All Blacks v Italy result, Rugby World Cup 2023, Pool A in Lyon
The All Blacks have hit their straps at Rugby World Cup 2023 after producing an impressive 96-17 thrashing of Italy in Lyon this morning.
Ian Foster’s side all but booked a spot in the quarter-finals with a 14 try-win.
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How the All Blacks rated in 96-17 win over Italy
Cameron McMillan
How the All Blacks rated in their 96-17 win over Italy.
Italy coach Kieran Crowley reacts
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"As far as the coaches go, we'll lock ourselves in a room and have a few beers. That's probably the best way to get over it."
All Blacks coach Ian Foster: "Very satisfied"
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“The critical game in the pool was always going to be Italy. We’re very satisfied.”
'A clinical and unrelenting onslaught': World reacts to ABs 97-17 win
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They got Italy right...
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Italy will be bitter with that result - it's not a reflection on the growth they've shown in recent years and they will have to be much, much better against France.
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How is Pool A looking now?
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Today's result puts New Zealand in second place of Pool A with 10 points, ahead of Italy on points difference and three points behind group leaders France, who take on Italy next week and the All Blacks play Uruguay a day later.
Ardie Savea: "That’s how I want my boys to play"
Cameron McMillan
"I’m very grateful. We put a lot of mahi in in the bye week. All the boys who put that effort in tonight, I’m very proud. We’ve got talent across the board. We haven’t really clicked but tonight we played some free rugby. That’s how I want my boys to play."
Jordie Barrett: "It’s massively satisfying"
Cameron McMillan
"It's very pleasing. We treated our preparation with Italy with utmost respect. At some periods tonight they troubled us a wee bit. It’s massively satisfying, we didn’t start the tournament the way we wanted to. It was about 20 degrees at kick off and you’ve got to be able to control the ball. A lot of teams are kicking it. You have to find ways to cherish it when you have it, and it worked tonight. We’ve got Uruguay in front of us in six days time, and we’re not going to treat that any differently."
Tomaso Allan: "We didn't help ourselves"
Cameron McMillan
"It was very tough. Obviously, when you give so many penalties away against New Zealand, they are going to keep scoring. We lost all our scrums, lost all our lineouts - its tough to start from that. They kept getting advantages and just playing without any pressure. When they do that, they are the best in the world at that. We didn’t help ourselves. I don’t know how many penalties we gave away. Probably 20. We talked at half time about trying to get some confidence for next week. We know it’s going to be as tough as this, if not tougher."
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Italy have some questions to answer - one of which would be how it's possible they made just five more tackles than New Zealand.
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Not that it needed it - but this World Cup has had a massive jolt shot into it with that All Blacks performance.
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Statement made: All Blacks send a message with Italy thrashing
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Gregor Paul: The evidence that the All Blacks are officially back
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That'd make things interesting...
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Hansen still wary of Ireland, but confident
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"However we're going to go into a quarter final where we're going to be playing one of the great sides at the moment. And that game could go either way. They've told us tonight we're good enough to beat Ireland."
'We're going to be hard to beat' - Hansen
Cameron McMillan
"If you wanted a statement, they made one. If you roll back the clock, there's lots of reasons why we played poorly against South Africa, mainly because half the team hadn't played for a month. That has robbed us of a bit of confidence, from the public and the team itself. And then to go do down to France, then the dreaded gloom is there 'oh we're not the team we used to be'. We're still a very very good rugby side. We're going to be hard to beat."
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Ardie Savea picks up Player of the Match.
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The All Blacks won all 15 of their own lineouts and stole three from Italy. The Kiwis also won six turnovers compared to Italy's one.
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In total, the Italians missed 31 tackles compared to New Zealand's 14.
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The All Blacks were also very disciplined, conceding just seven penalties over the 80 minutes compared to 14 for Italy.
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New Zealand ran for a devastating 801 metres compared to Italy's 349m. The All Blacks defeated 31 defenders, won 70 rucks, and kicked for 772m.
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Crowd giving the hookers Coles and Taylor a rousing send off as they leave the field.
Match leaders
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Points: Richie Mo'unga - 18
Tackles: Sebastian Negri (Italy) - 13
Metres: Will Jordan - 135
Offloads: Will Jordan - 4
Carries crossed gain line: Will Jordan - 11
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Sir John Kirwan: "Five minutes you wouldn't be happy with but the rest was really good."
