Out of sorts Ireland fight back against improving Wallabies to celebrate Cian Healy feat with a win

Ireland fought back from 10-0 down to overcome an improving Wallabies 22-19 in a tense Autumn Nations Series meeting at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.

Tries from Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris and Gus McCarthy along with the extras off the tee from Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley saw the Irish to a workmanlike victory.

Australia will look back on this match as one they perhaps should have won, with their only try coming from Max Jorgensen as Noah Lolesio kicked 14 points in the fixture.

It was a first period somewhat lacking in entertainment as Australia went into the break deservedly leading 13-5 thanks to a try from young Jorgenson and Lolesio’s boot.

Ireland did start strongly though and almost opened the scoring but for full-back Hugo Keenan having the ball stripped from his grasp just five metres from the try-line.

The Wallabies compounded the spillage by slotting a penalty on nine minutes, this after Ireland lock Joe McCarthy had made head contact with Australia’s Rob Valetini.

Australia had their tails up at this point and would cross the whitewash on 19 minutes, with an in-form Lolesio instrumental in Jorgenson diving over on the left wing.

Lolesio’s excellent touchline extras took Australia into a 10-0 lead but Van der Flier’s short-range carry soon brought Ireland back into it at 10-5.  However, the hosts would have expected Prendergast to add the conversion as a bad miss meant the Wallabies still had a nice cushion in their locker with just over a quarter of the match gone.

They extended the lead to eight on 33 minutes when prop Taniela Tupou’s interception and wayward offload resulted in a breakdown penalty which Lolesio coolly nailed.

It was perhaps symptomatic of Ireland’s first-half woes that the action finished with a misfiring lineout deep in Australia’s 22, with the latter trotting in feeling positive.

However, Ireland were much improved on their return and fly-half Prendergast chipped away at that lead on 43 minutes with a penalty from in front of the posts for 13-8.

Six minutes later they would hold the lead for the first time in the fixture when a kick to the corner led to quick ball and number eight Doris diving under the uprights.

That lead was snatched back by Australia though on 55 minutes when replacement Tom O’Toole was pinged for not releasing the ball carrier, meaning it was now 16-15.

Loleshio was on target once again on 63 minutes with a long-range effort as the Wallabies went 19-15 up and were looking in a positive space ahead of the game’s finale.

However, the bench saved Andy Farrell’s men as the injection of speedy service from Craig Casey coupled with a maul try from the promising McCarthy sealed the victory.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Gus McCarthy, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Garry Ringrose

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Joseph Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Max Jorgensen, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 James Slipper
Replacements:  16 Billy Pollard, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Harry Potter

Referee:  Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant Referees:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO:  Eric Gauzins (France)

Superb Scotland blunt Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies to end tourists’ grand slam dream

The Wallabies are still waiting for their first Home Nations grand slam since 1984 after they were outplayed by an outstanding Scotland side, going down 27-13 at Murrayfield.

It was a tight and fraught opening period, with the hosts going 7-3 in front at the interval through Sione Tuipulotu’s try.

Noah Lolesio provided Australia’s response before the break and then added another three-pointer in the second period, but the Scots then hit their straps to take the game away from the tourists.

They touched down three more times via Duhan van der Merwe, Josh Bayliss and Finn Russell to end their Autumn Nations Series campaign with a fine victory.

The Wallabies, meanwhile, did get a consolation score through Harry Potter but it was a disappointing afternoon for Joe Schmidt’s outfit, who fell in the third match of their grand slam quest.

Plenty was riding on this contest, which was evident in the ferocity of the collisions and the fractious nature of the match.

It led to an intense and enthralling encounter, even if the mistakes meant that the sides struggled to truly find their rhythm with ball in hand.

The Wallabies were full of confidence following their victories in London and Cardiff.  In those matches, they scored 42 and 52 points respectively, but they found the Scottish defence much more difficult to breach on Sunday.

Although the tempo was there and the carries often forced the hosts’ rearguard back, Gregor Townsend’s men adjusted well and defended superbly inside their own 22.

Lolesio did reward the early Australian pressure with a penalty, but they struggled to turn their good work into tries.

In contrast, Scotland were more clinical.  They weren’t averse to the odd error when in good attacking positions, but the home side at least managed to turn some of their chances into points.

They had gone through the first quarter scoreless but rectified that in the 23rd minute when Tuipulotu charged onto Ewan Ashman’s lineout throw to touch down.

Schmidt would not have been happy with the Wallabies defence, but the Scottish captain was too powerful in contact for Andrew Kellaway and Len Ikitau.

After Russell added the conversion, that 7-3 scoreline remained until the start of the second period when the hosts’ fly-half extended their buffer.

Lolesio responded almost immediately but Scotland were beginning to take control thanks to the Australians’ discipline and the kicking accuracy of their opponents’ half-backs.

Townsend’s side duly put pressure on the Aussies’ try-line and it eventually resulted in Van der Merwe powering over to once again move ahead of Darcy Graham in the try-scoring pecking order.

Graham would still be an influential part of the win, however, as his searing break was finished off by Bayliss.

Scotland were now rampant and a fourth try was soon forthcoming as Huw Jones combined with Blair Kinghorn to send Russell across the whitewash.

That sealed the win and ended Australia’s hopes, despite Potter getting a score back for the visitors late on.

The teams

Scotland:  15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (c), 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White, 8 Matt Fagerson, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements:  16 Dylan Richardson, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Alex Craig, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 George Horne, 22 Tom Jordan, 23 Kyle Rowe

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Billy Pollard, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Nick Frost, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Max Jorgensen

Referee:  Chris Busby (Ireland)
Assistant Referees:  Andrew Brace (Ireland), Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Wallabies run riot in EIGHT-TRY victory over Wales as pressure mounts on Warren Gatland

The Wallabies were in excellent form on Sunday as they ran in eight tries in an utterly dominant 52-20 win over Wales that piles the pressure on head coach Warren Gatland.

A hat-trick apiece from Tom Wright and Matt Faessler and further tries from Nick Frost and Len Ikitau saw Australia thump the struggling Welsh at the Principality Stadium.

Noah Lolesio slotted over six conversions to Australia’s tally as their Autumn Nations Series campaign is going from strength to strength under head coach Joe Schmidt.

It was a first half of two quarters in Cardiff as Australia enjoyed an impressive opening but Wales, to their credit, recovered to head into the interval just six points off the pace.

Indeed, the visitors were brilliant as they built themselves a healthy 19-0 cushion by 22 minutes as New Zealander Schmidt appears to have rediscovered the Wallabies’ DNA.

They were almost off the mark on 10 minutes when Wright found an edge before Max Jorgensen offloaded to Samu Kerevi but he was denied by a great Tom Rogers tackle.

It only delayed Australia though as sustained pressure in the Welsh 22 saw them come right and full-back Wright slipped through the net to make it a 5-0 buffer for his team.

A handling error from Wales on halfway then saw impressive Wallabies lock Frost run over from distance, with Lolesio on target this time to extend the gap to 12 points.

Schmidt’s charges were now purring and a lineout drive resulted in their third try of the night as hooker Faessler crashed over and with the conversion it was a 19-0 margin.

The hosts needed a miracle as they were staring down the barrel of a horror result and somehow they found it with Aaron Wainwright scoring from close range on 25 minutes.

Gareth Anscombe would then further chip away at the lead with two penalties before the break, with the margin now very much within reach as the sides took a breather.

Wales were given a further boost soon after the turnaround when Kerevi was shown a yellow card that was later upgraded to red for making head contact with Jac Morgan.

However, their numerical advantage did not have the desired effect as it was in fact the Wallabies who struck first in the second stanza as a dominant driving maul from the visitors saw Faessler crash over to grab his second try of the game on 47 minutes.  Lolesio was off-target with the conversion attempt which meant it was a 26-13 cushion.

Incredibly the Wallabies seemed inspired by Kerevi’s red card and were over again on 52 minutes when Faessler broke off another maul and barged over to make it 33-13.

The Welsh needed a miracle as time ticked down before Australia could replace Kerevi and they were unfortunately denied a James Botham crossing due to a forward pass.

That near miss for Wales would be compounded on the hour mark when a rapid Wright intercepted a Sam Costelow pass before cruising over from distance to make it 40-13.

