All Blacks come from behind against France as debutant scores key try

New Zealand had to come from behind to defeat a dogged France 29-19 at FMG Stadium Waikato on Saturday in a result that wraps up a 3-0 series victory over Les Bleus.

Tries from Will Jordan, Anton Lienert-Brown, Du’Plessis Kirifi and Brodie McAlister, coupled by nine points from Damian McKenzie’s boot, saw the All Blacks prevail.

France were excellent for large parts in Hamilton with scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec scoring 16 points that included a crossing while Antoine Hastoy struck a drop-goal.

The All Blacks were looking to pick up a clean sweep in this series, which has been under the spotlight ever since rumours of France’s squad intentions were made clear.

Scott Robertson’s outfit had to deal with some late disruption to their line-up after Luke Jacobson pulled out injured in the warm-up, which meant Ardie Savea shifted to number eight and Kirifi was handed his first start on the openside.  That freed up a place on the replacements bench where Christian Lio-Willie wore jersey 20.

The game started in entertaining fashion and after an early All Blacks foray, it was in fact France who struck first on nine minutes, Le Garrec scrambling over at the back of a maul on the right wing before converting his own score.  That was an early marker thrown down, confirming that this France team in Test III was a genuine threat.

Clearly rattled, the hosts gift wrapped a further three points for Les Bleus after Savea attempted a chip kick in his own 22 that resulted in Le Garrec nudging it to 10-0.

That penalty took the scoring up a notch in its frequency as on 21 minutes, a smart kick into open space from Cortez Ratima saw wing Jordan win the foot race as New Zealand cut the gap to three points before Hastoy knocked over a smart drop-goal for the French soon after to make it 13-7.  Suddenly, every attack had real potential.

The concern for New Zealand was the frequency France were adding to their tally, as two further Le Garrec penalties after a McKenzie effort made it a nine-point cushion.

Crucially, though, the All Blacks struck with the clock in the red at the end of the opening half when Lienert-Brown slid over the whitewash to make it 19-17 at the interval.

France looked to keep the scoreboard ticking shortly after the restart, but this time Hastoy’s drop-goal attempt was dragged wide before New Zealand looked to counter.

However, tenacious French defence was evident again, typified by Gabin Villiere who won his side a ruck penalty that was also off-target from Le Garrec from distance.

Two lifelines for the All Blacks who then sent on front-row replacements including debutant McAlister at hooker, with boss Robertson eyeing a response from his side.

But France’s resolve in defence was something to admire as they continued to frustrate the hosts, Mickaël Guillard this time denying Patrick Tuipulotu a try out wide.

Finally, though New Zealand got their score when a McKenzie grubber caused chaos in-goal and Kirifi was on hand to gather and ground for the try before the hour.

At 22-19, the match was far from over, but the All Blacks had their noses in front for the first time in the contest.  Les Bleus though were still enjoying opportunities.

As time wore on, however, New Zealand were starting to gain dominance and Dalton Papali’i went agonisingly close to crossing as the hosts had a spell of territory.

Finally, they got their reward as debutant McAlister slid over for a game-sealing try that must have felt incredible after the All Blacks’ lineout had been struggling.

McKenzie would send over the conversion attempt to add the gloss as New Zealand had seen off an impressive France side to take this series in a 3-0 whitewash.

The teams

All Blacks:  15 Ruben Love, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Sevu Reece, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Brodie McAlister, 17 George Bower, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Dalton Papali’i, 20 Christian Lio-Willie 21 Noah Hotham, 22 Timoci Tavatavanawai, 23 Jordie Barrett

France:  15 Léo Barré, 14 Théo Attissogbé, 13 Nicolas Depoortère, 12 Gaël Fickou (c), 11 Gabin Villière, 10 Antoine Hastoy, 9 Nolann Le Garrec, 8 Mickaël Guillard, 7 Joshua Brennan, 6 Alexandre Fischer, 5 Matthias Halagahu, 4 Hugo Auradou, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Pierre Bourgarit, 1 Baptiste Erdocio
Replacements:  16 Gaëtan Barlot, 17 Paul Mallez, 18 Demba Bamba, 19 Romain Taofifénua, 20 Killian Tixeront, 21 Pierre Bochaton, 22 Thibault Daubagna, 23 Émilien Gailleton

Referee:  Angus Gardner (RA)
Assistant referees:  Damian Schneider (UAR), Takehito Namekawa (JRFU)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (RA)
FPRO:  Damon Murphy (RA)

All Blacks clinch series with emphatic victory over France in Wellington

The All Blacks delivered a much improved performance as they clinched an emphatic 43-17 triumph against France in their mid-year international in Wellington on Saturday.

After notching a narrow victory over Les Bleus in Dunedin last week, there was pressure on All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and his troops but they were full value for this series-clinching win as they dominated for long periods and were more clinical in their execution.

The All Blacks eventually outscored their visitors by six tries to two with Cam Roigard, Ardie Savea, Codie Taylor, Tupou Vaa’i, Will Jordan and Rieko Ioane all crossing the whitewash.

Their other points came via four conversions and a penalty from Beauden Barrett while Jordie Barrett also succeeded with a two-pointer off the kicking tee.

For France, Léo Barré and Joshua Brennan scored tries while Nolann Le Garrec added a conversion and a penalty, and Antoine Hastoy also converted a five-pointer.

The opening exchanges were evenly contested and after absorbing some early pressure from the visitors, the All Blacks opened the scoring in the eighth minute courtesy of a Barrett penalty after Nicolas Depoortère strayed offside on defence.

Five minutes later, the home side extended their lead when Roigard crossed for his try after some brilliance from the All Blacks forwards.

From a lineout just outside France’s 22, the hosts flummoxed the visitors with a move from the set-piece which looked like it was straight off the training ground.

After delivering his throw-in, hooker Taylor came charging around the lineout and made like he was going to take a pass from Christian Lio-Willie only for Savea and Roigard to break around the blindside and the former offloaded to his scrum-half, who cantered in for his score.

Midway through the half, New Zealand were reduced to 14 men when fly-half Barrett was yellow carded for deliberately knocking down a pass from Le Garrec deep inside the hosts’ 22.

Le Garrec slotted the resulting penalty which meant the All Blacks held a 10-3 lead by the 20th minute before Savea went over for another converted try off the back of a lineout drive deep inside Les Bleus territory.

France were then dealt a massive setback when Brennan was sent to the sin bin in the 28th minute for a dangerous tip tackle on Jordie Barrett and the rest of the half was dominated by the hosts, who scored two further tries during that period.

On the half hour-mark, Taylor dotted down in similar fashion to Savea after a strong lineout drive from the All Blacks, before Vaa’i rounded off a spectacular try after the ball went through several pairs of hands in the build-up.

That meant New Zealand had their tails up with the score 29-3 in their favour at half-time.

🇳🇿🇫🇷 ALL BLACKS HAMMER FRANCE IN WELLINGTON TO CLINCH THE SERIES!#NZLvFRA pic.twitter.com/33z6GO6zjb

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) July 12, 2025

France needed a response and that came eight minutes after the restart when Barré crossed for their first try after running a superb line deep inside the All Blacks’ 22.

The All Blacks did not panic though and in the 56th minute Jordan rounded off in style after Billy Proctor was stopped just short of the try-line in the build-up.

And in the 62nd minute, Ioane got over for his five pointer in the left-hand corner, after running onto a well-timed pass from Jordie Barrett, before Brennan added some respectability to the final score for Les Bleus when he crashed over for his try in the game’s closing stages.

The teams

New Zealand:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Emoni Narawa, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Ardie Savea (c), 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Samipeni Finau, 20 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Timoci Tavatavanawai, 23 Damian McKenzie

France:  15 Léo Barré, 14 Théo Attissogbe, 13 Nicolas Depoortère, 12 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 11 Émilien Gailleton, 10 Joris Segonds, 9 Nolann Le Garrec, 8 Esteban Abadie, 7 Jacobus Van Tonder, 6 Pierre Bochaton, 5 Matthias Halagahu, 4 Joshua Brennan, 3 Georges-Henri Colombe, 2 Gaëtan Barlot (c), 1 Baptiste Erdocio
Replacements:  16 Pierre Bourgarit, 17 Paul Mallez, 18 Régis Montagne, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Cameron Woki, 21 Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer, 22 Thibault Daubagna, 23 Antoine Hastoy

Referee:  Christophe Ridley (RFU)
Assistant Referees:  Nic Berry (RA), Takehito Namekawa (JRFU)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (RA)
FPRO:  Damon Murphy (RA)

All Blacks made to work hard for maiden 2025 victory against rookie French outfit

Scott Robertson’s All Blacks are up and running in 2025 after defeating a spirited France outfit 31-27 at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin to take a 1-0 series lead.

Much of the build-up to the series opener was dominated by France’s decision to send an inexperienced team to New Zealand, but the Les Bleus rookies rose to the occasion and put up a mighty fight against the All Blacks.

