Crusaders 20 Waratahs 13
The Waratahs don't have great memories of Christchurch, having won only once in 15 visits to the Garden City, but they will feel a lot happier after what happened last night.
They might not have won but they came close to tipping the Super 14 favourites on their home turf. It will give the Waratahs great confidence that they might, just might, be able to win a Super Rugby title for the first time.
This was an intense match, befitting a top-of-the-table clash. At times it was brutal, as defences crunched into their work. At others, skills were sublime despite the paucity of tries.
The Waratahs were chasing their sixth consecutive victory for the first time in their history. For their part, the Crusaders are unbeaten in six games and building momentum, as they do at this time of year.
The game was delicately poised at 13-12 to the Waratahs heading into the final quarter.
Dan Carter added a fifth penalty to help the Crusaders re-take the lead - becoming the highest pointscorer in Super Rugby history in the process to edge clear of Stirling Mortlock - but the decisive blow came with Kahn Fotuali'i's try with just three minutes remaining.
It came on the back of sustained pressure and the halfback burrowed through a gaggle of bodies to touch down.
The Waratahs deserved their bonus point but left with much more - self-belief.
The last time they played at AMI Stadium was the 20-12 defeat in the 2008 final. The Crusaders claimed their seventh title that night but it's better remembered for the bizarreness around the game.
Coach Ewen McKenzie had already been told he would be dumped, despite guiding the Waratahs to their second final, and a runaway horse nearly struck Matt Dunning.
Last night there were no such absurdities. Instead, the rugby provided the main talking point.
At no point did either side gain the upper hand, and this was no better illustrated by the fact the scores were locked 6-6 at halftime.
Admittedly both sides missed reasonably easy penalty kicks - certainly easy by Carter's standards - but some of the hits would have been heard in the upper reaches of the stand.
One by Fotuali'i earned 10 minutes in the bin but the rueful smile by haggard lock Brad Thorn betrayed what he thought of the decision.
At another time, the Crusaders repelled 28 phases as the Waratahs threw everything at them. But they couldn't hold out the 29th as Sam Burgess fell on a clever Daniel Halangahu stab kick close to the line.
The Waratahs are a much different side to the one ridiculed for their boring play last season.
They played with equal measures of endeavour and ingenuity. They were never going to add a huge number to their competition-leading 31 tries this season but they would have against lesser sides than the Crusaders.
They attacked around the fringes, maintained possession well and allowed their players to try things, despite what was at stake.
They were just as brutal and clinical as the Crusaders on defence, keeping the home side at bay until the 77th minute.
Richie McCaw came close in the 19th minute but he had the ball snaffled out of his grasp by opposite Phil Waugh when going for the line. It was brilliant work from Waugh and not the first time these protagonists had battled possession.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see them do it all again with the major prize on the line at the end of the season.
Crusaders 20 (K. Fotuali'i try, D. Carter 5 pens) Waratahs 13 (S. Burgess try, D. Halangahu 2 pens, con). HT: 6-6.
