The Waikato first five eighth Stephen Donald continues to press his case for an All Blacks tour place, scoring 22 points in his side's 27-25 win over Manawatu in Palmerston North.
Trailing 20-25 with just seconds left on the clock, Donald scored his second try by the posts to level the scores then broke Manawatu hearts by converting it to walk away with the four points.
The head-to-head between Aaron Cruden and Donald lived up to expectations with both players making telling contributions for their respective sides.
Donald again continued the impressive form he has shown since returning from injury to give the All Blacks coaches plenty to think about as he got across the line twice and nailed all five of his shots at goal to almost single-handedly win the match for the visitors.
The result puts Waikato top of the standings for now, while Manawatu remain second from bottom.
Tonight Tasman play Northland.
