The Waratahs produced one of the great 10-minute spells in Super Rugby history to keep their season alive just when it appeared destined to die with little more than a whimper in Sydney on Saturday night.
Daryl Gibson's side rattled off 24 unanswered points to sink the Highlanders for the second time at Allianz Stadium this season and book themselves a semifinal against either the Lions next weekend.
But nothing could have been further from even the most positive NSW supporter's imagination at halftime as the Waratahs headed to the sheds, their abject first-half display anything but that of a side who belonged in the finals.
The Highlanders were barely forced beyond second gear in the opening half as they built a 23-6 lead on the back of tries to Waisake Naholo and Rob Thompson. Missed tackles, a woeful set-piece and a complete lack of commitment to the breakdown gifted the Highlanders a halftime advantage very few could have seen them giving up.
"I thought we were really poor in the first half, we lost four lineouts and we couldn't get any possession; we couldn't hang onto anything," Gibson said of his side's first half. "So for me, on balance, we played very poorly and still won the game, it shows we're a good side."
Whether the Waratahs are a good side remains debatable, so too the fact would their sensational comeback have eventuated without the sin-binning of Waisake Naholo.
The game certainly turned on that decision, an individual moment of ill-discipline costing the Highlanders for the second time in Sydney this year. Having seen Tevita Nabura red-carded in their Round 14 fixture earlier in the year, this time it was Naholo who fell afoul of the referee, the winger shown a yellow card by Angus Gardner for a high-tackle on Sekope Kepu after the prop had run clear into the backfield.
Both captains had been warned after the sides had traded earlier off-the-ball tackles, and Highlanders coach Aaron Mauger had no complaints about a decision he said was "well refereed" and clearly the pivotal moment of the match.
It certainly proved to be the moment that sprung the hosts into action, almost unbelievably so, particularly after Nick Phipps had only minutes earlier kicked the ball straight into the backside of Ned Hanigan in a play that summed up the Waratahs' first-half effort.
And in a hugely positive sign for Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, the Waratahs' comeback was sparked by their Test stars. After a quiet opening half, which included a horrendous forward pass into touch, Israel Folau at last found space to move as he set up one try and scored another.
Kurtley Beale had on 54 minutes put Bernard Foley under the sticks before he then cut through to find Folau for the Waratahs' second; the three-try seven-minute flurry completed when the skipper grabbed his double, this time off the back of a Folau break.
Foley added a penalty goal with nine minutes to play to give the Waratahs a little extra breathing space at 30-23.
But the game wasn't done just yet, the hosts forced to defend their line with 14 men after Paddy Ryan was sin-binned for cynical play seven minutes out from the final hooter. The visitors came close to scoring on two occasions, a spilled pass from Aaron Smith their best chance to lock the match up at 30-all and send it into extra-time.
But it wasn't to be, the look of disbelief on the Highlanders' faces in stark contrast to the small Waratahs crowd that rose to their feet in celebration as Jake Gordon booted the ball deep into the eastern grandstand after the final hooter.
For first-year Highlanders coach Aaron Mauger, his initial Super Rugby campaign will have served as a learning experience. Champions the year after the Waratahs in 2015, the Highlanders only showed glimpses of their best and struggled after the June Test break.
"I'm really proud of our team, we've worked really hard to put ourselves in this position," Mauger said. "We probably had a few smacks on the nose at time this season, but we've played some awesome footy as well and we've seen some growth in a lot of our young guys."
With a 14 hour plane trip to Johannesburg in front of them, Gibson has plenty of time to begin working on a plan to ensure the Waratahs do not repeat their abject opening 40 from Saturday night. The 2014 Super Rugby champions can't rely on the brain explosions or moments of ill-discipline of their opponents, no matter how warped the rulings may have been recently.
"I thought we had a fantastic period when they went down to 14, we really maximised that opportunity," Gibson said in deflecting a question about whether his side could get the job done when it was 15 on 15. "I don't know what we scored but we certainly had a brilliant 10-minute period. It swung us into momentum, confidence to run with the ball. So it was good."
Can it swing the Waratahs into a win on the road against the Lions? They certainly won't have the momentum they enjoyed in the second half on Saturday night; that quality of possession and skill execution will have to be created all on its own from the opening whistle in seven days' time.
It will want to be anything but what they dished up in the opening 40 at Allianz Stadium. Sort that, and the Waratahs may just be a chance of advancing to the final and a date with either the Crusaders or Hurricanes.