Blair Kinghorn hat-trick helps Scotland edge past battling Italy

A hat-trick from Blair Kinghorn helped secure Scotland a 26-14 bonus-point victory over Italy in their Six Nations clash at Murrayfield.

The scoreline might suggest a fairly comfortable win for the Scots but it was far from it as Italy pushed their hosts until the final whistle on Saturday.

With the clock almost in the red and Scotland leading 19-14, Italy were banging on the home team’s try-line before a breakaway added gloss to the win.

Kinghorn‘s hat-trick score was part of four tries from Gregor Townsend’s men on the day, with Duhan van der Merwe claiming the opening crossing.

Tommaso Allan went over for Italy’s only try of the game as they finish the Six Nations in last spot, but will take plenty of positives from the campaign.

Italy had a chance to get the scoreboard ticking when they awarded a penalty on the 10-metre line in the fourth minute but Allan ― who was born in Scotland ― saw his kick drift just left of the posts.

Four minutes later, however, Allan got the Azzurri off the mark when he kicked a penalty from the 22.

The Scots sparked into life in the 13th minute when Van der Merwe received an offload from Huw Jones wide on the left and did superbly to ride the challenge of Paolo Garbisi and plant the ball down just inside the touchline.  Kinghorn was wide with his conversion attempt.

The Italians managed to get their noses back in front three minutes later when Allan scored another penalty.

The visitors were forced into a change in the 23rd minute when Edoardo Iachizzi went off injured and was replaced by Niccolo Cannone.

Six minutes later, they suffered a further blow when prop Danilo Fischetti was shown a yellow card for repeated scrum infringements by the Italian front-row.  Winger Simone Gesi was temporarily sacrificed as Pietro Ceccarelli was introduced from the bench to reinforce the front-row.

Scotland made the extra man count within a matter of seconds as Ben White took the ball from the base of the scrum, carried forward and played in Kinghorn, who spotted a gap and dived over.  The number 10 duly converted his own try.

The hosts continued on the front foot early in the second half and Kinghorn got himself a second try just four minutes after the restart following another assist by White.  The try-scorer again added the extras.

Just as Scotland looked in full control, however, Italy got themselves back in the match when Allan bounded over for a well-executed try on the left.  The try-scorer missed then missed the chance to bring the Azzurri within a converted try of victory when he fluffed his conversion attempt.

😲 Some way to seal the win. Brilliant try! 👏#GuinnessSixNations #SCOvITApic.twitter.com/qNfKFowQa0

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 18, 2023

But four minutes later, team-mate Garbisi took over kicking duties and sent a penalty soaring between the posts from just outside the 10-metre line to reduce the deficit to just five points.

Italy piled on the pressure in the closing stages and looked like they might be about to force a victory before Scotland broke away in the last action of the match, with Kinghorn racing gleefully behind the posts after being handed a clear run by Van der Merwe.  The number 10 capped a memorable afternoon for himself with a close-range conversion.

Ireland one win from Grand Slam after victory over Scotland

Ireland overcame an excellent Scotland performance and a succession of injuries to move to within one victory of winning the Six Nations Grand Slam after emerging 22-7 triumphant at Murrayfield.

Andy Farrell’s men were dealt a difficult hand on Sunday, losing Dan Sheehan, Iain Henderson and Caelan Doris to injury in the opening 25 minutes before seeing replacement hooker Ronan Kelleher go off early in the second period.

It meant they had Cian Healy hooking in the scrum and Josh van der Flier throwing at the lineout, but they overcame those issues to defeat an excellent Scottish side.

The hosts gave as good as they got, going into the break just 8-7 in arrears following Huw Jones’ try, but the Irishmen’s quality and adaptability showed after the break.

Their set-piece, despite the setbacks in the opening 50 minutes, went well and they touched down three times via Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Jack Conan to secure the win.

The Irish will secure the Grand Slam if they defeat England in Dublin on Saturday, while the Scots ― after opening with back-to-back wins ― go into their final match at home to Italy with little to play for other than pride.

Prior to kick-off Stuart Hogg was accompanied onto the pitch by his children ahead of his 100th cap.  The Scotland full-back was visibly emotional during the national anthems, and his son then returned to the field to present the match ball.

Hogg had to quickly get his game face on, however, as Ireland set about making their presence felt in the early stages, threatening the try-line.  The Scots were forced into a change after just six minutes when lock Richie Gray went off injured and was replaced by Scott Cummings.

Ireland almost made the breakthrough in the 11th minute when Hansen was picked out wide on the right but Duhan van der Merwe did just enough to pull him into touch.  The Irish had already earned a penalty advantage and Sexton duly kicked between the sticks from close range to get his side off the mark.

Injury woes

This phase of play came at a cost, however, as Doris went off injured and was replaced by Conan.

After doing well to ride out the early period of pressure by conceding just three points, Scotland forced their way into the game.  They got themselves in front in the 17th minute when Jones bounded over after being set up by his fellow Glasgow centre Sione Tuipulotu following a sustained period of pressure in front of the Irish line.

There was a further blow for the men in green as Sheehan went off immediately after the try to be replaced by Kelleher, and remarkably Henderson became the third Irish player forced off by injury when he went off to be replaced by Ryan Baird in the 24th minute.

☘️ Still having an effective set-piece with your prop hooking in the scrum and your flanker throwing at the lineout feels very Ireland.

Adaptable. Skilful. Composed under pressure. 👏 pic.twitter.com/23wgjUNKX1

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 12, 2023

Having looked temporarily rattled by the Scots, Ireland regained their composure and hit back in the 28th minute when Hansen managed to plant the ball down just inside the line despite the best efforts of Van der Merwe to force him out after a looping pass out to the right from Hugo Keenan.

Johnny Sexton was wide with his conversion attempt, and the visitors went in at the end of a ferociously-contested first half with a one-point lead.

Second half

Ireland got themselves some breathing space for the first time in the match when Lowe evaded the attention of Kyle Steyn to touch down in the 57th minute after his teammates had done well to work the ball from right to left.  Sexton made no mistake with the conversion.

And five minutes later, the Irish went further ahead when substitute Conan bolted over on the right after an offload from Hansen.  Sexton was again successful in adding the extras to take his Six Nations all-time total to 557 ― level with Ronan O’Gara.

Ireland’s injury woes continued when Garry Ringrose went off on the buggy in the closing stages, leaving head coach Andy Farrell with a string of fitness concerns ahead of his rampant side’s shot at glory next weekend.

France embarrass England at Twickenham in record victory

France put in a masterclass of a performance as they hammered England 53-10 in a record-breaking showing in their Six Nations clash on Saturday.

It was a wonderful display from the visitors to Twickenham as they scored an unbelievable seven tries to England’s one, silencing the home supporters.

Thomas Ramos’ opening score was added to by a brace apiece from Thibaud Flament, Charles Ollivon and Damian Penaud as they put on a rugby clinic.

Freddie Steward claimed England‘s only crossing of the evening as this was a chastening defeat that will no doubt sting Steve Borthwick and his players.

The gulf between the rivals was embarrassing as the World Cup hosts registered their first Six Nations victory at Twickenham since 2005 in a glorious return to form having laboured through much of the tournament.

And it only gets harder for Borthwick’s men as, having faced the team positioned second in the global rankings, they must travel to Dublin next Saturday to take on Grand Slam-chasing Ireland, who occupy the summit.

Marcus Smith did everything he could having ousted Owen Farrell at fly-half, but with his forwards dismantled at every turn he was powerless to halt the collapse.