Centre Ben Thomas did at least give those wearing red in the Principality Stadium something to cheer on 68 minutes when he crashed over after running a smart line.

But it brought smiles that were short-lived as the classy Wallabies grabbed try number seven with five minutes remaining as Ikitau stepped and cantered over with ease.

The agony was still not over for Wales, however, as there was still time for a second Wallaby to claim his hat-trick as Wright put the gloss on a handsome win in Cardiff.

In contrast, the pressure is now mounting on Wales head coach Gatland after an 11th successive loss on the international stage with the Springboks coming next weekend.

The teams

Wales:  15 Cameron Winnett, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Blair Murray, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Ellis Bevan, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 James Botham, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Dewi Lake (c) 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements:  16 Ryan Elias, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Christ Tshiunza, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Eddie James

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Max Jorgensen, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Nic White, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Seru Uru, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (c), 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 James Slipper, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii

Referee:  James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (England), Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
TMO:  Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)

England stunned by the Wallabies as dramatic late try from rookie piles the pressure on Steve Borthwick

Joseph Suaalii made a fine first impression on his professional rugby union debut as Max Jorgensen’s late try secured a stunning 42-37 victory over England in another Twickenham thriller.

After a slow start, which saw England go 15-3 ahead through a pair of Chandler Cunningham-South tries, the Australians hit back superbly.

Suaalii came to the fore, setting up Tom Wright’s score, before Harry Wilson went over to move the visitors 20-18 ahead at the interval.

Jeremy Williams crossed to extend that buffer but England responded as an Ollie Sleightholme brace regained the hosts’ lead.

Andrew Kellaway and Maro Itoje traded scores before Jorgensen was the hero when he sped down the left for the Wallabies’ match-winning try to increase the pressure on Steve Borthwick.

The end was a far cry from England’s blistering start.  Frustrated by their defeat to the All Blacks last weekend, the hosts began quickly and manufactured a superb early try.

Marcus Smith was the instigator, dabbing a grubber through for Ollie Lawrence to collect.  The ball was then shifted right and good hands from Tom Curry, Jamie George and Ellis Genge sent Cunningham-South across the whitewash.

Although the visitors responded through a Noah Lolesio penalty, the big blindside scored his second try minutes later.  Former rugby league superstar Suaalii was partially at fault as he bit in to allow Cunningham-South a one-on-one which enabled the back-rower to barge over.

However, the 21-year-old soon got himself into the game and would show what he can do.  The centre was excellent at the restarts while he was constantly getting his hands free and off-loading, with one such effort leading to try.

The Red Rose had gone 15-3 ahead through a Smith three-pointer when Suaalii announced himself to rugby union when he basketball-style flicked the ball over the top of the England defence to give Wright a run to the line.

It was the boost the Wallabies needed as they began to find their fluency.  Although ill-discipline allowed England’s fly-half to add another off the tee, the tourists were putting their opponents under significant pressure.

Their big ball-carriers ― Angus Bell, Taniela Tupou and Rob Valetini ― were making ground at closer quarters and that opened the space for Tate McDermott to snipe around the fringes.  The scrum-half duly broke through the English rearguard and found Wilson to touch down.

Lolesio converted and then added a penalty on the stroke of half-time to hand Australia a surprise lead at the interval.

England had been stunned and needed a response, but it did not materialise.  Instead, it was Joe Schmidt’s men who took their momentum into the second period and dominated a Red Rose side that simply could not defend.

Australia played some outstanding rugby and deserved the try given to them by Williams’ finish in the left-hand corner.

A minute later and they could have scored another one when Wright broke from his own 22 as the hosts were once again cut open.  England were thankful that it yielded just a penalty for the Aussies as it kept them in the contest.

That belief then grew when Smith created a try for Sleightholme as his grubber through was collected and scored by the replacement.

All of a sudden the momentum switched and it was England who began to create opportunities as the Wallabies failed to control field position and possession.

The hosts duly took advantage of being on the front foot and a neat delay of the pass from Alex Dombrandt enabled Sleightholme to go over.

Smith then slotted the conversion as England regained their advantage, but back came Australia as a mix-up from George Ford and Lawrence allowed Kellaway to break away and cross the whitewash.

Borthwick’s men thought they had rescued it but once again they got it wrong in the latter stages and 20-year-old Jorgensen touched down following Len Ikitau’s superb off-load to leave Twickenham shocked.

The teams

England:  15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements:  16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Harry Randall, 22 George Ford, 23 Ollie Sleightholme

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 James Slipper, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Max Jorgensen

Referee:  Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO:  Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

All Blacks finally end winless Wellington run and ease final quarter woes with an impressive victory over Wallabies

The All Blacks finished their Rugby Championship campaign in style when they clinched a deserved 33-13 victory against the Wallabies in Wellington on Saturday.

The home side were full value for their win as they dominated for long periods and eventually outscored the Wallabies by five tries to one, with Caleb Clarke leading the way with a brace.

Sevu Reece, Will Jordan and Tamaiti Willians also crossed the whitewash while Beauden Barrett succeeded with four conversions.

For the Wallabies, Fraser McReight scored a try and Noah Lolesio added a conversion and two three-pointers off the kicking tee.

It was a momentous result for New Zealand as they ended a five-match winless run in Wellington ― stretching back to 2018 and they also scored points for the first time during the final quarter of a match in this year’s Rugby Championship.

The Wallabies made a fine start and had a great opportunity to open the scoring as early as the third minute when Andrew Kellaway caught the All Blacks’ defence napping.

He launched an attack from just inside New Zealand’s half before booting the ball ahead inside their 22.  Barrett failed to deal with the bouncing ball and Jake Gordon pounced but knocked on while trying to dot down.

Australia continued to attack inside New Zealand’s 22 and five minutes later they were rewarded when McReight barged over for the opening try from close quarters.

The All Blacks seemed shell-shocked by the intensity of the Wallabies’ onslaught as they continued to launch several attacks, but the home side did well to soak up that early pressure and soon opened their account.

In the 16th minute, Wallace Sititi launched an attack close to the halfway line and did brilliantly to draw in three defenders before offloading to Anton Lienert-Brown, who set off towards the Wallabies’ try-line.  He still had plenty of work to do and found Reece with a beautifully weighted skip pass and the wing outpaced the cover defence on his way over the try-line.

Lolesio responded with a penalty soon after, before Jordan left his stamp on the match with a moment of magic.  This, after he gathered a pass from Barrett just outside Australia’s 22 and the full-back did brilliantly to step past two defenders before racing away to score his try.

Despite that score, the Wallabies remained competitive and McReight came close to scoring his second try in the latter stages of the half but was held up while crossing the whitewash.

The visitors continued to attack inside New Zealand’s 22 and Lolesio eventually added another penalty in the 35th minute after New Zealand were blown up for offside play on defence.

Despite that score, the All Blacks had one more trick up their sleeve as just before half-time they launched a flowing attack deep inside Wallabies’ territory.  Lienert-Brown turned provider again as he found Clarke with a deft offload and the flyer sliced through the visitors’ defence before scoring his first try.

Barrett added the extras which meant the match was still evenly poised with the home side leading 19-13 at the interval.

A win in Wellington 😎#AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/ihYHlLPQ8m

― All Blacks (@AllBlacks) September 28, 2024

Both sides stayed true to their attacking roots during the rest of the match, although the home side came out firing after the restart and were soon camped inside the Wallabies’ half.

And after taking the ball through several phases off the back of a lineout close to Australia’s try-line, Williams crashed over for their fourth try to extend his side’s lead.

The All Blacks continued to dominate as the half progressed and had a try from Tupou Vaa’i disallowed, five minutes later, after a handling error in the build-up.

That setback did not deter the hosts and in the 65th minute, Clarke ran onto a pass from Damian McKenzie and shrugged off two defenders before crashing over for his second five-pointer.

That score knocked the wind out of the Wallabies’ sails and secured the result for the All Blacks and, in doing so, they also ended their six-year hoodoo in Wellington.

The teams

New Zealand:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9  TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 David Havili

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Josh Flook

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (England), Damian Schneider (Argentina)
TMO:  Eric Gauzins (France)

60-minute All Blacks survive second-half Wallabies scare to retain the Bledisloe Cup in Sydney thriller

The All Blacks retain the Bledisloe Cup despite a nervous last 20 minutes in their 28-31 win over the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday.

