Japan edge 14-man Samoa to set up winner-takes-all clash with Argentina

Japan picked up their second win of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, beating a 14-man Samoa 28-22 on Thursday, which gives their knockout hopes a boost.

With Argentina expected to claim five points against Chile over the weekend, the Brave Blossoms will then face Los Pumas in a winner-takes-all showdown.

This result at the Stadium de Toulouse means that England will finish as Pool D winners due to their head-to-head record against both Japan and Argentina.

Samoa are subsequently out of the running for the knockout stages, with this their second defeat out of three games ahead of facing England on October 7.

Japan, who reached the last eight for the first time four years ago as hosts, opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Lappies Labuschagne stretched over in the corner and Rikiya Matsuda converted.

A penalty from D'Angelo Leuila got Samoa, without captain Chris Vui through a late change, on the board, but Matsuda's kick soon restored Japan's advantage.

Michael Leitch added another try in the corner before Samoa's Jonathan Taumateine was sent to the sin bin after a shoulder barge in the build-up.

Japan hooker Shota Horie was then shown a yellow card for making head-on-head contact as he stood up in a challenge with Seilala Lam, which went to the TMO for a bunker review but was not upgraded.

Samoa ― whose final pool match with England is in Lille next weekend ― made the most of their man advantage, Lam touching down following a driving maul to go into the break trailing 17-8.

Samoa soon found themselves a man down when Ben Lam was sent to the sin bin after the TMO spotted a high tackle into the side of Labuschagne's head.

Japan extended their lead as Kazuki Himeno was driven over in the corner, but the usually reliable Matsuda failed to convert.

Things then got worse for Samoa when Lam's card was upgraded to a red before Matsuda again found his range to push Japan further in front at 25-8.

Kotaro Matsushima sprinted clear for what Japan thought was a bonus-point try, but it was ruled out for the slightest of knock-ons from Dylan Riley in the build-up.

🇯🇵 Michael Leitch finishes off a lovely Japan try. #JPNvSAM #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/yplw3Zw8mz

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 28, 2023

Samoa, though, kept themselves in touch as Duncan Paia'aua went over in the corner, which Leuila converted from a tight angle only for fly-half Matsuda to push Japan clear again with another long-range penalty.

The 14 men battled on and pulled the deficit back again when Christian Leali'ifano dived over and then converted his own try, but Japan held out to set up a potential winner-takes-all clash with Argentina in Nantes.

The teams

Japan:  15 Lomano Lemeki, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Ryoto Nakamura, 11 Jone Naikabula, 10 Rikiya Matsuda, 9 Naoto Saito, 8 Kazuki Himeno (c), 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Michael Leitch, 5 Amato Fakatava, 4 Jack Cornelsen, 3 Jiwon Gu, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Keita Inagaki
Replacements:  16 Atsushi Sakate, 17 Craig Millar, 18 Asaeli Ai Valu, 19 Warner Dearns, 20 Kanji Shimokawa, 21 Kenta Fukuda, 22 Seungsin Lee, 23 Tomoki Osada

Samoa:  15 Duncan Paia'aua, 14 Ed Fidow, 13 Tumua Manu, 12 D'Angelo Leuila, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Christian Leali'ifano, 9 Jonathan Taumateine, 8 Sa Jordan Taufua, 7 Fritz Lee (c), 6 Taleni Seu, 5 Theo McFarland, 4 Steven Luatua, 3 Paul Alo-Emile, 2 Seilala Lam, 1 James Lay
Replacements:  16 Sama Malolo, 17 Jordan Lay, 18 Michael Alaalatoa, 19 Brian Alainu'u'ese, 20 Alamanda Motuga, 21 Melani Matavao, 22 Neria Fomai, 23 Danny Toala

Referee:  Jaco Peyper (SARU)
Assistant Referees:  Ben O'Keeffe (NZR), Craig Evans (WRU)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (SARU)

Uruguay fight back from 14 points down to claim maximum over Namibia

Uruguay fought back from a 14-point deficit to overcome Namibia and claim their first victory of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, winning 36-26 in Lyon on Wednesday.

The win puts the South Americans level on points with New Zealand in Pool A, who they face next Thursday, although the All Blacks have a game in hand.

Baltazar Amaya (2), German Kessler, Santiago Arata and Bautista Basso tries helped Uruguay to the bonus-point as they continue to star at the World Cup.

Felipe Etcheverry contributed to the scoreboard with three conversions while Felipe Berchesi added five points of his own through a penalty and conversion.

Namibia's try scorers were wings Gerswin Mouton and JC Greyling, with fly-half Tiaan Swanepoel kicking 16 points via two conversions and four penalties.

Namibia, playing their fourth and final Pool A game in 18 days, led 20-12 at half-time but were punished for ill-discipline as their winless run at six World Cups was extended to 26 matches.

The Africans' prop Johan Coetzee, captain Tjiuee Uanivi and replacement Desiderius Sethie were all yellow carded for high tackles, with the latter's upgraded to red, and Uruguay cruised to their fourth World Cup win.

Namibia had lost heavily in all three of their previous group games, against Italy, New Zealand and France ― but they made a flying start.

Wingers Mouton and Greyling both went over in the corner for early converted tries to give the Africans a 14-0 lead.

Uruguay, who had given France a tough test in a 27-12 opening defeat and led Italy 17-7 at half-time before losing 38-17, responded through Amaya's close-range try.

After Swanepoel's penalty, Uruguay cut the deficit to 17-12 in the 28th minute as hooker Kessler touched down after a driving maul from a lineout.

Swanepoel landed his second penalty to extend Namibia's lead to 20-12 at half-time and a third at the start of the second period made it 23-12.

But Uruguay poured on the pressure and after Namibia prop Coetzee had been shown a yellow card, Amaya produced a brilliant finish in the corner for his second try.

🇺🇾 That was some finish from Uruguay's Baltazar Amaya. #URUvNAM pic.twitter.com/xJCSHfLuCA

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 27, 2023

Etcheverry converted and the gap was closed to four points at 23-19 and Uruguay took the lead for the first time in the match in the 54th minute through scrum-half Arata's superb solo effort, which was also converted.

Namibia skipper Uanivi was shown a yellow card for a high tackle with 18 minutes left and within a minute his side were down to 13 men when replacement prop Sethie was sin-binned for the same offence.

The latter's was later confirmed as a red card and Uruguay punished them further as another converted try from winger Basso put them 33-23 ahead.

Swanepoel and Berchesi swapped penalties to make it 36-26 before Uruguay replacement Eric Dosantos was sin-binned for a high tackle in the closing stages.

The teams

Uruguay:  15 Baltazar Amaya, 14 Bautista Basso, 13 Felipe Arcos Perez, 12 Andres Vilaseca (c), 11 Nicolas Freitas, 10 Felipe Etcheverry, 9 Santiago Arata, 8 Carlos Deus, 7 Santiago Civetta, 6 Manuel Ardao, 5 Manuel Leindekar, 4 Felipe Aliaga, 3 Diego Arbelo, 2 German Kessler, 1 Mateo Sanguinetti
Replacements:  16 Guillermo Pujadas, 17 Facundo Gattas, 18 Reinaldo Piussi, 19 Juan Manuel Rodríguez, 20 Eric Dosantos, 21 Agustin Ormaechea, 22 Felipe Berchesi, 23 Juan Manuel Alonso

Namibia:  15 Cliven Loubser, 14 Gerswin Mouton, 13 Alcino Izaacs, 12 Danco Burger, 11 JC Greyling, 10 Tiaan Swanepoel, 9 Damian Stevens, 8 Richard Hardwick, 7 Tjiuee Uanivi (c), 6 Prince Gaoseb, 5 Tiaan de Klerk, 4 Adriaan Ludick, 3 Johan Coetzee, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Jason Benade
Replacements:  16 Louis van der Westhuizen, 17 Desiderius Sethie, 18 Haitembu Shifuka, 19 PJ Van Lill, 20 Max Katjijeko, 21 Adriaan Booysen, 22 Jacques Theron, 23 Andre van der Bergh

Referee:  Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees:  Nic Berry (Australia), Chris Busby (Ireland)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Gareth Anscombe steers Wales to victory as Wallabies face World Cup exit

A Gareth Anscombe-inspired Wales sealed an excellent 40-6 victory over the Wallabies to leave Eddie Jones' side on the brink of a Rugby World Cup exit.

Wales were outstanding as 23 points from replacement fly-half Anscombe, who came off the bench after Dan Biggar's injury on 12 minutes, floored Australia.

It wasn't just Anscombe's boot, however, that twisted the knife into Australia as tries from Gareth Davies, Nick Tompkins and Jac Morgan added the gloss.

The bonus-point success rubber stamps Wales' place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals while Jones' Wallabies look set for an historic first pool exit.

The Welsh are guaranteed to top the pool if they defeat Georgia next month, setting up a likely quarter-final clash against Argentina in Marseille.

It was Wales' record win against Australia, overtaking a 25-point margin in 1975, and former England boss Jones will be left to face the music as the Wallabies lurch towards World Cup oblivion.

The Wallabies boss said on Friday he had no doubt Australia would win the game, yet Wales rammed those words down his throat, with two Ben Donaldson penalties Australia's only scoring acts.

It was an outstanding display by Warren Gatland's team as they delivered the goods through a performance that bristled with confidence, power and accuracy.

