Essential win for England

England's season finally came good as the hosts saw off a dynamic Wallaby side at Twickenham with a 26-17 win on Saturday.

A first-half try from Ben Morgan, brilliantly orchestrated by the impressive George Ford, was the difference between the sides at half-time, but England will rue the litany of handling errors that have plagued their outside backs all season as several chances went begging on the wings through basic skill errors.

However, this was a victory hewn from England's scrummaging power and the penetration of their driving maul, not an unfamiliar situation for followers of Australian rugby.

Nonetheless, as a victory it is significant for England;  anything less would have thrown their season in the depths of calamity, and Graham Rowntree can take a lot of credit for the impregnable lineout and scrum that has been a feature of English rugby this November.

Australia started well, with Bernard Foley making the first inroads as England transgressed at the ruck.  But the next penalty was a portent of things to come as Australia collapsed a powerful English scrum and George Ford slotted three points.

Time and time again the Wallaby eight struggled to cope with the pinching of the outstanding David Wilson and Joe Marler on the Australia tighthead and hooker, and as James Slipper was 'disconnected' the Aussie front row were forced either to stand up, collapse or detach as the wave of English power decimated the Australian tight five.

The scoreboard showed 12 points to the front row but frankly there were a number of occasions were Jerome Garces could quite have justifiably considered penalty tries.

Morgan's opening score after 28 minutes was a direct result of the immense forward pressure England exerted.  Chris Robshaw, a rock all afternoon, forced a turnover in his own half with Israel Folau fumbled the resulting low kick from the percussive Ben Youngs.

The resulting scrum was huge from England and as Brad Barritt made big inroads into the Wallaby defence, Youngs recycled quickly and flanker Tom Wood linked to send Morgan crashing over.

Australia are a side that relish a disparity of possession and retaliated with an exhilarating break from the outstanding Adam Ashley-Cooper down the right flank.

However, defensive systems count for a lot in modern international rugby and Anthony Watson's awareness to stay on Ashley-Cooper as the veteran offloaded to Rob Horne, allowed Courtney Lawes to snuff out the attack with a tackle of Herculean proportions on the Wallaby wing.

With Ford missing long-range penalties either side of the break, Australia hit back with intelligence and style.

Ford coughed up the ball as Twelvetrees was smashed in the tackle by Matt Toomba.  Five phases later and Foley and Horne combined to send the Wallaby fly-half under the posts, converting his own effort to bring Australia to within a penalty of England at 13-10.

Despite the very best efforts of Ashley-Cooper, who tore England's push defence apart time and time again with his direct running approach, Australia simply couldn't compete with England's forward power.

After 58 minutes Mike Brown, back to his rock-like self at full-back, sent a testing grubber deep into the Wallaby 22.  The ensuing line-out gave England a five-metre scrum and Australia capitulated, giving Morgan the opportunity to scamper over for his brace.

But Australia were not going down without a fight and a crucial missed tackle by Robshaw on his opposite number Michael Hooper allowed the Wallaby flanker to combine with replacement Quade Cooper and Toomua, popping up the ball for the giant Will Skelton to thunder over the whitewash.

With England fearing a deja-vu moment, another loss in the closing minutes of the game, the men in white turned to their forwards and, right on cue, they produced a rolling maul of some 25 metres.

Australia inevitably collapsed it and Ford took the chance to take England six points clear.

Another penalty moments later led the home team to the relative safely of an eight-point lead and England clung on for dear life as they finally got the big win they so sorely needed.

In the final analysis, England will be grateful for a win and Australia will leave Twickenham wondering how on earth they disintegrated against an England scrum yet again.

However, in analysing their victory, England need to take notice of the basic handling errors they produced yet again and the lack of penetration of their backs from phase possession.

It's a step forward for England, but when examined carefully, it's more of a shuffle in the right direction than a confident stride.

Man of the Match:  Adam Ashley-Cooper was a thorn in England's side all day, as was the dynamic running of Michael Hooper.  For England, Brad Barritt's leadership of the defence was outstanding, as was Courtney Lawes' physicality.  But in a season where England have struggled to score tries, Ben Morgan's brace wins him our award.

Moment of the Match:  This week has been a horrific one for sport in general and Australian sport in particular.  The ovation given to deceased cricketer Phil Hughes at the start of the game ensured there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  Astonishing, poignant and apt.

Villain of the Match:  Nothing to report at all here.  Played in wonderful spirit.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Morgan 2
Cons:  Ford 2
Pens:  Ford 4

For Australia:
Tries:  Foley, Skelton
Cons:  Foley, Cooper
Pen:  Foley

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 David Wilson, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements:  16 Rob Webber, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 George Kruis, 20 James Haskell, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Marland Yarde.

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Sean McMahon, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Sam Carter, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Saia Fainga'a, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements:  tbc

Referee:  J

Joy at last as Wales beat SA

Wales clinched the sweetest of victories with a 12-6 triumph over South Africa, their first Southern Hemisphere scalp since 2008.

Neither side were able to build any momentum in a game punctuated by numerous knock-ons and schoolboy errors.

In a tryless contest Wales' will to win shone through in the dying stages, as the Springboks fluffed their final chances.

Heyneke Meyer will want to forget this trip to Cardiff in a hurry, with a serious knee injury for Jean de Villiers giving South Africa real cause for concern.

Wales hadn't picked up a win over the Springboks since 1999, while their ongoing troubles against the Boks, Wallabies and All Blacks were starting to gather mythical status.

How crucial the timing of this win of all wins was with the Rugby World Cup looming on the horizon.

Wales may have failed to land a blow on their Pool A rivals Australia, but defeating South Africa will feel just as sweet.  Crucially, England are the next visitors to Cardiff in a clash that is set to be momentous.

It would be wrong to take anything away from the Welsh victory, but the Springboks were admittedly miles off their best.

This was only the second Welsh win over South Africa in 108 years, incredibly, but they were worthy winners in a slugfest characterised by several brutal collisions.

Toulon full-back Leigh Halfpenny kicked all of the home side's points, countered by two strikes by Pat Lambie, as the 13-man Welsh lineout made a couple of appearances in the desperate struggle for victory.

Halfpenny's heroics also lay elsewhere in defence with an inspired try-saving tackle on Eben Etzebeth, which according to the laws of size should have never been successful.

With the boot Halfpenny struck as early as the fourth minute, after an early tackle on Rhys Webb, with Lambie not waiting long to counter.

A bone-crunching hit from Duane Vermeulen on Jamie Roberts had set the tone for the game's physicality, although it was interspersed with moments of skill such as Sam Warburton delivering a flick pass through his legs.

Even the Welsh 15-man maul couldn't generate a try as the Boks did enough to stop Halfpenny, of all people, just short of the whitewash but Lambie's missed penalty kick on the half hour mark left both sides deadlocked at 3-3 by half-time.

Warburton was excellent throughout, the captain making a key play when his turnover at the ruck won a kickable penalty for Halfpenny to fire over.

Typically given the nature of the contest Lambie instantly responded, with the Boks scrum gaining an advantage.

Two penalties in four minutes then put Wales into the decisive lead, first for Coenie Oosthuizen's side entry at the ruck and then after Wales produced the scrum of the day with a monster drive.

Halfpenny delivered, setting up a tense final quarter that was overshadowed by the concern over De Villiers as he left on a stretcher with a dislocated knee after a lengthy stoppage.

Wales' cause was helped by a yellow card for Cornal Hendricks after he was adjudged to take out Halfpenny in the air, with some superb defence and the Boks failure to execute sending Cardiff into delirium and easing the pressure on Warren Gatland.  It's a day that will live long in the memory for Welsh fans.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Pens:  Halfpenny 4

For South Africa:
Pens:  Lambie 2
Yellow Card:  Hendricks

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Emyr Phillips, 17 Aaron Jarvis, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 James King, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Scott Williams.

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Jan Serfontein, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Replacements:  16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Julian Redelinghuys, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Francois Hougaard, 22 Handr

Georgia put five past Japan

Georgia bounced back from last week's heavy defeat to Ireland as they cruised past Japan, winning 35-24 in Tbilisi.

The hosts went in at the break 17-10 up after tries from hooker Shalva Mamukashvili and full-back Merab Kvirikashvili either side of a penalty try.

Japan's response came from right wing Kotaro Matsushima, with Ayumu Goromaru adding the extras and a penalty three minutes before the try.

But after the break Georgia took full control with further tries from fly-half Lasha Khmaladze and replacement Beka Tsiklauri meaning that a late score from Japan served only as a consolation.

The scorers:

For Georgia:
Tries:  Mamukashvili, Penalty try, Kvirikashvili, Khmaladze, Tsiklauri
Con:  Kvirikashvili 2
Pen:  Kvirikashvili 2

For Japan:
Tries:  Matsushima, Tatekawa
Con:  Goromaru 3
Pen:  Goromaru

Georgia:  15 Merab Kvirikashvili, 14 Tamaz Mtchedlidze, 13 David Kacharava (C), 12 Merab Sharikadze, 11 Sandro Todua, 10 Lasha Khmaladze, 9 Vazha Khutsishvili, 8 Lasha Lomidze, 7 Vito Kolelishvili, 6 Giorgi Tkhilaishvili, 5 Levan Datunashvili, 4 Giorgi Nemsadze, 3 David Kubriashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili.
Replacements:  16 Simon Maisuradze, 17 Zurab Zhvania, 18 Levan Chilachava, 19 Kote Mikautadze, 20 Giorgi Chkhaidze, 21 Giorgi Begadze, 22 Beka Tsiklauri, 23 Giorgi Aptsiauri

Japan:  15 Ayumu Goromaru, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Male Sau, 12 Harumichi Tatekawa, 11 Karne Hesketh, 10 Yu Tamura, 9 Atsushi Hiwasa, 8 Amanaki Lelei Mafi, 7 Hayden Hopgood, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Shoji Ito, 4 Luke Thompson, 3 Kensuke Hatakeyama, 2 Takeshi Kizu, 1 Masataka Mikami.
Replacements:  16 Keita Inagaki, 17 Hiroki Yuhara, 18 Shinnosuke Kakinaga, 19 Hitoshi Ono, 20 Shinya Makabe, 21 Yuki Yatomi, 22 Kosei Ono, 23 Toshiaki Hirose.

