Southland completed three consecutive wins for the first time since 2013 in the process of their 25-10 humbling of Waikato in their Ranfurly Shield challenge in Hamilton, the first tenure since 2011, and the eighth time they have won the trophy.
Northland upset Hawke's Bay 27-22 in Whangarēi to dent the Magpies momentum.
Canterbury is the only unbeaten side, on 23 points, and they have a Shield challenge against Southland on Saturday.
Taranaki recovered from its Shield loss by beating Counties Manukau 43-22 in Pukekohe.
North Harbour 7 Bay of Plenty 19
Early goal-line pressure from visitors to Albany, Bay of Plenty, resulted in a fifth-minute warning for too many penalties, and it was home captain and lock Tom Savage who was sin-binned moments later. The effect was instantaneous from the resulting lineout where hooker Kurt Eklund stood off the maul and gained the ball from flanker Veveni Lasaqa, to corkscrew over in the corner. After the restart, wing Emoni Narawa was given room on his right flank 50m out, and he cut the defence to shreds but was held up in a tackle over the line. First five-eighths Kaleb Trask punished North Harbour twice in the first half with penalty goals for an 11-0 lead.
Better continuity from North Harbour was seen in the opening moments of the half when second five eighths Tom Hendrickson kicked ahead for hooker Bryn Gordon to run onto the ball and feed halfback Luke Campbell towards the corner. Bay of Plenty infringed at the lineout and the subsequent scrum, and Campbell took a tap penalty and raced over from five metres out. But Trask added another penalty goal to extend the lead to seven points. Eight minutes from the end, the win was made complete when Lasaqa latched onto loose ball when North Harbour failed to control the kick through by replacement back Tamiro Armstrong, and scored.
North Harbour 7 (Luke Campbell try; Cam Howell con) Bay of Plenty 19 (Kurt Eklund, Veveni Lasaqa tries; Kaleb Trask 3 pen). HT: 0-11
Canterbury 53 Manawatū 14
Fifty seconds was all it took for Canterbury to set the Rangiora crowd alight as the ball was thrown about from the outset, with flanker Corey Kellow on the right touchline pulling in a long pass from fullback Johnny McNicholl to open the scoring against Manawatū. Lock Jamie Hannah went over for a second try, six minutes later, but in the 10th minute, they lost captain and No8 Cullen Grace to a knee injury. Manawatū went to the break with wing Junta Hamano crossing out wide after a well-worked play off a five-metre scrum. But off the restart, wing Manasa Mataele caught first five-eighths Andrew Knewstubb's kick, and after second five-eighths Dallas McLeod and lock Sam Darry passed the ball on, Kellow went over for his second try.
Canterbury's second-half start was 10 seconds better than their first when Manawatū's clearing kick was charged down in their 22, where the home team pounced. Mataele had work to do, going back to field a cross-kick sent to him, but turning around and racing in at the corner. McLeod and Darry were involved again in another try with the lock scoring. Kellow was involved again from a lineout move, setting up replacement hooker Brodie McAlister with a try. Blindside continuity set up a goal-line ruck from which Hannah scored his second of the day. Loose ball from Manawatū had Canterbury sniffing a scoring chance again, and it was replacement halfback Tyson Elworthy who gathered the ball to run in a try. Centre Kyle Brown broke Canterbury's defence to score with three minutes left, but the home responded with wing Ngantungane Punivai scoring after the final hooter.
