Saturday, 31 October 2020

England win Six Nations after France beat Ireland

England are the 2020 Six Nations champions after both France and Ireland failed to get the required result in Paris to usurp the Red Rose at the top of the table.

Toulouse playmakers Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack outshone Ireland counterparts Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton to assert their status as Europe's top half-back pairing.

Dupont and Ntamack's finishes were adorned by a penalty try and Virimi Vakatawa's score as France crushed Ireland's slender hopes of a fourth Six Nations title in seven years.

The visibly frustrated Ireland captain Sexton was left shaking his head on being replaced by Ross Byrne in the final quarter but his tactical removal merely underscored France's superiority.

Cian Healy toasted his 100th cap with a fine try on a punishing night where he also vomited on the Stade de France pitch and passed a head injury assessment.

Robbie Henshaw powered in a stunning solo score and Jacob Stockdale crossed at the death too, but France refused to allow Ireland anything like the control Andy Farrell's side craved and duly earned a 35-27 triumph.

Ireland spent half the week expecting to require the win and a try bonus-point to claim the title ― in the end it was Fabien Galthie's resurgent Les Bleus who claimed the four tries, and deservedly so.

Ntamack's try broke Ireland's resistance, France's ruthless counter-attack stunning Farrell's men, with Sexton's bomb overhit and punished to the full.

The rampant France fly-half magicked Vakatawa's try too, with a sublime chip and chase.

Farrell's Ireland remain a team in transition, then, with Murray and Sexton unable to hit their previous heights across this admittedly truncated Six Nations.

The fast-approaching Autumn Nations Cup will prove compelling viewing with the Irish at a clear crossroads:  stick with the tried, tested and trusted, or twist and build for the future.

World Cup 2023 hosts France meanwhile need change nothing barring tightening their discipline.

The hosts drew first blood, Vincent Rattez keeping the ball in play on the right before Gael Fickou trapped a loose pass with his foot to launch a scything break.

The luckless Andrew Porter was no match for Fickou's fleet feet out wide, and the France wing fed Dupont to hare home for the try.

Anthony Boutier's yellow card for a deliberate tap into touch handed Ireland an immediate route back into the clash, however.

Ireland punted the penalty to the corner, only to bungle the lineout ― with Sexton knocking on under pressure before copping a knee to the head from Francois Cros.

The visitors put a second penalty into touch for a lineout, and this time Bundee Aki had to rescue a lose throw, claiming smartly at the tail.

Ireland drove Sexton over the line to be held up for a five-metre scrum, and eventually Healy powered over for the try.

Sexton's conversion had the scores level at seven apiece, then the Ireland fly-half's penalty had the visitors 10-7 to the good.

Stockdale then knocked on twice in his own 22 in a matter of minutes ― evading censure for the first, but not the second.

Caelan Doris was sin-binned for tackling Cros without the ball as the flanker was due to collect and score after Stockdale's second knock-on ― and France were duly awarded a penalty try.

Ireland delivered the ideal start to their 10 minutes with 14 men, however, forcing a penalty in the France 22.  Sexton slotted the facile goal to leave France leading 14-13.

Ntamack converted a goal of his own to leave France 17-13 ahead, with a lead they held to the break.

Restored to their full 15 players, Ireland punted a third penalty of the half to the corner ― and were again unable to convert.

France turned the ball over to clear, to take their four-point lead into half-time.

The hosts opened the second-half with a fine try, stunning Ireland with a deadly counter-attack.  Bouthier fielded Sexton's ill-judged high bomb, and launched an eye-catching and successful raid.

Fickou's chip capitalised on Ireland's misaligned backfield, Dupont raced onto a helpful bounce ― and flipped inside for Ntamack to score in style.

Ntamack missed the conversion, but posted two quick penalties for France to lead 28-13.

Just when Ireland were staring down defeat's barrel however, Henshaw conjured a try out of nothing.  The Leinster centre cut blind after scooping a loose ball, beat the cover and then bashed his way home.

Sexton's conversion cut France's lead to 28-20 on the hour ― but there was to be no big comeback.

Instead, Ntamack's cute chip and chase teed up Vakatawa for France ― and not Ireland ― to seal the bonus-point score.

Stockdale bagged a consolation score with the game's final play, with Ross Byrne converting, but not even that could deny France the win ― and England the title.


Check out the highlights from France's 35-27 victory over Ireland in the Six Nations on Saturday.

