New Zealand pummelled hapless Japan 83-7 on Friday in an embarrassingly one-sided rout which brought back the horrors of World Cups past for Asia’s top team.
The makeshift All Blacks, with Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Mils Muliania among those missing injured, scored 13 tries at a rate of one every six minutes to evoke memories of the Bloemfontein massacre of 1995, when they won 145-17.
The performance, at a packed but unexcited Waikato Stadium, was by far the heaviest defeat in a World Cup which has so far been notable for the giant strides smaller teams have made to catch up with the established nations.
“The big thing for us was to improve … to really get the structure of our game right,” said All Blacks skipper Keven Mealamu.
“But we have still got a few things that we can work away at. Next week (against France) will be another big step up for us.”
Coach Graham Henry said: “We started slowly, but it was a better performance than last week.”
New Zealand were on the board with their first attack when Ma’a Nonu and Isaia Toeava set up Conrad Smith for a score wide left, in an ominous start to a half which yielded six tries by six different players in black.
Richard Kahui ran in the second 12 minutes later, Jerome Kaino went over from a ruck and stand-in captain Mealamu swatted away a defender on the line before Andy Ellis and Colin Slade scored within a minute of each other.
Nonu was striding through the Japan defenders at will, while the Brave Blossoms wilted each time they had the ball and went into the break 38-0 down after spending less than five minutes in their opponents’ half.
The scoreboard was static for only five second-half minutes when Kahui got his second before rugby league-cum-boxing star Sonny Bill Williams, introduced for winger Cory Jane, strode over for his first All Blacks try.
Toeava went over before fly-half Slade dished up the ball in a tackle to Japan veteran Hirotoki Onozawa for an intercept try which made him only the 15th player to score in three World Cups.
Slade, Nonu, Andrew Hore and Adam Thomson were also in on the action and Williams got a second before referee Nigel Owens ended the torture for Japan, who had impressed with a brave performance against France in their first game.
New Zealand’s biggest ever World Cup win was the 145-17 thumping of Japan in 1995, while the Brave Blossoms have now conceded 50 points or more in nine World Cup games.
The All Blacks now face a stiffer test against France next Saturday while Japan will revert to their strongest line-up for their must-win game against Tonga on Wednesday.
The game was preceded by a sombre minute’s silence for victims of earthquake disasters in Japan and New Zealand this year which left more than 20,000 people dead.
dualcitizen
Guest
I can understand the natural spectators desire to see the two A-teams doing battle, but all the criticism of Kirwin for reserving his best players is a bit harsh. Like any decent coach he came into this tournament with a plan, and realisticly that plan was never going to include beating the All Blacks, whether their A,B or Z side. Knocking over France was a tiny but tantalising possibility and the Japanese gave it everything they had Tonga and Canada are do-able. After the performance against the French, if the Blossoms take a win against either of the other minnows in their pool the tournament would have been a success; if they beat both Kirwan sould be declared Emperor. Oh, and telling you players they might as well die fighting is not bad coaching, at least not when it comes to Japan. I've competed against those guys in contact sports and that's exactly how they think - and it makes for some pretty tough customers...
robert
Guest
where your parents migrate and where you are born is something that is beyond your control..all those boys look samoan..several american samoans have played for manu samoa..keiki misipeka, setefano setefano, etc..after all, american samoa and samoa is one people mate..the only reason why the all blacks remain competitive is because of those samoan boys..without them, all blacks is sh-it like other palagi teams like scotland..samoans are renown in the world in all contact sports mate..new zealand? what the feck is that?..
badger
Guest
and you don't think the huge game against the French next week will be a test for the AB's?.... Get a grip mate.
Chuck
Guest
Warren I think you are the one who has trouble understanding here. I couldn't give two shi ts if they weren't expected to win, by playing such a rubbish team they didn't even give themselves a chance to score a bonus point let alone win the match. Don't give me this playing for 3rd spot crap automatic entry into the next WC. Even should Japan fail to finish 3rd it is highly unlikely they will not qualify for 2015. With an attitude like yours you will always be the pussy at the bottom of the barrell fighting it out for crumbs? You would never be invited to the G20 summit because your too scared to match it with the big boys. You can run around all you like playing tiddlywinks with the little kids but until you start acting like a man you will not be treated like one. Japan went into this match with a poor mindset and it was more about damage control but what a disaster it was, it was an embarrassment by all accounts. It was a cowards tactics and concedeing defeat without even trying. Putting up the white flag and allowing an invasion to use your war analogy. They would have gained much more respect by going into battle with you may invade my land but you will have to kill me first. The team that turned up on friday basically laid out the welcome mats, sake and ironed the kimonos. Like I said below to Muzza and now you, I would certainly be worried if either of you two were leading these countries because you would have no land because you would both concede it upon the first foray into your own half.
Rugbydog
Guest
Try having a look at the profile of the Samoan team. About 18 are nz born
warrenexpatinnz
Roar Guru
Muzza you are spot on. Chuck the comment "going into this game with a LOSERS attitude" was a little difficult to understand. Did you think they had a chance against the ABs and did you really think they would have scored four tries? Do you go into an unwinable battle and expend your best troops or do you fight the battle that will bring you the best odds of victory? The outcome of a few wars may have been different if you were the general in charge mate.