Canterbury 53 (Corey Kellow 2, Jamie Hannah 2, Manasa Matele, Sam Darry, Brodie McAlister, Tyson Belworthy, Ngantungane Punivai tries; Riley Williams 2 con, Belworthy con; Punivai con) Manawatū 14(Junta Hamano, Kyle Brown tries; Sam Coles con; Liam O'Connor con). HT: 17-7
Counties Manukau 22 Taranaki 43
Home team Counties Manukau failed to contain Taranaki halfback Leone Nawai at a breakdown, and that allowed him to pass to flying flanker Sage Walters-Hansen to race 40m to open the scoring at Pukekohe. Four minutes later, in the 14th minute, home blindside flanker Alamanda Motuga took an outside gap like a centre and put centre Sione Molia in for the Counties' response. Perfect liaison between centres, Daniel Rona and Josh Setu, put the latter through for Taranaki's second try. But Counties Manukau charged back with some powerful running from their big men, hooker Ioane Moanunu and Motuga, and No8 Hoskins Sotutu, who featured twice in the movement and scored. They led 15-14 at halftime through first five-eighths Gibson Popolai'i's penalty goal.
But the second half was all Taranaki's. Rona made a 49th-minute break, and while tackled short of the line, he had first five-eighths Josh Jacomb in support to score. Jacomb landed a penalty goal and then took a tap 22m restart, and raced 50 metres downfield in a movement that ended with flanker Kaylum Boshier scoring. Replacement forward Sione Takai got one back for Countries from a goal-line maul, but two tries to wing Vereniki Tikoisolomone and Rona, off another Jacomb break, in the last seven minutes blew out the final margin.
Counties Manukau 22 (Sione Molia, Hoskins Sotutu, Sione Takai tries; Gibson Popoali'i 2 con, pen) Taranaki 43 (Sage Walters-Hansen, Josh Setu, Josh Jacomb, Kylum Boshier Vereniki Tikoisolomone, Daniel Rona tries; Jacomb 5 con, pen). HT: 15-14
Northland 27 Hawke's Bay 22
Northland made the early running in Whangarei, but all the reward they got was a penalty goal by first five-eighths Rivez Reihana. Instead, it was the momentum of Hawke's Bay centre Nick Grigg that carried him across the line, along with three defenders to score the first try after 20 minutes. Another Reihana penalty goal kept Northland in the hunt. But almost from the restart, flanker Miracle Fai'ilagi took a blinside pass from halfback Folau Fakatava to charge down the sideline, to also score while attended by three defenders. After the halftime hooter, Northland laid siege to the Bay line, and what the forwards couldn't do, centre Corey Evans could, to give the home team a 13-12 lead at the turn.
Prop Jordan Lay looked to have scored for Northland three minutes into the second half but a scrum was called. That allowed Northland to set a strong base and the ball was moved to the right where wing Brady Rush scored. Hooker Matt Moulds lost the ball close to the line, and soon after a crossfield bomb dropped by Reihana bounced and Grigg got his hands to it, raced down field and centre-kicked where fullback Zarn Sullivan showed his speed to win the race to the touchdown. A penalty goal in the 65th minute by first five-eighths Haydn Godfrey regained the lead for the Bay. But Northland's pack poured on the pressure on the goal-line with replacement foward Sam Caird scoring the match-winning try, although Bay wing Jonah Lowe went close to scoring only to lose the ball in a tackle short of Northland's line.
Northland 27 (Corey Evans, Brady Rush, Sam Caird tries; Rivez Reihana 3 con, 2 pen) Hawke's Bay 22 (Nick Grigg, Miracle Fai'ilagi, Zarn Sullivan tries; Hamish Godfrey 2 con, pen). HT: 13-12
Tasman 31 Otago 27
A blocked Tasman pass produced intended consequences for Otago at Trafalgar Park in Nelson as the ball rebounded off Otago wing Jona Nareki to be picked up by Tasman halfback Mitch Drummond, who was able to pass to captain and second five-eighths David Havili six minutes into the game. But five minutes later, Otago turned over Tasman's ball five metres from their line. Flanker Lucas Casey broke tackle after tackle heading across field to link with Nareki. He sped downfield and, short of the line, passed to supporting centre Josh Timu, who scored. Thirty minutes into the game, Tasman overthrew a lineout and Otago hooker Henry Bell took the ball and kicked deep into Tasman's 22, where Otago halfback Dylan Pledger raced through to pick up and score a superb try. Tasman hooker Eli Oudenryn pulled his side back three minutes later when making a valuable break up the middle of the field to create a chance for centre Leicester Fainga'anuku to score.
