The Crusaders will almost certainly miss the playoffs for the first time since 2001 after last night suffering their seventh loss of an insipid season.
Having been unable to turn the tables on the Waratahs in a rematch of last year's final, the Crusaders must face the reality of being on the outside looking in during the business end of the campaign.
There is still a mathematical chance of changing that bleak glimpse of the future but, needing to win their final three games and hope other results go their way, it seems almost certain the post-season will be without the Crusaders for only the fourth time in Super Rugby history.
Such a scenario is hardly how the proud franchise would have wanted to farewell their favourite sons, with Richie McCaw and Dan Carter set to end their careers in red-and-black in distinctly unfamiliar fashion.
But the Crusaders have resembled a playoffs side only in brief patches this season - and last night featured few of those.
The visitors' problems centralised almost entirely around what they were doing with the ball, considering they had more than enough of it to mount a more sustained challenge.
Instead, it was only in the final quarter when the Crusaders' threatened with any consistency, pulling within three points to set up a grandstand finish. But it was too little, too late, as Todd Blackadder's men were left to rue the lack of direction they displayed for much of the match.
A wealth of possession began as early as the opening kickoff, when Nemani Nadolo crossed to convert 11 phases into instant points, but that try became the exception rather than the rule. The Waratahs were relatively content in ceding the majority of the ball in the opening half, watching the Crusaders go from side to side before taking advantage of errors and providing much more penetration than their opponents when had their own turn with the ball.
The home side's first try arrived from a rapid counter attack that was converted by Taqele Naiyaravoro and the second saw Rob Horne scoop up a dropped pass from Colin Slade to race away unabated, mixing enterprise with opportunity to seize control of the match.
Slade's night went from bad to worse when he was forced from the field with a thigh injury, allowing Dan Carter a rare stint at first-five where he proceeded to marshal the Crusaders' attack with assurance - but that assurance was unable to reap sufficient reward.
The Crusaders even gave up 10 points while Silatolu Latu spent time in the sin bin for a tip tackle on Sam Whitelock, a period that was indicative of the game as a whole, with both teams full of running but only the Waratahs able to get behind the defensive line with any regularity.
The second spell quickly demonstrated that reality as Naiyaravoro grabbed his second, capitalising on a move that was both patient in its build-up play and clinical in its execution. Those were a couple of traits that would have created envy in the Crusaders' attack, which owed a slice of luck to a Richie McCaw try that delivered a glimmer of hope heading into the final quarter.
It was a feeling that strengthened when Matt Todd made sure a dominant driving maul produced the points it deserved and, despite losing McCaw to a yellow card, the Crusaders continued to pile on the pressure. But inaccuracy plagued them at vital moments and left them needing a miracle to prevent their playoff streak snapping at an unlucky 13 straight seasons.
Waratahs 32 (T. Naiyaravoro 2, R. Horne, B. Foley tries; B. Foley 3 cons, 2 pens)
Crusaders 22 (N. Nadolo, R. McCaw, M. Todd tries; D. Carter pen, 2 cons).
HT: 17-8
