France flicker but ABs still too good

Paris falls to Carter's charms

New Zealand completed a series whitewash over France courtesy of a hard-fought 23-11 victory at Stade de France in Paris on Saturday evening.  The locals put in a hugely improved performance, even notching up the day's first try, but the All Blacks warmed to the task and order was soon restored via the impeccable orchestration of Daniel Carter.

Vive la difference!  Well, they did for a while anyway.  When Cédric Heymans took Florian Fritz's pass and scored the opening try after eight minutes it looked as though the new joie de vivre running through the French team's veins might be enough to cause a surprise.

Sadly, the ensuing 32 first-half minutes were more than enough of a reminder that this New Zealand has far too much of the je ne sais quoi up top to be ruffled by such a tiny faux pas as the drop of a high ball by Leon MacDonald which led to Heymans' try.

Right on the half-time whistle the Kiwis produced their most exquisite moment of le jeu beau yet to send Rokocoko in at the corner, and the game settled into an all-too-familiar pattern thereafter.

Quelle dommage (and here the awful bon mots cease) for France's rather dour tactics -- the same pattern of kicks and line-out forward drives as last week -- were more effective because of the added zeal which with the French went about their tasks, and briefly threatened an upset.

There were a lot of aspects different about this night from the nightmare of Lyon seven days ago.  The glittering Stade de France and its space-age light and roof provided an altogether grander platform for one.

Then there was the preparation of the French team.  Run into the ground by their heavy club workload and by a gruelling Bernard Laporte schedule last week, the French squad apparently enjoyed a large proportion of this week relaxing.  It paid off, there were far more beans filling the French frames.

It was appropriate that this should be the training schedule before the night that celebrated the 100th anniversary of France's first-ever Test against New Zealand -- it was probably a similar schedule in those days, although with different pre-match diets.  The French jerseys were the same as 100 years ago and different from last week, and the spirit of the players was too.

Right from the first minute, when New Zealand claimed their own kick-off but were driven back some ten metres in the tackle, you sensed that France were more up for it.  Unfortunately, right from the second minute, when Dan Carter charged down Damien Traille's kick and nearly scored, you sensed that just being more up for it might not be enough.

Traille is not the answer at fly-half for France.  His kicking boot may be powerful, but comparing his boot to Carter's in terms of balancing power and precision is like comparing a sawn-off shotgun to a expertly-crafted, telescopically-sighted, high calibre hunting rifle.  In the fourth minute, Traille fired a kick down the field vaguely to the left and to the waiting Carter, whose return swept over the pitch and bounced flawlessly into touch in the French 22.

Carter is a better runner, but fly-halves are not always selected for running.  However Traille offered very little beyond static passes and meat-and-veg kicks to the New Zealand cover.  There was not a shred of invention to be seen, and when you are facing Collins, So'oialo, and Nonu, you have to have something extra that will make them cautious about burying you into the turf.  Otherwise ...

Carter put New Zealand ahead after three minutes with a penalty, but five minutes later MacDonald's howler -- quite where he thought the ball would land is a mystery but it could have been Lyon, so far was he away from it -- let Heymans in for France's try.

It was, on the basis of enthusiasm, deserved.  Where last week the French had slithered off the All Blacks as though they were covered in linseed oil, the tackles this week were square-shouldered, head-on, high-speed, and aimed at the thighs.  Traille's kick that led to the try was from turnover ball, something the French managed six times altogether, and the All Blacks looked unsettled.

Soon enough though, in the manner that sets them apart from other mortals, the visitors found their rhythm.  Carter made the score 5-6 with his second penalty after Jean-Baptiste Elissalde was accused of collapsing a maul which the All Blacks had driven 25m.  Then, Sitiveni Sivivatu launched a counter-attack which ought to have culminated in a try but Nonu ignored three support runners.

The forward battle was intriguing.  France were once again capable in the mauls, but in the scrum they looked alarmingly weak.  In the 23rd minute, they were comprehensively shoved off their own ball, and Carter was only foiled on the turnover by an excellent cover tackle from Elissalde and full-back Pepito Elhorga.  All of New Zealand's other scrums bar one had to be reset at least twice, a sure sign that the other team is struggling.

That tackle ended Elissalde's involvement in the game, and Yachvili was never in the same class against the bustling Kelleher.  Kelleher's break led to Carter's third penalty on the half-hour after a hand in the ruck, and finally on half-time came the inevitable try.

It was worth waiting for.  MacDonald, who had had a miserable first half, dropping two easy passes as well as the early high ball, made amends by searing past Fritz.  So'oialo and McCaw did the link work and drew in the defenders, and then wide it went to Sivivatu, Carter, and finally to Joe Rokocoko, who got past Rougerie at the second time of asking for another classy All Black score.  Carter converted for a 5-16 half-time scoreline.

The ten minutes after the break were one-way traffic.  Wave after wave of All Black pressure hit the French wall, budging it back metre by hard-earned metre, until finally Carter switched sublimely (it could have been King Carlos himself) with Nonu to send the latter under the posts and to take the score to 5-23 with half an hour still to play.

Then we saw just how complete this New Zealand team is.  France battled their way back, and enjoyed some 70 per cent of the possession thereafter.  But not once did they ever look like scoring, even when the silly kicks were abandoned for more direct line-busting methods.  Collins, So'oialo, and Nonu stood out for the tackle rate, but every All Black player did his bit, in a defensive display that impressed far more than the clever tries.  The two penalties conceded were bare irritations to the scoreline, nothing to the result.

Only once, in the final minute, was the defence genuinely pierced, and even then four cover tacklers herded Rougerie into a blind corner.  That was one of the very very rare occasions that France even made it into the All Black 22.

Over two Tests, New Zealand have beaten France in France by nine tries to one and 70 points to 14.  In both matches they gave the appearance of being in second gear for half the time.  Is there anything that can be done?

Man of the match:  For France, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde was having a stormer before his injury, Cedric Heymans was everywhere, and Julien Bonnaire was a real nuisance at the breakdown.  In the black shirts, Dan Carter was on song, Ma'a Nonu was threatening, and Richie McCaw a mirror of Bonnaire.  But for the work in the final half hour, Jerry Collins get the award for a magnificent physical tackling and defending performance.

Moment of the match:  Joe Rokocoko's try.  50 metres and six passes of champagne in crystal glasses.

Villain of the match:  Not a whiff of trouble.

The scorers:

For France:
Try:  Heymans
Pens:  Yachvilli 2

New Zealand:
Tries:  Rococoko, Nonu
Cons:  Carter 2
Pens:  Carter 3

Teams:

France:  15 Pépito Elhorga, 14 Aurélien Rougerie, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Cédric Heymans; 10 Damien Traille, 9 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 8 Elvis Vermeulen, 7 Rémy Martin, 6 Julien Bonnaire, 5 Pascal Papé, 4 Lionel Nallet, 3 Pieter de Villiers, 2 Raphael Ibañez (captain), 1 Olivier Milloud.
Replacements:  16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Sylvain Marconnet, 18 Loïc Jacquet, 19 Serge Betsen, 20 Dimitri Yachvili, 21 David Marty, 22 Christophe Dominici.

New Zealand:  15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Mils Muliaina, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:  16 Andrew Ho re, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Jason Eaton, 19 Chris Masoe, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Nick Evans, 22 Luke McAlister.