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Hansen on Sky TV:
"It wasn't complete but it was certainly the performance we were looking for. Fozzie and his crew will be very happy with with intent, the skill and execution. They've tidied up some areas that have been untidy. But the big thing is they've come out of this game, there doesn't appear to be anybody injured and they've got game time for the guys that needed it. And they've come out with some confidence."
Cameron McMillan
New Zealand that is, not Italy.
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Hansen: "They told us tonight they're good enough to beat Ireland."
Cameron McMillan
Set piece in particular was a big factor in the scoreline - All Blacks won a lot of Italy's ball at lineout and scrum time.
Cameron McMillan
A few grim Italian faces - they weren't up for it in any area of the game and will be disappointed as they now seem destined to exit in the pool stages.
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In the words of Sir Steve Hansen: "Not a complete performance - but a performance they wanted."
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They've well and truly shown their doubters they still have a mark to leave on this World Cup.
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Huge, huge statement here from NZ - there were some people that actually thought Italy would win this...
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Conversion nailed and that's it folks! 96-17 final score.
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Conrad Smith is on his feet for that one!
Try! Italy
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And finish on their own terms they do! It's quick ball to the right, poor defence from NZ and Ioane is in the corner!
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They make plenty of ground and find themselves on the All Blacks 22.
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NZ bundled into touch - Italians go quickly and look to break from their own 22.
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Worked to the right and again NZ make easy ground through McKenzie who has been bright since coming on.
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Lineout on the Italian 10m line, the century is still well on the cards.
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Penalty to NZ! Kneck-roll on Savea and the All Blacks defend their line when the Italians were looking like scoring.
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Italy have kicked off (again) and make turn the ball over! Chance here to finish on their terms.
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Conversion added and it's 96-10.
Try! All Blacks (Anton Lienert-Brown)
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It might be! Roigard bursts through the defence and it in acres of space, probably could have scored himself but finds Lienert-Brown on the inside!
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NZ win a penalty off the kick off, is 100 on the cards?
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Beauty of a kick from McKenzie! 89-10 now.
Try! All Blacks (Dane Coles)
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A penalty is tapped quickly - it's spread to the right through the hands. Ioane goes close but offloads to Coles who is there again!
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But it's stolen again and NZ break through into the Italian half through McKenzie! Can't find support though but they're hot on attack.
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Italians not shying away, though, give it some air and make their way into NZ's half.
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82-10 now to NZ.
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That's 25 tries in 27 tests for Jordan...
Try! All Blacks (Will Jordan)
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It's worked down the right again by NZ - Jordan chips ahead and it's a fortunate bounce (shocker from an Italian perspective) gathered by Savea who finds his winger in Jordan who crossed for his second!
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Italians kick and it's turned over, they have a chance to build but it's stolen by NZ!
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McKenzie converts his own try, 73-10.
Try! All Blacks (Damian McKenzie)
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Set move again - worked right, cheeky little loop from McKenzie who hits a gap, beats one and scores in the right hand corner!
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Unsurprisingly they opt for a scrum - dream position in centre field.
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And a penalty is awarded - bang in front of the posts but it's unlikely they'll look to kick for goal...
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Huge shove again from NZ and turned over! They're hammering them at set-piece.
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Scrum Italy on their 22m line - centre of the park.
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But... takes his eye off the pass and knocks on.
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Sam Cane is also on the field now.
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Wasting no time, McKenzie makes ground to the right - NZ into the 22 now.
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More changes for NZ - McKeznie and Lienert- Brown into it.
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Enough romantics - back to the action. Kick off secured by NZ and there's an infringement. AB ball on halfway.
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Dane Coles is now the All Blacks' oldest try-scorer with that one!
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New Zealand are dominating the lineout. They've won 11/11 of their own and stolen two from the Italians. Shannon Frizell leads the match so far with five won and Brodie Retallick has four.
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Human after all - Mo'unga shanks one left and is now 9/10 off the tee. 68-10.
Try! All Blacks (Dane Coles)
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Dane Coles in the corner! A training ground move, NZ win the lineout - set a maul but flick it back to the blindside and Coles is there to steam into the corner!
