All Blacks hold off Springboks in Yokohama

New Zealand took a giant step towards reaching the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals when they beat South Africa 23-13 in their tournament opener in Yokohama on Saturday.

There was plenty of hype around this fixture and that was justified as the teams went at each other hammer and tongs from the kick off.  The match was characterised by great physicality from both teams but New Zealand’s attacking play was of a superior quality, especially in the first half, and that helped them to victory in the end.

The world champions eventually outscored their opponents by two tries to one with George Bridge and Scott Barrett dotting down in that first half.  Their other points came via two penalties and two conversions from Richie Mo’unga as well as a penalty from Beauden Barrett.

For South Africa, who showed considerable improvement in the second period, Pieter-Steph du Toit crossed the whitewash and Handré Pollard added a conversion, a penalty and a drop goal.

The opening exchanges were evenly contested, although the Springboks opened the scoring as early as the second minute when Pollard landed a long range penalty.

The next 15 minutes was a topsy-turvy affair but that period of play was littered with errors from both sides.

South Africa had a chance to extend their lead in the 19th minute when Pollard took a straightforward shot at goal but his effort struck an upright and the All Blacks scrambled to get the ball into touch.

The All Blacks made the Boks pay for that miss as shortly afterwards Mo’unga slotted a penalty to draw his side level and they increased their lead in the 24th minute when Bridge crossed for the opening try.

This, after Sevu Reece did brilliantly when he launched a counter-attack from just outside his 22.  Ardie Savea also did well in the build-up with a strong carry before the ball was shifted wide to Bridge, who rounded off despite a desperate tackle from Willie le Roux.

Soon after that, Anton Lienert-Brown tore South Africa’s defence to shreds with a mazy run in which he beat four defenders and he did well to draw in the last defender inside the Boks’ 22 before offloading to Scott Barrett, who had an easy run-in under the posts.

The closing stages of the half saw the Springboks launch several attacks inside New Zealand territory but that reaped no reward and the teams changed sides with the All Blacks holding a 17-3 lead at half-time.

FT | Job done in Yokohama.  Thanks for another epic contest @Springboks.#NZLvRSA #BACKBLACK pic.twitter.com/nI2QE65Z6F

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) September 21, 2019

The Boks were fastest out of the blocks after the restart and were put on the front-foot courtesy of a brilliant attacking run from Cheslin Kolbe.  The diminutive wing made a superb break down the right-hand touchline and only a fine cover tackle from Mo’unga prevented him from scoring a try in the corner.

Despite regathering possession, New Zealand did not kick the ball into touch but opted to run it instead and that decision came back to haunt them as the Boks soon won a turnover.  And after setting up some phases, Du Toit broke through the middle of a ruck inside the All Blacks’ 22 before crossing for an easy try next to the posts.

Pollard added the extras which meant the Boks were back in the game as the All Blacks were now leading by just seven points.  The Boks continued to dominate and, after taking the ball through several phases close to the All Blacks’ 10-metre line, the ball came out to Pollard, who narrowed the gap to four points with a well-taken drop goal.

Despite being under the cosh, the world champions did not panic and restored their seven-point lead in the 61st minute when Mo’unga succeeded with another penalty after the Boks’ forwards were blown up for illegal scrummaging.

Ten minutes later, South Africa’s backline strayed offside on defence and Barrett added his three-pointer off the kicking tee which gave his side a 23-13 lead with just under 10 minutes left on the clock.

The closing stages was a frantic affair as the Boks tried to close the gap and in the 76th minute Kolbe, who was brilliant throughout, set off on another superb attacking run but Savea halted his progress close to the All Blacks’ try-line before winning a crucial turnover.

Although the Boks continued to attack, they would not score further points as New Zealand’s defence held firm in the game’s dying moments which secured them an important win.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Bridge, S Barrett
Cons:  Mo’unga 2
Pens:  Mo’unga 2, B Barrett

For South Africa:
Try:  Du Toit
Con:  Pollard
Pen:  Pollard
Drop goal:  Pollard

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Ardie Savea, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Codie Taylor, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Shannon Frizell, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Sonny Bill Williams, 23 Ben Smith

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements:  16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Francois Louw, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Frans Steyn, 23 Jesse Kriel

Referee:  Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant Referees:  Romain Poite (France), Karl Dickson (England)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

France withstand Argentina comeback to claim vital win

France secured a priceless World Cup victory in their quest for the quarter-finals, overcoming a stunning Argentina fightback to claim a tense 23-21 triumph in Tokyo.

The Argentines actually began brightly, with Nicolas Sanchez kicking them into a 3-0 lead, but Les Bleus controlled the remainder of the half and deservedly moved 20-3 ahead through Gael Fickou and Antoine Dupont tries.

Romain Ntamack was impressive off the tee, kicking 10 points, but they failed to maintain that intensity in the second half.

As poor as Argentina were in the opening period, they were excellent after the break and closed the gap via Guido Petti and Julian Montoya efforts before Benjamin Urdapilleta remarkably gave them the lead.

However, in an incredible match, the French displayed impressive composure to respond and snatch the win when Camille Lopez scored a drop goal to win a superb game.

It now puts the Argentines under pressure for the rest of the tournament with them needing to beat England to stand a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

There was plenty Mario Ledesma could take from this encounter, however, despite their run of defeats stretching to 10.  The concern for the head coach before the start of the tournament was how their scrum would fare, but it was solid throughout and set them a platform in the first quarter.

They controlled the opening exchanges and almost broke the deadlock when Petti – one of their star performers over the past few years – powered through several tackles.  Although he was brought down five metres out, Los Pumas were awarded a penalty and Sanchez kicked them in front.

It was the ideal start for Ledesma’s charges, who were looking strong in contact, but France responded in magnificent fashion.  Damian Penaud was the instigator, showing his footwork, pace and balance to weave his way through Argentina’s flimsy defensive line, before the ball was shifted wide for Fickou to finish.

Ntamack, who rarely kicked for Toulouse last season, was pinpoint with a difficult conversion, and the fly-half soon added to his tally when Jacques Brunel’s men produced another brilliant move.

About sums up the game for Argentina#RWC2019 #FRAvARG pic.twitter.com/vzm46XPGGF

— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) September 21, 2019

Once again, Penaud was to the fore as exceptional hands from the wing, Maxime Medard and Virimi Vakatawa sent Dupont across the whitewash.

France were dominant, despite the Argentines briefly threatening their line, and two more successful efforts off the tee via Ntamack gave Les Bleus a 17-point buffer at the interval.

The 2011 World Cup finalists were comfortable going into the final 40 minutes, but they struggled to build on that first-half brilliance as their opponents lifted the intensity.

Their set-piece, something which had been utterly abysmal over the past couple of years, was dominant, with the maul particularly impressive.

Firstly, Petti rampaged across the whitewash as the French were sent into reverse before Montoya took the slightly slower route from the same tactic, but still managed to touch down.

Brunel’s team were under pressure and making errors, and they were fortunate to escape a yellow card following a series of indiscretions close to their own line.  This time, having previously gone for the lineout, they pointed to the posts and replacement Urdapilleta reduced the arrears.

Los Pumas had all the momentum and the pivot was on target once more as they took the lead, but there was one final sting in the tail.

That came through Lopez, who kicked a drop goal, which was enough for France to snatch a crucial victory and leave their opponents dejected.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:  Fickou, Dupont
Cons:  Ntamack 2
Pens:  Ntamack 2
Drop goal:  Lopez

For Argentina:
Tries:  Petti, Montoya
Con:  Sanchez
Pens:  Sanchez, Urdapilleta 2

France:  15 Maxime Medard, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Yoann Huget, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 4 Arthur Iturria, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado (c), 1 Jefferson Poirot
Replacements:  16 Camille Chat, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Demba Bamba, 19 Bernard le Roux, 20 Louis Picamoles, 21 Maxime Machenaud, 22 Camille Lopez, 23 Thomas Ramos

Argentina:  15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Matias Moroni, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements:  16 Julian Montoya, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 23 Santiago Carreras

Referee:  Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Wallabies fight back to see off Fiji

Australia were made to work hard but eventually got the job done as they beat Fiji 39-21 in their Rugby World Cup clash in Sapporo on Saturday.

In an entertaining but tough and uncompromising encounter, the Pacific Islanders held the upper-hand for most of this match but the Wallabies took control of proceedings during the game’s latter stages and were deserved winners in the end.

Tolu Latu led the way for Australia with a brace of tries and Michael Hooper, Reece Hodge, Samu Kerevi and Marika Koroibete also scored tries.  Their other points came via conversions from Christian Lealiifano and Matt To’omua (2) while Reece Hodge added a penalty.

For Fiji Peceli Yato and Waisea Nayacalevu scored tries and Ben Volavola contributed 11 points after succeeding with three penalties and a conversion.

