Rugby League Park was only ever intended to be a temporary refuge for the Super Rugby heavyweights following the 2011 earthquake that ruined their previous Lancaster Park home.
It instead became an indelible part of the Crusaders identity as plans for a replacement home dragged on for more than a decade.
The defending champions will finally move to the recently completed Te Kaha stadium on the edge of the Christchurch CBD from April 24, where a permanent roof will transform the fan experience.
On Friday, though, supporters will head to the Addington Showgrounds for one last time to cheer on the 'red and black' at their windswept fortress.
Former Crusaders captain Kieran Read led the team out for their first match at Rugby League Park on March 24, 2012, 680 days on from their previous home game in quake-damaged Christchurch.
"The roar from the crowd felt like our city's heartbeat returning," Read said in a letter to fans this week.
"The place wasn't fancy, but it reflected exactly who we were. A team and a city piecing themselves back together."
The Crusaders claimed their 13th Super Rugby title under second-year coach Rob Penney at the ground last year, beating the Waikato Chiefs 16-12 in the final.
But the stadium will often be linked with the success of Penney's predecessor Scott Robertson, who hoisted the trophy twice at Rugby League Park in 2018-19 among his five championships in the full version of Super Rugby.
Robertson also guided the Crusaders to the domestic 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa title with a 24-13 victory in the final over the Chiefs, celebrating with his trademark break-dance on rain-soaked turf.
Winter nights have been bitterly cold for fans in the exposed terraces, and Penney remarked on Thursday that the stadium had "served its purpose" about six or seven years ago.
However, it is expected to be clear and mild on Friday when the sixth-placed Crusaders look to sign off with a win over the Drua on the night of hooker Codie Taylor's 150th match.
"It's a great occasion to see it on its way," Penney told local radio station Newstalk ZB.
"He was part of the first team that played on the ground and he'll be in the last team that played there."
The match is one of only three on the Easter weekend schedule as five teams have a bye, including the top three of the Wellington Hurricanes, Auckland Blues and ACT Brumbies.
The result of the second fixture, however, could prove pivotal for the fifth-placed Chiefs and seventh-placed New South Wales Waratahs, who meet in Hamilton on Saturday.
The Chiefs (4-2) have not been the juggernaut pundits had expected this season and face opponents (3-3) with wind in their sails after a 30-28 win on the road against the Brumbies.
The Waratahs will be up against it, though, facing an All Blacks-laden side boasting victories in their last eight matches against visiting Australian teams.
The fourth-placed Queensland Reds wrap up the round in the second match on Saturday when they host Australia's weakest team, Western Force (1-5).
Les Kiss's Reds may be relieved to return to their Lang Park home after a harrowing 52-14 defeat at the Hurricanes, and will hope flyhalf Carter Gordon can resume his flying start to the season after returning from a minor injury.
