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MARSEILLE - Weeks of All Blacks frustration bubbled to the surface and spilled all over a hapless Italy as the tournament favourites rammed home their rugby World Cup credentials at Marseille yesterday.
The 76-14 win will be remembered most for the most sublime of starts as a merciless New Zealand team totted up half their points inside 20 minutes.
Their first error came in the 21st, a misdirected lineout, but by that stage it was 38-0 and the pool play procession that New Zealand must undergo for a month was well and truly under way.
"It's been a long time preparing for this game and we just wanted to go out and play like All Blacks, it didn't matter who we were playing against," said winger Doug Howlett, who scored three of the 11 tries to move level with former fullback Christian Cullen on 46 in tests, sharing the New Zealand record.
"We've been preparing for this for weeks and weeks, so to have something to sink our teeth into, we were quite determined.
"And it's been a long time since we've played in conditions like that, that was quite exciting."
If the 30 degree centigrade heat inspired the opening bonanza, it was also behind the gradual introduction of mistakes to their game, with captain Richie McCaw admitting their legs felt dead during the final quarter.
McCaw was one of a group of All Blacks players who lingered after the haka to stare down an Italian team who had chosen to huddle up rather than face the pre-match challenge.
If the skipper was fuming about that, he showed it in the best way possible by surging over for the first two tries.
The second came via an offload from halfback Byron Kelleher, still fizzing after the game at the early mark he knew his team had made on the tournament.
"We wanted to make a statement today, to say `we're here to play some good rugby' and that start was one of the best we've had for a very long time."
All Blacks coach Graham Henry was a little more understated about a performance that saw McCaw, fellow-flanker Jerry Collins and winger Sitiveni Sivivatu grab try-scoring doubles.
But after a taxing opening week in which lock Keith Robinson, backup lock/loose forward Reuben Thorne and centre Conrad Smith went down with injuries, Henry could afford a smile.
"We're obviously very pleased. Our play through the first 30 minutes was very precise, the guys chose the right options and played particularly well," he said.
"We got a little bit untidy in the set piece as the game went on, it was a lot to do with the heat and trying to play the game at pace.
"We've had a particular emphasis (this year) on the rugby World Cup. We wanted to play better than the Tri-Nations as the games went on and I think we achieved that as well."
The All Blacks' remaining pool games are hardly daunting, starting with minnows Portugal on Saturday and followed by a Scottish team expected to field their second-string lineup and Romania.
Henry said there was a "possibility" of being underdone entering the quarterfinals.
The one-sided affair rendered his feisty pre-match words not to write off Italy as little more than hot air.
Quite how he will talk up the Portugal and Romania fixtures will be of some interest as they are games in which this New Zealand team should go on a points-scoring avalanche.
Italy, who had two wins in this year's Six Nations and were making solid progress, were close to full strength.
Their coach Pierre Berbizier rejected a suggestion their minds were on more important pool games to follow if they are to qualify for the quarterfinals.
"It was never my intention to leave this match. This is a World Cup and when we face an opposition like New Zealand team, we always come prepared and play as best we can," he said.
"Once the New Zealand machine drove forward, we found ourselves being punished.
"But we will see the real Italy, it was the little Italy today."
- NZPA
