"Tonight things went well for Hawke's Bay. The bounce went against it at times and we missed a lot of tackles but what a lovely result, exciting."
Napier MP Stuart Nash said it was the "perfect end to a perfect Hawke's Bay day".
"We were out at the show, we had the nation's high temperature it has just been a fantastic day, a brilliant end to a fantastic Hawke's Bay day," he said.
Union chief executive officer Mike Bishop said it is never easy when the players take it to the wire.
"But you have to admire the courage and the heart to hang in there in both halves and get the result at the finish - tremendous," he said.
When asked what his reaction was when the final whistle blew - "I was on the verge of a heart attack so I can't remember what my reaction was to be fair".
"It was tremendous feeling of relief because they had a terrific season all round and it kind of puts the icing on the cake."
The union's marketing manager Jay Campbell summed it up saying "It doesn't get any better than that".
"It was unbelievable you couldn't have written a better script."
Bishop said it was "courage, heart and determination" that got them over the line at the end of the night.
"They just are a tremendous group that plays for each other and that showed through the season and it certainly showed tonight in the last five minutes of the game.
"It was wonderful to see them pull out that result in really tough circumstances.
"It is a testament to the culture they have created in the team," he said.
Nash said the team did brilliantly.
"That final conversion - that was all class," he said.
"That was a kick to win a match and to win the championship from the sideline under immense pressure and the guy nailed it."
The MP said this win showed two things.
"Kicks win matches and Ihaia West nailed them all, that was the difference and it is not over until the final whistle blows."
Campbell lavished praise on the crowd. "There weren't many of them but you would swear there were an extra 10,000 the way they were cheering it was phenomenal," he said.
Nash agreed saying the crowd was fantastic.
"We had a lot of Wellington guys behind us and they were cheering for about 78 minutes," he said.
Nash, is a crate of Lion Red beers richer, with his Wellington counterpart Grant Robertson losing the bet the two politicians placed on the match,
"I will say at 20 to 6 to Wellington halfway through the first half I was getting some rather derogatory texts from Wellington friends
"I have a crate of Lion Red on the way from Wellington - well I will allow them [his friends] to drink my beer with me."
Thimbleby thanked Hawke's Bay supporters.
"The population are really behind them and they have got to be patted on the back they are wonderful supporters.
"They turned out in droves, they support their team very, very well."
-Match Report. p24