Referee:  Chris White (England)
Touch judges:  Donal Courtney, Simon McDowell (both Ireland)
Television match official:  Carlo Damasco (Italy)

England steal a precious victory

Last half-hour fightback earns Robinson his prize

England fought back from 6-18 down to beat South Africa 23-21 at Twickenham on Saturday, bringing to an end the worst run of defeats for over thirty years, but increasing the clouds above Jake White's office.

The prologue of this fascinating encounter tells of two coaches feeling the strains and pressures of underachieving at the top end of professional sport.  But the game itself was a stark contrast as both sides looked to attack with intent and play a brand of rugby not befitting of their relative situations.

For England there was the looming tag of "worst ever England team" as they starred down the barrel of a record eighth straight defeat.  They almost met that bullet head on but for a rousing display in the final twenty minutes where they turned an eight point deficit into a two point victory.

The Springboks were left in tatters last week after Ireland's historic performance in Dublin, not that you would have even recognised some of those players this week such was the transformation.  The defence went from virtually non-existent last week to virtually perfect this week, led by Jean de Villiers who tackled England to a standstill at times.

For all but one passage of the game it looked as if South Africa would repel anything the English threw at them, that was until Phil Vickery squeezed over after an his fellow forwards delivered an intense battering of the Springboks tight defence for fourteen phases.

England's first try only came about due to a sheer weight of numbers, with Jean de Villiers kicking his heels in the sin bin.  Even then Butch James did his best to prevent it with a thunderous hit on Peter Richards, and Andy Goode did his best to butcher it as he dropped the ball backwards diving for the line.

Jake White will surely come in for yet further criticism for his tactical change going into the final quarter -- the outstanding Butch James off and André Pretorius on.  The replacement lacked the all-round game James possessed and used masterly.

James's reputation revolves around his huge hits and physical presence in defence, a rare commodity for a fly-half these days.  However it was his deft touches, astute kicking and clever support play that he will be remembered for today.  Although there was a healthy smattering of bone-crunching hits that rocked England players to their core throughout the sixty minutes he was on for.

The question every South African, and come to think of it most neutral spectators, will be asking then is why did White take him off at such a critical stage in the game.  South Africa had just stretched their lead to eight points thanks to a James penalty with twenty minutes to go and England looked on the ropes.

Pretorius kicked well to his credit but it ensured South Africa gradually slipped into a defensive mind set, not the smartest thing to do against an England team with nothing to lose.

Sensing the shift Robinson made a triple substitution, maybe the best thing he has done in the last three weeks and it just may save his job.  That is if his fate has not already been decided.

It was the injection of life that Chris Jones, Lewis Moody and Lee Mears injected into the game that sparked England into life.  Moody showed his usual disregard for his own body and wellbeing as he flung himself at anything and everything, Jones offered an extra dimension in the loose and Mears was tireless in attack and defence.

So to the rugby, and what rugby it was at times, epitomised by two stunning tries from the Springboks.  England played their part as well albeit through a more traditional approach of forward muscle and power but boy was it effective.

England took the lead as early as the opening minute when Charlie Hodgson, booed off last week and stretchered off this week, slotted a superb touchline penalty.  Corry, under pressure and seeking to inspire his troops, then gifted South Africa three points back for a late and dangerous tackle on Butch James, an offence he was extremely lucky not to be sin-binned for.

Having retaken the lead again through another superb Hodgson penalty England could only stand in awe as Francois Steyn sent over a monstrous fifty-metre drop-goal.  Steyn, the youngest Springbok in seventy-three years has already earned a reputation for his ability with the boot, so it was somewhat of a mystery that Ben Cohen kicked the ball straight down his throat.

Then came one of the those defining moments that seemed to change the course of the game for a long period.  Having been on the end of a try-saving tackle from Lewsey earlier in the half, and with the line at his mercy, Jean de Villiers smashed Lewsey backwards at a rate of knots.

The tackle came at a time when England seemed to be taking an upper hand and were looking dangerous.  Not only did De Villiers's tackle halt a promising England move it also took away their self-belief and field position quite literally.  The rest of the half was played on South African terms and in England's half.

The pressure told on England and South Africa struck a hammer blow as half-time approached.  Another wayward kick from England left them in disarray and again it was de Villiers who summed up a magic moment.  Having surged down the touchline deep into England's twenty-two it seemed as if Lewsey would hit him into touch, which is precisely what he did.  But at the moment of impact De Villiers slipped a sublime inside pass to Butch James to dive over in the corner.

James brushed himself down before stepping up to send over a peachy conversion, sending England trooping off the pitch at half time looking like a desperate side.

Matters only worsened after the break as James, seeing Lewsey was out of position, slid a clever grubber in behind the England defence.  The ball bounced up perfectly for the on-rushing Akona Ndungane who sailed over for his first international try.  The lasting memory of this try will not be the celebrations from the Springboks rather the deject figure of Corry who stood on his own with a look of resignation on his face.

Then came England's first try, the one that gave them the belief they could claw they way back into the game a salvage a desperately needed victory.  With De Villiers in the sin-bin, England exploited the superior numbers, despite Andy Goode's best efforts, for Mark Cueto to score the easiest try of his career.

James added a further three points for South Africa, his last act and South Africa's last scoring act.  After that England took control of the game inspired by their replacements and the rampaging Phil Vickery and slowly South Africa faded away.

England spoke of finding a performance in the build up to the game, and from that would stem the result.  The performance was not always there, as for large parts they were outplayed, but there was a dogged determination to England and they clung on for dear life and when the performance did come late on they were able to strike.

The result, you could argue, stemmed from two tactical changes, one from White which was mystifying and one from Robinson that was a last effort to change the pattern of play.  Those two decisions could ultimately decide the fate of both coaches, only time will tell now.

If Andy Robinson does remain in charge of England he will have one man to thank more than any other:  Josh Lewsey.  It was Lewsey's last ditch defence in the first half that kept England in touch as South Africa ripped the soft underbelly of England's midfield open time and again only to find a rock solid back bone at full back.

There were so many intriguing chapters to this encounter, and each played its part in the story that unfolded before us.  Take the game as it was, without all the subplots concerning coaches and politics, and it was a classic hard-fought encounter.  It just so happens that those subplots make the result that bit more significant and vital to England.

Depending what happens next week the epilogue could well tell of how Jake White ultimately cost himself his job with a strange substitution just as South Africa seemed to be heading for victory.  The pressure is mounting and this may just be one defeat too many for White.

Man of the Match:  Where does one start after such a game?  For England Josh Lewsey was back to his best and back in his best position.  Tom Palmer was a beacon in the pack and started with a bang but did fade slightly.  Phil Vickery added the much-needed leadership and power England lacked without him on the field and Peter Richards ensured England kept ticking over.  For South Africa, Butch James was outstanding, mixing his game superbly without forgetting his defensive duties he loves so much.  Francois Steyn showed moments of class that defied his tender age of just nineteen.  But for us the standout player on the field was Jean de Villiers, a man who didn't deserve to lose.  He tackled with aggression and force, constantly sending England backwards, and then there was that sublime pass that created the try for Butch James.

Moment of the Match:  There were many moments that you can look at and say that was the key factor, but we have settled on two.  Firstly that Jean de Villiers tackle on Lewsey and perhaps the most significant, the two tactical changes, one from White and the triple substitution by Andy Robinson.

