Ireland claim historic first series win over New Zealand

An outstanding first-half performance helped Ireland pick up their first series victory over New Zealand, winning 32-22 in Wellington on Saturday.

This historic triumph on New Zealand soil is a landmark moment for Andy Farrell’s men and they were thoroughly deserving of the result at Sky Stadium.

First-half tries from Josh van der Flier, Hugo Keenan and Robbie Henshaw set them on their way before Rob Herring scored a crucial try on 65 minutes.

For New Zealand there will now be an inquest into how their showings have been so lacklustre, with the pressure mounting on head coach Ian Foster.

The hosts’ tries came via Ardie Savea, Akira Ioane and Will Jordan but a catalogue of errors yet again blighted their game as they now lick their wounds.

Members of Ireland’s triumphant squad were pictured in tears at the full-time whistle as they savoured arguably the greatest result in their side’s history.

Captain Johnny Sexton, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Monday, chipped in with 12 points, becoming the second man to surpass 1,000 in a green shirt.

Ireland only won away to New Zealand for the first time last weekend by bouncing back from a 42-19 drubbing in the Auckland opener to triumph 23-12 in Dunedin and set up the decider, with the momentum very much with them going into this fixture.

Head coach Farrell had expressed hope that his side had saved their best performance for the final Test.

The Englishman duly had his wished granted during a phenomenal opening 40 minutes packed with power and intensity before the Irish weathered a second-half storm intensified by the loss of prop Andrew Porter to a yellow card to take the series 2-1.

The outclassed All Blacks deserved credit for not rolling over but the sensational result piles further pressure on under-fire head coach Foster.

Ahead of kick-off, tears flowed during a rousing rendition of the New Zealand anthem before a stunned Sky Stadium was swiftly silenced.

Farrell described having a sniff of series success on Kiwi soil as “like gold dust” and for the third successive Saturday his side were rewarded for a rapid start with an early try.

Buzzing with intent, the Irish flew out of the blocks, culminating in flanker Van der Flier crashing over in the fourth minute to claim his eighth international score.

New Zealand made a total of five personnel changes from their dismal display in Dunedin after blindside flanker Ioane was a late replacement for Scott Barrett but initially showed few signs of improvement and often appeared rudderless.

The below-par hosts eventually gained some meaningful territory and reduced the deficit thanks to Jordie Barrett kicking a straightforward penalty, having squandered an earlier opportunity.

Yet Ireland quickly reasserted authority and took control of the scoreboard with some brilliant, free-flowing rugby.

They crossed for a second time in the 28th minute as Keenan burst clear to touch down wide on the left following a fine pass from James Lowe.

Further fine interplay from Dan Sheehan, Sexton and Bundee Aki then allowed Henshaw to gleefully exploit the All Blacks defence just before the break.

All Blacks lacking ideas

New Zealand were lacking leadership and ideas, while being constantly outwitted.

Ireland had no such issues and influential skipper Sexton coolly converted the second and third tries, either side of landing a long-range penalty, as he joined Ronan O’Gara in reaching four figures.

The panicky hosts were 22-3 behind at the break ― their biggest half-time deficit in 119 years of Test rugby.

Foster’s side desperately needed a response and were given a lifeline as Savea powered over inside four minutes of the restart, with Barrett slotting the conversion to kick-start a major momentum shift.

Ireland were soon down to 14 men as prop Porter was sin-binned for head-on-head contact with Brodie Retallick, leaving the Kiwis a little aggrieved after Angus Ta’avao was sent off following a similar incident last weekend.

Recalled back-rower Ioane then easily slipped through the Irish defence to claim his maiden Test try and help bring the hosts to within five points in a frantic period.

Sexton briefly settled Irish nerves with a penalty but agonisingly hit the crossbar with another attempt before being outpaced by the electric Jordan, who zoomed clear for a fine solo score to set up a nervy final 20 minutes.

Ireland desperately needed some stability and gained it five minutes later courtesy of replacement hooker Herring superbly stretching for the line to ultimately extinguish Kiwi hope.

The Irish dug in resolutely in the closing stages as they held on for a milestone result which lays down a marker ahead of next year’s World Cup in France.

England edge Australia in Sydney to take series 2-1

England sealed a memorable come-from-behind series victory over Australia after they won 21-17 at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

After losing the opening Test in Perth, the English completed an impressive turnaround as they backed up last week’s win with a second in the decider.

Tries from Freddie Steward and Marcus Smith were added to by the boot of Owen Farrell, who slotted three penalties and a conversion on the night.

For Australia their tries were scored by Tom Wright and Folau Fainga’a with Noah Lolesio adding seven points in a loss that will sting the Wallabies.

There were shades of 2016 when veteran scrum-half Danny Care was hooked in the 37th minute as the price for an error-ridden display that included a charged-down kick, knock-on and missed tackle.

Eddie Jones had seen enough and removed Care in the same way he had withdrawn Luther Burrell and Teimana Harrison in the first and third Tests six years ago.  On this occasion the change was rewarded with another solid shift from Jack van Poortvliet.

It could be the last time Care is seen in an England jersey given he has only just returned following nearly four years in international exile, and the same fate could face Guy Porter after his defensive shortcomings were exposed.

Otherwise it was a pleasing day for England, whose scruffy end-of-season performance failed to take the shine off a significant achievement that takes the newly created Ella-Mobbs Cup to Twickenham.

Australia had promised to fly out of the blocks after conceding early leads in the first two Tests and they backed up their words with actions as they grabbed the lead through a Lolesio penalty before creating a half-chance down the right.

Both sides made errors freely throughout the first half and it was a mistake that cost them a certain try when Nick Frost split a tricky pass from Taniela Tupou as England’s defence began to shake.

By now Tommy Freeman was starting to cause the Wallabies problems and when Farrell found the posts England were off the mark.

