good about the Blues in the driving rain last night – which was a lot – and is now presumably set for an important role with the All Blacks next month. Scott Robertson’s highly-anticipated first squad for two Tests against England and one against Fiji is set to be announced tomorrow at 5.40pm.
"It’s everything," Tuipulotu says when asked what the victory means to him, a veteran of a decade at the franchise.
"At this moment I just want to enjoy it. It’s been a hard graft. Ten or 11 years for me. There are a lot of guys in that changing room that didn’t strip who helped us get to this point. We owe a lot to them and a lot to our families and supporters."
Vern Cotter, the straight-talking head coach who tasted success as an assistant to Robbie Deans at the Crusaders many years ago and has now won a championship in his first season at the Blues, added simply: "He was inspirational for his teammates. His carries, his defence, his lineout work, his presence."
This final victory, the Blues’ first significant title in 21 years, was effectively over at halftime. The home side had built a 20-3 lead through converted tries from Akira Loane and Caleb Clarke and the excellent Harry Plummer’s two penalties and, in the relentless rain, not even a side with the attacking variety of the Chiefs was going to be able to overturn that.
Clarke had his hat-trick of tries just after the hour mark as Tuiplulotu, who played for just over 57 minutes, began to enjoy himself.
His departure to a standing ovation was reminiscent of the support received by Richie McCaw when he was subbed off in his final Test at Eden Park in 2015.
“It was amazing," Tuipulotu said. "I certainly felt the support throughout the whole year. It’s been bubbling away for the last 10 years. I can’t really explain it, it’s pretty unreal walking off and having a full Eden Park clapping you. I don’t think many people get that."
As for the knee and his MCL injury ahead of the Test series, he said: "The knee is fine, yeah. Good to go? I don’t know. We’ll see when we get to Monday. You’ll have to find me."
Cotter, alongside Tuipulotu, was asked to reflect on his triumphant first season.
"To be able to see those boys in the changing shed now with the trophy, see them finish the game and put their arms in the air, see the spectators join in with the celebrations… it has been a long time," he said.
"People maybe don’t understand how tight this group is and they showed that throughout the season. This is the result of that tightness and desire to do well."
It was a victory built on pressure and pragmatism, of playing to the conditions – which suited the Blues perfectly – with intelligence, empathy and bravery.
It was a win that contained the essences of both Tuipulotu and Cotter.
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan, magnanimous in defeat, was kind enough to say this of Tuipulotu at the end of his own press conference.
“He’s a proud Blues man. With those rampaging runs there didn’t seem to be too much wrong with his leg.
“He’s clearly an influential person in their side. He’s the sort of big body that epitomises the sort of rugby they want to play. An outstanding effort from him. We hope that his early exit was a reward for the effort he put in and he’s right back in that All Black frame because he’s had a great season.”
The last word, though, should probably go to Cotter.
“We’ll enjoy the present," he said. "We’ll enjoy it all the way to tomorrow morning and if it goes on a bit longer, well…"
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