Fiji had most of the early possession and were up 8-0 after 10 minutes.  They took the lead in the fifth minute courtesy of a Volavola penalty, after Nic White was blown up for holding onto the ball at a ruck, and the game came alive shortly afterwards when Yato crossed for a brilliant try.

Josua Tuisova laid the groundwork with a strong run down the right-hand touchline and after bursting through two tackles he threw an inside pass to Nayacalevu, who found himself in space just outside the Wallabies’ 22.  He was chased down by the cover defence but did well to offload to Yato, who went over in the right-hand corner.

Australia needed a response and that came in the 18th minute when Hooper ran onto a pass from White deep inside Fiji territory and shrugged off three defenders on his way over the try-line.

Lealiifano slotted the conversion but despite that setback, the Pacific Islanders continued to dominate and two penalties from Volavola gave them a 14-7 lead by the half-hour mark.

Five minutes later, the Wallabies narrowed the gap when Hodge crossed in the right-hand corner for their second try after slick hands from James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale created space for him out wide.

Lealiifano was off target from the kicking tee which meant Fiji had their tails up with the score 14-12 in their favour at half-time.

So Fiji look decent 👌.  Thoughts Wales fans? pic.twitter.com/bI45ppg6JL

— BBC ScrumV (@BBCScrumV) September 21, 2019

Fiji were fastest out of the blocks after the interval as four minutes after the restart Nayacalevu gathered a wayward pass from Kerevi, close to the halfway line, and raced away before diving over under the posts.

The next 10 minutes was a slugfest with the Wallabies having most of the possession and after an extended period camped inside Fiji’s half, they were rewarded in the 56th minute when Latu scored their third try off the back of a lineout drive.

In the build-up to that score, referee Ben O’Keefe warned the Fijians for continuous indiscretions on defence and when Levani Botia infringed close to his try-line five minutes later, he was yellow carded for his transgression.

The resulting penalty was kicked into touch and after another lineout drive, Latu got over for his second try in similar fashion to his first.  With a one-man advantage, the Wallabies continued to dominate and in the 69th minute Kerevi stepped past a couple of defenders before crossing for his side’s fifth try.

Three minutes later, Koroibete found himself in space out wide and he did well to round Vereniki Goneva to score the try which sealed his side’s win.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Hooper, Hodge, Latu 2, Kerevi, Koroibete
Cons:  Lealiifano, To’omua 2
Pen:  Hodge

For Fiji:
Tries:  Yato, Nayacalevu
Con:  Volavola
Pens:  Volavola 3
Yellow Card:  Botia

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Reece Hodge, 13 James O’Connor, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Nic White, 8 Isi Naisarani, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 David Pocock, 5 Rory Arnold, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Tolu Latu, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements:  16 Jordan Uelese, 17 James Slipper, 18 Sekope Kepu, 19 Adam Coleman, 20 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 21 Will Genia, 22 Matt To’omua, 23 Dane Haylett-Petty

Fiji:  15 Kini Murimurivalu, 14 Josua Tuisova, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu, 12 Levani Botia, 11 Semi Radradra, 10 Ben Volavola, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Peceli Yato, 6 Dominiko Waqaniburotu (c), 5 Leone Nakarawa, 4 Tevita Cavubati, 3 Peni Ravai, 2 Samuel Matavesi, 1 Campese Ma’afu
Replacements:  16 Tuvere Vugakoto, 17 Eroni Mawi, 18 Manasa Saulo, 19 Tevita Ratuva, 20 Mosese Voka, 21 Nikola Matawalu, 22 Alivereti Veitokani, 23 Vereniki Goneva

Referee:  Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO:  Rowan Kitt (England)

Hosts Japan open World Cup with unconvincing win

Kotaro Matsushima touched down three times as Japan overcame a nervous start to beat a resilient Russian outfit 30-10 in the opening game of the World Cup in Tokyo.

After the long build-up, it was perhaps unsurprising to see the Brave Blossoms begin slowly, but it was still a surprise that the Bears stayed in the contest for so long.

They shocked the hosts by taking the lead via Kirill Golosnitskiy and were only 12-7 in arrears at the interval after Matsushima touched down twice, but the Japanese eventually pulled away in the second half.

Yu Tamura added a couple of penalties while Pieter Labuschagne and Matsushima, who completed his hat-trick, secured the bonus-point to give them the full five points, but Japan will have to improve significantly if they are to beat Ireland next week.

Jamie Joseph’s men are well-fancied to excel at their home tournament and a match against minnows Russia offered them an ideal chance to ease their way into the competition.

Nerves were prevalent, however, and from the kick-off the Bears almost stunned the hosts when Stanislav Selskii scampered down the right before being halted five metres out.

The mistakes continued following a charge-down and an error under the high ball from William Tupou, which allowed Golosnitskiy to collect and score the first try of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

It was deserved after a poor initial five minutes, but the restart enabled the Brave Blossoms to get their hands on the ball and they were much more comfortable.  Their high tempo game was in evidence and a brilliant off-load from Timothy Lafaele gave Matsushima an easy run to the line.

👏🏉🇯🇵

A lovely no look pass from @TimLafaele#RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/n7tOib7UI3

— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) September 20, 2019

Russia, despite tiring quickly, were resilient though and created opportunities via Yury Kushnarev’s varied kicking game.  It wasn’t always perfect but, when the fly-half got it right, Lyn Jones’ charges produced a brilliant attack which put the Japanese under duress.

Centres Dmitry Gerasimov and Vladimir Ostroushko, who had been physical throughout the opening period, combined nicely, but the latter could not quite get the ball out to the lurking German Davydov.

Having survived that scare, Japan dominated the rest of the half but they struggled to break through a stout Russian defensive barrier.  Jones’ men were well-organised and powerful in contact, but they were eventually breached late on when Matsushima crossed for the second time.

Joseph’s outfit took that momentum into the final 40 minutes and, after Tamura had extended their lead with a penalty, Labuschagne ripped the ball from Grenoble second-row Andrei Ostrikov on halfway and showed impressive pace to score.

It took his team 13 points clear but, to Russia’s credit, they kept themselves in the contest and reduced the arrears going into the final quarter through Kushnarev’s three-pointer.

Japan regained that buffer via the boot of Tamura but it was a poor display from the quarter-final hopefuls, who were far too loose.

The Brave Blossoms still had too much quality for the Bears, however, and sealed the win and the bonus-point when a poor Vasily Artemyev kick was pounced upon by the hosts, allowing Matsushima to complete his treble.

The scorers:

For Japan:
Tries:  Matsushima 3, Labuschagne
Cons:  Tamura, Matsuda
Pens:  Tamura 2

For Russia:
Try:  Golosnitskiy
Con:  Kushnarev
Pen:  Kushnarev

Japan:  15 William Tupou, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Timothy Lafaele, 12 Ryoto Nakamura, 11 Lomano Lava Lemeki, 10 Yu Tamura, 9 Yutaka Nagare, 8 Kazuki Himeno, 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Michael Leitch (c), 5 James Moore, 4 Wimpie van der Walt, 3 Asaeli Ai Valu, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Keita Inagaki
Replacements:  16 Atsushi Sakate, 17 Isileli Nakajima, 18 Jiwon Koo, 19 Luke Thompson, 20 Hendrik Tui, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Rikiya Matsuda, 23 Ryohei Yamanaka

Russia:  15 Vasily Artemyev (c), 14 German Davydov, 13 Vladimir Ostroushko, 12 Dmitry Gerasimov, 11 Kirill Golosnitskiy, 10 Yury Kushnarev, 9 Vasily Dorofeev, 8 Nikita Vavilin, 7 Tagir Gadzhiev, 6 Vitaly Zhivatov, 5 Bogdan Fedotko, 4 Andrei Ostrikov, 3 Kirill Gotovtsev, 2 Stanislav Selskii, 1 Valery Morozov
Replacements:  16 Evgeny Matveev, 17 Andrei Polivalov, 18 Azamat Bitiev, 19 Andrey Garbuzov, 20 Anton Sychev, 21 Dmitry Perov, 22 Ramil Gaisin, 23 Vladislav Sozonov

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees:  Nic Berry (Australia), Matthew Carley (England)
TMO:  Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Ireland spoil Warren Gatland's farewell party

Warren Gatland's final home match in charge of Wales ended in a 22-17 defeat to Ireland as the latter bounced back in Cardiff on Saturday.

Following an embarrassing loss to England at Twickenham last weekend, Ireland will be delighted with this response at Principality Stadium.

Jacob Stockdale scored two while the Irish also carded a penalty try, with Jack Carty kicking five points on his birthday in a solid shift.