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England unimpressive in victory over Italy

England did their job, securing a bonus-point triumph over Italy, and it was enough to win the 2020 Six Nations title, despite their distinctly average 34-5 win.

Ben Youngs celebrated his 100th cap by crossing twice, a brilliant second try coming moments after the interval when Eddie Jones' men looked for a response to a ragged and bad-tempered first half.

Suffering from the cancellation of the Barbarians fixture that was to be their warm-up, they looked every bit a team that had been inactive for the last seven months because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Italy fought hard but when Jamie George touched down on his 50th cap, any remote hopes of staging an upset faded and England registered the crucial bonus point when Tom Curry surged over from close range.

Henry Slade added the fifth and final try to set up an anxious wait, but they were crowned champions after France beat Ireland 35-27.

England have won all 26 previous meetings with Italy, scoring an average of over 40 points each time, and a year to the day after losing the 2019 World Cup final to South Africa they inflicted a 33rd successive Championship defeat on the Azzurri.

All week they talked about the need to show patience in shaking off the rustiness of having not played since mid-March, but it took only four minutes to breach the home defence.

Mako Vunipola was the engineer, the Saracens prop standing at first receiver and sending Owen Farrell into a gap before Youngs appeared on his shoulder to finish the move.

Italy were in full retreat in every department and it took furious defence to keep out the white shirts, so it was a conservative decision when Farrell opted for three points when offered a penalty in front of the posts.

England pressed again but a fumble by Kyle Sinckler was pounced upon by centre Carlo Canna, who gathered and carried before a rampaging Jake Polledri arrived on an excellent line to storm over the whitewash.

Another setback came in the 23rd minute when Jonny Hill's debut soured upon catching Edoardo Padovani on the head with an arm, forcing the Italian wing to undergo an HIA and earning the Chiefs double-winner a yellow card.

Jones slammed down his radio device in anger at referee Pascal Gauzere's decision and what followed would not have pleased the Australian head coach either.

Italy began to attack with tempo and made inroads, winning successive penalties which they cleverly used to build pressure.

A driving line-out took them over the whitewash but they were held up with Hill under the ball and they crumbled at the ensuing five-metre scrum, costing them a glorious chance.

Polledri entered the sin-bin for going in at the side but just as England began to hammer away from close range, they conceded a penalty to enable Italy to escape and even momentarily threaten at the other end.

An unimpressive 10-5 interval lead was extended 56 seconds into the second half when Hill charged down a box kick and Maro Itoje secured the loose ball.

Spotting a gap at the ruck, Youngs dummied and slid through the hole before beating full-back Matteo Minozzi.

With half an hour to go, daylight opened up as George finished a driving maul but Italy refused to fold as they continued to scrap.

Finally they began to buckle, Curry spotting an unguarded blindside to scamper over, before Ben Earl and Slade took advantage of an absent Azzurri defence for the latter to complete the rout.


Check out the highlights from England's 34-5 victory over Italy in the Six Nations on Saturday.

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Scotland secure rare away win over Wales

Scotland produced a solid display to emerge triumphant for the first time in Wales since 2002 following a thoroughly deserved 14-10 victory at the Parc y Scarlets.

Gregor Townsend's men also ruined Alun Wyn Jones' world record-breaking day, controlling the majority of the game and ending the campaign on a positive note.

Wales, who wanted to mark captain Jones breaking Richie McCaw's world Test match appearance record in winning style, could have few complaints as they suffered a fifth successive defeat.

It is their worst run of results since 2016, where they were also consigned to just one victory in the entire Six Nations campaign, to increase the pressure on head coach Wayne Pivac.

Replacement hooker Stuart McInally's 61st-minute try proved the difference in a poor game littered with errors and precious little memorable attacking rugby.

Finn Russell, whose return to Scotland's starting line-up lasted just 33 minutes before he suffered a suspected groin injury, kicked a penalty, as did his replacement Adam Hastings, before captain Stuart Hogg's 80th-minute strike finished Wales off.

Wales plundered a try for prop Rhys Carre, with Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny each kicking a penalty, but Scotland deserved to take the spoils.

Wales suffered a late blow when flanker Justin Tipuric was ruled out due to due to tonsillitis, with Scarlets forward James Davies replacing him and Aaron Wainwright taking over from Davies among the substitutes.

