England survive Samoa scare to complete clean sweep in Pool D

A late converted Danny Care try spared England's blushes as they overcame Samoa 18-17 in a thrilling Rugby World Cup pool game in Lille on Saturday.

Samoa will rue not coming out on top in a match they should have won but Care's 73rd minute crossing, converted by Owen Farrell, decided the result.

Ollie Chessum picked up England's other try on a day that Farrell surpassed Jonny Wilkinson to become England's all-time leading Test points scorer.

Meanwhile, Samoa's two tries came from wing Nigel Ah Wong while Lima Sopoaga contributed seven points off the tee as the islanders impressed.

Samoa finally discovered their mojo in the climax to a disappointing group campaign and they fell metres short with one last do-or-die assault that if successful would have produced a first-ever victory in the fixture.

A lingering sense of injustice hung over an early decision ― made once the conversion had been taken ― to chalk off Duncan Paia'aua's try for a hard-to-detect knock-on that would have propelled the underdogs 19-8 ahead.

Until this night in Lille, England had not conceded a try for 160 minutes but they were breached twice by Samoa wing Ah Wong ― and it could have been more.

Their only consistent weapon was the driving line-out and Fiji will have watched the events at Stade Pierre-Mauroy with interest, seeing how rattled Steve Borthwick's side became when faced with an incisive, off-loading attack.

England's pack made an early impact but it was the sharp handling of Farrell and Joe Marchant that led to their first try in the 10th minute as Manu Tuilagi motored forwards before sending Chessum over in the left corner.

Tuilagi tore through the midfield once again as Samoa continued to be picked apart at will with George Ford and Farrell dovetailing well and their next drive ended with a penalty from their captain that saw Wilkinson's record finally broken.

Play became ragged and England suffered as a result, their sloppy handling allowing Samoa to attack and the Islanders showed skill to thread the ball to wing Ah Wong for a classy try.

Blue shirts poured through gaps in the favourites' porous defence and they were unpicked again when Lima Sopoaga hoisted a crossfield kick for Ah-Wong to produce an inch-perfect finish.

Nothing seemed to be going right for England as they infringed at a line-out but they enjoyed a stroke of luck when Paia'aua's score off Alex Mitchell's poor clearance kick was disallowed.

A sloppy Farrell pass intended for Tuilagi invited more pressure and after going through several phases in which the try-line was tested Samoa ended the spell with a Sopoaga penalty.

England were losing every moment and they chose to play their trump card by bringing on Marcus Smith at Ford's expense with Farrell moving to fly-half.

They appeared to have scored when their pack dragged Samoa into the trenches but Chessum's try was ruled out and then Marchant was denied because of a forward pass.

Farrell landed one penalty but the shot clock expired on a second attempt and England were thrown a lifeline when Tumua Manu was shown a yellow card for tackling Farrell in the air.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇼🇸 Relief for England as Danny Care crosses. #ENGvSAM #RWC2023pic.twitter.com/7NlbUXnlW3

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 7, 2023

Pinned back by scrum after scrum, Samoa eventually cracked when replacement scrum-half Care raced through a large gap and once Farrell converted England were back in front.

A last-gasp attack by Samoa almost swept them over but excellent scramble defence kept them out and the dream of an upset was extinguished.

The teams

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

Samoa:  15 Duncan Paia'aua, 14 Nigel Ah-Wong, 13 Tumua Manu, 12 Danny Toala, 11 Neria Fomai, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Jonathan Taumateine, 8 Steven Luatua, 7 Fritz Lee, 6 Theo McFarland, 5 Brian Alainu'u'ese, 4 Sam Slade, 3 Michael Alaalatoa (c), 2 Sama Malolo, 1 Jordan Lay
Replacements:  16 Seilala Lam, 17 James Lay, 18 Paul Alo-Emile, 19 Sootala Fa'aso'o, 20 Alamanda Motuga, 21 Melani Matavao, 22 Christian Leali'ifano, 23 Miracle Faiilagi

Referee:  Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Assistant Referees:  Nika Amashukeli (GRU), Chris Busby (IRFU)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (IRFU)

Louis Rees-Zammit hat-trick helps Wales to bonus-point win over Georgia

Wales wrapped up top spot in Pool C of the Rugby World Cup after they saw off Georgia 43-19 at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes on Saturday.

