CAN’T TOUCH THIS
Mo’unga shines as improved All Blacks hammer Fiji
the All Blacks, with Fiji opening them up through the midfield and controlling the opening exchanges. The All Blacks lineout malfunctioned at times and McKenzie kicked out on the full to allow Fiji to set the early tone.
Once the All Blacks settled, though, their attack flowed nicely with Mo’unga pulling the strings. Havili continued his impressive return to the test arena by hitting a flat Mo’unga pass, jinking through the line and sending Reece over for his first try with an inside flick ball.
Fiji could not replicate their stifling, frustrating efforts at the breakdown, with referee Murphy frequently pinging the visitors for going off their feet, which for long periods of the first spell reduced the game to a stop-start spectacle.
Mo’unga laid on Reece’s second with a perfectly-executed short side play. Aaron Smith sniped blind from the scrum to set Mo’unga away and he held up the pass brilliantly to send Reece in.
Murphy eventually lost patience to send Fiji captain Leone Nakarawa to the sin bin for repeat team infringements — just after Reece collected his third from a wobbly Mo’unga skip ball — to further compound challenges containing the All Blacks.
Savea crashed over following two strong, direct carries from Akira Ioane and George Bower to establish a 29-6 halftime lead and send Fiji a clear message that there would be no let-up.
That proved the case, with the All Blacks continuing to pile on the points in the second spell, with their bench adding impact and Fiji making few inroads.
As an exercise, the All Blacks will take more lessons from last week, when they were seriously challenged, than in this more comfortable victory.
But for now at least, they can move into the next phase of the season with confidence, having amended several areas of concern. New Zealand 60 (Sevu Reece 3, Samisoni Taukei’aho 2, Ardie Savea, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Shannon Frizell tries; Richie Mo’unga 5 cons, pen, Beauden Barrett con) Fiji 13 (Peni Ravai try; Ben Volavola con, 2 pens). HT: 29-6.
The Wallabies scored a stunning 33-30 series-clinching victory over France in Brisbane last night after playing 75 minutes a man down. Dave Rennie’s side looked unlikely winners when Marika Koroibete was sent off for an early high shot and were 10-0 down inside 10 minutes. But Australia fought back superbly, level 20-20 at halftime and 30-30 when 21-year-old Noah Lolesio kicked what proved a matchwinning 79th-minute penalty.