Tipuric's absence meant that Wales showed seven changes from the side beaten by France last time out, including a debut for Cardiff Blues flanker Shane Lewis-Hughes, but wing George North was dropped.

Russell returned for Scotland, handed a first Test start since last year's World Cup after being omitted from the squad in January following a breach of team protocol, while Hogg and lock Jonny Gray were also back following their domestic and European double-winning exploits with Exeter.

A period of silence was held before kick-off to mark support for Rugby against Racism and to remember former Wales, British and Irish Lions and Llanelli wing JJ Williams, who died on Thursday, with the Wales players also wearing black armbands as Jones led them out.

Russell had an immediate chance to open Scotland's account, but he drifted a 35-metre penalty chance wide before making amends eight minutes later as the visitors moved 3-0 ahead.

Wales, as they had done against France eight days ago, encountered early lineout and breakdown issues, and they could make no impact during an error-strewn opening 15 minutes.

Scotland continued to dominate territory, and they almost broke through when Hogg created space, but his pass failed to find centre Chris Harris with Wales' defence stretched.

Scotland's cohesion and general accuracy proved impressive in the blustery conditions, and it took Wales 30 minutes before they entered the Scottish 22, but their reward was immediate.

Hooker Fraser Brown got his radar wrong, overthrowing the ball at a lineout, and the Wales forwards capitalised, with Carre touching down and Biggar converting for a 7-3 lead before Russell departed and Hastings kicked a penalty on the stroke of half-time.

Wales also lost their fly-half to injury, with Biggar going off just three minutes into the second period and being replaced by Rhys Patchell.

There was a greater urgency about the Wales forwards after the break, yet the home side continued to be frustrated by a penalty count that reached double figures against them by the 50-minute mark.

And Scotland went ahead in the 61st minute when an attacking lineout was driven at pace, crushing the Wales defence, and McInally touched down, giving Scotland a four-point advantage.

A Halfpenny penalty ensured a tense finish, but Scotland closed out the contest in a calm and composed fashion through Hogg's late penalty to secure a notable victory.


Check out the highlights from Scotland's 14-10 victory over Wales in the Six Nations on Saturday.

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All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup with record win

New Zealand wrapped up the Bledisloe Cup for an 18th successive year as they proved too strong for Australia, winning 43-5 in Sydney on Saturday.

Tries from Karl Tu'inukuafe, Richie Mo'unga (2), Dane Coles, Rieko Ioane and Jordie Barrett saw the All Blacks cruise to a record victory over their rivals.

Australia's only try came from Noah Lolesio as they were embarrassed by their visitors and must regroup ahead of facing them again next week in Brisbane.

It was a dream opening half for the All Blacks as they ran in four tries and it could have been more, which was hugely concerning for the Wallabies supporters.

Australia's cause was not helped early on when on three minutes Filipo Daugunu was sin-binned for taking out Caleb Clarke while the All Black was in the air.

With a man advantage the All Blacks duly sensed an opportunity to strike and on six minutes they were over as a huge overlap was created from second phase play, with Tu'inukuafe straightening before scrambling over for a 7-0 lead.  The loosehead prop would breathe a sigh of relief as numbers were waiting outside.

The game was then played at 14 apiece when Jordie Barrett followed Daugunu to the sideline after he led with the elbow in contact against Dane Haylett-Petty.  But that didn't impact on New Zealand's form as they almost scored again on 11 minutes, this time Coles denied for not grounding sufficiently over the chalk.

Another close call came two minutes later when Coles and Aaron Smith combined to send Clarke in, but he was denied by a sliding Marika Koroibete on the right.

Finally, New Zealand would be rewarded for their efforts though as there was no stopping Mo'unga on 21 minutes, his pace proving too much for hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa, before he beat Lolesio to the right corner.  Mo'unga's missed conversion meant it was a 12-0 cushion, but one felt there was much more to come.

So it proved as Mo'unga added another crossing six minutes later, this time from long-range when he scorched over after collecting Beauden Barrett's smart chip.

New Zealand were now turning the screw and it was Coles crossing next, the hooker scoring at the back of a driving maul from five metres out for 26-0.  And it could've got worse for the Wallabies late in the half when a spillage from Daugunu saw Mo'unga almost cross again but for a slip to save the wing's blushes.

