WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Flyhalf Dan Carter reclaimed rugby's international pointscoring record from England's Jonny Wilkinson, kicking 10 points as New Zealand thrashed South Africa 40-7 in a Tri-Nations test on Saturday.
Carter came into the match with 1,194 test points — one behind Wilkinson's tally of 1,195 — and seized the world record with his first successful penalty after only two minutes.
He ended the match with 1,204 points, nine points ahead of Wilkinson with whom he will battle for the record at the World Cup later this year. The All Blacks and England flyhalves have exchanged the record in recent northern and southern hemisphere seasons: Carter had it at the end of New Zealand's tour to Britain last November but Wilkinson reclaimed it during this season's Six Nations tournament.
Carter's goalkicking was below par in windy conditions Saturday — he landed four from eight attempts — but he was a perpetual attacking threat, tearing gaping holes in the defense of a depleted and generally inept Springboks lineup.
Winger Cory Jane outshone Carter, making a brilliant international comeback and pressing his case for World Cup selection by scoring two tries.
Jane was omitted from New Zealand's initial Tri-Nations squad after a poor Super 15 season and missed its opening test of the year against Fiji last week with a compound dislocation of a finger. But, named on Saturday to play his 23rd test and his first since October last year, Jane nudged his way into World Cup contention amid crowded competition for outside backs places.
"It's going to be difficult when it comes to that final World Cup selection, particularly out wide," All Blacks coach Graham Henry said. "Cory Jane was outstanding tonight so he's put his hand up, Zac Guildford put his hand up again so that wing and fullback position is really close."
Jane scored a sensational 33rd-minute try to help the All Blacks to an 18-7 lead by halftime and added another five minutes into the second spell to clinch New Zealand's four-try bonus point and its largest winning margin against the Springboks in a home test.
Left winger Zac Guildford also scored two tries on Saturday. He claimed his first in test matches in the 15th minute, two minutes after his Canterbury Crusaders teammate, prop Wyatt Crockett, had also scored his first try in tests. The quick double from Crockett and Guildford lifted New Zealand to a 13-0 lead after 15 minutes and gave it an ascendancy South Africa was unable to overcome.
Jane made a try from nothing in the 33rd minute, receiving the ball almost on halfway then using his acceleration and swerve to beat Springboks captain John Smit, then Steyn on a weaving, solo run to the line. His second try and Guildford's second broadened the All Blacks' lead to 33-7 after 65 minutes, then Guildford provided the last pass in a set move which created a try for replacement Colin Slade in the 70th minute.
South Africa made the bold but ill-fated decision to move 20-year-old Patrick Lambie to flyhalf after he was initially named to start a test for the first time at fullback, and to move seasoned No. 10 Morne Steyn from flyhalf to fullback. The move was a tactical failure in the first half. Lambie wasn't able to ignite the Springboks' attack, which relied on shreds of possession usually garnered under pressure, and Steyn was a brittle last line of defense.
Henry said the All Blacks had improved on their first-up, 60-14 win over Fiji but would have to improve further to test Australia in Auckland last week.
"I thought our kicking game was average at times," Henry said. "We didn't defend very well from the breakdown so we've got some work to do and the Australians will be a very good rugby side. If we don't improve in those areas we'll be in some trouble next week.
"We probably played about seven out of 10, we were about five out of 10 last week so it's getting better and if we can get another improvement next week that will be very satsifying."
The Springboks scored their only try after 29 minutes through their veteran captain Smit, whose 104 test caps outnumbered the combined tests of almost all of his current crop of teammates. South Africa chose to leave 21 frontline players at home during the Australian and New Zealand section of its Tri-Nations schedule and paid heavily, losing 39-20 to Australia last weekend and to the All Blacks by a margin which eclipsed their previous heaviest loss in New Zealand, by 28-0 in 2003.
"The scoreboard looks pretty ugly," Smit said. "It's the age-old rule against these blokes — you turn the ball over and you're going to pay."
Springboks coach Peter de Villiers said the Springboks' performance was not as bad as scoreboard indicated.
"If you look at the scoreboard you'll be very, very disappointed but if you look at how we sometimes controlled the game but couldn't convert our possession into points, that was more disappointing than anything," he said.
"We don't want to become a good losing side. As winning becomes a habit, so does losing and we don't want that kind of habit."
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Scorers:
New Zealand 40 (Cory Jane 2, Zac Guildford 2, Wyatt Crockett, Colin Slade tries; Dan Carter 2 conversions, 2 penalties), South Africa 7 (John Smit try; Morne Steyn conversion). HT: 18-7.
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