Both sides scored four tries a piece with the hosts going over the whitewash with Fraser McReight, Matt Faessler, Hunter Paisami and Tom Wright with Noah Lolesio kicking all the conversions in a flawless day from the tee.

The All Blacks’ points came from Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke and Ardie Savea tries as Damian McKenzie kicked four conversions and a very important penalty that proved decisive.

It was the All Blacks who flew out of the blocks early with Jordan making the most of his late switch to full-back after Beauden Barrett’s withdrawal by finding a pocket of space and showing his acceleration to score in just the second minute.  Mckenzie was on hand to kick his first conversion of the day.

The visitors did not let up as they looked to double down on their fast start finding plenty of space down the left side to set up Ioane for yet another Bledisloe Cup try in the ninth minute as fly-half McKenzie had no issue with the kick.

Unfortunately for the Wallabies two tries became three in the first 15 minutes as Clarke barged his way through two defenders to cross the whitewash for yet another converted try.  However, this time the hosts responded with a brilliant set move off a line-out that had McReight in space after a series of lovely passes.  Lolesio would add the extras.

It would always be difficult to keep the All Blacks out again who got rewarded for their defensive pressure as Sevu Reece picked a loose ball to play in Savea who ran in under the sticks for a converted score becoming the highest try-scoring forward in All Blacks history in the process.

The hosts would have the final say of the first half as hooker Faessler timed his breakaway from a maul to perfection and Lolesio kicked a difficult conversion to keep the Wallabies in the contest.

New Zealand started the second period with some good pressure leading to a penalty for McKenzie in the 45th minute taking the All Blacks crucially out of the two-converted try difference.

The contest tightened up as the Wallabies grew into the game leading to a lull in scoring with the All Blacks scoring two disallowed tries before the hosts eventually crashed over for a converted try from Paisami with 15 minutes to go.

The Wallabies continued to push and finally got their reward with a 79th-minute converted try from full-back Wright once again converted by Lolesio.  This would take the hosts within three points of the All Blacks but it was not to be as New Zealand retained the Bledisloe Cup again.

Teams

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Nic White, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 James Slipper, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tom Lynagh, 23 Dylan Pietsch

New Zealand:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, Tamaiti Williams, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Harry Plummer

Australia butcher 17-point lead as Julian Montoya’s milestone inspires Argentina to record win

Argentina captain Julian Montoya had a dream match in his 100th appearance for his country as Los Pumas took apart Australia 67-27 in Santa Fe which is the most points a team has scored against the Wallabies and the country’s biggest defeat.

Los Pumas managed nine tries on the day through hot-stepping wing Mateo Carreras, the milestone man Montoya, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Pablo Matera Joaquin Oviedo (2), Juan Cruz Mallia (2) and Lucio Cinti all crossing the whitewash.

Fly-half Tomas Albornoz was on point with the boot, kicking six conversions and two penalties.  Substitute Santiago Carreras also added two from his boot.

The Wallabies only managed three tries in the Santa Fe heat through Carlo Tizzano, Andrew Kellaway and Tate McDermott with Ben Donaldson kicking two penalties and two conversions.  Replacement Tom Lynagh also kicked a conversion.

It did not take long for the scoreboard to tick over as Albornoz nudged over a penalty after just four minutes.  This would be the hosts’ last points for nearly 30 minutes as Donaldson cancelled out the Argentine penalty with one for Australia after six minutes.

The Wallabies looked to double down on their momentum and did just that with the tireless Tizzano being rewarded with a converted score after 15 minutes.  Donaldson would add another penalty eight minutes later before Max Jorgensen expertly played in Kellaway for his try.

Almost as if it was a flick of a switch, Argentina burst into life scoring two tries through Carreras and skipper Montoya in the last 10 minutes of the first period.  The hosts would follow suit in the second half scoring three tries through Gonzalez, Matera and Joaquin Oviedo in the first 24 minutes of the half.  Albornoz nailed all of the conversions to give Argentina a strong lead.

Australia managed to scratch together their final try of the game with some quick thinking from McDermott powering him over with 11 minutes to go.  However, it would go severely downhill for the visitors as the floodgates well and truly opened with Mallia bagging a brace, Oviedo scoring his second and Cinti strolling overall in the final 10 minutes.

What started as a positive performance for Australia fell apart into a string of forgettable records for Joe Schmidt.

Teams

Argentina:  15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Gudio Petti, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements:  16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Joaquin Oviedo, 21 Santiago Grondona, 22 Gonzalo Garcia, 23 Santiago Carreras

Australia:  15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Josh Nasser, 17 James Slipper, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Josh Canham, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tom Lynagh, 23 Josh Flook

Referee:  Pierre Brousset (FFR)
Assistant Referees:  Ben O’Keeffe (NZR), James Doleman (NZR)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (SARU)

Australia spoil Agustin Creevy’s farewell clinching a late win in La Plata arm-wrestle

Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies claimed their first win of the 2024 Rugby Championship with a narrow 19-20 triumph in La Plata.

The visitors scored two tries on the day through Jake Gordon and Rob Valetini while Noah Lolesio kicked two conversions and a penalty with Ben Donaldson kicking the winner late on.

Argentina, however, only managed one try through Juan Martin Gonzalez.  Most of their points came from Santiago Carreras’ boot with one conversion and three penalties.  The fly-half’s replacement Tomas Abornoz added a penalty of his own in the second half.

The start of the game saw the two sides looking to apply pressure and adapt to the wet conditions which saw Argentina draw first blood with Carreras’ first penalty in the 10th minute.

Los Pumas would extend their lead in a matter of a few moments with dynamic number eight Gonzalez crashing over for the team’s sole try in the 13th minute.  Carreras was on hand again to add the extras.

The Wallabies did well to keep themselves in the game and it paid off through a Gordon try in the 26th minute that was converted by Lolesio.  That would be all the points for Australia in the first half as Carreras kicked his second penalty six minutes before the break.

The second half started as the first ended with Carreras kicking a penalty, his third and final of the clash.  As they showed in the first 40 the Wallabies were not prepared to go anywhere and evergreen back-row Valetini crossed for a crucial score with Lolesio making no mistake from the tee.

The Test descended into an arm-wrestle as conditions worsened.  Lolesio would add three more points just before the hour mark which was responded to by a penalty from Albornoz.

It looked as if the hosts were going to close out the game but the Wallabies did well to get themselves upfield and secured the winning penalty from right in front through Donaldson to get off the mark in this year’s competition.

The teams

Argentina:  15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements:  16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Tomas Lavanini, 21 Joaquin Oviedo, 22 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 23 Tomas Albornoz

Wallabies:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Josh Nasser, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Max Jorgensen

Referee:  James Doleman (NZR)
Assistant Referees:  Ben O’Keeffe (NZR), Pierre Brousset (FFR)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (SARU)

Rassie Erasmus’ brave call rewarded as second-string Springboks maul their way to dominant victory over Wallabies

The Springboks once again proved to be far too strong for the Wallabies as they sealed a comfortable 30-12 bonus-point triumph in Perth.

Like at Eden Park earlier, conditions were atrocious and it certainly had an impact on the tempo of the contest, but it ultimately did not play a part in the end result.

Despite an improved display from the Wallabies, especially in the first half, the visitors eventually got on top and claimed a second Rugby Championship triumph in 2024.

Australia’s Noah Lolesio kicked an early penalty to give the hosts a 3-0 lead before the world champions responded through Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s boot.

After Aphelele Fassi’s unconverted try and another Feinberg-Mngomezulu penalty, the Springboks were 11-9 in front by the interval, despite two more Lolesio three-pointers.

Joe Schmidt’s side were in the match but they could not maintain their intensity and physicality, and South Africa scored three maul tries in the second period through Marco van Staden and Malcolm Marx, who went over twice, to seal the win.

After last week’s annihilation at the hands of the Boks, the Wallabies were given hope when Rassie Erasmus made 10 changes for the Perth encounter.

That almost inevitable lack of continuity was evident in the early stages as Erasmus’ men made some uncharacteristic mistakes, particularly off kick-offs and restarts, and conceded some needless penalties.

