The Highlanders Super 14 rugby side have again come agonisingly close to a victory, this time conceding two late tries to lose to the Hurricanes 22-17 in Wellington.
The capital outfit had conceded 17 unanswered points to fall behind after leading 10-0 but drew level when All Black lock Jason Eaton dived over in the 76th minute.
Then another of the Hurricanes' All Blacks, the centre Conrad Smith, sealed the win with the home side's third try when he crashed over a minute before fulltime after coming off the bench in his first appearance of the season.
The New South Wales Waratahs also had to come from behind in Sydney after trailing 7-5 at halftime to the Chiefs.
But the Waratahs showed their mettle for a second week to turn around a three-match losing streak against the Waikato side, beating them 11-7 to equal their best-ever result at home with eight consecutive wins.
It was another dour, defensive struggle in Perth as the Western Force beat the Cheetahs 16-10.
Each side scored just one try with the boot of Matt Giteau proving to be the difference.
The Stormers also beat the Reds 27-24 in Cape Town.
