All Blacks romp to victory over depleted Wales

Star fly-half Beauden Barrett touched down twice on his 100th Test appearance as New Zealand proved to be far too good for a weakened Wales side, easing to a dominant 54-16 victory in Cardiff.

The All Blacks controlled the majority of the match and moved into a comfortable lead at the interval thanks to Barrett’s try and TJ Perenara’s effort.

Wayne Pivac’s men responded through a pair of Gareth Anscombe penalties, but they had been dealt a blow when Alun Wyn Jones’ record-breaking afternoon was ruined after the captain picked up an injury.

It didn’t get any better for Jones watching on, despite Johnny Williams briefly giving the hosts hope, as Will Jordan, Dalton Papalii, Sevu Reece and Anton Lienert-Brown went over.

That brought them to the cusp of the 50-point mark, but it was apt that their centurion should take them over it with the last action of the match as Barrett intercepted a stray pass and crossed the whitewash to complete the rout.

Barrett started opposite his former U20 team-mate Anscombe, who was returning to Test rugby following an absence of more than two years after being sidelined by a major knee injury.

Meanwhile, Wales’ Jones won his 149th cap, overtaking New Zealander Richie McCaw’s record for one country, although his evening lasted just 18 minutes.

It proved a nightmare start for Anscombe as he saw a pass intercepted by Barrett after just four minutes, and he sprinted clear to claim a try that his brother Jordie converted.

Wales had shown initial promising signs before the intercept, but they quickly regrouped and Anscombe kicked a penalty, making it 7-3.

The game swiftly found a rapid tempo, and Beauden Barrett was lucky to escape a yellow card following a knock-on when he looked to intercept Wales wing Owen Lane’s inside pass intended for Williams.

Jordie Barrett then booted a penalty, before Wales suffered an injury hammer-blow when Jones was forced off.

Jones left the action, being replaced by Will Rowlands, as Wales lost their leader with more than an hour of the contest remaining, with centre Jonathan Davies taking over leadership duty.

Wales had a let-off after prop Nepo Laulala dropped the ball when a try looked certain, before Jordie Barrett kicked another penalty and the home side trailed by 10 points.

New Zealand’s accuracy made the difference, and they claimed a second try six minutes before half-time when outstanding build-up play was rewarded with a score for Perenara.

Wales suffered another injury setback on the stroke of half-time when Moriarty was forced off following a tackle by Laulala and flanker Ethan Blackadder, with the former being yellow-carded for not wrapping his arm in the manoeuvre.

Anscombe then kicked his second penalty on the stroke of half-time, and New Zealand took an 18-6 lead into the interval.

Barrett completed his penalty hat-trick early in the second period, while Wales sent on Cardiff fly-half Priestland for Anscombe, making a first Test match appearance since 2017.

And Priestland was immediately in the action, kicking a penalty and setting up Williams’ score, only for the the All Blacks to quickly resume normal service when Jordan conjured a superb solo try, with Jordie Barrett adding the extras.

New Zealand finished in trademark fashion as Papalii, Reece, Lienert-Brown and Beauden Barrett added further tries during a devastating finale that showcased All Blacks rugby at its finest.

Kyle Steyn scores four tries as Scotland beat Tonga

An impressive first-half showing helped Scotland kick off their Autumn Nations Series with a 60-14 victory over Tonga at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Kyle Steyn scored four tries while his fellow Glasgow Warriors wing, Rufus McLean, enjoyed a debut double in the opening 15 minutes, with Edinburgh loosehead prop Pierre Schoeman also marking his first international cap with a try on the half-hour mark.

There were further second-half scores from hooker George Turner and substitute duo Nick Haining and Oli Kebble.

Number 10 Blair Kinghorn contributed with three of his seven conversion attempts, while debutant replacement Ross Thompson successfully kicked two of his three efforts as Gregor Townsend’s side thrived in their first match in front of supporters since March 2020.

After weathering some early Tonga pressure, Scotland made the breakthrough in the seventh minute when debutant McLean seized on a loose ball after Jamie Ritchie was tackled to the ground.  Kinghorn duly kicked the conversion.

Tonga reduced the deficit in the 13th minute as full-back James Faiva kicked a penalty from 40 metres after Scotland were adjudged not to have rolled away at a ruck in time.

McLean added a brilliant second try in the 15th minute when he received a miss-pass from Kinghorn wide on the left and waltzed superbly past Faiva before touching down.  Kinghorn converted immaculately from a tight angle.

Five minutes later, Faiva kicked another penalty when the Scots were penalised once more for not rolling away.

Steyn ― in his second Scotland appearance ― got his first try of the afternoon in the 23rd minute when he took a pass from Sione Tuipulotu and bounded over the line to finish off an impressive flowing move.

Tonga were struggling to cope with their hosts, but Faiva gave them some relief in the 27th minute when he pinged a penalty between the posts from close to the halfway line.

Schoeman then muscled his way over for his debut try in the 30th minute after a period of pressure in front of the line, with Kinghorn kicking the conversion.

Steyn got his second try when he took a pass from co-captain Ali Price and cut through the Tongan defence far too easily before touching down wide on the left.

Right on half-time, Steyn made it a hat-trick after a cross-field kick from Kinghorn took a favourable bounce into his path wide on the right.

The first score of the second half came in the 50th minute when hooker Turner touched down on the back of a rolling maul.

Tonga got their first try in the 58th minute when David Lolohea pushed his way over after a period of pressure.

Haining scored Scotland’s eighth try in the 70th minute after some excellent handling by Ritchie in the build-up before Kebble and Steyn both touched down in the closing four minutes, with Thompson converting on each occasion.

16-try All Blacks make light work of USA in Washington

A rampant New Zealand racked up 16 tries as they demolished the USA 104-14 in a one-sided meeting at FedExField in Washington DC on Saturday.

Luke Jacobson (2), Ethan de Groot, Will Jordan (3), Damian McKenzie, Richie Mo’unga, Angus Ta’avao (2), Quinn Tupaea, Dalton Papalii, Anton Lienert-Brown, Beauden Barrett, Dane Coles and TJ Perenara all crossed the whitewash, with Mo’unga and McKenzie adding 18 and six points off the kicking tee respectively.

In reply for the Eagles, Nate Augspurger and Ryan Matyas went over to give USA fans a small amount of cheer in an otherwise embarrassing game for the hosts.

It was one-way traffic from the outset as New Zealand got the scoreboard ticking inside a minute, running the kick-off back as George Bridge and Finlay Christie helped set up Jacobson to race over.  Mo’unga added the extras and it would be the first conversion of many as USA were about to feel the full force of the All Blacks.

Further crossings from loosehead prop De Groot and wing Jordan, who regathered his own chip kick to score, moved New Zealand into a 19-0 advantage with just 11 minutes gone.  And the procession continued as they went from deep again, this time a nice interchange ending with McKenzie scoring as USA’s woes continued.

26 points to the good there was no letting up from Ian Foster’s charges as on 20 minutes their ability to keep the ball alive allowed Jordan to find Jacobson for his second try of the match, converted by Mo’unga, before the fly-half got in on the try-scoring act five minutes later as he fought his way over to make it a 40-0 lead.

New Zealand were far from finished in the opening period as further crossings came when Jordan added his own brace on 30 minutes before having a hand in setting up Ta’avao for a run-in under the posts.  With Mo’unga’s kick that made it 52-0 and then a minute before the interval Tupaea’s score added another to the tally.

However, it was to be USA who ended the half the stronger when scrum-half Augspurger sprinted over from 40 metres out, lifting the fans’ mood in the ground.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, the All Blacks started the second stanza as they began the first, with Ta’avao adding his second with barely a minute on the clock.

New Zealand would cross again seven minutes later through Papalii, converted by Mo’unga, which made it 73-7 before USA responded well through wing Matyas.

But that was to be the hosts’ final offering in the game as the clinical All Blacks turned the screw as the contest moved into its final half-hour, replacement Lienert-Brown getting his name on the board on 54 minutes before Barrett raced over from long-range, with the visitors’ bench already offering a significant impact.

With 10 minutes remaining the free-scoring Jordan would complete his hat-trick and there was still time for two further scores in the closing minutes, hooker Coles cutting back off the right wing to make it 97-14 before Braydon Ennor’s run down the left led to Perenara going over, McKenzie adding the final two points.

Wallabies get the better of spirited Japan

Australia got their end-of-year tour of the northern hemisphere off to a positive start when they sealed a 32-23 triumph over Japan in Oita on Saturday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was a hard-fought battle with the home side proving competitive throughout but the Wallabies were deserved winners in the end and eventually outscored their hosts five tries to two.

Tom Wright, Jordan Petaia, Taniela Tupou, Robert Leota and Connal McInerney dotted down for the visitors while Quade Cooper slotted a couple of conversions and a penalty.

