Ruben Love produced a near-perfect goal-kicking display as the All Blacks clinched an emphatic 54-0 against the Sharks at Kings Park in Durban on Tuesday night.
While nowhere as clinical as they would’ve liked, the All Blacks produced a more well-rounded display against the men from Durban four nights after their error-strewn tour opener against the Stormers in Cape Town.
Irrespective of the type of performances to date, the All Blacks are unbeaten in their two opening games of the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry and could very well head into the first Test against the Springboks on 22 August on a three-game winning streak if they get the job done over the Bulls at Loftus this coming weekend.
Because the Sharks didn’t provide much of a challenge, there wasn’t much to gauge the All Blacks on. However, from an individual perspective, there were statement performances from Love, Fehi Fineanganofo and Jordie Barrett. And while Barrett is a sure bet for a start in the Test series, Love and Fineanganofo enhanced their chances of selection for the clashes against the Springboks.
FIRST HALF RECAP
One of the big storylines in the lead-up to this encounter was the Sharks’ selection of Ma’a Nonu, one of the game’s most revered sons, against the All Blacks, the team he represented 103 times in the Test arena across 12 trophy-laden years.
And even before kick-off, this most unpredictable Nonu-All Blacks reunion produced as the now 44-year-old answered New Zealand’s haka with a lone haka of his own.
However, that sideshow would prove to be about the only challenge/resistance be the Sharks for the remainder of the night. From kick-off, it was the all the Kiwis. It took them a while before they scored, but touchdowns by Fehi Fineanganofo and Damian McKenzie put them 14 points up at the break.
SECOND HALF RECAP
It was one-way traffic in the second half as the floodgates opened. The visitors ran in six more tries – by Caleb Clarke, Fineanganofo, Barrett, Kyle Preston, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Sam Darry – to round off a resounding victory.
Coupled with his two first half conversions, Love knocked five more two-pointers from all sides of the park to finish the game as the top-point scorer with seven from eight kicks at goal.
There weren’t many, if any, highlights to speak of for the Sharks, but they would have been happy when they clinched a scrum penalty against the powerful All Blacks pack in the 67th minute. In the end, though, the scoreline is a true reflection of the one-sided nature of the game.
ALL BLACKS SCORERS
Tries: Fehi Fineanganofo (2), Damian McKenzie, Caleb Clarke, Jordie Barrett, Kyle Preston, Timoci Tavatavanawai, Sam Darry. Conversions: Ruben Love (7).