Australia were needing a miracle on the resumption and got the perfect start to the second half when centre Jordan Petaia's powerful carry got them into the 22 and on the front foot.  That allowed Lolesio to find a gap in the scrambling defence and he pierced it to get Australia on the board with an unconverted try.

The Wallabies knew they would also need the next score in the game to make a contest out of the clash but it wasn't forthcoming and it was New Zealand who put points on the board, Mo'unga sending over a penalty on the hour mark to make it 29-5.  Both head coaches were now starting to utilise their replacements.

The changes, coupled with New Zealand taking their foot off the gas, saw a dip in entertainment value thereafter, with plenty of stoppages disrupting the flow.  But on 71 minutes the visitors hit their straps again when Hoskins Sotutu went to the short side of the scrum where he found Ioane for the simplest of tries.

There was more to come too when a minute later Jordie Barrett sliced through on halfway before sprinting over to make it 43-5, adding the gloss on a record win as New Zealand wrapped up the Bledisloe Cup yet again, with a late Shannon Frizell yellow card doing little to dampen the All Blacks spirits after this result.


Check out the highlights from New Zealand’s 43-5 record win over Australia at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.

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Saturday, 24 October 2020

France condemn Wales to fourth straight defeat

Wales suffered a fourth successive international defeat under head coach Wayne Pivac as they were beaten 38-21 by France in Paris on Saturday.

The Welsh could not build on a flying start that saw them rattle up 10 unanswered points through full-back Leigh Halfpenny's try and a conversion and penalty by fly-half Dan Biggar.

As a warm-up for next weekend's delayed Six Nations appointment with Scotland, Wales' first game since early March began impressively, but France responded with three converted tries by half-time.

Scrum-half Antoine Dupont scored two of them, and prop Cyril Baille also crossed, with three Romain Ntamack conversions giving France control that they never relinquished.

Captain Charles Ollivon and wing Teddy Thomas added second-half touchdowns, both converted by Ntamack, who also kicked a penalty, and Wales added a try by substitute prop Nicky Smith and two further Biggar penalties, although he also missed three kicks.

Wales' reversal followed losses to Ireland, France and England in the Six Nations earlier this year, while Les Bleus could also reflect on their biggest win in the fixture since 2011.

Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones equalled Richie McCaw's mark of 148 Test match appearances as both countries gained a competitive work-out before playing rescheduled Six Nations games next weekend.

Fit-again centre Jonathan Davies returned for his first Test start since last year's World Cup, with uncapped Gloucester wing Louis Rees-Zammit among Wales' replacements, while France fielded 14 of their line-up that defeated Wales in Cardiff eight months ago.

Wales made a dream start, taking the lead after just 58 seconds when they capitalised on Les Bleus number eight Gregory Alldritt dropping the kick-off.

It gave the visitors an immediate attacking platform, and flanker Justin Tipuric's pinpoint pass found Biggar, who sent an unmarked Halfpenny over.

Biggar's successful conversion meant Wales were off and running in rapid fashion, and they had no intention of applying the brakes as a Biggar penalty made it 10-0 inside eight minutes.

Biggar then gave Wales an injury scare when he went down unchallenged, clutching his right shin, and France responded on the scoreboard through Baille's close-range touchdown that Ntamack converted.

It was a reminder to Wales of France's attacking danger, yet they regroup quickly, and a second Biggar penalty gave the visitors a six-point advantage following an intense opening quarter.

Biggar continued to look distinctly uncomfortable, but he stayed on after further treatment as Wales maintained control until they were undone by some French brilliance.

Centre Virimi Vakatawa showcased his class through a stunning off-load that found Teddy Thomas, and his inside ball allowed Dupont a clear run-in, with Ntamack's conversion making it 14-13.

Wales prop Samson Lee went off seven minutes before the break, being replaced by Cardiff Blues tighthead Dillon Lewis, and the French try blitz continued when Vakatawa again provided an assist and Dupont crossed for his second touchdown in four minutes.

Ntamack completed a hat-trick of conversions, and Wales needed to regroup as the interval approached, but they could not cut the deficit and Les Bleus enjoyed an eight-point interval advantage.

Wales struck first after the break as Biggar completed his penalty hat-trick, only for France to blow a gilt-edged chance when Alldritt spilled possession with the line at his mercy.

Biggar missed his first kick of the night approaching the hour-mark, and Pivac had already started using his bench, handing Test debuts to Rees-Zammit and Ospreys hooker Sam Parry.

