Watch: North Harbour start second half perfectly as huge skip pass catches Counties Manukau out for early try

Counties Manukau's Mitre 10 Cup woes have continued in Albany this afternoon after North Harbour handed them a 36-26 loss.

The two sides were neck-and-neck for much of the contest until North Harbour managed to pull away late with a try to Dillon Hunt in the 62nd minute.

Counties were forced to defend for much of the match, making an extra 46 tackles in the match while also missing an extra eight.

It saw the hosts earn an extra 139m in the match, mostly due to the 11 clean breaks they manufactured.

With the win, North Harbour cement themselves in the middle of the Premiership table in fourth while Counties remain at-risk of relegation, sitting second to last just three points ahead of Taranaki.

The Steelers' season hangs in the balance with Taranaki playing Canterbury later tonight before next week's final round robin.