Saturday, 28 November 2020

England too strong for Wales as they seal final spot

England booked their place in the Autumn Nations Cup final by overcoming a battling Wales side 24-13 at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday.

Eddie Jones’ men secured a seventh successive win thanks to tries by centre Henry Slade and prop Mako Vunipola, while Owen Farrell kicked four penalties and a conversion for a 14-point haul.

Wales led through an early Johnny Williams try and it was unquestionably their best performance of the autumn campaign, but the harsh reality now reads seven defeats from the last eight Tests under head coach Wayne Pivac.

Two Dan Biggar penalties kept them in the hunt after Leigh Halfpenny converted Williams’ score, yet England never came under sustained threat.

England march on, and they can look forward to France ― the last team they were beaten by ― as probable Nations Cup final opponents at Twickenham on Sunday week.

Many pundits had predicted an overwhelming England win in Llanelli, and while it was more workmanlike than world-beating from the visitors against organised and resilient opponents, they still made it a comfortable case of job done.

Fly-half George Ford returned to the England starting line-up as a solitary change from the side that saw off Ireland last weekend, with skipper Farrell moving into midfield alongside Slade.

Wales, meanwhile, were without five injured British and Irish Lions, with rookie flankers Shane Lewis-Hughes and James Botham handed starts in addition to 19-year-old Gloucester wing Louis Rees-Zammit.

England monopolised possession during the early skirmishes, although there was also some solid early defence from Wales with Rees-Zammit accomplished under the high ball, before Farrell missed a 40-metre penalty chance.

Wales then stunned their opponents through an 11th-minute try after Biggar charged down Slade’s kick on halfway.

Bigger reacted quickly to lead a strong counter-attack and Williams then won the touchdown race, scoring on only his second Wales appearance and 18 months after he claimed a try for England in a non-cap game against the Barbarians.

Williams, whose father is from Rhyl, only returned to professional rugby in January this year following chemotherapy treatment for testicular cancer.

England required only four minutes to reply, breaching Wales’ defence when Slade made amends for his earlier error by crossing wide out, but Farrell drifted a second successive kick wide.

Both sides looked to keep ball in hand before Farrell found the target from his third attempt, landing a 30-metre penalty that edged England a point ahead 10 minutes before half-time.

England looked to up the ante as the interval approached, using their forwards to powerful effect and testing Wales’ close-quarter defence.

That growing physical authority was emphasised when Wales conceded a scrum penalty and Farrell kicked the points, giving England an 11-7 interval advantage.

Wales’ scrum issues with referee Romain Poite continued early in the second period, which coincided with Pivac making a first change when he sent on Exeter prop Tomas Francis instead of Samson Lee, and hooker Elliot Dee soon followed, replacing Ryan Elias.

Lock Will Rowlands and scrum-half Rhys Webb also joined the action, but they had been on the pitch less than five minutes before England claimed their second try.

Relentless forward pressure took its toll, with Wales unable to keep a heavyweight pack out from close range as Mako Vunipola touched down and Farrell converted for an 11-point lead.

Biggar reduced the arrears when he kicked a penalty with 25 minutes left, and then a second successful three-pointer shortly afterwards reminded England that they were not home and dry.

But Farrell completed his penalty hat-trick 15 minutes from time before a fourth successful strike broke Wales’ resistance and ensured that England continued on an unbeaten run that has lasted since early February.


Check out the video highlights from England's 24-13 victory over Wales at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday.

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Bonus-point victory for All Blacks against Pumas

The All Blacks took a giant step towards winning this year’s Tri Nations as they sealed a 38-0 bonus-point win over Argentina in Saturday’s Test in Newcastle.

In a fast-paced and entertaining encounter, New Zealand had the bulk of the territory and possession and although they had to work hard to break down Argentina’s defence, they showed great patience and eventually outscored their opponents five tries to nil.

Replacement back Will Jordan led the way with a brace of five-pointers and their other tries were scored by Dane Coles, Ardie Savea and Patrick Tuipulotu, while Richie Mo’unga finished with a 13-point haul courtesy of five conversions and a penalty.

With the build-up to this game dominated by the passing of Argentina football legend Diego Maradona, the Pumas were highly motivated to secure victory as a tribute to their fallen countryman.  And there was a touching gesture from New Zealand — before their customary haka — when their captain, Sam Cane, presented his opponents with an All Blacks jersey with Maradona’s name and the number 10 on its back.

The All Blacks came out firing from the kick off and were leading 10-0 by the 17th minute.

They started brightly and had a Beauden Barrett try disallowed in the 10th minute, after Anton Lienert-Brown knocked on in the build-up, but continued to dominate and two minutes later opened the scoring courtesy of Coles’ score.  This, after the ball went through 11 phases, with Akira Ioane, Scott Barrett and Nepo Laulala prominent ball carriers, before Mo’unga threw a skip pass to Coles, who went over in the right-hand corner.

Mo’unga added the extras before slotting a penalty after the Pumas strayed offside on defence.

Argentina were slowly getting into the game but battled to gain momentum as New Zealand were winning most of the collisions and they also held the upper hand in the set phases.

On the half-hour mark, Argentina finally found themselves on the attack inside New Zealand’s 22 but after a solid lineout drive, the ball came out to the backs and Jeronimo de la Fuente knocked on a poor pass from Felipe Ezcurra.

Despite that effort, the All Blacks finished the half stronger but they could not score further points and the match was evenly poised with the score 10-0 in their favour at the interval.

The second half started in a similar fashion to the first, with the All Blacks dominating, and they thought they had increased their lead in the 46th minute, when Savea crossed the whitewash off the back of a scrum close to Argentina’s try-line, but he failed to ground the ball after being held up by the cover defence.

Savea was not to be denied, however, as five minutes later he scored his side’s second try after powering over off the back of a lineout on Argentina’s five-metre line.

That score brought plenty of relief to the All Blacks ranks and there was further reward in the 69th minute when Jordan rounded off after pouncing on a wayward pass from Santiago Carreras.  And two minutes later he found himself in the clear again to cross for the all-important bonus-point score.

Despite having the game in the bag, New Zealand continued to attack although they had to finish the game with 14 men after Tyrel Lomax was yellow carded for clearing out an opponent illegally at a ruck.

That did not deter them, however, as they stayed true to their attacking roots and sealed their win in style when Tuipulotu scored their fifth try in injury time.


Check out the video highlights from New Zealand's 38-0 victory over Argentina at Newcastle on Saturday.

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Sunday, 22 November 2020

France end Scotland’s hot streak with win at Murrayfield

Scotland came up short in their quest for a sixth successive win as France claimed a 22-15 Autumn Nations Cup victory at Murrayfield.

Gregor Townsend’s men were looking to match a feat achieved only twice in the Dark Blues’ modern rugby history, the last by David Sole’s 1990 Grand Slam winners.

But beating France for the second time this year proved to be a game too far as Fabien Galthie’s men claimed a vital victory in Edinburgh thanks to Virimi Vakatawa’s try and 17 points from the boot of Thomas Ramos.

The first half was a battle of the kickers, with Duncan Weir ensuring Scotland went in level at 12-12 after successfully knocking over his four attempts.

But the fly-half could only add three more points after the break to leave the Scots all but out of the reckoning for the competition’s first-place play-off in a fortnight.

Scotland will be idle next week after seeing their clash with Covid-hit Fiji axed ― but France can book their place in the final with victory over Italy in Paris.

It was evident early that keeping referee Wayne Barnes on side would be key for both teams ― but neither had much joy on that front.

It was Scotland who found themselves in the naughty books in the opening 10 minutes, with Chris Harris pinged for not rolling away and Ramos slotted the opening penalty.

Blair Kinghorn’s needless body check on Antoine Dupont cost the Scots decent territory but the big wing redeemed himself shortly afterwards when he scrambled back across his own line to prevent Vakatawa touching down from Gael Fickou’s clever grubber kick.

However, Ramos did kick over again as Les Bleus were forced to settle for three points.

Scotland identified Vincent Rattez as the weak spot in the visitors’ defence, targeting him with a series of high balls.  The ploy paid off as the wing found himself pounced upon by three white jerseys.

Scotland’s trusty maul attack did not do much to dent the French rearguard but Weir did the necessary with his first penalty to halve the deficit.

