Stephen Larkham likes to describe it as "the epitome of being a Brumby". Joe Roff said it was "surreal". Stirling Mortlock: "the most complete 40 minutes I've ever seen".
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You could draw on plenty of adjectives to sum up the 2004 Super 12 final between the ACT Brumbies and Canterbury Crusaders, but you really have to take a look at the highlights to understand what Larkham, Roff and Mortlock are describing.
Radike Samo with the ball in one hand like a giant against boys. George Smith - one of the world's great flankers - with the ball in both hands giving defenders playmaking nightmares.
The silky Roff run. The George Gregan darts. The Brumbies in full flight in their last title win 20 years ago.
"We had some freakish talent," Larkham said. "But we spoke about that this week.
"We certainly can't take credit for games that happened 20 years ago. That can't help us this weekend.
"It is history and part of the Brumbies' history. Sometimes it drives what we do and it was, I feel, the epitome of the Brumbies, but it's a different journey."
The old and the new will collide at Canberra Stadium on Saturday when the Brumbies of 2004 come back together to meet the Brumbies of 2024.
The 20-year championship reunion is a time to reflect. But current fullback Tom Wright said it was also a reminder that it was time to carve out a new chapter. "We want to leave our mark," Wright said.
"And that's music to my ears," Gregan says with an obvious spring in his step when told of Wright's comments. "History is very important, that's part of our story. Like the Kookaburras before the Brumbies.
"This group has it ahead of them, and it's special. This is a chance to rewrite history, and that would be awesome for this group. Why not start now."
The modern-day Brumbies haven't beaten the Crusaders since 2009, but a win against them at home, in front of the 2004 heroes, would lay the platform for a run to the finals this season.
So the stage is set for something special to happen, just like it did at the same venue on a spine-tingling night when almost 29,000 fans watched the Brumbies win their second title.
Organisers had to bring in extra seating to cater for demand, and the players delivered with some of the most spectacular rugby the competition has ever seen.
Mark Gerrard's hat-trick was a highlight, Roff scored a double to set a new record and champions cemented their places as legends.
As that group prepares to reminisce, we asked them to walk down memory lane.
THE SUPER 12 STARS
It must have been easy to be confident when there are Wallabies as far as the eye can see.
Gregan, Larkham, Roff, Smith, Gerrard, Owen Finegan, Bill Young, Jeremy Paul, David Giffin, Mark Chisholm, Stirling Morlock, Clyde Rathbone and a young Matt Giteau.
"The calibre of the players - it was balanced," Gregan said.
"We had players who had been there and done that. Won things, lost things. We had great energy.
"A lot of us came off the disappointment of a World Cup final loss in 2003, the easy thing would have been a drop because of the physical, mental and emotional energy you put into that. But we had the right attitude."
But it didn't start well. Mortlock, the team's newly-appointed captain, still shakes his head when he recalls the Brumbies arriving at a speedway for a trial game in New Zealand. They were thumped by the Chiefs.
"I remember looking at everyone's faces and I knew we were going to lose that game," Mortlock said.
Mortlock, the star Wallabies outside centre, injured his knee in the semi-final and missed the final. Owen Finegan stepped up to lead, and Joel Wilson slotted into the No. 13 jumper.
Mortlock, who took over the captaincy at the start of 2004, said it was the perfect blend of experience and youth.
"We had world-class players and we had younger guys who have ended up being Wallabies legends as well," Mortlock said.
"We had that balance of leadership and knowing what needed to be done, and unbridled enthusiasm where there were no constraints. It was just phenomenal."
THE SEASON AND THE FINAL
When they talk about rugby as "the game they play in Heaven", surely the 2004 final is one of the games they're referring to. Probably more chaotic than heavenly poetic, but breathtaking in almost every way.
"The first half was the most complete 40 minutes I've seen," Mortlock said.
But it wasn't all smooth sailing. Mortlock still shakes his head when he recalls the Brumbies arriving at a speedway for a trial game in New Zealand. They were thumped by the Chiefs.
"I remember looking at everyone's faces and I knew we were going to lose that game," Mortlock said. "I was filthy because it was my first game as captain.
"We got smacked. The Chiefs were happy, we were filthy. We banked that for when we played them in the last [game of the regular season] and then in the semi-final."
Mortlock needn't have worried. Scoring points or winning games was never going to be a problem with a squad like that. They scored 112 points in the first two matches and only dropped three games during the regular season.
In hindsight, it was the start of something special. The Brumbies finished at the top of the ladder after averaging almost 40 points per game and secured the right to host the final.
Mortlock, the star Wallabies outside centre, injured his knee in the semi-final and missed the final. Owen Finegan stepped up to lead, and Joel Wilson slotted into the No. 13 jumper.
"It was really disappointing. Such an innocuous off-the-ball incident. But Joel had done some great stuff off the bench, was a great contributor and he had a cracking game," Mortlock said.
The final against the Crusaders was high-octane stuff from start to finish. Gerrard scored his first try after 43 seconds and the Brumbies had 30 by half-time.
"It was the most surreal 40 minutes I've ever played in," Roff said. "Because it was my last game I spoke to the team before we ran out. I said, 'one thing I know for sure against the Crusaders is that it's going to go down to the 79th minute'.