Three minutes into injury time, Otago's lineout maul produced a try for Bell, and at the start of the final quarter, first five-eighths Cameron Millar's penalty goal put them seven points ahead. Ten minutes from the end, replacement hooker Tomasi Maka scored to level the scores. However, three minutes from the end, wing Kyren Taumoepeau tackled Otago fullback Sam Gilbert in the air, and Millar landed his second penalty goal. Then, after the final hooter, Tasman's stacks on the mill lineout maul yielded a try in the corner for Maka and the win.
Tasman 31 (David Havili, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Tomasi Maka 2 tries; William Havili 4 con, pen) Otago 27 (Josh Timu, Dylan Pledger, Henry Bell tries; Cameron Millar 3 con, 2 pen). HT: 17-21
Wellington 36 Auckland 17
Tricky wet conditions resulted in Auckland dropping early ball, and 90 seconds into the game, Wellington ran in their first try after second five-eighths Julian Savea powered into a gap to feed fullback Ruben Love for the opening try. Prop Xavier Numia showed he knows how to take a gap when charging through and out-sprinting Auckland's defence from 40m out, the last five sliding to the line on his back to score. Auckland finally got on the scoreboard after 23 minutes with prop Angus Ta'avao finding his way through a gaggle of goal-line defenders.
Just before the final quarter, Auckland first-five Rico Simpson attempted a goal-line clearing kick only to have it charged down by flanker Caleb Delany with lock Hugo Plummer dropping on the ball over the line to score. Five minutes later, from more goal-line rucking, the ball was let out of the ruck for wing Losilosivale Filipo to run through and score under the crossbar. Ten minutes from the end, Simpson took a tap penalty in the Wellington 22m area, and the ball was fed wide for wing Caleb Clarke to score. Then, on full-time, Caleb Tangitau pulled off an intercept near the halfway line to run in Auckland's third. Time wasn't up, and in the remaining three minutes, Wellington put the seal on the win with replacement prop Kenshi Yamamoto scoring.
Wellington 36 (Ruben Love, Xavier Numia, Hugo Plummer, Losilosivale Filipo, Kenshi Yamamoto tries; Jackson Garden-Bachop 4 con, pen) Auckland 17 (Angus Ta'avao, Caleb Clarke, Caleb Tangitau tries; Rico Simpson con). HT: 17-7
Waikato 10 Southland 25
Southland chose to run into the strong wind at Hamilton and found themselves down 10-3 after 21 minutes, courtesy of a try to hooker Manaaki Boyle-Tiatia in the 17th minute. Southland first-five Byron Smith had opened the scoring, landing a penalty goal in the sixth minute handy to the posts. His Waikato opposite Lima Sopoaga added a penalty goal to his conversion in the 21st minute. Southland gained a boost in the 30th minute when No.8 Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa burrowed his way over to score a try, turning with the wind down 8-10.
Ta'eiloa went close twice in the opening minutes of the second half but gained the lead from a Smith penalty goal in the 47th minute. But they had better luck four minutes later when Ta'eiloa burst off the back of a scrum inside their half. Down the blindside, he had halfback Nic Shearer inside, and he ran in to score in a tackle in the corner. Smith added a superb sideline conversion. Then in the 60th minute, Smith lobbed a kick over the Waikato defence line and wing Fletcher Morgan ran onto the ball and scored. The momentum was all with Southland, and their defence cut down everything that Waikato threw at them in the final 20 minutes.
Waikato 10 (Manaaki Boyle-Tiatia try; Lima Sopoaga con, pen) Southland 25 (Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa, Nic Shearer, Fletcher Morgan tries; Byron Smith 2 con, 2 pen). HT: 10-8