One such infringement enabled Lolesio to convert an early three-point attempt, which moved the Wallabies into a 3-0 lead, but Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Fassi responded for South Africa.

It was certainly not perfect from the visitors but this Boks squad are developing all the time and the only try of the first period was very well constructed.

Off a turnover, they quickly moved the ball and Fassi raced onto Makazole Mapimpi’s inch-perfect kick to cross the whitewash and move the Boks in front.

Although Lolesio’s second successful effort off the tee kept Australia in the contest, the Springboks had shown what they could do and took control via Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who moved them 11-6 in front.

That was briefly reduced to two points at the break via the boot of the Australian fly-half, but the four-time Rugby World Cup winners got back on the front foot at the start of the second period.

They earned a penalty and set up a maul five metres out from the opposition line, and the result was almost inevitable as Van Staden crossed the whitewash.

Lolesio did keep the Wallabies in contention with a fourth penalty, but another dominant drive, which ended in Marx touching down, effectively ended the match as a contest.

That double act was then repeated with the maul and Marx once again proving to be the Wallabies’ downfall as the visitors sealed a second successive Rugby Championship win in 2024.

The teams

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Nic White, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Angus Blyth, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (c), 2 Josh Nasser, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Billy Pollard, 17 James Slipper, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Tom Hooper, 20 Seru Uru, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Max Jorgensen

Springboks:  15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Lukhanyo Am, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Handré Pollard

Referee:  Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
TMO:  Richard Kelly (New Zealand)

Springboks wallop woeful Wallabies in Rugby Championship opener to claim just their second Brisbane victory

The Springboks made a superb start to their Rugby Championship campaign as they cruised to a deserved 33-7 bonus point victory over the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was a tough day at the office for the home side whose game was littered with numerous unforced errors and they conceded a plethora of penalties.

In the end, the Springboks crossed for five tries with Kurt-Lee Arendse leading the way with a brace while captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kwagga Smith scored their other five-pointers and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu slotted four conversions.

For the Wallabies Hunter Paisami grabbed a consolation try which was converted by Tom Lynagh.

The result was a momentous one for the visitors as it was only their second victory in Brisbane and the first one since 2013.

The Springboks held the upper hand during the opening exchanges and despite a wayward penalty attempt from Feinberg-Mngomezulu, they continued to dominate and were soon rewarded when Kolisi crossed for the opening try in the 10th minute.

This, after they caught the home side napping with a smart lineout move deep inside Wallabies territory.  The ball was initially gathered by Ben-Jason Dixon at the back of the set-piece and he then passed the ball, while being in the air, to Eben Etzebeth, who was also airborne at the front of the lineout.

The Boks set up the driving maul from which Kolisi crashed over for the game’s opening points.

That score boosted South Africa’s confidence as they were completely dominant for the rest of the half while the Wallabies had to be satisfied with scraps of possession.

It was all South Africa for the rest of the half and in the 24th minute, Du Toit glided through a gaping hole in the Wallabies’ defence before crossing for his team’s second try.

The Wallabies needed a response but that did not come as they battled to cope with the sheer intensity of the world champions’ onslaught.

And on the half-hour mark things went from bad to worse for the home side when Andrew Kellaway was yellow carded for a dangerous lifting tackle on Cobus Reinach.  The incident was reviewed by the TMO Bunker and luckily for Australia, the yellow card was not upgraded to red.

With a numerical advantage, the Boks went in search of their third try and that came five minutes later when Arendse gathered a loose ball midway between Australia’s try-line and their 22 and stepped past five players before dotting down.

That meant South Africa had their tails up as they held a deserved 21-0 lead when the teams changed sides at half-time.

An emphatic start to the #Springboks’ Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign in Brisbane.  See you again next week @Wallabies 🙌#ForeverGreenForeverGold #AUSvRSA pic.twitter.com/lttggUdVX4

― Springboks (@Springboks) August 10, 2024

The Wallabies were more competitive after the interval and spent some time in the Boks’ 22 during the third quarter but it was only a matter of time before the visitors regained the initiative.

Head coach Rassie Erasmus had made some changes and in the 62nd minute replacement scrum-half Grant Williams offloaded to reserve back-row Smith, who went over for the bonus-point try.

Five minutes later, Arendse was rewarded with his second five-pointer after Jesse Kriel laid the groundwork with a superb line break and with the score 33-0 in their favour, the Boks took their foot off the pedal in the game’s closing stages.

They were then reduced to 13 men when Malcolm Marx and Marco van Staden were yellow-carded in quick succession before Paisami crossed for Australia’s try in the 76th minute.

South Africa finished the match with 12 men on the field when Kriel also received a yellow card in the 79th minute but despite their sloppy finish, the Boks were deserved winners.

The teams

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (c), 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Isaac Kailea
Replacements:  16 Josh Nasser, 17 James Slipper, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Luke Reimer, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tom Lynagh, 23 Dylan Pietsch

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handré Pollard

Referee:  Luke Pearce (RFU)
Assistant Referees:  Paul Williams (NZR), Hollie Davidson (SRU)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

Wallabies hold off Georgia as Joe Schmidt makes it three wins from three

The Wallabies made it three wins out of three under head coach Joe Schmidt but they were made to work by a spirited Georgia side in a 40-29 victory on Saturday.

Tries from Hunter Paisami, Rob Valetini (2), Isaac Kailea and Fraser McReight (2) saw the hosts see off a dangerous Lelos team, with Ben Donaldson kicking 10 points.

Mikheili Babunashvili, Davit Niniashvili and Akaki Tabutsadze (2) went over for Georgia on the night, as they gave Australia a real scare early in the second period.

The Wallabies played with real tempo in the first half as tries from Paisami, Valetini, Kailea and McReight sent them into the break with a healthy 26-10 advantage.

However, it was Georgia who struck first in the game after Angus Blyth was pinged for holding on, Luka Matkava successfully putting them ahead on five minutes.

That sparked the Wallabies into life though as quick ball allowed Valetini to make decent ground before Tate McDermott found Len Ikitau, who sent Paisami over.

Donaldson would add the two but he was unsuccessful with his second attempt, this after Valetini cleverly spun through contact from close range on 13 minutes.

Australia were now purring and with McDermott dictating play from the base, his scamper into the Georgian 22 led to prop Kailea powering over for a 19-3 buffer.

Georgia desperately needed a response and it came on 34 minutes when sustained pressure in the hosts’ 22 resulted in Babunashvili scoring to reduce the deficit.

Helping their cause was a yellow card for Filipo Daugunu as his attempted charge down of Sandro Todua’s kick ahead saw his knee catch the Georgian wing’s face.

The visitors couldn’t make their numerical advantage count before the break though as it was in fact Australia, through flank McReight, who crossed in the final play.

The second 40 resumed with a further update on Daugunu, whose yellow card was upgraded to red that meant his stint on the sidelines was extended to 20 minutes.

Georgia came out firing and crucially crossed first when a fortuitous kick ahead from star Niniashvili ricocheted back into his hands and he crossed on 43 minutes.

Things would get even better for Richard Cockerill’s men moments later when turnover ball on their own line found Tabutsadze, who kicked ahead and chased hard. His efforts were rewarded as the bounce found his grasp and he set off on a clear run to the try-line. With Matkava’s conversion it was suddenly a two-point game.

Georgia’s momentum was halted, however, when Niniashvili was sin-binned for hands in the ruck before Valetini scored his second, with all the back-row involved.

That theme continued in the 63rd minute when McReight crashed over for his second score, this after being denied moments earlier due to obstruction at the maul.

But Georgia refused to give up the fight and when Tedo Abzhandadze found space to run, he fed Tabutsadze who fended the last man to go over for his own brace.

That was to be the final score in a thoroughly enjoyable contest as Schmidt continues his 100 per cent record as boss while Georgia can take plenty from this defeat.

