The Highlanders triumphed over the Hurricanes on Saturday to claim their maiden Super Rugby championship and bring an end to the 2015 campaign in sensational fashion.
Their victory signals the end of club rugby for now, but before attention makes a much-anticipated turn in the direction of the Test arena, it's time to look back on a thrilling year for the southern hemisphere's premier competition.
Between them, the two finalists account for five of the spots in our best XV of the 2015 season, but which other star performers of the year have managed to wrangle themselves a spot in our lineup?
All three conferences are represented, but out of the hundreds of Super Rugby players in contention this year, only 15 can make the final cut, with a number of top-class contenders missing out.
Starting all 17 of the Waratahs' games, Israel Folau is the only man to have featured in every minute of his franchise's campaign this year and would have most likely played every minute had the 'Tahs made it to Wellington.
The Australian Rugby Union recently showed their appreciation of the full-back's talent by making him the best-paid Australian in Super Rugby thanks to a new three-year deal worth $6 million.
Folau finishes the season with five tries to his name and made more total metres than any other player in Super Rugby this year (1,824).
The Highlanders' Ben Smith deserved an honourable mention as a safer model at full-back who ultimately aided the Highlanders hugely in claiming their first title, but few excite quite as much as Folau.
Hurricanes magician Nehe Milner-Skudder is another full-back worthy of note, whose mile-a-minute footwork is only let down by some weakness in defensive positioning.
14. Waisake Naholo, Highlanders
Give him a yard of space at your peril; Waisake Naholo's first season with the Highlanders will be reflected upon as one of the best debut seasons ever for a player at a new franchise.
The 2015 champions were propelled on their path to glory by the nine tries Naholo scored during the regular campaign, and his path shone through in the post-season as he scored in each of the play-off matches and final.
Ending his year with 13 tries in total, it's no surprise the Fijian-born speedster is en route to earning his first New Zealand caps, counted as one of the first names on our team sheet.
11. Nemani Nadolo, Crusaders
Just a single consonant away from his Fijian compatriot, lined up on the other side of the pitch is Crusaders bruiser Nemani Nadolo, who could arguably be counted as the antithesis of Naholo in terms of style.
Where the Highlanders talisman may opt for evasive manoeuvres to get out of bother, Nadolo is instead more favourable toward a route-one tactic of breaking through his obstacles—and who can blame him?
Like Naholo, Nadolo finished the regular season with nine tries to his name and was unfortunate not to get a chance to build on that tally as Todd Blackadder's men just missed out on the chance of a post-season.
As if his finishing ability didn't make him threatening enough, Nadolo also showed what a generous soul he is at heart, setting up eight tries in total, more than any other player this season.
Fielding two ball-carrying centres in midfield may appear tactically suspect, but so impressive was the impact of Stormers bulldozer Damian de Allende that he simply couldn't be left out of our XV.
Only Western Force (28) and the Blues (29), scored fewer tries than the South Africa conference champions (32) this season, and yet De Allende still managed to stand out as a consistent rebel against those stats.
As the attached video depicts, there weren't many teams in Super Rugby who managed to completely nullify the South African, who broke 61 tackles altogether, the third most of any player in Super Rugby this year.
Jean de Villiers' injury setback has caused some real concern for Heyneke Meyer leading up to the World Cup, but De Allende has picked an ideal moment to show some evolution and perhaps settle the Springboks coach's mind.
12. Ma'a Nonu, Hurricanes
Just when it seemed as though Ma'a Nonu's one-season swan-song with the Hurricanes was little other than that, the New Zealand staple conjures up what some may dub his best season for the franchise.
Despite the 21-14 defeat on Saturday, Nonu showed in Wellington the same barnstorming, tackle-ignoring, adrenaline-rushing probes that have been on display throughout the year, beating five defenders from 10 carries.
Perhaps more than the sizzle Nonu offers at 12, however, it's the substance for which he should be counted most, regularly proving himself a difficult blockade for enemy attacks to bypass.
For the second season in a row, Bernard Foley ended the regular campaign as top points scorer, hauling in a total of 175 as he helped lead the Waratahs to second place.
Foley's tally of five tries was also the most scored among fly-halves, while his 977 metres made from 117 runs were also record numbers for a No. 10 in 2015.
His carrying flair may not quite be of the same offloading standard as international compatriot and Wallabies rival Quade Cooper, but this year saw Foley produce some of his best with ball in hand while taking care of usual responsibilities.
9. Aaron Smith, Highlanders
It's fitting that Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara should do battle in this year's Super Rugby final, having bubbled to the top as the two most impressive scrum-halves throughout the season, but it's the former who prevails.
Some may see Perenara's tally of 11 tries this season—the first time a No. 9 has ever reached double digits for tries in a campaign—and see it as reason alone to nominate the Hurricanes playmaker for our XV.
However, New Zealand incumbent Smith was no slight threat of his own in attack, managing to dot down seven times in total and also playing 1,226 minutes in his 17 outings, compared to Perenara's 1,115 minutes in 15 games.
