Rugby: Hawke’s Bay beat to death for first win over Canterbury in 37 years

Canterbury have suffered their first loss to Hawke’s Bay in 37 years, losing 20-19 after an impressive attempt off the horn.

A week after losing the Ranfurly Shield to Taranaki, Canterbury had made 10 changes to their team after the All Blacks left, and they were slowly falling 10-0 at halftime, but it seemed they had righted the boat, with 19 points in 20 minutes putting them comfortably in front.

As Jonah Lowe crossed into Hawke’s Bay to bring the score to 19-15, Canterbury had a chance to seal the game with a scrum with time running out, but a powerful push from the hosts earned a penalty to keep the game alive. Finally, a kick to the corner led to a lineout, where Ash Dixon scored Bay’s usual maul to seal an impressive victory in the 83rd minute.

Southland also claimed an upset victory after the horn, flipping North Harbor 11-10 thanks to a Greg Dyer penalty in the 82nd minute, clinching back-to-back home wins for the first time since 2016.

Premiership favorite Tasman had no need for late drama, with a David Havili hat-trick highlighting a 34-17 win over Waikato leaving them the only undefeated team in the Premiership.