The teams

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Filipo Daugunu, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Darby Lancaster, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Angus Blyth, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (c), 2 Billy Pollard, 1 Isaac Kailea
Replacements:  16 Josh Nasser, 17 Alex Hodgman, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Tom Hooper, 20 Jeremy Williams, 21 Nic White, 22 Noah Lolesio, 23 Andrew Kellaway

Georgia:  15 Davit Niniashvili, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Demur Tafladze, 12 Giorgi Kveseladze, 11 Sandro Todua, 10 Luka Matkava, 9 Mikheil Alania, 8 Tornike Jalaghonia, 7 Beka Saghinadze, 6 Beka Gorgadze (c), 5 Mikheil Babunashvili, 4 Lado Chachanidze, 3 Aleksandre Kuntelia, 2 Vano Karkadze, 1 Giorgi Mamaiashvili
Replacements:  16 Luka Petriashvili, 17 Luka Goginava, 18 Irakli Aptsiauri, 19 Lasha Jayani, 20 Luka Ivanishvili, 21 Giorgi Tsutskiridze, 22 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 23 Tedo Abzhandadze

Referee:  James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Paul Williams (New Zealand), Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
TMO:  Richard Kelly (New Zealand)

Filipo Daugunu double fires Australia to series win

Two tries from Filipo Daugunu helped Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies beat Wales 36-28 at AAMI Park in Melbourne to wrap up the series 2-0 on Saturday.

Daugunu scored in each half while Jake Gordon and Allan Alaalatoa also crossed the whitewash as Schmidt’s tenure at the helm continues to start on a positive note.

While falling to a ninth successive Test loss, Wales will take some positives after tries were scored by hooker Dewi Lake (2) and wings Liam Williams and Rio Dyer.

It was Wales’ best performance this year, yet they are now just one more defeat from equalling their record losing run of 10 Tests in 2002 and 2003.

Wales were rocked by a spectacular Wallabies score after just seven minutes when they attacked from deep inside their own 22.

Australia were under pressure defensively, but wing Andrew Kellaway turned it into a blistering counter-attack as he kicked into space then flicked an inside ball to flanker Fraser McReight, and he surged clear before sending Daugunu for his second touchdown in successive games.

Noah Lolesio added the conversion, and his penalty eight minutes later following 21 attacking phases deep inside Wales territory made it 10-0.

Ben Thomas missed a chance to open Wales’ account when he drifted a penalty wide in driving rain at AAMI Park, then the visitors twice threatened Australia’s line when flanker James Botham and number eight Taine Plumtree went close.

Wales had plenty of possession, yet the conditions made handling difficult for both teams and Australia were able to absorb pressure before extending their lead early in the second quarter.

Gordon’s steepling kick caused problems for Wales full-back Cameron Winnett, who could not gather it, and Gordon reacted quickest as the ball rolled into space and compounded Welsh misery, with Lolesio converting.

Wales needed a rapid response, and they delivered one from an attacking lineout as Lake claimed the touchdown before Thomas’ conversion made it a 10-point game again.

Another Lolesio penalty restored Australia’s cushion, and he completed his hat-trick just before half-time after Wallabies lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was yellow-carded following a high challenge on Wales prop Archie Griffin, securing a 23-14 interval advantage.

Wales posted a third try just six minutes into the second period after outstanding work by the forwards ― notably, Plumtree, Lake and Botham ― created an opportunity for Williams, who finished easily, and Thomas converted.

It was an admirable effort by Wales, but they conceded a third score midway through the second quarter when Australia gave them a taste of their own medicine through an imposing driven lineout, with Alaalatoa then touching down.

Wales remained firmly in the contest, but Australia struck a major blow 12 minutes from time after Williams’ attempt to keep the ball in play saw him deflect the ball straight to Daugunu, who accepted the gift and took his team past 30 points.

Wales were still not done, though, and Dyer displayed great strength to dive over, and replacement Costelow’s touchline conversion reduced the gap to five points with nine minutes left.

But Ben Donaldson stepped up to boot a 77th-minute penalty, and Wales were finally downed following a display that bristled with intensity and purpose.

The teams

Wallabies:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Charlie Cale, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Jeremy Williams, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 James Slipper (c)
Replacements:  16 Josh Nasser, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Angus Blyth, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Nic White, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Dylan Pietsch

Wales:  15 Cameron Winnett, 14 Liam Williams, 13 Owen Watkin, 12 Mason Grady, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Ben Thomas, 9 Ellis Bevan, 8 Taine Plumtree, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 James Botham, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 4 Christ Tshiunza, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements:  16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Kemsley Mathias, 18 Harri O’Connor, 19 Cory Hill, 20 Mackenzie Martin, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Nick Tompkins

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO:  Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

Joe Schmidt gets ideal Wallabies start as Wales’ dreadful run continues

Joe Schmidt enjoyed a winning start at the Wallabies after they deservedly overcame a struggling Wales side 25-16 in Sydney.

Australia began the match well, going 13-3 ahead through Taniela Tupou’s try and two penalties from Noah Lolesio, but they were pegged back.

A penalty try reduced the arrears at the interval before Ben Thomas kicked his second three-pointer to level matters.

However, Filipo Daugunu touched down to regain the Wallabies’ advantage and, after the visitors had a try ruled out for obstruction, Tom Wright’s mazy run ended in a third try.

It meant Schmidt’s first match in charge ended in victory as Wales succumbed to an eighth successive defeat.

Wales made a promising start and were ahead after just three minutes when Thomas kicked a long-range penalty after Wallabies prop James Slipper’s dangerous tackle on Dewi Lake, but Lolesio quickly cancelled out that strike.

Lolesio missed a penalty chance four minutes later, but he then booted Australia ahead after Wales infringed at the game’s first scrum as poor technical discipline began to surface.

Referee Pierre Brousset issued a team warning to skipper Lake, and Australia breached the Welsh defence after 21 minutes when Tupou went over following relentless pressure, with Lolesio’s conversion opening up a 10-point lead.

Brousset’s patience ran out as he yellow-carded Wales prop Gareth Thomas, yet the visitors responded impressively to that setback.

Wing Rio Dyer touched down behind Australia’s line, although the score was ruled out following a knock-on by centre Owen Watkin, before Wales gained a penalty try after the Wallabies illegally collapsed a maul on their own line.

It brought Wales back to just three points adrift, and Australia had a player yellow-carded as a result with flanker Fraser McReight being sent from the field.

Wales continued to have scrummaging issues, with the powerful Tupou proving a particular handful, but they were strong in other areas through strong breakdown and defensive work.

And they remained firmly in contention at the halfway point, trailing 13-10 following an impressive second quarter.

Gareth Thomas went off early in the second period after taking a blow to his leg, being replaced by Scarlets prop Kemsley Mathias, and Wales pressed after a promising attack that involved Liam Williams and debutant Josh Hathaway.

Fly-half Thomas drew Wales level through a 46th-minute penalty, but Australia went back in front after a fine solo score by Daugunu, who outstripped defending centre Mason Grady on a race to the line.

Wales then thought they had drawn level when they drove Australia’s forwards backwards and replacement James Botham went over just seconds after joining the action.

But the try was ruled out for obstruction and Australia escaped on the back of what appeared to be a marginal call following consultation between Brousset and television match official Marius Jonker.

Thomas completed his penalty hat-trick 14 minutes from time to guarantee a tense finale, but the closing stages belonged to Wright, who rounded off a brilliant counter-attack, before Tom Lynagh’s conversion completed the scoring.

The teams

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Liam Wright (c), 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Jeremy Williams, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 James Slipper
Replacements:  16 Billy Pollard, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Angus Blyth, 20 Charlie Cale, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tom Lynagh, 23 Dylan Pietsch

Wales:  15 Liam Williams, 14 Josh Hathaway, 13 Owen Watkin, 12 Mason Grady, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Ben Thomas, 9 Ellis Bevan, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 Taine Plumtree, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 4 Christ Tshiunza, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements:  16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Kemsley Mathias, 18 Harri O’Connor, 19 Cory Hill, 20 James Botham, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Nick Tompkins

Referee:  Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant Referees:  Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Wallabies keep slim hopes alive with hard-fought win over Portugal

Australia kept alive their slim hopes of progressing to the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals after claiming a 34-14 bonus-point victory over Portugal on Sunday.

The five-point haul in Saint-Etienne puts the Wallabies one point ahead of Fiji in Pool C, but crucially the islanders still have one fixture to play next week.

That clash will see Fiji face Os Lobos in Toulouse where Australia will be praying for a miracle that sees the former fail to pick up anything from the game.

Portugal, as they proved once again on Sunday, will be no pushover as they caused Australia plenty of problems at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in this match.

