Staggering Antoine Dupont thrills as France hammer Wales in Six Nations

Antoine Dupont returned to the Six Nations after a two-year absence to tear Wales apart as France claimed a dominant 43-0 victory in the opening match of the 2025 Six Nations Championship.

The 28-year-old missed the 2024 tournament as he began his journey to Olympic gold, but Les Bleus’ superstar was back in the saddle on Friday and was unsurprisingly influential during his 50 minutes on the field.

Dupont finished with three assists as the French ended the game as a contest after 40 minutes thanks to two tries each from Theo Attissogbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey.

You could not criticise the effort of the Welsh but they were well and truly outclassed and Julien Marchand, Emilien Gailleton and Gregory Alldritt all crossed the whitewash in the second period to seal the win.

It appeared to be the perfect start for Fabien Galthie’s men but Romain Ntamack slightly took the gloss off the victory when he was correctly sent off for a shoddy hit on Ben Thomas.

A ban duly awaits for Ntamack, likely leaving France without their first choice fly-half for the big Six Nations games against England and Ireland.

Few expected much from the visitors heading into this clash and those fears were eventually confirmed, but for a quarter there were some promising signs.

There was some nice variation from Thomas, Jac Morgan carried hard and early replacement Tommy Reffell was an absolute pest at the breakdown.

France, by contrast, were rather ragged early on, with even the great Dupont not quite finding his range, but that was soon rectified as the game headed towards the 20-minute mark.

The hosts’ half-back duly took centre stage and, after a spell of pressure, the superstar scrum-half’s inch-perfect crossfield kick was collected by Attissogbe and the young wing had the easy task of touching down.

Soon after it became a 14-point buffer as the hosts turned the Welsh defence inside out, allowing Thomas Ramos to throw the ball behind the back of an advancing Josh Adams for Bielle-Biarrey to scamper over.

Wales’ lack of quality was being exposed but so was their lack of belief.  Warren Gatland’s men rather resembled Italy of yesteryear, with their willingness and work ethic admirable but the confidence has ultimately been shot after 13 successive Test defeats.

France could do as they pleased and they had the bonus-point wrapped up before the break.  Evan Lloyd’s sin-binning certainly didn’t help Wales’ cause and with even more space to exploit, Dupont scythed through their rearguard to feed Attissogbe for his second score.

The 20-year-old was then joined on two tries for the game by a player just one year his senior when Bielle-Biarrey crossed the whitewash on the stroke of half-time.

Once again, Dupont played a key role, with his long pass finding the Bordeaux-Begles flyer out wide, but the hard work was done up front thanks to the pack’s dominant driving maul.  That drew in the defence to allow the playmaker to fire the ball out to the left where Bielle-Biarrey was lurking.

After Ramos kicked his fourth conversion, France held a dominant lead at the break and they could enjoy the second period.

The home side maintained their intensity immediately after the interval, albeit this time without the ball, as Wales began to look slightly more threatening in attack.

France withstood their efforts, though, and when Les Bleus put together their first real attack of the second half Marchand touched down from close range.

With the game done and dusted, the match became scrappy, but France still managed to show their vast array of skills as Gailleton finished off a flowing move.

It was all going swimmingly for the hosts but Ntamack was red carded when his shoulder connected with the head of Thomas.

That reckless act did not affect France on Friday, with Alldritt completing the win with a final try, but it could have consequences for Galthie’s side later on in the tournament.

The teams

France:  15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Théo Attissogbe, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Grégory Alldritt, 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 François Cros, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Alexandre Roumat, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements:  16 Julien Marchand, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Hugo Auradou, 20 Mickaël Guillard, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Émilien Gailleton

Wales:  15 Liam Williams, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Ben Thomas, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Jac Morgan (c), 6 James Botham, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Evan Lloyd, 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements:  16 Elliot Dee, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Freddie Thomas, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Dan Edwards, 23 Blair Murray

Referee:  Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Chris Busby (Ireland), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (Australia)

Out of sorts Ireland fight back against improving Wallabies to celebrate Cian Healy feat with a win

Ireland fought back from 10-0 down to overcome an improving Wallabies 22-19 in a tense Autumn Nations Series meeting at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.

Tries from Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris and Gus McCarthy along with the extras off the tee from Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley saw the Irish to a workmanlike victory.

Australia will look back on this match as one they perhaps should have won, with their only try coming from Max Jorgensen as Noah Lolesio kicked 14 points in the fixture.

It was a first period somewhat lacking in entertainment as Australia went into the break deservedly leading 13-5 thanks to a try from young Jorgenson and Lolesio’s boot.

Ireland did start strongly though and almost opened the scoring but for full-back Hugo Keenan having the ball stripped from his grasp just five metres from the try-line.

The Wallabies compounded the spillage by slotting a penalty on nine minutes, this after Ireland lock Joe McCarthy had made head contact with Australia’s Rob Valetini.

Australia had their tails up at this point and would cross the whitewash on 19 minutes, with an in-form Lolesio instrumental in Jorgenson diving over on the left wing.

Lolesio’s excellent touchline extras took Australia into a 10-0 lead but Van der Flier’s short-range carry soon brought Ireland back into it at 10-5.  However, the hosts would have expected Prendergast to add the conversion as a bad miss meant the Wallabies still had a nice cushion in their locker with just over a quarter of the match gone.

They extended the lead to eight on 33 minutes when prop Taniela Tupou’s interception and wayward offload resulted in a breakdown penalty which Lolesio coolly nailed.

It was perhaps symptomatic of Ireland’s first-half woes that the action finished with a misfiring lineout deep in Australia’s 22, with the latter trotting in feeling positive.

However, Ireland were much improved on their return and fly-half Prendergast chipped away at that lead on 43 minutes with a penalty from in front of the posts for 13-8.

Six minutes later they would hold the lead for the first time in the fixture when a kick to the corner led to quick ball and number eight Doris diving under the uprights.

That lead was snatched back by Australia though on 55 minutes when replacement Tom O’Toole was pinged for not releasing the ball carrier, meaning it was now 16-15.

Loleshio was on target once again on 63 minutes with a long-range effort as the Wallabies went 19-15 up and were looking in a positive space ahead of the game’s finale.

However, the bench saved Andy Farrell’s men as the injection of speedy service from Craig Casey coupled with a maul try from the promising McCarthy sealed the victory.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Gus McCarthy, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Garry Ringrose

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Joseph Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Max Jorgensen, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 James Slipper
Replacements:  16 Billy Pollard, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Harry Potter

Referee:  Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant Referees:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO:  Eric Gauzins (France)

England seal dominant victory over Eddie Jones’ Japan to round off disastrous Autumn Nations Series as defensive concerns remain

England ended a run of five successive defeats and concluded their Autumn Nations Series campaign with a dominant 59-14 triumph over Japan.

It provided a brief respite for their under pressure head coach Steve Borthwick, who saw his side control the game from start to finish.

The Englishmen were too strong for a poor an underpowered Japan side as they moved into a 35-7 advantage at the interval thanks to tries from Ben Earl, Sam Underhill, Jamie George (twice) and Ollie Sleightholme.

Naoto Saito touched down for the Brave Blossoms and Kazuki Himeno went over in the second period, but Eddie Jones’ men were comprehensively outplayed at Twickenham.

England scored four more tries after the break as George Furbank, Luke Cowan-Dickie (twice) and Tom Roebuck went over to complete an easy and much-needed win.

England were looking for a positive end to their Autumn Nations Series and, on the scoreboard at least, they got it.  They overpowered Japan and had the game won by half-time.

Most of the hard work was done by those up front, although there was the odd positive sign from the backline.

That included Ollie Lawrence, who created the first try, as the centre broke through the middle and found Earl to go over unopposed.

England’s forwards then went to work and, following a series of close-range surges, Underhill crossed the whitewash and was awarded a try, despite appearing to lose control of the ball.  It was awarded, however, and the Red Rose moved 14-0 ahead.

Japan were already on the back foot and they struggled to stem the tide, particularly at the set-piece.  The Red Rose scrum was consistently doing damage and setting up the position for the hosts to set up the maul, where George was the beneficiary.

Twice the captain went over after their pack charged towards the line, handing them a dominant 28-0 advantage after just half-an-hour.

Jones’ men had failed to truly fire a shot but, in the 34th minute, they finally got outside of that fallible English rush defence and scored a magnificent try.

Once again, the home side got it wrong, leaving their wide channel exposed, but that shouldn’t detract from the work of Dylan Riley, whose wonderful run was finished by Saito.

That was the visitors’ only positive in the first half, though, as England extended their buffer at the interval through Sleightholme after a wonderful pass from tighthead Will Stuart.

The second period continued in much the same fashion as the first, albeit the Red Rose were not quite as clinical as the first, while their defence continued to struggle when Japan were able to shift the ball wide.

Borthwick’s outfit registered two tries in the third quarter, with the first coming via a particularly special off-load from Tommy Freeman, as the wing’s superb piece of skill was collected and score by Furbank.

Cowan-Dickie then touched down before Japan manufactured another wonderful try, which was finished off by Himeno.

Their joy did not last long, though, as the hosts’ replacement hooker made it brace by scoring for a second time from close range.

It was all a bit too easy for England, who rounded off the victory when Fin Smith’s crossfield kick was well finished by Roebuck.