Ultimately, a Beauden Barrett penalty in the final 10 minutes of the match sealed the result for the All Blacks, with the veteran pivot knocking over all five of his kicks at goal.

He converted tries scored by Will Jordan (2), Tupou Vaa’i and Jordie Barrett before Robertson’s men held out a French onslaught to secure the victory.

Mickael Guillard and Cameron Woki crossed for Les Bleus, while Joris Segonds added three points from the tee with Nolann Le Garrec racking up a further nine, but ultimately, it was not enough.

The French were the first on the board as the All Blacks conceded a penalty in the seventh minute, providing Segonds with an easy shot at goal the pivot did not waste the chance to dissect the posts.

Jordie Barrett looked to have scored the opening try of New Zealand this year when the midfielder slid over the line after a marvellous attacking play, but the All Blacks were denied as prop Fletcher Newell was judged to have knocked on the ball in the build-up to the score.

From the ensuing scrum, the French struck as superb full-back Theo Attisogbe skinned Billy Proctor out wide, launching a stunning attack with Beauden Barrett making a great last-ditch tackle that seemingly denied a try.  However, France recycled the ball, and powerhouse forward Guillard thundered over the line to open up a 10-point lead after 17 minutes.

That try seemingly lit the spark for the All Blacks as captain Scott Barrett charged down a kick from Le Garrec, and that turnover of possession resulted in the first try of the year for Jordan, who benefited from a great long ball from fly-half Beauden Barrett, who added the extras.

New Zealand really started to turn the screws in the second quarter of the first half as they dominated the French scrum, earning a penalty for their efforts and subsequently kicked to the line which led to a score for Vaa’i who powered over from close range after several powerful carries from the French pack.

However, Vaa’i conceded a silly penalty at the lineout in the 32nd minute and Le Garrec made no mistake with his kick to make it a one-point game at 14-13.

That did not last long as Jordie Barrett would have the final say of the half as Jordan went from scorer to assister to send the centre over as the hosts led 21-13 at the break.

France came out of the blocks steaming in the second half as Villiere acrobatically dived over the line after an impressive 16 phases from the French.

Villiere produced another moment of brilliance to make a try-saving tackle and turnover, but that did not last long as Jordan scored a second try from the ensuing lineout.

Fabien Galthie started to empty his bench soon afterwards, and it immediately paid dividends as debutant Jaco van Tonder made a stunning linebreak with Woki rounding off the try.

Momentum looked to have swung back into the All Blacks’ favour when Jordan’s offload was judged to have been knocked down by Villiere, who was subsequently yellow-carded.  Robertson’s side went to work from the lineout and after a long passage of attack, Proctor reached out to dot the ball over the line, but he was denied upon review from the TMO, who judged that he spilt the ball over the line.

Again, the TMO would deny the All Blacks as Jordan’s hat-trick score was scratched off after Berry agreed that replacement tighthead Pasilio Tosi obstructed the French defensive line — the third time the All Blacks had been denied.

The All Blacks couldn’t breach the Shaun Edwards’ defence again in the second half as Barrett knocked over a penalty to extend the lead to four points, which sealed the victory.

The teams

All Blacks:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Samipeni Finau, 20 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Quinn Tupaea, 23 Damian McKenzie

France:  15 Theo Attissogbe, 14 Tom Spring, 13 Emilien Gailleton, 12 Gael Fickou (c), 11 Gabin Villière, 10 Joris Segonds, 9 Nolann Le Garrec, 8 Mickael Guillard, 7 Killian Tixeront, 6 Alexandre Fischer, 5 Tyler Duguid, 4 Hugo Auradou, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Gaetan Barlot, 1 Giorgi Beria
Replacements:  16 Pierre Bourgarit, 17 Paul Mallez, 18 Regis Montagne, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Cameron Woki, 21 Jacobus van Tonder, 22 Baptiste Jauneau, 23 Antoine Hastoy

Referee:  Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant referees:  Christophe Ridley (England), Takehito Namekawa (Japan)
TMO:  Damon Murphy (Australia)

All Blacks overcome brave Italy as Will Jordan surpasses Jonah Lomu feat

New Zealand produced a disjointed display as they sealed a 29-11 Autumn Nations Series victory over a much-improved Italy at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

Scores from Cam Roigard, Will Jordan, Mark Tele’a and Beauden Barrett were added to by nine points off the tee from the latter as the All Blacks claimed a rugged win.

Paolo Garbisi kicked six points while Tommaso Menoncello scored for Italy and they will be buoyed by their performance, especially after a disappointing recent period.

There was plenty of encouragement from Italy’s first-half showing as they caused New Zealand several headaches and fronted up admirably in an improved performance.

The pressure they put on the All Blacks led to errors from the visitors.  However, a facet New Zealand had success was the scrum, which won them a couple of penalties.

It was Italy though who opened the scoring after Ardie Savea dived over a ruck in a cynical manner, allowing Garbisi to successfully nudge his team 3-0 into the lead.

New Zealand responded through Barrett on 15 minutes after Menoncello had over-extended at a ruck and taking the three points was a sign the All Blacks were rattled.

They didn’t help themselves when Patrick Tuipulotu and others were penalised for obstruction as Rieko Ioane collected the resulting restart, with Garbisi duly obliging.

At 6-3 up and with Scott Barrett being shown a yellow card for a croc-roll after 20 minutes, things were looking especially rosy for the fired-up Azzurri and their fans.

However, a much-needed opportunistic crossing from Roigard silenced the Allianz Stadium crowd as he sniped around the fringe of a ruck for a score to make it 10-6.

Things would get even better for the All Blacks on the stroke of half-time when Jordan was sent through a hole after a sustained period of pressure for a key try that moved him ahead of the great Jonah Lomu in New Zealand’s try-scoring chart.

The first score after the break was always going to be crucial and it looked for all money that the Italians would get it after dominating both possession and territory.

Unfortunately for the Azzurri ― even with Anton Lienert-Brown being sent to the sin-bin for repeated team offences ― they simply could not break down the black wall.

The scoreline remained locked at 16-7 as the final 10 minutes approached but it was a period not without key moments including Sam Cane bowing out to warm applause.  There was also the introduction of another outgoing New Zealand legend as scrum-half TJ Perenara emerged off the bench for his final run-out in the black shirt.

Finally, the deadlock was broken, however, on 71 minutes when sloppy passing in the backline eventually found Tele’a, with Beauden Barrett adding the tough extras.

It seemed fitting that Italy would have the final say in the game as Menoncello received an offload from Marco Zanon for a consolation score that was fully deserved.

However, the Azzurri chanced their arm too much in the final play on their own line and Beauden Barrett capitalised, cantering over to add gloss to the away win.

The teams

Italy:  15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Jacopo Trulla, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex (c), 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Martin Page-Relo, 8 Ross Vintcent, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Dino Lamb, 4 Federico Ruzza, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements:  16 Giacomo Nicotera, 17 Mirco Spagnolo 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Niccolò Cannone, 20 Alessandro Izekor, 21 Alessandro Garbisi, 22 Leonardo Marin 23 Marco Zanon

New Zealand:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Mark Tele’a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Tupou Vaa’i, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 David Havili, 23 Damian McKenzie

Referee:  Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant Referees:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Ludovic Cayre (France)
TMO:  Tual Trainini (France)

France edge the All Blacks in Paris thriller as Scott Robertson’s side lose unbeaten tour record

France handed Scott Robertson his first defeat in six as they made it three successive victories over the All Blacks following a 30-29 success in Paris.

In another Autumn Nations Series thriller, Les Bleus went into the break 17-10 in arrears following tries by Peter Lakai and Cam Roigard, but they hit back in the second period.

Fabien Galthie’s men moved ahead as Paul Boudehent and Louis Bielle-Biarrey touched down and it was a lead they would not relinquish.

That was despite the accurate kicking of Damian McKenzie, who added four penalties when he came on, but successive Thomas Ramos three-pointers was just enough for France as they edged to a win.

Having won their past five matches, Robertson’s outfit came into this game with confidence and, despite an early Ramos three-pointer, they showed why spirits have been significantly lifted in New Zealand.

The visitors manufactured a superb try as superb hands set Ardie Savea free down the left and, after he had fended off the attentions of a couple of defenders, his off-load sent rookie Lakai across the whitewash.

Lakai had come on for Samipeni Finau, who suffered a head injury, but it did not impact the All Blacks as they had the better of the opening half-hour.

With half-backs Cam Roigard and Beauden Barrett dictating things nicely, and the scrum getting to work on the France front-row, the tourists were beginning to control matters.

Les Bleus were already without first-choice props Cyril Baille and Uini Atonio and when Tevita Tatafu was forced off, Georges-Henri Colombe was exposed in the set-piece.

