South Africa level series in bruising encounter

The British and Irish Lions will collide with South Africa in a series decider next Saturday after the Springboks emerged emphatic 27-9 winners from an ugly second Test at Cape Town Stadium.

A grisly spectacle disfigured by repeated stoppages saw the Lions build a deserved 9-6 interval lead through three Dan Biggar penalties, but having been largely bossed until that point the world champions began to snarl in the second half.

Makazole Mapimpi crossed to propel them back in front and then Lukhanyo Am touched down as they capitalised on excellent kicks from Handre Pollard and Faf de Klerk.

A feature of the match was the world champions’ growing control of the air as the Lions struggled to deal with the barrage of kicks raining down on them, while up-front the home pack muscled up in a dominant 40 minutes.

Unlike in the first Test that was lost 22-17, the ‘Bomb Squad’ had the desired impact from the bench, and the size of the win as the Springboks powered over the finishing line with their forwards rampant suggests they were undercooked for the series opener seven days earlier.

A major outbreak of coronavirus severely disrupted their build-up but by full-time of this rematch they had rediscovered their swagger as the Lions fell away at an alarming rate.

South Africa were lucky to see Cheslin Kolbe avoid a red card after he took Conor Murray out in the air, while a high tackle by De Klerk, also on Murray, was given only brief attention by the officials.

Otherwise it was a fine performance by referee Ben O’Keeffe, who was subject to unprecedented scrutiny after Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus released an extraordinary hour-long critique of the officiating in the first Test.

O’Keeffe was calm and composed throughout a fractious match that was constantly interrupted by reviews on a huge number of incidents, with the first half alone lasting over an hour.

In a sign of the conflict to come, tempers flared as early as the third minute with Alun Wyn Jones and Eben Etzebeth locking horns after a South African maul was halted just short of the line.

O’Keeffe seized the opportunity to assert his authority to the captains and a cagey opening was under way with Pollard and Biggar exchanging penalties as the packs tore into each other.

Kolbe came off worse in a head-on head collision with Tom Curry that he instigated, fortunately escaping any sanction, as the Lions continued to edge a ferocious opening quarter.

Biggar was on target with a second penalty and the bad news began to pile up for the Springboks as Pollard missed the posts and 2019 world player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit departed with a shoulder injury sustained during an earlier tackle by Duhan van der Merwe.

It was a contentious challenge that ended Du Toit’s match but Van der Merwe did not escape O’Keeffe’s attention for a trip on Kolbe that was punished with a yellow card.

The advantage was rapidly wiped out, however, when Kolbe took Murray out in the air and was also sent to the sin-bin where he could reflect on his luck that the card was not red.

Courtney Lawes and Maro Itoje pinched home ball on successive line-outs as the absence of Du Toit began to bite at the set-piece.

The Lions were now on top as they camped on South Africa’s line, applying pressure with the line-out and then scrum before Robbie Henshaw was unable to ground the ball over the line because of Siya Kolisi’s intervention after grabbing Murray’s kick.

Biggar’s boot gave the tourists the lead for the first time but the second half had barely begun when Pollard hoisted a kick to the wing for Mapimpi to collect and score.

Momentum was growing behind South Africa and a powerful maul swept them forwards before De Klerk grubbered for Am to score, although he did not appear to have full control of the ball.

It was foot on the throat time as Pollard rifled over two penalties and the Lions looked a spent force, unable to match the Springboks’ physicality.

British & Irish Lions edge South Africa in series opener

The British & Irish Lions came from behind in a dominant second half to seize an early lead in their series against South Africa with a tense 22-17 win at Cape Town Stadium.

Trailing 12-3 at the interval after being picked apart by the boot of Handre Pollard, the Lions came alive as a Luke Cowan-Dickie try ignited a fightback that was completed by the boots of Dan Biggar and Owen Farrell.

South Africa were playing only their second international since lifting the 2019 World Cup but there was little sign of rustiness as their simple gameplan based around territory and forcing penalties initially unfolded as planned.

A fractured build-up that forced the entire Springboks squad to self-isolate for six days as well as key players such as Siya Kolisi and Pollard testing positive for coronavirus had no apparent impact as they played to their strengths beautifully.

It was often an ugly spectacle and at times the Lions looked slightly lost, failing to gain a meaningful foothold up-front and with half-backs Ali Price and Biggar unable to provide direction.

But a dramatic swing took place early in the second half as South Africa’s discipline collapsed as a resurgent Lions began stamping their authority in every area while Biggar kicked the points.

The feared Springboks pack went from bullies to bullied and although the world champions hustled a try through Faf de Klerk, they looked vulnerable across the pitch.

The Lions bench came on to close out an arm wrestle of a series opener with Farrell, who had replaced Biggar, slotting a 79th-minute penalty.

A predictably ferocious opening saw swarming breakdown work by both teams interrupted by persistent kicking and a savage tackle by Lukhanyo Am on Elliot Daly.

Already the Lions were looking to play more rugby as typified by Anthony Watson attempting to run the ball out from his own 22, while South Africa were content to kick, mostly through De Klerk.

Pollard drew first blood with a penalty and when Tom Curry made a late tackle on De Klerk, he added another three points as an opening quarter controlled by the Springboks came to an end.

Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s director of rugby, made his first appearance as a waterboy and soon after Biggar landed a penalty with the Lions benefiting from Maro Itoje’s predatory work at the breakdown.

But the tourists’ indiscipline was becoming a recurring problem as Pollard booted another six points to extend the lead to 12-3 while Biggar failed with a routine shot at goal.

A tense first-half neared its conclusion with Daly just falling short with a long-range penalty attempt and the Lions’ hearts were in their mouths when Robbie Henshaw stepped through a gap in defence and raced upfield until Willie le Roux arrived to tackle the Ireland centre.

South Africa changed their entire front-row at half-time but when play restarted they came under immediate pressure as Alun Wyn Jones opted for the corner rather than taking the points.

The ambition paid off as the Lions constructed an unstoppable line-out maul that swept them over the whitewash with Cowan-Dickie touching down.

Le Roux had a try disallowed for a marginal offside call when Am kicked ahead but TMO Marius Jonker had no issue with De Klerk’s 50th-minute try.

Makazole Mapimpi and Pieter-Steph du Toit were heavily involved as the Lions failed to capitalise on a wild pass by Pollard and De Klerk arrived to poach the try from close range.

But successive penalties by Biggar that punished the Springboks for repeatedly straying offside kept the Lions in the hunt.

The momentum had now swung totally towards the tourists and for the first time they were ahead courtesy of Biggar’s boot, setting up nail-biting climax.

Nerves frayed once more when only a Cheslin Kolbe knock-on saw a Damian De Allende try chalked off and it was Farrell who had the final say.

Dominant Argentina earn impressive win over Wales

Wales suffered a Test series defeat at the hands of Argentina as they were beaten 33-11 by a strong Pumas side in Cardiff.

Wayne Pivac’s men ― who were without their British and Irish Lions stars ― drew with Argentina in the first game of the two-match series, but they were lucky to only be 17-8 down at half time in the second.

They were second best in the forward exchanges, made too many basic errors and came nowhere near Argentina’s tempo.

Owen Lane did open the scoring, but Argentina capitalised on Welsh mistakes to score through Matias Moroni and Tomas Cubelli.

The kicking of Nicolas Sanchez guided Argentina home and to a fully deserved win in the second half, while Pablo Matera grabbed a third Pumas try in the 79th minute.

Sanchez missed a simple early penalty attempt on a gloriously sunny Cardiff afternoon.

Wales soon made the Pumas pay.  Leon Brown’s lovely tip on pass allowed Jarrod Evans to set Jonathan Davies free and he passed to Lane who finished well in the corner.  Evans’ touchline kick hit the post.

Argentina seemed angered by the score and, after a series of powerful forward carries, Moroni crashed over.  Sanchez, unlike Evans, was successful from wide out.

Wales’ attack initially looked promising ― Tom Rogers dropped a simple pass to stem one move ― but there were too many Welsh penalties and Argentina’s forward power was dangerous.

Their scrum-half Cubelli sniped for the line but spilled the ball.

Wales’ defence was too passive and it allowed Argentina’s forwards a foothold.

Sanchez kicked a simple three points a few minutes after prop Brown popped up at a scrum and was penalised.

Argentina grabbed their second with Cubelli making it second time lucky.

It came after Moroni kicked ahead down the left wing and caught Evans in possession.  Referee Luke Pearce initially penalised him for a knock on, but the ball came off the Argentine’s head.

The Pumas were given the scrum put-in as a result and Cubelli went over from there.

Sanchez converted and, while Evans responded with a penalty, Wales were up against it.  They did have a good attacking position before half-time, but Elliot Dee’s line-out throw went wrong.

Sanchez missed with a long-range drop-goal attempt but his team deservedly led at the break.

Evans had to get back and stop Sanchez from scoring at the start of the second half and Wales captain Davies kicked out on the full.  Rogers then passed to the floor with Lane in space.

Pivac had seen enough and replaced Brown, Dee and Ben Carter.  Matthew Screech came on for his Wales debut.  Evans then kicked a penalty and Willis Halaholo replaced the struggling Rogers.

Sanchez responded with three points of his own to make it 20-11.

But Hallam Amos was then yellow carded for taking out Santiago Carreras in the air as he looked to reclaim his own kick and Sanchez kicked Argentina further clear.

Wales could not come back with a man light as their handling errors continued in the final quarter.  Sanchez kicked another penalty after he had hit the post with a monster earlier effort before Matera added insult to injury for those of a Welsh persuasion.

14-man Australia edge France to win thrilling series

Australia had Marika Koroibete sent off early on but still managed to claim a 33-30 victory over France in Brisbane and win a stunning series 2-1.