In reply for Wales, Owen Lane and Rhys Patchell scored their tries, the latter adding two conversion while Jarrod Evans slotted a penalty.

Ireland enjoyed a much-improved first half in Cardiff and opened the scoring on nine minutes when the impressive Carty slotted from 40 out.  However, Wales levelled matters six minutes later through Evans from in front, this after Peter O'Mahony was trapped at the base of a ruck.

The game then went rather stale before a high take from Will Addison sparked an attack, with Carty's mini break carried on well by Andrew Conway, whose run led to him finding Stockdale on the left wing for a run in.  With the difficult conversion added, the Irish were 10-3 up.

Wales and Evans missed the chance to reduce the arrears off the tee eight minutes later and soon after a stray offload from Aaron Shingler allowed Stockdale to hack downfield and then collect for his brace, pushing the Irish into a healthy 15-3 lead at the Principality Stadium.

Despite Carty missing a long-range penalty shot at the end of the opening period, Joe Schmidt would have been happy with his side's effort.

The second half was much improved from Wales, however, as despite being dominated at scrum time they offered much more with Patchell at 10.

The Welsh cause wasn't helped when replacement prop Leon Brown was sin-binned for his team's repeated infringements at the set-piece.  The Irish almost rubbed salt into Wales' wounds soon after but Carty's pass out right to Conway for a score was chalked off for being forward.

Congratulations to @JackCarty10 who has been named the Man of the Match! #TeamOfUs #ShoulderToShoulder #WALvIRE pic.twitter.com/s15AB2MpwV

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) August 31, 2019

Schmidt's men would continue to turn the screw though at the scrum and eventually the pressure told as Romain Poite awarded a penalty try.

At 22-3 down Wales needed the next points and fortunately for them they got it as Lane's tidy finish gave them a foothold at 22-10 adrift.

Amazingly they were only five points away from Ireland with three minutes left as Patchell slipped over for another converted score, this coming after the Irish had their own try chalked off due to Bundee Aki tackling James Davies in the air, much to the centre's displeasure.

But Ireland would hold on for a positive result on the road as both these sides will now recover ahead of a rematch in Dublin next weekend.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  Lane, Patchell
Cons:  Patchell 2
Pen:  Evans
Yellow Card:  Brown

For Ireland:
Tries:  Stockdale 2, Penalty try
Con:  Carty
Pen:  Carty

Wales:  15 Hallam Amos, 14 Owen Lane, 13 Scott Williams, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Jarrod Evans, 9 Aled Davies, 8 Josh Navidi (c), 7 James Davies, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Bradley Davies, 4 Adam Beard, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Rhys Carre
Replacements:  16 Elliot Dee, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Leon Brown, 19 Jake Ball, 20 Aaron Wainwright, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Rhys Patchell, 23 Jonah Holmes

Ireland:  15 Will Addison, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Chris Farrell, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Peter O’Mahony (c), 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Iain Henderson, 3 John Ryan, 2 Niall Scannell, 1 Dave Kilcoyne
Replacements:  16 Rory Best, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Devin Toner, 20 Jordi Murphy, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Garry Ringrose, 23 Dave Kearney

Referee:  Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees:  Jérôme Garcès (France), Karl Dickson (England)
TMO:  Rowan Kitt (England)

France run out comfortable winners over Italy

France rounded off their Rugby World Cup warm-up fixtures with a comprehensive 47-19 victory over Italy at the Stade de France on Friday.

Les Bleus crossed seven times, which includes a penalty try, as Yoann Huget, Camille Chat, Antoine Dupont, Arthur Iturria, Wenceslas Lauret and Thomas Ramos scored.  Fly-half Romain Ntamack also impressed with his goal-kicking, landing five conversions from six attempts in Paris.

In reply, Italy went over through Mattia Bellini (2) and Jake Polledri as they now switch their attention to tackling England in Newcastle.

France enjoyed the perfect start when slick hands led to wing Huget crossing on two minutes, the try coming after Wesley Fofana's break.  Ntamack couldn't slot the conversion so it remained 5-0, with the early score misleading the fans it would be a high-scoring first quarter.

Indeed there was to be no further score until the 19th minute as, with France minus a sin-binned Louis Picamoles, Italy took the advantage when wing Bellini went over thanks to Sergio Parisse's pass.  The Azzurri would go into the lead thanks to the extra two from Tommaso Allan.

France were down to 13 men seconds after the seven points when Rabah Slimani followed his number eight for a 10 minute spell on the chair.  But that didn't deter Les Bleus as they were awarded a penalty try shortly after as Huget was held back by Bellini, who was shown yellow.

With 13 against 14 France were still on the attack and their pack showed their muscle when hooker Chat scored to make it 19-7 with the two, which was the half-time scoreline in a first 40 that was high on penalties, which kept referee Matthew Carley busy at the Stade de France.

France came out for the second period firing and a solo score from Dupont was then followed by Iturria getting over for his first Test try, which slingshotted the French into a comfortable 33-7 advantage on 46 minutes.  Italy were now shell shocked as the game looked beyond them.

🇫🇷🇮🇹 C'est terminé au @StadeFrance ! Les Bleus terminent leur série de 3 matches de préparation à la Coupe du Monde par une large victoire contre l'Italie ! #NeFaisonsXV #FRAITA #XVdeFrance pic.twitter.com/uilQCu5OdX

— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) August 30, 2019

However, Polledri clawed the Italians back into matters with a crossing on 51 minutes, making it 33-14 after Allan's successful conversion.

That prompted both coaches to utilise their bench as several players emerged for the closing half-hour.  But it was a man on the field from the outset who crossed next as France flanker Lauret went over from close range to make it 40-14, effectively sealing the victory in Paris.

Italy did score their third try on 67 minutes through Bellini, which was his brace, but it was replacement Ramos who had the final say as his try and France's seventh of the evening rounded off a morale-boosting win that sends France into the Rugby World Cup on a positive.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:  Huget, Penalty try, Chat, Dupont, Iturria, Lauret, Ramos
Cons:  Ntamack 5
Yellow Cards:  Picamoles, Slimani

For Italy:
Tries:  Bellini 2, Polledri
Cons:  Allan 2
Yellow Card:  Bellini

France:  15 Maxime Medard, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Sofiane Guitoune, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Gael Fickou, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Yacouba Camara, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Romain Taofifenua, 4 Arthur Iturria, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Camille Chat, 1 Jefferson Poirot (c)
Replacements:  16 Guilhem Guirado, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Emerick Setiano, 19 Felix Lambey, 20 Francois Cros, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Virimi Vakatawa, 23 Thomas Ramos

Italy:  15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Mattia Bellini, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Matteo Minozzi, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Tito Tebaldi, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Jake Polledri, 6 Abraham Steyn, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Alessandro Zanni, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Simone Ferrari
Replacements:  16 Federico Zani, 17 Andrea Lovotti, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Dean Budd, 20 Sebastian Negri, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Carlo Canna, 23 Tommaso Benvenuti

Referee:  Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

Dominant England put 57 points on Ireland

England put down a marker in their penultimate home game before the Rugby World Cup as they beat Ireland 57-15 at Twickenham on Saturday.

The hosts crossed eight times and go into their final match, against Italy in Newcastle, full of confidence before they fly out to Japan.

Joe Cokanasiga (2), Elliot Daly, Manu Tuilagi, Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Tom Curry and Luke Cowan-Dickie got the tries while captain Owen Farrell kicked 15 points as England racked up their biggest ever score against Ireland in an international.  It was an impressive showing.

In reply, Ireland went over via Jordan Larmour and Bundee Aki but they were extremely poor at Twickenham.

England would have been enthused by their first-half performance as they went over three times to go in 22-10 to the good in the sunshine.

In conditions perfect for running rugby, both sides chanced their arm in attack and it was Ireland who crossed first, this after Farrell landed a penalty.  The try came out wide as Jacob Stockdale's chip sat up for Larmour, with Ross Byrne making it 7-3 off the tee.

England took just three minutes to respond though as quick hands from a scrum saw the ball moved to Cokanasiga, who showed pace and his strength with a fend to cross the whitewash.  Despite Farrell missing the tough conversion attempt, England were back in front.

The lead changed hands twice more approaching the half-hour as first Iain Henderson's breakdown work allowed Byrne to slot a penalty.  But then numbers were created by England in the 22 and Curry timed his pass well to Daly for a score on the right to make it 15-10.

It's full time at Twickenham and England have recorded an emphatic victory over Ireland in the #QuilterInternationals 🌹#ENGvIRE #CarryThemHome pic.twitter.com/92Q1TTvAvN

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) August 24, 2019

England would score again in the closing 10 minutes of the half as scrappy ball at the base five metres out did not stop Tuilagi going over.  Further concern for Ireland would be the sight of both scrum-half Conor Murray and prop Cian Healy coming off the field injured.

