International Test - New Zealand 60 Fiji 14:NEW ZEALAND blew off the cobwebs with a hammering of Fiji in Dunedin yesterday to make a solid start to a season they hope will end with a World Cup triumph on home soil.
The All Blacks ran in eight tries, the pick of them from starting outhalf Colin Slade and replacement scrumhalf Piri Weepu, but will be disappointed with aspects of their game as they look ahead to next week’s Tri-Nations meeting with South Africa.
Fiji lost 91-0 the last time they faced the All Blacks in 2005 and so were delighted with a spirited performance that was rewarded with second-half tries for Nemia Serelevu and Vereniki Goneva.
Although the All Blacks were far from their ruthless, rampaging best, there was never any prospect of the kind of upset Australia suffered against Samoa last Sunday.
“I think it’s a start, there’s some good things there, we may not have got all the detail dead right but you can see it’s going to come,” All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said. “We’ve got plenty to work on over the next few days but at least we got that under our belts.”
The home side always looked likely to score when they put sustained pressure on the Fijians and that was the case when Sitiveni Sivivatu, who scored four tries on his debut against the country of his birth in the 2005 meeting, crossed in the corner after 10 minutes.
Slade, competing for the spot as deputy to Dan Carter in the World Cup squad, had already kicked two penalties on his first Test start when his well-judged chip over the defence allowed him to regather off the post and extend the lead 13 minutes later.
But the All Blacks machine then stalled for a while before hooker Andrew Hore played winger to score the third try after 35 minutes and impressive blindside flanker Adam Thomson added another by inching over from close range just before the break.
With a 32-0 lead at half-time, the All Blacks would have been hoping to push on in the second half but it was more than 20 minutes before they could add to their tally. The Fijians got just desserts for their dominance of the third quarter when flanker Dominiko Waqaniburotu capitalised on turnover ball with an explosive break down the left touchline before feeding scrumhalf Serelevu.
Weepu had just replaced an out-of-sorts Jimmy Cowan when his grubber kick allowed Conrad Smith to break the All Black second-half drought and Slade’s last act before being replaced by Carter was to convert the try to make the score 39-7. Six minutes later Weepu was involved three times in a sweeping move which resulted in him crossing the line but a fine individual effort from replacement winger Goneva soon cut the deficit to 46-14.
Australian referee Stuart Dickinson’s pedantry around the scrum climaxed with a penalty try to the All Blacks four minutes from the siren, however, and there was still time for fullback Mils Muliaina to celebrate his 95th Test with his 33rd try for his country.
“We were pleased with some of the things we were doing,” Fiji skipper Deacon Manu said. “The scoreline got away from us at the end and that’s quite disappointing.”
NEW ZEALAND: Muliaina; Guildford, C Smith, Nonu, Sivivatu; Slade, Cowan; Crockett, Hore, B Franks; Hoeata, A Williams; Thomson, McCaw, Messam. Replacements: B. Smith for Sivivatu (50 mins), Carter for Slade (64 mins), Weepu for Cowan (53 mins), Flynn for Crockett (66 mins), Afoa for Hore (66 mins), Whitelock for Hoeata (53 mins), Kaino for Messam (65 mins).
FIJI: Keresoni; T Nagusa, Vulivuli, Fatiaki, Nalaga; Bai, Serelevu; Ma’afu, Koto Koto, Manu; Kalou, Nasiga; Waqaniburotu, Qera, Matadigo. Replacements: Goneva for T Nagusa (55 mins), Buatava for Serelevu (64 mins), Somoca for Ma’afu (70 mins), Veikoso for Koto Koto (78 mins), Domolailai for Nasiga (70 mins), Ravulo for Qera (61 mins).
Referee: S Dickinson (Australia)
