Wow, well done, that puts my small blueberry plant to shame
(I've got a dwarf variety mind you).
You must have had a nice harvest!
I understand why you wanted to prune before repotting...
+ if you don't recall the leaves falling (and turn red?), perhaps it's an evergreen one?
I'll also be curious to see the difference in bud types, I don't know yet either, I've never pruned my plant so never really thought about it until I read the RHS guidance!