Rugby World Cup: How New Zealand thrashed Italy 96-17 in Lyon
- Published
New Zealand recorded their biggest win at a World Cup since they beat Portugal 108-13 in 2007
New Zealand bulldozed their way back into the Rugby World Cup winner conversation with a blistering "statement" victory over Italy on Friday in Lyon.
Needing to win to avoid a shock elimination, the All Blacks turned on the style in a ruthless 96-17 victory.
They were simply brilliant.
"It was a final for us, a do-or-die game and we want to play like this every weekend," said captain Ardie Savea who ran in two of his side's 14 tries.
"We wanted to come out and make a statement. We really wanted to dominate up front."
New Zealand did make a statement and did dominate up front.
They secured their bonus point for scoring four tries inside 22 minutes, were 49-3 up at half-time, and, in the final five minutes, were chasing a 15th try that would have seen them pass the 100-point mark.
All this came after Italy boss Kieran Crowley had declared in the build-up to the match that other teams had "caught up" with the three-time champions.
To be fair to Crowley, New Zealand had lost their World Cup opener to hosts France, two weeks after they slumped to a record defeat by South Africa.
Indeed, since the All Blacks last faced Italy in Rome in 2021, they had lost eight of their past 21 Tests.
And the Azzurri too were full of belief. They were on a four-match winning run, albeit against teams they were expected to beat, and had a perfect record in Pool A having overcome Namibia and Uruguay.
"We're not going out there trying to keep the score down, we're going out there to try to win the game," said former New Zealand full-back Crowley on Wednesday.
"We're not going to be stupid about how we play."
After Italy's thumping defeat, Crowley cut a much more forlorn figure, admitting his coaching staff "might not even review [the match] and chuck it in the bin".
"It was like a training run for them in the end," he said. "They just monstered us and they played very well."
'How I want my boys to play'
The result was New Zealand's biggest win at a World Cup since they beat Portugal 108-13 in 2007, and means they will advance to the quarter-finals should they beat tier-two side Uruguay with a bonus point in their final Pool A match on Thursday.
"We had an experienced bench and we had four guys back from injury," said New Zealand head coach Ian Foster.
"We saw the impact they brought to the team. It is about building momentum in this World Cup."
New Zealand seem to be peaking at the right time, much like South Africa who won the 2019 tournament despite losing to the All Blacks in their opening game.
"We have got talent across the board," added Savea. "We played some free rugby and that is how I want my boys to play."
'South Africa wanted to avoid the All Blacks'
Former England international Chris Ashton believes South Africa will not be too concerned about possibly avoiding New Zealand in a quarter-final.
As things currently stand, the All Blacks will play the Ireland in the first knockout round after Andy Farrell's side beat the Springboks 13-8 to take control of Pool B, but Ireland still need to beat Scotland in their final pool game to confirm top spot.
The Springboks will likely face France, who beat New Zealand in the opening game, if they end up second in Pool B.
"I think South Africa wanted to avoid New Zealand, without doubt," Ashton told the Rugby Union Daily podcast.
"They may feel playing France is a better route. You are going to have to play France at some point, so is it better to beat them in a quarter-final when there is less pressure behind them?"
The All Blacks suffered the heaviest defeat in their history by South Africa at Twickenham in their final warm-up game before the World Cup.
On that game, Ashton added: "New Zealand have taken so much from that defeat by South Africa at Twickenham. So they will now be in a better place for it.
"They are not leading the way in every single area like attack now, but that does not mean they will not take a big name out of this tournament."
How New Zealand won in Lyon
Will Jordan crossed superbly after latching on to a crossfield kick to give New Zealand a first try after six minutes
New Zealand skipper Savea went over in the 21st minute to secure a rapid bonus point
Aaron Smith completed his hat-trick in the 33rd minute as the All Blacks led 42-3 with seven minutes still to play in the first half
Ange Capuozzo scored Italy's first try four minutes after the restart, sneaking over in the corner
But Brodie Retallick added another for New Zealand 60 seconds later to stretch their lead to 56-10 with 30 minutes remaining
Dane Coles was allowed to run clear for New Zealand's 10th try after an hour
Replacement Anton Lienert-Brown scored the All Blacks' final try in the 75th minute
Italy's Monty Ioane had the final score but the night belonged to New Zealand