Villain of the Match:  The only ugly moment in an otherwise clean game was Martin Corry's late forearm smash to Butch James that went unnoticed but the officials.  It is ironic that a similar offence by Jannes Labuschagne three years ago cost him a red card where as Corry walked free.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Cueto, Vickery
Cons:  Goode 2
Pens:  Hodgson 2, Goode

For South Africa:
Tries:  James, Ndungane
Con:  James
Pens:  James 2
Drop goal:  Steyn

Teams:

England:  15 Josh Lewsey, 14 Mark Cueto, 13 Matthew Tait, 12 Jamie Noon, 11 Ben Cohen, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Peter Richards, 8 Martin Corry (captain), 7 Pat Sanderson, 6 Joe Worsley, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Tom Palmer, 3 Julian White, 2 George Chuter, 1 Andrew Sheridan
Replacements:  16 Lee Mears, 17 Phil Vickery, 18 Chris Jones, 19 Lewis Moody, 20 Shaun Perry, 21 Andy Goode, 22 Toby Flood.

South Africa:  15 Francois Steyn, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Wynand Olivier, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Enrico Januarie, 8 Jacques Cronjé, 7 Pierre Spies, 6 Danie Rossouw, 5 Johann Muller, 4 Johan Ackermann, 3 BJ Botha, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 CJ van der Linde.
Replacements:  16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 Albert van den Berg, 19 Hilton Lobberts, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 André Pretorius, 22 Bevin Fortuin.

Referee:  Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
Touch judges:  Nigel Whitehouse (Wales), Taizo Hirabayashi (Japan)
Television match official:  David Changleng (Scotland)
Assessor:  Patrick Robin (France)

Wales warm up in style

All Blacks await simmering Welsh

Wales look in fine form for their match against New Zealand next week, after they beat Canada 61-26 at the Millennium Stadium on Friday, scoring nine tries.

It suffered from being a foregone conclusion and yet there was still fun as both sides adopted a positive approach to the game and ran with the ball.  The Canadians were earnest, the Welsh striving to give the impression that they were hanging onto their structures.

But at anthem time when you looked down the Canadian line they looked so boyish compared to the rugged Welsh -- made more boyish because Mike James and Jamie Cudmore were playing club rugby in France.  They could have done with them.

When you looked down the lines during the Welsh anthem you saw Sonny Parker.  Gavin Henson was a last-minute withdrawal -- for "injury".  It was not a manly injury like a hamstring or ligaments somewhere.  Henson could not be that ordinary.  It was an ingrown toenail, proving the fragility of his humanity.

Rain threatened Cardiff and so the roof was closed.  The Canadians wore red and so Wales played in a jersey that was not quite white, perhaps ivory, perhaps steel, as the sponsors insisted on calling it, but their numbers were red.

Bless Wales's rugby folk!  Last week when Romania played Scotland there were 12 128 spectators at Murrayfield.  This week at Millennium Stadium there were 74 022 spectators to watch Canada and Wales.

Canada scored first when Australian James Pritchard, sometimes a fly-half but today on the wing, goaled a penalty when Ian Evans was penalised for coming in the side.  He goaled another two penalties in the first half and flyhalf Derek Daypuck slotted a left-footed drop when a penalty set Canada attacking.

Wales did not kick at goal once.  They tapped, they kicked for touch and they took a scrum as they went in search of inevitable tries.

The first came after six minutes as they attacked following a tapped penalty.  Ryan Jones got to the posts but Canada won a great turn-over only to have the clearing kickpartially  charged down by Dwayne Peel.  Wales attacked on the left and James Hook dropped the pass straight onto his boot to thread a perfect grubber through the defence for a try for captain, Gareth Thomas who was celebrating his 90th cap for Wales.

Shane Williams got the next when Wales went through many phases and the left wing danced between two props and then clean past two defenders on a run of some 30 metres to score at the posts.

Canada had a good opportunity to score when Pritchard, wearing 11 but playing on the right wing, ran and chipped.  Dwayne Peel was tackled out at the corner but Canada lost the five-metre line-out They had three more of those in the second half but then Wales did not contest, looking instead to defend the maul -- not all that successfully as Canada scored two tries.

Shane Williams set the next try going somewhere in Wales's 22 and down the field they went switching and changing angles and passing happily amongst themselves till hooker Matthew Rees enjoyed scoring the try.  When Wales took a five-metre scrum instead of a penalty they shoved Canada to smithereens.  The Canadians broke out of the scrum and the referee awarded a penalty try.  And all the time James Hook kept converting, missing just one of the nine tries Wales scored.

At half-time Wales led 28-12.

It threatened to become a rout early in the second half when three tries took the score to 47-12.  The first was scored by Peel when Wales split a line-out and threw deep to Jonathan Thomas.  He played back to Peel who burst through for a simple try.

After first Gareth Thomas and then Mark Jones had lost the ball over the line, Jonathan Thomas got two tries.  The first came when Peel broke wide from a five-metre scrum and played back inside to him.  The second came as the Canadians fell off many tackles till eventually they ran out of tacklers altogether.  That was the conversion which Hook missed.

Penalties brought the Canadians to a six-metre line-out and then a five-metre line-out and then one of the Fletch twins, Dan, plunged over for a try.  From far out Pritchard, whose goal-kicking was immaculate, converted.

The rhythm of the match was disrupted by numerous substitutions going into the final 20 minutes, but when Martyn Williams collected a stray Canadian pass in the Welsh 22 he started a move which ended with a clean break and a jink by replacement Ceri Sweeney for a try.

Canada came to within a few metres of the line when replacement Justin Mensah-Coker broke going right.  Canada kept on the attack, thanks to penalties, and eventually Mike Pyke came off the left wing to take an inside pass and plunge over with six minutes left to play.

After Sweeney had kicked a cross-kick dead Pritchard tried a quick drop-out near touch.  He played inside where there were two Canadians and a good chance of scoring.  But Tom Shanklin got the pass and went off for an easy try, which Hook converted to give Wales its highest score against Canada.

Man of the Match:  The most obvious candidates, in ascending order, were Ian Evans, James Hook, Martyn Williams, Dwayne Peel and our Man of the match Shane Williams.  There was a frisson of excitement every time the ball went his way and he did not disappoint when he got it.

Moment of the Match:  The whole move that led to Matthew Rees's try.

Villain of the Match:  Nobody at all.  As referee Tony Spreadbury said to Ian Evans with ten minutes to go:  "I've got cards in my pocket and I've not been anywhere near 'em, it's not been that kind of game."

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  Thomas G., Williams S., Rees, penalty try, Peel, Thomas J.  2, Sweeney, Shanklin
Cons:  Hook 8

For Canada:
Tries:  Pletch D., Daypuck
Cons:  Pritchard 2
Pens:  Pritchard 3
Drop goals:  Daypuck

Wales:  15 Gareth Thomas (c), 14 Mark Jones, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 Sonny Parker, 11 Shane Williams, 10 James Hook, 9 Dwayne Peel,  8 Ryan Jones, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 5 Ian Evans, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins
Replacements:  16 Rhys Thomas, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Robert Sidoli, 19 Alun Wyn Jones, 20 Michael Phillips, 21 Ceri Sweeney, 22 Lee Byrne.