Venue:  Mikheil Meshki Stadium, Tbilisi
Referee:  Romain Poite (France)

Misfiring England do enough

England winger Jonny May scored two tries as Stuart Lancaster's side picked up a welcome if unconvincing 28-9 win over Samoa at Twickenham.

Seeing England and Samoa's players link arms following the final whistle and kneel in prayer was undoubtedly the highlight of a poor game that had been overshadowed by off-field matters all week.

Samoa were never going to be walkovers but England were expected to find some fluency in attack, which they never truly achieved bar rare flashes of inspiration.

This win may have ended a five-match losing streak, but it was hardly something to shout about.

Their first half was best described as shambolic;  a never-ending succession of nervous errors and limited attacking rugby that did little to inspire a crowd who are turning on them.

May is a threat and worked hard while Mike Brown showed glimpses of his old self, but there wasn't enough to feel confident about England again after the last two weeks.

Had they been up against a side with a competitive scrum, anything rather than Samoa's struggling eight, then their recent record may have turned even more sour.

England have regressed considerably since Wales and Ireland came to Twickenham and were sent packing.

The four games against New Zealand were meant to improve England as a competitive force, not accentuate their now painfully obvious weaknesses.  The whole first half typified where they've been going wrong, as despite a dominant set-piece the failed to capitalise.

Matters certainly improved in the second half, no doubt, but a bruised Wallabies outfit will arrive in London licking their lips after two narrow losses in seven days.

England will have to be hugely better than this.  For the most part, they were all bluster and no end product going forward, though that's not to be confused with defence where Chris Robshaw led the way on 22 tackles.

George Ford provided some pleasing touches on his first start, particularly with an arrowed cross field kick for England's second try by Mike Brown.

Smashed on a couple of occasions, the 20-year-old on his first cap didn't flinch.  England needed authority and confidence and he provided it when required.

A hard tackle on England's new man from Johnny Leota should never have been a yellow card, but in the process decided the result as England scored their third try with Samoa down to 14 men.

That decision was rough on Samoa but in reality is a drop in the water compared to the off-field calamity that is the governance of the Samoan Rugby Union.

Dan Leo admitted earlier this week that being focused for Twickenham would be difficult and for all of their determination, Samoa's set-piece couldn't support them enough to really punish England's error-strewn 40 minutes and beyond.

Slopping handling in the opening quarter hindered the home side's progress after Tusi Pisi's fourth-minute penalty, but Ford broke the deadlock following a Samoa indiscretion at the scrum which paved the way for Jonny May's first try.

The flyer was practically tap tackled by a team-mate after being released by Mike Brown, but did enough to score his second Test try.

Further penalties from Pisi and Ford took us to half-time with England up 13-6 in poor conditions.

Ford's input continued after the break with a third penalty and that fine assisting kick which ended with Brown's score, Anthony Watson showing good composure to offload rather than force the score, with Pisi keeping England honest before the yellow card changed the game's dynamic.

From then on Twickenham fell flat again, groaning as England's attack once again misfired.

The centre pairing of Owen Farrell and Brad Barritt was greeted with scepticism and shouldn't be trotted out again, even despite Farrell and Ford linking well for May's first try.

England simply have better options that need to be used instead — Barritt's lack of attacking prowess in Test rugby, however well he does for Saracens, cannot be ignored.

England's coaches should watch Luther Burrell closely on Sunday against Saracens and consider pairing him with one of Kyle Eastmond or Billy Twelvetrees for Australia to give their midfield more life.

That had been the hope for James Haskell, brought in to give England's carrying options, yet he failed to register a single one.

England ended with a whimper rather than the morale-boosting bang required.  Marland Yarde and Brown's failure to execute a breakaway chance summed up their night, with Dave Attwood's knock on signalling the end.

For Samoa this is their last game until the All Blacks next year.  Change has to happen behind the scenes if we are to see the best of them in that momentous occasion.

They deserve more, never giving up even with the game lost, typified by their captain David Lemi.  Let's hope the media attention and call to arms over the last week isn't another false dawn.

Man of the Match:  Chris Robshaw shone defensively but George Ford gave England some positive signs and must start next week.

Moment of the Match:  The aforementioned Ford's cross kick to Anthony Watson was perfect and ended with a try.

Villain of the Match:  The collective decision by the officials to yellow card Johnny Leota.  A terrible call.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  May 2, Brown
Cons:  Ford 2
Pens:  Ford 3

For Samoa:
Pens:  Pisi 3
Yellow Card:  Leota

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 James Haskell, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 David Wilson, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 Dylan Hartley, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 George Kruis, 20 Tom Wood, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Billy Twelvetrees, 23 Marland Yarde

Samoa:  15 Ken Pisi, 14 Alapati Leiua, 13 Reynold Lee-Lo, 12 Johnny Leota, 11 David Lemi, 10 Tusi Pisi, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Ofisa Treviranus, 7 Jack Lam, 6 Maurie Fa'asavalu, 5 Kane Thompson, 4 Filo Paulo, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Ti'i Paulo, 1 Zak Taulafo.
Replacements:  16 Manu Leiataua, 17 Viliamu Afatia, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Fa'atiga Lemalu, 20 Dan Leo, 21 TJ Ioane, 22 Pete Cowley, 23 Mike Stanley.

Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
TMO:  Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Romania battle past Canada

Romania fly-half Florin Vlaicu kicked all of his side's points as they got the better of Canada, prevailing 18-9 at Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf.

The victory was Romania's first of November as they bounced back from defeats to USA and Japan with this gritty success in Bucharest.

Canada could only muster three penalty goals in the game but did take the lead via full-back James Pritchard's boot before Vlaicu responded in the 28th and 37th minute for a 6-3 half-time lead.

Gordon McRorie did level for Canada in the 47th minute but Romania then churned through the three-pointers as pivot Vlaicu added four more penalties to Pritchard's second to seal the win.

The scorers:

For Romania:
Pen:  Vlaicu 6

For Canada:
Pen:  Pritchard 2, McRorie

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Dorin Manole, 13 Csaba Gal, 12 Robert Dascalu, 11 Ionut Botezatu, 10 Florin Vlaicu, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Stelian Burcea, 7 Valentin Ursache, 6 Mihai Macovei (capt), 5 Valentin Popirlan, 4 Alin Coste, 3 Horatiu Pungea, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Mihaita Lazar.
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Andrei Ursache, 18 Paulica Ion, 19 Marius Antonescu, 20 Vlad Nistor, 21 Florin Surugiu, 22 Florin Ionita, 23 Robert Neagu.

Canada:  15 James Pritchard, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Conor Trainor, 12 Ciaran Hearn, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Patrick Parfrey, 9 Gordon McRorie, 8 Tyler Ardron (capt), 7 Nanyak Dala, 6 Jebb Sinclair, 5 Jon Phelan, 4 Jamie Cudmore, 3 Jason Marshall, 2 Aaron Carpenter, 1 Hubert Buydens.
Replacements:  16 Ray Barkwill, 17 Andrew Tiedemann, 18 Doug Wooldridge, 19 Kyle Gilmour, 20 Richard Thorpe, 21 Sean White, 22 Jordan Wilson-Ross, 23 Nick Blevins.

Referee:  Nick Briant (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Andrew McMenemy (Scotland), Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
Television match official:  Geoff Warren (England)

Five-try Scotland beat Tonga

Scotland exorcised their demons of 2012 with a comfortable 37-12 triumph over Tonga to round off a successful November Test series.

Tries from Blair Cowan, who enjoyed his best performance in a navy shirt to date, Stuart Hogg, Alex Dunbar, Geoff Cross and Tommy Seymour ensured there would be no repeat of the Scots' insipid Aberdeen loss to the same opponents.

Two years ago, almost to the day, Tonga raided polar Pittodrie, outscoring Scotland two tries to nil and notching a first-ever victory over their hosts, spelling the end for Andy Robinson in doing so.  It was one of Scottish rugby's lowest ebbs in the professional era.

But this Scottish side has a very different feel to it than the disjointed, confidence-bereft gaggle that succumbed to the marauding Islanders of yesteryear, Vern Cotter instilling confidence, freedom and ruthlessness in his new charges in equal measure.

Despite the narrow confines of the Rugby Park pitch, which despite its moniker, has not played host to the oval ball game for nearly fifty years, both teams sought an expansive, offloading style of play, yielding errors and infringements aplenty, but also some tidy Scottish tries.

With ten minutes gone, Hogg's failure to roll away presented fly-half Latiume Fosita with an opportunity to open the scoring from the left touchline;  the mop-headed pivot converted smartly.

The Scots, eager to set the ball rolling, eschewed a spree of kickable shots at the posts in favour of multiple cracks at the corner and the line.  Though the Tongan pack repeatedly thwarted their driving maul, they did so illegally on no less than four consecutive occasions — JP Doyle sent skipper Nili Latu to the bin, Scotland remained patient, and on attempt number five, Cowan burrowed his way to the whitewash under a mass of bodies.

Laidlaw converted, but Fosita soon flighted over his second penalty from the ten-metre line after Scotland fluffed their lines in midfield, and added a third when Ross Ford failed to roll away.

The Tongans are known for ferocious defence that often toys with the boundaries of legality, but it was Dunbar who saw yellow for what TMO Carlo Damasco deemed a dangerous tip-tackle.

The penalties kept coming, and Fosita, almost flanker-esque in physique and clad in scrum cap, continued to punish home indiscipline with each languid swing of his right boot.

Strike number four sailed over on the half-hour mark, though the fly-half was perhaps a touch too languid in clearing from his own in-goal area moments later, Finn Russell seizing on the charge-down only to be pulled back for offside.

