All Blacks spreading the word in San Diego

NEW Zealand’s debutants rose to Test level as the All Blacks dispatched their rivals Fiji in their final outing before next month’s Rugby Championship.

- BEN JAYCOCK

In a bid to grow rugby in the United States ahead of the 2031 men’s and 2033 women’s World Cups, the match was played in front of a healthy crowd at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. The All Blacks last played in the city back in 1980, beating the United States 53-6 where they attracted 10,000.

“It’s been amazing to come to San Diego,” All Blacks captain Scott Barrett said. “We want to thank the rugby community here. We really felt the support and there are fans from all over the place coming to watch and we really felt that love.

“Fiji certainly showed up tonight in the physical areas. It wasn’t fully polished, we have pretty high standards in this team. They were able to get their hands on the ball to turn it over at times but we created enough opportunities to turn into points.”