Lions coach Swys de Bruin wasn't cutting corners when describing the gap between the Crusaders and Super Rugby's other teams.
He took it a step further after his team were beaten 37-18 in the title decider in Christchurch, sending them to a third successive defeat in a final.
De Bruin said not only are the Kiwi nine-time champions clearly the best team in the Sanzaar competition, they are the premier team in world rugby - full stop.
The South Africans were frustrated by the home team's defence and cut open by their withering attack in a manner that mirrored the Hurricanes' fruitless semi-final challenge a week earlier.
After that game, Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd described the Crusaders as 20 points better than every other team.
De Bruin wasn't arguing.
"To come here and win is very tough. This is the best team in the world, I believe, that we played against. Hat's off to them."
Irish great Ronan O'Gara described his first year as assistant coach of the Crusaders as an eye-opener.
The key to their sustained success couldn't be quantified, he said.
"There's so much strategy in rugby and so much emphasis on tactics but once you come in, the guys here are really special," said O'Gara, whose previous coaching stint was five years at French club Racing 92.
"You can't measure getting off the ground quicker than the opposition, you can't measure scrambling back in defence.
It's been a fantastic experience."
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