KEY POINTS:
The Junior All Blacks blew away their nearest rivals Australia A 50-0 today to take an unassailable lead in the Pacific Nations Cup rugby competition.
Scoring seven tries, five in the first half, they wrapped up the Cup for the second consecutive year with a round to play.
Australia A did not play in the competition last year and though they had gone into today's match at Carisbrook, Dunedin, unbeaten, the Junior All Blacks looked in a different league.
They had the game sewn up at the half hour when winger Scott Hamilton scored the bonus point-earning fourth try to give them a 31-0 lead.
Effectively the B teams of both countries, the Junior All Blacks and Australia A were invited to play in the Cup to give the second tier nations a meaningful competition.
First five-eighth Stephen Donald scored 20 points today from a try, a penalty goal and six conversions. He missed only one kick, which hit the upright.
The other Junior All Black tries came from lock Tom Donnelly, loose forward Sione Lauaki, wingers Scott Hamilton and Anthony Tuitavake, centre Ma'a Nonu and replacement flanker Daniel Braid.
The Australian defence was particularly feeble around the fringes where powerful loose forwards Lauaki, coming back from injury, and Jerome Kaino, both chasing places in the All Blacks squad, put the Junior All Blacks on the front foot often. Even Donald was able to cut through there with relative ease.
And with some equally weak tackles further out by the Australians, New Zealand were able to display near perfect rugby at times.
They powered through the middle, soaked in the defence before moving the ball wide to find the way to the goal line.
Donald had time to pick the options on offer to punish the Australians, who looked short on match play.
But Australian captain Alister Campbell didn't offer an excuses, saying the Junior All Blacks executed a solid game plan to win well.
Donald landed a penalty goal in the fifth minute then raced 90 metres to score the first try after prop John Afoa ripped the ball off the Australians who had been hot on attack.
The Junior All Blacks, who had lost two locks -- Ross Filipo and Greg Rawlinson -- to the injury-hit All Blacks, didn't show any sign of disruption in the team as Donnelly and Hoani MacDonald boosted their ball supply from the lineout.
Donnelly was the next to cross for the Junior All Blacks, finishing off on the right when their speed caught Australia short.
Australian fullback Peter Hewat tried to run the ball out from his goal line and was caught and driven back. He lost the ball in the process and Lauaki scored.
Australia were further hit when they lost prop Nic Henderson for 10 minutes -- sinbinned for punching in the 28th minute.
Hamilton scored following a classic piece of play by the forwards and backs before Kaino opened the way to the line with a fine pass to the winger.
Tuitavake squeezed through little space along the touch line, beating two defenders that highlighted Australia's inability to regroup quickly on defence, to score the Junior All Blacks' fifth try for a 38-0 halftime lead.
Though the scoring rate was stemmed in the second half, the Junior All Blacks appeared to switch down to a cruise mode but still crossed twice, through Nonu and Braid.
Australia A travel to play Fiji next week, while the Junior All Blacks travel to play Japan.
Junior All Blacks 50 (Stephen Donald, Tom Donnelly, Sione Lauaki, Scott Hamilton, Anthony Tuitavake, Ma'a Nonu, Daniel Braid tries; Donald pen 6 con), Australia A 0. Halftime: 38-0.
- NZPA