The teams

England:  15 George Furbank, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Tom Curry, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements:  16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Harry Randall, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Tom Roebuck

Japan:  15 Takuro Matsunaga, 14 Tomoki Osada, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Siosaia Fifita, 11 Jone Naikabula, 10 Nicholas McCurran, 9 Naoto Saito, 8 Faulua Makisi, 7 Kazuki Himeno, 6 Kanji Shimokawa, 5 Epineri Uluiviti, 4 Sanaila Waqa, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 2 Mamoru Harada, 1 Takato Okabe
Replacements:  16 Seunghyuk Lee, 17 Yukio Morikawa, 18 Keijiro Tamefusa, 19 Daichi Akiyama, 20 Tevita Tatafu, 21 Ben Gunter, 22 Shinobu Fujiwara, 23 Yusuke Kajimura

Referee:  Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant Referees:  Andrea Piardi (Italy), Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
TMO:  Olly Hodges (Ireland)

Superb Scotland blunt Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies to end tourists’ grand slam dream

The Wallabies are still waiting for their first Home Nations grand slam since 1984 after they were outplayed by an outstanding Scotland side, going down 27-13 at Murrayfield.

It was a tight and fraught opening period, with the hosts going 7-3 in front at the interval through Sione Tuipulotu’s try.

Noah Lolesio provided Australia’s response before the break and then added another three-pointer in the second period, but the Scots then hit their straps to take the game away from the tourists.

They touched down three more times via Duhan van der Merwe, Josh Bayliss and Finn Russell to end their Autumn Nations Series campaign with a fine victory.

The Wallabies, meanwhile, did get a consolation score through Harry Potter but it was a disappointing afternoon for Joe Schmidt’s outfit, who fell in the third match of their grand slam quest.

Plenty was riding on this contest, which was evident in the ferocity of the collisions and the fractious nature of the match.

It led to an intense and enthralling encounter, even if the mistakes meant that the sides struggled to truly find their rhythm with ball in hand.

The Wallabies were full of confidence following their victories in London and Cardiff.  In those matches, they scored 42 and 52 points respectively, but they found the Scottish defence much more difficult to breach on Sunday.

Although the tempo was there and the carries often forced the hosts’ rearguard back, Gregor Townsend’s men adjusted well and defended superbly inside their own 22.

Lolesio did reward the early Australian pressure with a penalty, but they struggled to turn their good work into tries.

In contrast, Scotland were more clinical.  They weren’t averse to the odd error when in good attacking positions, but the home side at least managed to turn some of their chances into points.

They had gone through the first quarter scoreless but rectified that in the 23rd minute when Tuipulotu charged onto Ewan Ashman’s lineout throw to touch down.

Schmidt would not have been happy with the Wallabies defence, but the Scottish captain was too powerful in contact for Andrew Kellaway and Len Ikitau.

After Russell added the conversion, that 7-3 scoreline remained until the start of the second period when the hosts’ fly-half extended their buffer.

Lolesio responded almost immediately but Scotland were beginning to take control thanks to the Australians’ discipline and the kicking accuracy of their opponents’ half-backs.

Townsend’s side duly put pressure on the Aussies’ try-line and it eventually resulted in Van der Merwe powering over to once again move ahead of Darcy Graham in the try-scoring pecking order.

Graham would still be an influential part of the win, however, as his searing break was finished off by Bayliss.

Scotland were now rampant and a fourth try was soon forthcoming as Huw Jones combined with Blair Kinghorn to send Russell across the whitewash.

That sealed the win and ended Australia’s hopes, despite Potter getting a score back for the visitors late on.

The teams

Scotland:  15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (c), 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White, 8 Matt Fagerson, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements:  16 Dylan Richardson, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Alex Craig, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 George Horne, 22 Tom Jordan, 23 Kyle Rowe

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Billy Pollard, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Nick Frost, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Max Jorgensen

Referee:  Chris Busby (Ireland)
Assistant Referees:  Andrew Brace (Ireland), Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

All Blacks overcome brave Italy as Will Jordan surpasses Jonah Lomu feat

New Zealand produced a disjointed display as they sealed a 29-11 Autumn Nations Series victory over a much-improved Italy at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

Scores from Cam Roigard, Will Jordan, Mark Tele’a and Beauden Barrett were added to by nine points off the tee from the latter as the All Blacks claimed a rugged win.

Paolo Garbisi kicked six points while Tommaso Menoncello scored for Italy and they will be buoyed by their performance, especially after a disappointing recent period.

There was plenty of encouragement from Italy’s first-half showing as they caused New Zealand several headaches and fronted up admirably in an improved performance.

The pressure they put on the All Blacks led to errors from the visitors.  However, a facet New Zealand had success was the scrum, which won them a couple of penalties.

It was Italy though who opened the scoring after Ardie Savea dived over a ruck in a cynical manner, allowing Garbisi to successfully nudge his team 3-0 into the lead.

New Zealand responded through Barrett on 15 minutes after Menoncello had over-extended at a ruck and taking the three points was a sign the All Blacks were rattled.

They didn’t help themselves when Patrick Tuipulotu and others were penalised for obstruction as Rieko Ioane collected the resulting restart, with Garbisi duly obliging.

At 6-3 up and with Scott Barrett being shown a yellow card for a croc-roll after 20 minutes, things were looking especially rosy for the fired-up Azzurri and their fans.

However, a much-needed opportunistic crossing from Roigard silenced the Allianz Stadium crowd as he sniped around the fringe of a ruck for a score to make it 10-6.

Things would get even better for the All Blacks on the stroke of half-time when Jordan was sent through a hole after a sustained period of pressure for a key try that moved him ahead of the great Jonah Lomu in New Zealand’s try-scoring chart.

The first score after the break was always going to be crucial and it looked for all money that the Italians would get it after dominating both possession and territory.

Unfortunately for the Azzurri ― even with Anton Lienert-Brown being sent to the sin-bin for repeated team offences ― they simply could not break down the black wall.

The scoreline remained locked at 16-7 as the final 10 minutes approached but it was a period not without key moments including Sam Cane bowing out to warm applause.  There was also the introduction of another outgoing New Zealand legend as scrum-half TJ Perenara emerged off the bench for his final run-out in the black shirt.

Finally, the deadlock was broken, however, on 71 minutes when sloppy passing in the backline eventually found Tele’a, with Beauden Barrett adding the tough extras.

It seemed fitting that Italy would have the final say in the game as Menoncello received an offload from Marco Zanon for a consolation score that was fully deserved.

However, the Azzurri chanced their arm too much in the final play on their own line and Beauden Barrett capitalised, cantering over to add gloss to the away win.

The teams

Italy:  15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Jacopo Trulla, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex (c), 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Martin Page-Relo, 8 Ross Vintcent, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Dino Lamb, 4 Federico Ruzza, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements:  16 Giacomo Nicotera, 17 Mirco Spagnolo 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Niccolò Cannone, 20 Alessandro Izekor, 21 Alessandro Garbisi, 22 Leonardo Marin 23 Marco Zanon

New Zealand:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Mark Tele’a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Tupou Vaa’i, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 David Havili, 23 Damian McKenzie

Referee:  Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant Referees:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Ludovic Cayre (France)
TMO:  Tual Trainini (France)

Springboks manhandle woeful Wales to complete Autumn Nations Series sweep, piling more pressure on Warren Gatland

South Africa cruised to a predictably emphatic 45-12 victory over struggling Wales to finish their Autumn Nations Series campaign on a high note on Saturday.

Tries from Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Elrigh Louw, Aphelele Fassi, Gerhard Steenekamp and Jordan Hendrikse saw the Springboks to victory.

For Wales this is their 12th Test defeat on the spin as the pressure continues to mount on under-fire head coach Warren Gatland following a difficult year at the helm.

The gulf in quality was evident right from the first whistle as the Springboks raced into a 12-0 inside eight minutes thanks to tries from lock duo Mostert and Etzebeth.

The former’s score was created thanks to South Africa dominating the physical exchanges and after Cheslin Kolbe was tackled, Mostert hit a wonderful angle off Jaden Hendrikse to stroll over the whitewash.  Jordan Hendrikse added the conversion as the Springboks put down an early marker at the Principality Stadium.

Not to be outdone, his second-row partner Etzebeth was next to cross as he combined superbly with Arendse on the left wing before adding his name to the board.

It was relentless and could have been much worse for the struggling Welsh had Siya Kolisi and Fassi not been held up over the try-line on either side of an Ardendse try.

Kolisi was denied again on 33 minutes after the officials spotted a spillage from Jaden Hendrikse at the base of a ruck as Wales looked to be living on borrowed time.

And so it proved as following utter scrum dominance from the Springboks, flanker Louw picked and went from close range to claim his side’s fourth try of the evening.

To their credit Wales did manage to end the half with some points on the board as Rio Dyer’s courageous score on the right wing gave them a glimmer of hope at 26-5.

There was no score in the opening 14 minutes of the second half with replacements being made during that time, with a new Bok front-row amongst those emerging.

But the lean spell was ended on 54 minutes when a lovely dummy and then pass from Arendse handed Fassi a clear run-in to the line for an unconverted try for 31-5.

That once again opened the floodgates for the Springboks as replacement prop Steenekamp was next to cross from close range, with Jordan Hendrikse adding the two.

The Bok fly-half was the next to put his name on the try-scoring sheet when he collected a lovely offload from Cobus Reinach before nailing the difficult conversion.

But Wales and their fans will be buoyed by how they finished the game and for those who had not made an early exit from the stadium, they saw James Botham claim a deserved try that was converted by Ben Thomas, which ended a one-sided game.