France were now the team on the wrong side of Barnes, with Gregory Alldritt penalised for stopping Scotland getting clean ball as he flopped on a ruck.  Weir split the posts again to level the scores.

France then appeared to have let a good attacking opportunity slip when Matthieu Jalibert threw a loose pass but Ramos had other ideas, slicing his way through the Scottish line with a lacerating run that cleared the space for Jalibert to nail a surprise drop-goal.

With the clash effectively a semi-final to decide who will play for the trophy in a fortnight, both teams were taking points whenever they were on offer.

Weir brought the hosts level again after another French tackler found themselves unable to roll out of Ali Price’s way ― only for Matt Fagerson to immediately hand Ramos the chance to boot France back in front with another breakdown infringement.

Weir, however, did fire Scotland level at the break following Alldritt’s knock-on, but only after the Dark Blues defence ― which has shipped just seven tries in the last seven games ― held firm on the line to block a desperate charge from Galthie’s forwards.

It took France just two minutes after the restart to produce the game’s first moment of real quality as Fickou’s offload released Rattez surging through a huge gap before he handed over to Vakatawa to score the opening try.

Scotland responded with Weir’s fifth penalty but holding off the rampant French pack was becoming an ever harder task as Les Bleus grasped the set-piece upper hand.

Ramos continued his flawless evening with the boot to kick another penalty which moved his team seven in front.

France did offer some late hope with a number of sloppy mistakes but Townsend’s team were unable to capitalise.  And they were left to sample the bitter taste of defeat for the first time since February when Stuart Hogg’s failure to find the corner with a stoppage-time penalty sealed France’s win.


Check out the video highlights from France's 22-15 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.

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Saturday, 21 November 2020

Wales end barren run with battling victory over Georgia

An inexperienced Wales team secured their first win in seven matches as they defeated a stubborn Georgia outfit 18-0 in atrocious conditions at the Parc y Scarlets.

Nineteen-year-old wing Louis Rees-Zammit, showing the finishing ability that brought him 10 tries for Gloucester in England’s Premiership last season, and replacement Rhys Webb crossed in either half.

Callum Sheedy kicked two penalties and a conversion as Wales claimed a much-needed victory in difficult wet conditions.

The scrutiny on Wayne Pivac had intensified, with six successive defeats matching Wales’ worst run since 2012.

Having been Six Nations Grand Slam champions and World Cup semi-finalists under Warren Gatland in 2019, the former Scarlets coach had only overseen victories against Italy and the Barbarians during a miserable 12 months in charge.

This was the third meeting between the two countries, with Wales having won the two previous games, 13-6 in Cardiff in 2017 before a more convincing 43-14 success at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

Pivac made a raft of changes, with only flanker Justin Tipuric, who took over the captaincy, and full-back Liam Williams remaining from the side soundly beaten by Ireland in their Autumn Nations Cup opener in Dublin.

Flanker James Botham, the grandson of England cricket great Sir Ian, scrum-half Kieran Hardy and centre Johnny Williams made debuts, the latter two on their home Parc y Scarlets ground.

Williams’ appearance for the land of his Rhyl-born father came 17 months after he had made a Twickenham try-scoring appearance for England in an uncapped match against the Barbarians.

Sheedy was the newest model to emerge from Wales’ famous fly-half factory, with the Bristol outside-half, like Rees-Zammit, handed his first start.

Georgia made five changes from their 40-0 defeat to England in their Autumn Nations Cup opener, with hooker Jaba Bregvadze, lock Kote Mikautadze and flanker Otar Giorgadze back to bolster a pack that has been their biggest weapon over the years.

With eight of the starting 15 plying their trade in France, including six of the forwards, Georgia had cause for optimism against hosts who had nine starters with fewer than 25 caps.

Wales’ set-piece has struggled in recent games, but their scrum and lineout was strong in the opening exchanges and Sheedy profited from that superiority up front to land a 10th-minute penalty.

Despite the wet conditions, Wales were keen to play with ball in hand and Rees-Zammit almost scored following Sheedy’s cross-field kick.

Rees-Zammit did not have to wait long for his first Test try, though, centre Nick Tompkins driving towards the line after 26 minutes and recycling possession.

Sheedy floated a lovely pass to the waiting 19-year-old and then converted from the touchline for a 10-0 interval lead.

Georgia hooker Bregvadze was penalised for a high tackle on Seb Davies, but Sheedy missed the chance to extend Wales’ lead.

However, he made no mistake from in front of the posts after the visitors were caught offside.

Georgia were reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes when flanker Beka Saginadze caught Tipuric with a swinging forearm that led to his departure and Webb taking over the captaincy.

Webb accepted Rees-Zammit’s pass four minutes from time to seal the win, but Wales know a far sterner test awaits them in Llanelli next weekend when Six Nations champions England are their final Group A opponents.


Check out the video highlights from Wales' 18-0 victory over Georgia at the Parc y Scarlets on Saturday.

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Impressive England too good for Ireland

England produced a dominant physical display to secure their second successive victory in the Autumn Nations Cup after overcoming Ireland 18-7 at Twickenham on Saturday.

Jonny May crossed twice to move beyond Jeremy Guscott and into joint second in the all-time red rose try-scoring list alongside Ben Cohen and Will Greenwood with 31 touch downs, leaving only Rory Underwood ahead.

An athletic opener ended his sequence of five Tests without crossing, but it was his next intervention that really captured imaginations as he plundered a stunning solo score that started from inside his own 22.

It was an electric moment and the highlight of a fourth successive victory against Ireland that was possibly the most conclusive of them all as Ireland were brutally outplayed.

Apart from a promising start and strong finish, Andy Farrell’s misfiring team were taken apart to expose a gulf in class between the rivals.

England’s pack bullied their opponents virtually throughout and were at their most effective in a defensive effort led by flanker Sam Underhill and Tom Curry, but to which all the forwards contributed.

May was denied the man of the match award by Maro Itoje, who stood at the heart of a suffocating home display that had echoes of last autumn’s march to the World Cup final.

After monotone wins against Italy in Rome that secured the 2020 Six Nations and Georgia last weekend, it was an afternoon to excite England fans and expose worrying Irish frailties.

Jones had questioned the legality of Ireland’s scrummaging in the build-up to the 137th minute clash between the rivals but the binding of prop Andrew Porter became irrelevant as the visitors crumbled on two occasions.

Time and again England sent kickable penalties into touch or opted to run and in the 17th minute their ambition was rewarded when May outjumped full-back Hugo Keenan to grab Owen Farrell’s crossfield kick and touch down.

A dominant opening continued as turnover ball from Ireland’s misfiring line-out close to the line was turned into an unlikely attacking opportunity when the ball was threaded to May.

Starting from inside the 22, the Gloucester wing slipped between two Irish defenders and upon reaching the halfway line he kicked into space, winning the foot race to gather and score.

May was mobbed by his team’s replacements bench and once the celebrations England rolled up their sleeves for a savage defensive shift.

Cian Healy could make no impression on the wall of white shirts despite several brave carries and even when wing Keith Earls threatened the line, a turnover was forced and Ireland remained scoreless.

English dominance continued into the second-half and when Farrell rifled over two penalties, the lead grew to 18-0.

Ireland could make no impression on a ferocious defence that drove them backwards and in another worrying sign, they were pinned back in their own territory with little prospect of escape.

And when they finally approached the whitewash they were denied by a brilliant steal from Itoje, who was a constant menace in the tight.

Ireland continued to press in the final quarter and when Billy Burns chipped into space, his fellow replacement Jacob Stockdale ran on to the ball to score under the posts, but the outcome had been decided long ago.


Check out the video highlights from England's 18-7 victory over Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.

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Wallabies and Pumas share the spoils in Newcastle

The Wallabies and Pumas settled for a 15-15 draw in their Tri Nations encounter in Newcastle on Saturday, with neither side managing to score a try.

In a tight and unspectacular encounter, Australia impressed on attack — especially in the first half — but they came up against a solid defensive effort from the Pumas.

The Wallabies had two tries disallowed during the opening period and, in the end, all their points came via the boot of Reece Hodge, who kicked five penalties.  Nicolas Sanchez also added five three-pointers off the kicking tee for the Pumas.

The opening exchanges were evenly contested and the sides were level at 3-3 after Hodge and Sanchez traded penalties inside the opening 10 minutes.

