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It's not as grievous as Michael Jones' damage 20 years ago. At least that was the initial report about Richie McCaw's knee injury.
However the exit of the All Black captain so soon after Daniel Carter snapped his Achilles tendon will have elevated the anxiety at provincial and national levels.
Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder predicted a layoff of weeks rather than months for his captain and star loose forward with the medical experts lining up to offer a sharper diagnosis and forecast today.
At least McCaw could hobble away from Carisbrook, unlike Jones who had to be stretchered away from Athletic Park all those years ago. McCaw limped away on Saturday night with damage to the medial ligaments in his right knee on a forgettable night for the Crusaders.
The House of Pain doubled as the Turf of Torment for the defending champions as they tumbled to a third consecutive defeat in round-robin play for the first time since the 1996 birth of the Super series.
The Highlanders did not care that their 6-0 victory was the lowest score in tournament history - it was their first victory this season and the first time the Crusaders had been held scoreless in their 172-game history. But most of the post-match chat was about McCaw.
"It's not looking good," Blackadder said of his captain. "It could be anything from two to six weeks."
McCaw was the latest to join the swag of Crusader casualties this season. The defending champions do not have a bye for another month in which time they play the Force, Waratahs, Stormers and Bulls.
They have already lost hooker Corey Flynn for the season with a broken arm, Kade Poki, Casey Laulala Sean Maitland, Leon MacDonald, and Jared Payne are on the injured list, Ben Franks and Brad Thorn are struggling with recurring foot injuries.
The Highlanders broke their run of three straight defeats and repeated the win they had against their southern cousins last season. "We had a clear mind-set coming into tonight's game and that was to win, at any cost," Highlanders captain Jimmy Cowan said. "It's been a long time coming."
Meanwhile, the Bulls, Waratahs and Sharks head the series from the Hurricanes, who claimed another win but lacked much clout against the Cheetahs. The Waratahs and Sharks have a chance at the lead this week as the Bulls and Hurricanes have a bye.