For all the talk of England playing with pace, it was France who raced out of the blocks and when lock Paul Willemse offloaded out of the tackle they were away, with Ethan Dumortier sending Ramos over in the left corner.

Ramos added a penalty to reward another Les Bleus attack and with only 10 minutes on the clock it was already looking bleak for the hosts.

England were hamstrung by their discipline at the breakdown and apart from a forceful run by Steward they were struggling to make any impression as rain began to fall.

Inroads were made through the maul but with Jack van Poortvliet fumbling again, the progress was lost and the familiar sight of France rampaging downfield resumed.

Antoine Dupont grew in influence as he weaved his magic around the ruck but it was the power of forwards François Cros and Flament that did the damage for the next try.

Flament crossed in the 26th minute but it was too easy for the lock as passive England were overpowered in contact.

And their scrum defence was horribly exposed in first-half injury-time when Gregory Alldritt charged forward and seeing blue shirts lined up in support, sent Ollivon crashing over.

France absolutely and totally dominant.  Flament was exceptional, Ramos phenomenonal, Fickou and Danty perfect, Dupont was Dupont.  Everyone had at least an 8.5/10 game.

What a World Cup we have in store.

— Sam Larner (@SamLStandsUp) March 11, 2023

England needed to act quickly and hope appeared to have arrived when Smith delivered a terrific kick on the run for Max Malins but the wing knocked-on over the line.

It was now France’s defence that was disintegrating and after waves of attacks they were breached with Steward riding a tackle to slide over.

England quickly renewed their attack but the fightback faltered when a cruel bounce deceived their backfield defence, allowing Romain Ntamack to flick the ball to Flament who scored.

And there was more misfortune when Smith was driven over his line by Dupont as he covered for a kick and Ollivon touched down when he let go of the ball before two late tries by wing Penaud drove the final nail into England’s coffin.

Wales claim bonus-point win over wasteful Italy in Rome

Wales picked up their first victory of the 2023 Six Nations campaign after they beat Italy 29-17 in Rome, exacting revenge for last year’s defeat.

Tries from Rio Dyer, Liam Williams and Taulupe Faletau were added to by a penalty try as Warren Gatland’s men secured a priceless bonus point win.

Sebastian Negri and Ignacio Brex crossed in defeat for Italy, who will lament a series of costly errors as it was a wasteful performance from the hosts.

Wales head to Paris next for a Six Nations appointment with France and, while that assignment is a daunting one, they can at least travel with a degree of confidence after claiming a first win since Gatland returned for his second stint as head coach.

Gatland made six changes to the side beaten by England last time out, with scrum-half Rhys Webb handed a first Test start since October 2020, while there were also call-ups for Liam Williams, Dyer, Wyn Jones, Dafydd Jenkins and Jac Morgan.

Italy were without injured playmaker Ange Capuozzo, so Harlequins fly-half Tommaso Allan featured at full-back in a solitary switch following the Azzurri’s battling display against Ireland two weeks ago.

Wales started brightly in glorious conditions, creating quick possession and looking to attack in wide channels before fly-half Owen Williams kicked them ahead through a sixth-minute penalty.

Italy looked lethargic and nervous in comparison and Wales extended their lead with a ninth-minute try.

Webb kicked over the top of Italy’s defence and Dyer made the most of a kind bounce to gather before sprinting over.  Williams’ conversion opened up a 10-0 lead and the visitors were off to a flying start.

Italy needed a response and it arrived through an Allan penalty after 16 minutes, yet Wales were immediately back on the front foot.

Their attacking game had a real urgency about it, but a second try inside the opening quarter owed everything to Liam Williams’ individual brilliance.

Receiving the ball a metre from the touchline, Williams beat five Italy defenders as he cut back inside on a stunning run at pace and Wales retained control of the contest, 15-3 in front.

Italy tested Wales via a long-range counter-attack, but they were denied a try by Owen Williams’ superb tackle on Brex.

Williams then kicked Wales deep into the Italian 22 and a powerful lineout drive resulted in Italy illegally collapsing a maul.

Referee Damon Murphy awarded Wales a penalty try and yellow-carded Italy number eight Lorenzo Cannone, with the visitors taking a 22-3 lead into half-time.

Italy served notice of their quality by scoring a try just three minutes after the restart when Allan’s clever kick into space was collected by Negri, who finished strongly.

Allan’s conversion cut the deficit to 12 points, but Italy then saw a second player yellow-carded after wing Pierre Bruno led with his arm into Wales prop Jones’ throat.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Rhys Webb has been excellent today. #GuinnessSixNations #ITAvWAL pic.twitter.com/zi3pGEdRPP

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 11, 2023

And Wales punished their hosts when Webb broke clear and delivered a scoring pass to Faletau, with Williams’ conversion opening up a 29-10 lead and securing a bonus point.

Liam Williams was forced off injured 19 minutes from time, being replaced by George North, with North’s fellow replacement Louis Rees-Zammit moving to full-back.

Italy, despite their deficit, had not given up the ghost and they claimed a second try after 67 minutes.

Bruno ran strongly at the heart of Wales’ defence and support runner Brex finished off the move, with Allan’s conversion making it 29-17, but that was as close as Italy could get.

France end Scotland’s Grand Slam dreams as two sent off in Paris thriller

Scotland’s hopes of a first Six Nations Grand Slam were ended in Paris as France secured a 32-21 triumph in a match where two players were red-carded.

Gregor Townsend’s men had a disastrous start, conceding a try to Romain Ntamack and seeing Grant Gilchrist sent off for a shoulder to the head of Anthony Jelonch.

Les Bleus then extended their advantage when Ethan Dumortier crossed the whitewash, but the visitors were given hope as Mohamed Haouas was given his marching orders for effectively headbutting Ben White.

Although the French went over for a third time thanks to Thomas Ramos’ score, the visitors began to edge their way back into the contest, and Huw Jones touched down before the break.

Ramos added a three-pointer before Jones crossed the whitewash for the second time to increase the nerves for the French.

And when Finn Russell scored with 13 minutes remaining, Scotland had all the momentum, but the hosts controlled the final stages impressively and sealed the bonus-point win when Gael Fickou crossed the whitewash.

France made the breakthrough in the fifth minute when Ntamack bolted over on the left after being set up by Antoine Dupont, who had collected the ball from the back of a ruck.  Ramos duly kicked the conversion.

Things got worse for the Scots just two minutes later when ― following a TMO review ― Gilchrist was shown a red card for appearing to plant his shoulder in the face of Jelonch.  The Frenchman was forced off to be replaced by Francois Cros.

The hosts made the extra man count within seconds when Dumortier was presented with an easy touchdown on the left after good work by Ntamack and Dupont to create the opening.  Ramos hit the post with his conversion attempt.

With Scotland in danger of being blown away, flanker Hamish Watson was sacrificed in the 10th minute to make way for replacement lock Jonny Gray to come on and fill the void left by Gilchrist.

The eventful start to the match continued in the 12th minute when Frenchman Haouas ― who was red-carded against the Scots in 2020 ― was sent off for flying round the side of a ruck and banging heads with Ben White.

The evening up of the numbers did not halt the hosts, however, and they got their third try of the match in the 19th minute when Ramos seized on a loose pass from Russell inside the Scotland half, and the full-back darted clear down the left before touching down behind the posts.  The try-scorer then added the conversion himself from close range.

Scotland eventually started to settle into the match, and they got their first points on the board in the 26th minute when Jones bounded over after being set up by Russell.

It was always going to be this man…@finn_russell touches down to get @Scotlandteam right back in this. #FRAvSCO pic.twitter.com/VpqeYNvo8a

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 26, 2023

The French went in at the break with a 15-point advantage after Ramos kicked a penalty in the 36th minute.

