This is called an appetizer (and a rouste, too). Before their tour in Europe, against Wales, Italy, Ireland and France, the All Blacks made a stopover in Washington on Saturday. They crushed the United States (104-14; 59-7 at halftime) who console themselves by having scored their first two tries in four confrontations against the triple world champions.
With a reshaped squad, the New Zealanders have scored 16 with 11 different scorers, including a hat-trick from Will Jordan and doubles from Luke Jacobson and Angus Ta’avao. The match was preceded by a tribute to Sean Waiwui, a 25-year-old center three-quarter, selected with the Māori All Blacks, who died Monday in a car accident.
This haka is for you Sean, fly high brother. 🕊️🖤
Moe mai okioki ai#USAvNZL # 1874Cup pic.twitter.com/mgtoUEh37N
– All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 23, 2021
The Eagles, dominated by Uruguay in qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, can still honor the French meeting through repechage. Let them be reassured: if they succeed, they will not fall into the hen of their weekend tormentors. On the other hand, the Americans will have to raise their level if they want to exist during “their” World Cup: the United States have applied for the 2027 or 2031 edition.