Rugby League World Cup: Crushing New Zealand win leaves Ireland facing exit

Ireland is facing a group-stage exit from the World Cup after being thrashed by New Zealand.

Ireland went ahead through Ed Chamberlain's penalty, but are now relying on a Jamaican favour against Lebanon on Sunday.

A total of 10 tries were scored by New Zealand.

Louis Senior scored two tries for Ireland, but they were defeated by a well-oiled New Zealand team.

New Zealand missed six conversions and had five different players on the score sheet.

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They finished top of the group with a 100% winning record and 150 points.

The winner of Group B will face the runner-up in the quarter-finals in Hull next weekend.

"I'm very happy where the players are," said Maguire. We need to concentrate on the next game because they are a tight-knit group of boys. I'm pretty sure it's going to be Fiji.

From a defensive point of view we were strong.

"We need to adapt a bit more with our attack, but it's another step forward to where we want to go."

Kiwis prove too good

An error-ridden and ill-disciplined defeat against Lebanon looked to have proved costly for Ireland, who started their campaign with a victory over Jamaica.

The Reggae Warriors, bottom of the group with two losses and a -108 points difference, need to win against Lebanon to claim what would be a huge surprise victory.

In the first international meeting between the two sides, Ireland's challenge was to defeat a New Zealand side that had won their last five matches.

The 40-metre penalty byChamberlain gave them a dream start, but hopes of a shock quickly disappeared as the excellent Hughes ran through a number of challenges to score.

Rapana then found acres of space down the right wing for an easy finish from Hughes' kick, while Hiku went in twice in between Senior's brilliant intercept effort, running clear from 30 metres out to cross.

The roar from the crowd in the South Stand was deafening, but it was the loudest cheer of the night.

Mulitalo's flying dive into the corner was one of the highlights of the game and gave the New Zealand's a good lead at the half.

New Zealand had a player sent to the sin-bin for a head-high tackle on Dan Morgan that was called a "dog shot" and "game-changing" by the ref.

Rapana sneaked in at the start of the second half, while Fisher-Harris broke through from a short pass, and Hughes got his second try of the game.

There was more pain for Ireland when Kenny Bromwich reacted fastest to the ball and Senior got a second, but it wasn't enough to stop New Zealand from recording their sixth straight victory.

It was a great occasion in front of a large crowd. The Irish came in numbers to feel the energy and heard the noise that made them want to go.

It was great for the game as a whole, it makes a difference for the players, staff and, on such a big stage, we got great support against one of the best sides in the world.