The final insult to injury came in the form of a plane ticket.
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The ACT Brumbies arrived back in Canberra on Tuesday afternoon, almost 30 hours after starting their journey home and three days after losing a semi-final in Argentina.
They were still stewing on a missed opportunity when the Jaguares took the priority business class seats for a shared flight to Auckland.
The economy seats were fine. The visual reminder the Jaguares were on their way to the grand final was a dagger into the heart.
Brumbies players were still able to manage a smile when they greeted family in the capital after sharing their last flight with former prime minister John Howard.
"To fall one short is disappointing and sad. It was a long way to come home, I wish we were in Christchurch having a shot at the big dance," said captain Christian Lealiifano.
BRUMBIES NEWS
"We were all so disappointed and devastated because of the opportunity of what he could have achieved.
"Guys are starting to move away in the next week or so, so it's about making the most of being a whole squad together and reflecting on a really special year for us."
The Brumbies will farewell Lealiifano and eight other players, including David Pocock and Henry Speight, in the coming days.
Their loss to the Jaguares was a shattering way to end the season, particularly because they trailed by 20 points after the first 20 minutes and were never really in the contest.
But Lealiifano and coach Dan McKellar hoped a loss wouldn't make people forget the good moments.
"It didn't go how we wanted it to go, but we're still really proud of the season. We went on a really good run and won the most amount of consecutive games [seven] than any Brumbies before," McKellar said.
The Jaguares will play the Canterbury Crusaders in the grand final on Saturday.