Ireland let chance slip in Australia

Australia got back on the Test horse on Saturday -- but it was far from an impressive showing in a 22-15 win over Ireland at Suncorp Stadium.

This talented group of Wallabies certainly had plenty of unwanted questions that were needing to be answered after that ldefeat to England in Sydney.  And this stuttering performance failed to turn captain Rocky Elsom's frown upside down.

That was because it was Ireland who came out of the blocks the stronger as they looked to avoid a run of five-straight defeats, which all began at Croke Park against Six Nations rivals Scotland.

That air of desperation seemed to help the Irish cause though, with Jonathan Sexton following on from his kicking effort against the New Zealand Maori with another strong effort eight days on.

Despite the Leinster back's solidity from the tee that saw him score fifteen points that all came before the break, Ireland probably should have had themselves a decent cushion had they not handed Luke Burgess a gift of a try with a quarter gone.  The charitable mood then continued right on the hooter when Quade Cooper slipped Niall Ronan and Shane Jennings to take the wind out of Ireland's sails.

Had they not coughed up those ten points during the first 40, the tourists would have had themselves a healthy 6-15 lead in what was a warm-up for this duo's Pool clash in World Cup 2011.  However, many of those expected to occupy the stage in Auckland were not in attendance today due to injury, so neither will take much from events that transpired.

Both sides had hinted at an attacking approach to the game, but it was not until late in the second half that either backline was able to find real space.

For the Australians, skipper Elsom was typically strong, but Drew Mitchell and Kurtley Beale missed an opportunity to impress in the backs.

After trailing for the majority of the first half, the Wallabies snatched a 16-15 lead going into the break, courtesy of Cooper's attacking flair.  The Reds star created something from nothing as he danced his way through an invisible gap well after the siren.

Earlier, the Australians had first use of the ball, but it was the Irish who had first points on the board when Sexton sunk a penalty in the second minute, after Cooper was judged offside by referee Bryce Lawrence.

The chance to level the scores came just minutes later for the Aussies, but after a scratchy performance with the boot against England last weekend it appeared Matt Giteau's radar was still out and his kick from right in front sailed left of the uprights.

An intercept from Rob Horne was called back for a knock-on, but from the scrum Luke Burgess made it second time lucky with an intercept of his own to run in the first try of the match and give the Wallabies their lead for the first time.

The Wallabies were forced to shuffle their backline with the resumption of the second half, sending Beale to fullback, Adam Ashley-Cooper to centre and James O'Connor to the wing, after their starting outside centre Horne was forced out with a gluteal strain.

Unfortunately for Beale, his first significant contribution for the Australians was not a good one;  with space out wide and the try line almost within reach, the Waratahs star opted for to send in a grubber that steamed over the backline.

Play was eventually called back and Giteau registered his first successful kick of the match to give the Wallabies first blood in the second half.

As the contest began to open up for the first time, the Wallaby backline showed signs of clicking into gear but, once again, a penalty conceded by the Irish close to the line ensured the points continued to accumulate in threes.

The Australians continued to attack in the late stages of the second half, but regular handling mistakes stopped them from increasing the lead in the low-scoring second half.

Man-of-the-match:  Few stood out but the effort from Mick O'Driscoll needs to be rewarded.  His coolness under pressure led an inexperienced pack that more than held its own.

Moment-of-the-match:  The forced pass from number eight Chris Henry that Luke Burgess gobbled up before scoring cost Ireland.  A painful lesson on debut.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Burgess, Cooper
Con:  Cooper
Pen:  Cooper 2, Giteau 2

For Ireland:
Pen:  Sexton 5

Australia:  15 James O'Connor, 14 Drew Mitchell, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 Mark Chisholm, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley.
Replacements:  16 Huia Edmonds, 17 James Slipper, 18 Mitchell Chapman, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Kurtley Beale.

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c), 12 Paddy Wallace, 11 Andrew Trimble, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Tomas O'Leary, 8 Chris Henry, 7 Shane Jennings, 6 Niall Ronan, 5 Mick O'Driscoll, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Tony Buckley, 2 Sean Cronin, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements:  16 Damien Varley, 17 Tom Court, 18 Dan Tuohy, 19 Rhys Ruddock, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Ronan O'Gara, 22 Geordan Murphy.

Referee:  Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Chris Pollock (New Zealand)

New Zealand take tight Welsh Test

New Zealand wrapped up their two-Test series against Wales with a tight 29-10 victory in Hamilton on Saturday.

Once again, it was New Zealand's ability to turn pressure into points that counted, but this time it was from the boot of Dan Carter as the Welsh allowed no repeat of last week's five-try demolition.

Both sides tightened up considerably from the first Test, but the Welsh considerably more so.  While the records will show a three-try game, two of those tries came in the final three minutes, one from Wales when they were 19 behind and the game was up, one from New Zealand in the final minute against a Welsh side still too happy for just having scored to think about defending properly.

But for the preceding 79 minutes the Welsh had stifled the All Blacks well enough, only their inability to cope with the new tackle law policy, strictly applied by refere Jonathan Kaplan, gave New Zealand a steady stream of kicked penalties from Dan Carter, which was the game-winning aspect.

Otherwise, it was good news for the Welsh.  Their scrum was still the better, despite New Zealand's attempts to change this by installing two new props -- that has to be a worry for Graham Henry.

Dan Biggar played a solid game in his first outing against a major nation and showed enough flashes to suggest that more is to come.  Rob McCusker, on for the injured Ryan Jones after just twenty-odd minutes, also did not look out of his depth.

And again, the Welsh enjoyed plenty of possession.  But this time, the difference between those used to the new law policies and those still finding their feet (as opposed to being caught off them) was glaring.  New Zealand's defence was lightning fast to organise at all times, Wales' often left stretched and just plain slower to align.  Dare we opine this is because NH players are more used to slower ball as a result of their being used to slowing it down up north, while SH players don't bother any more?  We think we do.

The other difference between the teams was New Zealand's consistent ability to at least get to the gain line with the ball in hand.  Even from a standing start, their players know how to step and accelerate instinctively towards the gaps and just get that extra yard forward.  Wales, on the other hand, just looked hesitant before trying the same, as a result, they kept being tackled behind the gain line and struggling to build momentum, even with a stack of possession.

The same can be said of counter attack:  from long kicks, New Zealand players would set off at pace before darting inside and haring at a gap.  Later in the game, Leigh Halfpenny's attempt to do the same was marked for its lack of pace and its self-doubt.  There was no doubt about it in this game, the SH team was simply half a yard faster everywhere.

Wales made a solid start by Wales as they took a 3-0 lead in the second minute with a Leigh Halfpenny penalty from almost halfway after Cory Jane was penalised for not releasing Tom Prydie.

Both teams looked to use their kickers to gain field position early on in the wet conditions, although young fly-half Biggar had the confidence to step lock Tom Donnelly to make a break out of his own 22.

But after he fed Bradley Davies the attack faltered as the All Blacks swarmed on defence.

Wales then won a five metre scrum but wasted the good opportunity, after initially shoving the All Blacks backwards, when Adam Jones was adjudged to have faded on the hit and Carter cleared from the resulting free-kick.

But the All Blacks were starting to look dangerous with ball in hand as Richard Kahui and Benson Stanley started to make inroads in midfield.

Flanker Gavin Thomas was then caught for incorrect entry at the ruck and Carter levelled the scores with a penalty on 14 minutes.

Another promising attack by the Welsh -- which was sparked by a strong run down the right flank by scrum-half Mike Phillips -- fizzled out several phases later when Alun-Wyn Jones lost the ball in the tackle.

They were made to pay dearly as New Zealand got the game's opening try on 24 minutes when they spun the ball out wide from a ruck close to the Welsh line and Stanley put Jane in the gap to breeze past Biggar and touch down despite the tackle of Halfpenny.  Carter's conversion stretched the home side's lead to 10-3.

There was further woe for the Wales as their skipper Jones limped off with a leg injury to be replaced by McCusker.

Biggar had a chance to close the gap with a penalty when Tom Donnelly killed the ball at the breakdown but the 20-year-old mis-cued completely and the points went begging.

Carter returned the favour a couple of minutes later when he sent a penalty wide but he got another shot at goal on the stroke of half-time when Byrne was sin-binned for a lifting tackle on Donnelly close to the Welsh line and the All Blacks fly-half made no mistake.

More Welsh indiscipline after the break allowed Carter to extend the home side's lead to 22-3 with three more penalties and the game became scrappier as both coaches turned to their benches.

Biggar lost the ball forward on attack after some good strong running by Phillips and then Roberts was held up over the line when Guildford somehow managed to get his body underneath the centre.

More staunch All Blacks defence from a combination of Kahui and Guildford denied Jonathan Davies a minute later before Roberts finally earned some reward for the hard-working visitors.

But it was Cruden who had the final say when he chipped behind the on-rushing Welsh defence.  Byrne failed to ground the ball and the young fly-half pounced for his maiden Test try, Weepu adding the conversion.

Man of the match:  The effervescent Cory Jane once again sparkled, notching yet another try.

Moment of the match:  A nice touch at the end, with Aaron Cruden's first Test try.

Villain of the match:  Nothing -- even the anthems were nice this time!

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Jane, Cruden
Cons:  Carter, Weepu
Pens:  Carter 5

For Wales:
Try:  Roberts
Con:  S.  Jones
Pen:  Halfpenny

New Zealand:  15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Benson Stanley, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:  16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Rene Ranger.

Wales:  15 Lee Byrne, 14 Leigh Halfpenny, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Tom Prydie, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Ryan Jones (c), 7 Gavin Thomas, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Paul James.
Replacements:  16 Huw Bennett, 17 Craig Mitchell, 18 Deiniol Jones, 19 Rob McCusker, 20 Richard Rees, 21 Stephen Jones, 22 Will Harries.

Referee:  Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Assistant referees:  Craig Joubert (South Africa), James Leckie (Australia)
TMO:  George Ayoub (Australia)

Maori edge epic against England

New Zealand Maori completed a fine 35-28 victory over England at McLean Park in what was a fascinating contest that had it all on Wednesday.