Tamaiti Williams put the big tighthead under significant duress and it was from that pressure which led to Roigard’s try.  Number eight Gregory Alldritt had to pick up the ball from a retreating scrum and the All Blacks scrum-half was on hand to nick it, speed away and touch down.

There were signs that the hosts were beginning to creak, but they managed to respond as the forwards, guided by the typically excellent Antoine Dupont, made ground through the heart of the opposition defence.

Eventually, New Zealand cracked as Romain Buros crossed the whitewash on debut, Ramos converting, to reduce the arrears.

Although Barrett made it a seven-point buffer at the interval, Les Bleus had shown that they could attack the All Blacks right through the middle and they managed to do the same at the start of the second period.

Galthie’s side set up a maul five metres out and rumbled towards the line, allowing Boudehent to touch down.  Ramos added the extras and all of a sudden the pressure was back on New Zealand, who perhaps should have gone into the break with a greater lead.

Robertson’s men initially handled it well, moving the ball through the phases and almost going over in the left-hand corner, but they then began to force the play.

That was demonstrated by Tupou Vaa’i as the lock’s off-load went to ground and was picked up by Ramos.  The fly-half then kicked through and the chasing Bielle-Biarrey absolutely burned Sevu Reece to score.

Unperturbed, the All Blacks looked to hit back and increased the pressure on the French, forcing their opponents to infringe in kickable positions.

After coming on as a replacement, McKenzie was successful off the tee on three occasions, but Ramos’ own three-pointer just kept the hosts in front going into the final 10 minutes.

It set up a tense conclusion but, unlike against England, New Zealand were unable to get over the line.  The respective kickers did trade efforts off the tee in the latter stages, but France managed to maintain that one-point gap.

The teams

France:  15 Romain Buros, 14 Gabin Villiere, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Thomas Ramos, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Gregory Aldritt, 7 Alexandre Roumat, 6 Paul Boudehent, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Tevita Tatafu, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements:  16 Julien Marchand, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Mickael Guillard, 21 Charles Ollivon, 22 Nolann le Garrec, 23 Emilen Gailleton

New Zealand:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Damian McKenzie

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

All Blacks put lacklustre Ireland to the sword to bring 19-game home winning streak to a swift end

A try from Will Jordan and 18 points from the boot of Damian McKenzie helped New Zealand defeat Ireland 23-13 in the Autumn Nations Series in Dublin on Friday.

The workmanlike result means it’s now back-to-back wins for the All Blacks over the Irish after their Rugby World Cup quarter-final victory in Paris last year.

Jordan scored New Zealand’s only try of the match while McKenzie dominated with the boot, landing six penalty goals as Scott Robertson’s team celebrated.

Ireland crossed through Josh van der Flier while Jack Crowley kicked a conversion and two penalties as their Autumn Nations Series starts with a dismal loss.

Indeed, Ireland were out of sorts in their first hit-out of the end-of-year campaign, with a high error and penalty count hampering their performance.

Much of the pre-game talk had centred on the spat between Rieko Ioane and Johnny Sexton following the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final.  It was therefore perhaps fitting that the centre led the haka and was the recipient of a chorus of boos when his name was read out.

Unfortunately the extra spice before kick off did not result in a Test match full of quality and entertainment as it was a cagey affair littered with mistakes and penalty offences.

Ireland took an early lead on seven minutes when an escort running line from soon-to-be Leinster centre Jordie Barrett was spotted by referee Nic Berry and Crowley made no mistake off the tee.

McKenzie would level soon after though as a break from scrum-half Cortez Ratima led to Ronan Kelleher infringing at the resulting ruck.

That would spark a period of dominance for the All Blacks but there was little to show for it on the scoreboard, with a crooked lineout in the Ireland 22 frustrating those in black.

McKenzie did eventually manage to put points on the board with penalties in the 28th and 37th minute, the latter coming after Ireland second-row James Ryan was pinged for not rolling away.

However, the hosts were given a shot in the arm just before the break when the aforementioned Barrett was yellow-carded for making contact with the head of the oncoming Garry Ringrose.  Crowley obliged off the tee to make it 9-6 to the All Blacks at half-time.

Ireland came out from the dressing room with their ears ringing and it showed as they pressed early on and were rewarded for their efforts when Van der Flier barged over from close range for a try converted by Crowley.

At 13-9 in front, the hosts were in a promising position but Asafo Aumua’s excellent work at the breakdown allowed McKenzie to step up and reduce the gap to one point, this despite having to put the ball back on the tee after it fell off.

The All Blacks fly-half struck the post soon after from long distance but made no mistake on the hour mark following a scrum offence, sending over the three points that put his side back in front at 15-13.

McKenzie was looking increasingly assured off the tee and made Iain Henderson pay on 64 minutes after the Ireland replacement offended at a breakdown.

But the best was still to come for the All Blacks as a slick passage of play saw the ball given plenty of width and eventually Aumua found Jordan for the key score on the left wing, wrapping up a famous victory that sees Ireland lose in Dublin for the first time in three-and-a-half years.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Jamie Osborne

All Blacks:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Mark Tele’a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements:  16 George Bell, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cam Roigard, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Stephen Perofeta

Referee:  Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (Australia)

All Blacks snatch late win as George Ford’s errors prove costly for England

It was a case of deja vu for the All Blacks and England as the tourists edged to yet another narrow victory, earning a 24-22 win at Allianz Stadium.

In July, New Zealand came back in the final quarter to snatch a 2-0 series triumph over Steve Borthwick’s men and they did the same on Saturday.

It was a thrilling if mistake-ridden contest which saw the All Blacks go 14-12 ahead at the break through Mark Tele’a and Will Jordan tries.

Marcus Smith kicked four penalties to keep the Red Rose in the game before the fly-half set up Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s score in the second period.

Smith then added another three-pointer and it looked as though the hosts would finally beat the All Blacks, but a late response, which saw Damian McKenzie land a penalty and Tele’a cross the whitewash, resulted in New Zealand’s third consecutive win over England.

It was George Ford, who had come on for the brilliant Smith, that missed the tackle for Tele’a’s try while he was also awry with two late kicks that would have won the game for Borthwick’s outfit.

England have taken a much more adventurous approach under Borthwick in 2024 and they signalled their intent from the kick-off when Smith’s cross-field kick to Feyi-Waboso almost worked out.

That bold decision was indicative of a bright start from the hosts, who moved in front via the boot of their fly-half.

However, the All Blacks’ kicking game was also dangerous, with Cortez Ratima and the two backline Barretts testing the English aerial game.

Equally, they looked to move the ball through the hands when the opportunity presented itself and that variety proved too difficult for the Red Rose to handle on eight minutes.

Wallace Sititi, who was brilliant once again, was the creator as the back-rower’s brilliant off-load found Tele’a out wide.  The wing still had plenty to do but he rounded Ellis Genge and finished in the corner.

That wasn’t the only chance New Zealand created but at times they were profligate, while their ill-discipline was allowing England to remain close.

Three off-the-ball hits were called by the television match official and on each occasion Smith was able to punish them off the tee.

England’s fly-half was keeping his side in the game as their defence struggled to stay connected against the All Blacks’ smart attack.

More often than not Beauden Barrett was taking the right option and he spotted a gaping hole to send Jordan scampering through for another try.

Robertson’s men threatened to break free at that point, but the penalty count hurt them and a fourth Smith three-pointer reduced the arrears to two points at the interval.

That ability to stay in the contest proved crucial for the hosts and they benefited from another error by New Zealand at the start of the second period.

The All Blacks got themselves in a tangle with ball in hand and Ratima’s pass, who otherwise had a mistake-free match, was intercepted by Smith.

He still had plenty to do, especially with Jordan bearing down on him, but the playmaker dummied and found his support in George Furbank, who shipped it on to Feyi-Waboso to touch down.

England grew in confidence following that score while the All Blacks began to make a few too many mistakes and the home side controlled territory.

However, New Zealand are always dangerous, particularly off turnover ball, and they appeared to have scored when Caleb Clarke broke down the left and fed Beauden Barrett, but it was correctly called back for a deliberate knock-on.

From the resultant penalty, Smith was once again on target and England held a 22-14 advantage with a quarter of the game remaining.

The All Blacks struggled in the final 20 minutes of matches in the Rugby Championship, but they got back to within a score through McKenzie’s three-pointer.

And as New Zealand did in July, they began to ramp up the intensity and, under pressure, the Red Rose folded as Tele’a crossed the whitewash for a second time, McKenzie converting for the lead.

Ford missed the tackle on the wing to allow him to score but the replacement fly-half ― and his team ― still had an opportunity to snatch the win in the final few minutes.

The pivot was twice handed the chance to atone for that error but he was awry on both occasions as the All Blacks held on.

The teams

England:  15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements:  16 Theo Dan, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Alex Dombrandt, 22 Harry Randall, 23 George Ford

All Blacks:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Mark Tele’a, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cam Roigard, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Damian McKenzie

Referee:  Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Pierre Brousset (France), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)

All Blacks overcome slow start to seal easy win over Eddie Jones’ Japan

New Zealand overcame a slow start to produce a dominant display against Japan as they sealed a comfortable 64-19 victory in Yokohama.

