Auckland have stormed to victory in the Battle of the Bridge against crosstown rivals North Harbour to secure a home semi-final in the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership with a 45-29 win.
Harbour hit the front early on, with Lua Li scoring after just 10 minutes, before tries to Jonathan Ruru and TJ Faiane gave Auckland the lead.
From there, the hosts were ruthless, as Faiane grabbed his second before the break, before second half efforts to Robbie Abel, Jordan Trainor and Salesi Rayasi had Harbour reeling.
Late tries to Harrison Groundwater and Tony Tu'ungafasi served as nothing more than consolations for Harbour, as Rayasi added his second of the afternoon to steer Auckland to an emphatic 45-29 victory.
The win sees Auckland leapfrog Tasman, finishing top of the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership table.
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