Canterbury have claimed their fourth straight Farah Palmer Cup title in thrilling fashion, with lock Cindy Nelles crashing over for an 82nd minute try to sink Waikato 8-7 at Rugby Park in Christchurch.
Waikato showed they were up to the task through their smothering defence from the opening whistle. While Canterbury had the majority of possession and territory in the opening 40 minutes, they only had a 3-0 lead to show for it at the break as a number of try-scoring opportunities went begging.
It took until the 64th minute for the first try of the game, when Waikato flanker Kennedy Simon got over the line to put her side on the board and in the lead, which was stretched beyond a penalty goal through captain Chelsea Alley's conversion.
For Canterbury, chasing a second straight unbeaten season, the pressure was switched on. But as they did in the first half, they continued to test the Waikato defence and though the visitors remained stoic, they ultimately cracked at the death as Canterbury hammered them from close range and Nelles scored the winner.