The teams

Wales:  15 Blair Murray, 14 Josh Hathaway, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Ellis Bevan, 8 Taine Plumtree, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 James Botham, 5 Christ Tshiunza, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Dewi Lake, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements:  16 Ryan Elias, 17 Kemsley Mathias, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Freddie Thomas, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Eddie James, 23 Owen Watkin

South Africa:  15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Thomas du Toit
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Marco van Staden, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Handre Pollard

Referee:  Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees:  Christophe Ridley (England), Damian Schneider (Argentina)
TMO:  Andrew Jackson (England)

Ireland run in eight tries to hammer Fiji as Sam Prendergast and debutant impress

Ireland produced a clinical performance led by fly-half Sam Prendergast as they beat Fiji 52-17 in their Autumn Nations Series clash at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Tries from Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Craig Casey, Mack Hansen (2), Bundee Aki, Gus McCarthy and Ronan Kelleher saw them to a comfortable victory.

Prendergast, on his first Test start, hooker McCarthy and centre Aki impressed in a positive run-out for Andy Farrell’s youthful and much-changed starting XV.

Kitione Salawa and Setareki Turagacoke were Fiji’s try-scorers while Caleb Muntz kicked two conversions and a penalty as they suffered a heavy away defeat.

Ireland enjoyed a dominant opening period as they crossed for four tries that were all converted by Prendergast, who had an eventful first start in the jersey.

The fly-half was involved in plenty of his team’s success in the first half but might count himself rather fortunate to see his yellow card for a shoulder to the head of Fiji flanker Salawa on eight minutes remain that colour.  He certainly made the most of his reprieve as he returned in fine fettle as Ireland turned the screw.

Before his indiscretion Ireland had taken a 7-0 lead on five minutes when a kick to the corner led to a lineout move that saw debutant hooker McCarthy put the ball back inside to Doris who set the scoreboard in motion.  Prendergast added the extras before that contentious moment involving Salawa followed soon after.

Fiji came close to responding on 10 minutes through wing Jiuta Wainiqolo but his reach for the try-line out wide was just short and Ireland soon made them pay.

A tap and go seven metres out saw a slick interchange from the Ireland forwards before Doris found flanker Van der Flier, who crashed over for a converted score.

Fiji did manage to reduce the margin thanks to a long-range penalty from Muntz but a yellow card for Eroni Mawi soon after once again put them on the back foot.

Ireland were beginning to purr and despite being denied a try for Cormac Izuchukwu due to a forward pass, the hosts would cross twice more before the interval thanks to a diving finish on the right wing from Casey after a lineout maul before Prendergast’s cross-kick put it on a plate for Hansen in added time to make it 28-3.

It took Ireland seven minutes after the resumption to extend the lead and for the third time of the game hooker McCarthy was the provider, this time for Aki.

With Farrell’s charges sitting 35-3 to the good and plenty of time left there was a danger the match could get away from the Fijians but they refused to roll over.

In fact they were next to cross the whitewash when flanker Salawa scrambled his way over on 55 minutes, with Muntz’s conversion reducing the gap to 25 points.

The contest was becoming increasingly open as a try from the back of a driving maul from young hooker McCarthy was soon cancelled out by Turagacoke’s score.

But one always felt that Ireland were still very much on top and they were helped by Turagacoke’s yellow card before Casey put Hansen over for his second try.

There was still plenty of time for one final crossing and it came from replacement hooker Kelleher as Ireland put the seal on an emphatic win on home soil.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Gus McCarthy, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Tom O’Toole, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Cian Prendergast, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Stuart McCloskey

Fiji:  15 Vuate Karawalevu, 14 Jiuta Wainiqolo, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu (c), 12 Josua Tuisova, 11 Ponipate Loganimasi, 10 Caleb Muntz, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Elia Canakaivata, 7 Kitione Salawa, 6 Meli Derenalagai, 5 Temo Mayanavunua, 4 Mesake Vocevoce, 3 Luke Tagi, 2 Tevita Ikanivere, 1 Eroni Mawi
Replacements:  16 Sam Matavesi, 17 Haereiti Hetet, 18 Samu Tawake, 19 Setareki Turagacoke, 20 Albert Tuisue, 21 Peni Matawalu, 22 Vilimoni Botitu, 23 Sireli Maqala

Referee:  Hollie Davidson (SRU)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (RFU), Sam Grove-White (SRU)
TMO:  Mike Adamson (SRU)

Ruthless France punish mistake-ridden Argentina as Les Bleus complete unbeaten Autumn Nations Series campaign

France completed an unbeaten Autumn Nations Series campaign after they produced a dominant display to earn a 37-23 victory over Argentina in Paris.

Les Bleus started well, going 7-0 ahead via Thibaud Flament’s try, before the respective fly-halves took over.  Los Pumas’ Tomas Albornoz kicked three penalties while Thomas Ramos added two off the tee as the French moved into a 13-9 lead.

That was when the hosts took control as Gabin Villiere’s score and a penalty try, allied by another Ramos three-pointer, opened up a 21-point buffer at the interval.

Argentina improved after the break, as evidenced by tries for Thomas Gallo and Ignacio Ruiz, but they never truly threatened a comeback and Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s effort rounded off a good few weeks for France.

Los Pumas’ big issue has been their consistency ― a good performance against a top-tier nation being followed by an absolute capitulation ― and that theme effectively continued in Paris on Friday.

Felipe Contepomi’s men were confident going into this encounter after running Ireland close last weekend, but they were blown away in the final 10 minutes of the first half.

The opening stages had indicated what Les Bleus were capable of as a series of powerful carries put the visiting defence under pressure, allowing Antoine Dupont to send Flament across the whitewash.

At that point, the South Americans were already down to 14 men after Julian Montoya had been sin-binned for twisting the leg of Jean-Baptiste Gros, which ended the prop’s game, and those discipline issues were a significant factor in their downfall.

To Argentina’s credit, they did battle back, almost scoring through number eight Joaquin Oviedo, but it was the boot of Albornoz that ultimately chipped away at the lead.

The away side’s fly-half kicked three penalties to Ramos’ two as they went into the final eight minutes of the half just four points in arrears, but they then imploded.

Although the Argentines could not do too much about Villiere’s try, set up by Leo Barre’s excellent off-load, they made a catastrophic error for France’s third try.

More specifically, it was Juan Martin Gonzalez who was at fault.  Once again, Les Bleus did superbly to get into position as Dupont’s deft kick sent Ramos clear before the pivot dabbed it over the top for Bielle-Biarrey to chase.

It was a foot race between the French wing and the speedy Argentinian flanker.  Gonzalez appeared to have won that duel but then panicked and knocked the ball deliberately forward, leading to a yellow card and penalty try.

Ramos then made matters worse for the visitors by adding a three-pointer on the stroke of half-time, giving Los Pumas so much to do in the second period.

They set about their task impressively, battering away at Les Bleus’ line, and the pressure eventually resulted in Gallo crossing the whitewash.

With 25 minutes remaining, the visitors potentially had a route back into the game but, once again, they shot themselves in the foot.  Argentina conceded possession on their own 22 after an attempted box-kick was charged down and France ― for the umpteenth time ― ruthlessly took advantage of that mistake.

Fabien Galthie’s men found the space on the left-hand side and gave it to Bielle-Biarrey, who saw a chance in behind and kicked ahead.  Just like he did against the All Blacks the week prior, the youngster won the race decisively to seal the victory.

Argentina did have the final word on the scoreboard through Ruiz, but France deservedly emerged with a comfortable win.

The teams

France:  15 Leo Barre, 14 Gabin Villiere, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Thomas Ramos, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Charles Ollivon , 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros.
Replacements:  16 Julien Marchand, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Alexandre Roumat, 20 Mickael Guillard, 21 Marko Gazzotti, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Emilen Gailleton

Argentina:  15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Matias Moroni, 11 Bautista Delguy, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Garcia, 8 Joaquin Oviedo, 7 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements:  16, Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Ignacio Calles, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Marcos Kremer, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Santi Carreras, 23 Mateo Carreras

Referee:  Luke Pearce (RFU)
Assistant Referees:  Andrea Piardi (FIR), Morné Ferreira (SARU)
TMO:  Ian Tempest (RFU)

Wallabies run riot in EIGHT-TRY victory over Wales as pressure mounts on Warren Gatland

The Wallabies were in excellent form on Sunday as they ran in eight tries in an utterly dominant 52-20 win over Wales that piles the pressure on head coach Warren Gatland.

A hat-trick apiece from Tom Wright and Matt Faessler and further tries from Nick Frost and Len Ikitau saw Australia thump the struggling Welsh at the Principality Stadium.

Noah Lolesio slotted over six conversions to Australia’s tally as their Autumn Nations Series campaign is going from strength to strength under head coach Joe Schmidt.

It was a first half of two quarters in Cardiff as Australia enjoyed an impressive opening but Wales, to their credit, recovered to head into the interval just six points off the pace.

Indeed, the visitors were brilliant as they built themselves a healthy 19-0 cushion by 22 minutes as New Zealander Schmidt appears to have rediscovered the Wallabies’ DNA.

They were almost off the mark on 10 minutes when Wright found an edge before Max Jorgensen offloaded to Samu Kerevi but he was denied by a great Tom Rogers tackle.

It only delayed Australia though as sustained pressure in the Welsh 22 saw them come right and full-back Wright slipped through the net to make it a 5-0 buffer for his team.