Louis Rees-Zammit crossed the try-line on three occasions while Tomas Francis, Liam Williams and George North also scored as they made it four wins out of four.

Wales now prepare for a quarter-final next Saturday but will be sweating over the fitness of fly-half Gareth Anscombe, who pulled out of this game in the warm-up.

Anscombe's late replacement Sam Costelow kicked five conversions and a penalty, although Georgia fought back to 24-19 adrift at one point through tries from Merab Sharikadze, Vano Karkadze and Davit Niniashvili, with Luka Matkava kicking two conversions.

A protracted mass brawl late in the game that spilled over the touchline and involved replacements from both sides saw Niniashvili and Wales substitute Taine Basham yellow-carded.

Wales were home and dry by this stage, although there was more injury concern when number eight Taulupe Faletau went off nursing what appeared to be a wrist problem.

Costelow mixed his running and kicking game well in the early stages, but Wales could get no change out of a well-organised Georgia defence.

There were plenty of errors in perfect playing conditions from both sides, but Wales broke the deadlock after 16 minutes.

A powerful lineout drive put Georgia on the back-foot, before Tomos Williams' short inside pass resulted in Francis going over for a try that Costelow converted.

Wales had settled into a rhythm, and they struck from another attacking lineout just seven minutes later.

Lock Will Rowlands secured quality possession and, when the ball was moved wide Liam Williams finished impressively.  Costelow's conversion made it 14-0.

A Costelow penalty then opened up a 17-point advantage, and Wales appeared to be well on their way to a fourth successive pool victory.

Georgia regrouped as the first-half drew to a close, and Sharikadze claimed a try that Matkava converted following a sustained spell of pressure.

It was a warning for Wales that they could not switch off as they took a 17-7 lead into the interval.

Georgia began the second period on the front foot, but a midfield fumble saw North find Rees-Zammit, and the Gloucester speedster cruised clear from 60 metres out to claim his third try of the tournament.

Costelow converted, and it was exactly what Wales required after Georgia had threatened a fightback before the break.

Warren Gatland changed the entire front row after 50 minutes, with Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee and Henry Thomas all joining the action.

And while Wales were comfortably ahead, Georgia kept searching for attacking opportunities in their final game of the competition after defeats against Australia and Fiji and a draw with Portugal.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Try as soon as it got to Louis Rees-Zammit. #WALvGEO #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/ck8du7Elnm

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 7, 2023

Their resilience was then rewarded with 20 minutes left when replacement hooker Karkadze went over and Matkava converted.

And Georgia immediately conjured a third try, this time from Niniashvili, making it 24-18 and giving Wales plenty to be concerned about.

Gatland's team were in danger of unravelling, but just when they needed it, Rees-Zammit applied a brilliant finish for his second try which Costelow converted, making it 31-19.

And when Rees-Zammit claimed his hat-trick crossing, Wales were home before North's try ― and Wales' sixth ― completed the scoring, with Japan or Argentina now awaiting as their quarter-final opponents.

The teams

Wales:  15 Liam Williams, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 George North, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements:  16 Elliot Dee, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Christ Tshiunza, 20 Taine Basham, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Dan Biggar, 23 Mason Grady

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

Referee:  Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees:  James Doleman (New Zealand), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO:  Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

Ruthless France hammer Italy to lock up top spot in Pool A

France wrapped up top spot in Pool A as they dominated Italy, winning 60-7 at OL Stadium in Lyon as they progress to the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

Tries from Damian Penaud (two), Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Thomas Ramos, Matthieu Jalibert, Peato Mauvaka and Yoram Moafana (two) helped Les Bleus to victory.