Canada:  15 Ed Fairhurst, 14 Mike Pyke, 13 Ryan Smith, 12 David Spicer, 11 James Prichard, 10 Derek Daypuck, 9 Morgan Williams (c),  8 Sean-Michael Stephen, 7 Stan McKeen, 6 Mike Webb, 5 Mike Burak, 4 Luke Tait, 3 Forrest Gainer, 2 Mark Lawson, 1 Kevin Tkachuk
Replacements:  16 Pat Riordan, 17 Dan Pletch, 18 Mike Pletch, 19 Stu Ault, 20 Aaron Carpenter, 21 Ander Monro, 22 Justin Mensah-Coker

Referee:  Tony Spreadbury (England)
Touch judges:  Dave Pearson (England), Federico Cuesta (Argentina)
Television match official:  Geoff Warren (England)
Assessor:  Bob Francis (New Zealand)

England plumbing record depths

Argentina conquer Twickenham and leave England rock bottom

Argentina made their most emphatic statement yet that they should be competing in meaningful competition after beating England 25-18 at Twickenham on Saturday.

While the Pumas were in seventh heaven, England's seventh consecutive defeat heaps the pressure on Andy Robinson, who marched tight-lipped to the dressing room as the final whistle blew with boos ringing in his ears, and the knowledge that England must beat the Springboks next week to avoid overseeing England's worst ever run weighing on his mind.

The sounds of Twickenham were interesting.  There was an early silence as people remembered the war dead, for these two countries, no doubt, those involved in the Falklands/Malvinhas War.  Then there was the singing of the anthems, Land of Hope and Glory and Sweet Chariot.  And then there was a long period of desultory noise, growing quieter as the Pumas put pressure on England.

Much of the match was played to a mutter.  And then at the end, there was booing.  Surely it is rugby's ugliest sound, made even more ugly when local folk boo their own players.

There were also two contrasting faces -- the grim visage of Andy Robinson and the glittering glee on the face and in the eyes of Agustín Pichot as his victorious troops made a circle around him - victorious in the arena of Twickenham for the first time ever.

It was not a match to make a great noise about except for Paul Sackey's moment of genius, a jewel set off all the brighter by the dull foil around it.

It was a match of many, many errors -- mainly by England.  The Pumas dominated the early part of the match, enjoying the better of possession and territory, but the only try they got, well into the second half, came from an interception of a novice's pass.

Against the All Blacks, novice Anthony Allen gave the pass that Joe Rokocoko intercepted.  This time it was Toby Flood's pass that set sartorially elegant Federico Todeschini running 60 metres or so for a try -- the try that sank England.

It was not the slender Todeschini's only contribution.  He also kicked penalties, and England conceded several of them.  He was brought on early for Gonzalo Tiesi with Felipe Contepomi shifting to inside centre.  Todeschini's goal kicking was as impeccable as the creases in his shorts.  Mind you, the creases did not last, the kickking did.

England actually scored first when Charlie Hodgson kicked a penalty after just three minutes for a tackle infringement, but Hodgson did not last the game.  With the Pumas leading 12-10 early in the second half he was replaced by Flood, the lanky 21-year-old from Newcastle Falcons.

It was a big call -- a hard one for the young man who gave the wonky pass not long afterwards and then with the score at 19-18 hooked the conversion which could have given England the lead.  It was hard for the young man.

The first break of the match was by centre Miguel Avramovic and probably should have led to a try.  It did yield a penalty against Allen for being off-side and gave Contepomi an easy kick to level the scores.

England were spreading the ball but to little effect.  The Pumas played it closer but were sharper.  Juan Martín Hernández, with a chip and gather, produced a situation which could also have led to a try.

Then England started to get more and more into the match.  A break by Allen down the right should have produced a try but the young centre entirely ignored Ben Cohen open on his outside.  Jamie Noon had a promising moment but grubbered harmlessly into the in-goal.

Then came the try as England countered left and then went right where Paul Sackey was in an outside centre position.  He sped ahead, took the outside gap past Pichot, came back inside and then left Hernández sprawling on the deck as he sped past him for his first try for England in his second official Test.

It was a jewel of a moment.

England led 10-3 with seven minutes to half-time, but in that time Todeschini goaled two penalties and England led just 10-9 at the break.  Just one point and not a convincing one either, but it did have the glory of Sackey's try.

When Lewis Moody was penalised for going in at the side of a tackle/ruck, Todeschini goaled from far out and near touch.  Argentina led 12-10.  They never lost that lead.

They went 19-10 up when Todeschini intercepted, but England looked to be about to score when Pat Sanderson broke and fed Cohen but the big wing was caught from behind by new cap Esteban Lozada.  But there was a penalty soon afterwards and Flood kicked his first points for England.  19-13 with 21 minutes to go.

Seven minutes into the half, Pete Richards had replaced Shaun Perry at scrum-half after the Bristol man had found Puma pressure hard to deal with -- Puma pressure and Sanderson's difficulty in controlling ball at the back of the scrum.

Richards set England's second try in motion.  He tapped a penalty inside his own half and there was Ian Balshaw cutting inside, brushing aside Pablo Gomez Cora and swerving off down the field on a run of over 60 metres, swerving past Todeschini to score in a good position.  19-18 with 18 minutes to play, but the groans as Flood missed the conversion forebode the disaster to follow.

England became increasingly frantic in those 18 minutes while the Pumas stayed calm and effective.

When Sanderson lost the ball at the back of a pressured scrum and then held on, Todeschini made it 22-18.  When Julian White was penalised for loitering, Todeschini made it 25-18 with seven minutes to go.

England had two penalties in quick succession when the Pumas dropped mauls.  The second gave them a line-out five metres from the Puma line but they forsook the traditional maul to play the ball back to substitute hooker Lee Mears and the Pumas held.

England attacked going right but still the Pumas were there, controlled and strong -- and then England lost the ball at a tackle and Pichot picked it up.  As cool as you like he wandered nonchalantly away from the tackle and then hoofed a long ball down into England territory.  There were the just 34 seconds to go.

When time was up, a hooter sounded -- a first for Twickenham.  When England knocked on, the final whistle went and the Pumas had won.  Also a first for Twickenham.

Man of the Match:  For the Pumas there was the smooth skill of Juan Martín Hernández and the effective boot of Federico Todeschini but it would be proper to name Agustín Pichot, captain of Argentina and marshall of his courageous troops.

Moment of the Match:  There was certainly Paul Sackey's try and the desperate thrill of Federico Todeschini's intercept but our moment of the match was the sight of Agustín Pichot, with the calm of a saint-philosopher as he came away with the ball to kick it miles downfield.

Villain of the Match:  None, but in Rome Brendan Cannon got a yellow card for the sort of temper tantrum that earned Ben Cohen and Mario Ledesma a smile.  There did not seem much to separate the three slaps.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Sackey, Balshaw
Con:  Hodgson
Pens:  Hodgson, Flood

For Argentina:
Try:  Todeschini
Con:  Todeschini
Pens:  Contempomi 2, Todeschini 4

England:  15 Iain Balshaw, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Jamie Noon,12 Anthony Allen, 11 Ben Cohen,10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Shaun Perry, 8 Pat Sanderson, 7 Lewis Moody, 6 Martin Corry (captain), 5 Ben Kay, 4 Danny Grewcock, 3 Julian White, 2 George Chuter, 1 Perry Freshwater.
Replacements:  16 Lee Mears, 17 Stuart Turner, 18 Tom Palmer, 19 Magnus Lund, 20 Pete Richards, 21 Toby Flood, 22 Josh Lewsey.

