A penalty try at the death has deprived the Crusaders a chance of toppling ACT Brumbies at Canberra and left them with almost impossible mathematics, if they hope to reach the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs.
Referee Ben O'Keeffe awarded the automatic seven points in the dying seconds of a deadlocked contest that ended as a 31-24 win to the home side, breaking the hearts of the defending champions, who had battled back from a 10-point deficit.
Chay Finaki's penalty goal from his own side of halfway brought the Crusaders level with their rivals in the dying moments, but Brumbies first-five Noah Lolesio had a chance to snatch victory with a penalty inside the 22.
His effort hit an upright, but bounced into the goal area, where Crusaders lock Quinten Strange was deemed to have batted the ball dead deliberately, incurring the penalty try.
The result - pluse victory to Fijian Drua earlier in the afternoon - leaves the defending champions needing at least six points from their final two games and other teams to lose along the way.
The Crusaders went onto the attack from the opening kickoff and a set move from a lineout sent winger Sevu Reece on 40-metre dash to the tryline, but called back for a marginal forward pass.
From the resulting scrum in their own half, the Brumbies launched and, under advantage, were held up over the tryline. With their lineout maul stopped, Lolesio kicked across the field, where winger Adam Muirhead waited to score.
The home advantage grew, when Crusaders fullback Johnny McNicholl spilled a high kick and the ball moved left for counterpart Tom Wright to cross for a try.
The visitors charged back and were only metres from the posts, when Brumbies second-five Tamati Tua caught winger Fihaki with a headhigh tackle that drew a yellow card.
The Crusaders scrum was dominant and that pressure eventually told, with McNicholl scoring against the shorthanded defence.
With halftime looming, McNicholl and Reece combined down the left to break into the Brumbies 22, but a loose pass and kick ahead from Lolesio ended in the hands of Wright for his second try.
Trailling 17-7 at the break, the Crusaders won another scum penalty from the restart and Reece was not to be denied this time, snaking through the Brumbies defence to score and put his side within striking distance.
They had another chance to grab momentum, but couldn't stop shooting themselves in the foot with dropped balls and lost lineout throws. Before too long, they had their backs against their goal-line.
From another turnover on halfway, Brumbies No.8 Rob Valetini burst clear and Wright could have had his hattrick, but chose to offload to winger Ollie Sapsford. Valetini was there at the ruck to dive over and the margin was back to double figures.
McNicholl seemed to have burgled a try in response, kicking ahead and beating Wright to the touch, but replays showed he knocked on in the process. The Crusaders swarmed back onto attack, but when Reece slapped the ball back towards his teammates, it was hacked ahead for a Brumbies 50-22.
Replacement halfback Harrison Goddard crossed beside the posts, but was called back for double movement. Reece kicked downfield and, after a few phases, Crusaders half Noah Hotham found a yawning gap to gallop through for a try.
With 10 minutes remaining, the game was still there for the taking, if only they could hold onto the ball long enough.
A penalty on their own side of halfway provided a chance to level the scores with five minutes left and Fihaki used the wind to his advantage, but as the seconds ticked down, O'Keeffe awarded a ruck penalty to the Brumbies inside the Crusaders 22, leaving Lolesio a difficult angled kick into the wind.
The kick hit the left upright and bounced dead, but replays showed Strange deliberately slapped the ball out and was yellow-carded, with O'Keefe awarding a decisive penalty try.
"We gave ourselves a crack, I think," reflected Crusaders captain Codie Taylor. "First half, we created a lot of opportunities, but probably let ourselves down with individual errors across the board, myself included, and it cost us dearly.
"Tough way to finish a game like that."
The Crusaders host archrivals and tabletoppers Blues next Saturday, before ending their regular season account against Moana Pasifika, also at home.
ACT Brumbies 31 (Wright 2, Muirhead, Valetini tries; penalty try; Lolesio 2 conversions) Crusaders 24 (McNicholl, Reece, Hotham tries; Burke 3 conversions, Fihaki penalty)