Murray did return before the break but was replaced permanently at half-time before England continued to show their quality, pouncing on an Irish overthrow at a line-out 20 metres out as Itoje ran a smart line off Ben Youngs.  That pushed England into a 29-10 lead.

In their first warm-up fixture, Ireland were struggling to keep pace and the margin grew on 53 minutes when Kruis scored to make it 36-10.

Curry was next to cross three minutes later after nice hands from Kyle Sinckler to Sam Underhill sent him over and England up to 43 points.

The icing was added on 65 minutes with Cokanasiga's second try bringing up 50 points and, despite Aki finishing well on the right wing on 73 minutes, it did little to paper over a dismal day for Joe Schmidt's outfit, with Cowan-Dickie having the final say for a rampant England.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Cokanasiga 2, Daly, Tuilagi, Itoje, Kruis, Curry, Cowan-Dickie
Cons:  Farrell 6, Ford
Pen:  Farrell
Yellow Card:  Kruis

For England:
Tries:  Larmour, Aki
Con:  Byrne
Pen:  Byrne

England:  15 Elliot Daly, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Tom Curry, 5 George Kruis, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Courtney Lawes, 20 Mark Wilson, 21 Willi Heinz, 22 Piers Francis, 23 Joe Marchant

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Jordan Larmour, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Conor Murray, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 Jean Kleyn, 4 Iain Henderson, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Devin Toner, 20 Tadhg Beirne, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Jack Carty, 23 Andrew Conway

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees:  Jérôme Garcès (France), Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO:  Philippe Bonhoure (France)

Scotland gain revenge over France

Scotland came from 11 points down to avenge last weekend’s disappointing loss in Nice and defeat France 17-14 at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Les Bleus were the better team in the first half and were 14-10 ahead at the interval thanks to a pair of Damian Penaud tries.

Greig Laidlaw kicked a penalty in between those efforts from the wing before Sean Maitland crossed the whitewash to keep the hosts in the contest at the break.

The Scots then controlled much of the second period and deservedly scored through Chris Harris to secure the win and get their World Cup preparations back on track.

It was a much improved effort from the Scots but there were still far too many errors, particularly in the opening half-hour.  One such mistake allowed the visitors to get the ideal start as Penaud intercepted a stray pass and strolled across the whitewash unopposed.

Although Laidlaw immediately reduced the arrears, the home side continued to struggle with ball in hand.  Their physicality and intent may have been more to Gregor Townsend’s liking, but several knock-ons halted any momentum garnered.

France were not much better in a number of the exchanges but they initially had the quality when it mattered.  That was shown by Sofiane Guitoune, who was a late replacement for Wesley Fofana, when the centre sprinted through a gaping hole and found his right-wing to score.

For the second time, Thomas Ramos was on target with the conversion and Les Bleus held a 14-3 advantage, but they were pegged back by Scotland.

🗣 "That's more like it from Scotland!"

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Finn Russell sets up Sean Maitland for Scotland's first try of the day, just before half time! pic.twitter.com/wXUrN8ZSf1

— Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) August 24, 2019

In keeping with the game, it came from a mistake as the visitors lost the ball deep inside their half.  Blair Kinghorn pounced before the ball was shifted left and Maitland was on hand to collect Finn Russell’s pass and touch down.

The second period continued in the same vein as the first with errors pervading the play, which led to a number of scrums.  That favoured Townsend’s charges, who were controlling the set-piece battle, and they began to get the upper hand.

Jacques Brunel’s men conceded some needless penalties and their opponents set up camp in the 22.  The Scots duly pressurised the French defence and it was eventually breached when Harris took a superb line to finish underneath the posts.

They had the momentum and France were far too loose, but this French outfit showed last week that they could produce the spectacular and almost created a superb score.

Forwards and backs linked well before Maxime Medard chipped the ball over the top, but Stuart Hogg covered well and that proved to be their final chance as Scotland claimed the win.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries:  Maitland, Harris
Cons:  Laidlaw 2
Pen:  Laidlaw

For France:
Tries:  Penaud 2
Cons:  Ramos 2

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Pete Horne, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (c), 8 Blade Thomson, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Ryan Wilson, 5 Sam Skinner, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Willem Nel, 2 George Turner, 1 Gordon Reid
Replacements:  16 Grant Stewart, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Grant Gilchrist, 20 John Barclay, 21 George Horne, 22 Rory Hutchinson, 23 Blair Kinghorn

France:  15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Sofiane Guitoune, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Alivereti Raka, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Arthur Iturria, 5 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 4 Felix Lambey, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado (c), 1 Jefferson Poirot
Replacements:  16 Camille Chat, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Emerick Setiano, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Yacouba Camara, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Romain Ntamack, 23 Maxime Medard

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees:  Andrew Brace (Ireland), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

Five-try France hammer Scotland in Nice

France strolled to a comfortable 32-3 win over Scotland in their Rugby World Cup warm-up match at Allianz Riviera on Saturday.

Les Bleus scored five tries in total as Alivereti Raka, Maxime Medard (2), Gregory Alldritt and Antoine Dupont went over in a superb victory.

Scotland, who take on the same team at Murrayfield next week, could only muster three points via the boot of Adam Hastings on a hard night.

Raka would get the scoreboard ticking as early as the second minute when a slick set play near to the Scottish posts saw the powerful Fijian-born Clermont wing crash over for a 7-0 lead, Camille Lopez adding the two.  It was an early warning shot fired by a hungry France side.

Lopez made it 10-0 off the tee on 15 minutes and the gap was further extended eight minutes later, full-back Medard finishing off a free-flowing move on the left as Scotland were on the ropes.  Lopez's difficult conversion attempt was missed which meant that Hastings' well struck penalty from in front, fortunately for the visitors, reduced the margin with Les Bleus now leading 15-3 with 26 minutes on the clock.

Things would then take a turn for the worse for Scotland when Hastings was yellow carded for slapping down a ball while France were on the attack.  That was duly capitalised on by France as number eight Alldritt went over close to the touchline for their third try of the night.

🇫🇷🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Première répétition prometteuse pour les Bleus 👏🏻 Prochaine étape samedi prochain à Murrayfield !#XVdeFrance #FRAECO #NeFaisonsXV pic.twitter.com/SdwjtCwRhF

— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) August 17, 2019

Scotland did manage to avoid any further damage to the scoreboard late in the first half and returned with fresh legs coming on during the first 10 minutes, in-form Northampton Saints outside centre Rory Hutchinson one of those to emerge as he made his bow on the international stage.

However, there was no change in fortunes for the Scots as Medard's second try arrived on 53 minutes thanks to quick hands before scrum-half Dupont was next to cross the whitewash, capping off a break from loosehead prop Jefferson Poirot.  France were now leading 32-3 after an hour.

Scotland, to their credit, did rally late on and Huw Jones was denied a try after a forward pass before another attack saw them fumble five metres out.  It summed up a difficult and sobering evening for Gregor Townsend's men as they now head home looking for a response next week.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:  Raka, Medard 2, Alldritt, Dupont
Cons:  Lopez 2
Pen:  Lopez

For Scotland:
Pen:  Hastings
Yellow Card:  Hastingson

France:  15 Maxime Medard, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Alivereti Raka, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 4 Paul Gabrillagues, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Camille Chat, 1 Jefferson Poirot (c)
Replacements:  16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Dany Priso, 18 Emerick Setiano, 19 Felix Lambey, 20 Louis Picamoles, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Romain Ntamack, 23 Thomas Ramos

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Duncan Taylor, 11 Byron McGuigan, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Ali Price, 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Jamie Ritchie, 6 John Barclay, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Ben Toolis, 3 Simon Berghan, 2 Stuart McInally (c), 1 Jamie Bhatti
Replacements:  16 George Turner, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Matt Fagerson, 21 George Horne, 22 Rory Hutchinson, 23 Blair Kinghorn

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

Springboks hold off Pumas in Pretoria

South Africa continued with their impressive recent form when they beat Argentina 24-18 in a World Cup warm-up match in Pretoria on Saturday.

In a tightly contested affair, momentum between the two sides ebbed and flowed throughout and the result was in the balance until the game's closing stages.  The home side did enough to clinch the result, however, after both sides scored two tries apiece.

Sbu Nkosi scored both five-pointers for the Springboks and their other points came via the boot of Elton Jantjies, who kicked four penalties and a conversion.  For Argentina, Guido Petti and Pablo Matera scored tries while Joaquín Díaz Bonilla slotted a penalty and a conversion and Benjamin Urdapilleta also added a three-pointer off the kicking tee.

Although the teams showed a willingness to run the ball, the opening exchanges were characterised by several unforced errors from both sides and we had to wait until the 20th minute for the opening points — a penalty from Jantjies.

