Hawke's Bay showed a calm composure common to champions to strike late and beat Bay of Plenty 22-19 in an Air NZ Cup rugby match in Rotorua tonight.
A last minute try to left wing Zac Guildford got them home after their best endeavours had been repeatedly rebuffed by a Bay of Plenty side lacking nothing for courage on defence.
The pre-match favourites methodically wore the home side down after Bay of Plenty snatched a 16-9 lead early in the second half.
Rain made handling difficult and that, plus determined Bay of Plenty tackling, created a level playing field before the weight of possession finally tipped the game Hawke's Bay's way.
Tenacious defending denied Hawke's Bay three or four trycoring opportunities but the pressure they created resulted in a string of penalties which first five-eighth Mathew Berquist converted into points.
It was only in the last minute that Bay of Plenty were found wanting and even then there was little they could do after a delicate cross kick from fullback Israel Dagg sat up invitingly for Guildford to score in the corner.
Berquist squeezed over the wide-angled conversion to finish with 17 points, two fewer than another standout, his Bay of Plenty opposite Mike Delany.
Delany accounted for all of his team's points, including a 43rd-minute try when he finished off a midfield bust by industrious No 8 Colin Bourke.
Delany accentuated his worth one minute later when his boot-lace tackled cut down Hawke's Bay second five-eighth Jason Shoemark just short of the line at the other end of the field.
That one act summed up Bay of Plenty's determination on defence, which wavered just the once when Guildford snatched the matchwinning try.
A tight first half had ended narrowly in Hawke's Bay favour after the teams traded penalties.
Neither side held on to the ball long enough to build sustained pressure although one sweeping breakout from Hawke's Bay was only snuffed out at the last moment when they were spoilt for options.
It was indicative of the desperation in defence that kept Bay of Plenty in the contest after they were on the wrong side of the territory and possession ledgers throughout the first spell.