A handling error from Wales on halfway then saw impressive Wallabies lock Frost run over from distance, with Lolesio on target this time to extend the gap to 12 points.

Schmidt’s charges were now purring and a lineout drive resulted in their third try of the night as hooker Faessler crashed over and with the conversion it was a 19-0 margin.

The hosts needed a miracle as they were staring down the barrel of a horror result and somehow they found it with Aaron Wainwright scoring from close range on 25 minutes.

Gareth Anscombe would then further chip away at the lead with two penalties before the break, with the margin now very much within reach as the sides took a breather.

Wales were given a further boost soon after the turnaround when Kerevi was shown a yellow card that was later upgraded to red for making head contact with Jac Morgan.

However, their numerical advantage did not have the desired effect as it was in fact the Wallabies who struck first in the second stanza as a dominant driving maul from the visitors saw Faessler crash over to grab his second try of the game on 47 minutes.  Lolesio was off-target with the conversion attempt which meant it was a 26-13 cushion.

Incredibly the Wallabies seemed inspired by Kerevi’s red card and were over again on 52 minutes when Faessler broke off another maul and barged over to make it 33-13.

The Welsh needed a miracle as time ticked down before Australia could replace Kerevi and they were unfortunately denied a James Botham crossing due to a forward pass.

That near miss for Wales would be compounded on the hour mark when a rapid Wright intercepted a Sam Costelow pass before cruising over from distance to make it 40-13.

Centre Ben Thomas did at least give those wearing red in the Principality Stadium something to cheer on 68 minutes when he crashed over after running a smart line.

But it brought smiles that were short-lived as the classy Wallabies grabbed try number seven with five minutes remaining as Ikitau stepped and cantered over with ease.

The agony was still not over for Wales, however, as there was still time for a second Wallaby to claim his hat-trick as Wright put the gloss on a handsome win in Cardiff.

In contrast, the pressure is now mounting on Wales head coach Gatland after an 11th successive loss on the international stage with the Springboks coming next weekend.

The teams

Wales:  15 Cameron Winnett, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Blair Murray, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Ellis Bevan, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 James Botham, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Dewi Lake (c) 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements:  16 Ryan Elias, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Christ Tshiunza, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Eddie James

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Max Jorgensen, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Nic White, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Seru Uru, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (c), 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 James Slipper, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii

Referee:  James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (England), Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
TMO:  Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)

Italy survive Georgia scare with record-breaking comeback win

Italy recorded their biggest-ever comeback win to beat Georgia 20-17 in a tense encounter in Genoa on Sunday.

The Azzurri found themselves 17-6 down at half-time, but a run of 14 unanswered points steered them to a gutsy victory.

After a fairly even and entertaining opening 20 minutes, Italy opened the scoring through the boot of fly-half Paolo Garbisi.

This sparked new life into the game, and Georgia took full advantage of it as they crossed mere minutes later.  A sensational attack found the ball in the hands of electric winger Akaki Tabutsadze, and he sliced through the Azzurri defence to cross the whitewash.

Italy responded well to this, however, and made Georgia pay for a string of penalties with another three-pointer from the boot of Garbisi.

A clever take in the air from Alexander Todua at the resulting kick-off got Georgia deep into the Italian 22, which allowed them to strike with a penalty of their own from Luka Matkava.

Los Lelos weren’t done there, and they added their second try of the game shortly after.  A delicious line-break from Davit Niniashvili teleported Georgia deep into Italian territory, and he put the try on a plate for the supporting Vasil Lobzhanidze, who dived under the posts.

With the clock in the red, Italy had another golden opportunity to score, but heroic defence from Georgia dragged Matt Gallagher into touch just as the full-back looked like scoring.

Gonzalo Quesada’s side needed a big start to the second-half if they stood any chance of coming back into the game, and they got exactly that through a penalty try.  A string of Georgian penalties allowed Italy to set up camp in the 22, and ultimately Tabutsadze’s deliberate knock-on was punished with seven points and a sin-bin.

They could easily have scored another too, after yet again heading into the Georgian 22, but a knock-on from Manuel Zuliani gifted them an easy reprieve.

Momentum was still evidently with the Azzurri, however.  Yet more ill-discipline from the visitors allowed Italy to once again get within touching distance, but a well-worked strike move from a lineout allowed Alessandro Fusco to dart through a hole in the defence to score on his return to the side.

Italy nearly made it back-to-back tries too, however, Monty Ioane was taken into touch by a gaggle of Georgian defenders and they escaped once more.

With the clock winding down, Georgia had one final throw of the dice with a lineout inside the Azzurri half, but a knock-on handed Italy back possession, and ultimately the game.

The teams

Italy:  15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Jacopo Trulla, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 8 Ross Vintcent, 7 Michele Lamaro, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Dino Lamb-Cona, 4 Niccolo Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements:  16 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Pietro Ceccarelli, 19 Riccardo Favretto, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Alessandro Fusco, 22 Leonardo Marin, 23 Giulio Bertaccini

Georgia:  15 Davit Niniashvili, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Giorgi Kveseladze, 12 Tornike Kakhoidze, 11 Alexander Todua, 10 Luka Matkava, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 8 Tornike Jalagonia, 7 Giorgi Tsutskiridze, 6 Spanderashvili Ilia, 5 Giorgi Javakhia, 4 Mikheili Babunashvili, 3 Irakli Aptsiauri, 2 Vano Karkadze, 1 Nika Abuladze
Replacements:  16 Luka Nioradze, 17 Giorgi Akhaladze, 18 Luka Japaridze, 19 Vladimeri Chachanidze, 20 Luka Ivanishvili, 21 Gela Aprasidze, 22 Tedo Abzhandadze, 23 Demur Tapladze

Referee:  Ben O’Keeffe (NZR)
Assistant Referees:  Paul Williams (NZR), Damian Schneider (UAR)
TMO:  Glenn Newman (NZR)

France edge the All Blacks in Paris thriller as Scott Robertson’s side lose unbeaten tour record

France handed Scott Robertson his first defeat in six as they made it three successive victories over the All Blacks following a 30-29 success in Paris.

In another Autumn Nations Series thriller, Les Bleus went into the break 17-10 in arrears following tries by Peter Lakai and Cam Roigard, but they hit back in the second period.

Fabien Galthie’s men moved ahead as Paul Boudehent and Louis Bielle-Biarrey touched down and it was a lead they would not relinquish.

That was despite the accurate kicking of Damian McKenzie, who added four penalties when he came on, but successive Thomas Ramos three-pointers was just enough for France as they edged to a win.

Having won their past five matches, Robertson’s outfit came into this game with confidence and, despite an early Ramos three-pointer, they showed why spirits have been significantly lifted in New Zealand.

The visitors manufactured a superb try as superb hands set Ardie Savea free down the left and, after he had fended off the attentions of a couple of defenders, his off-load sent rookie Lakai across the whitewash.

Lakai had come on for Samipeni Finau, who suffered a head injury, but it did not impact the All Blacks as they had the better of the opening half-hour.

With half-backs Cam Roigard and Beauden Barrett dictating things nicely, and the scrum getting to work on the France front-row, the tourists were beginning to control matters.

Les Bleus were already without first-choice props Cyril Baille and Uini Atonio and when Tevita Tatafu was forced off, Georges-Henri Colombe was exposed in the set-piece.

Tamaiti Williams put the big tighthead under significant duress and it was from that pressure which led to Roigard’s try.  Number eight Gregory Alldritt had to pick up the ball from a retreating scrum and the All Blacks scrum-half was on hand to nick it, speed away and touch down.

There were signs that the hosts were beginning to creak, but they managed to respond as the forwards, guided by the typically excellent Antoine Dupont, made ground through the heart of the opposition defence.

Eventually, New Zealand cracked as Romain Buros crossed the whitewash on debut, Ramos converting, to reduce the arrears.

Although Barrett made it a seven-point buffer at the interval, Les Bleus had shown that they could attack the All Blacks right through the middle and they managed to do the same at the start of the second period.

Galthie’s side set up a maul five metres out and rumbled towards the line, allowing Boudehent to touch down.  Ramos added the extras and all of a sudden the pressure was back on New Zealand, who perhaps should have gone into the break with a greater lead.

Robertson’s men initially handled it well, moving the ball through the phases and almost going over in the left-hand corner, but they then began to force the play.

That was demonstrated by Tupou Vaa’i as the lock’s off-load went to ground and was picked up by Ramos.  The fly-half then kicked through and the chasing Bielle-Biarrey absolutely burned Sevu Reece to score.

Unperturbed, the All Blacks looked to hit back and increased the pressure on the French, forcing their opponents to infringe in kickable positions.

After coming on as a replacement, McKenzie was successful off the tee on three occasions, but Ramos’ own three-pointer just kept the hosts in front going into the final 10 minutes.

It set up a tense conclusion but, unlike against England, New Zealand were unable to get over the line.  The respective kickers did trade efforts off the tee in the latter stages, but France managed to maintain that one-point gap.

The teams

France:  15 Romain Buros, 14 Gabin Villiere, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Thomas Ramos, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Gregory Aldritt, 7 Alexandre Roumat, 6 Paul Boudehent, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Tevita Tatafu, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements:  16 Julien Marchand, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Mickael Guillard, 21 Charles Ollivon, 22 Nolann le Garrec, 23 Emilen Gailleton

New Zealand:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Damian McKenzie

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Springboks show champion qualities as Cheslin Kolbe scores twice to beat England and pile more pressure on Steve Borthwick

The Springboks showed their world champion qualities to withstand a competitive England performance and take a 29-20 victory at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

It increases the pressure on Red Rose head coach Steve Borthwick, who once again saw his side produce some good things but ultimately fall short in a fifth successive loss.

