New Zealand rumbles Romania
New Zealand rumbles Romania
From Luke Phillips in Toulouse, France
September 29, 2007
NEW Zealand brushed aside Romania 85-8 in its final Rugby World Cup Pool C game, in Toulouse, with the European minnow offering meagre resistance to the superior power and pace of the All Blacks.
Joe Rokocoko led the 13-try rout with a hat-trick, while fellow wing Sitiveni Sivivatu and centre Isaia Toeava each bagged a brace.
Chris Masoe, Nick Evans, Aaron Mauger, Andrew Hore, Conrad Smith, and all-time All Blacks try scorer Doug Howlett also crossed for five-pointers, with Luke McAlister kicking four conversions and Nick Evans six.
The Romanians, whose gameplan relied heavily on its large pack, scored a well-worked consolation try of their own through hooker Marius Tincu, as well as a late penalty from Florin Vlaicu.
Romania was saved from complete humiliation only by a number of ball-handling errors from New Zealand as the team pursued its ambitious policy of trying to offload at all costs.
"Romania played with a lot of passion and were very physical," All Blacks coach Graham Henry said.
"They lived on the offside line, but we scored some great tries.
"Overall we're pretty pleased, and we had no injuries, which is a pretty big plus.
"There is obviously still room for improvement."
Romania captain Sorin Socol said his team could be content with the way it had played the game.
"We're happy, especially with the fact we scored a try," Socol said.
"Everyone knows New Zealand are the best team in the world.
"I think for a while we kept our heads together, but then we had five or six minutes out of the game and boom, we conceded five or six tries."
The All Blacks needed just 34 seconds to get on the scoreboard, with Fiji-born wing Sivivatu benefiting from a floated pass from scrum half Andrew Ellis to finish off a break by McAlister.
The impressive Ellis was again on hand with a searing linebreak and clever inside pass to Masoe as the Romanian backline struggled to keep the black tide at bay.
Rokocoko kept up his amazing try-scoring record when McAlister put him in at the corner, and Evans crossed minutes later with the Romanians in disarray after an Ellis grubber.
Sivivatu doubled his tally with the try of the game, Sione Lauaki and Jerry Collins linking well as the ball raced through eight pairs of hands before the wing crossed the line.
It was not until the half-hour that Romania - with just one win to their credit, 14-10 against Portugal - offered any real attack, with full back Iulian Dumitras hauled down within an arm's length of the All Blacks try line.
The solid Romanian pack expertly set up a maul from the ensuing lineout, and hooker Tincu was propelled over for a try that delighted the Toulouse crowd.
The All Blacks hit back with a try from Mauger, the recipient of a deft offload from Toeava, who then waltzed through some soft tackling to open the scoring in the second half.
Rokocoko notched his second try of the game after Lauaki went on a rampaging break down the right flank, and replacement hooker Hore also got his name on the scoresheet after some great work by second row Chris Jack.
Rokocoko had Collins to thank for his hat-trick, the captain showing his ball handling skills to provide a drop-off for the wing to come in from the flank for his 43rd try in 47 Tests.
Smith, Howlett, and Toeava all scored in the dying minutes as Romania, for which dogged flanker Alexandru Manta and No 8 Ovidiu Tonita shone, began to flag.
Agence France-Presse
New Zealand 85
Tries: Joe Rokocoko (3), Sitiveni Sivivatu (2), Isaia Toeava (2), Nick Evans, Andrew Hore, Doug Howlett, Chris Masoe, Aaron Mauger, Conrad Smith
Goals: Nick Evans (6c), Luke McAlister (4c)
Romania 8
Tries: Marius Tincu
Goals: Florian Vlaicu (1pg)