The Brave Blossoms were impressive in the opening quarter and were only 14-12 in arrears after 20 minutes thanks to Jone Naikabula and Faulua Makisi tries.

However, the All Blacks ultimately proved too strong and were in control at the break as Billy Proctor, Sam Cane, Samipeni Finau, Pasilio Tosi and Tamaiti Williams touched down to add to earlier scores from Mark Tele’a and Patrick Tuipulotu.

Cam Roigard then went over at the start of the second period as they continued to go at a point a minute, but New Zealand were unable to maintain that intensity.

It would be a stretch to say their second-half issues had returned but coaches and players alike would have been disappointed that they only went over twice more in the final 37 minutes, via a brace from debutant Ruben Love.

Scott Robertson named a makeshift outfit for this encounter and it very much showed in the opening quarter as they struggled on both sides of the ball.

Japan have been fast starters under Eddie Jones and they once again put their opponents under significant pressure by playing at a high tempo.

New Zealand did not help themselves with Asafo Aumua’s errant throw and Roigard’s poor box-kick allowing the hosts to get into the game.

The Brave Blossoms duly took advantage and stunned the visitors when Naikabula took a neat inside ball and sprinted away to score.

Robertson’s men hit back, however, and 10 minutes later were ahead.  Firstly, Tele’a touched down on his return to the side before Tuipulotu powered over with an impressive finish as the lock shrugged off the attentions of several would-be tacklers to score.

Despite that response, there were still some structural issues for New Zealand, especially defensively, and they were breached once again when Makisi sauntered across the whitewash unopposed.

The All Blacks’ frustrations were almost compounded as Warner Dearns latched onto a loose ball following a huge hit on Damian McKenzie and showed his athleticism to outpace Sevu Reece and go over.  However, it was ruled out and it was the type of fortune the visitors needed to finally hit their stride.

A brutal 10-minute period, in which the away side’s off-loads all seemed to stick, proved to be the Brave Blossoms’ undoing.

McKenzie controlled the game nicely from fly-half while Proctor and Wallace Sititi made some significant contributions to help take the game away from their opponents.

The centre was rewarded for his efforts with a try and he was followed over the line by Cane, Finau and Tosi in that devastating spell.

They completed an ultimately positive half with another score from Williams before they began the second period in the same fashion.

This time it was Roigard who proved too strong for the Japanese defence as the scrum-half fended off some weak tackles to cross the whitewash.

However, the match became scrappy and the All Blacks struggled to find the same fluency, allowing the hosts to score for a third time through Opeti Helu.

But Robertson’s team did finish with a flourish as Love touched down twice to complete a comfortable win for the All Blacks.

The teams

Japan:  15 Yoshitaka Yazaki, 14 Jone Naikabula, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Nicholas McCurran, 11 Malo Tuitama, 10 Harumichi Tatekawa (c), 9 Shinobu Fujiwara, 8 Faulua Makisi, 7 Kazuki Himeno, 6 Amato Fakatava, 5 Warner Dearns, 4 Sanaila Waqa, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 2 Atsushi Sakate, 1 Takato Okabe
Replacements:  16 Mamoru Harada, 17 Takayoshi Mohara, 18 Opeti Helu, 19 Epineri Uluiviti, 20 Kanji Shimokawa, 21 Taiki Koyama, 22 Tomoki Osada, 23 Takuro Matsunaga

New Zealand:  15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Mark Tele’a, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Wallace Sititi, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu (c), 4 Sam Darry, 3 Pasilio Tosi, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements:  16 George Bell, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Peter Lakai, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 David Havili, 23 Ruben Love

Referee:  Jordan Way (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Nic Berry (Australia), Reuben Keane (Australia)
TMO:  Damon Murphy (Australia)

All Blacks finally end winless Wellington run and ease final quarter woes with an impressive victory over Wallabies

The All Blacks finished their Rugby Championship campaign in style when they clinched a deserved 33-13 victory against the Wallabies in Wellington on Saturday.

The home side were full value for their win as they dominated for long periods and eventually outscored the Wallabies by five tries to one, with Caleb Clarke leading the way with a brace.

Sevu Reece, Will Jordan and Tamaiti Willians also crossed the whitewash while Beauden Barrett succeeded with four conversions.

For the Wallabies, Fraser McReight scored a try and Noah Lolesio added a conversion and two three-pointers off the kicking tee.

It was a momentous result for New Zealand as they ended a five-match winless run in Wellington ― stretching back to 2018 and they also scored points for the first time during the final quarter of a match in this year’s Rugby Championship.

The Wallabies made a fine start and had a great opportunity to open the scoring as early as the third minute when Andrew Kellaway caught the All Blacks’ defence napping.

He launched an attack from just inside New Zealand’s half before booting the ball ahead inside their 22.  Barrett failed to deal with the bouncing ball and Jake Gordon pounced but knocked on while trying to dot down.

Australia continued to attack inside New Zealand’s 22 and five minutes later they were rewarded when McReight barged over for the opening try from close quarters.

The All Blacks seemed shell-shocked by the intensity of the Wallabies’ onslaught as they continued to launch several attacks, but the home side did well to soak up that early pressure and soon opened their account.

In the 16th minute, Wallace Sititi launched an attack close to the halfway line and did brilliantly to draw in three defenders before offloading to Anton Lienert-Brown, who set off towards the Wallabies’ try-line.  He still had plenty of work to do and found Reece with a beautifully weighted skip pass and the wing outpaced the cover defence on his way over the try-line.

Lolesio responded with a penalty soon after, before Jordan left his stamp on the match with a moment of magic.  This, after he gathered a pass from Barrett just outside Australia’s 22 and the full-back did brilliantly to step past two defenders before racing away to score his try.

Despite that score, the Wallabies remained competitive and McReight came close to scoring his second try in the latter stages of the half but was held up while crossing the whitewash.

The visitors continued to attack inside New Zealand’s 22 and Lolesio eventually added another penalty in the 35th minute after New Zealand were blown up for offside play on defence.

Despite that score, the All Blacks had one more trick up their sleeve as just before half-time they launched a flowing attack deep inside Wallabies’ territory.  Lienert-Brown turned provider again as he found Clarke with a deft offload and the flyer sliced through the visitors’ defence before scoring his first try.

Barrett added the extras which meant the match was still evenly poised with the home side leading 19-13 at the interval.

A win in Wellington 😎#AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/ihYHlLPQ8m

― All Blacks (@AllBlacks) September 28, 2024

Both sides stayed true to their attacking roots during the rest of the match, although the home side came out firing after the restart and were soon camped inside the Wallabies’ half.

And after taking the ball through several phases off the back of a lineout close to Australia’s try-line, Williams crashed over for their fourth try to extend his side’s lead.

The All Blacks continued to dominate as the half progressed and had a try from Tupou Vaa’i disallowed, five minutes later, after a handling error in the build-up.

That setback did not deter the hosts and in the 65th minute, Clarke ran onto a pass from Damian McKenzie and shrugged off two defenders before crashing over for his second five-pointer.

That score knocked the wind out of the Wallabies’ sails and secured the result for the All Blacks and, in doing so, they also ended their six-year hoodoo in Wellington.

The teams

New Zealand:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9  TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 David Havili

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Ben Donaldson, 23 Josh Flook

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (England), Damian Schneider (Argentina)
TMO:  Eric Gauzins (France)

60-minute All Blacks survive second-half Wallabies scare to retain the Bledisloe Cup in Sydney thriller

The All Blacks retain the Bledisloe Cup despite a nervous last 20 minutes in their 28-31 win over the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday.

Both sides scored four tries a piece with the hosts going over the whitewash with Fraser McReight, Matt Faessler, Hunter Paisami and Tom Wright with Noah Lolesio kicking all the conversions in a flawless day from the tee.

The All Blacks’ points came from Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke and Ardie Savea tries as Damian McKenzie kicked four conversions and a very important penalty that proved decisive.

It was the All Blacks who flew out of the blocks early with Jordan making the most of his late switch to full-back after Beauden Barrett’s withdrawal by finding a pocket of space and showing his acceleration to score in just the second minute.  Mckenzie was on hand to kick his first conversion of the day.

The visitors did not let up as they looked to double down on their fast start finding plenty of space down the left side to set up Ioane for yet another Bledisloe Cup try in the ninth minute as fly-half McKenzie had no issue with the kick.

Unfortunately for the Wallabies two tries became three in the first 15 minutes as Clarke barged his way through two defenders to cross the whitewash for yet another converted try.  However, this time the hosts responded with a brilliant set move off a line-out that had McReight in space after a series of lovely passes.  Lolesio would add the extras.

