Bay of Plenty players celebrate their win over Hawke's Bay. Photo / Getty
Bay of Plenty players celebrate their win over Hawke's Bay. Photo / Getty
Hawke's Bay dominated possession and territory, were awarded 13 more penalties and had 54 more carries, but it was Bay of Plenty who came away with a 22-17 win in their 'Battle of the Bays' Mitre 10 Cup clash in Tauranga.
It was an important win for Bay of Plentyin their quest to not only remain in the Premiership in 2021, but also lifts them within a sniff of a playoff spot. Subsequently, the win sees Canterbury fall into the relegation zone with two matches to play. Canterbury's final two games are against the top two teams in the competition – Auckland and Tasman.
Bay of Plenty struggled from the outset as they found themselves trailing within three minutes, when Hawke's Bay wing Lolagi Visinia scored the game's first try.
While the hosts hit back through Kaleb Trask moments later, Hawke's Bay were getting the better of the early exchanges. Bay of Plenty soon found themselves a man light when prop Jordan Lay was sin binned for a cynical penalty, and Hawke's Bay made them pay.
Running in tries to Jonah Lowe and Ash Dixon – who earlier had a stunning solo effort ruled out – Hawke's Bay took a commanding 17-8 lead. They had their chances to extend that further, but coughed up possession at vital moments as the Bay of Plenty defence made them work before an intercept try to Emoni Narawa closed the gap to two points at the break.
There was little in the way of scoring in the second half, with handling errors plaguing both sides. The lone score came from Kaleb Trask, who nabbed his second try of the day before Bay of Plenty defended their line under a late onslaught, even when reduced to 14, to hold on for a pivotal victory.
Elsewhere, Manawatū earned their first win of the season with a 24-12 victory over Southland, while in the final game of the round, Counties Manukau sent off Kieran Read in style, with the inspirational former All Blacks skipper winning a turnover in the 88th minute to seal a 31-27 victory over Taranaki in his final game before he returns to Japan.
"Stoked to get a win — it's my first win of the year, I was telling the boys that we needed to get one this week," said Read.
"It's been a lot of fun. I've really enjoyed being with these lads, and it's certainly brewing something.
"We've been in every game this year, it probably comes down to the last couple of minutes and it could have gone the way it has all season, when they got in front. But we showed character and that's really going to give the guys confidence."
