Cape Town - Was it always too much to expect as many as four New Zealand sides to stay in contention for the Super Rugby finals series this year?
A second successive home defeat on Friday for the seven-time champion Crusaders - thumped 26-9 by local conference rivals the Chiefs - leaves them pretty close now to waving goodbye to any lingering playoffs hopes.
The Canterbury outfit have now slipped to five defeats from nine matches, which means they are tenuously-placed for making the top six cut after ordinary season, and smart money instead to join the Blues as also-rans from a New Zealand point of view.