Scotland made further inroads into their deficit three minutes into the second half when Jones forced his way over for his second try of the match after being set up by Sione Tuipulotu.  Russell was again on the mark with the conversion.

Another Ramos penalty in the 56th minute edged France 11 points ahead, but the Scots remained in the ascendancy and they got themselves a third try in the 68th minute when Russell reached over after being played in by replacement Ali Price.

The Scots were within four points of what would have been a famous fightback but the French regained their composure in the closing stages, with Fickou scoring a 79th-minute try, converted by Ramos, to put the outcome beyond doubt.

Wooden Spoon beckons for Wales as England win in Cardiff

England backed up their Round Two victory over Italy with a hard-fought 20-10 win against Wales in a poor Six Nations clash on Saturday.

Tries from Anthony Watson, Kyle Sinckler and Ollie Lawrence helped the Red Rose to the four points, with Owen Farrell having a poor day off the tee.

Louis Rees-Zammit crossed for his side’s only try via an interception as Wales struggled to fire a shot at England, going down to a third loss in a row.

The game’s build-up was engulfed by the threat of Wales players going on strike, which was only averted 72 hours before kick-off, ended with a third successive tournament loss.

It was the first time for 16 years that Wales had been toppled in their first three Six Nations fixtures, and a possible wooden spoon decider against Italy in Rome on March 11 now beckons.

Wales’ regional rugby financial issues remain far from being resolved, yet a clash that almost did not happen could prove an important stepping stone in England’s development under head coach Steve Borthwick as they recorded their biggest away victory over Wales since 2003.

England came under immediate pressure when skipper Farrell had an attempted defensive clearance charged down by Wales number eight Taulupe Faletau, but the visitors cleared before their opponents could arrive in sufficient numbers.

Wayward kicking was a theme of the opening 10 minutes from both sides, yet England showed signs of settling as Farrell kicked a 48-metre penalty to nudge his team ahead.

Wales showed plenty of intent, with Test debutant Mason Grady prominent, but they were undone by a slick England move after 19 minutes.

Wing Max Malins broke Wales’ initial defensive cover, before quickly recycled possession was worked wide and Watson finished impressively after collecting number eight Alex Dombrandt’s pass.

Farrell’s touchline conversion attempt hit the post, then Wales opened their account when Leigh Halfpenny landed an angled penalty and England led 8-3 early in the second quarter.

Wales persisted with aerial tactics, yet such an approach was meat and drink for England as Malins and full-back Freddie Steward dealt comfortably with the bombardment.

Farrell drifted a long-range penalty wide eight minutes before half-time, but England continued to dominate territory as Wales huffed and puffed, although creating nothing in terms of a clear-cut attacking chance.

Wales finally stirred when Rees-Zammit made a threatening half-break that took him inside England’s 22, only for Steward to halt his progress before the home side conceded another penalty and Farrell cleared.

Wales then attacked again, yet they were unable to capitalise on promising build-up play and England took a five-point lead into the interval.

But it took Wales just 45 seconds of the second period to wipe out that deficit as Rees-Zammit intercepted Malins’ pass and sprinted 50 metres for an opportunist try that Halfpenny converted.

Rees-Zammit’s ninth touchdown in 23 Tests underlined his finishing ability, yet it took England just five minutes to recapture the initiative.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England edge Wales in Cardiff. #GuinnessSixNations #WALvENG pic.twitter.com/FmuX9tSfPC

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 25, 2023

Prop Ellis Genge ran aggressively into the heart of Wales’ defence and the England forwards did not require a second invitation to set up camp, with Sinckler crashing over from close range and Farrell converting.

The game had suddenly burst into life and Wales head coach Warren Gatland made his first changes as Biggar replaced Owen Williams and Saracens centre Nick Tompkins took over from Josh Adams, with Test debutant Mason Grady moving to the wing.

Another Farrell penalty miss meant England could not pull away and the final quarter was inevitably frantic as both teams went for broke.

But England had the final say, with Lawrence crossing for a try six minutes from time to leave them home and dry.

Ireland claim third maximum but pushed all the way by Italy

Ireland avoided a shock result at the hands of a confident Italy as they came out on top in Rome, winning the Six Nations clash 34-20 in Rome.

Crossings from James Ryan, Hugo Keenan, Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen (2) were added to by nine points from the boot of Ross Byrne on Saturday.

Stephen Varney and Pierre Bruno went over for Italy while Paolo Garbisi kicked 10 points in an impressive performance from the improving Azzurri.

In-form Ireland arrived in the Italian capital seeking a third consecutive tournament success but without a host of star names due to injury.

Swathes of green jerseys packed the terraces and witnessed a side steered by rookie half-back pairing Byrne and Craig Casey make a blistering start.

James Lowe, who benefited from a favourable call to claim a try in the 32-19 win over France a fortnight ago, was denied a quick-fire score on this occasion as replays showed he dropped the ball just before grounding with a one-handed finish under pressure from Ange Capuozzo.

Yet Irish disappointment was swiftly tempered by stand-in skipper Ryan capitalising on a Lowe assist following a fine Aki offload to cross inside three minutes.

Italy have not won at home in the Six Nations since a shock 22-15 success over Declan Kidney’s Ireland a decade ago.

Sparked by the mercurial talents of fit-again fly-half Garbisi and rapid full-back Capuozzo, they contributed to a thrilling encounter and quickly hit back as Wales-born scrum-half Varney sneaked over following strong running from Lorenzo Cannone.

Ireland full-back Keenan then wriggled through a host of tackles to dive over before Aki, who was instrumental in his side’s opening two tries, burst clear to stretch the scoreboard midway through a breathless first half after a Garbisi penalty briefly reduced the deficit.

Following a temporary lull during which Casey recovered from being flattened by Italian lock Niccolo Cannone and prop Finlay Bealham departed injured, Andy Farrell’s men had the bonus-point wrapped with only 35 minutes on the clock when Hansen dived over wide on the right at the end of sustained pressure to help subdue home support.

But the visitors had little time to enjoy the cushion as their advantage was halved to seven points with the final action of a gripping opening period.

Italy wing Bruno superbly intercepted Aki’s pass in his own half and darted around 70 metres to put the contest firmly back in the balance and ignite fresh optimism among Azzurri fans.

🇮🇹☘️ Job done for Ireland but it wasn't easy against Italy. #IREvITA pic.twitter.com/97ciPW0iCZ

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 25, 2023

Another Garbisi penalty cut the lead to 24-20 and Farrell cut a concerned figure in the stands after Aki was denied a second score of the afternoon as replays showed he lost possession on the ground before regathering.

A Byrne penalty helped steady the nerves before Hansen slipped through the Italian defensive line nine minutes from time to ensure Ireland claimed a precious, albeit unconvincing, victory.

Jack Willis-inspired England claim bonus-point win over Italy

England bounced back from last weekend’s loss to Scotland as they saw off Italy on Sunday, claiming a 31-14 bonus-point victory at Twickenham.

Tries from Jack Willis, Ollie Chessum, Jamie George and Henry Arundell were added to by a penalty try, with Owen Farrell converting two of those in the win.

Marco Riccioni and Alessandro Fusco crossed for Italy, whose overall performance was a level below what they put in against France in their opening match.

Steve Borthwick’s midfield surgery produced a better functioning unit with centres Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade both influential, although Farrell failed to stamp his authority at fly-half as Marcus Smith watched on from the bench.

Smith eventually came on but it was for Slade with Farrell, his head bandaged to protect a wound sustained against Scotland, moving to inside centre.