The Wallabies had the bulk of the possession over the next 10 minutes and thought they had taken the lead in the 16th minute when Jordan Petaia crossed the whitewash after Hunter Paisami stabbed through a grubber kick.  The score was disallowed, however, after television replays revealed that Petaia’s foot was on the dead-ball line while dotting down.

Australia continued to hold the upper hand but could not convert their dominance into points.  Midway through the half, Tom Banks and Tom Wright combined brilliantly down the right-hand wing but nothing came from the attack after a handling error close to the Pumas’ try-line.

And, it was Argentina who took the lead courtesy of another Sanchez penalty in the 31st minute, when the Wallabies strayed offside on defence.  That lead did not last long though as Australia were level five minutes later when Hodge added his second three-pointer off the tee, after Sanchez was blown up for foul play.

The closing stages of the half were frantic with Australia camped deep inside Argentina territory and they thought they had regained the lead when Marika Koroibete crossed in the left-hand corner, but his effort was also disallowed after the final pass from Banks went forward.

Australia continued to hammer away at the Pumas’ line during the half’s dying moments but could not breach the South Americans’ defence and Wallabies captain Michael Hooper eventually decide to kick for posts.  Hodge duly did and on the stroke of half-time he succeeded with his third penalty which gave his team a narrow 9-6 lead at the interval.

Argentina also received a final warning for conceding cynical penalties on defence and five minutes after the restart Julian Montoya was yellow carded for that with Hodge slotting the resulting penalty.

Despite being a man down, the Pumas continued to concede penalties and when it was in goal-kicking range Hodge made them pay.  In the 56th minute, Bautista Delguy infringed at a breakdown and the Wallabies fly-half was on target again which meant his side were up 15-6.

That brought some urgency from Argentina on attack but, although they spent some time in Australia’s 22 during the next five minutes, there was no reward during that time.

Shortly afterwards, Sanchez narrowed the gap when he added his third penalty after the Wallabies’ forwards were penalised for illegal scrummaging and that score seemed to lift the Pumas’ spirits as they finished stronger.

In the 68th minute, Argentina’s fly-half slotted his fourth penalty, which meant they were trailing by just three points and three minutes later they had a chance to draw level when Koroibete was blown up for accidental offside on the halfway line.

Despite rain pouring down, Sanchez showed his class as he landed that long-range effort which drew his side level once again.  There was drama at the end as Hodge had a chance to win the game for the Wallabies, when he lined up a shot at goal in the 79th minute, but his effort was wide of the mark and the teams had to settle for the draw.


Check out the video highlights from Australia's 15-15 draw with Argentina at Newcastle on Saturday.

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Saturday, 14 November 2020

Jamie George hat-trick leads England to victory

Jamie George became the first England hooker to score a hat-trick of tries as Georgia were pounded into submission in a 40-0 Autumn Nations Cup mismatch at Twickenham.

George was the beneficiary as the home pack struck repeatedly through their line-out drive, reverting to the tactic time and again as their disappointing attack never left first gear.

The highlight of a dour, scrum-heavy clash was Jonathan Joseph's searing break that led to a 38th-minute try for Elliot Daly, but the moment was also touched by misfortune as the Bath three-quarter sustained an injury and had to be helped off.

It ended a successful start to Joseph's life as an outside centre-turned-wing given licence to roam Twickenham and Eddie Jones must wait to see when he can repeat the experiment.

From start to finish, the afternoon was a grim slog for Georgia as the sport's 12th-ranked side fought hard to limit opportunities while barely ever troubling the home 22 themselves.

Aided by the arrival of heavy rain, they turned the third quarter into an arm-wrestle to stem the flow of points and stop the game turning into a training ground run out for England, who were wearing their navy change kit.

Jack Willis became the first England player to score on his debut since Billy Vunipola in 2013 after crossing in the 15th minute and the Wasps flanker was clearly comfortable at this level, although tougher tests than Georgia await.

Jones will trumpet a job done as he looks to add more silverware to the Six Nations title won a fortnight ago, but his team's six-try procession was often ordinary and pedestrian even allowing for the tenacity of opponents who fought to the end.

Georgia have only one victory over a tier one nation in 31 attempts and that record never looked like being improved from the moment they came under sustained early pressure.

Only determined defending kept their try line intact as they repelled a succession of short-range assaults from the set piece.

Joseph was already making an impact but up-front was England's focus as they pounded away and in the process forced a series of penalties.

It was not easy on the eye, but Georgia were being squeezed at the scrum and with their energy spent they cracked in the 15th minute when Willis showed strength to force his way over, with a little help from Wasps team-mate Joe Launchbury.

Georgia celebrated wildly as they won a scrum penalty to partially avenge the earlier battering they had taken near the posts, but generally the one way traffic continued.

Frustratingly, despite the reams of possession England's attack was aimless and the second try once again came from the set-piece as a line-out was driven over the line finished by George.

And it was a carbon copy when number three was engineered in the 34th minute, the pack driving forward on an unstoppable march until George touched down.

England eventually injected pace into an attack, Joseph accelerating through a gap, drew the full-back and delivered the scoring pass to Daly, only to then be helped off.

Rain started lashing Twickenham and the ball started squirting around as result, producing knock-ons that impeded English progress.

Jones sought to inject fresh impetus by sending on replacements such as Mako Vunipola, Kyle Sinckler and Ben Earl, but with the changes came Georgia's most promising spell.

Once that was subdued, however, England responded with a third line-out try for George as they once again reverted to their greatest strength.  Dan Robson dummied and slipped over to complete the rout.


Check out the video highlights from England's 40-0 victory over Georgia at Twickenham on Saturday.

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Scotland fight back to see off Italy in Florence

Scotland were given a fright in Florence before they recovered to claim a 28-17 win over Italy in their Autumn Nations Cup opener on Saturday.

Gregor Townsend's team made it five straight victories for only the second time in the professional era but for an hour that run looked under serious threat.

The hosts have lost 27 straight Six Nations games but it appeared they might be about to start this one-off tournament with a shock victory after Matteo Minozzi's stunning try capped off a brilliant first-half display.

Paolo Garbisi contributed 12 points but things dried up after the break and Scotland ― who scored the afternoon's opening try through Duhan van der Merwe ― were able to see out victory with further scores from Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings and George Turner.

Duncan Weir, a boyhood Rangers fan, was making his first start in four years for the national team at the scene of the Light Blues' famous 2008 UEFA Cup win over Fiorentina as he replaced injured fly-halves Finn Russell and Adam Hastings.

The little number 10 was just as lethal as his footballing hero Nacho Novo as he contributed eight points with his boot ― although he was denied a dream try on his return to Townsend's line-up by a forward pass.

Scotland's long-awaited win in Wales a fortnight ago was built on the brutality and dominance of their front eight but their pack toiled in Tuscany during the opening 40 minutes as Italy's pragmatic approach left the visitors trapped in their own half.

Two early Garbisi penalties were scant reward for just how authoritative the Azzurri were in the opening 20 minutes.

Scotland were forced to concede a free-kick and a penalty from the opening two scrum contests before being put into reverse gear at the third as they were driven back a good 10 yards by the rampaging Italian forwards.

That was perhaps explained by the sight of prop Rory Sutherland limping off injured soon after but it was clear Townsend's team were not going to get the comfortable afternoon they had been expecting.

Scotland did eventually get a foothold in opposition territory as Stuart Hogg twice turned down the posts to pin Italy back in the corner.

The decision paid off after 24 minutes with the opening try.  Italy were forced to drag down the lineout maul and, with penalty advantage in their pocket, Scotland bundled somewhat haphazardly through a series of scrappy collisions before Van der Merwe pulled off the wing to charge through a gap and put them on the board.

Weir's conversion nudged them ahead but only for two minutes as the hosts hit back with a stunner.

Marco Zanon steamrollered over the top of Weir in dismissive fashion before Marcello Violi and Mattia Bellini pin-balled some rapid offloads around Chris Harris and Hogg before Minozzi dived over to complete a classic score.  Garbisi's conversion, however, hit the upright.

Italy's lead was stretched to seven points two minutes after the change of ends as Garbisi slotted another penalty.

A forward pass from Sam Johnson denied Weir his comeback try moments later as the TMO intervened to alert referee Luke Pearce.

But the officials could find nothing wrong with Fagerson's touchdown four minutes later as Italy inexplicably switched off to allow the prop to dawdle over the line.

