All Blacks 101 Manu Samoa 14
KEY POINTS:
It was a bit like you imagine what passed for sport at the Colosseum all those years ago. The result was never in doubt nor the size of the crowd as they watched their favourite sport when the lions devoured the christians.
In much the same way a throng of 22,518 last night watched the All Blacks blast their way to victory against Samoa in New Plymouth in what amounted to an opposed hitout before the Tri-Nations decider in Brisbane in 10 days time.
As the All Blacks cracked on the pressure in the third quarter the anticipation rose that would also push past the century mark for just the fifth time in their international history - a mark they achieved after the final siren sounded when Richard Kahui scored his second try and replacement Stephen Donald nailed the conversion.
The All Blacks rarely got out of third gear but still managed to post a bucketload of tries as they dealt to a valiant Samoan side, cobbled together from players available from various parts of the world.
There was never any doubt about the courage or tenacity of Samoa but this was a match, you hesitate to call it a test, where their collection of representatives was always going to be outclassed by the top-rated side in the world.
There were problems for the All Blacks though with Mils Muliaina subbed at the break after scoring three tries while he seemed to struggle with a knee problem while left wing Anthony Tuitavake was also replaced after taking a hefty smack in the face as he threaded his way through defenders on a counter-attack.
Any question about the pair's fitness for Brisbane next week was deflected with wait and see responses from team management but they did show some caution at the interval when they replaced Muliaina and also put first five-eighths Daniel Carter into cotton wool for the trip across the Ditch.
This first test involving the All Blacks in New Plymouth started in great conditions and it took the men in black just two minutes and 26 seconds before Muliaina, the fullback who was born in Samoa, stepped inside the rushing defence to start the scoring blitz.
There were seven more tries to come in the first half with the equally strongest applause coming when Uale Mai scored and then converted his own try after he had missed an early handy penalty kick..
The substitutions made, the All Blacks started at an even brisker pace after the break with five tries scored in the third quarter as their superior combinations and fitness started to tell on the visitors.
Four times the All Blacks have gone past a century, three times at World Cups against Japan, Italy and Portugal with the other time the 102-0 thrashing dealt to Tonga in 2000.
Samoa had escaped those three figure thrashings until last night with the heaviest of their four defeats against the All Blacks the 71-13 loss at Albany in 1999.
All Blacks 101 (M. Muliaina 3, A. Thomson, C. Smith 2, J. Cowan, R. Kahui 2, S. Donald, A. Williams, J. Kaino, I. Toeava, P. Weepu, pen try, tries; D. Carter 5 con, S Donald, 6 con)
Samoa 14 (U. Mai, A. Faosiliva tries; Mai, R. Warren, cons) HT: 47-7.
HIGHEST-SCORING ALL BLACKS TESTS
145-17: v Japan at Bloemfontein, 1995
108-13: v Portugal at Lyon, 2007
102-0: v Tonga at Albany 2000
101-3: v Italy at Huddersfield, 1999
101-14: v SAMOA AT NEW PLYMOUTH, 2008
93-8: v Argentina at Wellington, 1997
91-0: v Fiji at Albany, 2005
91-7: v Tonga at Brisbane, 2003