Ramos would further chip in with six conversions and one penalty while Melvyn Jaminet kicked a conversion and a late penalty as France eased to a maximum.

For Italy it was another sobering night as they only slightly improved on the 96-17 loss to New Zealand, with this defeat seeing them bow out of the World Cup.

Only a monumental defeat would have seen the hosts crash out, but that was never going to happen as Les Bleus ran in eight tries in Lyon.

Penaud (two), Bielle-Biarrey and Ramos all crossed the line in the first half, with Jalibert, Mauvaka and Moefana (two) adding second-half efforts as they ran riot with a record-breaking win over their opponents.

It sets up a quarter-final clash with either South Africa or Ireland and they will be dreaming of World Cup glory on their own soil.

Italy's interest ends with a mauling, with Manuel Zuliani's 70th-minute try finally getting them on the scoresheet, but they head home at the conclusion of their Pool A campaign.

The French domination started early as Penaud crossed in the corner in just the third minute before Bielle-Biarrey side-stepped a late tackle 10 minutes later.

Then Ramos and Jalibert gave the hosts a 31-0 lead at half-time.

The onslaught continued after the break as Mauvaka rolled over from a lineout, with Moefana getting his first after collecting Penaud's pass.

Zuliani finally got Italy on the board with 10 minutes remaining but Moefana powered through to complete the rout.

They can now sit back and wait to find out their last-eight opponents.

🇫🇷🇮🇹 Damian Penaud just cannot stop scoring. #FRAvITA #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/4OejVj0G27

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 6, 2023

The teams

France:  15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Lucu, 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon (c), 6 Anthony Jelonch, 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 Francois Cros, 21 Baptiste Couilloud, 22 Yoram Moefana, 23 Melvyn Jaminet

Italy:  15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Pierre Bruno, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Paolo Garbisi, 11 Montanna Ioane, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolo Cannone, 3 Pietro Ceccarelli, 2 Hame Faiva, 1 Simone Ferrari
Replacements:  16 Marco Manfredi, 17 Federico Zani, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 David Sisi, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Alessandro Fusco, 22 Luca Morisi, 23 Lorenzo Pani

Referee:  Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Damian McKenzie-inspired All Blacks reach the World Cup quarter-finals

New Zealand made sure of their place in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup after they thrashed Uruguay 73-0 at the OL Stadium.

Los Teros were impressive in the opening quarter and almost took the lead through Manuel Ardao but, after Damian McKenzie touched down, the All Blacks cut loose.

Ian Foster's men made far too many errors in the first 20 minutes, but they eventually found their rhythm and secured the all-important bonus-point by the break through Richie Mo'unga, Will Jordan and Cam Roigard, who added to McKenzie's earlier score.

The full-back then completed his brace while Fletcher Newell, Leicester Fainga'anuku (three), Jordan and Tamaiti Williams also crossed the whitewash in the second period to complete a dominant win.

It sealed New Zealand's passage into the last-eight of the World Cup, where they will be joined by either France or Italy, who go head-to-head on Friday for the other qualification spot in Pool A.

After putting nearly 100 points on Italy last week, the All Blacks had to wait 20 minutes to make the breakthrough here, McKenzie crossing for the first of their 11 tries.

They had wrapped up the bonus point before half-time thanks to further tries from Mo'unga, who slotted over five conversions, a stylish effort from Jordan and scrum-half Roigard.

Uruguay did not allow their heads to drop, but they were powerless to stop New Zealand crossing seven times in the second half, with Fainga'anuku scoring a hat-trick.

Newell and Williams were among the scorers, while McKenzie finished off a brilliant move, and Jordan also claimed a second try.

It was again a landmark evening for veteran lock Sam Whitelock, who, after becoming the most capped All Black last week, celebrated a 150th Test appearance and a record 23rd at the World Cup.

New Zealand will now prepare for their quarter-final clash, most likely against Ireland, in what will be a much stiffer test of their title credentials.

They may also be without tighthead duo Tyrel Lomax and Newell for that encounter after both props were forced off injured.

