KEY POINTS:
Auckland 47
Waikato 26
Having passed with flying colours what was billed as their first big test of the season, top-of-the-table Auckland should now face a largely untroubled run into the national championship playoffs.
Defending champions Waikato started fast at Eden Park on Saturday night but ultimately went
the way of Counties Manukau and Bay of Plenty before them, blown away in the final quarter, unable to match the flair, intensity and athleticism of the Aucklanders.
Having notched a perfect 15 points from three matches, Auckland now play Southland, Taranaki, Hawkes Bay, Northland, Tasman and Otago. Hardly a draw to send shivers down the spine, then.
It likely won't be until week 10 that they are once again truly tested when they visit Canterbury in the final match of the regular season.
Waikato halfback Brendon Leonard capped a rousing display on his final appearance before joining the All Blacks for World Cup duty with an 18th-minute try that put the visitors 13-3 ahead.
But qick as a flash Auckland struck back with a piece of individual brilliance from Isa Nacewa that set the tone for the night.
"We worked a lot this week on at least getting a guy inside me as an option," Nacewa said of his dummy and 30m dart to the line. "The hole just opened up and I was lucky to take it."
It didn't look like luck. But captain Sam Tuitupou's try did feature a healthy slice of good fortune as Nacewa's kick bounced backwards over two Waikato defenders and straight into his arms.
Waikato remained unbowed and regained the lead eight minutes into the second half when Steven Bates crashed over following another Leonard break. But, with Auckland dominating the breakdown on the way to 17 turnovers for the match, Waikato's lead never looked likely to stick.
When former Auckland centre Roimata Hansell-Pune went for an intercept and instead opened a clear path to the line for fullback Brent Ward, Auckland hit the front for good.
"I was really pleased with the result [given] the amount of points we gifted them," Lam said. "We got off to a slow start but the composure we showed to come back and still play the way we played was excellent."
The two tries in the closing stages that took Doug Howlett to 50 for Auckland were merely the icing on the cake.
If a little underwhelmed, Howlett was pleased to have reached the milestone in his final Auckland game of the season.
"Now that I've got it I can move on," he said. "The memories I have will be of getting up and seeing the smiling faces of my mates."
Waikato coach Warren Gatland wasn't smiling after the match but he wasn't exactly in tears either, saying: "We got beaten up out wide by a team that were just a bit more physical than us in the contact area. But these are the games that, as a coach, I really enjoy. You get a massive amount of learning out of this.
"I don't think Auckland will learn anywhere near as much as Waikato from the game. A few youngsters probably learned a few lessons tonight."
With openside flanker Marty Holah feeling so unwell he needed an injection at half time, Waikato's perceived strength at the breakdown never materialised. Holah was still feeling so faint after the match he had to decline a Herald request for an interview to discuss his pending move to Welsh club Ospreys.
The 36-test All Black has reportedly signed a deal worth £180,000 ($483,000) a year to join the club at the end of the Air New Zealand Cup. But he was outplayed by Auckland opposite Daniel Braid, who Lam said was "phenomenal".
