Hawke's Bay have put a tumultuous week behind them to keep their dream of a Ranfurly Shield/National Provincial Championship double alive, with a 38-38 victory of Bay of Plenty.
The Magpies trailled by 16 points before halftime, but scored the next 26 unanswered to overhaul the Steamers and book an NPC semi-final showdown with defending champions Wellington - a rematch of last week's dramatic Shield clash.
Bay won that encounter to snap a 19-game winning streak by the Lions, but destroyed the 'Log O' Wood' in their celebrations, amid public outcry.
For much of their quarter-final, it seemed the rugby gods would exact their revenge on Hawke's Bay for their deplorable treatment of such an iconic trophy. Prop Pouri Rakete-Stone provided an early try for the visitors, but Bay of Plenty responded with converted tries to Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Manaaki Selby-Rickit and Leroy Carter that put them in control.
Selby-Rickit had a try double before the break, but a converted try to hooker Tyrone Thompson kept the Magpies in contention.
The second half was oneway traffic, but 31-28 behind, the Steamers still had a chance of stealing victory, until second-five Chase Tiatia hosted through the defensive line to clinch the result.
"The boys had to really dig deep and I'm really proud of them," said Hawke's Bay captain Tom Parsons. "The Bay of Plenty boys came out hot in the first half and the bounce of the ball went their way, it didn't go ours.
"The boys got frustrated a little bit and I'm really proud how they cooled their heads at halftime to put a performance out like that."
Hawke's Bay 38 (Thompson 2, Rakete-Stones, Lowe, Visinia, Tiatia tries; McClutchie 4 conversions) Bay of Plenty 28 (Selby-Rickit 2, Ah Kuoi, Carter tries; Hawea 4 conversions)
