The Junior All Blacks emphatically won the battle up front as well as the match when beating Samoa 56-12 in a Pacific Five Nations rugby match in Auckland tonight.
The Juniors' forward pack, with their scrum particularly potent, laid the platform for the team's second win in the series after
a 35-17 victory over Fiji last weekend.
Despite conceding an early try to Samoan halfback John Senio, the New Zealand team were on top from the early minutes once their forwards warmed up to the task in hand.
First five-eighth Jimmy Gopperth was a standout with 26 points, including his team's sixth try as well as a nine-from-10 return from the boot.
The match was over as a contest as early as halftime with the Juniors ahead 30-10 following a brace of tries to imposing No 8 Nick Williams and halfback Kevin Senio, older brother of his opposite John.
Two of those three tries were the direct result of the home side's superiority up front, Williams scoring his first in the 14th minute after a series of pick-and-goes around the fringes left the Samoan defence wafer thin.
The forwards again presented excellent ball for Senio to skip around a ruck to the goal line in the 39th minute, before which Williams scored his second after a sweeping move from the back drew to a close when lock Tom Donnelly, hooker Corey Flynn and finally Williams featured in open play.
The Juniors lost the services of flanker Johnny Leo'o midway through the first half when he clashed heads with Samoan centre Seilala Mapusua.
His replacement, Josh Blackie, ensured the Juniors lost nothing with Leo'o's departure, proving an intelligent link between the backs and forwards.
The writing was on the wall for Samoa immediately after halftime when non-existent resistance allowed prop John Schwalger to saunter across the lineout from a lineout drive.
The best try of the match was yet to come, second five-eighth Tamati Ellison sending out an excellent pass for fullback Ben Atiga to enter the backline and slip a tackle to score in the 58th minute as the Juniors began threatening a half-century of points.
They duly raised that milestone but not before Samoan No 8 Isaac Feaunati got one back for his side when scoring a try after deciding to run a penalty just short of the line.
Gopperth was rewarded for a tidy allround performance with a try in the 75th minute following an electrifying breakout by replacement halfback Jimmy Nutbrown.
Wing Viliame Waqaseduadua completed the scoring on the brink of fulltime when given space down the right flank.
The rival captains agreed only one team were in tonight's contest.
Samoan leader Semo Setiti said his side were in the game for only the first 20 minutes before a couple of quick tries from the Juniors saw his players' heads drop.
"They dominated in the set pieces, especially the scrum, we didn't do well in the lineouts and at the breakdown they were more physical than us.
"It's a good lesson for us."
Captain Corey Flynn said the Junior All Blacks always planned to give the Samoans a physical examination.
"We really wanted to take them on physically and tire their big boys out. It was great to see we did that and we were smart about it as well."
The next match for the Junior All Blacks is against Tonga in New Plymouth next Saturday.
Junior All Blacks 56 (Nick Williams 2, Kevin Senio, John Schwalger, Ben Atiga, Jimmy Gopperth, Viliame Waqaseduadua tries; Gopperth 3 pen, 6 con)
Samoa 12 (John Senio, Isaac Feaunati tries; Doug Sanft con).
Halftime: 30-7.
- NZPA
Junior All Black Kevin Senio is caught by Samoan defence. Picture / Dean Purcell
The Junior All Blacks emphatically won the battle up front as well as the match when beating Samoa 56-12 in a Pacific Five Nations rugby match in Auckland tonight.
The Juniors' forward pack, with their scrum particularly potent, laid the platform for the team's second win in the series after
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