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Slammed into touch, inside Italian 22 - left hand side.
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Penalty NZ! Again, massive scrum from the All Blacks and Italy are pinged.
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Last scrum was a demolition of Italy.. here we go for another.
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Forward pass it is - Italian scrum just inside NZ territory, right hand side.
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Kick off taken by NZ - who make easy ground up to half way but turn it over.
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Mo'unga remains perfect off the tee, 63-10.
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Huge blunder from Italy there who started so well.
Try! All Blacks (Dalton Papali'i)
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Overthrown! Taylor steams onto the ball and finds Telea, who in turn finds Papali'i who scores to the right of the posts!
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No try! Roigard not happy but judged to not have had momentum.. penalty to Italy who clear just outside the 22.
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Potential try! We're going upstairs, Roigard appears to have rolled over with the ball and scored but there's a hint of double movement...
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Big tackle by NZ and it's turned over again! Hectic stuff inside the Italian 22.
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They're in to the 22 and opt for a cross-kick again but it's stolen in midair by Italy!
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Wow! Huge scrum and the All Blacks shove Italy right off their own ball.
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Fresh pack for NZ - first scrum for the new front row.
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Couple of knock ons there - first one by NZ so Italian scrum on half way.
Italy and New Zealand are in the same boat in Pool A: Chasing hosts France for one of the two quarter-final places. Italy have a 2-0 record and want to make the quarter-finals for the first time. New Zealand has a rare 1-1 record, and needs the win to ensure their progress towards the quarters.
New Zealand are welcoming back four influential figures - Shannon Frizell, Jordie Barrett, Sam Cane and Tyrel Lomax - which provides timely injections for the All Blacks’ make-or-break World Cup pool contest with the improving Italians this weekend.
Frizell hasn’t featured for two months - since the victory over the Wallabies in Melbourne - after injuring his hamstring at training. He’s been sorely missed, too.
After overcoming a niggly knee knock that sidelined him for the World Cup thus far, Barrett’s size and irreplaceable direct, powerful presence from second five-eighth changes the complexion of the All Blacks backline.
Ardie Savea retains the All Blacks captaincy and Dalton Papali’i the openside role, with Cane returning from his back issues from the bench.
In the strongest indication yet that Scott Barrett and Brodie Retallick are now the All Blacks’ preferred locking combination, sentiment is firmly set aside with Sam Whitelock poised to break Richie McCaw’s 148-test record off the bench.
After coming from behind at halftime to beat Uruguay 38-17 last week, Italian coach and former All Black Kieran Crowley restored the side which won the opener against Namibia by a flattering 52-8. Paolo Garbisi at first five, Ange Capuozzo on the wing, and goalkicking sharpshooter Tommaso Allan at fullback. Lock Dino Lamb, scrumhalf Stephen Varney and inside centre Luca Morisi also returned.
After eight straight defeats, they have four successive wins for their longest run in 29 years.
History
Played 15 times: New Zealand won 15, Italy won 0. Most recent: New Zealand won 47-9 in November 2021.
TAB odds
New Zealand $1.01, Italy $15.00, Draw $51
How to watch
Live updates at NZ Herald website - Sky Sport 1 from 8am Saturday
Herald prediction
New Zealand 40, Italy 7
Lineups
New Zealand: Beauden Barrett, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Mark Tele’a, Richie Mo’unga, Aaron Smith; Ardie Savea (captain), Dalton Papali’i, Shannon Frizell, Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Nepo Laulala, Codie Taylor, Ofa Tu’ungafasi. Replacements: Dane Coles, Tamaiti Williams, Tyrel Lomax, Sam Whitelock, Sam Cane, Cam Roigard, Damian McKenzie, Anton Lienert-Brown.
Italy: Tommaso Allan, Ange Capuozzo, Juan Ignacio Brex, Luca Morisi, Montanna Ioane, Paolo Garbisi, Stephen Varney; Lorenzo Cannone, Michele Lamaro (captain), Sebastian Negri, Federico Ruzza, Dino Lamb, Marco Riccioni, Giacomo Nicotera, Danilo Fisichetti. Reserves: Hame Faiva, Ivan Nemer, Simone Ferrari, Niccolo Cannone, Manuel Zuliani, Toa Halafihi, Martin Page-Relo, Paolo Odogwu.
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