As Robbie Deans walked into the arrivals hall at Auckland Airport the clapping started. Then the Australia fans waiting to greet their team broke into a chant of 'Robbie, Robbie, Robbie, Oi, Oi, Oi'.
Deans smiled sheepishly, not quite sure what to make of it all as he returned 'home' for the first time as head coach of the Wallabies.
The former Crusaders boss did not speak to the waiting media, but will front a press conference at Eden Park on Friday.
Instead the questions were left for his assistant, Jim Williams, to answer.
Asked if he had seen an Australia coach receive such a warm welcome in New Zealand, Williams laughed then replied: "Not like that I suppose, but it's a little bit different circumstances." That is something of an understatement."
Prior to last weekend's first Bledisloe Cup clash all the talk was of the coaches - Graham Henry, the man who failed at the World Cup and got re-appointed, and the man who the New Zealand Rugby Union spurned and who opted to take his knowledge across the Ditch.
Deans drew first blood in Sydney as he out-smarted his opposite number, his game-plan helping the Wallabies to a 34-19 win.
Henry and Co admitted they had come off second in the tactical stakes last week but Williams said the Australia coaches had not read too much into that.
"We're just trying to work on our own game plan and make sure we had things in place," he said.
"Robbie had a bit of an insight there which helped a bit but it was down to the guys on the pitch and they executed things well and kept the intensity up. When we put pressure on New Zealand we came away with the points every time we got the opportunity."
This week Deans is back on home soil for the first time since starting his tenure with New Zealand's trans-Tasman rivals, for the return Bledisloe Cup/Tri Nations match at Eden Park on Saturday.
Williams, however, insisted Deans had been his usual calm self in the build-up to the trip to Auckland.
"If there is [any nerves] I can't see it. He's a pretty cool customer," said Williams.
"He's very focused on the job in hand."
That job is helping his players to a 2-0 Bledisloe Cup series lead and extending the Australians' advantage at the top of the Tri Nations table - and in the process heaping further misery on the All Blacks coaches.
It is 10 years since New Zealand has lost three Tests in a row but there is a very real danger that fate may befall them in Auckland this weekend.
The Australians' confidence is high on the back of five consecutive wins and it is clear the former Crusaders coach's influence has had nothing but a positive effect on his charges.
In contrast, the All Blacks have been beset by injury, confidence has been shaken by successive defeats to South Africa and Australia and Henry and assistants Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen have admitted they are still coming to terms with the Experimental Law Variations.
It makes for an interesting showdown on Saturday and so far the rugby gods appear to have been wearing green and gold.