Ireland win classic in Cardiff

Ireland produced a brilliant first-half display to clinch the opening fixture of the Six Nations with a 30-22 win over Wales in Cardiff.

A dire performance from Wales in the opening 40 minutes left them with a mountain to climb in the second-half, at which they threw everything to bounce back from a 30-3 scoreline to 30-22 in an utterly dominant half.

Ireland appeared to mentally crumble under the depth of their 27-point lead, producing brilliant defence at times but unable to escape their own half as Wales pounded away at the visitors try line, falling short of cutting down the whole deficit in a classic.

Superb hands from Brian O'Driscoll built the opening opportunity for Simon Zebo to touchdown in the left hand corner for the first score of the afternoon, with Jonathan Sexton converting.

Sexton's control with the boot and sharp hands from the Irish backs kept Wales pinned back and after a set of punishing phases, Ireland were held up in the right-hand corner.  Wales held out from the resulting phase of play and Sexton settled for a penalty to stretch the lead to 10-0.

Best then charged down Biggar's kick before gathering the loose ball and sending the ball wide first to Heaslip before an audacious bit of skill from Zebo saw him use his feet kept the attack going, Cian Healy pouncing from close range to leave Wales on the ropes.

Another Sexton penalty stretched the lead to 20-0 with half an hour gone, Wales imploding with another loose pass from Davies going straight into touch in the Irish 22.  Healy's attempt to drive out of his 22 resulted in a penalty at the breakdown to Wales, with Halfpenny putting his side on the board.

Warburton's cheap block on Zebo handed Ireland another attacking lineout, with O'Brien setting the foundations for a final flourish in the first half.  Another penalty against Wales at the breakdown yielded one more opportunity for Sexton, who slotted the kick to leave the half-time score at 23-3.

Ireland carried on where they left off at the start of the second half, a scrum on the Welsh 22 setting up a series of relentless drives before O'Driscoll clawed his way over the line from the bottom of a ruck for Ireland's third try.

A response from Wales was essential and it came through sustained drives forward into the Irish half, hard yards culminating in a Welsh lineout five metres out from the try line.  A pre-planned move saw Toby Faletau held up narrowly short, before Alex Cuthbert found space between the rushing Irish defenders to score the first try of the afternoon for Wales.

Cuthbert's score seemed to light a fuse under Welsh backsides as they went for broke, Faletau storming down the left touchline before a crucial hand from O'Driscoll brought the surge to a halt.

A tap penalty sent Wales backwards rather than nearer to the line as the Irish defence turned desperate, Gilroy producing a memorable tackle on Halfpenny before Romain Poite sent Rory Best to the sin-bin for entering from the side.

The extra space was then capitalised on by Halfpenny, the full-back burrowing under the double tackle of Rob Kearney and Jamie Heaslip to score in the right corner, missing the conversion to make the score 30-15.

There was to be no let up in the Welsh response as Cuthbert thundered down the right wing, but breakdown defence from Healy was enough to relieve the pressure with a penalty.

A crucial Welsh scrum yielded a penalty for Biggar to find the corner once more, Ireland mentally struggling with the hosts resurgence.  Faletau appeared initially to crash the ball against the base of the post, falling marginally short as Conor Murray was sent to the bin.

Wales were utterly dominant but unable to cross the Irish line, Davies missing a simple overlap as the green wall heroically held firm with time running out.

The hosts inevitably came again though — Craig Mitchell appearing to dive over the line before the TMO confirmed Wales third try of the afternoon, narrowing the score to 30-22.

Ireland finally relieved the pressure by pinning Wales deep in their own half to close out a brilliant opener to this year's tournament — a classic with each side forcing the other into submission for lengthy periods in each half.  Ireland march on dreaming of a title.  Wales have hope.

Man of the match:  Streetwise, skilful, a magnificent return to form from Brian O'Driscoll stole the show in Cardiff.

Moment of the match:  An outrageous piece of footwork from Simon Zebo to control possession in the build-up to Ireland's second try.

Villain of the match:  Unnecessary petulance from Mike Phillips after being brought back from a tap penalty was needless.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  Cuthbert, Halfpenny, Mitchell
Con:  Halfpenny 2
Pens:  Halfpenny

For Ireland:
Tries:  Zebo, Healy, O'Driscoll
Cons:  Sexton 3
Pens:  Sexton 3
Yellow Card:  Best, Murray

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Ian Evans, 4 Andrew Coombs, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Ken Owens, 17 Paul James, 18 Craig Mitchell, 19 Olly Kohn, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 James Hook, 23 Scott Williams.

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Declan Fitzpatrick, 19 Donncha O'Callaghan, 20 Chris Henry, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ronan O'Gara, 23 Keith Earls.

Beale breaks Welsh hearts

A last-minute try from Kurtley Beale denied Wales victory over old foes Australia as the Gold run continued with a 14-12 result on Saturday.

The loss meant that Wales, the current Grand Slam champions and World Cup semi-finalists, fell out of the top-eight seeds for RWC 2015, the draw for which takes place on Monday.

The game had looked to be going Wales' way at 12-9 with a minute to play, but replacement flanker Dave Dennis found a metre of space out wide with the Welsh defence flagging and fed Beale, who outpaced Alex Cuthbert to the corner.

It was a ninth victory in 15 Tests of a marathon season for Australia and meant they leapfrogged South Africa into second in the IRB rankings.

But the defeat was Wales' seventh on the trot and denied them the chance of a first win over a southern hemisphere nation since their 2008 victory over the same opposition.

Leigh Halfpenny kicked four penalties for Wales, who had lost November matches against Argentina, Samoa and New Zealand, with Beale notching up three of his own for the visitors.

Beale missed two other penalty attempts and replacement Mike Harris another in the sixth match between the two sides in 13 months, the Wallabies winning all five previous encounters, including the third-place play-off at the World Cup and a closely-fought three-Test series on Australian soil in the summer.

Beale missed a straightforward early penalty attempt as referee Wayne Barnes took to his whistle against a series of sloppy Welsh ruck infringements.

The visitors, fielding just three players from last year's season-ending victory in Cardiff, dominated early possession and territory, but it was Wales who first set the stadium alight when Cuthbert was set free on his own line.

A fine covering tackle by Berrick Barnes smothered Cuthbert into touch.

Beale was successful with his second penalty, struck from the halfway line, and Halfpenny responded almost immediately with his own 52-metre effort.

The Welsh full-back then pushed the home side into the lead with a second penalty in the 23rd minute after returning Wallaby openside David Pocock was penalised for not rolling away in the tackle.

Halfpenny then split the defence and while he collided with Barnes chasing his own chip ahead across the line, Toby Faletau crashed through, only to be beaten to the ball by opposite number Wycliff Palu.

Beale drew the scores level with a second long-range penalty but failed with an easier effort that would have seen the Wallabies into the lead.

Wales, with fly-half Rhys Priestland showing signs of his old confidence, looked to run everything, but Australia showed why they remain in the top three countries in the world with an aggressive, counter-rucking defence.

The Wallabies ended the half 9-6 up after Beale nailed his fifth attempt at goal after home captain Sam Warburton was penalised, again at the ruck, while Halfpenny sent a late effort wide.

The second period opened with a full seven minutes of aerial ping-pong, neither side able to capitalise on any real territorial gain.

Halfpenny, comfortably Wales' best player in the four November Tests, was on hand to again show his defensive abilities with a fine covering tackle with Ryan Jones on Drew Mitchell, who should have gone wide after a Barnes feint.

The Welsh full-back finally drew Wales level on 55 minutes with a penalty after the Wallaby scrum wilted and then put Wales into the lead when Australia captain Nathan Sharpe, playing in his 116th and final Test, was found on the wrong side of a ruck.

Replacement Mike Harris then saw his penalty drift wide as the Wallabies tried to find a way through the Welsh defence, which finally flagged when Dennis found Beale who finished excellently in the corner.

Man of the match:  We go for Leigh Halfpenny after another impressive performance at the back for his country.  He was yet again faultless covering the ground in attack and defence while his kicking from hand and tee means that he edges out Wallaby flank David Pocock.

Moment of the match:  Of course, that last-gasp try from Kurtley Beale.

Villain of the match:  Nothing too dirty to report.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Pen:  Halfpenny 4

For Australia:
Try:  Beale
Pen:  Beale 3

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Luke Charteris, 4 Lou Reed, 3 Scott Andrews, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Ken Owens, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Samson Lee, 19 Ryan Jones, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Dan Biggar, 23 Scott Williams.

Australia:  15 Berrick Barnes, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 David Pocock, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Kane Douglas, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Tatafu Polota Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements:  16 Stephen Moore, 17 James Slipper, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Dave Dennis, 20 Michael Hooper, 21 Brendan McKibbin, 22 Mike Harris, 23 Digby Ioane.

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees:  Romain Poite (France), Greg Garner (England)
Television match official:  Marshall Kilgore (Ireland)

Brilliant England stun New Zealand

Delirium was the order of the day on Saturday at Twickenham as England defeated New Zealand 38-21 with three second-half tries.

New Zealand responded to a 15-0 defecit with scores from Julian Savea and Kieran Read, before England took charge thanks to three of their own from Brad Barritt, Chris Ashton and Manu Tuilagi in an astonishing second-half performance.

Owen Farrell endured a tumultuous week with being named as one of the best four players in the world, as if the pressure coming for England's most-capped player in Toby Flood wasn't enough.  But the young Saracen flourished, showing great poise with the boot as he continued to tally up the points and steered England during the first half.

The All Blacks had been struck down by a vomiting bug during the week and despite Richie McCaw's claim that it would not affect them at Twickenham, New Zealand did not look themselves at all during the first 50 minutes as they were denied possession.

Julian Savea's try changed all of that;  stepping his way through three England defenders in the left-hand corner to breathe life into the All Blacks.  They flicked the switch and thundered forward from the re-start, sticking to their principles of running rugby and exploiting gaps that they left untouched in the first half.