Koroibete was red carded for connecting with the head of Anthony Jelonch and it initially had a significant impact on the hosts as Les Bleus moved 10-0 in front thanks to Baptiste Couilloud’s try.

However, the Wallabies responded as half-backs Tate McDermott and Noah Lolesio touched down before Cameron Woki went over for the away team.

The second period was similarly thrilling with Pierre-Louis Barassi and Taniela Tupou trading tries before Lolesio and Melvyn Jaminet added a three-pointer each to keep the match finely poised going into the final 10 minutes.

Australia finished stronger, though, and Lolesio’s 78th minute penalty proved to be enough to spark jubilation among the Wallabies players and fans.

Fabien Galthie’s men have started all three matches impressively and they began this encounter on the front foot.  They carried well, with hooker Gaetan Barlot to the fore, and their pressure earned a penalty which Jaminet converted for a 3-0 lead.

The visitors were then boosted further when Koroibete was sent off after connecting with the head of French captain Jelonch.

There did appear to be a dip from Jelonch, which could have mitigated it down to a yellow, but the New Zealand officials deemed that it was worthy of a red card.

The home crowd were angry, particularly at the apparent theatrics of the back-rower, and they were further incensed when the visitors extended their advantage via Couilloud’s close range effort.

To the Wallabies’ credit, they composed themselves and hit back superbly as the inspirational Michael Hooper took an outstanding line.  The flanker stepped Antoine Hastoy and then produced an excellent off-load for McDermott to go over unopposed.

Although Jaminet kicked another penalty to take Les Bleus six points ahead, a French mistake inside their own half led to Lolesio intercepting and moving Dave Rennie’s charges ahead.

The fly-half converted and then added another three-pointer for a 17-13 advantage before rangy France back-row Woki reached out to regain his side’s lead.

In a thrilling half of rugby, there would be one more score as Lolesio levelled matters with another successful effort off the tee.

That excitement would continue into the second period as France scored one of the great tries.  It was started by Couilloud, who found Teddy Thomas in space.  The wing then chipped forward and combined with his scrum-half to provide Hastoy with the opportunity to send Barassi across the whitewash.

It could have been the try to finally break the Australian resistance but, once again, they hit back and were rewarded through Tupou’s effort.

The sides could not be separated going into the final quarter but the Wallabies increased the pressure and thought they had scored through Brandon Paenga-Amosa.  However, it was ruled out due to a knock on from Hunter Paisami in the build up.

Rennie’s men would get another opportunity, though, when an ill-disciplined France conceded a penalty, which was converted by Lolesio.

Les Bleus immediately responded through Jaminet but a mistake under the high ball gave Australia a scrum and Lolesio stepped up to win the game for Australia after forcing their opponents to infringe at the set-piece.

Sevu Reece hat-trick powers All Blacks past Fiji

Sevu Reece scored a hat-trick of tries as the All Blacks claimed a deserved 60-13 victory against Fiji in Hamilton on Saturday.

Samisoni Taukei’aho (2), Ardie Savea, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, and Shannon Frizell also went over for tries for New Zealand while Richie Mo’unga kicked five conversions and a penalty, and Beauden Barrett also slotted a conversion.

For Fiji, Peni Ravai crossed the whitewash and Ben Volavola succeeded with a conversion and three penalties.

Fiji made a fantastic start and had the All Blacks defence at sixes and sevens after a superb line break from Eneriko Buliruarua.  New Zealand strayed offside as their opponents hammered away at their try-line and Volavola opened the scoring off the kicking tee in the fifth minute.

The visitors held the upper hand during the next 10 minutes but couldn’t increase their lead and that proved costly as the All Blacks struck back with Reece’s first try in the 15th minute.  This, after David Havili ran onto a pass from Ardie Savea on Fiji’s 22 and the inside centre beat a couple of defenders before offloading to Reece, who scored under the posts.

That did not deter Fiji, who continued with their attacking style of play but despite another foray into the All Blacks’ half, they could not breach the hosts’ defence and had to settle for another penalty from Volavola midway through the half.

New Zealand continued to soak up the pressure and also had some good attacking moments.  But when they did launch attacks into Fiji’s half they were met by a solid defensive effort from their opponents.  Fiji committed several breakdown infringements, however, and on the half-hour mark Mo’unga slotted a penalty which gave his side a 10-6 lead.

Shortly afterwards, New Zealand launched an attack from a scrum inside Fiji’s 22 and Reece soon found himself in space out wide before going over in the left-hand corner for his second try.

New Zealand’s forwards then put their team on the front foot with strong carries deep inside Fiji’s 22 with Savea and Luke Jacobson stopped just short of the try-line.  The ball eventually came out to the backs and Mo’unga found Reece with a long pass and the wing cantered in for his hat-trick.

Fiji’s captain, Leone Nakarawa, was also yellow carded after referee Damon Murphy had warned the team for continuous infringements shortly before Reece’s third five-pointer.

Just before half-time, Savea powered through the Fijian defence to score his try which meant the hosts had their tails up with the score 29-6 in their favour at the interval.

A great series against our @fijirugby brothers.#NZLvFIJ #SteinlagerSeries pic.twitter.com/hWlD84Ul7w

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) July 17, 2021

New Zealand continued to dominate in the second half and shortly after the restart Jordan dotted down after running onto a Mo’unga pass deep inside Fiji’s half.

Fiji’s response was immediate and they did well to launch a lineout drive on the All Blacks’ five-metre line before Ravai broke away from the maul to cross for a deserved five-pointer.

Volavola added the extras but that was the last time the visitors would score points as the All Blacks took control of proceedings during the rest of the match.

In the 51st minute, replacement back Ioane had an easy run-in after good work from Mo’unga in the build-up and on the hour-mark Taukei’aho scored off the back of a lineout drive deep inside Fijian territory.

It was one way traffic during the game’s final quarter and the All Blacks were rewarded with further tries from Frizell and Taukei’aho which sealed a convincing victory.

France edge out Wallabies to level series

France drew level in their three-Test series with Australia when they beat the Wallabies 28-26 at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Wednesday.

For the second successive week, the result was in the balance until the end but France were deserved winners and their victory is a momentous one as it is the first time since 1990 that they have beaten the Wallabies on Australian soil.

Melvyn Jaminet was Les Bleus’ hero as he finished with a 23-point haul courtesy of seven penalties and a conversion, with their other points coming via a five-pointer from Damian Penaud.

For Australia, Jake Gordon and Michael Hooper scored tries while Noah Lolesio added two conversions and four penalties.

France gained an early lead courtesy of a Jaminet penalty from the halfway line in the second minute but the Wallabies struck back when Marika Koroibete crossed the whitewash shortly afterwards after a mazy run in the build-up.

His effort was disallowed, however, after television replays revealed a handling error from Tom Wright in the build-up.

Another three-pointer off the kicking tee from Jaminet gave the visitors a 6-0 lead but Lolesio reduced the deficit to three points when he opened Australia’s account with a penalty of his own in the 18th minute.

Soon after, Les Bleus launched an attack from just inside their half with Penaud finding himself in space down the right-hand touchline but he did well to throw an inside pass to Cameron Woki.  The flanker returned the favour and Penaud cantered in for the opening try which Jaminet converted.

The next 15 minutes was an arm wrestle as the sides battled to gain the ascendancy and Lolesio and Jaminet traded further penalties which meant France held a 16-6 lead by the 35th minute.

Just before half-time, the Wallabies were hammering away at Les Bleus’ try-line and after Matt Philip was stopped just short of the whitewash, Taniela Tupou got a delightful skip pass out to Gordon, who went over in the left-hand corner.  Lolesio did well to land the conversion from close to the touchline which meant France held a slender 16-13 lead at the interval.

The Wallabies made the brighter start to the second half and in the 46th minute Lolesio drew his side level when he slotted his second penalty.  However, it was all France for the next 15 minutes as the Wallabies lost some of their defensive shape, especially at the breakdowns where they were penalised on several occasions.

France level the series 1-1 🇫🇷 It all comes down to the decider this Saturday.

Stan Sport, the Home of International Rugby.  Ad-free, Live & On Demand.#AUSvFRA pic.twitter.com/bowcXCkCyM

— StanSportAU (@StanSportAU) July 13, 2021

And when it was within goal-kicking range Jaminet made them pay.  The young full-back showed his class as he slotted three consecutive penalties which gave France a 25-16 lead by the 63rd minute.

The Wallabies needed a response and that came in the 71st minute when Tom Banks tore France’s defence to shreds with a superb line break.  He got a pass out to Andrew Kellaway, who was brought to ground deep inside Les Bleus’ 22 but he did well to offload to Hooper, who scored in the corner.

Once again, Lolesio succeeded with a difficult conversion and the match was evenly poised with France holding a slender two-point lead.

The game’s closing stages were tense and the Wallabies thought they had clinched the result when Lolesio added his fourth penalty in the 75th minute, after Demba Bamba strayed offside on defence.

There was still another twist in the tale, however, and Bamba made up for his earlier indiscretion when he put great pressure on the Wallabies scrum in the 78th minute.

Referee James Doleman penalised the home side at the set-piece and up stepped Jaminet, who held his nerve to slot the resulting place-kick which also secured the win for his team.

Ronan Kelleher scores four as Ireland hammer USA

Ronan Kelleher claimed a record-equalling four tries and debutant Robert Baloucoune conjured a stunning solo score as an experimental Ireland team romped to a 71-10 win over the United States.

Leinster hooker Kelleher became the first Irishman since Denis Hickie in August 2003 to ground four times in one match, with Brian Robinson and Keith Wood the only other men to achieve the feat in the green jersey.