A couple of brave, flat passes from Weir took Scotland into the Italian 22 but Fagerson could barely believe his luck when the hosts stopped dead as Hamish Watson's offload from the floor deflected off Jake Polledri's hand into his grasp and had to be told by team-mates to flop over before the Azzurri came to their senses.

Weir's conversion brought the scores level but Italy came roaring back.

However, they will certainly be frustrated that they could only take another Garbisi penalty from a raid that looked so promising at one stage.

The Scots had it all to do in the final quarter but a big Watson turnover was the momentum-changer they needed.

Replacement hooker Turner punctured a huge hole in the Italian defence as Cummings timed his charge perfectly to crash over the line for the decisive try.

Turner then secured the bonus-point win with four minutes left as Italy's resistance crumbled in the face of another Scottish line-out drive.


Take a check on the video highlights from Scotland's 28-17 victory over Italy in Florence on Saturday.

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Argentina secure first-ever win against New Zealand

Argentina recorded their first win ever against New Zealand as they outsmarted the All Blacks 25-15 in their Tri Nations Test in Sydney on Saturday.

Poor discipline and inaccuracy in the execution of their game-plan cost the All Blacks dearly in last week's defeat to the Wallabies and it was a similar story against the Pumas, who dominated for long periods and delivered an outstanding defensive display which paved the way to victory.

Nicolas Sanchez was the Pumas' hero as he delivered a superb all-round performance and scored all his team's points courtesy of a try, six penalties and a conversion.

For the All Blacks, Sam Cane and Caleb Clarke crossed the whitewash and their other points came via a penalty and a conversion from Richie Mo'unga.

Argentina were competitive during the early exchanges and took the lead in the sixth minute when Sanchez landed a long-range penalty from the halfway mark, before Mo'unga restored parity with a three-pointer of his own off the kicking tee five minutes later.

The All Blacks held the upper hand during the next five minutes but despite having most of the possession, they lost the initiative as they committed a plethora of unforced errors and ill discipline also proved costly.

Midway through the half the Pumas regained the lead when Sanchez went over for the opening try.  This, after he launched a chip kick just outside New Zealand's 22 which wreaked havoc in his opponents' defence.  Rodrigo Bruni booted the ball ahead before Sanchez gathered it and scored under the posts.

That score gave Argentina plenty of confidence as they continued to attack and in the 27th minute Sanchez added another penalty after Jordie Barrett was blown up for illegal play on defence.

On the half-hour mark, the Pumas launched a brilliant attack in which Tomas Cubelli laid the groundwork with a superb line break and Bruni and Juan Imhoff also did well with strong carries before Pablo Matera was held up by Mo'unga while crossing the try-line.

Argentina continued to dominate and in the 33rd minute another Sanchez penalty ― after the All Blacks forwards infringed at a scrum ― gave them a commanding 16-3 lead at half-time.

Argentina made a bright start to the second period and Sanchez increased their lead in the 49th minute when he slotted his fourth penalty.

The All Blacks needed a response and that came five minutes later when Cane scored his try off the back of a lineout drive deep inside Pumas territory.

Mo'unga added the extras which meant Argentina were leading 19-10 but an indiscretion on defence from the All Blacks fly-half shortly afterwards was punished by Sanchez, who converted another penalty.

With time running out, New Zealand upped the ante on attack and spent most of the final quarter camped inside Argentina's half.  With them chasing the game, they committed several unforced errors, however, and in the 77th minute Sam Whitelock infringed at a lineout one metre inside his opponents' half.

Up stepped Sanchez, who showed his class as he landed his second long range goal-kick off the match which also sealed a memorable and historic win for his side.


Check out the video highlights from Argentina’s historic 25-15 victory over New Zealand on Saturday.

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Friday, 13 November 2020

Ireland dominate to see off woeful Wales

England are the 2020 Six Nations champions after both France and Ireland failed to get the required result in Paris to usurp the Red Rose at the top of the table.

Toulouse playmakers Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack outshone Ireland counterparts Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton to assert their status as Europe's top half-back pairing.

Dupont and Ntamack's finishes were adorned by a penalty try and Virimi Vakatawa's score as France crushed Ireland's slender hopes of a fourth Six Nations title in seven years.

The visibly frustrated Ireland captain Sexton was left shaking his head on being replaced by Ross Byrne in the final quarter but his tactical removal merely underscored France's superiority.

Cian Healy toasted his 100th cap with a fine try on a punishing night where he also vomited on the Stade de France pitch and passed a head injury assessment.

Robbie Henshaw powered in a stunning solo score and Jacob Stockdale crossed at the death too, but France refused to allow Ireland anything like the control Andy Farrell's side craved and duly earned a 35-27 triumph.

Ireland spent half the week expecting to require the win and a try bonus-point to claim the title ― in the end it was Fabien Galthie's resurgent Les Bleus who claimed the four tries, and deservedly so.

Ntamack's try broke Ireland's resistance, France's ruthless counter-attack stunning Farrell's men, with Sexton's bomb overhit and punished to the full.

The rampant France fly-half magicked Vakatawa's try too, with a sublime chip and chase.

Farrell's Ireland remain a team in transition, then, with Murray and Sexton unable to hit their previous heights across this admittedly truncated Six Nations.

The fast-approaching Autumn Nations Cup will prove compelling viewing with the Irish at a clear crossroads:  stick with the tried, tested and trusted, or twist and build for the future.

World Cup 2023 hosts France meanwhile need change nothing barring tightening their discipline.

The hosts drew first blood, Vincent Rattez keeping the ball in play on the right before Gael Fickou trapped a loose pass with his foot to launch a scything break.

The luckless Andrew Porter was no match for Fickou's fleet feet out wide, and the France wing fed Dupont to hare home for the try.

Anthony Boutier's yellow card for a deliberate tap into touch handed Ireland an immediate route back into the clash, however.

Ireland punted the penalty to the corner, only to bungle the lineout ― with Sexton knocking on under pressure before copping a knee to the head from Francois Cros.

The visitors put a second penalty into touch for a lineout, and this time Bundee Aki had to rescue a lose throw, claiming smartly at the tail.

Ireland drove Sexton over the line to be held up for a five-metre scrum, and eventually Healy powered over for the try.

Sexton's conversion had the scores level at seven apiece, then the Ireland fly-half's penalty had the visitors 10-7 to the good.

Stockdale then knocked on twice in his own 22 in a matter of minutes ― evading censure for the first, but not the second.

Caelan Doris was sin-binned for tackling Cros without the ball as the flanker was due to collect and score after Stockdale's second knock-on ― and France were duly awarded a penalty try.

Ireland delivered the ideal start to their 10 minutes with 14 men, however, forcing a penalty in the France 22.  Sexton slotted the facile goal to leave France leading 14-13.

Ntamack converted a goal of his own to leave France 17-13 ahead, with a lead they held to the break.

Restored to their full 15 players, Ireland punted a third penalty of the half to the corner ― and were again unable to convert.

France turned the ball over to clear, to take their four-point lead into half-time.

The hosts opened the second-half with a fine try, stunning Ireland with a deadly counter-attack.  Bouthier fielded Sexton's ill-judged high bomb, and launched an eye-catching and successful raid.

Fickou's chip capitalised on Ireland's misaligned backfield, Dupont raced onto a helpful bounce ― and flipped inside for Ntamack to score in style.

Ntamack missed the conversion, but posted two quick penalties for France to lead 28-13.

Just when Ireland were staring down defeat's barrel however, Henshaw conjured a try out of nothing.  The Leinster centre cut blind after scooping a loose ball, beat the cover and then bashed his way home.

Sexton's conversion cut France's lead to 28-20 on the hour ― but there was to be no big comeback.

Instead, Ntamack's cute chip and chase teed up Vakatawa for France ― and not Ireland ― to seal the bonus-point score.

Stockdale bagged a consolation score with the game's final play, with Ross Byrne converting, but not even that could deny France the win ― and England the title.


Check out the highlights from France's 35-27 victory over Ireland in the Six Nations on Saturday.

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Saturday, 7 November 2020

Two see red as Wallabies edge out All Blacks in Brisbane

Australia bounced back from last week's humiliating defeat to New Zealand with a 24-22 triumph over their trans-Tasman rivals in Saturday's Tri-Nations Test in Brisbane.