England though were not simply going to fall down on their knees.  Instead they roared back, thumping the All Blacks as the second half wore on.  The rarest of breaks from Brad Barritt had the crowd roaring and a one-two with centre partner Tuilagi led to the hosts' first try.

Tuilagi then skipped through a tackle from Dan Carter to burst free, feeding Ashton who sprinted over for the second try.  A Tuilagi interception then sealed the match, cruising home and slowing down as he neared the line as if he couldn't believe his luck.  England were like a new team - the All Blacks were exhausted.

Whilst Carter missed two shots at goal in the first half, his fellow IRB Player of the Year nominee Farrell was accurate - knocking over two first-half penalties to give England a surprising 6-0 lead to the delight of the home crowd.

An overthrown lineout from Keven Mealamu resulted in another English driving maul before Tuilagi burst into the 22 and with the advantage being played, Farrell dropped back and stretched England's lead to nine.

Another infringement with seconds remaining left Farrell with another chance to strike before half-time, landing the 48 metre kick to leave the score at 12-0.  Twickenham had never been more pleasantly surprised.

The run continued after the break with England winning a penalty at the scrum, Farrell again converting to leave New Zealand more than two converted tries behind the hosts.

Those tries duly arrived in two explosive bangs in the left-hand corner;  the first coming from Savea then the second coming as the conclusion to some wonderful passing that left Read galloping into the corner before England scorched away.  Savea responded with a try with only five minutes left but it was not enough as the All Blacks lost for the first time in 2012.

Man of the match:  Two assists and one crucial interception try from Manu Tuilagi make him the player of the day.

Moment of the match:  With New Zealand edging back into the match, Brad Barritt's score swung the momentum back in England's favour.

Villain of the match:  The mystery bug that struck New Zealand earlier in the week.  McCaw might have denied it would have an effect, but the All Blacks looked exhausted.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Barritt, Ashton, Tuilagi
Con:  Farrell
Pens:  Farrell (5), Burns
Yellow Card:  Vunipola

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Savea (2), Read
Cons:  Carter (2), Cruden

England:  15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Mike Brown, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Alex Corbisiero.
Replacements:  16 David Paice, 17 David Wilson, 18 Mako Vunipola, 19 Courtney Lawes 20 James Haskell, 21 Danny Care, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Jonathan Joseph.

New Zealand:  15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Charlie Faumunia, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Victor Vito, 21 Piri Weepu, 22 Aaron Cruden, 23 Ben Smith.

USA run Romania ragged

The USA Eagles eased past Romania 34-3 in Bucharest on Saturday, with Chris Wyles collecting a personal haul of 19 points.

The visitors crossed the whitewash on five occasions with Wyles bagging a brace, while Andrew Suniula, Paul Emerick and Takudzwa Ngwenya also added their name to the scoresheet.

The game was all but wrapped up by half-time as the Americans led 22-3, with pivot Andrei Filip providing the only points for Romania.

The end result, thanks to a committed performance by the forwards, was one of the Eagles most impressive victories in years.

The scorers:

For Romania:
Pen:  Filip

For USA:
Tries:  Wyles 2, A. Suniula, Emerick, Ngwenya
Cons:  Wyles 3
Pen:  Wyles

The teams:

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Madalin Lemnaru, 13 Ionel Cazan, 12 Csaba Gal, 11 Ionut Botezatu, 10 Andrei Filip, 9 Florin Surugiu, 8 Ovidiu Tonita, 7 Mihai Macovei (c), 6 Vasile Rus, 5 Alin Coste, 4 Cosmin Ratiu, 3 Mihaita Lazar, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Petru Tamba.
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Horatiu Pungea, 18 Vlad Badalicescu, 19 Alexandru Manta, 20 Viorel Lucaci, 21 Grigoras Diaconescu, 22 Ionut Florea, 23 Constantin Gheara.

USA:  15 Chris Wyles, 14 Takudzwa Ngwenya, 13 Paul Emerick, 12 Andrew Suniula, 11 Luke Hume, 10 Toby L'Estrange, 9 Mike Petri, 8 Todd Clever, 7 Peter Dahl, 6 John Quill, 5 Louis Stanfill, 4 Scott Lavalla, 3 Eric Fry, 2 Chris Biller, 1 Shawn Pittman.
Replacements:  16 Derek Asbun, 17 Nick Wallace, 18 Zachary Fenoglio, 19 Graham Harriman, 20 Inaki Basauri, 21 Robbie Shaw, 22 Roland Suniula, 23 Zachary Pangelinan.

Boks make it 11 unbeaten over England

South Africa saw off England with a 16-15 win on a grim Saturday at Twickenham, with a late rally from the hosts seeing them fall short.

Three penalties from Pat Lambie and a bizarre try from Willem Alberts handed the visitors the win, with Toby Flood and Owen Farrell accumulating five penalties between them.

England dominated territory and possession but were naive in attack, lacking direction and depth which made matters simple for the Springboks defence.  Too often forwards were found in midfield when England needed a clinical line-breaker.  The fact that Tom Youngs was the most effective Red Rose attacker said it all.

An interception break from Manu Tuilagi in the second half summed up their troubles perfectly;  Chris Ashton choosing to not back his pace and ultimately seeing England plod forward into another turnover.

South Africa on the other hand were more patient, clinical and superior without anywhere near the same amount of possession — executing to greater effect when inside opposition territory in a replica performance from their victory over Ireland weeks earlier.

Controlling the line-out, they were spearheaded by the excellent Eben Etzebeth and made better use of their kicks to pin England back.  Their scrum was also in the ascendancy as time ticked away, gaining the upper hand and reversing England's dominance from the first half.

Mike Brown's clean break in the opening minutes gave England valuable territory, with Toby Flood eventually converting a penalty after South Africa went offside near the posts.

Lambie tied the scores with his first kick of the afternoon but England regained the lead with a penalty from the game's first scrum, Flood returning to the field after being checked for concussion to grab the points.

A knock-on from Zane Kirchner inside his own 22 handed England an opportunity at the scrum — the returning Alex Corbisiero getting the edge over Jannie du Plessis — only for Flood to miss the simple kick wide to the right.

Persistent South African pressure in England's red zone then yielded a penalty for Lambie to give the visitors the lead for the first time at 6-9.

A fine offload from Joe Launchbury released Flood before Alex Goode burst upfield to bring Twickenham onto it's feet.  But the chance was wasted after a grubber kick from Flood dribbled beyond the dead ball line.  Key defence at the breakdown then helped both teams clear their lines before half-time.

The Springboks started the second half with a bang and after setting up camp in the England 22 scored a bizarre try.  Ben Youngs' box kick ricocheted forward off JP Pietersen, with Tom Wood fumbling the ball which dropped into the hands of Alberts who burrowed over for the opening try.

Farrell replaced a wayward Flood and drew England within seven points with a penalty after 60 minutes and then added another as the match went into the closing stages, giving England a chance as they moved within four points.

Faced with a tough decision inside Springbok territory with two minutes left, Farrell brought England within a single point with another penalty kick rather than opting for the corner.  Unable to win the restart, South Africa closed out the match and remain unbeaten in November.

Man of the match:  One big performance from Eben Etzebeth, dominant in the skies and a joint top tackler with 16.

Moment of the match:  England may well regret their decision for points over the corner as the clock ran out.

Villain of the match:  Aimless kicking.  It entertains nobody and transforms games from spectacles to duds.

The scorers:

For England:
Pen:  Flood 2, Farrell 3

For South Africa:
Try:  Alberts
Con:  Lambie
Pen:  Lambie 3

England:  15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Mike Brown, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Alex Corbisiero.
Replacements:  16 David Paice, 17 David Wilson, 18 Mako Vunipola, 19 Mouritz Botha, 20 James Haskell, 21 Danny Care, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Jonathan Joseph.

South Africa:  15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements:  16 Schalk Brits, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Pat Cilliers, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Marcell Coetzee, 21 Elton Jantjies, 22 Jaco Taute, 23 Lwazi Mvovo.

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees:  Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Television match official:  Jim Yuille (Scotland)

Rampant Ireland destroy Pumas

Ireland silenced their critics with an impressive 46-24 victory over Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.

Ireland led from start to finish in a dominant display, outscoring their visitors seven tries to two.

Few would have expected such a one-sided clash after Argentina's recent win over Wales but the home side produced their best performance since pushing the All Blacks close in June to run the Pumas ragged.

The result ends Ireland's five-Test losing streak and secures their place among the second seeds for the 2015 World Cup draw.

Ireland raced to 24-9 lead by half time thanks to tries from debutant Craig Gilroy, fly-half Jonathan Sexton, hooker Richardt Strauss and full-back Simon Zebo.  Argentina's only reply came via three penalties from pivot Nicolas Sanchez.

Unlike a fortnight ago when the Springboks turned the tables on Declan Kidney's men, the second half saw Ireland secure victory with two tries from Tommy Bowe and another from Sexton as the green-clad pack ruled in the tight exchanges and the backs hit their straps.

Argentina scored two consolation tries — via Tomas Leonardi and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe — in the final ten minutes but will be disappointed with their effort.

Gilroy got his international debut off to a perfect start by scoring a fabulous try after taking a flat pass from Sexton and beating handful of defenders, putting the hosts in front early on — and they never looked back.

Sexton grabbed his first try shortly afterwards with an equally good run to step his way to the whitewash.  Strauss emerged from a line-out drive to crash over and give Ireland a 19-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.  The result looked done and dusted.

Bowe and Sexton combined to send Zebo over the corner before the half-time whistle, handing the Ireland a 15-point headstart as the sides swapped ends.

Sanchez landed his fourth penalty of the afternoon to get the second half started but two tries in the space of four minutes from Bowe and Sexton ended any hopes of a comeback from the Pumas.

Bowe collected Sexton's chip ahead to gather and touch down before bagging his second after some fancy footwork from Gilroy and a final pass from Donnacha Ryan.