After narrow defeats to the All Blacks and Wallabies, they succumbed to the number one team in the world as tries from Grant Williams, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Cheslin Kolbe (twice) secured the win for South Africa.

The Red Rose were 20-19 in front at one stage after converted tries from Ollie Sleightholme and Sam Underhill, allied by 10 points from the boot of Marcus Smith, but once again they faltered in the latter stages of the match.

England ― and their head coach ― remain under pressure after yet another reversal, but one player who doesn’t appear to be feeling that is Marcus Smith.

Their best player against both the All Blacks and the Wallabies, the fly-half was once again the hosts’ main creator at Twickenham and set up their opening score on Saturday.

The Red Rose had started well and their playmaker shaped up for a drop-goal but, when Eben Etzebeth flew out of the line to close him down, Smith dummied, sped towards the left-hand side and found Henry Slade, who fed Sleightholme to score.

It was an excellent opening for Borthwick but the world champions soon responded to level thanks to a brilliant individual try from Williams, who beat Ellis Genge and Freddie Steward to touch down.

England regained their lead through the boot of Smith but South Africa began to force errors.  Etzebeth was key to that and, after the lock charged down Jack van Poortvliet, Du Toit followed up to do the same to Smith before collecting and scoring.

The Springboks then made it a nine-point buffer after Libbok’s cross-field kick was finished by Kolbe.

At that point, the visitors had the momentum and could have taken control but, to the home side’s credit, they hit back and gave themselves hope via Underhill’s close-range effort.

That kept them in the game at the break and they managed to edge in front in the third quarter.  Both sides had tries ruled out ― Springboks for a forward pass and England for a croc roll ― before Smith was successful with a penalty.

The second period certainly did not have the pace and tempo of the first half but it was no less intriguing with the physicality and intensity off the charts.

It was all about the small wins and the Boks began to get an edge in the contact area with Handre Pollard kicking a three-pointer after an English infringement to take the tourists back in front.

Then came the decisive moment as Damian de Allende’s power did for Slade and Ben Earl as he charged through and passed to Kolbe, who once again showed his incredible balance and footwork to finish.

That was ultimately enough to claim the victory, despite some needless penalties from the Boks which led to Gerhard Steenekamp’s yellow card.

There was no lack of effort from England but their execution was severely lacking, while Rassie Erasmus’ men defended superbly in the final quarter to secure the win.

The teams

England:  15 Freddie Steward, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements:  16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Harry Randall, 22 George Ford, 23 Tom Roebuck

South Africa:  15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 RG Snyman, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Elrigh Louw, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Lukhanyo Am

Referee:  Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees:  Chris Busby (Ireland), Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Second string Scots put 50 past Os Lobos as Darcy Graham equals all-time try-scoring record

Hot-stepping wing Darcy Graham equalled Duhan van der Merwe’s all-time try-scoring record for Scotland as they triumphed over Portugal 59-21 on Saturday.

The much-changed Scottish side had a strong afternoon, running in eight tries through Will Hurd, Stafford McDowall, Graham, Josh Bayliss, Jamie Bhatti, Arron Reed (2), Jamie Dobie and a penalty try while Adam Hastings kicked five conversions and Tom Jordan one.

Portugal may have been on the wrong end of the result but still scored the most points against a home nation in their history through three tries from Luka Begic, Raffaele Storti and Samuel Marques, who also kicked both conversions.

It did not take long for the scoreboard to be active with Hurd opening the scoring with an unconverted try in the third minute.

Momentum stayed firmly with the hosts as McDowall snapped up a loose ball to score a try on his first game captaining his country.  Hastings was on hand to kick the extras on this occasion.

The hosts continued to play with swagger and, although Portugal’s defence grew into the game, Scotland were handed a penalty try for an illegally collapsed maul on Os Lobos’ line in the 27th minute.

The misery continued as sustained Scottish pressure resulted in Graham skipping through for his record-equalling try six minutes later with Hastings adding the extras, as he did for Bayliss’ try just four minutes after that.  However, Portugal had the final say with Begic’s converted score.

Scotland started the second period as they did the first with an early try, this time through Bhatti ― his first in Test rugby.  Hastings would miss the kick and next on the scoreboard was Portuguese talisman Marques who scampered over for a try he converted himself in the 54th minute.

Reed then suddenly decided to announce himself in the game with a three-minute double around the hour mark, both of which were converted by Hastings.

Portugal scored their last points of the game through a converted Storti try, but it was Scotland who had the final word with Dobie scoring his try, with man of the match Jordan kicking the conversion.

Teams

Scotland:  15 Tom Jordan, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Rory Hutchinson, 12 Stafford McDowall (c), 11 Arron Reed, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 George Horne, 8 Josh Bayliss, 7 Ben Muncaster, 6 Luke Crosbie, 5 Alex Samuel, 4 Alex Craig, 3 Will Hurd, 2 Patrick Harrison, 1 Jamie Bhatti
Replacements:  16 Johnny Matthews, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Ewan Johnson, 20 Freddy Douglas, 21 Jamie Dobie, 22 Matt Currie, 23 Kyle Rowe

Portugal:  15 Simao Bento, 14 Raffaele Storti, 13 Jose Lima, 12 Tomas Appleton, 11 Lucas Martins, 10 Domingos Cabral, 9 Samuel Marques, 8 Frederico Couto, 7 Nicolas Martins, 6 Andre da Cunha, 5 Duarte Torgal, 4 Jose Madeira, 3 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 2 Luka Begic, 1 David Costa
Replacements:  16 Abel da Cunha, 17 Pedro Vicente, 18 Antonio Prim, 19 Antonio Rebelo de Andrade, 20 Vasco Baptista, 21 Antonio Campos, 22 Hugo Aubry, 23 Manuel Cardoso Pinto

Referee:  Takehito Namekawa (JRFU)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (RFU), Anthony Woodthorpe (RFU)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (IRFU)

Ireland unconvincingly edge Argentina to bounce back from All Blacks defeat claiming a hard-fought three-point victory

Ireland bounced back from their second home loss under Andy Farrell to defeat Argentina 22-19 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday evening.

Jack Crowley led the charge for the hosts in the Autumn Nations Series encounter scoring 12 points including a try, a drop goal and two conversions while Mack Hansen and man of the match Joe McCarthy also crossed the whitewash.

For Argentina, Tomas Albornoz continued his stunning form in 2024 nailing all five of his shots at goal ― four penalties and a conversion ― while Juan Cruz Mallia scored Los Pumas’ only try of the match.

After losing their opening November international to the All Blacks, Farrell’s charges bounced back with a hard-fought and unconvincing victory over the Pumas who produced an inspired performance.

Ireland looked to apply pressure early on after a charge down following the restart but Argentina forced a turnover and cantered upfield with Argentina winger Bautista Delguy beating several defenders before Matias Moroni crossed the whitewash.  However, the try was chalked off after Moroni was judged to have tackled fly-half Crowley high and was sent to the sin bin with his tackle also being reviewed.

Andy Farrell’s charges quickly pounced and made the most of the man advantage as they struck from the resulting lineout with Rónan Kelleher powering off the back of a slick lineout move and moments later it was Crowley who forced his way over for his first-ever Test try which he duly converted.

Ireland scored their second try in just six minutes when Garry Ringrose tore through the defence after a spilt ball and raced into the Argentina 22.  Jamison Gibson-Park whipped a wide pass to Tadhg Beirne who unselfishly passed in side to Hansen to score his first try of the year after making his return from injury against New Zealand a week ago.

Moroni breathed a sigh of relief as his yellow card was not upgraded to a red one by the Foul Play Review Officer as they judged that it was a low level of danger allowing the centre to return to the action with Argentina down 12-3 after Albornoz converted a penalty moments before he returned.

Ireland looked to have gone even further ahead as Robbie Henshaw manufactured a stunning try-scoring opportunity only for the ever-impressive Beirne to spill the ball over the line with Moroni again involved with the Irish forward losing his control of the ball on the centre’s upper body.

In a helter-skelter 16 minutes, it was Ireland’s turn to go down a man as tighthead prop Finlay Bealham was sent to the sidelines for a croc roll on his opposite number Joel Sclavi ― and Albornoz added another penalty ― with his card also remaining yellow after an off-field review.  Ireland’s response came through Crowley again as the pivot nailed a drop goal to cancel out Los Pumas’ penalty on 21 minutes.  Kelleher ran an obstruction line four minutes later, allowing Albornoz another shot at reducing the lead and he duly took it.

McCarthy barged over for Ireland’s third when they were back to 15 men as James Lowe snuck through the smallest of holes after a lineout and the second rower crashed over as Ireland went 22-9 up after 32 minutes.

Argentina applied the pressure in the final moments of the half twice coming close to scoring a late try but were denied once by the bounce of the ball and another time by Beirne holding up the ball carrier, a turnover with the clocking going red denied the visitors as Ireland held a 13 point advantage at the break.

Argentina come out firing

After the break, it was the Pumas who drew first blood as Mallia scathed through the initial defence before racing into the Ireland 22 and skinned Hansen with a superb step to score the South American side’s first try of the game and cut the lead to six points.  Ireland were put under the pump in the early knockings of the second half and McCarthy paid the price after he was caught offside and was sent to the bin.  From the resulting penalty, Albornoz made it a three-point game.

