Tasman Makos held on against a fired-up Bay of Plenty Steamers side in Nelson on Friday night to take the ITM Cup crossover match by 34-13.
A niggly first half tested the patience of Tauranga referee Nick Briant, whistling his 100th first class game, but it showcased the new resolve evident in this year's Steamers. There was plenty to like about the resilience shown on defence, especially the loose forward trio of Zac Hohneck, Johan Bardoul and Carl Axtens, and the second half resurgence that gave Tasman a real fright.
Certainly there has been enough shown in the opening two games by the Steamers to think they could be a real chance of making the Championship play-offs. Avoiding silly errors and more accuracy in the lineouts would help.
Home form will be the key with Southland at ASB Baypark on Wednesday, followed by Waikato at Tauranga Domain on Sunday, two must-win games to come next week.
Tasman scored first through No 8 Liam Squire, after 13 phases of accurate attack, which Marty Banks converted.
From the kick-off, first-five Nick Evemy made a sharp break to put the Steamers on attack. Tasman prop Ross Geldenhuys stomped on halfback Jono Kitto in a cynical attack that probably deserved more than the yellow card he was given. Evemy slotted the penalty to close the gap to 7-3.