Mid Canterbury have done what no other team has been able to do in five long years, beating South Canterbury 17-16 to book their spot in the Heartland Championship grand final.

"It's hard to put into words," captain, Callum Burrell said.

"For us to go down there as underdogs and the neighbour up the road to be the ones to win — it's massive for us."

It was a semi-final upset for the ages — playing South Canterbury in South Canterbury — but they clinched victory in the 84th minute from a penalty kick, ending a 39-game winning streak for the hosts.

Since Saturday's win the Ashburton side has felt the support.

"I've been getting messages from people who don't even like me," said the team's rather eccentric coach Matt Winter.

Jokes aside, what makes Heartland rugby so special is the community connection. Mid Canterbury's side is made up of local sparkies, chippies, plumbers and some working in the finance sector who play rugby for the sheer love of the game.

"We just work hard, really ... we're willing to put everything out there week in, week out.

"For us it's about playing for each other, the community — there's no shortage of motivation to go out there and put it all out there each week," Burrell said.

Their success this season is huge for the growth of the game in the region too, which only has four feeder senior men's teams.

"I think it's important for us to use this Heartland team as a pinnacle for our pathways," Mid Canterbury chief executive Tanya Dearns said.

"It's really difficult to keep kids here — they see the draw of big cities, bright lights and they want out as fast as they can. But if we give them something to aspire to — and these boys do that."

This weekend's final against the Thames Valley Swamp Foxes is a chance to reclaim the coveted Meads Cup — it's been 10 years since they last won it — and continue growing the legacy of Mid Canterbury rugby.

"It's a strong, proud province and has been for a number of years and 10 years is a long time. It's not something lost on the current squad," Dearns said.

It was a sentiment echoed by head coach Matt Winter — known as "Wints" — who's new to the role this year.

"I think it's the calibre of men we've got. That's the big focus we had when we picked the squad. Obviously we wanted good rugby player's but we worked hard picking good men.

"And I think we've done that and from there they've gone strength to strength, as a team, as a unit and it's been cool to be part of it."

The final will be played in Te Aroha on Saturday.