Although this was an entertaining encounter, it was marred by ill discipline as both sides finished the match with 14 men after Ofa Tu'ungafasi and Lachie Swinton were red carded in the opening half.

Tu'ungafasi was sent off in the 23rd minute after making direct contact to the chin of Tom Wright, when tackling the Wallabies wing, and Swinton received his red card for a similar offence on Sam Whitelock five minutes before half-time.

After suffering a record 43-5 loss to the All Blacks in Sydney last Saturday, the Wallabies were under pressure but they delivered a better performance in this fixture and were competitive throughout.

Reece Hodge, who made only his second Test appearance at fly-half for Australia, finished with a 14-point haul after slotting four penalties and a conversion and their other points came via tries from Wright and Taniela Tupou.

For the All Blacks, Rieko Ioane, Codie Taylor and Tupou Vaa'i scored tries while Jordie Barrett succeeded with two conversions and a penalty.

The Wallabies were fastest out of the blocks and took the lead as early as the third minute courtesy of a try from Test debutant Wright.  This, after Hodge delivered a teasing chip kick deep inside New Zealand's half and Tom Banks did well to gather the ball before offloading to Wright, who dotted down.

It didn't take long for the All Blacks to respond and five minutes later a Ngani Laumape pass inside Australia's 22 was knocked backwards by Wright but Ioane was quickest to react and gathered the loose ball before crossing for his 26th try in his 32nd Test.

Midway through the half, Australia regained the lead when Hodge slotted a penalty after Sevu Reece infringed at a breakdown.  Shortly afterwards, New Zealand suffered that setback when Tu'ungafasi was red carded for his illegal hit on Wright.  With a numerical advantage, the Wallabies had the bulk of the possession and territory but, despite that, it was the All Blacks who scored next via a 33rd minute penalty from Barrett.

From the restart, Wallabies debutant Swinton committed his indiscretion and referee Nic Berry had little hesitation in giving him his marching orders after checking television replays.  Swinton's exit saw New Zealand regaining the initiative and they spent the closing stages of the half on the attack inside their opponents' 22.

Just before the interval, the Wallabies were reduced to 13 players when Marika Koroibete was yellow carded for playing the ball on the ground close to his try-line but, despite his departure, the Wallabies held on and the teams changed sides at half-time with the score deadlocked at 8-8.

Australia then made the brighter start to the second half courtesy of a penalty from Hodge in the 50th minute but New Zealand struck back two minutes later when Taylor scored their second try off the back of a lineout drive deep inside Wallabies territory.

That score did not deter the home side, who reduced the deficit to a point by the hour-mark, when Hodge added his third penalty.  In the 68th minute, it was the All Blacks' turn to play with 13 men when Scott Barrett was yellow carded after he slapped the ball from Nic White's hands when the Wallabies scrum-half tried to clear from a ruck and Hodge succeeded with the resulting penalty, which gave his side a 17-15 lead.

Australia continued to attack and were rewarded in the 75th minute when Tupou barged over from close quarters and, although the All Blacks struck back with a late try from Vaa'i, it wasn't enough as the Wallabies held on in the game's dying moments to secure their first Test win of 2020.


Check out the highlights from Australia’s 24-22 victory over New Zealand at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.

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Saturday, 31 October 2020

England win Six Nations after France beat Ireland

England are the 2020 Six Nations champions after both France and Ireland failed to get the required result in Paris to usurp the Red Rose at the top of the table.

Toulouse playmakers Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack outshone Ireland counterparts Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton to assert their status as Europe's top half-back pairing.

Dupont and Ntamack's finishes were adorned by a penalty try and Virimi Vakatawa's score as France crushed Ireland's slender hopes of a fourth Six Nations title in seven years.

The visibly frustrated Ireland captain Sexton was left shaking his head on being replaced by Ross Byrne in the final quarter but his tactical removal merely underscored France's superiority.

Cian Healy toasted his 100th cap with a fine try on a punishing night where he also vomited on the Stade de France pitch and passed a head injury assessment.

Robbie Henshaw powered in a stunning solo score and Jacob Stockdale crossed at the death too, but France refused to allow Ireland anything like the control Andy Farrell's side craved and duly earned a 35-27 triumph.

Ireland spent half the week expecting to require the win and a try bonus-point to claim the title ― in the end it was Fabien Galthie's resurgent Les Bleus who claimed the four tries, and deservedly so.

Ntamack's try broke Ireland's resistance, France's ruthless counter-attack stunning Farrell's men, with Sexton's bomb overhit and punished to the full.

The rampant France fly-half magicked Vakatawa's try too, with a sublime chip and chase.

Farrell's Ireland remain a team in transition, then, with Murray and Sexton unable to hit their previous heights across this admittedly truncated Six Nations.

The fast-approaching Autumn Nations Cup will prove compelling viewing with the Irish at a clear crossroads:  stick with the tried, tested and trusted, or twist and build for the future.

World Cup 2023 hosts France meanwhile need change nothing barring tightening their discipline.

The hosts drew first blood, Vincent Rattez keeping the ball in play on the right before Gael Fickou trapped a loose pass with his foot to launch a scything break.

The luckless Andrew Porter was no match for Fickou's fleet feet out wide, and the France wing fed Dupont to hare home for the try.

Anthony Boutier's yellow card for a deliberate tap into touch handed Ireland an immediate route back into the clash, however.

Ireland punted the penalty to the corner, only to bungle the lineout ― with Sexton knocking on under pressure before copping a knee to the head from Francois Cros.

The visitors put a second penalty into touch for a lineout, and this time Bundee Aki had to rescue a lose throw, claiming smartly at the tail.

Ireland drove Sexton over the line to be held up for a five-metre scrum, and eventually Healy powered over for the try.

Sexton's conversion had the scores level at seven apiece, then the Ireland fly-half's penalty had the visitors 10-7 to the good.

Stockdale then knocked on twice in his own 22 in a matter of minutes ― evading censure for the first, but not the second.

Caelan Doris was sin-binned for tackling Cros without the ball as the flanker was due to collect and score after Stockdale's second knock-on ― and France were duly awarded a penalty try.

Ireland delivered the ideal start to their 10 minutes with 14 men, however, forcing a penalty in the France 22.  Sexton slotted the facile goal to leave France leading 14-13.

Ntamack converted a goal of his own to leave France 17-13 ahead, with a lead they held to the break.

Restored to their full 15 players, Ireland punted a third penalty of the half to the corner ― and were again unable to convert.

France turned the ball over to clear, to take their four-point lead into half-time.

The hosts opened the second-half with a fine try, stunning Ireland with a deadly counter-attack.  Bouthier fielded Sexton's ill-judged high bomb, and launched an eye-catching and successful raid.

Fickou's chip capitalised on Ireland's misaligned backfield, Dupont raced onto a helpful bounce ― and flipped inside for Ntamack to score in style.

Ntamack missed the conversion, but posted two quick penalties for France to lead 28-13.

Just when Ireland were staring down defeat's barrel however, Henshaw conjured a try out of nothing.  The Leinster centre cut blind after scooping a loose ball, beat the cover and then bashed his way home.

Sexton's conversion cut France's lead to 28-20 on the hour ― but there was to be no big comeback.

Instead, Ntamack's cute chip and chase teed up Vakatawa for France ― and not Ireland ― to seal the bonus-point score.

Stockdale bagged a consolation score with the game's final play, with Ross Byrne converting, but not even that could deny France the win ― and England the title.


Check out the highlights from France's 35-27 victory over Ireland in the Six Nations on Saturday.

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England unimpressive in victory over Italy

England did their job, securing a bonus-point triumph over Italy, and it was enough to win the 2020 Six Nations title, despite their distinctly average 34-5 win.

Ben Youngs celebrated his 100th cap by crossing twice, a brilliant second try coming moments after the interval when Eddie Jones' men looked for a response to a ragged and bad-tempered first half.

Suffering from the cancellation of the Barbarians fixture that was to be their warm-up, they looked every bit a team that had been inactive for the last seven months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Italy fought hard but when Jamie George touched down on his 50th cap, any remote hopes of staging an upset faded and England registered the crucial bonus point when Tom Curry surged over from close range.

Henry Slade added the fifth and final try to set up an anxious wait, but they were crowned champions after France beat Ireland 35-27.