Ulster wing Baloucoune, one of eight Test newcomers to feature for Andy Farrell’s men on Saturday evening, set the hosts on course to a comfortable 10-try Dublin success after bursting clear with a mesmerising run from halfway.

Provincial team-mate and fellow debutant Nick Timoney was also on the scoresheet at the Aviva Stadium, along with Stuart McCloskey, Hugo Keenan, Gavin Coombes and Finlay Bealham, while Joey Carbery, Harry Byrne and Will Addison kicked 13, six and two points respectively.

The overawed USA faded fast from a promising start and a first-half penalty from Ireland-born number 10 Luke Carty and a late converted Michael Baska try were scant consolation.

A gruelling experience for Gary Gold’s visitors was compounded by a 54th-minute red card for flanker Riekert Hattingh for ploughing his shoulder into Kelleher’s chin.

With a seven-man contingent on British and Irish Lions duty and captain Johnny Sexton among those rested for the summer series, head coach Farrell had been eager to grow competition looking forward to next season.

He made eight personnel changes to the team which began last weekend’s entertaining 39-31 victory over Japan.

Tom O’Toole and James Hume joined fellow Ulstermen Baloucoune and Timoney in making international bows, while Craig Casey, Ryan Baird and Coombes were afforded first Test starts before Paul Boyle, Caolin Blade, Fineen Wycherley and Byrne made debuts from the bench.

A crowd of 6,000 ― Ireland’s highest attendance since the outbreak of coronavirus ― were treated to some free-flowing rugby which bordered on exhibition stuff in an increasingly one-sided encounter.

Ireland initially struggled to get out of their own 22 in the opening stages but led 3-0 following their first foray forward courtesy of a Carbery penalty.

In contrast, the USA repeatedly turned down opportunities to kick for the posts in favour of testing the hosts’ defence from a series of line-outs, albeit without capitalising on their early dominance.

That profligacy was swiftly pushed as Baloucoune stylishly announced himself on the international stage.

The pacey former sevens player collected a simple pass from Carbery just inside his own half, stretched his legs to weave away from a host of opposition players and then gleefully dived over in the right corner.

Carbery added the extras before the visitors changed tack as Carty ― an ex-Connacht academy player ― opted to take the points from his next penalty opportunity to briefly reduce the arrears to 10-3.

Following their stuttering start, Ireland were beginning to build some momentum and duly put daylight between the sides on the scoreboard thanks to two almost-identical tries.

Kelleher powered over from a maul, before Timoney produced a carbon copy just three minutes later, with Carbery maintaining his 100 per cent record with the boot.

The USA ― beaten 43-29 by England at Twickenham last weekend ― were fast looking like a tired tier two side out of their depth and Ireland led 31-3 after just half an hour.

Andrew Conway broke the line with a clever kick and chase to release Keenan, who duly teed up the onrushing Kelleher to claim his second score of the evening and leave Carbery with a straightforward conversion.

Conway was withdrawn from a head injury assessment at the break to be replaced by Addison, who returned for his first Ireland appearance in almost two years following an injury-ravaged period of his career.

Ireland almost increased their stranglehold on the match within 30 seconds of the restart.

Caelan Doris charged down an attempted clearance from Ruben De Haas to burst clear but the American scrum-half recovered with a superb try-saving intervention.

There was little time to enjoy the reprieve as star man Kelleher again capitalised on another rolling maul to complete his hat-trick.

The Ireland number two was making just his fourth Ireland start and, after briefly being floored by the challenge which caused Hattingh’s premature departure, swiftly recovered to ground his fourth score of a fruitful outing before being denied the chance to inflict further damage as he and Carbery were immediately removed for well-earned rests.

Centre McCloskey added to the USA’s misery by touching down and then producing a perfectly-weighted kick for Keenan to zoom clear and score minutes later.

Farrell’s men were not done there.

Having been denied what looked to be legitimate grounding by French referee, Mathieu Raynal, Coombes continued the dismantling with his maiden international try before Bealham burrowed over to complete the scoring.

USA made the scoreline slightly more respectful in between those tries thanks to a score from replacement Baska, which was converted by Will Magie, but they were comprehensively outclassed on an occasion to forget.

Two hat-tricks for England as they thump Canada

Marcus Smith piloted England’s 70-14 rout of Canada ― unaware he had been called up to the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.

Smith’s madcap month took another remarkable twist, with the Harlequins fly-half receiving a Lions call-up midway through England’s 10-try romp at Twickenham.

Jamie Blamire and Adam Radwan bagged hat-tricks, with Joe Cokanasiga claiming a brace and Ellis Genge also crossing in addition to a penalty try.

But Smith’s Lions elevation was the talk of the 10,000 fans in Twickenham ― who all knew about his call-up before the man himself.

The 22-year-old steered Harlequins to an unlikely Premiership final victory on June 26, quickly following that triumph with his first two England caps.

But while the fleet-footed playmaker was en route to a 100 per cent return of nine shots at goal, he was also called up to the Lions squad as injury cover for Scotland fly-half Finn Russell.

The Lions confirmed Smith’s call-up at the start of England’s second half.

And as word filtered around Twickenham, supporters were trying their best to break the news to the uninformed fly-half.

Smith was replaced by George Furbank with 15 minutes to play, and appeared to discover his Lions fate on leaving the field.

While Smith was all set to race to the airport to jump on a flight to South Africa, his other England team-mates were left to toast a well-constructed win.

Ross Braude and Kainoa Lloyd claimed tries for a Canada side that were outclassed, with England effectively in control throughout.

Sam Underhill’s immediate turnover from kick-off set the tone for England’s near total dominance.

Blamire capped a driven penalty lineout, Smith converted ― and so started the procession of try scorers.

Braude hit back straight away with a neat finish from a tapped penalty, but a penalty try had England back in control.

Lock Conor Keys was sin-binned for collapsing a maul to gift England that penalty score.

Radwan capped a neat arcing break with a good finish for his try, before Cokanasiga bullied the Canada defence for his two scores in three minutes.

Captain Lewis Ludlow’s cheap yellow card opened the door to a second Canada score, with wing Lloyd finish well in the right corner and Peter Nelson converting.

Blamire crossed again to ensure England had the last word in the half however, for Jones’ men to lead 42-14 at the break.

Vice-captain Genge opened the scoring after the interval, for England’s seventh try.

Radwan raced in for his second score of the game quickly afterwards, taking a fine scoring pass from Alex Dombrandt.

Smith extended his 100 per cent record still further with yet another conversion, to put the hosts 56-14 to the good.

Blamire completed his hat-trick with final act of the afternoon before being substituted.

And just moments later, Radwan sealed his own treble.

Wales rescue draw against 14-man Argentina

Wales had to settle for a draw against 14-man Argentina after a tense Principality Stadium encounter finished 20-20.

Pumas full-back Juan Cruz Mallia was sent off for a dangerous high challenge on Wales scrum-half Kieran Hardy after 29 minutes.

But Argentina led until 10 minutes from time before they were undone by substitute scrum-half Tomos Williams’ try that his fellow replacement Jarrod Evans converted, although Evans missed a long-range penalty to win it during the closing seconds.

Evans also added the extras to lock Will Rowlands’ touchdown, while Callum Sheedy kicked two penalties, with flanker Pablo Matera and centre Jeronimo de la Fuente touching down for Argentina, and Nicolas Sanchez booted two penalties and two conversions.

Given that Wales were minus 10 players on British and Irish Lions duty in South Africa, it was a battling display against a team that beat New Zealand and drew twice with Australia last year.

But there will also be a sense of frustration that they could not capitalise on Argentina’s indiscipline ahead of the teams meeting again in Cardiff next Saturday.

Cardiff wing Owen Lane made his first Wales appearance since the 2019 World Cup, replacing Tom Rogers among three changes following a 68-12 victory over Canada last weekend.

Elsewhere, Hallam Amos took over from an injured full-back Leigh Halfpenny and Hardy was handed a start instead of Williams.

The game had been due to take place in South America, but the coronavirus pandemic meant it was switched to Wales, with Argentina as the home side.

Argentina exerted early pressure, but Wales stirred through a powerful midfield break from number eight Aaron Wainwright, before Sheedy drifted a long-range penalty attempt narrowly wide.

Sheedy’s opposite number Sanchez then opened the scoring with a penalty, yet Wales continued to offer some bright attacking moments, with Amos lively and Lane hungry for work.

Sheedy found the target from close range with an 18th-minute strike to level things up, before Wales suffered a blow when Wainwright’s afternoon ended early in the second quarter.

The Dragons forward departed injured, being replaced by Josh Turnbull, but Wales continued to show plenty of attacking verve ahead of Sheedy kicking a second successful penalty.

The Pumas had plenty of possession and looked to patiently go through phase-play, only for them to be hit by an injury setback as wing Santiago Carreras was forced off.

Referee Matthew Carley then lost his patience following the latest in a series of collapsed scrums, sin-binning Wales prop Dillon Lewis and the tighthead’s opposite number Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro.

Matters then deteriorated for Argentina, who were briefly reduced to 13 men when Cruz Mallia was dismissed for his challenge on Hardy, handing Wales a significant advantage.

Cerdyn coch i'r Ariannin 🟥

Y cefnwr Juan Cruz Mallia yn cael ei yrru o'r cae yn dilyn tacl uchel a pheryglus ar Kieran Hardy.

🏉29' Yr Ariannin 3-6 Cymru

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿v🇦🇷@WelshRugbyUnion
📺 @S4C @S4Cchwaraeon
💻 https://t.co/epG9jcvuNA
📍 Stadiwm Principality pic.twitter.com/LGvexK84Up

— Clwb Rygbi (@yclwbrygbi) July 10, 2021

But Wales could not make it count as Sanchez hauled Argentina level with his second penalty five minutes before half-time.

