The second match for the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup in Japan was regarded as a mere formality even before it was played.

Of more interest was the presence of the three Barrett brothers – Scott, Beauden and Jordie – in the starting line-up for a historic first and to top it off they all got on the scoresheet as the awe-inspiring ABs steamrolled Canada 63-0 at a hot and humid Oita Stadium on Wednesday.

Buoyed by their clinical win against two-time former champions the Springboks in their opening encounter in Yokohama, Steve Hansen's side raised barely a sweat against the last qualifiers for this edition of the Webb Ellis Trophy.

The thumping bonus point win for the New Zealanders came with four tries in the first half and five more after the break as the two-time defending champions have now moved into second place behind Italy in Pool B with matches against minnows Namibia and the Italians to come.

The upbeat ABs were all charged up from the word go and TJ Perenara-led Haka showcased their grit and exuberance even against, arguably, the weakest side of the tournament.

Winger Jordie and his fullback Beauden crossed before the break while the third sibling, lock Scott, followed suit in the second half as three brothers created history by playing together for the ABs for the first time.

The New Zealanders dominated the game on the day the ABs lost one of their past legends and former captain Stan 'Tiny' Hill.

The black armbands-wearing ABs rolled on like a well-oiled machine and crushed their North American opponents, exploiting their pulverizing scrums and swift lineouts.

The record-breaking game also saw key ABs flanker Ardie Savea, who discovered several years ago that the vision in his left eye was deteriorating, became the first player to wear goggles in a Rugby World Cup match.

The loose forward, an important cog in the ABs' wheel, sported a pair of specially-designed glasses in order to save his vision and potentially help inspire visually-impaired children to take up the game.

In a lopsided game of overwhelming dominance in Oita, only the sweltering heat and the sauna-like humid conditions inside the stadium slowed down the high-flying ABs as they finished a long way from their 145-17 thrashing of Japan in 2007 – a record World Cup win.

Captain Kieran Read, who could face a penalty for not appearing to use his arms in a tackle on Lucas Rumball in the first half, spoke about the humidity factor at the post-match press conference.

"It was tough, the conditions made it tough but when we looked after the pill and really treasured it, we were able to put some tries on the board which is awesome," the number eight said.

The humidity factor was also blamed by head coach Hansen as he remarked after the match, "It was difficult conditions, people at home will be wondering why they were dropping a few balls, it was really, really difficult so I think they've done well."

Incidentally, Wednesday's win was also the ABs' second World Cup clean-sheet since they shut out Scotland with a 40-0 margin in 2007.

(Cover photo via VCG)