That leaves Nepo Laulala as their only recognised tighthead, although Williams can cover there if needs be.

The teams

New Zealand:  15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leicester Fainga'anuku, 10 Richie Mo'unga, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Luke Jacobson, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Tupou Vaa'i, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ofa Tu'ungafasi
Replacements:  16 Samisoni Taukei'aho, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ethan Blackadder, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Caleb Clarke

Uruguay:  15 Rodrigo Silva, 14 Gaston Mieres, 13 Tomas Inciarte, 12 Andres Vilaseca (c), 11 Nicolas Freitas, 10 Felipe Etcheverry, 9 Santiago Arata, 8 Manuel Diana, 7 Lucas Bianchi, 6 Manuel Ardao, 5 Manuel Leindekar, 4 Ignacio Dotti, 3 Diego Arbelo, 2 German Kessler, 1 Mateo Sanguinetti
Replacements:  16 Guillermo Pujadas, 17 Matias Benitez, 18 Ignacio Peculo, 19 Juan Manuel Rodríguez, 20 Santiago Civetta, 21 Agustin Ormaechea, 22 Felipe Berchesi, 23 Juan Manuel Alonso

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Springboks claim maximum against Tonga as they await knockout fate

South Africa did all they could in their final Rugby World Cup pool game after they saw off Tonga 49-18 in a bonus-point win at Stade de Marseille on Sunday.

The maximum haul puts the Springboks on 15 points at the end of their pool campaign, with rivals Ireland (14) and Scotland (10) set to face off next weekend to determine who finishes first, second and third in the toughest group of this year's tournament.

Cobus Reinach, Canan Moodie, Deon Fourie, Jesse Kriel, Willie Le Roux, Marco van Staden and Kwagga Smith claimed South Africa's tries on the night.

It was also a welcome return to international rugby for Handre Pollard, who was 100% off the tee before being replaced by Manie Libbok on 51 minutes.

Ben Tameifuna, Fine Inisi and Patrick Pellegrini were Tonga's try scorers in an impressive performance ahead of their Pool B finale against Romania.

Ireland could have been sure of a quarter-final place before their final pool match against Scotland had the Springboks failed to beat Tonga, who had lost both previous games.

Andy Farrell's men, though, can guarantee top spot if they avoid defeat by Scotland, whose own qualification hopes are slim.

Tonga got the first points on the board at the Stade Velodrome through an early penalty from William Havili.

But South Africa were soon in front when scrum-half Reinach tapped up a quick penalty before sprinting over in the corner.

The Springboks further extended their lead in the 20th minute when the ball bounced off Vincent Koch's shoulder and straight to Moodie, who darted under the posts.

Makazole Mapimpi went off for a head-injury assessment after being caught by Augustine Pulu as they ducked into a tackle.  English referee Luke Pearce and the TMO agreed it was not a yellow-card offense by the Tongan, who was down on his knees at point of contact.

South Africa, edged out 13-8 by Ireland at the Stade de France, scored again through Fourie on the half-hour mark following a driving maul from a lineout before Tonga had a try on the board when captain Tameifuna powered over to reduce the deficit to 21-8 at half-time.

The Springboks secured a bonus-point try early in the second half when replacement Kriel pushed over and the TMO then ruled against a yellow card to Eben Etzebeth for a collision with Tonga full-back Salesi Piutau.

A masterclass in Marseille

Congratulations to @Springboks' Deon Fourie on being named the @Mastercard #POTM #RWC2023 | #RSAvTGA | #Priceless pic.twitter.com/7ZgP6tAR8q

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 1, 2023

Tonga responded again as winger Inisi touched down in the corner, only for Le Roux to go over down the left and South Africa replacement Van Staden added another try following a well-worked swift counter.

Coventry fly-half Pellegrini produced a memorable moment as he chased down his own kick to score under the posts before Smith dived over for South Africa's seventh try in added time.