And Argentina punished them as the seconds ticked down, with Matera rounding off a spell of concerted pressure as Chaparro rejoined the action, and Sanchez’s conversion opening up a 13-6 interval lead.

Argentina made a dream start to the second period when de la Fuente finished off a slick move, with Sanchez converting, and Wales head coach Wayne Pivac began making changes.

He had already sent on Saracens centre Nick Tompkins for Willis Halaholo, then he quickly followed that switch by replacing Sheedy with Evans.

Wales had to find another gear, and after they put a sustained spell together, Rowlands crashed over for his second try in successive Tests, and Evans’ conversion narrowed the gap to seven points.

Sanchez then missed two penalties in quick succession, and the game remained finely-balanced entering its final quarter.

Williams then pounced from close range, with Evans converting his half-back partner’s try to set up a grandstand finish, before Evans sent a last-gasp penalty wide.

All Blacks put 50 past Fiji in Dunedin

New Zealand outmuscled Fiji in their Test encounter to claim a hard-fought 57-23 victory in Dunedin on Saturday.

In a fast-paced and exciting game, New Zealand found things very different to last week, when they thrashed Tonga, and they were under the cosh for long periods against Fiji but eventually outscored their opponents nine tries to two.

Replacement hooker Dane Coles led the way with four five-pointers, with David Havili (2), Jordie Barrett, George Bridge and Will Jordan also crossing for tries and Beauden Barrett adding six conversions.

For Fiji, Albert Tuisue and Mesulame Kunavula dotted down and they were also rewarded with a penalty try while Ben Volavola succeeded with two penalties.

If truth be told Fiji’s physicality in contact and at the breakdown surprised their hosts but the introduction of the All Blacks’ replacements in the second half ― with Coles prominent ― proved to be the difference between the sides in the end.

The visitors were fastest out of the blocks and Volavola opened the scoring off the kicking tee after six minutes before the game came alive three minutes later when full-back Barrett crossed the whitewash for the opening try.

Fiji responded with another penalty from Volavola but the All Blacks were the dominant side and midway through the half they took control of proceedings when Havili scored his tries in quick succession.

In the 18th minute, Havili stepped past a couple of defenders inside Fiji’s 22 before crossing the whitewash and three minutes later he powered his way through the Pacific Islanders’ defence again to score under the posts.

Despite those scores, Fiji did not panic and they took the fight to their more illustrious opponents.  That tactic reaped reward in the 28th minute when Tuisue scored their first try off the back of a lineout drive and, with the score 21-11 to the home side, Fiji were still in the game.

New Zealand made a terrific start to the second half and three minutes after the restart Bridge cantered in for their fourth try after Codie Taylor and Havili did well in the build-up.

That did not deter the visitors though and shortly afterwards Sam Matavesi found himself in space down the left-hand touchline ― after an innovative lineout move just inside New Zealand’s 22 ― and he did brilliantly to shrug off tackles from Brodie Retallick and Sevu Reece ― before offloading to Kunavula, who barged over for his team’s second five-pointer.

That meant the All Blacks were leading 26-16 but, despite trailing on the scoreboard, Fiji had their tails up and held a slight edge during the next 10 minutes.

They suffered a setback in the 52nd minute, however, when Kini Murimurivalu was yellow carded for going off his feet at a ruck and it it wasn’t long before Coles scored his first try, off the back of a lineout maul.

Although they had a numerical disadvantage, Fiji continued to attack and in the 61st minute, after New Zealand conceded several penalties inside their 22, referee Paul Williams awarded a penalty try to the visitors with Havili also sent to the sin bin for illegally collapsing a lineout drive.

That meant Fiji now had the ascendancy in numbers but they did not capitalise on that as New Zealand finished stronger in the final quarter.  Soon after, Coles scored his second try before Jordan also got his name onto the scoresheet in the 70th minute to give his side a 43-23 lead.

The closing stages was a frantic affair with both sides running the ball from all areas of the field but New Zealand had the better of the exchanges and Coles went over for two further five-pointers inside the last five minutes to add some respectability to the score for his team.

Wallabies late show stuns France in Brisbane

Noah Lolesio slotted a penalty after the siren had sounded as Australia snatched a dramatic 23-21 victory over France in a thrilling Test in Brisbane on Wednesday.

In a hard-fought and evenly contested battle, France held the lead for the entire game but Australia kept their nerve and pounced on an error from the visitors ― who did not put the ball into touch from a lineout after the final hooter ― and after winning a penalty, Lolesio clinched the triumph with the match-winning kick.

The 21-year-old finished with a 13-point haul as he also succeeded with two other penalties and as many conversions, with Brandon Paenga-Amosa and captain Michael Hooper scoring Australia’s tries.

Gabin Villiere led the way with a brace of scores for Les Bleus while Louis Carbonel added a conversion and two penalties and Melvyn Jaminet also slotted a three-pointer off the kicking tee.

France made an excellent start and their forwards did well to win a turnover deep inside Wallabies territory before the ball was shifted wide to Villiere, who had an easy run-in for the opening try after six minutes.

Australia thought they had drawn level when Hunter Paisami gathered an offload from Jake Gordon before busting through a couple of tackles to dot down, but his effort was disallowed after television replays revealed that Gordon’s pass went forward.

Les Bleus soon regained the initiative and were up 15-0 midway through the half courtesy of a Carbonel penalty and a well-taken converted try from Villiere.

This, after Sekou Macalou and Baptiste Couilloud combined off the back of a scrum, midway between Australia’s 22 and the halfway line, before Jonathan Danty took the ball into contact.  Danty did well to throw an inside pass to Villiere, who glided through a gaping hole in the Wallabies’ defence on his way over the try-line.

That meant the visitors had their tails up as they were leading 15-0 after 24 minutes but 10 minutes later the Wallabies opened their account when Paenga-Amosa went over the whitewash off the back of a lineout drive deep inside France’s half.

That was an important score as it boosted the home side’s confidence and Lolesio narrowed the gap to five points at half-time when he slotted the resulting conversion.

The Wallabies continued to hold the upper hand after the restart and Lolesio added a penalty four minutes into the new half, but Carbonel replied with a three-pointer of his own in the 52nd minute which meant the visitors were leading 18-10.

Despite that score, Australia were soon camped in France’s half and in the 55th minute Paisami caught France’s defence by surprise with a teasing grubber kick behind their try-line but a wicked bounce saw Tom Wright knocking the ball on when he tried to gather to score his side’s second five-pointer.

On the hour-mark Lolesio added his second penalty, after Les Bleus’ forwards infringed at scrum-time, but that effort was cancelled out in the 63rd minute when Jaminet landed a long-range penalty which meant France were leading 21-13.

That score led to the hosts upping the ante on attack and they were rewarded in the 70th minute when Hooper burrowed his way over the try-line from close quarters after Harry Wilson and Marika Koroibete were stopped short in the build-up.

That set up a tense finish as the home side went in search of the victory and they were given a lifeline due to France’s moment of madness at that lineout during the game’s closing stages.

The Wallabies were soon hammering away at Les Bleus’ try-line and when France strayed offside on defence, it left Lolesio with an easy penalty attempt from close range and he held his nerve to slot the kick which handed his side a memorable come-from-behind triumph.

Disjointed England see off gallant USA

Joe Cokanasiga toasted his first Test in 22 months with a smart brace as England overcame the USA 43-29 at Twickenham.

England were missing their British and Irish Lions contingent but Eddie Jones’ men did enough to overcome the visitors, despite a frustrating second half.

Marcus Smith capped an assured debut at fly-half with a try, with Sam Underhill, Ollie Lawrence, Jamie Blamire and Harry Randall also crossing for the hosts.

Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, Cam Dolan, Hanco Germishuys and Christian Dyer forced scores for the spirited USA however, in a match that broke up considerably after the break.

Bath wing Cokanasiga’s last international appearance had come against the USA at the 2019 World Cup, where he suffered a serious knee injury.

After battling back to fitness and form this season, though, the Fiji-born powerhouse marked his Test return with two well-taken scores.

Max Malins suffered an arm injury and was sporting a sling on the bench in the second half, while Lawrence was forced out due to a head knock.

Head coach Jones had only opted to put two backs on England’s bench, forcing Wasps half-backs Jacob Umaga and Dan Robson to operate out of position.

Fly-half Umaga had to fill in at centre, while scrum-half Robson deputised on the wing.

Lions tours hand England coaches one chance every four years to cast the Test selection net to otherwise impossible widths.

But by declining to select a specialist back three replacement, and with injuries to Malins and Lawrence, Jones was unable to see either Umaga or Robson in their natural positions.

The talented Wasps duo will hope for a chance to impress in their regular berths in next weekend’s Test against Canada.

The visitors took an unlikely lead through Luke Carty’s well-struck penalty, when Joe Heyes was pinged at a scrum.

England’s riposte was immediate, however, Malins fielding the restart before feeding Underhill who powered into the corner.

Smith hooked the conversion, in his only off-kilter moment of a fine first half.

Malins picked up his shoulder problem in the act of creating the score though, and was forced out of the clash.

Umaga slotted into the centres with Lawrence out to the wing.

And Worcester powerhouse Lawrence quickly stormed into the corner, courtesy of Freddie Steward’s well-timed scoring pass.

Cokanasiga then bagged his first try, latching onto Steward’s neat grubber after Randall’s pacy break.

The Bath wing doubled his tally on the half-hour, benefiting from Smith’s delayed pass as the USA defence crumbled.

Lawrence and USA full-back Marcel Brache were then forced out of the contest after a nasty-looking accidental clash of heads.

That pressed replacement scrum-half Robson into action on the wing.

