Nine-try Springboks put Italy to the sword

South Africa got their Autumn Nations Series campaign back on track when they sealed an impressive 63-21 victory over Italy in Genoa on Saturday.

In a fast-paced and entertaining encounter, the visitors were full value for their win as they soaked up early pressure from their hosts before taking control of proceedings with an outstanding second half display.

The Springboks outscored their hosts by nine tries to two with Kurt-Lee Arendse leading the way with a brace with Bongi Mbonambi, Cheslin Kolbe, Kwagga Smith, Malcolm Marx, Steven Kitshoff, Damian Willemse and Cobus Reinach crossing for their other five-pointers.  Kolbe also succeeded with a couple of penalties and a conversion while Manie Libbok slotted five conversions.

For Italy, Ange Capuozzo and Lorenzo Cannone crossed the whitewash with Tommaso Allan adding 11 points courtesy of three penalties and two conversions.

The Springboks made the perfect start when Willie le Roux found Arendse with a skip pass out wide close to the home side’s 22.  The diminutive flyer still had work to do but did well to outpace the cover defence before diving over in the left-hand corner.

Kolbe failed with the conversion attempt before the Azzurri narrowed the gap with a penalty from Allan five minutes later.

From the restart, Giacomo Nicotera infringed at a breakdown and Kolbe slotted the resulting penalty but Italy struck back shortly afterwards when Capuozzo tore the visitors’ defence to shreds before crossing for a well-taken try.  Allan slotted the conversion from close to the touchline which meant the home side were leading 10-8 after 12 minutes.

The next 15 minutes were evenly contested and the scoreboard kept ticking as Allan and Kolbe traded further penalties, before Mbonambi broke away from a Bok maul inside Italy’s 22 and crashed over for his side’s second five-pointer, on the half-hour mark.

Kolbe made no mistake off the kicking tee and although the Azzurri spent some time in the visitors’ 22 during the latter stages of the half, no further points were scored during that period and the teams changed sides with the Boks leading 18-13 at the interval.

The Azzurri drew first blood via another Allan penalty early in the second half but the visitors struck back immediately when Kolbe gathered the restart from under the nose of Luca Morisi and raced away before crossing the whitewash.

That try seemed to reinvigorate the Boks as they upped the ante on attack and shortly afterwards Arendse went over for his second try out wide, after Le Roux and Siya Kolisi laid the groundwork in the build-up.

Libbok, who came on as an injury replacement for Kolbe after his try, slotted the conversion from close to the touchline to score his first international points and with the score 30-16 in their favour, the Boks took more liberties on attack.

Strong Bok finish

Five minutes later, South Africa were rewarded with their fifth try when Smith crashed over from close quarters and they were also rewarded in the 63rd minute when Marx scored his five-pointer off the back of a lineout drive deep inside Italy’s 22.

The home side needed a response and that came courtesy of a brilliant try from Cannone, who rounded off after the ball went through several pairs of hands in the build-up.

Despite that score, the Boks did not take their foot off the pedal and Kitshoff soon crossed for their seventh try, before excellent handling from Andre Esterhuizen, Arendse and Le Roux put Willemse in the clear for his five-pointer.

The visitors were not done and in the game’s dying moments Arendse set off on a mazy run inside the Azzurri’s half before throwing an inside pass to Reinach, who cantered in for his side’s last try which was the final nail in their opponents’ coffin.

All Blacks launch late fightback to edge Scotland

New Zealand scored 17 unanswered points to claim a 31-23 win over Scotland in an entertaining Autumn Nations Series fixture on Sunday.

A brace of tries on Test debut for Mark Telea followed Samisoni Taukei’aho’s opening score while Scott Barrett also crossed for the All Blacks at Murrayfield.

For Scotland they were awarded a penalty try while Darcy Graham scored, with Finn Russell kicking their remaining 11 points on his return to the starting XV.

The All Blacks, however, will be relieved to come away with the win as an out-of-sorts performance meant they were behind for a large spell of the game.

There was an emotional start to proceedings as 52-year-old former Scotland international Doddie Weir, in the throes of his battle with motor neurone disease, made a rare appearance at the national stadium to present the ball before kick-off.

But Scotland ― with Weir’s famous yellow and blue tartan adorning the numbers on the back of their purple kits to mark the fifth anniversary of his charity foundation ― got off to the worst possible start when Taukei’aho seized possession following a lineout and eased his way over the line from close range in the third minute.  Jordie Barrett kicked the conversion.

And just four minutes later things got worse for the hosts as debutant Telea ran onto a cross-field kick from Beauden Barrett and burrowed over.  Jordie Barrett was again successful in adding the extras.

At 14-0 down and having failed to lay a glove on the All Blacks, Scotland looked in serious danger of being ripped to shreds but they dug in and found a way back into the game, led by Stuart Hogg.

In the 12th minute, the full-back kicked the ball over the top and scampered after it himself.  Just as he looked set to slam it down for a try, Anton Lienert-Brown took him out.

Following a TMO review, a penalty try was awarded and Lienert-Brown was sent to the sin-bin.

Incredibly, the Scots were level three minutes later when Graham intercepted an All Blacks attack near halfway and burst forward to claim a magnificent individual try.

Russell ― back in the team for the first time in eight months after being contentiously left out of the initial squad named for the autumn internationals ― kicked the conversion.

The Scots’ tails were up and, after recovering from their chastening start, suddenly they had the All Blacks rattled.

For all the pressure they enjoyed, Gregor Townsend’s team would have been disappointed not to have added a third try before the break, although they did make sure they had a half-time lead to show for their efforts when Russell kicked a 31st-minute penalty following an offside.

The hosts picked up where they left off at the start of the second half, with Russell scoring a second penalty three minutes after the restart.

The Racing 92 fly-half then kept up his perfect kicking record for the day with another penalty in the 54th minute, taking the Scots nine points clear and seemingly on course for their first-ever victory over the All Blacks.

But Jordie Barrett brought New Zealand back into it with their first points since the opening seven minutes when he kicked a penalty in the 63rd minute.

And the momentum of the game continued to turn in favour of the tourists two minutes later when Jack Dempsey was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on following a TMO review.

From the scrum that followed, Scott Barrett forced his way over the line and Jordie Barrett once again made no mistake with the conversion to edge New Zealand back in front.

And the Scots’ hopes of a famous win were effectively ended in the 75th minute when Telea bounded over for his second try of the match, with Jordie Barrett again converting.

Dupont and Du Toit sent off as France edge Boks

The last two winners of the World Rugby Player of the Year award, Antoine Dupont and Pieter-Steph du Toit, were both red carded as France edged past South Africa 30-26 in a dramatic encounter.

Du Toit was deservedly sent off in the first half for connecting with the head of Jonathan Danty, who was forced off and later revealed to have sustained a fractured eye socket.

Les Bleus immediately benefited from the flanker’s absence, going 13-0 ahead thanks to Cyril Baille’s try and a brace of Thomas Ramos penalties, but the visitors impressively fought back.

Siya Kolisi touched down and Cheslin Kolbe added a conversion and a penalty to reduce the arrears before Ramos gave the hosts a 16-10 advantage at the break.

Then came the next big talking point in the contest.  South Africa were on the attack when Faf de Klerk chipped to the wing, where Kolbe was lurking.  Dupont had his eyes on the ball but took the wing out as the Springbok leapt into the air, resulting in the speedster landing on his head.

Referee Wayne Barnes, for the second time in the match, had little option but to red card the player.

With both teams down to 14, the Boks took control as Kurt-Lee Arendse touched down and De Klerk kicked a conversion and a penalty.

And after Ramos and Damian Willemse had traded three-pointers, the defending world champions were still ahead going into the latter stages, but Sipili Falatea’s try and a penalty from France’s full-back snatched the win in one of the great Test matches.

In one of the most hotly-anticipated encounters during the Autumn Nations Series, it did not disappoint.  The physicality was off the charts as both sides went head-to-head, but unfortunately for the Boks Du Toit did that quite literally.

France were already 3-0 in front through Ramos when the flanker went to clear out a ruck.  However, he did not attempt to wrap and instead led with his head, resulting in him being sent off.

The victim of the collision, Danty, was duly withdrawn, but he was not the only player to be forced off in was what a brutal encounter.

Fabien Galthie’s men saw four players in total replaced through injury, with Thibaud Flament and both props, Baille and Uini Atonio, also substituted, although the latter returned for the second period.

It disrupted what had, at that point, been a fine French display, with Ramos adding a second three-pointer and Baille going over from close range for their first try, but credit must go to the Boks, who displayed tremendous spirit and quality to respond.

Jacques Nienaber’s charges had shown a bit more ambition in comparison to recent matches, with Arendse and Kolbe both very much involved, but it was their trusty maul which did most of the damage.

They dominated France’s much-altered forward pack and it led to a three-pointer for Kolbe before Kolisi touched down from another lineout drive minutes later.

Ramos’ third penalty opened up a six-point buffer at the interval before the kickers traded efforts off the tee at the start of the second half.

South Africa, despite being down to 14 men, were starting to get on top, however, and they were soon being helped by their opponents’ ill-discipline.

France’s star sees red

Almost immediately after star playmaker Dupont had been red carded, the Springboks took the lead for the first time as Arendse crossed the whitewash for a converted try.

De Klerk then extended their lead with a penalty before Ramos made it a one-point game with a quarter of the match remaining.

The Boks continued to be clinical, though, and their third kicker of the evening, Willemse, made it 26-22 with 15 minutes to go.

Nienaber’s men had done a superb job in stopping France from getting into their rhythm but in the latter stages Les Bleus increased the pressure.

South Africa cynically infringed, resulting in a yellow card for Deon Fourie, before Falatea crossed the whitewash to take France back ahead.

Ramos missed the conversion but added a three-pointer soon after to secure the victory in an absolute thriller.