"I think after [Giteau] scored near the end of the first half, we were jogging back to halfway and someone said: 'do you want to revise what you said to us before the game?'''
The Crusaders, however, were a formidable outfit as well. Youngsters Dan Carter and Richie McCaw alongside Reuben Thorne, Brad Thorn, Justin Marshall, Caleb Ralph and Andrew Mehrtens.
"The Crusaders powered through us," Larkham said.
But when Roff crossed for a record-breaking try with nine minutes left, the trophy was already in the Brumbies' hands. The end score: 47-38.
"It was one of those nights. The set piece sequence plays didn't work, but the unpredictable turnover flair wins you the game. It all came together," Larkham said.
Gregan adds: "We scored a lot of points off their turnovers, but they were always going to come back.
"We didn't take a penalty before half-time. If we scored, maybe it was the nail in the coffin, but they went coast to coast and it was on.
"It was a bizarre final, but nice to win that after a heartbreaker in 2000."
'PLAYER POWER'
The other storyline from the 2004 season was the off-field drama. Coach David Nucifora was at odds with the players and the divide was irreconcilable.
When the phrase "player power" is mentioned 20 years later, it's the Brumbies and Nucifora that immediately come to mind.
A player revolt led to Nucifora being sacked in April, 2004. An emotional Nucifora fronted the media, tears welling in his eyes as he revealed he had been terminated.
"Everyone moves on from things. I certainly don't look back at the past as being something that's prohibitive to the future," Nucifora said in 2007.
Nucifora stayed in charge for the remainder of the season, but the dynamic shifted. The senior players, who had grown frustrated, took ownership of the team's plans and preparations.
"The team was resilient. It was quite interesting, because we got through it," Gregan said.
"You want your players to lead. But you need the respect of players to challenge those players to get better ... if you do that, magic can occur."
Time, as they say, has healed wounds. Larkham has worked with Nucifora in a coaching capacity in Ireland, and they will work together again when Nucifora returns to Rugby Australia this year.
"It was a bit weird [during the 2004 season]. It made the players step up a bit more. We were working well with the coaches to control the way we were playing, but it escalated," Larkham said.
"The pictures show the smiles and the hugs with Nuccy after the final. We'd been through a fair bit [as a club].
"The players were trying to take control of the way we played and we trained, which made us better professionals and easier because we were driving it.
"Balance - that's it in a nutshell. You want to work with the players to design the program, and give them the opportunity to control their destiny on the field.
"And in the end, in 2004, we had so much chemistry as a team. To have that group of players together was very special."
Mortlock adds: "I'm so proud of how professional and diligent the entire club was. We prepared how we could the whole time."
THE LEGACY
The win capped a golden era for the Brumbies. The club played in five grand finals between 1997 and 2004, winning in two.
"I'm so incredibly grateful to have been given a fairytale finish," Roff said of the final being his last game in Australia. "I couldn't have asked for a better way to go out.
"And that final was almost a handing of the baton to the next generation of Brumbies. We knew how special George and Gits were, and they've proved that. What are the chances of those young players coming together and integrating with the Gregans and Larkhams? It was once in a generation."
But after that, it was lean. The Brumbies didn't make the Super Rugby finals again until 2013, and by then most of the champions had retired.
"We narrowly missed out on making the final in 1999 and that was probably the catalyst for the run we went on," Gregan said.
"We were a team that if we got to the top four, our mentality was win two and we were champions. You don't take that for granted, and it was a good lesson.
"I played in five finals in my time and won two. You get greedy and you want more, but two is better than none."
The consensus among the old players, however, is it's time for new history. Larkham is coaching the side, which is desperate to beat the Crusaders on Saturday to boost their chances of a top-two spot.
"I feel like they've gone back to their roots, or back to the DNA, that I feel made us so strong back in those days," Mortlock said. "The values are really clear ... the players have a huge amount of respect and belief in the Brumbies way. That is awesome ... hopefully this year is the one."
HOW THEY LINED UP IN 2004
Brumbies: 1. Bill Young, 2. Jeremy Paul, 3. Nic Henderson, 4. Mark Chisholm, 5. Radike Samo, 6. Owen Finegan, 7. George Smith, 8. Scott Fava, 9. George Gregan, 10. Stephen Larkham, 11. Mark Gerrard, 12. Matt Giteau, 13. Joel Wilson, 14. Clyde Rathbone, 15. Joe Roff. Reserves: 16. David Palavi, 17. Guy Shepherdson, 18. David Giffin, 19. Jone Tawake, 20. Matt Henjak, 21. Mark Bartholomeusz, 22. Lenny Beckett.
FINAL AT A GLANCE
ACT BRUMBIES 47 (Mark Gerrard 3, Joe Roff 2, Matt Giteau, Jeremy Paul tries; Joe Roff 6 conversions) bt CANTERBURY CRUSADERS 38 (Richie McCaw, Aaron Mauger, Brad Thorn, Chris King, Casey Laulala, Dan Carter tries; Dan Carter 4 conversions) at Canberra Stadium. Crowd: 28,753.