Taranaki missed 14 tackles, made 16 clean breaks (11 more than the Magpies), beat 33 defenders (19 more than the Magpies) and gained 501m on the carry ( 212 more than the Magpies).
"Ironically it was our best performance of the year," Magpies head coach Craig Philpott said afterwards.
"The attitude was definitely there. A couple of unlucky decisions went against us and they shifted momentum."
Philpott agreed Taranaki's scrum was superior but had every right to point out world champion Baby Blacks prop Tim Farrell performed well when he took the field as a substitute.
Far too often the Magpies kicked too much possession away. Philpott said they had to kick to look for space in an attempt to beat Taranaki's rush defence but there were a few occasions when they didn't get the rub of the green.
One of those occasions was when first five-eighth Dan Snee attempted a grubber kick through the defensive line which bounced off his opposite, Marty McKenzie, who beat Magpies winger Mason Emerson in a chase to score. In his second game back from injury Emerson was thirsty for work, particularly on defence, and made nine tackles.
While Magpies halfback Brad Weber did well to save a try at a 5m scrum in the 20th minute he would have been disappointed with the seven missed tackles beside his name at the final whistle.
The Magpies should have at least got a bonus point for four tries in captain and hooker Ash Dixon's 100th NPC match and substitute loosie Fa'alemiga Selesele's blazer game. Dixon had his best game of the season for the hosts, with 10 carries and 23 tackles.
Flankers Tony Lamborn and Hugh Renton were also busy on defence, with 20 and 19 tackles respectively. As classy as West was at fullback, with an error-free defensive display and an average gain of 19m from three carries, he should be starting in the 10 jersey to provide more variation.
Former Magpies hooker Ricky Riccitelli celebrated his return to McLean Park in style with a player-of-the-match display for his home province. Apart from one crooked lineout throw Riccitelli executed his core roles with aplomb.
He scored a clever try from a well-controlled lineout move and made 13 carries and 10 tackles. Promising loosies flanker Pita Sowakula and No 8 Toa Halafihi enhanced their growing reputations. Sowakula had an average gain of 5.9m from 15 carries and resembled Vaea Fifita when he sprinted away for his 58th-minute try.
Taranaki achieved their win, their first in a first-class fixture at McLean Park in 44 years, without the services of captain and second five-eighth Charlie Ngatai and classy outside backs Waisake Naholo and Seta Tamanivalu. The Bulls were impressive enough without them.
Another positive for the injury-ridden Magpies was the fact there were no further additions to their injury list, which still has the names of quality Super players Ben May, Gareth Evans and Sam McNicol on it.
"Yes, this was one night when we didn't have too many [injuries]," Philpott said before returning to a sombre changing room.
Match highs
Heartstopper: When the Magpies turned down an easy three points in front of the posts in the third minute. This was an ideal opportunity to take an early lead but instead was an early indication of some poor decision making which haunted the hosts' display.
Turning point: The 55th minute penalty try awarded by Bay of Plenty referee Shane McDermott. This gave Taranaki a 29-10 lead and the Magpies were never going to haul in this deficit.
Player of the match: Taranaki hooker Ricky Riccitelli. Inspirational in a dominant scrum. Accurate in all core roles apart from one crooked lineout throw. A clever try from a controlled lineout move, 13 carries and 10 tackles.
Scorers: Taranaki 48 (Toa Halafihi, Marty McKenzie, Ricky Riccitelli, Pita Sowakula, Sean Wainui, Adrian Wyrill, penalty try tries; McKenzie 3 cons, pen; Ciarahn Matoe con), Hawke's Bay 17 (Cardiff Vaega, Ihaia West, Jarvy Aoake tries; Dan Snee con). HT: 14-10.
