Wales continue French winning streak

Dan Biggar's second-half try was enough for Wales to edge past France 20-13 in a nervy affair at the Stade de France.

While Wales dominated territory and possession in the first half, their biggest advantage was Leigh Halfpenny, who was virtually flawless from the kicking tee, unlike opposite number Camille Lopez.

Leading 6-3 at the break, the Welsh seemed in total control when Biggar went over with 15 minutes to go to make it 17-6, but France responded with a try through Brice Dulin.

Still, les Bleus had given themselves too much to do, and a final Halfpenny penalty eight minutes from time sealed a fourth-straight win for Wales against France.

That means that Wales are very much back in contention for the Six Nations title, ahead of their home game with Ireland in a fortnight, while France will likely find themselves finishing in the bottom half of the table for the fourth-straight year of under-fire Philippe Saint-André's reign.

Despite an early knock-on, it was France who made the better start, Yoann Huget putting in a thumping hit on Liam Williams before Eddy Ben Arous showed his ability at the breakdown to win a penalty.

However from their first set move there was a mix-up in midfield with Wesley Fofana's dummy run leading to an obstruction which allowed Wales to clear their lines.

Wales had made the decision to use Jamie Roberts early and often in midfield, but it was after a series of pick-and-goes in midfield that Wales earned the first kickable penalty, with Romain Taofifenua penalised for going off his feet.  From in front Halfpenny was never going to miss and Wales went 3-0 up.

France responded with their first dangerous attack, Rémi Lamerat almost going clean through in midfield but for a desperate tap tackle by Sam Warburton.  Then after an unsuccessful maul a cross-kick looked set to put Huget in but Williams got across well to cover.

Still, les Bleus were the more dominant team in terms of territory and were soon back on level terms when the Welsh rushed up too quickly in defence at a scrum, giving Lopez a penalty in front of the posts.

While they were back level, France were dealt a blow when Lamerat was forced off, seemingly having not recovered from a knock picked up when he broke through earlier.  In his place came Mathieu Bastareaud to resume his partnership with Fofana.

It was a fairly even affair but France could have moved in front after 25 minutes when Warburton was penalised in a ruck.  Morgan Parra took the quick tap and the Welsh weren't back ten.  However from 45 metres out, Lopez's effort was inches to the left.

Wales responded, almost scoring when Dulin struggled to deal with a grubber through, bringing back memories of George North's opener in Cardiff last year.  France survived, but conceded a penalty a minute later, Halfpenny on target to make it 6-3 after half an hour.

Back came the French again, and they thought they had the first try through Huget when he shrugged off three tackles to go over in the corner.  It was brought back though, with Lopez's long pass having drifted forward to put the winger away.

Wales' best chance of the half came when George North was put into space on the right, but having got away from Sofiane Guitoune, he was well-stopped by Dulin, who put his body on the line to stop the giant winger.

And France should have been level at the break, the Welsh guilty of pulling down a maul, but Lopez pulled his attempt to the right as the visitors went into half-time leading 6-3.

A change of kicker early in the second half made no difference, with Parra pushing his penalty attempt wide.

A moment of real class followed when Lopez spotted a gap in the Welsh rush defence and delayed his pass to put Fofana away.  He in turn found Huget but he couldn't get the ball back to Fofana and the Welsh survived.  Still the French had started the second half on fire, with another series of quick drives into Welsh territory leaving their visitors scrambling only for Lopez's cross-kick to land agonisingly out of Huget's reach.

Another penalty a minute later, with Wales seemingly at breaking point, allowed Lopez to deservedly bring les Bleus level.

It didn't last long through, with Wales coming back with their first real maul of the evening, and earning a penalty which Halfpenny slotted.

That seemed to be just what Wales needed, and they scored the first try on the hour after some more great work by Rhys Webb.  He spotted a gap at a ruck and broke before feeding Dan Lydiate on his shoulder.  The centre gave the ball straight to Biggar who had enough pace to go over in the corner.

Halfpenny was off-target with the conversion, but got his radar back with another penalty as France failed once more to defend a Welsh maul legally.

France looked done, but finally ended their long wait for a try against Wales when Dulin went over in the corner.  After an interminable sequence in the Welsh 22, Lopez put Dulin away on the left and he dived under Taulupe Faletau's desperate tackle.  From the touchline on the wrong side, Lopez found his kicking boots, bringing France back to 17-13 with just over ten minutes to go.

Wales responded with a powerful scrum, countering the big French replacements, and Halfpenny pushed the lead back up to seven points.

France came back once more, and threatened without working their way back into the Welsh 22.  And after a mess of a scrum, the visitors were able to see it out to stay in the hunt for the title.

As for les Bleus, they looked more dangerous than against the Scots, but paid for their indiscipline within range of the posts yet again, and a lack of a top-class goal-kicker when faced with Halfpenny.

Man of the match:  It was a real team effort from the Welsh, but Leigh Halfpenny's goal-kicking was the difference between the sides.  The full-back was a stark contrast to Camille Lopez who struggled from the tee.

Moment of the match:  There was always a feeling that Rhys Webb would make one snipe, and it proved the decisive one.  He spotted Sébastien Tillous-Borde a little out of position, and within seconds Dan Biggar was over.

Villain of the match:  No nasty stuff to report.

