At times, Ms Ardern was scoring well ahead of Mr English in the 1News debate, particularly on health where the Prime Minister failed to explain adequately the question posed to him on why so many Southern District Health Board male patients had suffered by delays to their prostate operations.
Despite trying to explain the Government had ploughed $5 billion more into the health budget, raising it to $17 billion in five years, Ms Ardern was clearly the winner on that point.
Presenter Mike Hosking asked whether, on the latest poll results, she regretted any of her actions on tax.
She did not and Mr English pounced, continuing to talk about the hole in Labour's fiscal plan. Ms Ardern got nowhere in trying to make Mr English back down.
The latest poll, released before the debate, showed National surging ahead, up 6% to 46% and Labour dropping 7% to 37% - reversing the position from last week but aligning with the TV3 Reid poll.
The Green Party was up slightly to 8% and New Zealand First was down to 5%.
The Opportunities Party was steady on 2%, the Maori Party was unchanged at 1% and Act New Zealand was at 0.3%.
NZ First leader Winston Peters may need to retain his Northland seat to keep his party in Parliament as the party traditionally polls lower on election day.
Both leaders were asked about their coalition choices and Ms Ardern was caught out badly when she refused to rule the Greens into a coalition.
What it boiled down to was Ms Ardern making the first call to the Greens, but no guarantee the call would mean anything but a conversation.
This is damning for the Greens who may see their support slip again in the final days.
Ms Ardern was urging a party vote to Labour and Mr English urged voters to give their party vote to National to give their respective parties the strongest possible bargaining position.
Asked specifically if he could work with Mr Peters, Mr English said he had done so in the past and if voters presented him with that option, he would find it challenging but he would make it work.
The polls showed Labour would need Mr Peters and possibly the Greens to form a Government.
National could do it with Act New Zealand and the Maori Party, as long as the Maori Party held its two seats.
That would give National 61 seats in the Parliament - enough to govern unless there is an overhang.
After a promising start, the final leaders debate descended into a pointless shouting match over policy details.
Once it got to a discussion on the rural/urban divide, each leader tried to out talk the other and Mr Hosking was part of the problem.
It is unlikely uncommitted voters got anything new from the debate as both leaders, at times, looked tired and ready to snap.