Defeat is seasoned with plenty of encouragement for England though, who showed enough in attack to shed the shackles that have restrained them for so long.  They were attack-minded, had ideas and importantly refused to slip back into the style of just limiting their rivals before feeding off scraps.

But that mindset could not halt the Maori in what was an awesome game at McLean Park, with Hosea Gear stealing the show with a hat-trick.

The positive result for the hosts means they have now beaten the New Zealand Barbarians, Ireland and now the English in a memorable 100th year.

England had arrived in Napier on a high after their famous 21-20 win over Australia in Sydney sealed a 1-1 Test series draw with the Wallabies.

And Team Manager Martin Johnson had branded this clash as the unofficial third Test, with England making a fast start that was led by Delon Armitage.

The tourists' early dominance was ultimately rewarded with a Hodgson penalty and then a try from Steffon Armitage as the English surged ahead.

Impressive fly-half Charlie Hodgson then stabbed a grubber kick in behind the Maori defensive line and Chris Ashton showed brilliant footballing skills to flick the ball back in play with his right foot just before it landed in touch.  Armitage was already on the charge and the London Irish flanker dived on the loose ball to give England a 10-0 lead, with Hodgson landing the touchline conversion.

Hodgson slotted a second penalty as England succeeded where they had failed against the Australian Barbarians, by turning early pressure into points.

But the Maori then turned the tables spectacularly with two brilliant counter-attacking tries.

Luke McAlister got the Maori onto the scoreboard with a penalty but Hodgson wasted the chance of an immediate response by hitting the post.

Maori full-back Robbie Robinson countered from the rebound and quickly left England's defence in disarray before fly-half Stephen Brett released Gear, who swatted David Strettle and Mathew Tait aside to score.

Maori scrum-half Aaron Smith then pilfered the ball from the back of an England scrum and launched another incisive break, with Brett drawing in three defenders before releasing Messam.

Hodgson tracked back to make the tackle but the Sale fly-half could not drag Messam into touch.  The try was given and McAlister's conversion edged the Maori into a 17-13 lead.

There was no let-up to the breathtaking start and it needed a vital tackle from Tait to halt centre Dwayne Sweeney before Gear knocked the ball on over the line as he chased down Brett's chip.

England were under pressure at the breakdown but returned to their point of strength in the scrum to win a kickable penalty and get back into the game.

The tourists then scored twice in the last minute before half-time to storm back into the lead.

When Referee Craig Joubert awarded England a penalty at the ruck, Care spotted the opportunity to exploit a disorganised Maori defence, took the quick tap and beat lock Jarrad Hoeata to score.

The Maori sought a response but Hodgson intercepted a pass from McAlister on halfway and sent Ashton over for the try.

England had dominated the breakdown and the tackle count in the first half but their lead was tentative -- and within eight minutes of the restart it had been scrubbed out.

Tait and Barritt both fell off McAlister and when the ball was spread wide, Gear charged through a gaping hole in the England defence to score his second try.

The Maori then pounced again after another mistake at the breakdown and the ball was spread left to Gear, who capitalised on a major overlap to complete his hat-trick.

McAlister converted both tries to edge the Maori into a 29-28 lead after 48 minutes.

England's pack remained on top but Delon Armitage missed their only penalty shot of the second half with a skewed effort from long range.

The Maori closed out the game with two penalties from replacement Willie Ripia, which left England requiring a converted try to win -- and they blew two golden chances.

Geraghty's attempted kick for touch went dead and when Ben Foden launched a searing break, he chose to chip ahead instead of passing to Armitage and the ball again slid over the dead ball line.

Man-of-the-match:  Three bully-like tries cannot be ignored.  If winger Hosea Gear does not make New Zealand's squad for the upcoming Tri-Nations then I will eat my hat.  Immense.

The scorers:

For NZ Maori:
Tries:  Gear 3, Messam
Con:  McAlister 3
Pen:  McAlister, Ripia 2

For England:
Tries:  S Armitage, Care, Ashton
Con:  Hodgson 2
Pen:  Hodgson 3

New Zealand Maori:  15 Robbie Robinson, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Dwayne Sweeney, 12 Luke McAlister, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Stephen Brett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Liam Messam (c), 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Karl Lowe, 5 Jarrad Hoeata, 4 Hayden Triggs, 3 Ben Afeaki, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Clint Newland.
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Bronson Murray, 18 Isaac Ross, 19 Colin Bourke, 20 Ruki Tipuna, 21 Willie Ripia, 22 Jackson Willison.

England:  15 Delon Armitage, 14 David Strettle, 13 Mathew Tait, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Chris Ashton, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Danny Care, 8 Phil Dowson, 7 Steffon Armitage, 6 Chris Robshaw (c), 5 Geoff Parling, 4 David Attwood, 3 Paul Doran-Jones, 2 George Chuter, 1 David Flatman.
Replacements:  16 Rob Webber, 17 Dan Cole, 18 Dan Ward-Smith, 19 James Haskell, 20 Ben Youngs, 21 Shane Geragthy, 22 Ben Foden.

Referee:  Craig Joubert (South Africa)

Scotland make history in Argentina

Scotland recorded an impressive if workmanlike 13-9 win over Argentina on Saturday, putting the seal on their series success in Mar del Plata.

The wet weather did not help the match in an attacking sense as Scotland looked to follow up their Tucaman success.  And that they did as a fine effort completed a double over the Pumas, who could not claw their way back after Jim Hamilton's early try was aided by Dan Parks' boot.

Scotland started the sprightlier with decent phase play that began inside their own half before a penalty saw last week's hero, Parks, push his forwards right into the corner.  And from that resulting line-out, it was the soon-to-be Gloucester lock who powered over for the opener on three minutes.  Parks' extras made it 0-7.

But after ten minutes of trying hard to find their feet and coughing up penalty after penalty, the hosts finally got onto the board via the boot of Felipe Contepomi after John Barclay had come off his feet at the breakdown.  It proved to be the first segment of a Puma-dominated period in the rain as Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe led from the front while his pivot knocked over another three on 20 minutes to cut the lead to one.

Ample offences were keeping French referee Christophe Berdos' arms busy but that did not halt what was becoming a free-flowing entertaining spectacle -- the sight of veteran Rodrigo Roncero rampaging in the open spaces being a pleasure to watch for everyone except defending full-back Hugo Southwell.

And it was Berdos' whistle that preceded Parks knocking over his second of the game from halfway as his fine tour continued, taking the score up to 6-10 closing in on the half-hour.  More was to come.

Scotland really are starting to look like a nation that is firmly buying into Andy Robinson's ideas, first apparent during the tail end of the Six Nations, and this double over the Pumas will be the ideal boost to their cause -- not least the fact the duo meet each other in the pool stages of the 2011 World Cup.

Argentina would do well to address their discipline ahead of that tasty group as their penalty offences were a problem and finally got to Berdos, who sent Roncero to the sin-bin with three minutes remaining until the interval.  Chance to get out of the rain for the doctor?

Santiago Phelan must have then dished out a few stern words to his men in the sheltered changing rooms, with the men in light blue showing a great deal more bite in defence upon the turnaround.  The tacklers did well to soak up the best that Scotland had to offer and you just sensed a passage of Puma pressure was not too far away as their response.

The momentum had swung dramatically with the brute force of the Argentine pack coming into the game and enjoying the close exchanges just five metres from the visiting line.  Three points on the hour from impressive full-back Martin Rodriguez -- taking over the kicking tee from a hobbling Contepomi -- was eventually their reward.

But Parks settled Scotland's nerves by kicking over from almost 40 metres and the visitors enjoyed a relatively comfortable spell despite a missed drop-goal from the fly-half.

The pressure then returned in the closing seconds but Scott MacLeod stole possession from an Argentinian line-out to spell the end of the home side's hopes as Robinson's outfit recorded three straight away wins for the first time since 1982 and their first ever away series win.  Good times for Scotland, but Argnetina have stepped back from the glory days of 2007.

The scorers:

For Argentina:
Pen:  Contepomi 2, Rodriguez

For Scotland:
Tries:  Hamilton
Con:  Parks
Pen:  Parks 2

Argentina:  15 Martin Rodriguez, 14 Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Santiago Fernandez, 11 Horacio Agulla, 10 Felipe Contepomi (c), 9 Agustin Figuerola, 8 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 6 Genaro Fessia, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Martin Scelzo, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements:  16 Marcos Ayerza, 17 Santiago Guzman, 18 Alejandro Campos, 19 Agustin Creevy 20 Nicolas Vergallo, 21 Rafael Carballo, 22 Lucas Borges.

Scotland:  15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Max Evans, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Simon Danielli, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Rory Lawson, 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 John Barclay, 6 Kelly Brown, 5 Alastair Kellock (captain), 4 Jim Hamilton, 3 Moray Low, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements:  16 Scott Lawson, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Scott MacLeod, 19 Alasdair Strokosch, 20 Mike Blair, 21 Phil Godman, 22 Nick De Luca.

Referee:  Christophe Berdos (France)

Springboks stutter to victory

South Africa got the job done against Italy in Witbank on Saturday -- winning 29-13 -- but the world champions failed to live up to their own high standards.

The score might suggest a lopsided encounter, but the action on the field was far more evenly balanced.

The Springboks lacked cohesion that saw them dominate France last week, which was perhaps unsurprising considering the number of changes to the side made both before and during the game.

The scoreline is Italy's best ever result against South Africa, not what one would have expected from the Springboks at home.

In stark contrast to their performance at Newlands, the home side made a number of handling errors and failed to impose their own rhythm.

The Springboks visited the Italian 22 just three times in the first half -- but crossed the whitewash on every occasion!

With the wind at their backs in the second period, the home side made sure that the result went their way, despite being outscored after the break.

Italy had hoped to rely on their strong scrum, but the Springbok starting front row will consider themselves victors of the set-piece battle.

Gurthrö Steenkamp in particular can hold his head high after an impressive display of power.  Martin Castrogiovanni's early departure didn't help the visitors although he wasn't able trouble his opposite number from the Bulls in his 20 minutes on the field.