Tonga continued to press, however, and their hulking carriers, both backs and forwards, made dangerous inroads into the Scottish 22 — centre Hemani Paea was particularly threatening.

Indeed, an overlap and a try in the corner beckoned for the Islanders, but for a huge Russell hit, forcing the ball from Fetu'u Vainikolo's grasp, and allowing Hogg to scoop up and race the length of the pitch.

Laidlaw added the extras, and fumbled a great chance for a third with the clock red from a neat lineout move.

The theme of Scots infringing with folly and consistency continued after the break, Fosita pulling his fifth attempt wide on 44 minutes, after what by my count was a fifth penalty for not rolling away.  Such indiscipline will prove more costly against more potent opposition.

Potency is something Scotland have rediscovered this November, however, and though space appeared to be at a premium in the Tongan 22, Russell switched play and allowed Dunbar to swivel and step brilliantly past Viliami Ma'afu, and outpace Paea Fa'anunu to the corner flag.

Laidlaw missed, but his centre's score administered the Scots an injection of pace and incisiveness.  Dunbar again broke into the 22, and a period of pressure yielded the captain's first penalty of the match, handing the hosts a ten-point advantage.

The scrum, solid in the first half, began to dominate, sapping the energy of the Tongan eight, while the Gray brothers, Richie and Jonny, augmented busy shifts in the loose by ruling the skies.

Cross, resplendent as ever with flowing Nordic facial hair, forced his way over following a tidy Hogg break and more strong carrying from Cowan, Laidlaw converting.

Seymour continued his prolific, and opportunistic November by dotting down Duncan Taylor's tap-back of Russell's up-and-under in the Tongan in-goal area, though the fly-half could not convert, and added a fitting symmetry to the morale-boosting series, having scored in all three Tests.

Man of the match:  Blair Cowan was excellent at the breakdown, snaffled plenty loose ball, carried well, making over 30 metres, and scored his first Test try.

Moment of the match:  Alex Dunbar's try was the beginning of the end for Tonga.

Villain of the match:  Nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries:  Cowan, Hogg, Dunbar, Cross, Seymour
Con:  Laidlaw 3
Pen:  Laidlaw 2
Yellow:  Dunbar (24 minutes)

For Tonga:
Pen:  Fosita 4
Yellow:  Latu (12 minutes)

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Sean Lamont, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (c), 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Geoff Cross, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson
Replacements:  16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Ryan Grant, 19 Kieran Low, 20 Alasdair Strokosch, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Duncan Taylor.

Tonga:  15 Vungakoto Lilo, 14 David Halaifonua, 13 Siale Piutau, 12 Hemani Paea, 11 Fetu'u Vainikolo, 10 Latiume Fosita, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Viliami Ma'afu, 7 Nili Latu (capt), 6 Sione Kalamafoni, 5 Joe Tu'ineau, 4 Tukulua Lokotui, 3 Paea Fa'anunu, 2 Aleki Lutui, 1 Tevita Mailau.
Replacements:  16 Elvis Taione, 17 Sione Lea, 18 Sila Puafisi, 19 Lisiate Fa'aoso, 20 Hale T Pole, 21 Tomasi Palu, 22 Kurt Morath, 23 Sione Piukala.

Referee:  JP Doyle (England)
Assistant Referees:  Greg Garner (England), Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO:  Carlo Damasco (Italy)

Wales stunned by Barrett brilliance

Three tries in the final ten minutes saw New Zealand - in Richie McCaw's 100th game as captain - beat Wales 34-16 at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

15-16 up on 69 minutes, Wales were sniffing a massive win over the All Blacks.  But then fly-half Beauden Barrett's individual score knocked the stuffing out of the Welsh before Kieran Read and Barrett again sealed New Zealand's fourth win of their successful end-of-year international tour.

The All Blacks fly-half was clearly given a pre-game message to put the ball behind the rushing defence and he duly found the spaces.  However Barrett, who was selected ahead of Aaron Cruden and Dan Carter for the tour finale, didn't get much possession in decent areas early on in Cardiff.

In fact, the Welsh would take the lead on seven minutes when milestone man Richie McCaw was penalised by English referee Wayne Barnes at the breakdown to offer full-back Leigh Halfpenny the opportunity to slot over a simple penalty.  Wales found themselves ahead without New Zealand having even threatened them.  New Zealand were indeed struggling to pierce a fierce Welsh defence as hits were halting the likes of Sonny Bill Williams and Ben Smith.

They did get the chance to level with a quarter of the game gone when Jake Ball was caught offside but unfortunately for Barrett he was off-target as water-boy Carter watched on.  He did make amends on 23 minutes though from halfway after Wales were penalised at scrum time.

While the scoreline didn't change in the closing 17 minutes of the half, the tackles and intensity meant it was anything but dull at the Millennium Stadium, with Dan Lydiate, Brodie Retallick and the like having adopted the unfamiliar tag of being the stand-out performers.

But in they went at the break as those in Cardiff and at home caught their breath - it would have been interesting to hear the coaches' briefing to their respective players as Warren Gatland surely would have avoided talking up the possibility of ending their long wait.

Steve Hansen's words clearly had the desired effect though as from turnover ball in the Welsh 22, the All Blacks went to the left wing where Julian Savea saw off Dan Biggar to end his own drought, picking up a first try against Wales.  Barrett added the extras for 10-3.

The lead didn't last long though as three minutes later number eight Taulupe Faletau set up scrum-half Rhys Webb as Wales levelled matters, scooting over from seven metres out.

If they weren't already, Wales were clearly beginning to believe that victory could be theirs and when referee Barnes adjudged All Black second-row Sam Whitelock to have failed to roll away at the ruck, Halfpenny took his chance to put the hosts into the lead on 50 minutes.

But as is their wont, New Zealand did a Dublin 2013 on 65 minutes as hands on the left led to Dane Coles racing on before handing the ball to McCaw who was brought down five out.  The recycled ball saw Barrett kick cross field to where Jerome Kaino was on hand for 15-13.

The game wasn't done there though as McCaw found himself penalised by Barnes for side entry as Wales retook the lead, with sharp-shooter Halfpenny again on target off the tee.

But then came a moment of high class individual quality from Barrett as his chip and regather down the right wing moved New Zealand six points to the good with ten minutes remaining.

And it was game over three minutes later when replacement Mike Phillips' attempted box kick was charged down and Read collected the ball for New Zealand's fourth try.  Colin Slade's second successful conversion extended the lead to 13 as Wales were stunned.

New Zealand didn't let up as a cross-field kick found Barrett - now playing full-back - for his brace and with it the rubber stamped win, sending the All Blacks home with a clean sweep.

Man of the match:  While he was a little shaky early on, that moment of quality when he floored Wales with a chip that resulted in a key try almost saw Beauden Barrett win this award.  But in the end we go for Kieran Read after a tireless effort in Cardiff.

Moment of the match:  See above.

Villain of the match:  Nothing too nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Try:  Webb
Con:  Halfpenny
Pen:  Halfpenny 3

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Savea, Kaino, Barrett 2, Read
Con:  Barrett, Slade 2
Pen:  Barrett

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Paul James.
Replacements:  16 Scott Baldwin , 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Luke Charteris , 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 James Hook, 23 Liam Williams.

New Zealand:  15 Ben Smith, 14 Charles Piutau, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements:  16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Liam Messam, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Colin Slade, 23 Ryan Crotty.

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Craig Joubert (South Africa), Luke Pearce (England)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

Ireland edge Wallabies in thriller

Ireland claimed their second Southern Hemisphere scalp of the month with a 26-23 victory over Australia in a thrilling clash in Dublin on Saturday.

The hosts were outscored three tries to two by the Wallabies but another incredible performance on defence — as was the case against the Springboks — was at the origin of a memorable win.

What a game!

One of the best first-halves of international rugby seen anywhere this year came to an end with the scores locked at 20-all.

It was breathtaking stuff as both sides impressed.  Australia's ability to offload in the tackle kept the ball alive while the hosts' tactical execution was out of the top drawer.

An amazing first half-hour that featured five tries saw Ireland race to a 17-0 lead inside 15 minutes only for Australia to fight back and draw level.

Irish wings Simon Zebo and Tommy Bowe both touched down early on but the Wallabies replied via three tries from half-backs Nick Phipps — who scored twice — and Bernard Foley.

The paced never slowed in the second half — even if the tries stopped flowing — and the game went right down to the wire with the opposing fly-halve exchanging penalties.

Zebo got the hosts off to a perfect start as he raced down the touchline to latch onto Jonathan Sexton's equally perfect kick ahead to score.  It all came thanks to Rory Best ripping the ball away in a choke tackle.  Sexton added the conversion to go with an earlier penalty as Ireland led 10-0.

Two minutes later, with Australia looking dangerous, Bowe intercepted a Phipps pass and bolted 80 metres to score.  Sexton's extras made it 17-0 and the Dublin crowd was ready to party.

The mood changed very quickly however as Phipps made amends for his earlier gaff by beating four defenders on a wonderful run off turnover ball to score.  Foley converted and the comeback was in full swing.

Australia's second try come in controversial circumstances as Phipps sent what looked like a distinctly forward pass to Foley, who only just managed to get the tip of the ball onto the whitewash.  If Australia hadn't been given the try, a yellow card was likely after Henry Speight was stopped just short and Irish hands grappled for the ball on the deck.

Foley sent the conversion wide, but at 17-12 the game was alive again.

There was nothing wrong with the Wallabies' third try though — probably the best of the game — with Matt Toomua and Foley providing wonderful uploads to put Phipps away to level the scores.

Foley's missed the easy conversion but incredibly could put the visitors in front with penalty as halt-time loomed large.

Sexton replied in kind on the stroke of half-time and it was all-square and anyone game as the teams swapped ends.

Kurtley Beale came on for Tevita Kuridriani early in the second period but the try-scoring dried up to leave Foley and Sexton to exchange three-pointers.