The match had a stop-start nature to it up to that point and there were several brutal collisions — none more so than Marcos Kremer's hit on Marcell Coetzee in the 17th minute.  Kremer's no-arms challenge resulted in him being penalised but Coetzee was forced off the field for a HIA, which he failed, and he was replaced by Kwagga Smith.

The game came alive just after the half hour-mark when Jantjies found Warrick Gelant in space out wide with a well-timed skip pass.  Gelant offloaded to Nkosi, who did well to beat two defenders before crossing for the opening try.

Jantjies' conversion attempt struck an upright but the visitors drew level on the stroke of half-time when Petti intercepted a pass from Cobus Reinach close to the halfway line, before outpacing the cover defence to cross for a deserved try.

Bonilla succeeded with the conversion attempt which meant the visitors held a slender 10-8 lead at the break.

📽️ VIDEO: South Africa 24-18 Argentina.  https://t.co/ZWOOOcW2PF #RSAvARG pic.twitter.com/4socIw8SP5

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 17, 2019

South Africa drew first blood after the restart and they did it in style courtesy of another superb try from Nkosi in the 48th minute.  This, after he found himself in space down the right flank and he did brilliantly to beat three defenders before diving over the whitewash in spectacular fashion.

Jantjies added the extras which gave the home side a 15-10 lead but Urdapilleta reduced the deficit for the visitors when he added a penalty in the 57th minute.

Another Jantjies penalty on the hour-mark gave the Boks some breathing space but the Pumas struck back five minutes later when Matera crashed over from close quarters to draw his side level at 18-18.

Urdapilleta failed to convert before Jantjies gave South Africa the lead again via a penalty in the 69th minute.

The closing minutes were tense and the visitors thought they had regained the lead when Lucas Mensa rounded off a flowing move which started inside the Pumas' half.  His effort was disallowed, however, after television replays revealed that Jeronimo de la Fuente had obstructed Vincent Koch when he was trying to make a tackle on Urdapilleta in the build-up.

Despite that setback, Argentina continued to attack in a bid to secure victory, but the home side sealed their win when Jantjies slotted his fourth penalty in the 78th minute.

For South Africa:
Tries:  Nkosi 2
Con:  Jantjies
Pens:  Jantjies 4

For Argentina:
Tries:  Petti, Matera
Con:  Bonilla
Pens:  Bonilla, Urdapilleta

South Africa:  15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Dillyn Leyds, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Marcell Coetzee, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Schalk Brits (c), 1 Thomas du Toit
Replacements:  16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Lizo Gqoboka, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Marvin Orie, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Faf de Klerk, 23 Frans Steyn

Argentina:  15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Sebastián Cancelliere, 13 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 12 Lucas Mensa, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 9 Felipe Ezcurra, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Mayco Vivas
Replacements:  16 Santiago Socino, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Juan Figallo, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Gonzalo Bertanou, 22 Benjamin Urdapilleta, Santiago Carreras

Referee:  Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees:  Andrew Brace (Ireland), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO:  Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Wales move to number one after win over England

Wales moved to the top of the world rankings following a deserved 13-6 triumph over arch-rivals England at the Principality Stadium.

Warren Gatland’s charges dominated the opening half and deservedly went into the interval 10-0 in front via George North’s converted try and Dan Biggar’s penalty.

The Red Rose improved slightly in the second period and reduced the deficit via successive George Ford three-pointers, but Leigh Halfpenny was successful off the tee to seal the win and move them ahead of New Zealand in the rankings.

Gatland’s men lacked intensity in their opening World Cup warm-up encounter but that was well and truly rectified in Cardiff.  They controlled the early exchanges with their excellent defence regularly forcing the visitors back.

The set-piece was also far more efficient while they had the better of the breakdown and the Welsh had several opportunities inside the opposition 22 before Biggar kicked them ahead.

Under pressure, discipline was an issue for England and it led to a yellow card for wing Anthony Watson, who was sent from the field for a deliberate knock on.

Watson hadn’t even headed off the pitch when the hosts went quickly.  It caught the Red Rose unawares as Josh Adams went sprinting down the right.  The wing was brought down but the away side were completely disorganised defensively and a simple cross-field kick from Wales’ fly-half allowed North to score.

The pivot had been criticised earlier in the week by ex-wing JJ Williams, but this was an excellent response and his conversion from the left extended their advantage to 10 points at the interval.

Eddie Jones needed a response from his charges but they once again struggled to create openings.  However, with the introduction of the replacements, the visitors did start to gain some traction at the scrum and they were rewarded with a Ford penalty.

The likes of Joe Marler and Jamie George were making a difference and Ford reduced the arrears further going into the final quarter.

Wales managed to regain their composure but England were still in contention and almost created a chance when Maro Itoje intercepted.

However, an infringement halted their attack and eased the pressure, allowing Gatland’s side to move into the England half and earn a penalty, which Halfpenny kicked to complete the win.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Try:  North
Con:  Biggar
Pens:  Biggar, Halfpenny

For England:
Pens:  Ford 2
Yellow Card:  Watson

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 James Davies, 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Jake Ball, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements:  16 Elliot Dee, 17 Wyn Jones, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Aaron Shingler, 20 Josh Navidi, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Owen Watkin

England:  15 Elliot Daly, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Piers Francis, 11 Joe Cokanasiga, 10 George Ford (c), 9 Willi Heinz, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Lewis Ludlam, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Maro Itoje, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements:  16 Jamie George, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 George Kruis, 20 Jack Singleton, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Manu Tuilagi

Referee:  Pascal Gaüzère (France)
Assistant referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

New Zealand hammer Australia to retain Bledisloe Cup

The All Blacks returned to the victory trail courtesy of an impressive 36-0 victory over the Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.

The result was sweet revenge for the hosts, who suffered a humiliating defeat to the Wallabies in their corresponding fixture in Perth seven days ago, and they also retained the Bledisloe Cup for the 17th successive year.

As the scoreline suggests, the world champions were full value for this win as they dominated all facets of play and eventually outscored the Wallabies by five tries to none, with Richie Mo'unga, Aaron Smith, Sonny Bill Williams, Sevu Reece and George Bridge all crossing the whitewash.  Mo'unga also slotted three conversions and a penalty, and Beauden Barrett also succeeded with a two-pointer off the kicking tee.

The All Blacks held the upper-hand from the outset and took an early lead courtesy of a Mo'unga penalty in the fourth minute after a scrum infringement from the Wallabies forwards.

New Zealand continued to dominate during the next 15 minutes but failed to convert that dominance into points.  The Wallabies were slowly getting into the game but poor goal-kicking from Christian Lealiifano proved costly as he was off target with two penalty attempts shortly after each other, midway through the half.

Despite those misses, the visitors launched several attacks but there was no reward as they were met with a solid defensive effort from the All Blacks.  In the 29th minute, an Australian attack went pear-shaped when Reece Hodge spilled a pass from Kurtley Beale on New Zealand's 10-metre line and Mo'unga gathered the loose ball before racing away to score the opening try.

He added the extras and with a 10-0 lead, the world champions were growing in confidence.  Three minutes later, George Bridge made a brilliant line break which tore the Wallabies' defence to shreds before throwing an inside pass to Smith, who had an easy run-in over the try-line.

Once again, Mo'unga was successful off the kicking tee but New Zealand were dealt a blow in the 37th minute when Dane Coles was yellow carded for a dangerous challenge on Nic White.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, the All Blacks finished the half the stronger and led 17-0 at half-time, although it could have been a bigger lead had Mo'unga not missed another penalty just before the interval.

The All Blacks continued to dominate after the break and shortly after the restart Williams ran a great angle close to the Wallabies' try-line before crashing over for his side's third try.

That score knocked the wind out of the Wallabies' sails and, although they tried desperately to open their account, they battled to breach the All Blacks' defence.

And in the 67th minute Reece showed great composure when he booted the ball upfield, deep inside the Wallabies' half, before regathering to score his side's fourth try.

With the game in the bag, the hosts continued to attack and sealed the win in the 77th minute when Bridge rounded off out wide after Anton Lienert-Brown did well in the build-up.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Mo'unga, Smith, Williams, Reece, Bridge
Cons:  Mo'unga 3, B Barrett
Pen:  Mo'unga
Yellow Card:  Coles

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Ardie Savea, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Codie Taylor, 17 Ofa Tuungafasi, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Jackson Hemopo, 20 Matt Todd, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Ngani Laumape, 23 Jordie Barrett

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Reece Hodge, 13 James O’Connor, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Nic White, 8 Isi Naisarani, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Tolu Latu, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements:  16 Folau Fainga’a, 17 James Slipper, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Liam Wright, 21 Will Genia, 22 Matt To’omua, 23 Adam Ashley-Cooper

Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

England end Wales' winning run

England proved too strong for Wales as they ran out 33-19 winners in an entertaining Rugby World Cup warm-up encounter at Twickenham on Sunday.

