North Harbour's outside backs have run amok to upset Waikato in the National Provincial Championship (NPC).
Right wing Kade Banks scored four tries, including three in the second half, as Harbour rolled to their first win of the season, a 43-29 victory over the Mooloos at North Harbour Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
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Banks scored his first in the 26th minute, finishing off a move in the right corner after Australian first-five Tane Edmed made a break near mid-field. Harbour never trailed from that point on.
Maori All Black Shaun Stevenson scored minutes later with a super 60m solo effort, with Harbour leading 14-8 at halftime, before left wing Sofai Maka finished off a move in the left corner in the 52nd minute for a 22-15 lead.
After Waikato tied the match at 22-22, The Banks Show started rolling, crossing in the 56th, 63rd and 74th minutes to secure the bonus-point win.
Banks stepped inside two defenders for his second, finishing off a play sparked by a chip-kick from Edmed, then quick hands close to the line from Stevenson put him over in the right corner for his hat-trick. His fourth came after Waikato spilled the ball and Thomas Barham kicked ahead twice.
Waikato scored second-half tries through midfielder Josh Moorby and prop George Dyer, while they were awarded a penalty try in the 78th minute, resulting in Edmed being yellow-carded, for a bonus point.
Harbour are at home again in Round 4, against winless Counties Manukau on Saturday (kick-off 2.05pm), while Waikato welcome also winless Auckland to Hamilton's FMG Stadium Waikato on Saturday (kick-off 4.35pm).
In Dunedin, Bay of Plenty suffered their first loss but remained atop the NPC standings after Round 3.
Flanker Oliver Haig scored two late tries as Otago came from nine points down in the second half for their second win of the season, a 31-26 victory at Forsyth Barr Stadium in the day's first match.
Tries to lock Justin Sangster and a second from reserve hooker Taine Kolose put the visitors up 26-17 after 53 minutes, securing another bonus point.
The match changed when Thomas Umaga-Jensen grabbed an intercept and surged into BOP's 22, with flanker Jacob Norris infringing at the ruck and earning 10 minutes on the sidelines.
Haig dived over from close-range to get Otago within two minutes later, then bumped off one defender and charged over for the go-ahead try on a one-out 5m run with the Steamers still a man down.
Otago head to New Plymouth to play Taranaki on Saturday (kick-off 4.35pm), while Bay of Plenty travel to Blenheim to face unbeaten Tasman on Saturday (kick-off 7.05pm).
No 8 Peter Lakai also scored two tries as Wellington came back to defeat Manawatu 39-31 at Porirua's Jerry Collins Stadium.
The Lions trailed 31-24 with 20 minutes to play, before Lakai crossed for his second in the 67th minute and wing TJay Clarke scored the clincher six minutes later and Jackson Garden-Bachop denied the Turbos a second bonus point with a penalty in the final minute.
Earlier, tries from Lakai and wing Pepesana Patafilo gave Wellington a 14-0 lead after 20 minutes and a comfortable win looked assured.
But Manawatu fought back, with five-pointers from second-five James Tofa, hooker Raymond Tuputupu and reserve back Liam O'Connor seeing them tie things up 17-17 by halftime.
Tries from wing Taniela Filimone and centre Kyle Brown twice gave the Turbos seven-point second-half leads, with Wellington centre Riley Higgins tying it up briefly in between, but they could not hold on.
Next week, Wellington will chase their fourth straight victory against Canterbury in Christchurch on Sunday (kick-off 2.05pm), with Manawatu looking for their first win at home to neighbours Hawke's Bay on Sunday (kick-off 4.35pm).
North Harbour 43 (Kade Banks 4, Shaun Stevenson, Sofai Maka tries; Tane Edmed 5 con, pen) Waikato 29 (Daniel Sinkinson, Josh Moorby, George Dyer tries; Penalty Try; Taha Kemara pen, Aaron Cruden 2 con). HT: 14-8
Otago 31 (Finn Hurley, Hudson Creighton, Oliver Haig 2 tries; Cameron Millar 4 con, pen) Bay of Plenty 26 (Jacob Norris, Taine Kolose 2, Justin Sangster tries; Kaleb Trask 3 con). HT: 14-14
Wellington 39 (Peter Lakai 2, Pepesana Patafilo, Riley Higgins, TJay Clarke tries; Jackson Garden-Bachop 4 con, 2 pen) Manawatu 31 (James Tofa, Raymond Tuputupu, Liam O'Connor, Taniela Filimone, Kyle Brown tries; Reece MacDonald 3 con). HT: 17-17
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