All Blacks grind down gutsy Pumas

LIAM NAPIER Last updated 22:33 09/10/2011

RWC 2011 - All Blacks vs Argentina QF4: Argentina v New Zealand
Match Scorecard
New Zealand33
Tries: Kieran Read (1), Brad Thorn (1)
Conversions: Aaron Cruden (1)
Penalty goals: Piri Weepu (7)
Argentina10
Tries: Julio Farias Cabello (1)
Conversions: Felipe Contepomi (1)
Penalty goals: Marcello Bosch (1)
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland


New Zealand may be into the semifinals but they could be down to their third-choice pivot after Colin Slade suffered a groin complaint at Eden Park, the same injury that robbed Dan Carter of any further participation in this tournament.

That was the primary talking point a crowd of 57,912 will ponder post-match.

Anxious memories of that shocking night in Cardiff four-years ago will have crept into the consciousness of some, as the All Blacks struggled to shake off the Pumas, who were never expected to get close, until the closing stages.

This was not the complete performance second centurion Mils Muliaina would have wanted as he entered the record books alongside underpowered captain Richie McCaw, clearly plagued by his ongoing foot problem.

Veteran fullback Muliaina, replaced by Isaia Toeava after 50-minutes, was almost brought to tears during the national anthem.

Slade kick-started a shaky beginning by dropping a regulation pass which forced Conrad Smith to scramble back and save a try.

It summed up Slade's short and erratic evening.

He was unable to ease the nerves left by Carter's void and cement his place as the first-choice playmaker. He was replaced by Manawatu's Aaron Cruden, who linked confidently in his unexpected cameo.

Missing evasive fullback Israel Dagg and powerful utility Richard Kahui, the All Blacks were ragged, disjointed and nervous for large periods.

They looked like a team that had made constant backline changes throughout pool play.

Cohesion was absent, highlighted by their inability to finish chances, other than No.8 Kieran Read and lock Brad Thorn's late scores.

Graham Henry's men weren't able to dictate terms and implement their high-tempo game, a worrying sign ahead of the semifinal against Robbie Deans' Australia.

World No 7 Argentina, keen to engage in the close-quarter combat, put the customary squeeze on at the breakdown.

Their illegal slowing tactics went unpunished by Welsh referee Nigel Owens too long before halfback Nicolas Vergallo was yellow carded with 20-minutes to play.

However, for much of the contest the All Blacks failed to adapt and allowed themselves to be frustrated with the infringing.

To their credit, the Pumas' abrasive and committed defence was tough to crack.

It denied Read as he was pushed out in the corner. Two Cory Jane breaks went unconverted in the first quarter and McCaw placed the ball on an Argentinean boot, rather than at the base of the post, in the second-half.

Luckily, man-of-the-match halfback Piri Weepu stepped up to save the day with seven coolly struck penalties.

He took much of the directional duties with Slade prone and Cruden new to the systems.

Without his assured guidance the All Blacks were in strife. He is now more crucial than ever to the hopes of ending 24-years of angst.

The tenacious Pumas made the most telling statement of the first spell when No 8 Leonardo Senatore stepped Read and broke McCaw's covering tackle, possibly confirming the influential pair's lack of fitness.

That movement finished with blindside flanker Julio Farias Cabello busting through wing Sonny Bill Williams for the surprising opening try. Felipe Contepomi gave his side a shock 7-6 lead after 31-minutes, but Weepu put the hosts back in-front, 12-7, at halftime.

McCaw came off as precaution with eight minutes to play when the game was safe. He had plenty to think about on the bench, with the Wallabies now intent to crack the 17-year Eden Park fortress.

Result:

New Zealand 33 (Kieran Read, Brad Thorn tries; Piri Weepu 7 pen, Aaron Cruden con) Argentina 10 (Julio Farias Cabello try; Felipe Contepomi con, Marcelo Bosch pen). HT: 12-7

