New Zealand 73-0 Uruguay – All Blacks stomp yet another opponent to book their place in Rugby World Cup quarter-finals

Damian McKenzie starred as New Zealand overcame a scoreless opening quarter to hammer Uruguay and book their place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

The underdogs put up a spirited fight in the first 20 minutes and almost scored first through Manuel Ardao, he dived over from a fantastic Uruguayan counter-attack but Anton Lienert-Brown just about dragged his foot into touch.

However, McKenzie got the scoring going before creating the third try with a stunning piece of skill, flicking a ball heading to touch back into Will Jordan’s path with the deftness of an NBA player to break Uruguayan spirit.

From there the floodgates opened, with New Zealand averaging over a try every five minutes from the Jordan score and Uruguayans unable to find any breathing space for the remainder of the game.

One thing New Zealand don’t have to worry about is their danger from broken field, Lienert-Brown and Jordie Barrett were the only scoreless starting backs and the back-three of McKenzie, Jordan and Leicester Fainga’anuku scored seven tries between them.

They just ran Uruguay ragged in the second half. The pick of the bunch was Jordan’s second, where New Zealand pinballed it in midfield off the back of a five-metre scrum to utterly bamboozle the opposition defence before Beaudan Barrett fired the ball out for his winger to stroll in.

Fainga’anuku scored a late-game hat-trick to put his name in contention for quarter-final selection, and Leinert-Brown also had a game despite not getting onto the scoresheet.

One player who’ll be disappointed not to make more of an impact is Sam Cane though. The captain’s name was barely mentioned on commentary despite New Zealand’s early struggles, when they really could’ve done with the veteran back-row stepping up and showing his leadership. Fellow flanker Shannon Frizell wasn’t perfect either but got much more involved and Cane will have an uphill task to keep his place in the team with Ardie Savea to come back to the starting XV.

It was a proper, old-school drubbing by New Zealand who’ve now scored 170 points in their last two games.

However, Ian Foster will have wanted his team to make a faster start – Uruguay had the better of the opening ten minutes and the All Blacks saw two tries chalked off early for avoidable errors.

They also looked vulnerable in defence straight after the first few scores, before the opposition spirit was well and truly broken.

Uruguay had a knack of earning a set-piece from kick-off as New Zealand allowed pressure straight back onto themselves, and a better team would’ve punished that.

The South Americans also could’ve gone 14-0 up early on, again if the All Blacks are to face Ireland in the quarter-finals they’ll need to step it up a gear.

Foster made nine changes to the New Zealand side that demolished Italy, with everyone looking for who would put their hands up for a place in the quarter-final starting team.

McKenzie is surely the leading candidate despite New Zealand’s plethora of options in the backline.

He notched his fourth and fifth scores of the tournament, gifted Jordan with that absolute wonder-ball and just looked like either scoring or creating a try every time he touched the ball.

Yes, he’ll face tougher defences than Los Teros, but unpredictability is dangerous whoever you’re playing.

McKenzie never seems to know what he’s doing next so defenders often have no chance, but apparent telepathy he enjoyed with the rest of his All Black teammates means any offload, dummy or step can be a fatal one to the opposition.

With Will Jordan and Jordie Barrett both fantastic high-ball options there is cover around McKenzie in the kicking game too, so Foster could well roll the dice on his game-breaker in the quarter-final.

New Zealand: McKenzie 9; Jordan 9, Lienert-Brown 8, J Barrett 8, Fainga’anuku 9; Mo’unga 8, Roigard 8; Tu’ungafasi 8, Taylor 8, Lomax 6; Whitelock 7, Vaa’i 7; Frizell 8, Cane (c) 6, Jacobson 7 Replacements: Taukei’aho 7, Williams 8, Newell 8; S Barrett 7, Blackadder 7; Christie 7, B Barrett 8, Clarke 6

Uruguay: Silva 6; Mieres 7, Inciarte 6, Vilaseca (c) 6, Freitas 7; Etcheverry 5, Arata 7; Sanguinetti 3, Kassler 3, Arbelo 4; Dotti 5, Leindekar 5; Ardao 6, Bianchi 8, Diana 5, Replacements: Pujadas 5, Benitez 4, Peculo 4; Rodriguez 5, Civetta 5; Ormaechea 6, Berchesi 5, Alonso 6

8’ – Try disallowed: Uruguay were so narrow in attack, so when New Zealand turned it over it was always going to be trouble.They shifted it wide quickly and though Fainga’anuku was hauled down, Roigard went over on the next phase. However, he knocked it on going over, with a fantastic punch out by Lucas Bianchi.

