A second-half blitz in Durban has helped the All Blacks to a 54-0 victory over the Sharks this morning.
It was a performance and win that will please head coach Dave Rennie because his men showed their full array of skills in scoring eight tries, seven of them converted by impressive first-five Ruben Love, despite the waterlogged pitch.
It was also a step up from their tour opener against the Stormers, although the Sharks fired few attacking shots and showed little imagination after a memorable pre-match haka by former All Black midfielder Ma’a Nonu.
Responding to the All Blacks’ Ka Mate haka at King’s Park, led for the first time by Love, the 44-year-old Nonu performed Kapo o Pango by himself, earning cheers from the sparsely populated stands.
All Blacks legend Ma'a Nonu, playing for the Sharks, accepted the All Blacks' challenge with a haka of his own. (Source: SKY)
An emotional Nonu, who took his place on the bench afterwards, entered the match after 62 minutes to more cheers and almost immediately carried directly into Love, who did well to take him to the ground.
The All Blacks’ set piece, maul defence and handling skills were all a level above their performance in Cape Town and while the margin was only 14-0 at halftime thanks to converted tries for Fehi Fineanganofo and Damian McKenzie, who later departed with an injured left ankle, the visitors cut loose after the break.
There was a noticeable shift in tempo and intensity seven minutes after halftime from the All Blacks, and once they attacked from depth and carried into space they looked irresistible.
Fineanganofo scored again along with fellow wing Caleb Clarke but Jordie Barrett’s try after his side retained possession expertly and stretched the Sharks on both sides of the field was outstanding and halfback Kyle Preston’s from a re-start was similarly impressive.
Barrett said afterwards: “It was tight at halftime and we were able to gain a bit of ascendency and finish a few moments.”
Captain Luke Jacobson added: “We broke them down pretty well in the first half and we got the fruits in the second half and came away with the win.”
There were a series of firsts for the visitors, with Fineanganofo crossing the line for the first time in a black jersey and Preston, who had an excellent match and may be gaining on Cortez Ratima as Cam Roigard’s back-up, celebrating his first start with a try.
Hooker Bradley Slater and loose forward Semisi Ta’eiloa made their debuts in the second half, with replacement midfielder Timoci Tavatavanawai scoring his first try for the All Blacks.
Lock Sam Darry also scored from close range as the black wave overwhelmed the home side.
McKenzie’s ankle injury – potentially a sprain after he fielded a high ball under pressure in the opening minutes – appeared to be Rennie’s only injury concern and will raise further questions about Richie Mo’unga joining the squad.
But the head coach has an extremely able first-five in the form of Love, who directed the side with a near perfect balance in difficult conditions.
One of Love's few mistakes was a failure to find touch from a penalty in the first half but he was almost flawless off the tee and has an uncanny knack for making the difficult appear easy in general play. A 50-22 kick in the first half was another highlight.
The All Blacks’ kicking game in general was vastly improved, with Barrett and Quinn Tupaea showing nice touches with the boot, and the pair cemented their status as Rennie’s best midfield.
Clarke was full of energy on the left, with Fineanganofo a handful and Emoni Narawa showed some nice touches on attack in his first game for the All Blacks since he punctured a lung in the win over the Boks at Eden Park last year.
Onwards and upwards for the All Blacks ahead of their next tour match against the Bulls in Pretoria on Sunday.
All Blacks 54 (Fehi Fineanganofo 2, Damian McKenzie, Caleb Clarke, Jordie Barrett, Kyle Preston, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Sam Darry tries; Ruben Love 7 cons)
Sharks 0
Halftime: 14-0
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