Get Newsletter

Player ratings: Black blitz

Tonga held their own for much of the encounter and trailed by just 11 points at the half-time interval but the All Blacks came into their own when Tonga ran out of steam to run in five tries.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Pacific Islanders would just not go away for at least 60 minutes, which made for a fantastic encounter.

Tauriq Ebrahim rates the All Blacks!

Player ratings: Black blitz15 Ben Smith

Quite simply one of the best, if not the best, fullbacks in the business.

9/10

14 Nehe Milner-Skudder

Was simply everywhere and showed off nifty footwork and his prolific finishing prowess.

9/10

13 Conrad Smith

Did not see much of the ball despite his attempts to get involved.

5/10

Player ratings: Black blitz12 Ma'a Nonu

Showed plenty of strength with ball-in-hand and capped off a brilliant occasion with a try.

8/10

ADVERTISEMENT

11 Waisake Naholo

Added plenty of metres with some good carries but cost his team a certain try.

5/10

10 Dan Carter

Came into his own in the second half and is starting to prove his critics wrong.

7/10

9 Aaron Smith

Started off sluggish but grew in confidence and then turned on the style.

7/10

8 Kieran Read (captain)

The usual hard work by the veteran on defence and at the breakdowns but his hands let him down far too often.

5/10

ADVERTISEMENT

7 Sam Cane

Crossed the gain line more than anyone and showed why he is so highly spoken of.

7/10

6 Jerome Kaino

A few strong carries but his main contribution came on defence.

6/10

5 Sam Whitelock

Nothing too flashy, just stuck to the basics.

6/10

4 Luke Romano

No opposition player slipped through his grip but other than that, he was fairly quiet.

5/10

Player ratings: Black blitz3 Owen Franks

Struggled in the scrums but showed his mettle on defence.

5/10

2 Dane Coles

Found himself too many times on the wing but did what he needed to in the set-pieces.

5/10

1 Tony Woodcock

Might have grabbed a try but he was dominated in the scrums.

4/10

Replacements:

16 Keven Mealamu (on for Coles, 66 mins)

Not enough time to be rated.

17 Wyatt Crockett (on for Woodcock, 42 mins)

All he did was tackle.

5/10

18 Ben Franks (on for O Franks, 62 mins)

Did not contribute too much on the park.

4/10

19 Brodie Retallick (on for Romano, 49 mins)

Could not impose himself as he would have liked during his time on the field.

5/10

20 Liam Messam (on for Whitelock, 66 mins)

Not enough time to be rated.

21 Tawera Kerr Barlow (on for A Smith, 72 mins)

Not enough time to be rated.

22 Beauden Barrett (on for Naholo, 57 mins)

Nothing too flashy and was reasonably effective.

5/10

23 Sonny Bill Williams (on for C Smith, 62 mins)

Made an immediate impact off the bench and his skills are just something else.

7/10

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Write A Comment