Bay of Plenty have held on to beat Hawke's Bay 12-7 in the Mitre 10 Cup championship final in Rotorua.
The win secures the Steamers a spot in the premiership next year, as well as bragging rights over the Magpies as 'The Bay' for the summer.
Four Dan Hollinshead penalties was enough to secure victory for the home team, as their defence stood up throughout the match.
Just two penalties separated the two sides heading into the break, with the Steamers ahead 6-0.
Hollinshead added another two early in the second half to take the lead to 12-0, but just as the Steamers looked set for an easy last 20 minutes, Jonah Lowe pounced on a loose pass from Hollinshead to score an intercept try under the posts.
Bay of Plenty flanker Mitch Karpik led the way on defence, making bruising tackles in a clinical 80-minute performance.
With three minutes to go, the Magpies found themselves five metres out from the Bay of Plenty line with a chance to steal the victory, but the blue-and-yellow wall stood tall again, defending 28 phases, before earning a turnover.
The win sees the Steamers spending next season in the premiership, replacing Counties Manukau, who were demoted after finishing bottom of the top division.
Join us for live updates of the Mitre 10 Cup premiership final between Tasman and Wellington from 7:35pm on Saturday, October 26.
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