Another wayward Biggar penalty attempt allowed France a further let-off, and Les Bleus reaped maximum benefit when more fine work by Dupont sent captain Ollivon away to score, with Ntamack again converting.

Wales could easily have been down and out, yet they responded just two minutes later when Smith surged over to keep the game alive.

Biggar's third successive missed kick did not help their cause, though, and Thomas' fine solo score completed a frustrating night for the visitors.


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Seven-try Ireland show their class against Italy

Ireland breezed past callow Italy 50-17 to tee up a tilt at a fourth Six Nations crown in seven years in a one-sided game in Dublin on Saturday.

Hugo Keenan bagged a debut brace, with fellow newcomer Will Connors also on the scoresheet.

CJ Stander, Johnny Sexton, Bundee Aki and Dave Heffernan all crossed too, with Edoardo Padovani and Paolo Garbisi finishing for the Italians.

Garry Ringrose suffered a head injury scare in one of the few blows to Ireland's straightforward afternoon at an Aviva Stadium empty of fans due to coronavirus restrictions.

Ireland's facile win leaves Andy Farrell's side requiring another bonus-point victory against France in Paris next weekend to seal yet another Six Nations crown.

Ireland claimed Six Nations glory in 2014, 2015 and 2018 under Joe Schmidt, with the final tournament win comprising just their third ever Grand Slam.

But now new boss Farrell has the chance to steer Ireland to another Six Nations triumph at his first crack.

Putting four tries past France in Paris will prove an altogether different challenge from vanquishing the also-rans of Italy, however.

The Azzurri's record Six Nations losing streak was extended to 26 with precious little issue, and with Ireland hardly having to hit full stride.

Italy stunned Farrell's men from the off, Seb Negri haring through a gap in the hosts' defensive line for a major break.

Scrum-half Marcello Violi latched on to Negri's pass and so nearly opened the try-scoring, only to be hauled back.

Murray killed the ball and duly walked for a yellow card, and Garbisi slotted the penalty to put the Azzurri 3-0 ahead.

Unfazed Ireland shook off their numerical disadvantage however, with centre Ringrose starring in a fine scrum-half cameo.

The Irish quickly vindicated punting a penalty to the corner, with Stander barrelling home for the game's first try.  Sexton converted and shortly added a penalty after Ireland squeezed Italy at the scrum.

Ireland bungled a maul in Italy's 22, then lost Ringrose after the centre took a heavy whack to his jaw.

Robbie Henshaw joined the fray and quickly sent Keenan in at the corner for his maiden Test score, floating out a fine pass to the Leinster flyer.

Sexton's inch-perfect touchline conversion had Ireland 17-3 up and coasting on the half-hour.

Keenan hared home again just three minutes later, only for the try to be chalked off.

James Ryan was harshly judged to have blocked Marco Lazzaroni, creating the space for a rangy Stockdale break.  So despite Keenan's neat finish, the try was ruled out following a video review.

The undeterred Keenan quickly sealed his second score, with Ireland completing a deadly counter-attack.

Caelan Doris robbed Italy on the deck in Ireland's 22 before feeding Aki on the break.  The centre set Murray racing away and the astute half-back picked the perfect moment to turn the defence with a cute grubber.

Keenan beat the cover to the loose ball, gathered cleanly and scored, before Sexton's conversion extended Ireland's interval lead to 24-3.

Italy cut through a dreary second-half opening as Padovani punished Sexton's telegraphed wide pass to intercept and race in unopposed.

Garbisi's conversion left Ireland leading 24-10 ahead of the hour and still hunting the all-important bonus-point score.

The hosts hit back quickly, however, with Connors capping a well-worked lineout drive for his debut score and that vital fourth try.  Sexton's conversion made it 31-10.

That broke the Italy resistance and Sexton quickly capped a fluent counter-attack to bag himself a score, after Stockdale, Stander, Keenan and Doris had all cut through the visiting defence.

Aki raced in after Peter O'Mahony's impressive offload before Heffernan capped another driving maul.

Ross Byrne's quick conversion let the match restart one final time – but that backfired as Italy scrapped a second score of their own, Garbisi racing in after a smart dummy before converting his own score.


Catch up on the video highlights from Ireland's 50-17 victory over Italy at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

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Friday, 23 October 2020

Duhan van der Merwe scores on debut in Scotland win

Edinburgh's Duhan van der Merwe displayed his try-scoring prowess as the wing touched down on his Scotland debut in their dominant 48-7 triumph over Georgia.

