Talking Points: New Zealand vs Canada

New Zealand absolutely thumped a toothless Canada 63-0 at the Oita Stadium on Wednesday. The All Blacks ran in nine tries and also recorded the largest win of the Rugby World Cup so far.

In a day that belonged to the Barrett brothers, the Southern hemisphere outfit really put in a classy performance and made sure that they took a grip of Pool B, which was led by Italy after their first two games. 

Is Sonny Bill Williams Pushing For A Hansen’s A-Team:

The 34-year-old really rolled back the years today with an impressive performance against a toothless Canada. The centre gained 90 metres in the match, which was the second most in total and by a New Zealand player. Williams played 51 minutes of the fixture and was very influential with ball in hand as he beat six defenders and managed four offloads with his three line breaks.  

The veteran, who also assisted in two tries and scored his own, joins Kieran Read and Samuel Whitelock in the journey to win an unprecedented third World Cup and it seems that his performance today might tempt Steve Hansen to back him for the rest of this tournament. 

See SBW’s Highlights Below: 

What A Magical Day For The Barrett Family: 

Beauden, Jordie and Scott Barrett became the first trio of brothers to start for the All Blacks during the Rugby World Cup, and the second trio ever to do so in the world. The three added to that bit of history, as they all managed to score a try in the 63-0 thumping of Canada. 

The Barrett’s collectively made 300 metres today, beat eight defenders and had seven clean breaks in the fixture. 

The Humidity Factor Is Playing Its Part In The World Cup: 

Handling errors is part of the game and it’s usually said that the team with the most end up losing the game. In Japan, this might be a little different as the weather is playing a little havoc on the park. We have heard numerous captains tough on the slipperiness of the ball and it seems to get worse when teams play in indoor stadiums.