Four tries from winger Sevu Reece have helped book Waikato a place in next week's Mitre 10 Cup championship final, beating Northland 48-26.
The Taniwha started the semi-final perfectly, with halfback Sam Nock scoring the opening try in the second minute.
Waikato scored off a line-out drive, before the Northlanders scored back-to-back tries through Scott Gregory and Matt Wright.
But momentum changed in the 34th minute, when Nock was given a yellow card for entering the ruck from the side.
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After that, it was all Waikato, who scored twice before the break for 21-21 at half-time.
After the restart, they continued where they left off, scoring another three tries through a second-half hat-trick from Reece, adding to the one he scored in the opening 40 minutes.
A late flurry of attacks from Northland suggested a potential comeback, but staunch Waikato defence quashed those hopes.
Waikato will host the winners of Hawke's Bay vs Otago in next week's final.
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