Giant awakens

Strong second half lifts All Blacks over Tonga

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Posted: Monday October 04, 1999 06:56 PM

New Zealand's Jonah Lomu (left) breaks through to score his team's first try against Tonga during their World Cup match. AP

BRISTOL, England (CNN/SI) -- The All Blacks looked like anything but the favorite to win the Rugby World Cup in their first game against Tonga at Bristol on Sunday.

Due to sloppy ball handling and untidy forward play, at the end of the first half New Zealand held a narrow four-point lead at 13-9 over the Tongans.

But it soon became apparent after the interval that it was a different team on the pitch as rugby's giants appeared to wake from their comatose state as winger Jonah Lomu scoring the first two of the team's five tries and Andrew Mehrtens kicking 20 points.

New Zealand rarely allowed the Tongans near its own line after the break and ran in more tries through Lomu, hooker Josh Kronfeld, second row Norm Maxwell and substitute scrum half Byron Kelleher. Mehrtens, who missed an early penalty, recovered to kick four penalties and four conversions.

The second-half performance will lift the All Blacks ahead of next Saturday's showdown with England at Murrayfield. The English began by trouncing Italy 67-7 on Saturday.

Lomu's fifth-minute try at Ashton Gate soccer ground came from a spell of early pressure by the New Zealand forwards following a lineout on the right. Scrum half Justin Marshall passed out to fly half Mehrtens who cleverly switched it back inside to the powerful wing who crashed through to run between the posts for the try. Mehrtens converted for 7-0.

Lomu's early try was expected to herald the expected one-sided New Zealand win, especially after a Mehrtens penalty made it 10-0 after 14 minutes. But the Tongans hit back strongly, outplaying the All Blacks in the loose forward play and three times got within a few meters of the New Zealand tryline.

The All Blacks appeared surprised by the pressure they came under and gave away two close range penalties which fullback Siua Taumalolo, who had been shown the yellow card in the first minute for a high tackle, kicked to reduce the lead to 10-6 by the 29th minute.

The normally sure-footed Mehrtens missed a straightforward kick before landing another in the 37th for an offside. Taumalolu kicked a reply for Tonga before another Mehrtens penalty gave the All Blacks a 16-9 halftime lead and an expected verbal roasting from coach John Hart at the interval.

Mehrtens stretched the lead to 10 points with a well-struck kick from the left four minutes after the restart while the New Zealand forwards took control of the game and kept the Tongans pinned back in their own half of the field.

The result was a second try for Lomu in the 60th minute after a well worked move which involved passes from hooker Anton Oliver, back row Kronfeld and Mehrtens. The winger received the ball wide on the left and shrugged off one tackle before going over in the corner and Mehrtens' conversion made it 26-9.

A minute later it was 33-9 when Kronfeld took an inside pass from fullback Jeff Wilson to crash over the line in the corner and another expertly-hit conversion by Mehrtens added to the lead.

The Tongan defense was being pulled apart by this stage and second row Maxwell turned up on the left wing to take a pass from center Christian Cullen to cross in the corner. Mehrtens missed this time but the All Blacks, by now in total control, led 38-9.

Kelleher, replacing Justin Marshall midway through the second half, was the next New Zealander to cross the line when he pounced on a loose ball and ran 10 meters for the score and Mehrtens' fourth conversion meant 45-9.

New Zealand

Tonga

 

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