New Zealand remain undefeated in Pool C with their 48-10 victory over Ireland in Leeds.
SCOREBOARD
New Zealand 48
Tries: Jahrome Hughes 2 (14, 59), Jordan Rapana 2 (19, 47), Peta Hiku 2 (26, 32), Ronaldo Mulitalo (37), James Fisher-Harris (54), Kenneath Bromwich (62), Joseph Manu (78)
Goals: Jordan Rapana 2 (16, 27), Dylan Brown 2 (60, 63)
Ireland 10
Tries: Louis Senior 2 (28, 65)
Goals: Ed Chamberlain (11)
MATCH REPORT
Embed from Getty ImagesJahrome Hughes has starred in New Zealand’s 48-10 victory over Ireland at Headingley Stadium, but it’s Jared Waerea-Hargreaves in the headlines with a tackle that will come under scrutiny.
Waerea-Hargreaves’ 37th minute sin-bin for a swinging arm on Dan Norman saw the Irish replacement forward leave the field and not return after failing his HIA. Should Waerea-Hargreaves be charged and suspended, he’ll miss the Kiwi’s showdown with Fiji in the quarter-finals.
New Zealand had the game in control throughout in scoring ten tries to two thanks to Hughes who was sublime in the opening hour, scoring two individual tries and setting up three others, before being rested when the game was in the bag at 38-6.
Poor goalkicking from Jordan Rapana and Dylan Brown will give coach Michael Maguire headaches going into the knockout stage, converting 4 from 10 this week after kicking 8 from 13 against Jamaica the week before.
Rapana and Hiku benefitted from Hughes’ powerful performance with the latter crossing twice in a six-minute period which took the Kiwis to a 24-6 lead at the break, with Ireland’s only try coming to Louis Senior thanks to an intercept from Briton Nikora.
The Irish defence opened up in the second half with James Fisher-Harris, Jesse Bromwich and Joseph Manu scoring relatively simple tries, while Rapana added a second where he slid over in the corner.
A mistake from Ronaldo Mulitalo at the back led to Senior scoring his second was a consolation for the Irish who finish third in Pool C after Lebanon accounted for Jamaica to see them progress with the Kiwi’s to the knockouts.
Follow Nothing But League on Facebook.