Tries from Richie Arnold, Dave Porecki, Angus Bell, Fraser McReight and Marika Koroibete secured the bonus-point win but it was far from straightforward.

Pedro Bettencourt and Rafael Simoes crossed for Os Lobos as they dominated large spells of the contest, garnering even more supporters at this tournament.

Ben Donaldson's penalty put the first points on the board for Australia four minutes in, but Portugal scored the first try of the game as Bettencourt crossed in the corner with Samuel Marques converting.

Bettencourt was then sin-binned, but Donaldson missed the subsequent penalty and the Wallabies then quickly responded with a try to retake the lead as Arnold crossed, with Donaldson able to convert.

With Portugal a man down, the tries came in quick succession for Australia from Porecki and Bell, with Donaldson adding the extras.

Nicolas Martins thought he had pulled a try back for Portugal just before the break but it was chalked off thanks to Andrew Kellaway's tackle and Australia led 24-7 at half-time.

👏 What a tackle, Andrew Kellaway! #AUSvPOR #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/Tq8NGcihyq

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 1, 2023

McReight crossed six minutes into the second half to secure the bonus point the Wallabies needed to stay alive in the tournament, before Portugal had another try disallowed after Mike Tadjer lost control of the ball.

There was danger for Australia as they were reduced to 13 when Matt Faessler and Samu Kerevi were sin-binned within two minutes of each other.

Portugal took advantage as Simoes scored a converted try with 10 minutes to go, but Koroibete added Australia's fifth try to finish the game off.

The teams

Australia:  15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Izaia Perese, 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Richie Arnold, 4 Nick Frost, 3 James Slipper, 2 David Porecki (c), 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Matt Faessler, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Pone Fa'amausili, 19 Rob Leota, 20 Josh Kemeny, 21 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 22 Samu Kerevi, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu

Portugal:  15 Nuno Sousa Guedes, 14 Raffaele Storti, 13 Pedro Bettencourt, 12 Tomás Appleton (c), 11 Rodrigo Marta, 10 Jerónimo Portela, 9 Samuel Marques, 8 Thibault de Freitas, 7 Nicolas Martins, 6 David Wallis, 5 Martim Belo, 4 José Madeira, 3 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 2 Mike Tadjer, 1 David Costa
Replacements:  16 Francisco Fernandes, 17 Duarte Diniz, 18 Francisco Bruno, 19 Steevy Cerqueira, 20 Rafael Simoes, 21 Joao Belo, 22 Joris Moura, 23 Manuel Cardoso Pinto

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Joy Neville (Ireland)

Gareth Anscombe steers Wales to victory as Wallabies face World Cup exit

A Gareth Anscombe-inspired Wales sealed an excellent 40-6 victory over the Wallabies to leave Eddie Jones' side on the brink of a Rugby World Cup exit.

Wales were outstanding as 23 points from replacement fly-half Anscombe, who came off the bench after Dan Biggar's injury on 12 minutes, floored Australia.

It wasn't just Anscombe's boot, however, that twisted the knife into Australia as tries from Gareth Davies, Nick Tompkins and Jac Morgan added the gloss.

The bonus-point success rubber stamps Wales' place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals while Jones' Wallabies look set for an historic first pool exit.

The Welsh are guaranteed to top the pool if they defeat Georgia next month, setting up a likely quarter-final clash against Argentina in Marseille.

It was Wales' record win against Australia, overtaking a 25-point margin in 1975, and former England boss Jones will be left to face the music as the Wallabies lurch towards World Cup oblivion.

The Wallabies boss said on Friday he had no doubt Australia would win the game, yet Wales rammed those words down his throat, with two Ben Donaldson penalties Australia's only scoring acts.

It was an outstanding display by Warren Gatland's team as they delivered the goods through a performance that bristled with confidence, power and accuracy.

Gatland named the team that accounted for Fiji in their World Cup opener, with lock Adam Beard winning his 50th cap in a line-up skippered by flanker Morgan.

Australia showed three changes from the side beaten by Fiji last weekend as full-back Andrew Kellaway, scrum-half Tate McDermott and flanker Rob Leota were all handed starts.

Wales blasted out of the blocks and were ahead after just three minutes when Morgan broke through in midfield and Davies ran a brilliant supporting line before gathering the pass and diving over.

Biggar converted, with Wales asking immediate questions of Australia's confidence.

The Wallabies then responded through a concerted spell of pressure inside Wales' 22, before Biggar took a blow and required treatment and Donaldson kicked a short-range penalty that made it 7-3.

Biggar could not shake off what appeared to be a shoulder problem, being forced to leave the pitch after just 12 minutes and replaced by Anscombe.

A second Donaldson penalty cut the gap to a point as the Wallabies fought for their World Cup lives.

Anscombe hit the post with a 19th-minute penalty, but he made no mistake off the tee just two minutes later as Wales moved 10-6 ahead.

It was a fast and furious contest, and Wales had to defend resiliently at times as Australia utilised powerful back-row runners Leota and Rob Valetini.

Anscombe's second successful penalty 12 minutes before half-time opened up a seven-point gap, and then he completed a hat-trick before Wales attacked from halfway and almost breached Australia's defence through wing Louis Rees-Zammit.

Wales took a 10-point lead into the interval, and they were good value as the prize of a quarter-final place drew closer.

Wales extended their advantage just two minutes into the second period when Australia conceded a scrum penalty and Anscombe duly obliged with three points.

The Wallabies' lineout also started to go astray, and Wales were turning the screw through a dominant pack superbly marshalled by Morgan and lock Will Rowlands.

34 ― @WelshRugbyUnion's 34-point margin of victory represents Australia's heaviest ever defeat in a @RugbyWorldCup match (previously 16-40 v England in 2019) ― the Wallabies had previously never lost a pool stage match by more than nine points. Vanquished. #RWC #WALvAUS pic.twitter.com/Wyj9Y8YHyT

― OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) September 24, 2023

And they claimed a second try after 48 minutes when Anscombe's pinpoint chip over the top of Australia's defensive line led to Tompkins touching down, with Anscombe converting to leave the Wallabies 26-6 adrift.

Two more Anscombe penalties took Wales past 30 points, and they were now almost toying with their hapless opponents.

Australia had no answer in the set-piece area, with Jones being loudly booed each time he appeared on the stadium's giant screens.

Gatland was able to ring the changes with his team in so much control, and Anscombe dropped a goal 10 minutes from time that rubbed salt into gaping Australian wounds.

Wales fans were jubilant, and Morgan scored try number three from a driven lineout as Gatland's men cruised to a remarkable landslide triumph.

The teams

Wales:  15 Liam Williams, 14 Louis Rees Zammit, 13 George North, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Jac Morgan (c), 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements:  16 Elliot Dee, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Dafydd Jenkins, 20 Taine Basham, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Gareth Anscombe, 23 Rio Dyer

Australia:  15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Tom Hooper, 6 Rob Leota, 5 Richie Arnold, 4 Nick Frost, 3 James Slipper, 2 David Porecki (c), 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Matt Faessler, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Pone Fa'amausili, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Fraser McReight, 21 Nic White, 22 Carter Gordon, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO:  Tom Foley (England)

Fiji claim famous win over the Wallabies to throw Pool C wide open

Fiji picked up their first victory of the 2023 Rugby World Cup as they claimed the scalp of the Wallabies, winning 22-15 at Stade Geoffroy Guichard on Sunday.

The famous win throws Pool C wide open as the islanders move on to six points, level with Australia and four behind Wales with two matches still to play.

A second-half try from Josua Tuisova as well as 14 points from the boot of Simione Kuruvoli and a Frank Lomani penalty saw Fiji to a crucial pool success.

For Australia this was a sobering loss as they were well beaten on the day, with Mark Nawaqanitawase and Suliasi Vunivalu's tries their only highlights.

This was Simon Raiwalui's team's first win over Australia since 1954 and it was hugely deserved as they dominated with and without the ball on Sunday.

Fiji were looking to bounce back from an agonising opening loss to Wales while the Wallabies had kicked off their Pool C campaign by seeing off Georgia.

Therefore the islanders knew it was pretty much win or bust in terms of their hopes of progressing to the knockouts, with a real drive evident early on.

Australia full-back Ben Donaldson was opportunistic early on and punished a Fiji high tackle when he converted the first opportunity of the game to give his side a 3-0 lead after three minutes.