McCaw hails clinical All Blacks

Former All Blacks captain Jock Hobbs presented Richie McCaw with a special cap to mark his 100th appearance
AUCKLAND, 24 Sept. - New Zealand captain Richie McCaw hailed his team's performance after the All Blacks swept to a 37-17 victory over France at Eden Park on Saturday.
Tries from number 8 Adam Thomson and wing Cory Jane put the All Blacks in control before full back Israel Dagg struck either side of half-time.
The French hit back through Maxime Mermoz and Francois Trinh-Duc but the Kiwis confirmed their superiority with a fifth try from Sonny Bill Williams.
McCaw - who was awarded a special cap to mark his 100th international appearance - said: "We realised we had to take a step up this week.
"We had to absorb a fair bit early on and I was proud of the way the boys did that. When we got the opportunity we put the points on the board.
"The boys held their cool and when we had a chance we took it. I'm very happy with the way things went."
Thrilling burst
Fly half Morgan Parra saw a drop kick crash off an upright after three minutes as France pinned the All Blacks back in the early stages.
But New Zealand weathered the storm and went ahead in the ninth minute when Thomson got on the end of a move inspired by a Ma'a Nonu burst and sidestep to touch down at the corner. Fly half Dan Carter missed the conversion.
Jane extended the lead after 17 minutes when he took a superb pass from Piri Weepu to scythe through the French rearguard for try No.2. This time Carter made no mistake with his kick.
Les Bleus were in disarray four minutes later when Dagg took Carter's pass in acres of space and crossed under the posts to make it 17-0. Carter again added the extras.
New Zealand replaced Jane with Williams after 34 minutes.
Stunning drop goal
France got on the scoresheet with a penalty from Dimitri Yachvili as half-time approached.
Dagg scored his second try within a minute of the restart after a sweeping move. Carter landed his third conversion of the evening to put the All Blacks 26-3 in front.
The fly half made it four kicks from five attempts when he sent over a long-range penalty.
France hit back when centre Mermoz intercepted a Carter pass to race home. Yachvili's conversion took his side's points tally into double figures.
But Carter banged another stunning drop goal through the posts to take him to 109 points for the tournament.
Replacement Trinh-Duc scored a second try for the French in the 75th minute only to see Williams race through to dive over at the other end almost immediately.

Lucky 13 for All Blacks against Japan

DAVID LONG Last updated 21:54 16/09/2011


The 13-try, 83-7 rout did little to enhance the reputation of rugby as a global sport and for most of the game the only thing left to ponder was how close the All Blacks would get to reaching triple figures going into the pool clash with France on Saturday next week.

Having had to play France and New Zealand first up, the World Cup truly starts for Japan tomorrow when they can turn their attentions to winnable games against Tonga and Canada.

Those are the two games that will define Japan's tournament, not a hiding like this.

It's easy to understand John Kirwan's logic in selecting a B-team for this game and keeping his best players ready for the latter matches, but it did turn their clash with the All Blacks into a one-sided farce.

It took just three minutes for the onslaught to begin, with Conrad Smith scoring his 21st try in his 50th test, making best use of a break from Victor Vito.

Try second came in the 15th minute, with Richard Kahui going in on the right wing after most of the Japanese defence was sucked in trying to halt a rapidly-moving rolling maul on the right.

Jerome Kaino, Keven Mealamu, Andy Ellis and Colin Slade all scored tries later in the half as the game became anything but a contest.

Sonny Bill Williams came on for Cory Jane early in the second-half and went onto the wing.

Kahui, Sonny Bill Williams (twice), Isaia Toeava, Andrew Hore, Ma'a Nonu and Adam Thomson all scored second half tries for the All Blacks while wing Hirotoki Onozawa was able to pick up a try to at least stop Japan being completely embarrassed.

Result:

New Zealand 83 (Richard Kahui 2, Sonny Bill Williams 2, Conrad Smith, Jerome Kaino, Keven Mealamu, Andy Ellis, Colin Slade, Isaia Toeava, Andrew Hore, Ma'a Nonu, Adam Thomson tries; Colin Slade 9 con) Japan 7 (Hirotoki Onozawa try; Murray Williams con). HT: 38-0.

Richard Kahui shines in mixed ABs opening

DUNCAN JOHNSTONE Last updated 22:33 09/09/2011SharePrint Text Size This content requires the Flash Player. Download Flash Player. Already have Flash Player? Click here.


New Zealand41
Tries: Israel Dagg (2), Richard Kahui (2), Jerome Kaino (1), Ma'a Nonu (1)
Conversions: Daniel Carter (3), Colin Slade (1)
Penalty goals: Daniel Carter (1)

Tonga10
Tries: Alisona Taumalolo (1)
Conversions: Kurt Morath (1)
Penalty goals: Kurt Morath (1)

Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Error: Cannot find match file.
Played at 8.30PM NZT


New Zealand out-manoeuvred the islanders with six tries on a glorious night, attempting to provide a spectacle of running rugby that has become their signature.

It wasn't always perfect. There was a sloppy second half where several opportunities went begging. They even conceded a try as Tonga bravely battled back.

And whether this New Zealand approach survives sterner tests remains to be seen in this seventh edition of the global event. But for an opening match, it certainly added to the festival feel the city had enjoyed all day long.

