Rugby: Baby Blacks open with big win

New Zealand are seeking a fifth straight Junior World Championship title. Photo / Getty Images

Coach Rob Penney says he is "pretty happy'' with his Under-20 New Zealand team's 63-0 thrashing of Samoa on the opening day of the junior world championship in South Africa.

New Zealand, the four-time champions, scored 10 tries, five in each half, to outclass Samoa, who never gave up despite the avalanche of points scored against them.

"I'm pretty happy with it,'' Penney said.

"We probably didn't look after the ball as well as we would have liked, we turned over a little bit of possession when we had opportunities and some of our execution wasn't as clinical as we would like.

"But you've got to give credit to the Samoa boys also who came out and hit us pretty hard on occasion and put us under a bit of pressure, so all in all reasonably satisfied.''

Left wing Milford Keresoma scored a hat-trick at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch, while right wing Ambrose Curtis and fullback Martin McKenzie both scored braces.

New Zealand next face Wales on Friday before rounding out pool play with a match against another Pacific Island opponent in Fiji on June 12.

The defending champions weren't the only big guns running riot on the opening day, with the action at the University of Western Cape Stadium in Cape Town also impressing.

Last season's beaten runners-up and Under-20 Six Nations champions England defeated Italy 64-5, while Australia accounted for Scotland 67-12.

The hosts suffered a massive upset, losing 23-19 to Ireland.