There was no change to the score line for the next 20 minutes, with both sides enjoying long passages of play with the ball in hand, particularly Ireland with Farrell’s men notably turning down a shot at goal in order to run a set move from a tap and go ― they set a rolling maul from the tap but Argentina stalled them and turned the ball over a few phases later.

Momentum looked to have swung in Los Pumas’ favour after that turnover and a later pilfer at a breakdown but that was undone by a horrid Francisco Gomez Kodela clearout that resulted in the replacement prop being yellow-carded.  While the prop was off for the remainder of the match, his actions were deemed not to warrant a red card.

Ireland again went on the offensive but were denied by another breakdown pilfer giving the Pumas another shot at a famous victory, but Contepomi’s charges came up short despite working their way deep into the host’s 22 but they were shut out as the clock went into the red.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Ryan Baird, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Sam Prendergast, 23 Jamie Osborne

Argentina:  15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Matias Moroni, 11 Bautista Delguy, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Joaquin Oviedo, 7 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julián Montoya, 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements:  16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Ignacio Calles, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Santiago Grondona, 21 Gonzalo Garcia, 22 Santiago Carreras, 23 Justo Piccardo

Referee:  Paul Williams (NZR)
Assistant Referees:  Craig Evans (WRU), Angus Mabey (NZR)
TMO:  Richard Kelly (NZR)

Springboks blow Scotland away to kickstart their November tour with flattering win

The Springboks got the job done but were made to work hard for their 32-15 Autumn Nations Series victory against Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.

Although the world champions outscored Scotland by four tries to none, the home side were competitive for long periods and delivered a spirited performance throughout.

However, the Springboks’ proved too strong in the end with Makazole Mapimpi (2), Thomas du Toit and Jasper Wiese crossing the whitewash while Handre Pollard succeeded with three conversions and a couple of penalties.

Scotland’s points came courtesy of five penalties from Finn Russell.

South Africa made a terrific start as they opened the scoring as early as the fourth minute when Mapimpi crossed for the opening try.  This, after Pollard caught Scotland’s defence napping with a perfectly weighted cross-field kick which Mapimpi gathered before diving over in the left-hand corner.

Pollard was off target with his conversion attempt but the home side suffered another setback in the 10th minute when Scott Cummings was yellow-carded for a dangerous cleanout on Franco Mostert which was later upgraded to a 20-minute red card by the TMO Bunker after a review.

Despite losing Cummings, Scotland did not panic and they held a 6-5 lead midway through the opening half after Russell slotted two penalties in quick succession.

However, the visitors struck back when Thomas du Toit crossed for their second five-pointer on the half-hour-mark.  This after Mostert failed to gather a lineout on Scotland’s five-metre line.  Du Toit was quickest to react and gathered the ball at the back of the set-piece before crossing for his first Test try.

Pollard added the extras but Scotland reduced the deficit in the 33rd minute when he succeeded with his third three-pointer off the kicking tee.

The Boks still held an edge, however, and shortly afterwards Mapimpi was rewarded with his second try, after gathering a delightful chip kick from Willie le Roux inside the home side’s 22.

Scotland responded when their captain Sione Tuipulotu put Tom Jordan in the clear with a deft offload and the full-back offloaded to Ben White, who dotted down.

However, the score was disallowed due to a knock-on from Huw Jones in the build-up which meant the teams changed sides at half-time with the world champions holding a 19-9 lead.

Four tries without reply as the #Springboks kick off the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour with a big win in Edinburgh 👏#ForeverGreenForeverGold #SCOvRSA pic.twitter.com/fVlU4jpVO1

― Springboks (@Springboks) November 10, 2024

Scotland drew first blood after the restart courtesy of a Russell penalty in the 44th minute and shortly afterwards Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus unloaded his much-vaunted Bomb Squad with six of his forward replacements ― Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese ― joining the fray at the same time after the seventh one ― RG Snyman ― had come at the start of the half.

Those changes did not have the desired effect as Scotland held the upper hand during the next 10 minutes and the Springboks suffered a setback when Mapimpi was yellow carded for a professional foul on defence in the 58th minute.

Soon after, Russell added his fifth penalty which meant the Boks were holding a slender four-point lead but that was the only points they would concede during Mapimpi’s stint in the sin bin.

Pollard slotted two more penalties, which gave the Boks some breathing space, and in the game’s dying moments Wiese secured the result for the visitors when he crossed for his five-pointer after a powerful run off the back of a scrum on Scotland’s five-metre line.

The teams

Scotland:  15 Tom Jordan, 14 Blair Kinghorn, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (c), 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements:  16 Dylan Richardson, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Max Williamson, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 Jamie Ritchie, 22 Jamie Dobie, 23 Stafford McDowall

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Kwagga Smith, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth (c), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 22 Jasper Wiese, 23 Grant Williams

Referee:  Christophe Ridley (England)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO:  Ian Tempest (England)

Fiji claim famous Cardiff victory as miserable Wales fall to 10th successive Test defeat

Fiji created history on Sunday as they claimed their first-ever victory over Wales in Cardiff and, in doing so, they also handed their opponents their 10th successive international defeat.

As predicted in our preview, this was a tightly contested affair with the game’s outcome in the balance for long periods but Fiji were deserved winners in the end as they eventually sealed a 24-19 victory.

Despite losing the services of backline star Semi Radradra, who was red carded for foul play in the opening half, Fiji held the upper hand for most of the match and Caleb Muntz was their hero as he finished with a 19-point haul courtesy of a try, a conversion and four penalties while Josua Tuisova also dotted down.

For Wales, Blair Murray and Ellis Bevan scored tries while they were also awarded a penalty try and Gareth Anscombe added a conversion.

The opening exchanges were evenly contested but Wales held an edge during that period and opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Test debutant Murray rounded off out wide, after Ben Thomas and Cameron Winnett laid the groundwork with slick handling in the build-up.

Despite that five-pointer, the visitors were competitive and five minutes later Muntz succeeded with his first penalty after Wales captain Dewi Lake infringed at a ruck.

In the 15th minute, Wales crossed the whitewash again when Winnett dotted down but the score was disallowed when television replays revealed a dangerous clean out from Tommy Reffell on Radrada in the build-up and the Wales flanker was also yellow carded for his offence.

Midway through the half, Wales were awarded a penalty try when Elia Canakaivata was blown up for illegally entering a driving maul from the hosts close to his try-line and preventing a try from being scored.  Like Reffell, the visitors’ number eight was also forced to spend 10 minutes in the sin bin for his indiscretion.

Things went from bad to worse for the Pacific Islanders shortly afterwards when Radradra also received his marching orders for a dangerous hit on Winnett.  Radradra’s challenge was reviewed by the TMO Bunker and it was upgraded eventually to a 20-minute red card.

Despite being reduced to 13 men, Fiji did not panic and in the 24th minute Muntz left his stamp on this match when he crossed for an outstanding five-pointer.

This, after the Fiji fly-half gathered the ball just outside Wales’ 10-metre line and showed his class as he beat five defenders with deft footwork before crossing the whitewash.

Fiji continued to dominate as the half progressed and just before half-time referee Luc Ramos awarded a penalty try to them after Wales collapsed a rolling maul from their opponents close to their try-line.

The visitors’ joy was short-lived, however, as the score was ruled out due to an indiscretion from Fiji’s forwards before, meaning the home side held a slender 14-10 lead.

SGÔR TERFYNOL

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿19-24🇫🇯
#AutumnNationsSeries | #WALvFIJ pic.twitter.com/tQKLl5Fru0

― Welsh Rugby Union 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@WelshRugbyUnion) November 10, 2024

Fiji were fastest out of the blocks after the interval and Muntz narrowed the gap to one point in the 44th minute thanks to a successful penalty and five minutes later he added another three-pointer off the kicking tee which gave his side the lead for the first time in the match.

On the hour-mark, Fiji took control of proceedings when Tuisova crashed over for their second try after powering through two defenders in the build-up and Muntz added the extras which gave his side a 21-14 lead.

Wales desperately needed a response and that came in the 65th minute when Bevan crossed for a well-taken try out wide after the ball went through several pairs of hands in the build-up.

Sam Costelow was off target with the resulting conversion attempt and that meant the visitors were holding a 21-19 lead with time running out on the clock.

Although Wales were piling on the pressure, Fiji continued to launch attacks and in the 75th minute Muntz slotted his fourth penalty which clinched a famous victory for the visitors.

The teams

Wales:  15 Cameron Winnett, 14 Mason Grady, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Blair Murray, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 Taine Plumtree, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements:  16 Ryan Elias, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Christ Tshiunza, 20 James Botham, 21 Jac Morgan, 22 Ellis Bevan, 23 Sam Costelow

Fiji:  15 Vuate Karawalevu, 14 Jiuta Wainiqolo, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu (cc), 12 Josua Tuisova, 11 Semi Radradra, 10 Caleb Muntz, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Elia Canakaivata, 7 Kitione Salawa, 6 Ratu Meli Derenalagi, 5 Temo Mayanavanua, 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Samuela Tawake, 2 Tevita Ikanivere (cc), 1 Eroni Mawi
Replacements:  16 Sam Matavesi, 17 Haereiti Hetet, 18 Jone Koroiduadua, 19 Mesake Vocevoce, 20 Albert Tuisue, 21 Simi Kuruvoli, 22 Isaiah Ravula, 23 Sireli Maqala

Referee:  Luc Ramos (FFR)
Assistant Referees:  Pierre Brousset (FFR), Hollie Davidson (SRU)
TMO:  Eric Gauzins (FFR)

Antoine Dupont shines on return, Les Bleus a class apart

France captain Antoine Dupont bagged two try assists in his return for Les Bleus, who dismantled Eddie Jones’ Japan 52-12 on Saturday.

