Dreams can come true
Before this season, Connacht's best PRO12 finish was seventh - now they are the seventh team to become Guinness PRO12 champions.
It has been a remarkable turnaround by Pat Lam's side, one which has drawn comparisons with Leicester City's Premier League exploits.
And when veteran captain John Muldoon, who has spent his entire career with the province, picked up man of the match in the final, an air of destiny could be felt at BT Murrayfield.
"It's absolutely phenomenal. You dream of days like this and being part of days like this but it hasn't sunk in yet. I'm delighted for the lads," he said.
History out the window
Many would have expected the experienced four-time champions Leinster to triumph at BT Murrayfield, but the history book was well and truly thrown out of the window on Saturday.
Leinster failed to become most the successful team in PRO12 history as Connacht defied a poor head-to-head to come out on top.
The men in blue had won 20 of their 27 previous meetings against the Galway-based province but form counted for little on Saturday as Connacht ran in three tries to one.
Attacking flair pays dividends
Both teams finished the regular season on 73 points but no team has picked up more try-bonus points than Connacht.
And that attacking flair paid off in spades on Saturday as they out-scored Leinster by three tries to one with each of their back three touching down.
Despite Leinster having conceded fewer points than anyone else in the division, Connacht's backs were in imperious form at BT Murrayfield.
Tiernan O'Halloran opened the scoring after just 12 minutes and Niyi Adeolokun's chip and chase gave Connacht their second try before Leinster were even on the board.
Matt Healy added the third after half-time as he latched onto AJ MacGinty's grubber kick.
Irish rugby in strong position
The national team may have had a mixed time of it in the spring with just two wins from five, but Irish rugby will be buoyed by having two of their clubs in the Guinness PRO12 Final.
Scrum-half Kieran Marmion and Leinster-bound centre Robbie Henshaw were two of five Connacht players to have been rewarded for their excellent season with Ireland call-ups for the South Africa tour.
They'll join 14 Leinster players, including Jamie Heaslip, Rob Kearney and Jonathon Sexton, in the squad heading out to face the Springboks for the first Test on June 11.
Add in Ulster, who were beaten by Leinster in the Guinness PRO12 semi-final, and there's cause for optimism for Irish rugby fans ahead of the summer tour.
Niyi Adeolokun is the real deal
What a season it has been for Adeolokun, the man who was cut from Leinster's under-19 development side before earning himself a contract with Connacht.
After just a single try from nine appearances last year, he's scored six this season including tries in the semi-final and final.
He has epitomised Connacht's attacking threat throughout the season and scored an outstanding try - a chip which he collected himself - in the first-half on Saturday.
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