Wales hold off Argentina to return to winning ways

Wales got their Autumn Nations Series campaign back on track with a hard-fought 20-13 victory over Argentina at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.

Wayne Pivac’s troops were well beaten by the All Blacks last weekend but delivered a much improved effort against Los Pumas and eventually outscored their visitors by two tries to one in a tighly contested affair.

Taulupe Faletau and Tomos Williams crossed the whitewash for the home side while their other points came via the boot of Gareth Anscombe, who succeeded with a penalty and two conversions, while Rhys Priestland also added a three-pointer off the kicking tee.

For Argentina, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro scored a try and Emiliano Boffelli slotted a conversion and two penalties.

Argentina, recent conquerors of the All Blacks, England and Australia, were kept at bay by a defensive red wall as Michael Cheika’s men endured an evening to forget.

It was a welcome result for Wales head coach Pivac, who oversaw only a third win this year.

The South Americans could not reproduce the intensity and organisation that saw them defeat England at Twickenham six days ago.

Pivac made three personnel changes following that 55-23 defeat seven days ago, calling up wing Alex Cuthbert, prop Dillon Lewis and flanker Dan Lydiate.

Argentina, meanwhile, were without captain Julian Montoya due to a rib injury, so Agustin Creevy deputised at hooker and number eight Pablo Matera took over as skipper.

The Wales players wore black armbands in memory of Lydiate’s father John, who died last weekend.

Louis Rees-Zammit and wing Rio Dyer, a try-scorer on debut against New Zealand, were quickly involved in the action, but Argentina comfortably weathered early pressure and Boffelli kicked an eighth-minute penalty.

A second successful Boffelli penalty doubled Argentina’s advantage five minutes later, and Wales ended the opening quarter 6-0 behind.

Wales’ forwards grew into the contest and they should have opened their account after 27 minutes, but hooker Ken Owens spilled possession as he tried to burrow over Argentina’s line.

Lydiate then left the action a minute later, clutching his left wrist, and he was replaced by Jac Morgan, with Tipuric moving from openside to blindside.

Wales had territorial dominance and they were rewarded nine minutes before half-time when a powerful lineout drive ended with a try for Faletau on his 32nd birthday, and Anscombe’s successful conversion edged the home side ahead.

Anscombe kicked a 30-metre penalty as the interval approached, and it was a much-improved effort by Wales in the second quarter.

Argentina’s early momentum and control had disappeared, and Wales were good value for a 10-6 half-time lead.

Rees-Zammit, making just the third start of his career at full-back, continued to attack from deep and kept Argentina’s defence on red alert.

Crucial try

Wales extended their lead just seven minutes into the second period when Pumas full-back Juan Cruz Mallia’s attempted clearance was charged down by Williams, who then scored easily.

Anscombe’s conversion opened up an 11-point advantage, and Argentina needed to find a way back into the contest, but they could make little headway against a well-organised Welsh defence.

Pivac began making changes, sending on Priestland and centre Owen Watkin, but Wales did not help themselves when lock Will Rowlands was yellow-carded for a technical infringement.

Argentina could not capitalise on a temporary one-man advantage, though, and a Priestland penalty put Wales 14 points clear with 17 minutes remaining.

But the Pumas struck after Rowlands returned, driving a lineout inside Wales’ 22, and replacement prop Tetaz Chaparro touched down, with Boffelli’s conversion narrowing the gap to 20-13.

Wales, though, displayed admirable composure during the closing minutes, despite losing Rowlands to what appeared to be a serious arm injury, and Argentina could find no way back.

England ease to dominant victory over Japan

England produced an improved performance to easily see off a dangerous Japan outfit with a 52-13 triumph at Twickenham on Saturday.

Coming into the game off the back of a shock 30-29 reversal to Argentina, the pressure was on Eddie Jones and his charges, but they responded well.

Against a side that had run the All Blacks close two weeks ago, the hosts were expected to be given a stern examination of their capabilities.

But although the Brave Blossoms came close to stunning New Zealand, they were overpowered by the Red Rose in London.

Jones’ men took a 24-6 lead into the break thanks to tries from Freddie Steward, Marcus Smith and Guy Porter ― Takuya Yamasawa providing the visitors’ response with a brace of penalties.

England continued to dominate in the second period and passed the 50-point mark as Porter and Smith completed their braces, while Ellis Genge also went over and they were awarded a penalty try.

Japan did cross the whitewash once via Naoto Saito but it was a disappointing display from Jamie Joseph’s team.

England liberated themselves from the overthinking that was identified as the source their problems against the Pumas to give their Autumn Nations Series lift off ― at least until the All Blacks arrive.

Even amid a cagey opening the atmosphere was livelier than against Argentina six days earlier and home fans were soon able to celebrate an early Owen Farrell penalty and Steward try.

Steward raced over in the 13th minute after Japan’s midfield defence became too compressed following a line-out drive and with Farrell converting the lead became 10-0.

England were showing enterprise as Farrell kicked to Jonny May inside his own 22, but they were being assisted by a Japan team that were freely conceding penalties and just could not get going.

Successive knock-ons stemmed the tide of pressure building on the tourists’ line but once Smith had got a couple of low key errors out of the system, he plundered a try in the right corner after Steward had broken from inside his own half.

Japan finally came to life by producing the type of attacking rugby that brought the last World Cup to life, but their reward was limited to two penalties from Yamasawa.

May, making his first Test appearance in a year because of injury and Covid, was sin-binned for killing the ball as the Brave Blossoms seemed destined to score.

First international tries for Guy Porter

Although a man down, England poured forward on the stroke of half-time as their opponents wobbled close to their line and Sam Simmonds crabbed across the pitch to set up an easy run in for Porter.

Cohesion threaded through the hosts’ play as a drive upfield ended with Genge driving over and when Farrell grubbered ahead for Porter to touch down, Japan’s prospects were looking increasingly gloomy.

Warner Dearns capitalised on a ruck error to send Saito scampering over to stem the flow of one-way traffic, but any danger of a fightback has evaporated long ago.

England secured a penalty try and then Smith was over for his second following a move that involved Steward and Henry Slade, driving the final nail into Japan’s coffin.

Italy claim first-ever win against wobbly Wallabies

Italy claimed their first-ever win over the Wallabies courtesy of a nail-biting 28-27 triumph in Florence on Saturday.

Tries from Ange Capuozzo (2) and Pierre Bruno helped the Azzurri to victory while Tommaso Allan finished with a 10-point haul, after succeeding with a couple of penalties and as many conversions, and Edoardo Padovani also slotted a three-pointer off the kicking tee.

For Australia, Tom Wright, Fraser McReight, Tom Robertson and Cadeyrn Neville scored tries while Noah Lolesio added two conversions and a penalty.

The Wallabies had the chance to clinch a last-gasp victory, when Ben Donaldson lined up a shot at goal to convert Neville’s try with the final act of the match, but his kick was off target.

The hosts were the first team on the board with an Allan penalty in the second minute before Lolesio levelled the scores with a penalty of his own only three minutes later.

The Italians built solid momentum through their structured phase play and could have gone into a three-point lead, but Allan missed a penalty attempt.

A yellow card for Wallabies scrum-half Jake Gordon in the 16th minute, for cynically obstructing an Italian player on a kick chase, opened the door for a well-worked try from the hosts as Bruno crashed over in the corner three minutes later for a converted try.

The Azzurri made the most of their ascendency when Capuozzo went over in the 26th minute for another converted try as the hosts built a solid lead.

The Wallabies had the final say in the first half as Wright scored in the corner with an acrobatic finish.  Lolesio missed the conversion from the touchline.

Australia drew first blood in the second period when McReight scored a converted try in the 44th minute as the visitors launched a comeback.

Allan then added a 53rd-minute penalty before Italy upped the tempo as Capuozzo scored his second try 12 minutes later, which was unconverted.

The Wallabies responded immediately through Robinson, who scored in the 68th minute, with Lolesio adding the extras.

A crucial Padovani penalty in the 76th minute put Italy up 28-22 before the Wallabies ensured a tense finish when Neville scored with the clock in the red.

The pressure fell onto debutant Donaldson to convert the try to win the game, but a miss meant Italy would create history with their first win against Australia.

Ireland muscle past Fiji in far from perfect showing

A much-changed Ireland got the job done against Fiji in their second Autumn Nations Series fixture as they won 35-17 in Dublin on Saturday.

Two tries from Nick Timoney were added to by a score apiece from Robert Baloucoune, Mack Hansen and Cian Healy as the Irish prevailed once again.

In reply there were Fijian tries from Kalaveti Ravouvou and Simione Kuruvoli but a red card for Albert Tuisue hurt their hopes of a taking a shock win.

Fiji played most of a stop-start second half a man down after Gloucester flanker Tuisue was dismissed for ploughing into the head of Joey Carbery, while Manasa Saulo and Api Ratuniyarawa each spent spells in the sin bin.

Despite a fragmented display featuring opportunities for a handful of fringe players, the stuttering Irish were never in serious danger of slipping to a first defeat to the Pacific islanders as they warmed up for next weekend’s showdown with Australia in victorious fashion.

Yet, in addition to the premature departure of Carbery, an early injury sustained by Robbie Henshaw was further concern for the home team following their 16th victory from 18 Tests.

Head coach Farrell made nine alterations to the starting XV which toppled South Africa amid a mini injury crisis, with Tadhg Furlong becoming the 109th man to captain Ireland.

Ahead of kick-off the crowd paid tribute to former Ireland international Paul McNaughton, who died on Sunday aged 69.

The subdued atmosphere continued into the game and those spectators who were contributing noise were quickly stunned into silence by Fiji’s rapid start.

Teti Tela was wayward with an early penalty but, having regained possession, the free-running Fijians ripped through the Irish defence, culminating in centre Ravouvou racing clear to dive over following slick interplay between captain Waisea Nayacalevu, Seta Tuicuvu and Vinaya Habosi.