The scorers:

For France:
Try:  Dulin
Con:  Lopez
Pens:  Lopez 2

For Wales:
Try:  Biggar
Pens:  Halfpenny 5

France:  15 Brice Dulin, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Rémi Lamerat, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Sofiane Guitoune, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Romain Taofifenua, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Eddy Ben Arous.
Replacements:  16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Uini Atonio, 18 Vincent Debaty, 19 Jocelino Suta, 20 Loann Goujon, 21 Sebastien Tillous-Borde, 22 Rémi Talès, 23 Mathieu Bastareaud.

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 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 Luke Charteris, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Gethin Jenkins
Replacements:  16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Paul James, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Bradley Davies, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Scott Williams.

Venue:  Stade de France, Paris
Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees:  JP Doyle (England), Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO:  Simon McDowell

Italy conquer Murrayfield

Italy claimed a rare Six Nations victory on the road on Saturday, coming from behind to beat Scotland 22-19 at Murrayfield.

The Azzurri outscored their hosts two tries to one in the first half but Scotland nevertheless held a 16-15 lead at the interval.  There was late drama however as a penalty try in the last minute handed the visitors the spoils.

The Azzurri typically present bristling with blood-curdling pride and frenetic vigour, but lacking the clarity of mind to execute skills with great accuracy when entering what teams nowadays refer to as the ‘finish zone'.

There are signs this tendency is beginning to change, but their slow arc of improvement, fraught as it has been and will continue to be with setbacks and hammerings, is less advanced and progressing with less velocity than that of the Scots under Vern Cotter.

After the familiar anguish of narrow defeats to France and Wales, Scotland, desperate to shed the label of gallant losers, simply had to emerge from Round Three with not just a win, but a win with substance.

This then was a match that ought to have belied the gulf in panache and in ruthlessness between the sides, but a turgid, disjointed Scotland, often their own worst enemy, toiled to break down Jacques Brunel's Italy.

It was a dreadfully inept and utterly toothless display from the hosts – their worst under Cotter.

Pete Horne, a talented fly-half replacing the banned Finn Russell, looked sharp with ball in hand, with Greig Laidlaw kicking twelve points to supplement Mark Bennett's early interception score, but his missed touch just as his pack had won a crucial penalty blighted his earlier promise.

A bruising score from Josh Furno, a freak Giovanbattista Venditti try and the irresistible power of the Italian forwards left them staring at the Wooden Spoon.

It started well for the hosts, however.  With barely a minute gone, Laidlaw opened the scoring with a penalty in front of the posts as Glasgow Warriors' new signing Simone Favaro cleared his soon-to-be teammate Alex Dunbar off a ruck from the side.

Brunel opted with the power of Kelly Haimona at fly-half over the guile of Tommy Allan, and the pivot endured a tough opening ten minutes, blowing a two-man overlap on halfway with a dreadful pass picked off by Bennett, who raced in untouched for his first Test try.

Laidlaw converted with ease, but the Italians soon reminded their hosts just how mean their pack can be with a monstrous fifteen-metre maul that ended with Josh Furno plunging over in the corner, Haimona missing the conversion.

It was an omen, a sign of things to come as the visitors used the driving maul to great, ultimately match-winning effect.

Laidlaw extended Scotland's lead with another routine penalty, but it was cancelled out almost immediately by Haimona as Blair Cowan played the ball from an offside position from the restart.

Laidlaw struck again on twenty-seven minutes to restore Scotland's advantage, but despite enjoying a sizeable chunk of possession and territory, struggled to find the precision to break the blue line.

And when a Haimona penalty ricocheted back off the upright, bouncing a yard from the line and sparking panic in the home ranks, it was Venditti who pounced first to ground against the base of the post – his pivot couldn't miss with the conversion.

Haimona retreated injured five minutes into the second-half, Allan, capped at U20 level for the hosts his replacement, and trailing by a point, Italy continued to frustrate the Scots.

The substitute fluffed a simple penalty effort to the delight of most of Murrayfield, many of whom could surely sense the ignominy of another defeat to their fellow strugglers looming.

Sean Lamont almost sent Stuart Hogg in on the hour mark as Scotland finally mustered some momentum and dynamic phase play, but his pass inside was correctly called forward by George Clancy.

Laidlaw landed his fourth penalty, but persistent indiscipline from the Scots saw Italy, four points down, pile on the pressure with a series of mauls and scrums deep in home territory as the game entered its final ten minutes.

The visiting pack turned the screw – the set-piece went up, then down, then round on its axis, but somehow, Scotland's eight held firm, winning a penalty that heralded the biggest roar of the afternoon.

But the hosts' weren't yet done shooting themselves in the foot.  Horne missed touch from the penalty, Scotland infringed again, and they were back on their line, defending for their lives again.

Ben Toolis was sent to the sin-bin for pulling down a maul, and as the Italians kicked to the corner again, rest, drove and drove inexorably towards the whitewash, crumbling to the turf inches short, Clancy strode under the posts, consigning Scotland to a third straight loss, and bottom place in the tournament standings.

Hamish Watson too was shown yellow and the boos rang out as Allan converted.  The rain began to fall, and with it washed away the optimism and expectancy that abounded in these parts just a few short weeks ago.

Man of the match:  On a day when precious few stood out, Furno gets my nod for an impressive display of carrying and ballast in the tight.

Moment of the match:  Horne missing touch allowed Italy possession, from whence they won the penalty that enabled them to work their way downfield anew.  Unforgiveable.