Argentina:  15 Juan Martin Hernández, 14 Jose Nuñez Piossek, 13 Miguel Avramovic, 12 Gonzalo Tiesi, 11 Pablo Gomez Cora, 10 Felipe Contepomi, 9 Agustín Pichot (captain), 8 Gonzalo Longo, 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 6 Juan Fernandez Lobbe, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 3 Omar Hasan, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements:  16 Albert Vernet Basualdo, 17 Martin Scelzo, 18 Esteban Lozada, 19 Martin Schusterman, 20 Nicolas Fernandez Miranda, 21 Federico Todeschini, 22 Horacio Agulla.

Referee:  Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand)
Touch judges:  Steve Walsh (New Zealand), Malcolm Changleng (Scotland)
Television match official:  Peter Allan (Scotland)
Assessor:  Dougie Kerr (Scotland)

All Blacks wreak havoc in Lyon

France silenced by the Men in Black

New Zealand recorded a terrific win over France, on Saturday with the visitors comprehensively beating their hosts 47-3 at a rain-soaked Stade Gerland in Lyon.

There were enough sporting/rugbying clichés attached to the build-up to this match to create a useful little lexicon of phrases for commentators and journalists to use in the future.  In the aftermath, we may well be able to create a second reference volume covering hyperbolic expressions of inadequacy.

The match started badly, not helped in the slightest by referee Stuart Dickinson's insistence of imposing his authority when there was no need to do so.  The whistle often came far too early in the first ten minutes, and the teams looked uninterested.

One scrum alone took up two minutes and twenty seconds as the front rows slipped on the soccer surface, while the previous two minutes -- the first of the game -- had been marked by kicking of the most ordinary order.

The French displayed one tactic throughout the match, and one tactic alone.  In their own half they kicked, and the nearer they got to the New Zealand half, the higher the trajectory of the kick.

In New Zealand's half, they would either kick wider or even higher.  On the rare occasions they got a line-out in the French half, they would drive a maul.  This facet was by far the most positive and encouraging aspect of their play.  It didn't yield a try -- indeed it only truly came close once, and by that time the score was 37-3 to the visitors.

Once Sitiveni Sivivatu had jinked past Aurelien Rougerie and brushed off Julien Bonnaire for the first try, the French just didn't want to know.  Damien Traille, faced with the All Black wall of defence, suddenly looked every bit a panicking novice fly-half, and as a result, he held on to the ball far too long -- that is if he wasn't kicking.

Not one of the backs stood deep enough to help out the ball carrier, not one of the forwards looked for the offload out of contact.  Runners ambled into their tacklers, where they were knocked back time and time again, and often on their own.

Shortly before half-time, the French scrum disintegrated completely, gifting the All Blacks their third try (the second had come from a fudged line-out).  It was the second scrum of five they lost against the head in the first half, an unforgiveable statistic at this level.  In the second half, les bleus fought gamely for the five minutes it took New Zealand to score a fourth try, and thereafter they just shuffled around from ruck to maul to hanging-kick landing-spot, heads down, shoulders drooped, heels dragging ... they just looked plain weary and bored.

It is quite important, that last bit, for there will be many who point at the ludicrous volume of rugby many of the players have been asked to play in the opening part of this season.  Twice since August the Top 14 has featured midweek fixtures, meaning clubs play three matches in eight days.  Then comes the Heineken Cup, and in between all the French squad commitments, and all this on the back of what was barely a close season compared to other countries in Europe.

Bernard Laporte will have his French team together non-stop during the Six Nations as a result, but I doubt he would have wanted success in November's Tests to be sacrificed as a result.  Burning out players is a hard mistake to rectify -- ask Andy Robinson -- and given the magnitude of favours in this regard Laporte has been afforded, his employers will have a right to angrily enquire what, precisely, is going on?

Fittingly then, the match ran as many Top 14 matches have run this season.  Once the favourites had enough of a lead, they were quite content to pick off the mistakes made by their pretenders and just soak up the pressure the rest of the time.  It made for a largely tired and uninspiring game, played in the greyest of drizzles.

It also led to some peachy tries.  Sivivatu's opener was a fine solo effort in itself, and McCaw's second owed as much to the thigh-pumping driving skills of Ali Williams after he had seized up the dropped line-out ball, as it did to the hesitation in the French tackles caused by the two white lines (the soccer goal-line was clearly visible half a yard behind the try-line making some occasions confusing).

The third try was also a fine example of clinical finishing, with superb handling from Rodney So'oialo, McCaw, and Piri Weepu all combining to send Carter in -- and it could have been any of three men outside him.

The score was 23-3 at half-time, with Carter hitting only one conversion and adding two penalties, and France's three forlorn points coming from a Florian Fritz drop goal that slumped over the bar every bit as airily as the team wandered about the pitch.

For the first four minutes of the second half, the French flickered.  There was fight, drive, even innovation.  Yannick Jauzion suddenly reminded us he could slip a tackle.  Elvis Vermeulen threw his weight around -- he stood out for the French for much of the match.  The French got a penalty near the New Zealand line, and then stood around waiting for the ball and waiting for Dickinson to understand that all they wanted to do was tap and go -- a process which took some 20 momentum-sapping seconds.

They tapped, went, lost the ball, Ali Williams picked it up and then flipped the ball reverse-handed to Conrad Smith, who sprinted 80m for the fourth try.  Down went the French heads, never to rise again.

There were three more tries to tell you about.  Luke McAlister once again reminded us of his running abilities and improvisation with a 50m break, a hand-off of Julien Laharrague, and a cheeky pass behind his back to Joe Rokocoko for the fifth try.

Jerry Collins initiated the next, ripping the ball out of a tackle and spreading it over to the other side of the field via Williams to where Sivivatu was the lucky one of four potential scorers.

Then Byron Kelleher, who had so tortured France two years ago when New Zealand won 45-6 in Paris, broke around the fringe of a ruck, and passed the ball inside to Sivivatu, who then handed on to McAlister, who scored in the corner.  It was so simple.  But it was way way beyond anything the French could offer.

France are now under pressure to at least make a fist of things in the rematch next weekend, and not only to save some face.  It will not have escaped the notice of the French faithful that their two heavyweight opponents in their Rugby World Cup pool in ten months' time, Ireland and Argentina, both looked decidedly tasty on Saturday, and another limp surrender will go a long way to dispelling any qualms they had about visiting the French next year.

Man of the match:  Nobody French!  For New Zealand, Rodney So'oialo had a better than average game, busying himself in the loose, and Ali Williams acted like a flanker at times.  But the finesse and jaw-dropping moments came from the wing, where Sitiveni Sivivatu gave a masterclass in finishing and line-breaking skills.

Moment of the match:  There were plenty of isolated moments of wonder from the men in black, but we will plump for a dummy and break by Sivivatu late in the first half, a move which took him some 40m untouched through the centre of the field.

Villain of the match:  No villains here, nobody seemed interested enough most of the time.

The scorers:

For France:
Drop goal:  Fritz

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Sivivatu 2, McCaw, Carter, Smith, Rokococo, McAlister
Cons:  Carter 3
Pens:  Carter 2

Yellow cards:  Pelous (France, 24 min)

France:  15 Julien Laharrague, 14 Aurélien Rougerie, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Christophe Dominici, 10 Damien Traille, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Elvis Vermeulen, 7 Julien Bonnaire, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 5 Pascal Papé, 4 Fabien Pelous (captain), 3 Pieter de Villiers, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Sylvain Marconnet.
Replacements:  16 Raphaël Ibañez, 17 Olivier Milloud, 18 Lionel Nallet, 19 Rémy Martin, 20 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 21 David Marty, 22 Cédric Heymans.

