Captain Frank Lochore led the attempt at the rolling maul from the lineout, which had been so effective in earlier games but which was largely countered by Otago on the night.
Working from a resulting tap penalty the Magpies forwards rallied around Jacob Devery, who had come on for his first appearance of this year’s NPC, and the try went to flanker Cooper Flanders.
The third of first five-eighths Harry Godfery’s conversions of all five Magpies tries put the Magpies back in the race at 24-21 to Otago.
It seemed inevitable then that a Magpies team that had bombed a few opportunities through uncharacteristic loose passing and ball handling would soon hit the lead for the first time in the game.
But it came perhaps a little easier than expected, when, after Sullivan had again banged a long one into touch inside the Otago 22 to remount a Magpies attack, star Otago flanker Lucas Casey, scorer of two of his side’s four tries, was sinbinned for an illegal tackle, leaving Otago down to 14 players for almost all of the 10 minutes remaining.
The Magpies hit the lead in the aftermath as first try-scorer Folau Fakatava, an influence throughout the match, put centre Bailyn Sullivan through for the Bay’s 4th try of the night.
With Casey still off, the scoring was completed with Godfrey opening a gap to score handy enough to also add the goal, his 15 points taking him to 70 points in five games in 2026, having taken a break for the previous week’s match against Southland in Invercargill.
Leading into the game, the No 10 jersey he wore had a top bid of $1010 in the online auction of the specially minted jerseys in support of HBRU charity partner Mates4Life.
While Hawke’s Bay had kicked off, Otago was quickly on attack to score the first points with a try to Casey in the 7th minute.
It was converted by first five Cameron Millar, but his attempt after a 15th minute try to wing Jae Bloomfield, making it 12-0, hit the uprights, as did that following Otago’s 4th try, to hooker Henry Bell, in the 30th minute.
Between the two was Fakatava’s try and Casey’s second, while first-half tries were rounded out with a 4th of the season to Magpies hooker Kianu Kereru-Symes.
It was the Magpies third win over Otago in a row, and 12th in their past 15 meetings, including twice taking the Ranfurly Shield off the southerners in Dunedin.
Otago have, however, won 36 of the 66 matches between the unions dating back almost 140 years.
The Magpies’ next match is also at McLean Park, against North Harbour on September 13.
Meanwhile, in women’s rugby, the Hawke’s Bay Tui play Tasman on Saturday afternoon in Blenheim.
Hawke’s Bay 35 (Folau Fakatava, Kianu Kereru-Symes, Cooper Flanders, Bailyn Sullivan, Harry Godfrey tries; Godfrey 5 conversions) Otago 24 (Lucas Casey 2, Jae Bloomfield, Henry Bell tries; Cameron Millar 2 conversions). Halftime: 14-24.
Doug Laing is a Hawke’s Bay Today reporter, based in Napier, with more than four decades covering news and sports events and issues in Hawke’s Bay, in a career of more than 53 years in journalism.