OITA, Japan —Two-time defending champions New Zealand ran nine tries past Canada in a 63-0 romp to strengthen their grip on Pool B while, in Fukuoka, France ran in three late tries against the United States to earn a vital bonus point in the 'group of death' with an erratic 33-9 win at the Rugby World Cup on Wednesday.

All three Barrett brothers – Jordie, Beauden and Scott – scored tries as the All Blacks totted up four before half-time and added another five in the second period.

Brad Weber, back in the All Blacks after being sidelined for four years, was the inspiration the defending champions needed to set their second half alight.

The quick-thinking Weber, coming on as a replacement at the start of the second half, scored two tries himself and was instrumental in the other three.

"I thought particularly that first half of the second half, they really came together and played good controlled rugby," said All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.

"In really difficult conditions -- the humidity is unbelievable, and whilst people at home will be wondering why we dropped a few balls, it's very, very difficult. So I think they've done well."

In a messy first half, where the clammy conditions inside the roofed Oita Stadium contributed to multiple handling errors, the All Blacks only led 28-0 at half-time.

But with Weber dictating the flow they doubled that score in a frenetic opening 10 minutes of the second half with four rapid tries.

They only scored one more as the energy-sapping conditions took their toll, but it was enough to post the highest score in this World Cup so far.

However, the All Blacks finished short of the 79-15 scoreline when they last played Canada at the 2011 World Cup.

The try-scoring Barrett brothers became the first sibling trio to start a World Cup match for the All Blacks, and history was also made late in the second half when Ardie Savea, who is battling vision problems, became the tournament's first player to wear protective goggles.

The New Zealanders, wearing black arm bands as a mark of respect for former All Blacks lock Stan 'Tiny' Hill, who died aged 92 just a few hours before kick off, needed only four minutes to get their first points on the board.

They were awarded a penalty try when Canada scrum-half Gordon McRorie dived into a scrum to prevent a pushover try.

Jordie Barrett latched on to a Richie Mo'unga cross-kick for the second try, and Sonny Bill Williams added the third with a simple dummy and sidestep for 21-0 lead after 16 minutes.

Canada had the crowd on their feet when a McRorie intercept put fly-half Peter Nelson in the clear, but he was cut down just short of the line by Beauden Barrett.

The plucky Canadians also turned down the chance of three easy points by electing for a lineout rather than a shot at goal when All Blacks skipper Kieran Read was penalised for a no-arms tackle.

It took until just before the break for the All Blacks to secure their four-try bonus point when Beauden Barrett snapped up a Williams grubber kick to cross near the posts.

Rieko Ioane, who has been in a form slump, needed only 43 seconds to open the second half scoring.

Scott Barrett, who spilled the ball when diving for the line in the first half, made no mistake when given a second opportunity before Shannon Frizell and Weber's double closed out the scoring.

"The way we dug in the last 20 minutes, I'm proud of the guys. They showed true Canadian grit," said Canada coach Kingsley Jones.

"Every one of them can look themselves in the mirror and be proud of their performance tonight."

Meanwhile, France ran in three late tries against the United States Wednesday to earn a vital bonus point.

Les Bleus were just 12-9 ahead with 13 minutes to go before Gael Fickou, Baptiste Serin and Jefferson Poirot dotted down to secure victory against the underdogs.

It was the type of inconsistent performance followers of French rugby have seen all too frequently -- breathtaking flair let down by a raft of handling errors.

But the bonus point keeps the pressure up on old enemy England, who play Argentina on Saturday in another Pool C clash of the heavyweights.

"It was a very difficult match but the important thing is that we won with a bonus point," said fly-half Camille Lopez, who picked up the man-of-the-match award.

USA captain Blaine Scully was delighted his team had been able to push France, three-time World Cup finalists, until the closing stages.

"It's where we want to be. We want to be testing ourselves in the best competitions against the best teams in the world," Scully said.

"We're not expecting any quarter and we don't expect them to give it to us."

France looked sharp at the outset, an incisive break by Lopez slicing open the United States midfield after just two minutes.

And Les Bleus were on the scoreboard four minutes later, a counter-attacking move ending in a sublime Lopez chip for winger Yoann Huget to dot down for a scintillating try.

USA coach Gary Gold had called on his team to improve "every aspect" of their game after they went down to England 45-7 and the Eagles held their own for the first quarter, as AJ MacGinty scored a penalty after some pressure on the French line.

But France extended their advantage after 24 minutes when Lopez's perfectly judged cross-field kick found Alivereti Raka in space on the right-hand touchline for a simple try.

The USA kept in the contest and MacGinty slotted another penalty on the half-hour mark, again the consequence of some sustained forward pressure as France lost their flow.

Huget's try aside, it was a patchy first-half performance from Les Bleus, a pre-match downpour and humid conditions making handling difficult.

France had a chance to register a third try when Sofiane Guitoune burst through on a mazy run but his long pass to Raka was adjudged forward.

Frustration grew for France as the handling errors increased and coach Jacques Brunel brought on a wealth of experience from the bench.

The only time the USA had ever beaten France in a 15-a-side match was in the 1924 Olympics – the last time rugby XVs featured in the games – but they came within three points with MacGinty's third penalty.

With the French supporters in the crowd starting to get nervous, centre Fickou finally put some daylight between the two sides, crashing over from short range for a try converted by Lopez to give the favorites a 19-9 lead.

And just two minutes later, Serin put the result beyond doubt with a try that again was created by another cross-field kick to Raka.

With the USA tiring and the clock running down, prop Poirot put the icing on the cake with a catch-and-drive pushover.

It was only the second time the two teams have met in a World Cup – France won the only other match 41-14 in 2003.

Next up for France is a match-up with the physical Tongans on October 6, before 'Le Crunch' with England in Yokohama that may decide who tops the group and earns a likely quarter-final clash against Australia.

"There's work to do. Still quite a lot of work to do, that's clear," Brunel told French television.

"We struggled to control the game. We made a lot of errors. We were destabilized, unbalanced."

Gold, so furious with his team after the England defeats, was effusive in his praise.

"We never gave up the fight, not for the full 80 minutes. Just so proud of everyone," said Gold. — AFP