A 10-minute period of Joey Manu madness has helped the Kiwis to a 34-12 win over Lebanon after Cedars half Adam Doueihi was sent off following a foul-mouthed tirade at the referee.

It wasn't all plain sailing for the Kiwis, with the Cedars giving an excellent account of themselves in the early stages of either half to test the World No.1's resolve.

The Cedars showed no fear throughout the contest and started strongly after winning the ball back from a tactical short kick-off that's likely to be, in some part, the work of coach Michael Cheika.

That tactic yielded immediate results, with a Mitchell Moses grubber spilling into the in-goal before being snapped up by Josh Mansour for the most unlikely of opening tries. Moses converted and the Cedars had made a statement of intent.

The underdogs started to throw the ball around early but paid the price following an error from fullback Jacob Kiraz. With their first sight of the line the Kiwis shifted quickly and a strong offload from Joey Manu found Kenneath Bromwich who barged over.

The Cedars retained their short-kick strategy and continued to frustrate the Kiwis, controlling the tempo of the game during the early stages.

But slowly the errors and penalties crept in, with the Kiwis being played up the field for their next try, coming in similar fashion to the first after Brandon Smith stood tall among three defenders to pop an offload to Nelson Asofa-Solomona, who was unstoppable from close range.

The Kiwis were running downhill now and went in again shortly after in simple fashion after Peta Hiku picked up the ball from dummy-half inside 10 metres, sold a dummy and went over on the short-side to help the Kiwis take an 18-6 lead.

Asofa-Solomona was involved in a number of incidents as the half progressed, with Lebanon fullback Jacob Kiraz taking exception to a high shot before Kiwis team-mate Joseph Tapine felt the wrath of the Storm enforcer following a brutal head-clash that saw the Raiders lock's head bleeding profusely.

The Cedars started the second half in similar fashion to the first, with a massive 40-20 from Adam Doueihi giving them a heap of momentum early, with Abbas Miski crossing the line from the subsequent set and bringing Lebanon back within six.

But that was when Manu decided to take it upon himself, first setting up a try for Dylan Brown in support before going on a sensational run of his own, shrugging off defenders with ease to find the line.

In the blink of an eye the margin had gone from six to 18 before Doeihi was sent for his tirade.

There was a mountain of confusion following the Tigers half's dismissal, but not from the Kiwis as Manu helped Rapana cross the line to put the margin beyond doubt.

After an enthralling 60-minute contest the final stages descended into an error-riddled display of anarchy, with neither team able to make the most of the opportunities that remained, seemingly already focused on the next contest.

The Cedars may even walk away from the contest more satisfied with their performance after a competitive display, but while the Kiwis were far from their best they won't be hitting the panic button yet, adjusting well to the late withdrawals of Moses Leota and Jahrome Hughes.

New Zealand 34 (Joey Manu, Jordan Rapana, Peta Hiku, Dylan Brown, Kenneath Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomona tries; Jordan Rapana 5 goals) def Lebanon 12 (Josh Mansour, Abbas Miski tries; Mitchell Moses 2 goals)