The Highlanders get pipped at the death and spend the next week thinking about what they could have done differently.
Cameron Millar missed a penalty right on fulltime which would have sent the game into extra time.
He would like that attempt back again.
But the Highlanders had countless opportunities to post more points and seal a rare win against the Crusaders in Christchurch tonight. They dominated the fixture but they could not finish.
And that has been the story of the season.
They led 12-10 until burly prop Tamaiti Williams drove over from a lineout maul with seven minutes remaining.
The Highlanders have seven losses by seven points or fewer.
And that is enough to leave them anchored at the bottom of the competition standings with one more opportunity to avoid the wooden spoon.
The Crusaders opened the scoring through a Rivez Reihana penalty.
The first five nailed a 50-22 shortly after to set up a good attacking opportunity for the home team.
They set up a driving maul and had momentum, but Mitchell Drummond, in his 150th game, could not hold on to a pass from Codie Taylor.
The Highlanders cleared from the ensuing scrum, but the Crusaders took a quick throw and fullback Johnny McNicholl made a stunning 45m run.
Moments later winger Sevu Reece got himself at the back of the ruck, scooped up the ball and dived over to burgle a try but not just any old try.
It was his 66th and he broke the all-time Super Rugby record, eclipsing the 65 tries TJ Perenara scored.
Cribb nabbed a couple of lineout steals to help the visitors get back into the match. They had been on the back foot for the opening 20 minutes but got a series of penalties and were able to mount some pressure.
Taine Robinson hit the post with a 45m effort on the half an hour mark.
His next kick was almost successful as well. He threaded a grubber through for Jonah Lowe who was stopped just short.
The Highlanders flirted with scoring again. Timoci Tavatavanawai palmed off a defender and got the ball to Lowe. There was some lovely inter-passing and the line beckoned.
But the Crusaders found the off button again.
All the enterprise was finally rewarded in the 39th minute. Tavatavanawai picked off an extremely loose pass from the Crusaders and the in-from Lowe had enough power to get over.
Shortly after the break, the Highlanders threatened to score from one end to the other. But Reece emerged with the ball from a ruck hard on the Crusaders’ line.
Somehow they preserved their 10-5 halftime lead.
Tavatavanawai was causing havoc whenever he carried and he was an utter menace at the breakdown as far as the Crusaders were concerned.
Robinson missed a penalty attempt to prune the margin, but they had all the momentum and struck with a sensational move at the back of a lineout.
Robinson dived over to score next to the post.
Nippy halfback Folau Fakatava did the hard yards with a nice offload.
But he followed up with a couple of kicks which went dead.
And when the Crusaders eventually got some ball close to the line, they set up a maul and Williams powered over.