Just as Jones’ men were starting hit their stride, however, they were picked apart by a mesmerising try that began when Porter failed to tackle Marika Koroibete in midfield, providing the space for Nic White and Wright to combine until the latter went over.

Porter missed a tackle on Reece Hodge and then Koroibete charged through Care as England waved opposition runners through, although a second Farrell penalty at least kept them in the chase.

Danny Care hauled off by Eddie Jones

Jones had run out of patience with Care’s error-ridden display and replaced him with Van Portvliet;  shortly afterwards Freeman began to run amok out wide until Steward pierced the home defence.

Freeman continued to cause problems in the third quarter and England were beginning to take control with a breakaway try from Smith strengthening their position.

Moments after sending Ollie Chessum into space with a short pass, Smith leapt on Lolesio’s fumble which was in part a result of interference from Luke Cowan-Dickie and showed his pace to sprint over.

Crucial tackles from Van Poortvliet and Steward kept Australia out but the line eventually cracked when replacement hooker Fainga’a burrowed over.

England’s lead was now 21-17 but despite the onslaught they were facing, they showed impressive resilience to sweep over the finishing line.

South Africa see off stubborn Wales to earn series win

South Africa produced an improved performance to overcome Wales 30-14 in Cape Town on Saturday and win a thrilling series 2-1.

It also spared the blushes of the southern hemisphere giants after both New Zealand and Australia had succumbed to Ireland and England respectively earlier in the day.

The Springboks were dominant at the fundamentals, with the scrum, maul and kicking game putting significant pressure on their opponents.

They duly went into the break 17-8 in front thanks to Bongi Mbonambi and Handre Pollard tries, while the fly-half also added two conversions and a penalty.

Wales remained in contention via Tommy Reffell’s try and Dan Biggar’s penalty before they got to within touching distance as the pivot added two more off the tee in the second period.

But South Africa were simply too strong and secured the victory when Siya Kolisi touched down and Pollard kicked a brace of penalties late on.

Just four months after losing at home to Italy in the Six Nations, Wales will rightly view the tour as being successful in so many ways, particularly with one eye on next year’s World Cup.

And they also made history through their victory in Bloemfontein that saw them become the first Wales team to beat the Springboks on South African soil.

Ultimately, though, South Africa had too much in the tank for a Wales team that gave it everything.

The visitors suffered a late blow when number eight Taulupe Faletau was ruled out after the warm-up, suffering an injury to his side, with Josh Navidi replacing him and Taine Basham joining the substitutes.

Gareth Anscombe ― Wales’ second Test matchwinner when he kicked a late touchline conversion ― missed out because of a rib injury, so Rhys Patchell took over on the bench, and one enforced change in the starting line-up saw wing Josh Adams take over from the injured Alex Cuthbert.

The loss of such an experienced operator as Faletau would have hit Wales hard, and they almost fell behind in the fourth minute.

Springboks centre Lukhanyo Am kicked into space and wing Makazole Mapimpi gathered before crossing Wales’ line, but replays showed his left foot in touch and the try was rightly ruled out.

Pollard then kicked a short-range penalty, and there was a real intensity about South Africa, with full-back Damian Willemse and Damian de Allende both going close to touching down before relentless pressure was rewarded through a Pollard try that he also converted.

A slippery playing surface made life difficult for both teams, but Wales showed plenty of character and scored from their first attack when Reffell claimed his first Test try following strong approach work by Adams and George North.

Wales’ penalty count quickly mounted up, conceding eight in the first 25 minutes, yet South Africa only held a 10-5 lead, which seemed scant reward for their territorial dominance.

When Wales had possession, they looked to move it quickly, although both sides lost players with injuries as wing Cheslin Kolbe and Wales flanker Dan Lydiate were both forced off.

Maul power

Biggar kicked a penalty seven minutes before half-time, but South Africa then struck from a close-range lineout, driving Wales defenders backwards before Mbonambi touched down to mark his 50th cap in style.

Pollard added the conversion, and Wales arrived at the interval facing a 17-8 deficit.

Pivac made two changes for the second period, sending on hooker Dewi Lake and prop Sam Wainwright, and another Biggar penalty cut the gap to six points.

South Africa should have scored a third try shortly afterwards, but scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse’s pass was adjudged forward and Am was denied after breaching Wales’ defence.

Biggar completed his penalty hat-trick after 48 minutes, yet South Africa responded within five minutes through a Kolisi try that Pollard converted, and the Springboks led 24-14.

And two more Pollard penalties in the final minutes closed out the game as South Africa ensured a winning send-off into their Rugby Championship campaign that begins against New Zealand in three weeks’ time.

Emiliano Boffelli the hero as Argentina stun Scotland

Wing Emiliano Boffelli touched down with the clock in the red as Argentina claimed a stunning 34-31 triumph over Scotland.

Gregor Townsend’s men were the better team for the majority of the first half, despite only going into the break with a one-point buffer.

Duhan van der Merwe and Ewan Ashman both touched down to give them a 14-13 advantage at the break, with Santiago Carreras’ try and two Boffelli penalties providing the hosts’ response.

Scotland then started the second period brightly and appeared to have put the match out of Argentina’s reach when Ashman and Van der Merwe crossed the whitewash once again.

Los Pumas had other ideas, however, and after Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro and Gonzalo Bertranou had brought them back into contention, Boffelli went over late on to complete a superb comeback.

Scotland had made eight changes following their second-Test victory with full-back Ollie Smith making his debut, and they came to life in the 13th minute.

Blair Kinghorn squeezed through two opponents and offloaded to Van der Merwe to power over the line.

Boffelli was soon involved as Argentina responded.  The 27-year-old set up Carreras to go over and then kicked the hosts 10-7 in front.

The action continued as Ashman powered over after a lineout maul and Kinghorn added his second conversion.