Rob Kearney hit the upright from nearly 50 metres on the angle, but Ireland never really threatened to score another try.

Their work at the breakdown was outstanding though and the home fly-half landed two excellent kicks to put Ireland ahead at 26-23 with 15 minutes left on the clock.

The Wallabies were in full-attack mode in the dying minutes but the Irish defence was rock solid, not giving an inch as they matched their commitment with organisation.

Having lost back-to-back games after last week's defeat in Paris, Australia must now look to salvage their tour at Twickenham while Ireland finish their November series unbeaten.

Man of the Match:  Too many candidates to mention them all but Sexton was outstanding again.  Paul O'Connell was immense however, leading by example in a towering defensive display

Moment of the Match:  Plenty of highlights but Zebo's try in the opening minutes typified Ireland's performance.  It was a perfect example of grabbing a half-chance with clinical efficiency and set the tone for the rest of the Irish display

Villain of the Match:  If you're Irish, TMO Eric Gauzins's interpretation of what constitutes a forward pass is debatable.

The scorers:

For Ireland: 
Tries:  Zebo, Bowe
Cons:  Sexton 2
Pens:  Sexton 4

For Australia: 
Tries:  Phipps 2, Foley
Con:  Foley
Pens:  Foley 2

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Rhys Ruddock, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Jack McGrath.
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Rodney Ah You, 19 Dave Foley, 20 Tommy O'Donnell, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Felix Jones.

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Tevita Kuridriani, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Henry Speight, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Luke Jones, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Sam Carter, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Saia Fainga'a, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements:  16 James Hanson, 17 Tetera Faulkner, 18 Benn Robinson, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Jake Schatz, 21 Will Genia, 22 Quade Cooper, 23 Kurtley Beale.

Venue:  Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
Referee:  Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Television match official:  Eric Gauzins (France)
Timekeeper:  Kevin Beggs (Ireland)

No shocks as Ireland put away Georgia

Ireland had to wait but finished with a six-try win over visitors Georgia with a 49-7 victory at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Sunday.

The hosts showed plenty of endeavour in the opening half but struggled to finish off plenty of opportunities, as Joe Schmidt rested leading stars such as Paul O'Connell and Jonathan Sexton for the clash with European Nations Cup champions.

Dave Foley and Dominic Ryan were both handed debuts in the pack, with Robin Copeland another player to win a first cap when he came on as a replacement.

In the end Ireland's accuracy shone through after the break, when they racked up all of their six tries.

Georgia showed impressive resilience in defence early on as Ireland continually broke the line, before the Lelos rallied to slow down the ball at the ruck and use their power to drive Ireland backwards.

Multiple chances were missed by Ireland and they showed respect opting for the posts rather than the corner, Madigan adding two penalties and missing one in an industrious but unsuccessful first half.

The major talking point surrounded openside flanker Vito Kolelishvili, who with a lazy leg caught the eye of Dominic Ryan at the bottom of a ruck.

The incident wasn't refereed to the TMO and there was no penalty, but it looked nasty as Kolelishvili was lucky to escape possible punishment even though his action could be deemed as accidental.

Had that not been the case, he would have been in big trouble and the citing officer may take a closer look.

Dave Kilcoyne was prominent for Ireland, coming up with a rampaging run in the first half, and he followed it up with Ireland's first try just after half-time when he powered through two tacklers to dot down.

Scrum-half Giorgi Begadze had paid the price for his team's mounting penalty count just before the interval and by the 43rd minute Ireland led 16-0.

Capitalising on Georgia's lack of numbers and sensing the ascendancy with their maul, Richardt Strauss was the next man to benefit as Ireland's pack got to work again and finished in the right corner.

Georgia to their credit refused to give up and were justly rewarded following an injection of impetus from their replacement front row.

Begadze, back on the field after his yellow card, scampered down the blindside and setup the lock Giorgi Nemsadze for a fine try.

Simon Zebo couldn't be stopped after Ireland created a huge overlap to score their third try, seconds after Dimitri Basilaia became the second Georgian player sent to the bin.

There was real concern however over the condition of Lasha Malaguradze, who took a nasty head knock and was attended to by medical staff before being stretchered off and encouragingly waving his arms to the crowd.

Not by any surprise, Georgia's worst moments came when down to 14 men and Felix Jones pounced for Ireland's fourth try with too much space and time in the corner.

Jones didn't have to wait long for a second, Robin Copeland's rip in the tackle making room for Ireland's replacements — Kieran Marmion, Ian Keatley and Sean Cronin — to all surge upfield and hand Jones the chance to score.

Stuart Olding got in on the act for a weaving try as Georgia's defence lost their shape and Ireland lined up to add more scores, with debutant Foley named Man of the Match to cap off a strong first outing.

Job done for Schmidt, who will now begin planning for the visit of the Wallabies next weekend as Ireland look to end November unbeaten.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Tries:  Kilcoyne, Strauss, Zebo, Jones 2, Olding
Cons:  Madigan 5
Pens:  Madigan 3

For Georgia:
Try:  Nemsadze
Con:  Kvirikashvili
Yellow Card:  Begadze, Basilaia

Ireland:  15 Felix Jones, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Eoin Reddan (c), 8 Robbie Diack, 7 Tommy O'Donnell, 6 Dominic Ryan, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Dave Foley, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Dave Kilcoyne.
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Rodney Ah You, 19 Devin Toner, 20 Robin Copeland, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Ian Keatley, 23 Stuart Olding.

Georgia:15 Merab Kvirikashvili, 14 Tamaz Mchedlidze, 13 David Kacharava , 12 Merab Sharikadze, 11 Sandro Todua, 10 Lasha Khmaladze, 9 Giorgi Begadze, 8 Dimitri Basilaia, 7 Vito Kolelishvili, 6 Giorgi Tkhilaishvili, 5 Giorgi Nemsadze, 4 Kote Mikautadze, 3 Davit Kubriashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili
Replacements:  16 Simon Maisuradze, 17 Zurab Zhvania, 18 Levan Chilachava, 19 Levan Datunashvili, 20 Giorgi Chkhaidze, 21 Vazha Khutsishvili, 22 Lasha Malaguradze, 23 Muraz Giorgadze

Referee:  JP Doyle (England)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO:  Jim Yuille (Scotland)

Les Bleus hold on against Wallabies

Teddy Thomas' wonder try helped France to a thrilling 29-26 win over Australia in a bruising encounter at the Stade de France.

France were hanging on at the end but this was a deserved win for Les Bleus, and much-needed for under-fire Philippe Saint-André.

Camille Lopez controlled the game from fly-half, while in Thomas, France have a born finisher.  On another day Australia might have nicked it, but just when his team needed him most, Thierry Dusautoir produced two decisive tackles in the last five minutes to secure the win.

Saint-André had chosen to stick with the same starting lineup that beat Fiji in Marseille and was rewarded in the first 30 minutes as Les Bleus played with real intensity in both attack and defence.

Tries from Sébastien Tillous-Borde and Thomas saw France lead 17-6, but from there Australia fought back through Bernard Foley and an Adam Ashley-Cooper try and trailed by just a point at half-time.

As well as France had started, Michael Cheika's team looked much the stronger going into the break and it seemed as if they would power away in the second half.  Instead Les Bleus tightened things up, opened up a lead thanks to the boot of Lopez, and despite Rob Simmons' late try, held on for the win.

It was Australia who almost made the perfect start though when Scott Spedding's clearance kick was charged down and Simmons touched down inside a minute.  The second row had knocked on while picking up the ball, however, and France's blushes were spared.

In an entertaining opening Les Bleus came within inches of crossing themselves after some great work by Yoann Huget.  The winger collected Lopez's cross-kick before beating two men and feeding Spedding inside him only for the full-back to be nudged into touch at the last second by the covering Foley.

Australia then tried to play their way out of trouble from the resulting lineout, and when James Horwill knocked on, Alexandre Dumoulin's wide pass was just too high for Thomas.

France didn't have to wait long for their try though, from the scrum Lopez made a half-break, and with the Australian defence scrambling, Tillous-Borde spotted a gap and darted over from the back of a ruck.  Lopez was injured in the move but shrugged that off to convert and make it 7-0.

Just as they had done repeatedly last week against Wales, Australia hit back straightaway, earning a penalty when Tillous-Borde was isolated from the restart.  Foley made no mistake to cut the lead to four.

France were almost in again soon after, Lopez again ghosting through a gap before a grubber had Joe Tomane scrambling but the winger just managed to get back into time to palm the ball into touch with Huget lurking.

A Lopez penalty from the next lineout was immediately cancelled out by Foley, with the visitors doing just enough to stay in touch.

Lopez was playing well in general, but for the second time in a row his restart went straight out, giving Australia a scrum on halfway and handing them back possession.

France were nullifying the Australian attack, but the Wallabies had clearly singled out Thomas as a weakness under the high ball and he was twice caught out to give away lineouts in French territory.

But while the winger was struggling in defence, he showed just why he was selected with a sensational individual try.  He collected the ball out wide under pressure, before beating Christian Leali'ifano, Ashley-Cooper, Saia Fainga'a and Nick Phipps to go over for his fourth Test try in just his second appearance.  Lopez converted again to make it 17-6.

While France deservedly led, the one bright point for Australia was their scrum, which had the upper hand on their French counterparts and even earned a penalty just after the half-hour.  Unfortunately for the Wallabies the same could not be said for their misfiring lineout.

When they did manage to secure one though, they sucked in the French defence with a maul before spreading the ball to the right.  Foley slipped out of Tillous-Borde's tackle, before finding Ashley-Cooper, who was too strong for Spedding and notched up his 30th Test try.  Foley's conversion from out wide made it 17-13 with half-time approaching.

France looked to be running out of steam and when Pascal Papé was caught offside, Foley gratefully accepted three more points to make it a one-point game at the break.