Italy enjoyed plenty of early possession and territory, camping in the South African half for most of the first 40 minutes.  Mirco Bergamasco duly opened the scoring from the kicking tee with an easy penalty to reward the Azzurri for their strong start.

The hosts' reply came soon after the restart however as Morné Steyn leveled the scores with his metronomic boot.

The first try would come from turnover ball as the Italians looked to keep the pressure on.  Butch James linked with Zane Kirchner whose chip ahead bounced perfectly for a flying Bryan Habana to coast over.

The Springboks' second visit to the Italian 22 resulted in their second try, as the green-clad pack produced a solid maul from which Francois Louw broke away for his second try in as many weeks.

Steyn got the home team's third try with a neat step and dart to which he added the conversion to give South Africa a 22-3 lead at the break.

The Boks finally managed to build on some continuity and phase play in the second half, producing a try for Kirchner out wide, arguably the pick of the day's scores.

James was sent to the bin for a silly high tackle and Italy used the extra man to put skipper Sergio Parisse in for well-worked try.

James returned to take up the fly-half position with Ruan Pienaar on his inside but failed to ignite a back line that had flattered to deceive on attack for much of the afternoon.

Italy pulled three more points back with Bergamasco's second penalty.

The visitors finished well, turning the tables around on the Springboks' replacements in the scrums.

Italy piled the late pressure but were unable to crack the South African defence -- which was one of the few areas where Peter de Villiers' side was up to scratch.

Man of the match:  Impressive at scrum time, Gurthrö Steenkamp had another big game.

Moment of the match:  The result was already done and dusted, but credit to Italy for Sergio Parisse's try and for fighting back despite being way behind on the scoreboard.

Villain of the match:  James' tackle was silly, but not malicious, so no villain this week.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Tries:  Habana, Louw, Steyn, Kirchner
Cons:  Steyn 3
Pen:  Steyn

For Italy:
Try:  Parisse
Con:  Bergamasco
Pens:  Bergamasco 2

Yellow card:  James (SA -- 53rd min -- High tackle);

South Africa:  15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jean de Villiers, 12 Butch James, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 François Louw, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements:  16 Bandise Maku, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Alistair Hargreaves, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Bjorn Basson.

Italy:  15 Luke McLean, 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Andrea Masi, 12 Matteo Pratichetti, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Craig Gower, 9 Tito Tebaldi, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Alessandro Zanni, 6 Simone Favaro, 5 Quintin Geldenhuys, 4 Valerio Bernabò, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini 1 Salvatore Perugini.
Replacements:  16 Fabio Ongaro, 17 Lorenzo Cittadini, 18 Marco Bortolami, 19 Paul Derbyshire, 20 Simon Picone, 21 Riccardo Bocchino, 22 Gonzalo Canale.

Venue:  Puma Stadium, Witbank
Referee:  Andrew Small (England)
Assistant referees:  Keith Brown (New Zealand), David Changleng (Scotland)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

England break Aussie duck Down Under

It only took seven years, but England finally got the better of the Wallabies on Australian soil thanks to a thrilling 21-20 victory in Sydney on Saturday.

Both side's crossed the whitewash twice, but the difference came from the tee -- Matt Giteau missing on two occasions from an easy range to put his side in front that ultimately allowed the visitors to hang on for a memorable win.

It was a case of déjà vu for the hosts as 2003 World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson's boot ruined Australia's weekend.

Wilkinson, who made his first appearance at the Sydney Olympic Stadium since slotting the famous late drop-goal all those years ago, converted a 55th minute three-pointer that was the significant difference in England's win.

England had taken a half-time lead with maiden Test tries from Ben Youngs and Chris Ashton but the Wallabies hit back with Giteau scoring twice in a 20-point haul.

Wilkinson replaced Toby Flood early in the second half -- and his first act was to land the penalty that pushed England ahead to seal only their third Test victory Down Under against the Wallabies.

England were barely recognisable from the team that was so soundly put in its place by the Wallabies in Perth last week.  In what was by far their finest performance under Martin Johnson, the tourists played with confidence, intelligence and inventiveness throughout the 80 minutes and no-one can argue that they thoroughly deserved the win.

While England's scrum was their dominant weapon in the first Test in Perth last weekend, it was barely used on Saturday as an improved defence and dominant field position secured the unlikely result.

England opened the match with much greater intensity compared to last week and pressured the Australian inside backs, forcing a host of early errors.  They were rewarded when the Wallabies gave away a defensive penalty in front of the posts and Toby Flood put England ahead 3-0 after just three minutes.

Five minutes later referee Romaine Poite penalised English prop Tim Payne for a punch in the scrum and Matt Giteau duly equalised with a simple kick at goal.

He made it 6-3 soon after with a penalty from 45 metres out, but the English were rewarded for their enterprise when Youngs scored a wonderful solo try, taking the ball from the back of the line-out, darting past the Australian forwards and outpacing Drew Mitchell to score.

In an entertaining first half the Wallabies struck back almost immediately, Giteau scoring after a superb break from winger Digby Ioane to put Australia ahead 13-10.

But England were soon in again as winger Ashton scored his first Test try, steaming onto an inside ball from lock Tom Palmer and breaking through the attempted tackle of James O'Connor.

Flood's conversion attempt went just wide and England went into the break with a well-deserved 15-13 lead.

The Wallabies backs had been well contained in the first half but they gave a show of their brilliance three minutes into the second as Quade Cooper and O'Connor broke away down the sideline before sending Giteau away for his second try and a 20-15 lead.

An Australian scrum collapse allowed Flood to narrow the gap to 20-18, almost his last act before being replaced by Wilkinson.  Another scrum collapse saw Wilkinson kick a penalty from in front and an England lead.

Giteau had three chances to put the Australians back in front but missed them all, including one from right in front of the posts with 10 minutes to go while Wilkinson had an opportunity to kick a 79th minute penalty but his attempt also went wide.

Nevertheless, England managed to hold on to possession in the dying seconds and cleared the ball into touch at the sound of the final hooter.

Man of the match:  Newcomers Ben Youngs at scrum-half and lock Courteney Lawes justified their selections, while the back three of Ben Foden, Mark Cueto and Chris Ashton, hardly seen in the first Test, looked dangerous every time they touched the ball.  However our vote was an unanimous one in the end -- Nick Easter played his best game in an England shirt and simply dominated from start to finish.  He was found everywhere on the pitch, never dropped a ball and put in big hits.

Moment of the match:  All the tries were eye-catching, but Ben Youngs' effort to put England back ahead thanks to a great individual run through the gap showed the visitors meant business.

Villain of the match:  Matt Giteau may have scored all the Wallabies' points, but memories of his blunder against Scotland came back to haunt him as he missed one, and another and then another from bang in front that would have put his side in front!

The scorers:

For Australa:
Tries:  Giteau 2
Cons:  Giteau 2
Pens:  Giteau 2

England:
Tries:  Youngs, Ashton
Cons:  Flood 2
Pens:  Flood 2, Wilkinson

Australia:  15 James O'Connor, 14 Digby Ioane, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley.
Replacements:  16 Huia Edmonds, 17 James Slipper, 18 Mark Chisholm, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Adam Ashley-Cooper.

England:  15 Ben Foden, 14 Mark Cueto, 13 Mike Tindall, 12 Shontayne Hape, 11 Chris Ashton, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Lewis Moody (c), 6 Tom Croft, 5 Tom Palmer, 4 Courtney Lawes, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Steve Thompson, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements:  16 George Chuter, 17 David Wilson, 18 Simon Shaw, 19 James Haskell, 20 Danny Care, 21 Jonny Wilkinson, 22 Delon Armitage.

Referee:  Romain Poite (France)

Clinical All Blacks dispense with Wales

Better finishing proved the difference between New Zealand and Wales as the All Blacks won 42-9 at Dunedin on Saturday.

The House of Pain was given its winning send-off and Wales' 57-year tale of woe continued against the All Blacks, who looked in fine form by the end of the match, but had the Welsh capitalised on their impressive fist half we could have seen more of a match.

Instead, each time the Welsh got within striking distance, something would go wrong.  A maul would go down, a pass would escape the recipient's clutches, ball would be stolen, a penalty would be conceded.  At one such moment, Cory Jane was able to pick up a loose ball off the side of a ruck and race 70m for his side's second try, which was probably the game's defining moment.

Any other contenders for that award involved Dan Carter, who gave a mesmerising performance just when his team needed it most.  He scored two tries, made numerous other breaks and controlled the second half superbly with the boot:  a complete fly-half performance.  He left the field to a standing ovation ten minutes from the end.

Wales enjoyed 60 oer cent of the first-half possession and territory but were 15-9 down at the break.

They even led 6-0 after nearly a quarter of the game and were excellent value for that, with Stephen Jones knocking over a drop goal and Leigh Halfpenny landing a monster penalty.  By contrast, Carter had fluffed his early line, miscuiing a tough attempt from 45m.

But the difference between the teams became apparent on 18 minutes.  A line-out close to the Welsh line was New Zealand's first meaningful foray into Welsh territory and although the initial thrusts were repelled, they came at the cost of a penalty.  Jimmy Cowan tapped and went, drove close, and Keven Mealamu took the ball off the back of the ruck and went through whee the Welsh defensive pillars ought to have been for the opening score.  Wales with all the territory, New Zealand with all the tries.

When Cory Jane picked up that loose ball and scored to make it 15-6 on the half-hour -- again at the end of a good spell of Welsh pressure -- the writing was well and truly on the wall.

The Welsh could have been a try ahead inside the first couple of minutes after Andrew Bishop, who came into the side for James Hook, charged down a Carter kick inside the All Blacks 22.  Israel Dagg covered and won the chase to ground in.

Andrew Bishop made a couple of strong runs as did Jamie Roberts and Wales were recycling the ball well until they got to within about five metres of the All Blacks line and prop Adam Jones knocked on.

Although New Zealand were able to clear their lines Wales soon had them under pressure again with Stephen Jones' pinpoint kicks to Joe Rokocoko's left wing where he and Dagg did not look assured.

But then came the scores from Mealamu and Jane which turned the tide completely.

