The All Blacks crushed Eddie Jones’s Japan 64-19 in a one-off Test on Saturday, running in 10 tries in a routine victory despite a sleepy start and a tougher second half.
Debutant Ruben Love put a polish on the score by claiming two late tries in the space of three minutes for New Zealand after coming off the bench in Yokohama.
The match was the All Blacks’ first in a tour that will also see them take on England, Ireland, France and Italy on successive weekends.
“It was a convincing win off some great defensive sets and great class touches and skills,” said All Blacks coach Scott Robertson.
“We gave the ball back too easily at times. We weren’t urgent enough, they got a couple of early set-piece tries,” he said, praising a “big and physical” Japan.
Japan drew first blood with Fiji-born winger Jone Naikabula steaming in to touch down by the posts in the fifth minute.
New Zealand hit back when Mark Tele’a rampaged down the left wing and scored in the corner before captain Patrick Tuipulotu held off three tackles to bundle over the line.
Japan bounced back immediately, attacking off a line-out, punching holes in the defence before loose forward Faulua Makisi crashed through a wide gap off a close-range ruck.
Japan lock Warner Dearns thought he had put the hosts back in front, taking a lucky bounce to break clear and gallop over the line, only for the try to be disallowed.
Then the flood gates opened for New Zealand with Billy Proctor, Sam Cane, Samipeni Finau and Pasilio Tosi all scoring to make it 36-12.
Cam Roigard, back from a long injury break, took the visitors over the 50-point mark in the 44th minute after being let fly by hooker Aumua.
Japan then repeatedly pinned the now sloppy All Blacks in their 22, without breaching the wall of the New Zealand defence until reserve prop Uwe Helu, on his debut, scored the hosts’ third try.
But any hopes in the Nissan stadium were crushed when Love crossed over for two late tries.
“We left a lot of line-outs out there. One of the things we pride ourselves on is having top-quality ball off our line-out, especially so that our backs can get some go forward, so that was disappointing for us,” said Tuipulotu, captaining for the first time.
“Also our scrum didn’t really get the good march that we wanted, so that is something for us to work on against the northern European teams who love the set piece,” he added.
“We knew they were going to play fast and try to get into that scrappy, chaotic kind of game, but I knew that if we could get into the right areas of the field with our kicking game and set piece, we could get some momentum,” said Roigard.
Former England and Australia coach Jones, who returned to Japan this year, said his side “showed plenty of spirit and character in the second half and played some good rugby.”
“We are only at the infancy of where we want to be at the moment, but it’s disappointing… By the next World Cup we’ll be pretty good.”