Argentina pushed hard for a try but to their credit, the Irish defence never backed off had held firm against multiple waves of heavy Argentine ball carriers.

The final Irish try arrived when Bowe pounced on Keith Earls' chip kick, but substitute Leonardi and skipper Fernandez Lobbe scored late tries from short range to give Argentina some respectability on the scoreboard.

Man of the match:  A few candidates here and Jonathan Sexton deserves a mention for his two tries and getting the Irish backline going.  But Ireland really won the game up front and Donnacha Ryan stood out, not only in the line-outs but for his tireless work cleaning out at the breakdown.

Moment of the match:  The writing was on the wall early for the Pumas.  Craig Gilroy's try was a great start to both the game and a promising Test career.

Villain of the match:  Maximiliano Bustos was for a silly swing of a handbag — throwing the ball into the face of opposite number Cian Healy — so not worthy of the villain award.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Tries:  Gilroy, Sexton 2, Strauss, Zebo, Bowe 2
Cons:  Sexton 3, O'Gara
Pen:  Sexton

For Argentina:
Tries:  Leonardi, Fernandez Lobbe
Con:  Hernandez
Pens:  Sanchez 4
Yellow card:  Bustos

Ireland:  15 Simon Zebo, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Chris Henry, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Michael Bent, 19 Donncha O'Callaghan, 20 Iain Henderson, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ronan O'Gara, 23 Fergus McFadden.

Argentina:  15 Juan Martin Hernandez, 14 Gonzalo Camacho, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Santiago Fernandez, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 6 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 5 Julio Farias Cabello, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Maximiliano Bustos, 2 Eusebio Guinazu, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements:  16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Nahuel Lobo, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Tomas Vallejos, 20 Tomas Leonardi, 21 Nicolas Vergallo, 22 Gonzalo Tiesi, 23 Manuel Montero.

Venue:  Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees:  Romain Poite (France), Andrew Small (England)
Television match official:  Geoff Warren (England)

France survive Samoan scare

France completed a clean sweep of their November Tests at the Stade de France on Saturday with a 22-14 win over Samoa.

Unlike their convincing successes over Australia and Argentina this month, victory didn't come easily for the French, who were trailing the Islanders going into the final quarter.

The result means France will end the month as Europe's highest-ranked side and will be one of the four top seeds at the 2015 World Cup Draw on December 3.

France led 10-7 at half time thanks to a charge-down try from Fred Michalak, whose score cancelled out David Lemi's opening try for Samoa.

Samoa moved in front early in the second period however when Joe Tekori scored as France struggled to contain the visitors' power game.

But Four Michalak penalties in the final 25 minutes were enough to see les Bleus home to a hard-fought win.

Samoa were first strike approaching the end of the first quarter.  From turnover ball, prop Census Johnston chipped ahead (!) for wing Robert Lilomaiava to collect.  Lemi was up in support to score the game's first try in spectacular fashion.

The French reply wasn't long in coming however as Michalak charged down his opposite number, Tusi Pisi, to bolt clear and score under the posts.

The home fly-half's conversion levelled the scores but France were having a hard time matching their visitors both in terms of physicality and accuracy on attack.

Scrum-half Morgan Parra was however able to give the French a half-time lead thanks to a 45 metre penalty shortly before the break.

Samoa started the second half breathing fire and a break from scrum-half Kahn Fotuali'i had them camped on the French 22.  Tekori took his chance on the fringe of a ruck, stretching out an arm to place the ball on the whitewash.  It was a close call, but the TMO confirmed the try.

Pisi's conversion gave Samoa a 14-10 lead but Michalak soon pulled three back when the visitors infringed on the deck.

France turned to their scrum to earn the next penalty and a narrow lead and the hosts were lucky to see Pisi miss a second shot a goal.

Unable to unlock the Samoan defence with their backs, the French forwards put in the hard yards, earning another long range penalty for Michalak to secure victory in the dying minutes.

Man of the match:  We usually pick someone from the winning side but a few Samoans really impressed.  Kahn Fotuali'i was excellent and Census Johnston was awesome in both the scrums and the tight-loose.  But we'll go for Taiasina Tuifua who made huge yards with ball in hand.

Moment of the match:  Samoa's first try was a wake up call for France.  Census Johnston's chip ahead to create the try will was straight out of front-row fantasy land!

Villain of the match:  No nasty stuff to report

The scorers:

For France:
Try:  Michalak
Con:  Michalak
Pens:  Parra, Michalak 4

For Samoa:
Tries:  Lemi, Tekori
Cons:  Pisi 2

France:  15 Brice Dulin, 14 Wesley Fofana, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Vincent Clerc, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Papé (c), 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Thomas Domingo
Replacements:  16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Yannick Forestier, 18 Vincent Debaty, 19 Jocelino Suta, 20 Damien Chouly, 21 Maxime Machenaud, 22 Francois Trinh-Duc, 23 Yoann Huget.

Samoa:  15 David Lemi (c), 14 Paul Perez, 13 George Pisi, 12 Johnny Leota, 11 Robert Lilomaiava, 10 Tusi Pisi, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Taiasina Tuifua, 7 Maurie Fa'asavalu, 6 Ofisa Treviranus, 5 Joe Tekori, 4 Filo Paulo, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Ti'i Paulo, 1 Sakaria Taulafo.
Replacements:  16 Ole Avei, 17 Villiamu Afatia, 18 James Johnston, 19 Faatiga Lemalu, 20 Tivaini Fomai, 21 Jeremy Su'a, 22 Ki Anufe, 23 Reupena Levasa.

Venue:  Stade de France, Paris
Referee:  John Lacey (Ireland)

All Blacks compound Wales' woes

Wales slumped to a sixth consecutive defeat after going down 33-10 to New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.

Predictions the All Blacks' attack would incinerate Wales' defence came to fruition in the first half especially.  However even though the scoreline may read otherwise, it was a much better effort from the Welsh - the second half especially.

Be that as it may, coach Warren Gatland must have been shifting uncomfortably in his seat as he contemplated another difficult week following the home side's previous November defeats.

The hosts never threatened to end a 59-year drought at the hands of their southern hemisphere rivals, and their hopes were all but dashed by half-time when the clinical All Blacks put the result beyond doubt thanks to a 23-0 lead.

It proved too big a mountain for Wales to climb in the second half, though - bouyed by their parochial crowd in full voice - showed plenty of character and determination to fight back and outscore the world champions two tries to nill.  There were no fist-pumps, high fives or backslaps from New Zealand after the final whistle as they knew that were some way from their best after being held 10-10 after the break.

The game couldn't have started any worse for Wales after losing two players two minutes into the contest.  First, Bradley Davies was taken out from behind by All Blacks hooker Andrew Hore and the lock was forced off looking extremely light-headed.

Then tighthead prop Aaron Jarvis followed suit after injuring his knee.

To make matters even worse, All Blacks pivot Aaron Cruden was in fine touch with the boot and racked up a 9-0 lead for his team in the opening quarter before Israel Dagg broke from inside his 22 to link up with Julian Savea who raced into Wales' dangerzone.  And just moments later, Conrad Smith was putting flank Liam Messam over for the opening try.

Wales came close to scoring after a trademark Jonathan Davies break brought the crowd on their feet, only for prop Paul James to return them to their seats after knocking the ball on.  The Welsh didn't do themselves any favours later on as on two occasions Rhys Priestland missed the corner with penalties.

There was to be more pain for the Welsh to endure when Tony Woodcock went over for New Zealand's second try off the back of the same line-out move that saw the prop score in the World Cup final.

The deficit became 26 points just after the break as Cruden added another penalty, before a superb passing movement and a fine finish in the corner from Luke Romano gave New Zealand their third try.  Cruden's conversion was his seventh successful kick from seven.

Wales finally got on the scoresheet just before the hour when full-back Leigh Halfpenny did find the corner with a penalty, Wales committed almost their entire team to the line-out drive and inside centre Scott Williams went over.

Wales had more of the game in the final quarter, particularly after Cory Jane was sin-binned for a deliberate knock on, and did cross again through Alex Cuthbert in the closing moments - but long before then the result was no longer in doubt.

Man of the match:  Aaron Cruden and Conrad Smith were the pick of the New Zealand backs, but it was difficult to overlook loose forward Richie McCaw - who was his usual industrious self - as our man of the match.  He was immense, smashing bodies in defence and proving to be the Kiwis everywhere man.

Moment of the match:  Wales' first try only served to spark the hosts into action, and from there on in the Welsh raised their game.

Villain of the match:  Andrew Hore's cheap shot from behind will surely interest citing commissioner Mike Rafter.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  S Williams, Cuthbert

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Messam, Woodcock, Romano
Cons:  Cruden 3
Pens:  Cruden 4
Yellow card:  Jane (59th minute)

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Ryan Jones, 5 Luke Charteris, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Aaron Jarvis, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Paul James.
Replacements:  16 Ken Owens, 17 Gethin Jenkins, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Aaron Shingler, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 James Hook, 23 Scott Williams.

New Zealand:  15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Brodie Retallick, 20 Victor Vito, 21 Piri Weepu, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Ben Smith.

Referee:  Craig Joubert (South Africa)

Tonga shock Scotland

Tonga caused a massive upset in Aberdeen on Saturday, outscoring Scotland two tries to none to win 21-15 at Pittodrie.

Scotland led 6-3 at half-time but second-period tries from Tukulua Lokotui and Fetu Vainikolo saw the Pacific Islanders earn their first ever Test triumph on the European stage

Another miserable loss for Scotland means they are winless in November, leaving coach Andy Robinson's job hanging in the balance.  They also finish the month outside the top eight seeds for the 2015 World Cup draw.

Greig Laidlaw kicked five penalties for Scotland, but the hosts were uninspired and ineffective on attack on the narrow pitch and were ultimately overpowered in an attritional affair.

Despite seeing three player sent to the sin bin, Tonga ran out deserved winners, claiming another big scalp after beating France at last year's World Cup.