Boffelli reduced the arrears with a penalty and Kinghorn hit the bar with a long-range penalty attempt in the final minute of the half.

Scotland took control in the opening 10 minutes of the second period.

Ali Price fed Kinghorn, whose quick pass allowed Ashman to cross out wide.

Van der Merwe then cut inside to follow up some good ball-carrying from his forwards to go over again.  Kinghorn’s kicking put Scotland seemingly well in command, but the hosts hit back inside three minutes.

Argentina’s comeback

A needless penalty allowed Argentina to put the Scots under pressure and Tetaz Chaparro went over after the five-metre scrum.

Scotland’s pack helped them settle and Kinghorn kicked the visitors 11 points in front with 15 minutes left.

Argentina refused to buckle and Bertranou scored from close range in the 67th minute.

With Scotland four points in front, they passed up the chance to kick a penalty and Jonny Gray was held up as he forced his way over the line following the lineout.

Dave Cherry put in some big hits and Price produced a try-saving tackle as Scotland tried to withstand the pressure, but Boffelli had the final say when he dived over and then added a final flourish by kicking from the touchline.

Ireland bounce back with win over Māori All Blacks

Ireland clinched a deserved 30-24 victory against the Māori All Blacks in Tuesday’s July international in Wellington.

After suffering a 32-17 defeat in the first encounter of their two-match series against the New Zealand indigenous team, this was a much improved performance from Ireland’s midweek outfit.

Both sides scored four tries apiece with Jordan Larmour leading the way for Ireland with a brace while Nick Timoney and Gavin Coombes also crossed the whitewash and Ciaran Frawley added 10 points courtesy of two conversions and as many penalties.

The Māori All Blacks’ points came via a penalty try and further five-pointers from Shaun Stevenson, Ruben Love and Brad Weber, while Josh Ioane added a conversion.

The Māori were fastest out of the blocks and just two minutes after kick-off their backs created space, after a lineout inside Ireland’s 22, before Stevenson ran onto a pass from Ioane and crossed for the opening try.

Five minutes later, Ireland caught the Māori napping when Keith Earls took a quick throw-in at a lineout just inside the home side’s half.  He found Larmour, who raced away before dotting down under the posts.

Frawley added the extras and with the visitors holding a two-point lead they became more confident in their approach as they took the fight to their opponents.

The next 20 minutes was an arm wrestle as both sides tried to gain the ascendancy and it was the visitors who would ultimately do that as they finished the half as the stronger of the two sides.

In the 25th minute, Frawley extended Ireland’s lead when he slotted a penalty after Kurt Eklund infringed at a ruck.  The visitors suffered a setback two minutes later, however, when Cian Prendergast was yellow carded for tackling Isaia Walker-Leawere without retreating 10 metres when the hosts played quickly after being awarded a penalty just outside Ireland’s 22.

However, in the 32nd minute the Māori were also reduced to 14 men when Ollie Norris received a yellow card for a cynical defensive foul close to his try-line.  Ireland set up a lineout maul from the resulting penalty and after a couple of strong drives, Timoney powered his way over the whitewash from close quarters.  Frawley slotted the conversion to give Ireland a 17-5 half-time lead.

The second half started brightly for Ireland when, soon after the restart, Frawley added his second penalty after Walker-Leawere was blown up for taking out Timoney illegally at a ruck.

Five minutes later, the hosts reduced the deficit courtesy of their penalty try after Alex Nankivell was tackled without the ball close to Ireland’s try-line.  Larmour was the guilty party and he was also sent to the sin bin for his indiscretion.

Strong finish

Despite that setback, the Irish did well not to concede points while Larmour was off the field.  Ireland eventually extended their lead in the 67th minute when Coombes burrowed his way over the try-line from close quarters and although Frawley was off target with the conversion attempt, the visitors had their tails up with the score 25-12 in their favour.

The Māori needed a response and that came in the 69th minute when Love crossed for his try after trading passes with Cullen Grace, but they suffered a blow soon after when Stevenson was also yellow carded for deliberately knocking down a Joey Carbery pass just inside Ireland’s half.

Ireland secured the result when Larmour went over for his second try in the 77th minute ― after good work from Stuart McCloskey in the build-up ― before Weber scored a consolation try for the home side in the game’s dying moments.

Wales strike late to seal historic win over South Africa

A late converted try helped Wales to an historic first win over the Springboks on South African soil as they prevailed 13-12 in Bloemfontein.

With just two minutes remaining the Welsh crossed for the game’s only try when the ball was spread wide to Josh Adams for the score and Gareth Anscombe kept his cool to land the crucial conversion, which proved to be the match-winning points.

Victory means that the series is now locked up at 1-1 with a Test remaining in Cape Town next weekend when South Africa are set to recall their big names.

The other points for Wales in the game on Saturday came via a penalty apiece from Dan Biggar and Anscombe while Handre Pollard kicked four for the Boks.

Wales, who saw Biggar and wing Alex Cuthbert go off injured, had lost 11 successive Tests in South Africa, stretching back to 1964.

But just over three months after losing at home to Italy, they stunned the world champions.

The game lacked sparkle and attacking invention ― unlike last weekend’s 32-29 thriller in Pretoria ― yet Wales will not care a jot.

Wing Cuthbert returned to Wales’ starting line-up as a solitary change from the first Test, replacing Adams, while uncapped Saracens prop Sam Wainwright was on the bench.

Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber retained only lock Eben Etzebeth, but returning star names such as Pollard and former World Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit were notable arrivals in the three-match series.

South Africa infringed from the kick-off, with flanker Du Toit offending, and Biggar kicked Wales into a 3-0 lead.

The Springboks soon found momentum, though, with Test debutants Kurt-Lee Arendse and number eight Evan Roos threatening Wales’ line before Pollard booted an equalising penalty.

Biggar then missed a long-range penalty, and a cagey opening saw both sides resembling sparring boxers.

