New Zealand v Uruguay LIVE: Rugby World Cup 2023 result and reaction as All Blacks secure quarter-final spot
New Zealand 73-0 Uruguay: The All Blacks are through to a World Cup quarter-final after thrashing Los Teros
New Zealand sealed their place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with a 73-0 bonus-point victory in their final pool game against Uruguay.
A hat-trick from Leicester Fainga’anuku led the way for the All Blacks, who overcame a sticky start to display their attacking firepower again to produce another sizeable scoreline.
Their final place in the pool will depend on France’s final Pool A fixture against Italy in Lyon tomorrow.
The hosts will top the group with a win of any kind, while the Azzurri could also force their way into the last eight with an upset win.
For Uruguay, though, this is the end of the road, though Los Teros again gave a good account of themselves in their first ever meeting with the All Blacks to cap an encouraging tournament in which the South Americans have pushed for more opportunities against the world’s top rugby nations.
Relive the match below, get all the Rugby World Cup odds here and the latest tips and free bets on the World Cup here.
New Zealand 14-0 Uruguay, 27 minutes
A penalty against New Zealand soon after the restart, a clutch of forwards offside in chasing a pretty wretched attempted clearance. Uruguay find the corner.
TRY! NEW ZEALAND 14-0 Uruguay (Richie Mo’unga try, 25 minutes)
Another first phase score!
Simple again for the All Blacks, not having to dig particularly deep into the bag of tricks to unlock the Uruguay defence. Advantage is coming once more with the South Americans struggling at the set piece, allowing New Zealand to play with freedom. This time the pass from Cam Roigard does go to Jordie Barrett, but is quickly out of the centre’s hands to Richie Mo’unga looping out the back. The fly half could tee up Damian McKenzie for a second but there’s little reason to chance a pass with space readily apparent in front of him, with Mo’unga easy acceleration ensuring he beats the edge defender to the line.
He pops through another two from the tee.
New Zealand 7-0 Uruguay, 23 minutes
Not the best minute from Uruguay. Hooker German Kessler probably isn’t the right target for an amibitious offload as they attack up the left, and after Damian McKenzie turns them with a canny kick, Felipe Etcheverry takes his eye off the ball and lets it slip through his fingers. Scrum, New Zealand’s feed, five out from the Uruguay line. Danger.
TRY! NEW ZEALAND 7-0 Uruguay (Damian McKenzie try, 21 minutes)
Damian McKenzie goes over again - and this one will count!
A look of relief on a few Kiwi faces in the crowd as the All Blacks finally break through. The scrum did the damage, drawing the advantage, and Uruguay will be disappointed with the ease with which they were then cut open.
Cam Roigard pulls the pass behind Jordie Barrett to Richie Mo’unga, who simply shifts it on to McKenzie in a little bit of space. Through an arm-tackle the deceptively powerful playmaker drives, with Mo’unga’s conversion making it a seven-pointer.
New Zealand 0-0 Uruguay, 18 minutes
The All Blacks go up through the gears, perhaps realising that they need to with Uruguay proving feisty. Damian McKenzie turns down a pass to men outside him and goes it alone after Shannon Frizell had hurried through a half-hole, but the full-back is scragged.
Cam Roigard snipes and is vulnerable to Manuel Ardao’s jackal, but the tackler’s failure to vacate the space undermines Ardao’s scavenging work. Penalty New Zealand underneath the sticks - and Sam Cane signals for a scrum.
No try! New Zealand 0-0 Uruguay, 16 minutes
The faces of the All Blacks coaches turn to stone - it’s chalked off! Richie Mo’unga was around the neck of Santiago Arata at a breakdown earlier in the movement, with another sharp spot from TMO Jonker ruling out an opening score. Wayne Barnes awards Uruguay the penalty - are New Zealand just starting to get a little bit more frustrated?
Try? New Zealand 0-0 Uruguay, 16 minutes
Damian McKenzie bursts free after a prolonged attacking passage - but TMO Marius Jonker wants to check something...
New Zealand 0-0 Uruguay, 14 minutes
A couple of messy lineouts disrupt Uruguay’s hopes of building on a promising period, but this has been good, again, from Esteban Meneses’s side. Their accuracy in defence has been impressive, just as it was against France.
That’s a little aimless, though, Felipe Etcheverry chipping himself into trouble and then conceding a soft breakdown penalty. New Zealand kick down towards the Uruguay 22.
No try! New Zealand 0-0 Uruguay, 13 minutes
There’s a toe in touch! Agonisingly close for Manuel Ardao, somehow forced out by a covering Anton Lienert-Brown. The All Blacks had tried to play from deep but found themselves turned over, with Ardao and two mates all alone on the left edge. The flanker hustled for the corner flag but Lienert-Brown got just enough of him in the tackle, running his boot along the chalk as Ardao went to ground.
New Zealand 0-0 Uruguay, 12 minutes
Brilliant from Gaston Mieres! The veteran rolls back the years, shimmying and scurrying around the outside of Leicester Fainga’anuku with Sam Whitelock also left trailing in his wake.
The supporting player knocks on as an All Black thumps him from behind - but are Uruguay over in the opposite corner as they attack again?
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