New Zealand’s 10-try win leaves Ireland facing exit

New Zealand (24) 48
Try: Hughes 2, Laban 2, Hiku 2, Mulitalo, Fisher-Harris, K Bromwich, Manu Goals: Laban 2, Brown 2
Ireland (6) 10
Try: Senior 2 Penalties: Chamberlain

New Zealand cruised to a 48-10 victory to leave a desperate Ireland facing a World Cup group stage exit.

New Zealand scored a total of 10 tries, with Jahrome Hughes, Jordan Rapana and Peta Hiku all passing twice.

Louis Senior grabbed two opportunistic tries for Ireland, but they fell to defeat against a classy Kiwi side.

Ronaldo Mulitalo, James Fisher-Harris, Kenny Bromwich and Joseph Manu were also on the scoresheet for New Zealand, which missed six conversions.

Michael Maguire’s men finish top of Group C with a 100% winning record and have amassed 150 points from three games.

They will face Group B runners-up – likely Fiji or Italy – in the quarter-finals, with that match taking place in Hull next Saturday (19:30 GMT kick-off).

“I’m very happy with the position of the players,” Maguire said. “It’s a very united group of boys and we have to focus on the next game now. I think it will be Fiji.

“There are areas we need to discuss, but defensively we were strong.

“We have to adapt a bit more with our attack, but another good step towards where we want to go.”

The kiwis are so good

Ireland’s campaign got off to a good start with an expected victory over tournament debutants Jamaica, but an erroneous and unruly loss to Lebanon appears to have proved extremely costly.

Ged Corcoran’s men now need Reggae Warriors – bottom of the group with two defeats and a -108 point difference – to win what would be a huge upset success against Lebanon.

In the first international meeting between the two teams, Ireland’s challenge at Headingley was to defeat a New Zealand side ranked number one in the world – and who had won their last five matches.

Chamberlain’s 40-yard penalty gave them a dream start, but hopes of a sensational clash quickly faded as the excellent Hughes put up a number of challenges to land.

Rapana then found acres of space on the right wing for an easy finish from Hughes’ kick, while Hiku entered twice between Senior’s brilliant intercepted effort, running 30 yards out to cross.

This Ireland try was greeted with a huge roar from the supporters crammed into the South Stand, but it was their loudest cheer on a disappointing night.

The Cronulla Mulitalo winger’s flying dive into the corner was a stunning display of athleticism and gave the Kiwis a deserved 24-6 advantage at half-time.

New Zealand had Jared Waerea-Hargreaves sent to the trash near the break for a head-high tackle on Dan Morgan which Corcoran called a “dog shot” and a “game changer” afterwards, suggesting that the prop should have been expelled. .

But Rapana snuck in early in the second half, while Fisher-Harris broke through with a short pass and Hughes got his second of the game through a sublime dummy.

There was more pain for Ireland when Kenny Bromwich reacted fastest to Chamberlain’s fumble and, although Senior got a second, Manu’s late run gave New Zealand a sixth international victory consecutive record.

Corcoran added: “It was brilliant, what an occasion in front of 14,000 people. The Irish came out in droves tonight and feeling the energy and hearing the noise gave the boys a boost.

“It was great for the game as a whole, it makes a difference for the players, the staff and on such a big stage we got great support against one of the best teams in the world.”