Without getting out of second gear, New Zealand’s All Blacks put on the highest score of the Rugby World Cup and shut out Canada to ease to a 63-0 victory at the Oita Stadium.
The win, secured with nine tries — one of them a penalty try — means the reigning champion retains its unbeaten record in World Cup rugby stretching back to 2007.
Seven different players dotted down with replacement scrumhalf Brad Weber bagging a brace as he registered his first and second tries for his country.
Canada never really had a hope coming in to this match and the gulf in quality showed.
The North Americans saw just 35 percent of the ball, ran a paltry 228 meters — compared to the 849 meters amassed by the Kiwis — and were asked to make 148 tackles.
That they missed 45 of them speaks more to the power and guile of the All Blacks than the ineptitude of the Canadians.
Canada faced up to the New Zealand All Blacks but there was only ever going to be one winner.
The All Blacks opened the scoring on five minutes when referee Romain Poite awarded a penalty try following a series of reset scrums following New Zealand dominance.
Scores from Jordie Barrett, Sonny Bill Williams and Beauden Barrett followed as the bonus-point for scoring four tries was secured on 36 minutes.
Rieko Ioane, Scott Barrett and Shannon Frizell also touched down for the All Blacks in a rampant second half.
Good, but not perfect
There could, and should, have been a fifth try just before the break but Scott Barrett — brother of Jordie and Beauden — dropped the ball having already crossed the line.
The incident proved two things — that humid conditions in Japan will influence results as the tournament progresses and that the All Blacks are, indeed, human.
The second half began in much the same way that the first half did and Ioane converted pressure in to points a minute after the restart. The powerful winger now has 24 tries from just 27 Tests.