The teams

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Grant Williams, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Duane Vermeulen, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements:  16 Marco van Staden, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Jesse Kriel, 23 Manie Libbok

Tonga:  15 Salesi Piutau, 14 Fine Inisi, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Anzelo Tuitavuki, 10 William Havili, 9 Augustine Pulu, 8 Semisi Paea, 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 Sione Vailanu, 21 Sonatane Takulua, 22 Patrick Pellegrini, 23 Afusipa Taumoepeau

Referee:  Luke Pearce (RFU)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (RFU), Christophe Ridley (RFU)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (RA)

Wallabies keep slim hopes alive with hard-fought win over Portugal

Australia kept alive their slim hopes of progressing to the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals after claiming a 34-14 bonus-point victory over Portugal on Sunday.

The five-point haul in Saint-Etienne puts the Wallabies one point ahead of Fiji in Pool C, but crucially the islanders still have one fixture to play next week.

That clash will see Fiji face Os Lobos in Toulouse where Australia will be praying for a miracle that sees the former fail to pick up anything from the game.

Portugal, as they proved once again on Sunday, will be no pushover as they caused Australia plenty of problems at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in this match.

Tries from Richie Arnold, Dave Porecki, Angus Bell, Fraser McReight and Marika Koroibete secured the bonus-point win but it was far from straightforward.

Pedro Bettencourt and Rafael Simoes crossed for Os Lobos as they dominated large spells of the contest, garnering even more supporters at this tournament.

Ben Donaldson's penalty put the first points on the board for Australia four minutes in, but Portugal scored the first try of the game as Bettencourt crossed in the corner with Samuel Marques converting.

Bettencourt was then sin-binned, but Donaldson missed the subsequent penalty and the Wallabies then quickly responded with a try to retake the lead as Arnold crossed, with Donaldson able to convert.

With Portugal a man down, the tries came in quick succession for Australia from Porecki and Bell, with Donaldson adding the extras.

Nicolas Martins thought he had pulled a try back for Portugal just before the break but it was chalked off thanks to Andrew Kellaway's tackle and Australia led 24-7 at half-time.

👏 What a tackle, Andrew Kellaway! #AUSvPOR #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/Tq8NGcihyq

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 1, 2023

McReight crossed six minutes into the second half to secure the bonus point the Wallabies needed to stay alive in the tournament, before Portugal had another try disallowed after Mike Tadjer lost control of the ball.

There was danger for Australia as they were reduced to 13 when Matt Faessler and Samu Kerevi were sin-binned within two minutes of each other.

Portugal took advantage as Simoes scored a converted try with 10 minutes to go, but Koroibete added Australia's fifth try to finish the game off.

The teams

Australia:  15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Izaia Perese, 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 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 Rob Leota, 20 Josh Kemeny, 21 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 22 Samu Kerevi, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu

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 Thibault de Freitas, 7 Nicolas Martins, 6 David Wallis, 5 Martim Belo, 4 José Madeira, 3 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 2 Mike Tadjer, 1 David Costa
Replacements:  16 Francisco Fernandes, 17 Duarte Diniz, 18 Francisco Bruno, 19 Steevy Cerqueira, 20 Rafael Simoes, 21 Joao Belo, 22 Joris Moura, 23 Manuel Cardoso Pinto

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Joy Neville (Ireland)

Scotland hammer Romania to set up decisive World Cup clash with Ireland

Scotland emphatically did their job in Lille on Saturday as they thrashed Romania 84-0 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Darcy Graham was no doubt the standout player, lighting up the game with four tries and a number of other thrilling surges during the match.

Three of his scores came in the first period as Gregor Townsend's men went into the interval 42-0 in front.  Hamish Watson, Ali Price and Matt Fagerson also crossed the whitewash before the break as the Scots threatened to put a century of points on the Oaks.

And when Chris Harris, Ollie Smith and Ben Healy touched down, it very much looked on, but they got a bit loose in the final quarter to prevent them from reaching that milestone.

However, Scotland finished with a flourish thanks to tries from Johnny Matthews, Rory Darge and Graham to give them a confidence boost heading into their big match against Ireland, which will ultimately decide their World Cup fate.