Wales suffered an injury blow when Cuthbert made a 17th-minute exit, and Adams ― top try-scorer at the 2019 World Cup ― took over from him.

Roos continued to be a handful for Wales’ defence, and South Africa’s forwards established a degree of momentum that meant the tourists spent a long spell inside their own 22.

But Wales’ defensive organisation, aligned to superb work at the breakdown from flanker Tommy Reffell, meant South Africa could find no way through and it remained all square.

Wales had weathered a storm, with Leicester forward Reffell’s towering work being matched by the efforts of his back-row colleagues Dan Lydiate and Taulupe Faletau.

Both teams had half-chances, but defences dominated to such an extent that errors were forced, with Springboks and Harlequins centre Andre Esterhuizen dropping a straightforward midfield pass.

An attritional first half ended with no addition to the early scoring, and Wales still very much in the hunt as they targeted a series-levelling victory.

Pollard landed penalties

Pivac sent on scrum-half Tomos Williams instead of Kieran Hardy for the second period, while Nienaber introduced hooker Malcolm Marx and prop Vincent Koch.

Cuthbert, meanwhile, had his arm in a sling on the sidelines, while Biggar took a hefty blow on his shoulder before continuing after treatment.

Pollard kicked South Africa into the lead with a 43rd-minute penalty, before Biggar missed a comfortable chance for a marksman of his quality.

Biggar left the action and was replaced by Anscombe after 52 minutes, while Pollard completed his penalty hat-trick for a 9-3 advantage.

Wales then saw Alun Wyn Jones sin-binned, but it was a tough decision by referee Angus Gardner and his officiating team.

Jones protested his innocence before leaving the field, and a fourth Pollard penalty put South Africa nine points clear, but substitutes Adams and Anscombe had the final dramatic say and the Springboks were silenced.

Ireland seal first win over All Blacks in New Zealand

Ireland delivered an excellent all-round performance as they sealed a deserved 23-12 triumph over the All Blacks in Dunedin ― their first victory in this fixture on New Zealand soil.

The All Blacks were their own worst enemy as their discipline let them down and they had to play most of the match with 14 men after Angus Ta’avao was red carded for a dangerous hit on Garry Ringrose.

Ta’avao had come onto the field as a replacement for Ofa Tu’ungafasi, who had received New Zealand’s second yellow card after Leicester Fainga’anuku was also sent to the sin bin earlier on.

In the end, both sides scored two tries apiece with Andrew Porter crossing for both of Ireland’s five-pointers, while their other points came via the boot of Johnny Sexton, who succeeded with three penalties and two conversions.

For the All Blacks, Beauden Barrett and Will Jordan crossed the whitewash with Jordie Barrett adding a conversion.

New Zealand cruised to a 42-19 success in Auckland last weekend but their quest to clinch series glory at the first opportunity was undermined by repeated infringements.

Front-row Ta’avao was sent off for ploughing into the head of Ringrose at the end of a chaotic 15-minute first-half spell.

Referee Jaco Peyper was in the thick of things and could arguably have punished the ragged hosts more severely.

Barrett’s improvised five-pointer and a late Jordan try gave the depleted Kiwis hope but they proved powerless to prevent a first home defeat to their opponents having won the previous 12 meetings.

Ireland arrived at Forsyth Barr Stadium bruised from being blown away at Eden Park.

Andy Farrell’s men once again made a rapid start and, on this occasion, went ahead inside three minutes.

Leinster prop Porter bulldozed over at the end of sustained Irish pressure, with Sexton adding the extras and then landing a long-range penalty forced by the doggedness of Caelan Doris.

New Zealand were struggling to make an impact and were hampered by repeated indiscretions during a frantic opening period in which they were twice down to 13 men.

Winger Fainga’anuku was perhaps fortunate to escape a red card following a reckless charge down on Mack Hansen before prop Tu’ungafasi joined him in the sin bin for tackling Ringrose off the ball to deny the Irish a second try.

Ta’avao was brought on as front-row cover for Tu’ungafasi but promptly dismissed with a bloodied face in the 31st minute following a sickening head-on-head contact with Ringrose, who departed to be replaced by Bundee Aki.

South African official Peyper was at the centre of the gripping action.

He should have briefly reduced New Zealand to 12 men due to their foul play temporarily leading to uncontested scrums.

Amid the chaos, Ireland struggled to manage the game and squandered numerous chances to stretch the scoreboard before being pegged back just before the break.

New Zealand were rewarded for relentless pressure as Beauden Barrett dived over after the ball squirted out of a ruck, with brother Jordie adding the conversion.

That score left Ireland just 10-7 ahead at the interval and also down to 14 men for the restart after vice-captain James Ryan was moments earlier shown a yellow card for cynically stopping a quick-tap penalty.

Ireland regained their composure during the break and were rewarded for their patience.

Porter ― who had only scored two international tries in his career before kick-off ― again battered his way over, just before lock Ryan returned to bolster the ranks.

Excellent goal-kicking

Influential Sexton retained his 100 per cent kicking record, slotting the conversion and then adding two important penalties to steer his side home.

The fly-half, who turns 37 on Monday, later departed the field gingerly following a painful slip, albeit he was fit enough to return for a post-match interview.

New Zealand pushed for a way back into the contest but were repeatedly thwarted by the immense Irish defence before substitute Jordan eventually claimed a late consolation.

Having surrendered momentum in the series, the All Blacks will need to regroup ahead of next weekend’s titanic showdown in the capital.

England withstand Australia comeback to level series

England’s first-half surge proved to be enough to level the series at 1-1 as they overcame Australia 25-17 in Brisbane on Saturday.

The Red Rose dominated the opening period, going 19-0 ahead through Billy Vunipola’s try and 14 points from the boot of Owen Farrell.