New Zealand:  15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Luke McAlister, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Rodney So’oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Ali Williams, 4 James Ryan, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Anton Oliver, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:  16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Jason Eaton, 19 Chris Masoe, 20 Byron Kelleher, 21 Ma'a Nonu, 22 Malili Muliaina.

Referee:  Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Touch judges:  Alain Rolland Simon McDowell (both Ireland)
Television match official:  Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)

Ireland make light work of heavy Boks

Impressive Irish put South Africa to the sword

Ireland underlined their Rugby World Cup credentials by notching up a handsome 32-15 victory over South Africa at Lansdowne Road in Dublin on Saturday.

The margin did not flatter Ireland, who weathered an initial storm, and then produced phases of devastating running to blow away the South African resistance far more effectively than the wind that whipped into the tourists' faces during the conclusive first half.

It was a Test match for South Africa to commemorate 100 years playing in the Springbok jersey, but the Boks of yesteryear will surley be turning in their graves after the visitors appalling display.

South Africa never once had a stranglehold on the game that was marred by too many silly penalties, heaps of turnovers and ruined opportunities.

Not taking anything away from a superb Irish performance that left the former world champions scratching their heads for the majority of the match.

It was well noted in the build up to the match that this would not be the Boks strongest team ever, but if this was a test of South Africa's squad depth with the a Rugby World Cup just around the corner, Bok coach Jake White should have a lot to worry about.

The match started off well enough for the visitors, after some great running rugby off their first touch of the ball found them in the Ireland 22 and, better yet, a shot at goal.

After brilliant running off the ball from forwards and backs alike, Ireland's big number eight Denis Leamy was blown for hands in the ruck.

This must have been a relief to South Africa fly-half Andre Pretorius, who had fluffed a drop-goal attempt with an overlap shouting for the ball.

The No.10 struck the ball well enough for the gust of wind to bring the ball inside the left hand upright for the side's three points in as many minutes.

First blood to the Springboks, but it would be the first and the last time the visitors would score in that half.

With barely two minutes gone after the restart, Ireland came back strongly with an incredible burst into the Bok 22 that had the visitors scrambling back in defence.

Ireland fly-half Ronan 'O Gara popped the ball up to a flying Andrew Trimble off his left wing in the midfield, only for the young star to burst through two attempted tackles and score the first try of the match.

The pace and power of Trimble had the Lansdowne Road crowd standing on their feet, as the failed Bok defenders struggled to get back on theirs.

O'Gara made no mistake with the conversion and Ireland had an early four point lead.

South Africa certainly weren't deterred by the early five-pointer and carried on with their ambitious play, only to be let down by an unfortunate forward pass that had the Ireland defence on the ropes.

The Bok debutants certainly didn't have time to get themselves setteled into the fast pace of the game, and the nerves stood out on more than on one occasion from the influx of Ireland attacks.

Balls that were left to bounce when they should have been taken on the first attempt, caused unnecessary pressure on the new boys.

Passes that should have been made were instead kicked into the hands of the opposition who eventually punished them for their bad option taking.

A perfect example came when new Bok Bevin Fortuin kicked into the hands of Gordan D'Arcy, only for the giant centre to run back at the South Africans and earn his side a penalty for the South Africa big men not rolling away in the tackle.

O'Gara slotted the easy penalty to extend the lead for his team.

It was at this moment of the match that the floodgate opened for a barrage of Ireland attacks that left the Bok defence in sixes and sevens.

Not even Fortuin's high tackles could stop the electric pace of Trimble, who was once again involved in a superb attacking display for his country.

As the Bok midfield tried to contain the Ulster winger, Ireland scrum-half Peter Stringer spotted flank David Wallace floating unmarked on the touchline.

All Wallace had to do was catch the long, floating pass and use his speed to take him to the open tryline.

He did just that as he rounded off a superb try from some great vision from Stringer.

O'Gara was unfortunate not to nail the conversion as he had two attempts to do so.

The wind blew the ball off the kicking tee on the fly-half's first approach, only for O'Gara to try again with a drop-goal but to no avail.

Again the Irish were knocking on the South Africa's try-line door, but a shoddy pass resulted in Wallace failing to go over for his second after knocking on.

The visitors came close a few minutes later, after some well worked tactical kicking from Pretorius saw the Boks end up just five meters from the Ireland try-line.

The hosts were lucky not to be given a penalty try against them after countless offences on their line.

South Africa must have really been hoping for some luck of the Irish to come their way after yet another silly mistake in the ruck saw Ireland awarded with a penalty to clear their lines.

Amazingly enough, the Boks somehow found themselves scampering back again in defence as the Irish got used to the sloppy tackling from the visitors.

However, South Africa number eight Pierre Spies threw in the tackle of the game as he saved a certain try from none other than Trimble again.

The tackle set up a line-out five meters from the Bok line, but the big men failed to win their own throw and were forced to defend their line.

The Irish forwards made some good work from high quality ball and it took a stretched out arm from prop Marcus Horgan to dot the ball down on the stroke of half-time.

O'Gara made sure of the conversion and Ireland had a more than comfortable lead at half-time with the scoreline standing at 22-3.

The second half started well for the home team, just as they ended the first with the entire Ireland XV piling on the pressure.

The visitors match performance was clearly summed up after it took South Africa prop CJ van der Linde to clear the Bok tryline after the ball was turned over on an early Irish attack.

The second half wasn't nearly as close to the pace of the first and it took a good piece of work by flank Danie Rossouw in the Bok midfield to send wing Francois Steyn over to score on debut.

At last, South Africa had something to shout about, but Pretorius soon put that to rest after a sloppy conversion attempt.

O'Gara certainly didn't give the visitors much time to work on their comeback after nailing a beauty of a conversion from far out.

At 25-8, the game looked well done and dusted.

South Africa didn't seem to think so and the earlier try-scorer Steyn put in a wonderful pass to speed merchant Bryan Habana to race past two Ireland defenders for a brilliant touchdown.

With six minutes left on the clock, any hope of a miraculous Bok comeback was ruled out with another Ireland try to wing Shane Horgan in the corner.

That surley was the final nail in the Springbok coffin, or at least we thought so.

O'Gara rubbed the defeat in the Bok's noses by slotting another flawless kick on the right-hand touchline to end the match 32-15.

South Africa heads dropped as Ireland fans cheered their team on in what was a game full of Irish flair and heart.

Another reason the Irish could celebrate was the daunting number of records broken.

This included the highest winning margin, the most amount of tries scored and the biggest result scored against their southern hemisphere rivals.

Man of the Match:  A couple of Ireland players can take a well earned bow for this one.  In the forwards, Denis Leamy was outstanding with his brute strength on the charge, whilst Paul O'Connell was superb in the line-outs and in loose play.  The backline were phenomenal all night, and the Ireland team owe their victory to tremendous play from scrum-half to full-back.  But we agreed on giving the prize to centre Gordan D'Arcy for his wall-like defence and attacking flair that tore the Bok midfield in half.

Moment of the Match:  It has to be Trimble's opening try in the first five minutes of the game that signaled big things to come for the rest of the Test match -- and it certainly did!