In a fast-paced match, both sides scored three tries apiece but England committed fewer unforced errors and were deserved winners in the end.

Much was made of England fielding an under-strength team while the visitors had what was close to their strongest starting XV, but the hosts were the dominant side for most of this match and the result brings Wales' 14-match winning run to an end.

George Ford led the way for England with a 15-point haul, courtesy of three conversions and three penalties, and their other points came via tries from Billy Vunipola, Joe Cokanasiga and Luke Cowan-Dickie, as well as a late drop-goal from Elliot Daly.

For Wales, Gareth Davies, George North and Wyn Jones crossed the whitewash, while Gareth Anscombe and Dan Biggar added conversions.

England dominated the early exchanges and were up 14-0 by the 15th minute courtesy of converted tries from Vunipola and Cokanasiga.

Vunipola's effort came as early as the fourth minute when he showed great determination and leg drive to power his way over the try-line before Cokanasiga scored from close range after the ball went through several phases in the build-up.

The visitors needed a response and that came midway through the half when Gareth Davies took on the English defence before crossing for a deserved try.  Davies gathered the ball on England's 10-metre line and did well to escape Vunipola's attentions with a strong fend before beating Daly with deft footwork on his way to the line.

Although they were back in the game, Wales' joy was short-lived as they suffered a setback in the 34th minute with what looked like a serious knee injury to Anscombe.  He sustained the injury five minutes earlier when making a clearance kick but continued to play despite running around with a limp.  He eventually hobbled off the field and was replaced by Biggar.

And just before half-time, the visitors suffered another setback when a throw-in at a lineout on their five-metre line went awry and Cowan-Dickie pounced on the loose ball before crashing over the try-line.  Ford added the extras which meant England were leading 21-7 at the interval.

Wales came out firing after the break but England drew first blood after the restart when Ford slotted his first penalty in the 44th minute.

The visitors narrowed the gap in the 50th minute when North burst through a couple of tackles to score his side's second try after Ken Owens was stopped close to the line in the build-up.

The next 10 minutes saw Wales up the ante on attack and they were rewarded in the 56th minute when Jones barged over for their third try, although Biggar was off target with the conversion attempt.

The final quarter saw England regain the initiative and Ford added two penalties before a 73rd minute drop-goal from Daly sealed what proved to be a comfortable win in the end.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Vunipola, Cokanasiga, Cowan-Dickie
Cons:  Ford 3
Pens:  Ford 3
Drop goal:  Daly

For Wales:
Tries:  G Davies, North, W Jones
Cons:  Anscombe, Biggar

England:  15 Elliot Daly, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Piers Francis, 11 Anthony Watson, 10 George Ford (c), 9 Willi Heinz, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Lewis Ludlam, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements:  16 Jack Singleton, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Harry Williams, 19 George Kruis, 20 Courtney Lawes, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Joe Marchant, 23 Manu Tuilagi

Wales:  15 Liam Williams, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Adam Beard, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements:  16 Elliot Dee, 17 Wyn Jones, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Jake Ball, 20 Aaron Shingler, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Dan Biggar, 23 Owen Watkin

Referee:  Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees:  Pascal Gaüzère (France), Alex Ruiz (France)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Five-try Ireland get the better of Italy

Ireland got their 2019 Rugby World Cup warm-up campaign off to a solid start courtesy of a 29-10 triumph over Italy at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.

The home side had a good first half and created plenty of try-scoring opportunities during that period but they went off the boil after half-time before eventually outscoring the Azzurri by five tries to two.

Joey Carbery, Dave Kearney, Andrew Conway, Jordi Murphy and Kieran Marmion scored Ireland's tries and Carbery also succeeded with two conversions, although there were concerned looks in the Irish camp when the Munster fly-half was forced off the field with an ankle injury early in the second half.

Italy's points came courtesy of tries from Maxime Mbanda and Carlo Canna.

The opening exchanges were evenly contested but the visitors gained the ascendancy as the half progressed and opened the scoring after 12 minutes when Mbanda crossed for the opening try.  This, after Italy's forwards went on the drive from a lineout before Jimmy Tuivaiti broke away deep inside Ireland's 22.  He was brought to ground close to the Irish try-line where Mbanda gathered the ball before crashing over.

Ireland put that setback behind them and were soon in control of proceedings.  In the 18th minute, they showed great attacking variation from a lineout deep inside their opponents' half before beautiful hands from Chris Farrell put Carbery into space and he crossed for an easy five-pointer.

Carbery dusted himself to slot the conversion which gave his side a 7-5 lead but the Azzurri regained the initiative midway through the half when Canna gathered a perfectly weighted grubber kick from Giulio Bisegni before dotting down.

Once again, Canna failed with the conversion attempt and that would be the last time the visitors would score points in the match as Ireland upped the ante on attack and replied with well-taken tries from Kearney and Conway to take a 19-10 lead at the interval.

First, space was created for Kearney out wide and he had an easy run-in on the left flank after gathering the final pass from Jordan Larmour.  And just before half-time, Conway crossed for his side's third try from close range after good work from his forwards in the build-up.

Full time score @AVIVAStadium IRELAND 29-10 ITALY #ShoulderToShoulder #TeamOfUs #IREvITA pic.twitter.com/VXOVJPZuU4

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) August 10, 2019

The home side were fastest out of the blocks in the second half and five minutes after the restart Jordi Murphy crossed for their third try off the back of a lineout drive deep inside Italy's half.

Shortly afterwards, Carbery left the field when he injured his ankle under a mass of bodies deep inside his half.  The next 15 minutes was a dour affair with both sides committing several unforced errors during that period.

In the 63rd minute, there was further joy for the home crowd when Marmion charged down a clearance kick from Ian McKinley before regathering the loose ball on his way over the try-line to seal an unspectacular victory for his team.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Tries:  Carbery, Kearney, Conway, Murphy
Cons:  Carbery 2

For Italy:
Tries:  Mbanda, Canna

Ireland:  15 Jordan Larmour, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Chris Farrell 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Joey Carbery, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Jordi Murphy, 7 Tommy O’Donnell, 6 Rhys Ruddock (c), 5 Jean Kleyn, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Andrew Porter, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Jack McGrath
Replacements:  16 Niall Scannell, 17 Cian Healy, 18 John Ryan, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Tadhg Beirne, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Jack Carty, 23 Mike Haley

Italy:  15 Edoardo Padovani, 14 Angelo Esposito, 13 Tommaso Benvenuti, 12 Matteo Minozzi, 11 Giulio Bisegni, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Guglielmo Palazzani, 8 Jimmy Tuivaiti, 7 Maxime Mbanda, 6 Giovanni Licata, 5 Dean Budd (c) 4 Alessandro Zanni, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Nicola Quaglio
Replacements:  16 Federico Zani, 17 Andrea Lovotti, 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Marco Lazzaroni, 20 Renato Giammarioli, 21 Callum Braley, 22 Ian McKinley, 23 Sebastian Negri

Referee:  Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees:  Tom Foley (England), Mike Adamson (Scotland)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

Handre Pollard stars as Boks win Rugby Championship

South Africa are the Rugby Championship champions for the first time after they produced another excellent display to hammer Argentina 46-13 in Salta.

Although Los Pumas got off to an outstanding start, with Santiago Cordero touching down, the Springboks deservedly took a 24-13 advantage into the break via tries from Bongi Mbonambi and Pollard, while the fly-half added 14 points from the tee.

Argentina were simply overpowered by Rassie Erasmus’ team and the away side duly sealed the win when Pollard, Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe went over.

It meant the ‘Boks finished a fine campaign unbeaten and secured their first southern hemisphere crown since 2009, when it was called the Tri Nations.

The Springboks have enjoyed a revival under Erasmus, justifiably taking the title after three fine performances in the competition, but they were initially put under pressure with Nicolas Sanchez to the fore.

The fly-half broke through the visiting rearguard and took play up to the 22.  Although the visitors did well to halt the break, the fly-half produced a deft cross-field kick for Cordero to collect and score.

Unperturbed, the two-time World Cup winners hit back via Pollard’s penalty before they put the Argentines’ set-piece under significant duress.  Mario Ledesma’s men have struggled in the tight this year and South Africa took advantage of their weaknesses at the lineout and scrum.

Following a penalty, South Africa set up a maul and the home side were powerless to stop their opponents’ dominant drive, which surged across the whitewash and allowed Mbonambi to touch down.

