Mitre 10 Cup Round Up

The Mitre 10 Cup kicked off this past weekend with some mouth-watering encounters that did not fail to excite the fans.

The opening match saw a replay of last year's Championship final as North Harbour hosting Otago. It was another tightly fought match, much like the Championship final last year, with Bryn Gatland steadying the ship and guiding Harbour to 19-17 victory over Otago.

Another huge clash awaited in the 2nd match of the Mitre 10 Cup with Tasman hosting neighbours Canterbury, in what was a replay of last year's Premiership final. Canterbury laid a big marker in the opening round scoring 5 tries on their way to 39 point victory holding Tasman scoreless.

Mitchell Dunshea had massive game for the away side but unfortunately for the big man, his highlight makes our fail of the week.

Hawke's Bay ran in two late tries to claim a 24-16 victory over Southland, with Tiaan Falcon and Marino Maikalele Tu'u scoring, with the last try coming with only 14 men on the pitch.

Tarnaki snatched up their first opportunity to show off their star-studded backline with the likes of Stephen Perofeta, Seta Tamanivalu, Charlie Ngatai and Marty McKenzie all contributing to their 34-29 victory over Waikato. 

Zac Guildford made his long-awaited return to the Mitre 10 Cup and the former World Cup winner did not disappoint making 6 offloads!!

Another close battle then ensued when Beaver made his return in Counties Manukau colours against Auckland. The home side needed a late Baden Kerr penalty to secure a 16-14 win.

Northland rallied late on scoring 3 unanswered tries to snatch a 28-23 victory against Bay of Plenty. 

Manawatu and Wellington closed off the Mitre 10 action for the weekend with a try feast that saw 11 tries being scored. 

The Turbos will need to be more clinical with their kicking throughout the season after they missed 6 points from the tee which, in the end, could have allowed them to rally late on. 

See all the Match Highlights and results here

Top 3 stats from Round 1

Some big matches in round 2

It's the clash of the Bays on Friday with Bay of Plenty and Hawke's Bay going head to head, with Hawke's Bay looking to claim their first victory of the season.

Wellington vs Taranaki is one you won't want to miss with both sides boasting exciting backs.

The high-flying Northland will look to upset Auckland on Saturday while the home side will be looking to get their season back on track.

Sunday will see Manawatu Turbos and Tasman clashing, while Canterbury and Otago rounding up the weekend, both matches will surely provide you with plenty of entertainment to end your weekend.