New Zealand beat Italy 47-17 on Saturday in Wellington and stayed unbeaten after two rounds of rugby’s Nations Championship, with winger Will Jordan scoring three tries to become New Zealand’s all-time leading try-scorer in test rugby with 50 in 56 matches. The scoreboard ended up looking comfortable. The first half did not. Italy’s flat and physical defense forced New Zealand into errors in handling, defense, the aerial contest and discipline, and the All Blacks trailed 14-10 at halftime before the machine finally kicked into gear.
Who Had the Upper Hand Early
Italy struck first when center Tommaso Menoncello scored a try from an All Blacks turnover after only three minutes. That was the opening crack in New Zealand’s control. New Zealand answered within five minutes with a try to lock Sam Darry, but Italy kept them under pressure and denied them space and possession. For a while, the side with the reputation, the crowd, and the power on the field looked rattled by a team willing to hit, contest, and disrupt.
Jordan’s first try came in the 30th minute after a chip kick from Jordie Barrett and a skillful recovery by Leroy Carter gave New Zealand the lead for the first time. Jordan later said, “I think back to when I was a kid practicing my chip and chase in the back yard. To think I’d be here today, it’s hugely humbling,” and added, “I guess as a winger on the end of the chain I’ve been part of some great teams over the last seven years.” His second try equaled the All Blacks record set by Doug Howlett, and his third try in the 54th minute gave him the record outright after Barrett’s quick thinking at a tapped penalty.
What the Second Half Took
New Zealand scored five tries and 33 points after halftime to turn the match into a comfortable win. That burst came fast. Josh Moorby came off the bench to make his test debut on his birthday and played a major role in the three tries as New Zealand scored in the first 11 minutes of the second half to move ahead 33-10. Anton Segner came on at halftime for his debut and became the first player born in Germany to play for the All Blacks. His parents flew from Frankfurt to be present.
Moorby broke off the left wing and combined with his Hurricanes teammate, scrumhalf Cam Roigard, to score two minutes after the restart. He then won an intercept and went close to scoring before prop Ethan de Groot crashed over for a try in his 42nd test. Moorby later outpaced the cover defense to set up Jordan’s second try. The pace of the second half left Italy chasing shadows while New Zealand cashed in on every opening.
Discipline, Cards, and the Cost of Control
Italy, which lost its opening Nations Championship match last week to Japan in Tokyo, played much of the last quarter with 14 men after a yellow card against Niccolo Cannone for an attempted head butt on Roigard was upgraded to a red. Even with the one-man disadvantage, Italy scored its second try through Leonardo Marin in the 57th minute. New Zealand also finished with 14 men when flyhalf Ruben Love, who was shown a yellow card in the second minute of last week’s test against France, was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on in the 71st minute.
Dave Rennie said the errors at both ends of the match would worry him as the All Blacks prepare to face Ireland next weekend in Auckland. Michele Lamaro, the Italy captain, said, “I think we started really well and we were putting the under pressure,” and added, “They were trying to compete around the breakdown and we were really strong in that area. They came back on the field after halftime with another gear and we couldn’t hold them.” The words fit the scoreline. Italy pushed, New Zealand absorbed, then New Zealand’s deeper bench and sharper finishing took over and turned resistance into another lopsided result.