Villain of the match:  Nothing terribly nasty to report, besides the odd spat.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Try:  Bennett
Con:  Laidlaw
Pens:  Laidlaw 3
Yellow cards:  Toolis, Watson

For Italy:
Tries:  Furno, Venditti, Penalty trty
Cons:  Haimona, Allan
Pen:  Haimona

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Peter Horne, 9 Greig Laidlaw (c), 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements:  16 Fraser Brown, 17 Ryan Grant, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 Ben Toolis, 20 Hamish Watson, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Greig Tonks, 23 Matt Scott.

Italy:  15 Luke McLean, 14 Michele Visentin, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Enrico Bacchin, 11 Giovambattista Venditti, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Francesco Minto, 5 Joshua Furno, 4 George Fabio Biagi, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Matias Aguero.
Replacements:  16 Andrea Manici, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Marco Fuser, 20 Samuela Vunisa, 21 Guglielmo Palazzini, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Giulio Bisegni.

Venue:  Murrayfield
Referee:  George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees:  Romain Poite (France), Leighton Hodges (Wales)
Television match official:  Graham Hughes (England)
Assessor:  Lyndon Bray (New Zealand)

Wales edge Scotland battle

A second-half try from Jonathan Davies and brave defence helped Wales to a 26-23 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield.

Hammered, humbled and humiliated, Scotland trudged off the Millenium Stadium paddock a year ago reeling from a red card, a record thrashing, ravaged by the Welsh dragon and nursing gaping wounds that remain palpably raw eleven months on.

On this crisp but sunny Sunday afternoon, they retreated to the Murrayfield dressing rooms on the final whistle, one would imagine, hurting every ounce as much.  The margin of defeat was far slimmer, but its manifestation was just as maddening.

Vern Cotter's side shipped penalties and possession, spurned opportunities that simply had to be grasped in a criminal display of profligacy, and kicked poorly from hand against a Wales side streetwise enough to take advantage.

For Scottish supporters, it was all very familiar.

The game lived up to its billing by most as ‘too close to call', Greig Laidlaw and Leigh Halfpenny trading shots at goal, before Jon Davies struck the killer blow for the visitors with a try under the posts that assured Wales a two-score lead for the final fifteen minutes.

The pre-match statistics, as usual in this day and age, did not favour the Scots.  They had not beaten Wales in their last seven attempts, and had scored a solitary try in their previous three.

A lack of discipline, particularly around the breakdown blighted their Parisian performance and hindered their capacity to retain possession.  They leaked three penalties in the opening five minutes – all at the ruck – on their way to a final, remarkable tally of seventeen as Wales started with energy, and Blair Cowan's failure to roll away in his own 22 presented Halfpenny with a simple opportunity to open the scoring.

Defensively, Scotland continued where they left off in the Stade de France, however, cutting the powerful red runners down around their ankles, and crucially, behind the gain-line.

Alex Cuthbert was one such runner, isolated and chopped down by namesake Dunbar, allowing the Scots' golden boy, Finn Russell, to pinch possession and feed Richie Gray, who found Stuart Hogg on the blindside with fifty yards of unguarded hybrid turf between him and the line – Richard Hibbard chased bravely, but the hooker had no chance of laying hands on his Lions teammate.

Laidlaw knocked over the conversion from straight in front, and Scotland should have been in again as Dunbar scythed through the Welsh midfield after a lovely delayed pass from Russell, only to see what looked a scoring pass tipped away by the covering Liam Williams.

That passage of play would yield three simple points for the skipper, before try-scorer Hogg saved the day at the other end with a magnificent tackle on Rhys Webb.

The scrum-half looked set to touch down after a brilliant Halfpenny take – Russell and Laidlaw both having lunged for a high ball with near-catastrophic consequences.

His kicker was soon removing scrum-cap and lining up another shot in the shadow of the Scottish posts, however, cutting the gap to four as the penalty count continued to rise.

Indeed, though Scotland's rear-guard action was exemplary, it should not have been required, self-inflicted as it was through a spree of needless infringements.

Their sixth and seventh respective transgressions at the contact area heaped on the pressure, Wales opting for the corner, but fine maul defence twice thwarting them.

There were shades of 2009 and Geoff Cross' debut sin-binning in this fixture as Russell inadvertently clattered the soaring Dan Biggar, turning his back to avoid a faceful of studs, but drawing a mandatory yellow card from Glen Jackson.

And the extra man was swiftly made to count as Cowan spilled possession in the Welsh 22, and Halfpenny instigated a flowing move featuring Jamie Roberts – a questionable looping pass – Davies and Williams, who drew Hogg and sent Webb scampering over in the corner.

Halfpenny converted, but Wales' numerical was soon harshly negated, as the chasing Davies collided with Johnnie Beattie in the air, aided by a shove in the back from Sean Lamont – a contest between two airborne players that warranted no sanction.

Scotland responded with a stirring onslaught on the Welsh line, beginning with a twenty-five metre maul for the Welsh, stopped at the corner flag, but unforgivably ending pointless, the visitors creaking but rallying to retain a six-point lead at the break.

With Russell's return, the Scots squandered more field position with an overthrown lineout on the Welsh 22, but excellent work from Dunbar at the breakdown earned a penalty in midfield and another three points for Laidlaw.

With concussed Samson Lee's absence, Aaron Jarvis was enduring the challenging shift on the tighthead side many anticipated, but Al Dickinson dropping his bind allowed Halfpenny to restore the visitors' lead off the post – Wales now restored to fifteen men.

Laidlaw slotted his third penalty from distance, but the visitors amped up the pressure anew, Roberts punching the Scottish midfield and driving the Welsh forward.

