Rugby World Cup Results 2015: New Zealand vs. Georgia Score, Updated Fixtures

World champions New Zealand were comprehensive 43-10 winners over Georgia at the Millennium Stadium on Friday in an intriguing Rugby World Cup clash.

The All Blacks ran in seven tries on the night to secure a bonus point, with Julian Savea grabbing a hat-trick. Waisake Naholo, Dane Coles, Kieran Read and Malakai Fekitoa also went over.

Although they began brightly with a converted try from Beka Tsiklauri and a penalty from Lasha Malaghuradze, the minnows offered very little as an attacking force.

Here's a look at the rest of the fixtures to come in what's set to be a brilliant weekend of rugby:

Date	Fixture	Venue	Pool	Time (BST)
Saturday, Oct. 3	Japan vs. Samoa	Stadiummk, Milton Keynes	B	2:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 3	South Africa vs. Scotland	St. James' Park, Newcastle	B	4:45 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 3	England vs. Australia	Twickenham, London	A	8 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 4	Argentina vs. Tonga	King Power Stadium, Leicester	C	2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 4	Ireland vs. Italy	Olympic Stadium, London	D	4:45 p.m.

Prior to the match, the Rugby World Cup Twitter account provided an indication of just how difficult a challenge Georgia was facing:

Within two minutes of the game getting underway, that challenge manifested into something tangible, as Naholo scorched through the centre of the field to go in under the posts. Dan Carter converted to put the All Blacks 7-0 up. But credit must go to a bullish Georgia XV, who roared back.

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It took them only three minutes, as Naholo, perhaps a little too cocksure after his earlier try, was caught dallying in possession and was turned over by Tsiklauri, who raced clear to tap down. Malaghuradze knocked over the additional points and Georgia were level. 

As we can see, courtesy of STV Sport, Tsiklauri savoured what was a historic moment, as the score moved to 7-7:

But that was to be the highlight of Georgia's evening on the big stage, as the All Blacks began to up the ante. Admittedly, they weren’t at their free-flowing best in the first period, but Savea was too quick and strong for the opposition in the eighth minute, searing down the outside to make it 12-7.

Malaghuradze reduced the deficit with a penalty not long after, but Georgia overcompensated at the scrum in the 17th minute, allowing space on the wing for Savea to get his second. Four minutes later, the All Blacks were in again after some swift interplay between Conrad Smith and skipper Richie McCaw allowed Coles to put the champions 22-10 ahead.

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Georgia dug in for the remainder of the half and managed to keep New Zealand off the scoresheet for the remaining 19 minutes. Indeed, a litany of handling errors and general complacencies wove their way into the All Blacks’ game. In addition, Carter, usually so reliable with the boot, missed three out of his four kick attempts in the first period.

After the break, Georgia continued to be obdurate, and the All Blacks continued to toil. As the clock ticked into the 51st minute, the underdogs had shut out New Zealand for 30 minutes of playing time. But a lapse in concentration saw the champions eventually get in again.

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Georgia made a mess of a lineout, which saw Read react quickest and bundle his way under the posts. This time, Carter couldn’t possibly miss, giving the All Blacks a 19-point lead at 29-10.

Meanwhile, ESPN’s Robert Bartlett was impressed with the efforts of the Georgian players and added some colour to the team’s primary aims at this World Cup:

McCaw hobbled off in the 61st minute for New Zealand, but it didn't look to be too much of a concern based on the flanker's demeanour. Without him on the field, Georgia did begin to show a little more attacking ambition, although the All Blacks always seemed to have another gear to move up into if needed.

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They did exactly that in the 74th minute, working a space out on the left flank, before a looping pass from Fekitoa found Savea, who made no mistake completing his hat-trick.

As BBC Sport noted, he's remarkably prolific at international level:

Carter continued his erratic night, fizzing a zinger of a kick from the touchline through the posts to make it 36-10, a due reminder of his indisputable class.

With Georgia clearly jaded at this juncture, there was even time for Fekitoa to get in on the act before the final whistle, adding some gloss to the scoreline with the seventh and final try of the night. Carter's conversion made the score 43-10, which was probably a little harsh on the minnows given the grit with which they defended throughout.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Georgia got the heavy beating so many anticipated, but it’s clear their focus is on the upcoming clash against Namibia, in which they’ll be hoping to take a step toward finishing third in Pool C, thus guaranteeing their spot at the 2019 World Cup. There are plenty of positives they can take from this too.

The world champions will be concerned by the handling errors that were commonplace throughout the 80 minutes, but it's little surprise they struggled to get into much of a rhythm against a team that only had intentions of defending. Against illustrious teams that are willing to go blow-for-blow, expect to see a lot more attacking panache from New Zealand.