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Watch: TJ Perenara finishes off try-of-the-tournament contender as All Blacks and Namibia clash at Rugby World Cup

October 6, 2019

Welcome to 1 NEWS NOW's live updates of this afternoon's Rugby World Cup Test between the All Blacks and Namibia in Tokyo, Japan.

ALL BLACKS 71-9 NAMIBIA

Full-time:  The All Blacks showcase quality rugby in the second half and thump the Namibians. The first half ended with a tight contest but the men in black piling on the points and passing 70 points to lead Pool B in this 2019 Rugby World Cup. 

78 min TRY: The try of the tournament so far !! The All Blacks shift on to razzle dazzle mode with Perenara and Weber showing off their skills with two miracle passes. Weber channeling his inner Benji Marshall with a flick pass to Perenara who score with a dive in the corner like a winger! Barrett can't convert. 

75 min TRY: Jodie Barrett gets his first try of the game. Barrett has looked comfortable in the play-making role. This time close to the line the halfs combine, a beautiful short ball from Perenara to Barrett sees him slice over.

72 min: Another TMO decision for a high contact from an All Black, quite identical to Laulala's yellow card. This time Ofa Tuungafasi is sent to the bin. All Blacks will now finish the game with 14 men.

67 min TRY: Ben Smith joins the double club for this match, this time the All Blacks probe down the left side with a strong run from Matt Todd who finds Lienert-Brown and he races away down the side line to find a supporting Smith who goes over. Barrett converts. 

59 min:  The All Blacks looking in control of this match now with strong defence as well as attack to force mistakes from the Namibian side. The All Blacks packing a scrum just into enemy territory. 

55 min TRY: Skipper Sam Whitelock crashes over under the sticks. At first glance he looked short but the referee had seen the ball grounded and awards the All Blacks eighth try of the game. Barrett converts an easy one. 

51 min TRY: Its raining doubles, with Reece getting his second try. The All Blacks shift right deep in Namibia's half with Reece showing off his foot work to get over the try line. Barrett making no mistake with the conversion. 

46 min TRY: PURE CLASS, the All Blacks have gone up a gear in this second half with the new first-five taking on the line and cracking it to find support players on the outside, Goodhue beautifully summing up the defence drawing in players and offloading to his centre partner Lienert-Brown, who gets his second try of the day. Barrett converts. 

42 min TRY: It has taken under two minutes for the men in black to start from where they left off in the first half with a try to prop Joe Moody. After the scrum the All blacks shift the ball to the edges and Moody picks up the ball from the ruck and dives over. Barrett converting the try. 

6.52pm NZT: The All Blacks kick-off to get the second half under way, Namibia make an early mistake to give All Blacks a scrum in Namibian half. 

Halftime: The All Blacks with a healthy lead at the break with Namibia looking dangerous on attack and solid on defence. Namibia yet to score a try. The All Blacks receiving three penalties after the halftime hooter and each time they chose to pack a scrum which resulted in a try four minutes into referee's time.

44 min TRY: Ben Smith gets his first try of the game and gets All blacks the bonus point. After a scrum move Aaron Smith links up with his highlanders team mate to send him over the line. Barrett converts.

40 min: The All Blacks receive a penalty right in front of the sticks but oppt to take a scrum instead of the three points. 

35 min TRY: All Blacks crack the Namibian defence once again as they go for more of a direct attacking style through their big forward pack. Close to the Namibian line the All Blacks create phases to send Angus Ta'avao over for his first try of the game. Barrett gets his first points with a successful conversion.

30 min: The referee has gone up to the TMO for a foul play against Nepo Laulala who collected a Namibian player around the neck. The officials collectively coming to a decision to show the All blacks prop a yellow card. All Blacks will finish the first half with 14 men.

28 min: Attacking under penalty advantage for a high tackle, Namibia are applying pressure on the All Blacks defensive line. Namibia receive a penalty and Stevens backs his kicking and goes for goal. Stevens three from three. 

25 min: Namibia have received a penalty 30 metres away from the All Blacks line and decide to take the shot. Stevens makes no mistake and slots it through the middle.

20 min TRY: Anton Lienert-Brown charging onto a short ball from Ardie Savea and beats four defenders while finding his way to the try line. Namibia strong on defence but a pearler of a pass from Savea fooled the defence. 

Jodie Barrett's kick is charged down! Scrum half Stevens shooting out to put pressure on Barrett and gets his man. 

18 min: All Blacks yet again attacking deep in Namibia's half but the men in blue are equal to the task with their defence. Namibia winning another penalty in a ruck turn over to get out of their half. 

12 min: Courages defence from Namibia shutting down attacking raids from the All Blacks. Namibia win a ruck penalty to get themselves out of their own half. 

11 min: Brodie Rettalick showing no sign of injuries with a hand full of strong carries while the All Blacks heavy on attack in the Namibian half. 