Williams was a denied a score in the corner when Alun Wyn Jones and Jake Ball obstructed Rob Harley from a maul breakaway, and though Scotland leaked yet another breakdown penalty, Halfpenny pulled his effort wide.

The hosts could only live dangerously for so long.  Game-breaker Davies struck the killer blow cutting a lovely line off Biggar, beating Matt Scott and dummying Hogg to stride between the posts, his full-back converting for a ten-point lead.

Scotland again laid siege to the Welsh line, but errors at vital times, and a brilliant turnover from Sam Warburton held them at bay until it was too late to snatch victory.

Sam Hidalgo-Clyne almost capped his Murrayfield debut off the bench with a try after a sixty-metre move from a stolen lineout, and Jon Welsh eventually lumbered over the line with the last play of the match.

Russell converted, but with apparently ten seconds remaining, Jackson called time, sending two-thirds of Murrayfield home nursing an accustomed sense of frustration, and the Scarlet hordes who biennially invade Edinburgh off into the local hostelries with their Championship back on-track.

Man of the match:  Alex Dunbar was excellent for Scotland, but Jamie Roberts gets the nod for me for nine bruising carries that sapped the hosts' energy.

Moment of the match:  Scotland had time for a comeback after Davies' try, but Sam Warburton's penalty-winning turnover under his own posts ten minutes from time ensured Wales a safe passage to victory.

Villain of the match:  Yellow cards aside, neither of which were the result of any malice, nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries:  Hogg, Welsh
Cons:  Russell 2
Pens:  Russell 3
Yellow Card:  Russell

For Wales:
Tries:  Webb, Davies
Cons:  Halfpenny 2
Pens:  Halfpenny 4
Yellow Card:  Davies

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 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 Jon Welsh, 19 Jim Hamilton, 20 Alasdair Strokosch, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Greig Tonks, 23 Matt Scott

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 Aaron Jarvis, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Paul James, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Scott Williams.

Referee:  Glen Jackson
Assistant Referees:  George Clancy, Dudley Phillips
TMO:  Simon McDowell

Sexton leads Ireland past les Bleus

Johnny Sexton marked his return to action with a confident display, allowing Ireland to see off a stubborn French challenge 18-11.

The Irish fly-half, after three months out, looked comfortable throughout, and his tactical kicking proved the difference between the sides.

In a game marred by indiscipline at the breakdown, Ireland played more of the game in French territory, and were able to feed of their visitors' errors to grind out the win.

Sexton kicked five penalties, with Ian Madigan also chipping in with a three-pointer, while France needed a late try from Romain Taofifenua to stay in touch.

The French fought hard in the final stages, but it was Ireland who held on for the win and set up a tantalising game against England in a fortnight's time.

The first half was an attritional affair, with Ireland taking advantage of French indiscipline to open up a 12-6 lead and Sexton showing no ill-effects from his three months off as he picked out the open spaces with his kicking game.

The Irish started keeping hold of the ball and trying to move the French pack around and they monopolised possession in the opening minutes of the game.

However at the first ruck Mike Ross went straight to his knees under pressure from Eddy Ben Arous, conceding a penalty.

That allowed France to send Mathieu Bastareaud down Sexton's channel for the first time, but the returning Irish fly-half was up to the task, clamping onto the ball to earn a scrum.

The Irish turned things around at the third scrum of the afternoon, earning a penalty which allowed them to kick into the French 22.  While their maul struggled to make ground, Thierry Dusautoir was penalised, giving Sexton a first shot at goal of the afternoon.  He made no mistake from wide on the left, giving Ireland a 3-0 lead after 13 minutes of play.

France responded immediately when Rob Kearney misjudged a high ball and then found himself isolated with Ben Arous earning the penalty.

From 45-metres out in front, Camille Lopez split the posts to level the scores but almost immediately Ireland were back in front.

Guilhem Guirado tried to contest a ball in a ruck as the tackler, but the ruck had already been formed and Wayne Barnes penalised him.  From the right Sexton was on target to make it 6-3.

The Irish were starting to dominate possession and territory, although the French defence was holding strong.

On their first incursion into the Irish 22, France tried to get their maul going, but Ireland chose not to defend it and earned a penalty as the French were deemed offside, with Dusautoir called back as he went over.  When Ben Arous was penalised at a ruck a couple of minutes later, Sexton stretched the lead to 9-3.

Meanwhile France had lost winger Teddy Thomas to an ankle injury, with Rémi Lamerat on in his place and Wesley Fofana shifted to the wing.

Still, the French were able to cut the lead back to three when Rory Best slowed the ball down in a ruck.

The contest at the breakdown was leading to lots of penalties, with the French furious as Barnes penalised them again in the 22 when they had isolated an Irish ball carrier.  Sexton was never going to miss from straight in front, and he gave the home side a 12-6 lead at the break.

Ireland had the first chance of the second half when Kearney was first to an up and under on the French 22.  The Irish seemed to have worked an overlap but Bastareaud got up quickly to stop Sexton, with both players forced off to get patched up after a clash of heads and resulting blood.

The home side had clearly taken control of the game, and after a long period in the French 22, they earned a penalty when Damien Chouly was caught offside, allowing Madigan to stretch the lead to 15-6.

Having brought on their big subs France started to make some ground, working their way into the Irish 22 but after the Irish had stripped the ball in a maul, France lost second row Pascal Papé to a yellow card after he entered the maul with a knee to Jamie Heaslip's back.

