Harlequins suffered Premiership play-off heartbreak after a controversial penalty miss gifted their semi-final place to Northampton.
The battle to finish fourth had come down to the final kick of the final game at Wasps where Quins, trailing 27-25, won a shot at the sticks on the halfway line.
But referee Matt Carley marked the ball a metre inside the Quins half, and it proved the difference as substitute James Lang’s kicked dropped agonisingly short.
“Carley has taken a yard off them, the penalty was exactly on the halfway line,” TV pundit Austin Healey said as Lang stepped up. “Let’s hope that won’t be crucial for Quins.”
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It was and the flags stayed down. “It was (by) the distance Austin was talking about that they were marched back,” confirmed commentator Ben Kay.
Quins players shook their heads in disbelief at having blown their first post-season appearance in five years by losing for the sixth time in their last eight games.
Instead it is Saints, level on points but with one more win, who go to next Saturday’s semi-finals - despite their 40-21 loss at table-topping Exeter.
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Given that result condemns them to a return trip to Sandy Park to face the same opposition, they are unlikely to get too carried away.
Not only were Chris Boyd’s side soundly beaten, influential trio Cobus Reinach, Piers Francis and Reece Marshall all picked up injuries.
Boyd said: ”It's a bit like kissing your sister, it's bitter-sweet. We're disappointed to concede 40 points, despite the fact they're a pretty decent side.
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"We're obviously very pleased to make the semi-finals for the first time since 2015, but there'll not be much delight in the changing room, I can tell you that.”
Boyd’s post-match mood was still marginally better than that of Quins counterpart Paul Gustard, whose team had been 12 points clear of fifth place as recently as March.
“I’m gutted not to be in that semi final,” said England’s former defence coach. “We had a chance to win the game and we didn’t.
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"Ultimately, I can be proud of the team because we made some big strides this year. But the over-riding emotion is disappointment because we were so close.
“My bar’s not set at fifth. I never thought about finishing fifth. I’ve got to improve. I’ve made too many mistakes.
“I'll get players to give me feedback on how I've coached. We'll have a big internal review on Monday.”
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Quins had started the afternoon a point behind Northampton but twice leapfrogged Saints in the opening half hour as they led at the Ricoh Arena.
Boyd’s team, whose recent form has been as good as Quins’ has been poor, stunned their rivals by levelling with Chiefs on the stroke of half-time despite being down to 13 men.
With Courtney Lawes and Alex Waller sin-binned, Exeter went for the kill only for Reinach to intercept on his own line and go the length.
Quins seemed resigned to their fate when Joe Simpson marked his final game for Wasps with two tries to put the Coventry side 24-8 in front.
But they dug deep and tries by Danny Care and Elia Elia set up the dramatic - and ultimately agonising - finale.