5 min TRY: Jodie Barrett showing of his kicking ability with a pin point kick to Sevu Reece who makes now mistake and claims five points. Barrett already looking comfortable in the 10 jersey. Barrett cannot convert the try. 

5 min: All Blacks receive a scrum penalty and get a chance to attack deep in Namibia's half.

1 min: Great period of play from Namibia early in this match trying to open up the defence through the short side. They get a penalty at the ruck and are going for goal. Damian Stevens makes no mistake. 

5.45pm NZT: The challenge has been accepted by Namibia, and they kick-off to get this clash under way.

5.44pm NZT: It's now time for the haka!

5.38pm NZT:  Both teams have entered the field with a roaring welcome by the Tokyo crowd, it's now time for the national anthems. 

5.30pm NZT: The Namibians have never won a match in a World Cup but they aren't short in confidence. Despite the All Blacks being the favourites, they will be out there m aking sure they are not the team that Namibia makes history against after seeing surprise results in this World Cup already. 

5.05pm NZT: Last time the two teams met was in 2015 at the pre vious World Cup during a Pool match. Namibia were out played for majority of the game but managed to score some points and a try towards the back end of the match making the final score 58-14.

Captain Johan Deysel was the lone scorer for Namibia that day. 

"We were a bit shell-shocked but then we realised we can play them and we scored a try," Deysel recalls. "We took a lot from that game. They put a lot of pressure on every facet of play. It isn't easy but they are just humans."

4.30pm NZT: Fans are making their way to Tokyo Stadium to witness the much anticipated Pool B match after All Blacks short turn around. 

All Blacks and Namibia fans ready for Pool B action at RWC 2019.
All Blacks and Namibia

TEAMS

Need a refresher on today's squads, especially the new-look team the All Blacks are running? We've got you covered:

All Blacks: 1. Joe Moody 2. Codie Taylor 3. Nepo Laulala 4. Brodie Retallick 5. Samuel Whitelock - captain 6. Shannon Frizell 7. Sam Cane 8. Ardie Savea 9. Aaron Smith 10. Jordie Barrett 11. George Bridge 12. Anton Lienert-Brown 13. Jack Goodhue 14. Sevu Reece 15. Ben Smith

Reserves: 16. Dane Coles 17. Ofa Tuungafasi 18. Angus Ta'avao 19. Patrick Tuipulotu 20. Matt Todd 21. Brad Weber 22. T J Perenara 23. Rieko Ioane

Namibia: 1. Andre Rademeyer 2. Torsten George Van Jaarsveld 3. AJ De Klerk 4. PJ Van Lill 5. Tjiuee Uanivi 6. Prince Gaoseb 7. Thomasau Forbes 8. Janco Venter 9. Damian Stevens 10. Helarius Axasman Kisting 11. JC Greyling 12. Johan Deysel (capt.) 13. Justin Newman 14. Lesley Klim 15. Johan Tromp

Reserves: 16. Obert Nortje 17. Nelius Theron 18. Johannes Coetzee 19. Johan Retief 20. Adriaan Booysen 21. Eugene Jantjies 22. Darryl De La Harpe 23. Janry du Toit

PREVIEW

Playing Namibia will be exactly the same as playing South Africa, England or any other rugby heavyweight and ominously the All Blacks are treating their clash with the lowest-ranked side at the World Cup as such.

The All Blacks are expected to comfortably account for the southern Africans at Tokyo Stadium this evening and put one foot in the quarter-finals.

The three-times world champions are projected to win Pool B but could still be pipped in the more than unlikely event that Italy record their first victory over Steve Hansen's side next week in Toyota City with a bonus point.

New Zealand highlighted their ruthless streak when they ran in nine tries against Canada in Oita on Wednesday to record a 63-0 victory, the highest score at the tournament so far and centre Anton Lienert-Brown said they were likely to be as focused on Sunday.

"Every week is the same. The biggest (lesson) for me over the years is that my personal standards matter the most," he told reporters.

"It doesn't matter who we come up against, it's about me playing to the best of my ability. Whether that's South Africa, Namibia, England or whoever it is.

"It's important that you go out there and you have prepared yourself to the best you can to perform for the team.

"We have prepared very well for this game, just like we have prepared for South Africa."

Lienert-Brown will join Jack Goodhue in the centres for the third different midfield combination in the tournament.

Goodhue played for 40 minutes against Canada, after recovering from a hamstring injury, with Sonny Bill Williams, while Ryan Crotty and Lienert-Brown played together against the Springboks in the opening match.

After years of stability in the midfield with Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu playing more than 60 tests together, Hansen has chopped and changed his squad during the current World Cup cycle and never settled on a first-choice combination.

Assistant coach Ian Foster, however, said there was no great mystery as to what was the preferred combination, with game plans and opposition proving the defining factor.

"We've always said we've got five great midfielders," Foster said, including Ngani Laumape in the mix.

"Through chance or injury or selection over the last couple of years, we've mixed and matched the combinations for a reason and we're delighted with whatever options we've got.

"We've got different strengths, different players, and we're excited about this one.

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