Ireland should have scored the first try of the game just before the hour when a powerful maul allowed them to create a huge overlap.  Robbie Henshaw put down the ball in midfield with three men free outside him.

Despite being a man down in the pack, France had clearly got the upper hand in the scrum, with Ross constantly collapsing as he failed to deal with both Ben Arous and replacement Vincent Debaty.  Successive penalties saw him on a final warning and allowed France's 14 men to get back into Irish territory.

After Papé's moment of stupidity, Best matched him, tripping Dusautoir in a ruck and earning ten minutes in the bin as a result.  However Lopez was off-target with his penalty attempt and France were still more than a score down.

When Chouly was penalised in a lineout, Sexton added a fifth penalty but it was France who would finally score the first try with nine minutes to go.  It came after some great work from the French replacements, with Uini Atonio and Debaty very involved.  Eventually they created an overlap and Debaty delivered to Romain Taofifenua to go over in the corner.

The French kept battling, and had the better of the final minutes, but in the end they couldn't find a way through the Irish defence.

It was by no means pretty, but Ireland were a little sharper in the basics, with their kick-chase a level above their opponents and their ability to play most of the first half in French territory allowing them to open up a lead.

When France brought on their big guns, they finally started to make some headway, and weren't too far away from snatching a draw.  Still they looked short of ideas for the second week running and need to show they have more than just powerful runners in midfield.  Ireland's ambition to retain their title however remains on track, with England coming to town.

Man of the Match:  He'd been out for three months, but Johnny Sexton didn't show it as he orchestrated proceedings pinning Scott Spedding back throughout the first half.

Moment of the Match:  France clearly wanted to target Sexton, and on Mathieu Bastareaud's first charge they did precisely that.  The Irish fly-half stood up to it and even won a turnover when the ball didn't come back.  He was battered and bruised later on, but that was morale-boosting moment for the Irish early on.

Villain of the Match:  Pascal Papé and Rory Best both saw yellow for stupid infringements, but overall it was fairly clean stuff.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Pens:  Sexton 5, Madigan

For France:
Try:  Taofifenua
Pens:  Lopez 3

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell (c), 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Jack McGrath
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Martin Moore, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Jordi Murphy, 21 Isaac Boss, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Felix Jones

France:  15 Scott Spedding, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Teddy Thomas, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Papé, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Eddy Ben Arous.
Replacements:  16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Uini Atonio, 18 Vincent Debaty, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Loann Goujon, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Rémi Talès, 23 Rémi Lamerat.

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Leighton Hodges (Wales)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

Joseph thrills in Italy hammering

Jonathan Joseph stole the show with two tries as England dispatched Italy 47-17 at Twickenham in the Six Nations.

The 23-year-old Bath centre scored two of England's six tries in a slow-burning but eventually comfortable victory for Stuart Lancaster's side.

England started poorly, just as they have in other recent matches, but were more or less rampant after the break, a couple of inspired pieces of skill from Italy's backs, Luca Morisi in particular, the only exceptions to the one-way traffic.

Two years ago in this same fixture England spluttered their way to an unconvincing victory, but this was more akin to last year's rout in Rome.  The ending felt familiar.

No pre-match disco was required a week on from England's assault on Cardiff but they were expected to entertain, going from underdogs to favourites against an Azzurri side with four centurions in their pack.

Any Italian victory would hinge on their set-piece, but the early darts from Leicester's Leonardo Ghiraldini were wayward with England stealing two early lineouts.

Morisi's running was far more effective.  The outside centre cut down the near touchline, fending off three tacklers and putting his team firmly on the attack.  Good patience and handling freed up Sergio Parisse for the Italy captain to fool the defence and go over to send Twickenham silent.  Far from the expected start, but a brilliant one for the visitors.

Kelly Haimona's bright opening was reflected in the way his side played with real confidence, dominating the opening exchanges and starving England of possession and territory.

A smart chip over the top from Haimona forced Mike Brown into action sweeping behind to try to stop Andrea Masi, but he paid a heavy price, colliding nastily with the Italian's shoulder.  With the fallout from George North's concussion still fresh on the mind every care was taken to ensure Brown's well-being during a lengthy stoppage in play.  He was stretchered off and replaced by Billy Twelvetrees, with England moving Anthony Watson to full-back and Jonathan Joseph onto the wing.

Brown's injury, while of major concern, did give England a chance to restart after a dire opening.  Their scrum was monstrous and their attack showed patience, ending eventually with some first points for Ford from a penalty.

Only some sharp cover defence from Parisse stopped Edoardi Gori from being trampled by Billy Vunipola as he charged for the line, with the England number eight looking to finish off a sweep around from the maul.  Or so it initially seemed, with the TMO on closer inspection adjudging that Vunipola was both not in touch and had also scored.  England as a result took an 8-5 lead.

Rightly, England fans might have been concerned about Joseph being shunted out to the wing after his dazzling display against Wales in midfield, but they needn't have worried.  The Bath back produced a superb solo try, receiving the ball out wide and accelerating through two tacklers before outrunning the cover defence having sold them with a dummy.  It was truly a special score.

Haimona missed two penalties and the opportunity to narrow England's lead which the hosts should have extended, Jonny May carelessly squandering a three-on-one trying to go himself for the corner and consequently losing possession.  Italy clung on near their own line to close out the half, England's rolling maul failing them from close range as they went in 15-5 ahead.

Italy were struggling to handle Vunipola, the young number eight making four carries in just one passage of play as England started the second half much quicker than their sluggish opening.