The hosts scored eight tries through Louis Bielle-Biarrey (2), Emilien Gailleton, Alexandre Roumat, Peato Mauvaka, Jean-Baptiste Gros and a double from Paul Boudehent.  Fly-half Thomas Ramos added six conversions from the tee.

Japan could only manage two tries via Harumichi Tatekawa and Tevita Tatafu with Naoto Saito kicking a conversion.

The hosts shot out of the blocks with Bielle-Biarrey the first to score a try after just three minutes.  Ramos did not get the kick on this occasion.

The full-back turned fly-half would not make that mistake again as he had the chance to convert Gailleton’s try which came six minutes later after a lovely cross-kick.

Momentum was well and truly with France despite a few flashy moments from Jones’ Japan.  Les Bleus scored a converted try through Roumat after 18 minutes before Mauvaka rounded out the scoring in the first half with his try in the 33rd minute.

The second period followed the first with Gros scoring after a minute.  However, this time Japan would strike back with their first crossing as Tatekawa scored a converted try in the 49th minute.

As expected France responded a minute later as Boudehent scored two tries, one either side of Japan’s final Tatafu score on the hour mark.

The teams

France:  15 Leo Barre, 14 Théo Attissogbe, 13 Émilien Gailleton, 12 Yoram Morgana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Thomas Ramos, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Grégory Alldritt, 7 Alexandre Roumat, 6 François Cros, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Tevita Tatafu, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements:  16 Julien Marchand, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Mickaël Guillard, 20 Paul Boudehent, 21 Maxime Lucu, 22 Matthieu Jalibert, 23 Gaël Fickou

Japan:  15 Malo Tuitama, 14 Jone Nakiabula, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Siosaia Fifita, 11 Tomoki Osada, 10 Harumichi Tatekawa (c), 9 Naoto Saito, 8 Faula Makisi, 7 Kazuki Himeno, 6 Kanji Shimokawa, 5 Warner Deans, 4 Epineri Uluiviti, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 2 Mamoru Harada, 1 Takato Okabe
Replacements:  16 Kenta Masuoka, 17 Yukio Morikawa, 18 Keijiro Tamefusa, 19 Amato Fakatava, 20 Tevita Tatafu, 21 Shinobu Fujiwara, 22 Yusuke Kajimura, 23 Takuro Matsunaga

Referee:  Damian Schneider (Argentina)
Assistant Referees:  Angus Gardner (Australia), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO:  Richard Kelly (New Zealand)

Tomas Albornoz delivers another masterclass as Los Pumas put 50 on the Azzurri

Fly-half Tomas Albornoz scored 20 points for Argentina in their commanding 50-18 win over Italy in the Autumn Nations Series on Saturday.

Argentina scored seven tries on the day with Albornoz bagging a score while Juan Cruz Mallia, Gonzalo Bertranou, Joel Sclavi, Santiago Cordero, Matias Alemanno and Bautista Delguy also crossed.

From the tee Albornoz kicked six conversions and a penalty.

The hosts had less luck with only two tries, one from Giacomo Nicotera and another penalty try, with Tomasso Allan kicking two penalties.

It was Los Pumas out of the gates first as Albornoz kicked his first penalty before he slotted a conversion for Mallia’s breakout try on 11 minutes.

Momentum stayed with the blue and white as Bertranou scored close to the half-hour mark which was quickly followed by a maul penalty try just minutes later.  That would be it for the first period before it turned to chaos in the second.

Allan kicked a penalty to start before Sclavi crashed over just eight minutes into the second half.  Albornoz kicked the conversion then found himself over the whitewash in the 56th minute.

Next over in the line was Cordero before Italy scored their final try through Nicotera with 13 minutes left.

That did not stop Los Pumas from scoring two quick tries through Alemanno and Delguy.  Albornoz kicked the conversion to notch up 50 points for Argentina.

The teams

Italy:  15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Martin Page-Relo, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Mirco Spagnolo
Replacements:  16 Giacomo Nicotera, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Dino Lamb, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Alessandro Garbisi, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Marco Zanon

Argentina:  15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Matias Orlando, 11 Bautista Delguy, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Joaquin Oviedo, 7 Santiago Grondona, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julian Montoya (c), 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements:  16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Ignacio Calles, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Matias Alemmano, 20 Bautista Pedemonte, 21 Gonzalo Garcia, 22 Matias Moroni, 23 Santiago Cordero

Referee:  Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant Referees:  Andrew Brace (Ireland), Adam Leal (England)
TMO:  Mike Adamson (Scotland)

England stunned by the Wallabies as dramatic late try from rookie piles the pressure on Steve Borthwick

Joseph Suaalii made a fine first impression on his professional rugby union debut as Max Jorgensen’s late try secured a stunning 42-37 victory over England in another Twickenham thriller.

After a slow start, which saw England go 15-3 ahead through a pair of Chandler Cunningham-South tries, the Australians hit back superbly.

Suaalii came to the fore, setting up Tom Wright’s score, before Harry Wilson went over to move the visitors 20-18 ahead at the interval.

Jeremy Williams crossed to extend that buffer but England responded as an Ollie Sleightholme brace regained the hosts’ lead.

Andrew Kellaway and Maro Itoje traded scores before Jorgensen was the hero when he sped down the left for the Wallabies’ match-winning try to increase the pressure on Steve Borthwick.

The end was a far cry from England’s blistering start.  Frustrated by their defeat to the All Blacks last weekend, the hosts began quickly and manufactured a superb early try.

Marcus Smith was the instigator, dabbing a grubber through for Ollie Lawrence to collect.  The ball was then shifted right and good hands from Tom Curry, Jamie George and Ellis Genge sent Cunningham-South across the whitewash.

Although the visitors responded through a Noah Lolesio penalty, the big blindside scored his second try minutes later.  Former rugby league superstar Suaalii was partially at fault as he bit in to allow Cunningham-South a one-on-one which enabled the back-rower to barge over.

However, the 21-year-old soon got himself into the game and would show what he can do.  The centre was excellent at the restarts while he was constantly getting his hands free and off-loading, with one such effort leading to try.

The Red Rose had gone 15-3 ahead through a Smith three-pointer when Suaalii announced himself to rugby union when he basketball-style flicked the ball over the top of the England defence to give Wright a run to the line.

It was the boost the Wallabies needed as they began to find their fluency.  Although ill-discipline allowed England’s fly-half to add another off the tee, the tourists were putting their opponents under significant pressure.

Their big ball-carriers ― Angus Bell, Taniela Tupou and Rob Valetini ― were making ground at closer quarters and that opened the space for Tate McDermott to snipe around the fringes.  The scrum-half duly broke through the English rearguard and found Wilson to touch down.

Lolesio converted and then added a penalty on the stroke of half-time to hand Australia a surprise lead at the interval.

England had been stunned and needed a response, but it did not materialise.  Instead, it was Joe Schmidt’s men who took their momentum into the second period and dominated a Red Rose side that simply could not defend.

Australia played some outstanding rugby and deserved the try given to them by Williams’ finish in the left-hand corner.

A minute later and they could have scored another one when Wright broke from his own 22 as the hosts were once again cut open.  England were thankful that it yielded just a penalty for the Aussies as it kept them in the contest.

That belief then grew when Smith created a try for Sleightholme as his grubber through was collected and scored by the replacement.

All of a sudden the momentum switched and it was England who began to create opportunities as the Wallabies failed to control field position and possession.

The hosts duly took advantage of being on the front foot and a neat delay of the pass from Alex Dombrandt enabled Sleightholme to go over.

Smith then slotted the conversion as England regained their advantage, but back came Australia as a mix-up from George Ford and Lawrence allowed Kellaway to break away and cross the whitewash.

Borthwick’s men thought they had rescued it but once again they got it wrong in the latter stages and 20-year-old Jorgensen touched down following Len Ikitau’s superb off-load to leave Twickenham shocked.

The teams

England:  15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements:  16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Harry Randall, 22 George Ford, 23 Ollie Sleightholme

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 James Slipper, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Max Jorgensen

Referee:  Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO:  Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

All Blacks put lacklustre Ireland to the sword to bring 19-game home winning streak to a swift end

A try from Will Jordan and 18 points from the boot of Damian McKenzie helped New Zealand defeat Ireland 23-13 in the Autumn Nations Series in Dublin on Friday.

The workmanlike result means it’s now back-to-back wins for the All Blacks over the Irish after their Rugby World Cup quarter-final victory in Paris last year.

Jordan scored New Zealand’s only try of the match while McKenzie dominated with the boot, landing six penalty goals as Scott Robertson’s team celebrated.

Ireland crossed through Josh van der Flier while Jack Crowley kicked a conversion and two penalties as their Autumn Nations Series starts with a dismal loss.

Indeed, Ireland were out of sorts in their first hit-out of the end-of-year campaign, with a high error and penalty count hampering their performance.

Much of the pre-game talk had centred on the spat between Rieko Ioane and Johnny Sexton following the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final.  It was therefore perhaps fitting that the centre led the haka and was the recipient of a chorus of boos when his name was read out.