Chuck
Guest
What a load of rubbush Muzza and a cowards way out of actually playing your best. Japan will easily qualify for the next world cup should they not finish in the top three, yes we know it's their goal however they should be aiming to put on their best effortn they can against everybody the face, they should have tested themselves against the ABs as they did against France. They have made a mockery of all the good work the other minnows have done so far in this world cup, Kirwan and his Blossoms embarrassed themselves by going into this game with a LOSERS attitude and they deserved to be thrashed. I'd say Im glad your not the coach because it seems losing with you is ok! They may not have won with a full strength team but who knows they may have got a bonus point that could become vital in securing 3rd spot. Did you ever stop to think about that? Defeatest attitudes have no place in rugby let alone a World Cup!
warrenexpatinnz
Roar Guru
Actually a Warriors fan from their inception mate, and this includes the very short Western Reds reign. Without going back and watching the Tongan game [struggling to get computer time as well as the TV, something to do with too much rugby as put by my girls! ] his attack at the line where he was held up by three Tongan defenders was the most obvious. The second try was also a similar attack but to do justice I will research the game late tonight when everyone is in bed :) . I guess I am not a SBW fan, if he was to spend the next four years wearing Black then maybe but to select a player over the likes of Fruean just because he will sell more jumpers and make some really good tv ads is wrong. This is my view.
CraigB
Roar Guru
i think the point was seriously injured
CraigB
Roar Guru
I am! I would have much prferred to play the US then Ireland then Russia then Italy. 2 weak teams in a row doesn't do the team any favours come the knock out stages
Katipo
Guest
I don't think we can take anything from this beat up of Japan B. I will contest Kingplaymaker suggesting the NZ do things to develop the minnoews though. Buddy that's just not true. How many minnow RWC nations have players who make their living playing professional rugby in NZ? Outside of RWC, name me how many time the All Blacks play tests against minnow nations when on tour? The reality is there are hundreds of minnow test players from US, Georgia, Argentina, romania, Canada, playing rugby in UK and Europe. Thank you France for all you do to develop rugby globally. Bugger all play in NZ. Even NZ's Polynesian players are actually born in NZ as pointed out. When was the last time all blacks toured Fiji or Samoa? Why can't they play Georgia or Russia mid week on their northern hemisphere tours? Why won't they allow more foreign players in to super franchises? Think about it... France and the IRB have done more than the NZRFU to make the minnows competitive.
Muzza
Guest
Do you guys really believe Japan can score tries against NZ? Maybe 1 or 2, but likely tbey are from intercepts as we saw last night. I am with Kirwan on this. He wants Canada and Tonga.
Muzza
Guest
Chuck, do you really see the sense in having your top team at risk of injury when your stated goal of the RWC is to win 2 matches? Clearly Tonga and Canada are a chance for Japan to win their first ever RWC games. Glad you are not coach. Anyway, as bad as 13 tries was, I thought they did well in some phases. Better than 21 tries!!
Wawnout
Guest
Probably not but I think carrying an injury and looks like he has been for some time. One of those injuries which restricts him without actually preventing him playing. Mind you Carter at 80 or 90 % is still a whole lot better than our next option.
Muzza
Guest
Wazza - name those two butchered tries in specifics. I read your posts on this on another thread and one of them involved Kaino behind well ahead of the ball carrier forcing SBW to go for the line, isolated. Why isn't anyone bagging Kaino on this? Because he is not a wing and he, like DC, SBW, QC, ID, etc, is entitled to make the occasional error while trying to add value. My guess is that you were a Bulldogs fan back in Aus.
Nick-KIA
Guest
Yeah that's right. Kirwan has infiltrated the Japanese and screwed with their heads to stop them beating the abs because he's a kiwi spy.
Muzza
Guest
I agree the Samoa-Wales or Ireland-Aus games would be better for Friday but I suspect the UK time zone has something to do with it. I agree there are converns about our pools inherrnt weakness but this allows Henry the chance to tinker with both eyes on France. Expect France to cop the full force. When Henry gets his boys up for big matches like the nervously awaited annual 3N openers or NH matches against France he has proven successful. Expect the same after that learning experience in Cardiff.
Nick-KIA
Guest
Really? That came from an intercept from a pushed pass to try and score another try. Japan didn't crack AB defense all night.
Chuck
Guest
It was a markedly different team to that which played France. They went into this game expecting to lose and attitudes like that have no place in a World Cup. Wanting to grab third spot my as s, Japan know there isn't a team within Asia that would come close to knocking them out of WC Qualification. They lost all respect by taking a cowards attitude into the game Brave Blossoms my rectum, there was absolutely nothing brave about that performance lasy night.
Mark
Guest
First thing the Japanese need to learn, is if they want to beat or perform better against the All Blacks, is lose the "It's an honour to play them" tag. Japanese were very different against the French!! -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.