There was ripple of appreciative applause among the home fans and Ireland’s sloppy beginning was compounded by Henshaw limping off in the aftermath of Tela’s successful conversion.

With the Irish having downed the Springboks and poised to take on the Wallabies, rival coach Vern Cotter claimed the hosts may have their minds on other matters and would use this match as a “training session”.

Farrell’s men eventually began to dispel that theory as flanker Timoney burrowed over twice in quick succession, either side of Kieran Treadwell seeing a score ruled out on review due to a failure to ground.

Fiji, who had prop Saulo sin-binned following an accumulation of infringements, briefly reduced the arrears through a Teti penalty, before Jimmy O’Brien’s superb line break followed by a fine Jamison Gibson-Park pass gave Baloucoune a simple finish on the right.

Carbery, given another opportunity to deputise for influential captain Johnny Sexton, nailed the difficult conversion, to maintain his flawless record and tighten the home side’s grip on the scoreboard going into the break.

The unfortunate Munster man’s opportunity to impress was cut short as he left the field in the 46th minute following Tuisue’s crude shoulder-led challenge, resulting in a Test debut for provincial team-mate Jack Crowley.

Cards hurt Fiji during the game

Fiji were then briefly down to 13 players as London Irish lock Ratuniyarawa was yellow carded.

Ireland eventually capitalised on their numerical advantage when Hansen crossed for a deserved try, with 22-year-old Crowley adding the first of his two conversions.

Vintage Fijian rugby featuring slick hands and fine offloads sent replacement Kuruvoli over 16 minutes from time to give the depleted visitors faint hope of an unlikely fightback.

But veteran prop Healy ensured Ireland had the last say, bulldozing over to cap an 11th consecutive win on home soil, a record Farrell’s men will hope to improve when they round off their November appointments against Australia in seven days.

Brilliant Argentina stun England at Twickenham

Michael Cheika’s Argentina produced a superb second half display to overcome England 30-29 at Twickenham on Sunday.

In a season where they have already beaten New Zealand for the first time away from home, they secured another historic win by edging past Eddie Jones’ men.

Replicating their victory at Twickenham 16 years ago, which spelled the end of Andy Robinson’s tenure as England head coach, they once again came to the ‘home of rugby’ and emerged victorious.

Los Pumas were thankful to Emiliano Boffelli in the opening period, who kicked four three-pointers in an error-strewn first 40 minutes, as they went in just 16-12 behind at the break.

Joe Cokanasiga touched down for the Red Rose and Owen Farrell added three penalties, but the hosts failed to build on that at the start of the second period.

Tries from Boffelli and Santiago Carreras helped the visitors into a 24-16 advantage before Jack van Poortvliet replied for the home side.

The respective kickers then traded penalties, leaving Argentina just one point in front with 10 minutes remaining, but they showed outstanding maturity to run down the clock and go away with a momentous win.

Heavy rain through the morning took its toll on the spectacle, making handling treacherous early on, but England were also guilty of snatching at their passes.

Drizzle gave way to bright sunshine as debutant second row Alex Coles made an off-the-ball tackle and then dropped a restart, helping Boffelli kick Argentina into the lead.

For the first time England launched Manu Tuilagi and Cokanasiga, forcing the Pumas defence to scramble, and their reward was a sustained spell of pressure spearheaded by the scrum.

Pinned on their line, Argentina were ahead on the scoreboard only but even that was shattered in the 25th minute when Cokanasiga used his strength to crash over the line after being picked out by Ben Youngs.

Boffelli kept the Pumas in the hunt with another successful kick but their visits into the home half were rare in a match that was struggling to get out of first gear and, to illustrate the point, Farrell and the goalkicking wing exchanged penalties.

Burst into life

Six minutes into the second-half Argentina burst into life, executing a pinpoint backs move off a scrum that saw Boffelli slide over in the corner.

Stung by the score, England attacked through Cokanasiga and Marcus Smith but the energy was sucked out of the move and then disaster struck when Farrell’s pass to Billy Vunipola landed on the floor.

Farrell stuck his arm up in claim of a Pumas knock-on but no offence was spotted by the TMO and so Carreras’ try was allowed to stand.

With no one at home around the breakdown for Argentina, Van Poortvliet showed his wits to score an opportunist touch down that made England breath a little easier.

But Farrell and Boffelli resumed trading penalties that meant Argentina led 30-29 heading into the decisive phase of the game.

England were pegged back deep in their own half and, as the clock ran down, they launched a do or die attack that was snuffed out on the halfway line, allowing the Pumas to celebrate victory.

Ireland claim scalp of South Africa in Dublin

Ireland kicked off their Autumn Nations Series campaign with a 19-16 victory over world champions South Africa at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Tries from Josh van der Flier and Mack Hansen were added to by nine points from Johnny Sexton as the top ranked side on the planet won in Dublin.

For the Springboks their tries came via Franco Mostert and Kurt-Lee Arendse and penalties from Damian Willemse and Cheslin Kolbe on a tough night.

Victory, however, came at a cost as centre Stuart McCloskey, centurion Conor Murray and prop Tadhg Furlong were each forced off due to first-half injuries.

South Africa suffered their heaviest defeat to Ireland when the sides last met ― a humiliating 38-3 thrashing on this ground in 2017.

The Springboks returned as holders of the Webb Ellis Cup and seeking to avenge that embarrassment against hosts who shot to the top of the global rankings on the back of a stunning summer series win in New Zealand.

Murray was afforded a standing ovation by the capacity crowd as he led out his country on the occasion of his 100th cap amid the excitement of booming pyrotechnics.

The much-hyped contest took time to ignite, with Sexton and rival fly-half Willemse exchanging early penalties during a frantic opening which quickly developed into a more attritional affair.

South Africa enjoyed the better territory, while the Irish defended doggedly and were eventually beginning to show signs of their free-flowing best when Kolbe was sin-binned for a tip tackle on Hansen.

Willemse shanked his second penalty attempt before the hapless McCloskey was forced off, having only gained a rare Test opportunity due to Robbie Henshaw pulling out on the eve of the game, to be replaced by debutant Jimmy O’Brien.

Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan was unfortunate to be denied the opening try in the 32nd minute when he knocked on before grounding after superbly charging down Willemse’s attempted clearance.

Scrum-half Murray, who became only the eighth man to reach a century of Test caps for Ireland, then joined McCloskey in making a premature departure, leaving the field in obvious distress due to an apparent groin issue.

Sexton slotted between the posts to swiftly nudge his side back ahead but Kolbe’s kick wiped out the lead with the final action of a stop-start half in which defences were dominant to leave the score level at 6-6.

Prop Furlong did not reappear for the second period after sustaining an ankle issue just before the break.

Following a lengthy video check, Ireland claimed the first score of the bruising contest seven minutes after the restart when Van der Flier managed to ground wide on the left just before a rolling maul was bulldozed into touch.

The hosts quickly took control of the scoreboard courtesy of the best move of the match.

Hansen grabbed Ireland’s second try

Magical cross-field play sparked by Caelan Doris’ superb offload involved Van der Flier, Andrew Porter, Finlay Bealham, Jamison Gibson-Park, Tadhg Beirne, Hugo Keenan and O’Brien, before Hansen dived over on the left, prompting roars of delight on the terraces.

South Africa responded and it took a robust, last-ditch tackle from Gibson-Park to thwart the onrushing Deon Fourie.

Mostert, on in place of the injured Lood de Jager, successfully stretched for the line to set up a tantalising final 13 minutes but Kolbe somehow struck the posts with the conversion.

Sexton’s third penalty of the afternoon briefly calmed Irish nerves before Arendse crossed wide on the right to increase the tension.

Yet Ireland, dubbed “softies” by Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus just three years ago, had the resilience to get over the line and make it 10 home victories in a row with another headline-grabbing result.

All Blacks seal dominant win over Wales in Cardiff

Wales are still searching for their first victory over New Zealand since 1953 after the All Blacks once again proved too strong with a 55-23 triumph at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

This was considered to be the Welshmen’s best chance in years of overcoming the All Blacks following the visitors’ poor season so far.  However, despite a spirited performance, in reality they were no match for Ian Foster’s men.

Wayne Pivac’s charges did well to come back after going 17-0 down at the end of the first quarter due to a Codie Taylor brace, but New Zealand pulled away late on.

Rio Dyer’s try on debut and a pair of Gareth Anscombe penalties meant Wales were 22-13 in arrears at the break ― Jordie Barrett scoring the All Blacks’ third try ― and the hosts thought they had a chance when Aaron Smith and Justin Tipuric traded scores.

With Anscombe adding a conversion and a penalty, six points separated the teams with just under 30 minutes remaining, but the away side finished the stronger.

Smith and Barrett both crossed the whitewash for a second time while Ardie Savea and Samisoni Taukei’aho also scored as they romped to an ultimately convincing win.

Wales need to regroup quickly, with Argentina and Australia among their remaining autumn opponents, after another performance that prospered at times, but they had nowhere near enough quality moments.

For New Zealand, it was the most points they have scored against Wales in Cardiff, eclipsing the 54 they racked up 12 months ago.

Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny’s hopes of a Test match return 16 months after suffering major knee ligament damage were thwarted by a hamstring injury.

Anscombe moved from fly-half to replace him, with Rhys Priestland starting in the number 10 shirt and uncapped Scarlets back Sam Costelow joining the replacements.

Smith made his 113th Test match appearance for New Zealand, moving above Dan Carter as the All Blacks’ most-capped back, while Sam Whitelock took over as captain from an injured Sam Cane.

New Zealand settled quickly under the stadium’s closed roof, and Mo’unga kicked them into a fourth-minute lead through a 40-metre penalty.