HIGH FIVE! ✋

Springboks back on top in Salta courtesy of a try from Mbonambi and the boot of Pollard.  ARG 13—14 SA

Follow the action here 👉 https://t.co/2FydW54qer pic.twitter.com/1ffqX6rIEN

— Sky Sports Rugby (@SkySportsRugby) August 10, 2019

To the Pumas’ credit, they battled and regained their advantage via their stand-off’s three-pointer, but the Springboks remained in the ascendancy and took a 14-10 advantage through successive Pollard efforts off the tee.

Although Argentina remained in contention via their pivot, Erasmus’ charges continued to control matters and were rewarded by Pollard’s try and penalty for an 11-point buffer at the interval.

Ledesma needed a response from his squad but it failed to materialise as another needless penalty resulted in the visiting playmaker extending their lead.

The hosts were boosted by a yellow card for scrum-half Faf de Klerk after a series of infringements, but Argentina failed to benefit and were instead sent into reverse by some brutal ‘Bok defence.  It altered the momentum and, after good work from Steven Kitshoff and Franco Mostert, Pollard barged over from close range.

That was effectively game over but South Africa were not finished there and rounded off a fine display with two further tries via wingers Mapimpi and Kolbe.

Well done guys!! Congratulations on a splendid victory and successful campaign.  pic.twitter.com/eYYWf4Xiq6

— Springboks (@Springboks) August 10, 2019

The scorers:

For Argentina:
Try:  Cordero
Con:  Sanchez
Pens:  Sanchez 2

For South Africa:
Tries:  Mbonambi, Pollard 2, Mapimpi, Kolbe
Cons:  Pollard 3
Pens:  Pollard 5
Yellow Card:  De Klerk

Argentina:  15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Javier Ortega Desio, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Marcos Kremer, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements:  16 Julian Montoya, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Gonzalo Bertanou, 22 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 23 Joaquin Tuculet

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen (c), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Francois Louw, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Frans Steyn, 23 Jesse Kriel

Referee:  Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Karl Dickson (England)
TMO:  Rowan Kitt (England)

Wonderful Wallabies thrash 14-man All Blacks

The Wallabies produced their best display, arguably since the last World Cup, to claim a rare Bledisloe Cup victory over the All Blacks following a 47-26 triumph in Perth on Saturday.

New Zealand did play half of the match with 14 men after Scott Barrett was sent off, which was just their fourth red card ever and their first since Sonny Bill Williams was dismissed against the British and Irish Lions in 2017.

It was a key moment in the contest, but Australia were still the better team before that incident and deserved the 13-12 lead handed to them by Reece Hodge’s try and the accurate kicking of Christian Lealiifano.

New Zealand responded through tries from Anton Lienert-Brown and Rieko Ioane but they were powerless to stop an excellent Aussie outfit.

Lealiifano added another off the tee on the stroke of half-time before Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Nic White, Marika Koroibete, Hodge and Kurtley Beale completed the win, despite Beauden Barrett’s and Ngani Laumape’s consolation efforts.

The result puts the Wallabies back on track ahead of the World Cup while further questions will be asked of the All Blacks, who have struggled for form over the past three matches.

It has been a disappointing Rugby Championship on the whole, but this was in stark contrast to the previous four games in the competition.  Although there were still a number of errors, it was a far more entertaining affair which saw a particularly thrilling opening quarter.

Australia controlled the early exchanges, forcing the All Blacks to infringe on several occasions and allowing Lealiifano to kick them ahead, before they brilliantly created the first try of the game.

James O’Connor was making his return to the starting line-up after six years in the international wilderness and he superbly got his hands free, sending Hodge scampering across the whitewash.

The conversion was added by their fly-half and they duly had the ideal start, but the Wallabies were soon pegged back by the visitors, who upped the intensity and cut out the key mistakes.

It allowed them to get on the front foot and good hands on the right gave Jack Goodhue plenty of space.  The Crusaders man kicked ahead and, with the ball bouncing in-goal, Goodhue’s centre partner, Lienert-Brown, pounced to touch down and reduce the arrears.

Buoyed by that effort, New Zealand went on the attack again and Dane Coles’ excellent break set up their next score as the hooker and Aaron Smith combined to provide Ioane with an easy run to the line.

Steve Hansen’s men were still struggling for dominance, however, with the hosts playing their best rugby for some time and Lealiifano rewarded their endeavour with a second three-pointer.

Discipline was a particular problem for the away side and that was shown by second-row Barrett, who was adjudged to have shoulder charged the head and neck of Michael Hooper, leading to a red card.

VICTORY!

We have defeated the All Blacks 47—26 in the #BledisloeCup here at Optus Stadium.

READ:  https://t.co/fN82aVPAgB#AUSvNZL #BledisloeCup #GoldBlooded pic.twitter.com/9PGOF8QgD5

— Qantas Wallabies (@qantaswallabies) August 10, 2019

Australia’s pivot kicked the resultant penalty attempt and they began the second period in the ascendancy against the 14 men of New Zealand.

The forwards carried well close to the opposition line and the space eventually opened for Rory Arnold to find Salakaia-Loto, who scored.

Michael Cheika’s charges were now rampant and Samu Kerevi displayed his destructive qualities to power through Smith and Beauden Barrett.  The centre then did well to avoid going into touch when Laumape came across, off-loading for White to deservedly touch down.

The All Blacks are rarely finished, though, even when down to 14, and they hit back through their full-back, but the Wallabies soon put the game beyond doubt.

They controlled the play nicely and deservedly crossed the whitewash twice more through Koroibete and Hodge.  Although the visitors hit back immediately through Laumape, Beale rounded off a wonderful evening for Cheika’s men.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Hodge 2, Salakaia-Loto, White, Koroibete, Beale
Cons:  Lealiifano 2, Toomua 2
Pens:  Lealiifano 3

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Lienert-Brown, Ioane, B Barrett, Laumape
Cons:  Mo’unga 3
Red Card:  S Barrett

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Reece Hodge, 13 James O’Connor, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Nic White, 8 Isi Naisarani, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 5 Rory Arnold, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Tolu Latu, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements:  16 Folau Fainga’a, 17 James Slipper, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Adam Coleman, 20 Luke Jones, 21 Will Genia, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Tom Banks

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Ardie Savea, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Codie Taylor, 17 Atu Moli, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Matt Todd, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Ngani Laumape, 23 George Bridge

Referee:  Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Wallabies win dour clash with disappointing Pumas

Australia bounced back from last week's disappointing loss in Johannesburg as they overcame Argentina 16-10 at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

The result moves them up to third place in the Rugby Championship standings, just two points behind New Zealand who they face on August 10.

It was a fitting farewell to the Brisbane venue from Will Genia as he put in an assured performance on his last match at the ground, while Christian Lealiifano enjoyed a strong return to international rugby, orchestrating the game nicely for the 50 minutes he was on the field.

Reece Hodge crossed the whitewash for Australia, with Lealiifano kicking eight points, while Facunda Isa went over for Argentina late on.  This is the Pumas' second defeat in this year's competition as they are now rooted to the foot of the table ahead of hosting South Africa.

The Wallabies led 10-3 at the end of an error-strewn first half at Suncorp Stadium, with both sides' games littered with handling mistakes.

However, one moment of brilliance from Australia saw them score the all-important first try, which proved the difference at the turnaround.

Australia took the lead on 11 minutes through the boot of Lealiifano, this after Argentina second-row Tomás Lavanini had hands in the ruck.

Izack Rodda would soon launch an attack from deep for the hosts but, as mentioned, a handling error from said player ultimately foiled it.

Sanchez would haul the Pumas back level on 24 minutes as Sekope Kepu's decision to try and bat the ball back whilst on the floor backfired.

But the moment of the half came six minutes later as Marika Koroibete's line bust led to the overlap being smartly used, with Kurtley Beale grabbing the assist and feeding Hodge who finished well.  With the superb conversion from Lealiifano, the Wallabies had a seven-point buffer.

FULL TIME!

The #Wallabies win 16-10 against Los Pumas at the Suncorp Stadium!

Well done boys! #AUSvARG #GoldBlooded pic.twitter.com/jtEoza38Ze

— Qantas Wallabies (@qantaswallabies) July 27, 2019

That lead would grow just two minutes into the second 40 when the Pumas were penalised for angling in at scrum time, Lealiifano converting.

The returning Brumbies fly-half was on target again in the 51st minute when a powerful Wallabies scrum got the better of their Pumas rivals.  That was Lealiifano's last act of the game as he was replaced by Toomua, with the former giving a warm reception as he departed the action.

Unfortunately the game dipped in quality thereafter as there was no further score in the next 23 minutes.  Argentina, though, would thankfully end the drought as Isa crossed after splitting from the tail of a maul, with the two from replacement Joaquín Díaz Bonilla making it 16-10.