Some of the Six Nations victory’s gloss was rubbed away by Italy being allowed back into the game in the final quarter, but a simple finish for Arundell with 10 minutes to go quelled the uprising.

There was little evidence of the Azzurri’s recent resurgence in a one-sided clash and from an early stage England looked destined to preserve a flawless record against their rivals that now reads 30 wins.

Willis struck the first blow, barrelling over to finish a perfectly-executed line-out maul.

Farrell’s conversion opened up a 7-0 lead and having seen their line-out maul disintegrate, Italy were unable to make any headway during a lengthy spell in possession.

Having scored one line-out try down the left England attempted to repeat the success in a similar area, repeatedly turning down shots at goal in favour of the set-piece.

Number eight Lorenzo Cannone was sent to the sin-bin as Italy came under heavy pressure and they cracked again when waves of forward carries ended with Ellis Genge sending Chessum over.

There was no let-up as England renewed their attack, Lawrence making his presence felt in midfield, and they appeared to be over in the 35th minute thanks to Max Malins’ show and go ― but an obstruction earlier in the move had been spotted by the officials.

However, the third try arrived soon enough with another line-out drive finishing when George touched down.

Italy started the second half with far greater purpose and they soon went over through prop Riccioni but they were troubled by the hosts’ line-out once again, conceding a penalty try and seeing Simone Ferrari sent to the sin-bin.

Replacement Fusco rounded off a lively spell from Italy by jinking over and suddenly they were making inroads by daring to attack from all sections of the pitch.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Give Henry Arundell an inch… #GuinnessSixNations #ENGvITA pic.twitter.com/RDraMcboFu

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 12, 2023

But England responded with Arundell racing over after fellow replacement Alex Mitchell had created the space with a sharp run, removing any tension.

The Six Nations now moves into a fallow week before it returns on Saturday, February 25 when Italy play host to Ireland and England head to Wales.

Ruthless Ireland claim bonus-point victory over France

Ireland made it back-to-back bonus-point victories in this year’s Six Nations as they overcame title rivals France 32-19 in Dublin on Saturday.

Tries from Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Andrew Porter and Garry Ringrose helped the Irish to a record 13th triumph on home soil as France were well beaten.

Les Bleus’ only crossing came from Damian Penaud, with their remaining points kicked by Thomas Ramos via a conversion, three penalties and a drop goal.

Fabien Galthie’s side have subsequently suffered a major dent in their championship title defence as their phenomenal winning run dating back to the summer of 2021 was halted at 14 matches.

Andy Farrell has now beaten each of rugby’s major nations as Ireland head coach, with fly-halves Johnny Sexton and Ross Byrne contributing seven and five points respectively on another landmark day in the team’s recent history.

His side go into a two-week break in the tournament ahead of a trip to Italy with maximum points, having begun with last week’s bonus-point dismantling of Wales.

Scores of fans were desperately seeking spare tickets ahead of kick-off, underlining the significance of the first time the world’s top two countries had met in a Six Nations fixture.

France arrived as the only visiting side to have won at the ground during the Farrell era but having survived a major scare in last weekend’s unconvincing success in Rome.

This year’s World Cup hosts were on the back foot for large parts of a breathless and bruising first-half of rugby which ebbed and flowed.

A pair of Ramos penalties kept them in contention in the early stages, coming either side of Keenan racing clear to claim the opening try courtesy of a fine Finlay Bealham offload.

The lively capacity crowd contained a sizeable French contingent and they were soon saluting a stunning breakaway score from Penaud.

The Clermont wing collected the ball deep inside his own 22, burst clear to exchange passes with flanker, before holding off Conor Murray and Mack Hansen to complete a sensational diagonal dart to the left corner.

The helter-skelter action continued and home fans erupted minutes later when a lengthy review concluded Lowe had grounded the ball with an outrageous dive for the left corner before Penaud could propel him into touch.

Momentum was well and truly with Ireland when prop Porter marked his 50th Test cap by bulldozing his country’s third try of the afternoon, just after France tighthead Uini Atonio was sin-binned for a high tackle which forced Ireland hooker Rob Herring off for a head injury assessment from which he did not return.

But the hosts could not fully capitalise on their temporary numerical advantage.

Gael Fickou and Antoine Dupont denied Keenan and Hansen what appeared to be a certain score, leaving the home side just 22-16 ahead at the interval after Ramos and Sexton exchanged penalties.

☘️ Here's that James Lowe finish. Wow! #GuinnessSixNations #IREvFRA pic.twitter.com/PKmrlsLxNW

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 11, 2023

France flew out of the blocks in the second half, yet failed to make further inroads on the scoreboard.

Ramos missed a long-range kick for the posts, while Ireland’s dogged defence eased mounting pressure by forcing a turnover close to their own try-line.

Byrne, on for influential captain Sexton, briefly stretched Ireland’s lead before Ramos quickly reduced his side’s deficit back to six points with a drop goal to leave a pulsating encounter delicately poised.

But French resistance was fatally broken nine minutes from time when Ringrose wriggled through three French tackles on the left to dot down at the end of sustained pressure.

Scotland claim maximum against Wales at Murrayfield

A second-half masterclass helped Scotland claim their second bonus-point win of the Six Nations campaign as they beat Wales 35-7 at Murrayfield.

Tries from George Turner, Kyle Steyn (2), Blair Kinghorn and Matt Fagerson helped the Scots to a comfortable victory that puts them level with Ireland.

Scotland now head into the fallow week with their tails up while in contrast Wales will lick their wounds as they suffer back-to-back losses this season.

Ken Owens claimed Wales’ only crossing, converted by Dan Biggar, but Finn Russell was the star of the show as he turned on the style after the interval.

Scotland got the first points on the board in the ninth minute when Russell kicked a penalty from in front of the posts after Wales were penalised for offside during a brilliant attack by the hosts ― led by a Huw Jones line-break ― that threatened to bring a try.

The Scots were dealt a blow in the 13th minute when Stuart Hogg went off with blood in his mouth and was replaced by Kinghorn.  The Exeter full-back’s injury was subsequently deemed serious enough to prevent him returning to the fray.

Two minutes later, Russell added another penalty from just outside the 22 after Wales were penalised for not releasing.

The visitors had an opportunity to reduce their deficit in the 25th minute when they won a penalty in a central position just under 40 metres out, but Biggar hooked his kick left of the posts.

Scotland looked all set to notch their first try of the afternoon on the half hour but Steyn, darting clear on the right, was denied by a sensational tackle from Rio Dyer just in front of the line.

The hosts were not to be denied, however, and in the next phase of play Turner wriggled his way free of a tackle to touch down following a lineout drive on the left.

There was initial doubt about whether the Glasgow hooker had grounded the ball but the celebrations were allowed to ensue following a TMO review.  Russell duly added the extras.

Turner’s joy was short-lived as he found himself in the sin-bin within two minutes of scoring his try following a high tackle on George North.

Wales almost immediately made the extra man count as captain Owens touched down following a maul in the 35th minute, with Biggar successfully kicking the conversion.

Warren Gatland’s men enjoyed a strong finish to the half and they should have had another try in the last action before the break, only for Dyer to drop the ball just in front of the line as he tried to run on to a pass from Biggar.

It would prove a pivotal moment as the Scots ― with their full quota of 15 back on the pitch ― stretched their advantage in the 52nd minute when Steyn was left with an easy touchdown on the right after brilliant play by Russell to set him up.  Russell added the extras to put Scotland 20-7 ahead.