Stephen Jones replied immediately with Wales' third penalty but couldn't convert a fourth opportunity when Brad Thorn was penalised for killing the ball.

Wales were almost made to pay for another error at the start of the second period when Stephen Jones saw a kick charged down by Ben Franks on halfway and the All Blacks rumbled forward.

A couple of quick phases ended with Brad Thorn bearing down on the line but some solid Wales defending held him up before stealing the ball away.

There was little respite for Wales though as the All Blacks drove forward again, before Thorn's forward pass in the corner let the tourists off the hook.

New Zealand were now clearly stamping their authority on the game and it was not long before they made it count on the scoreboard.

Carter struck over a 50th-minute penalty before grabbing his team's third try almost from the restart.

Rokocoko splintered the away defence in a buccaneering run from his own half and set the All Blacks in motion towards a try that was sealed with a clever one-two between Carter and Jane.

Carter added the conversion and suddenly the All Blacks were pulling away with a 25-9 lead with 54 minutes played.

Wales almost pulled back an unlikely try when, after withstanding more pressure on their own tryline, a hasty kicked clearance set up a breakaway.

Halfpenny won the race to the ball on the halfway line and kicked forward off the ground again but Kahui outpaced him to extinguish the danger.

Carter, who became the first New Zealander to surpass 1,000 Test points in the thumping win over Ireland last weekend, added his second try in the 67th minute.

Wales were made to pay again for turnover ball when the industrious Mealamu snatched the ball away and began a eye-catching phase of play that was capped by the supreme finishing off Carter as he raced 40 metres almost untouched despite a maze of would-be defenders circling him.

The Welsh defence was now in tatters and Kahui was similarly untroubled as he raced from halfway to score his side's fifth try four minutes later.

Carter was then given an early rest but it hardly stopped the one-way flow as Ryan Jones had to scramble across his own tryline to stop another All Black try, Aaron Cruden denied his first Test score by Jones' tackle.

Man of the match:  Dan Carter:  Director of the show, starring role ... it was all about him today.

Moment of the match:  Cory Jane's breakaway try was the moment when you just knew New Zealand had a little too much class.

Villain of the match:  Whichever cretin is responsible for the musak infesting New Zealand's pre-match national anthems at the moment.  As if the singers through ill-set tannoys and the bad acoustics weren't enough, the hammond organ recital accompaniment was the true low point.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Mealamu, Jane, Carter 2, Kahui
Cons:  Carter 4
Pens:  Carter 3

For Wales:
Pens:  Halfpenny, S.Jones
Drop goal:  S.Jones

New Zealand:  15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Benson Stanley, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Victor Vito, 5 Anthony Boric, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Ben Franks
Replacements:  16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Tony Woodcock, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Richard Kahui.

Wales:  15 Lee Byrne, 14 Leigh Halfpenny, 13 Andrew Bishop, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Tom Prydie, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Ryan Jones (c), 7 Gavin Thomas, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Paul James.
Replacements:  16 Huw Bennett, 17 John Yapp, 18 Deiniol Jones, 19 Rob McCusker, 20 Tavis Knoyle, 21 Dan Biggar, 22 Jonathan Davies.

Referee:  George Clancy (Ireland)

England suffocate the Barbarians

England responded to successive defeats Down Under with a 15-9 win over the Australian Barbarians in a dull game in Gosford on Tuesday.

Flat is the word to describe the 80 minutes that supporters at the Bluetongue Stadium were forced to endure, with penalties from Charlie Hodgson, Olly Barkley and Berrick Barnes troubling the scorers in a try-less spectacle.

The Barbarians had edged into a 9-6 lead early in the second half with three penalties from Barnes before England's scrum dominance proved the difference and Barkley did the rest.

Australia's second-string had ended up with two hookers in the front row and England took full advantage as Barkley sealed a sleepy win.

England's Test squad remained back in Sydney and did not make the 50-mile journey north, although the whole Australia squad was present.

The midweek side were captained by Joe Worsley and they featured seven changes from the 28-28 draw with the Barbarians last Tuesday.

Wing David Strettle and centre Dominic Waldouck were among those making their first starts of the trip and their quick hands and lively running contributed to an enterprising start.

England dominated the first quarter and took a third minute lead with a Hodgson penalty after Ward-Smith's break down the wing.

Matt Banahan made three powerful runs and Strettle was enthusiastic and elusive as England looked to inject some pace into their game on the back of another dominant scrum performance.

Waldouck showed great hands to flick a pass over his shoulder and then picked a perfect line to carve through the Barbarians defence.

Referee Steve Walsh awarded England a dubious penalty, which Hodgson missed but he soon pushed the tourists further ahead as the Barbarians struggled to break out of their own half.

England worked another promising opportunity but Hodgson's flick-pass for Delon Armitage on the overlap drifted forward and to the ground.

That was the best England had to offer, their execution again a disappointment and Waldouck, one of their brighter sparks, was forced off injured after 27 minutes.

The Barbarians also had to make a change but it only improved their creativity with Barnes on for the injured Will Chambers and with it swung the balance of power.

Barkley halted a driving run from Barbarians flanker Ben McCalman before Kurtley Beale made his own dart for the line and England reacted just in time to stop him short of the whitewash.

The Barbarians kept the pressure on and England began to lose their composure.  Barnes slotted two penalties to draw the Barbarians level and England were fortunate not to trail at the interval after missing a simple shot at goal.

Both sides began to ring the changes but England's performance continued to deteriorate, with poor tackling and basic errors allowing the Barbarians to remain on top.

Barnes kicked a third penalty to edge the Barbarians ahead before Barkley assumed the kicking duties to respond, after another powerful England scrum.

The scrum proved decisive in the end.  The Australian Barbarians finished with two hookers in the front row.  England milked that dominance and Barkley kicked them to victory.

The scorers:

For Australian Barbarians:
Pen:  Barnes 3

For England:
Pen:  Hodgson 2, Barkley 3

Australian Barbarians:  15 Peter Hynes, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Will Chambers, 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Lachie Turner, 10 Kurtley Beale;  9 Josh Valentine, 8 Stephen Hoiles (c), 7 Pat McCutcheon, 6 Ben McCalman, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Mitchell Chapman, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Pekahou Cowan.
Replacements:  16 Huia Edmonds, 17 James Slipper, 18 Mark Chisholm, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 James O'Connor.

England:  15 Delon Armitage, 14 David Strettle, 13 Dominic Waldouck, 12 Olly Barkley, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 James Haskell, 7 Steffon Armitage, 6 Joe Worsley (capt), 5 Dan Ward-Smith, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Paul Doran-Jones, 2 Lee Mears, 1 Jon Golding.
Replacements:  16 Rob Webber, 17 David Flatman, 18 Chris Robshaw, 19 Phil Dowson, 20 Paul Hodgson, 21 Shane Geraghty, 22 Mathew Tait.

Referee:  Steve Walsh

Parks' boot sinks Pumas

Fly-half Dan Parks kicked all of Scotland's points, including two drop-goals, in a hard-fought 24-16 win over Argentina in Tucuman on Saturday.

Parks was the hero yet again as Scotland came roaring back from 13-6 down to become the first side ever to beat Argentina in Tucuman.

After victories for New Zealand, Australia and South Africa this weekend, Scotland saved some pride for the northern hemisphere in a famous win.

Parks maintained his man-of-the-match form from the Six Nations with another consummate kicking display, the rejuvenated fly-half landing six penalties and two drop goals.

The 32-year-old could even afford some rare slip-ups with the boot as Scotland dominated almost the entire second half, their shell-shocked opponents made to pay for persistent infringement at the breakdown.

The Pumas lead 13-12 at half time thanks to tries from centre Gonzalo Tiesi and flank Juan Manuel Leguizamon while Parks' 40th minutes drop goal and his three penalties kept the visitors in the game.

But the hosts were largely shut out of the second half as their only points came in form of Felipe Contepomi's second penalty of the day.

Scotland went into the match with a miserable record against the Pumas, losing eight of the last nine meetings, including at Murrayfield in November -- Andy Robinson's first defeat in charge.

The one exception was a series-levelling success in Buenos Aires two years ago, when Robinson was part of the coaching set-up.

Argentina, who are in Scotland's World Cup pool next year, had never lost in their seven previous games in Tucuman.

Both sides made an adventurous start but Scotland paid for their ambition early on when Max Evans lost the ball in the tackle.

The Pumas pounced for the easiest of breakaway tries, Contepomi feeding Tiesi to run in unchallenged.  Contepomi was wide with the conversion.

Parks kicked a penalty as Scotland continued to run the ball but the Pumas were piling on the pressure at scrum time and were rewarded with a close-range penalty kicked by Contepomi.

Parks missed a 25-metre penalty before new captain Alastair Kellock almost gifted Argentina a second try on the counter when he lost the ball, but Nick De Luca produced a vital tap tackle on Contepomi.

Parks converted his latest penalty attempt from more than 40 metres but Argentina had their second try when Horacio Agulla claimed a Contepomi chip to the corner and offloaded for Leguizamon.

The flanker shrugged off some poor tackles, stretched and got the ball down on the line to the satisfaction of the video referee.  Contepomi missed the conversion.

The Pumas continued to infringe at the breakdown but Parks failed to make them pay with what looked a straightforward 22-metre penalty.

He made amends again with another long-range effort to keep Scotland in contention and they were denied a try on the stroke of half-time when Lamont grounded the ball after being tackled into touch by Martin Rodriguez-Gurruchaga.

Leguizamon had been yellow carded in the build-up, while Parks kicked a drop goal on the stroke of half-time to cut the deficit to a point.

Silly penalties at the start of the second half cost Scotland the chance to take advantage of the extra man.

But they were well on top as Argentina replaced prop Martin Scelzo with Marcos Ayerza and Lucas Borges with Lucas Gonzalez-Amorosino.

The Pumas were starting to make errors in their own 22 and they gave the tourists a 25-metre penalty from which Parks put them ahead for the first time.

Argentina came roaring back and Scotland survived a succession of five-metre scrums before replacing Johnnie Beattie and Rory Lawson with Alasdair Strokosch and Mike Blair.

