In a year when Super Rugby Pacific has failed to capture the interest of rugby fans on either side of the Tasman, and barely rated a mention on the broader sporting landscape, the competition has at least got the Grand Final it deserves.
As, from the midpoint of the season, it has been clear that the Hurricanes and Chiefs have been a cut above the chasing pack.
The Blues and Brumbies threatened early doors, while the Crusaders came home with a withering burst, playing out of their shiny new One NZ Stadium. And the Reds were, well the Reds. Queensland were always a rugby mirage under Les Kiss.
Sure there were a handful of upsets along the way; the Hurricanes' defeat in Fiji among them. But for the most part, the men from the Kiwi capital have looked like finalists, with the Chiefs always looming as the team to join them.
And amidst the all-encompassing, attention hording of the "Beautiful Game", the FIFA World Cup, the two Kiwi outfits are playing some gorgeous rugby.
The first half of the Chiefs' 49-12 annihilation was, as Sky Sport commentator and former All Blacks Justin Marshall put it, "flawless". And the try finished by All Blacks lock Tupou Vaa'i? As good as one might ever hope to see.
The chip-and-regather from Liam Coombes-Fabling, the pinpoint pass to Lalakai Foketi and the support line from a 120kg lock - there were not enough superlatives for it.
For a team that was tested by the Reds for 60 minutes a week earlier, this was as complete a performance as Chiefs coach Jono Gibbes could have hoped for - and one perfectly timed a week out from the final game of the Super Rugby season.
It was however, the exact kind of ruthless rugby expressionism, blended perfectly with defensive physicality and breakdown efficiency that the Hurricanes have produced in all but a handful of games this season.
The Hurricanes' stats are truly remarkable.
They have scored 685 points in 16 games, at an average of 42.8 points per match. Meanwhile, they have conceded only 337 points at an average of 21.06, meaning they have effectively doubled their opponents' score in every match this year.
They are also the first Super Rugby team in history to score 100 tries in a season, the nine five-pointers the Hurricanes ran in against the Blues on Saturday taking them to 104 for 2026.
For context, and to only add further fuel to the fire that is the south vs. north club debate, the Hurricanes achieved the 100-try feat in 16 games, three fewer than the best European club Northampton [per RugbyScoop].
The fact the Blues finished the season with five straight defeats adds some context to the weekend's result, but at the same time the Hurricanes were spectacular.
Whether it was the breakdown work of their irrepressible back-row, the charges of front-rowers Xavier Numia and Asafo Aumua, who steamrollered over the top of Stephen Perofeta like an army tank, the quick thinking of arguably the world best's scrum-half Cam Roigard, or the finishing of Josh Moorby, Kini Naholo or Jordie Barrett, the Hurricanes are loaded with players who can sting you no matter the number on their back.
And spare a thought for Fehi Fineanganofo who, after finally returning from injury, couldn't find the tryline on a night when his teammates ran in nine five-pointers, the winger needing one more to set a new Super Rugby season record of 17 tries.
The 2016 Super Rugby champions are playing breathtaking rugby, but they haven't been in a final for a decade, whereas the Chiefs are headed to their fourth straight decider, desperate to break what would appear to be a grand final hoodoo.
Still, Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw believes his side are the underdogs. Consider that with a straight face, if you can. The Hurricanes will, after all, be playing at home.
"The Chiefs are rolling into their fourth final, so they know what it takes to get there," he said post-match on Saturday. "It probably makes them favourites I guess, having been there the last three times.
"We've got to try and make sure we put enough pressure on them to see how that feels, being in their fourth final after losing a few.
"They were exceptional at taking opportunities against the Crusaders."
Exceptional. There are few better adjectives to describe the semifinal performances of both teams at the weekend.
And an exceptional final awaits. After a year where Super Rugby's headlines have been dominated by the demise of Moana Pasifika, and the failure of an Australian team to make the final four, the competition has at least reached a climax to savour.
The 2026 Super Rugby Grand Final could truly be "The Beautiful Game".