All Blacks hammer Wales

CARDIFF - A Rico Gear hat-trick and a brace from Dan Carter helped New Zealand complete the first step towards a Grand Slam tour with a 41-3 thrashing of European champions Wales at the Millennium Stadium this morning (NZT).

In a clash between the champions of the southern and northern hemispheres marking 100 years of contests between the nations, New Zealand took a deserved 19-3 lead in the fixture and kept Wales winless in 18 encounters stretching back to 1953.

It was a record winning margin for the All Blacks in Cardiff and the worst defeat there by Wales against any team.

Although New Zealand looked rusty in the first half, such was their dominance of a willing but error-prone Wales side that they looked as if they were running drills by the end.

First five-eighths Carter put in a perfect kicking display, contributing 16 points as New Zealand added "Conquerors of the Six Nations champions" to a 2005 battle roll already boasting the legends "Tri-Nations champions" and "Vanquishers of the British and Irish Lions".

If they manage to beat Ireland, England and Scotland over the next three weekends, they will become only the second New Zealand tourists after the 1978 All Blacks to complete a grand slam tour.

After a fearsome haka and a spine-tingling rendition of the Welsh national anthem brought pre-match hostilities to an end, the visitors claimed first blood through a Carter penalty after 10 minutes.

The All Blacks looked the tighter unit in the early exchanges and should have had a try when Byron Kelleher took a quick penalty on halfway and raced towards the posts.

But, with his skipper Tana Umaga unmarked outside him, the halfback ran straight into the last remaining defender, Welsh fullback Gareth Thomas.

The customary gloomy look on New Zealand coach Graham Henry's face would have brightened only slightly when Carter made it 6-0 with a penalty awarded in the ensuing breakdown.

That spurred Wales into action and a superb break by Thomas gave winger Kevin Morgan a chance to run at the tourists' defence deep inside the 22. The move broke down but Stephen Jones got Wales off the mark when play was called back for an earlier block by Conrad Smith on Ceri Sweeney.

Ten minutes later, All Black pressure told when Wales lost a line-out on their own throw, a problem that lasted the entire match.

The New Zealand midfield straightened the ball and Carter fed fullback Mils Muliaina who put Gear over in the corner. Carter converted to put the All Blacks 13-3 ahead at the interval.

The visitors came out from the break meaning business and the second half was only minutes old when Gear went over for his second try after Wales lost the ball in the tackle. Carter was again unerring to give the All Blacks a more comfortable 20-3 advantage.

Gear's third came two minutes later in the same corner and, when Carter made it five kicks out of five to extend the lead to 27-3, the match was over as a contest.

The trickle of departing Wales fans that began after Carter went over for his first try after 67 minutes turned into a flood when he grabbed his second minutes from time.

All Blacks 41 (Rico Gear 3, Dan Carter 2 tries, Carter 5 con 2, pen.)

Wales 3 (Stephen Jones pen.)

Halftime: 13-3

- REUTERS