Dave Rennie’s men responded via Taniela Tupou just shy of the interval before Farrell moved the visitors 22-7 in front in the early stages of the second half.

This Wallabies side has plenty of spirit, however, and got back into the clash when Samu Kerevi touched down and Noah Lolesio added a three-pointer.

Australia were within a converted try at that stage but Farrell’s penalty proved to be enough as England set up a winner-takes-all clash in Sydney.

The build up to the clash in Sydney will be about patching together battered playing squads, but Eddie Jones will also have plenty of highlights to pour over next week as England started like a freight train.

In the opening five minutes there were wins across the field, most crucially a try for Vunipola from a slickly-worked line-out move.

The tone had been set by Ellis Genge in the opening seconds when he ran through Michael Hooper and full-back Jordan Petaia departed with concussion to escalate the Wallabies’ problems.

Farrell added two penalties to his conversion to extend England’s lead to 13-0 but there were tense moments when referee Andrew Brace examined replays of Genge roughing up Nic White on the floor before opting against a card.

Izaia Perese had come on as Petaia’s replacement but he was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on and once more Farrell was on target, although Australia were lucky they did not concede a penalty try.

England continued to dominate, taking the Wallabies apart up-front and pouring through gaps, while their kicking game was far more evident than in the first Test.

It was hard to see a way back for Australia when Farrell rounded off another spell of total control with his fourth penalty, but a powerful scrum ignited their attack and a first visit to the 22 of the match ended with a try for Tupou.

A further setback came when Itoje departed following a heavy collision with Noah Lolesio and Perese was next to add to the body count when he left the pitch with a knee injury.

Australia’s response

Just as Farrell appeared to have settled England with three points, a dropped restart by Ollie Chessum allowed Australia to build pressure and once Tupou had almost gone over Kerevi arrived to finish the job.

Marcus Smith was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, Lolesio was on target from the kicking tee and suddenly Jones’ side’s lead had been cut to 22-17.

England launched an attack but it lacked the conviction evident earlier and they were soon pinned back in their own 22 following brilliant counter play by wing Tom Wright.

Errors were costing the Wallabies and when Jack Nowell launched a tackle-busting run the tide turned, Farrell was on hand to finish the job.

Scotland claim four-try victory over Argentina in Salta

Scotland bounced back from last week’s defeat as they turned the tables on Argentina in Salta, winning the second Test 29-6 on Saturday.

Tries from Hamish Watson, Mark Bennett, Matt Fagerson and Sam Johnson saw Gregor Townsend’s men to a morale-boosting victory on the road.

Blair Kinghorn and Ross Thompson contributed off the kicking tee while for Argentina their points arrived via two penalties from Emiliano Boffelli.

Scotland had trailed 6-3 before Watson gave them a narrow advantage three minutes before the break.

But Townsend’s side took control in the third quarter of the match, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half to tie the series at 1-1.

Watson won his 50th cap as Scotland made five changes from the side beaten 26-18 by Los Pumas seven days earlier.

Dave Cherry, Sam Skinner and Rory Darge returned to the pack and scrum-half Ben White made his first start after getting the nod over Ali Price.

Scotland made a fast start on a blisteringly hot afternoon and Kinghorn landed a simple fourth-minute penalty.

But Edinburgh full-back Boffelli levelled the scores before the contest descended into an arm wrestle with both sides guilty of careless handling errors.

Argentina failed to take advantage of Santiago Carreras scything through before Scotland squandered a similar opportunity.

Darcy Graham set up a thrilling attack by collecting a high ball under pressure, but his fellow wing Duhan van der Merwe was forced into touch with the Argentina defence at full stretch.

Carreras’ skills ― be it with ball in hand or kicking around the fringes ― continued to cause problems, and White’s high tackle on Rodrigo Bruni gave Boffelli an easy penalty.

Scotland, however, seized the lead again just before the break after they had chosen to ignore a straightforward three points in front of the posts and go for the corner.

Argentina were unable to defend a driving line-out and Watson marked his milestone appearance by burrowing over for his seventh Test try.

Scotland extended their lead within two minutes of the restart after Darge and Pierre Schoeman smashed holes in the home defence.

Bennett sliced through to score

White set up Bennett, who cut an excellent line to score his second try in as many weeks, and Kinghorn converted for a 15-6 lead.

Guido Petti appeared to give Argentina hope when storming over, but the score was disallowed for a forward pass from wing Juan Imhoff earlier in the move.

Argentina had a mountain to climb after Boffelli was shown a yellow card after 52 minutes for killing the ball.

Scotland took full advantage as Fagerson barrelled over for his first Test try and replacement Thompson added the extras.

Los Pumas’ misery continued when Carreras seemed certain to score but lost the ball under pressure from Darge.

Scotland put the seal on victory when Johnson charged onto Price’s pass and Thompson converted.

The series will now be decided in next Saturday’s third game in Santiago del Estero.

France given a scare by Japan in Tokyo

France battled back from an eight-point half-time deficit to record a 20-15 victory over Japan in their July international in Tokyo on Saturday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was a hard-fought battle and Japan will be kicking themselves as they held the lead for long periods until a superb try from Baptiste Couilloud late in the second half sealed France’s win and a 2-0 series triumph.

The visitors’ other points came via a five-pointer from Matthis Lebel, while Matthieu Jalibert and Maxime Lucu succeeded with a penalty and a conversion apiece.  For Japan, Ryohei Yamanaka scored a brace of tries and Seungsin Lee slotted a penalty and a conversion.

France held the upper hand during the opening exchanges and took the lead in the ninth minute when Lebel rounded off after running onto a skip pass from Virimi Vakatawa.

Lucu added the extras but it didn’t take long for the hosts to respond and they did it in style when Yamanaka crossed for a deserved five-pointer.  This, after Gerhard van den Heever found himself in space and set off on a 30-metre run down the left-hand touchline before offloading to Yamanaka, who dotted down.

