A late penalty by hooker Henry Wiki saw Moerewa Tigers outpoint Hikurangi Stags 28-26 in an encounter reminiscent of last year's grand final.
The Tigers were thrilled with their win at Tikipunga Park and can now turn their attention to the second round of the competition, starting next week.
"We're well known
as slow starters in the competition and now we're just a couple of (injured) players away from being at full strength, so we can looking forward to having a big second round, knowing that we've got a run of home games to play," Tigers coach Jay Hepi said.
The Tigers were 12-10 ahead at the break but neither side were able to establish a significant advantage over their opponents as both teams tackled themselves to a standstill.
The bruising encounter saw both benches emptied quickly, with Wiki replacing the injured Anaru Thompson to kick the winning penalty and break the 26-all deadlock.
Wiki also scored a try, with Caleb Tana grabbing a double. Owen Pihema and Sam George were the other scorers, with Thompson adding three kicks.
Second-placed Portland Panthers came from behind to beat third-placed Kaikohe Lions 46-40 in another thriller in the mud at Portland.
Takahiwai Warriors finished the first round off in winning style by beating Bay Slayers 62-12, to lead Portland by one point. The Warriors were ahead 20-6 after a scrappy first spell but in the second half they kept to their game plan and began to pile on the points against their visitors.
Northern Wairoa Bulls won their second successive match in the Whangarei and Districts Club competition but the celebrations were somewhat muted this weekend after they earned their points as Marist Brothers defaulted the game.
