Hawke's Bay shock Wellington
Hawke's Bay upset the applecart when they handed Wellington their first loss of the season in Napier on Thursday.
Hawke's Bay outscored Wellington by four tries to three to claim a shock 35-24 win.
A penalty by Ihaia West and converted tries by fullback Zac Guildford and centre Andrew Horrell saw Hawke’s Bay race into a 17-0 lead after 20 minutes.
West added two penalties while Wellington scored converted tries by captain Victor Vito and lock Mark Reddish as Hawke’s Bay led 23-14 at half-time.
Wellington rallied back after the break as replacement back Afa Fa'atau scored a seven-pointer and Lima Sopoaga landed a penalty just after the hour mark to edge the Lions into the lead.
Hawke's Bay were not to be denied, however, with replacement Adam Bradey dotting down to regain the lead before West scored a superb try to seal the victory.
The win saw Hawke's Bay climb to second place on the championship ladder but other results in the week will determine whether they will host one of next week's semifinals.
Wellington remain at the top of the premiership table, seven points clear of Canterbury.
Otago, meanwhile, strengthened their bid for a championship semifinal berth with a 31-21 bonus-point win over Northland at Whangarei on Wednesday.
Hawke's Bay 35-24 Wellington
The scorers:
For Hawke's Bay:
Tries: Guildford, Horrell, Bradey, West
Cons: West 3
Pens: West 3
For Wellington:
Tries: Vito, Reddish, Fa'atau
Cons: Sopoaga 3
Pen: Sopoaga
Northland 21-31 Otago
The scorers:
For Northland:
Tries: Takulau, R Wright, Abel
Cons: Hawkins 3
For Otago:
Tries: Manson, Faddes, Spence, Ioane
Con: Parker
Pens: Breen 2, Parker