Although they failed to convert, that try was a shot in the arm for the Brave Blossoms as they soon took control of proceedings.

Lee succeeded with a penalty midway through the half and with the score 8-7 in their favour, the home side continued to hold the edge as the half progressed.

France battled to gain momentum and seemed shell-shocked by the ferocity of their opponents’ onslaught.  And on the stroke of half-time Yamanaka was rewarded with his second try, scored in similar fashion to his first when he gathered an inside pass close to France’s try-line from Michael Leitch before crossing the whitewash.

That meant Japan were leading 15-7 at half-time but France reduced the deficit to five points by the 45th minute when Lucu added a penalty.  The next 15 minutes were evenly contested with a Jalibert three-pointer off the kicking tee the only points during that period.

With time running out on the clock, Les Bleus desperately needed a five-pointer and that came in the 68th minute courtesy of that moment of magic from Couilloud, who caught the hosts’ defence by surprise when he launched a break off the back of a scrum midway between the halfway line and Japan’s 22 before crossing for a deserved try under the posts.

There was drama in the game’s closing stages when Japan thought they had drawn level after Tevita Tatafu crossed the whitewash off the back of a lineout deep inside France’s 22.  His effort was disallowed, however, when television replays revealed he had lost control of the ball while dotting down.

The closing minutes were frantic as the Brave Blossoms spent most of that time camped in France’s half but the visitors held on for the win.

Late Damian Willemse penalty breaks Wales hearts

South Africa came from 18-3 behind to claim a 32-29 victory over Wales, but they were indebted to Damian Willemse who kicked a last-minute penalty to snatch the win.

Wales defended superbly in the opening exchanges and took their chances when they presented themselves.

Louis Rees-Zammit showed his searing speed to touch down twice while Dan Biggar kicked a conversion, a penalty and a drop-goal to give Wayne Pivac’s men an 18-3 lead at the break.

The Springboks’ response came through an Elton Jantjies three-pointer but he was replaced at the start of the second period and Willemse did a much better job in the fly-half position.

They were able to build pressure and eventually touched down twice via their trusty maul as Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx went over.

Two more Biggar three-pointers kept the hosts at arm’s length but the Boks were unrelenting and Cheslin Kolbe crossed the whitewash to move South Africa to within touching distance of the tourists.

A penalty try ― once again via their lineout drive ― took the home side into the lead and led to Wales going down to 12 men as Rhys Carre followed Alun Wyn Jones and Rees-Zammit into the bin.

Jones returned to help the visitors level matters when Dewi Lake scored, but there was late heartbreak for Pivac’s charges when a deliberate Biggar knock-on resulted in Willemse kicking the winning points.

A minute’s silence was held before kick-off in memory of former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain Phil Bennett, who died last month, while the Wales players wore black armbands.

And Wales scored a try after just three minutes that would have thrilled Bennett, with a flowing move ending in Liam Williams sending wing Rees-Zammit clear, and the Gloucester speedster cruised home from 35 metres out.

Biggar underlined the quality of his team’s start by landing a 40-metre drop-goal that left South Africa eight points adrift inside the first 10 minutes.

The Springboks needed a response, but a long-range Jantjies penalty hit one post and then struck the other before bouncing to safety from a Welsh perspective.

Jantjies made no mistake off the tee three minutes later, though, before Biggar cancelled out that penalty and the opening quarter ended with Wales 11-3 ahead.

Jantjies then missed another penalty, and he also struggled tactically, but his sharp break put Wales under pressure, only for the visitors to claim a second try eight minutes before half-time.

Centre Nick Tompkins’ challenge on Jantjies saw the ball bounce clear, and Rees-Zammit kicked ahead before gathering possession and surging clear for his second try.

Biggar’s conversion made it 18-3, and although the skipper was then yellow-carded for slowing the ball down after a try-saving tackle on Springboks scrum-half Faf de Klerk, South Africa had a mountain to climb, trailing by 15 points at the break.

The comeback

South Africa had to start eating into Wales’ lead, and they claimed their first try after 46 minutes when Mbonambi was driven over by his fellow forwards.

Full-back Willemse added the conversion after moving to fly-half instead of a substituted Jantjies, before Biggar rejoined the action.

South Africa, helped by their enviable strength off the replacements’ bench, had Wales on the back foot, while the visitors saw substitute prop Tomas Francis taken off after suffering what appeared to be a nasty injury.

And before Wales could regroup, the Springboks struck again, as replacement hooker Marx touched down, making it 18-15.

Biggar kicked two penalties during a six-minute spell either side of the hour mark, which meant Wales went into the final quarter with a nine-point advantage.

The Springboks hit back, though, through a try for wing Kolbe that Willemse converted from the touchline, before Jones was yellow-carded for being offside in the build-up to Kolbe’s score.

Rees-Zammit was also sin-binned following a technical infringement, reducing Wales to 13 players, and South Africa went ahead with a penalty try after Wales collapsed a maul, before Carre became their third player in the sin-bin at the same time.

Incredibly with three minutes left, Wales drew level through Lake’s try, but Biggar was then guilty of a deliberate knock-on and Willemse kicked the match-winner.

14-man Wallabies end winless streak against England

The Wallabies had Darcy Swain sent off early on but still managed to seal a 30-28 triumph against England in their July international in Perth on Saturday.

Swain received his marching orders for headbutting Jonny Hill in the 34th minute but the Wallabies dug deep and secured the result, which is their first victory over Eddie Jones’ team in nine attempts.

Both sides scored three tries apiece with Jordan Petaia, Folau Fainga’a and Pete Samu dotting down for the hosts while Noah Lolesio added 15 points after succeeding with three penalties and as many conversions.

Ellis Genge, Henry Arundell and Jack van Poortvliet crossed the whitewash for England and their other points came via the boot of Owen Farrell, who slotted three penalties and two conversions.

