Hooker Liam Rowlands opened the scoring with a first-half double, and King Country led 21-5 at the break. Wairarapa Bush hit back hard after halftime, but a double from Kristian Gent-Standen helped King Country hold on through a second half that produced ten tries and 66 points between the two sides.
Two local derbies shaped the weekend in the South Island, with South Canterbury facing Mid Canterbury in Ashburton and Buller hosting West Coast in Westport.
In Ashburton, the lead changed hands several times before the teams went into the break locked at 26-26. Mid Canterbury surged to a 40-26 lead early in the second spell, but South Canterbury clawed back and, courtesy of a penalty try in the 70th minute, edged ahead 43-40. Siu Kakala's late try sealed a 45-43 victory for South Canterbury and a place in the top four.
Buller and West Coast met in Westport for the Rundle Cup. West Coast raced to a 14-0 lead inside the opening ten minutes, but three tries from the home side saw Buller ahead 19-14 at the break. Buller extended their lead in the second half and, despite a late flurry from West Coast, held on for a 38-31 win to claim the cup.
Whanganui bounced back from last week's loss with a 57-39 win over North Otago. Whanganui trailed 15-31 at the break but ran in six tries after halftime, with Tevita Asi contributing 17 points, to move into second on the points table. Zack Soqonakalou's double took his season tally to eight tries, the most of any player in the competition.
Thames Valley beat Poverty Bay 57-31, leading 38-14 at halftime before adding three more tries after the break. Quinn Collard's 17 points from the match took his season tally to 89, keeping him top of the competition's point-scoring charts.
Horowhenua Kāpiti travelled to Ruatoria and beat Ngāti Porou East Coast 50-34. Junior Sione scored two tries for the visitors, while Zane Ainslie added 15 points.