Northland have held on to beat Mitre 10 Cup Premiership side Counties Manukau in Pukekohe this afternoon, claiming a 24-20 win that shakes things up substantially in the standings.
The Steelers had a golden opportunity to snatch a comeback win off their Championship opponents with a five-metre scrum in the dying minutes but it wasn't meant to be as they lost the ball on try line moments later.
As a result, Counties remain second-to-last in the Premiership, two points ahead of Taranaki and relegation with two rounds to go.
Both Counties and Taranaki have tough finishes to the 2018 season though with both teams set to face Canterbury.
Taranaki plays the defending champions first next Saturday in Christchurch before wrapping up their season at home against Wellington while Counties head to North Harbour next week before taking on Canterbury in the last round.
For Northland, the win springboards them into third in the Championship behind Hawke's Bay and Waikato.
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