Five minutes later, the Welsh suffered a further blow when Liam Williams was yellow-carded for going off his feet.  Within seconds, Steyn bounded over on the right for a second time when he was picked out by a magnificent cross-field kick from Russell.  This time the mercurial number 10 hooked his kick wide of the posts.

🔥 What an offload from Finn Russell to Kyle Steyn. #SCOvWAL pic.twitter.com/1nrJ36wErc

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 11, 2023

Scotland were firmly in the ascendancy and Russell was heavily involved again in their fourth try of the afternoon in the 71st minute as he kicked the ball out to Duhan van der Merwe on the left and the Edinburgh winger teed up clubmate Kinghorn to burst through the Welsh defence.  Russell missed his conversion.

The fly-half was not finished and he produced another stunning assist in the 79th minute when his looping pass out to the left sent Fagerson free to score.

Russell was again unsuccessful with his conversion attempt but he had already inflicted more than enough damage on the Welsh, who crashed to a second successive heavy Six Nations defeat.

France hang on for opening round victory over Italy in Rome

France survived a major scare against Italy in Rome as they hung on to win 29-24 in a nerve-racking Six Nations triumph on Sunday.

Tries from Thibaud Flament, Thomas Ramos, Ethan Dumortier and Matthieu Jalibert saw Les Bleus seal a bonus-point win, with Ramos also kicking nine points.

Italy came agonisingly close to claiming a memorable victory though, with Ange Capuozzo’s score and a penalty try added to by four penalties from Tommaso Allan.

The visitors were dealt a second-half scare when Charles Ollivon was sent to the sin bin and Italy were awarded that penalty try, at one point taking a second-half lead through Allan.

But Les Bleus fended off the threat and will look to extend their winning streak to 15 when they travel to Ireland next weekend in round two of the Six Nations.

France were on the scoresheet after four minutes when Italy scrum-half Stephen Varney attempted a box-kick only to be thwarted by the six-foot-eight Flament, who intercepted before going on an unstoppable run over the whitewash, with Ramos adding the extras.

Allan booted in a penalty to narrow the deficit before France had a try ruled out, but Les Bleus soon restored their advantage through Ramos.

Allan added another penalty for the Azzurri before Dumortier collected Romain Ntamack’s cross-field kick and dotted down to open his account for France.

Impressive finish from Capuozzo

Italy responded through Capuozzo, who went on a spritely run and was able to evade Gregory Alldritt before getting the ball down in the left corner, with Allan adding a penalty to make it 19-14 at the halfway point.

Ramos added three more but Ollivon was soon punished for bringing down the maul and the penalty try was awarded after a review.  Allan soon made no mistake to slot his fourth penalty through the posts to give his side the lead for the first time in the 61st minute.

Five minutes later, however, France displayed their depth when Jalibert came off the bench and made an instant impact, scoring with his first touch to secure the bonus point.

Duhan van der Merwe double helps Scotland beat England

A try double from Duhan van der Merwe helped Scotland to a 29-23 win over England as they kicked off their Six Nations in style at Twickenham.

This was the Scots’ third successive victory over the Auld Enemy as they stunned their hosts, with Van der Merwe’s 74th-minute score sealing the victory.

Scotland‘s other try scorers on the day were Huw Jones and Ben White, with Finn Russell kicking nine points off the tee in a pulsating game throughout.

For England their new chapter under head coach Steve Borthwick did provide plenty of positives as Max Malins (2), and Ellis Genge crossed the try-line.

England were booed from the pitch after a limp defeat by South Africa in their last appearance, the climax to a dire 2022 that resulted in Eddie Jones being sacked, but this seven-try Six Nations thriller was very different.

They had won only one of the last five Calcutta Cup matches, and the early omens signposted that run continuing when Scotland centre Jones touched down Sione Tuipulotu’s grubber in the 15th minute.

Earlier in the move, Jones had raced through a wide gap in the midfield defence as Scotland struck off their first attack of the game having been on the ropes for the opening exchanges.

Apart from the all-too-familiar penalty count, there had been much to admire about England’s start, and in the 23rd minute, they were over, pouncing on the 15th phase of a sustained assault in the 22 when Malins produced a fine finish of Marcus Smith’s cross-field kick.

The brittle home defence was exposed once again as Van der Merwe, taking a pass from Kyle Steyn, left a host of white shirts in his wake as he weaved a path to the whitewash.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Ben White showing how lethal he is. 20-19 right now. #ENGvSCO pic.twitter.com/oYGLYjV5Zq

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 4, 2023

It was a classy individual score, but England showed their own flair to engineer a second for Malins as patient build-up and smart handling created a simple run-in on the right wing.

An Owen Farrell penalty gave the hosts a one-point interval lead, and they were over for a third time through Genge in the 48th minute after a succession of dynamic carries by their pack.

Scotland’s visits to the home 22 were rare, but they showed a ruthless streak when they arrived, with White taking advantage of an absent ruck defence to plunder a sharp try.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 SCOTLAND WIN AGAIN AT TWICKENHAM! #ENGvSCO pic.twitter.com/sxQVCBqBzV

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 4, 2023

Veteran prop Dan Cole came on for his first cap since the 2019 World Cup final and forced a penalty at the scrum in his first involvement of the match, giving England the platform to renew their attack.

Farrell landed his second penalty, and Russell replied in kind as a nailbiting conclusion approached.

Scotland kept pressing, and the breakthrough arrived with six minutes left as Van der Merwe showed his strength to bulldoze over in the left corner and keep the Calcutta Cup in Edinburgh.

Dominant Ireland begin with bonus-point triumph over Wales

Ireland kicked off their Six Nations title charge with an impressive bonus-point victory over Wales as they ran out 34-10 winners in Cardiff.

Tries from Caelan Doris, James Ryan, James Lowe and Josh van der Flier saw the Irish home, with Johnny Sexton and Ross Byrne adding extra points.

For Wales they endured a nightmare first half as they went in 27-3 adrift but, to their credit, Warren Gatland’s team did improve after the turnaround.

Their try came from Liam Williams while Dan Biggar slotted a conversion and penalty, with the Welsh discipline and wastefulness a worry for Gatland.

Ireland though will be thrilled to get their Six Nations campaign off to such a positive start, with France in Dublin their next assignment in Round Two.

It was another defeat after a miserable 12 months that featured humiliating home losses to Italy and Georgia under Gatland’s predecessor Wayne Pivac, while off the field the Welsh Rugby Union has been rocked to its core by sexism and discrimination allegations in the organisation.

And Ireland were in no mood to allow Wales a reprieve, dominating every critical area, most notably the battle up-front.

Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park was ruled out with a hamstring injury as Ireland were forced into making a late change with Conor Murray replacing him, while Munster’s Craig Casey provided bench cover.

Wales had been forced into changing their line-up on Thursday, with Williams coming in for full-back Leigh Halfpenny, who suffered a back spasm during training.

Ireland needed just two minutes to deliver a reminder of their quality, scoring from an opening attack that was all about patient build-up play.

They went through the phases close to Wales’ line, before Doris powered over and Sexton’s conversion gave Ireland a dream start.

Ireland’s high-tempo game had Wales in all sorts of trouble, and they moved 14 points clear with only nine minutes gone.

Wales could not deal with Ireland’s impressive ball-carriers, and after sufficient dents had been made in the home defence, Ryan claimed their second try, with Sexton again converting.

Wales needed something to stir them, and wing Rio Dyer almost provided it when he broke clear following an Irish midfield mistake, but full-back Hugo Keenan beat him to the ball behind Ireland’s line.

Biggar opened Wales’ account through a 15th-minute penalty, but Sexton quickly cancelled that out with a penalty from in front of the posts, closing a dominant first quarter from his team.