It is England’s fourth successive defeat and the second match in a row that they have been unable to finish off 14-man opposition after being routed by the Barbarians at Twickenham in their most recent outing.

The story of the first half was the Wallabies’ dwindling body count as they lost Quade Cooper, Tom Banks and Allan Alaalatoa to injury before Swain was sent off.

Losing veteran fly-half Cooper to a calf injury during the warm-up was unfortunate, but Swain’s removal from play was entirely self-inflicted as he clearly struck Hill off the ball in the 34th minute, forcing referee James Doleman to act.

Hill was sin-binned for provoking his fellow lock, mainly by pulling his hair as the two tussled during and after a maul, and the Exeter man had been lucky to escape punishment for a shove in his rival’s face earlier in the half.

Perth was hosting the world’s fifth and sixth-ranked nations and both performed like the middling teams their positions suggested in a scrappy and chaotic match played out in front of a crowd of 47,668.

Genge crossed for England in the third quarter but Australia hit back through Petaia and when Cooper’s replacement Lolesio nailed a tricky conversion, the hosts were in front.

Hooker Fainga’a delivered the fatal blow in the 69th minute and there was no way back for England who by now were coming apart at the seams, at least until London Irish’s teenage sensation Arundell came on to tear the home defence to pieces.

In a worrying pattern, Jones’ men grew worse as the match went on because they started by showing several pleasing flourishes in attack with Joe Cokanasiga prominent.

Tom Curry ― who failed to reappear for the second half because of a failed HIA ― was sent charging into space and his long pass found Joe Marchant but the centre was brilliantly tackled by Marika Koroibete, whose defence had saved a certain try.

England’s lead built through Farrell’s boot and while still reeling from the loss of Cooper, Australia saw Banks leave the field on the medical cart after breaking his arm when falling awkwardly.

Alaalatoa was the next to exit as he rose unsteadily from the bottom of a ruck and the penalty count continued to rise, enabling Lolesio to land three points.

Early exit

And in the most dramatic departure yet, Swain was sent off after losing his cool amid ongoing provocation by Hill.

For all the setbacks, the Wallabies were clinging on and they entered half-time level through a second Lolesio penalty before taking the lead for the first time shortly after the interval.

It did not last long as Genge finished a line-out maul in the right corner and England pressed again in the same area of the field, but the Wallabies were rescued close to their line by the breakdown excellence of captain Michael Hooper.

Farrell had missed his last two shots at goal but he was on target in the 61st minute, although the Wallabies were back in front when Petaia dived over in the left corner to round off some smart build-up, with Samu Kerevi heavily involved.

Billy Vunipola was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Hooper and Australia’s tails were up as Fainga’a found a path through the middle of a maul.

Samu completed the Wallabies’ scoring before replacements Arundell and Van Poortvliet touched down in the closing stages to give England something to celebrate.

Clinical All Blacks power past Ireland in Auckland

The All Blacks made a statement of intent when they clinched a 42-19 victory against Ireland in their July international at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.

As the scoreline suggests, New Zealand were deserved winners as they dominated proceedings for long periods and eventually outscored their visitors by six tries to three.

Jordie Barrett contributed 17 points courtesy of a five-pointer and six conversions and the All Blacks’ other tries were scored by Ardie Savea (2), Sevu Reece, Quinn Tupaea and Pita Gus Sowakula.

For Ireland, Keith Earls, Garry Ringrose and Bundee Aki crossed for tries while Joey Carbery added two conversions.

Ireland capitulated following a strong start and lost captain Johnny Sexton to injury as New Zealand delivered a clinical performance.

Earls scored his 35th international try inside six minutes as Andy Farrell’s side flew out of the blocks at a sold-out Eden Park but things swiftly unravelled on a punishing evening.

Influential fly-half Sexton was forced off in the aftermath of Reece’s breakaway try and later failed a head injury assessment to compound a miserable outing.

Ireland, who made the scoreline more respectable thanks to second-half scores from Ringrose and New Zealand-born Aki, paid a heavy price for repeated defensive lapses and face an uphill task to salvage the series.

Victory for the physical hosts avenged November’s 29-20 defeat in Dublin and maintained their impressive 28-year unbeaten run in a stadium which has become a fortress.

Ireland head coach Farrell also saw Carbery and Josh van der Flier each denied certain tries by superb interventions from All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane.

The Englishman must quickly galvanise his dispirited squad ahead of next week’s meeting in Dunedin, for which he is likely to be without Sexton.

New Zealand returned to action having had more than seven months to stew on successive defeats at the end of autumn, including the reverse at the Aviva Stadium.

Their preparation for the opener was severely disrupted by Covid-19 but head coach Ian Foster recovered sufficiently to attend the game, while the virus forced a late change on the Irish bench as a positive test for prop Finlay Bealham gave an opportunity to Tom O’Toole.

Ireland were looking to move on from a midweek mauling at the hands of the Māori All Blacks.

Munster wing Earls was the only player retained from the experimental XV selected in Hamilton and he got the tourists off to a dream start by finishing an outstanding team try after being teed up by Hugo Keenan at the end of patient, sustained pressure.

Ireland’s ferocious beginning exposed a few nerves among the under-pressure hosts, who briefly looked panicky amid a temporarily silenced stadium.

But it was short-lived and the All Blacks hit back with their first attack of the game as full-back Barrett bulldozed over and then landed the first of six successful conversions.

The early pattern of play, with Ireland the greater threat, initially resumed before Farrell’s men were heavily punished for sloppiness in attack to firmly shift the momentum.

As the visitors worked the ball from right to left, a poor pass from Ringrose dropped ahead of James Lowe, allowing the rapid Reece to zoom clear from inside his own 22 and dive over.

Irish frustration at the manner of that try was immediately heightened by Sexton being forced off having slipped and collided with Kiwi captain Sam Cane in the build-up.