Gatland named the team that accounted for Fiji in their World Cup opener, with lock Adam Beard winning his 50th cap in a line-up skippered by flanker Morgan.

Australia showed three changes from the side beaten by Fiji last weekend as full-back Andrew Kellaway, scrum-half Tate McDermott and flanker Rob Leota were all handed starts.

Wales blasted out of the blocks and were ahead after just three minutes when Morgan broke through in midfield and Davies ran a brilliant supporting line before gathering the pass and diving over.

Biggar converted, with Wales asking immediate questions of Australia's confidence.

The Wallabies then responded through a concerted spell of pressure inside Wales' 22, before Biggar took a blow and required treatment and Donaldson kicked a short-range penalty that made it 7-3.

Biggar could not shake off what appeared to be a shoulder problem, being forced to leave the pitch after just 12 minutes and replaced by Anscombe.

A second Donaldson penalty cut the gap to a point as the Wallabies fought for their World Cup lives.

Anscombe hit the post with a 19th-minute penalty, but he made no mistake off the tee just two minutes later as Wales moved 10-6 ahead.

It was a fast and furious contest, and Wales had to defend resiliently at times as Australia utilised powerful back-row runners Leota and Rob Valetini.

Anscombe's second successful penalty 12 minutes before half-time opened up a seven-point gap, and then he completed a hat-trick before Wales attacked from halfway and almost breached Australia's defence through wing Louis Rees-Zammit.

Wales took a 10-point lead into the interval, and they were good value as the prize of a quarter-final place drew closer.

Wales extended their advantage just two minutes into the second period when Australia conceded a scrum penalty and Anscombe duly obliged with three points.

The Wallabies' lineout also started to go astray, and Wales were turning the screw through a dominant pack superbly marshalled by Morgan and lock Will Rowlands.

34 ― @WelshRugbyUnion's 34-point margin of victory represents Australia's heaviest ever defeat in a @RugbyWorldCup match (previously 16-40 v England in 2019) ― the Wallabies had previously never lost a pool stage match by more than nine points. Vanquished. #RWC #WALvAUS pic.twitter.com/Wyj9Y8YHyT

― OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) September 24, 2023

And they claimed a second try after 48 minutes when Anscombe's pinpoint chip over the top of Australia's defensive line led to Tompkins touching down, with Anscombe converting to leave the Wallabies 26-6 adrift.

Two more Anscombe penalties took Wales past 30 points, and they were now almost toying with their hapless opponents.

Australia had no answer in the set-piece area, with Jones being loudly booed each time he appeared on the stadium's giant screens.

Gatland was able to ring the changes with his team in so much control, and Anscombe dropped a goal 10 minutes from time that rubbed salt into gaping Australian wounds.

Wales fans were jubilant, and Morgan scored try number three from a driven lineout as Gatland's men cruised to a remarkable landslide triumph.

The teams

Wales:  15 Liam Williams, 14 Louis Rees Zammit, 13 George North, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Jac Morgan (c), 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements:  16 Elliot Dee, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Dafydd Jenkins, 20 Taine Basham, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Gareth Anscombe, 23 Rio Dyer

Australia:  15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Tom Hooper, 6 Rob Leota, 5 Richie Arnold, 4 Nick Frost, 3 James Slipper, 2 David Porecki (c), 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Matt Faessler, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Pone Fa'amausili, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Fraser McReight, 21 Nic White, 22 Carter Gordon, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO:  Tom Foley (England)

Scotland claim maximum against Tonga to stay in Pool B conversation

Scotland claimed a 45-17 bonus-point win over Tonga in Nice on Sunday to keep their Rugby World Cup knockout hopes alive with two games remaining.

The maximum haul puts the Scots on five points ahead of facing Romania before their Pool B campaign ends with a mouth-watering match against Ireland.

Indeed, both Ireland and South Africa will be looking over their shoulders as Scotland are very much still in the conversation to make it into the quarter-finals.

Scotland's seven tries in Nice went the way of George Turner, Duhan van der Merwe, Kyle Steyn, Rory Darge, George Horne, Blair Kinghorn and Darcy Graham.

For Tonga, Solomone Kata and Ben Tameifuna crossed the whitewash as they went down to a second straight pool loss, leaving them stuck on zero points.

Scotland signalled their intent in the second minute when Kinghorn chased down his own kick-through and outpaced the Tongan defence to get there but he knocked the ball on as he tried to slam it down over the line.

They only had to wait a further three minutes to get their first try of the tournament, though, as hooker Turner pushed over following a maul.  Finn Russell converted.

Tonga halted the early Scottish flow when William Havili sent his penalty between the posts in the 10th minute, and midway through the first half the Pacific islanders managed to get themselves in front when Kata ran on to a Salesi Piutau offload and dotted down on the right.  Havili converted.

With the Scots trailing 10-7 more than a quarter of the way into a must-win game, they could have lost their composure, but they soon regained control of proceedings with three tries in the closing 14 minutes of the first half.

Van der Merwe got them back in front in the 26th minute when he finished off a lovely move involving Sione Tuipulotu, Russell and Kinghorn by touching down on the left.  Russell was wide with the conversion attempt.

Steyn ― who scored a record four tries in the Scots' last meeting with Tonga almost two years ago ― then raced in on the right to score on the half hour following a lovely pass from Russell, who subsequently saw his kick come back off the post.

There was a flashpoint in the 33rd minute when Tonga back Afusipa Taumoepeau was sin-binned for a high challenge on Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie, who was forced off with a head injury and replaced by Matt Fagerson.

The Scots ― anticipating that it might be upgraded to a red card on review ― took advantage of their temporary numerical advantage when Darge finished impressively in the last action of the half, with Russell on point with the conversion.

Shortly after Taumoepeau was surprisingly allowed to return to the field in the third minute of the second half, Tonga got back in the game when prop Tameifuna bulldozed his way over on the left, and Havili added the extras.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇹🇴 Beast mode activated by Duhan van der Merwe. #SCOvTGA pic.twitter.com/S5VxaoaBpF

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 24, 2023

With the deficit down to just seven points, Scotland reasserted themselves when substitute Horne touched down in the 53rd minute after brilliant play by Van der Merwe to set him up.  Russell converted.

Kinghorn and replacement Graham put the seal on a much-needed victory with late tries ― both converted by Russell ― either side of a yellow card for Tonga's Vaea Fifita.

The teams

Scotland:  15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Kyle Steyn, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Jamie Ritchie (c), 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Rory Sutherland
Replacements:  16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 WP Nel, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Matt Fagerson, 21 George Horne, 22 Huw Jones, 23 Darcy Graham

Tonga:  15 Charles Piutau, 14 Solomone Kata, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Afusipa Taumoepeau, 10 William Havili, 9 Augustine Pulu, 8 Vaea Fifita, 7 Sione Talitui, 6 Tanginoa Halaifonua, 5 Sam Lousi, 4 Halaleva Fifita, 3 Ben Tameifuna (c), 2 Paula Ngauamo, 1 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi
Replacements:  16 Sam Moli, 17 Tau Koloamatangi, 18 Sosefo Apikotoa, 19 Adam Coleman, 20 Semisi Paea, 21 Sione Vailanu, 22 Sonatane Takulua, 23 Patrick Pellegrini

Referee:  Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Ireland win Rugby World Cup epic against Springboks

Ireland came out on top in a brutal battle with South Africa on Saturday, claiming a 13-8 win that edges them closer to the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

It was a captivating 80 minutes at the Stade de France as both sides threw everything at each other, with the Irish prevailing against the 2019 champions.

Just one try apiece was scored in a gripping contest as defence and physicality provided ample entertainment between two of the World Cup favourites.

Mack Hansen crossed in the first half while Cheslin Kolbe hit back for the Springboks in the second, with Ireland's superior goal-kicking the difference.

Victory means Ireland stretch their winning run to 16 matches to take control of Pool B.

Andy Farrell's men also retained top spot in the global rankings ahead of the defeated Springboks, who now have work to do against Tonga next week to avoid early elimination.

Kolbe's second-half try and a Manie Libbok penalty kept Jacques Nienaber's side in contention before they ultimately fell short in a nail-biting finale.

Pre-match talk was dominated by South Africa's bold call to name an imposing seven-one split of forwards and backs on their bench ― a decision head coach Nienaber called a “calculated risk”.

Ireland impressively defused the so-called 'Bomb Squad' to bring the knock-out rounds within touching distance.

Both sides arrived in the French capital with back-to-back wins on the board.

An estimated 30,000 Irish fans were expected among a capacity crowd for one of the most eagerly-anticipated group-stage matches in World Cup history.

That approximate figure seemed on the low side amid deafening noise in Saint-Denis further fuelled by a frenetic start of big hits and end-to-end action.

Ireland initially began on the front foot but, following a bold decision to kick for the corner, failed to capitalise on a couple of promising line-outs before falling behind to a Libbok penalty.

The set-piece struggles persisted and only some dogged defensive work, including Bundee Aki's crucial tackle on Jesse Kriel, stifled the Springboks.

Farrell's men continued to show plenty of attacking enterprise and were rewarded in the 33rd minute when sustained pressure led to Hansen capping a sensational team move by crossing on the right.

Captain Johnny Sexton calmly slotted the extras to ensure the Six Nations champions ended a breathless opening period of ferocious physicality 7-3 ahead.