Mariano Galarza came on for Manuel Carizza seconds before Parks booted a 48-metre penalty to increase the tourists' lead to five points.

The hosts threw on Agustin Creevy for Mario Ledesma but it was now a long time since they had led 13-6.

Parks was full of confidence and took on a 55-metre penalty which was nowhere near but more excellent Scotland attacking set up a close-range drop goal which the fly-half converted to put the tourists eight points up.

More substitutions followed for both sides before Contepomi cut the deficit with a long-range penalty but yet more Argentinian infringement allowed Parks to wrap up a superb victory with his sixth penalty.

The scorers

For Argentina:
Tries:  Tiesi, Leguizamon
Pens:  Contepomi 2

For Scotland:
Pens:  Parks 5
Drops:  Parks 2

Yellow card:  Leguizamon (Argentina -- 40th min -- repeated ruck infringements)

Argentina:  15 Martin Rodriguez, 14 Lucas Borges, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Santiago Fernandez, 11 Horacio Agulla, 10 Felipe Contepomi (c), 9 Alfredo Lalanne, 8 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 6 Genaro Fessia, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Martin Scelzo, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Rodrigo Roncero
Replacements:  16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Marcos Ayerza, 18 Mariano Galarza, 19 Alejandro Campos, 20 Agustin Figuerola, 21 Ignacio Mieres, 22 Lucas Gonzalez-Amorosino.

Scotland:  15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Max Evans, 13 Nick De Luca, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Rory Lawson, 8 John Barclay, 7 Johnnie Beattie, 6 Kelly Brown, 5 Alastair Kellock (c), 4 Jim Hamilton, 3 Moray Low, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements:  16 Scott Lawson, 17 Geoff Cross, 18 Scott MacLeod, 19 Alasdair Strokosch, 20 Mike Blair, 21 Phil Godman, 22 Jim Thompson.

Referee:  Dave Pearson (England)
Assistant referees:  Christophe Berdos (France), Stuart Dickinson (Australia)

Boks power past the French

It's taken five years, but for South Africa it was worth the wait thanks to an emphatic 42-17 win over France at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.

The Springboks had only managed two wins and a draw in their last nine encounters with the French, but the result was never in doubt this time out after the world champs outscored their visitors five tries to two.

It seemed as if all the emotion resulting from South Africa's football team's draw against Mexico on Friday had their bigger brothers hungry for more success.  While the Springboks must have drawn inspiration from Bafana Bafana, the French were as flat as their own football counterparts.

They botched several opportunities deep in their hosts' territory, as the South African hassling wasn't limited to the breakdown, but prominent in the line-out as well.

The French were never really in the game after the hosts raced into a 17-0 lead after the first quarter.  The opener came thanks to a fine piece of opportunism from Bryan Habana, who picked up a loose ball before pulling clear of the tacklers in his own half, off-loading to Jaque Fourie who in turn found Pierre Spies on the overlap for a fabulous score under the posts.

Morne Steyn -- who finished with a personal tally of 15 points -- added the conversion and South Africa were in a handy lead with barely a minute played.

They didn't take their foot off the accelerator any time soon after Gio Aplon -- who only made his debut against Wales last week -- scored his first points after just eight minutes on his home ground.

The France line-out had already faltered before Aplon pounced on another loose ball, bouncing off Maxime Mermoz before deftly side-stepping Vincent Clerc for an eye-catching touchdown.

The Springboks could taste French blood and came inches away from adding a third shortly afterwards, Zane Kirchner held up a metre short by Aurélien Rougerie but with the defence coming over the top, Steyn opted to take the three.

Desperate defence from the tourists led to South Africa extending the lead still further via Steyn's boot after full-back Clement Poitrenaud failed to release.

France, obviously keen to run the ball being so far behind, got their first points on the board on the half-hour mark when Rougerie finished off a great move that went through Mermoz and Julien Bonnaire.

Morgan Parra added the extras but it was not long before the Springboks scored their third try, Steyn missing out three team-mates with a looping pass that found prop Gurthro Steenkamp in space on the left to power over.

Steyn missed his only kick of the day but the hosts went into the break with a 15-point cushion, France spending the remainder of the half on the offensive before finally opting for goal after another Bok penalty -- Parra nudging it over from close range.

Another Steyn penalty re-established South Africa's 18-point lead after the break, and any hopes France may have had of a comeback were ended when a loose pass in a promising attacking position was seized on by Aplon and the Stormers speed merchant raced 80 metres to dot down.  Steyn again added the extras.

France looked to hit back as Rougerie's pass set scrum-half Parra on a run to the line, but a magnificent covering tackle from the outstanding Danie Rossouw denied the scrum-half.

With his side well on the way to victory Springbok coach Peter de Villiers brought on flanker Dewald Potgieter and fly-half Ruan Pienaar, as well as handing a debut to lock Flip van der Merwe, although the latter's first cap was quickly interrupted as he was sin-binned for slowing down the ball.

With the visitors also ringing the changes the game became a scrappy affair but flanker Louw got his first Test score late on as he broke clear to race over.  Pienaar added the extras, to cap an impressive display from South Africa.

But there was still time for replacements David Skrela and Andreu to link up for the latter to barge his way over for what was only a consolation score for the Six Nations champions.

Man of the match:  Tough to pick from such a dominant display from the Boks -- Aplon's brace, Steyn's accuracy or Spies' power?  Perhaps, but we thought after all his criticism, number nine Ricky Januarie rose to the occasion and put in a worthy performance in the green and gold jersey.

Moment of the match:  We'll give it to Gio Aplon's 90m run that earned him his second try for his country -- a real gem.

Villain of the match:  Two yellow cards, to debutant Flip van der Merwe and veteran Dimitri Yachvili ... but there was nothing malice in it.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Tries:  Spies, Aplon 2, Steenkamp, Louw
Cons:  Steyn 3, Pienaar
Pens:  Steyn 2

For France:
Tries:  Rougerie, Andreu
Cons:  Parra, Skrela
Pens:  Parra

South Africa:  15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ricky Januarie , 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 BJ Botha, 2 John Smit, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.Replacements:  16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Dewald Potgieter, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Jean de Villiers.

France:  15 Clement Poitrenaud, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 David Marty, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Aurélien Rougerie, 10 Francois Trinh-Duc, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Julien Bonnaire, 7 Wenceslas Lauret, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 5 Romain Millo- Chluski, 4 Lionel Nallet, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Thomas Domingo.
Replacements:  16 Guilhem Guirado, 17 Jean Baptiste Poux, 18 Julien Pierre, 19 Louis Picamoles, 20 Dimitri Yachvili, 21 David Skrela, 22 Marc Andreu.

Referee:  Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)

Australia rise above the grind

Australia delivered a patchy performance, but had enough creativity to deny England a victory in Perth on Saturday, winning 27-17.

The Wallabies were guilty of making all the play, but still haven't quite found each other's rhythm.  That will come.  Of more concern will be the pasting meted out to Australia's emerging front-row resources which yielded both England's scores from a series of scrums.

That made the score look good for England, but frankly, they were rubbish.  The sterling forward effort in the tight notwithstanding, England were never in the game.  Each time Australia scored, the tries were well-crafted movements, full of running angles, width-of-the-pitch movements, miss passes and acceleration.  Each time England got the ball, it went either into the air or up the jumper.  Late in the first half, England had the ball in Australia's 22.  They went through eleven stodgy, slow and, ultimately, smothered phases for a gain of minus four metres, then spun the ball wide to the backs who could easily have been slumbering gently by this point.  The backs lost it.  Perhaps they just hadn't warmed up yet.

That both England's tries were penalty tries says a lot, both about the limits of England's attack and of Australia's scrum.

Australia's backs -- and a fair few forwards -- were trying all sorts early on and Australia were far superior in the first half as a result.  Quade Cooper proved so much of a nuisance that efforts made to mark him simply left gaps for others.  Drew Mitchell terrorised the England defence at any opportunity, as did Digby Ioane.  James O'Connor was assured at full-back and was also a threat, while the back-row and props were prominent for their ability to run hard at spaces.  Only a little more gelling and time between the players is required for this to become a formidable team.

Yet England were able to claw their way back from 14-0 down at half-time, as Australia just failed to make enough of the hard yards in the second half.  England proved adroit at targeting weaknesses -- scrums and line-outs from Australia need some work -- and Ben Foden also created a few problems from loose kicks.  England were far too restricted for most of the match, Australia just a little too carefree at times.

After 30 minutes, the Wallabies had made just nine tackles such was their control of the game and England were fortunate to only be 14-0 down.

Luke Burgess, Australia's second-choice scrum-half, was running England ragged and his blind-side break would have created the opening score but for a brilliant last-ditch tackle from Chris Ashton.

But it was finger-in-the-dam stuff from England and the inevitable try came when Drew Mitchell counter-attacked from Danny Care's clearance.

Mitchell beat Ashton to race into the England 22 and when the ball was whipped wide, Elsom galloped over for the opening try.

Referee Nigel Owens lectured Australia's disintegrating front row but Flood missed with a 48-metre penalty and England's attacking play was laboured and error-strewn.

Tom Croft finally got involved with his first carry of the day, but just when England thought they had put Mark Cueto through a gap, referee Owens called them back for a knock-on.

In contrast, the Wallabies were ruthless.  Elsom stole a lineout from Croft, and Burgess left Hape flailing in midfield before flicking the ball for Cooper to score under the posts.

England took the bold option of kicking a penalty for touch and spent the remainder of the half camped inside Wallaby territory, but came away empty handed.

Care was scragged as he tried a sniping run and Simon Shaw carried with intent but the Wallabies' aggressive defence drove England backwards.

England's attack simply could not ask enough questions, and when Hape did offload in the tackle for Tindall, referee Owens ruled it had drifted forward.

Lewis Moody scraped himself off the turf after catching Mitchell's elbow in a tackle early in the second half.

Flood put England on the scoreboard after another scrum penalty early and Ben Foden then atoned for a shocking clearance by launching a counter-attack from deep.

Ashton surged into the Australian half and Tindall burst 30 yards before being hauled down, but England were throwing the kitchen sink at the Wallabies.

