We were treated to another cracking round of Mitre 10 Cup action this past week with games starting on Wednesday and finishing off with the Battle of the Bridge on Sunday.
Stat leaders
Jordan Manihera still leads the way in tries scored, while Wellington hooker Asafo Aumua has beaten the most defenders.
Zac Guildford has maintained his good form making over 300 metres.
Auckland vs Waikato
What a way to start round 3 with the 2 throwing everything at each other from the outset as they exchanged the lead multiple times in the first half with Waikato leading by a single point at half time.
Josh Manihera extended his exceptional try scoring record in the fist half while Tyler Campbell also scored in the first 40 for the visitors.
Auckland got the first points of the second half through a Jordan Trainor penalty but the game swung in Waikato's favour when they were awarded a penalty try and were a man up with Marcel Renata spending 10 minutes in the bin.
Sevu Reece scored a fantastic try on the 59th minute but Auckland were not ready to give up as they applied the pressure and scored from a solid maul.
At the end of the day Waikato were just too strong as Matthew Lansdown slotted a last minute penalty to win the match and deny Auckland a single point from the fixture.
Bay of Plenty vs Wellington
A great game of rugby as Wellington secured a 21 point victory over Bay of Plenty.
The Wellington forward pack performed throughout the match, as Wellington lead 12-0 at half time despite Bay of Plenty's best efforts.
Wellington extended their lead in the second will Jackson Garden-Bachop having another great game for the Lions picking up two try assists.
Bay of Plenty next face Manawatu, while will want to keep their unbeaten run against Hawke's Bay.
Hawke's Bay vs Canterbury
A tight first half as Canterbury led by just 3 points at the break (10-13).
Canterbury came out firing in the second half scoring within the first minute of the half through Marshall Suckling.
Canterbury continued to dominate scoring a further 40 points in the second half to win the match 53-10.
Hawke's Bay will be involved in two matches in the next round, the face Wellington on Wednesday and Otago on Sunday.
Canterbury will be defending the Shield against Southland on Friday.
Otago vs Manawatu
Great game of rugby with both sides letting loose in the second half.
Otago were the stronger side in the end as they out scored Manawatu to win their first match of the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup season.
Otago next face Hawke's Bay while Manawatu faces Bay of Plenty.
Southland vs Northland
A brilliant North vs South derby played out on Saturday with Northland out performing Southland.
Northlands' backline showed off their abilities scoring 6 tries.
Southland travel to Canterbury in the next round, while Northland will host Waikato.
Taranaki vs Counties Manukau
Taranaki claimed a bonus point victory thanks to a brace from All Black wing Naisake Naholo, Charlie Ngatai and a winning score from Ricitelli.
The Steelers fought bravely throughout and were unlucky to come out on the losing side. Nabura, Pulu and Joe Royal touched down for the Steelers but the home side come away with the spoils from Yarrow stadium and will hope to continue that form into Round 4 against Auckland.
Counties will look to bounce back against an in-form North Habour side.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Waikato vs Tasman Makos
Tasman survived a thrilling Waikato come back to hold on for a 31-29 away win in week three of the Mitre 10 Cup.
Both sides crossed for two first half tries, with the difference at the break a single conversion as Tasman led 14-12.
Two early second half tries were followed by a penalty as Tasman looked to have taken the match away from Waikato at 31-12.
However, two late scores saw the gap cut to just seven points with 5 minutes to play. Waikato managed to score again well after the siren, but the conversion to draw the match sailed wide as Tasman notched up their first victory of the competition.
North Harbour Vs Auckland
North Harbour thrashed Auckland 57-10 in the battle of the bridge to make it three wins from three matches to start the competition. North Harbour ran in the only two tries in the first half as they took an 18-3 lead into the break. The second half was an absolutely one sided affair as the hosts crossed for a further five tries to seal an emphatic victory and cap off a completely dominant performance.