The Tongans came out with all guns blazing and their rousing early endeavours forced the Scots into giving away a penalty as Al Strokosch illegally entered a ruck.

There was a reprieve for the hosts, however, when fly-half Fangatapu 'Apikotoa sent his 40-metre strike narrowly wide.

But they kept up the pressure and 'Apikotoa was handed an immediate chance to make amends from closer range.

And this time his aim was true to give his side the lead.

Scotland hit back positively and quickly with a promising raid, but there was more frustration as Laidlaw's angled penalty rebounded from the upright, allowing Tonga to clear the danger.

They maintained the momentum and a fine Laidlaw cross kick spread panic among the Tongan back ranks.

And the fly-half followed in the footsteps of his opposite number by banging over his second pot at goal in the 11th minute.

Tonga were posing plenty of problems when they were on the front foot, but Scotland looked sharp with the ball in the hands of the backs.

Their confidence was underlined as they opted to go for try points rather than another penalty.

Hooker Scott Lawson was driven over the line in the wake of a well-executed rolling maul, but the video referee ruled he had failed to ground the ball.

Only desperate defence kept out the Scots as they laid siege to the line during a series of scrums and further penalties.

Eight minutes of constant pressure yielded nothing for the home men and a tame turnover allowed the visitors to escape from their danger zone.

It was then Scotland's turn to show off their defensive strengths as Tonga mounted a spate of raids.

But soon the Scots were back on the offensive thanks to a lightning break through the middle by Laidlaw.

He was involved again in the next phase, but yet again Tonga backtracked to mop up.

Scotland were given further incentive seven minutes before half time when lock Lokotui was sinbinned for dangerous tactics in the line out.

Prop Halani 'Aulika was perhaps fortunate to dodge the same punishment for a no-arms body check on Matt Scott.

Having failed to breach the visiting markers, Scotland resorted to the boot — Laidlaw's penalty giving them the edge.

The action continued to be disjointed and untidy after the restart.

But the crowd volume rose when Sean Lamont bashed his way down the middle to create a clear-cut chance.

They couldn't turn the good work into a touchdown, but collected another three points from Laidlaw's accuracy.

And there was more breathing space for Scotland when 'Apikotoa was short with his next attempt at the sticks.

The contest burst into life in the 51st minute as Tonga snatched a surprise lead.  Lokotui more than made up for his yellow card by burrowing over for a try from point-blank range, giving 'Apikotoa a simple conversion.

Laidlaw instantly eased the Scots' anxiety by adding penalty number four — and repeated the dose midway through the half.

But still Tonga looked more clinical in attack and 'Apikotoa narrowed the gap with his next strike.

Even better was to come for the tourists as winger Vainikolo left his cover for dead with two dazzling dummies and galloped in for a superb solo try from his own half.

The tension level soared when debut substitute Tom Heathcote watched in agony as his first shot at goal dipped under the crossbar.

And Scotland's task became a lost cause as 'Apikotoa found the target again.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Pens:  Laidlaw 5

For Tonga:
Tries:  Lokotui, Vainikolo
Con:  'Apikotoa
Pens:  'Apikotoa 3
Yellow cards:  Lokotui;  Latu;  Mafi

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Max Evans, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Greig Laidlaw, 9 Henry Pyrgos, 8 David Denton, 7 Kelly Brown (c), 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Alastair Kellock, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Scott Lawson, 1 Ryan Grant.
Replacements:  16 Dougie Hall, 17 Kyle Traynor, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 Grant Gilchrist, 20 John Barclay, 21 Rory Lawson, 22 Tom Heathcote, 23 Nick De Luca.

Tonga:  15 Vungakoto Lilo, 14 Fetu'u Vainikolo, 13 Sukanaivalu Hufanga, 12 Sione Piukala, 11 Will Helu, 10 Fangatapu 'Apikotoa, 9 Taniela Moa, 8 Viliami Ma'afu, 7 Nili Latu (c), 6 Hale T Pole, 5 Tukulua Lokotui, 4 Joe Tu'ineau, 3 Halani 'Aulika, 2 Elvis Taione, 1 Alisona Taumalolo.
Replacements:  16 Ilaisa Ma'asi, 17 Tevita Mailau, 18 Kamaliele Sakalia, 19 Sitiveni Mafi, 20 Sione Timani, 21 Viliame 'longi, 22 Eddie Paea, 23 Alipate Fatafehi.

Referee:  Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant referees:  George Clancy (Ireland) and Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO:  Gareth Simmonds (Wales)

Wallabies edge out Azzurri

Australia put in a below par performance before claiming an unconvincing 22-19 victory over Italy in Florence on Saturday.

A superb second half fightback almost saw the home side pulling off a draw but a penalty from their fly-half Luciano Orquera, in the 79th minute, sailed just wide of the posts.

Italy came agonisingly close to taking the lead in the 67th minute when Orquera put through a perfectly-timed chip kick which bounced just in front of the Wallabies' try-line.

Captain Sergio Parisse was the player who gave chase but a wicked bounce denied him of what would have been a certain try.

It was a game of two halves for the Wallabies who dominated during the first 40 and held a deserved 22-6 lead at the break.

Their highlight of the game came in the 18th minute when Michael Hooper recovered a loose ball whichl went out to the backs and Kurtley Beale offloaded to Nick Cummins who got in for his second Test try in as many weeks.

Earlier Orquera and Berrick Barnes traded penalties but after Cummins' try, which Barnes converted, Australia added nine further points through a brace of penalties from Beale and another three-pointer from Barnes.

Orquera landed another place-kick on the half hour mark and when the players headed into the sheds, at the interval, Australia were well-set for a huge victory.

The Azzurri had other plans, however, and struck back with a try by Robert Barbieri shortly after the restart.

This came thanks to a dropped pass from Australia which resulted In Italy hoofing the ball downfield before Barbieri dived onto it behind the try-line.

After Australia's early dominance, the roles were completely reversed in the second half with Italy dominating in most facets.

They put the visitors under huge pressure in the set-pieces and were camped inside the Wallabies' 22 for long periods.  To their credit the Wallabies' defence held firm and they kept several Italian surges towards their try-line at bay with courageous first-time tackles.

After converting his side's five-pointer, Orquera added two more penalties and although he had a chance to get the well deserved draw for the hosts it wasn't to be and the visitors held on to their narrow lead until the end.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Try:  Barbieri
Con:  Orquera
Pens:  Orquera 4
Yellow card:  Barbieri

For Australia:
Try:  Cummins
Con:  Barnes
Pens:  Barnes 3, Beale 2
Yellow card:  Ioane

Italy:  15 Andrea Masi, 14 Giovambattista Venditti, 13 Tommaso Benvenuti, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Luciano Orquera, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Robert Barbieri, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Francesco Minto, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero.
Replacements:  16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Michele Rizzo, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Antonio Pavanello, 20 Simone Favaro, 21 Manoa Vosawai, 22 Tobias Botes, 23 Luke McLean.

Australia:  15 Berrick Barnes, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Nathan Sharpe (c), 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements:  16 James Hanson, 17 James Slipper, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Dave Dennis, 20 Liam Gill, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Mike Harris, 23 Digby Ioane

Referee:  Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)

Maori ABs see off Canada

The Maori All Blacks overcame a sin-binned player in each half to power past Canada 32-19 in Friday's fixture at Oxford University Rugby Club.

In a lacklustre but testy match, the Maori scored two tries to one plus 22 points from Willie Ripia.

The match closed the British tours of both teams.  The Maori began with a loss, their first in five years, to English club Leicester then beat an English Championship XV.  Canada rebounded from a 42-12 loss to Samoa by dismantling Russia 35-3.  But the Canadians couldn't stop their fourth straight loss to the Maori.

The Maori practically began the match with 14, with lock Romana Graham yellow-carded for a high tackle.  They still led 9-0 within 15 minutes from Ripia penalties.  The referee had to be replaced after hurting his leg, and by half-time Andre Taylor dotted down and the Maori led 19-9.

Another high tackle cost midfielder Tim Bateman time in the sin-bin and again Canada failed to capitalise.  Ripia extended the Maori lead to 25-9 before Canada finally crossed through replacement prop Ray Barkwill to close within six.  But in the last minute the Maori gave centre Charlie Ngatai an overlap for a converted try.

The scorers:

For Maori All Blacks:
Tries:  Taylor, Ngatai
Con:  Ripia 2
Pen:  Ripia 6

For Canada:
Try:  Barkwill
Con:  Braid
Pen:  Pritchard 4

Canada:  15 James Pritchard, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Ciaran Hearn, 12 Phil Mackenzie, 11 Taylor Paris, 10 Connor Braid, 9 Phil Mack, 8 Aaron Carpenter, 7 Chauncey O'Toole, 6 Tyler Ardron, 5 Tyler Hotson, 4 Jebb Sinclair, 3 Andrew Tiedemann, 2 Ryan Hamilton, 1 Hubert Buydens.
Replacements:  16 Jason Marshall, 17 Ray Barkwill, 18 Doug Wooldridge, 19 Brett Beukeboom, 20 John Moonlight, 21 Eric Wilson, 22 Nathan Hirayama, 23 Sean Duke.

Maori ABs:  15 Trent Renata, 14 Kurt Baker, 13 Charlie Ngatai, 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Andre Taylor, 10 Willie Ripia, 9 Frae Wilson, 8 Elliot Dixon, 7 Tanerau Latimer (captain), 6 Shane Christie, 5 Romana Graham, 4 Jason Eaton, 3 Ben May, 2 Quentin Macdonald, 1 Bronson Murray.
Replacements:  16 Hika Elliot, 17 Jacob Ellison, 18 Ben Afeaki, 19 Jarrad Hoeata, 20 Nick Crosswell, 21 Jamieson Gibson-Park, 22 Jackson Willison, 23 Declan O'Donnell.