It would always be difficult to keep the All Blacks out again who got rewarded for their defensive pressure as Sevu Reece picked a loose ball to play in Savea who ran in under the sticks for a converted score becoming the highest try-scoring forward in All Blacks history in the process.

The hosts would have the final say of the first half as hooker Faessler timed his breakaway from a maul to perfection and Lolesio kicked a difficult conversion to keep the Wallabies in the contest.

New Zealand started the second period with some good pressure leading to a penalty for McKenzie in the 45th minute taking the All Blacks crucially out of the two-converted try difference.

The contest tightened up as the Wallabies grew into the game leading to a lull in scoring with the All Blacks scoring two disallowed tries before the hosts eventually crashed over for a converted try from Paisami with 15 minutes to go.

The Wallabies continued to push and finally got their reward with a 79th-minute converted try from full-back Wright once again converted by Lolesio.  This would take the hosts within three points of the All Blacks but it was not to be as New Zealand retained the Bledisloe Cup again.

Teams

Australia:  15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Nic White, 8 Harry Wilson (c), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Jeremy Williams, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 James Slipper, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tom Lynagh, 23 Dylan Pietsch

New Zealand:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, Tamaiti Williams, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Harry Plummer

Springboks claim epic double over All Blacks ending 15-year wait for Freedom Cup glory

The Springboks continued with their dominance in this year’s Rugby Championship as they clinched an 18-12 victory over the All Blacks in Cape Town on Saturday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was a hard-fought battle and momentum between the sides ebbed and flowed throughout but the Boks finished stronger and eventually outscored their visitors by two tries to none.

Siya Kolisi and Malcolm Marx crossed the whitewash for the world champions with Handre Pollard adding a conversion and a penalty while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu also succeeded with a three-pointer off the kicking tee.

Damian McKenzie scored all of the All Blacks points courtesy of four penalties.  The win is a momentous one for the Boks as they take a giant step towards winning the Rugby Championship and it also means they win the Freedom Cup for the first time in 15 years.

It is also South Africa’s second successive triumph over New Zealand in the tournament and their fourth win in a row over their arch-rivals.

The opening exchanges were cagey with the two sides feeling each other out, although the home side had their tails up when they had the All Blacks back-pedalling at successive scrums inside the opening 10 minutes.

In the 15th minute, the Springboks were reduced to 14 men when Jasper Wiese received a yellow card for a cynical defensive foul deep inside his 22 and McKenzie slotted the resulting penalty to open the scoring.

New Zealand’s numerical advantage did not last long, however, as shortly afterwards Sevu Reece was also sent to the sin bin after he took Willie le Roux out in an aerial challenge.

The next 10 minutes was a slugfest characterised by several bone-crunching collisions with neither side taking a backward step in contact.

In the 29th minute, the visitors doubled their lead courtesy of another McKenzie three-pointer off the kicking tee after Grant Williams was blown up for going off his feet a ruck.

It wasn’t long before the Boks opened their account via a Pollard penalty after Ardie Savea infringed at the breakdown.

The closing stages of the opening stanza was a tense affair as the All Blacks were camped deep inside the Boks’ 22 and just before the interval McKenzie succeeded with another penalty ― after Ruan Nortje was penalised at a ruck ― which meant the visitors held a 9-3 lead at half-time.

The Boks make it four in a row against the All Blacks … and the Freedom Cup is coming home 🏆#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold #RSAvNZL pic.twitter.com/Sau0OEd4zl

― Springboks (@Springboks) September 7, 2024

Soon after the restart, McKenzie lined up a 53-metre penalty ― after Damian de Allende held onto the ball on the ground ― but his effort fell just short of the cross-bar.

The Boks were soon on the attack inside the All Blacks’ 22 and after Marx and Ox Nche were stopped close to the try-line, Eben Etzebeth crossed the whitewash but his effort was disallowed as the TMO ruled that he dotted down short of the whitewash.

The home side did not panic though and after initially setting up a driving maul on New Zealand’s five-metre line, the ball was taken through some phases before Kolisi crossed for the opening five-pointer in the 50th minute with a hulking carry.

Pollard added the extras, which gave his team the lead for the first time, but he was replaced by Feinberg-Mngomezulu shortly afterwards and the rookie playmaker was soon into the action as he slotted a 40-metre penalty in the 53rd minute.

The tense nature of this encounter continued as the match progressed and in the 59th minute McKenzie added his fourth penalty which meant the match was on a knife’s edge as it entered its final quarter.

In the 61st minute, South Africa were forced to play with 14 men again when Le Roux was yellow carded, after knocking on a pass from Beauden Barrett to Sevu Reece, and McKenzie lined up a shot at goal but his kick struck an upright.

The Boks had a chance to extend their lead in the 67th minute when Feinberg-Mngomezulu attempted a penalty from the halfway line but despite having the distance, his effort was off target.

Five minutes later, the All Blacks had a chance to regain the lead when McKenzie lined up a penalty from 40 metres out but, like Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s earlier kick, his was also wide of the mark.

Things went pear-shaped for the All Blacks in the 72nd minute when referee Matthew Carley also sent Tyrel Lomax to the sin bin, after he took Cheslin Kolbe out off the ball with a shoulder charge.

That proved costly as the Boks put the resulting penalty into touch close to the All Blacks’ try-line and set up a lineout drive from which Marx went over for the match-winning score.

The teams

Springboks:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Kwagga Smith, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Lukhanyo Am

All Blacks:  15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Tele’a, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Wallace Sititi, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Beauden Barrett

Referee:  Matthew Carley (RFU)
Assistant Referees:  Andrew Brace (IRFU), Jordan Way (RA)
TMO:  Ian Tempest (RFU)

Springboks leave it late to down All Blacks in epic Ellis Park clash

The Springboks launched a stunning second half fightback to clinch a thrilling 31-27 victory over the All Blacks in Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash in Johannesburg.

As expected, this encounter was a real humdinger characterised by numerous brutal collisions throughout but in the end the hosts got the rub of the green although New Zealand outscored them by four tries to three.

For South Africa, Bongi Mbonambi, Grant Williams and Kwagga Smith scored tries while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu finished with a 16-point contribution after slotting four penalties and two conversions.

Caleb Clarke led the way with a brace of tries for New Zealand while Jordie Barrett and Codie Taylor also crossed for five-pointers and Damian McKenzie added two conversions and a penalty.

The All Blacks dominated the early exchanges and spent most of the opening 10 minutes camped inside the Springboks’ half.  In the sixth minute, the home side were reduced to 14 men when Aphelele Fassi was yellow carded for a cynical defensive foul deep inside his 22.

The visitors put the resulting penalty into touch on the Boks’ five-metre line and launched a lineout drive from which Taylor crashed over for the opening try.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Boks were slowly getting into the game and in the 16th minute Mbonambi opened their account when he broke away from a maul close to New Zealand’s try-line before barging over for his five-pointer.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s goal-kick was disallowed after the shot clock had expired and the next 10 minutes was an arm wrestle as the sides went at each other hammer and tongs in a bid to gain the ascendancy.

On the half hour-mark, Feinberg-Mngomezulu showed his class when he stepped up and coolly slotted a monster penalty from 61 metres out and that kick gave South Africa the lead for the first time.

Despite that score, the All Blacks did not panic and three minutes later they struck back courtesy of Clarke’s first five-pointer after the Boks conceded a turnover in the build-up.  The visitors launched a brilliant counter attack and the ball was shifted wide to Clarke whose searing pace took him past Damian de Allende on his way over the try-line.

McKenzie was off target with his shot at goal before Feinberg-Mngomezulu slotted his second penalty in the latter stages of the half which meant the match was evenly poised at the interval with New Zealand holding a slender 12-11 lead.

A nail-biter, but the Boks have done it 🥳#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold #RSAvNZL pic.twitter.com/osGoEyGKMI

― Springboks (@Springboks) August 31, 2024

Just like the opening half, the All Blacks were fastest out of the blocks in the second stanza and soon after the restart Jordie Barrett intercepted a wayward pass from De Allende close to the halfway line and and showed great composure to outsprint the cover defence before crossing the whitewash.

The hosts responded by sending on their much-vaunted ’Bomb Squad’ and although Feinberg-Mngomezulu narrowed the gap with another three-pointer off the kicking tee soon after, that effort was canceled out by a McKenzie penalty which meant the visitors were holding a deserved 22-14 lead by the 49th minute.

Shortly afterwards Feinberg-Mngomezulu succeeded with his third penalty before the All Blacks struck back in style when Clarke found himself in space out wide and he showed the defence a clean pair of heels before dotting down again.

That meant New Zealand held a 10-point lead which meant South Africa needed a response if they wanted to win the game.  They emptied their bench while the All Blacks suffered a setback in the 67th minute when Ofa Tu’ungafasi received a yellow card after entering a ruck illegally deep inside his own territory.

The Boks did not take long to make their numerical advantage count as Smith crashed over from close quarters in the 69th minute and when Feinberg-Mngomezulu added the extras, we were set for a thrilling finish.

Momentum was now with the home side as they spent long periods inside New Zealand’s half and in the 74th minute Williams made a sniping break from a ruck before diving over for his five-pointer which was converted by Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

That gave the Boks the lead for only the second time in the game and although Feinberg-Mngomezulu missed a late penalty they held on to clinch a deserved victory.

The teams

Springboks:  15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handre Pollard

All Blacks:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Mark Tele’a

Referee:  Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

All Blacks silence critics with dominant victory over Argentina to stretch unbeaten run at Eden Park to 50 games

The All Blacks got their Rugby Championship campaign back on track when they clinched an emphatic 42-10 victory against Argentina at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.

As the scoreline suggests, this match was quite different from last week’s corresponding one in Wellington as the hosts answered their critics with a superb all-round performance in which they dominated most facets of play.

The result is a significant one for the All Blacks as it stretches their unbeaten run at Eden Park to 50 matches and they last tasted defeat at the spiritual home of New Zealand rugby in 1994.

In the end, the All Blacks ran in six tries with Will Jordan leading the way with a brace while Damian McKenzie, Ardie Savea, Caleb Clarke and Beauden Barrett also crossed the whitewash.

McKenzie finished with a 17-point haul as he also succeeded with six conversions, while Juan Cruz Mallía scored Los Pumas’ only try, which was converted by Tomas Albornoz, and Santiago Carreras added a penalty.

The match started at a frenetic pace with the All Blacks taking the ball though several phases with captain Savea leading the way with a barnstorming run during the opening exchanges.

And the hosts’ early dominance was rewarded in the sixth minute when Jordie Barrett stabbed a perfectly weighted grubber kick through deep inside Argentina’s half and McKenzie dotted down behind the try-line.

Five minutes later, Los Pumas reduced the deficit courtesy of a three-pointer off the kicking tee from Santiago Carreras but the home side continued to dominate as the half progressed and were soon camped inside their opponents’ 22 again.

Soon after, Savea got his name onto the scoresheet when he barged over from close quarters before the All Blacks went further ahead in the 24th minute after Clarke crossed for his five-pointer.

That meant the home side were holding a 21-3 lead and they continued to dominate as the half progressed.  On the half hour-mark, Jordan crossed for his first five-pointer after gathering a pass from TJ Perenara, who did brilliantly to draw in three defenders in the build up.

In the 37th minute McKenzie and Beauden Barrett combined brilliantly before the latter sliced through the visitors’ defence on his way over the try-line and with the score 35-3 in their favour, the All Blacks had their tails up at half-time.

50 undefeated at Eden Park 🔥#AllBlacks #NZLvARG pic.twitter.com/mR9r418eTb

― All Blacks (@AllBlacks) August 17, 2024

It was more of the same in the second half when Jordan crossed for his second try, after running on to a deft offload from Jordie Barrett before wriggling over the whitewash despite the attentions of two defenders.

McKenzie added the extras to give his side a deserved 42-3 lead but despite trailing by a big margin on the scoreboard, Los Pumas did not surrender and were more competitive during the rest of the match.

They did well to prevent their hosts from adding to their tally and in the 72nd minute Mallia crossed for their only try to add some respectability to the score.

Although the All Blacks would not score further points, they finished the game with 14 players after replacement hooker Asafo Aumua was yellow carded for an illegal hit on Mateo Carreras in the game’s closing stages.

The incident was reviewed by the TMO Bunker but the yellow card was not upgraded to red and despite finishing with a numerical disadvantage, the All Blacks were deserved winners in the end.

The teams

All Blacks:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Tupou Vaa’i, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Sam Cane, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Mark Tele’a

Argentina:  15 Juan Cruz Mallía, 14 Matias Moroni, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Joaquin Oviedo, 7 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Marcos Kremer, 3 Lucio Sordoni, 2 Julian Montoya (c), 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements:  16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Tomás Lavanini, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Tomas Albornoz, 23 Bautista Delguy

Referee:  Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant Referees:  Angus Gardner (Australia), Nic Berry (Australia)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Argentina claim shock victory over All Blacks as Scott Robertson left with plenty to ponder

Argentina got their Rugby Championship campaign off to a superb start when they clinched a shock 38-30 victory over New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday.

In a fast paced and entertaining encounter, momentum between the two sides ebbed and flowed throughout but Los Pumas eventually got the rub of the green and outscored their hosts by four tries to three.

Lucio Cinti, Mateo Carreras, Franco Molina and Agustin Creevy scored Argentina’s tries while Santiago Carreras finished with an 18-point contribution after kicking four penalties and three conversions.

For New Zealand Sam Darry, Anton Lienert-Brown and Mark Tele’a dotted down while Damian McKenzie added three conversions and three penalties.

The result means the All Blacks’ winless run in Wellington continues and they have now won there only once in the past seven Tests and are winless in that city in their last five encounters.

Argentina had the better of the early exchanges and spent most of the opening 10 minutes camped inside New Zealand’s half but they had no reward for their efforts.

The All Blacks eventually opened the scoring courtesy of a McKenzie penalty in the 11th minute before Darry crossed for the first try shortly afterwards.

This, after McKenzie chipped ahead and regathered before offloading to Barrett who raced up field and soon found himself inside Los Pumas’ half.  He was confronted by the cover defence but kicked ahead before Darry gathered to score his first Test try.

Despite trailing 10-0, Argentina did not panic and midway through the half they opened their account when Cinti crossed the whitewash after Pablo Matera and Santiago Chocobares combined brilliantly in the build-up.

The next 10 minutes was an arm-wrestle as the sides battled to gain the ascendancy but the home side increased their lead in the 28th minute when McKenzie succeeded with his second penalty.

In the 35th minute, the All Blacks increased their lead when Lienert-Brown ran onto a pass from McKenzie close to Argentina’s try-line and swivelled through a tackle before dotting down.

McKenzie’s successful conversion meant New Zealand were leading 20-8 but this game’s topsy-turvy nature continued when Pumas flyer Mateo Carreras pounced on a loose ball and displayed deft footwork to beat the All Blacks fly-half on his way over the whitewash.

That meant the match was evenly poised at half-time with the hosts holding a 20-15 lead but Argentina were fastest out of the blocks after the break.

🇦🇷 ARGENTINA STUN THE ALL BLACKS IN WELLINGTON! WOW!#NZLvARG #RugbyChampionship pic.twitter.com/eTSGSlGe0Y

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 10, 2024

In the 43rd minute, the visitors caught the men in black by surprise with a clever lineout variation in which a dummy jumper went up but the ball was thrown to Molina at the front of the set-piece, and the second-row powered over the try-line after a strong shove from his team-mates.

His effort was converted by Santiago Carreras which meant the visitors moved in front for the first time and the lead changed hands twice in five minutes when McKenzie and the Pumas fly-half traded penalties.

However, New Zealand struck back when Tele’a crossed for his try in the 52nd minute after gathering a well-timed pass from TJ Perenara close to the visitors’ try-line.

McKenzie’s conversion meant the All Blacks were leading 30-25 but that would be the last time they would score points as Los Pumas came to the fore with an outstanding performance in the final quarter.

Santiago Carreras narrowed gap when he added a penalty in the 56th minute before replacement hooker Creevy barged over from close quarters which restored his side’s lead.  The pivot then added the final nail in the All Blacks coffin when he slotted his fourth three-pointer off the kicking tee in the game’s closing stages.

The teams

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Tele’a, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Tupou Vaa’i, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan De Groot
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Rieko Ioane, 23 Will Jordan

Argentina:  15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Matias Moroni, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Eduardo Bello, 2 Ignacio Ruiz, 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements:  16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Efrain Elias, 20 Tomas Lavanini, 21 Joaquin Oviedo, 22 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 23 Tomas Albornoz

Referee:  Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Nic Berry (Australia), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (Australia)

All Blacks score SEVEN tries in commanding win over Fiji in San Diego

Scott Robertson’s All Blacks claimed a 47-5 win over Fiji in San Diego where several new faces shone on the Test scene for the first time.

New Zealand scored an impressive seven tries on the day through Caleb Clarke, Cortez Ratima, Billy Proctor, Ardie Savea, Sevu Reece, Ethan de Groot and George Bell, with fly-half Damian McKenzie kicking six conversions on the night.

Fiji only had the first-half try from Vilimoni Botitu to show for their efforts at SnapDragon Stadium.

The All Blacks got going early on and looking to start fast they launched several attacks resulting in Clarke’s try in the ninth minute. McKenzie was on hand to add the extras before Ratima sniped over for another try four minutes later. The fly-half made no mistake again from the tee.

The Fijians refused to lie down and found their response through an unconverted Botitu try which was a fair reward for a beautiful period of play from the Pacific side.

Despite the best efforts of the Fijians, the one-way traffic resumed with Proctor going over next in the 26th minute for a try on debut. There would only be one more score in the first period with Savea crashing over from a tap-and-go set play. McKenzie nudged the conversion over to hand the All Blacks a commanding lead at the break.

It did not take the New Zealanders long to make their mark in the second half with Reece crossing after just five minutes. However, they would have to wait until the hour mark before replacement De Groot showed off his power close to the line.

A Fijian rally did not yield a point but slowed the bleeding until two minutes from time until Bell, another debutant, scored on a memorable day. McKenzie nailed yet another conversion to round out a solid shift from the All Blacks.

The teams

All Blacks:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 6 Luke Jacobson, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Tamaiti Williams
Replacements:  16 George Bell, 17 Ethan de Groot, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Noah Hotham, 22 Jordie Barrett, 23 Emoni Narawa

Fiji:  15 Vilimoni Botitu, 14 Jiuta Wainiqolo, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu (c), 12 Inia Tabuavou, 11 Semi Radradra, 10 Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Kitione Salawa, 6 Lekima Tagitagivalu, 5 Temo Mayanavanua, 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Mesake Doge, 2 Tevita Ikanivere, 1 Eroni Mawi
Replacements:  16 Zuriel Togiatama, 17 Haereiti Hetet, 18 Samu Tawake, 19 Albert Tuisue, 20 Elia Canakaivata, 21 Simione Kuruvoli, 22 Caleb Muntz, 23 Sireli Maqala

Referee:  Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant Referees:  Anthony Woodthorpe (England), Luke Rogan (USA)
TMO:  Ian Tempest (England)

All Blacks keep Eden Park fortress intact with dramatic win over England

The All Blacks were made to work hard again by an improving England side but they managed to get the job done with a thrilling 24-17 victory at Eden Park.

It was another fast start by the hosts, who went 7-0 ahead through Mark Tele’a’s try, but just like last weekend the Red Rose responded.

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso levelled matters with an excellent effort and, although successive Damian McKenzie penalties took New Zealand 13-7 in front, the English hit back via Tommy Freeman.

After Marcus Smith converted and added a three-pointer early in the second period, the visitors were in control, but they couldn’t build on it.

The All Blacks kept themselves in the contest and finished the stronger, winning the match through Tele’a’s second score and McKenzie’s third penalty.

As a result, the home side stretched their unbeaten run at Eden Park to 49 matches, a record they had held for 30 years.

Beauden Barrett’s super-sub cameo conjured a try for Tele’a, ignited the All Blacks’ attack and produced a series of important inventions.

England had been magnificent until his arrival with second-rows Maro Itoje and George Martin and Feyi-Waboso outstanding, aided by the leveller of the hosts’ spectacular line-out malfunction.

But, despite dominating territory and possession in the third quarter, points were elusive and they fell short with an overtime attempt to snatch a draw when a line-out drive that reached the line was penalised.

New Zealand’s 30-year unbeaten record at Eden Park had survived in a gripping Test between two well-matched rivals, who clash again at Twickenham on November 2.

For England it was another missed opportunity but they at least showed fight to stay in the hunt following a worrying start.

Their scrum struggled ― a theme of the game ― Freddie Steward was slow to deal with a kick and their defence was too soft in the face of an Ardie Savea carry that allowed Tele’a to touch down.

But their response to Tele’a scooting down an unguarded blindside was stunning as Smith directed a pinpoint chip into space between two All Blacks for Feyi-Waboso to gather and produce a sharp finish.

Smith then came to the rescue in defence as New Zealand went within one pass of scoring, intercepting at the critical moment while Steward applied pressure by covering with determination.

McKenzie nudged the All Blacks ahead with a penalty but there were promising signs from England’s attack as they pieced together phases.

Ben Earl was hustled off the ball at the back of a scrum by Finlay Christie as another strong position passed without points being scored, while New Zealand’s line-out was malfunctioning with Itoje picking off one errant throw.

McKenzie was on target again but England pounced on the stroke of half-time when Martin made hard yards for Smith to find Freeman with another accurate kick and the wing’s athleticism and handling skills did the rest.

Smith landed a penalty to increase the lead to 17-13 but the points came after a bustling attack was ended by a Jamie George knock-on that could have yielded a great prize.

England were camped in home territory, helped by Sevu Reece kicking out on the full and a monster Smith touch-finder, yet were unable to reflect their control of territory on the scoreboard.

When the All Blacks finally escaped their half, they pounced with Barrett racing through a hole and providing the scoring pass to Tele’a.

Barrett had come on with 23 minutes to go and virtually every touch was influential, providing New Zealand with renewed purpose as McKenzie’s penalty delivered the final points.

The teams

New Zealand:  15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Tele’a, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Tupou Vaa’i, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Beauden Barrett

England:  15 Freddie Steward, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George, 1 Fin Baxter
Replacements:  16 Theo Dan, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Alex Coles, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Ollie Sleightholme

Referee:  Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Damon Murphy (Australia), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (Australia)

Scott Robertson’s era begins with dramatic victory

The All Blacks began Scott Robertson’s reign with a tight and tense victory as they overcame England 16-15 at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.

There were a few errors from both sides but it proved to be a thrilling contest. It may have New Zealand’s first game under Robertson but they showed some fluency in attack in the first half, scoring two tries via Sevu Reece and Ardie Savea.

Maro Itoje had given the Red Rose a 7-5 advantage before Savea’s try re-established the hosts lead. However, Marcus Smith’s penalty levelled matters at the interval.

Smith would struggle off the tee, missing two relatively simple attempts, but he was influential in attack and assisted the score for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso’s score.

Those missed kicks would prove costly, though, and successive Damian McKenzie three-pointers enabled the All Blacks to kick-start the Robertson era with a tense win over the English.

England were outstanding in patches and they showed tremendous fight when it was needed to stay in contention, but they finished knowing they had missed a glorious opportunity to upset a side that is rebuilding after the World Cup.

Smith was unable to reward a dominant early scrum penalty by missing a routine kick and when an ugly line-out invited pressure, the All Blacks staged a sustained attack.

Having faltered close to the line because of a knock-on and then conceded a scrum free-kick, they regrouped to claim the opening try with Reece grabbing McKenzie’s cross-field kick to touch down.

England hit back impressively, their runners flooding through gaps until a line-out provided the platform for Chandler Cunningham-South to power forward before Itoje surged over.

But their joy was shortlived because they cracked on New Zealand’s next attack, Ben Earl missing a tackle on Stephen Perofeta as part of a disjointed defensive line and a pass later Savea had scored.

With prop Joe Marler off the pitch due to injury and debutant Fin Baxter on in his place, England’s scrum was struggling and there were worrying signs as the All Blacks showed the confidence to run the ball from their 22.

The tourists were unable to make the most of their own possession, promising moments breaking down by mistimed runs and inaccurate passing.

But they finished the half with a Smith penalty to draw level at 10-10 and the chance to take the lead moments after the interval went begging when the Harlequins fly-half missed with an ugly attempt from the tee.

Redemption then came quickly for Smith, who ignited an attack with a delayed off-load to Cunningham-South and several phases of forward carries later he flung out a long pass for Feyi-Waboso to stroll in.

McKenzie was successful with a penalty as England began to suffer at the breakdown and although the visitors had taken an element of control of the game, New Zealand’s fly-half was able to grab another three points.

The All Blacks had the ball for much of the last 10 minutes yet they blundered when McKenzie allowed the shot clock to run down when lining up another penalty.

As a result, England had the opportunity to stage an overtime attack but the last-gasp attempt ended with yet another breakdown infringement.

The teams

New Zealand:  15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Tele’a, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Samipeni Finau, 5 Patrick Tuipulotu, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Tupou Vaa’i, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Beauden Barrett

England:  15 George Furbank, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Chandler Cunningham-South, 5 George Martin, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 Theo Dan, 17 Fin Baxter, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Alex Coles, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Ollie Sleightholme

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Nic Berry (Australia), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Eric Gauzins (France)

Springboks edge 14-man All Blacks to claim fourth World Cup success

South Africa made it back-to-back Rugby World Cup triumphs as they edged a 14-man New Zealand 12-11 in the final at the Stade de France on Saturday.

In a low-scoring yet gripping contest, the Springboks managed to come out on top thanks to four penalties from Handre Pollard which won them a fourth title.

The All Blacks, who had Sam Cane red carded in the first half, battled admirably and came agonisingly close to claiming victory but fell just short in the end.

Cane was shown a red card for in the 28th minute for a dangerous tackle on Jesse Kriel but the All Blacks responded with character and resilience to take the champions to the wire on a wet night.

Beauden Barrett ran in the first try ever scored against South Africa in a World Cup final as the final quarter approached but, with Richie Mo’unga unable to add the conversion, New Zealand still trailed.

Jordie Barrett then missed a tricky long-range penalty that would have toppled the Springboks and despite furious late attempts to strike from long range they were unable to break through the green wall.

The victory means South Africa are the most successful nation in men’s World Cup history with their fourth crown nudging them clear of the All Blacks.

And it came despite one of their worst fears materialising in the third minute when Bongi Mbonambi ― the only specialist hooker in their matchday 23 ― was injured by a dangerous clear out by Shannon Frizell.

Mbonambi departed and on came Deon Fourie, a 37-year-old who has played most of his recent rugby in the back-row.  Referee Wayne Barnes confirmed shortly after that Mbonambi’s departure was tactical only.

Pollard rifled over successive penalties to reward mounting Springboks pressure but, having been shown a yellow card, Frizell survived the bunker review of his offending crocodile roll.

There was no let up in tension on a night dominated by two ferocious defences and the scoreboard continued to tick over when Mo’unga and Pollard took successful shots at goal.

The World Cup’s most ruthless attack was making little headway against its meanest defence and twice New Zealand were turned over as an error-strewn spell was compounded with an overthrown line-out.

Cane was the next All Black into the sin-bin for his high tackle on Kriel and South Africa continued to win every meaningful moment of the contest.

And it got worse for New Zealand as, just moments before Pollard landed his fourth penalty, Cane’s yellow card was upgraded to red by the bunker.

South Africa came under furious attack in response but with Eben Etzebeth cynically returning to an onside position while interfering with play, they only conceded three points to Mo’unga.

Next into the sin bin was Siya Kolisi for a challenge on Savea that resulted in a clash of heads and the All Blacks appeared to have exploited his absence by scoring through Aaron Smith only for an earlier knock-on to be spotted.

🇿🇦 SOUTH AFRICA ARE CHAMPIONS AGAIN! #NZLvRSA #RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/mMJCYb4KXN

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 28, 2023

Upon Kolisi’s return they succeeded, however, when Mark Telea ran a mazy line and after he dropped the ball a superb pick up by Barrett allowed the full-back to touch down.

Mo’unga missed the conversion so Zealand trailed by a point and there was no let up in drama as the final quarter ebbed and flowed.

Wing Cheslin Kolbe became the third yellow card but Jordie Barrett was wide with the penalty attempt and, in the face of a determined final attack from the All Blacks, South Africa held out to successfully defend the trophy they won against England four years ago.

The teams

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Telea, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Sam Whitelock, 20 Dalton Papali’i, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

South Africa:  15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements:  16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Jasper Wiese, 23 Willie le Roux

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (England), Matthew Carley (England)
TMO:  Tom Foley (England)

All Blacks floor Argentina as Jordan hat-trick fires them to World Cup Final

A rampant New Zealand breezed into the Rugby World Cup Final after a Will Jordan hat-trick helped them cruise past Argentina 44-6 in Paris on Friday.

The All Blacks were a class apart as they dominated Los Pumas at the Stade de France, running in seven tries in total to seal their place in next week’s final.

Jordan’s superb treble was backed up by two tries from Shannon Frizell and one apiece from Jordie Barrett and Aaron Smith in a one-sided semi-final clash.

New Zealand now await the winner of Saturday’s second semi-final that sees England face South Africa as they go into the global finale full of confidence.

Jordan’s hat-trick lifts him above France’s Damian Penaud as the World Cup’s leading try scorer on eight, placing him level with Jonah Lomu’s record of tries scored in a single tournament.

It was an impressive feat that underlined New Zealand’s attacking genius, but they were assisted by willing victims who were mesmerised by the shapes unfolding in front of them.

Jordan struck from the All Blacks’ very first drive downfield when defenders sucked in by carries after a line-out maul presented an overlap that provided a simple run in.

It began to look grim for Argentina when Barrett went over, finishing a try that began deep inside New Zealand’s half with precise handling and clever running lines resulting in attackers pouring into space.

Emiliano Boffelli’s early penalty was already a distant memory as Argentina were repeatedly overrun at the breakdown with Sam Cane their chief destroyer, while any attack was met with an impregnable wall of black shirts.

A spell of battering away on the line produced only another Boffelli penalty when there was a sense far more would be needed to halt New Zealand’s march towards the final.

Patient All Blacks play paid off when they renewed their assault, methodically working their way into a threatening position and when the moment came they pulled the trigger, Mark Telea almost crossing before Frizell strolled over.

It was becoming a procession and while the favourites were being looked on favourably by referee Angus Gardner at times, there was no denying their ascendency in every facet of the game.

Smith was the next over via a brilliant step, exploiting a Pumas maul defence that was short on manpower, and then even Frizell muscled his way over despite the attention of three would-be tacklers.

Jordan moved past Penaud with New Zealand’s sixth try and his hat-trick score in the 74th minute was a thing of beauty as he slipped through a non-existent Argentina defence, gathered his own kick and scored.

Will Jordan has just equalled the men's record for most tries in a single Rugby World Cup 8⃣#RWC2023 | #ARGvNZL | @AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/j3lCpWFXZh

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 20, 2023

When the final whistle blew the Pumas sank to their knees, aware they had not shown up on only their third semi-final appearance.

The teams

Argentina:  15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Emiliano Boffelli, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Facundo Isa, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Gómez Kodela, 2 Julián Montoya (c), 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements:  16 Agustín Creevy, 17 Joel Sclavi, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Nicolas Sanchez, 23 Matías Moroni

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Telea, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Brodie Retallick, 20 Dalton Papali’i, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

Referee:  Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Nic Berry (Australia), Karl Dickson (England)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

All Blacks knock out Ireland in thrilling Rugby World Cup quarter-final

New Zealand produced an incredible performance to beat Ireland 28-24 in a thrilling Rugby World Cup quarter-final at the Stade de France on Saturday.

It was a quite phenomenal game in Paris as the underdog All Blacks dug in to keep Ireland out in the closing stages after a breathtaking multi-phase attack.

Earlier, New Zealand tries from Leicester Fainga’anuku, Ardie Savea and Will Jordan were built on by Richie Mo’unga and Jordie Barrett’s extras off the tee.

Bundee Aki and Jamison Gibson-Park scored for Ireland and that was added to by a second-half penalty try, Johnny Sexton kicking seven points for his side.

A devastating defeat in Saint-Denis halted Ireland’s remarkable winning run at 17 matches, while signalling the end of the career of veteran captain Sexton.

Ireland came into a mouthwatering contest in the unfamiliar position of being marginal favourites.

Following a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of Friday’s school attack in the northern French city of Arras, Ireland’s raucous travelling fans drowned out the Haka with a rousing rendition of the Fields of Athenry.

Yet New Zealand shrugged off the hostility and a few nervy mistakes in the opening minutes to lead through early penalties from Mo’unga and Barrett.

Ireland had repelled 30 phases in the build up to the first of those kicks but, despite plenty of possession, were struggling to fully find their usual attacking fluidity.

Ian Foster’s men had no such issues and duly increased their lead when wing Fainga’anuku ― playing instead of Mark Telea, who was dropped for a disciplinary breach ― exchanged passes with Rieko Ioane to finish a flowing team move on the left.

Ireland were quickly staring down the barrel of another last-eight exit to add to seven previous ones.

A routine Sexton penalty eventually got them up and running on the scoreboard before Aki superbly evaded five failed tackles to touch down and significantly cut the deficit against the country of his birth.

However, as the tide threatened to turn, the All Blacks were not about to roll over.

With five minutes of the half remaining, Savea dived over on the right to shift the momentum of a helter-skelter encounter back in favour of the southern hemisphere side.

Resilience is a major facet of Farrell’s Ireland and they emerged from an intense opening period just a single point behind.

In the aftermath of Aaron Smith’s temporary departure due to a deliberate knock-on, Gibson-Park brilliantly wriggled over from a line-out maul and Sexton again added the extras to leave the contest tantalisingly poised.

New Zealand were doing a decent job of keeping Ireland at arm’s length.

They again stretched the scoreboard in the 54th minute when the impressive Mo’unga exploited a gap between Josh van der Flier and Dan Sheehan following a line-out to burst forward and send the jet-heeled Jordan darting for the right corner for a 25-17 advantage.

Ireland suffered another setback when Sexton skewed wide with a three-point attempt at the posts.  However, five minutes they were celebrating being awarded a penalty try as Codie Taylor collapsed a maul and was sin-binned.

The moment that sealed the win for the All Blacks! 🙌#RWC2023 #IREvNZL pic.twitter.com/iXWGEx6rZ2

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 14, 2023

Barrett missed a penalty but landed another to keep the scoreboard ticking over for the All Blacks going into the anxious final stages.

Ireland desperately pushed for a late twist but ultimately ran out of steam to suffer a first defeat since the opening match of last summer’s stunning Test series victory in New Zealand, leaving a distraught Sexton heading for retirement.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 Iain Henderson, 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 David Kilcoyne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Joe McCarthy, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Jimmy O’Brien

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane (c), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Sam Whitelock, 20 Dalton Papali’i, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO:  Tom Foley (England)