This was always going to be a New Zealand win. It was just a question of how big? In the end it probably wasn't big enough for everyone in the crowd of 60,214 jammed into the ground.

But the All Blacks will be quietly happy with this start. They will realise the limitations of the opposition but also be chuffed with the way some of the players clearly on trial stood up. They seemed to get some answers in areas they wanted solutions most.

The classy Kahui was probably top of that queue as Graham Henry looks for the right mix of his back three.

Kahui looked very comfortable playing out of position from his normal centre's role. He roamed dangerously all night, scored two tries and had a hand in two others. He mixed his deceptive running with some real power that might just be the formula the selectors are looking for in their wings.

On the other wing Isaia Toeava overcame a tentative start to contribute to the free-running affair for his 61 minutes of action while Israel Dagg chimed in from all over the paddock.

And the muscular midfield worked a treat, clearly giving the All Blacks options there.

Sonny Bill Williams enjoyed a bit of freedom and his trademark offloads freed up plenty of play for those alongside him.

The All Blacks handled the infamous Tongan physicality and in imposed their own power game on the men in red up front. Jerome Kaino was outstanding with his buckling defence and direct approach with the ball in hand.

And stand-in No 8 Victor Vito certainly didn't take a backward step which will have pleased the coaching staff given the strain on the back row resources at the moment.

We wait to see what the rest of the squad do in next Friday's second pool match against Japan for there are certain to be a raft of changes for that lightweight challenge.

But the marker has been laid down in some of the key areas to be sorted out over the opening phase of the tournament.

As for Tonga, they were largely disappointing with their lack of attack. The prospect of a fiery start never emerged. In fact they rarely fired a shot apart from a spell of forward exchanges on the All Blacks line in the second half.

Ad Feedback Yes, they stalled the All Blacks with a plucky third quarter and then had their say with a try to replacement prop Alisona Taumalolo to reward some better forward effort.

But unless Tonga can step things up they will be in danger against Canada, possibly even against Japan and most certainly against France.

When Irish referee George Clancy blew the opening whistle to start this seventh World Cup there was an almost eerie silence over the ground, in contrast to the buzz of excitement that enveloped the stadium during a marvellous opening ceremony.

Ali Williams rose to take a clean catch and the All Blacks' campaign was finally under way.

It didn't take long for the points to start mounting.

In the fourth minute Tonga were penalised at the breakdown and Dan Carter kicked the first points of the tournament with a simple 18m goal.

Ten minutes and 38 seconds into the match Israel Dagg had the first try, benefitting from some slick work from Richard Kahui who featured twice in the buildup coming off his right wing.

Kahui had his turn soon after as Williams produced a thrilling backhanded offload to Isaia Toeava and there was Kahui popping up on his opposite wing again and producing a delightful sidestep to dance over.

Toeava and Williams helped Dagg to his second try off a turnover courtesy of a turnover engineered by Andrew Hore.

Kahui showed his sheer grunt to get over for his second when he was given a bit of space by Dagg.

The Tongans finally got on the board with the last act of the half when Kurt Morath landed a 40m penalty.

The All Blacks made a bit of a sloppy start to the second spell but a slick pass from Ma'a Nonu gave Toeava a direct route to the corner. But his touchdown was blotted by a boot in touch according to the TMO.

Kaino made no mistake to cap his night with a deserved try off a chip and regather from Kahui.

Tonga had their best period of the match as they camped right on the New Zealand line and after a series of scrums and rucks, replacement prop Alisona Taumalolo eventually burrowed his way over.

The All Blacks had the final say with Nonu starting and finishing a 50m try that sent the big crowd off a bit happier.

There's work to be done. But the All Blacks are off the mark and the tournament is under way.

New Zealand 41 (Israel Dagg 2, Richard Kahui 2, Jerome Kaino, Ma'a Nonu tries; Dan Carter 3 con, pen; Colin Slade con.) Tonga 10 (Alisona Taumalolo try, Kurt Morath con, pen). HT: 29-3

All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup with Eden Park win

Highlights of the All Blacks v Wallabies Bledisloe Cup test match played at Eden Park, Auckland.

All Blacks hammer Scotland

 

RICHARD KNOWLER IN EDINBURGH - Stuff

Last updated 07:04 14/11/2010

Highlights of the All Blacks' win over Scotland at Murrayfield.

All Blacks v Scotland

1 of 13

PETER MEECHAM/Fairfax Media Zoom

All Blacks perform the haka before the match against Scotland.

  More than a century of misery against the All Blacks continued for Scotland this morning after they were pounded 49-3 at Murrayfield.