It was an unsettling opening for Wales, and New Zealand extended their lead seven minutes later when flanker Dalton Papali’i breached Wales’ front-line defence and quickly recycled possession resulted in a try for Taylor that Mo’unga converted.

Wales looked off the pace and were defensively suspect as New Zealand punished them through a second Taylor try ― converted by Mo’unga ― that opened up a 17-point advantage inside the opening quarter.

The home side desperately needed some inspiration, and it arrived courtesy of new cap Dyer.

Wales attacked strongly from a short-range lineout, and Dyer touched down after cutting a superb attacking angle on receipt of centre Nick Tompkins’ pass, with Anscombe’s conversion making it 17-7.

An Anscombe penalty nine minutes before half-time further cut the gap, and there were promising signs shown by Wales after being run ragged in the early stages.

But New Zealand’s ruthless edge surfaced again when they returned to Wales’ 22, as a brilliant Mo’unga cross-kick saw Jordie Barrett catch it and outjump Dyer before touching down.

Anscombe then kicked a second penalty just before the interval, as Wales went off nine points adrift when it might have been a whole lot worse, given New Zealand’s initial onslaught.

🔥 Aaron Smith rolling back the years!

Superb individual try from the great scrum-half. 👏pic.twitter.com/a5XCEacaoh

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) November 5, 2022

Wales showed two changes for the second period, with prop Dillon Lewis replacing Tomas Francis and lock Alun Wyn Jones taking over from Adam Beard.

Anscombe completed his penalty hat-trick five minutes after the restart, and Wales were firmly back in contention as a third change saw Nicky Smith replace loosehead prop Gareth Thomas.

Just when questions were being asked of them, though, New Zealand hit back when livewire Smith broke clear from the base of a scrum for his team’s fourth try, and Mo’unga converted for a 29-16 lead.

But Wales displayed admirable resilience, and they chipped away at New Zealand again, this time through a Tipuric try that Anscombe converted, only for Smith to score again, with Mo’unga adding the extras to restore a 13-point gap.

Costelow made his Test match introduction 14 minutes from time, yet New Zealand had already stretched further away through Savea’s try, before Jordie Barrett’s second touchdown inched them closer to 50 points, a figure that was passed in injury time.

Damian Penaud stunner rescues France

France were indebted to the class of Damian Penaud as the wing touched down late on to give them a narrow 30-29 victory over a gallant Australia side.

Les Bleus struggled throughout as the visitors gave as good as they got.  Thomas Ramos and Bernard Foley initially traded two penalties apiece before the Aussies put together the try of the weekend for Lalakai Foketi.

Ramos then reduced the arrears with two more successful efforts off the tee, but it looked like Dave Rennie’s men would go into the break with a one-point advantage.  However, Julien Marchand touched down with the clock in the red and it could have been a sucker punch for the Wallabies.

They continued to battle, though, and went into the latter stages with a four-point buffer as Jock Campbell crossed the whitewash while Foley (twice) and Reece Hodge kicked penalties.

The Aussies were on the cusp of a famous win but Penaud’s brilliant score rescued the day for France.

Australia went into the game off the back of narrow victory over Scotland, but they needed a vast improvement against the defending Six Nations champions.

Few saw how they could compete against the French behemoths, but Rennie’s charges were quite simply outstanding.

They began the game by putting star scrum-half Antoine Dupont under pressure and it resulted in the hosts infringing, leading to a Foley three-pointer.

Ramos almost immediately responded before the full-back added a second off the tee soon after.

France thought they had scored when Charles Ollivon burrowed his way over, but that was disallowed for a double movement and the Australians benefited from that reprieve.

Receiving the ball deep inside their own 22, Australia spotted space on the left where Tom Wright was lurking.  The wing displayed outstanding pace to sprint clear of Penaud and showed equally good skills to pass the ball to Campbell.

Foketi was on the full-back’s shoulder and the Reds man duly found the centre to give the Wallabies a 13-6 advantage.

Deserved lead

It was a lead they absolutely deserved but Les Bleus would edge their way back into the contest thanks to the accurate kicking of Ramos.

They went into the latter stages of the first half 13-12 in arrears before Marchand touched down to take them 19-13 ahead going into the second period.

France had the momentum but Australia never went away and, after Ramos and Foley had traded penalties, Rennie’s men scored another well-worked try through Campbell.

The Wallabies’ fly-half brilliantly converted and then kicked a penalty to leave them 26-22 in front.

That four-point buffer remained going into the latter stages as Ramos and Hodge kicked a penalty apiece before Penaud’s piece of magic broke the Australians’ hearts.

Scotland made to graft for victory over spirited Fiji

Scotland got the job done but were made to work very hard for their 28-12 victory over Fiji in their Autumn Nations Series international at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Although the Scots outscored their visitors by four tries to two, their overall performance left a lot to be desired and it was only a strong second half effort from the hosts which eventually sealed their win.

In the end, tries from George Turner, Adam Hastings, Duhan van der Merwe and Ben White got the job done for the hosts with Hastings and Blair Kinghorn adding a brace of conversions apiece.

For Fiji, Setariki Tuicuvu and Ratu Rotuisolia crossed the whitewash while Vilimoni Botitu slotted a conversion.

The hosts looked set for a smooth afternoon when Turner’s early try put them ahead, but the visitors ― under the charge of former Scotland head coach Vern Cotter ― hit back with their tries and temporarily had the hosts on the ropes.

Touchdowns either side of the interval from Hastings and Van der Merwe helped Gregor Townsend’s side regain the upper hand, however, before replacement White added a further score in the closing stages.

In just the second minute, Fiji suffered a setback when debutant Rotuisolia was sent to the sin-bin for foul play.

The hosts made the extra man count as they bossed the early stages and after a sustained period of pressure, Turner pushed his way over from a rolling maul in the seventh minute for the game’s opening try.  Hastings ― given his chance to stake a claim for the stand-off berth vacated by high-profile absentee Finn Russell ― was successful with the conversion.

The Pacific islanders had a good chance to get their first points on the board in the 11th minute when they were awarded a penalty in front of the posts, but Tuicuvu sent his kick wastefully wide from.

Three minutes later, Tuicuvu made amends with a try on the right at the end of a lovely flowing Fijian attack.  Once again the wing’s kicking was well off, though, as he fluffed his conversion attempt.

Fiji had gained the initiative, however, and Rotuisolia ― back on after his early yellow card ― gave them the lead when he touched down on the left in the 23rd minute.

To add to Scotland’s woes, Stuart Hogg was sent to the sin-bin as a result of his team being persistently penalised.  Botitu took over kicking duties and made no mistake with the conversion.

During Hogg’s time on the sidelines, the Scots were on the back foot and fortunate not to concede any more points as they somehow withstood some intense Fijian pressure.

They rediscovered their composure after the full-back returned to the fray to even up the numbers.  In the last action of the first half, Hastings produced an impressive piece of skill to get himself free and touch down behind the posts after Ali Price had fed him following a scrum.

Narrow half-time lead for Scotland

The try-scorer converted from close range to edge Scotland back in front at the break, much to the relief of the home crowd.

It proved to be Hastings’ last notable involvement in the game as he was forced off with a head knock two minutes into the second half, with Kinghorn taking his place.

The Scots stretched their lead in the 49th minute when Van der Merwe received a looping pass from Chris Harris on the left and stepped away from two Fijians before touching down.

Kinghorn, who came under scrutiny after missing a last-gasp penalty in last weekend’s 16-15 defeat by Australia, kept his composure on this occasion to kick clinically between the posts from wide on the left.

Fiji’s Vinaya Habosi was sin-binned in the 61st minute for a high tackle on Scotland replacement Rory Sutherland.

Cameron Redpath thought he had scored in the 73rd minute, only for the try to be chalked off for a knock-on following a TMO review, although Fiji were penalised in the form of their third yellow card of the afternoon, which was shown to Livai Natave.

The Scots were able to celebrate their fourth try of the match just seconds later when White claimed possession from the back of the scrum and scurried over.  Kinghorn added the extras.

Scotland wing Darcy Graham was yellow-carded in the last minute but his team had already done enough to secure victory.

Impressive Italy dominate Samoa in Padua

Italy started their Autumn Nations Series with a brilliant 49-17 win over Samoa on Saturday afternoon.

Samoa applied the pressure in the first 10 minutes but failed to score any points before Italy found their feet, kicking a penalty in the 11th minute through Tommaso Allan and scoring two tries in as many minutes through Ignacio Brex Juan and Pierre Bruno.  Allan kicked both conversions.

Allan would add another penalty before the visitors had to end the first half with a man down after Nigel Ah Wong was yellow carded for dangerous play.

Italy wing Monty Ioane made the most of the numerical advantage, scoring either side of half-time to put his team in the driver’s seat.  Paolo Garbisi kicked a penalty just before the break, while Allan missed one conversion but added two points for the second try in the 47th minute.

Samoa then began to find a foothold in the game and, despite the scoreline, kept playing hard until the ball bounced their way.  Centre Ulupano Seuteni crossed for the visitors’ first try in the 52nd minute, with D’Angelo Leuila slotting the conversion.

The hosts were dialled in and responded only three minutes later through debutant Lorenzo Cannone, with Garbisi kicking the conversion on this occasion.

Garbisi then crossed the whitewash for a try of his own in the 63rd minute, which Pierre Bruno converted.

From then on, the game opened up, suiting Samoa, who scored two unconverted tries in the last 10 minutes through Duncan Paia’aua and Theo McFarland.

Damian McKenzie stars as tourists ease past Ireland 'A'

Shaun Stevenson scored two tries as the All Blacks XV comfortably beat Ireland ‘A’ 47-19 in an entertaining match at the RDS on Friday.

It was a result that saw the tourists cross seven times as Brodie McAlister, Ruben Love, Braydon Ennor, AJ Lam and Damian McKenzie also scored.

