Kiwis in a canter

Dallin Watene-zelezniak dazzled with four tries and three assists as the Kiwis outclassed Rugby League World Cup first-timers Jamaica 68-6 to seal a quarterfinal place.

The only current Warriors player in the Kiwis squad had a hat-trick and an assist in the first 18 minutes at MKM Stadium in Hull yesterday as the Kiwis clocked up 13 tries before conceding a late one to the Jamaicans.

Watene-zelezniak grabbed his first try with a spectacular dive in the right-hand corner after a brilliant floated ball by Joey Manu, inserted at standoff after Dylan Brown was taken ill.

He then drifted into midfield to turn provider with a final pass for Peta Hiku to score before snaring the next two tries, the third from a searing 75m run when he snared a fine pass from Kieran Foran to swerve inside a defender and race to the line.

Watene-zelezniak – who ran for more than 200 metres in the first spell – set up the last try before halftime, scorching down the sideline then kicking for hooker Jeremy Marshall-king to haul in after an initial bobble and score his first test try.

Man-of-the-match Watenezelezniak played down his four tries and 20 points but hailed his telepathic partnership with centre Peta Hiku and said the Kiwis were pleased to make the quarterfinals.

‘‘World Cups don’t come around very often so to be able to be at another one and be in a quarterfinal in special. I’m loving my time here,’’ he said in a postmatch TV interview.

Apart from Ben Jones-bishop’s late try in his 300th senior game and a clutch of regathers from clever short kickoffs, rugby league’s Reggae Warriors just didn’t have the rhythm. Following a brave start, the scoreline blew out like an early drubbing for the Jamaican bob sleigh team in the Cool Runnings movie.

Jamaica put the Kiwis under some initial pressure, but the flood gates inevitably opened as the West Indians – some of whom play in the domestic competition in Jamaica – were largely reduced to chasing black shadows.

But the Reggae Warriors raised the biggest cheer of the night when former Super League star Jonesbishop scored Jamaica’s first World Cup try in the 75th minute.

Injuries to Marata Niukore (hamstring) and prop Moses Leota (pectoral) and an inability to defend short kickoffs would be the Kiwis’ only real concerns heading into their final pool game against Ireland, but it will allow some players a chance to rest before the playoffs.

Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay had big expectations for Clayton Lewis heading into the new A-league Men season.

On Saturday he made it clear the All Whites midfielder was not meeting them by dragging Lewis at the halftime interval of their 3-1 away loss to the Newcastle Jets.

The early substitution of one of his key men sent a message: Talay was not happy with what he had seen after the Phoenix gave up three goals in the first 45 minutes, resulting in their first loss of the campaign.

‘‘I wasn’t happy with the performance so I made a change,’’ Talay said. ‘‘For me there was a lack of intensity and decisionmaking with the ball and I felt we needed to make a change.’’

The Phoenix were unable to recover from their poor start after going two goals behind after 16 minutes.

They remain winless after the first three rounds, having conceded six goals in the space of just three games. They play early frontrunners Melbourne City in their next match this Sunday.

Three former Phoenix players, James Mcgarry, Reno Piscopo and Jaushua Sotirio, ran the show for the Jets, who played without a recognised striker with Beka Mikeltadze out injured.

Mcgarry scored the first goal on four minutes and Piscopo and Sotirio assisted on the other two scored by Beka Dartsmelia and Trent Buhagiar in the 16th and 44th.

Mcgarry and Dartsmelia’s goals came after they were afforded time to shoot from the edge of the area, the Phoenix’s much vaunted central midfield partnership of Lewis and Steven Ugarkovic left wanting on defence.

The Phoenix pulled one goal back through Bozhidar Kraev in the 40th minute but conceded again right before halftime when the Jets counter-attacked.

Piscopo raced away from Ugarkovic before Sotirio’s cross from the left found Buhagiar at the back post. There were four Phoenix players in the box when Sotirio crossed but none of them picked up Buhagiar.

The Phoenix put up 22 shots to the Jets’ eight but could not find a way back from the 3-1 halftime deficit.