But the visitors had no intention of slowing down, and Wales were unlocked again when Biggar’s intended pass to Williams found Lowe instead, and he sprinted clear to touch down, before Sexton again converted.

Ireland were in cruise control, leading 24-3 with almost an hour of the game remaining, and Wales already appeared in damage-limitation mode.

Another Sexton penalty made it 27-3 at the interval, and even when Wales flanker Jac Morgan found a way over Ireland’s line, prop Andrew Porter got underneath him to prevent a try.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿☘️ A bonus-point victory for Ireland! #GuinnessSixNations #WALvIRE pic.twitter.com/ZlEDFNPoFc

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 4, 2023

Wales began the second period with far greater intent, and Williams’ 45th-minute try ― converted by Biggar ― at least gave the home supporters something to shout about.

It was a far better performance by Wales, with Dyer a consistent threat to the Irish defence, yet the lineout remained Wales’ problem area in contrast to Ireland’s exemplary set-piece efforts.

Full-back Williams was then sin-binned for a shoulder-led challenge on Sexton, and Ireland moved past 30 points through Van der Flier’s score that underlined Wales’ shortcomings as they fell to an opening defeat.

Springboks muscle past disappointing England

South Africa produced a powerful performance as they beat a dismal England side 27-13 in their Autumn Nations Series clash on Saturday.

Tries from Kurt-Lee Arendse and Eben Etzebeth as well as three penalties and a conversion from Faf de Klerk and Damian Willemse’s two drop-goals saw the Springboks to an impressive victory, gaining revenge for last year’s narrow defeat at Twickenham.

Despite South Africa having replacement prop Thomas du Toit red carded for a dangerous tackle on 60 minutes, they comfortably saw off England, whose only try came late on through Henry Slade as they end their Autumn Nations Series on a poor note.

Signalling their discontent, the home fans booed when the final whistle sounded.

Unfortunately for South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, he was not present to witness a comprehensive victory as he completed a two-match ban for criticising referees during the past month.

Erasmus’ actions meant the half-time presentation intended to mark Wayne Barnes’ 100th Test as a referee was cancelled out of fear he might receive abuse after he was targeted online having overseen the Springboks’ defeat by France.

It was clear early on that referee Angus Gardner had a job on his hands with multiple reset scrums and extensive back chat from both sides keeping him busy.

A high error count scarred the first half and, once De Klerk and Owen Farrell had missed simple penalties, the Springboks scrum-half drew first blood.

Farrell missed a penalty and, when Alex Coles was penalised for the second time, South Africa used their line-out to turn the screw with Siya Kolisi held up over the line.

England were unable to escape their half and, shortly after Willemse landed a drop goal, the Springboks fly-half launched a stunning counter-attack starting on his own 22.

Accelerating into space and with help from a block on Freddie Steward, he found Willie le Roux, who presented Arendse with a one-on-one against Marcus Smith that the Bulls wing completed through his sheer pace.

Willemse was causing havoc as he broke free once more and, once England had been warned for repeated defensive infringements, De Klerk increased the lead to 14-3.

Another drop-goal from Willemse

England changed their entire front-row and also brought on wing Jack Nowell for the second half but it made no difference to South Africa as Willemse booted another drop goal.

Farrell replied with a penalty but Jonny Hill’s moment of madness with De Klerk allowed the Springboks to attack and, with Tom Curry sent to the sin-bin for a ruck offence, Etzebeth touched down under the posts.

De Klerk converted and rifled over another three points only for Du Toit to receive his marching orders.

England were finally over in the 72nd minute, Slade darting over to end a long-range move started by Nowell, but they had nothing left in the tank against a resolute South Africa.

Wales stunned as Australia claim comeback win

Wales produced an excellent performance for 55 minutes only to be left shocked by a remarkable comeback from Australia, who secured a 39-34 triumph in Cardiff.

Wayne Pivac’s men played with tempo, intensity and physicality for the first hour, scoring four tries via Jac Morgan, who went over twice, Taulupe Faletau and Rio Dyer.

A weakened Wallabies side looked dead and buried but the visitors displayed tremendous spirit to respond.

Youngster Mark Nawaqanitawase was excellent throughout and began the fightback by touching down in the 58th minute before adding another 10 minutes later.

A penalty try reduced the arrears further before Lachlan Lonergan crossed the whitewash as Australia snatched an unlikely win.

It is a result which eases the pressure on Dave Rennie but asks further questions of Wales’ boss Pivac, who has overseen yet another defeat.

Whether Pivac remains in charge heading into this season’s Six Nations Championship now looks unlikely, with Wales’ woes continuing just 10 months before the World Cup in France.

Pivac handed a Test debut to Ospreys centre Joe Hawkins, while world record cap holder Alun Wyn Jones made his first Wales start since March.

But a late injury blow saw full-back Leigh Halfpenny ruled out after he suffered a back spasm during the warm-up, so wing Josh Adams was promoted off the bench and handed the number 15 shirt.

Wales made a poor start, with lock Adam Beard dropping the kick-off, Australia dominating an ensuing scrum and Ben Donaldson booting his team ahead through a third-minute penalty.

But the home side hit back impressively, as scrum-half Tomos Williams linked well with Jones, whose one-handed pass found Morgan, and he powered over for his third try in two Tests.

Gareth Anscombe converted, before Williams went off for a head injury assessment and was replaced by Kieran Hardy.

Donaldson and Anscombe exchanged penalties as Wales led 10-6 after the opening quarter, and there was an impressive momentum about Pivac’s team.

Australia then fell further behind following a slick handling move that ended in Faletau crossing wide out after he collected wing Dyer’s scoring pass.

Anscombe converted and added another penalty, putting Australia firmly behind the eight-ball as they trailed by 14 points midway through the second quarter.

Australia needed a response before the interval, and it arrived through a 33rd-minute try for Fainga’a after the Wallabies executed an impressive lineout drive.

Donaldson converted, but Australia had scrum-half Jake Gordon yellow-carded for deliberate offside following a sharp Dyer break.

Wales could not make them pay, though, with Hardy being held up over the line, and Australia trailed 20-13 at half-time.

Australia then briefly went down to 13 men when replacement prop Tom Robertson, who was on for Wallabies skipper James Slipper, received a yellow card following a scrummaging infringement.

A driving maul rumbling towards the line is a thing of beauty. 😍pic.twitter.com/Ilqw2oGohg

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) November 26, 2022

And Wales made it count, driving a lineout at relentless pace, with Morgan claiming his second try and Anscombe’s conversion restoring a 14-point advantage.

Australia could not handle a rampant Welsh pack, and Dyer scored Wales’ fourth try, with Anscombe converting before he went off after suffering a nasty-looking shoulder injury.

But the game was turned on its head during a scarcely believable final quarter, with Nawaqanitawase’s second try prompting a Welsh collapse as Justin Tipuric was sin-binned for a trip and Elias followed after he collapsed a maul that led to the penalty try.

And there was still time for Lonergan to win a game that was probably Pivac’s 34th and final Test in charge of Wales.

France beat Japan to end year with perfect record

France ended 2022 with an unbeaten record as they beat Japan 35-17 in Toulouse, becoming only the third nation ever to finish a year without defeat.

This was Les Bleus’ 13th successive win as they condemned the Brave Blossoms to a fifth straight loss in an entertaining game despite the wet conditions.

France’s tries came via Damian Penaud (2), Charles Ollivon and Anthony Jelonch while Thomas Ramos kicked 15 points in front of his home supporters.

