Milford Keresoma of Canterbury makes a break from Hame Faiva of Waikato. Photo / Getty
Canterbury 18
Waikato 17
A combination of their own resolve and a curious decision from the officials saw Canterbury remain unbeaten and seal a semifinal spot in the ITM Cup.
Trailing for 70 minutes of their clash against Waikato in Christchurch, the home side took advantage of Ben Tameifuna's yellow card
to score two tries and claim a narrow victory.
An out-of-sorts Canterbury were outplayed for the the majority of the match but were barely able to walk away with a seventh straight win and leapfrog Tasman to the top of the Premiership. For that, they had to thank Ben Funnell and Matt Todd, the scorers of a pair of late tries, along with the men in pink.
There initially appeared to be little in Ben Tameifuna's off-the-ball tangle with an opponent, and television replays confirmed as much. But even after the TMO failed to spot an offence, referee Paul Williams brandished yellow to the Waikato prop on the advice of touch judge Liam Scanlon.