Ireland have had the upper hand in this fixture in recent times, including a 19-16 Dublin success in November, but South Africa ― tournament winners in 1995, 2007 and 2019 ― hold a vastly superior World Cup record.

The unrelenting pace resumed following the interval and, amid further line-out issues, Ireland's deficit was almost cut to a single point when Faf de Klerk's penalty from halfway struck a post.

Yet South Africa seized on the loose ball from that missed kick and penned back their opponents before Kolbe touched down on the left to put his side 8-7 in front.

Fly-half Libbok was off target with the conversion and Ireland snatched back the lead going into the final 20 minutes thanks to a Sexton penalty.

A powerhouse performance

Congratulations to @irishrugby centre Bundee Aki on being named the @Mastercard #POTM #RWC203 | #RSAvIRE | #Priceless pic.twitter.com/8Rgf6mqawf

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 23, 2023

South Africa turned to their stacked bench, including introducing Jean Kleyn, who represented Ireland at the last World Cup, in a bid to make the difference.

Irish indiscipline was in danger of proving expensive, with those in green relieved to see Libbok and then De Klerk squander further penalties.

The Springboks enjoyed the better territory and possession in the second period.

But Ireland, helped over the line by three points from Jack Crowley, doggedly hung on to make a major statement moving towards their Pool B finale against Scotland in a fortnight's time, while leaving the title holders with plenty to ponder.

The teams

South Africa:  15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements:  16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Kwagga Smith, 23 Cobus Reinach

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 James Ryan, 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Dan Sheehan, 17 David Kilcoyne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Robbie Henshaw

Referee:  Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO:  Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

Five-try Henry Arundell fires England to handsome victory over Chile

England made it three wins out of three at the Rugby World Cup as five tries from Henry Arundell helped them to a 71-0 victory at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

The success leaves Steve Borthwick's outfit on 14 points in Pool D, with one game remaining against Samoa on October 7 as they look to wrap up top spot.

After a scoreless first 20 minutes, the Red Rose clicked into gear with five tries chalked up before the interval and six scores following in the second period.

The procession ended with Arundell grabbing five scores while Theo Dan (2), Bevan Rodd, Marcus Smith (2) and Jack Willis also crossed the whitewash.

It was also a welcome return to Test rugby for captain Owen Farrell following his suspension as he enjoyed good minutes at fly-half and later inside centre.

England had kicked more than other team across the opening two rounds of the tournament but their intent to run against the group's weakest opponents was evident from the start.

Smith settled quickly through some early touches but his play lacked accuracy and once the initial assault subsided, Chile showed their flair for counter attack that on one occasion swept them into the 22.

Max Malins' high error count was proving costly but England built pressure once more and in the 21st minute they were over when Farrell's long pass gave Arundell an easy run in.

Dan finished a line-out drive and then supplied Arundell with the easiest of tries after Danny Care's quickly taken free-kick caught Chile unaware.

After the over-exuberance displayed in the opening quarter, England were showing greater accuracy as the ball was swept left to right, aided by quick ruck speed and a desire to make things happen.

Smith launched an attack that ended in a try for Rodd and then the Harlequins fly-half claimed a solo touchdown by collecting his own grubber and outrunning Chile's defence.

Chile were unable to secure any kind of foothold in the game with their scrum especially vulnerable and early in the second half they leaked a second line-out maul try, with Dan touching down.

Arundell completed his hat-trick after Elliot Daly's smart kick bounced kindly for him and Smith's comfort at full-back was clear when he caught a tricky kick with aplomb.

A Rugby World Cup debut to remember 😍

Congratulations to @EnglandRugby's Henry Arundell on being the @Mastercard #POTM 👏#RWC2023 | #ENGvCHI | #Priceless pic.twitter.com/YYNRllF4US

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 23, 2023

Having claimed three easy finishes, Arundell showed his class for his fourth which he engineered with a run down the right touchline and chip ahead.

A moment of magic from Smith teed up the Racing 92 wing's fifth and when Smith broke from deep from inside his own half Chile must have been sick of the sight of him.

The move ended with Smith crossing and England touched down for the final time through Willis.

The teams

England:  15 Marcus Smith, 14 Henry Arundell, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Max Malins, 10 Owen Farrell (c), 9 Danny Care, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Jack Willis, 6 Lewis Ludlam, 5 George Martin, 4 David Ribbans, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Theo Dan, 1 Bevan Rodd
Replacements:  16 Jack Walker, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 George Ford, 23 Joe Marchant

Chile:  15 Francisco Urroz, 14 Cristobal Game, 13 Domingo Saavedra, 12 Matias Garafulic, 11 Franco Velarde, 10 Rodrigo Fernandez, 9 Benjamin Videla, 8 Alfonso Escobar, 7 Ignacio Silva, 6 Martín Sigren (c), 5 Javier Eissmann, 4 Clemente Saavedra, 3 Matias Dittus, 2 Augusto Bohme, 1 Salvador Lues
Replacements:  16 Tomas Dussaillant, 17 Vittorio Lastra, 18 Inaki Gurruchaga, 19 Pablo Huete, 20 Thomas Orchard, 21 Raimundo Martínez, 22 Lukas Carvallo, 23 Inaki Ayarza

Referee:  Jaco Peyper (SARU)
Assistant Referees:  Pierre Brousset (FFR), Andrea Piardi (FIR)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (SARU)

Georgia and Portugal's Rugby World Cup clash ends all square in Toulouse

Georgia and Portugal could not be separated at the Stadium de Toulouse on Saturday, with their Rugby World Cup contest finishing in an exciting 18-18 draw.

In an enthralling encounter, Portugal came from 13-0 behind to launch a stunning fightback as they held an 18-13 lead before Tengizi Zamtaradze scored a try in the game's dying moments to clinch the draw for the Lelos.

Akaki Tabutsadze also scored a try for Georgia while Tedo Abzhandadze added two penalties and a conversion.

Raffaele Storti was Portugal's hero as he scored a brace of tries and their other points came via the boot of Samuel Marques, who succeeded with two penalties and a conversion.

The Lelos made a fantastic start and opened the scoring inside 90 seconds when Davit Niniashvili made a telling line break inside Portugal's 22 before getting a sublime offload out to Tabutsadze, who went over for a try.

The next 20 minutes was a tight contest as the sides battled to gain the ascendancy but a penalty from Abzhandadze in the 16th minute gave his team a 10-0 lead, before Gela Aprasidze crossed the whitewash shortly afterwards but his effort was disallowed as he knocked on in the build-up.

Despite having that score disallowed, Georgia still held an edge over their opponents and they spent long periods camped inside Portugal's half.

In the 32nd minute, Abzhandadze increased Georgia's lead with another three-pointer off the kicking tee after Pedro Bettencourt was blown up for straying offside on defence before Os Lobos opened their account with a superb try from Storti.

Portugal gathered possession from the restart ― after Abzhandadze's penalty ― and the ball was shifted wide to Storti, who stepped past a couple of defenders about 10 metres inside Georgia's half before showing the cover defence a clean pair of heels over the try-line.

Marques struck an upright with his conversion attempt but, despite that setback, Portugal had their tails up during the latter stages of the opening half.

However, they suffered a setback just before half-time when Francisco Fernandes was yellow carded for a 'no arms' tackle on Shalva Mamukashvili and the teams changed sides with the Lelos holding a 13-5 lead.

A tense finish to a blockbuster in Toulouse 🤯#RWC2023 | #GEOvPOR pic.twitter.com/V2ivtU1gtU

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 23, 2023

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Os Lobos held the upper hand during the early stages of the second half and they reduced the deficit to five points in the 48th minute when Marques slotted a penalty after Vladimer Chachanidze was punished for a high tackle on Jerónimo Portela.

Portugal continued to dominate as the half progressed and another Marques penalty five minutes later meant the match was evenly balanced before Storti gave Portugal the lead with his second five-pointer midway through the second half.

This, after he gathered an inside pass from Portela and set off on an arcing run before crossing the whitewash.  Marques added the extras which meant Portugal had their tails up with the score 18-13 in their favour.

The final quarter was a tense affair as the Lelos tried desperately to draw level but a combination of errors and stoic Portuguese defence kept them at bay for long periods until Zamtaradze went over for his five-pointer off the back of a lineout drive deep inside Portugal's 22 in the 79th minute.

Luka Matkava lined up the conversion attempt, which would have secured the win for the Lelos, but his effort was wide of the uprights.

There was drama at the end when Os Lobos were awarded a penalty in the game's closing stages, after one of Georgia's players held onto the ball at a ruck, but Nuno Sousa Guedes' shot at goal was off target.

That meant the teams had to settle for the draw which denied Portugal their first-ever victory in a Rugby World Cup match.