Villain of the Match:  The whole Springbok team should earn a nomination for their uninspiring performance through the majority of the match.  But otherwise no red or yellow cards were issued.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Tries:  Trimble, Wallace, Horan, Horgan
Cons:  O'Gara 3
Pens:  O'Gara 2

For South Africa:
Tries:  Steyn, Habana
Con:  Pretorius
Pen:  Pretorius

Ireland:  15 Girvan Dempsey, 14 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (captain), 12 Gordan D'Arcy, 11 Andrew Trimble, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Peter Stringer, 8 Denis Leamy, 7 David Wallace, 6 Neil Best, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Rory Best, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements:  16 Frankie Sheahan, 17 Bryan Young, 18 Malcolm O'Kelly, 19 Simon Easterby, 20 Isaac Boss, 21 Paddy Wallace, 22 Geordan Murphy.

South Africa:  15 Bevin Fortuin, 14 Jaco Pretorius, 13 Bryan Habana, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Francois Steyn, 10 Andre’ Pretorius, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Danie Rossouw, 5 Albert van den Berg, 4 Johan Ackermann, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Lawrence Sephaka.
Replacements:  16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 BJ Botha, 18 Johann Muller, 19 Jacques Cronjé, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Wynand Olivier, 22 JP Pietersen.

Referee:  Paul Honiss (New Zealand)
Touch judges:  Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand), Taizo Hirabayashi (Japan)
Television match official:  David Changleng (Scotland)

Australia made to sweat by Azzurri

Late try seals Wallaby win

Australia captain Stirling Mortlock scored a late try to seal a narrow 25-18 win fover Italy at Stadio Flaminio in Rome on Saturday.  The Wallabies outscored the home side by three tries to none, but six penalties by fly-half Ramiro Pez kept the Azzurri in the hunt and the heat on the visitors.

The Australians were made to sweat and at times made to look very ordinary by an Italian team that deserved more than they got on the day.

It was a game in which the Wallabies' shortcomings were exposed like never before -- their suspect scrum was destroyed by the powerful Italian pack on a number of occasions and they also struggled to contain the impressive Italian mauls.

But the biggest flaw in the Australian game is that they offered very little other than their predicable phase play, which the Italians found relatively easy to defend against.

If you want to know where the tries came from -- well one was a bad Italian tap in the line-out, the other a great bust up the midfield from Wycliff Palu and only one of the three came from sustained phase play.

But enough about the Wallaby shortcomings -- let's talk about the Italian performance.

They have an awesome pack, which will hold its own in any competition.  Their line-outs may not be so flash, but they will get enough from this phase if they can concentrate for 80 minutes.

And it was those momentary lapses of concentration that probably cost the Azzurri the game.

The early passages were controlled by the Italians, who took the ball up strongly and moved it from side to side.

They were soon rewarded for their efforts, when the Australians were penalised and hooker Brendan Cannon yellow carded for what seemed a harmless push.

Fly-half Ramiro Pez pushed this effort wide, but he slotted the next three -- in the fifth, 11th minutes and 15th minutes -- to give his team a handy 9-0 lead.

The Wallabies had their chances, but they were squandered rather amateurishly -- once Chris Latham dropped the ball over the tryline.  They were prone to handling errors and as the scoreline suggested they were heavily penalised.

Australia finally got onto the scoreboard in the 21st minute, following a rare passage of sustained ball control, and captain Stirling Mortlock wasted no time in slotting the penalty to narrow  the gap to 9-3.

But the Australian scrum, which has been under pressure, crumbled in the 24th minute as the Italians just marched upfield.  The mess of a scrum soon turned into an Italian, penalty, which Pez duly slotted.

The Australians finally got their hands on the ball and put a few phases together, before fly-half Mat Rogers slipped over for a great try in the 27th minute.  The decisive pass came from inside centre Stephen Larkham, who drew the defence as Rogers looped around.

Mortlock added the conversion and kicked a penalty six minutes later -- following another period of sustained pressure and phase play -- for the Wallabies to take the lead for the first time.

But the Italians were not done yet and right on the stroke of half-time, as they marched upfield with another impressive maul, they were awarded a penalty -- which Pez slotted to regain the lead, 15-13 at the break.

The Australians were first to score after the break, but it was a fortuitous score -- with an Italian line-out going badly wrong, the tap finding a charging Guy Shepherdson, who just flopped over for the try.  Mortlock added the conversion to make it 20-15 in favour of the Wallabies after 44 minutes.

Pez had a chance to narrow the gap six minutes later, but he pushed a relatively easy shot at goal wide of the upright.  But he slotted one from a similar distance and angle in the 56th minute, to narrow the gap to 20-18.

But the crucial score came from the Australians in the 70th minute, with captain Stirling Mortlock going over for a great try, following a powerful midfield run by No.8 Wycliff Palu.  But Mortlock couldn't add the conversion, leaving the backdoor open for the Italians at 25-18.

The Italians tried bravely, but the Wallabies hung on to the end for a hard-earned win.

Man of the match:  You can look at Italian fly-half Ramiro Pez for his great goal-kicking, or even the front row of Martin Castrogiovanni, Carlo Festuccia and Andrea Lo Cicero for their powerful scrummaging performance.  No.8 Sergio Parisse also had a strong performance, as did his Australian counterpart Wycliff Palu.  Stephen Larkham and Mat Rogers had their moments, but out award goes to the captain Stirling Mortlock and it is not just for his match-clinching try.  As usual he put his body on the line for his country.

Moment of the match:  It simply has to be Stirling Mortlock's 70th minute try, not only because it sealed the win, but also for Wycliff Palu's great midfield bust.

Villains of the match:  There were two yellow card  -- Brendan Cannon for punching and Lote Tuqiri for a professional foul.  But Lote Tuqiri deserves the award on his own.  He was involved in off the ball stuff far too often.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Pens:  Pez 6

For Australia:
Tries:  Rogers, Shepherdson, Mortlock
Cons:  Mortlock 2
Pens:  Mortlock 2

Yellow cards:  Brendan Cannon (Australia, 3 mins -- punching), Lote Tuqiri (Australia, 79 -- professional foul)

Italy:  15 Gert Peens, 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Mirco Bergamasco, 11 Pablo Canavosio, 10 Ramiro Pez, 9  Paul Griffen, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Santiago Dellapè, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Carlo Festuccia, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero.
Replacements:  16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 Carlos Nieto, 18 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 19 Josh Sole, 20 Simon Picone, 21 Andrea Scanavacca, 22 Walter Pozzebon.

Australia:  15 Chris Latham, 14 Clyde Rathbone, 13 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Steven Larkham, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Mat Rogers, 9 Matt Giteau, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Mark Chisholm, 3 Guy Shepherdson, 2 Brendan Cannon, 1 Al Baxter.
Replacements:  16 Stephen Moore, 17 Nic Henderson, 18 Alistair Campbell, 19 Stephen Hoiles, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Mark Gerrard, 22 Cameron Shepherd.

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Touch judges:  Alan Lewis (Ireland), Hugh Watkins (Wales)
Assessor:  Bob Francis (New Zealand)

Scotland uproot stubborn Oaks

Romania undone by energetic Scots

Scotland coach Frank Hadden tasked his men to "smash" their first opponents of the November series, and they duly delivered, notching up a 48-6 victory over Romania at Murrayfield on Saturday.

But the final scoreline flatters the Scots who were outmuscled up front and forced to rely on the superior organisation of their backline and the fine support-running of their loose forwards.

Hadden's tenure began with a 39-19 win over the Oaks in Budapest in June of last year, and this result in Edinburgh tells us a little bit about Scotland's recent development.

