Canterbury's incredible comeback
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There is life in the old legs after all as the defending NPC Cup champions halted a three-match losing streak to defeat Taranaki 26-23 after it looked like the Amber and Blacks had closed out the game.
The turning point was the sinbinning of the impressive Waisake Naholo in the 60th minute.
At that point it was 23-9 and Colin Cooper’s men looked to have sealed victory and potentially top spot on the table.
But in a match winning burst, Matt Todd and then Johnny McNicholl crossed to score 14 points in three minutes, allowing Canterbury to draw level before Tom Taylor kicked the winning penalty in the 75th minute.
It was the one and only time in the contest that the tourists had the lead at Yarrow Stadium.
Meanwhile, contrasting running skills provided a thrilling end to the NPC Cup season proper before Counties Manukau beat Tasman 21-16 in Blenheim on Sunday.
Tasman threw everything into a desperate assault as the final hooter sounded but despite keeping the ball alive for two minutes there was no way through the Counties Manukau defences.
As a result Tasman will play Canterbury in Nelson in their semifinal on Saturday.
The last minute loss when opting to run ball against Taranaki from a last-second penalty came back to haunt Tasman who conceded the minor premiership to Taranaki as a result.
Counties Manukau midfield back Bundee Aki cut holes in the Tasman defence all game and while there were inconsistencies in the ability to make the most of chances created, Counties Manukau deserved the win.
All Sunday's scores and scorers
Taranaki 23-26 Canterbury
Taranaki
Tries: Tamanivalu, Rei, Naholo
Con: McKenzie
Pens: McKenzie, Rei
Canterbury
Tries: Todd, McNicholl
Cons: Taylor 2
Pens: Taylor 4
Tasman 16-21 Counties Manukau
Tasman
Try: Malneed
Con: Banks
Pens: Saifoloi 3
Counties Manukau
Tries: Manu, Stanley, Taufua
Con: Tuala, Stanley 2
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