The teams

Georgia:  15 Davit Niniashvili, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Giorgi Kveseladze, 12 Merab Sharikadze (c), 11 Alexander Todua, 10 Tedo Abzhandadze, 9 Gela Aprasidze, 8 Beka Gorgadze, 7 Beka Saginadze, 6 Tornike Jalagonia, 5 Konstantine Mikautadze, 4 Vladimer Chachanidze, 3 Beka Gigashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili
Replacements:  16 Tengizi Zamtaradze, 17 Guram Gogichashvili, 18 Guram Papidze, 19 Nodar Cheishvili, 20 Giorgi Tsutskiridze, 21 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 22 Luka Matkava, 23 Demur Tapladze

Portugal:  15 Nuno Sousa Guedes, 14 Raffaele Storti, 13 Pedro Bettencourt, 12 Tomás Appleton (c), 11 Rodrigo Marta, 10 Jerónimo Portela, 9 Samuel Marques, 8 Rafael Simões, 7 Nicolas Martins, 6 João Granate, 5 Steevy Cerqueira, 4 José Madeira, 3 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 2 Mike Tadjer, 1 Francisco Fernandes
Replacements:  16 David Costa, 17 Lionel Campergue, 18 Anthony Alves, 19 Martim Belo, 20 David Wallis, 21 Thibault de Freitas, 22 Pedro Lucas, 23 Manuel Cardoso Pinto

Referee:  Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Chris Busby (Ireland)
Television Match Official:  Joy Neville (Ireland)

Argentina see off Samoa to keep Rugby World Cup knockout hopes alive

Argentina bounced back from their opening Rugby World Cup loss to England by beating Samoa 19-10 in a disappointing Pool D game at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

The rain didn't help but there was little entertainment and attacking quality on show, with Los Pumas grinding out a vital win in the race for the knockouts.

Emiliano Boffelli scored his team's only try and also contributed 11 points off the tee while Nicolas Sanchez landed a late, long-range penalty to seal victory.

For Samoa they were eager to build on their recent triumph over Chile but they struggled to fire a shot and now have an upward task if they are to qualify.

Their only try in Saint-Etienne came late through replacement hooker Sama Malolo to set up a nail-biting finish for Los Pumas but they saw out the win.

Any pre-match pressures for Argentina were eased when Samoa full-back Duncan Paia'aua was sent to the sin-bin in the opening minute of the contest.

His absence was felt as Los Pumas hit the front with Boffelli going over in the right-hand corner before converting his own try.

Three successful penalties from the Edinburgh wing followed, with a Christian Leali'ifano penalty getting Samoa on the board in the first half.

Samoa's defence held firm in the latter stages as they pushed to get back into the game and Malolo's try ― converted by D'Angelo Leuila ― put the cat among the pigeons.

However, Argentina, who finished fourth at the 2015 World Cup but failed to get out of the pool stage in Japan four years ago, held on and wrapped up the win through Sanchez's penalty.

The loss to England presented the possibility of another early exit but securing the points here gives them hope of continuing on and they now face South American rivals Chile in Nantes next Saturday.

An out-of-sorts Samoa, meanwhile, will now need results against potentially both Japan and England if they are to sneak into the quarter-finals.

The teams

Argentina:  15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Emiliano Boffelli, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Matias Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Eduardo Bello, 2 Julian Montoya (c), 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements:  16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Pedro Rubiolo, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Tomas Cubelli, 22 Nicolas Sanchez, 23 Lucio Cinti

Samoa:  15 Duncan Paia'aua, 14 Nigel Ah-Wong, 13 UJ Seuteni, 12 Tumua Manu, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Christian Leali'ifano, 9 Jonathan Taumateine, 8 Steven Luatua, 7 Fritz Lee, 6 Theo McFarland, 5 Chris Vui (c), 4 Brian Alainu'u'ese, 3 Paul Alo-Emile, 2 Seilala Lam, 1 James Lay
Replacements:  16 Sama Malolo, 17 Charlie Faumuina, 18 Michael Alaalatoa, 19 Taleni Seu, 20 Sa Jordan Taufua, 21 Melani Matavao, 22 D'Angelo Leuila, 23 Danny Toala

Referee:  Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (Australia)

France seal record-breaking win over Namibia as Damian Penaud dazzles

France put on a masterclass of attacking rugby as they thumped Namibia 96-0 in Marseille, scoring 14 tries in a ruthless Rugby World Cup win on Thursday.

It was a record victory for Les Bleus as they cruised to a bonus-point success, with 54 points racked up in the opening half and 42 in a second in a canter.

Damian Penaud (3), Jonathan Danty (2), Charles Ollivon (2), Thibaud Flament, Antoine Dupont, Louis Bielle-Biarrey (2), Baptiste Couilloud and Melvyn Jaminet crossed on a fruitful night for Fabien Galthie's men, with a penalty try also awarded in the final minute to rubber stamp their biggest ever World Cup win.

However, there is concern over star player Dupont, who reportedly suffered a concussion and been taken to hospital for scans on an injured cheekbone.

The first half was an incredible spectacle as Les Bleus cut loose, scoring eight tries as Namibia couldn't live with the tempo and skill the hosts possessed.

France opened their account as early as the sixth minute when from an attacking lineout, Dupont's cross-kick found Penaud who finished for a 5-0 lead.

The gap became 12 points three minutes later when a chip over the top saw Bielle-Biarrey send a lovely inside ball to Danty who dotted down on the left.

Danty would cross for his second try before the half-hour mark but not before Penaud grabbed his own brace and Ollivon finished off a slick team score.

MAGNIFIQUE!!! 😍🇫🇷#FRAvNAM #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/XTSJGGQi27

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 21, 2023

France were not done and in fact seemed to increase the tempo as the half moved towards its end, with Thomas Ramos converting a further three tries.

The first came via lock Flament after number eight Anthony Jelonch put him clean through from 20 metres out before Penaud set up Dupont as the pair cut loose.  Closing out the half would be Bielle-Biarrey's first try of the evening as Dupont's boot came to the fore again, finding his wing with his left foot for a 54-0 cushion.

Namibia's night would get worse after the interval when they had an intercept try from Divan Rossouw chalked off before Johan Deysel was red carded after review, with his head on head contact with Dupont seeing Couilloud come on and grab his chance with both hands, wasting no time at all in getting on the try sheet.

Couilloud was denied a second shortly after due to an off-the-ball tackle before wing Penaud picked up his hat-trick on 55 minutes to make it a 68-0 lead.

Bielle-Biarrey would then sprint clear across into the right corner for arguably the try of the match before and Ollivon then dummied before going over.

Namibia were cut open again by more quick French passing eight minutes later, with Jaminet showing his speed to surge clear with Ramos' conversion bringing up a new record score, passing the 87-10 win over the same opponents at the 2007 World Cup.

France were awarded a late penalty try after a maul collapsed, with Jason Benade sent to the sin-bin to compound a forgettable evening for Namibia as the partisan Marseille crowd revelled at the final whistle whilst also holding their breath over Dupont.

🇫🇷🇳🇦 14-TRY FRANCE HAMMER NAMIBIA! #FRAvNAM #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/xSl0Svj7Ca

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 21, 2023

The teams

France:  15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gaël Fickou, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Anthony Jelonch, 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 François Cros, 5 Thibaud Flament, 4 Cameron Woki, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements:  16 Pierre Bourgarit, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Paul Boudehent, 21 Baptiste Couilloud, 22 Yoram Moefana, 23 Melvyn Jaminet

Namibia:  15 Andre van der Bergh, 14 Gerswin Mouton, 13 Johan Deysel (c), 12 Danco Burger, 11 JC Greyling, 10 Cliven Loubser, 9 Jacques Theron, 8 Prince Gaoseb, 7 Johan Retief, 6 Max Katjijeko, 5 Adriaan Ludick, 4 Mahepisa Tjeriko, 3 Johan Coetzee, 2 Louis van der Westhuizen, 1 Desiderius Sethie
Replacements:  16 Obert Nortje, 17 Jason Benade, 18 Haitembu Shifuka, 19 PJ Van Lill, 20 Richard Hardwick, 21 Oela Blaauw, 22 Alcino Izaacs, 23 Divan Rossouw

Referee:  Matthew Carley (RFU)
Assistant Referees:  Andrew Brace (IRFU), Craig Evans (WRU)
TMO:  Joy Neville (IRFU)

Italy's second half surge sees off talented Uruguay side

Italy were made to work extremely hard by Uruguay but their greater quality told in the second half as they emerged with a 38-17 victory in the Rugby World Cup Pool A encounter.

The Uruguayans were much the better side in the first half and deservedly went 17-7 ahead at the interval through Nicolas Freitas' score, a penalty try and Felipe Etcheverry's drop-goal.

Lorenzo Pani had initially given the Azzurri the lead but it wasn't until the start of the second period when they finally got to grips with the game.

They took advantage of Andres Vilaseca's yellow card to touch down twice while the centre was off the field through Michele Lamaro and Monty Ioane.

Lorenzo Cannone then went over to complete the bonus-point and Juan Ignacio Brex made sure of the victory with 20 minutes remaining.

That put them to the top of their group ahead of their huge match with New Zealand where a win will take them into the quarter-finals for the first time ever.

Los Teros were exceptional in their opening encounter against France and they were similarly impressive in the opening half on Wednesday.

Italy attempted to stamp their mark on the encounter early, putting pressure on in the scrum and taking play inside the opposition 22.

Under pressure, the South Americans eventually folded with Pani on hand to touch down and give his side the advantage.

Kieran Crowley's men continued to move the ball with pace but Uruguay were often alive to the situation and they benefited from the Azzurri's overambition.

Captain Lamaro was surprisingly the culprit when the openside's pass was easily intercepted by Etcheverry.

That moment set off a series of events which led to a pair of Italy yellow cards and Los Teros taking the lead into the interval.

Etcheverry was brought to ground five metres out but Italy began to infringement with regularity and it ended in Niccolo Cannone being sin-binned.

Instead of going for the posts, the Uruguayans opted to kick for touch and as they surged towards the line, Danilo Fischetti illegally brought down the maul, leading to a yellow card and penalty try.