With Stuart Hogg aiming to complete a trophy double with new European champions Exeter, Fraser Brown was handed the armband on his 51st international appearance and marked the occasion by crossing twice after lineout mauls.

Georgia could not handle the driving maul and Hamish Watson and Stuart McInally both went over from the same source.

Darcy Graham had opened the scoring early on and the Scotland backs weighed in as the game opened up in the latter stages.

Graham grabbed a late second after his fellow Edinburgh winger, Van der Merwe, grabbed a try before Blair Kinghorn got in on the act.

Van der Merwe's fellow South African, Oli Kebble, also won his first cap after coming off the bench with Finn Russell, making his 50th Scotland appearance and his first this year after losing his place following a disciplinary issue prior to the Six Nations.

Scotland were on the front foot immediately as they warmed up for next weekend's Six Nations finale in Wales, and there were little over two minutes gone when Graham produced a dummy after his own tap penalty which made space for him to claim his sixth try on his 11th international outing.

The home side remained on top without making the most of their possession but their forwards ensured Townsend's team went into half-time with a commanding lead thanks to two tries in five minutes following lineout mauls.

Hooker Brown joined the back of the maul after his own throw and got the final touch as the Georgian pack were driven back in the 26th minute.  Rory Sutherland then fed Watson to go over on the left wing.

Scotland were confined to a 17-0 half-time lead after failing to convince French referee Alexandre Ruiz that they had got the crucial touch after forcing the Georgian defence back over their own line again.

Cornell Du Preez, who was on for the injured Matt Fagerson, emerged from a pile of bodies claiming a try but television footage could not clear up who grounded the ball.

Georgia got off the mark inside five minutes of the restart after quickly turning a scrum from almost 40 metres out into a try.  Scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze's pass to Akaki Tabutsadze looked forward but Scott Cummings had got a fingertip to it which ensured the winger's score counted.

Scotland responded immediately as Brown produced a carbon copy of his first-half try.

Scotland made four changes with Kebble and Russell among those coming on and McInally replacing Brown before emulating his fellow hooker with another try from the lineout maul.

Russell gave Scotland a new edge and the game opened up for Scotland's backs in the latter stages.

The Racing 92 fly-half fed Van der Merwe with a close-range pass for the wide man to run through a huge gap in the 70th minute, and Graham went over after another lineout five minutes later.

Kinghorn scored in the final moments after following up on his own kick forward.


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Sunday, 18 October 2020

Dominant All Blacks prove too strong for Wallabies

New Zealand made a statement of intent as they produced a fine showing to beat Australia 27-7 in their Bledisloe Cup Test at Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday.

As the scoreline suggests, it was a very different story to a week ago when the sides drew 16-16 in Wellington with New Zealand dominating most facets of play especially during the second half when they produced a brilliant attacking display.

Tries from Aaron Smith, Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea and Sam Cane got the job done for the All Blacks and their other points came via the boot of Richie Mo'unga, who added a penalty and two conversions.

Marika Koroibete scored a try for the Wallabies which was converted by James O'Connor.

The result means New Zealand are still unbeaten at Eden Park since 1994 while Australia are yet to win there since 1986.

Australia made a blistering start but, despite spending a large part of the game's early stages inside New Zealand's half, they had nothing to show for their attacking endeavour.

The All Blacks soaked up the early pressure and eventually opened the scoring in the 18th minute courtesy of a Mo'unga penalty after the Wallabies strayed offside on defence.

Five minutes later, they went further ahead when Smith crossed for the opening try from close quarters after Jack Goodhue laid the groundwork with a strong run in the build-up.

The Wallabies needed a response and that came in the 29th minute when they took the ball through 12 phases inside the All Blacks' half with Ned Hanigan making a telling break which took play into the home side's 22.  The ball was recycled quickly and Koroibete went over for his five-pointer.

The rest of the half was tense with both teams continuing to run the ball from all areas of the field but neither side would score further points during that period and the match was evenly poised at half-time with New Zealand holding a 10-7 lead.

The All Blacks were fastest out of the blocks when the match restarted and were rewarded with two tries in quick succession inside the first five minutes of the half.

First, Mo'unga and Goodhue created space for Barrett, who score in the right hand corner, and shortly afterwards Caleb Clarke put the All Blacks on the front foot with a brilliant attacking run before Savea rounded off out wide.