Never did the New Zealanders' 105-year unbeaten streak look in doubt, with the tourists racing in seven tries against a Scottish side that was unable to match their precision, pace and, at times, sheer audacity on attack.
For skipper Richie McCaw and Mils Muliaina it was a fine way to mark their 92^nd test appearances, which saw them match Sean Fitzpatrick's milestone, and will certainly be broken within the next two weeks as the All Blacks prepare to complete another grand slam with matches against Ireland and Wales.
The best indicator as to just how much of an easy night this was for the All Blacks coaches' hearts was when they tugged openside flanker McCaw off the field with more than 20 minutes remaining, replacing him with Daniel Braid, to place him on ice as they looked ahead to Dublin and Cardiff.
For the Scots, who looked to still be searching for their combinations and rhythm after not playing together since June, this was just too big of an ask to expect them to create history.
Rarely did they look like scoring as the All Blacks defence proved impregnable and to darken their mood there was the worrying sight of Max Evans being wheeled off the field on a buggy after injuring his neck in a tackle on No 8 Kieran Read.
A pair of tries in the opening 12 minutes immediately had Scotland backpedalling, with Hosea Gear and Dan Carter racing over and seven minutes later Mils Muliaina added to their misery when he collected the third five-pointer.
Of the three, it was difficult not to be most impressed by Gear's effort; a pearler from a scrum inside the Scottish quarter, he hared off his left wing to pluck a juicy Sonny Bill Williams delivery out of mid-air and left the mesmerised defenders staring at each other with confused looks on their faces.
Gear had to work harder for the All Blacks' fourth try, although even he would have been surprised at the way the passive Scottish tacklers happily waved him through after he changed his angle and chopped infield unchallenged.
Four converted tries inside the first half hour and the match was over.
It was little wonder Scotland coach Andy Robinson was spotted out of his seat and leaning against a wall, looking as if he had just learned his superannuation fund had been plundered.
Granted, the All Blacks' dedication to eradicating the errors that had blotted their second half performance against England the previous weekend had paid dividends, but the Scotland defence was sadly lacking in desire.
From the opening whistle the New Zealanders signalled their attacking intent as they several times unleashed the ball towards Isaia Toeava's right wing in a bid to perforate the stretched Scotland defensive line.
One decent break by Toeava preceded a sweeping attack and it was Williams who gave him the vital space down a narrow channel near the touchline as he somehow flipped out a pass to the wing.
Prior to this match Williams expressed an eagerness to get more involved; having worn the No 13 jersey against England last weekend at Twickenham, the former rugby league star looked more comfortable at the familiar second five-eighth operating inside centre Conrad Smith.
The 25-year-old wowed the 56,807-strong crowd with his sheer audacity as he repeatedly untangled his long arms, and with hands the size of buckets, squeezed the ball out to his support runners.
Muliaina was another benefactor of the Williams magic as he crossed over for the penultimate try and Smith could also give the big nod of approval after he was involved in the movement that led to his five-pointer too.
All Blacks 49 (Hosea Gear 2, Mils Muliaina 2, Dan Carter, Conrad Smith, Andy Ellis tries; Carter 5 conv, Stephen Donald 2 conv)
Scotland 3 (Dan Parks pen).
Halftime: 28-3.

