So it was for Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph yesterday, after his side slipped to a 28-23 loss to the Lions in Johannesburg.
Playing in the high veldt's thin air always brings up the issue of running out of puff near the end of a game.
Some have labelled it a myth, claiming teams know how to combat it, but the evidence was so obvious yesterday an alien, fresh off the ship from Mars could have spotted it.
Up 20-3 at halftime, the Highlanders wilted as the Lions came home with their tails up.
Joseph did not want to offer any excuses as to why his side lost, though he conceded the Highlanders had talked about the altitude effect. They had prepared for it, but actually combating the issue was easier said than done.
''I think it played a big part. We had created a lot in that first half and I thought we had controlled things well,'' Joseph said.
''We talked about at halftime how they would come back at us and look to speed things up. We knew what we had to do but talking about it and then having to go out and experience it are two different things.
''We prepared for that to happen but we can only do so much.''
The Lions made some changes at the break in the inside backs. Joseph said the Highlanders were aware of what the home team was going to do, but the tank was empty as the team failed to kick on after the break.
''You've got to look at the opposition, too. They came at us really hard. We were not poor but they put a lot of pressure on us and tore into us at the breakdown.
''It was always going to be really hard to keep them out.''
The Highlanders scrum, which had been looking good in past games, had a bad day at the office and was going backwards for most of the afternoon.
The scrum was not helped by loosehead prop Kane Hames being forced out of the game two days earlier due to a twisted knee.
Hames flew back to New Zealand over the weekend, and replacement Daniel Lienert Brown flew over to South Africa, arriving the night before the match.
The Highlanders will remain in Johannesburg until Wednesday before making the journey down to Bloemfontein, knowing a win over the Cheetahs is vital.
The Highlanders still remain in fifth place on the ladder, although the table is getting tighter.
In Wellington, the Hurricanes beat the Sharks 32-24 and are now well clear at the top.
The two matches between the Hurricanes and Chiefs still left to play loom as pivotal for both teams.
The Blues' dismal season continued with a 42-22 loss to the Rebels in Melbourne on Friday night, the Force did the double over the Waratahs with an 18-11 win in Perth, and the Stormers pipped the Brumbies 25-24 in Cape Town.