The Pacific Islanders sought a response through scrum-half Kuruvoli, who tied the score before slotting another penalty to give his side a 6-3 lead after 20 minutes.

The first try of the game came in the 22nd minute through Nawaqanitawase.  The wing chased the long ball, took a quick lineout and combined with Samu Kerevi before he received the offload to add five more to to Australia's tally.

But the Wallabies' hard work started to unravel through ill-discipline and they started to concede needless penalties, much to the delight of Kuruvoli who added six more and the half ended 12-8 in favour of the Fijians.

Fiji extended their lead when Carter Gordon misjudged the bounce of a high ball which invited Tuisova to storm through and make it 19-8 in the 42nd minute.

Vunivalu went over late on for Australia after Fiji scored another penalty but it was not enough and they held on to complete a memorable 22-15 victory.

Fiji in the final? 👀#RWC2023 | #AUSvFIJ | @fijirugby pic.twitter.com/rhSTa9VWzv

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 17, 2023

The teams

Australia:  15 Ben Donaldson, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Nic White, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Richie Arnold, 4 Nick Frost, 3 James Slipper, 2 David Porecki, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Jordan Uelese, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Rob Leota, 21 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 22 Lalakai Foketi, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu

Fiji:  15 Ilaisa Droasese, 14 Jiuta Wainiqolo, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu (c), 12 Josua Tuisova, 11 Semi Radradra, 10 Teti Tela, 9 Simione Kuruvoli, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Levani Botia, 6 Lekima Tagitagivalu, 5 Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta, 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Luke Tagi, 2 Sam Matavesi, 1 Eroni Mawi
Replacements:  16 Tevita Ikanivere, 17 Peni Ravai, 18 Mesake Doge, 19 Temo Mayanavanua, 20 Albert Tuisue, 21 Frank Lomani, 22 Vilimoni Botitu, 23 Vinaya Habosi

Referee:  Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Chris Busby (Ireland)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Wallabies emphatically end losing run in slick World Cup win over Georgia

Australia ended a run of five straight losses as they kicked off their Rugby World Cup campaign with an impressive 35-15 win over Georgia on Saturday.

The drought is finally over for the Wallabies as tries from Jordan Petaia, Mark Nawaqanitawase and Ben Donaldson (2) sealed a first-up pool triumph.

Donaldson also contributed 15 points off the kicking tee in a strong outing at full-back as Eddie Jones‘ troops avoided a potential banana skin in Paris.

Luka Ivanishvili and Beka Gigashvili were the Lelos’ only try scorers on the day, as Georgia missed the chance to cause a shock at the Stade de France.

The Wallabies – with former England head coach Jones having taken over again in January – needed just a couple of minutes to get their first try when the ball was worked out wide to Petaia.

Georgia, who have yet to qualify from the pool stage in their five previous World Cup appearances, soon reduced the deficit with a penalty from Luka Matkava.

However, Australia – twice world champions but heading into the tournament with low expectations back home – swiftly extended their lead again with a try from wing Nawaqanitawase after good work by Petaia.  This time, full-back Donaldson did convert for the extra two points.

✈️ Soaring through the air! #RWC2023 #AUSvGEOpic.twitter.com/M95020JZwX

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 9, 2023

Donaldson then kicked three penalties to put further daylight between the sides, punishing more indiscipline from Georgia.

Australia scrum-half Tate McDermott was replaced by Nic White shortly before the break after taking a blow to the head as he went into a tackle.

Georgia were reduced to 14 men when winger Mirian Modebadze took out White for a second penalty and was swiftly sent to the sin-bin by Welsh referee Luke Pearce as Australia went into half-time with a 21-3 lead.

The Lelos, though, rallied at the start of the second half, with flanker Ivanishvili powering over for a try.

Australia were soon back on the offensive when prop Taniela Tupou took an interception to pick out Donaldson, who dived over next to the posts and then added the extras.

Donaldson capped a fine individual display when he scored another try in the 70th minute, taking a pass from Carter Gordon to secure Australia’s bonus point before Georgia added a late consolation try from a lineout through replacement prop Gigashvili.

The teams

Australia:  15 Ben Donaldson, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Will Skelton (c), 4 Richie Arnold, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 David Porecki, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Matt Faessler, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Rob Leota, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Nic White, 22 Lalakai Foketi, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu

Georgia:  15 Davit Niniashvili, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Demur Tapladze, 12 Merab Sharikadze (c), 11 Miriani Modebadze, 10 Luka Matkava, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 8 Beka Gorgadze, 7 Luka Ivanishvili, 6 Tornike Jalagonia, 5 Konstantine Mikautadze, 4 Nodar Cheishvili, 3 Guram Papidze, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Nika Abuladze
Replacements:  16 Tengizi Zamtaradze, 17 Guram Gogichashvili, 18 Beka Gigashvili, 19 Lasha Jaiani, 20 Giorgi Tsutskiridze, 21 Gela Aprasidze, 22 Tedo Abzhandadze, 23 Giorgi Kveseladze

Referee:  Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees:  James Doleman (New Zealand), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

France hand Australia fifth straight loss in fine fashion ahead of World Cup

France continued with their superb form ahead of the upcoming Rugby World Cup when they cruised to an emphatic 41-17 victory over Australia in Paris on Sunday.

In a fast-paced and exciting encounter in which both sides gave the ball plenty of air, Les Bleus were full value for their win as they held the upper-hand for long periods and eventually outscored their opponents by four tries to three.

Damian Penaud led the way with a brace of tries while Gabin Villiere and Jonathan Danty also crossed the whitewash.  The home side’s other points came via three conversions and four penalties from Thomas Ramos, while Melvyn Jaminet also succeeded with a conversion and a three-pointer off the kicking tee.

For the Wallabies, who have now lost all five of their Tests this year, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Fraser McReight and Suliasi Vunivalu dotted down and Carter Gordon added a conversion.

The visitors had a chance to open the scoring as early as the third minute, when Antoine Dupont was blown up for offside play on defence, but Gordon’s shot at goal from the resulting penalty was wide of the mark.

That early miss proved costly as it did not take long for the hosts to respond when Danty crossed for the opening try in the eighth minute.  This, after he ran onto a flat pass from Dupont inside Australia’s 22 before powering through a tackle from Gordon on his way over the try-line.

😤 Jonathan Danty opens the scoring! #FRAvAUSpic.twitter.com/Uyr56nfGdQ

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 27, 2023

Despite that score, the Wallabies did not panic and shortly afterwards they struck back when Andrew Kellaway joined the line at pace before finding Nawaqanitawase with a long pass out wide, and the wing dotted down in the left-hand corner.

Gordon was off target with the conversion attempt, but both sides stayed true to their attacking roots, and in the 16th minute Villiere came close to increasing their lead when he found himself in space out wide before he was bundled into touch by a desperate cover tackle from Nawaqanitawase close to the corner flag.

The rest of the half saw France gradually gaining the upper-hand as Australia conceded a plethora of penalties, and when it was within goal-kicking range, Ramos made them pay.

The full-back succeeded with two penalties in quick succession, which gave his side a 13-5 lead by the half hour-mark but Australia had a chance to reduce the deficit in the 33rd minute ― when Les Bleus were penalised for illegal scrumaging ― but Gordon was off target again.

That proved a costly miss as two minutes later, Tate McDermott was penalised for obstruction, and Ramos made the Wallabies pay again as he made no mistake from the kicking tee, which meant France were holding a deserved 16-5 lead as the teams changed sides at half-time.

The second half started in a similar fashion, with Ramos lining up a shot at goal in the 43rd minute ― after Lalakai Foketi was penalised for a high tackle on Gael Fickou ― but surprisingly, his effort struck an upright.

Australia spent most of the next 10 minutes camped inside France’s half, but they were met with a solid defensive effort from their hosts, and no points were scored during that period.

Their inability to score points came back to haunt the Wallabies in the 53rd minute when Vunivalu was yellow-carded for a cynical defensive foul deep inside his half.

It did not take long for Les Bleus to make their numerical advantage count as in the 57th minute, Penaud gathered a perfectly weighted cross-field kick from Dupont before cantering in for his first five-pointer.