With his team tiring, Saint-André made some changes at half-time, with Uini Atonio and Mathieu Bastareaud both entering the fray, and the centre showed all his power in the opening seconds breaking three tackles to force Australia back on to their own line.  When the Wallabies were caught offside a couple of phases later, Lopez stretched the lead back to four.

The momentum was back with the home side and Michael Hooper caught Guilhem Guirado high a couple of minutes later, but wasn't made to pay as Lopez's penalty didn't quite have the legs.

France didn't have to wait long to stretch the lead again though, with Sean McMahon penalised for lifting Bernard Le Roux after the whistle had gone, and this time Lopez made no mistake.

The seven-point lead was back to four almost immediately, a French kick-chase setting off a fraction early giving Foley an easy penalty.

The French scrum was still struggling, but the introduction of Xavier Chiocci for Menini had an instant impact, shunting the Australians back and earning penalty just before the hour.

The resulting lineout was lost but Rory Kockott, on for Tillous-Borde, charged down Foley and the Wallabies barely survived with Rob Horne's clearing kick giving France a lineout five metres out.

Unfortunately for Les Bleus they were then penalised for offside when trying to set up a maul, blowing a golden opportunity to open up a gap between the sides.

The tide had certainly turned in the scrum though, with Sekope Kepu, on his 50th appearance, given a torrid time by Chiocci and conceding another penalty which Lopez converted.

It was getting scrappy, but France were in control, and when Will Skelton was penalised in a lineout, Kockott stretched the lead to ten with eight minutes remaining.

The game looked up but Australia worked an overlap to send Ashley-Cooper away and after going straight through Spedding he was dragged down just short of the line.  Rémi Talès thought he'd secured a decisive turnover but he was deemed to have done so illegally and was sin-binned as a result.

Australia were right back in it, but a huge tackle and rip from Thierry Dusautoir on Skelton forced the Wallabies to start again.

It was only temporary respite however.  Israel Folau, having barely featured all game, made a searing break and while he couldn't finish, a couple of phases later, Quade Cooper slipped the ball out of a tackle for Simmons to go over.  This time there was no knock-on and Foley's conversion cut the lead back to three with three minutes remaining.The visitors were flying and Foley went straight through once more as Australia looked certain to score.  Yet again Dusautoir was in the right place and the right time, making a perfect tackle on Ben Alexander to force a knock-on five metres out.

That left France with a final scrum to negotiate and they did precisely that, earning some measure of revenge for June's 3-0 whitewash.  It wasn't easy, and they are far from the finished article, but it was an important step for their under-fire coach.

For Australia, there was disappointment, with the likes of Tevita Kuridrani and Folau, in particular, struggling to have a real impact in the game.  Foley was outstanding once more, but overall the Wallabies turned over too much ball in contact to emerge victorious.

Man of the match:  There were a number of candidates:  Teddy Thomas for his solo score alone, Thierry Dusautoir for his captain's performance at the death and Bernard Foley for keeping Australia in it.  In the end though, we're going to go for Camille Lopez.  He ran the show for France, showing great decision-making and helping them turn things around after a sticky end to the first half.  We'll even forgive him his two fluffed restarts.

Moment of the match:  How can we not go with Teddy Thomas' try?  Saint-André said in the build-up that Thomas has weaknesses in defence but makes up for them with his attacking threat.  This game was proof of that, but as a finisher he is something else.

Villain of the match:  It was fiery and the tackles came flying in, but overall it didn't quite boil over.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:  Tillous-Borde, Thomas
Cons:  Lopez 2
Pens:  Lopez 4, Kockott
Yellow Card:  Talès

For Australia:
Tries:  Ashley-Cooper, Simmons
Cons:  Foley 2
Pens:  Foley 4

France:  15 Scott Spedding, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Alexandre Dumoulin, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Teddy Thomas, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Sébastien Tillous-Borde, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Papé, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Alexandre Menini
Replacements:  16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Uini Atonio, 18 Xavier Chiocci, 19 Alexandre Flanquart, 20 Yannick Nyanga, 21 Rory Kockott, 22 Rémi Talès, 23 Mathieu Bastareaud

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Christian Leali'ifano, 11 Joe Tomane, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Sean McMahon, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 James Horwill, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Saia Fainga'a, 1 James Slipper
Replacements:  16 James Hanson, 17 Benn Robinson, 18 Ben Alexander, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Matt Hodgson, 21 Will Genia, 22 Quade Cooper, 23 Rob Horne

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

England too late again as Boks triumph

Emerging on top in a physical, flawed tussle, the Springboks rebounded from defeat in Dublin to win 31-28 at Twickenham.

South Africa's issues against Ireland were well documented but there was no arrogance at Twickenham, just trademark power and commitment in defence in a brutal battle.  They weren't perfect by any stretch, but got the job done.

If you like your mauls, you were in for a treat.

From 20-6 up they will have been bitterly disappointed to let England back into the contest, but their greater experience and composure shone through.

Nerves jittered out of both camps and into the stands before kickoff.  Back-to-back losses for either side would have been disastrous and now it's England who are taking a long look at themselves.

Their reliance on Billy Vunipola for any go-forward is a burden, as the Boks licked their lips and chopped down England's slow ball carriers time and again.

Owen Farrell had been demanded to deliver an authoritative performance yet he failed, putting his future as England's long-term number ten in doubt with the efforts of his forwards in the second half covering up England's flaws with successive tries from rolling mauls.

England had not beaten the Boks since 2006, coincidentally the last time South Africa lost back-to-back matches to Northern Hemisphere sides.

Stuart Lancaster's reign is now under more scrutiny than ever before since he took charge in 2012.

When called upon to beat the best, England fell short and just like against the All Blacks they left it too late.

Kyle Eastmond's footwork showed promise against the All Blacks and nearly undid the Springboks early on, a burst through the space between defenders handing England a half-chance before his offload fell to ground.

Farrell's lack of composure in his 22 handed Pat Lambie the chance for the game's first points with a well-struck penalty.

Handling errors were compounding England's progress with the Boks defence standing firm and then pouncing on Danny Care's indecision.  Jan Serfontein burst away for his first Test try after latching onto an absolute gift of a misdirected pass.

England were a shambles, but the Springboks showed ruthlessness and all of a sudden sat 10-0 up.

Early dominance of the scrum and line-out gave England a set-piece but they did little with it, with no runners crashing up from deep after any initial progress before Marcell Coetzee pounced at the breakdown.

Half chances for Anthony Watson and Jonny May fell by the wayside but South Africa's telegraphed clearance kicks were holding them back, a second chargedown ending with Farrell's opening points for the home side.

Lambie responded following strong work from South Africa's rolling maul in the ongoing battle of strength versus strength, England's scrum responding with a free-kick ending in a second penalty for Farrell.

Careless penalties were a trend, Tom Wood following up Duane Vermeulen's second ruck offence by playing Eben Etzebeth in the air.

Lambie let England off the hook just as his team had in general, only letting the hosts trail by a converted try at the break despite England dominating possession and territory.

There was no leniency after half-time;  Cobus Reinach blazed over after combined brilliance from Lambie's initial chip and then Willie le Roux's perfect pass onto the rapid scrum-half.

The timing was critical — England were put into desperation mode and assaulted the Springbok line with a rampaging maul that careered from the left touchline to finish up under the posts through Davey Wilson.

In between England's maul attempts the Boks were reduced to 14 men with Victor Matfield's yellow card for pulling it down illegally.

England were now red hot and an error from the officials sprung them for their second try.

Bryan Habana's clever lineout catch with feet either side of the line was incorrectly deemed to be ill-timed, giving England a throw-in that culminated with a rampaging score for the replacement Ben Morgan at the end of another monster maul.

From 6-20 to 20-20 in three minutes, England couldn't capitalise on the yellow card against the All Blacks but made sure of it seven days on.

The Springboks counter-punched in similar style, the work of Schalk Burger standing out as South Africa bullied their way over in the corner to restore their lead.

Dylan Hartley's yellow card was an unnecessary problem England didn't need as he trampled over Vermeulen on the deck.

Coetzee continued to reign supreme at the breakdown, generating a third Lambie penalty, before George Ford instantly cancelled it out with his first three-pointer in Test rugby.

Tantalisingly poised with England returning to the corner and back to a full compliment, Vermeulen's line-out steal came at a crucial time with the clock running out and Twickenham growing behind their side.

Just as Habana was unlucky earlier, so was Courtney Lawes as he attempted to sneak around the back of the maul — with the Boks going to the corner from the resultant penalty and confirming the result with a drop-goal from Lambie in the pocket.

Brad Barritt's try, just like against the All Blacks, came too late as the English inquest begins into another near miss — character and composure from the Springboks shining through.

Man of the Match:  Outstanding at the breakdown, Marcell Coetzee won a number of penalties.

Moment of the Match:  The line-out England shouldn't have had.  From it Ben Morgan drove over to level the game up at 20-20.

Villain of the Match:  Was it the right call?  Dylan Hartley's yellow card will split opinion but his careless action could have been avoided.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Wilson, Morgan, Barritt
Cons:  Farrell 2
Pens:  Farrell 2, Ford
Yellow Card:  Hartley

For South Africa:
Tries:  Serfontein, Reinach, Burger
Cons:  Lambie 2
Pens:  Lambie 3
Drop Goal:  Lambie
Yellow Card:  Matfield

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Kyle Eastmond, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Danny Care, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 David Wilson, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements:  16 Rob Webber, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 George Kruis, 20 Ben Morgan, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 George Ford, 23 Marland Yarde.

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jan Serfontein, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements:  16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Bakkies Botha, 20 Teboho Mohoje, 21 Francois Hougaard, 22 Handr

All Blacks survive Scotland scare

Jeremy Thrush's late try finally killed off a valiant Scottish challenge as New Zealand scrapped to a 24-16 win at Murrayfield.

The Scots performed exceptionally, acquitting themselves with more grit and more aptitude than in any recent encounters with the World Champions, keeping pace with a much-changed, but nonetheless exemplary All Blacks unit until the 74th minute, and recording their narrowest defeat in this fixture for 23 years.