All Blacks upped the ante on attack

And New Zealand promptly took the game away from their stunned opponents.

Tupaea raced on to a perfectly-weighted kick from Beauden Barrett to cross, before Aaron Smith’s delightful chip and chase culminated in Savea diving on to the loose ball as the dispersed Irish defence floundered.

The 28-5 half-time scoreline left Ireland with a mountain a climb.

Ringrose atoned for his first-half error by touching down in the left corner four minutes after the restart, with Sexton’s deputy, Carbery, nailing the tricky conversion.

Yet scant hopes of an unlikely comeback were almost certainly extinguished as further defensive dithering allowed Savea in for his second score of the match, before the Irish were twice thwarted by Ioane’s try-saving tackles.

After All Blacks replacement Sowakula capped a memorable maiden outing by diving underneath the posts, Ireland centre and native Kiwi Aki had the final say as Ireland did at least finish on a minor high following a better second-half showing.

However, there is significant room for improvement needed when the Irish resume their quest for a first Test win on New Zealand soil in seven days’ time.

Argentina beat Scotland in Cheika's first match in charge

Argentina marked their first home game in almost three years with a solid 26-18 victory over Scotland on Saturday.

It was also Michael Cheika’s debut match as head coach and his side did him proud, withstanding a Scottish comeback to go 1-0 ahead in the three-Test series.

The Pumas made a fast start, going 18-6 in front at the break thanks to tries from Jeronimo de la Fuente and Santiago Carreras.

Nicolas Sanchez scored two penalties in the first quarter but went off injured, with Emiliano Boffelli taking over kicking duties and converting Carreras’ try.

Scotland’s response prior to the interval came via a pair of Blair Kinghorn three-pointers before they levelled matters in the second period as Mark Bennett and Rory Hutchinson went over.

However, Argentina were back ahead thanks to Gonzalo Bertranou’s try and they sealed the win through the boot of Boffelli.

The hosts required just four minutes to get on the scoreboard when talisman Sanchez kicked a penalty between the posts.

Scotland replied in the 16th minute when Kinghorn kicked a penalty.  But the Pumas went three ahead again two minutes later when Sanchez chipped over his second penalty of the match.

It would be the fly-half’s last involvement in the match, however, as he was forced off in the 21st minute after sustaining an ankle injury.

Boffelli of Edinburgh took over kicking duty from Sanchez and he was unsuccessful with his first attempt of the match when his penalty drifted to the right of the posts in the 24th minute.

Scotland took advantage of this reprieve and levelled a minute later when Kinghorn kicked another penalty.

After a relatively tight opening half hour, Argentina turned the screw in the closing 10 minutes of the first half.

With 31 minutes on the clock, the Pumas scored the first try of the game when, after a period of passing and power in front of the Scottish line, De la Fuente eventually forced the ball down despite the best efforts of Ali Price to hold him up.  Boffelli hooked his conversion attempt wide.

Four minutes later, Argentina stretched their lead when Carreras picked up the loose ball and eased his way over the line after Duhan van der Merwe had hauled down the marauding Santiago Cordero.  This time Boffelli was successful with his kick, ensuring the Pumas went in at the break with an 18-6 advantage.  Scotland, remarkably, had not entered the Argentina 22 in the first half.

Sparked into life

The tourists belatedly sparked into life after the break and hauled themselves back into the game in the 49th minute when Bennett dived over in the left corner after good work by Hutchinson and Kinghorn to set him free.  Kinghorn was off target with the penalty.

The Scots’ tails were up and they got themselves a second try in the 55th minute when Hutchinson, in his first appearance for two years, bounded over the line after a lovely lay-off from Kinghorn.  The fly-half duly kicked the conversion to level the scores at 18-18.

Just as the visitors looked to have turned the momentum of the match in their favour, Argentina went straight up the park and edged themselves back in front when Bertranou forced the ball down on the line.  Boffelli, with his conversion attempt, missed his third kick of the match.

However, with nine minutes remaining, the Edinburgh man stretched the hosts’ advantage to eight points with a penalty, allowing them to see out the match in relatively comfortable fashion.

Five-try France get the better of Japan in Toyota

France proved too strong for Japan in Toyota on Saturday as the visitors claimed a 42-23 victory in the first of two Tests between the sides.

Although Les Bleus outscored their hosts by five tries to two they did not always have things going their way as Japan were competitive for long periods but they fell off the pace as the match progressed.

Melvyn Jaminet led the way for France as he finished with a 17-point haul after succeeding with three penalties and four conversions, while Damian Penaud (2), Matthis Lebel, Yoeram Moefana and Pierre Bougarit crossed the whitewash.

For Japan, Tevita Tatafu and Siosaia Fifita scored tries while Seung Sin Lee slotted three penalties and two conversions.

The visitors made a bright start when Penaud crossed for the opening try after just two minutes but Japan reduced the deficit when Lee kicked his first penalty shortly afterwards.

The Brave Blossoms held the upper hand during the next 10 minutes and were leading 10-7 by the 15th minute after Tatafu crossed for a converted try and Lee succeeded with his second shot off the kicking tee.

The closing stages of the half were evenly contested with Lee and Jaminet trading further penalties and the sides were deadlocked at 13-13 at half-time.

Just like the opening half, France were fastest out of the blocks after the interval and in the 44th minute Matthieu Jalibert made a telling break before offloading to Lebel, who scored under the posts.

Jaminet added the extras and extended the visitors’ lead with another penalty before Lee reduced the deficit with his third penalty, which meant the match was still evenly poised with Les Bleus holding a 23-16 lead after 55 minutes.

It was all France during the next 15 minutes though and they were rewarded with further five-pointers from Penaud, Moefana and Bougarit before Fifita crossed for a consolation try for the Brave Blossoms in the game’s dying moments.