Durban - It may have been a night to forget for South African rugby on the field, but the crowd at Kings Park on Saturday made it a night to remember off of it.
Very few had given the Springboks any chance of success against the world champion All Blacks - and those fears were confirmed by a 57-15 thrashing - but what happened before kick-off was nothing short of spectacular.
The 52 000 spectators that had packed the stadium were in the mood.
They started by absolutely belting out Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika in a rendition of the national anthem that would have left even the most cynical Bok supporter with goosebumps.
Next up was the New Zealand haka.
Chants of 'Olé, Olé, Olé' drowned out the Kiwi war cry, and by the end it was clear that the South African fans in attendance would be behind their team regardless of the outcome come the final whistle.
As things turned out, it was the only shining light to have emerged from an otherwise woeful Saturday.
Substitute All Black flyhalf Lima Sopoaga perhaps summed it up best.
"What better place to come than South Africa," Sopoaga said.
"The fans here are pretty unreal and to stand there and listen to them sing their anthem was pretty special. I'll savour that."
Is it disrespectful for crowds to sing / chant / make a noise during the haka? Should they remain silent? Do you think making a noise is counter-productive and actually motivates the All Blacks? Let us know at mysport@sport24.co.za