Shaw and Steve Thompson were halted on the line and it took four men to stop Dan Cole's drive under the posts before Croft spun over the line but he was held up.

England had the Wallabies under immense pressure at the ensuing five-metre scrum and after two re-sets referee Owens awarded the penalty try.

Incredibly England were back within four points -- but not for long.

Cooper threw a beautiful cut-out pass to winger Digby Ioane, who was halted by Cueto's tackle but offloaded back inside where the Wallaby fly-half scored his second try of the game.

England sent on Ben Youngs for Care and the Leicester scrum-half brought some snap to their game while Courtney Lawes came on for Shaw.

Tindall tried to drive over before Youngs snared Burgess in possession as England won the turnover close to the Australian line.

Tom Palmer, Youngs and Cueto all had a go but Australia held firm and Tim Payne spilled the ball in a tackle from Barnes, allowing Cooper to clear his lines.

England came back at Australia again.

Ashton almost broke through under the posts but his offload went to ground.

James O'Connor tried to launch a 90-metre counter-attack but his pass drifted forward.  England once again cranked up the scrum pressure and Australian tighthead Ma'afu was sin-binned.

Daley, who had just been substituted, returned to the fray as England sent on David Wilson.  The scrum buckled again and referee Owens awarded a second penalty try.

O'Connor extended the Wallabies' lead to 24-17 and Cooper sealed Australia's victory.

Man of the match:  Helped no doubt by the attention afforded to marking Quade Cooper, Luke Burgess delivered an accomplished performance from the base of the scrum, under some pressure from the England pack.

Moment of the match:  The floated long pass and loop in support by Cooper that led to his second try.  Great vision and energy.

Villain of the match:  Simon Shaw was lucky to get away with a late shoulder charge on Berrick Barnes ... but it wasn't quite nasty enough to be real villainy either.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Elsom, Cooper 2
Cons:  O'Connor 3
Pens:  O'Connor, Cooper

For England:
Tries:  Penalty tries 2
Cons:  Flood 2
Pen:  Flood

Australia:  15 James O'Connor, 14 Digby Ioane, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley.
Replacements:  16 Huia Edmonds, 17 James Slipper, 18 Mark Chisholm, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Will Genia, 21 Peter Hynes, 22 Kurtley Beale.

England:  15 Ben Foden, 14 Mark Cueto, 13 Mike Tindall, 12 Shontayne Hape, 11 Chris Ashton, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Lewis Moody (c), 6 Tom Croft, 5 Tom Palmer, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Steve Thompson, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements:  16 George Chuter, 17 David Wilson, 18 Courtney Lawes, 19 James Haskell, 20 Ben Youngs, 21 Jonny Wilkinson, 22 Mathew Tait.

Referee:  Nigel Owens

Ireland's gift cards to New Zealand

A red card to Jamie Heaslip and a yellow to Ronan O'Gara were the key factors in Ireland's 66-28 defeat to New Zealand on Saturday.

It had been billed as Ireland's best shot at breaking their duck against the All Blacks for some time, but once Heaslip -- for a knee to Kieran Read's head in a ruck -- and O'Gara -- for pulling back Cory Jane off the ball -- had been dispatched, New Zealand ran riot, running up a 38-0 lead before taking the foot right off the gas.

The history books will show that Heaslip's red card was the catalyst for a difficult night for the Irish, but in reality it was the yellow to O'Gara ten minutes later that precipitated the collapse.  While O'Gara was off, New Zealand scored 21 points to add on to the 17 they had already racked up and Ireland were staring at a massacre.

Fair dues to Ireland, once they had regrouped at half-time they made the second half count as much as possible.  They'll be happy to come away with four converted tries and to have matched New Zealand punch for punch in the second half.  But the reality is that New Zealand came off the boil, unforgiveably so at times.  Graham Henry will be elated at the way his side played when it mattered, furious at the mental slack cut to opposition while they were on the floor.

Heaslip will be in more trouble though.  The red card was fully merited for the knee to the head in a ruck.  It was symptomatic of how Ireland began the match, all passion but not enough thought.  It may happen to younger players who still have to learn, but for a British and Irish Lion to indulge in such idiocy is not something any coach will countenance.  Heaslip faces a fair old suspension, he will also face unrestricted wrath from Declan Kidney, who has made discipline such a watchword for his side.

And if Heaslip faces such fury, O'Gara will be heading back to the hotel and hiding, trembling, under his bedsheets.  Down to 14 men, Ireland's task was precarious enough but for O'Gara, a Test veteran, to paw so clumsily and pointlessly at an opponent long after the ball had been kicked ahead, is just extraordinary.  He won't be suspended, but do not expect to see him in a green shirt next time out.

O'Gara's card was on 25 minutes.  Two minutes later Ben Franks was over for a debut try, New Zealand's third, and the game was over in every sense.

By half-time the hosts were 38-7 up after tries by Conrad Smith, Kieran Read, Ben Franks and two for Jimmy Cowan.

Dan Tuohy, who had come on for the injured Mick O'Driscoll, brought a moment of cheer for the Irish with a try just before the break but the good moments were few and far between.

The tries kept coming for both sides in the second spell with Smith, Sam Whitelock (two) and Neemia Tialata going over for the All Blacks and Brian O'Driscoll, Tommy Bowe and Gordon D'Arcy touching down for consolation scores for the Irish.

Worryingly, the Irish injury toll also showed no sign of abating.  John Hayes was ruled out with a virus before kick-off to be replaced by Tony Buckley and before half-time John Muldoon and Mick O'Driscoll had also departed.

Ireland began the match with an audacious drop-goal attempt from almost halfway by full-back Rob Kearney but other scoring moments in the opening 40 minutes were scant -- particularly once Heaslip and O'Gara were on the sidelines.

Smith made the most of a Kearney error at the back to grab the opening try and Dan Carter added the extras to his earlier penalty.

Ireland came close to replying but Gordon D'Arcy was held up and then Heaslip had his moment of madness.

English referee Wayne Barnes, who was greeted with boos by the partisan crowd at the start of the match, had no hesitation in brandishing the red card and Ireland's night took a turn for the worse.

Read was over for his first Test try on 21 minutes after great lead-up work by Israel Dagg, Benson Stanley and Joe Rokocoko.

Carter's conversion made him the fourth player to reach 1000 Test points behind Jonny Wilkinson, Neil Jenkins and Diego Dominguez.

O'Gara departed for 10 minutes shortly afterwards for his indiscretion and from there on Ireland's 13-man defence was opened up regularly by Dagg and Stanley, who looked confident on their debuts.

Debutant prop Ben Franks was next over the whitewash before Jimmy Cowan bagged a quickfire brace and all of them were converted by Carter for a 38-0 lead.

Tuohy, who had come on for O'Driscoll, rounded off the half on a positive note for Ireland with a try on debut which O'Gara -- in his 99th Test -- converted.

A mistake by prop Cian Healy handed New Zealand an early chance in the second half before Dagg's pass put Jane clear on the counter and he put Smith in for his second.

Graham Henry turned to his bench and lock Sam Whitelock became the third player on debut to score a five-pointer within a minute of replacing Brad Thorn.

Carter's conversion was his last meaningful action before being replaced by another new recruit Aaron Cruden.

Ireland were not going to go down without a fight and continued to play the attacking brand of rugby they promised during the week.

Brian O'Driscoll typified that when he featured twice on his way to his 40th international try, and then Tommy Bowe pounced on a poor pass by Richie McCaw to dart over for the visitors' third.  O'Gara was on target with both conversions.

New Zealand were not finished, though, and from a quick tap substitute Tialata rumbled over.

With Carter off the park, Piri Weepu took over goal-kicking duties and continued the perfect record of the night by banging over the conversion.

Ireland winger Andrew Trimble should have done better with seven minutes left but lost the ball forward as he went for the line.

D'Arcy made no mistake three minutes later when he went over for Ireland's fourth but it was young lock Whitelock who had the final say, dotting down for New Zealand's ninth and final try.

Man of the match:  Plenty on New Zealand's team, but the one who stood out most was Kieran Read, whose work-rate was the spine of New Zealand's mobile limbs.

Moment of the match:  Again, plenty to choose from, but the break by Israel Dagg and inside offload to Jimmy Cowan for Cowan's first try was a moment of sumptuous skill.

Villain of the match:  Obvious joint awards.  Jamie Heaslip's knee was nasty, while Ronan O'Gara's silly foul and yellow card ended the match as a contest.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Smith 2, Read, Ben Franks, Cowan 2, Whitelock 2, Tialata
Cons:Carter 8, Weepu
Pen:  Carter

For Ireland:
Tries:  Tuohy, O'Driscoll, Bowe, D'Arcy
Cons:  O'Gara 3, Sexton

Yellow card:  O'Gara (Ireland, 25, foul off the ball)

Red card:  Heaslip (Ireland, 16, knee to the head)

New Zealand:  15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Benson Stanley, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Anthony Boric, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Ben Franks.
Replacements:  16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Zac Guildford.

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c), 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Andrew Trimble, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Tomas O'Leary, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 John Muldoon, 5 Mick O'Driscoll, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Sean Cronin, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements:  16 John Fogarty, 17 Tony Buckley, 18 Dan Tuohy, 19 Shane Jennings, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Jonathan Sexton, 22 Geordan Murphy.

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees:  Mark Lawrence (South Africa), James Leckie (Australia)
TMO:  George Ayoub (Australia)

England begin tour with a draw

England opened their tour account Down Under with a 28-28 draw against the Australian Barbarians thanks to a thrilling fightback in Perth.

A James O'Connor masterclass saw England on the ropes before they responded in positive fashion.

The Western Force full-back picked up all 25 of the Baa-Baas' points before being replaced on 47 minutes.  By that stage England were 25-13 down and on the brink of defeat -- with O'Connor having scored three tries, two conversions and two penalties.

However when he departed, England were able to hit back -- and were only denied an unlikely victory when Berrick Barnes slotted over a late penalty.  In fact, Barnes had a chance to win it for the hosts in injury time, but his kick went wide.

For England Lee Mears, Dan Ward-Smith and Matt Banahan crossed for tries and Olly Barkley added 13 points with the boot.