Second-row Thrush barrelled over to quash the hopes of those among a 66,000-strong home crowd who, with time ticking and Scotland trailing by a point, began to believe the impossible - a first-ever victory over New Zealand - might be imminent.

Though it is rather a benign clich・ in truth, their performance, building upon last week's success against Argentina would always bear greater significance to Vern Cotter and co than the final outcome.

In that regard, the Kiwi coach must be delighted, though more than a touch rueful that, with ten minutes remaining, Greig Laidlaw spurned the opportunity to kick his side ahead.

This was a weakened All Blacks XV, but that must be clarified through the prism of the best team in the world - by any other standard, it was awesome.

And then there was the bench:  where Scotland could call upon Duncan Weir and Sean Lamont to bolster their backline, New Zealand had Sonny Bill Williams and Julian Savea ready and waiting.  If there exists a more lethal reserve double anywhere in the game, I haven't seen it.

Yet while it is easy to saturate one's dialogue with superlatives when eulogising the All Blacks, and particularly these All Blacks, they are fallible.  Steve Hansen's side didn't quite click in attack, and credit must go to Scotland for exerting pressure, and pouncing when presented with opportunities, Tommy Seymour's interception try a prime example.

The waves of cautious optimism lapping at these shores is well-documented, and right from the off, there was a sense the hosts would not crumble as they have done so many times before, that they would not be pushed around by their illustrious guests - even born-again Christian Euan Murray was in the thick of the early handbags.

For all the Scots' defiance, however, the omens were not promising when with ten minutes gone, Victor Vito, harnessing loose skills honed during his sevens days, dummied, shrugging off Ross Ford's limp tackle, broke forty metres down the left side and powered through Stuart Hogg to finish brilliantly in the corner.

World rugby's leading Test marksman, Dan Carter, on his return from injury, was wide for the second time to the delight of most of Murrayfield, having pulled a penalty attempt two minutes prior.

In years gone by, Vito's strike would probably have spelled the beginning of the end for Scotland, and indeed it might well have done, had Richie McCaw, of all people - while Mark Bennett was prone and receiving treatment - with overlap and opportunity beckoning, not seen his pass plucked from the air by Seymour, the winger racing clear to score his second interception in as many weeks under the sticks.

Laidlaw converted, and Bennett was sadly carted off, a hamstring injury ending his game, with Lamont his replacement in midfield.

And having been comprehensively flattened by the hulking Thrush, fly-half Finn Russell joined his fellow youngster on the bench, albeit temporarily, Weir stepping in for ten minutes to allow his teammate to undergo concussion assessments.

Carter, the deity, the magician who dazzled on his last visit to Edinburgh, was still looking a tad rusty as he spilled a couple of passes, and miscued the odd punt, but knocked over a pair of straightforward penalties to put the Kiwis back ahead.

The Scots were holding their own, but the bruising collisions took their toll;  Murray was the third in garish red to hobble off before half-time, replaced by Geoff Cross.

Laidlaw struck again to cut the gap to a point as the interval loomed, but Carter once more slotted from the tee to cancel out the captain's goal with the last kick of the half.

Scotland started the second period with incision, thanks to another Seymour interception and two line breaks from Hogg and Sean Maitland, yielding a second penalty for Laidlaw.

Hansen rolled out his big guns on 55 minutes, with Savea and Williams replacing Carter and Malakai Fekitoa, the giant winger showing glimpses of his power from midfield, and after Scotland tried and failed repeatedly to run the ball from deep, Colin Slade punished them with three more points, taking over the kicking duties.

Straight from the restart, however, New Zealand were penalised, and Laidlaw once more kept Scotland a single point adrift.

When the Blacks strayed offside two minutes later, the scrum-half stepped up, and suddenly, remarkably, with ten to play, the hosts had a chance for the lead.  Murrayfield dared to dream.  Laidlaw's kick skewed wide.

Then the All Blacks did what the All Blacks do.  They won back possession, put themselves in their opponents' 22, and patiently cycled through the phases.  The red line of defiance finally creaked, and Thrush, a real presence in the loose, forced his way to the whitewash from close range;  the look on his face betrayed his sense of relief that this game had finally been put to bed.

Slade converted, and though Scotland threw everything at the Kiwis in the final three minutes, they could not cut the deficit any further.

That said, they trooped off with heads aloft, and took the acclaim from supporters that, in the space of two weeks, feel an awful a lot better about the state of their rugby.

Man of the match:  Jeremy Thrush made yards aplenty in the loose, tackled fiercely, was at the coalface throughout a dominant scrummaging display and scored the all-important try.

Moment of the match:  Greig Laidlaw's miss.  Ten minutes is a long time to play against New Zealand, but with the scoreboard and the crowd behind them, who knows what might have been ...

Villain of the match:  A few spats, but nothing too sinister to report.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Try:  Seymour
Con:  Laidlaw
Pens:  Laidlaw 3

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Vito, Thrush
Con:  Slade
Pens:  Carter 3, Slade

The teams:

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tommy Seymour, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (c), 8 Adam Ashe, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements:  16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 David Denton, 20 Johnnie Beattie, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Sean Lamont.

New Zealand:  15 Ben Smith, 14 Colin Slade, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Charles Piutau, 10 Dan Carter, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Richie McCaw (c), 5 Dominic Bird, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 James Parsons, 1 Joe Moody.
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Ben Franks, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Liam Messam, 21 Augustine Pulu, 22 Sonny Bill Williams, 23 Julian Savea.

Referee:  Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees:  Johnny Lacey (Ireland), Stuart Berry (South Africa)
TMO:  Gareth Simmonds (Wales)

Goromaru boots Japan past Romania

Japan full-back Ayumu Goromaru knocked over six penalties to give his team the win over Romania in Bucharest on Saturday.

Romania picked up the game's only five-pointer with a penalty try to put the hosts 10-3 ahead after half an hour, before the Brave Blossoms pulled through.

Japan started brightly and had the bulk of the possession but could not convert their overwhelming dominance into points.

Goromaru opened the scoring with a penalty after 16 minutes but the Oaks responded in style, taking a 10-3 advantage after fly-half Florin Vlaicu scored a penalty, before the home pack earned the only try in the game during an impressive 10-minute spell.

The visitors reduced the deficit to only one point at halftime after Goromaru slotted two more penalties and he confirmed his fine kicking form with three more penalties after the break.

Vlaicu made it 18-13 less than 10 minutes from time before missing another penalty in the closing stages at the Arch of Triumph National Rugby Stadium.

Romania host Canada next Saturday while Japan visit Georgia on the following day.

The scorers:

For Romania:
Try:  Penalty Try
Con:  Vlaicu
Pens:  Vlaicu 2
Yellow Card:  Sirbe

For Japan:
Pens:  Goromaru 6

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu 14 Dorin Manole, 13 Csaba Gal, 12 Robert Dascalu, 11 Ionut Botezatu, 10 Florin Vlaicu, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Daniel Carpo, 7 Mihai Macovei, 6 Ovidiu Tonita 5 Valentin Popirlan, 4 Marius Serbs, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 Andrei Radoi, 1 Andrei Ursache,
Replacements:16 Otar Turashvili, 17 Mihaita Lazar, 18 Horace bags, 19 Alin Coste, 20 Stelian Burca, Grigoras 21 Diaconescu, 22 Florin Ionita, 23 Robert Neagu

Japan:  15 Ayumu Goromaru, 14 Karne Hesketh, 13 Kotaro Matsushima, 12 Male Sau, 11 Akihito Yamada, 10 Kosei Ono, 9 Atsushi Hiwasa, 8 Amanaki Lelei Mafi, 7 Michael Leitch, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Shinya Makabe, 4 Shoji Ito, 3 Kensuke Hatakeyama, 2 Takeshi Kizu, 1 Masataka Mikami.
Replacements:  16 Keita Inagaki, 17 Hiroki Yuhara, 18 Hiroshi Yamashita, 19 Hitoshi Ono, 20 Hayden Hopgood , 21 Yuki Yatomi, 22 Harumichi Tatekawa, 23 Toshiaki Hirose.

Referee:  Stuart Berry (South Africa)

Late Tonga charge sinks Georgia

Tonga scored three tries in the final quarter as they came from behind to beat Georgia 23-9 in Tbilisi on Saturday.

Trailing 9-6 on the hour mark, the Islanders turned on the gas, scoring three unanswered tries in 12 minutes to kick off their European tour with a bang.

Replacement scrum-half Taniela Moa came off the bench to score two tries while full-back Vungakoto Lilo added the final nail in the coffin.

Georgia led 6-3 at the interval thanks to two penalties from full-back Kvirikashvili.

Tonga pivot Kurt Morath leveled the scores from the kicking tee soon after the break before Kvirikashvili nudged his side ahead again with half an hour to play.

It was all Tonga in the closing stages though.

The scorers:

For Georgia:
Pens:  Kvirikashvili 3
Yellow card:  Tkhilaishvili

For Tonga:
Tries:  Moa 2, Lilo
Con:  Fosita
Pens:  Morath 2

Georgia:  15 Merab Kvirikashvili, 14 Irakli Machkhaneli, 13 David Kacharava, 12 Merab Sharikadze, 11 Tamaz Mchedlidze, 10 Lasha Khmaladze, 9 Giorgi Begadze, 8 Giorgi Chkhaidze, 7 Viktor Kolelishvili, 6 Giga Tkhilaishvili, 5 Levan Datunashvili, 4 Konstantin Mikautadze, 3 Davit Kubriashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili.
Replacements:  16 Simon Maisuradze, 17 Zurabi Zhvania, 18 Levan Chilachava, 19 Giorgi Nemsadze, 20 Lasha Lomidze, 21 Vazha Khutsishvili, 22 Lasha Malaguradze, 23 Sandro Todua.

