NZ Herald's Rugby World Cup news show Beyond the Game sees Cheree Kinnear and Elliott Smith unpack the All Blacks' victory over Italy in their third pool match.
Video / NZ Herald / Sky Sport
How the world responded to the All Blacks 96-17 Rugby World Cup thrashing of Italy in Lyon this morning.
‘Stunning mismatch’
Gavin Mairs, The Telegraph One wonders what Ireland head coach Andy Farrell made of the 14-try rout. Much of the narrative following his side’s victoryover defending champions South Africa has been on a potential quarter-final encounter with New Zealand.
The All Blacks have reinstated their World Cup credentials with this stunning mismatch against a Six Nations side.
It had been presented as something of a judgement day for New Zealand, given that defeat against Italy would have resulted in a pool-stage exit for the first time in their history, yet the only record on the line was their previous best scoreline against Italy, their 101-3 victory in the 1999 tournament.
Sam Whitelock makes his record appearance as the most capped All Black. Photo / Photosport
‘A clinical and unrelenting onslaught’
Alex Lowe, The Times Never before had New Zealand faced this kind of jeopardy: a World Cup pool match against a Six Nations opponent knowing that defeat would send them home. That opening night loss to France had unlocked the trapdoor and lying in wait to trip them up were the spirited and improving Italy.
It gave the build-up to this game a compelling narrative but it was always fantasy stuff. The All Blacks ripped Italy apart in devastating, merciless fashion in Lyon, scoring seven tries in the first half and seven more in the second, sparked by a spectacular finish from Will Jordan and featuring a hat-trick from Aaron Smith.
It was a clinical and unrelenting onslaught, weaved by Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett, driven by Ardie Savea and founded on a lineout that purred like a well-oiled machine, delivering try after try for the All Blacks.
Statement made: All Blacks send a message with Italy thrashing
Liam Napier, NZ Herald A statement and a spectacle. With one foot on Italy’s throat and another in the World Cup quarterfinals, the All Blacks reminded everyone they remain a ruthless beast in full flight.
Three weeks after their opening World Cup defeat, the All Blacks moved from under the radar to a beaming beacon with a statement of intent that suggested a sleeping giant is dormant no more.
Context is always important. Italy are no Ireland, South Africa or France. Sure, Kieran Crowley’s Azzurri have significantly improved in the past two years but history tells us they should not be considered in the All Blacks league.
The evidence that the All Blacks are officially back
Gregor Paul, NZ Herald The All Blacks will have settled a few nerves back in New Zealand and set plenty jangling around the world after delivering a performance that said the bear is sick of being poked and is now very much awake and angry.
This idea of the All Blacks sitting behind the three favoured contenders of Ireland, France and South Africa will have to be revised as there are little pieces of what was once known as the Italian rugby team scattered all over Lyon to suggest that’s not true at all.
New Zealand are at the top table of the world game. They are in France as a genuine contender and they produced 80 minutes of destructive, accurate, controlled and quite brilliant rugby to prove it.
Richie Mo'unga kicks a conversion. Photo / Getty Images
‘Total carnage’
Robert Kitson, The Guardian New Zealand cannot be discounted when the knock-out stages of this tournament finally come around. The setbacks of the past month have clearly stung and a week’s rest has recharged their batteries. The upshot was one of those nights when the All Blacks make rugby look so gloriously simple that the opposition barely know where to put themselves...
At times it was total carnage. The black jersey can still exert a powerful hold on the imagination but it is the skills of those wearing it that sustain the aura...
The All Blacks, on this compelling evidence, are very definitely back.
Nathan Williamson, Rugby Australia The All Blacks have sent a message to the rest of the World Cup with a 96-17 win over Italy in Lyon.
The Kiwis were ruthless in their 14-try performance, dominating an Italian side that had its eyes on a shock upset heading into the game.
The Italians never stood a chance as the New Zealanders came out with a point to prove.
