New Zealand 56-10 Papua New Guinea

World Cup holders New Zealand showed no mercy to Papua New Guinea, running in 10 tries in a comfortable victory.

Sonny Bill Williams scored a first-half hat-trick while Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Dean Whare both crossed twice.

Bryson Goodwin, Frank-Paul Nu'uausala and Elijah Taylor also scored while Ray Thompson and Wellington Albert responded for Adrian Lam's side.

However the Kiwis' joy was tempered with Thomas Leuluai only lasting a short time with a groin injury.

The Kiwis took the lead with less than two minutes gone when Kieran Foran's grubber kick was pounced on by Bryson Goodwin and Shaun Johnson made no mistake with the conversion.

Soon after, another Foran kick, this time a high spiralling effort, was grabbed by Tuivasa-Sheck who showed great skill and strength to hold off the attention of Josiah Abavu and score his third try of the tournament to help put the Kiwis 12-0 ahead.

PNG were unable to get their hands on the ball and, after they conceded a penalty 20m out from their own line, the ball went out first to Josh Hoffman who failed to cross but the ball was played out via a smart Whare pass for Tuivasa-Sheck to register his second try.

Williams, 28, went over for his first try and Johnson made his fourth kick in a row to put his side 24-0 up after 17 minutes, before Williams shrugged off the defenders once again and just about managed to get the ball down before the dead-ball line.

The dual-code star turned provider for New Zealand's sixth try with a pass out to Nu'uausala, and Williams proved too tricky for the PNG defence as half-time approached when he crossed again.

It was Thompson who notched the first try of the second half and Francis Paniu made no mistake with the kick.

Leuluai, 28, made his first appearance of the tournament early in the second half after a groin injury but he only lasted less than five minutes with what looked like a recurrence of the problem, and he will be a doubt for the remainder of the competition.

Whare added to the New Zealand score with back-to-back efforts before Taylor scored his side's 10th try.

But PNG had the final say with a Dion Aiye break supported by Jessie Joe Nandye for Wellington Albert to score his side's second try.

New Zealand will face either Scotland or Italy back at Headingley in next Friday's quarter-final.

New Zealand: Hoffman, Tuivasa-Sheck, Whare, Goodwin, Vatuvei, Foran, Johnson, Matulino, Luke, Bromwich, Glenn, Williams, Taylor. Replacements: Moa, Kasiano, Nuuausala, Leuluai.

Papua New Guinea: Mead, Abavu, Yere, Paniu, N. McDonald, Thompson, Aiye, Costigan, Wabo, Bruno, Nandye, Chan, Pandia. Replacements: Albert, Aiton, Tali, Mexico.

Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia).