NORTH HARBOUR AND Tasman had already shared six tries and 54 points evenly when the clock turned red in their Mitre 10 Cup clash in Albany, north of Auckland, this morning.
But far from settling for a draw, the sides persisted to trade blows for a frenzied 4.45 after the hooter; a period containing 23 phases, four turnovers and a long-range penalty cracking back off the post.
Out-half Bryn Gatland, the 21-year-old son of Lions coach Warren, was at the heart of North Harbour’s late threat, though his opposite number Marty Banks was inches away from sneaking victory for Tasman.
The final shoot-out between the sides reminds us of the epic 2013 to-and-fro between the Highlanders and Chiefs in Dunedin, just without a try to cap it off.
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