Referee:  Martin Fox (England)
Assistant referees:  Ross Campbell (England), Roger Baileff (England)

Maori ABs see off Canada

The Maori All Blacks overcame a sin-binned player in each half to power past Canada 32-19 in Friday's fixture at Oxford University Rugby Club.

In a lacklustre but testy match, the Maori scored two tries to one plus 22 points from Willie Ripia.

The match closed the British tours of both teams.  The Maori began with a loss, their first in five years, to English club Leicester then beat an English Championship XV.  Canada rebounded from a 42-12 loss to Samoa by dismantling Russia 35-3.  But the Canadians couldn't stop their fourth straight loss to the Maori.

The Maori practically began the match with 14, with lock Romana Graham yellow-carded for a high tackle.  They still led 9-0 within 15 minutes from Ripia penalties.  The referee had to be replaced after hurting his leg, and by half-time Andre Taylor dotted down and the Maori led 19-9.

Another high tackle cost midfielder Tim Bateman time in the sin-bin and again Canada failed to capitalise.  Ripia extended the Maori lead to 25-9 before Canada finally crossed through replacement prop Ray Barkwill to close within six.  But in the last minute the Maori gave centre Charlie Ngatai an overlap for a converted try.

The scorers:

For Maori All Blacks:
Tries:  Taylor, Ngatai
Con:  Ripia 2
Pen:  Ripia 6

For Canada:
Try:  Barkwill
Con:  Braid
Pen:  Pritchard 4

Canada:  15 James Pritchard, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Ciaran Hearn, 12 Phil Mackenzie, 11 Taylor Paris, 10 Connor Braid, 9 Phil Mack, 8 Aaron Carpenter, 7 Chauncey O'Toole, 6 Tyler Ardron, 5 Tyler Hotson, 4 Jebb Sinclair, 3 Andrew Tiedemann, 2 Ryan Hamilton, 1 Hubert Buydens.
Replacements:  16 Jason Marshall, 17 Ray Barkwill, 18 Doug Wooldridge, 19 Brett Beukeboom, 20 John Moonlight, 21 Eric Wilson, 22 Nathan Hirayama, 23 Sean Duke.

Maori ABs:  15 Trent Renata, 14 Kurt Baker, 13 Charlie Ngatai, 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Andre Taylor, 10 Willie Ripia, 9 Frae Wilson, 8 Elliot Dixon, 7 Tanerau Latimer (captain), 6 Shane Christie, 5 Romana Graham, 4 Jason Eaton, 3 Ben May, 2 Quentin Macdonald, 1 Bronson Murray.
Replacements:  16 Hika Elliot, 17 Jacob Ellison, 18 Ben Afeaki, 19 Jarrad Hoeata, 20 Nick Crosswell, 21 Jamieson Gibson-Park, 22 Jackson Willison, 23 Declan O'Donnell.

Referee:  Martin Fox (England)
Assistant referees:  Ross Campbell (England), Roger Baileff (England)

Tonga triumph over USA

Tonga recovered from defeat against Italy last weekend to defeat USA 22-13 at Parc Eirias in Wales.

Winger Fetu'u Vainakolo grabbed the opening score for the Islanders with a try after ten minutes, before the USA's Luke Hume looked to have levelled the scores only for this try to be ruled out for a forward pass.

USA fly-half Zachary Pangelinan then added a penalty after half an hour to put the Eagles on the board, before scrum-half Robbie Shaw put them ahead with a try right on the stroke of half-time to leave the score at 5-10.

Tonga were down to 14 men at the start of the second half after fly-half Fangutapu 'Apikotoa was penalised for a deliberate knock on, Pangelinan stretching the lead to 5-13.

Full-back Vungakoto Lilo responded with a penalty for Tonga to close the gap before a try from Joe Tu'ineau sent the Islanders ahead with only 15 minutes remaining.

Perpignan centre Sione Piukala then added another try for Tonga to put the match out of sight.

The scorers:

For Tonga:
Tries:  Vainakolo, Lilo, Piukala
Cons:  Lilo 2
Pens:  Lilo

For USA:
Try:  Shaw
Con:  Pangelinan
Pens:  Pangelinan 2

Tonga:  15 Vungakoto Lilo, 14 Fetu'u Vainakolo , 13 Sukanaivalu Hufanga, 12 Sione Piukala, 11 Viliami Helu, 10 Fangatapu Apikotoa, 9 Taniela Moa, 8 Viliami Ma'afu, 7 Nili Latu (capt), 6 Steve Mafi, 5 Lua Lokotui, 4 Joseph Tuineau, 3 Halani Aulika, 2 Elvis Taione, 1 Alisona Taumalolo.
Replacements:  16 Ilaisia Ma'asi, 17 Kisi Pulu, 18 Tevita Mailau, 19 Hale T Pole, 20 Joshua Afu, 21 Viliame Iongi, 22 Edmond Paea, 23 Alipate Fatafehi.

USA:  15 Zachary Pangelinan, 14 Cornelius Dirksen, 13 Paul Emerick, 12 Andrew Suniula, 11 Luke Hume, 10 Toby L'Estrange, 9 Robbie Shaw, 8 Todd Clever (capt), 7 John Quill, 6 Scott LaValla, 5 Louis Stanfill, 4 Brian Doyle, 3 Eric Fry, 2 Chris Biller, 1 Shawn Pittman.
Replacements:  16 Derek Asbun, 17 Nick Wallace, 18 Zachary Fenoglio, 19 Inaki Basauri, 20 Peter Dahl, 21 Mike Petri, 22 Rolan Suniula, 23 Gearoid McDonald.

Springboks survive Scottish fightback

Two tries from Adriaan Strauss helped South Africa to a 21-10 victory over a brave but inefficient Scottish side at Murrayfield on Saturday.

A dominant first-half performance saw the visitors take a 14-3 lead into the interval thanks to Strauss's first try — off a rolling maul that Scotland failed to deal with — and three penalties from Pat Lambie.

The Bok vice-captain extended the visitors' lead early in the second period with an intercept try from long range but Scotland ruled the last 30 minutes.

A try from replacement scrum-half Henry Pyrgos got the hosts back into contention and only long periods of committed defence from the Springboks kept the free-running hosts at bay.

For 45 minutes the Scots were simply unable to match the Springboks' power in the contact areas and Francois Louw made life miserable for the men in blue with his pilfering work at the breakdown.

But in a dramatic change of roles, the hosts upped their game significantly as the game progressed and Heyneke Meyer would have been a worried man as he watched his side struggle to get out of their own half in the last quarter.

Indeed, Andy Robinson would have been mighty frustrated at the full-time whistle after seeing his team waste a handful of opportunities with some terrible decision making.

Lambie and his opposite number Greig Laidlaw exchanged early penalties before the Boks rumbled over the whitewash for the first try of the game at the end of the first quarter.

Scotland had hoped to negate the threat of the Springbok maul by not allowing it to form but failed dismally in executing their plan and were left red-faced as they scrambled to stop the green machine from advancing forward for what turned out to be an easy first Test try for Strauss.

The Bok defence looked impenetrable and Lambie could add his third penalty to give the visitors an 11-point lead at the break.

The game looked done and dusted when Strauss intercepted Mike Blair to race 40 metres and score under the sticks but the Scottish reply was impressive although not always effective.

Blair was replaced by Pyrgos, who had a massive impact on the home side's attack.

Scotland opted to kick for touch from a penalty and Pyrgos ran in untouched as he collected Kelly Brown's pass and went straight through a hole in the line-out.

Scotland had the Boks under cosh for most of the remainder of the game, but were unable to break down the well-organised South African defence, even when Flip van der Merwe saw yellow in the dying stages.

Man of the match:  Francois Louw was fantastic once again and Henry Pyrgos deserves a mention but you can't overlook the man who scored two tries, Adriaan Strauss.

Moment of the match:  Scotland were always going to struggle to get back into the game once they had conceded the first try.  The Bok rolling maul strikes again!

Villain of the match:  No nasty stuff to report.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Try:  Pyrgos
Con:  Laidlaw
Pen:  Laidlaw

For South Africa:
Tries:  Strauss 2
Cons:  Lambie
Pens:  Lambie 3
Yellow card:  Van der Merwe

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Nick De Luca, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Greig Laidlaw, 9 Mike Blair, 8 David Denton, 7 John Barclay, 6 Kelly Brown (c), 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Ryan Grant.
Replacements:  16 Dougie Hall, 17 Kyle Traynor, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 Alastair Kellock, 20 Stuart McInally , 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Ruaridh Jackson, 23 Peter Murchie.

South Africa:  15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements:  16 Schalk Brits, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 CJ van der Linde, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Marcell Coetzee, 21 Morné Steyn, 22 Jaco Taute, 23 Lwazi Mvovo.

Venue:  Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Referee:  George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees:  John Lacey (Ireland), Christophe Berdos (France)
Television match official:  Eric Gauzins (France)

Another big win for France

France followed up last weekend's drubbing of Australia with another convincing display as they beat Argentina 39-22 in Lille on Saturday.

With England, Wales, Scotland and Italy losing to southern opposition this weekend — Ireland were playing in a non-cap international — the French confirmed their status as the top European team in the world rankings.

France led 24-13 at the end of an action-packed first-half that saw the momentum and the lead swing back and forth.

Argentina were 13-3 head after 15 minutes but two Vincent Clerc tries in the space of two minutes handed the initiative back to the hosts, who went into the interval with their tails up after Yannick Nyanga added a third try just before the break.

The second period proved much tighter with Fred Michalak's boot securing the win.

France showed their intentions to get the ball wide at pace early on and Michalak could have opened the scoring from the kicking tee when the Pumas were caught offside.

But the visitors were first to cross the whitewash after a brilliant break in midfield that saw Nicolas Sanchez and Gonzalo Tiesi switch the angle of attack twice before putting Marcelo Bosch away to score under the posts.

Sanchez added two more penalties to stretch the lead to ten points and the Pumas were looking dangerous as they regularly broke up the centre of the field, just like they did against Wales a week ago.