Rugby: Untouchable SBW hard to handle

Sun, 14 Nov 2010

Graham Henry and his coaching cohorts now share a dilemma with their counterparts for the remainder of the All Blacks Grand Slam rugby tour - devising a strategy to handle Sonny Bill Williams.
Those three names - and the phrase "offload" - were practically on everyone's lips in the aftermath of New Zealand's 49-3 swamping of the Scots at Murrayfield last night, an All Black master class that suggested Williams could eventually exert a Jonah Lomu-esque influence on the international game.
Just two games into his test career, the 25-year-old already has opposing coaches reaching for the superlatives when pondering his future impact on the code.
After witnessing man-of-the-match Williams orchestrate two of the All Blacks seven converted with audacious offloads that already seem routine, Scotland head coach Andy Robinson sounded in awe of the new midfield maestro.
"He's got everything, hasn't he? He's fantastic for the sport of rugby union, just not for a defensive coach or an opponent trying to mark him," Robinson said.
Williams made his test debut at Twickenham last weekend and soon made a favourable impression for a one-handed release in the build-up to Hosea Gear's maiden test try.
Nine minutes into what Scotland forlornly hoped would prove a continuation of their resurgence after a historic series win in Argentina five months ago, Gear was grateful to Williams again when he powered through the defensive line and flicked a no-look pass the wing was wise to anticipate.
Record-equalling fullback Mils Muliaina also profited from Williams' sleight of hand in the 48th minute. 
While Williams' other sly moves to keep the ball alive did not lead directly to tries, conventional passing assisted Gear's second while his running lines from second five-eighth frequently had the Scots standoffish in defence.
Scotland, and to a lesser extent England, had no answer to Williams's innate ability to pierce an opposing backline and, when halted, release the ball for an alert support player.
The question now for Henry and backs coach Wayne Smith is how to utilise Williams against Ireland and Wales.
Do they prolong his assimilation process in Dublin next weekend? Or do they revert to the Ma'a Nonu-Conrad Smith combination that would have been considered unbreakable until Williams signalled his World Cup ambitions by returning home from France in June.
Nonu and Smith, united for 26 tests since 2008, have been pivotal in nurturing Williams since his selection and in doing so appear to have inadvertently jeopardised their own careers.
Smith sat out the England test to indulge Williams' rare outing at centre; at Murrayfield Nonu was the only All Blacks reserve not needed as Scotland's demoralising 105-year wait to beat New Zealand featured another grim interlude.
Henry was noncommittal about his future plans for the All Blacks highest profile acquisition from rugby league but mirrored Robinson's enthusiasm for Williams' performance.
"He'll obviously be pretty pleased with the way he's playing," Henry dead panned.
"He's got an amazing ability to offload the ball in the tackle, I don't think I've seen any rugby player with that sort of skill in that situation before," he said, before predicting even greater heights for the 1.91-metre ball player.
"He's still getting comfortable playing at this level and with what we're trying to do.
"I still think there's a wee way to go there but I think he'll get more confident and even go to a higher standard in the future."
Captain Richie McCaw was also impressed with Williams' arrival to the All Black environment via Toulon and Canterbury.
"It's exciting to have a guy like that, he's a real threat and it's not always him just crashing the ball up, he can put guys away outside too."
Muliaina admitted Williams was unique in terms of backs he had shared his 92 test caps with - an All Black record he jointly holds with McCaw and Sean Fitzpatrick.
"Just watching it (offloads) on TV when he doing it in league, you wondered if he could transfer that into rugby," Muliaina said.
"He must have practised it a lot because he can certainly pull it off. A few times at training you think he's gone to deck and suddenly the ball pops out of nowhere."

Execution is key for All Blacks - McCaw

TOBY ROBSON IN LONDON - Fairfax Media

Last updated 13:30 07/11/2010

Action from the match between the All Blacks and England at Twickenham.

All Blacks v England

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PETER MEECHAM/Fairfax Media Zoom

All Black do the haka before the test against England at Twickenham.

Related Links

  Match highlights: All Blacks v England 

Richie McCaw says execution, not attitude will be the key to a better performance against Scotland next week.
The All Blacks made uncharacteristic handling errors throughout their 26-16 win over England at Twickenham today, just as they had during their loss to the Wallabies in Hong Kong.

And though thrilled to beat a good England side, McCaw admitted there was a degree of frustration in the visitor's dressing room.

"I think the frustration of the guys sitting in the changing rooms was that at vital times we gave the ball back to the opposition too easily and probably tried to do too much at times.

"They're the things that are frustrating. Sometimes it's because you have been getting reward for those passes when you can see space, but sometimes it might not be quite on.

"It might be a bit of a fifty-fifty and those are the things that, if we are going to improve, we have to get right."

The All Blacks looked set to rack up a cricket score after starting strongly against England and leading 14-0 after 20 minutes, before errors crept into their game.

"The attitude we want to play with is spot on. When the space is there you want to use it. There are times in the game where that's the right thing to do, and times where perhaps a slightly more conservative option might be better.

"Perhaps you could score a try, but holding the ball for one more phase will guarantee a try... you don't want to stifle the guys... but the risk and reward I guess is what we have to get under control.

"Sometimes you are your own worst enemy."

But McCaw also praised his side's character and said the defensive effort was top drawer.

"It comes down to a couple of opportunities in a game and we won because we took a couple of those in the first half and it got tight because we didn't take a couple in the second half.

 "I guess England would be a bit disappointed. Had they scored that try it could have been a bit different in the end, but that's the nature of the beast, you have to nail your chances."

Assistant coach Steve Hansen believed the side were not far off their game despite the error rate.

"We haven't been together for a while and we're rusty and what I'm talking about is our timing.

"You only have to be half a yard out with your run and something that looks like it could be magnificent is actually pushing crap. That's about where we are with our game at the moment. We are half a stride off scoring five or six tries rather than two or three."