Some acrobats from a New Zealand Maori player made sure it stayed in the field of play, after he batted the ball back over his head while in mid-air.
Meanwhile, Auckland winger Corey Seator had read what was unfolding.
He took off down field and met the ball, coming back into the field, with his boot kicking it 30m down the field.
The speedster then won the chase to the ball to score a brilliant try.
It made for an interesting final minute of the match but the New Zealand Maori team held on to win the game.
New Zealand Maori residents coach Ricky Henry said representative fixtures like the one on Saturday were very important.
"It is definitely important for us, it gives our guys here in New Zealand an opportunity to play and wear the Maori jersey," he said.
"It's always a proud moment I think not only for [the players] but also for their families, so it is definitely something they will treasure."
He was largely happy with his team's performance, apart from the last 10 minutes when Auckland scored a flurry of tries.
Saturday's match was played under the new floodlights at Puketawhero Park, and was the feature event of the Rangatahi Rugby League Tournament.
Both representative teams were largely made up of Auckland-based players from the prestigious Fox Memorial competition.
The New Zealand Maori side included four players from outside Auckland, including one player who had travelled up from Canterbury.