Unfortunately the extra spice before kick off did not result in a Test match full of quality and entertainment as it was a cagey affair littered with mistakes and penalty offences.

Ireland took an early lead on seven minutes when an escort running line from soon-to-be Leinster centre Jordie Barrett was spotted by referee Nic Berry and Crowley made no mistake off the tee.

McKenzie would level soon after though as a break from scrum-half Cortez Ratima led to Ronan Kelleher infringing at the resulting ruck.

That would spark a period of dominance for the All Blacks but there was little to show for it on the scoreboard, with a crooked lineout in the Ireland 22 frustrating those in black.

McKenzie did eventually manage to put points on the board with penalties in the 28th and 37th minute, the latter coming after Ireland second-row James Ryan was pinged for not rolling away.

However, the hosts were given a shot in the arm just before the break when the aforementioned Barrett was yellow-carded for making contact with the head of the oncoming Garry Ringrose.  Crowley obliged off the tee to make it 9-6 to the All Blacks at half-time.

Ireland came out from the dressing room with their ears ringing and it showed as they pressed early on and were rewarded for their efforts when Van der Flier barged over from close range for a try converted by Crowley.

At 13-9 in front, the hosts were in a promising position but Asafo Aumua’s excellent work at the breakdown allowed McKenzie to step up and reduce the gap to one point, this despite having to put the ball back on the tee after it fell off.

The All Blacks fly-half struck the post soon after from long distance but made no mistake on the hour mark following a scrum offence, sending over the three points that put his side back in front at 15-13.

McKenzie was looking increasingly assured off the tee and made Iain Henderson pay on 64 minutes after the Ireland replacement offended at a breakdown.

But the best was still to come for the All Blacks as a slick passage of play saw the ball given plenty of width and eventually Aumua found Jordan for the key score on the left wing, wrapping up a famous victory that sees Ireland lose in Dublin for the first time in three-and-a-half years.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Jamie Osborne

All Blacks:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Mark Tele’a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements:  16 George Bell, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cam Roigard, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Stephen Perofeta

Referee:  Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (Australia)

Darcy Graham scores FOUR as Scotland seal dominant victory over Fiji

Darcy Graham shone on his return to Scotland duty as they opened their Autumn Nations Series campaign with a 57-17 thrashing of Fiji at Murrayfield.

Gregor Townsend’s men were rampant early on, with Graham starring in his first Test since last year’s Rugby World Cup.  Kyle Rowe might have opened the scoring but it was his back three partner’s brace which was the first-half highlight.

Huw Jones also crossed the whitewash as the Scots went 26-0 up at the end of the first quarter before the visitors finally woke up.

The Flying Fijians hit back through Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula and Meli Derenalagi to give them hope before they further ate into the lead when Tevita Ikanivere touched down early in the second period.

But any concerns were eased via Graham, who brilliantly finished twice more to go level with Duhan van der Merwe on 28 at the top of the try-scoring chart.  However, he was then surpassed once more as Van der Merwe crossed the whitewash to take his record back.

With the match taking place outside the international window, Fiji were without their overseas stars and it showed, especially early on, as Scotland dominated.

Townsend’s slick team were impressive in the opening quarter while the Pacific Islanders were ill-disciplined.

Frank Lomani was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on and the hosts took advantage when Rowe crossed the whitewash from close range.

Fiji got back to 15 men only to see Apisalome Vota yellow carded and, from the resultant opportunity, Graham combined with Ewan Ashman to score his first of the evening.

It wasn’t long before the speedster was over for his second as he latched on to Adam Hastings’ cross-field kick to finish in the right-hand corner.

The Flying Fijians were imploding and another mistake allowed Jones to intercept to take Scotland 26-0 in front.

To the tourists’ credit, they showed some spirit and put some pressure on the Scottish rearguard.  As a result, the hosts began to infringe and it eventually resulted in Ashman being yellow carded for a series of penalties on their own line.

With the hooker off the field, Armstrong-Ravula went over before Derenalagi followed him after Ashman had returned from the naughty step.

And when Ikanivere crossed the whitewash at the start of the second period, Murrayfield started to get nervous.

Graham was on hand to ease their tension, though, and after the flyer had completed his hat-trick, the hosts relaxed.

The 27-year-old crossed the whitewash for a fourth time to equal Van der Merwe’s try-scoring record before his back three partner once again took it outright when he benefited from Hastings’ genius.

Fiji’s spirit had well and truly been broken and Scotland rounded off the win when Jones touched down.

The teams

Scotland:  15 Kyle Rowe, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (c), 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Ali Price, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements:  16 Dylan Richardson, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 D’Arcy Rae, 19 Max Williamson, 20 Gregor Brown, 21 Jamie Dobie, 22 Tom Jordan, 23 Stafford McDowall

Fiji:  15 Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, 14 Vuate Karawalevu, 13 Apisalome Vota, 12 Inia Tabuavou, 11 Ponipate Loganimasi, 10 Caleb Muntz, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Elia Canakaivata, 7 Kitione Salawa, 6 Ratu Meli Derenalagi, 5 Ratu Leone Rotuisolia, 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Samuela Tawake, 2 Tevita Ikanivere (c), 1 Haereiti Hetet
Replacements:  16 Mesulame Dolokoto, 17 Livai Natave, 18 Jone Koroiduadua, 19 Mesake Vocevoce, 20 Vilive Miramira, 21 Simi Kuruvoli, 22 Kemueli Valetini, 23 Waqa Nalaga

Referee:  Craig Evans (WRU)
Assistant Referees:  Christophe Ridley (RFU), Luc Ramos (FFR)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (RA)

All Blacks snatch late win as George Ford’s errors prove costly for England

It was a case of deja vu for the All Blacks and England as the tourists edged to yet another narrow victory, earning a 24-22 win at Allianz Stadium.

In July, New Zealand came back in the final quarter to snatch a 2-0 series triumph over Steve Borthwick’s men and they did the same on Saturday.

It was a thrilling if mistake-ridden contest which saw the All Blacks go 14-12 ahead at the break through Mark Tele’a and Will Jordan tries.

Marcus Smith kicked four penalties to keep the Red Rose in the game before the fly-half set up Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s score in the second period.

Smith then added another three-pointer and it looked as though the hosts would finally beat the All Blacks, but a late response, which saw Damian McKenzie land a penalty and Tele’a cross the whitewash, resulted in New Zealand’s third consecutive win over England.

It was George Ford, who had come on for the brilliant Smith, that missed the tackle for Tele’a’s try while he was also awry with two late kicks that would have won the game for Borthwick’s outfit.

England have taken a much more adventurous approach under Borthwick in 2024 and they signalled their intent from the kick-off when Smith’s cross-field kick to Feyi-Waboso almost worked out.

That bold decision was indicative of a bright start from the hosts, who moved in front via the boot of their fly-half.

However, the All Blacks’ kicking game was also dangerous, with Cortez Ratima and the two backline Barretts testing the English aerial game.

Equally, they looked to move the ball through the hands when the opportunity presented itself and that variety proved too difficult for the Red Rose to handle on eight minutes.

Wallace Sititi, who was brilliant once again, was the creator as the back-rower’s brilliant off-load found Tele’a out wide.  The wing still had plenty to do but he rounded Ellis Genge and finished in the corner.

That wasn’t the only chance New Zealand created but at times they were profligate, while their ill-discipline was allowing England to remain close.

Three off-the-ball hits were called by the television match official and on each occasion Smith was able to punish them off the tee.

England’s fly-half was keeping his side in the game as their defence struggled to stay connected against the All Blacks’ smart attack.

More often than not Beauden Barrett was taking the right option and he spotted a gaping hole to send Jordan scampering through for another try.

Robertson’s men threatened to break free at that point, but the penalty count hurt them and a fourth Smith three-pointer reduced the arrears to two points at the interval.

That ability to stay in the contest proved crucial for the hosts and they benefited from another error by New Zealand at the start of the second period.

The All Blacks got themselves in a tangle with ball in hand and Ratima’s pass, who otherwise had a mistake-free match, was intercepted by Smith.

He still had plenty to do, especially with Jordan bearing down on him, but the playmaker dummied and found his support in George Furbank, who shipped it on to Feyi-Waboso to touch down.

England grew in confidence following that score while the All Blacks began to make a few too many mistakes and the home side controlled territory.

However, New Zealand are always dangerous, particularly off turnover ball, and they appeared to have scored when Caleb Clarke broke down the left and fed Beauden Barrett, but it was correctly called back for a deliberate knock-on.

From the resultant penalty, Smith was once again on target and England held a 22-14 advantage with a quarter of the game remaining.

The All Blacks struggled in the final 20 minutes of matches in the Rugby Championship, but they got back to within a score through McKenzie’s three-pointer.

And as New Zealand did in July, they began to ramp up the intensity and, under pressure, the Red Rose folded as Tele’a crossed the whitewash for a second time, McKenzie converting for the lead.

Ford missed the tackle on the wing to allow him to score but the replacement fly-half ― and his team ― still had an opportunity to snatch the win in the final few minutes.

The pivot was twice handed the chance to atone for that error but he was awry on both occasions as the All Blacks held on.

The teams

England:  15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements:  16 Theo Dan, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Harry Randall, 23 George Ford

All Blacks:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Mark Tele’a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cam Roigard, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Damian McKenzie

Referee:  Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Pierre Brousset (France), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)