Les Bleus would have the better of the second quarter though with Louis Picamoles once again at the heart of their forward momentum.  The big number eight and Pascal Papé combined to send Maxime Machenaud down the touchline, the scrum-half threw a wild pass inside but Clerc could pick it up to score.

Moments later Florian Fritz's neat chip ahead sat up perfectly for the racing Clerc and the wing could sprint home.

Off the back of a French maul, Nyanga handed off two defenders before using his pace to bolt home for a brilliant solo try and give the hosts an 11-point lead at half time.

The second half was more of a dog fight as Sanchez and Michalak traded penalties and drop-goals to leave the status quo with 15 minutes left.

The French fly-half broke the pattern in the dying minutes however as the Pumas ran out of steam, adding two more penalties to secure the win.

Man of the match:  Plenty of candidates with the French back-row looking particularly good.  We'll go for Yannick Nyanga whose blistering pace earned him a try, but he put in plenty of hard graft too.

Moment of the match:  France never looked back after Clerc's second try.

Villain of the match:  A few handbags emerged, but nothing too rough.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:  Clerc 2, Nyanga
Cons:  Michalak 3
Pens:  Michalak 5
Drop:  Michalak

For Argentina:
Try:  Bosch
Con:  Sanchez
Pens:  Sanchez 4
Drop:  Sanchez

France:  15 Brice Dulin, 14 Wesley Fofana, 13 Florian Fritz , 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Vincent Clerc, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Papé (c), 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Yannick Forestier.
Replacements:  16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Thomas Domingo, 18 Vincent Debaty, 19 Jocelino Suta, 20 Damien Chouly, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Francois Trinh-Duc, 23 Yoann Huget.

Argentina:  15 Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, 14 Horacio Agulla, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Marcelo Bosch, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 6 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 5 Julio Farias Cabello, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Eusebio Guinazu, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements:  16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Nahuel Lobo, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Tomas Vallejos, 20 Tomas De la Vega, 21 Tomas Cubelli, 22 Gonzalo Camacho, 23 Joaquin Tuculet.

Venue:  Stade Lille Metropole
Referee:  Steve Walsh (Australia)
Assistant referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), David Changleng (Scotland)
Television match official:  Carlo Damasco (Italy)

Canada tame Russian Bears

Canada bounced back from last week's heavy defeat to Samoa to claim a convincing 35-3 victory over Russia in Wales on Saturday.

The result is Canada's third consecutive win over the Bears.

Canada led 16-3 at half time and 35-3 on the hour mark before some solid defending held the desperate Russians at bay in the final quarter.

Man of the Match Jeff Hassler, showed off blistering speed in scoring two of Canada's four tries — including one from 80 metres out — and setting up a third.

Hassler, who made his debut in June, claimed his maiden Test try in the 18th minute, counterattacking from his own 22.  James Pritchard, who kicked six from seven attempts on the night, converted for 13-3.

Soon after halftime, Hassler took an up-and-under over his shoulder running back in defence, turned, and broke past five defenders before before offloading to fellow wing Taylor Paris, who finished.

Three minutes later, insider centre Nick Blevins scored from his own chargedown.

The final score of the night came as Hassler scored his second on 59.  A run from halfway to beat three men, saw him go over in the corner, and put the finishing touch to a night of magic for the Canadians.

The Canadians were satisfied after being thumped by Samoa 42-12 at the same Parc Eirias last week.

"We felt we had to bring a little more physicality," said captain Aaron Carpenter.

"We ran some hard lines and broke them and scored some nice tries."

Head coach Kieran Crowley was also pleased to bounce back from the disappointment of last week:

"The defensive side of our game in the final period was outstanding," he said.

"We're very pleased with the win, and we scored some good tries, and to keep the other team tryless was a good performance" he said.

The scorers:

For Canada:
Tries:  Hassler 2, Paris, Blevins
Cons:  Pritchard 3
Pens:  Pritchard 3

For Russia:
Pen:  Klyuchnikov

Canada:  15 James Pritchard, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Ciaran Hearn, 12 Nick Blevins, 11 Taylor Paris, 10 Harry Jones, 9 Eric Wilson, 8 Aaron Carpenter, 7 Chauncey O'Toole, 6 Tyler Ardon, 5 Tyler Hotson, 4 Jebb Sinclair, 3 Jason Marshall, 2 Ryan Hamilton, 1 Andrew Tiedemann.
Replacements:  16 Hubert Buydens, 17 Ray Barkwill, 18 Doug Wooldridge, 19 Jon Phelan, 20 John Moonlight, 21 Nanyak Dala, 22 Phil Mack.

Russia:  15 Igor Klyuchnikov, 14 Denis Simplikevich, 13 Vasily Artemyev, 12 Dmitry Gerasimov, 11 Vladimir Ostroushko, 10 Sergey Sugrobov, 9 Alexey Shcherban, 8 Victor Gresev, 7 Pavel Butenko, 6 Andrey Temnov, 5 Kirill Kulemin, 4 Alexander Voytov (capt), 3 Evgeny Pronenko, 2 Valery Tsnobiladze, 1 Grigory Tsnobiladze.
Replacements:  16 Vladislav Korshunov, 17 Alexey Volkov, 18 Innokentiy Zykov, 19 Andrey Garbuzov, 20 Ramil Gaysin, 21 Gleb Babkin, 22 Yuri Vengerov, 23 Sergey Trishin.

Venue:  Parc Eirias, Colwyn Bay, Wales
Referee:  Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)
Assistant referees:  Tim Hayes (Wales), Wayne Davies (Wales)

Gilroy stars for rampant Ireland XV

Ulster wing Craig Gilroy scored three tries as an Ireland XV romped to a 53-0 win over Fiji in Limerick on Saturday.

Gilroy was the star of the show while Fergus McFadden grabbed two tries and Sean Cronin, Darren Cave and Luke Marshall added the gloss.

Fiji were looking to bounce back from losing to England but could not cope with their hosts, who nilled the islanders in a strong performance.

But it will be Gilroy's showing that may cause Ireland coach Declan Kidney to have a rethink about his selection for next week's clash with Argentina as the Ulster finisher was superb.

Fiji will face Georgia next week in Tbilisi.

The scorers:

For Ireland XV:
Tries:  Gilroy 3, McFadden 2, Cronin, Cave, L Marshall
Con:  Jackson 5
Pen:  Jackson

Ireland XV:  15 Denis Hurley, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Luke Marshall, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip (capt), 7 John Muldoon, 6 Iain Henderson, 5 Dan Tuohy, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Sean Cronin, 1 David Kilcoyne.
Replacements:  16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Michael Bent, 19 Donnacha Ryan, 20 Chris Henry, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Jonathan Sexton, 23 Simon Zebo.

Fiji:  15 Metuisela Talebula, 14 Simeli Koniferedi, 13 Vereniki Govena, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Watisoni Votu, 10 Jonetani Ralulu, 9 Nikola Matawalu, 8 Nemani Nagusa, 7 Malakai Ravulo, 6 Iliesa Ratuva, 5 Api Naikatini, 4 Leone Nakarawa, 3 Deacon Manu, 2 Viliame Veikoso, 1 Jerry Yanuyanutawa.
Replacements:  16 Tuapati Talemaitoga, 17 Manasa Saulo, 18 Setefano Somoca, 19 Apisalome Ratuniyarawa, 20 Jovili Domolailai, 21 Kelemedi Bola, 22 Saula Radidi, 23 Timoci Matanavou.

Referee:  Leighton Hodges (Wales)
Assistant referees:  Neil Hennessy (Wales), Sean Brickell (Wales)
Television match official:  Gareth Simmonds (Wales)

Australia bounce back at Twickenham

A powerful performance from Australia led to a 20-14 victory over England at Twickenham, with Berrick Barnes kicking 15 points.

In front of a packed crowd at Twickenham, England opened the scoring with a penalty from Toby Flood with two minutes gone, but it was Australia who held the edge early on in terms of territory and possession.

The Wallabies were on top in the opening scrums and it proved to be the foundation for Australia's first score of the afternoon as Michael Hooper burst through on the left hand side, Berrick Barnes eventually sending through a drop-goal from straight in front.

Australia continued to play with width, Nick Cummins giving the English defence cause for concern as he continued to find space down the right wing.

Flood put England back in front with a long-range penalty but Australia responded by putting the home side under pressure deep on their own try line, the TMO ruling out a score after looking at numerous replays.

A penalty at the resulting scrum however led to Barnes levelling the scores from straight in front, but Flood responded to take the score to 9-6.

Cummins then grabbed the first try of the afternoon after a poor box kick from Danny Care led to a break from Australian scrum-half Pat Phipps, who slipped through a gap in England's defence and fed an unmarked Cummins for the score.

It was England however who had grabbed the final points of the first half, a tapped penalty by Care putting Australia on the back foot before the ball went wide to Manu Tuilagi.

The Leicester centre dived and allegedly did enough to ground the ball on the line, putting England back in front and leaving the score at 14-11 at half-time.

Barnes drew both teams level at the start of the second half and then put the Wallabies in front after a perfectly weighted chip behind the defence from Beale was gathered by Hooper, leading to another penalty kick to give Australia a 14-17 lead.

The Wallabies regained possession from the restart and a break from Tapuai almost released Cummins on the outside again only for Sharples to intervene.  Australia's dominance at the breakdown resulted in England being penalised, with Barnes stretching the visitors lead to six points.

An English response was needed and it came with a powerful surge towards the Australian try-line, the hosts launching a series of driving mauls towards the Wallaby line, Thomas Waldrom going close but knocking on as he dived for the score.

The home crowd did their best to lift England's performance but the error count continued to rise as Australia controlled the breakdown and the scrum, winning yet another penalty which Barnes failed to convert from long-range.

A tapped penalty from replacement Ben Youngs brought the crowd to their feet as England persisted to go for the try rather than taking the points on offer, but Australia again turned over possession, stifling England's momentum.

