Waikato celebrate their improbable comeback victory. Photo / Getty
Waikato celebrate their improbable comeback victory. Photo / Getty
In the immortal words of the bard Lenny Kravitz, it ain't over 'til it's over.
Halfway through their NPC match against Wellington in Hamilton on Sunday, Waikato's cause looked a lost one. Conceding five straight tries to fall behind 34-8 at halftime, the hosts had plenty of work to do.
Slowly but sure, that margin decreased during the second half, before the hosts ultimately hit the lead to claim a 43-37 win.
It was frantic and rather sloppy throughout from the visitors. When they found room to run and some freedom to move the ball, they looked dangerous. However, on the other side of the ball there will be plenty to comb through in the week ahead, with players falling off tackles throughout the contest and leaking points in the second half.
Wellington put pressure on Waikato early but then missed an opportunity to pin them on their own line when Waikato second five-eighth Quinn Tupaea beat seven defenders to get out of his own in-goal area and toward halfway before being pulled down.
Wellington got the ball back from a loose offload, but again were hurt by sloppy play when they didn't get a player to the ruck and Waikato were able to simply pinch the free ball and attack. Neither of those passages of play cost the Wellington side, however they found themselves trailing soon after when Waikato winger Mosese Dawai crossed out wide.
Fletcher Smith makes a break during Waikato's win over Wellington. Photo / Getty Images
The sides then traded penalties, before Wellington found their rhythm with ball in hand and sent winger Pepesana Patafilo over on the left edge twice in quick succession.
With the lead, Wellington continued to play a free style of football, with first five-eighth Ruben Love asking plenty of questions of the Waikato defence.
Before the half was over, flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi, centre Julian Savea and second five-eighth Peter Umaga-Jensen were both across the stripe, giving Wellington a comfortable 34-8 lead at the break.
Things turned in Waikato's favour when Savea was sin binned for a tackle he made two minutes into the half, and Love left the field with an injury.
Wellington's defence held for most of the time they were a man down, however Waikato No 8 Jack Lam eventually found a way through.
Waikato looked to be the fresher of the two sides in the second half and took the attack to Wellington both in open play and from the set piece. Tries to reserve trio Ollie Norris, Cortez Ratima and Liam Messam brought them within a point, before winger Liam Coombes-Fabling scored what would be the deciding try.
Elsewhere, Bay of Plenty got the better of Southland in Invercargill. After a tough start to the game, things opened up in the second half, with the visitors chalking up a 31-11 win.
In Whangārei, Taranaki decimated Northland 48-14. Taranaki sustained a long period of early pressure before taking a 10-7 lead into the break, but a red card to Northland No 8 Isi Manu for shoulder charge which made contact with Taranaki fullback Stephen Perofeta's head opened the door for the visitors to push on with the job, and they did just that.
Taranaki scored three of their six tries while they had the one-man advantage, before Kini Naholo and Daniel Rona added two more late to push the scoreline at little further in their favour.
