All Blacks cruise past wilting Blossoms

MATCH REPORT: The All Blacks crushed Eddie Jones’s Japan 64-19 in a one-off Test on Saturday, running in 10 tries in a routine victory despite a sleepy start and a tougher second half.

Despite an early Jone Naikabula try, the home team never really threatened the All Blacks – who took a commanding 43-12 lead into the half-time break.

* To recap all the action, CLICK HERE!

* Article follows below …

The match was the first in an All Blacks tour that will see them take on England, Ireland, France and Italy on successive weekends.

Japan drew first blood with Fiji-born wing Naikabula steaming in to touch down by the posts in the fifth minute.

New Zealand hit back when Mark Tele’a rampaged down the left wing and scored in the corner.

Captain Patrick Tuipulotu then held off three tackles to bundle over the line before Damian McKenzie converted to make it 14-7.

Japan bounced back immediately, attacking off a line-out, punching holes in the defence before loose forward Faulua Makisi crashed through a wide gap off a close-range ruck.

Japan lock Warner Dearns thought he had put the hosts back in front, taking a lucky bounce to break clear and gallop over the line, only for the try to be disallowed.

Then the flood gates opened for New Zealand with Billy Proctor, Sam Cane, Samipeni Finau and Pasilio Tosi all going over the line, the latter after a barnstorming run by hooker Asafo Aumua to make it 36-12.

Just before the break the All Blacks packs smashed their way over the line with Tamaiti Williams grounding the ball off the back of a maul and McKenzie converting to make it 43-12 at half-time.

Cam Roigard opened the scoring in the second half and took the visitors over the 50-point mark in the 44th minute after being let fly by hooker Aumua.

Japan managed to give the scoreboard operators a respite, repeatedly pinning the now sloppy All Blacks in their 22, but not breaching the wall of the New Zealand defence.

All Blacks attacks were frequently blunted and Japan again and again looked the more likely to score, but handling errors and New Zealand turnovers frustrated their efforts.

In the 67th minute, Yoshitaka Yazaki made a blistering run down the right but to the agony of the full-capacity stadium was brought down just short by McKenzie.

Seconds later, however, Japan’s reserve prop Uwe Helu, on his debut, scored the hosts’ third try and a successful conversion.

All Blacks replacement back Ruben Love, on debut, claimed two late tries in three minutes off the bench as the Japanese defence faded.

The scorers

For Japan
Tries: Naikabula, Makisi, Helu
Cons: Tatekawa, Matsunaga

For New Zealand
Tries: Telea, Tuipulotu, Proctor, Cane, Finau, Tosi, Williams, Roigard, Love 2
Cons: McKenzie 7

Teams

Japan: 15 Yoshitaka Yazaki, 14 Jone Naikabula, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Nicholas McCurran, 11 Malo Tuitama, 10 Harumichi Tatekawa (captain), 9 Shinobu Fujiwara, 8 Faulua Makisi, 7 Kazuki Himeno, 6 Amato Fakatava, 5 Warner Deans, 4 Sanaila Waqa, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 2 Atsushi Sakate, 1 Takato Okabe.
Replacements: 16 Mamoru Harada, 17 Takayoshi Mohara, 18 Opeti Helu, 19 Epineri Uluiviti, 20 Kanji Shimokawa, 21 Taiki Koyama, 22 Tomoki Osada, 23 Takuro Matsunaga.

New Zealand: 15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Mark Tele’a, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 4 Sam Darry, 3 Pasilio Tosi, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Tamaiti Williams.
Replacements: 16 George Bell, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Thomas Perenara, 22 David Havili, 23 Ruben Love.

Referee: Jordan Way (Australia)
Assistant referees: Nic Berry (Australia) & Reuben Keane (Australia)
TMO: Damon Murphy (Australia)