Down two important forwards, the Azzurri would concede again.  They initially handled that period well but the superb Los Teros increased the intensity and Freitas was on hand to cross the whitewash.

🇺🇾 A well-worked try for Nicolas Freitas earlier. #ITAvURU #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/9fiSlxlwf5

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 20, 2023

Cannone and Fischetti returned but Crowley's charges would find themselves 10 points behind at the break through Etcheverry's drop-goal.

The Italian head coach needed a response from his charges at the start of the second period and they received a boost when Vilaseca was sin-binned for a glancing blow on the head of Pani.

It would prove to be the turning point as the Azzurri sensed their opportunity and began to dominate the game.

Lamaro's first try in international rugby brought Italy back into the contest before Ioane crossed the whitewash to take them ahead.

Italy very much had the momentum and they struck the decisive blow when Lorenzo Cannone crossed the whitewash for a 28-17 lead.

Uruguay would not recover and Brex went over to increase their buffer before Paolo Garbisi's late penalty rubberstamped the win.

The teams

Italy:  15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Lorenzo Pani, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Paolo Garbisi, 11 Montanna Ioane, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolo Cannone, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements:  16 Luca Bigi, 17 Federico Zani, 18 Pietro Ceccarelli, 19 Dino Lamb, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Giovanni Pettinelli, 22 Alessandro Fusco, 23 Paolo Odogwu

Uruguay:  15 Baltazar Amaya, 14 Gaston Mieres, 13 Tomas Inciarte, 12 Andres Vilaseca (c), 11 Nicolas Freitas, 10 Felipe Etcheverry, 9 Santiago Arata, 8 Manuel Diana, 7 Santiago Civetta, 6 Manuel Ardao, 5 Manuel Leindekar, 4 Felipe Aliaga, 3 Ignacio Peculo, 2 German Kessler, 1 Mateo Sanguinetti
Replacements:  16 Guillermo Pujadas, 17 Facundo Gattas, 18 Diego Arbelo, 19 Ignacio Dotti, 20 Carlos Deus, 21 Agustin Ormaechea, 22 Felipe Berchesi, 23 Bautista Basso

Referee:  Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Andrew Brace (Ireland), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Tom Foley (England)

Fiji claim famous win over the Wallabies to throw Pool C wide open

Fiji picked up their first victory of the 2023 Rugby World Cup as they claimed the scalp of the Wallabies, winning 22-15 at Stade Geoffroy Guichard on Sunday.

The famous win throws Pool C wide open as the islanders move on to six points, level with Australia and four behind Wales with two matches still to play.

A second-half try from Josua Tuisova as well as 14 points from the boot of Simione Kuruvoli and a Frank Lomani penalty saw Fiji to a crucial pool success.

For Australia this was a sobering loss as they were well beaten on the day, with Mark Nawaqanitawase and Suliasi Vunivalu's tries their only highlights.

This was Simon Raiwalui's team's first win over Australia since 1954 and it was hugely deserved as they dominated with and without the ball on Sunday.

Fiji were looking to bounce back from an agonising opening loss to Wales while the Wallabies had kicked off their Pool C campaign by seeing off Georgia.

Therefore the islanders knew it was pretty much win or bust in terms of their hopes of progressing to the knockouts, with a real drive evident early on.

Australia full-back Ben Donaldson was opportunistic early on and punished a Fiji high tackle when he converted the first opportunity of the game to give his side a 3-0 lead after three minutes.

The Pacific Islanders sought a response through scrum-half Kuruvoli, who tied the score before slotting another penalty to give his side a 6-3 lead after 20 minutes.

The first try of the game came in the 22nd minute through Nawaqanitawase.  The wing chased the long ball, took a quick lineout and combined with Samu Kerevi before he received the offload to add five more to to Australia's tally.

But the Wallabies' hard work started to unravel through ill-discipline and they started to concede needless penalties, much to the delight of Kuruvoli who added six more and the half ended 12-8 in favour of the Fijians.

Fiji extended their lead when Carter Gordon misjudged the bounce of a high ball which invited Tuisova to storm through and make it 19-8 in the 42nd minute.

Vunivalu went over late on for Australia after Fiji scored another penalty but it was not enough and they held on to complete a memorable 22-15 victory.

Fiji in the final? 👀#RWC2023 | #AUSvFIJ | @fijirugby pic.twitter.com/rhSTa9VWzv

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 17, 2023

The teams

Australia:  15 Ben Donaldson, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Nic White, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Richie Arnold, 4 Nick Frost, 3 James Slipper, 2 David Porecki, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Jordan Uelese, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Rob Leota, 21 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 22 Lalakai Foketi, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu

Fiji:  15 Ilaisa Droasese, 14 Jiuta Wainiqolo, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu (c), 12 Josua Tuisova, 11 Semi Radradra, 10 Teti Tela, 9 Simione Kuruvoli, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Levani Botia, 6 Lekima Tagitagivalu, 5 Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta, 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Luke Tagi, 2 Sam Matavesi, 1 Eroni Mawi
Replacements:  16 Tevita Ikanivere, 17 Peni Ravai, 18 Mesake Doge, 19 Temo Mayanavanua, 20 Albert Tuisue, 21 Frank Lomani, 22 Vilimoni Botitu, 23 Vinaya Habosi

Referee:  Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Chris Busby (Ireland)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Laboured England beat Japan to move a step closer to the quarter-finals

England made it two victories out of two in the 2023 Rugby World Cup as they overcame Japan on Sunday, winning 34-12 at Stade de Nice in the pool game.

It was far from pleasing on the eye but the Red Rose got the job done as they backed up their opening triumph over Argentina with a bonus-point success.

Tries from Lewis Ludlam, Courtney Lawes, Freddie Steward and a late crossing from Joe Marchant were added to by 14 points off the kicking tee from George Ford, but there was plenty of fortune in two of their scores especially in Nice.

For Japan this was their first loss in this year's tournament after beating Chile last weekend, with Rikiya Matsuda slotting all their points via four penalties.

Lawes' try came after the ball had taken a comical bounce off Joe Marler's head and while England celebrated their first World Cup tries since their 2019 semi-final victory over New Zealand, a madcap evening posed fresh questions.

Early in the second half they were booed by their own fans as they continued to kick the ball away at every opportunity, only to then throw the kitchen sink at enterprising opponents ranked 14th in the world.

The ambition paid off and with Ben Earl and Steward propelling them forward as well as impetus coming from Marcus Smith's arrival off the bench, they stormed out of sight.

After routing Argentina 27-14 with 14 men in their Pool D opener, they at least avoided a potential banana skin and with fixtures against Chile and Samoa to come, they are destined to reach the last eight.

The ball squirted around unpredictably because of the humidity and while Japan produced the more glaring mistakes in the first half ― including one costly line-out blunder ― they also adapted better in attack.

It took England half an hour to fire their first shots, launching Manu Tuilagi in midfield and Earl into the wall of red and white shirts, but until then they had displayed little endeavour.

Half-backs Ford and Alex Mitchell seemed content to continuously kick the ball away, perhaps convinced that the greasy conditions meant it was wiser to wait for Japan to make a mistake.

That is exactly what happened in the 25th minute when Ford steered a clever chip into the left corner and the underdogs botched the line-out, enabling Ludlam to pounce from short range.

All the ambition was being shown by Japan as they strung phases together, mixing up a handful of kicks with slick passing and cute running lines, although at times they were guilty of playing too much.

Full-back Semisi Masirewa had been lost to an innocuous injury in the eighth minute but with Matsuda kicking three penalties, they trailed just 13-9 at the interval.

The second half started at a ferocious pace, but the ball continued to slip out of the hands of players from both sides.

England's first instinct remained to kick, with Mitchell drawing boos when he booted the ball dead, but they were at least pinning Japan back in their own half and showing signs of building momentum.

Tension mounted as the Brave Blossoms escaped their own territory and claimed three more points from Matsuda, but when Earl went tearing down the right wing and the ball was recycled for Lawes to collect and score, their chances seemed to be fading.

Joe Marler's Mohawk, the playmaker England didn't know they needed. 😂#ENGvJPN #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/HgyOuN8PK3

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 17, 2023

Play swung from end to end and suddenly England were scrambling furiously, but Japan missed their chance and were made to pay when Steward caught Ford's kick and strolled over.  Marchant delivered the final blow in the closing moments.

The teams

England:  15 Freddie Steward, 14 Jonny May, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Lewis Ludlam, 7 Ben Earl, 6 Courtney Lawes (c), 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 Theo Dan, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 George Martin, 20 Billy Vunipola, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Ollie Lawrence

Japan:  15 Semisi Masirewa, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Tomoki Osada, 12 Ryoto Nakamura, 11 Jone Naikabula, 10 Rikiya Matsuda, 9 Yutaka Nagare, 8 Kazuki Himeno (c), 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Michael Leitch, 5 Amato Fakatava, 4 Jack Cornelsen, 3 Jiwon Gu, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Keita Inagaki
Replacements:  16 Atsushi Sakate, 17 Craig Millar, 18 Asaeli Ai Valu, 19 Warner Dearns, 20 Kanji Shimokawa, 21 Naoto Saito, 22 Dylan Riley, 23 Lomano Lemeki

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
Assistant Referees:  Nic Berry (RA), Andrea Piardi (FIR)
TMO:  Joy Neville (IRFU)

Clinical Boks cruise to one-sided win over hapless Romania in Bordeaux

The Springboks made a statement of intent as they produced a fine showing to cruise to a 76-0 bonus-point victory against Romania in their Rugby World Cup clash in Bordeaux on Sunday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was a one-sided affair as the defending world champions dominated from start to finish and eventually ran in 12 tries with Cobus Reinach and Makazole Mapimpi crossing for a hat-trick apiece.