The hosts were in total control with their 26-3 half-time lead, however.

Flanker Fa’anana-Schultz capped a well-constructed driven maul to hand the USA first blood in the second half.

That dummy. That step. That finish.

Absolutely fantastic @hazrandall9 🔥 pic.twitter.com/MnYPjorAZG

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) July 4, 2021

Carty missed the conversion, but the visitors had immediately cut England’s lead to 26-8.

Newcastle hooker Blamire made a quick introduction to Test rugby to put England back on the front foot, forcing a charge down and then completing a smart score.

Number eight Dolan forced a charge down of his own, however, for the USA’s second try.

Randall was left exposed with no forward guarding his box kick, and Dolan pounced for a soft try from England’s perspective.

Carty’s conversion cut England’s lead to 31-15.

Smith tiptoed in for England’s sixth try, relieving growing tension as the hosts had slipped off the pace.

The Harlequins fly-half missed the conversion, leaving England ahead 36-15.

Randall stepped home for England’s seventh score, with Smith converting from under the posts.

Germishuys powered in for the USA’s third score as England continued to struggle to contain the visitors’ tight game.

Carty slotted a fine touchline conversion, with England leading 43-22.

And the USA powered in again at the death, with Dyer racing in the visitors’ fourth score.

Ireland exact Rugby World Cup revenge over Japan

Ireland shrugged off the absence of several senior personnel to beat Japan 39-31 in a fluctuating Test as supporters returned to the Aviva Stadium for the first time in 17 months.

With seven of their contingent on British and Irish Lions duty and captain Johnny Sexton, plus Keith Earls and Cian Healy, rested, there was a fresh look to the hosts in their first meeting against Japan since the 2019 World Cup.

On that occasion, Japan pulled off an all-time shock in the pool stages and they threatened a repeat in Dublin, where around 3,000 spectators were in attendance at the venue for the first time since February last year.

It was a lacklustre and error-strewn first half from the Irish but they went in at the interval 19-17 ahead courtesy of tries from centre pairing Chris Farrell and Stuart McCloskey and tighthead prop Finlay Bealham.

Flanker Josh van der Flier and wing Jacob Stockdale went over after the break while Joey Carbery’s four conversions were followed by two penalties that ultimately took the wind out of the sails of Japan, whose tries came from Michael Leitch, Timothy Lafaele, Siosaia Fifita and Naoto Saito, with Yu Tamura adding 11 points with the boot.

While they led on several occasions, including a 24-19 advantage in the second half, Japan were ultimately left to reflect on a successive losses, having been beaten by Warren Gatland’s Lions 28-10 at Edinburgh last weekend.

Eight of Ireland’s starting XV had fewer than 20 caps as those on the margins were handed their chance to shine, with James Ryan taking the captain’s armband, having been passed fit following an adductor injury.

However, the stand-in skipper’s indiscipline at an early lineout set the tone for a sloppy start for Ireland, who conceded five penalties in the first quarter of an hour alone.

Tamura split the posts to put Japan ahead although Saito going off his feet at a ruck helped Ireland, with Caelan Doris carrying well before the ball was worked to Farrell to jink inside before bundling his way over.

But Ultan Dillane was unable to gather the ball at the restart and Japan put their opponents on the back foot, setting the maul after prevailing in the lineout, allowing Leitch to touch down as Ireland fell 10-7 behind.

Lafaele’s try was chalked off as the final pass from Tamura was judged forward by the TMO before Ireland discovered some momentum to move back into the lead, a fine move started by Carbery’s inventive chip and chase.

The ball was worked out to the left and Peter O’Mahony remained on his feet after colliding with Leitch before offloading to McCloskey to touch down in the corner, but a seesaw first half continued as Japan hit back.

Tamura’s crossfield kick stretched Ireland’s defence as Fifita collected the ball before passing on the outside to Lafaele and there was no denying the outside centre this time as he went over on the left.

Japan’s error count was starting to creep up, though, and they were penalised twice for offside on the stroke of half-time, where Carbery was held up over the line before Bealham burrowed his way over for his first Ireland try.

Ireland therefore held a two-point lead despite an unconvincing first 40 minutes, but after Farrell was withdrawn following a blow to the head, Tamura’s inventive grubber was taken by Fifita for Japan’s third try.

But Ireland hit back almost immediately afterwards as Van Der Flier powered over the try line before Stockdale crossed the whitewash on the left, following fine work from scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park on both occasions.

Saito showed a clean pair of heels to drag Japan back to within two points at 33-31 but back-to-back penalties from Carbery, playing in an Ireland shirt for the first time since the 2019 World Cup quarter-final defeat to New Zealand, gave his side some much-needed breathing room.

Japan were unable to mount another comeback as Ireland claimed their fourth consecutive victory.  They will now turn their attentions towards their second and last summer Test against the United States next Saturday, with the attendance capped at 6,000 fans.

Wales win marred by serious Leigh Halfpenny injury

Wales welcomed fans back to the Principality Stadium in style as their launched their summer international series with a 68-12 victory over Canada.

The Six Nations champions ran in 10 tries, although victory came at a cost after full-back Leigh Halfpenny’s 100th Test for Wales and the British and Irish Lions lasted just two minutes before he was carried off injured.

Halfpenny suffered a suspected knee ligament problem, being hurt when he appeared to slip after going into a challenge on the halfway line.

Ongoing restrictions meant the capacity was set at 8,200, and 6,164 spectators were a welcome sight for head coach Wayne Pivac and his players as Wales returned to action following their Six Nations title triumph 14 weeks ago.

It was a first home crowd since February last year, and Wales delivered as they took charge through first-half tries from Tomos Williams, Jonah Holmes, Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee, James Botham and Will Rowlands.

Williams added his second try early in the second half, and there was also a double for Taine Basham in his first Test and Holmes also claimed a brace, while fly-half Callum Sheedy kicked seven conversions and Ben Thomas added the extras following second scores for Basham and Holmes.

Canada, who face England at Twickenham next weekend, went ahead through wing Kainoa Lloyd’s early try, but their first Test since the 2019 World Cup ended in a hefty defeat.

Full-back Cooper Coats claimed a late consolation touchdown, converted by fly-half Peter Nelson, yet it proved a frustrating afternoon for Canada’s Welsh coaching trio of Kingsley Jones, Rob Howley and Byron Hayward.

Pivac, minus a sizeable British and Irish Lions contingent, handed Test debuts to Scarlets wing Tom Rogers and Dragons lock Ben Carter in a team captained by centre Jonathan Davies.

Wales were clearly rocked by Halfpenny’s exit, and as they regrouped after Saracens’ Nick Tompkins replaced him ― Holmes moved to full-back, with Tompkins on the wing ― Canada struck through a fifth-minute try.

Slick passing by the backs ended with Coats sending Lloyd over wide out, but Wales responded impressively after an initial Sheedy break put Rowlands clear in space.

Quickly recycled possession then highlighted huge gaps in Canada’s defence, and Williams darted over from close range, with Sheedy converting for a two-point lead.

Wales looked to increase the tempo, and a sharp Tompkins break allowed the supporting Davies to threaten Canada’s line before he gifted an unmarked Botham his first Test try.

Canada were struggling to cope with Wales’ pace and precision, and Holmes ended the opening quarter by pouncing for a third try, with Sheedy’s conversion making it 19-5.

The Canadians’ early promise had evaporated, and Wales moved past 30 points through tries in quick succession from front-row forwards Smith and Dee.

Sheedy added both conversions, and Canada were in damage-limitation mode approaching half-time as Rowlands pounced for Wales’ sixth touchdown of a one-sided contest.

Sheedy’s conversion made it 40-5 at the interval, and Pivac knew he could start ringing the changes ahead of next Saturday’s appointment with Argentina.

He sent on two debutants ― Basham and Ospreys prop Gareth Thomas ― after Williams’ second try, and it took Dragons back-row forward Basham just seven minutes to make his mark as he breached Canada’s defence to score.

Canada managed to avoid further damage until Holmes struck, and it was a case of job done for Wales who next meet the Pumas on successive weekends in Cardiff.

16-try All Blacks put 100 points on hapless Tonga

New Zealand made light work of Tonga in their opening Test of 2021, winning 102-0 in an entertaining encounter at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland on Saturday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was an easy outing for the men in black with Will Jordan leading the way with five tries and Brad Weber was next best with a hat-trick.

The All Blacks’ other points came through five-pointers from Dalton Papalii (2), Damian McKenzie, Luke Jacobson, Richie Mo’unga, Rieko Ioane, Patrick Tuipulotu and George Bridge while Mo’unga (7) and Beauden Barrett (4) added conversions.

The result is a momentous one for the All Blacks as it equals their biggest ever victory against Tonga, who they beat by the same scoreline in 2000.

As expected, the All Blacks were fastest out of the blocks and they opened the scoring as early as the second minute when McKenzie rounded off in the left-hand corner after a flowing backline move in the build-up.

Two minutes later, Jacobson freed his arms to offload to back-row partner Papalii, who shrugged off a defender before cantering in under the posts.

The carnage continued with the home side running the ball from all areas of the field and well-taken tries from Weber and Jordan followed which meant New Zealand held a comfortable 24-0 lead by the 10th minute.

Weber, who was making his first start in his eighth Test, continued to benefit from the All Blacks’ expansive style of play when he crossed for his second try five minutes later, after running onto a pass from Angus Ta’avao just outside Tonga’s 22.

The one-way traffic continued and midway through the half McKenzie and Mo’unga combined before the latter put Jordan in the clear and the right wing strolled in for an easy five-pointer.

Tonga did well to stem the onslaught over the next 15 minutes and although the Pacific Islanders managed to spend some time in the All Blacks’ half during that period, there was no reward for their attacking efforts.

