New Zealand have continued their World Cup campaign by overcoming an often sluggish display to power to a 43-10 triumph over Georgia at the Millennium Stadium.
The Cardiff crowd were treated to a thrilling start which saw 22 points scored in the opening 12 minutes of the match, and it was the All Blacks who delivered the opening try in the second minute when Waisake Naholo, who was making his World Cup debut after cracking a bone in his leg last month, powered clear to suggest that it would be a long night for Georgia.
© Getty Images
Dan Carter followed up with the conversion, but there was an immediate response from the underdogs as a loose ball allowed Georgia to get the ball to full-back Beka Tsiklauri, whose delight was clear as he sprinted away for the try before the conversion made it 7-7.
The scores would not be level for long as Georgia's eagerness to handle the power in the New Zealand midfield left them exposed out wide when Julian Savea fought off one challenge before touching down.
Carter was unable to add the conversion from close to the touchline, and it was Georgia's turn to trouble the scorers once again when Lasha Malaghuradze split the posts with a penalty just inside the New Zealand half of the pitch.
© Getty Images
Savea then registered his second try of the match as the All Blacks used the men out wide to send the winger over, before the bonus point was clinched when Dane Coles benefited from Richie McCaw's fine work to cruise over on the wing, but Carter's struggles continued as he missed for the third of his four first-half kicks.
Georgia displayed impressive resilience either side of the half-time interval to frustrate All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen, who watched on as his side made frequent handling errors while attempting to pull further clear.
© Getty Images
New Zealand needed 12 second-half minutes to score again as Brodie Retallick played a vital role in pushing Kieran Read over the line after a patient spell of dominance in Georgia's territory.
Despite the comfortable scoreline, it was a promising display from Georgia, who held firm while the All Blacks controlled the ball for much of the second half.
There was time for the defending champions to give the supporters more entertainment late on as Savea completed his hat-trick with another burst to the line after some impressive work from Malakai Fekitoa, who completed the win by racing away from the scrum to punish the tiring Georgians as Carter recovered from a rare poor night with the boot to add both conversions.
Callum Mulvihill