Naoto Saito and Siosaia Fifita crossed for Japan in the second half, with Seung Sin Lee slotting seven points via the tee as the visitors fought until the end.

Japan started the meeting in impressive fashion as Kazuki Himeno burst through non-existent French ruck defence to take his side into the opposition 22.  A penalty soon came for offside and the Brave Blossoms opted for the corner instead of posts and it backfired, with Les Bleus avoiding an early setback on the scoreboard.

France regrouped and on eight minutes did what Japan couldn’t when Romain Ntamack’s kick through was eventually grounded by Penaud for a 5-0 lead.

Ramos couldn’t add the difficult extras but he made amends with a couple of penalties before the 17 minute mark, making it 11-0 to a settled looking France.

Japan did get on the board soon after via a Lee penalty but Ramos was on target again 10 minutes later after Ryoto Nakamura was penalised at a breakdown.

France were calmly building their score by threes as the prospect of an unbeaten year was possibly on their mind.  However, they would have their second try before the break when scrum-half Maxime Lucu ― in for the suspended Antoine Dupont ― weaved his way through the lineout traffic before sending Ollivon over for 21-3.

That was the half-time score but Japan came out from the interval firing, with Saito finishing off a run from Shogo Nakano to reduce the lead to 11 points.

Impact from Matthieu Jalibert

Neither side could trouble the scoreboard for the next 18 minutes until replacement Matthieu Jalibert’s chip and chase led to Penaud scoring on the left wing.

With Ramos’ successful conversion it was now 28-10 but once again the Brave Blossoms would not give up their charge, with hooker Atsushi Sakate’s inside ball to wing Fifita capping a perfectly executed lineout move.  Lee added the conversion and the match was back to an 11-point margin with less than a quarter to play.

An old France side might have started to feel the pressure, but this is a different animal under Fabien Galthie and Les Bleus weren’t deterred, with centre Jonathan Danty going incredibly close to grounding on the right wing before another Jalibert chip kick resulted in Danty finding Jelonch to add the gloss to a fine year.

France’s perfect 2022 stands them in excellent stead going into a Rugby World Cup year and they will rightly enter their home tournament as heavy favourites.

England rescue stunning draw with the All Blacks

England, who looked dead and buried after 70 minutes, touched down three times late on to somehow rescue a 25-25 draw against the All Blacks at Twickenham.

After lightening fast openings to the games against Wales and Scotland, New Zealand repeated the trick and went 14-0 up.

Ian Foster’s men used the cross-field kick to great effect and were rewarded with tries for Dalton Papali’i and Codie Taylor.

The Red Rose were poor, meanwhile, with their only score in the first half coming from an Owen Farrell penalty, before Jordie Barrett kicked a three-pointer for a 17-3 advantage at the interval.

Although Marcus Smith reduced the arrears for the Red Rose, the visitors continued to control matters and Rieko Ioane’s try, allied by Beauden Barrett’s drop-goal, appeared to seal the win.

But Eddie Jones’ side had other ideas.  A Beauden Barrett yellow card after a Smith break changed the course of the match, with Will Stuart also going over in that passage of play.

England had the momentum and the All Blacks looked shattered as the hosts crossed the whitewash twice more via Freddie Steward and Stuart to complete a dramatic finale.

Jack van Poortvliet has barely put a foot wrong in his six caps, but the 21-year-old scrum-half gifted New Zealand their first try when his pass off a well executed line-out was easily picked off by the lurking Papali’i who ran half the pitch to score.

The All Blacks had started like a freight train and England were stunned when they ran in a second try in the ninth minute, their maul defence crumbling for Taylor to cross.

Van Poortvliet’s nightmare continued when he was hunted down while taking too long with his clearance kick but the ensuing try by Ioane was ruled out because of a neck roll by the New Zealand centre on Farrell, who was winning his 100th cap.

When they had possession England attacked with urgency through their ball carrying forwards and Sam Simmonds, Maro Itoje and Billy Vunipola made sizeable dents that forced the tourists to scramble.

An action packed opening quarter settled down into a series of scrums, penalties and free-kicks with play unfolding between the two 22s, but when the fireworks resumed it was the All Blacks lighting the fuse and only committed home defence limited them to a Jordie Barrett penalty.

Dramatic second half

Farrell was struggling with an ankle injury and while the centre soldiered on, Smith had taken over the kicking duties to land three points.

It was the Harlequins fly-half’s delayed pass that created a half-chance for Manu Tuilagi only for the Sale centre to be stopped short and after a tidal wave of pick and goes, England were penalised on the line for going to ground.

An opportunity had gone begging and they were made to pay as the All Blacks sprung into action, seizing on Sam Simmonds losing the ball in contact to construct a brilliant try from their own 22.

Beauden Barrett chipped cross-field for Caleb Clarke who turned and offloaded to Ioane on the loop and the outside centre had the gas to race over.

Beauden Barrett landed a drop-goal and was then sin-binned for holding on to Smith and England were finally over in the 72nd minute through Stuart.

Under two minutes later and they were in again, a stunning counter-attack that was finished by Steward shredding New Zealand’s defence, before another sweeping move was finished by super-sub Stuart with Smith sealing the draw.

Ireland battle past Wallabies in dour game

Ireland held on to end their Autumn Nations Series campaign with another win as they edged Australia 13-10 in Dublin on Saturday.

A match that will not go down with fond memories, both teams were error-strewn and disappointing in possession and that showed on the scoreboard.

Ireland’s only try came late in the second period through replacement Bundee Aki while Jack Crowley converted and added a penalty before another substitute, Ross Byrne, nailed a touchline three-pointer with three minutes remaining that won the contest.

Crowley was a late starter after Johnny Sexton pulled out with a calf injury and the Munster man gave an assured performance at the Aviva Stadium.

For the Wallabies, this is their third successive loss on tour as their try came via Jordan Petaia, with Bernard Foley adding a conversion and penalty.

Victory for Ireland saw them become the first nation to defeat New Zealand, South Africa and the Wallabies in a calendar year since England in 2002.

Sir Clive Woodward’s men went on to lift the World Cup the year after achieving that feat and that remains the ultimate goal for Andy Farrell’s side looking ahead to next year’s showpiece tournament in France.

On this evidence, that dream seems a distant reality.

Farrell was far from pleased with what he witnessed in last weekend’s underwhelming 35-17 win over Fiji and ― Sexton aside ― welcomed back a host of players from injury as part of eight alterations.

The world coach of the year nominee would have taken little encouragement from a painfully stop-start encounter littered with sloppy errors, penalties and exchanges of possession.

Ireland defended doggedly in the face of incessant pressure for large parts of the opening period, including at one stage repelling 21 phases which sparked a rousing rendition of the Fields of Athenry, but offered little from an attacking perspective.

Australia thought they had scored a fourth-minute try, only for scrum-half Nic White’s effort to be disallowed on review due to Dave Porecki’s neck roll on Josh van der Flier.

Crowley, wearing the number 10 jersey embroidered with Sexton’s name, calmly slotted the only points of the half in the 10th minute, while rival fly-half Foley was wayward with a penalty at the other end.

Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie had retained just five of the players who began the embarrassing 28-27 loss in Florence.

Replacement hooker Folau Fainga’a was among the 10 men dropped and, having come on to replace the stricken Porecki, was sin-binned in the 37th minute after Van der Flier endured another high tackle, before Irish number two Dan Sheehan was held up on the line just before the whistle.

A poor ― and, at times, tetchy ― Test match was in desperate need of a spark.

Ireland scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park looked to have provided it seven minutes after the restart but his score was subsequently chalked off as Canberra-born team-mate Mack Hansen had gone into touch just before a fine offload.

