Mitre 10 Cup Round 7 - Round Up
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The race for playoff places heated up in Round 7 of the Mitre 10 cup, while Waikato slipped into the relegation zone.
Stat leaders
Round 7 kicked off with Northland hosting Otago at Toll Stadium.
Jack Goodhue set up one of the tries of the season as Northland edged Otago 32-30 in a thrilling encounter.
The Taniwha will face Hawke's Bay in Round 8, while Otago host Bay of Plenty. See full match highlights, match reaction and more HERE
Taranaki vs Tasman Makos
A fantastic result for the home side as they extend their run of unbeaten games to 5 against a strong Tasman side. Viliami put Tasman under pressure early on when he received his 2nd yellow card for playing the man in the air in the 25th minute.
Taranaki's centre pairing of Johnny Fa'auli and Sean Wainui caused plenty of problems for the Tasman defence, while Stephen Perofeta had another fantastic game for the Bulls.
Taranaki face Canterbury in a Ranfurly Shield challenge in Round 8, while Tasman will battle North Harbour and Auckland. See full match highlights, match reaction and more HERE
North Harbour vs Hawke's Bay
North Harbour edged Hawke's Bay 33-30 in a thrilling round 7 Mitre 10 Cup encounter. Hawke's Bay ran in two first half tries to one to take a 17-13 lead into the break. North Harbour responded levelled things up with a try up and a penalty to see them lead by three points.
Hawke's Bay made it all square again at 30-30 with a penalty soon after. However, North Harbour would have the final say with a penalty with 2 minutes remaining seeing them sneak the victory.
Southland vs Manawatu
With nothing to lose the Stags put in a great effort and stayed in touch with the Turbos after conceding 2 tries in the opening few minutes. The turbos made a number of errors keeping the home side in but still managed a bonus point win. Full time score 20-25.
Southland next face Wellington, while Manawatu play Counties Manukau. See full match highlights, match reaction and more HERE
Auckland vs Bay of Plenty
Ravouvou put the writing on the wall early on for the Steamers as he ran in 2 sensational tries fro Auckland. The Steamers were stopped with great pressure on Delany who was unable to dictate the play but the visitors did enjoy most of the possession forcing Auckland into plenty tackles which presented a few gaps for some late tries to finish the game. Auckland face Tasman in the next round, while the Bay face off against Otago.
See full match highlights, match reaction and more HERE
Canterbury defend the Ranfurly Shield against Waikato
Canterbury claimed a comfortable 37-17 home win over Waikato to retain the Ranfurly Shield in round 7 of the Mitre 10 Cup. Canterbury opened the scoring with an early penalty and ran in their first try to lead 10-0. Two penalties in quick succession were followed by two quick tries as the hosts took control with a commanding 30-0 lead. Waikato would have the final say in the first half with a late try getting the visitors on the board as they trailed 30-5 at the break. An early second half try for Canterbury put the game beyond doubt as Waikato crossed for a further two consolation scores. Canterbury hold onto the Ranfurly Shield and move to the top of the Premiership standings in the process, although Taranaki do have a game in hand.
Canterbury will defend the Shield for the final time this season against Taranaki, while Waikato face North Harbour.
See full match highlights, match reaction and more HERE
Wellington vs Otago
A see-saw battle see's Wellington grab the win by just 3 points after the sides traded the lead in the second half. Some great tries on display and Otago miss an opportunity to grab the win at the end of the game with a line out that was not straight.
Counties Manukau vs Northland
Stephen 'Beaver' Donald scored the winning the try as Counties Manukau beat Northland 25-16 in Pukehohe to close out the weekend's action.
See full match highlights, match reaction and more HERE
Round 8 fixtures