It was a similar story for the rest of the second half as Australia dominated the breakdown, repelling a series of attacks from the home side deep into their own 22 but emerging on top on every occasion, to clinch an important victory for coach Robbie Deans.

Man of the match:  Who needs David Pocock?  Openside Michael Hooper had a fine afternoon.

Moment of the match:  After sustained pressure, Thomas Waldrom just couldn't get the ball down.

Villain of the match:  Not a memorable afternoon for Joe Marler at the scrum, the Harlequin struggling against Ben Alexander.

The scorers:

For England:
Try:  Tuilagi
Pens:  Flood 3

For Australia:
Try:  Cummins
Pens:  Barnes 4
Drop Goal:  Barnes

England:  15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Charlie Sharples, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Danny Care, 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Johnson, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Tom Palmer, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements:  16 David Paice, 17 David Wilson, 18 Mako Vunipola, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 Tom Wood, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Mike Brown.

Australia:  15 Berrick Barnes, 14 Digby Ioane, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Tatafu Polota Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements:  16 Stephen Moore, 17 James Slipper, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Radike Samo, 20 Liam Gill, 21 Brett Sheehan, 22 Mike Harris, 23 Drew Mitchell.

All Blacks rule in Rome

New Zealand extended their unbeaten run to 19 games with a 42-10 win over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

The world champions led from start to finish to maintain their perfect record against Italy, who put up a solid challenge in the first half but ultimately couldn't match the visitors' attacking firepower.

New Zealand led 13-7 at half time.

An early score from skipper Kieran Read and two penalties from Aaron Cruden gave the All Blacks their 13-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

But the Azzurri were still in contention at the interval thanks to a try from centre Alberto Sgarbi.

Ma'a Nonu touched down early in the second period however to give the tourists a healthy lead before Cory Jane put the result beyond doubt.

Julian Savea added two late tries in the space of two minutes as the All Blacks finished strongly.

The visitors scored 29 points to Italy's three after the break but they had to wait 13 minutes for their first points in Rome, which came courtesy of Chiefs playmaker Cruden's close-range penalty goal.

Outside centre Conrad Smith then scooped up a loose ball and sent number eight Read over before fly-half Cruden converted and soon added his second penalty of the match.

Sgarbi crossed in reply with Orquera converting as Italy went into the break only six down.

But the world champion All Blacks turned it on after the break with tries from centre Nonu and wing duo Jane and Savea saw them claim a comfortable victory at the Stadio Olimpico.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Try:  Sgarbi
Con:  Orquera
Drop:  Orquera

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Read, Nonu, Jane, Savea 2
Cons:  Cruden 4
Pens:  Cruden 3

Italy:  15 Andrea Masi, 14 Giovambattista Venditti, 13 Tommaso Benvenuti, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Luciano Orquera, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Francesco Minto, 4 Antonio Pavanello, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero.
Replacements:  16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Quintin Geldenhuys, 20 Mauro Bergamasco, 21 Robert Barbieri, 22 Tobias Botes, 23 Luke McLean.

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Hosea Gear, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Ben Franks, 19 Sam Whitelock, 20 Victor Vito, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Dan Carter, 23 Cory Jane.

Venue:  Stadio Olimpico
Referee:  Alain Rolland (Ireland)

Samoa stun Wales in Cardiff

Samoa condemned Wales to their fifth straight defeat of the year after taking the spoils 26-19 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Friday.

Samoa sent Six Nations holders Wales crashing to their fifth consecutive loss after the visitors secured a 26-19 win at the Millennium Stadium on Friday.

It was the hosts' fourth negative to the islanders and followed Rob Howley's charges' defeat to Argentina at the same venue only one week ago.

Suddenly a November whitewash seems likely, with Wales now preparing to face New Zealand and Australia in their final Test series fixtures.

The visitors came out of the blocks firing as they looked to kick on from their impressive win over Canada in Colwyn Bay a week ago.  And they managed to cross the whitewash within two minutes against the sterner opposition when number eight Taiasina Tuifua broke through a somewhat non-existent defence before recycled ball was moved wide to Paul Williams and then George Pisi, with the Northampton Saints centre sending over Faatoina Autagavaia on the right.

The impressive Tusi Pisi's conversion made it 0-7 with the match still very much in its infancy.  For Welsh supporters, it was a moment of realisation, realisation that their Grand Slam champions were in for a big test of their credentials.

Leigh Halfpenny, who was on-form with the boot in Cardiff, pulled the hosts back to 3-7 with 16 minutes played after a ruck infringement and then cut matters down to a point on the half-hour.  By this point Wales had been forced to make a change, as Richard Hibbard was hurt.

Despite their six points, Wales were not having things their own way but were the recipients of a gift from Pisi, with the fly-half throwing a suicide pass that Ashley Beck gobbled up and then set off for a 70 metre sprint to the whitewash.  Halfpenny made it 13-7 with the extras.

The assured Pisi did reduce the arrears off the kicking tee with the last play of the first-half, which made the contest beautifully balanced at 13-10 with 40 minutes remaining in Cardiff.

After the turnaround the match continued to excite and when Kahn Fotuali'i scooted down the blindside at a ruck close to halfway to set up centre Pisi for a superb finish in the corner, the Samoans were ahead again.  Fly-half Tusi could not add the extras however, and one wondered whether that missed conversion on 47 minutes would come back to hurt them.

An exchange of penalties from Halfpenny and Pisi then troubled the scorers as the lead changed hands five times during the second-half.  Up 21-19, Samoa repelled a rare attack by Wales soon after, with the hosts struggling to make any real headway with ball in hand.

Instead it was Samoa who had the final say when David Lemi kicked ahead, Halfpenny and Autagavaia both missed the bouncing ball to hand replacement Johnny Leota a try late on.

Man of the match:  A toss-up between the half-backs in blue.  Let's go for Tusi Pisi's effort.

Moment of the match:  The finish from George Pisi was something special.  It had to be him.

Villain of the match:  Maybe of a couple of let's say 'choice' tackles could make it in there but there was nothing major to write home about.  Next up for the Welsh will be New Zealand.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Try:  Beck
Con:  Halfpenny
Pen:  Halfpenny 4

For Samoa:
Tries:  Autagavaia, G Pisi, Leota
Con:  T Pisi
Pen:  T Pisi 3

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Ashley Beck, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Ryan Jones (capt), 5 Ian Evans, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Aaron Jarvis, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Paul James.
Replacements:  16 Ken Owens, 17 Gethin Jenkins, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Sam Warburton, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Scott Williams.

Samoa:  15 Faatoina Autagavaia, 14 Paul Perez, 13 George Pisi, 12 Paul Williams, 11 David Lemi (capt), 10 Tusi Pisi, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Taiasina Tuifua, 7 Maurie Fa'asavalu, 6 Ofisa Treviranus, 5 Filo Paulo, 4 Daniel Leo, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Ole Avei, 1 Sakaria Taulafo.
Replacements:  16 Ti'i Paulo, 17 Villiamu Afatia, 18 James Johnston, 19 tbc, 20 Tivaini Fomai, 21 Jeremy Su'a, 22 Johnny Leota, 23 Robert Lilomaiava.

Referee:  Pascal Gauzere (France)
Assistant referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Jérôme Garces (France)
Television match official:  Giulio De Santis (Italy)

All Blacks a class apart at Murrayfield

New Zealand got their November Test series off to a great start as they beat Scotland in a 51-22 victory on Sunday.

In spells it was a performance that showed once again why the All Blacks are considered the finest exponents of attacking rugby in the game.  It also backed up the importance of all players - from 1 to 15 - being comfortable in any position as forward duo Luke Romano and Wyatt Crockett proved.

New Zealand's ability to shift the point of attack with consummate ease was a constant issue for the Scots who, despite scoring the most points against the All Blacks since their defeat against Australia back in August 2011, came off second best to an effort that looks ominous to other rivals.

Tries were scored by Israel Dagg, Julian Savea (2), Cory Jane, Andrew Hore and Ben Smith but it was Dan Carter who claimed the man-of-the-match gong after directing the traffic in another showing that further rose his lofty standards.

Scotland will no doubt take some positives out of the fixture though, one being wing Tim Visser's brace that keeps his fine try-scoring rate at an impressive level.  They will need him to carry that on to next week's clash with South Africa.

New Zealand started the game strongly until Scotland inside centre Matt Scott intercepted a Carter pass before handing over to speedster Visser, who was supporting well on his shoulder.  The conversion from Greig Laidlaw made it 3-7 with 12 minutes on the clock.

Carter then made up for his embarrassing error as he slipped through the Scottish net to put full-back Israel Dagg in for a score.  Carter's solid extras made it 10-7 at Murrayfield.

The kickers traded shots at goal soon after before the All Blacks found their rhythm as quick-fire tries from Savea, who went in at one corner and Jane's exceptional team effort - that saw the aforementioned prop Crockett and lock Romano involved - was a delight to watch.

Veteran hooker Hore then powered his way over from close range and almost in the blink of an eye, New Zealand led 34-10, with things looking bleak for the hosts.  They did perk up before the break as after Scott was held up over the line, prop Geoff Cross burrowed over.

A moment that New Zealand flank Adam Thomson may live to regret then saw him shown yellow on 44 minutes for standing on the head of a Scottish player at a ruck and when Visser crossed for his second score, the hosts looked to be finding some confidence.

But the All Blacks showed why they are world champions in the closing stages as Carter set up two more scores, with Savea collecting a cross-field kick and then with five minutes to go the fly-half shrugged off a tackle, stepped and set up Ben Smith for a deserved score.

Man of the match:  The phrase Perfect 10 seems to get thrown around a little too much in rugby, but with Dan Carter it consistently is attached.  He created, broke the line, fended back-row forwards and kicked strongly all game.  To be honest, no one else came close.