Australia had briefly been reduced to 13 men at that point due to the temporary absence of Fainga’a prompting uncontested scrums.

Aki’s try was cancelled out by Petaia’s

The Wallabies came through a crucial period in the contest unscathed and were level in the 56th thanks to Foley finding his range with his second penalty.

Below-par Ireland eventually made a significant dent on the scoreboard 10 minutes later when replacement Aki came back with a bang by bulldozing over at the end of relentless pressure which prompted the sell-out crowd to finally find their voices.

Crowley added the extras but the joy was swiftly cut short as Wallabies substitute Petaia broke clear to cross wide on the right, with Foley landing the tricky conversion.

Ireland looked like they would have to settle for a rare draw but Byrne impressively held his nerve as the world’s top-ranked team scraped a ninth win from 11 Tests to round off an unforgettable year in unconvincing but victorious fashion.

Georgia stun Wales in historic victory in Cardiff

Georgia produced one of the biggest shocks in the sport’s history by overcoming Wales 13-12 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

The Lelos have shown plenty of improvement this year, defeating Italy in July and almost securing a victory over Samoa last weekend, but few saw this coming.

Although Welsh rugby is in the doldrums, Wayne Pivac still has plenty of talent at his disposal and were expected to dispatch the visitors with relative comfort.

That evidently did not happen, however, despite the hosts going into the break with a 12-3 advantage through a Jac Morgan brace.

Georgia had opened the scoring via Tedo Abzhandadze before Morgan’s double and were competitive throughout the first half.

They then lifted the intensity in the second period while Pivac’s men faltered.  Sandro Todua’s try when Alex Cuthbert was off the field following a yellow card reduced the arrears and that gave Levan Maisashvili’s charges real hope going into the final quarter.

The Lelos controlled the last 20 minutes and deservedly won the game when Luka Matkava’s three-pointer bisected the uprights.

It was one of the greatest upsets in international rugby union history, and will inevitably pile pressure on Wales boss Wayne Pivac building towards next weekend’s autumn finale against Australia.

Scarlets back-row forward Josh Macleod made his Wales debut, packing down at number eight, while other changes from the team that beat Argentina last weekend included starts for Rhys Priestland, wing Josh Adams and lock Ben Carter.

Abzhandadze kicked Georgia into a second-minute lead, before full-back Davit Niniashvili sparked a thrilling counter-attack as the visitors settled impressively.

Wales were slow out of the blocks in comparison, but they began to exert pressure inside Georgia’s 22, with wing Alex Cuthbert going close following two lineout drives that were defended well by the visitors.

But Wales pounced in the 20th minute after lock Adam Beard won lineout ball and flanker Morgan surged over for a try that Priestland converted, making it 7-3.

Morgan struck again just three minutes later when he collected scrum-half Tomos Williams’ pass, building impressively on his outstanding display against Argentina after going on as a first-half replacement.

Wales thought they had scored again eight minutes before the break when Adams finished impressively after a kick and chase, but Williams’ pass to him was ruled forward.

It was a let-off for Georgia, and they accrued no further damage on the scoreboard as Wales led 12-3 at half-time.

Pivac made a first change just five minutes into the second period, sending on prop Sam Wainwright for Dillon Lewis.

The turning point

But Wales were temporarily reduced to 14 men when Cuthbert received a yellow card from referee Andrea Piardi following an aerial collision that saw Todua fall awkwardly.

Macleod then made way, with Taulupe Faletau taking over from him and making his 99th Test-match appearance for Wales and the British and Irish Lions.

Georgia dominated the third quarter, capitalising on aimless kicking from Wales, and scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze went close to a try that was thwarted by strong defensive work from Adams.

Wales were predictable, lacking creativity, and Georgia seemed to thrive on that.

And they cut the deficit to just two points midway through the half when Todua collected a well-placed kick and crossed unopposed, with Abzhandadze’s conversion making it 12-10.

Abzhandadze had a chance to put Georgia ahead, but he drifted an angled penalty attempt wide and Wales escaped.

Faletau made a considerable impact, and he looked to have created a hat-trick try for Morgan, only for the Cardiff number eight to knock on during approach play.

The final few minutes were inevitably tense, especially from a Welsh perspective, and Matkava put Georgia in dreamland with his long-range penalty.

Georgia’s players celebrated wildly, and they held on to win, claiming the greatest victory in their rugby history, beating Wales for the first time and leaving their hosts crestfallen.

Eight-try Scotland ease past 14-man Argentina

Scotland ran in eight tries as they eased past a 14-man Argentina 52-29, the Pumas having Marcos Kremer red carded at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Kremer was given his marching orders in the 23rd minute for a dangerous clearout on Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie, which severely dented their hopes.

For Scotland it was a fixture to remember for wing Darcy Graham, who scored a hat-trick, while Sione Tuipulotu (2), Duhan van der Merwe, Cam Redpath and Stuart Hogg also crossed.  Finn Russell converted six of those scores as he was named player of the match.

The hosts got off to a bad start though when they conceded a penalty within 20 seconds, after Jonny Gray entered the first ruck of the match illegally.  Edinburgh wing Emiliano Boffelli duly put the first points on the board for Argentina when he sent his kick between the posts.

Scotland responded with a brilliant try in the 11th minute, when Tuipulotu received a perfectly-timed offload from Russell and darted his way beyond a cluster of Pumas to score.  Russell converted.

The home support were silenced five minutes later, however, when Jeronimo De La Fuente bounded over on the left despite the close attentions of Ali Price.  Boffelli was wide with his conversion attempt.

Argentina’s hopes of a result were dealt a major blow in the 23rd minute when they were reduced to 14 men after back-rower Kremer was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle on Ritchie following a TMO review.

Scotland made the extra man count almost immediately as Russell offloaded to Van der Merwe just in front of the line and the wing juggled the ball between his hands before forcing it down in the 25th minute.  Russell was successful with the conversion.

Just three minutes later, the Scots scored again when Graham bolted his way over on the right after an excellent flowing move, with Russell the architect in chief ― but this time Russell’s kick was inaccurate.

Argentina refused to capitulate and in the last action of the half, Matias Alemanno barged his way over to score following a sustained period of pressure in front of the Scottish line.  Boffelli converted to ensure the Scots went in only 19-15 ahead at the interval.

Scotland reasserted their authority just a minute into the second half, however, when Graham was released on the right following good play by Russell and Hogg.  Russell hooked his kick wide of the posts.

Gregor Townsend’s side ― at this point leading 24-15 ― were presented with a great opportunity to turn the screw on their opponents going into the closing half-hour when the Pumas were temporarily reduced to 12 men after Alemanno and Tomas Lavanini were both sent to the sin-bin within a minute of each other.

Late flurry from lethal Scotland

Incredibly, despite having three men less than their hosts, Argentina scored a breakaway try when Boffelli raced beneath the posts in the 52nd minute and added the extras himself.

Three minutes later, Tuipulotu went over on the right for his second try of the afternoon, with Russell kicking the conversion.

Almost as soon as Argentina had welcomed their two players back from the sin-bin, a mass brawl erupted just after the hour mark which resulted in Scotland captain Ritchie and Pumas prop Thomas Gallo being yellow-carded.

The Scots eventually started to pull away from their bedraggled visitors in the closing 11 minutes when Redpath, Hogg and Graham all helped themselves to tries, with Russell converting all three.

Tuipulotu was sin-binned right at the death, before Argentina replacement Ignacio Ruiz scored a try ― converted by Nicolas Sanchez ― in the last action of an eventful match featuring 12 tries and six cards.

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.