13’ – Uruguay close to try! WHAT A MINUTE THERE! Firstly, Gaston Mieres dropped the ball as Uruguay countered but then turned on the afterburners to scythe around Fainga-anuku and get all the way into the 22 before Rodrigo Silva knocking on. McKenzie attempted to break back but he lost the ball before a Uruguay two-on-one left Manuel Ardao sprinting for the corner. He nearly made it, but the cover tackle from Anton Lienert-Brown just dragged his foot into touch.

17’ – Try disallowed… Again! This time it’s Damian McKenzie open in acres of space but it’s chalked off for Richie Mo’unga’s illegal clearout in the preceding ruck.

20’ – Try! New Zealand 7-0 Uruguay: Uruguay were always going to be in trouble there. New Zealand had cut them open twice already and that time Wayne Barnes couldn’t save them, Mo’unga fed McKenzie with Jordan outside him, but the full-back stepped back and beat three players to dive over.

25’ – Try! New Zealand 14-0 Uruguay: Uruguay conceded the scrum penalty again, this time Barrett took the ball at first reciever with Mo’unga and McKenzie wrapping around. Jordan’s been in position to score twice on the right but yet again the ballcarrier dummied the pass and kept it to score. Mo’unga’s conversion sneaks over too.

35’ Try! New Zealand 21-0 Uruguay: The All Blacks spread it quickly and McKenzie put boot to ball, with Uruguay stopping thinking it was a 50-22. However, McKenzie didn’t. He got to the ball as it neared the touchdown and managed an outrageous offload straight into Jordan’s hands, who ran in untouched. Mo’unga again adds the extras.

40’ – Try! New Zealand 26-0 Uruguay: The floodgates are well and truly open. Jacobson’s transfer from the scrum wasn’t the best, but that just allowed Roigard to break Freitas’ angles, feinting left then juking right to dive over. Mo’unga’s conversion slides wide right though.

46’ – Try! New Zealand 31-0 Uruguay: Uruguay did stop the maul but conceded the penalty in the process, before Fainga’anuku was just about hauled down on the left flank. But New Zealand recycled quickly and Newell took the ball at pace, with Etcheverry powerless to stop the barrelling prop. Mo’unga hooked the conversion into the left post though.

50’ – Try! New Zealand 38-0 Uruguay: The All Blacks broke down the right from a centre-field scrum and McKenzie made it to 5m out, before they crossed the field in just a few passes, Jordan missing at least four players to find Fainga’anuku in space to score. Mo’unga hits the conversion this time, from an almost identical place as the last one.

53’ – Try! New Zealand 45-0 Uruguay: New Zealand had to go through seven phases in the Uruguay 22 but it didn’t matter. Shannon Frizell yanked the ball out of the ruck to McKenzie and you don’t stop him from there.

65’ – Try! New Zealand 52-0 Uruguay: WHAT. A. SCORE. About six passes in three seconds from New Zealand with Christie, Fainga’anuku, McKenzie and Barrett combining to send Jordan over in the corner. Whoever they play in the quarter-final, take note.

It’s McKenzie’s first conversion too, he breaks out the full smiling assasain routine to hit the conversion.

68’ – Try! New Zealand 59-0 Uruguay: Easy as you like, Lienert-Brown got the ball out wide and had options either side, chooing to feed Fainga’anuku who grabs his second score. McKenzie converts too.

73’ – Try! New Zealand 66-0 Uruguay: I was halfway through typing TRY UPCOMING when Tamaiti Williams crashed over, Uruguay have no answer for the All Blacks. Beaudan Barrett becomes the third Kiwi to score a conversion but it’s not all smooth for New Zealand. Replacement tight-head Fletcher Newell had treatment and looks he’s been replaced again by starting loosehead Ofa Tu’ungafasi.

77’ – Try! New Zealand 73-0 Uruguay: It’s a hat-trick for Fainga’anuku! Seven tries for the All Black back-three, and Beaudan nearly put McKenzie in again! The full-time whistle can’t come soon enough for Uruguay.

9 tries in 45 minutes for New Zealand starting with Will Jordan’s first try

23 World Cup appearances for Sam Whitelock, who’s now the tournament cap record-holder