It was only a matter of time before New Zealand regained the initiative, however, and in the 37th minute Bridge found Papalii with a well-time pass down the left-hand touchline and the openside flanker went over for his second five-pointer to give his side a comfortable 43-0 lead at half-time.

The All Blacks started the second half like the first with an early try, when Jacobson scored from close quarters just two minutes after the restart, before Jordan and Weber got their respective hat-tricks in quick succession.

That meant the hosts were cruising with the score 60-0 by the 50th minute but they were far from done and upped the ante on attack during the rest of the match.

Mo’unga also got in on the try-scoring action in the 54th minute before Jordan scored his fourth try two minutes later, after a good line break from replacement scrum-half Finlay Christie.

There was no sign of the All Blacks taking their foot off the pedal during the final quarter and they were rewarded with further tries from Ioane, Tuipulotu and Jordan before Bridge brought up their century with the final try in the game’s closing stages.

Springboks’ second-half blitz floors Georgia

South Africa made a winning return to Test rugby when they sealed a 40-9 victory over Georgia at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Friday.

It wasn’t a vintage performance as there were signs of rustiness from the Boks, who were playing their first game since their triumphant 2019 World Cup campaign, but they improved as the match progressed and eventually outscored the Lelos six tries to none.

Aphelele Fassi, Bongi Mbonambi, Cobus Reinach, Kwagga Smith, Herschel Jantjies and Malcolm Marx crossed for the Boks’ five-pointers while Handre Pollard (4) and Elton Jantjies succeeded with conversions.

For Georgia, Tedo Abzhandadze slotted three penalties.

The Springboks made a scratchy start and soon after the kick off they conceded a scrum penalty inside their half.  Trevor Nyakane was blown up at the set-piece and Abzhandadze gave his team the lead by adding the penalty.

Two minutes later, Pollard and Pieter-Steph du Toit combined brilliantly before the latter offloaded to Fassi just outside Georgia’s 22 and the flyer did well to beat a couple of defenders down the left-hand touchline before crossing for a well-taken try on his Test debut.

Pollard failed to convert and despite that score, South Africa failed to gain the ascendancy with Georgia holding the upper hand during the next 25 minutes.  The Springboks were particularly ineffective in the rucks and mauls and battled to deal with the physicality of Georgia’s forwards in those facets of play.

Two ruck penalties in quick succession by the Boks presented Abzhandadze with opportunities off the kicking tee and he was successful on both occasions which meant Georgia were leading 9-5 by the 25th minute.

Despite their indifferent start, the hosts did not panic and they were the dominant side during the latter stages of the half.  They spent the final 10 minutes camped inside their opponents’ half and in the 34th minute the game’s complexion changed when Beka Saghinadze was yellow carded after repeated infringements on defence from the Lelos.

Soon after, Mbonambi crossed off the back of a driving maul close to the visitors’ try-line and just before half-time Reinach gathered a chip kick from Fassi before outpacing the cover defence to score under the posts.

Pollard added the extras, which meant the home side were leading 19-9 at half-time and after the interval they continued where they left off by spending long periods inside Georgia’s half.

In the 54th minute, a strong scrum close the Lelos’ try-line allowed Smith to break off the back of the set-piece and the back-row had an easy run-in over the whitewash.

Five minutes later, Damian Willemse was stopped just short of the try-line, but scrum-half Jantjies caught Georgia’s defence by surprise when he barged over from close quarters at the ensuing ruck for his side’s fifth try.

South Africa were now in the ascendancy and had a bulk of the possession and territory during the rest of the match.  In the 68th minute, Marx was also rewarded with a five-pointer, after a lineout drive inside Georgia’s 22, and with the result in the bag the Boks gave the ball plenty of air during the game’s closing stages.

There was no reward, however, but they will be happy with the result and their overall performance, especially during the second half.

Injury nightmare as Lions kick off with win over Japan

Captain Alun Wyn Jones was ruled out of the tour to South Africa with a dislocated shoulder and Justin Tipuric limped off as the British and Irish Lions’ 28-10 victory over Japan at Murrayfield came at a terrible cost.

The Wales forwards departed inside the opening 21 minutes but it was the serious injury suffered by tour captain Jones that caused the greatest alarm as he was escorted from the pitch.

It was a ruck clear-out that caused the damage and Lions boss Warren Gatland later confirmed their second-row talisman, who was set to take part in his fourth tour but first as skipper, could not take his seat on board Sunday’s flight to South Africa.

Tipuric’s afternoon ended following a tackle shortly after, his disconsolate look as he exited down the players’ tunnel suggesting his suspected shoulder issue was also significant.

Injuries aside, it was a rousing start to the tour by the Lions who amassed a 21-0 lead by half-time through tries by Josh Adams, Duhan van der Merwe and Robbie Henshaw and three Dan Biggar conversions.

Tadhg Beirne touched down early in the second half as the onslaught continued, the tries making up for a business-like performance that launched the tour with an impressive win.

A crowd of 16,500 ― rugby’s biggest since the pandemic began ― witnessed a rout brimming with positives, although fans loudly booed the unexpected announcement that all bars would be closed at half-time.

Attack coach Gregor Townsend billed Japan as the most dangerous opening opponents in Lions history, but they were a pale shadow of the side that electrified the 2019 World Cup.

This was their first outing since staging that tournament so rustiness was inevitable, but the high-energy swashbuckling style that eventually met its match in the quarter-finals against South Africa was seen only briefly.

The Lions’ medics and Japan’s defence experienced equally frantic openings as Jones’ afternoon was declared over in only the eighth minute.

Courtney Lawes came on as his replacement and once they had overcome the shock of losing their skipper, the Lions engineered their first meaningful attack that finished in a try for Adams.

Bundee Aki used his strength to pierce through Japan’s defence and when the ball was recycled Adams’ footwork and an outstretched arm got the scoreboard moving.

The Lions’ second try was all too easy as the Brave Blossoms failed to patrol the blindside as they were sent scrambling backwards and Van der Merwe picked up and strolled over.

Another hammer blow landed when Tipuric followed Jones off the pitch in the 22nd minute but for all the departures, the Lions were amassing points at a ferocious rate as Henshaw powered over the whitewash.

Japan were losing the collisions and slipping off tackles, inviting pressure onto themselves as the strength of Van der Merwe continued to make indentations and it looked bleak when half-time arrived.

Although not pretty, it was hugely effective as the rampaging Lions continued to outmuscle their opponents and Lawes had a try disallowed for failing to ground the ball properly.

There was no doubt about Beirne’s touchdown, however, as the Irish lock ran a smart line off Biggar’s pass and showed real pace as Japan fell further behind.

Replacement back-row Kazuki Himeno burrowed over from a line-out move as the Brave Blossoms finally made an impact on the scoreboard but their late flourish was too little, too late.

Wales win Six Nations after Scotland stun France

Wales are the 2021 Six Nations champions after France were met by an outstanding Scotland side, who secured their first win in Paris since 1999 following a 27-23 triumph.

France needed to score four tries and beat Scotland by 21 points to deny Wales the title but the visitors stunned their hosts with a superb victory.

Two tries from Duhan van der Merwe and one from replacement hooker Dave Cherry secured Scotland’s first win in Paris in 22 years despite seeing cards for Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell.

Brice Dulin, Damian Penaud and Swan Rebbadj crossed for the hosts but they never looked like building up the head of steam needed to deliver a double blow to Wales after dramatically denying Wayne Pivac’s side the Grand Slam six days earlier.

It was another rare away win for the Scots following triumphs in Wales and England in the past six months.

Scotland were quick to put pressure on and France showed the type of ambition they would need when they took a quick throw and tried to play their way out of trouble after Russell had kicked the ball into touch two metres from their try line.

The home side soon exerted some pressure but all they had to show for it was Romain Ntamack’s ninth-minute penalty.

Scotland soon gained the ascendancy and twice elected to kick two penalties into touch inside the French 22.  Hooker George Turner was held up just short of the line each time as he charged from the back of the lineout maul, but Van der Merwe forced himself over the second time in the 15th minute.

There were suspicions of double movement but referee Wayne Barnes gave the try without opting to take a second look.

Russell added the two points and produced another brilliant long kick which held up a metre short of the try line.  The Scots descended upon their opponents and Jamie Ritchie forced the penalty from Dulin, which Russell kicked over to put Scotland seven points up.

Another huge kick into touch from Hogg put France on the back foot but the hosts reduced the deficit when Ntamack kicked a long-range penalty following a scrum infringement.

The home side got on top around the half-hour mark and Scotland gave away a series of penalties in front of the post.

The pressure told when Van der Merwe sold himself too early following a long throw out wide from Antoine Dupont.  Penaud passed inside for Dulin to cross in the 36th minute and Ntamack brilliantly converted.

Hogg paid the price for conceding Scotland’s 11th first-half penalty in the final minute but Nick Haining stole the five-metre lineout throw to keep France’s half-time lead at three.

✊ The winning try from yet another extraordinary Six Nations game. pic.twitter.com/nLTLyC1hKf

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 26, 2021

Scotland restricted France’s scoring to five points during Hogg’s spell in the sin bin, when Penaud collected Virimi Vakatawa’s offload, lobbed the ball over Ali Price and touched down in the corner.

Scotland regained control after the numbers were evened up.  Russell kicked a close-range penalty and Sam Johnson was stopped five metres from the line after bursting forward following another successful lineout.

It was France’s turn to ship a series of penalties and Cherry scooped up a loose ball following a lineout before nipping through a gap and over.  Russell converted to put Scotland back in front.

Rebbadj went over five minutes later but Ntamack missed the conversion and Scotland passed up a good chance to kick themselves level in favour of kicking into touch, but Cherry’s lineout was stolen.

