Rugby: Late penalty sinks Taranaki after sloppy display

File photo by John Velvin.

A late penalty kick has condemned Taranaki to a 27-25 loss to Manawatū after an error-ridden performance in Palmerston North.

Reece MacDonald landed the match-winning penalty with less than a minute remaining in Thursday night’s NPC match after Taranaki prop Jared Proffit was penalised for jumping on a maul from the side when it appeared the visitors were going to be awarded a turnover.

The result snapped Taranaki's run of 10 consecutive wins over Manawatū, with the Turbos claiming their first victory over the Amber and Blacks in 13 years.

It was a costly final error on a night where Taranaki struggled for accuracy in slippery, wet and windy conditions and were under pressure at scrum time for long periods.

Taranaki captain Kaylum Boshier said after the match his side had been made to pay for their mistakes.

“We certainly knew what was coming, they've been playing awesome footy this year and they really brought it today,” he told Sky Sport.

“If we limited our errors, we might have been on the right end of the scoreboard.”

Taranaki had entered the match chasing a third straight win after victories over Canterbury and Auckland, but rarely found the same rhythm.

They made a strong enough start, with Sam Clarke kicking an early penalty before Zach Landon-Lane scored from a rolling maul to give the visitors a 10-0 lead.

But Manawatū responded through captain Brayden Iose, who crossed twice in the first half in a man-of-the-match performance as the home side began to gain control up front.

Taranaki's scrum came under sustained pressure, while handling errors and kicks out on the full prevented them from building any consistent attacking momentum.

Daniel Rona's try late in the opening half kept Taranaki within reach, but Manawatū continued to have the better of the forward exchanges after the break.

Doug Philipson crossed early in the second half to extend Manawatū's advantage before Taranaki turned to their bench.

The introduction of their regular starting front row of Proffit, JJ Pokai and Reuben O'Neill helped steady a scrum which had been struggling and gave Taranaki a much-needed foothold.

Pokai was driven over from a maul as Taranaki finally began to work their way back into the contest, before Clarke kicked a penalty to edge the visitors ahead 25-24.

Even with the lead, Taranaki never looked particularly comfortable.

The conditions made fluent attacking rugby difficult, but too many of the visitors' mistakes were self-inflicted, with poor execution repeatedly handing possession and territory back to Manawatū.

Boshier said Manawatū had delivered the type of performance Taranaki had expected.

With the match entering its final minute, Taranaki had the chance to close it out but Proffit's infringement gave the hosts one final opportunity.

MacDonald made no mistake from the tee from wide in with a strong wind blowing across the ground to put Manawatū back in front with under a minute to play.

It was a frustrating way to end a frustrating night for Taranaki, whose improved second-half scrum gave them a chance to steal the match despite a performance that never really got going.

The defeat snapped their two-match winning run, with Taranaki returning home next week to face Southland next Sunday.