New Zealand bounced back from their opening Rugby World Cup disappointment as they cruised to a 71-3 win over Namibia.
The All Blacks were beaten a week ago in their blockbuster clash against hosts France, their first ever defeat in a pool match at the World Cup.
There was never any danger of that tally being doubled in Toulouse, the bonus point secured inside 25 minutes. Damian McKenzie and Cam Roigard both went over twice in the first-half, with Leicester Faingaanuku and Anton Lienert-Brown also scoring tries before the break.
Namibia kept the All Blacks at bay for the opening ten minutes of the second-half, but a familiar pattern was soon restored. Ethan de Groot bundled over out wide seconds after coming on, before Dalton Papali’i, David Havili and Caleb Clarke added further gloss to the scoreboard.
What had been a serene stroll was tarnished slightly late on, when De Groot was shown a yellow card for a high tackle. After a bunker referral, that decision was upgraded to a red.
That did little to slow New Zealand down though, as a Faingaanuku offload set Rieko Ioane away for an 11th and final All Blacks try, their World Cup campaign firmly back on track.
