Jamaica were on a hiding to nothing as they made their way to Hull to take on a New Zealand side who were probably banking on an easy training run in a first meeting between the two nations. The bookies had given them a seventy-four point start on the coupon with most pundits thinking that they would be very lucky to avoid suffering their largest ever defeat which was a 56-4 loss to the England Knights last October.

New Zealand were without Dylan Brown who had been ruled out with illness amongst five changes made for what was billed as a straightforward win. There were three changes for Jamaica but plenty of familiar Super League names in their line up, but they were up against players who play every week in the NRL.

A win would almost guarantee New Zealand the quarterfinals, a loss for Jamaica would ensure that they couldn´t progress.

Jamaica had the first chance, forcing a goal line drop out in the opening two minutes. But on four minutes the Kiwi´s gave the ball some air down the right with Dallin Watene-Zelezniak taking a Joseph Manu pass to score a spectacular diving try in the corner. Kieran Foran hit the upright with his conversion attempt.

The second try was a carbon copy of the first, this time Watene-Zelezniak the provider to put Peta Hiku free to score in the right corner. Foran was again off target with the conversion attempt.

A delightful solo effort from Watene-Zelezniak saw him jink thirty metres to the line on fourteen, leaving the Jamaican tacklers in his wake. Foran finally found the target with his third attempt as New Zealand opened a 14-0 lead.

Jamaica was trailing on the score board, as expected, but winning plenty of friends with their adventurous play and attacking flair, particularly short kick-offs which were paying dividends.

On eighteen Watene-Zelezniak completed his hat-trick with an eighty-metre sprint downfield, wrongfooting the Jamaica tacklers, to score right of the posts. Foran missed the target again with his conversion attempt, not having the best night with the boot.

Just before the half hour mark Marata Niukore ducked under one tackle and fended off two tacklers to score from fifteen metres. Foran added the extras for 24-0, Jamaica frustrating the Kiwi´s.

On thirty-six Sebastian Kris opened his World Cup account as he took a looping pass down the left wing to go in from ten metres out. Foran squandered another chance from the touchline, now just twenty-five percent for the game.

Inside the last minute of the half Watene-Zelezniak broke down the left wing and put in a kick towards the posts which bounced once before being collected by Jeremy Marshall-King to ground in a crowd of New Zealand players. The try was scored under the uprights and this time Foran found his target for 34-0 at the interval.

Here minutes after the restart Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad burrowed under the Jamaica tacklers to ground for an easy try. Watene-Zelezniak took over the kicking duties and found the target to bring up the forty.

An easy walk-in try for Briton Nikora on fifty-three as he went in from twenty-metres without a single Jamaica hand laid upon him. Watene-Zelezniak added the extras for 46-0.

A Watene-Zelezniak break, and chip forwards, found Marshall-King to collect the ball ten metres out and slide over the line as two Jamaica tacklers attempted to stop him, it was the Kiwi´s tenth try of the game. Watene-Zelezniak was unable to add the conversion.

Despite getting cramp as he received the final pass, Watene-Zelezniak went in from five metres for his fourth try of the match. Foran reverted to the kicking duties and this time he hit the target from the side line.

Brandon Smith added a try on sixty-six with a scoot from dummy half to go in from eight metres out and score under the crossbar. Foran added the conversion for 62-0

Smith got his second on seventy-two, another scoot from dummy half after spotting a gap in the Jamaica defensive lie. Foran added the goal for 68-0, New Zealand at just under a point a minute.

On seventy-five Jamaica scored their first ever World Cup points, Ben Jones-Bishop dribbling the ball forwards after New Zealand failed to deal with a Kieran Rush kick through and then scooping it up and grounding. Rush added the conversion for 6-68. The crowd went crazy.

Jamaica were never going to win this game, and many pundits thought that they would do well to keep the Kiwi´s under three figures, so they will take a lot from this game, despite the scale of the eventual defeat. New Zealand will be a little frustrated that they couldn´t fill their boots as t hey would have wished, but they will be happy that they have made it into the knock-out stages with a game to spare. It´s Jamaica who everyone was talking about, they went out to entertain, and they entertained in buckets.

New Zealand: Nicoll-Klokstad (T), Watene-Zelezniak (4T, 2G), Hiku (T), Niukore (T), Kris (T), Manu, Foran (6G), Leota, Smith (2T), Fisher-Harris, Bromwich K, Nikora (T), Liu. Subs: Papali´i, Asofa-Solomona, Marshall-King (2T), Sorensen.

Jamaica: Jones-Bishop (T), Agoro, Johnson, Ogden, Simpson, Woodburn-Hall, Rush (G), Lawrence, Golding, Tomlinson, Wallace, Farrell, Brown. Subs: Bailey, Andrade, Ho, Thompson.

Half-Time: 34-0.

Full-Time: 68-6.

Score Progression: 4-0, 8-0, 12-0, 14-0, 18-0, 22-0, 24-0, 28-0, 32-0, 34-0 : HT : 38-0, 40-0, 44-0, 46-0, 50-0, 54-0, 56-0, 60-0, 62-0, 66-0, 68-0, 68-4, 68-6 : FT .

Lead Exchanges: New Zealand.

Referee: Marcus Griffiths.

Attendance: 6,800 at the MKM Stadium, Hull.