Tonga:  15 Vungakoto Lilo, 14 David Halaifonua, 13 Siale Piutau, 12 Hemani Paea, 11 Fetu'u Vainikolo, 10 Kurt Morath, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Viliami Ma'afu, 7 Nili Latu, 6 Sione Kalamafoni, 5 Joe Tu'ineau, 4 Tukulua Lokotui, 3 Sila Puafisi, 2 Aleki Lutui, 1 Tevita Mailau.
Replacements:  16 Elvis Taione, 17 Siua Halanukonuka, 18 Paea Fa'anunu, 19 Lisiate Fa'aoso, 20 Hale T Pole, 21 Taniela Moa, 22 Latiume Fosita, 23 Otulea Katoa.

Venue:  Mikheil Meshki Stadium, Tbilisi
Referee:  Pascal Gauz

Italy claim victory over Samoa

Italy came from 3-10 down to defeat Samoa 24-13 in their November Test at Stadio Cino e Lilio Del Duca in Ascoli.

New Zealand-born fly-half Kelly Haimona kicked 14 points to inspire Italy to the hard-fought win as they ended a nine-match string of defeats.

Haimona was making his full Azzurri debut after being called up for the November Tests two weeks ago alongside Fijian Samuela Vunisa.

And the Zebre fly-half proved a useful addition to Jacques Brunel's stuttering side as they look to put a disastrous Six Nations and June tour of the South Pacific behind them.

Italy will face Argentina and South Africa later this month and Brunel's men, whose last victory was a 37-31 win over Fiji last November, will take some heart from a performance that nevertheless took time to come together.

A shaky Italy went in for the half-time interval trailing 3-10 after flanker Jack Lam touched down for the Samoans just after the half hour, with fly-half Tusi Pisi converting having levelled Haimona's third-minute penalty with a penalty on 26 minutes.

It looked as though the Italians might suffer their third consecutive defeat to the Samoans, who whitewashed the Azzurri 15-0 in Apia last June after a crushing 39-10 defeat a year earlier in Nelspruit.

Italy's last beat Samoa in Ascoli in 2009 and a much-improved second half performance revived memories of that 24-6 victory.

Haimona reduced arrears with a penalty in front of the posts three minutes into the second half and minutes later the Azzurri pulled ahead after a well-worked move from a line-out deep in Samoan territory.

Joshua Furno jumped high to collect and after the ball was fed to Simone Favaro, one of several key players returning to the fray after injury absence, he was driven to the line by a maul before touching down.

Italy remained ahead 11-10 after Haimona missed the conversion, but a Pisi penalty minutes later put the Samoans back in front.

Pisi skewed another penalty attempt just wide of the near post from the left wing just before the hour, and then a seemingly spot-on Haimona penalty from 40 metres out fell just short.

Two minutes later a great run to the try line by centre Michele Campagnaro set Italy up for their second try.

Scrum-half Edoardo Gori dug the ball out to feed Haimona, who looked up before sending a delightful chip over the Samoan defence for Parisse to catch with both hands as he fell unchallenged over the line.

Haimona kicked the easy conversion to give the Azzurri a 21-13 lead with a little under quarter of an hour on the clock.

Another penalty by Haimona gave Italy an 11-point lead with seven minutes remaining and the hosts survived a series of charges late on to claim a morale-boosting win.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Tries:  Favaro, Parisse
Con:  Haimona
Pen:  Haimona 4

For Samoa:
Try:  Lam
Con:  Pisi
Pen:  Pisi 2

Italy:  15 Andrea Masi, 14 Luke Mclean, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Leonardo Sarto, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Joshua Furno, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Matias Aguero
Replacements:  16 Andrea Manici, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Marco Bortolami, 20 Robert Barbieri, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Luciano Orquera, 23 Giulio Toniolatti.

Samoa:  15 Fa'atoina Autagavaia, 14 Ken Pisi, 13 Johnny Leota, 12 Alapati Leiua, 11 David Lemi (c), 10 Tusiata Pisi, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Taiasina Tuifua, 7 Jack Lam, 6 Piula Fa'asalele, 5 Fa'atiga Lemalu, 4 Kane Thompson, 3 Anthony Perenise, 2 Ti'i Paulo, 1 Sakaria Taulafo.
Replacements:  16 Ole Avei, 17 Albert Toetu, 18 Viliamu Afatia, 19 Teofilo Paulo, 20 Maurie Faasavalu, 21 Pele Cowley, 22 Michael Stanley, 23 Winston Stanley.

Referee:  Steve Walsh (Australia)
Assistant referees:  John Lacey (Ireland), Greg Garner (England)
TMO:  Gareth Simmonds (Wales)

NZ master conditions to beat England

Winning by three tries to two, New Zealand controlled the appalling conditions in the second half to defeat England 21-24 at Twickenham.

Nowhere near their best but so effective in the way they handled the weather, the All Blacks put away a spirited England side to make it six wins out of the last seven In London.

A penalty try for the home side came too little too late as England paid for losing their way in the second half, when New Zealand rose to the fore in a chaotic second period where multiple refereeing decisions were questionable.

England though will learn a lot from this, despite the loss.  They kept New Zealand honest, proving they can compete.  Inexperience in the end cost them as the penalties crept up and their composure was washed away with the flood from above, not to mention a weak kicking performance.

Examining the draw for next year's Rugby World Cup before Saturday, a final between these two appears likely.  New Zealand will have taken plenty from this contest, England too.

The home side might have lacked Tests caps in comparison but they weren't intimidated.  Twickenham has become the venue Stuart Lancaster has always wanted in their last three games, truly deafening.

Jonny May's solo extravaganza caused delirium.  Even the best can't account for pace and Conrad Smith has played enough Tests to know that, as the Gloucester wing burned him and had too much speed for Israel Dagg to cover across.

Back in 2012 a fast start rattled the All Blacks and England went for it again - Farrell pumping an early penalty into the corner in a sign of intent, even if no points came from it, as New Zealand defended for their lives.  Kyle Eastmond's pass was perfect, but Mike Brown couldn't gather it in.

May was everywhere, gunning to prove a point but so where the All Blacks as they soaked up England's attack and then repelled it back at them.

All starting from Ben Smith's magic aerial take, a missed tackle on Jerome Kaino created the field position for Aaron Cruden to power over and just do enough with the grounding.  Like Farrell before him, he couldn't convert.

Successive penalties from Farrell countered by a late hit by Dylan Hartley on Cruden left the score at 11-8.

Not often do New Zealand squander chances but the customary offload out the back from Sonny Bill Williams found grass instead of hands, with England warned.

Penalties however flowed the home side's way, Owen Franks was bemused at best by the scrum penalty decision of Nigel Owens but there was no further punishment as Farrell missed a drop goal.

Chris Robshaw's discrepancy at the breakdown let Cruden levels things up, but Farrell had the final say, three more points giving England a deserved lead at half-time.

Key players fell by the wayside with Courtney Lawes and Brodie Retallick departing early as Cruden missed a penalty to tie the scores at the start of the second half, England keeping their nervy, slender advantage.

A silent Twickenham is normally a sign of the things to come and Richie McCaw rounded off a superb break from Kieran Read and Franks into space.  Even with Dagg's poor pass, New Zealand were never going to let that chance slip away.

McCaw's score lit a match under his side as they picked up the pace, surging forward with ball in hand as England threatened to let all their good work be wiped out.

Increasingly scrappy as each breakdown sucked up the clock, Sam Whitelock nearly picked England's pocket with the ball waiting on the line.  The giant snuck through the ruck but his contact with the ball was judged to be forward rather than downward, an almighty narrow call with the score at 14-16.

A rush of blood from Dane Coles put New Zealand down to 14 men, kicking out on the floor after Hartley cynically pulled him back into the ruck.

Heavy rain made tactical kicking essential with the All Blacks winning the battle, as Care and Farrell struggled.

Cruden's cross-field kick and then Savea's chip over the top had Semesa Rokoduguni scrambling, not for the first time on a quiet but solid debut.

A five-metre scrum in the left corner put the All Blacks in prime position to strike, however Savea uncharacteristically let the ball drop off his fingertips as England escaped again.

You'd have never known England were the team with 15 men at this point.  New Zealand's grip on the contest was tighter than ever but Beauden Barrett produced a howler of a penalty attempt to keep the gap at only two.

A second chance came shortly after when Sonny Bill Williams flew through the defence but England were only punished with three points, Barrett this time making no mistake.

The try from Charlie Faumuina shortly after though, his first for the All Blacks, epitomised New Zealand's dominance of the conditions as he burrowed over from close range and looked to seal the match.

England tried to get a late try to have something to take into next weekend's clash with the Springboks and the World Cup beyond and a penalty try was the result, after one too many offences by their visitors.

Thirty seconds remained with England down by three - a glimmer of hope at least.

There was to be no miracle though, as New Zealand extended their winning run over next year's World Cup hosts to five straight games.

Man of the Match:  An early departure but the impact of Jerome Kaino was enormous, starting the build-up for Cruden's score.

Moment of the Match:  Three minutes in and Jonny May's screaming run showed that England meant business.

Villain of the Match:  The age it took for a decision to be made was unnecessary but a yellow card was the right call for Dane Coles. Even with your shirt pulled, you can't do that.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  May, Penalty Try
Con:  Farrell
Pens:  Farrell 3

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Cruden, McCaw, Faumuina
Pens:  Cruden 2, Barrett

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Kyle Eastmond, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Danny Care, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 David Wilson, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 Rob Webber, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 George Kruis, 20 Ben Morgan, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 George Ford, 23 Anthony Watson

New Zealand:  15 Israel Dagg, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements:  16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Liam Messam, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Ryan Crotty.

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees:  Jérôme Garcès (France), Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
TMO:  Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Wales fall to Wallabies

Australia held off a spirited effort from Wales to condemn their hosts to yet another defeat against their visitors, going down 33-28 on Saturday.

If it wasn't before, it is now a worrying trend for Wales one year out from the World Cup as they went down to their upcoming Pool A rivals.

They had a chance to win but in the end first-half errors and late ill-disciplined saw Australia prevail.

