To be fair, Otago had given only brief hints this season it could play this well and so, on a lovely afternoon, only 8000 fans were there to savour a stunning victory. The key was hunger. Otago wanted to win - badly. A loss would not only have dented confidence, but almost ended Otago's chances of a place in the top four.

The forwards gathered themselves for a supreme effort, smashing into rucks and mauls and knocking Waikato off its stride. The backs were more organised than in previous games and Seru Rabeni and Aisea Tuilevu were inspirational as they left their wings and came in search of work. Then there was the defence. There were tackles missed, but most were made and, every time Filipo Levi got his man, you winced in silent sympathy. Nothing much about this game went to script, including the surprise substitutions of halfback Byron Kelleher and hard-working flanker Kelvin Middleton early in the second spell.

Both had been in excellent form, but coaches Wayne Graham and Greg Cooper put their necks on the block. "We knew it was going to be important to put them away, not let them get in front, and we were just looking for a subtle change that would add a bit of difference," Graham said. "We brought Danny [Lee] on for Byron and Sam [Harding] on for Kelvin because we thought it might make a difference with the pace of the game. "I think it worked. You never know with these things. It's always an instinctive call when you're sitting in the box. We've got very good players on the bench and that's one of the strengths of our team." Harding gave Otago a loose forward flying squad, complementing Taine Randell and Josh Blackie, while Lee combined smoothly with his former Counties team-mate, Blair Feeney.

Otago led 11-7 at the break, Neil Brew scoring after Tuilevu made a half-break and Ryan Nicholas toed ahead the loose ball. There were ominous signs at the start of the second spell, as Waikato collected 10 points in the first 7min with a slick try by Roger Randle and a penalty. But Otago struck back immediately with a trademark try by Tuilevu. Otago forced a turnover 25m, Tuilevu gathered, dummied and beat a tackle and raced to the posts.

It was nip and tuck, Otago tenuously ahead 21-20 going into the last 5min. Then another substitute, Romi Ropati, made his mark. He made a maze-like run through the defence and, after Harding and Levi had bashed at the line, Feeney scampered through a gap to score. There was more to come. Levi forced a turnover with a big tackle, Lee broke clear down the middle and Blackie - showing remarkable pace - outsprinted the Waikato backs on a 40m run to the line. Victory, with a bonus point, and happy faces on the field and in the stands.

"The one thing we're learning is we've got to keep attacking," Graham said. "If you go into your shell and start playing defensively, you can easily get undone. "The call was to keep attacking - get down into Waikato territory and don't hold back." Otago's impetus not only came from its energised forwards but from its Fijian wingers. "They were outstanding," Graham said. "I think Seru has brought out the best in Tui [Tuilevu]. They seem to feed off each other. "They're energy players, exciting players. We always knew how good Seru was, but we've never been able to get him fit enough to play at this level. But his fitness is up to speed now and we're starting to see the benefits."

But it was a team effort from Otago, again superbly led by Randell, who said happily: "That was a big win for us." Waikato captain Deon Muir was less inclined to smile as he reflected on the first loss of the season. "Otago is pretty staunch on its home ground and played well," he said. "But we weren't happy with our own game at all. We weren't hungry enough. We missed tackles and didn't defend as well as we should have."

Scores. - Otago 35 (Neil Brew, Aisea Tuilevu, Blair Feeney, Josh Blackie tries, Feeney 3 conversions, 3 penalty goals); Waikato 20 (Todd Miller, Roger Randle tries, Bruce Reihana 2 conversions, penalty goal, Rhys Duggan dropped goal).

Match statistics: Line-outs, Waikato, 14-10; rucks and mauls, Waikato, 86-61; penalties, Otago, 9-6. Kicking: Feeney, 6-8; Reihana, 3-4. Half-time: Otago, 11-7. Crowd: 8000. Referee: Paddy O'Brien (Southland).