The try came from a charged down drop goal attempt from Stephen Fenemor which could have given University a 25-23 lead.
Southern was expected to be too strong for Zingari Richmond but stumbled to a 27-27 draw. The Colours scored a late try but missed the conversion which would have sealed an upset.
Harbour took some time to grind down Green Island before piling on eight second half tries to win 60-5.
Taieri made light work of Alhambra Union in a 78-6 shellacking, while Dunedin brushed aside Pirates 47-16.
Kaikorai 30
University A 22
Kaikorai continued its bid to be a wildcard contender for the top four when it beat University A in a match of changing fortunes at Bishopscourt.
In a game where the lead changed six times, the students hit their straps early, scoring straight from the kickoff through centre Shae Tucker, after Kaikorai failed to secure the ball.
Despite the early setback, Kaikorai was soon back in the game, racing to a 15-7 lead after 20 minutes. A regrouped student side then kept the home side scoreless until well into the second spell, and scored tries through Tucker and wing Liam Fitzsimmons to regain the lead.
With the game at 19-15 in University A's favour early in the second half, it became an intense encounter between two well matched sides.
Only in the final 10 minutes were the scoring shackles broken, when Kaikorai prop George Hendry dived over to snatch the lead back for the home side.
University stole back the lead soon after the restart through a Stephen Fenemor penalty goal and Kaikorai replied in kind from the restart.
With time up, halfback Josh Renton made it game, set and match for the home side, gathering in the ball from a charge down to run 60m and dot down under the bar.
Zingari Richmond 27
Southern 27
Zingari Richmond came within a whisker of causing a boilover over competition leader Southern at Montecillo.
The home side tied the game up right on fulltime when classy fullback Christian Walker went over out wide. Thomas Johnson struck the conversion well but it fell just outside the posts in the last act of the game.
It was a courageous effort from the Colours, who came back from a 24 10 deficit in the second half and made all the running in the last quarter of the game to snatch the draw.
The comeback was sparked by an interception by veteran loose forward Chris Bell, who scampered 60m to score.
Zingari Richmond kept up the momentum and was rewarded when impressive No8 Tom Cummins barged over.
Southern first five eighth Bryce Hosie added a penalty with five minutes left to push his side five points ahead, but the home team steamed back on attack and could not be denied.
Southern had started the game well but minds appeared to wander and it made too many sloppy errors. It went rather one dimensional and its backs drifted out of the game, and the draw dented its perfect record so far this season.
Cummins was a powerful force on the drive for Zingari while flanker Blair Tweed got through plenty of work.
Out wide, Lachie Moore impressed for the Colours and winger Chris McNoe was busy.
Southern No8 Mika Mafi made some nice runs but they mostly came to nothing, while the Southern set piece was on top throughout.
Harbour 60
Green Island 5
Someone was doing a lot of swearing during the halftime huddle at Miller Park.
A lethargic Harbour had stumbled to 12-0 lead against winless Green Island but emerged from the strongly worded sermon with more vigour.
The Hawks needed to up the ante. They had made too many unforced errors, blown too many opportunities and had gone away from the pattern of play which had served them so well this season.
Impressive loose forward Ben Whale got the second half off to a much improved start when he took the last pass in a move which swept 50m.
The floodgates, as they say, opened, and the interval between tries got shorter and shorter. Harbour scored eight of its 10 tries in the second half. It felt like a procession.
Centre Sala Halaleva bagged three of his own. He could have had a fourth but with the line open and the try line 5m away, he passed the ball to a teammate.
Winger Marckis Schaaf sparked the best try of the match. He caught the ball from a restart and swatted aside four or five would be tacklers in a 40m run before off loading to Halaleva, who had a clear run to the line.
Whale and No8 Charles Elton worked tirelessly but Green Island loosie Jackson Hemopo was equally impressive. He hit the ball up a lot and his offloading was a constant threat.
Centre Fapene Popoali'i is a strong ball carrier but Green Island lacked the finishing power to capitalise on any pressure it was able to build. Fitness remains an issue. A lot of missed tackles came in the final quarter of the game.
Taieri 78
Alhambra Union 6
Taieri first five eighth Josh Casey, a point scoring machine, scored 29 points when Alhambra Union was outclassed at Peter Johnstone Park.
He has scored 131 points this winter and is chasing the season record of 260 scored by Daniel Soper (Dunedin) in 1997.
Casey scored two tries and kicked eight conversions and a penalty goal.
Fullback Ben Miller scored a hat trick of tries and added two conversions for 19 points. Casey and Miller are former members of the Otago Boys' High School First XV.
Casey scored the first try after 13 minutes, and Taieri attacked with pace and crisp passing to score 11 tries. Winger Glen Beadle added two quick tries to give Taieri a 36 6 lead at the break, and the Eels added six more in the second spell.
Quick passing halfback Will Cosgriff and hard tackling second five eighth Kori Rupene were the other Taieri backs to impress.
Taieri was dominant in the forwards and lock Josh Larsen made nine takes in the lineout. It included three off Alhambra Union throws. No8 Willis Scott made two takes off opposition throws and stood out with his spot tackling.
Lock Charlie O'Connell and tighthead prop Aki Seiuli were the other key players in the Taieri pack.
Halfback Caleb Gray and fullback Noah Cooper were the only Alhambra Union players to impress.
Dunedin 47
Pirates 16
This was a game won by the free flowing Dunedin backs. They totally outplayed their opposites, who looked devoid of options when in possession, and Pirates' defence was paper thin out wide at crucial times.
The two packs were combative and the scrums and lineouts were evenly contested but Dunedin, with more front foot ball, had the edge in the loose.
Pirates held a slight advantage in the first quarter and was well worth a three point lead off Craig Sneddon's boot.
But Dunedin midfielder Trent Renata turned the game after a 60m run off a tap penalty to score the first try, then sliced through the defence and chipped the fullback.
Halfback Tyrone Davies latched on to the kick to score the first of his three tries. Davies scored off an attacking scrum soon after and the game was sealed by the break.
Davies scored again early in the second half, after nice work from fullback Sam Weber and winger Daryl Caldwell. Pirates scored its only try from a pushover to coach and No8 Josh Clark after the Dunedin pack, rather bizarrely, was down to six, with two in the bin.
Dunedin scored two late tries, to replacement halfback Angus Vincent and replacement prop Ox Eathorne to nearly notch 50.
For Dunedin, prop Donald Brighouse was a colossus, locks Richard Thompson and Mark Grieve Dunn were into everything and loosies Hame Toma and Alex Fitzgerald were glued to the ball most of the day.
Davies was a spark for the backline, Renata was all class in the midfield and wingers Henry Scott and Caldwell were powerful.
Clark was Pirates' best and Craig Millar battled manfully.
