KEY POINTS:
Kiwis 56 Tonga 8
Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney isn't one to make bold, brash statements but his team sent out enough of a message for him yesterday.
If there is one thing opposition sides at this year's World Cup will take notice of, it is how easily
the Kiwis disposed of a Tonga side that many predicted would be the dark horses of the competition.
Remember, New Zealand are supposed to get better as tournaments progress. They're no good at one-off tests, often struggling to overcome short build-ups.
Yesterday, though, they were Melbourne-like. They played with structure, discipline and, apart from 10 minutes just after halftime, didn't allow the opposition a sniff.
They led 22-0 at halftime and piled on 10 tries in a one-sided affair.
"It was a fair performance," a typically understated Kearney said.
It was a little bit better than that and one of the best elements was that everyone got through uninjured.
The biggest problem now for Kearney and assistant Wayne Bennett is who to leave out when they take on Australia in their opening World Cup game next Sunday.
He might have thought he had a fair idea of his 17 for that match but the withdrawals of Lance Hohaia (hamstring), Nathan Cayless (knee) and Manu Vatuvei (hamstring) before kick-off yesterday for precautionary reasons gave others a chance to shine, and they did.
Sam Perrett was slick at fullback, Jason Nightingale crossed for two tries and Adam Blair showed plenty of power from the front row.
Among the selection headaches, one of the most difficult will be in the centres where Jerome Ropati, who scored a hat-trick yesterday, and Iosia Soliola are battling to play alongside Steve Matai. There is also considerable depth in the forward pack even without Roy Asotasi, Frank Pritchard and Sonny Bill Williams.
In truth, though, Tonga were poor and they will need to improve dramatically if they are to beat Samoa and then win through to the semifinals.
"It was a reality check for us," Tonga coach Jim Dymock said. "Everyone built us up and said we had a good side on paper but games aren't won on paper.
"Losing by that score is tough to take but we were beaten by a good quality side. I thought New Zealand played really well."
The most pleasing aspect was the way they maintained shape and intensity for the full 80 minutes. Kearney knows they will come up against much tougher opposition in the coming weeks and might have wanted a sterner test from Tonga.
"Given the circumstance of the game, and the lack of pressure that was put on us, I thought the lads handled themselves well," Kearney said. "I don't think we lost our way too much there. I was waiting for Tonga to get themselves back into the game because I am well aware of what they are capable of.
"[Maintaining structure] was the key all week. Heading into the tournament we know we will be put under a lot more pressure. It's important we set ourselves standards and I thought we did that today."
It took 11 minutes before the Kiwis crossed for their first try, a simple try to Nightingale created by a beautiful Benji Marshall cutout pass, and they were complete dominant in the first half as Tonga often struggled to get out of their own half.
Halfback Thomas Leuluai and hooker Nathan Fien controlled play well and produced good kicking games while five-eighth Marshall provided the excitement with his pace, passing and vision.
Marshall scored two tries himself and had a direct hand in four others in a performance that proved he is close to getting back to top form. He didn't shirk his responsibilities in defence either.
"Sometimes I tried to do the big play every time," Marshall said. "I need to be more patient. There are little things I can work on.
The Kiwis now have the jump on Australia, having been in camp for a fortnight already.
The Kangaroos gathered together on Friday and it will not have escaped their attention what happened at Mt Smart Stadium yesterday.
Kiwis 56 (J. Ropati 3, J. Nightingale 2, B. Marshall 2, S. Sa, T. Leuluai, S. Mannering tries, K. Inu 6 gls, S. Matai 2 gls) Tonga 8 (C. Vuna, T. Leo-Latu tries). HT: 22-0.