Lomu blasts through Italy

Italy 6 New Zealand 70

Jonah Lomu, New Zealand's winger, scored two superb tries as his side crushed Italy in Bologna on Saturday. The giant All Black was spoken to briefly by the Canadian referee George Gadjovich in the first half after tempers flared in a ruck, but he made amends in the second with two devastating solo runs.

After several years of steady progress, the Italian game was in shock yesterday. "We have gone back eight years," the sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport said.

Even a record turnout for rugby in Italy of 28,000 and the fact that Italy were tired from the recent Latin Cup and missing their star player Diego Dominguez was scant consolation.

New Zealand: Tries M Jones, Z Brooke, Little 2, Lomu 2, I Jones, Fitzpatrick, Rush, Wilson. Conversions: Culhane 7. Penalties: Culhane 2. Italy: Penalties Bonomi 2.

ITALY: M Ravazzolo; P Vaccari, S Bordon, I Francescato, F Mazzariol; M Bonomi, A Troncon; M Cuttitta (capt), C Orlandi, P Properzi, P Pedroni, M Giacheri, M Giovanelli, C Checchinato, A Sgorlon.

NEW ZEALAND: J Wilson; E Rush, F Bunce, W Little, J Lomu; S Culhane, S Forster; C Dowd; S Fitzpatrick (capt), O Brown, I Jones, R Brooke, B Larsen, Z Brooke.

Referee: G Gajovich (Canada).