Ford added a second penalty but England were a little rash in their eagerness to put Italy away, opting for miracle plays rather than patient build-up.

The Azzurri benefited, the excellent Morisi finishing off an attack that all started with Leonardo Sarto's chip and chase.  The giant winger recovered possession and with the ball spread to the left, Morisi straightened and had enough strength to withstand Watson's last-ditch tackle to score.  What might have been had Italy still been able to call upon a kicker with the quality of Diego Dominguez.  Again Haimona was off-target with the conversion, making it ten points missed with the boot.

Quick thinking from Ben Youngs held off any English jitters for the time being, as the scrum-half darted over from a tap penalty after more dominance in the scrum.  Such a soft score for Italy to concede and one that did little to alter Jacques Brunel's normal pessimistic expression.

A third penalty from Ford put England 28-10 ahead as the replacements arrived, but Joseph remained the star — although he was brilliantly assisted by club-mate Ford whose delay and pass to set up Joseph's second try was sublime.

It was to be his last act, Danny Cipriani coming on to make a first appearance at Twickenham for six and a half years, but typically scoring a try within less than a minute.  The replacement surged up on the shoulder of May after the winger sucked in defenders to sprint his way over for England's fifth try.

Nick Easter got in on the act by finishing off a powerful rolling maul to become the oldest try scorer in Six Nations history at 36 as Morisi added his second try, capping off a great afternoon at Twickenham for the Treviso youngster.

England though had the match won long ago, with the bonus of seeing Mike Brown up and about on the sidelines garnering a loud cheer from the crowd.  On goes the chariot.

Man of the Match:  Strong performances from Billy Vunipola and Joe Marler, but Jonathan Joseph takes the gong with his two tries and constant threat from 13.

Moment of the Match:  The quick tap from Ben Youngs.  Italy were just too slow, half distracted by the referee's ongoing explanation, and from 25-10 the game was decided.

Villain of the Match:  Nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  B Vunipola, Joseph 2, B Youngs, Cipriani, Easter
Cons:  Ford 3, Cipriani
Pens:  Ford 3

For Italy:

Tries:  Parisse, Morisi 2
Con:  Allan

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 James Haskell, 5 George Kruis, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements:  16 Tom Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Nick Easter, 20 Tom Croft, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Billy Twelvetrees.

Italy:  15 Luke McLean, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Andrea Masi, 11 Giovambattista Venditti, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Francesco Minto, 6 Mauro Bergamasco, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 George Fabio Biagi, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Alberto De Marchi.
Replacements:  16 Andrea Manici, 17 Matias Aguero, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Joshua Furno, 20 Samuela Vunisa, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Giulio Bisegni.

Date:  Saturday, February 14
Kickoff:  14:30 GMT
Venue:  Twickenham
Referee:  Johnny Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant Referees:  Pascal Gauzère (France), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO:  George Ayoub (Australia)

Lopez kicks France to laboured win

Five penalties from Camille Lopez gave France a difficult 15-8 victory over Scotland to open their Six Nations account in Paris.

Under new boss Vern Cotter, the Scots used their pacey outside backs to cause the French lots of problems, while Blair Cowan was a menace at the breakdown.

They were however indisciplined, and three first-half penalties from Lopez gave France a 9-8 lead at the interval despite Dougie Fife's score on the stroke of half-time.

France had more of the ball in the second half, adding another Lopez penalty, before his fifth three-pointer two minutes from time sealed the win.

It was cruel on the Scots, who played more of the rugby, but they struggle to keep hold of the ball in the second half, and despite their lack of cutting edge, the French established a stranglehold on the game.

France took the lead before having any ball in hand, earning a penalty in the first minute when Cowan found himself isolated.  Lopez made no mistake to put les Bleus 3-0 up.

In a scratchy opening 20, the Scots levelled matters with a Greig Laidlaw penalty, following a scrum infringement in front of the posts.

France hit straight back, Cowan, who was proving a nuisance at the breakdown, this time pinged for sprinting offside after a Wesley Fofana break.

From there Scotland began to take a stranglehold, with the likes of Mark Bennett and Stuart Hogg looking particularly dangerous.

After the former made one half-break, Hogg went clean through when faced with two forwards.  Scott Spedding tackled him just short of the line, and eventually the Scots were forced backwards before Finn Russell's drop goal attempt went wide from in front.

Les Bleus were struggling to make ground with the ball, but after one Rory Kockott break, they got into the Scottish 22, and once more the visitors strayed offside to slow down the French attack.  Lopez slotted three more points to make it 9-3 to the home side.

On the stroke of half-time, Scotland finally got the try their attacking play deserved.  First they made ground down the left, Hogg again at the heart of it, and with France scrambling, they moved it back to the right.

There Fife, on for the injured Tommy Seymour, went over after a lovely final pass from tighthead Euan Murray.  Laidlaw missed the conversion however, as France led 9-8 at the break.

The Scots started the second half well, but it was again France who scored first, Fife stupidly giving away a penalty.  After Lopez had kicked loosely Fife slipped into touch, giving away a lineout.  In his frustration he threw the ball away, stopping France from playing quickly, and gave the French fly-half three more points.

Cotter's side were giving away too many penalties, and after another offence in midfield at a ruck, France set up a rolling maul.  They eventually got going, with Benjamin Kayser breaking clear, but with the home side camped on the Scottish line, Pascal Pap

Ireland suffocate Italy in Rome

Defending champions Ireland got their 2015 campaign off the ground with a resounding if flawed 26-3 win at the Stadio Olimpico.