McKenzie added six conversions as Leon MacDonald’s men showed their class in possession in Dublin, with Ireland ‘A’ struggling with the visitors.

Ireland ‘A’s try-scorers were Ciaran Frawley, Marty Moore and Max Deegan, with Frawley and Jack Crowley slotting a conversion apiece on the night.

All Blacks XV dominated the game

Stevenson would open the scoring on 12 minutes after a perfectly weighted cross-kick from McKenzie found the wing, who beat Craig Casey in the air before racing over.  McKenzie would add the extras and the All Blacks XV had got the scoreboard moving.

The visitors would cross again on 21 minutes after opting to go for the corner, hooker McAlister finding his way to the try-line via the back of the maul.

Five minutes later they were over again, this time from a loose Irish lineout downfield as McKenzie raced clear before Love found Stevenson for 19-0.

Ireland ‘A’ did have something to cling to though going into the break as a lovely passage of handling led to Frawley crashing over just before half-time.

However, their joy was short-lived once the game restarted after the break when Stevenson turned provider for Love to make it 26-7 after 42 minutes.

Ennor would be the All Blacks XV’s next to cross the try-line 12 minutes later, but Ireland would hit back through replacement Moore from a metre out.

McKenzie picked up a deserved try

MacDonald’s side would regroup though and further scores from Lam and the impressive McKenzie on the 61st and 72nd minute took them 47-12 up.

Ireland ‘A’ did have the final say again before the whistle, however, as a moment of offloading magic from wing Calvin Nash led to back-row Deegan going over late on, with Crowley kicking the extra two points on a night that belonged to a slick All Blacks XV side.

Wallabies end recent drought against Scotland

Australia came out on top in a low quality 16-15 win over Scotland in their Autumn Nations Series opener at Murrayfield on Saturday.

This result ends a run of three straight losses against the Scots so it will delight the Wallabies as they get their end-of-year campaign off on a positive note.

A second-half try from captain James Slipper added to three penalties and a conversion from Bernard Foley but mistakes will frustrate coach Dave Rennie.

For Scotland their points came via tries from Ollie Smith and Blair Kinghorn, with the number 10 also kicking one conversion and a penalty on the night.

The Scots looked on course for a fourth consecutive victory over the Wallabies when they led 15-6 after those excellent tries from Smith and Kinghorn.

But the sin-binning of Edinburgh lock Glen Young on his first Murrayfield appearance allowed Australia a much-needed foothold and they managed to turn the game in their favour in the closing quarter.

Kinghorn, playing at number 10 following Gregor Townsend’s contentious decision not to include Finn Russell in the squad, could have won it for Scotland at the end but sent a penalty agonisingly wide.

With the match taking place outside the international window, the Scotland XV was made up entirely of Edinburgh and Glasgow players.  Flanker Jamie Ritchie, 26, captained the side for the first time since it was announced last week that he would be replacing Stuart Hogg as skipper.

Australia arrived in Edinburgh under pressure after winning just three of their previous 12 matches, while they had also lost each of their last three meetings with the Scots.

The Wallabies started brightly, threatening the hosts’ try-line on more than one occasion in the opening 10 minutes.

But it was Scotland who made the breakthrough when Glasgow full-back Smith, making his first appearance at Murrayfield too, received a lovely offload from Kinghorn and darted beyond a couple of opponents before planting the ball down left of the posts.

There were audible groans from the home support as Kinghorn spurned his conversion attempt from what appeared to be a perfectly kickable position.

This aberration allowed the Wallabies to reduce the arrears to just two points in the 15th minute when Foley kicked a penalty from a central position after Ritchie was penalised at the breakdown.

The hosts were forced into a change in the 24th minute as Sam Skinner went off to be replaced by Young.

Scotland should have stretched their lead in the 27th minute when Kinghorn looped a superb pass out to the right for Sione Tuipulotu, but the Glasgow centre dropped the ball just as he looked set to burst over the line.

In the following phase of play, the Scots somehow failed to force their way over the line after a sustained spell of pressure in front of Australia’s posts, but the visitors did superbly to hold the ball up.

The Scots were left to rue those moments of profligacy as another Foley penalty from 30 metres out on the stroke of half-time edged Australia in front after Dave Cherry failed to roll away.

But, three minutes after the restart, the Scots got themselves back in front when Kinghorn, under scrutiny as a result of taking Russell’s place, seized on a loose ball in his own half, kicked it in behind the Wallabies defence and raced on to it himself before kicking it forward again, collecting it just in front of the line and bounding gleefully over for a magnificent solo touchdown.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 That's unreal from Blair Kinghorn! #AutumnNationsSeries #SCOvAUSpic.twitter.com/FNfz4dQA68

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 29, 2022

This time the Edinburgh number 10 made no mistake with the conversion.

Kinghorn then extended Scotland’s lead to nine points with a penalty in the 54th minute.

The hosts appeared in the ascendancy and ready to put the Wallabies to the sword, but their momentum was halted in the 56th minute when, following a TMO review, Young was sent to the sin-bin for an illegal entry during a promising Scottish attack.

After an hour, amid a raft of substitutions, Jack Dempsey, who won 14 caps for Australia between 2017 and 2019, was introduced for his Scotland debut, the Sydney-born Glasgow flanker able to take advantage of a recent change in World Rugby’s eligibility rules to switch allegiance.

Within seconds, however, the Wallabies made their extra man count when captain Slipper forced his way over on the right and Foley once again converted, bringing the visitors back to within two points.

Australia got their noses in front in the 70th minute with a Foley penalty.

Scotland had a chance to win it in the last minute, but Kinghorn’s penalty drifted agonisingly wide.

14-man All Blacks hold onto narrow win in Tokyo

The All Blacks held their nerve against a spirited Japan side to claim a thrilling 38-31 win in Tokyo, after playing the last 14 minutes with a man down due to a Brodie Retallick red card.

New Zealand started strongly in the first half through three tries courtesy of Retallick, Braydon Ennor and Sevu Reece in the opening 32 minutes, with Richie Mo’unga making no mistake with the conversions.  The hosts could only add a penalty through Takuya Yamasawa.

Japan had made a huge number of tackles in the opening period, showing incredible commitment on defence and were rewarded with two tries in the last five minutes of the half through Yamasawa and Yukata Nagare.  Yamasawa kicked both conversions to keep the Brave Blossoms in the game at the break.

The All Blacks got the start they wanted in the second period, with Caleb Clarke going over after only two minutes for a converted try.

Japan responded in the 57th minute through Warner Dearns, who caught the ball in an attempted charge down to score a try converted by Seung Sin Lee.

🤯 How has he done that?! Warner Dearns plucks it out of the air to score for Japan. #JAPvNZLpic.twitter.com/EZ1R4Lgyof

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 29, 2022

New Zealand replied quickly through Hoskins Sotutu crashing over for a try in the 60th minute as Mo’unga made no mistake from the tee again.

The Test turned into an arm wrestle as Retallick was sent off in the 66th minute for a dangerous cleanout, opening the door for a late Japanese surge.

The hosts obliged and threw everything they had at the All Blacks, scoring a converted try through Kazuki Himeno, who was excellent on the night.  The five-pointer brought Japan within a try of a famous victory.

However, it was not to be as they conceded a late penalty in front of the posts ― after trying to attack from deep ― which Mo’unga nudged over to improve the scoreline.

The Brave Blossoms reminded the rugby world that they are no longer an easy Test, while All Blacks coach Ian Foster will have much to think about after this encounter.

New Zealand win title despite South Africa’s victory

New Zealand claimed the 2022 Rugby Championship title after South Africa could only secure a 38-21 victory over Argentina at Kings Park Stadium in Durban.

The Springboks needed a bonus-point triumph and a 39-point gap between them and Los Pumas to usurp the All Blacks in the table but they came up against a resilient side.

Jacques Nienaber’s men started well enough as they moved 17-0 in front thanks to Jasper Wiese and Siya Kolisi tries, with Frans Steyn adding two conversions and a penalty, but the visitors hit back to end their dreams.

When Gonzalo Bertranou and Juan Martin Gonzalez touched down either side of the interval, it effectively made the task impossible.

Two penalty tries and a late score for Kurt-Lee Arendse sealed the win but it was ultimately a frustrating day for the Springboks.

Knowing that they needed tries, there was more ambition in the Boks’ play in Durban.  They looked to move the ball through the hands and off-load in contact, but unsurprisingly there were far too many errors.

In fact, once the hosts began to simplify matters, they created chances.  The key parts of their game ― the scrum, lineout and maul ― started to function, while they dominated at the breakdown.

Any time Argentina had the ball, which was few and far between, Malcolm Marx and co.  went to work at the contact area, resulting in consistent pressure on the visiting defence.

Los Pumas were regularly infringing and eventually referee Damon Murphy got fed up of their constant indiscretions, resulting in a yellow card for Marcos Kremer.

With the back-row off the field South Africa scored their first try when a scrum marched towards the line, giving Wiese the simple task of touching down.

Kremer then returned but almost immediately the South Americans were back down to 14 as Gonzalez was sin-binned.

A try for Kolisi soon followed and the hosts were edging towards the points total they needed, especially when Steyn added a long-range three-pointer.

Argentina had not been in the game but towards the end of the first half they found some rhythm.  The visitors went through the phases and Bertranou found a gap to snipe, crossing the whitewash from close range.

Despite that score, South Africa still had the chance to overturn the points differential to the All Blacks, but Los Pumas had upped their game and altered the momentum.

Impressive response from Argentina

All of a sudden, the Springboks were struggling to gain possession and territory, and Michael Cheika’s men manufactured a brilliant second try.

They shifted play out to the left where Gonzalez was lurking.  The athletic back-row still had plenty to do but he superbly stepped Willie le Roux to scamper clear and reduce the arrears to three points.