And, in truth, it was a decent work out for the tourists.  Mathew Tait and Matt Banahan looked lively, Hendrie Fourie and Chris Robshaw tackled well, the pack worked well at the breakdown, while the scrum was impressive.

However on the downside, they too often looked toothless in attack -- at one stage losing 40 yards before Charlie Hodgson was forced to boot the ball downfield -- while silly mistakes gifted openings to the hosts.

England will have been pleased with their start as a Barkley penalty saw them into a 3-0 lead after two minutes, while their work at the breakdown saw them force five turnovers.

Banahan had one charging run, while Tait had a couple of half-breaks.  However it was Tait's Sale colleague Hodgson who went closest to scoring the first try as he took Barkley's offload, but he was tackled short before the hosts conceded a penalty.

Barkley made no mistake with the kick but the Baa-Baas responded well as Barnes was denied by Fourie just short of the line.

However, the Australians got the try they wanted minutes later as quick hands found O'Connor out wide and although Ugo Monye got the tackle in, the young full-back stretched out an arm to touch the ball down in the corner.

O'Connor added a penalty and then crossed again on 31 minutes after he sold a superb dummy and sprinted clear.  His conversion made it 15-6 to hosts and England looked in trouble.

However the tourists were able to score their opening try on 35 minutes.  Both Tait and Monye went close before Mears barrelled over from close range.

Barkley converted but the Baa-Baas had the last word before the break as O'Connor slotted over a penalty.

And O'Connor was England's tormentor again after half-time as he touched down after Josh Valentine had slotted the ball through on the deck.  O'Connor's conversion took his tally to 25 points.

A Barkley penalty cut the deficit to nine points, but too often needless mistakes cost England possession and territory.

However, with England's scrum proving dominant, the tourists were able to gain a foothold into the game.  And after seeing repeated scrums collapse 5m out, Australia's Mark Chisholm was sin-binned.

With the extra man and the power in the pack, England were able to hammer their way over through Ward-Smith, with Barkley converting.

Banahan crossed two minutes later to put England in front.  Shane Geraghty had found Geoff Parling free on the left and although he was tackled short, quick ball found Banahan on the other flank for the Bath winger to score.

Hopes of a shock England victory, though, were ended as Worsley conceded a penalty from the restart, with Barnes this time adding the three points.

The scorers:

Australian Barbarians:
Tries:  O'Connor 3
Cons:  O'Connor 2
Pens:  O'Connor, Barnes

For England:
Tries:  Mears, Banahan, Ward-Smith
Cons:  Barkley 2
Pens:  Barkley 3

Australian Barbarians:  15 James O'Connor, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Will Chambers, 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Lachie Turner, 10 Berrick Barnes (co-capt), 9 Josh Valentine, 8 Stephen Hoiles (co-capt), 7 Matt Hodgson, 6 Ben McCalman, 5 Mark Chisholm, 4 Mitchell Chapman, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Huia Edmonds, 1 Pek Cowan.
Replacements:  16 Damien Fitzpatrick, 17 James Slipper, 18 Kane Douglas, 19 Pat McCutcheon, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Kurtley Beale, 22 Peter Hynes.

England:  15 Delon Armitage, 14 Matt Banahan, 13 Mathew Tait, 12 Olly Barkley, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Dan Ward-Smith, 7 Hendre Fourie, 6 Chris Robshaw (c), 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 David Wilson, 2 Lee Mears, 1 David Flatman.
Replacements:  16 George Chuter, 17 Paul Doran-Jones, 18 Courtney Lawes, 19 Joe Worsley, 20 Paul Hodgson, 21 Shane Geraghty, 22 Dominic Waldouck.

Referee:  Stuart Dickinson

Boks rain on Wales' parade

Wales were left to ponder yet another defeat at the hands of South Africa in Cardiff on Saturday, following a thrilling 34-31 win by the visitors.

It was a match played to celebrate the opening of the Millennium Stadium ten years ago, but it will be the Springboks doing all the celebrating thanks to a hard-fought victory achieved by what has been described as a second string outfit.

It wasn't a classic performance from the world champions, but against a crowd 60,000 baying for the Welsh, they simply turned on the class when it was needed on both sides of half-time to ensure they started the Test season in style.

Both sides scored three tries apiece but South Africa's superior clinical edge proved crucial as they edged a physical and entertaining encounter played in perfect conditions.

Wales led 16-3 early on, but 18 unanswered points by the Springboks put them back in the game.  The hosts fought their way back valiantly at the death but left it too late to snatch a win over their southern hemisphere rivals.

The Welsh went into this contest in search of just their second win in 104 years against the Springboks before heading off on a demanding tour of New Zealand.  They made a purposeful start, with centre Jamie Roberts welcoming Juan de Jongh to Test rugby with a crunching tackle in the second minute.

A loose clearance by full-back Francois Steyn then gifted the hosts field position, and a blindside snipe from Mike Phillips saw Springbok flanker Dewald Potgieter come round the side of the ruck to concede a penalty.  Stephen Jones slotted the simple three-pointer for a ninth-minute lead.

Hook then doubled that lead with a 12th-minute drop goal, after his kick-ahead had put Wales back in South Africa territory.

South Africa had seen little of the ball although the excellent Ruan Pienaar got them on the board with a 17th-minute penalty, after Wales prop Adam Jones was guilty of holding on in the tackle.  But that was wiped out almost instantly by a second penalty from fly-half Jones as the visitors were guilty of obstruction at the restart.

Wales' fine opening quarter was completed when captain John Smit threw a wild pass which was intercepted by Hook for a simple try, converted by Jones for a 16-3 lead and the Springboks desperately needed an effective rebuttal.

Gradually the visitors settled, showing a greater appreciation for ball protection at the tackle point and this aided their cause immeasurably.  They upped the tempo, testing the Welsh defence through numerous phases and forcing breakdown infringements, one of which Pienaar converted to narrow the lead to ten points.

Ensuring a quicker ruck recycle was one thing, but stringing together incisive attacks with new back-line combinations against a well organised and committed defence was another challenge altogether.

South Africa's attacks often crabbed cross-field and when they did finally break the Welsh resistance it was ugly as the ball was shovelled wide to Odwa Ndungane who got smashed in the act of touching down in the corner.

It would be the winger's last contribution of the match, but it was a significant one given the impetus it gave his side even though Pienaar failed with the conversion.

Young Wales wing Tom Prydie then dropped a high ball which was seized upon by opposite number Gio Aplon.  The Welsh scramble defence infringed and Pienaar trimmed the lead to just three points.

Wales led 16-14 at the break, but the Springbok onslaught continued at the start of the second half as the increasingly influential Pienaar launched an attack from deep.

The move carried South Africa into the 22 and a wonderful offload from lock Danie Roussouw put Potgieter in for a try.  Pienaar completed a sequence of 18 unanswered points with the conversion which also gave his side the lead for the first time.

Wales hit back as Sam Warburton snaffled a loose ball to force a penalty, allowing Jones to kick his third of the game, but Francois Steyn replied in kind with a monster kick from just inside the Welsh half to re-establish a five-point lead.

The game looked over when a Welsh attack was turned over and De Jongh broke through to cross behind the posts on the hour mark, Pienaar's conversion made it 31-19 to the visitors.

Wales piled forward in desperate need of a response but their attacks lacked the cohesion and tempo they had shown in the opening quarter.  They thought they had given themselves a lifeline when lock Bradley Davies was propelled over the line - but referee Alan Lewis ruled the ball had been held up.

However, they were not to be denied as swift hands from Lee Byrne put Prydie over for his first Test try in the corner, Jones missed the conversion so the gap remained at seven points.

Pienaar slotted his fourth penalty, but Wales kept coming as Leigh Halfpenny picked up a spilt ball from Bok substitute Zane Kirchner before flank Sam Warburton sent Wales replacement Alun Wyn Jones in for a try, converted by Jones, to set up a grandstand finish

However, it was not enough as the world champions held out.

Man of the match:  For Wales, James Hook was the pick of the backs while Sam Warburton excelled in everything he did.  As for the winners, it was a good day for debutants Francois Louw and Gio Aplon while Juan de Jongh and Dewald Potgieter showed they have a bright future ahead of them.  But it was South Africa's old warhorse Danie Rossouw that stood out the most - especially in the second half where he was simply outstanding.  It was here that he made a telling break and neat offload for Potgieter's try and generally returned to his dominating best with ball in hand as the match wore on.  A massive physical presence.

Moment of the match:  With two minutes remaining, Alun Wyn Jones' converted try gave Wales a sniff within three, which had the entire Millennium Stadium crowd on the edge of their seats.

Villain of the match:  Nothing to report on the field, but the boos ringing from the stadium whilst Ruan Pienaar lined up his fourth and final penalty was a wee bit uncalled for.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  Hook, Prydie, Wyn Jones
Cons:  Jones 2
Pens:  Jones 3
Drop:  Hook

For South Africa:
Tries:  Ndungane, Potgieter, De Jongh
Cons:  Pienaar 2
Pens:  Pienaar 4, Steyn

Wales:  15 Lee Byrne, 14 Leigh Halfpenny, 13 James Hook, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Tom Prydie, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Ryan Jones (c), 7 Sam Warburton, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 5 Deiniol Jones, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Paul James.
Replacements:  16 Huw Bennett, 17 John Yapp, 18 Alun Wyn Jones, 19 Rob McCusker, 20 Richie Rees, 21 Dan Biggar, 22 Andrew Bishop.

South Africa:  15 Frans Steyn, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Odwa Ndungane, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Joe van Niekerk, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 François Louw, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 BJ Botha, 2 John Smit, 1 CJ van der Linde.
Replacements:  16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Alistair Hargreaves, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Meyer Bosman, 21 Zane Kirchner, 22 Bjorn Basson.

Referee:  Alan Lewis (Ireland)

Australia get the job done

The Wallabies got their Test season off to a winning start on Saturday, running seven tries past Fiji to win 49-3 in a one-sided encounter in Canberra.