Moment of the match:  Cory Jane's try was one to rewind over and over again.  Piri Weepu started it before Wyatt Crockett was calm in possession and then Luke Romano's quick hands created the space outside.  If there was an advert for All Black rugby, it would be on it.

Villain of the match:  It was going to go to the Scottish fans who were booing while Dan Carter was lining up his kicks.  However, Adam Thomson then went and did something he may regret as video footage showed him trampling on the head of a home player at a ruck.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries:  Visser 2, Cross
Con:  Laidlaw 2
Pen:  Laidlaw

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Dagg, Savea 2, Jane, Hore, Smith
Con:  Carter 6
Pen:  Carter 3

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Nick De Luca, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Greig Laidlaw, 9 Mike Blair, 8 Kelly Brown, 7 Ross Rennie, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Geoff Cross, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Ryan Grant.
Replacements:  16 Scott Lawson, 17 Allan Jacobsen, 18 Kyle Traynor, 19 Alastair Kellock, 20 David Denton, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Ruaridh Jackson, 23 Max Evans.

New Zealand:  15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Ben Smith, 12 Tamati Ellison, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Wyatt Crockett
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Tony Woodcock, 18 Ben Franks, 19 Ali Williams, 20 Sam Cane, 21 Tawera Kerr Barlow, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Ma'a Nonu.

Referee:  Jerome Garces (France)
Assistant referees:  Pascal Gauzere (France) and Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Television match official:  Graham Hughes (England)

Japan sneak past Romania

Hirotoki Onozawa's try four minutes from the end secured Japan a 34-23 victory over Romania on Saturday in the opener of their four-match tour.

Both sides conceded penalty tries in a three-minute span, Romania deliberately collapsing a maul, and Japan collapsing a scrum, to leave Japan leading by one with eight minutes to go.

But then Fumiaki Tanaka set up Onozawa for a converted try, and there was enough time left for Ayumu Goromaru to bang over his fifth penalty in a personal 19-point haul at the match in Bucharest.

Japan struggled to handle Romania's strength in the scrums and breakdowns, but enjoyed the edge in ball and territory.

The visitors led 17-9 at the break, with a late try by Takashi Kikutani, who capped a flowing move.

On the hour, Romania closed to within a point when pressure on a Japan scrum put-in ended with Romania winger Madalin Lemnaru racing from halfway for a converted try.

France hammer Wallabies

France exacted revenge for the humiliation at the hands of the Wallabies two years ago with a dominant 33-6 victory at the Stade de France on Saturday.

The result brings an end to Australia's five-game winning streak against les Bleus and puts France in pole position in the chase for the all-important fourth place in the world rankings ahead of the World Cup pool draw next month.

France led 13-6 at the end of a scrappy first half highlighted by the home side's hard work on defence and their dominance at scrum time.

Indeed, Sekope Kepu was being worked over by Test debutant Yannick Forestier and it was off the back of an attacking scrum that French number eight Louis Picamoles could break to score the only try of the opening 40 minutes.

Fred Michalak set up Wesley Fofana for France's second try midway through the second half before the French scrum earned a penalty try — despite having changed their entire front row — as the Wallabies were held scoreless in the second half.

Michalak and Mike Harris traded early penalties as both sides look to move the ball around but failed to execute with any precision.

There were ominous signs for Australia as referee Nigel Owens awarded a series of penalties against the retreating Wallaby scrum five metres from their own line.  Picamoles made sure the pressure told as he jogged over untouched.

Michalak landed the conversion to cap a solid start for les Bleus but Harris could cut the deficit at 10-6 after the French were caught offside to close the opening quarter.

With half time looming large, Michalak punished Kepu for not rolling away with a penalty and then landed a sucker-punch drop to give the hosts a 10-point lead at the interval.

Michalak was at the origin of France's second try as he stepped past Kurtley Beale to burst clear up the centre of the field before finding Wesley Fofana up in support for an easy finish.

Philippe Saint-André sent on the Clermont front row around the hour mark and it only served to augment to French ascendency at scrum time and the penalty try on 64 minutes came as no surprise.

Rob Simmons was extremely lucky not to get his marching orders for a tip tackle on Yannick Nyanga because none of the three officials could see the number on his back.

Australia came literally within inches of getting a try back but Morgan Parra did sterling work to get under the ball and hold it up.

Parra landed a final penalty to rub salt into the Wallabies' wounds, sending them to Twickenham with plenty to think about.

Man of the match:  Michalak deserves a mention for his 15-point haul and try-creating break but we'll go with Louis Picamoles who was simply phenomenal with ball in hand.  He went forward in every contact situation.

Moment of the match:  The result had probably already been sealed for France by Fofana's try but the penalty try told a story itself and summed up a woeful night for the Wallaby front row.

Villain of the match:  Rob Simmons for his (unpunished) spear tackle and the match officials for failing to take note of his number.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:  Picamoles, Fofana, Penalty try
Cons:  Michalak 3
Pens:  Michalak 2, Parra
Drop:  Michalak

For Australia:
Pens:  Harris 2

France:  15 Brice Dulin, 14 Wesley Fofana, 13 Florian Fritz , 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Vincent Clerc, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Jocelino Suta, 4 Pascal Papé (c), 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Yannick Forestier.
Replacements:  16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Thomas Domingo, 18 Vincent Debaty, 19 Sébastien Vahaamahina, 20 Damien Chouly, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Francois Trinh-Duc, 23 Yoann Huget.

Australia:  15 Mike Harris, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Ben Tapuai, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 Kane Douglas, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements:  16 Stephen Moore, 17 James Slipper, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Radike Samo, 21 Liam Gill, 22 Brett Sheehan, 23 Berrick Barnes.

Venue:  Stade de France, Paris
Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees:  John Lacey (Ireland), Neil Paterson (Scotland)
Television match official:  Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)

Boks fight back to down Irish

South Africa clawed their way back from nine points down to beat Ireland 16-12 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.

In a tale of two halves, Ireland looked on course for a famous win after leading their visitors 12-3 at half-time.

The pressure was on for South Africa, but when it mattered, they delivered.

The Boks clicked into a higher gear after the break, scoring thirteen unanswered points to deny the Irish and open their end-of-year tour with a hard-fought win.

The result doesn't make pretty reading for Ireland coach Declan Kidney and his troops — since the World Cup, they've played nine games and have won just two of them.  It also condemned Ireland to a fifth successive Test defeat, which is their worst losing run for 14 years as they failed to claim redemption for a painful 60-0 drubbing by New Zealand in June.

This was a Test match for the taking though for the Irish, who simply fell off the pace in the second half.  There were opportunities for the hosts to shut South Africa out in the first forty, but those were squandered … leaving Ireland fans thinking what could have been.

Ultimately, South Africa hung on for a well deserved win grinded out with a solid forwards display.

Missing a whole host of players through injury, the Irish were expected to struggle against the Boks.  It was anything but the case as for large parts Ireland dominated, whilst South Africa paid for their frequent ill-discipline.

Ireland took advantage of every entry into South Africa's half as fly-half Jonathan Sexton punished the visitors from the tee — nailing three penalties in the opening quarter to give his side a handy lead.

Sexton's opposite number Pat Lambie managed to put the Boks on the board with a penalty of his own from bang in front but missed another attempt from further out — proving just how much South Africa are missing the injured Frans Steyn's boot.

And when Sexton wasn't raising the flags with his sucessful kicks at goal, Ireland were full of running and passing the ball as if it were a hot potato — giving their visitors plenty of tackle practice.

Sexton's fourth penalty on the half-hour mark opened up a nine-point (12-3) lead for the Irish, and the Boks looked rattled.  It then went from bad to worse for South Africa from the restart after wing JP Pietersen was sin-binned for an early hit on flank Chris Henry — leaving the visitors down to 14 men.

It certainly wasn't what the Boks needed, but breathed a sigh of relief a few minutes later when Sexton pushed his fifth penalty shot wide.  The visitors, who did well not to concede any points with a man short, had a rare chance to close the gap on the stroke of half-time only for Ruan Pienaar to fail from far out with his first attempt.

The visitors made a better start to the second half though and when number eight Jamie Heaslip was given his marching orders, South Africa hit back with a try to Pienaar when the scrum-half went over from close range.

Lambie added the extras, and all of a sudden the tourists were right back in it (12-10).

The Springboks then hit the front for the first time in the match when Lambie slotted over his second penalty that silenced the crowd yet again (12-13).  South Africa's one-point lead then turned into four after that man Lambie once again found his target which proved to be the final nail in Ireland's coffin.

Man of the match:  Ireland's back-row made their presence felt but lock Mike McCarthy was the pick of the forwards while in the backs, Jonathan Sexton was near-flawless from the tee.  For South Africa, Pat Lambie had a mixed performance but one that certainly won't cost him his place and Ruan Pienaar proved to be a thorn in Ireland's side all night.  But we've gone for hooker Adriaan Strauss, who bulldozed his way through one Irish defender after another and threw his darts well at line-out time.

Moment of the match:  Whilst JP Pietersen was also sin-binned, Jamie Heaslip's yellow card certainly changed the course of the match as South Africa claimed seven points in the Ireland skipper's absence.

Villain of the match:  Pietersen's brain implosion that saw the Bok speedster smash into Chris Henry without the ball sparked a massive brawl, with plenty of pushing and shoving to get the blood boiling.  But the Boks ended second best, after JP was given his marching orders.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Pens:  Sexton 4

For South Africa:
Try:  Pienaar
Con:  Lambie
Pens:  Lambie 3

Ireland:  15 Simon Zebo, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Andrew Trimble, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip (c), 7 Chris Henry, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Michael Bent, 19 Donncha O'Callaghan, 20 Iain Henderson, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ronan O'Gara, 23 Fergus McFadden.

South Africa:  15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaco Taute, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 CJ van der Linde.
Replacements:  16 Schalk Brits, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Pat Cilliers, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Marcell Coetzee, 21 Morné Steyn, 22 Juan de Jongh, 23 Lwazi Mvovo.

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)