Gregor Townsend’s side were still piling on the pressure when Russell was sent off in the 71st minute after catching Dulin near the throat with his elbow as he attempted to fend off the full-back.

Any hopes of another stunning finish from France were undone within two minutes when Baptiste Serin was yellow-carded and Scotland again opted to push for the try instead of going over the posts.

The pressure was relentless and Scotland finally got over when they found winger Van der Merwe on the left.  Adam Hastings added the points to round off a dramatic championship.

Check out the video highlights from Scotland's 27-23 victory over France in Saint-Denis on Friday.

France late show denies Wales the Grand Slam

France produced a stunning late comeback to deny Wales the Grand Slam and keep their own Six Nations title hopes alive with a 32-30 victory.

Les Bleus had lock Paul Willemse sent off 11 minutes from time for making contact with the eye area of Wales prop Wyn Jones, while the visitors played the last eight minutes with 13 men following yellow cards for Taulupe Faletau and Liam Williams, and ultimately could not hold out.

French full-back Brice Dulin scored a try two minutes into injury time, giving them a five-point maximum.

Wales had recorded just three Test match victories last year ― against Italy twice and Georgia ― but they seemed on course to be crowned kings of European rugby once more.

Fly-half Dan Biggar scored 20 points from a try, three penalties and three conversions, while flanker Josh Navidi and wing Josh Adams also touched down to thwart France.

The hosts, though, refused to throw in the towel, and they prevailed through tries by Dulin, lock Romain Taofifenua, scrum-half Antoine Dupont and captain Charles Ollivon, with goalkickers Matthieu Jalibert and Romain Ntamack booting 12 points between them.

Wales found themselves under intense pressure in the first five minutes as Les Bleus’ powerful ball-carriers made headway and Dupont orchestrated matters impressively.

And France opened their account through a sixth-minute try when Taofifenua crashed over from close range and Jalibert converted for a 7-0 lead.

But Wales responded sharply when wing Louis Rees-Zammit sent scrum-half Gareth Davies clear and over the French line, and although he was held up by Ollivon’s tackle, the visitors were soon level.

More sustained work deep inside France’s 22 saw Davies rifle out a pass from the forward base, and Biggar cut a superb attacking line to claim a try that he also converted.

But a breathless opening continued at pace as Dulin kicked over the Welsh defence, Jalibert gathered the bounce and put Dupont into space to score.

Jalibert converted, yet Wales drew level again after 18 minutes as more impressive composure close to the French line resulted in a try for Navidi, and Biggar’s conversion made it 14-14.

Taofifenua departed injured early in the second quarter, before Wales went ahead for the first time through a Biggar penalty.

The game continued at a lightning pace, but France suffered another injury blow when Jalibert was forced off, and replacement Ntamack announced his arrival by booting a 34th-minute penalty to tie things up at 17-17.

Both teams continued to probe space and attack gaps, and France regrouped impressively following Jalibert’s exit due to a head injury, before centre Gael Fickou wasted a gilt-edged try chance when he dropped number eight Gregory Alldritt’s midfield pass.

In your life, you'll never see anything like this again. @BriceDulin for @FranceRugby when all seemed lost! 🇫🇷 🤯#GuinnessSixNations #FRAvWAL pic.twitter.com/0KxZ9D6U1C

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 20, 2021

And that was the final act of a memorable first 40 minutes after Wales stood toe to toe with France and probably shaded the attacking moments.

Wales went back in front through a 46th-minute Biggar penalty, and the visitors continued to dominate the aerial battle before a first change saw scrum-half Tomos Williams replace Davies.

Williams was immediately playing a key role in the action after flanker Justin Tipuric created an opportunity, then Adams hacked on, before Williams gathered and sent the wing over.

Referee Luke Pearce awarded the try, with no clear evidence that France flanker Dylan Cretin had got his hand underneath the ball and prevented a touchdown, and Biggar’s conversion meant Wales were 10 points ahead.

An Ntamack penalty cut the gap, and then France saw prop Mohamed Haouas sin-binned for collapsing a maul in build-up play to Rees-Zammit just failing to touch down as Wales hunted a fourth try.

France then lost Willemse, but Wales could not close out the game to seal a famous triumph at the end of their Six Nations campaign, with Faletau and Liam Williams being shown yellow cards in rapid succession before Ollivon and Dulin scored late on to break Welsh hearts.

Check out the video highlights from France's 32-30 victory over Wales in Saint-Denis on Saturday.

Brilliant Ireland dominate England to end on a high

Ireland produced a wonderful performance on CJ Stander’s international farewell to finish their Six Nations campaign with a superb 32-18 triumph over England.

The highlight of Ireland’s most impressive outing since Andy Farrell took charge after the 2019 World Cup was Jack Conan’s try that concluded 23 phases of highly polished play.

It was a mesmerising score directed by the brilliant Johnny Sexton, but Keith Earls’ opener was almost as accomplished as England were picked apart by a smart line-out move.

The team leading at half-time have gone on to win in the last 27 meetings between the rivals and with Ireland 20-6 ahead at the interval, it looked bleak for the fallen champions.

For the last 16 minutes Ireland played with 14 men after Bundee Aki was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle on Billy Vunipola, but the centre’s departure made no difference as the retiring Stander was given a triumphant send-off.

As for the visitors, a week after appearing to signal the end of a shaky period by dispatching France, they failed to fire a shot against opponents they had beaten four times in a row.

Combined with defeats by Scotland and Wales, it equals their worst Six Nations performance from 2018, when they also lost three games and finished fifth under the guidance of Eddie Jones.  In 2005 and 2006 they lost three times and finished fourth.

Sexton was at the heart of Ireland’s riotous display and amassed 22 points from the kicking tee, comprehensively overshadowing George Ford in one of several Lions duels fought out in Dublin.

Ford will be among a number of England players to see their Lions aspirations harmed, albeit he was playing behind an outmuscled pack, while the prospects of their rivals in green shirts have soared.

And Jones’ position now faces renewed scrutiny with the team in full reverse 18 months after reaching the World Cup final.

England suffered a setback shortly before kick-off by losing Max Malins to injury, with the resulting reshuffle seeing Ollie Lawrence slot in at outside centre and Elliot Daly switch back to full-back.

Daly’s first involvement was to kick the ball out on the full but the error failed to deter his team, whose control of the breakdown and line-out offered crucial early footholds.

Farrell and Sexton exchanged penalties before a Ford spiral bomb was misjudged by Conor Murray, but fortunately for the scrum-half Aki was present to intervene.

Searching for their 50th win in the fixture, Ireland engineered the first try when a line-out move saw number eight Conan flick the ball to Earls who sprinted clear and rounded a wrong-footed Jonny May to score.

For the seventh consecutive Test England had conceded the first try and their problems escalated as Kyle Sinckler complained at being poked in the eye by Iain Henderson before his front-row colleague Mako Vunipola conceded a second scrum penalty.

☘️ Keith Earls is still up there with the VERY BEST.

Beautiful try from the veteran @IrishRugby winger.#GuinnessSixNations #IREvENG pic.twitter.com/zOVBD6U7lW

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 20, 2021

It was that infringement that provided the platform for Ireland to strike again through a cleverly engineered try that saw Hugo Keenan beat Daly to a high ball before play swung left, where the impressive Conan pounced from short range.

Sexton was heavily involved throughout a sweeping move of startling accuracy and in further evidence of the damage being done to England, Mako Vunipola and Luke Cowan-Dickie were replaced by Ellis Genge and Jamie George at half-time.

The penalties were accumulating for Jones’ team and although Earls had a second try ruled out for an earlier knock-on, Sexton landed three points as the lead became 23-6.

Billy Vunipola was stripped of the ball in the tackle and Farrell disappeared for an HIA.  The misery compounded when Sexton booted his fourth penalty.

Aki was sent off for a high tackle on Vunipola that ended the number eight’s afternoon and England were smart with the penalty, a line-out drive enabling George to peel off and send Ben Youngs darting over.

But Sexton rifled over two more penalties to snuff out the fightback, with May crossing late on with the result already settled.

Check out the video highlights from Ireland's 32-18 victory over England in Dublin on Saturday.

Eight-try Scotland make light work of struggling Italy

Scotland made it third time lucky at Murrayfield as they cruised to their first home win of the Six Nations with a record-breaking 52-10 victory over Italy.

Skipper Stuart Hogg admitted ahead of the game he was feeling nervous about standing-in for the injured Finn Russell at fly-half.

But the full-back had nothing to worry about as his side ran in eight tries against an Azzurri outfit who will be glad to see the end of a miserable campaign.

Hooker Dave Cherry scored twice on his first start, while scrum-half Scott Steele also marked his full debut with a try.

There was a brace too for Duhan van der Merwe while Darcy Graham, Huw Jones and Sam Johnson contributed to the Scots’ biggest ever Six Nations victory.

Following agonising back-to-back defeats against Wales and Ireland, this was the soother Gregor Townsend’s team needed and will raise spirits ahead of next week’s delayed curtain-closer with France in Paris.

Italy had shipped an average of 46 points in their four previous games ― and the haemorrhaging continued as Townsend’s team became the quickest team so far this year to run up a bonus point, taking just 28 minutes to dot down four tries.

Yet it was the visitors who started the brighter, scoring inside six minutes as Luca Bigi squeezed over to score in the corner as Scotland’s maul defence crumbled.

But it would not last as Italy’s own inability to resist a line-out drive saw Scotland hit back within four minutes, with Cherry powering over.  Hogg’s conversion skidded wide but it did not matter as they moved in front on 14 minutes.

Matt Fagerson and then Jones provided two huge carries to drive Italy scrambling back to their own 22.