Scrumhalf Aaron Smith had a hat-trick inside the first 30 minutes, joined in kind by a double from captain Ardie Savea. It continued until the final whistle as the All Blacks celebrated Sam Whitelock breaking the all-time caps record of 149 held by Richie McCaw, who was in attendance to witness the emphatic victory.
‘Shockwaves around the tournament’
Chris Foy, Daily Mail Written-off New Zealand delivered a stunning statement about their enduring status as prime World Cup challengers.
This result will send shockwaves around the tournament. This performance will be greeted with anxiety and apprehension by every other country with grand ambitions. Italy were put to the sword as if they were hapless part-timers. They had conceded seven converted tries by half-time and ended up utterly humiliated.
To think that there was pre-match speculation about the possibility of an upset. It didn’t take long for that outlandish scenario to be buried under an avalanche of points and so much one-way traffic. Smith ran amok.
On this evidence, Andy Farrell’s [Irish] side – ranked No 1 in the world – will have to reach a higher peak than the one they scaled to beat South Africa, if they are to reach the last eight.
New Zealand came into the game fourth in the rankings, but they had fallen off just about every short list of potential champions since losing the tournament opener 27-13 against France in Paris. While all the awe-struck talk had been about the Irish, Springboks and French as title favourites, the All Blacks were briefly under the radar, but they’re firmly back on it now...
The fingerprints of former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt have been all over their resurgence in the last year. His meticulous tactical planning allows the All Blacks to maximise their threats, and they still have plenty of them. The aura might have slipped, but the super skills haven’t.
‘One of the tournament’s favourites’
Joe Rindl, BBC.com The result was a humiliation for Italy, while it re-established New Zealand’s reputation as one of the tournament’s favourites.
Italy were on a four-match winning run and, having brushed aside Namibia and Uruguay already this tournament, would have reached their first World Cup knockout match with a maiden win over the All Blacks.
Instead, they suffered their worst defeat at a World Cup, eclipsing their 76-14 loss to New Zealand in 2007 in Marseille.
‘Buzzsaw All Blacks’
Philip Bendon, FloRugby Meeting a buzzsaw All Blacks side who were hellbent on destruction, the Azzurri started relatively brightly, but unfortunately for Italian fans, it lasted all of five minutes.
In the end, the score would be a whopping 96-17 as the All Blacks matched the total points put up by France against Namibia.
Now firmly locked into a quarter-final, New Zealand will shift their focus towards their potential opponents, Ireland, Scotland and South Africa, in what will be a titanic battle at the Stade de France.
Player reaction
Jordie Barrett:
“It’s very pleasing. We treated our preparation with Italy with utmost respect At some periods tonight they troubled us a wee bit.
“It’s massively satisfying, we didn’t start the tournament the way we wanted to. It was about 20 degrees at kick-off and you’ve got to be able to control the ball. A lot of teams are kicking it. You have to find ways to cherish it when you have it, and it worked tonight.
“We’ve got Uruguay in front of us in six days time, and we’re not going to treat that any differently.”
All Blacks captain Ardie Savea:
“I’m very grateful. We put a lot of ‘mahi’ in in the by week. All the boys who put that effort in tonight, I’m very proud.”
“We’ve got talent across the board. We haven’t really clicked but tonight we played from free rugby. That’s how I want my boys to play.”
“It was very tough. Obviously, when you give so many penalties away against New Zealand, they are going to keep scoring.
“We lost all our scrums, lost all our lineouts - it’s tough to start from that. They kept getting advantages and just playing without any pressure. When they do that, they are the best in the world at that.
“We didn’t help ourselves. I don’t know how many penalties we gave away. Probably 20. We talked at halftime about trying to get some confidence for next week. We know it’s going to be as tough as this, if not tougher.”
Luke Kirkness is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He previously covered consumer affairs for the Herald and was an assistant news director in the Bay of Plenty. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.
