There were other moments too that will concern Steve Hansen, the All Blacks head coach. As it was in their opening 26-16 victory against Argentina, their handling was not as sharp as you would expect and Namibia frequently caused them problems at the breakdown. Even for a team showing 12 changes from that victory against Argentina, 16 turnovers and 7 penalties are far from flattering figures against a nation comprising engineers, farmers, dentists and the odd professional.
Mike Dickson in the London Daily Mail:
They flocked to the home of Olympic athletics to watch a rugby match while expecting a cricket score.
Yet in keeping with the spirit of the underdog in this World Cup Namibia refused to let that happen, keeping the margin below the half century to leave with their heads held high and a 58-14 scoreline against the All Blacks.
Their thunderous rearguard actions will be the main memory of this match, while clues about the true might of this New Zealand team were hard to deduce because of the fundament superiority of what was largely a second fifteen.
The ovation granted to them from all corners of the ground at the end was thoroughly deserved, and if anything concerns Kiwi coach Steve Hansen it would be the lack of an extra gear in the closing quarter of the match.
The real strength of the Kiwis might remain obscured in a group that will see them ushered into the quarter-finals. They have had their hardest match first against Argentina and might yet be undercooked when the tricky stuff starts.
ESPNscrum.com:
Namibia were never in danger of causing a Japan-style shock - in fact there was talk of the All Blacks racking up a World Cup record score against them. But the Africans, fielding eight amateurs in their starting XV, did not play like the 200/1 shots they were to win the match.
Their captain, Jacques Burger of Saracens, led from the front - and often with his face - as a succession of tackles drew a collective wince from the crowd.
And they thoroughly merited their big moment, after Burger elected to kick to touch rather than shoot for goal.
Radio Sport: Tournament headlines
Rick Broadbent in the Times of London:
Japan have raised expectations among underdogs the world over, and so Namibia were thrashed but not embarrassed. Talk of the All Blacks totting up a tally close to Australia's 142-0 mark from 2003 proved unfounded.
As for the All Blacks, they will have reason to be disappointed with this. Steve Hansen, the head coach, made a dozen changes to the side who had toiled hard for victory over Argentina, and although they showed flashes, they did not show the clinical ruthlessness that we expected.
What we learnt from all this is debatable. All the talk of narrowing gaps comes with caveats.
Perhaps when this game is forgotten, its lasting significance will be as the day that Sam Cane became the All Blacks' fifth youngest captain. Kieran Read will take over when Richie McCaw hangs up his boots, but Cane is another No 7 off the production line.
Rugby356.com:
The result was never in doubt and it was always going to be a question of what the margin was.
However, the minnows from Africa defied the pundits who suggested the Kiwis will put more than 100 points past them. In fact they scored one of the best tries of the game, but just never had the skill, pace and power to match the All Blacks for 80 minutes.
FoxSports Australia:
It was a second stuttering performance from the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup. An Olympic-sized victory was predicted for the world champions but they stuttered through the gears against their 20th-ranked opponents, scoring nine tries to one.
Wingers Nehe Milner-Skudder and Julian Savea bagged try-scoring doubles for a New Zealand side that led 34-6 at halftime but lacked rhythm against the stubborn Africans in a stop-start second spell.
