Daniel Carter
Daniel Carter
WELLINGTON (AFP) - The New Zealand All Blacks thrashed the British and Irish Lions 48-18 in the second rugby Test here to wrap up the series in an awe-inspiring display orchestrated by dazzling fly-half Daniel Carter.
Carter crossed twice with brilliant solo efforts and added 23 points with the boot as the All Blacks overwhelmed the tourists in the second spell after a bright start.
Using powerful flanker Jerry Collins as a human battering ram, the game plan was simple -- charge at the Lions' inside backs, get the ball back and spin it wide while their lumbering forwards were still heading to the maul.
Before a capacity crowd of 39,000 at Westpac Stadium the All Blacks led 21-13 at half-time and ran in another 27 points while conceding one try in the second spell.
When the Lions attacked, the All Blacks' defence was rock-solid, and when the All Blacks moved the ball they benefited from some Lions tackling that slumped at times to the woeful.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry told Sky Sports television afterwards: "The match had everything. The Lions played well and we have got to give them credit. I thought they played a lot better than last week.
"But we did not defend too well early on and had got over anxious."
When asked what was the main reason for victory, Henry added: "I think it was the character to hang in there and defend well in the second half. They used the ball and really wanted to play and express themselves. They were outstanding tonight."
Lions coach Clive Woodward had called for a better showing from his forwards, and while they started with a roar it was all but gone after 10 minutes.
When the Lions scored the first try in just 60 seconds, halfback Dwayne Peel and the Lions loose forwards exposed holes around the All Blacks rucks and mauls, but once the home side tightened up it was one-way traffic.
Although the Lions' lineouts were tidier than the first Test, and new loose forwards Ryan Jones and Lewis Moody sharpened the ball-winning skills on the ground, the overall performance was again ragged.
The All Blacks on the other hand benefited from the charging Collins who had the ever-present Richie McCaw on his shoulder.
In the backs, Carter and captain Tana Umaga seemed to find holes at will, keeping the Lions stretched across the park.
The Lions' opening points came when new captain Gavin Thomas stepped inside Rodney So'oialo and ran 15 metres unopposed to score under the posts, with Jonny Wilkinson adding the conversion.
The All Blacks clawed their way back with two penalties to Carter, both from a handy range, before taking the lead for the first time in the 17th minute when Umaga scored.
The All Blacks captain started the move with a half-break before sending Carter on a 60-metre run in which he shrugged off half-hearted tackles by Gavin Henson and Shane Williams, and Umaga was on hand at the end to score the try. Carter's conversion put the All Blacks up 13-7.
The points came thick and fast over the next 15 minutes with two penalties from Wilkinson and one by Carter before the All Blacks widened the gap when Rico Gear came into the backline from the opposite wing to create an overlap for Sitiveni Sivivatu to score out wide.
After three minutes of the second half the All Blacks had 10 more points with another Carter penalty and a brilliant converted try, chipping past Josh Lewsey on the right flank and dashing past him to put down in the corner.
Carter extended the lead to 34-13 before Simon Easterby scored the Lions' only second-half points when he drove around the blind side of a ruck for a try wide out.
But the All Blacks responded with two converted tries in the final 10 minutes, with Carter dancing around Lewsey on the 22-metre line to run to the line and McCaw adding a second.
Carter converted both tries to cap a superlative performance and leave the Lions playing for pride in next week's final Test.