Waikato beat Counties Manukau 45:12 at Hamilton on Sunday in the NPC, a result that ended the visitors' four-match losing streak and sent a clear message about where the champions stand. The hosts had lost their previous outing 31:32 to Southland, but returned to form with a performance that left little doubt about the gap between the sides.
Counties Manukau arrived with a heavy weight on their shoulders — four straight defeats, including a 35:50 hammering by Tasman and a 19:59 loss to North Harbour. They had only one win in their last five matches, a 49:41 victory over Tasman back in October, and nothing in that record suggested they could trouble Waikato's defence.
The hosts, meanwhile, showed the kind of consistency that keeps them near the top. After a narrow loss to Otago in October and a 25:19 win over Northland, they had won three of their four matches this season — 38:32 against Taranaki and 38:26 over Bay of Plenty — before the Southland setback. By then the pattern was clear: they could score freely and punish errors.
45 points against a side that had been leaking tries all season was not a surprise, though the margin still felt comfortable rather than frantic. Counties Manukau had picked up one win in five games and were now facing another defeat that only deepened the gap at the bottom of the table.
The result means Waikato have returned to winning ways after a loss, and Counties Manukau remain in the lower half with their campaign in serious jeopardy. The scoreline — 45:12 — tells you everything about who was playing and who was watching.