Mitch Hunt of the Crusaders celebrates winning the match with a drop goal. Photo / Photosport
A miraculous 83rd minute drop goal from Mitch Hunt has broken Highlander hearts and kept the Crusaders' unbeaten run alive.
Hunt crushed a drop goal from 43 metres out to claim a stunning victory, making amends for an earlier missed penalty and sending the Christchurch crowd into raptures.
Hunt, who played the hero earlier in the season with a last-gasp penalty against the Reds, admitted he wasn't certain whether he had won the game.
"I didn't hit it quite as I wanted to, it came off the toe a little bit, I guess a bit of a curve came round and helped it go over," he told Radio Sport.
For long stretches it looked as if the Highlanders had done enough to send the Crusaders to their first defeat, after a superb second half turnaround.
Down 19-10 at halftime, the Highlanders stepped up their defensive intensity and struck twice through counter-attacking tries to Waisake Naholo to deservedly put their noses in front.
With four minutes remaining, they held a 22-19 lead, before Hunt took the headlines in a frantic final passage.
A penalty with four minutes to go levelled the scores, and Hunt had a chance to win it in the 80th minute, but pushed a tough penalty wide of the uprights. The Highlanders gave possession back to the hosts with a 20 metre drop out, with the Crusaders mauling through 20 phases with little success before Hunt slotted a most unlikely drop goal.
"We weren't going forward and big old Wyatt Crockett turned back to me and said "Do something with it, so I did something with it," said Hunt.
The final moments epitomised the game as a whole, with a typically fierce derby game fittingly finishing with a physical, tight conclusion.
The Crusaders now just have the Hurricanes left standing in between them and a perfect regular season, and have shown their abilities to win in an assortment of ways this season. This afternoon, they required a bruising battle.
They were at their best in the first half, despite the Highlanders having 72 per cent territory. The visitors spent plenty of time in the opposition 22, but rarely broke the swarming Crusaders defence.
Throughout the contest, the Crusaders were impressive with their defensive structures; not committing too many players at the ruck, but making their tackles and providing little space for Highlanders to manoeuvre through.
Matt Todd was a standout at the breakdown, and showed up regularly on attack as the Crusaders broke with pace, getting quick ball from effective cleanouts and making the Highlanders scramble from side to side.
That attacking speed saw the Crusaders shoot out of the gate, carving through big holes in Highlanders midfield. Mitchell Drummond and Seta Tamanivalu both crossed in the first 15 minutes, and while the two sides added a further try apiece, the Crusaders seemed in command.
The Highlanders, who had reeled off nine straight wins, showed second half resolve, keeping the Crusaders scoreless for 36 minutes while scoring two entrepreneurial tries themselves.
Naholo showed the ability which has him poised to start on the wings against the British and Irish Lions, firstly pouncing on a George Bridge error to win a race to the line, before then intercepting an ill-advised floating ball from Codie Taylor to go 70 metres for the Highlanders' first lead of the game.
The Highlanders got through a mammoth 156 tackles as they initially held strong under a storm of Crusaders pressure, before one mighty swing of Hunt's boot sent them to a devastating defeat.
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