ROUND 9 HIGHLIGHTS: Auckland v Canterbury

Canterbury hold on to secure a 27-32 win, despite a late Auckland surge. Canterbury went into an early lead after Braydon Ennor forced his way over the line.

Vince Aso finished off a brilliant Auckland counter to tie the game up. Ben Nee Nee was then yellow carded for a cynical penalty and Caleb Makene went over in the corner soon afterwards.

Jono Hickey converted to penalties to lead at half time. The lead exchanged hands a few times before Canterbury scored 13 unanswered points. TJ Faiane finished a brilliant team try with 5 minutes left on the clock as Auckland looked to form a late comeback but Canterbury will able to hold on to beat Auckland for the 48th time in 100 attempts (5 draws).

The result means that Auckland must wait to see the result from the Bay of Plenty v Waikato game to see if they will be relegated for the first time in their history.