Wales win Six Nations after Scotland stun France

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 26, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

France late show denies Wales the Grand Slam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brilliant Ireland dominate England to end on a high

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eight-try Scotland make light work of struggling Italy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) March 20, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ireland edge out Scotland in Six Nations thriller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#TeamOfUs

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

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 14, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

England end France's Grand Slam dream in thriller

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wales march on with seven-try victory over Italy

Wales moved to within one match of a potential Six Nations Grand Slam after they cruised past Italy, winning 48-7 in Rome on Saturday.

The unbeaten tournament leaders reeled off a third successive bonus-point victory to increase pressure on their rivals for silverware.

And Wayne Pivac’s team head to Paris for an appointment with France next Saturday, knowing that a sixth Six Nations crown and fifth Grand Slam will be secured if they topple Les Bleus.

Italy’s 31st Six Nations defeat in a row saw them predictably offer little resistance at Stadio Olimpico as Wales tore them apart by scoring seven tries.

Hooker Ken Owens led the way with a try double, while wing Josh Adams and number eight Taulupe Faletau also touched down during a dominant first-half display that saw Wales secure a bonus-point after just 30 minutes.

Centre George North added his 43rd Wales try early in the second period, equalling Shane Williams’ Wales record of 22 Six Nations touchdowns, and there were also scores for fly-half substitute Callum Sheedy and wing Louis Rees-Zammit.

Sheedy kicked two conversions, with Dan Biggar landing three conversions and also kicking a penalty, while wing Monty Ioane scored a try for Italy that fly-half Paolo Garbisi converted.

Pivac made two changes following the Triple Crown-clinching victory over England a fortnight ago, replacing injured scrum-half Kieran Hardy with Gareth Davies and handing lock Cory Hill a start instead of Adam Beard.

Italy showed five switches, including a recall for Wales-born number nine Stephen Varney, who missed the defeat against Ireland last month after being injured during the warm-up.

Wales were off and running inside three minutes as Biggar kicked a 40-metre penalty, and the Azzurri were soon in deep trouble.

Captain Luca Bigi was sin-binned by referee Wayne Barnes ― his second yellow card in successive games ― and Wales opted for an attacking scrum, rather than kicking for goal.

It reaped an immediate reward as Wales moved possession wide before Biggar’s long pass found Adams, who crossed for his 16th Test try, with Biggar converting.

Wales struck with a second try after 14 minutes while Bigi was still off the pitch.

Rees-Zammit had already threatened Italy’s defence and he delivered a scoring pass to Faletau following another sweeping attack as Wales effortlessly moved 15-0 ahead.

Italy could not live with Wales’ pace and intensity, and a third try arrived when the Welsh forwards drove menacingly from a short-range lineout and Owens touched down.

😎 Wales winning with their eyes shut today. #ITAvWAL pic.twitter.com/NHcQtd3Ol9

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 13, 2021

Biggar’s successful conversion made it 22-0 as Wales rattled along at a point a minute.

Owens delivered Wales’ fourth try when he stretched out to touch down following another powerful forward surge, and Italy were in disarray as their troubled afternoon continued when prop Giosue Zilocchi went off injured, being replaced by Marco Riccioni.

Rees-Zammit had a try disallowed five minutes before half-time after a forward pass by Biggar, but Wales were in cruise control, leading 27-0 at the break.

Wales needed just two minutes of the second period to increase their lead, with centre Jonathan Davies freeing his midfield partner North, who sprinted clear.

Biggar’s conversion took Wales 34 points in front, but Italy gained a 51st-minute try through Ioane’s fine solo score, with Garbisi converting from the touchline.

Italy collected a second yellow card of the game when Riccioni departed for a dangerous challenge on Willis Halaholo, and Wales moved past 40 points on the hour-mark after Sheedy converted his own try.

And Wales added one more try ― a 70-metre interception effort by Rees Zammit ― as the Gloucester speedster claimed a fifth touchdown in just his eighth Test.

Check out the video highlights from Wales's 48-7 victory over Italy in Rome on Saturday.