Tries from scrum-half Conor Murray and flanker Tommy O'Donnell saw the men in green home in a scrappy and error-strewn encounter.

O'Donnell's try represents something of a fairytale, as the Munster man was only in the side on account of Sean O'Brien pulling an apparent hamstring in the warm up.  But the man of the match was undoubtedly fly-half Ian Keatley, who contributed four penalties and a conversion in a flawless kicking display.

All the Italians could muster in response was a penalty from Kelly Haimona and although the hosts looked dangerous throughout the game, they created very little.

The Irish, who led at half-time, will be delighted with an opening win, but they'll know that they have a long way to go if they're going to retain their crown.

It was the Italians that made the better start, as Irish skipper Paul O'Connell failed to control the ball from the kick off.

But the Irish defence scrambled well, and the men in green were able to clear their lines.

The visitors settled into their patterns thereafter, as Six Nations debutant Keatley calmed his nerves with a couple of decent kicks out of hand.

And this early pressure allowed the fly-half to acquire the first points of the contest as he nailed a seventh-minute penalty after Italian loosehead Matias Aguero was caught in an offside position.

As expected, the Italians were full of vigour and physicality, but the hosts' momentum was disrupted by the concession of several unnecessary penalties in the first ten minutes.

The Irish looked relatively sharp in midfield, as Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne looked to inject the visitors' attack with width.

But scoring opportunities remained depressingly scarce as the Italian rear guard bolted the door firmly shut, with the redoubtable Sergio Parisse making several trademark tackles to shore up the home defence.

But the Irish pressure was always going to tell at some stage, and on 20 minutes Keatley doubled his side's advantage as the Azzurri were penalised for offside from a speculative Murray box-kick.

The Irish were thus 0-6 to the good, but the reigning champions weren't exactly setting Rome alight despite dominating possession.

What will have pleased Irish coach Joe Schmidt most was the assured performance of Keatley, who was controlling the game superbly.

The Irish had a great chance to accentuate their advantage on the 30-minute mark as they were awarded a penalty as a result of the pressure Mike Ross was exerting on Aguero at the scrum.

Keatley launched the ball deep into Italian territory, and from the ensuing lineout the Irish set up camp in the Italian 22.

The Irish initiated attack after attack, but the Italian defence proved absolutely outstanding to keep the visitors at bay.

But the relentless Irish kept coming and Keatley extended the lead to nine points on 36 minutes with another sweetly-struck penalty.

The first half ended with the Italians finding some momentum, with Luke McLean and Haimona putting together some phases in the Irish 22.

The ferocity of the onslaught forced the visitors to concede a succession of penalties.

The Italians kicked the first of these to touch, and set-up one of their trademark driving mauls.

The Irish defence repelled the initial incursion well, albeit illegally and the Italians were gifted another penalty attempt on the stroke of half time.

The second attempt was manifestly easier than the first, and this time the hosts wisely elected to go for the posts.

Haimona made no mistake with the resultant kick, and his side entered in the interval only six points adrift at 3-9.

Given Ireland's dominance of possession, the scoreline seemed a slightly distorted reflection of the game, but left both sides with everything to play for in the second half.

As the second period began, it was a similar story as errors and disruption abounded.  The Irish frantically tried to find their rhythm, but struggled to attain much continuity in their game.

While the Italian defence was certainly resolute, the visitors offered very little from an attacking viewpoint.

Their front row remained a potent weapon, though, and when the Italians' scrum collapsed on 57 minutes, Keatley continued his impeccable kicking performance to stretch the lead to 3-12.

With their attack off first phase proving blunt, the Irish resorted to plan B and utilised their potent maul.

With the visitors camped on the Italian line, the home side was forced to scramble desperately, and hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini was dispatched to the sin-bin for cynically disrupting the Irishmen's impetus.

With the Italians down to 14 men, the visitors were able to hammer home their advantage and from the ensuing passage of play Murray darted over for the opening try.  Keatley converted to make it 3-19.

The Azzurri were now severely under the cosh, and no sooner had Murray scored, than openside O'Donnell spotted a gap in the depleted Italian defence on 66 minutes to sprint over for his first Six Nations try.

With Keatley having been replaced, Ian Madigan added the extras to give his side a commanding 3-26 lead.

From a position of panic, the Irish now had control of the game.  The hosts had their moments in the final ten minutes as replacement Tommaso Allan injected some fluidity into their stagnant back play.

The Italians battered away furiously at the Irish defence, but the men in green proved adept at closing them down.

To their credit, the tenacious hosts refused to give up the ghost and they seemed to have got over for a consolation try on 78 minutes as Haimona grounded the ball.

The matter was referred to the TMO by Pascal Gauzère, but agonisingly for the Azzurri, Parisse was adjudged to have knocked on in the build-up.

The Irish thus held on to seal a valuable victory, but their perfectionist coach will know they still have plenty of work to do.

Man of the Match:  Ian Keatley surely claims the gong for his assured performance on his Six Nations debut.  The Munster fly-half controlled the tempo of the game like a 50-cap veteran, with sublime tactical kicking, astute game management, and variation in attack.  Add in an imperious performance with the boot, and Keatley was the stand-out performer, showing why he was selected over Ian Madigan and confirming that the Irish have another fly-half who can prosper at Test level.

