Taranaki 30 Waikato 23
How did they do it? With a lot of help from the home side is one reply.
Taranaki looked out for the count in the early stages of their ITM Cup premiership rugby clash against Waikato in Hamilton.
Yet they emerged deserving bonus point winners as the Waikato errors mounted. Taranaki provided the best attacking moments with fullback Andre Taylor and inside back Jayden Hayward to the fore and taking advantage of some lax Waikato defence.
ITM Cup standings
The news got even worse for Waikato with first five-eighths Stephen Donald leaving the field with a shoulder injury.
Taylor, Hayward and rising first five-eighths Beauden Barrett made the telling runs in the match while Waikato were clumsy in response.
Captain Craig Clarke put the win down to "old school aggression" and the Taranaki forwards were stronger around the field, although Waikato had a clear edge in the scrums.
Waikato owned the first quarter of the match with their forwards smashing the visitors. Prop Toby Smith scored the first with a short run to the line, bumping past Barrett.
Tukere Kerr-Barlow added the second and had Waikato quickly turned their advantages into a third, Taranaki would have struggled. But Taranaki clung on, and slowly turned the game.
A late Taylor try in the first half, after a wonderful Taranaki rampage including a flick on pass from Hayward, was the spark that brought them back into the game.
Taranaki 30 (A. Taylor, J. Hayward C. Walker, B. Thomson tries; Taylor 2 con, 2 pen)
Waikato 23 (T. Smith, T. Kerr-Barlow tries; S. Donald 2 con, T. Renata 3 pen). HT: 5-14.
