 This was their first lost to Counties Manukau since 2000.Waikato would defeat Bay of Plenty and Taranaki to survive relegation and finish 5th like the previous season.2014 was another dismal season for Waikato having record losses to Taranaki 17–46 (Waikato Stadium), Otago 7–38 (Forsyth Barr Stadium) and Auckland 19–60 (Eden Park).