Moment of the match:  Tommy O'Donnell's try capped a fine performance for the Munster forward.  What made the try all the more satisfying is the fact that O'Donnell wasn't in the original starting line-up, his involvement being due to Sean O'Brien's injury in the warm-up.  The try typified everything that O'Donnell is about:  pace, power, and work-rate; and was a just reward for a barnstorming performance.

Villain of the match:  When Italian hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini was yellow-carded in the second half for obstructing the progress of the Irish maul, the hosts were handicapped at a critical phase of the match and were placed at a massive disadvantage.  It is no coincidence that the Irish scored both of their tries while he was serving time in the bin.  Other than that, there wasn't any nasty stuff to report.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Pen:  Haimona
Yellow Card:  Ghiraldini

For Ireland:
Tries:  Murray, O'Donnell
Cons:  Keatley, Madigan
Pens:  Keatley 4

The teams:

Italy:  15 Andrea Masi, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Luke McLean, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Francesco Minto, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 George Biagi, 4 Joshua Furno, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Matias Aguero.
Replacements:  16 Andrea Manici, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Marco Fuser, 20 Marco Barbini, 21 Gulgielmo Palazzani, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Giovanbattista Venditti.

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jordi Murphy, 7 Tommy O'Donnell, 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 James Cronin, 18 Marty Moore, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Robbie Diack, 21 Isaac Boss, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Felix Jones.

Date:  Saturday, February 7

Kick-off:  15:30 local (14:30 GMT)

Venue:  Stadio Olimpico

Referee:  Pascal Gauzère (France)

Assistant referees:  Johnny Lacey (Ireland), Luke Pearce (England)

Television match official:  Graham Hughes (England)

Assessor:  Donal Courtney (Ireland)

England make a statement in Cardiff

England laid out their championship credentials with an impressive 21-16 win in Cardiff over Wales, to help ease the memories of 2013.

Tries from young Bath backs Anthony Watson and Jonathan Joseph along with the boot of their team-mate George Ford got England's campaign off to the perfect start with a gritty performance.

Wales started phenomenally to make the likelihood of an English victory here seem remote, but with the ticking of the clock home doubts and errors along with away confidence grew.

Weeks of Hymns and Arias on a loop couldn't have prepared England for what was a barrage of noise before kick-off.  More of an opening ceremony than a pre-match warm-up, awesome to witness all the same.

Would England learn their lessons from 2013, especially with their discipline?  Leigh Halfpenny reminded them that any penalty conceded under 50 metres is an opportunity for him to convert, as he duly did in the second minute.

Wales were sharp, illustrated by Halfpenny sneaking up the right touchline and threading a kick through that, while smartly defended by Watson, culminated in a Welsh scrum.

Taulupe Faletau was then too smart, England too slow, as the number eight brilliantly fed Rhys Webb for the opening try through the arms of those trying to stop him.  That sickening sense of familiarity for Stuart Lancaster and so early too, with Wales cruising.

This though was a contest rather than another massacre, destined to twist and turn.  Dan Cole notched up a scrum penalty and from the resulting territory Watson scored, collecting Mike Brown's grubber in the corner.

Watson's try was his first in Tests with no doubt many more to come, the athletic Bath winger leaping and cutting his way through tacklers time and again.

The scrappier the game grew the more absorbing it became, Halfpenny added a second long-range penalty after England infringed again at the ruck.

Ford responded — the England scrum winning more valuable territory as George North temporarily departed from a stray boot to the head.

For all the skills on show what was needed was some assuredness, Dan Biggar providing it with a well-taken drop goal right on half-time to give Wales a 16-8 lead.

Joseph mimicked Faletau's earlier elusiveness in the exact same corner straight at the start of the second half.  On his first start for two years he ducked and dived through the tackle attempts of three Welsh players to cross for England's second try.

Momentum was with England but Ford couldn't follow up Joseph's key score with a penalty to take the lead, pushing the kick wide to the left to leave Wales ahead by one.

Time and again Wales were denied smooth possession around the ruck by stray English boots, as only the post could stop James Haskell's bulldozing carry towards the try line, England settling for another penalty as Alex Cuthbert went to the bin.

Wales had no answer to England's scrum as the forwards took control in all areas, Tom Youngs making a mark off the bench as Wales refused to concede while down to 14 men, just, with Luther Burrell's pass leaving plenty to be desired as Mike Brown surged up on his outside.

Dave Attwood then looked to have the match sewn up, but an obstruction call on Nick Easter in the build-up sent the Millennium crowd roaring back into life with the win still possible.

Discipline and nerve were paramount and England held theirs when it counted, winning a penalty for Ford who shut out the din to put his side ahead by five.  With all their injuries and doubts, they delivered when Wales failed to do the same.  The inquest now begins.

Man of the Match:  Standout performances from Halfpenny, Warburton, Haskell and more, but Anthony Watson for England was excellent.

Moment of the Match:  With England's second try, Jonathan Joseph gave his side belief and made Wales pay for some soft defence.

Villain of the Match:  Nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Try:  Webb
Con:  Halfpenny
Pens:  Halfpenny 2
Drop Goal:  Biggar
Yellow Card:  Cuthbert

For England:
Tries:  Watson, Joseph
Con:  Ford
Pens:  Ford 3

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 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Paul James, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Liam Williams.

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 James Haskell, 5 George Kruis, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements:  16 Tom Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Nick Easter, 20 Tom Croft, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Billy Twelvetrees.

Referee:  Jérôme Garcès (FFR)

Assistant Referees:  Romain Poite (FFR), Mathieu Raynal (FFR)

TMO:  Simon McDowell (Ire)