Hawke's Bay have jumped to the top of the Championship ladder with a 43-28 victory over Northland.
At 29-28 with 20 minutes remaining, it was anyone's game, but tries to Neria Fomai and Folau Fakatava saw Hawke's Bay pull away for their third win of the season.
With their other clash resulting in a draw, the Magpies are unbeaten through four games, though the also-unbeaten Taranaki can jump back to the top of the ladder with a win over Tasman tomorrow afternoon.
Northland, who only scored three tries to Hawke's Bay's seven, stayed in touch thanks to three penalties from Jack Debreczeni, but their points dried up in the final quarter, leaving them stuck with just one win from four games.