South Africa’s title aspirations were slipping away, even after they were awarded a penalty try.  Jeronimo de la Fuente was sin-binned for his role in that score but the hosts could not find the quality they needed to add to their tally.

Instead, Argentina got back on the front foot and, following yellow cards for Eben Etzebeth and Faf de Klerk, Matias Moroni reduced the arrears with 13 minutes remaining.

The concern for the Springboks had suddenly moved from claiming the title to actually winning the game, but they managed to muster a response as a penalty try and last-minute Arendse effort sealed a pretty hollow victory.

All Blacks boost title hopes with win over Wallabies

The All Blacks took a giant step towards retaining their Rugby Championship title when they clinched a 40-14 victory over the Wallabies at Eden Park on Saturday.

New Zealand started the game level on points with South Africa in the overall standings, and with a 13-point advantage over the world champions, but with them sealing a bonus-point victory ― with a big winning margin ― it means the Springboks will have to beat Argentina by 40 points or more in Durban, if they are to overhaul Ian Foster’s men.

In the end, the All Blacks outscored the Wallabies by five tries to two with Will Jordan, Sam Whitelock, Codie Taylor and Samisoni Taukei’aho crossing the whitewash and they were also awarded a penalty try, while Richie Mo’unga finished with a 13-point haul courtesy of three penalties and two conversions.

For Australia, Folau Fainga’a and Jordan Petaia scored tries and their other points came courtesy of conversions from Bernard Foley and Reece Hodge.

The match started at a frenetic pace with the Wallabies doing the early attacking but they were reduced to 14 men in the second minute when Jed Holloway was sent to the sin bin for taking Dalton Papali’i beyond the horizontal.

The All Blacks were soon on the attack deep inside their opponents’ 22 but the visitors kept them at bay with a solid defensive effort and there were no points scored during Holloway’s stint off the field.

The next 20 minutes was an arm wrestle as both sides battled to gain the ascendancy but the All Blacks eventually opened the scoring in the 22nd minute via a Mo’unga penalty.  And shortly afterwards they extended their lead when Jordan found himself in space just outside Australia’s 22 before gliding through a gap in their defence on his way over the try-line.

That try was a shot in the arm for the home side, who continued to build pressure inside Australia’s half and they were rewarded in the 27th minute when referee Andrew Brace awarded them a penalty try.  This, after the All Blacks launched a lineout drive close to the Wallabies’ try-line which was pulled down illegally by Dave Porecki, who was also sent to the sin bin for his indiscretion.

The Wallabies needed to respond and they thought they had reduced the deficit on the half-hour mark when Marika Koroibete dotted down in the left-hand corner but his effort was disallowed when television replays revealed that he had a foot in touch in the build-up.

The All Blacks continued to hold an edge and, although they couldn’t build on their lead, they had their tails up with the score 17-0 in their favour at half-time.

All Blacks dominance continues in second half

The hosts continued to dominate after the interval and extended their lead in the 43rd minute when Whitelock crossed for their third try, after barging over from close quarters under the posts.

Mo’unga added the extras, as well as a penalty in the 47th minute, before Taylor crossed off the back of a lineout drive to give his team a 32-0 lead.  On the hour mark, the Wallabies finally opened their account when Pete Samu made a break down the left-hand touchline before throwing an inside pass which was knocked backwards by Jordan and Fainga’a gathered before crossing the whitewash.

Despite that score, the All Blacks did not panic and struck back with Taukei’aho’s five-pointer ― scored in similar fashion to Taylor’s off a lineout drive out wide.  Mo’unga failed to convert but slotted a penalty in the 76th minute to put more daylight between his team and the Springboks on the Rugby Championship table.

The Wallabies finished stronger, however, and were rewarded with a consolation try from Petaia in the game’s closing stages ― a score which could be significant in the grander scheme of things as it made the Boks’ task a little easier in their upcoming clash against the Pumas.

Springboks made to graft for victory over Pumas

The Springboks were made to work hard before securing a 36-20 triumph against a spirited Argrentina side in their Rugby Championship Test in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

Despite delivering a dominant first half performance, the Boks went off the boil after half-time and allowed the Pumas to come back into the match before late tries from Damian de Allende and Malcolm Marx secured them the result and an important bonus point.

Marx scored another try for the visitors in the first half and their other points came via a five-pointer from Jaden Hendrikse, a conversion and a penalty from Damian Willemse, two conversions from Frans Steyn as well as a penalty try.

For Argentina, Matias Moroni crossed the whitewash and they were also awarded a penalty try, while Emiliano Boffelli slotted a couple of penalties and a conversion.

The opening exchanges were cagey with the teams feeling each other out before Argentina took an early lead courtesy of a long range penalty from Boffelli in the ninth minute.

The Boks were soon camped inside the Pumas’ half and drew level two minutes later courtesy of a Willemse penalty, after the home side infringed on defence.

The visitors were slowly gaining the ascendancy and midway through the half had the Pumas on the back foot as they set up several phases inside their 22.  The ball was shifted wide to Canan Moodie, who was stopped just short of the try-line before Hendrikse gathered and went over but he failed to ground the ball after a desperate tackle from Santiago Carreras.

However, after checking television replays, referee James Doleman ruled that Carreras tackled Hendrikse from an offside position and awarded a penalty try to the Boks, while the Pumas fly-half was also sent to the sin bin for his indiscretion.

South Africa made full use of their numerical advantage and, despite another Boffelli penalty, scored two quickfire tries during Carreras’ stint on the sidelines.  First, Hendrikse glided through a gaping hole deep inside Argentina territory after Marx did well in the build-up with a powerful carry.  And on the half-hour mark, the Bok hooker got his name onto the scoreboard when he dotted down off the back of a lineout drive inside Argentina’s 22.

Just before half-time, the hosts were reduced to 14 men again when Gonzalo Bertranou was yellow carded for repeated infringements from his team when he was caught offside on defence.

South Africa put the resulting penalty into touch close to Argentina’s try-line but, although Lood de Jager went over the whitewash, his effort was chalked off as Franco Mostert had knocked on in the build-up.  Despite that, South Africa were on a high when they went into the sheds at half-time as they held a deserved 22-6 lead.

Argentina’s fightback

The Pumas came out firing after the interval but, despite an improved performance, they were still committing too many unforced errors.  However, the Boks were also guilty of that, especially on defence, and in the 60th minute Willie le Roux received a yellow card when he was caught offside deep inside his 22.

The Pumas spent most of the next 10 minutes camped inside the Boks’ half and they too were rewarded with a penalty try after Kwagga Smith prevented Tomas Cubelli from scoring with a high tackle.  Smith also received his marching orders for his offence which meant South Africa played with 13 men for a brief period.  And during that time Moroni crossed for their second try after great work from Marcos Kremer in the build-up.

Boffelli added the extras which meant South Africa held a narrow 22-20 lead, but they held their composure when De Allende powered through two tackles before scoring their fourth try in the 75th minute.  They still needed another five-pointer to clinch the bonus point and that came in the dying moments when Marx gathered an inside pass from Makazole Mapimpi before crashing over in the left-hand corner.

All Blacks win Bledisloe Cup for 20th year in a row

New Zealand secured the Bledisloe Cup for the 20th successive year and consolidated their position at the top of the Rugby Championship table courtesy of a 39-37 triumph over Australia in Melbourne on Thursday.

In a drama-filled contest, in which the result was in the balance until the end, the Wallabies thought they had clinched a stunning comeback victory when Nic White landed a long range penalty in the 78th minute before the All Blacks struck late with the match-winning try from Jordie Barrett in the game’s dying moments.

The teams had momentum at various stages of a brutal encounter which proved costly for both sides.  The All Blacks lost the services of their captain, Sam Cane, and David Havili, who both failed HIAs while Quinn Tupaea also limped off with a knee injury.  Meanwhile, Wallabies skipper James Slipper and Rob Leota were forced off the field with calf injuries.

In the end, New Zealand outscored their hosts by five tries to four with Samisoni Taukei’aho leading the way with a brace while Richie Mo’unga, Will Jordan and Barrett scored their other five-pointers.  Mo’unga also succeeded with four conversions and two penalties to finish with a 19-point haul.

For Australia, Andrew Kellaway (2), Rob Valetini and Pete Samu crossed the whitewash with Bernard Foley adding four conversions and two penalties and White also succeeded with a three-pointer off the kicking tee.

There was some pre-match drama when the Wallabies lined up in a boomerang shape before advancing on the All Blacks, while they were doing the Haka, but the home side were soon on the back foot as Jed Holloway failed to gather the ball from the kick off.  New Zealand went on the attack and set up a lineout drive from which Taukei’aho crossed for the opening try.

Mo’unga added the extras and extended his side’s lead to 10 points when he slotted a penalty before Foley reduced the deficit with a penalty of his own in the 18th minute.

With points on the board, the Wallabies’ confidence grew and midway through the half they thought they had their opening try when Kellaway crossed the whitewash.  However, it was ruled out after television replays revealed that Rieko Ioane did brilliantly to get his hands under the ball while the full-back tried to ground it.

Despite that setback, Australia did not panic and shortly afterwards they received a penalty and set up a lineout inside New Zealand’s 22.  They launched a maul which was stopped close to the try-line by Dalton Papali’i but the ball was recycled quickly and Valetini dotted down with two defenders on his back.

Papali’i received a yellow card after referee Mathieu Raynal ruled that he had stopped that maul illegally, while Foley slotted the conversion which meant the scores were level and the hosts had a spring in their step during the latter stages of the half.

There was plenty of drama during that period, though, as Tom Wright was yellow carded for a professional foul inside his 22 while Raynal also sent Darcy Swain to the sin bin for taking out Tupaea with a shoulder charge to his knee at a ruck which resulted in the All Blacks centre leaving the field for the rest of the match.