England have won all 26 previous meetings with Italy, scoring an average of over 40 points each time, and a year to the day after losing the 2019 World Cup final to South Africa they inflicted a 33rd successive Championship defeat on the Azzurri.

All week they talked about the need to show patience in shaking off the rustiness of having not played since mid-March, but it took only four minutes to breach the home defence.

Mako Vunipola was the engineer, the Saracens prop standing at first receiver and sending Owen Farrell into a gap before Youngs appeared on his shoulder to finish the move.

Italy were in full retreat in every department and it took furious defence to keep out the white shirts, so it was a conservative decision when Farrell opted for three points when offered a penalty in front of the posts.

England pressed again but a fumble by Kyle Sinckler was pounced upon by centre Carlo Canna, who gathered and carried before a rampaging Jake Polledri arrived on an excellent line to storm over the whitewash.

Another setback came in the 23rd minute when Jonny Hill's debut soured upon catching Edoardo Padovani on the head with an arm, forcing the Italian wing to undergo an HIA and earning the Chiefs double-winner a yellow card.

Jones slammed down his radio device in anger at referee Pascal Gauzere's decision and what followed would not have pleased the Australian head coach either.

Italy began to attack with tempo and made inroads, winning successive penalties which they cleverly used to build pressure.

A driving line-out took them over the whitewash but they were held up with Hill under the ball and they crumbled at the ensuing five-metre scrum, costing them a glorious chance.

Polledri entered the sin-bin for going in at the side but just as England began to hammer away from close range, they conceded a penalty to enable Italy to escape and even momentarily threaten at the other end.

An unimpressive 10-5 interval lead was extended 56 seconds into the second half when Hill charged down a box kick and Maro Itoje secured the loose ball.

Spotting a gap at the ruck, Youngs dummied and slid through the hole before beating full-back Matteo Minozzi.

With half an hour to go, daylight opened up as George finished a driving maul but Italy refused to fold as they continued to scrap.

Finally they began to buckle, Curry spotting an unguarded blindside to scamper over, before Ben Earl and Slade took advantage of an absent Azzurri defence for the latter to complete the rout.


Check out the highlights from England's 34-5 victory over Italy in the Six Nations on Saturday.

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Scotland secure rare away win over Wales

Scotland produced a solid display to emerge triumphant for the first time in Wales since 2002 following a thoroughly deserved 14-10 victory at the Parc y Scarlets.

Gregor Townsend's men also ruined Alun Wyn Jones' world record-breaking day, controlling the majority of the game and ending the campaign on a positive note.

Wales, who wanted to mark captain Jones breaking Richie McCaw's world Test match appearance record in winning style, could have few complaints as they suffered a fifth successive defeat.

It is their worst run of results since 2016, where they were also consigned to just one victory in the entire Six Nations campaign, to increase the pressure on head coach Wayne Pivac.

Replacement hooker Stuart McInally's 61st-minute try proved the difference in a poor game littered with errors and precious little memorable attacking rugby.

Finn Russell, whose return to Scotland's starting line-up lasted just 33 minutes before he suffered a suspected groin injury, kicked a penalty, as did his replacement Adam Hastings, before captain Stuart Hogg's 80th-minute strike finished Wales off.

Wales plundered a try for prop Rhys Carre, with Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny each kicking a penalty, but Scotland deserved to take the spoils.

Wales suffered a late blow when flanker Justin Tipuric was ruled out due to due to tonsillitis, with Scarlets forward James Davies replacing him and Aaron Wainwright taking over from Davies among the substitutes.

Tipuric's absence meant that Wales showed seven changes from the side beaten by France last time out, including a debut for Cardiff Blues flanker Shane Lewis-Hughes, but wing George North was dropped.

Russell returned for Scotland, handed a first Test start since last year's World Cup after being omitted from the squad in January following a breach of team protocol, while Hogg and lock Jonny Gray were also back following their domestic and European double-winning exploits with Exeter.

A period of silence was held before kick-off to mark support for Rugby against Racism and to remember former Wales, British and Irish Lions and Llanelli wing JJ Williams, who died on Thursday, with the Wales players also wearing black armbands as Jones led them out.

Russell had an immediate chance to open Scotland's account, but he drifted a 35-metre penalty chance wide before making amends eight minutes later as the visitors moved 3-0 ahead.

Wales, as they had done against France eight days ago, encountered early lineout and breakdown issues, and they could make no impact during an error-strewn opening 15 minutes.

Scotland continued to dominate territory, and they almost broke through when Hogg created space, but his pass failed to find centre Chris Harris with Wales' defence stretched.

Scotland's cohesion and general accuracy proved impressive in the blustery conditions, and it took Wales 30 minutes before they entered the Scottish 22, but their reward was immediate.

Hooker Fraser Brown got his radar wrong, overthrowing the ball at a lineout, and the Wales forwards capitalised, with Carre touching down and Biggar converting for a 7-3 lead before Russell departed and Hastings kicked a penalty on the stroke of half-time.

Wales also lost their fly-half to injury, with Biggar going off just three minutes into the second period and being replaced by Rhys Patchell.

There was a greater urgency about the Wales forwards after the break, yet the home side continued to be frustrated by a penalty count that reached double figures against them by the 50-minute mark.

And Scotland went ahead in the 61st minute when an attacking lineout was driven at pace, crushing the Wales defence, and McInally touched down, giving Scotland a four-point advantage.

A Halfpenny penalty ensured a tense finish, but Scotland closed out the contest in a calm and composed fashion through Hogg's late penalty to secure a notable victory.


Check out the highlights from Scotland's 14-10 victory over Wales in the Six Nations on Saturday.

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All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup with record win

New Zealand wrapped up the Bledisloe Cup for an 18th successive year as they proved too strong for Australia, winning 43-5 in Sydney on Saturday.

Tries from Karl Tu'inukuafe, Richie Mo'unga (2), Dane Coles, Rieko Ioane and Jordie Barrett saw the All Blacks cruise to a record victory over their rivals.

Australia's only try came from Noah Lolesio as they were embarrassed by their visitors and must regroup ahead of facing them again next week in Brisbane.

It was a dream opening half for the All Blacks as they ran in four tries and it could have been more, which was hugely concerning for the Wallabies supporters.

Australia's cause was not helped early on when on three minutes Filipo Daugunu was sin-binned for taking out Caleb Clarke while the All Black was in the air.

With a man advantage the All Blacks duly sensed an opportunity to strike and on six minutes they were over as a huge overlap was created from second phase play, with Tu'inukuafe straightening before scrambling over for a 7-0 lead.  The loosehead prop would breathe a sigh of relief as numbers were waiting outside.

The game was then played at 14 apiece when Jordie Barrett followed Daugunu to the sideline after he led with the elbow in contact against Dane Haylett-Petty.  But that didn't impact on New Zealand's form as they almost scored again on 11 minutes, this time Coles denied for not grounding sufficiently over the chalk.

Another close call came two minutes later when Coles and Aaron Smith combined to send Clarke in, but he was denied by a sliding Marika Koroibete on the right.

Finally, New Zealand would be rewarded for their efforts though as there was no stopping Mo'unga on 21 minutes, his pace proving too much for hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa, before he beat Lolesio to the right corner.  Mo'unga's missed conversion meant it was a 12-0 cushion, but one felt there was much more to come.

So it proved as Mo'unga added another crossing six minutes later, this time from long-range when he scorched over after collecting Beauden Barrett's smart chip.

New Zealand were now turning the screw and it was Coles crossing next, the hooker scoring at the back of a driving maul from five metres out for 26-0.  And it could've got worse for the Wallabies late in the half when a spillage from Daugunu saw Mo'unga almost cross again but for a slip to save the wing's blushes.

Australia were needing a miracle on the resumption and got the perfect start to the second half when centre Jordan Petaia's powerful carry got them into the 22 and on the front foot.  That allowed Lolesio to find a gap in the scrambling defence and he pierced it to get Australia on the board with an unconverted try.

The Wallabies knew they would also need the next score in the game to make a contest out of the clash but it wasn't forthcoming and it was New Zealand who put points on the board, Mo'unga sending over a penalty on the hour mark to make it 29-5.  Both head coaches were now starting to utilise their replacements.

The changes, coupled with New Zealand taking their foot off the gas, saw a dip in entertainment value thereafter, with plenty of stoppages disrupting the flow.  But on 71 minutes the visitors hit their straps again when Hoskins Sotutu went to the short side of the scrum where he found Ioane for the simplest of tries.