The Scots were so confident of getting the result they required at Stade Pierre-Mauroy that they made 13 changes from the side that started against Tonga the previous Sunday, preserving most of their A-listers for the Ireland match in Paris which they must win with a bonus point or by denying their opponents one in order to reach the quarter-finals.

There was no danger of the decision to field so many fringe men backfiring from the moment Watson got the Scots off and running with the first try of the match in the eighth minute.

The experienced Edinburgh flanker ― who has lost the number seven jersey to the burgeoning Darge this year ― marked his return to the starting line-up by bounding over on the right after Cam Redpath offloaded into his path as he was thwarted on his own charge towards the line.

Price ― like Watson, another 2021 British and Irish Lions squad member who has become a peripheral player for the national team this year ― got the second in the 17th minute after being played in by Graham.

It was Graham's turn to get on the scoresheet just four minutes later when he touched down following a brilliant individual run, bringing him level with his Edinburgh team-mate Van der Merwe, one of those given the night off.

Romania ― already bang up against it ― completely imploded in the closing 10 minutes of the first half when they had three players sin-binned and conceded a further three tries.

Hooker Robert Irimescu was yellow-carded for a high tackle on Healy and just a couple of minutes later they were reduced to 13, when back-rower Florian Rosu was yellow-carded for collapsing a maul.

Scotland took full advantage as Graham scored his second of the evening to move ahead of Duhan van der Merwe and level with Chris Paterson in the country's try-scoring charts.

💨 Darcy Graham is RAPID!!#RWC2023 #SCOvROMpic.twitter.com/zM29Guvsqg

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 30, 2023

Fagerson bulldozed his way over for the fifth, but only after Ollie Smith had been the victim of a nasty high tackle in the build-up from Marius Simionescu, who became the third Romanian to be sin-binned before the break.

There was still time before the interval for Graham to complete his hat-trick as the Edinburgh wing moved ahead of Paterson and into fourth place on his own.  All six first-half tries were converted by Healy as the Scots went in 42-0 to the good at half-time.

The scores kept coming after the break, with Harris, Smith, Healy, Matthews ― shortly after coming on for his debut ― and Darge all touching down.

Graham then raced over for his fourth of the night as the Scots ran up their second-highest win at a World Cup, finishing just five points shy of the 89-0 victory they enjoyed against Ivory Coast in 1995.

The teams

Scotland:  15 Ollie Smith, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Cameron Redpath, 11 Kyle Steyn, 10 Ben Healy, 9 Ali Price, 8 Matt Fagerson, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Luke Crosbie, 5 Grant Gilchrist (c), 4 Sam Skinner, 3 Javan Sebastian, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Jamie Bhatti
Replacements:  16 Johnny Matthews, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 WP Nel, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Rory Darge, 21 George Horne, 22 Blair Kinghorn, 23 Huw Jones

Romania:  15 Marius Simionescu, 14 Sioeli Lama, 13 Jason Tomane, 12 Fonovai Tangimana, 11 Taliauli Sikuea, 10 Alin Conache, 9 Gabriel Rupanu, 8 Cristian Chirica (c), 7 Dragos Ser, 6 Florian Rosu, 5 Stefan Iancu, 4 Adrian Motoc, 3 Gheorghe Gajion, 2 Robert Irimescu, 1 Alexandru Savin
Replacements:  16 Florin Bardasu, 17 Iulian Hartig, 18 Costel Burtila, 19 Marius Iftimiciuc, 20 Damian Stratila, 21 Florin Surugiu, 22 Tudor Boldor, 23 Nicholas Onutu

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Angus Gardner (Australia), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO:  Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

Fiji move a step closer to the quarter-finals after tense victory over Georgia

Fiji will have to wait to secure their passage into the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals despite overcoming Georgia 17-12 in Bordeaux.

The Pacific Islanders needed a win with a try bonus-point over the Lelos to make sure of their place in the last-eight, but they could only touch down two times.

