The Crusaders have held in a physical, action-packed clash with the Hurricanes in Wellingotn to emerge victorious 24-21 after the hosts turned down the chance to send the game to golden point.
The back and forth action started with Jordie Barrett putting the Hurricanes ahead in the opening minutes with a penalty only for the Crusaders to respond soon after through Will Jordan in the right corner.
The Hurricanes responded instantly though, as Josh Moorby sold a dummy to break the Crusaders' line inside their 22 before drawing and passing to Jackson Garden-Bachop who then handed it on to Du'Plessis Kirifi to finish.
That led to some high-speed back-and-forth action from the two sides as the Hurricanes continued to hold on to a slim 8-7 lead before Quinten Strange put the Crusaders back in front.
Strange was the benefactor off a hard run by Braydon Ennor that put the Crusaders metres from the Hurricanes' line, with the ball quickly recycled and shifted to the right to put the lock over effectively untouched.
But as they did previously, the Hurricanes struck back almost immediately once again with Moorby this time getting to finish the play rather than start it.
The Crusaders didn't rest on their laurels though, with Richie Mo'unga floating a beauty of a skip pass to George Bridge five minutes later to put the red and black back in front once more with five minutes left in the half.
Barrett would have the last laugh of the first 40 minutes though, slotting a penalty after the hooter to put his side up 18-17 at the break.
An untidy restart from the Crusaders gave the Hurricanes early territory and possession to start the second half, leading to Barrett notching the first points after the break with another penalty.
The Crusaders struck back barely three minutes later after the Hurricanes coughed up a penalty off the restart.
The visitors opted to kick for the corner instead of taking the three and it paid off with Ethan Blackadder storming through three tacklers to get over the line and put the Crusaders back up 24-21 just six minutes into the second half.
The free-flowing rugby continued on into the second half with both sides making trips to the opposite's 22 but neither side was able to convert on the pressure due to either handling errors or penalties.
A rare 50/22 kick from Julian Savea gave the Hurricanes a chance to get back in front though as they earned a lineout 10m from the Crusaders line.
The Crusaders defence held firm though, stopping hard runs by Barrett and the Saveas before forcing the knock-on metres from the line.
In response, the Crusaders went from goal-line to goal-line with a stunning passage of play involving Mo'unga, Sevu Reece and Jordan but the final pass metres from the line once again couldn't stick and a knock on led to another 5m scrum.
With six minutes left to go, the Crusaders appeared to seal the win with a try to Tom Christie however the TMO interviened and took the five-pointer away, citing a missed knock-on in the build-up to the play.
A 79th-minute scrum on halfway for the Hurricanes gave them a chance to steal the game away as they got the ball out and began their attack.
The home side made their way to the Crusaders' 22 as the final hooter went before they earned a penalty, leaving them with the difficult call to either attempt the three and go to golden point or go for the win with a kick in the corner.
The Hurricanes gambled and chose the latter, with Barrett giving his side a 5m lineout to win it all.
The all-or-nothing failed with the ball unable to come out of the ugly maul afterwards resulting in a scrum which, because the hooter had gone, ended the game.
Savea challenged the referee after about the call but nothing came from it, allowing the Crusaders to go back to the top of the table by the skin of their teeth.
Hurricanes 21 [Du'Plessis Kirifi, Josh Moorby tries; Jordie Barrett 3 pens, 1 con]
Crusaders 24 [Will Jordan, Quintin Strange, George Bridge tries; Richie Mo'unga 2 pen]
Halftime: 18-17
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