diff --git a/src/ng/compile.js b/src/ng/compile.js
index 5b625c193478..c7cd08bce127 100644
--- a/src/ng/compile.js
+++ b/src/ng/compile.js
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ function $CompileProvider($provide, $$sanitizeUriProvider) {
       Suffix = 'Directive',
       COMMENT_DIRECTIVE_REGEXP = /^\s*directive\:\s*([\d\w\-_]+)\s+(.*)$/,
       CLASS_DIRECTIVE_REGEXP = /(([\d\w\-_]+)(?:\:([^;]+))?;?)/,
-      TABLE_CONTENT_REGEXP = /^<\s*(tr|th|td|tbody)(\s+[^>]*)?>/i;
+      TABLE_CONTENT_REGEXP = /^<\s*(tr|th|td|thead|tbody|tfoot)(\s+[^>]*)?>/i;
 
   // Ref: http://developers.whatwg.org/webappapis.html#event-handler-idl-attributes
   // The assumption is that future DOM event attribute names will begin with
@@ -1649,16 +1649,15 @@ function $CompileProvider($provide, $$sanitizeUriProvider) {
       template = trim(template);
       if ((type = TABLE_CONTENT_REGEXP.exec(template))) {
         type = type[1].toLowerCase();
-        var table = jqLite('<table>' + template + '</table>'),
-            tbody = table.children('tbody'),
-            leaf = /(td|th)/.test(type) && table.find('tr');
-        if (tbody.length && type !== 'tbody') {
-          table = tbody;
+        var table = jqLite('<table>' + template + '</table>');
+        if (/(thead|tbody|tfoot)/.test(type)) {
+          return table.children(type);
         }
-        if (leaf && leaf.length) {
-          table = leaf;
+        table = table.children('tbody');
+        if (type === 'tr') {
+          return table.children('tr');
         }
-        return table.contents();
+        return table.children('tr').contents();
       }
       return jqLite('<div>' +
                       template +
diff --git a/test/ng/compileSpec.js b/test/ng/compileSpec.js
index 98b1650f7706..5110c4d62634 100755
--- a/test/ng/compileSpec.js
+++ b/test/ng/compileSpec.js
@@ -529,10 +529,18 @@ describe('$compile', function() {
             replace: true,
             template: '<th>TH</th>'
           }));
+          directive('replaceWithThead', valueFn({
+            replace: true,
+            template: '<thead><tr><td>TD</td></tr></thead>'
+          }));
           directive('replaceWithTbody', valueFn({
             replace: true,
             template: '<tbody><tr><td>TD</td></tr></tbody>'
           }));
+          directive('replaceWithTfoot', valueFn({
+            replace: true,
+            template: '<tfoot><tr><td>TD</td></tr></tfoot>'
+          }));
         }));
 
 
@@ -718,12 +726,26 @@ describe('$compile', function() {
           expect(nodeName_(element)).toMatch(/th/i);
         }));
 
+        it('should support templates with root <thead> tags', inject(function($compile, $rootScope) {
+          expect(function() {
+            element = $compile('<div replace-with-thead></div>')($rootScope);
+          }).not.toThrow();
+          expect(nodeName_(element)).toMatch(/thead/i);
+        }));
+
         it('should support templates with root <tbody> tags', inject(function($compile, $rootScope) {
           expect(function() {
             element = $compile('<div replace-with-tbody></div>')($rootScope);
           }).not.toThrow();
           expect(nodeName_(element)).toMatch(/tbody/i);
         }));
+
+        it('should support templates with root <tfoot> tags', inject(function($compile, $rootScope) {
+          expect(function() {
+            element = $compile('<div replace-with-tfoot></div>')($rootScope);
+          }).not.toThrow();
+          expect(nodeName_(element)).toMatch(/tfoot/i);
+        }));
       });
 
 
@@ -833,10 +855,18 @@ describe('$compile', function() {
               replace: true,
               templateUrl: 'th.html'
             }));
+            directive('replaceWithThead', valueFn({
+              replace: true,
+              templateUrl: 'thead.html'
+            }));
             directive('replaceWithTbody', valueFn({
               replace: true,
               templateUrl: 'tbody.html'
             }));
+            directive('replaceWithTfoot', valueFn({
+              replace: true,
+              templateUrl: 'tfoot.html'
+            }));
           }
         ));
 
@@ -1500,6 +1530,15 @@ describe('$compile', function() {
           expect(nodeName_(element)).toMatch(/th/i);
         }));
 
+        it('should support templates with root <thead> tags', inject(function($compile, $rootScope, $templateCache) {
+          $templateCache.put('thead.html', '<thead><tr><td>TD</td></tr></thead>');
+          expect(function() {
+            element = $compile('<div replace-with-thead></div>')($rootScope);
+          }).not.toThrow();
+          $rootScope.$digest();
+          expect(nodeName_(element)).toMatch(/thead/i);
+        }));
+
         it('should support templates with root <tbody> tags', inject(function($compile, $rootScope, $templateCache) {
           $templateCache.put('tbody.html', '<tbody><tr><td>TD</td></tr></tbody>');
           expect(function() {
@@ -1508,6 +1547,15 @@ describe('$compile', function() {
           $rootScope.$digest();
           expect(nodeName_(element)).toMatch(/tbody/i);
         }));
+
+        it('should support templates with root <tfoot> tags', inject(function($compile, $rootScope, $templateCache) {
+          $templateCache.put('tfoot.html', '<tfoot><tr><td>TD</td></tr></tfoot>');
+          expect(function() {
+            element = $compile('<div replace-with-tfoot></div>')($rootScope);
+          }).not.toThrow();
+          $rootScope.$digest();
+          expect(nodeName_(element)).toMatch(/tfoot/i);
+        }));
       });