The visitors made a fine start to the second half when shortly after the restart Kellaway was caught in possession just inside his half.  The All Blacks won a turnover before shifting the ball to Taukei’aho close to the 22-metre line and he did brilliantly to shrug off three defenders on his way over.

Ten minutes later, the Wallabies received another yellow card after Jake Gordon too collapsed a maul illegally in his 22.  The All Blacks made full use of their one-man advantage soon after Gordon’s exit with Mo’unga waltzing through the Wallabies’ defence to score his five-pointer.  Beauden Barrett then delivered a perfectly weighted chip kick which Jordan gathered close to the halfway line before outpacing the cover defence to cross for his team’s fourth try in the 55th minute.

Wallabies fightback before crazy ending

With the score 31-13 in New Zealand’s favour, Australia needed a response and it came in the form of two tries in quick succession from Kellaway after excellent work from Foley on both occasions.

Another Mo’unga penalty gave his team a 34-27 lead before the Wallabies struck back with a brilliant try from Samu out wide with Foley’s superb conversion drawing his side level in the 72nd minute.

The match was far from done, though, as White slotted a 48-metre penalty to give his side an unlikely lead, but there would be a crazy ending when Raynal awarded a penalty to Australia in the 79th minute.  That happened close to their try-line but, when Foley took his time to kick for touch, the referee awarded a scrum to the All Blacks after ruling that Foley had wasted time.

From the resulting set-piece, New Zealand launched an attack and the ball was shifted out wide where Barrett crossed in the right-hand corner for the match-winning try.

Springboks end Australian hoodoo with superb win

South Africa got their Rugby Championship campaign back on track after they produced a dominant display to defeat the Wallabies 24-8 in Sydney for their first win on Australian soil since 2013.

The Springboks were excellent throughout, controlling possession and territory and moving in front via Damian de Allende’s early try.

Noah Lolesio did reduce the deficit via a penalty but Canan Moodie’s debut score deservedly gave the visitors a 12-3 advantage at the interval.

It was a lead they would not relinquish as they continued to put Australia under the pump, with Franco Mostert and Makazole Mapimpi securing a fine bonus-point triumph, despite Pete Samu’s consolation.

After successive defeats in the Rugby Championship, Jacques Nienaber demanded a response and he received it.  Despite being without stars Lukhanyo Am and Pieter-Steph du Toit, they were outstanding and utterly dominated the opening exchanges.

The forwards were physical and abrasive, controlling the set-piece battle, while inexperienced half-backs Jaden Hendrikse and Damian Willemse were also impressive.

It was Hendrikse’s efficiency from the base which set up the first try as he constantly shifted the point of contract in the opposition 22.  Australia were manful in defence but they eventually folded as De Allende touched down from close range.

Matt Philip was sin-binned after the Wallabies infringed several times in the build-up to that try and South Africa remained in the ascendency, but they initially failed to add to their lead.

Their profligacy was an issue last week and there would have been concerns after they spurned further chances in Sydney, especially when the hosts got on the board through a Lolesio penalty, but the Springboks managed to stay on the front foot.

They were in complete control and finally extended their advantage through Moodie’s score late in the half.  Hendrikse’s inch-perfect box-kick was matched by the chase and leap of the debutant, who rose above Marika Koroibete, brilliantly collected and surged across the whitewash.

Dave Rennie needed a vast improvement from his players in the second period but it failed to materialise as they struggled to get out of their own half.

Brutal performance

The Springboks were simply brutal in contact, constantly sending their opponents into reverse in both defence and attack, but they also found some subtlety.

South Africa’s third try was a thing of beauty.  Hendrikse was once again superb in dictating the tempo before forwards and backs combined to send Mostert scampering over.

Willemse, for the second time in the match, missed a difficult conversion, but it did not matter and they secured the win when Willie le Roux sent Mapimpi away, who held off Koroibete to score.

The Bok wing, in rather petulant fashion, reacted to his opposite number for some unbeknown reason, which set off both sets of players.

After it had calmed down, Mapimpi was correctly handed a yellow card and Le Roux then followed him off the field late in the encounter, but by that point the result had already been decided, despite Samu’s consolation.

All Blacks bounce back with easy win over Argentina

New Zealand returned to the victory trail in the Rugby Championship after they sealed a 53-3 bonus-point triumph over Argentina in Hamilton on Saturday.

As the scoreline suggests, the All Blacks dominated proceedings for long periods and eventually scored seven tries, with Ethan de Groot, Caleb Clarke, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea, Brodie Retallick and Beauden Barrett all crossing the whitewash.

Their other points came via four conversions and two penalties from Richie Mo’unga while Jordie Barrett also succeeded with a couple of conversions.  For Argentina, Emiliano Boffelli slotted a penalty.

The match started with heavy rain pelting down but, despite the atrocious weather conditions, the All Blacks opted to keep the ball in hand and were rewarded for their attacking endeavour.

Argentina were on the back foot from the outset as from the kick off Tomas Lavanini knocked on and the All Blacks were soon on the attack inside Argentina’s 22.  The visitors were penalised for straying offside on defence and Mo’unga made no mistake from the kicking tee.

New Zealand’s handling was outstanding in the wet weather and shortly afterwards De Groot crashed over for the opening try after gathering a well-timed pass from Aaron Smith.  The All Blacks continued to dominate and midway through the half Clarke rounded off out wide after good work from Will Jordan, Jordie Barrett and Ioane in the build-up.

Argentina struggled to build momentum as they committed a plethora of handling errors but in the 32nd minute Boffelli scored their only points via a penalty after the All Blacks infringed on defence.

Despite that score, everything seemed to be going wrong for the visitors and they were reduced to 14 men in the 35th minute when Lavanini was yellow carded for not retreating 10 metres when making a tackle on Savea, who took a quick tap penalty inside Argentina’s 22.

Just before half-time, the All Blacks launched an attack from a scrum deep inside Argentina territory and Ioane cantered in under the posts after running onto a pass from David Havili.

Mo’unga added the extras which meant the hosts had their tails up with the score 24-3 in their favour at the interval.

The All Blacks had the better of the second half’s early exchanges and extended their lead when Mo’unga added another penalty in the 46th minute, after several Pumas were pinged for offside play.  The visitors needed a response and they were soon camped inside New Zealand’s 22 but, despite hammering away at the home side’s try-line, they would not be rewarded.

In the 57th minute, Argentina launched a lineout drive on New Zealand’s five-metre line but the maul was halted illegally by Fletcher Newell, who was yellow carded for his indiscretion.

Strong All Blacks finish

Despite their numerical disadvantage, the All Blacks stayed true to their attacking roots and on the hour-mark Ioane made a superb line break before his progress was halted deep inside Argentina’s half.  The ball was recycled quickly before full-back captain Sam Cane offloaded to full-back Barrett, who crossed for their fourth try.

New Zealand’s continued to dominate during the game’s latter stages and further tries from Savea and Retallick followed which meant they held a 46-3 lead.

The All Blacks did not take their foot off the pedal and their half century came up in injury time when Beauden Barrett went over for their seventh and final try after Savea launched an attack off the back of a scrum deep inside Argentina’s 22.

Outstanding Argentina stun the All Blacks

Ian Foster made more unwanted history as New Zealand head coach as they became the first All Blacks team to lose to Argentina at home.

Foster received a stay of execution following their victory over South Africa but this result is a catastrophe for both the head coach and the governing body.

However, although there will be plenty of fallout from this abject defeat, all the credit has to go to Los Pumas, who were once again utterly magnificent.

Two weeks after their record-breaking victory over Australia, they went to the home of the three-time world champions and produced another incredible effort.

Even though New Zealand were the better team with ball in hand in the first half, scoring two tries via Samisoni Taukei’aho and Caleb Clarke, their discipline let them down throughout and Argentina capitalised.

Los Pumas sharp-shooter Emiliano Boffelli was superb off the tee, taking advantage of the hosts’ infringements to keep them in contention at the break.

And they lifted their intensity even more in the second period, despite Richie Mo’unga’s early penalty, as Juan Martin Gonzalez’s try and two more Boffelli three-pointers sealed a historic win.

Buoyed by their superb Rugby Championship triumph over the Springboks in Johannesburg, the All Blacks were attempting to make it successive victories for the first time since last year, but they were simply abysmal in Christchurch.

The Kiwis certainly made their intentions known early on by looking to move the ball through the phases, but they were inaccurate and it enabled Boffelli to give the visitors a 3-0 advantage.

New Zealand hit back straight away, however, and it came through their maul.  Forwards coach Jason Ryan has made a significant impression since joining the set-up and it looked organised and powerful as they surged across the whitewash, with Taukei’aho touching down.

The scrum was also in the ascendency but, despite that set-piece dominance, they were conceding far too many penalties and Boffelli took advantage.

His second three-pointer moved the South Americans back in front before Mo’unga responded for the All Blacks, giving them an 8-6 lead.

Foster’s charges then constructed a brilliant try following a botched Argentina lineout as they moved it through the hands, with Clarke lurking to finish off a flowing move.

Brilliant Boffelli

That could have been the score which prompted the hosts to find their rhythm but Los Pumas remained physical, resilient and smart as Boffelli kicked two more penalties.

They were just 15-12 in arrears at the break and, although Mo’unga briefly extended that gap early in the second period, from the restart the visitors had their first try.

Boffelli brilliantly put Scott Barrett under pressure and Gonzalez collected the loose ball to surge across the whitewash out wide.

The wing, almost inevitably, nailed a difficult conversion to move the away team back in front before he was on target soon after for a 22-18 lead.

That then became a seven-point buffer, once again thanks to the outstanding Boffelli, and left New Zealand searching for answers.

Argentina’s defence was huge while the All Blacks lacked creativity and a yellow card for Shannon Frizell made the job even more difficult for Foster’s men.

