Rugby Union - Australia Wallabies vs New Zealand All Blacks - Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia, August 19, 2017. New Zealand All Blacks player Beauden Barrett dives with Australian Wallabies player Bernard Foley to ground the ball. REUTERS/Jason Reed
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Rieko Ioane and Ryan Crotty both crossed twice as New Zealand ran in eight tries in a brilliant display of running rugby to demolish Australia 54-34 in the Rugby Championship opener on Saturday.
The world champions extinguished any chance of an upset with three tries in seven first-half minutes and sliced through the home defence almost at will in the opening 50 to start their title defence with a bonus-point win. Liam Squire, Sonny Bill Williams, Damian McKenzie and Ben Smith also scored tries as the All Blacks brushed off the disappointment of the drawn British and Irish Lions series and a string of off-field distractions.
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