Those scores boosted the All Blacks' confidence and they continued to attack at every opportunity.  And in the 54th minute Cane crossed for their fourth try after gathering a lobbed pass from Patrick Tuipulotu on the edge of the Wallabies' 22.

With the game in the bag, the All Blacks took their foot off the pedal and, although the Wallabies launched several attacks during the final quarter, they were not rewarded as the home side sealed a deserved win.


Check out the highlights from the All Blacks' 27-7 Bledisloe Cup triumph against the Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland.

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Sunday, 11 October 2020

All Blacks and Wallabies share the spoils in Wellington

New Zealand and Australia could not be separated in Wellington on Sunday, with their Bledisloe Cup Test finishing in a hard-fought 16-16 draw.

In a drama-filled and exciting contest, both sides scored two tries apiece with Jordie Barrett and Aaron Smith dotting down for the All Blacks while Marika Koroibete and Filipo Daugunu crossed for the Wallabies.

Barrett also added a couple of penalties for the home side and Australia's other points came courtesy of two three-pointers off the kicking tee from James O'Connor.

The hosts dominated early on but Australia improved as the match progressed and finished stronger.  The Wallabies had a chance to win the game in injury time when Reece Hodge lined up a goal-kick from 53 metres out but his effort struck an upright and the teams had to settle for the draw.

The opening exchanges were frantic with the Wallabies doing most of the attacking but the All Blacks soaked up the early pressure and eventually took the lead with a well-taken try from Barrett in the ninth minute.  Rieko Ioane laid the groundwork with a strong run before the ball was recycled quickly and brilliant offloading from Damian McKenzie, Jack Goodhue and Shannon Frizell created space for Barrett out wide and he went over in the right-hand corner.

In the 27th minute, Barrett increased the All Blacks' lead when he slotted a penalty from close range before O'Connor opened the Wallabies' account with his first three-pointer midway through the half.

Just before half-time, Sam Cane pounced on a loose ball just outside his 22 and the All Blacks launched a counter-attack with McKenzie and Richie Mo'unga prominent.  The fly-half did well to draw in the final defender before offloading to Ioane, who had an easy run-in, but he lost the ball while crossing the whitewash which meant the teams changed sides at the interval with New Zealand leading 8-3.

Australia had an early opportunity to score points in the second half when shortly after the restart O'Connor lined up a shot at goal, after McKenzie was blown up for holding onto the ball on the ground, but his effort was wide of the mark.

That proved costly as shortly afterwards the home side launched an attack from a lineout close to the halfway line and Codie Taylor caught the Wallabies napping on defence when he threw an inside pass to George Bridge at the back of the set-piece.  Bridge hit the line at pace before getting a pass out to Smith, who got the better of Nic White before crashing over in the left-hand corner.

The Wallabies needed a response and that came in the 53rd minute when they launched an attack just outside New Zealand's 22.  O'Connor ran a good line before finding Koroibete with a long pass and he did well to score out wide despite a desperate cover tackle from McKenzie.

Ten minutes later, the Wallabies drew level when McKenzie did well to rip the ball from the grasp of Matt Philip at a ruck close to his try-line but none of his team-mates were there to gather the loose ball.  White was quickest to react and offloaded to Daugunu, who cantered in for an easy try.

O'Connor failed to convert which meant the sides were deadlocked at 13-13 and we were set for an exciting finish.  In the 71st minute, New Zealand were awarded a scrum penalty but with rain pouring down and a strong wind blowing, Barrett pushed his kick wide of the uprights.

Soon after, Karl Tu'inukuafe infringed at a breakdown close to his 22 and with the wind at his back O'Connor made no mistake off the tee to give his side the lead for the first time in the game.

Two minutes before full-time, Rob Simmons entered a ruck from the side and Barrett made up for his earlier miss by slotting the resulting penalty.  That meant the sides were level at 16-16 but that was not the end of the match.

There was plenty of drama after Hodge's long-range effort hit the post with both sides scrambling to win the game as the clock went into over-time.  The All Blacks came closest but conceded possession near to the Wallabies' try-line deep into injury time with O'Connor opting to kick the ball into touch and the teams had to settle for a share of the spoils.


The highlights from New Zealand and Australia’s thrilling 16-16 draw in their Bledisloe Cup encounter.

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