New Zealand put a foot in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals after tearing apart Italy 96-17 with 14 tries in a phenomenal performance on Friday.
The All Blacks had to beat the Italians to stay in contention for the knockout stage and overwhelmed them in the set-pieces and sliced them up wider out.
Italy has one more chance at reaching a first quarterfinal when it faces host France next Friday, also in Lyon. New Zealand scored seven tries in each half, and all but one were converted. By halftime, it led 49-3 en route to its fourth highest Rugby World Cup score. New Zealand also hadn’t played for almost two weeks and reintroduced four key players who hadn’t appeared at the Rugby World Cup while recovering from injuries. Shannon Frizell and Jordie Barrett started while Sam Cane and Tyrel Lomax came off the bench.
But the All Blacks scored five tries from the 16th to the 34th minutes, all converted by flyhalf Richie Mo’unga who was flawless in the first half with seven goals from seven attempts. He finished with nine out of 10 and his replacement Damian McKenzie added four out of four conversions.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
All Blacks healed and revved up for Rugby World Cup return against bolder ItalyThe All Blacks. Remember them? The Rugby World Cup's discounted three-time champions, who suffered their first ever pool loss then their first ever tournament red card? Those guys.
Read more »
All Blacks healed and revved up for Rugby World Cup return against bolder ItalyThe All Blacks. Remember them? The Rugby World Cup's discounted three-time champions, who suffered their first ever pool loss then their first ever tournament red card? Those guys.
Read more »
All Blacks healed and revved up for Rugby World Cup return against bolder ItalyThe All Blacks. Remember them? The Rugby World Cup's discounted three-time champions, who suffered their first ever pool loss then their first ever tournament red card? Those guys.
Read more »
Factbox-Rugby-World Cup 2023 knockout stage: which teams will qualify?(Reuters) - The knockout stage of the 2023 Rugby World Cup will begin on Oct. 14. The following is a look at the teams who have qualified for the ...
Read more »
Japan trumps Samoa again to stay in Rugby World Cup quarterfinals huntSamoa’s bid for a first Rugby World Cup quarter-final since 1995 ends with loss to Japan
Read more »
Rugby-New Zealand revel in huge 14-try win over ItalyLYON, France (Reuters) - New Zealand have laid down a marker for the remainder of the Rugby World Cup following their superb 96-17 victory over Italy ...
Read more »