Grant Williams (2), Damian Willemse, Deon Fourie, Willie le Roux also dotted down and they were also awarded a penalty try.

The Boks' other points came via five conversions from Willemse while Faf de Klerk also succeeded with a couple of two-pointers off the kicking tee.

The Boks started their rout as early as the third minute when Reinach broke off the back of a scrum on Romania's five-metre line before selling the defence a dummy on his way over the try-line.

Soon after, Mapimpi ran onto an inside pass from Le Roux and cantered in for an easy five-pointer and then Reinach got over for his second five-pointer after outpacing the cover defence, which meant South Africa were holding a comfortable 19-0 lead after just 10 minutes.

Two minutes later, Willemse bamboozled the Oaks with excellent footwork before crossing for his five-pointer and soon after Marco van Staden dotted down off the back of a lineout drive but his effort was disallowed by the TMO for obstruction in the build-up.

South Africa put that setback behind them and in the 24th minute Reinach went over for his third try with Willemse adding the extras to give the Boks a commanding 33-0 lead at half-time.

The #Springboks have made a statement with a big win in Bordeaux. Thanks for the game @RugbyRomania and good luck for the rest of your campaign🙌#StrongerTogether #RWC2023 #RSAvROM pic.twitter.com/gRKms2kzK5

― Springboks (@Springboks) September 17, 2023

The Boks continued to dominate after the interval and there were a first Test tries for Fourie ― shortly after he came on to replace captain Bongi Mbonambi at half-time ― and Williams midway through the half.

With the match in the bag, the Boks did not take their foot off the pedal and it was one-way traffic for this game.  In the 53rd minute, South Africa put great pressure on Romania at a scrum close to the try-line and referee Mathieu Raynal had no option but to award a penalty try.

Williams then got his name onto the scoresheet on the hour-mark, which brought up a half century of points, before Mapimpi went over for his second five-pointer shortly afterwards.

It was more of the same in the closing stages as Mapimpi went over for his third five-pointer in the 67th minute before Le Roux capped a fine display when he crossed for his try in the 74th minute which sealed an emphatic victory.

The teams

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Grant Williams, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Kwagga Smith, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi (c), 1 Ox Nche
Replacements:  16 Deon Fourie, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Jasper Wiese, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Faf de Klerk, 23 Jesse Kriel

Romania:  15 Marius Simionescu, 14 Tevita Manumua, 13 Jason Tomane, 12 Taylor Gontineac, 11 Nicholas Onutu, 10 Hinckley Vaovasa, 9 Gabriel Rupanu, 8 Cristian Chirica (c), 7 Vlad Neculau, 6 Andre Gorin, 5 Marius Iftimiciuc, 4 Adrian Motoc, 3 Alexandru Gordas, 2 Ovidiu Cojocaru, 1 Iulian Hartig
Replacements:  16 Robert Irimescu, 17 Alexandru Savin, 18 Thomas Cretu, 19 Stefan Iancu, 20 Damian Stratila, 21 Cristi Boboc, 22 Alin Conache, 23 Gabriel Pop

Referee:  Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees:  Angus Gardner (Australia), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (Australia)

Ireland throw down the gauntlet with statement demolition of Tonga

Ireland continued their fine start to the 2023 Rugby World Cup after they thrashed Tonga 59-16 at the Stade de la Beaujoire on Saturday.

Tougher tests await in South Africa and Scotland but on the evidence of their opening two matches, Andy Farrell's men look in fine shape.

Against a talented Pacific Island outfit ― on paper at least ― the European team were excellent, running in eight tries in total.

Johnny Sexton, on his second game back following injury and suspension, once again impressed and broke Ronan O'Gara's points record when he touched down after 38 minutes.

The fly-half also added four conversions and a penalty before he was replaced at the break, with Ross Byrne coming on to kick the extras to scores from James Lowe, Bundee Aki (twice) and Rob Herring.

Tadhg Beirne initially set the ball rolling, while Caelan Doris and Mack Hansen also crossed the whitewash in the first period.

The world's top-ranked nation comfortably maintained their 100 per cent start to the tournament and emerged relatively unscathed, moving towards pivotal Paris appointments with the Springboks and Scotland.

Despite the looming threat of the reigning world champions, head coach Andy Farrell named an extremely strong starting XV showing just four personnel changes from last weekend's thumping 12-try triumph over Romania.

His side, unfamiliar in white shirts, were once again heavily backed on the terraces and met Tonga's Sipi Tau by taking a collective step forward.

Sexton slotted an early penalty to increase the volume, but William Havili landed a long-range reply to level before Ireland were frustrated to have an Andrew Porter try disallowed for a knock-on by Hansen.

The disappointment proved to be fleeting as Farrell's men remained on the front foot, culminating in Beirne collecting Doris' pass and touching down under the posts for his third score of the tournament.

Havili landed another audacious penalty from close to halfway to cut Tonga's deficit, but their hopes of a first win over the Six Nations champions were swiftly reduced by costly indiscipline.

Lowe was clattered in his own 22 by opposing wing Solomone Kata, gifting Ireland a penalty at the other end of the field from which Doris powered over.

Hansen ― one of four men recalled by Farrell ― then superbly danced through the opposition defence wide on the right to stretch the scoreboard, leading to Sexton equalling O'Gara's previous national record.

Sexton overtook his former fly-half rival in memorable fashion to secure the bonus point.

🔥 RECORD BREAKING SCORE!

Johnny Sexton becomes Ireland's all-time leading points scorer! 🙌#RWC2023 #IREvTON pic.twitter.com/D0FSUEq0KK

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 16, 2023

The 38-year-old effortlessly slipping through Tonga's defence to touch down and then celebrated jubilantly with fans seated behind the posts before regaining his composure to add a simple conversion.

Ireland were threatening to blitz the stunned underdogs.

Yet Tonga roared back and, during a series of penalties close to the Irish line, O'Mahony was sin-binned before former All Black Vaea Fifita shrugged off an early injury issue to power over.

No one can stop him 💪#RWC2023 | #IREvTGA pic.twitter.com/mim4PNDpuK

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 16, 2023

Ireland changed their entire front-row at the break while wrapping Sexton in cotton wool.

Yet replacement tighthead prop Finlay Bealham departed for a head injury assessment after Havili kicked his third penalty of the evening, requiring the swift return of Tadhg Furlong before substitute hooker Herring had a try chalked off on review.

Lowe eventually claimed Ireland's fifth and official man-on-the-match Aki then propelled himself to the top of the tournament's embryonic try-scoring charts with a quick-fire brace, all converted by Sexton's replacement Ross Byrne.

Ireland were relatively untroubled in the second period, and Herring sealed another statement win ― a 15th in succession overall ― ahead of two critical fixtures in the French capital.

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton (c), 9 Conor Murray, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 James Ryan, 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rob Herring, 17 David Kilcoyne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Robbie Henshaw

Tonga:  15 Charles Piutau, 14 Afusipa Taumoepeau, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Solomone Kata, 10 William Havili, 9 Augustine Pulu, 8 Vaea Fifita, 7 Sione Talitui, 6 Tanginoa Halaifonua, 5 Halaleva Fifita, 4 Sam Lousi, 3 Ben Tameifuna (c), 2 Paula Ngauamo, 1 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi
Replacements:  16 Sam Moli, 17 Tau Koloamatangi, 18 Sosefo Apikotoa, 19 Semisi Paea, 20 Solomone Funaki, 21 Sione Vailanu, 22 Sonatane Takulua, 23 Fine Inisi

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO:  Tom Foley (England)

Wales struggle to second Rugby World Cup win against brilliant Portugal

Wales were made to work incredibly hard by Portugal but they managed to secure their second triumph in Pool C after claiming a 28-8 win in Nice.

The Portuguese were impressive throughout and caused their opponents numerous problems, but the greater quality eventually told.

Louis Rees-Zammit, Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan, and Taulupe Faletau's tries proved to be enough as Warren Gatland's men claimed a crucial bonus-point.

Os Lobos, making their first Rugby World Cup appearance since 2007, were excellent and were rewarded through Nicolas Martins' try, but they could not quite go over for a second time to set up an exciting finale.

Portugal's exciting back division stretched Wales' defence in all directions, although wing Vincent Pinto blotted the copybook when he was red-carded late in the game following a bunker review after his boot caught Josh Adams in the face.

Wales suffered an injury blow shortly before kick-off when flanker Tommy Reffell withdrew from the starting line-up and was replaced by Morgan.

Portugal, playing their first World Cup game for 16 years, were captained by centre Tomas Appleton and under the coaching direction of former France international wing Patrice Lagisquet.

Samuel Marques missed a golden chance to put his team in front when he sent a short-range penalty wide, and Wales went ahead through a ninth-minute try that saw an impressive finish from Rees-Zammit, who then performed a Cristiano Ronaldo-style celebration.

Leigh Halfpenny converted, but Portugal showed plenty of adventure in attack, and Faletau pulled off a try-saving tackle that preserved Wales' 7-0 lead after 17 minutes.