Quite frankly, they will be thankful for those scores as they found themselves 9-0 behind at the break following penalties from Luka Matkava and David Niniashvili.

Georgia were hugely impressive, forcing their opponents into a number of handling errors, but the Flying Fijians' greater quality eventually told.

Simon Raiwalui's men calmed themselves down in the second period, stopped dropping the ball so much and went over twice through Waisea Nayacalevu and Vinaya Habosi.

That, alongside seven points from the boot of Frank Lomani, was enough to claim the win and take them to within touching distance of the knockout stages.

Should Australia fail to pick up a bonus-point victory over Portugal, that will be enough for Fiji, but more than likely they will need to claim something from their final pool game against Os Lobos.

Georgia's opportunism and brilliant defence gave them a surprise nine-point lead at the break.

Matkava opened the scoring, with the boot of Niniashvili adding six points from long range.

It was the first time Fiji had gone into the interval scoreless in a Test in six years.

Fiji finally got on the scoreboard six minutes into the second half as skipper Nayacalevu produced a brilliant finish under pressure to sneak over in the corner.

Lomani added a difficult conversion and, strengthened by the return of Semi Radradra from the sin bin, Fiji piled on the pressure.

Lomani's penalty gave them the lead for the first time with 15 minutes remaining.

Three minutes later Levani Botia charged through a gap and found Habosi, who sprinted over unopposed.

Lomani landed the conversion but there was more drama in the final minute as Josua Tuisova was sent to the sin bin for making head contact on Miriani Modebadze.

Matkava kicked his second penalty and Fiji survived from the final play of the game when Niniashvili broke down the left and kicked ahead, only for Ilaisa Droasese, behind his line, to hack the ball to safety.

The teams

Fiji:  15 Ilaisa Droasese, 14 Selesitino Ravutaumada, 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 Samu Tawake, 19 Temo Mayanavanua, 20 Albert Tuisue, 21 Frank Lomani, 22 Vilimoni Botitu, 23 Vinaya Habosi

Georgia:  15 Miriani Modebadze, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Demur Tapladze, 12 Giorgi Kveseladze, 11 Davit Niniashvili, 10 Luka Matkava, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 8 Tornike Jalagonia, 7 Beka Saginadze, 6 Mikheil Gachechiladze, 5 Konstantine Mikautadze, 4 Lasha Jaiani, 3 Beka Gigashvili, 2 Tengizi Zamtaradze, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili (c)
Replacements:  16 Luka Nioradze, 17 Nika Abuladze, 18 Irakli Aptsiauri, 19 Nodar Cheishvili, 20 Luka Ivanishvili, 21 Gela Aprasidze, 22 Tedo Abzhandadze, 23 Tornike Kakhoidze

Referee:  Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO:  Tom Foley (England)

Los Pumas power past neighbours Chile in all-South American Test

Argentina claimed an impressive 59-5 bonus-point win over Chile in the first-ever all-South American Test at a Rugby World Cup on Saturday.

It was a day to remember for fly-half Nicolas Sanchez who became the second centurion for Argentina, following in the footsteps of Agustin Creevy.  Fittingly it was the veteran playmaker who opened the scoring with a ninth-minute try.

Los Pumas looked to compound the scoreboard through a 12th-minute penalty before the floodgates opened with Juan Martin Gonzalez crossing after a quarter of an hour with Sanchez making no mistake from the tee.  The pivot would be accurate again when converting a Creevy try scored seven minutes later.

Chile did their best to come back into the game but trailed 24-0 at half-time in this one.  Their fortunes remained the same when Martin Bogado scored for Argentina five minutes into the second period with the extras added.

The Chileans thought they had scored against their neighbours minutes later but it was ruled out for a forward pass.  Still, the side pushed for a try but their hopes were dashed when Rodrigo Isgro crossed for a converted try in the 64th minute.

Gonzalez was at the double minutes late with yet another try as Sanchez became the country's all-time leading Rugby World Cup points-scorer with another conversion.

