Waikato comeback clinches win

to pick up its fifth try of the evening when openside Scott Waldrom snuck his way down field before linking up with Hayward and then Austin who scored the try.

Sivivatu showed everyone why he's an All Black when he ducked and weaved passed some Taranaki forwards before passing inside to Tom Harding who scored the try.

Bruce's successful kick maintained the games 100 percent kicking record as the gap was closed to 14 points with the score sitting at 38-24 with 25 minutes remaining.

Waikato halfback David Bason exposed some broken down Taranaki defence when he skirted around the side of the ruck and was just held up on the line before big prop Hikairo Forbes picked the ball up and drove across to score.

Another Bruce conversion reduced the gap to seven points as the try-scoring fest continued and showed no signs of calming down.

After phase after phase of Waikato attack, the Taranaki defence finally gave way and No.8 Sione Lauaki stretched over to score the home side's fifth of the encounter.

Bruce nailed a beauty of a kick from the sideline to draw the scores at 38-38 with a little over 10 minutes remaining.

Lauaki then gave away three points when he purposefully knocked the ball out of a Taranaki player's hands and got sin binned, allowing Ripia to nail the penalty kick with around five minutes remaining .

Waikato wasn't down however and patiently made its way up field with 14 men and crept closer and closer to the line in search of a try that guarantee at least another week of rugby.

Sivivatu was the player that finally broke the Taranaki defence and scored the match-winning try on the stroke of full time and secured a win that would propel the home side into the quarter-finals.

The final 45-41 score meant Waikato took five points from the game while Taranaki took two points that could prove vital in the search for an extended season.

Waikato 45

Tries: Donald, Messam, Harding, Forbes, Lauaki, Sivivatu
Con: Donald 2, Bruce 4
Pen: Bruce

Taranaki 41

Tries: Hore, Hayward, Perez, Cameron, Austin
Con: Ripia 5
Pen: Ripia 2

HT: 28-14