Blues winger Caleb Clarke may pay the price of a last-gasp victory over ACT Brumbies that clinched home advantage throughout the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs.
As he desperately chased Brumbies halfback Nic White the length of the field during the second half, the All Blacks flyer pulled up with an apparent hamstring injury and immediately subbed off.
The look on his face suggested the problem would not be a quick fix.
"They normally take time, especially when you're a speed athlete like Caleb," reflected coach Leon MacDonald. "He's bitterly disappointed.
"It's written all over his face - he's gutted."
Beauden Barrett's drop goal at the death gave the Aucklanders at 21-19 win at Canberra, extending their winning streak to 12 games and sealing top spot on the competition table, with one round remaining in the regular season.
After unsuccessfully chasing Olympic sevens selection, Clarke, 23, was one of the form wingers of the Super Rugby campaign and contesting strongly for a place back in the national 15s set-up.
This setback will probably keep him out of next week's road encounter with NSW Waratahs and likely into the playoffs.
Victory over the Brumbies - the top-ranked Australian side in third place - was never likely to be easily achieved on their home turf, which turned on typically cold temperatures for the occasion.
ACT led through most of the first half, after a try by former Crusaders loose forward Pete Samu in the opening minutes, but Barrett scored to give the visitors an 8-7 edge at the break.
The rivals exchanged tries, until first-five Noah Lolesio converted a try by replacement hooker Billy Pollard to put the Brumbies ahead 19-18 with seconds left on the clock.
MacDonald praises the composure shown by team leadership to secure possession and move within range for Barrett decisive pot.
"There were some real clear, calm messages and I suppose that's been a real highlight of the growth of our group this year," he said. "They're a little bit older and wiser, and clear in what they wanted to do.
"They were able to defend really well, get the ball back and execute the final play, which was just massive."
MacDonald highlights discipline as another key to his team's success, as the home side clearly considered they bore the brunt of referee Damon Murphy's whistle.
Murphy blew a 16-5 penalty count against the Brumbies, who also had hooker Folau Fainga'a and lock Darcy Swain yellow-carded, playing a couple of minutes with only 13 men in the first half.
"The breakdown was really hotly contested and there was a lot for the referee to get his head around," said MacDonald. "There was a lot going on from both sides.
"Something we talked about in training all week was to show good pictures for the referee to take the decision-making out of it. The penalty count was huge and our discipline was fantastic tonight, which probably proved the difference."
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