No one gave the under-strength Fiji team any realistic chance of beating a side ranked seven places higher than them on the IRB standings, so the real interest was in how Australia went about their business.

Australia's performance in the first half lacked the clinical finishing and cohesion the Wallaby coaching staff would have hoped for.

Featuring a number of new faces, the Wallaby line-up showed plenty of enthusiasm but were short on the precision you'd expect from a top Test team and on occasion they were just plain sloppy.

Slippery conditions due to the evening dew might be considered as mitigating circumstances, but Robbie Deans and his young charges will know that similar mistakes will be heavily punished later this month and in the Tri-Nations.

But as the team settled and the scoreboard ticked on, the hosts grew in confidence and promising signs emerged.  Some slick handling resulted in succession of tries in the second period including two tries each for Digby Ioane and Kurtley Beale.

A potentially serious knee injury to prop Ben Alexander and an ankle injury to Adam Ashley-Cooper soured the victory, with both now doubts for next weekend's clash against England in Perth.

The early chances went to Fiji as the Islanders effectively used chip-and-chase tactics to destabilise the Wallaby defence.  Beale struggled to hang onto the slippery ball and Racing Metro wing Sireli Bobo almost scored.

The Wallabies would however open the scoring with their first real attack of the evening when Quade Cooper threw a fantastic 20m pass out to Beale, who had one man to beat at the end of a huge overlap and coasted over.

Matt Giteau's extras gave the hosts a 7-0 lead and the Wallabies began to dominate possession.

But the men in gold struggled to convert their time with the ball into points as they fluffed a couple of chances to score after choosing to keep ball in hand rather than kick at goal.

Fiji got on the scoreboard just before the half-hour mark when Dan Rawaqa popped over a penalty.

The hosts continued to dominate but conspired to knock-on whenever the Fijian defence was stretched.

With half time looming large, the Wallabies finally found their way over the whitewash when debutant centre Rob Horne sliced his way through midfield to set up a try for number eight Richard Brown, who used his power to barge his way to five points.

Giteau was seeing stars after a late tackle so Cooper stepped up to add the conversion and send Australia to the charging rooms 14-3 up.

The Wallabies execution was better after the restart when Rocky Elsom timed his pass just right and Cooper skirted down the touchline to sneak over and extend the lead.

A flash of individual brilliance from Digby Ioane brought Australia their fourth try as the wing stepped and sped his way over the line untouched, making Rupeni Caucaunibuca look very ordinary in the process.

In the final quarter Australia produced some of the rugby the crowd had come to see.  Giteau straightened the line, Cooper cut in on his inside and off-loaded to Drew Mitchell, who finished in style.

Ioane got his second try at the end of Australia's longest period of phase play as Beale joined the backline and couple of quick passes had the Fijian defence all at sea.

A impetus was taken out of a late rally from Fiji when replacement prop Graham Dewes threw a big right hook and was promptly directed to the sin bin.

Beale was handed his second try in the dying minutes as the Fijians ran out of gas and the Wallabies romped home.

Man of the match:  The backs did most of the scoring but Nathan Sharpe made life miserable for Fiji in the line-outs and cleaned out the rucks like a good second row should.

Moment of the match:  Australia's ten-twelve combination is what rugby dreams are made of and the way Giteau and Cooper linked up to produce Drew Mitchell's try was a pleasure to watch.

Villain of the match:  We know front rowers are never saints, but Graham Dewes punch on Salesi Ma'afu was uncalled for.

The scorers.

For Australia:
Tries:  Beale 2, Brown, Cooper, Ioane 2, Mitchell
Cons:  Giteau 6, Cooper

For Fiji:
Pen:  Rawaqa

Yellow cards:  Vucago (Fiji, 54th min); Dewes (Fiji, 75th min)

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Digby Ioane, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Huia Edmonds, 1 Ben Alexander.
Replacements:  16 Saia Faingaa, 17 Pekahou Cowan, 18 Mark Chisholm, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Drew Mitchell, 22 James O'Connor.

Fiji:  15 Dan Rawaqa, 14 Tim Nagusa, 13 Rupeni Caucaunibuca, 12 Saula Radidi, 11 Sireli Bobo, 10 Waisea Luveniyali, 9 Emosi Vucago, 8 Jone Qovu, 7 Jim Nakaidawa, 6 Anthony Wise, 5 Dominiko Waqaniburotu, 4 Seko Kalou, 3 Deacon Manu, 2 Talemaitoga Tuapati, 1 Campese Ma'afu.
Replacements:  16 Vili Veikoso, 17 Graham Dewes, 18 Rupeni Nasiga, 19 Samu Bola, 20 Vitori Buatava, 21 Ropate Ratu, 22 Nemani Nadolo.

Venue:  Canberra Stadium

Referee:  Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Assistant referees:  Keith Brown (New Zealand), Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
TMO:  Matt Goddard (Australia)

Barbarians bow to England

England kicked off the mid-year internationals with a 35-26 victory over the star-studded Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday.

Like their footballing compatriots, Martin Johnson's troops put together a serviceable performance to bolster spirits ahead of the daunting trip south of the equator.

But having led 25-7 at the break, questions will be raised to why the locals failed to throw away the key.

In the end they were forced to kick penalties in order to quell a typically cavalier showing from the famous international side.

James Haskell, Shontayne Hape, Ben Foden and Mike Tindall all touched down as England made the most of some generous defending to cruise to victory.

Toulon-bound winger Paul Sackey scored a try in each half for the Barbarians and replacements David Smith and Census Johnson rumbled over to give the scoreline an air of respectability.

England head Down Under on Monday night for a five-match tour that includes two Tests against the Wallabies, two meetings with the Australian Barbarians and a clash with the New Zealand Maori.

All three teams will pose a far sterner test than the Barbarians, who at times reacted to the sunshine over Twickenham as if they were playing touch rugby on the beach.

The match did at least give Johnson a chance to run the rule over a clutch of returning players and new faces before the tour starts in earnest a week on Tuesday.

Charlie Hodgson, back after two years in the international wilderness, made a lively contribution at fly-half and finished with ten points before a bloody nose forced him off, while the back row of Nick Easter, Delon Armitage and Haskell were all prominent.

And scrum-half Danny Care responded well to the gauntlet that Ben Youngs threw down with his performance for Leicester in Saturday's Guinness Premiership final.

England made countless line-breaks and Mark Cueto was a constant danger with scything runs from deep but there remain question marks over Hape at inside centre.

Ultimately, however, Johnson will need to see his men tested in far more hostile surroundings to draw any firm conclusions.

The Twickenham announcer's last words before kick-off were to prepare the 41,035 crowd for "80 minutes of world-class rugby" although for most of the match the Barbarians offered anything but.

They may be proud to uphold the old amateur ethos of bonding at the bar but optional defence neither makes for a decent contest nor, in this case, helps to properly assess England's strengths.

Hodgson scuffed his first penalty low, wide and ugly but responded positively to send Cueto past a distinctly uninterested Florian Fritz and on a 70-yard burst.

England kept the pressure on with good hands from Foden and a Steve Thompson charge before the Barbarians were penalised for offside and this time Hodgson converted.

The Sale fly-half showed good strength to wriggle out of two tackles on half-way before offloading for Dave Attwood to rampage forward as England began to tick.

Hodgson slotted a second penalty before Haskell showed some clever footwork to skip away from Sackey and Ross Skeate, who collided in pantomime fashion as the Stade Francais flanker touched down.

England extended their lead to 20-0 when Hape stepped through a giant gap between Fritz and Ben Kay to score on his senior debut.

Finally the Barbarians offered something worth cheering as Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, a member of Toulouse's Heineken Cup-winning team, brilliantly collected his own chip and sent Sackey over for the try.

Sackey fended Hodgson off on his way through and the England fly-half was forced to make way for Olly Barkley.

The Barbarians began to play as if they were the Harlem Globetrotters but England's response was instant as Easter swooped on a loose ball.

The captain galloped over half-way before Thompson slung the pass wide for Foden, who raced in for England's third try and a 25-7 half-time lead.

The Barbarians' saloon-door defending continued after the break as Tindall slipped Fritz's tackle and sailed untouched through a gaping midfield hole to touch down under the posts.

Cueto embarked on a third break but once again failed to find his support runners, something that will concern Johnson given the paucity of the opposition.

Both sides began to ring the changes and the Barbarians began to play more direct rugby and profited to the tune of three second-half tries.

Smith crashed over in the 56th minute after a bulldozing run before Johnson, the giant Samoan prop who gave Tim Payne a tough afternoon in the scrum, drove over for the Barbarians' third.

Sackey's second try was a thing of beauty as Cedric Heyman dummied a flick behind his back and stayed in field long enough to supply the scoring pass.

Barkley rounded off the day with a penalty shot at goal in the last minute, a decision which was rightly greeted with derision by the supporters.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Haskell, Hape, Foden, Tindall
Cons:  Hodgson 2, Barkley
Pens:  Hodgson 2, Barkley

For Barbarians:
Tries:  Sackey 2, Smith, Johnston
Cons:  Elissalde 3

The teams:

England:  15 Ben Foden, 14 Mark Cueto, 13 Mike Tindall, 12 Shontayne Hape, 11 David Strettle, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter (captain), 7 Steffon Armitage, 6 James Haskell, 5 Tom Palmer, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Paul Doran-Jones, 2 Steve Thompson, 1 Jon Golding.
Replacements:  16 Lee Mears, 17 Tim Payne, 18 Dan Ward-Smith, 19 Joe Worsley, 20 Joe Simpson, 21 Olly Barkley, 22 Mathew Tait.

Barbarians:  15 Paul Warwick, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Florian Fritz, 11 Cedric Heymans, 10 Jean-Baptiste Ellisalde, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Xavier Rush (captain), 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Rodney So'oialo, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Ross Skeate, 3 Julian White, 2 Benoit August, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements:  16 Ken Owens, 17 Census Johnston, 18 Jerome Thion, 19 George Smith, 20 Pierre Mignoni, 21 Fabrice Estebanez, 22 David Smith.

Referee:  Jérôme Garces
Assistant referees:  Romain Poite, Pascal Gauzere
TMO:  Bob Ockenden, David Matthews