There were no penalties on the board during the first-half as both teams enjoyed lots of space to unleash their dangerous runners in back play.

And it was a player who deserved his start at the base who got the ball rolling as the Osprey Rhys Webb capitalised on space around the ruck after captain Sam Warburton's break, running through untouched from 20 metres out before Leigh Halfpenny landed the successful conversion.

It set the tone for a try-happy half as then Wallaby captain Michael Hooper ran hard at Dan Biggar before offloading to Israel Folau to level.

20 minutes had been played when Folau doubled both his personal and team's account, intercepting a speculative pass from Webb as he set off to the try-line from his own 22.  Bernard Foley sent over the extras as it was a 14-7 ball game on the new hybrid surface.

Wales again displayed tenacity to bounce back and when George North broke on halfway before finding wing Alex Cuthbert for the run-in, we were level at the Millennium Stadium.

The pattern continued on the half-hour mark as in-form centre Tevita Kuridrani powered through the tackles of lock Alun-Wyn Jones and Cuthbert for a strong run to the uprights.  With Foley's two points the Wallabies had once more moved into a seven-point lead.

With Halfpenny having hobbled off, Wales though made some pressure count before half-time as Jones picked from one metre out to make it 21-21 at the break with Biggar's kick.  Fortunately for Wales, it didn't go to the TMO as it looked like double movement.

Upon the turnaround it was Australia who began the stronger as Foley made it 24-21.

Wales meanwhile could have levelled from distance but went for the corner with replacement Rhys Priestland's first touch due to Biggar hobbling off.  Webb soon followed.

Foley continued his great game with a further three points on 56 minutes that made it a 27-21 lead for the Wallabies but thus followed a purple patch for Wales in the visitors 22.  They turned the screw at scrum-time and eventually got their reward with a penalty try for the lead.

However, as so often has been the case for Wales against the southern hemisphere giants, they could not finish the job as a smartly taken Foley drop and then then his third penalty of the game saw the Wallabies to victory.  Wales, again, wonder what might have been.

Man of the match:  He directed Australia superbly well, with his points key to the victory.  Hats off to fly-half Bernard Foley, with mentions going to Sam Warburton and Israel Folau.

Moment of the match:  Poor Rhys Webb.  He started strongly with a try but his intercept pass to Israel Folau was a sucker punch to Wales in the first-half.  A gift seven points.

Villain of the match:  Nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  Webb, Cuthbert, AW Jones, Penalty
Con:  Halfpenny 2, Biggar, Priestland

For Australia:
Tries:  Folau 2, Kuridrani
Con:  Foley 3
Pen:  Foley 3
Drop:  Foley

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 George North, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Paul James.
Replacements:  16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Gethin Jenkins, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Bradley Davies, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Cory Allen.

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Christian Leali'ifano, 11 Joe Tomane, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Sean McMahon, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Sam Carter, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Saia Fainga'a, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements:  16 James Hanson, 17 Tetera Faulkner, 18 Ben Alexander, 19 James Horwill, 20 Will Skelton, 21 Matt Hodgson, 22 Will Genia, 23 Rob Horne.

Referee:  Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant Referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), JP Doyle (England)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

Maori All Blacks squeeze past Japan

A late Dan Pryor try secured the Maori All Blacks a hard-fought 20-18 victory over Japan in Tokyo on Saturday.

The Maori All Blacks went in to this match full of confidence after they thrashed the Brave Blossoms 61-21 in Kobe last weekend but, as the scoreline suggests, things did not go as smoothly in this encounter.

Pryor's try came in the 80th minute, after the visitors took a quick throw-in at a line-out inside Japan's half and after the ball went through several pairs of hands the dreadlocked flanker dived in at the right-hand corner to break Japanese hearts.

That was a cruel ending for the hosts, who fought back from a 15-5 half-time deficit to take an 18-15 lead shortly before Pryor's matchwinning try.

Earlier, Japan started brightly and had the bulk of the possession during the game's opening quarter but could not convert their dominance in to points.

The Maori All Blacks battled to get their hands on to the ball during those early stages and when they were trapped inside their 22 they slowed the ball down cynically at the rucks which led to them conceding several penalties.

New Zealand's indiscipline at the breakdowns eventually led to referee Angus Gardner brandishing a yellow card as early as the eighth minute.  Tom Franklin was the guilty party after he failed to roll away at a ruck close to his 10-metre line.

Japan took a shot at goal but Ayumu Goromaru's effort was unsuccesful.

Shortly afterwards, the visitors made them pay when Cody Taylor scored against the run of play.  The Canterbury hooker ran on to a pass from Pryor, midway between the halfway line and Japan's 22, before showing a superb turn of speed to outrun the cover defence before crossing over.

Ihaia West added the extras and in the 24th minute the Maori All Blacks notched their second try when Nehe Milner-Skudder dotted down in the right-hand corner after joining his backline at pace and gliding past two defenders.

West missed that conversion but slotted a penalty shortly afterwards, after Shinya Makabe infringed at a ruck.  Japan then got their first points on the scoreboard, just before half-time, via a well-taken try from Akihito Yamada.

He scored in the left-hand corner after beating Milner-Skudder with a deft side-step inside the visitors' 22.  This after Goromaru did well in the build-up to draw in Kurt Baker before offloading to Yamada.

Japan started the second half like they did in the opening period and were soon on the attack deep inside the Maori All Blacks' 22.  The Brave Blossoms' strength at scrum-time was rewarded when they were awarded a penalty try in the 47th minute.

Goromaru added the conversion and drew his side level at 15-15 with a penalty in the 55th minute.  West then had an opportunity to restore the visitors' lead, after Luke Thompson was penalised for going off his feet at a ruck, but the Maori All Blacks fly-half's kick struck an upright and the home side gained a reprieve.

The rest of the half saw Japan gaining the upperhand and they did well to restrict play mostly to the forwards before striking out wide with their backs.

The visitors — who thrived on Japan's errors in Kobe — seemed shell-shocked by the intensity of the Brave Blossoms' forward effort which was eventually rewarded when Goromaru slotted another penalty in the 74th minute after Pryor was penalised for not releasing a tackled player.

That gave Japan the lead for the first time but they were denied a series clinching win by Pryor's five-pointer at the end.

The scorers:

For Japan:
Tries:  Yamada, Penalty try
Con:  Goromaru
Pens:  Goromaru 2

For Maori All Blacks:
Tries:  Taylor, Milner-Skudder, Pryor
Con:  West
Pen:West
Yellow Card:  Franklin

Japan:  15 Ayumu Goromaru, 14 Karne Hesketh, 13 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Harumichi Tatekawa, 12 Male Sau, 11 Akihito Yamada, 10 Kosei Ono, 9 Atsushi Hiwasa, 8 Amanaki Lelei Mafi, 7 Michael Leitch, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Shinya Makabe, 4 Luke Thompson, 3 Kensuke Hatakeyama, 2 Takeshi Kizu, 1 Keita Inagaki.
Replacements:  16 Yusuke Nagae, 17 Hiroki Yuhara, 18 Shinnosuke Kakinaga, 19 Hitoshi Ono, 20 Hayden Hopgood , 21 Keisuke Uchida, 22 Harumichi Tatekawa, 23 Ryohei Yamanaka.

New Zealand Maori:  15 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 14 Kurt Baker, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Charlie Ngatai (c), 11 James Lowe, 10 Ihaia West, 9 Chris Smylie, 8 Elliot Dixon, 7 Sean Polwart, 6 Dan Pryor, 5 Blade Thomson, 4 Tom Franklin, 3 MIke Kainga, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Chris Eves
Replacements:  16 Joe Royal, 17 Brendon Edmonds, 18 Nick Barrett, 19 Hayden Triggs, 20 Mitch Crosswell, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Marty McKenzie, 23 Joe Webber

Referee:  Angus Gardner (Australia)

Canada hold on against Namibia

Nanyak Dala's second-half try proved just enough for Canada as they hung on for a 17-13 win over Namibia in Colwyn Bay.

After going down to a Championship XV last week, the Canadians were pushed very hard by Namibia, for whom Jacques Burger scored late on.

Gordon McRorie was the star of the show in the first half for Canada, slotting two early penalties to make it 6-0.

Theuns Kotze hit back for Namibia with a penalty of his own, with both kickers adding a further three-pointer before the break to make it 9-6 to Canada at half-time, while Namibia were down to 14 after a sin-binning for flanker Rohan Kitshoff.

Another McRorie penalty early in the second half stretched the lead back to six, before flanker Dala grabbed his fourth Test try on the right after sustained pressure.

McRorie missed the conversion but Canada were in complete control leading 17-6.

They were not able to add to that score though, and with five minutes remaining, Saracens flanker Burger went over from a five-metre lineout and the conversion made it 17-13 with time running out.

Namibia couldn't find their way through for a winning score though, as Canada held on ahead of a clash with Samoa next weekend.

The scorers:

For Canada:
Try:  Dala
Pens:  McRorie 4

For Namibia:
Try:  Burger
Con:  Kotze
Pens:  Kotze 2
Yellow Cards:  Kitshoff

The teams:

Canada:  15 DTH van der Merwe, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Conor Trainor, 12 Ciaran Hearn, 11 Sean Duke, 10 Connor Braid, 9 Gordon McRorie, 8 John Moonlight, 7 Nanyak Dala, 6 Kyle Gilmour, 5 Jebb Sinclair, 4 Tyler Hotson, 3 Jason Marshall, 2 Ray Barkwill, 1 Hubert Buydens (capt).
Replacements:  16 Doug Wooldridge, 17 Ryan Hamilton, 18 Jake Ilnicki, 19 Brett Buekeboom, 20 Aaron Carpenter, 21 Sean White, 22 Patrick Parfrey, 23 Jordan Wilson-Ross.

Namibia:  15 Chrysander Botha, 14 Danie Dames, 13 Darryl de la Harpe, 12 Johan Deysel, 11 David Philander, 10 Theuns Kotz