All Blacks rout Fiji to open season
Source: Agencies |
July 23, 2011, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
NEW Zealand hammered Fiji 60-14 in Dunedin yesterday to make a solid start to a season it hopes will end with a World Cup triumph.
The All Blacks ran in eight tries, the pick of them from starting flyhalf Colin Slade and replacement scrumhalf Piri Weepu, but will be disappointed with aspects of their game as they look ahead to next week's Tri-Nations meeting with South Africa.
Fiji lost 0-91 the last time it faced the All Blacks in 2005 and so was delighted with a spirited performance that was rewarded with second-half tries for Nemia Serelevu and Vereniki Goneva.
Although the All Blacks were far from their ruthless, rampaging best, there was never any prospect of the kind of upset Australia suffered against Samoa last Sunday.
"I think it's a start, there's some good things there, we may not have got all the detail dead right but you can see it's going to come," All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said.
The home side always looked likely to score when it put sustained pressure on the Fijians and that was the case when Sitiveni Sivivatu, who scored four tries on debut against the country of his birth in the 2005 meeting, crossed in the corner after 10 minutes.
Slade, competing for the spot as deputy to Dan Carter in the World Cup squad, had already kicked two penalties on his first test start when his well-judged chip over the defense allowed him to regather off the post and extend the lead 13 minutes later.
But the All Blacks machine then stalled for a while before hooker Andrew Hore played winger to score the third try after 35 minutes and impressive blindside flanker Adam Thomson added another by inching over from close range just before the break for a 32-0 lead.
The Fijians got just desserts for their dominance of the third quarter of the match when flanker Dominiko Waqaniburotu capitalized on turnover ball with an explosive break down the left touchline before feeding scrumhalf Serelevu.
The All Blacks ran in eight tries, the pick of them from starting flyhalf Colin Slade and replacement scrumhalf Piri Weepu, but will be disappointed with aspects of their game as they look ahead to next week's Tri-Nations meeting with South Africa.
Fiji lost 0-91 the last time it faced the All Blacks in 2005 and so was delighted with a spirited performance that was rewarded with second-half tries for Nemia Serelevu and Vereniki Goneva.
Although the All Blacks were far from their ruthless, rampaging best, there was never any prospect of the kind of upset Australia suffered against Samoa last Sunday.
"I think it's a start, there's some good things there, we may not have got all the detail dead right but you can see it's going to come," All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said.
The home side always looked likely to score when it put sustained pressure on the Fijians and that was the case when Sitiveni Sivivatu, who scored four tries on debut against the country of his birth in the 2005 meeting, crossed in the corner after 10 minutes.
Slade, competing for the spot as deputy to Dan Carter in the World Cup squad, had already kicked two penalties on his first test start when his well-judged chip over the defense allowed him to regather off the post and extend the lead 13 minutes later.
But the All Blacks machine then stalled for a while before hooker Andrew Hore played winger to score the third try after 35 minutes and impressive blindside flanker Adam Thomson added another by inching over from close range just before the break for a 32-0 lead.
The Fijians got just desserts for their dominance of the third quarter of the match when flanker Dominiko Waqaniburotu capitalized on turnover ball with an explosive break down the left touchline before feeding scrumhalf Serelevu.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