Smith's relationship with Lima Sopoaga blossomed into a fast and fluid catalytic connection from season's start to end, but Smith's individual contributions in particular pointed him out as New Zealand's top half-back, still.
The packs were the only area in which South Africa's top teams could really claim they contended against Super Rugby's elite this year, and emerging Lions star Warren Whiteley is at the head of that order.
With just two international caps so far, this season surely proved the 27-year-old is capable of bigger Springboks responsibilities, leading the Lions as they only just missed out on the play-offs.
Whiteley brings all the advantages one would seek from a wrecking No. 8 and yet his defensive graft is up there with some of the best back-rowers in the sport based on this season's figures.
Prior to the last round of the regular season, Rugby World's Russ Petty explained that Whiteley had made more tackles than any other player in Super Rugby this year with 231—Boom Prinsloo and Warwick Tecklenburg being next highest with 183.
7. Michael Hooper, Waratahs
Australia coach Michael Cheika has found himself blessed in the openside department this year, but even the triumphant return of David Pocock can't budge Michael Hooper out of this season's Super Rugby XV.
The shaggy-haired leader of Cheika's Wallabies may appear carefree and at ease, but his on-pitch persona is anything but, reaching an intensity that aided the Waratahs tremendously as they sought to defend their title.
Hooper's attacking work seemed to take priority over the ground game at times this season, but he still managed to make 177 tackles, the most of any No. 7 this year.
Earlier this year, the ARU rewarded its star with a new contract three-year contract, and it's likely Hooper will continue to vie for the captain's armband on both club and international level until 2018.
6. Jaco Kriel, Lions
Somehow, Springboks coach Meyer has seen fit to overlook Lions back-rower Jaco Kriel, who some suggest won't make it into the squad due to the fact he's too small to play the role.
Opinion is split on whether or not the flanker should go to the World Cup, but at 6' and weighing 214lbs, the South African has proven he can certainly do well with the tools he has at his disposal.
The Lions were close to topping the South African conference and Kriel ended the regular season sixth in the Super Rugby ranks for defenders beaten and third in turnovers made—the numbers of a man who deserves his chance in England later this year.
Hurricanes second-rower James Broadhurst ends a long season as one of five New Zealanders in place to win their first caps for the All Blacks, and he's fully deserving of his shot at the big time.
The modern lock is no longer just a bigger breed of brute, but a more rounded concoction of rugby's nuances, which Broadhurst proved this season with frequently strong displays at the breakdown.
Like a traditional lock, however, Broadhurst's discipline has let him down for periods and limited him to just 13 games. That being said, his ball-carrying and turnover ability made him a key Hurricanes figure right up to the final.
4. Luke Jones, Rebels
Melbourne Rebels utility Luke Jones has been extremely unlucky to miss out on a place in Australia's Rugby Championship squad after a superb season with the Rebels.
Jones and Laurie Weeks are the only two players to have featured in all five seasons with the burgeoning Australian outfit, and despite still being just 24, the former is now emerging as a distinct leader of his side.
Jones' ability to play in the back row is a surefire advantage for the Rebels, but his athletic workload at lock has been of a consistent, elite standard, helping the Rebels claim a record seven wins en route to their highest-ever finish of 10th.
Like Toulon-bound Hurricanes team-mate Nonu, Ben Franks looked back to his best this season before he makes his departure for London Irish later this year.
The versatile All Black is well-known for his ability from both prop positions but came upon his finest work at tight-head and showed his class in the semi-final fixture against the Brumbies, gobbling up possession at the scrum.
The 'Canes finished their season with a 95 percent success ratio at the scrum, with Franks to thank for a large part of that, proving his dogged defensive skills as Chris Boyd's side at times looked impregnable.
2. Stephen Moore, Brumbies
From the depths of another anterior cruciate ligament injury and back again, Stephen Moore's rise back to the elite of world rugby was confirmed on Monday as the Wallabies announced the hooker as their captain.
It tells us the Brumbies star's comeback has not only been successful but Moore is well on his way to contending for the title of best No. 2 in the world, having certainly thrown his name into that debate several years ago.
Despite not playing until late February, Moore swiftly made up for lost time and was back to his accurate best at the line-out, maintaining a typically high standard throughout his 2015 charge.
1. Steven Kitshoff, Stormers
It's somewhat sad for the Stormers that just as they begin to find their Super Rugby stride and unearth the best scrum in the league, Steven Kitshoff packs his bags for a tenure with Bordeaux in the Top 14.
Before he jets off, however, the uncapped South African will have the chance to earn his first Springboks caps at the Rugby Championship, with Meyer unable to ignore his supreme scrummaging ability.
The prop forward won no fewer than 34 forced penalties at the scrum, topping Super Rugby's charts for this season, and his total of 337 metres is nothing to be sniffed at as joint-second highest in the league.
Reds captain James Slipper didn't let his standards drop despite another woeful campaign for the Queenslanders, deserving of an honourable mention.
