Sep 23, 2007, 17:31 GMT
Paris - Title favourites New Zealand advanced to the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup after a convincing 40-0 win over Scotland in a Pool C match played Sunday at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.
Although the score is revealing of the one-sided nature of the match, the All Blacks struggled far more than they did in their earlier games against Italy and Portugal, in which they scored a total of 184 points and yielded only 27.
New Zealand pressure on the Scottish defence led to their first try in the fifth minute. The score was created by a brilliant inside pass by number eight Rodney So'oailo to captain Richie McCaw, who touched down. Dan Carter converted, and New Zealand were up 7-0.
Scotland fought back but were frustrated when Chris Paterson missed a drop kick from about 25 metres.
The All Blacks extended their lead in the 15th minute when wing Doug Howlett capped a classic attack to touch down for the try.
Carter kicked a penalty in the 25th minute and scrum half Byron Kelleher scored from a series of powerful thrusts on the right side in the 33rd minute to give New Zealand a 20-0 halftime lead.
New Zealand continued to dominate in the second half, but the Scottish defence proved stubborn and the All Blacks committed an uncharacteristic number of handling mistakes.
But the home side's defence gradually wore down, and in the 62nd minute lock Ali Williams powered in a try after a series of handling mistakes by both sides gave New Zealand the ball in the Scottish half.
Three minutes later, Carter - who had a horrendous kicking day - picked up an errant Scottish pass and rambled 50 metres for a try.
Howlett ended the scoring with his second try, and his fifth of the competition, after Isaia Toeava pierced the defence with a brilliant run and pass in the 74th minute.
New Zealand are guaranteed to finish top of lead Pool C with 15 points from three matches, five ahead of Scotland, who must at least tie third-place Italy on September 29 to move on to the quarter- finals.
In a Pool B match played earlier Sunday in Montpellier, Australia also secured their place in the quarter-finals with a 55-12 demolition of Fiji.
Man of the Match Matt Giteau scored 27 points, including two tries, and wing Drew Mitchell added three tries as Australia continued their domination over the Fijians, who have not defeated the Wallabies in over 50 years.
Other try scorers for the two-time World Cup champions were Stephen Hoiles and Adam Ashley-Cooper, while Isoa Neivua and Aca Ratuva touched down for Fiji.
Australia head coach John Connolly was less than delighted with the victory. 'It means that we're number one in the pool, but we didn't play that well. I thought we were very sloppy,' he said.
Australia was captained for the 59th time by 34-year-old George Gregan, who stood in for the injured Stirling Mortlock and tied former England captain Will Carling's all-time record.
Gregan, who was a member of Australia's 1999 World Cup championship team, also extended his own caps record as he appeared in his 137th international match.
Gregan said it was a tough match: 'Credit to Fiji. They played with a lot of intensity.'
Australia now lead Pool B with an unassailable 15 points, five ahead of Wales and Fiji. These two sides meet on September 29 in Nantes to decide who moves on to the quarter-finals.
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