COLLISION COURSE
Crushing Kiwis primed for Tonga showdown
The Kiwis are primed for next week’s World Cup pool group showdown with Tonga after blowing away Scotland in an impressive performance in Christchurch yesterday.
New Zealand delivered on plans to be more clinical and achieved payback for last year’s draw against the Bravehearts, with the 14-triesto-one rout, Scotland’s heaviest test defeat.
Halfback Shaun Johnson scored 22 points with a try and nine goals making him New Zealand’s highest all-time points scorer, overtaking former captain Matthew Ridge’s 168 points to reach 175 in his 22nd test.
New Warriors signing Peta Hiku and rookie five-eighth Te Maire Martin both scored three tries and veteran wing Jason Nightingale claimed a double as the Kiwis built on a 28-0 halftime lead with seven second-half four-pointers sealing victory.
Coach David Kidwell’s new and expansive “Kiwis style” of play paid dividends with forwards Martin Taupau, Adam Blair, Russell Packer and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, and outside backs Hiku, Nightingale and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck making strong runs and offloads to continually put the home side on the front foot.
The introduction of bench hooker Danny Levi and front-rowers Nelson Asofa-Solomona and debutant Addin Fonua-Blake maintained the Kiwis up-tempo style and Scotland had no answers to their rampant attack.
Martin combined well in his first test alongside Johnson, while rookie back-rower Joseph Tapine backed up last week’s man of the match effort with another strong showing.
Relentless second-phase play saw Scotland stretched in the middle and out wide as the Kiwis made 26 offloads. The Bravehearts missed 32 tackles in the first half alone.
It was more of the same after the resumption with front-rower Russell Packer crashing over to extend the lead again, but chances were missed with a forward pass denying Nightingale a third and Hiku unable to ground a grubber to the ingoal.
The Kiwis regained their focus with Martin scoring his second before the Cowboys playmaker sent centre Dean Whare in between the posts, while a Tuivasa-Sheck pass put Hiku over as the Kiwis cracked the halfcentury, before Johnson joined the the action early in the last quarter.
A late lapse saw Scotland halfback Oscar Thomas step past two defenders to score their only try in the 71st minute.
The Kiwis had the final say with Martin claiming his third and starting hooker Elijah Taylor returning to run in the 14th and final try.
New Zealand 74 (K. Bromwich, J. Nightingale 2, J. Tapine, Te M. Martin 3, P. Hiku 3, R. Packer, D. Whare, S. Johnson, E. Taylor tries; Johnson 9 cons) Scotland 6 (O. Thomas try; D. Addy con). Halftime: 28-0.