Taranaki's beaten North Harbour 49-47 at Albany but narrowly missed out on a place in rugby's provincial championship semi-finals.
Harbour led 32-18 at half-time after conceding an early try but Taranaki quickly closed the gap to three points before regaining the lead with the fifth of their six tries.
Harbour had a last minute chance for a draw but number eight Matt Luamanu's third try couldn't be converted from the sideline. The home side also scored six tries.
Taranaki finishes fifth behind Canterbury, Waikato and Wellington after the Lions beat Southland and Auckland snared a home semi with a bonus point win over Tasman at Eden Park.