The All Blacks did press for a converted try late on which would level the match but Argentina deservedly held on for an incredible victory.

Wallabies continue fine run against Boks in Australia

The Wallabies continued their impressive record against the Springboks in Australia when they sealed a 25-17 triumph in Adelaide on Saturday.

The home side were deserved winners as they dominated for long periods and eventually outscored the Boks by three tries to two with Fraser McReight leading the way with a brace, while Marika Koroibete also crossed the whitewash.

Their other points came via the boot of Noah Lolesio, who finished with a 10-point haul after succeeding with two conversions and as many penalties.

For South Africa, Kwagga Smith scored two tries while Handre Pollard slotted a penalty with Elton Jantjies and Jaden Hendrikse adding a conversion apiece.

The result means the home side stretch their unbeaten record in Australia against the Springboks to eight matches.

Australia made a terrific start and shortly after the kick-off they found themselves on the attack deep inside South Africa’s 22 thanks to a strong carry down the right-hand touchline from Rob Valetini.  After he was brought to ground the ball was recycled quickly and Folau Fainga’a did well to take the ball into contact before he was stopped close to the try-line.  McReight then ran onto a pass from Nic White before diving over for an opening try.

Five minutes later, the visitors strayed offside on defence and Lolesio gave the Wallabies a 10-0 lead when he slotted the resulting penalty.  South Africa were struggling to get a foothold in the game and had two opportunities to open their account courtesy of penalty attempts from Pollard during the opening quarter but both shots at goal were off target.

He eventually succeeded with one in the 24th minute after White was blown up for obstruction and with points on the board were slowly gaining the upper hand.  They spent most of the second quarter camped inside the Wallabies’ half but, despite dominating during the rest of the half, they failed to capitalise on that dominance.

On the half-hour mark, the Springboks played quickly from a penalty close to Australia’s try-line and Ox Nche crossed the whitewash but was held up by the Wallabies defence.  Tom Wright was the tackler but his efforts saw him being yellow carded as he did not retreat the 10 metres after the Boks took the tap penalty.

Just before the break Makazole Mapimpi found himself in space out wide deep inside the Wallabies’ 22 but he was stopped in his tracks close to the try-line by a magnificent cover tackle from Koroibete.

Mapimpi knocked on in the process and from the resulting scrum Faf de Klerk was yellow carded for a swinging arm to White’s face and the Wallabies went into the sheds holding a 10-3 lead at half-time.

Wallabies kick on in second half

Six minutes after the restart, Koroibete gathered a pass from Lolesio deep inside the Boks’ 22 and bamboozled Pollard with quick feet before showing a superb turn of speed on his way over the try-line.

Although Lolesio failed with the conversion attempt, that score reinvigorated the home side and in the 56th minute they extended their lead when McReight crossed for his second try.  This, after Lolesio gathered an inside pass from James Slipper on the Boks’ 10-metre line and soon found himself inside their 22 after a superb line break.  He was hauled in by the cover defence but did well to offload to McReight, who had an easy run-in over the try-line.

The Boks seemed shellshocked but had little to offer in response.  In the 64th minute they conceded a breakdown penalty and Lolesio made no mistake from the kicking tee to give his side a deserved 25-3 lead.

With the game in the bag, the Wallabies took their foot off the pedal and in the 74th minute Smith scored his first try after Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch laid the groundwork with some deft offloads in the build-up.  And just before the final whistle, Smith crossed from close quarters after he ran onto a pass from Hendrikse, who played quickly from a penalty.

That try added some respectability to the score but the Boks will be hugely disappointed with the end result, leaving their Rugby Championship chances in the balance.

All Blacks hit back in style with win over Springboks

New Zealand picked up their first win in this year’s Rugby Championship after they overcame South Africa 35-23 at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Tries from Sam Cane, Samisoni Taukei’aho, David Havili and Scott Barrett helped ease the pressure on Ian Foster as the All Blacks ended a three-game drought.

Richie Mo’unga also contributed massively off the tee with 15 points as New Zealand responded admirably after what has been a dismal few months in the camp.

Lukhanyo Am and Makazole Mapimpi went over for South Africa’s tries while fly-half Handre Pollard added 13 points as they came up short in Johannesburg.

After struggling with their starts to games in recent outings, it was a much-improved opening from the All Blacks in this second fixture as they came out well.

Using the cross-kick to good effect and with plenty of possession and territory to boot, they had a foothold in the contest and matched the hosts’ physicality.

Despite their early dominance, however, the All Blacks could not turn pressure into points and that was with Damian Willemse off the field after he was yellow carded for killing the ball at a ruck.  The Boks managed to hold firm and eventually eased the pressure, thanks largely to Pieter-Steph du Toit’s intercept.

Like last week there was a need for tinkering in South Africa’s side early on as Jesse Kriel was replaced by Willie le Roux after he suffered a concussion.  Willemse, on his return, moved to inside centre with Am shifting to wing to accommodate Le Roux’s introduction at full-back, with more changes set to come.

New Zealand, to their credit, were much better in the forward exchanges and their improvements from last weekend were rewarded on 23 minutes as a run downfield that involved Will Jordan and Rieko Ioane ended with Lood de Jager straying offside.  Mo’unga made no mistake off the tee and the All Blacks led.

Things would get even better for Foster’s charges three minutes later when Cane finished off from Jordan’s pass on the right wing to make it 8-0 to the visitors.

South Africa were forced to act and sent on Malcolm Marx for Joseph Dweba before New Zealand scored again, this time Taukei’aho barging over to make it 15-0.

Cue Jasper Wiese and Steven Kitshoff’s arrival off the bench as Duane Vermeulen and Ox Nche made their way off and those changes paid dividends shortly after, with the ball coming to the right wing where Am was able to slip Caleb Clarke en route to the whitewash.  Pollard’s extras made it 15-7 to the All Blacks.

Following the interval, South Africa looked to build on that score and a Pollard penalty goal made it a two-point ball game after 45 minutes.  However, a late Wiese tackle on Aaron Smith pushed New Zealand back into a five-point lead shortly after as the fixture looked destined to be a tight affair right until the finish.

South Africa thought they had levelled matters on 56 minutes when wing Am’s break from his own half led to Mapimpi crossing.  However, obstruction from scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse was spotted by referee Luke Pearce and the try was chalked off, with Mo’unga slotting the resulting penalty to make it 21-13.

South Africa playing catch-up

The Springboks would not be denied for long though as, following a Marx turnover, Willemse’s superb pass found Mapimpi, who this time finished for the score.

After Pollard’s excellent touchline conversion it was a one-point deficit for the hosts and things looked promising for them when Beauden Barrett was sin-binned for taking out Hendrikse off the ball.  The Springbok fly-half made no mistake in moving them into the lead for the first time as the comeback looked on.

But the All Blacks found one last burst of energy as, following Ioane’s lung-busting break from his own half, the ball was recycled for centre Havili to reach out, making it 28-23 on 74 minutes, before Scott Barrett crashed over late on to rubberstamp a huge result that New Zealand as a team and country will savour.

Record-breaking Argentina thrash Australia

Argentina finally produced an 80-minute performance against Australia to get off the mark in the Rugby Championship following a hugely impressive 48-17 triumph on Saturday.

Los Pumas usually start well against the Wallabies before seeing their opponents have a second-half surge to snatch victory, but the hosts had no such problems in San Juan as they recorded their biggest ever win over the green and gold.

Just like in the opening weekend of the competition, Michael Cheika’s men were the dominant team in the first half.  The home side held a 19-10 lead in Round One but they went seven better on Saturday as tries for Juan Imhoff, Thomas Gallo, Jeronimo de la Fuente and Juan Martin Gonzalez gave them a 26-10 advantage at the interval.

James Slipper touched down for Dave Rennie’s outfit and James O’Connor kicked a conversion and a penalty, but they struggled for fluency throughout the contest.

Los Pumas were much the better team throughout and eased to victory thanks to Gallo, Emiliano Boffelli and Tomas Albornoz tries in the second period.

As mentioned, Argentina often enjoy the opening 40 minutes in matches against Australia and Saturday’s encounter was no different.

Once again, the visitors were caught cold and in the first minute Cheika’s charges found space on the left where Imhoff was lurking.

The wing kicked ahead and put pressure on the Aussie backfield, who failed to deal with the bouncing ball, and the speedster collected to scamper over.

A few minutes later Los Pumas had their second try when Gallo barged across the whitewash from close range, opening up a 14-point buffer.

Australia responded through Slipper before O’Connor kicked a conversion and then a penalty to bring them to within a try of the hosts.

After a difficult start, Rennie’s team were on the front foot and thought they had another score when O’Connor touched down, but it was ruled out for an earlier infringement.

It was to prove a big turning point as Argentina almost immediately benefited from that let off.  The hosts set up an attack in the opposition 22 and De la Fuente took an excellent line to weave his way over, despite pulling a hamstring in the process.

Los Pumas had been exceptional but the Wallabies were also aiding the home side by making a series of errors and when O’Connor failed to deal with a high ball, Gonzalez was on hand to take possession and cross the whitewash.

No Aussie comeback this time around

Argentina duly held a comfortable 16-point buffer going into the second half, but it’s usually at that point they fold and let the Aussies back into the contest.  However, there was no such issue this time around.

Los Pumas weren’t quite as free-flowing, especially in the third quarter, but they defended resiliently and forced the visitors into mistakes.

One such Australian indiscretion led to Boffelli extending Argentina’s lead via a three-pointer before Gallo touched down for the second time to effectively complete the win.

The Wallabies also had Fraser McReight sin-binned following a series of infringements leading up to the prop going over.

Although they responded well to going down to 14 men when Len Ikitau touched down, Argentina finished with a flourish and were rewarded with tries for Boffelli and Albornoz to wrap up a comprehensive win.