Scotland maintained their patience before exploding to the left as Hogg, Johnson and Hamish Watson combined to release the juggernaut that is Van der Merwe in space out wide.

The big wing motored over the line, leaving a string of bodies in his wake, before skipping towards the posts to hand Hogg an easier shot at the extras.

Paolo Garbisi fired a penalty over but it was futile resistance.

Federico Mori saw yellow for a reckless shoulder hit on Johnson and Scotland were quick to exploit their temporary man advantage when Sean Maitland charged to within sight of the line.

Jones took over but was immediately pounced upon by Mattia Bellini before he could score.

But there was no salvation for the Azzurri as Jones popped a pass off the ground for Graham to jog over.

Italy looked stunned.  Garbisi tried to take some pressure off his side by pinning the Scots down in their own 22 with a high kick ― but the pace at which Townsend’s team moved the ball was simply too quick for Franco Smith’s men to cope with.

15 – Duhan van der Merwe beat 15 defenders against Italy, the joint most by any player in a @SixNationsRugby game alongside France’s Thomas Castaignede against Italy in 2000. Bouncing. pic.twitter.com/ONTh3QbsmG

— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) March 20, 2021

Van der Merwe chewed up ground down the left before passing to Hogg.  His immediate offload to Jones caught Italy by surprise, with the Glasgow centre charging through a huge gap for another oh-so easy try and the bonus point before the half-hour mark had even been reached.

The half-time whistle brought merciful respite for Italy ― but it was only brief, as Cherry scored his second with a carbon copy of his first, peeling off the maul before diving for the line from close range.

Italy’s troubles worsened again as Sebastian Negri was given a stint in the bin for a deliberate knock-on, with Steele ― so impressive with his rapid tempo around the breakdown ― this time capitalising as he followed Johnson’s quick dart towards the line to crawl over for try number six on 52 minutes.

By the time Negri was back on, Mori had already headed past him as he was also sin-binned for a tip tackle on Hogg.

And the tries continued to flood in.  Johnson got a richly deserved score with 15 minutes left as Scotland took a quick tap penalty, while Van der Merwe added his second in the 71st minute, powering through the Italian ranks like a bowling ball to score from halfway after Ali Price’s initial break.

Check out the video highlights from Scotland's 52-10 victory over Italy in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Ireland edge out Scotland in Six Nations thriller

Scotland’s faint hopes of Six Nations glory were snuffed out as they found themselves beaten by Ireland yet again, losing 27-24 on Sunday.

The Dark Blues needed to turn around a woeful run that had included just one win in 10 against the Irish if they were to cling on to hopes of catching frontrunners Wales.

But a brave second-half fightback proved to be for nothing as Johnny Sexton’s late penalty snatched victory at Murrayfield.

Andy Farrell’s visitors were firmly in control following tries from Robbie Henshaw and Tadhg Beirne, plus 17 points from Sexton’s boot.

Scotland had been inactive for more than a month following the postponement of their trip to Paris and their rustiness showed in a wretched set-piece performance.

But they burst back into life as Huw Jones and Hamish Watson followed up Finn Russell’s first-half try to draw level with six minutes left.

But a mistake by Ali Price allowed Ireland to claim the win as Scotland suffered more disappointment at home following defeat to Wales last time out.

Ireland’s Championship plans had also been derailed by early defeats to Wayne Pivac’s Grand Slam-chases and France but there was no shortage of intent as they arrived in Edinburgh.

And it made for an enthralling clash which quickly boiled down to a slug fest with both sides trading hit for hit ― and spill for spill.

Sexton opening the scoring with a penalty and there was worse to come for the Scots as they lost the opening line-out of the half ― a story that would be repeated over and over before the interval.

Sexton hung a high cross-field kick into the air.  With Stuart Hogg and Duhan van der Merwe struggling to track its flight amid a swirling wind, Keith Earls got in between the Scots.

He could not gather as the ball bounced loose in the in-goal area but Henshaw was quickly on the scene to flop over it for the opening score on eight minutes, which went unconverted as Sexton’s kick slammed into the post.

Scotland roared back from the restart, immediately claiming three points back with a Russell penalty.

But Ireland were still busy throwing punches.  Jamison Gibson-Park sniped off the base of a scrum looking to score from close range ― only for Watson to win a huge turn with his feet planted on the whitewash.

That was standard fare for the Edinburgh flanker ― one of the best breakdown burglars in the game.  What was more unusual was the sight of Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong sidestepping two opponents inside his own 22 with his dancing feet.

However, Ireland could not play their way out of trouble and a madcap first half was summed up as Scotland nudged in front in the 28th minute.

Skipper Hogg got lucky when the bounced off his chin after charging down Garry Ringrose’s kick.  He swung a boot at it, sending it towards Russell.  He had another hack at it and got another fortunate bounce as it bounced over James Lowe, allowing the Racing 92 man to run in and dot down.

But when yet another line went stray, so did some decent territory.  Ireland countered and nudge back in front with a Sexton penalty.

#TeamOfUs

👊 Just hook it to our veins 💚#ShoulderToShoulder #IrishRugby #GuinnessSixNations #SCOvIRE pic.twitter.com/Glx7zN9Gqc

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 14, 2021

A Russell kick then slipped by as Ireland ended the half four ahead as Sexton split the posts again.

It took just nine minutes for them to add another seven.

James Ryan was having the time of his life, plucking Scotland hooked George Turner’s line-out throws for fun.

And when he collected one from Rob Herring five yards out it released a fresh green wave crashing down on Scotland’s line, with Beirne eventually barging over.

The Scotland penalties were now flowing thick and fast ― with 10 coughed up by the hour mark.  Sexton was merciless, firing over again to make it a two-score game.

Townsend knew he had to roll the dice if Scotland were to get back into it.  The introduction of Jones provided the spark they needed as the Glasgow centre drove through Lowe and Hugo Keenan to score his first Test try in three years.

The loss of Russell to a head knock was not ideal but as Hogg was forced to step up to 10.  But the pack that had struggled so badly at the set-piece came up with a brave surge as Watson did just enough to get the ball over the line as Hogg’s conversion drew the scores level with six to play.

But the celebrations were cut short as Ireland immediately won a penalty as Ryan Baird charged down Ali Price’s kick ― leaving Sexton to coolly nail a tricky kick from out wide to snatch the win.

Check out the video highlights from Ireland's 27-24 victory over Scotland in Edinburgh on Sunday.

England end France's Grand Slam dream in thriller

England produced their best performance since the 2019 World Cup semi-final to end France’s Grand Slam hopes following a 23-20 victory at Twickenham.

Les Blues led 20-16 until the 76th minute when Maro Itoje bulldozed over the whitewash from short range and with Owen Farrell rifling over the conversion, they had edged the tournament favourites.

It was England’s best performance of the tournament by a distance, full of endeavour and flashes of clinical execution, with Henry Slade and Tom Curry excelling.

Enabling them to go toe-to-toe with the favourites ― at least initially ― was their improved discipline and having given away 41 penalties across the opening three rounds, they escaped the whistle of referee Andrew Brace until the 25th minute.

A week spent addressing their self-destructive streak appeared to have paid off, but it proved a stubborn Achilles heel as old failings re-emerged in a cagey second-half where avoiding mistakes became paramount.

Some of France’s play was irresistible, especially for Damian Penaud’s try, but they also displayed the hard edge needed to take the 108th instalment of ‘Le Crunch’ to the death.

It was not enough to stop England escaping further Six Nations misery, however, after two defeats had place head coach Eddie Jones under mounting pressure.

In the latest in a succession of dismal starts, England conceded the first try after only 65 seconds when wing Teddy Thomas chipped over full-debutant Max Malins and Antoine Dupont arrived to gather and touch down.

It was the sixth match in a row where they have leaked the opening try, but on this occasion their response was immediate and emphatic.

Henry Slade contributed two big carries as pressure built on the French line and the second charge by the Exeter Chief was pivotal, creating the space for George Ford to send Anthony Watson over in the 11th minute.

England were displaying the attacking intent shown in Cardiff a fortnight earlier as Watson effortlessly slid into space and for once it was the opposition who were being punished by the referee as Farrell landed two penalties.

In control of every department of the game, Jones’ fallen champions were playing some of their best rugby seen since the 2019 tournament in Japan but when they eventually conceded their first penalty, France took control.

Matthieu Jalibert was on target from the kicking tee before an attacking line-out saw the fly-half combine brilliantly with Julien Marchand, the dazzling movement in midfield creating the space for Penaud to cross.

🇫🇷 That's @FranceRugby at its very best.

Enjoy this one, rugby fans. #GuinnessSixNations #ENGvFRA pic.twitter.com/lw8oJANcnM

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 13, 2021

It was now France who were storming into rucks and running hard at half-openings to pin England in their 22 and threaten another try.

Kyle Sinckler knocked on at the end of a muscular thrust through heavy traffic to end a breathless first half full of quality play, with France marginally on top with a 17-13 lead.

Two trips to the visiting 22, the second after a sharp break by Ben Youngs, got England moving again but each time the attack ended in a penalty.

And when France entered their half, they infringed again to allow Jalibert to kick Les Bleus seven points clear before Farrell responded to increase the tension in blustery conditions at Twickenham.

The third quarter was balanced on a knife edge and in a worrying sign, Brace was punishing them with increasing frequency.

France were piling on pressure once more but they fell apart at the scrum and the pendulum swung again.

England’s bench were making a real difference, especially Elliot Daly who glided into space with ease armed with a point to prove after being dropped for Malins.

And the crucial blow was delivered by Itoje in the closing stages as he used his power to score a vital try.

Check out the video highlights from England's 23-20 victory over France in London on Saturday.