Crusaders coach Scott Robertson has described his side's win over the Hurricanes in Christchurch as the best of his coaching career.
The depleted Crusaders side dug deep to down their conference rivals 24-13 on a cold and wet night at AMI Stadium to snap the Canes' 10-game win streak.
The defending champions were without eight All Blacks due to injury, and they lost three more players - Pete Samu, Tim Bateman, and Braydon Ennor, during the match to injury.
Despite that, the Canterbury franchise held firm and limited the Hurricanes to just one try as they extended their lead atop of the New Zealand conference to five points.
Robertson said the win was even better than last year's grand final victory against the Lions in Johannesburg.
"In the context of it, yeah probably, it was right up there, he said.
"Because you would say with the changes and experience, we lost it would probably be stacked against us, but I love it.
"I love this sort of week. You just have got to get the boys ready, clear their heads. You have one training, and then you play. It is quite old-school.
"Obviously there has been a little bit of adversity during the week, but the next man in performed and that is something we really prided ourselves on."
Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd said his players didn't play well to the conditions and the Crusaders made them pay.
"We didn't get our game management right, gave away too many penalties and didn't get out of where we needed to get out of," Boyd said.
"We were still in the game at halftime, but most of the issues in the first half were around our game management, while in the second half they spent about 13 minutes in our 22.
"All the ball they had was in the right part of the field, and all the ball we had was in the wrong so we couldn't get our game going."
The Crusaders travel north to face the Chiefs in their next match, while the Hurricanes head south to tackle the Highlanders.
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