New Zealand ran in nine tries as they easily brushed aside Canada 63-0 at the Rugby World Cup with all three Barrett brothers going over. The world champions returned to action after a 10-day break having seen off South Africa in their Pool B opener on September 21 and made light work of the Canucks in the humid climes of Oita.
The All Blacks racked up the biggest score of the World Cup so far as brothers Beauden, Jordie and Scott Barrett all went over for tries for New Zealand. Beauden and Jordie crossed the whitewash in the first half, adding to a penalty try after just four minutes and a score from Sonny Bill Williams during the opening period.
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Scott Barrett made sure he didn’t miss out on a try as he touched down after the interval with Rieko Ioane, Brad Weber and Shannon Frizell also scoring as New Zealand ran in four tries in a dominant first 10 minutes to start the second half. The margin of victory could have been even greater for New Zealand, several handling errors proving costly as they cut Canada’s defence apart time and time again.
The result leaves them in second place in Pool B, a point behind Italy, and skipper Kieran Read says despite some sloppy moments, there were plenty of positives to take from the game. Read said: “It was tough in the humidity under the roof but it was awesome to be a part of. We were dripping wet as soon as we started but it is something to work on as we know we will have those conditions later on [in the tournament].
“There were positives in both halves but we made some mistakes too, so things to work on.” Earlier in the day, France survived a scare as they overcame a spirited USA side 33-3 in Fukuoka to move into second place in Pool C. The Eagles kept themselves in the contest until the latter stages when the underwhelming French ran in three late tries to secure the bonus point.