There was more to come too when a minute later Jordie Barrett sliced through on halfway before sprinting over to make it 43-5, adding the gloss on a record win as New Zealand wrapped up the Bledisloe Cup yet again, with a late Shannon Frizell yellow card doing little to dampen the All Blacks spirits after this result.


Check out the highlights from New Zealand’s 43-5 record win over Australia at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.

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Saturday, 24 October 2020

France condemn Wales to fourth straight defeat

Wales suffered a fourth successive international defeat under head coach Wayne Pivac as they were beaten 38-21 by France in Paris on Saturday.

The Welsh could not build on a flying start that saw them rattle up 10 unanswered points through full-back Leigh Halfpenny's try and a conversion and penalty by fly-half Dan Biggar.

As a warm-up for next weekend's delayed Six Nations appointment with Scotland, Wales' first game since early March began impressively, but France responded with three converted tries by half-time.

Scrum-half Antoine Dupont scored two of them, and prop Cyril Baille also crossed, with three Romain Ntamack conversions giving France control that they never relinquished.

Captain Charles Ollivon and wing Teddy Thomas added second-half touchdowns, both converted by Ntamack, who also kicked a penalty, and Wales added a try by substitute prop Nicky Smith and two further Biggar penalties, although he also missed three kicks.

Wales' reversal followed losses to Ireland, France and England in the Six Nations earlier this year, while Les Bleus could also reflect on their biggest win in the fixture since 2011.

Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones equalled Richie McCaw's mark of 148 Test match appearances as both countries gained a competitive work-out before playing rescheduled Six Nations games next weekend.

Fit-again centre Jonathan Davies returned for his first Test start since last year's World Cup, with uncapped Gloucester wing Louis Rees-Zammit among Wales' replacements, while France fielded 14 of their line-up that defeated Wales in Cardiff eight months ago.

Wales made a dream start, taking the lead after just 58 seconds when they capitalised on Les Bleus number eight Gregory Alldritt dropping the kick-off.

It gave the visitors an immediate attacking platform, and flanker Justin Tipuric's pinpoint pass found Biggar, who sent an unmarked Halfpenny over.

Biggar's successful conversion meant Wales were off and running in rapid fashion, and they had no intention of applying the brakes as a Biggar penalty made it 10-0 inside eight minutes.

Biggar then gave Wales an injury scare when he went down unchallenged, clutching his right shin, and France responded on the scoreboard through Baille's close-range touchdown that Ntamack converted.

It was a reminder to Wales of France's attacking danger, yet they regroup quickly, and a second Biggar penalty gave the visitors a six-point advantage following an intense opening quarter.

Biggar continued to look distinctly uncomfortable, but he stayed on after further treatment as Wales maintained control until they were undone by some French brilliance.

Centre Virimi Vakatawa showcased his class through a stunning off-load that found Teddy Thomas, and his inside ball allowed Dupont a clear run-in, with Ntamack's conversion making it 14-13.

Wales prop Samson Lee went off seven minutes before the break, being replaced by Cardiff Blues tighthead Dillon Lewis, and the French try blitz continued when Vakatawa again provided an assist and Dupont crossed for his second touchdown in four minutes.

Ntamack completed a hat-trick of conversions, and Wales needed to regroup as the interval approached, but they could not cut the deficit and Les Bleus enjoyed an eight-point interval advantage.

Wales struck first after the break as Biggar completed his penalty hat-trick, only for France to blow a gilt-edged chance when Alldritt spilled possession with the line at his mercy.

Biggar missed his first kick of the night approaching the hour-mark, and Pivac had already started using his bench, handing Test debuts to Rees-Zammit and Ospreys hooker Sam Parry.

Another wayward Biggar penalty attempt allowed France a further let-off, and Les Bleus reaped maximum benefit when more fine work by Dupont sent captain Ollivon away to score, with Ntamack again converting.

Wales could easily have been down and out, yet they responded just two minutes later when Smith surged over to keep the game alive.

Biggar's third successive missed kick did not help their cause, though, and Thomas' fine solo score completed a frustrating night for the visitors.


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Seven-try Ireland show their class against Italy

Ireland breezed past callow Italy 50-17 to tee up a tilt at a fourth Six Nations crown in seven years in a one-sided game in Dublin on Saturday.

Hugo Keenan bagged a debut brace, with fellow newcomer Will Connors also on the scoresheet.

CJ Stander, Johnny Sexton, Bundee Aki and Dave Heffernan all crossed too, with Edoardo Padovani and Paolo Garbisi finishing for the Italians.

Garry Ringrose suffered a head injury scare in one of the few blows to Ireland's straightforward afternoon at an Aviva Stadium empty of fans due to coronavirus restrictions.

Ireland's facile win leaves Andy Farrell's side requiring another bonus-point victory against France in Paris next weekend to seal yet another Six Nations crown.

Ireland claimed Six Nations glory in 2014, 2015 and 2018 under Joe Schmidt, with the final tournament win comprising just their third ever Grand Slam.

But now new boss Farrell has the chance to steer Ireland to another Six Nations triumph at his first crack.

Putting four tries past France in Paris will prove an altogether different challenge from vanquishing the also-rans of Italy, however.

The Azzurri's record Six Nations losing streak was extended to 26 with precious little issue, and with Ireland hardly having to hit full stride.

Italy stunned Farrell's men from the off, Seb Negri haring through a gap in the hosts' defensive line for a major break.

Scrum-half Marcello Violi latched on to Negri's pass and so nearly opened the try-scoring, only to be hauled back.

Murray killed the ball and duly walked for a yellow card, and Garbisi slotted the penalty to put the Azzurri 3-0 ahead.

Unfazed Ireland shook off their numerical disadvantage however, with centre Ringrose starring in a fine scrum-half cameo.

The Irish quickly vindicated punting a penalty to the corner, with Stander barrelling home for the game's first try.  Sexton converted and shortly added a penalty after Ireland squeezed Italy at the scrum.

Ireland bungled a maul in Italy's 22, then lost Ringrose after the centre took a heavy whack to his jaw.

Robbie Henshaw joined the fray and quickly sent Keenan in at the corner for his maiden Test score, floating out a fine pass to the Leinster flyer.

Sexton's inch-perfect touchline conversion had Ireland 17-3 up and coasting on the half-hour.

Keenan hared home again just three minutes later, only for the try to be chalked off.

James Ryan was harshly judged to have blocked Marco Lazzaroni, creating the space for a rangy Stockdale break.  So despite Keenan's neat finish, the try was ruled out following a video review.

The undeterred Keenan quickly sealed his second score, with Ireland completing a deadly counter-attack.

Caelan Doris robbed Italy on the deck in Ireland's 22 before feeding Aki on the break.  The centre set Murray racing away and the astute half-back picked the perfect moment to turn the defence with a cute grubber.

Keenan beat the cover to the loose ball, gathered cleanly and scored, before Sexton's conversion extended Ireland's interval lead to 24-3.

Italy cut through a dreary second-half opening as Padovani punished Sexton's telegraphed wide pass to intercept and race in unopposed.

Garbisi's conversion left Ireland leading 24-10 ahead of the hour and still hunting the all-important bonus-point score.

The hosts hit back quickly, however, with Connors capping a well-worked lineout drive for his debut score and that vital fourth try.  Sexton's conversion made it 31-10.

That broke the Italy resistance and Sexton quickly capped a fluent counter-attack to bag himself a score, after Stockdale, Stander, Keenan and Doris had all cut through the visiting defence.

Aki raced in after Peter O'Mahony's impressive offload before Heffernan capped another driving maul.

Ross Byrne's quick conversion let the match restart one final time – but that backfired as Italy scrapped a second score of their own, Garbisi racing in after a smart dummy before converting his own score.


Catch up on the video highlights from Ireland's 50-17 victory over Italy at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

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Friday, 23 October 2020

Duhan van der Merwe scores on debut in Scotland win

Edinburgh's Duhan van der Merwe displayed his try-scoring prowess as the wing touched down on his Scotland debut in their dominant 48-7 triumph over Georgia.

With Stuart Hogg aiming to complete a trophy double with new European champions Exeter, Fraser Brown was handed the armband on his 51st international appearance and marked the occasion by crossing twice after lineout mauls.

