After questioning the Waratahs commitment over the last few weeks they almost made me eat my words before faltering at the end to go down to a fabulous Crusaders side in Sydney this weekend 37-33.
But it wasn't that big a surprise when you consider that the Waratahs have failed to finish ahead of the Crusaders over their last ten Super Rugby outings and once again the Crusaders composure under pressure won in the end.
Again the Waratahs started well when Waratahs winger Atieli Pakalani put the first points on the board after eleven minutes of play and for much of the first half the Waratahs went head to head with the Crusaders.
It was a tight match all the way with the score rotating every minute of the game particularly for Waratahs half back Brendan McKibbin who keep the Tah's in the match with his impeccable goal kicking.
But the Man of the Match rightly went to Crusaders centre Robbie Fruean who scored two sensational tries and caused the Waratahs havoc every time he touched the football.
It was always going to be a big challenge for the Waratahs whose performances over recent weeks has been adequate without being exciting and they were under the pump to keep up with the fast paced Kiwi's.
A crowd of over thirty thousand turned up to watch the match played on a cool afternoon in perfect conditions and it is hard to imagine the Waratahs getting a better opportunity to defeat their Kiwi foes.
The Waratahs forwards troubled the Crusaders at times with Wallabies No.8 Wycliffe Palu scoring the Waratahs second try just after half time to keep the pressure on the Crusaders who were always dangerous every time they had the ball in hand.
With the game teetering Fruean put on his dancing shoes and somehow managed to keep in the field play when he scampered down the left side without putting a foot into touch to give the Crusaders an important eleven point margin.
But the Waratahs kept in the race when in defense the Crusaders scrum spat out the football on their feed to give Waratahs replacement halfback Sarel Pretorius a free run to the line on the 74th minute to make it a tight finish.
By this time the Crusaders had rolled out their big gun with All Blacks captain Ritchie McCaw finally making a long awaited comeback to rugby and he looked like he enjoyed getting a feel of the football after many months of rest.
All Blacks five eight Daniel Carter who is playing at No.12 had a quiet game by his high standards but perhaps he was overshadowed by the sublime performance of Fruean who dominated the mid-field.
Crusaders five eighth Tom Taylor is enjoying playing along side of some fantastic players like Carter and Fruean not to mention that he kicked 7 out of 8 attempts at goal against the Waratahs helping the Crusaders continue to build momentum winning five of their last six games.
The Crusaders managed to sure a bonus point with tries also to wingers Zac Guildford and Adam Whitelock in a highly entertaining match that keep the fans on the edge of their seats.
For the Waratahs it now puts their season on the brink and they will do it tough in Canberra next week when they meet the Brumbies who are leading the Australian conference.
By the time their long list of injured players start to get on the field their season might just about be over and even though it was a much better performance last Sunday coming second doesn't count for much.
The Crusaders on the other hand are building nicely and with only eight match left before the Super Rugby finals they are shaping up as one of the teams to beat which shouldn't surprise any one on either side of the globe.
Mark Ella