Lelos frustrate awful All Blacks
While two late tries blew the score out to 43-10, it was not a game the All Blacks would remember with any fondness.
New Zealand held just a 22-10 lead at the break, after the Georgians managed to frustrate the defending champions for large periods.
The second-half score may have been 21-0 for the Kiwis, they were even more awful than in the first 40 minutes.
And while the result was never in doubt, the All Blacks will be worried about the plethora of mistakes that marked their game.
Handling errors contributed to 25 turnovers – a shocking statistic for any New Zealand team.
There will also be the concerns about injuries, with captain Richie McCaw at the top of that list – spending most of the second half with ice packs on his left leg.
A hat-trick of tries for wing Julian Savea were not enough to spare the blushes of the unimpressive All Blacks.
Although the win confirmed the All Blacks' quarterfinal berth with one pool game against Tonga remaining, alarm bells would be ringing in the defending champions' camp.
In the bruising Pool C match at Millennium Stadium they outscored Georgia seven tries to one.
However, the lop-sided scoreline did a disservice to Georgia who physically matched the world champions, forcing them into elementary errors.
Lost line-outs and scrums, passes fired into empty spaces and penalties not finding touch, showed the All Blacks were well out of tune with only one game left before the knockout stages.
Captain Richie McCaw said there was no immediate reason to worry however.
"I actually think we were trying too hard at times," he said after.
"We created a lot of opportunities and were only a pass away. We don't need to panic too much," added the captain who came off with a leg injury but said it was not serious.
They were rattled by a Georgia team that had little in their armoury but bone-jarring tackles and a powerful forward pack and they used both to good advantage.
Their tireless figurehead Mamuka Gorgodze caused constant trouble.
McCaw, who limped off in the second half with a calf injury, had called for a big step up after rust showed against Argentina and Namibia.
Instead, he led a side beset by handling errors and wayward passes, and a pack beaten in close-quarter play.
With his first touch of the ball in his comeback game after a leg fracture in his maiden Test three months ago, Waisake Naholo's speed wrong-footed the Georgian defence and he raced 55 metres to score.
Waisake Naholo set the game alight with a 55-metre run for the line with his first touch of the ball.
But it was not a flawless performance for the try-scoring specialist in his comeback game after suffering a leg fracture in his maiden Test three months ago.
Any thoughts of a stunning, runaway win were soon erased when Naholo lost the ball with his second touch and Georgia cashed in on their turnover luck.
Fullback Tsuklauri toed ahead and won the race for the ball to score under the posts.
Lasha Malaguradze levelled the scores with the conversion and landed a 49-metre penalty to keep Georgia in touch at 12-10 after Savea had scored the All Blacks second try.
The early pace of the game appeared to be telling on Georgia and the defence cover was no where to be seen when Savea scored his second in a standard backline move from a scrum.
Dane Coles secured the bonus point fourth try in the 22nd minute dotting down wide out just as Savea had done twice before him with Carter missing all three sideline conversion attempts.
As the errors kept mounting, and Naholo was twice forced out in the corner, the New Zealanders went 30 minutes before they scored again.
From a long build up they eventually cracked the Georgian defence with Brodie Retallick crashing over and Carter added the extras.
As the Georgians faded in he closing minutes Savea and Malakai Fekitoa added two further tries with Carter landing the extras.
Man of the match: Just list the entire Georgian team for their bravery. Clearly outclassed, they survived purely on heart. Waisake Naholo had a great start, but then faded. Sonny Bill Williams produced a few offloads, but left the field for a concussion test and was not as effective as he could have been. Dan Carter was well marked and Aaron Smith was as prone to errors as the rest of his teammates. Our award goes to Georgia No.8 Lasha Lomidze – who epitomised the never-say-die spirit of the Lelos.
Moment of the match: Certainly some great All Black tries, all worth considering. However, that monster scrum by Georgia early in the second half that earned them a penalty will be celebrated by their front row for years to come.
Villain of the match: No villains.
The scorers:
For New Zealand:
Tries: Naholo, Savea 3, Coles, Read
Cons: Carter
For Georgia:
Try: Tsuklauri
Con: Malaguradze
Pen: Malaguradze
Teams
Georgia: 15 Beka Tsiklauri, 14 Giorgi Aptsiauri, 13 Davit Kacharava, 12 Tamaz Mchedlidze, 11 Alexandr Todua, 10 Lasha Malaguradze, 9 Giorgi Begadze, 8 Lasha Lomidze, 7 Mamuka Gorgodze (captain), 6 Shalva Sutiashvili, 5 Giorgi Chkhaidze, 4 Levan Datunashvili, 3 Levan Chilachava, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Karlen Asieshvili.
Replacements: 16 Simon Maisuradze, 17 Mikhail Nariashvili, 18 Anton Peikrishvili, 19 Kote Mikautadze, 20 Viktor Kolelishvili, 21 Vasil Lobjanidze, 22 Merab Sharikadze, 23 Muraz Giorgadze.
New Zealand: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Tony Woodcock, 18 Owen Franks, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Sam Cane, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 TJ Perenara, 23 Malakai Fekitoa.
Referee: Pascal Gauzère (France)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Mathieu Raynal (France)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