Georgia could not handle the driving maul and Hamish Watson and Stuart McInally both went over from the same source.

Darcy Graham had opened the scoring early on and the Scotland backs weighed in as the game opened up in the latter stages.

Graham grabbed a late second after his fellow Edinburgh winger, Van der Merwe, grabbed a try before Blair Kinghorn got in on the act.

Van der Merwe's fellow South African, Oli Kebble, also won his first cap after coming off the bench with Finn Russell, making his 50th Scotland appearance and his first this year after losing his place following a disciplinary issue prior to the Six Nations.

Scotland were on the front foot immediately as they warmed up for next weekend's Six Nations finale in Wales, and there were little over two minutes gone when Graham produced a dummy after his own tap penalty which made space for him to claim his sixth try on his 11th international outing.

The home side remained on top without making the most of their possession but their forwards ensured Townsend's team went into half-time with a commanding lead thanks to two tries in five minutes following lineout mauls.

Hooker Brown joined the back of the maul after his own throw and got the final touch as the Georgian pack were driven back in the 26th minute.  Rory Sutherland then fed Watson to go over on the left wing.

Scotland were confined to a 17-0 half-time lead after failing to convince French referee Alexandre Ruiz that they had got the crucial touch after forcing the Georgian defence back over their own line again.

Cornell Du Preez, who was on for the injured Matt Fagerson, emerged from a pile of bodies claiming a try but television footage could not clear up who grounded the ball.

Georgia got off the mark inside five minutes of the restart after quickly turning a scrum from almost 40 metres out into a try.  Scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze's pass to Akaki Tabutsadze looked forward but Scott Cummings had got a fingertip to it which ensured the winger's score counted.

Scotland responded immediately as Brown produced a carbon copy of his first-half try.

Scotland made four changes with Kebble and Russell among those coming on and McInally replacing Brown before emulating his fellow hooker with another try from the lineout maul.

Russell gave Scotland a new edge and the game opened up for Scotland's backs in the latter stages.

The Racing 92 fly-half fed Van der Merwe with a close-range pass for the wide man to run through a huge gap in the 70th minute, and Graham went over after another lineout five minutes later.

Kinghorn scored in the final moments after following up on his own kick forward.


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Sunday, 18 October 2020

Dominant All Blacks prove too strong for Wallabies

New Zealand made a statement of intent as they produced a fine showing to beat Australia 27-7 in their Bledisloe Cup Test at Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday.

As the scoreline suggests, it was a very different story to a week ago when the sides drew 16-16 in Wellington with New Zealand dominating most facets of play especially during the second half when they produced a brilliant attacking display.

Tries from Aaron Smith, Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea and Sam Cane got the job done for the All Blacks and their other points came via the boot of Richie Mo'unga, who added a penalty and two conversions.

Marika Koroibete scored a try for the Wallabies which was converted by James O'Connor.

The result means New Zealand are still unbeaten at Eden Park since 1994 while Australia are yet to win there since 1986.

Australia made a blistering start but, despite spending a large part of the game's early stages inside New Zealand's half, they had nothing to show for their attacking endeavour.

The All Blacks soaked up the early pressure and eventually opened the scoring in the 18th minute courtesy of a Mo'unga penalty after the Wallabies strayed offside on defence.

Five minutes later, they went further ahead when Smith crossed for the opening try from close quarters after Jack Goodhue laid the groundwork with a strong run in the build-up.

The Wallabies needed a response and that came in the 29th minute when they took the ball through 12 phases inside the All Blacks' half with Ned Hanigan making a telling break which took play into the home side's 22.  The ball was recycled quickly and Koroibete went over for his five-pointer.

The rest of the half was tense with both teams continuing to run the ball from all areas of the field but neither side would score further points during that period and the match was evenly poised at half-time with New Zealand holding a 10-7 lead.

The All Blacks were fastest out of the blocks when the match restarted and were rewarded with two tries in quick succession inside the first five minutes of the half.

First, Mo'unga and Goodhue created space for Barrett, who score in the right hand corner, and shortly afterwards Caleb Clarke put the All Blacks on the front foot with a brilliant attacking run before Savea rounded off out wide.

Those scores boosted the All Blacks' confidence and they continued to attack at every opportunity.  And in the 54th minute Cane crossed for their fourth try after gathering a lobbed pass from Patrick Tuipulotu on the edge of the Wallabies' 22.

With the game in the bag, the All Blacks took their foot off the pedal and, although the Wallabies launched several attacks during the final quarter, they were not rewarded as the home side sealed a deserved win.


Check out the highlights from the All Blacks' 27-7 Bledisloe Cup triumph against the Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland.

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Sunday, 11 October 2020

All Blacks and Wallabies share the spoils in Wellington

New Zealand and Australia could not be separated in Wellington on Sunday, with their Bledisloe Cup Test finishing in a hard-fought 16-16 draw.

In a drama-filled and exciting contest, both sides scored two tries apiece with Jordie Barrett and Aaron Smith dotting down for the All Blacks while Marika Koroibete and Filipo Daugunu crossed for the Wallabies.

Barrett also added a couple of penalties for the home side and Australia's other points came courtesy of two three-pointers off the kicking tee from James O'Connor.

The hosts dominated early on but Australia improved as the match progressed and finished stronger.  The Wallabies had a chance to win the game in injury time when Reece Hodge lined up a goal-kick from 53 metres out but his effort struck an upright and the teams had to settle for the draw.

The opening exchanges were frantic with the Wallabies doing most of the attacking but the All Blacks soaked up the early pressure and eventually took the lead with a well-taken try from Barrett in the ninth minute.  Rieko Ioane laid the groundwork with a strong run before the ball was recycled quickly and brilliant offloading from Damian McKenzie, Jack Goodhue and Shannon Frizell created space for Barrett out wide and he went over in the right-hand corner.

In the 27th minute, Barrett increased the All Blacks' lead when he slotted a penalty from close range before O'Connor opened the Wallabies' account with his first three-pointer midway through the half.

Just before half-time, Sam Cane pounced on a loose ball just outside his 22 and the All Blacks launched a counter-attack with McKenzie and Richie Mo'unga prominent.  The fly-half did well to draw in the final defender before offloading to Ioane, who had an easy run-in, but he lost the ball while crossing the whitewash which meant the teams changed sides at the interval with New Zealand leading 8-3.

Australia had an early opportunity to score points in the second half when shortly after the restart O'Connor lined up a shot at goal, after McKenzie was blown up for holding onto the ball on the ground, but his effort was wide of the mark.

That proved costly as shortly afterwards the home side launched an attack from a lineout close to the halfway line and Codie Taylor caught the Wallabies napping on defence when he threw an inside pass to George Bridge at the back of the set-piece.  Bridge hit the line at pace before getting a pass out to Smith, who got the better of Nic White before crashing over in the left-hand corner.

The Wallabies needed a response and that came in the 53rd minute when they launched an attack just outside New Zealand's 22.  O'Connor ran a good line before finding Koroibete with a long pass and he did well to score out wide despite a desperate cover tackle from McKenzie.

Ten minutes later, the Wallabies drew level when McKenzie did well to rip the ball from the grasp of Matt Philip at a ruck close to his try-line but none of his team-mates were there to gather the loose ball.  White was quickest to react and offloaded to Daugunu, who cantered in for an easy try.

O'Connor failed to convert which meant the sides were deadlocked at 13-13 and we were set for an exciting finish.  In the 71st minute, New Zealand were awarded a scrum penalty but with rain pouring down and a strong wind blowing, Barrett pushed his kick wide of the uprights.

Soon after, Karl Tu'inukuafe infringed at a breakdown close to his 22 and with the wind at his back O'Connor made no mistake off the tee to give his side the lead for the first time in the game.

Two minutes before full-time, Rob Simmons entered a ruck from the side and Barrett made up for his earlier miss by slotting the resulting penalty.  That meant the sides were level at 16-16 but that was not the end of the match.

There was plenty of drama after Hodge's long-range effort hit the post with both sides scrambling to win the game as the clock went into over-time.  The All Blacks came closest but conceded possession near to the Wallabies' try-line deep into injury time with O'Connor opting to kick the ball into touch and the teams had to settle for a share of the spoils.


The highlights from New Zealand and Australia’s thrilling 16-16 draw in their Bledisloe Cup encounter.

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