For Japan, Lomano Lemeki and Ryoko Nakamura scored tries with Rikiya Matsuda adding a conversion and two penalties and Yu Tamura also succeeded with a conversion and a penalty.

The Wallabies opened the scoring as early as the seventh minute when Cooper took on the home side’s defence on the edge of their 22 before offloading to Wright, who stepped past a couple of defenders on his way over the try-line.

Australia were dealt a setback in the 13th minute when Reece Hodge was forced off the field with a shoulder injury and three minutes later the Brave Blossoms opened their account when Matsuda succeeded with his first penalty.

Shortly after entering the fray ― as Hodge’s replacement ― Petaia crossed for his five-pointer after gathering a pass from Andrew Kellaway and Cooper did well to slot a difficult conversion which meant the visitors were in control of proceedings with the score 14-3 in their favour.

In the 26th minute, Japan found their attacking groove when Matsuda delivered a perfectly weighted crossfield kick which Lemeki gathered before crossing for his side’s first try.

Matsuda added the extras as well as a penalty in the 33rd minute but Cooper struck back with a three-pointer off the kicking tee of his own which meant the match was evenly poised with Australia leading 17-13 at half-time.

Three minutes after the restart Tupou ran onto a pass from Folau Fainga’a deep inside Japan’s half and he showed great determination and leg drive to power his way over the try-line for his side’s third five-pointer.

In the 50th minute, the Brave Blossoms were reduced to 14 men when Lemeki was yellow carded for a no-arms tackle on Hunter Paisami and two minutes later Leota rounded off a flowing move to give Australia a 27-13 lead.

Despite being down a man, Japan stayed true to their attacking roots and were rewarded in the 56th minute when Nakamura went over for their second five-pointer and in the 74th minute Tamura added a penalty.

That meant the Wallabies were holding a slender 27-23 lead but they secured the win in the game’s closing stages when debutant McInerney crossed for their fifth try, off the back of a lineout drive close to to Japan’s try-line.

Springboks bounce back with epic win over All Blacks

The Springboks ended a three-match losing streak when they claimed a hard-fought 31-29 Rugby Championship triumph against the All Blacks on the Gold Coast on Saturday.

In another drama-filled and exciting encounter, just like last weekend’s match between these sides, this contest also went down to the wire with Elton Jantjies clinching the result for his team with an injury time penalty.

South Africa’s other points came via tries from Damian de Allende and Makazole Mapimpi while Handre Pollard succeeded with four penalties and Jantjies added another three-pointer off the kicking tee and a drop-goal.

For New Zealand, Sevu Reece, Ardie Savea and Brad Weber scored tries while Jordie Barrett finished with a 14-point haul courtesy of three penalties and a conversion.

The Springboks did most of the early attacking although Pollard was off target with a penalty attempt in the fifth minute, after a high tackle on Mapimpi, but the Boks put that setback behind them and soon opened the scoring courtesy of De Allende’s try.

Lukhanyo Am did well to win a loose ball inside New Zealand’s 22 before offloading brilliantly out of the back of his hand to Sbu Nkosi, who drew Jordie Barrett before passing to De Allende, who crossed in the right-hand corner.

Shortly afterwards the All Blacks opened their account courtesy of a Barrett penalty after Am infringed at a ruck.

Five minutes later, Willie le Roux failed to gather an up-and-under just outside his 22 and the Boks were made to pay as the All Blacks launched a counter attack with Beauden Barrett finding Reece with a cross-field kick and he did well to score out wide despite a desperate tackle from Duane Vermeulen.

10 minutes later, Scott Barrett impeded Mapimpi while the latter was competing for a high ball and Pollard gave his side an 11-8 lead when he succeeded with the resulting penalty in the 24th minute.

Five minutes later, the All Blacks launched an attack from a lineout close to the halfway line with Beauden Barrett doing brilliantly to beat a couple of defenders before getting a pass out to Rieko Ioane.  He set off towards the Boks’ try-line before throwing an inside pass to Savea, who dove over in spectacular fashion.

Full-back Barrett converted to give the All Blacks a 15-11 lead and shortly afterwards Weber pounced when Eben Etzebeth failed to gather a throw-in at a lineout close to South Africa’s try-line.  Etzebeth knocked the ball onto the arm of Joe Moody and Weber gathered before crossing out wide.

Just before half-time, Pollard stepped up to add his third penalty which meant New Zealand were holding a 20-14 lead as the teams changed sides at the interval.