🇫🇷 FRANCE THRILL AS WALLABIES LOSE FIVE STRAIGHT! #FRAvAUS pic.twitter.com/YrKrmxclXE

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 27, 2023

To their credit, the Wallabies did not surrender, and on the hour-mark, McReight crossed the whitewash when he ran onto a pass from McDermott after France failed to deal with a teasing box kick from the Wallabies scrum-half inside their 22.

It did not take long for Les Bleus to respond, though as soon after, Matthieu Jalibert found Villiere with a cross-field kick, and he did well to score his try despite the attentions of two defenders.

France’s dominance continued, and in the 76th minute, they were rewarded again when Penaud chipped ahead before regathering to score his second try.  Shortly afterwards, Vunivalu was rewarded when he scored his try, after gathering a high ball, but France finished stronger and sealed their win in the game’s dying moments when Jaminet slotted his penalty from just inside his half.

All Blacks' fightback floors the Wallabies in Bledisloe Cup thriller in Dunedin

The All Blacks recovered from being 3-17 down at half-time to beat the Wallabies 23-20 in a thrilling Bledisloe Cup encounter at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Saturday.

After winning the Bledisloe Cup for the 21st successive year in Melbourne last week, the All Blacks made wholesale changes to their starting line-up and it showed as their opponents were the better team during the opening half.

However, the home side took control of proceedings after the interval and held their nerve to clinch a thrilling win, with Richie Mo’unga slotting the match-winning penalty in the game’s dying moments.

The All Blacks’ other points came via tries from Shaun Stevenson and Samipeni Finau while Damian McKenzie added a conversion and a penalty and Mo’unga also slotted a conversion and another three-pointer off the kicking tee.

For the Wallabies, Marika Koroibete and Tom Hooper crossed the whitewash while Carter Gordon contributed seven points courtesy of a couple of conversions and a penalty and Quade Cooper also added a penalty.

The Wallabies made a terrific start and after taking the ball through several phases with their forwards they struck out wide with their backs as early as the third minute.  Koroibete did brilliantly when he ran onto a pass from Samu Kerevi before crossing for the opening try in the left-hand corner despite desperate tackles from Stevenson and Finlay Christie.

Shortly afterwards, it was a similar story when Angus Bell took the ball into contact inside New Zealand’s 22 with a powerful carry and the ball was recycled quickly.  Kerevi turned provider again when he offloaded to Hooper, who powered through tackles from McKenzie and Stevenson before crashing over for his team’s second try.

The All Blacks seemed shellshocked by the intensity of the Wallabies’ onslaught but they finally opened their account in the 14th minute when McKenzie slotted a penalty.

Despite that, the visitors continued to hold the upper-hand and 10 minutes later they came close to scoring their third try when Pone Fa’amausili went over under New Zealand’s posts but his effort was disallowed as Samisoni Taukei’aho held him up while crossing the whitewash.

However, the All Blacks had strayed offside in the build-up and Gordon was successful with the resulting penalty which gave the Wallabies a deserved 17-3 lead.

They had an opportunity to increase their lead on the half hour-mark when Tate McDermott made a dash for the try-line but he too was held up after a desperate tackle from Ardie Savea.

It was a different All Blacks side which came out for the second half as they were much more competitive after the break and immediately went on the front foot from the kick off as they were soon camped inside the Wallabies’ 22.

Dallas McLeod and Leicester Fainga’anuku caught the eye with powerful carries which sucked in the Wallabies’ defence before McKenzie found Stevenson with an excellent skip pass and the debutant did well to dive over for his first Test try.

🔥 Try on debut for Shaun Stevenson! The All Blacks are back in this one. #NZLvAUS #BledisloeCup pic.twitter.com/U1sQybG1jP

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 5, 2023

That score saw the All Blacks upping the ante on attack and in the 55th minute Fainga’anuku broke through a couple of tackles before barging over under the posts, but television replays revealed that he had lost control of the ball while crossing the try-line and his score was ruled out.

Despite that setback, momentum had swung in New Zealand’s favour and in the 57th minute Mo’unga, who had come on to replace McKenzie, narrowed the gap to four points when he slotted a penalty.

On the hour-mark, Gordon had a chance to give his team its seven-point lead again but his penalty attempt struck an upright.  Five minutes later, they were made to pay for that blunder when another Test rookie, Finau, crossed for his five-pointer after the All Blacks’ forwards had put the Wallabies under pressure with some strong carries in the build-up.

That converted try gave the hosts a 20-17 lead but the Wallabies drew level in the 73rd minute when Cooper landed a long-range penalty.

Just before full-time, however, the visitors were penalised at a scrum and Mo’unga held his nerve from 45 metres out to slot the match-winning penalty for the All Blacks.

Impressive All Blacks once again claim Rugby Championship title

New Zealand retained both the Rugby Championship title and Bledisloe Cup after they after hammered Australia 38-7 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

In truth, the scoreline didn’t really do justice to the visitors’ efforts, who fronted up for the majority of the match, but it simply showcased how much Ian Foster’s men have progressed over the past 12 months.

Following disappointing defeats to South Africa and Argentina, the Wallabies were better in Melbourne and after 30 minutes they held a 7-5 advantage through Rob Valetini’s try.

New Zealand had begun the half well as Shannon Frizell went over before they ended it on the front foot thanks to tries from Codie Taylor and Will Jordan.

The All Blacks then withstood long periods of pressure in the second half, which proved crucial as they cut loose, scoring three times in the final 22 minutes.

Caleb Clarke, Mark Telea and Rieko Ioane all touched down to complete the win and make sure their kept hold of the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship.

It was a mixed start from Aaron Smith, who threw the ball straight into touch in the opening exchanges, but he then produced a pinpoint box-kick which took play into the Australian 22.

From the resultant Wallabies lineout, the hosts took clean ball off the top, but Scott Barrett was waiting and sent Tate McDermott into next week with a huge hit.  The scrum-half duly lost possession and Frizell was on hand to touch down to hand the visitors the lead.

To McDermott’s credit, he responded well and dictated proceedings nicely from the base, while his half-back partner Carter Gordon – on his first Test start – mixed play up nicely.

With big runners Samu Kerevi, Marika Koroibete and Mark Nawaqanitawase picking lines in the midfield, the Wallabies were dangerous.

Nawaqanitawase was particularly effective and the wing made a significant incursion as he ran over the isolated Smith and surged into the New Zealand 22.

Eddie Jones’ men showed patience to go through the phases and eventually Valetini was awarded a try after consultation with the television match official.

The Australians were at that point matching the All Blacks physically but gradually Ian Foster’s charges got on top.

They were very direct and structured, something which attack guru Joe Schmidt has added to their armoury, and eventually the home side’s defence was breached.

After Koroibete had been sin-binned for being offside, the All Blacks took advantage of his absence when a powerful driving maul ended in Taylor crossing the whitewash.

Richie Mo’unga’s conversion then increased their buffer to five but all was not lost for the Wallabies, who were very much in the game.  However, a mistake from Gordon handed the visitors a final opportunity before the break and, in typical New Zealand fashion, they were clinical as Jordan scored.

2⃣3⃣ caps
2⃣3⃣ tries

🇳🇿 Will Jordan is a try machine. #RugbyChampionship #AUSvNZL pic.twitter.com/nHdXzkUkVa

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) July 29, 2023

The momentum had very much switched the All Blacks’ way but Australia did not give in and dominated the first 15 minutes of the second period.  However, there was no reward for their efforts as their opponents’ defence remained stubborn in the face of some big runners.

Taniela Tupou, making his return to the international arena, made several rampaging runs, but one such surge led to him picking up an injury.

Bizarrely, Jones decided to keep him on the field while he was clearly struggling and it proved costly as, with his last act, the tighthead was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle.

The head coach was reluctant to bring Tupou off due to the serious injury suffered by Allan Alaalatoa but, with the World Cup looming and James Slipper able to cover that position, it was a strange call by the Wallabies.

And with Australia down to 14 men once again, the All Blacks would make sure of the victory.  Firstly, Clarke crossed the whitewash before fellow wing Telea followed him to effectively secure the Rugby Championship title.

With the game in the bag New Zealand could enjoy themselves and they put together the try of the competition, which ended in Ioane going over.

It was a fitting final try as they showed the rugby world that they will be a significant threat come the Rugby World Cup.