It was an impressive effort by the underdogs as their eagerness to move possession wide and at pace tested Wales' defence.

Wales made errors when they got within sight of Portugal's line, and an element of frustration was underlined when Johnny Williams received a yellow card following a technical infringement.

It was an outstanding first-half display by Portugal, who were beaten 102-11 on their only previous meeting with Wales in a World Cup qualifier 29 years ago.

Wales just could not get going, compounding their situation through poor work in the contact area, and Marques kicked a penalty three minutes before the break.

Williams then had a try disallowed after he failed to ground the ball, only for Lake to power over from close range, with Halfpenny's conversion making it 14-3 at the interval.

🇵🇹 WHAT A MOMENT FOR PORTUGAL!

Nicolas Martins scores their first try of #RWC2023! #WALvPOR pic.twitter.com/GwYrGm5aAj

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 16, 2023

Wales began the second period by losing two attacking lineouts in quick succession inside Portugal's 22, and Gatland soon turned to his replacements' bench, sending on Ryan Elias, Corey Domachowski, Tomas Francis and Adam Beard.

Back-row forward Taine Basham soon followed them into the action, and Wales claimed a third try after 56 minutes when Morgan crossed from close range and Halfpenny added the extras.

Portugal deservedly claimed a try midway through the second half when clever lineout work produced a try for Martins.  Marques' touchline conversion attempt hit a post, and it was a warning sign to Wales that their opponents had no intention of going quietly.

The closing stages were all about whether or not Wales could secure a bonus point, and they thought they had it when scrum-half Gareth Davies crossed, only to see it disallowed for midfield obstruction.

That summed up Wales' day, but after Pinto was dismissed, Faletau scored in the game's final play and Costelow converted.

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Mason Grady, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 4 Christ Tshiunza, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements:  16 Ryan Elias, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Taine Basham, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Josh Adams

Portugal:  15 Nuno Sousa Guedes, 14 Vincent Pinto, 13 Jose Lima, 12 Tomas Appleton (c), 11 Rodrigo Marta, 10 Jeronimo Portela, 9 Samuel Marques, 8 Rafael Simoes, 7 Nicolas Martins, 6 Joao Granate, 5 Steevy Cerqueira, 4 José Madeira, 3 Anthony Alves, 2 Mike Tadjer, 1 Francisco Fernandes
Replacements:  16 Raffaele Storti, 17 Joris Moura, 18 Pedro Lucas, 19 David Wallis, 20 Martim Belo, 21 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 22 Lionel Campergue, 23 David Costa

Referee:  Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Strong second half hands Samoa a bonus point win over Chile

Samoa flexed their muscles in the second half to power to a 43-10 win over Chile in their Rugby World Cup clash in Bordeaux on Saturday.

Tries late in the first half and several in the second were enough to keep a brave Chile side at bay despite their best efforts.

Samoan fly-half Christian Leali'ifano opened the scoring with a penalty in the third minute before Chile responded with the first try of the game as the robust Matias Dittus crashed over in the fifth minute, with Santiago Videla kicking the conversion.

Leali'ifano would add two further penalties in the ninth and 14th minute before a lengthy lull in the scoring as both sides jostled for position, with Chile pushing hard to get back on the scoreboard whilst Ulupano Seuteni was in the sin bin for a dangerous tackle.  They managed a penalty through Matias Garafulic in the 29th minute, but this was cancelled out by the Samoan pivot, who kicked a penalty of his own in the 36th minute.

Samoa finally crossed the whitewash for the first time on the stroke of halftime through a well-worked Duncan Paia'aua converted try to take the lead into the break.

🇼🇸🇨🇱 A late surge sees Samoa take the lead into the break. #RWC2023 #SAMvCHI pic.twitter.com/q51SK3VZ0A

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 16, 2023

Everything began to go the way of the Pacific side, who flew out of the blocks with a brilliant try from Jonathan Taumateine only two minutes after halftime.  This time, the conversion was missed.

It was not long until the next try for Samoa which came in the 47th minute through Fritz Lee, before Sama Malolo scored one of his own in the 52nd.  Leali'ifano missed the first of the two conversions.

The sides traded yellow cards with replacements Ereatara Enari (Samoa) and Alfonso Alvarez (Chile), which slowed down the scoring as fatigue set in.  Chile would have another player sin-binned for repeated infringements as Esteban Inostroza spent the final 10 minutes on the sideline.

It was a brave effort from Chile, but ultimately, the quality of Samoa shone through in their victory as Malolo crossed over for a try in the final minute, which Lima Sopoaga converted.

Teams

Samoa:  15 Duncan Paia'aua, 14 Danny Toala, 13 Ulupano Seuteni, 12 Tumua Manu, 11 Nigel Ah-Wong, 10 Christian Leali'ifano, 9 Jonathan Taumateine, 8 Steven Luatua, 7 Fritz Lee, 6 Taleni Seu, 5 Theo McFarland, 4 Chris Vui, 3 Michael Alaalatoa (c), 2 Seilala Lam, 1 James Lay
Replacements:  16 Sama Malolo, 17 Jordan Lay, 18 Paul Alo-Emile, 19 Sam Slade, 20 Sa Jordan Taufua, 21 Ereatara Enari, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Ed Fidow

Chile:  15 Inaki Ayarza, 14 Santiago Videla, 13 Domingo Saavedra, 12 Matias Garafulic, 11 José Ignacio Larenas, 10 Rodrigo Fernandez, 9 Marcelo Torrealba, 8 Raimundo Martínez, 7 Clemente Saavedra, 6 Martín Sigren (c), 5 Santiago Pedrero, 4 Pablo Huete, 3 Matias Dittus, 2 Tomas Dussaillant, 1 Javier Carrasco
Replacements:  16 Diego Escobar, 17 Salvador Lues, 18 Esteban Inostroza, 19 Javier Eissmann, 20 Alfonso Escobar, 21 Ignacio Silva, 22 Benjamin Videla, 23 Pablo Casas

Venue:  Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux

Referee:  Paul Williams (NZR)
Assistant Referees:  Angus Gardner, James Doleman (NZR)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (RA)

All Blacks bounce back in style with 11-try victory over Namibia

New Zealand bounced back from their opening Rugby World Cup defeat to France by dominating Namibia, winning 71-3 at Stadium de Toulouse on Friday.

It was one-way traffic in the Pool A clash as the All Blacks ran in 11 tries on the night, with Damian McKenzie adding a further 16 points off the tee.

Electric half-backs Cam Roigard and McKenzie starred with two tries apiece while Leicester Fainga'anuku, Anton Lienert-Brown, Ethan De Groot, Dalton Papali'i, David Havili, Caleb Clarke and Rieko Ioane also crossed as New Zealand showed their class.

However, replacement prop De Groot's evening was soured by a yellow card that was upgraded to red after he made head on head contact in a tackle.

There was no such negativity for scrum-half Roigard though, with the youngster shining on his first start as he won the Player of the Match award.

Namibia remain without a victory in 23 attempts at the World Cup going back to 1999 and never looked strong enough to pose problems for New Zealand.

The three-time winners drew first blood after only two minutes.  McKenzie kicked on for Fainga'anuku to collect and he offloaded for Roigard to take over and score under the posts, with McKenzie converting comfortably.

It took only another six minutes for the lead to extend to 12 points when Roigard received the ball from a scrum and went over for his second try.

Namibia's night took a further turn for the worse when centre Le Roux Malan suffered a bad knee injury, leaving the pitch on a stretcher and clutching an oxygen mask, moments after Tiaan Swanepoel had cut the deficit with a penalty.

Minutes later New Zealand pulled further ahead when McKenzie went over for a converted try, weaving through Namibia's line to make it 19-3.

The bonus point was secured for the All Blacks with 15 minutes of the first half still to play, Fainga'anuku powering over and showing excellent hands for his team's fourth try, before two tries in just over a minute made the score unassailable before the break.

First, Lienert-Brown took full advantage of the slippery conditions with two well controlled kicks along the ground to get in behind Namibia and drop on it as it crossed the try-line, then McKenzie added his second of the game when he collected from Roigard off a scrum and crossed the whitewash to make it 38-3 at the interval.

De Groot ensured New Zealand began the second half in the same ruthless vain with which they finished the first, the prop crashing over just 30 seconds after coming off the bench despite the attentions of two Namibia defenders.

Beauden Barrett made the next try for Papali'i, breaking out wide before slipping the ball across with a fine bullet pass for the flanker to go over under the posts, minutes before Havili took advantage of a superb run through the middle from Roigard to go over the line and make it 57-3.

👏 Filthy from Ofa Tu'ungafasi. #NZLvNAM #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/0AwfdmkSRU

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 15, 2023

Clarke scored New Zealand's 10th try when he got on the end of a cross-field kick from Richie Mo'unga to slide over the line.

De Groot was sent to the sin bin with eight minutes to play ― later upgraded to a red card for dangerous play ― but it did not halt New Zealand's charge, replacement Ioane scoring to make it 71-3 near the end.