The second half started in similar fashion to the first with the Springboks on the attack from the kick off and two minutes after the restart they won a scrum penalty which Pollard converted to narrow the gap to three points.

The Boks continued to hold the upper hand and in the 52nd minute they launched an attack from a lineout close to the All Blacks’ try-line.  Malcolm Marx and Steven Kitshoff put them on the front foot with strong carries before the ball was shifted to the wing where Mapimpi dotted down in the left-hand corner.

The next 15 minutes was an attritional affair as both sides gave their all to win this Test and in the 58th minute Jantjies extended the Boks’ lead when he slotted a penalty, after the All Blacks strayed offside on defence.  Despite trailing by five points, the All Blacks did not panic and they narrowed the gap again when Barrett added his second penalty in the 67th minute.

That set up a nail-biting finish and in the 74th minute Barrett slotted his third three-pointer off the kicking tee after Frans Steyn infringed at a breakdown.  The world champions did not surrender though and soon after Jantjies landed his drop-goal from 40 metres out to give his side the lead again.

There was plenty of drama in the game’s closing stages and in the 79th minute the All Blacks went in front for the third time courtesy of another Barrett penalty after Franco Mostert was blown up for an indiscretion at a ruck.

The Boks refused to throw in the towel and launched one final attack and Jantjies added the match-winning points with the clock in the red after the All Blacks were caught offside on defence again.

Andrew Kellaway hat-trick powers Wallabies past Pumas

Andrew Kellaway was the Wallabies’ hero as he scored a hat-trick of tries in a 32-17 victory against the Pumas in their Rugby Championship Test on the Gold Coast on Saturday.

Australia were full value for their win as they dominated for long periods and eventually outscored Argentina five tries to two with Folau Fainga’a and Samu Kerevi crossing for their other five pointers, while Quade Cooper added a couple of conversions and a penalty.

For the Pumas, Thomas Gallo led the way as he scored a brace of tries which were both converted by Emiliano Boffelli, who also slotted a penalty.

The opening exchanges were evenly contested with both teams awarded kickable penalties during that period but Boffelli and Cooper were both off target with shots at goal.

The Wallabies eventually took the lead in the 10th minute courtesy of a penalty from Cooper after the Pumas were blown up for illegal scrummaging.

There was enterprising play from the teams over the next 15 minutes with both sides giving the ball plenty of air but poor option taking and unforced errors meant no points were scored during that period.

The match came alive in the 27th minute when Argentina were reduced to 14 men after Tomás Lavanini was yellow carded for taking out Izack Rodda illegally at a lineout inside his 22.

Reece Hodge put the ball into touch and from the resulting lineout the Wallabies launched a drive before Fainga’a crossed for the opening try in the 28th minute.

Five minutes later, Australia were on the attack again, at a lineout midway between Argentina’s 22 and the halfway line, and from the set-piece Fainga’a and Rob Valetini combined brilliantly before the latter threw an inside pass to Kellaway, who had an easy run-in over the try-line.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Argentina finished the half stronger and spent the last five minutes camped inside Wallabies territory.  They could not cross the whitewash, however, and had to settle for a Boffelli penalty which meant Australia held a 15-3 lead at half-time.

The Wallabies drew first blood in the second half when three minutes after the restart Kerevi ran onto a well-timed pass from Cooper before barging over for his side’s third try.

10 minutes later, Kellaway found himself in space out wide inside Argentina’s 22 and he did well to shrug off a tackle from Santiago Chocobares before crossing for his second five-pointer.

Those two scores boosted the Wallabies’ confidence and just before the hour-mark Len Ikitau did brilliantly to draw in a couple of defenders before offloading to Kellaway, who cantered in for his third try.

With the game in the bag, the Wallabies took their foot off the pedal during the final quarter and the Pumas came back strongly and scored both their tries during that period.

In the 63rd minute, Argentina set up several phases close to Australia’s try-line before replacement prop Gallo, who was making his Test debut, burrowed his way over the try-line.

That score seemed to reinvigorate the Pumas and in the 73rd minute they were rewarded again when Gallo dotted down for the second time in similar fashion to his previous effort from close quarters.

Those tries gave some respectability to the final score and although Australia finished the contest with 14 players ― after their captain Michael Hooper was yellow carded for a professional foul on defence ― they managed to keep Argentina at bay during the game’s dying moments, and, in doing so, they secured a bonus-point victory.