Chile's try would finally come after the backline players joined a maul to eventually rumble over for a five-pointer through Tomas Dussaillant which went unconverted.  That would not be the final say as Argentine star Ignacio Ruiz scored a late try with Santiago Carreras kicking the conversion.

Carreras was involved again only minutes later as he scored right at the death.  The fly-half then stood up to nail the conversion from the touchline to cap off a historic match.

The teams

Argentina:  15 Martín Bogado, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente (c), 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Eduardo Bello, 2 Agustín Creevy, 1 Joel Sclavi
Replacements:  16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Francisco Gómez Kodela, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Joaquín Oviedo, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Santiago Carreras, 23 Juan Cruz Mallia

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 Javier Eissmann, 4 Santiago Pedrero, 3 Matias Dittus, 2 Augusto Bohme, 1 Javier Carrasco
Replacements:  16 Tomas Dussaillant, 17 Salvador Lues, 18 Esteban Inostroza, 19 Augusto Sarmiento, 20 Alfonso Escobar, 21 Ignacio Silva, 22 Nicolas Herreros, 23 Francisco Urroz

Referee:  Paul Williams (NZR)
Assistant Referees:  Angus Gardner (RA), James Doleman (NZR)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

All Blacks thrash Italy, scoring 96 points in statement World Cup victory

New Zealand sent a message to their 2023 Rugby World Cup rivals that they are not to be written off after they crushed a sorry Italy 96-17 in Lyon on Friday.

A grand total of 14 tries were chalked up by a rampant All Blacks outfit, who seem in ominous form since their opening night defeat to host nation France.

Aaron Smith led the way with a hat-trick of tries while Ardie Savea, Will Jordan and Dane Coles grabbed two each, with Mark Telea, Brodie Retallick, Dalton Papali'i, Damian McKenzie and Anton Lienert-Brown rounding out the scoring.

Richie Mo'unga kicked 18 points off the tee while replacement McKenzie chipped in with a further four conversions on a wonderful night for New Zealand.

The only bright moments of note for a disappointing Italy side came via second-half tries from Ange Capuozzo and Monty Ioane as they were well beaten.

Italy would have dumped New Zealand out of the competition with a win but that never looked remotely on the cards from the moment in the sixth minute when Jordie Barrett launched a perfect cross-field kick for Jordan, who performed a leaping touchdown in the corner.

Tommaso Allan got Italy on the board early with a penalty but the rest of the first half was a horror show as Smith crossed three times, Savea twice and Telea once, with the line-out proving particularly profitable.

Mo'unga converted all seven first-half tries and nine in total, missing only his 10th attempt before being substituted.

Trailing 49-3 at half-time, Italy came out strongly for the second half and scored their first try in the 48th minute, Capuozzo showing his speed in the corner.

But the All Blacks went straight down the other end and crossed again, Retallick applying the finish touch after Scott Barrett had charged down an attempted clearance.

Cam Roigard was denied a try after he was deemed to have made a double movement but moments later Papali'i notched the All Blacks' ninth score.

An all-action performance on an impressive evening for his team

Congratulations to @AllBlacks backrow Ardie Savea on being named @Mastercard #POTM#RWC2023 | #NZLvITA | #Priceless pic.twitter.com/WMuULR6TRA

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 29, 2023

They were approaching a century as Coles twice, McKenzie, Jordan and Lienert-Brown all scythed through the Italian defence.

The final word went to Italy through Ioane's try but this was emphatically the All Blacks' night.

The teams

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Telea, 10 Richie Mo'unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Dalton Papali'i, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ofa Tu'ungafasi
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Samuel Whitelock, 20 Sam Cane, 21 Cam Roigard, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

Italy:  15 Tommaso Allan, 14 Ange Capuozzo, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Dino Lamb, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements:  16 Hame Faiva, 17 Ivan Nemer, 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Niccolo Cannone, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Toa Halafihi, 22 Martin Page-Relo, 23 Paolo Odogwu

Referee:  Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant Referees:  Nic Berry (Australia), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (Australia)

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)