The Bay of Plenty Wasps beat Hawke's Bay 33-29 in a high-scoring shootout in Napier on Wednesday.
An expansive approach resulted in tries to wingers Junior Tofa Va'a and Kimami Sitauti, while midfield pairing Nick Evemy and Sam Beard also crossed the stripe.
Rotoiti's Joe Royal, who is fast developing a reputation as a prolific try scorer, also dotted down in an encouraging performance from a side boasting a large number of first choice Steamers players.
Steamers coach Kevin Schuler was happy with the hit-out, especially since his side held on well in the second half with little ball after scoring four tries in the opening half.
"At the end of the game we won with our defence in the last 10 minutes, so that was really impressive," said Schuler.