Australia's dominance at scrum time continued, however and three minutes from time Matt Toomua should have slotted three points to seal the victory.  He was unsuccessful but it mattered not for the Wallabies as they comfortably held on to get their first victory of this campaign.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Try:  Hodge
Con:  Lealiifano
Pens:  Lealiifano 2

For Argentina:
Try:  Isa
Con:  Bonilla
Pen:  Sanchez

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Reece Hodge, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Will Genia, 8 Isi Naisarani, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lukhan Salakai-Loto, 5 Rory Arnold, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Folau Fainga’a, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements:  16 Tolu Latu, 17 James Slipper, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Luke Jones, 21 Nic White, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 James O’Connor

Argentina:  15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Matías Moroni, 12 Jerónimo de la Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Tomás Lezana, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Julián Montoya, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements:  16 Santiago Socino, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Ramiro Herrera, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 23 Matías Orlando

Referee:  Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Paul Williams (New Zealand), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO:  Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

All Blacks stunned as late try sees them draw with Boks

Herschel Jantjies was once again the South African hero as the scrum-half touched down late on to help rescue a 16-16 draw against the All Blacks in Wellington.

The Springboks controlled the opening half-hour and deservedly went 6-0 in front via Handre Pollard but one error saw New Zealand hit back as Jack Goodhue touched down for a 7-6 lead at the interval.

Beauden Barrett then added a penalty early in the second period to extend the hosts’ buffer but Pollard kept Rassie Erasmus’ men in contention.

There was little between the two but the defending world champions appeared to display the greater control and quality in the latter exchanges and moved 16-9 up through successive Richie Mo’unga three-pointers.

There was one last sting in the tail from South Africa, however, as Jantjies crossed the whitewash – Pollard converting – to level matters late on.

It means that the Boks reside at the top of the Rugby Championship table with one round remaining while the All Blacks, who once again failed to fire in attack, sit in second.

There was plenty of excitement before the game with the introduction of Mo’unga and the selection of Barrett at full-back, but the former began rather nervously.

Twice the fly-half’s kicks were charged down and it allowed a confident Springboks side to get on the front foot.  They capitalised on the hosts’ errors and were rewarded by the accurate boot of Pollard, who kicked two penalties for a 6-0 advantage.

His playmaking team-mate was also struggling and their decision-making was quite simply atrocious in the opening quarter.  There were mistakes aplenty and the full-back, who surprisingly took on kicking duties, missed a relatively simple chance to reduce the arrears.

South Africa were almost toying with the home side.  Their defence was exceptional and the half-backs – Faf de Klerk and Pollard – were varying the kicking game nicely.

As a result of the pressure exerted, the Springbok pivot was handed another opportunity, but this time his effort was awry off the tee.

It was to prove costly as the visitors failed to garner the points their dominance deserved.  Even when New Zealand are playing poorly, they are always dangerous off turnover ball and one moment of quality was the away team’s undoing.

🤩 That pace from Barrett and the finish from Goodhue!  Tune into @skysportnz for a massive second half as the All Blacks lead @Springboks 7—6.#NZLvRSA #BACKBLACK 🇳🇿🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/otGYpzx0Wi

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) July 27, 2019

South Africa knocked on in the midfield and the space opened up out wide for Barrett to scamper down the right.  Goodhue was on his shoulder and, after receiving a pass from the full-back, the centre crossed the whitewash unopposed for a one-point advantage at the break.

Buoyed by that score, the All Blacks displayed much more composure at the start of the second half and extended their lead via Barrett’s three-pointer.

Erasmus’ men were now the side making the needless errors, but they were kept in the game by the errant boot of New Zealand’s kicker, who missed his second penalty attempt.

Following that miss, the visitors responded when Pollard kicked another three-pointer – a minute after Brodie Retallick had sustained a nasty-looking shoulder injury – but Mo’unga immediately restored the four-point gap.

It meant a tense final 10 minutes but the All Blacks seemed to take control through a second penalty from their fly-half.  However, South Africa produced a fine move in the final minute as Cheslin Kolbe raced down the right and chipped ahead.  Jantjies was in support and, although he received a bit of luck by not knocking on under pressure from Aaron Smith, the youngster collected and touched down.

The scrum-half should have taken it closer to the uprights in preparation for the conversion but it did not matter as Pollard added the extras to dramatically tie the game.

The kick is good! 🙌

Nerves of steel from Pollard who nails the conversion on the hooter and it is a draw! 😰

Follow live coverage of the Rugby Championship clash between New Zealand and South Africa live on Sky Sports Action here:  https://t.co/1y9UxtDIBM pic.twitter.com/wE0dU4VyE6

— Sky Sports Rugby (@SkySportsRugby) July 27, 2019

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Try:  Goodhue
Con:  Barrett
Pens:  Barrett, Mo’unga 2

For South Africa:
Try:  Jantjies
Con:  Pollard
Pens:  Pollard 3

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Matt Todd, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Ofa Tuungafasi, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Vaea Fifita, 20 Dalton Papalii, 21 Aaron Smith, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 George Bridge

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen (c), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements:  16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Francois Louw, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Frans Steyn, 23 Jesse Kriel

Referee:  Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant referees:  Angus Gardner (Australia), Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
TMO:  Rowan Kitt (England)

Improved Maori All Blacks beat Fiji in Rotorua

The Maori All Blacks bounced back from last week's loss to Fiji by beating the same opposition 26-17 in Rotorua to level the two-game series.

Scores from Sean Wainui, Rob Thompson, Alex Nankivell and Isaia Walker-Leawere saw them to victory, with Otere Black slotting six points.

In reply the Fijians scored tries through Veremalua Vugakoto and John Dyer while Alivereti Veitokani sent over two conversions and a penalty.

The teams went into the break locked at seven points apiece after a tight first half, with the Maori All Blacks much improved from last week.

Fiji would take the lead, however, on nine minutes when a superb between-the-legs pass from back-row Dominiko Waqaniburotu put hooker Vugakoto over on the left.  With the successful conversion from Veitokani, John McKee's men had themselves a handy early advantage.

That lead did not last long though as the hosts hit back five minutes later, Wainui adding to his two tries in Suva with another crossing.  It came from a good pass from inside centre Nankivell as pressure on the Fijian finally told, with his Chiefs team-mate going over to make it 7-7.

Veitokani would miss a penalty attempt on 31 minutes but an entertaining first half of action was edged by the Maori All Blacks in Rotorua.

They got the vital opening score of the second half when Thompson crossed thanks to an excellent pass from scrum-half Bryn Hall for 14-7.

Veitokani did respond off the tee on 52 minutes to cut the gap to four points, which was how it stayed until the hour mark, before Nankivell collected a cross-field kick from Black that had come loose.  Black could not slot the difficult extras but the hosts were two scores clear.

That advantage grew when Walker-Leawere, who had replaced the injured Pari Pari Parkinson earlier in the second period, made it 26-10 after he went over for a converted try on 64 minutes that seemed to put the match beyond doubt in front of the watching 13,000 fans.

Fiji did rally late on with a try from substitute Dyer after an impressive scrum near to the whitewash, which made it 26-17 with just four minutes left in the game.  But the Maori All Blacks had enough of a cushion to see out the game and make it a tied series with the Fijians.

The scorers:

For Maori All Blacks:
Tries:  Wainui, Thompson, Nankivell, Walker-Leawere
Cons:  Black 3

For Fiji:
Tries:  Vugakoto, Dyer
Cons:  Veitokani 2
Pen:  Veitokani

Maori All Blacks:  15 Shaun Stevenson, 14 Jordan Hyland, 13 Rob Thompson, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Sean Wainui, 10 Otere Black, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Whetukamokamo Douglas, 7 Mitch Karpik, 6 Reed Prinsep, 5 Pari Pari Parkinson, 4 Tom Franklin, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Ash Dixon (c), 1 Ross Wright
Replacements:  16 Nathan Harris, 17 Haereiti Hetet, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 20 Akira Ioane, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Fletcher Smith, 23 Teihorangi Walden

Fiji:  15 Kini Murimurivalu, 14 Patrick Osbourne, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu, 12 Jale Vatubua, 11 Filipo Nakosi, 10 Alivereti Veitokani, 9 Henry Seniloli, 8 Nemani Nagusa, 7 Mosese Voka, 6 Dominiko Waqaniburotu, 5 Apisalome Ratuniyarawa, 4 Tevita Ratuva, 3 Lee-Roy Atalifo 2 Veremalua Vugakoto, 1 Campese Ma’afu
Replacements:  16 Samuel Matavesi, 17 Joeli Veitayaki, 18 Luke Tagi, 19 Albert Tuisue, 20 John Dyer, 21 Serupepeli Vularika, 22 Sevanaia Galala, 23 Josh Matavesi

Referee:  Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Damon Murphy (Australia), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  James Leckie (Australia)