The teams

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Caleb Clarke, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 David Havili, 11 Leicester Fainga'anuku, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Dalton Papali'i, 6 Luke Jacobson, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Samisoni Taukei'aho, 1 Ofa Tu'ungafasi
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Ethan de Groot, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Tupou Vaa'i, 21 Aaron Smith, 22 Richie Mo'unga, 23 Rieko Ioane

Namibia:  15 Cliven Loubser, 14 Gerswin Mouton, 13 Johan Deysel (c), 12 Le Roux Malan, 11 Divan Rossouw, 10 Tiaan Swanepoel, 9 Damian Stevens, 8 Richard Hardwick, 7 Prince Gaoseb, 6 Wian Conradie, 5 Tjiuee Uanivi, 4 Johan Retief, 3 Johan Coetzee, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Jason Benade
Replacements:  16 Louis van der Westhuizen, 17 Desiderius Sethie, 18 Haitembu Shifuka, 19 PJ Van Lill, 20 Adriaan Booysen, 21 Max Katjijeko, 22 Jacques Theron, 23 JC Greyling

Referee:  Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees:  Andrew Brace (Ireland), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

France labour to victory over impressive Uruguay as they go two from two

France were given a major scare in front of their home fans as Uruguay pushed them all the way to their 27-12 victory in the Rugby World Cup on Thursday.

The game in Lille was predicted to be a comfortable result for Les Bleus but it was anything but as Los Teros will view this as a match they could have won.

Indeed, Uruguay were in the contest throughout and possibly should have been playing against 14 men for over 50 minutes but for a Bunker Review deciding that Romain Taofifenua's dangerous tackle on Santiago Arata warranted no more than the yellow card.

That reprieve ultimately helped France avoid a potential banana skin against their South American opponents, with tries from Antoine Hastoy, Peato Mauvaka and Louis Bielle-Biarrey seeing them to victory.  Melvyn Jaminet would add 12 points off the tee.

Nicolas Freitas and Baltazar Amaya were Uruguay's try-scorers in an excellent performance as they caused the French plenty of problems on the night.

Anthony Jelonch returned from a lengthy ACL injury absence to captain the team as part of 12 changes to the starting XV which had opened the tournament with an impressive victory over three-time world champions New Zealand in Paris.

Les Bleus went in front from an early Jaminet penalty after Uruguay had collapsed the scrum.

The home fans, though, were then left in stunned silence when Jaminet failed to gather a deep cross-field kick out on the touchline.  Freitas picked up the loose ball to dart down the left and score in the corner.

France responded with a try in the 11th minute when Hastoy burst through off the scrum, which Jaminet converted and then further extended the lead with another penalty.

Taofifenua was sent to the sin bin after the French lock caught Arata high with his shoulder going into a tackle ― which remained at a yellow card after review by the TMO, Welshman Ben Whitehouse, when on another night it could have been deemed a red.

Uruguay, playing their first match in Pool A, had a try ruled out in the 35th minute when Felipe Etcheverry dived over, with Tomas Inciarte penalised for an obstruction in the build-up as France went into half-time 13-5 ahead.

France thought they had scored a try early in the second half when Gabin Villiere collected a loose ball to run in, but it had been inadvertently knocked-on off Jelonch's shoulder.

🇫🇷 FRANCE WIN BUT WHAT ABOUT URUGUAY?! #FRAvURU #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/tlJJG35DRg

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 14, 2023

Uruguay then reduced the deficit to 13-12 after Amaya powered over in the corner and Etcheverry made the conversion.

France, though, responded again when Mauvaka touched down under the posts after a fortunate ricochet from Etcheverry's clearance to settle the home fans' nerves once again.

Any hopes of a comeback from Los Teros were finally ended after Bielle-Biarrey went over in the corner before Sekou Macalou's breakaway 80-metre try was ruled out by the TMO for kicking through the ruck.

The teams

France:  15 Melvyn Jaminet, 14 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 13 Arthur Vincent, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Gabin Villière, 10 Antoine Hastoy, 9 Maxime Lucu, 8 Anthony Jelonch (c), 7 Sekou Macalou, 6 Paul Boudehent, 5 Romain Taofifenua, 4 Cameron Woki, 3 Dorian Aldegheri, 2 Pierre Bourgarit, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements:  16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Sipili Falatea, 19 Bastien Chalureau, 20 Thibaud Flament, 21 Francois Cros, 22 Baptiste Couilloud, 23 Thomas Ramos

Uruguay:  15 Baltazar Amaya, 14 Bautista Basso, 13 Tomas Inciarte, 12 Andres Vilaseca (c), 11 Nicolas Freitas, 10 Felipe Etcheverry, 9 Santiago Arata, 8 Manuel Diana, 7 Santiago Civetta, 6 Manuel Ardao, 5 Manuel Leindekar, 4 Felipe Aliaga, 3 Ignacio Peculo, 2 Guillermo Pujadas, 1 Mateo Sanguinetti
Replacements:  16 Facundo Gattas, 17 Matias Benitez, 18 Reinaldo Piussi, 19 Ignacio Dotti, 20 Lucas Bianchi, 21 Carlos Deus, 22 Agustin Ormaechea, 23 Felipe Berchesi

Referee:  Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Paul Williams (New Zealand), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Wales cling on to edge Rugby World Cup thriller against Fiji

Wales had to hang on with their fingernails as they edged Fiji in a thrilling Rugby World Cup Pool C match in Bordeaux, winning 32-26 on Sunday.

The Fijians came agonisingly close to recovering from 32-14 down with just seven minutes remaining, but a knock-on from Semi Radradra ended their fight.

Earlier, Wales had crossed the try-line through Josh Adams, George North, Louis Rees-Zammit and Elliot Dee, with Dan Biggar kicking 12 points off the tee.

For Fiji, their scorers were Waisea Nayacalevu, Lekima Tagitagivalu, Josua Tuisova and Mesake Losilosi Doge, but they will rue this loss as one that got away.

Warren Gatland masterminded two semi-final appearances during his previous reign as Wales’ head coach, and his players produced easily their best performance this year.

Biggar steered the ship impressively, while Wales’ defence often came up trumps at key moments, even somehow withholding Fiji late on after they were matched blow for blow.

Taulupe Faletau returned to Wales’ starting line-up after a calf muscle injury that sidelined him for the entire tournament warm-up schedule.

Fiji, meanwhile, showed one enforced change from the side that beat England at Twickenham last month, with fly-half Teti Tela replacing an injured Caleb Muntz.

Wales made an outstanding start, taking an 8-0 lead in as many minutes through a Biggar penalty and Adams try.

Biggar, playing in his final World Cup before retiring from Test rugby, kicked a long-range penalty before Wales carved open the Fiji defence.

North’s powerful midfield surge was taken on by scrum-half Gareth Davies before possession quickly went wide, and Adams – the top try-scorer at the 2019 World Cup in Japan – finished in style.

Fiji responded strongly, though, and Nayacalevu scored a 13th-minute try that Lomani converted.

It was a breathless contest in stamina-sapping heat, and Wales fell behind just four minutes later after Radradra broke clear, and his pass to Tagitagivalu gave him an easy run-in.

🇫🇯 Oh Fiji. #WALvFIJ #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/sAn1ReaHSS

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 10, 2023

Frank Lomani’s conversion took Fiji 14-8 ahead, ringing alarm bells for Wales, before Biggar cut the gap by landing a second penalty.

And Wales regained the lead after relentless pressure reaped its reward as Nick Tompkins sent North over between the posts, with Biggar’s conversion securing an 18-14 advantage midway through the second quarter.

Fiji thought they had gone back in front just before the break, but Saracens prop Eroni Mawi was denied a try following a lengthy review of his dive for the line.

Davies was then on the receiving end of a high tackle by Selestino Ravutaumada and departed for a head injury assessment to be replaced by Tomos Williams.  Wing Ravutaumada conceded a penalty but escaped further punishment from referee Matthew Carley as Wales held a four-point interval advantage.

Davies returned for the second period, and Biggar missed a 30-metre penalty chance before they conjured a third try in an unlikely fashion.

Sharp work by Tompkins unlocked Fiji’s defence, and skipper and flanker Jac Morgan provided the assist by kicking into space, and Rees-Zammit finished off, with Biggar’s conversion making it 25-14.

Fiji camped deep inside Wales’ 22 entering the final quarter, and it took sustained last-ditch defending to keep them out.

But the game looked to have drifted away from Fiji when Tagitagivalu was yellow-carded, and Wales scored before he had barely left the pitch.

The forwards drove a short-range lineout, and Dee claimed a touchdown that Biggar converted.

However, Wales then lost replacement prop Corey Domachowski to the sin-bin for a technical infringement, and Fiji had the final say through tries from Tuisova and Doge, but Gatland’s men held on.

The teams

Wales:  15 Liam Williams, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 George North, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Jac Morgan (c), 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements:  16 Elliot Dee, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Dafydd Jenkins, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Rio Dyer

Fiji:  15 Ilaisa Droasese, 14 Selestino Ravutaumada, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu (c), 12 Semi Radradra, 11 Vinaya Habosi, 10 Teti Tela, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Lekima Tagitagivalu, 6 Albert Tuisue, 5 Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta, 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Luke Tagi, 2 Samuel Matavesi, 1 Eroni Mawi
Replacements:  16 Tevita Ikanivere, 17 Peni Ravai, 18 Mesake Doge, 19 Temo Mayanavanua, 20 Levani Botia, 21 Simione Kuruvoli, 22 Josua Tuisova, 23 Sireli Maqala

Referee:  Matthew Carley (RFU)
Assistant Referees:  Wayne Barnes (RFU), Christophe Ridley (RFU)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (IRFU)