There were encouraging signs from Scotland's clutch of debutants and the side's new-found desire to probe the gaps was nothing if not admirable.

Yet there are still plenty of areas that need to be worked on before they meet the Romanians in Pool C of the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

But it's hard to expect a group of men to hit the heights when just 12,000 of their compatriots make the effort to come and support.  Is a tenner for a ticket really too much to ask?

It was a game of contrasting style with the visitors determined to draw their hosts into a pitched battle and the Scots keen to avoid contact and spread possession wide.

Scotland were full of confidence from the off, refusing two kickable penalties as they went on search of a try to kick off proceedings.

The Romanians repelled an early attack but the home side eventually broke their opponents' resistance in the 14th minute when Johnnie Beattie crashed over for a debut try after Scotland captain Jason White had attracted the attention of three tacklers.

Phil Godman, handed a first start at fly-half, successfully added the conversion but Romania fullback Florin Vlaicu replied with a penalty to leave the score at 7-3 at the midpoint of the half.

Scotland immediately hit back, Hugo Southwell outpacing centre Catalin Dascalu on the outside before chipping over Vlaicu and collecting the ball to slide over for his sixth international try in the 21st minute.

Romania were penalised at a scrum five minutes later and White invited Godman to kick the straightforward penalty to move Scotland 15-3 ahead.

Southwell extended Scotland's lead to 17 points when he dived over in the same corner for his second try of the match in the 36th minute after a fine break from the base of a ruck from scrum-half Mike Blair.

But the half ended on a sour note for Scotland as White was stretchered off with a leg injury to be replaced by a third debutant, David Callam.

Scotland had fielded almost an all-Edinburgh backline, with Northampton's Sean Lamont the odd man out, and three of the capital side's players combined for the fourth try of the match six minutes into the second period.

Godman darted inside before feeding Simon Webster who in turn spread it to Dewey and he became the second debutant to cross for a try when he fended off two tacklers to skip over and move his side further ahead.

Vlaicu kicked a second penalty to double his side's tally while an event of more significance occurred in the 55th minute when James Hamilton replaced Nathan Hines to become the 1,000th player to be capped by Scotland.

Godman then got in on the try-scoring act when he skipped over for his first in international rugby after good work from Webster and Southwell.

Hooker Dougie Hall followed suit with his first try for Scotland in the 65th minute after the Edinburgh man was sent clear by a clever pass from replacement Chris Cusiter.

Cusiter, having to be satisfied with a role from the bench since Hadden took over and installed Blair as his scrum-half, danced over for Scotland's seventh try of the game following a slick handling move with replacement Chris Paterson to the fore.

Webster almost cut through with seconds left but was ankle-tapped to deny Scotland the chance to finish the game in style by bringing up their half-century.

Romania must take comfort from their strong start and the ability of their big forwards.  But this is not the Romania of old.  Argentina's quest for playmates is currently hogging the headline, but Europe have a needy -- perhaps moribund -- relative on their own doorstep.

Scotland deserved the win, and they deserve plaudits for accepting Romania's request for a game -- it is the only one the Oaks managed to get this November.

Man of the match:  Romanian's big forwards, hewn from the abrasive surrounds of France's Top 14 league, put in a terrific performance.  For Scotland, new boys Johnnie Beattie and Rob Dewey impressed, Phil Godman directed operations well and Simon Webster was his usual industrious self.  Mike Blair's constant sniping took the wind out of Romanian sails and Chris Cusiter enjoyed his returned to Scotland colours when he came off the bench for the final quarter.  But our man of the match is Hugo Southwell who has developed into a world-class performer; it was his penetrating running that uprooted the Oaks.

Moment of the match:  Perhaps Johnnie Beattie's try on debut -- or rather the composure of his father, John, in the BBC's commentary box, allowing himself a brief "good support work from Beattie" before breaking off.  The entry of James Hamilton, who became the 1,000th man to play for Scotland, will also live long in the memory.  But in terms of Scotland's development, perhaps the key moment was when Jason White was stretchered off just before half-time with what looked like a serious knee injury.  We wish him well.

Villain of the match:  Not much aggression in this encounter -- perhaps too little from Scotland's pack.  Romania wing Gabriel Brezoianu took a swing at the giant frame of James Hamilton, but we'll let him off -- Hamilton hardly noticed!

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries:  Beattie, Southwell 2, Dewey, Godman, Hall, Cuister
Cons:  Godman 4
Pen:  Godman

For Romania:
Pens:  Vlaicu 2

Scotland:  15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Simon Webster, 13 Marcus Di Rollo, 12 Rob Dewey, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Phil Godman, 9 Mike Blair, 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 Kelly Brown, 6 Jason White (c), 5 Scott Murray, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Dougie Hall, 1 Gavin Kerr.
Replacements:  16 Scott Lawson, 17 Allan Jacobsen, 18 Craig Smith, 19 James Hamilton, 20 David Callam, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Chris Paterson.

Romania:  15 Florin Vlaicu, 14 Gabriel Brezoianu, 13 Catalin Dascalu, 12 Romeo Gontineac, 11 Ioan Teodorescu, 10 Ionut Dimofte, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Ovidiu Tonita, 7 Cosmin Ratiu, 6 Florin Corodeanu, 5 Cristian Petre, 4 Sorin Socol (c), 3 Bogdan Balan, 2 Marius Tincu, 1 Petru Balan.
Replacements:  16 Razvan Mavrodin, 17 Ion Paulica, 18 Cezar Popescu, 19 Valentin Ursache, 20 Alexandru Lupu, 21 Ionut Tofan, 22 Csaba Gal.

Referee:  Matt Goddard (Australia)
Touch judges:  Tony Spreadbury (England), Federico Cuesta (Argentina)
Television match official:  Tim Hayes (Wales)

Wales storm past the Islanders

First-half blitz enough for the Welsh

Four first-half tries were enough to see Wales home to a 38-20 victory over the Pacific Islanders at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, but this error-ridden game never quite lived up to its billing.

Before play started at the Millennium Stadium both captains laid wreaths as a sign of respect for Remembrance Day, but sadly this game fizzled out and will not live long in the memory for either side.

The Pacific Islanders set their stall out from the first minute, opting to run from deep inside their own territory in true island style but rarely made inroads.  Wales in contrast played with composure and showed glimpses of the flair their opponents were looking for.  Four tries in the first half for the Welsh, when the Islanders looked rusty, was enough to secure the win that was expected from them.  The disappointment was their failure to build on a strong position in the second half.

It was evident in the early exchanges that the Pacific Islanders had only been together for a week, but as the game progressed they started to find their rhythm and began to cause Wales problems with their pace and width.  If they are to be taken seriously as a side then they need to be given the time together to prepare for fixtures, for partnerships to gel and for an understanding to develop.

That said they were the architects of their own downfall in the first half when they played in the wrong areas and gave Wales two tries under the posts with easy intercepts.

Sweeney, controversially handed the kicking duties ahead of James Hook, set Wales on their way with a simple fourth minute penalty after the impressive Seru Rabeni hit Hook late and high.

They continued to exploit the Islanders lack of organisation after quick phase ball was moved wide to Mark Jones who finished superbly.  Faced with fifty meters and two defenders between himself and the line he stood up Latu before scorching down the line to score in the corner.  Sweeney added a tricky conversion from the touchline.

Looking to play with too much width from every possible chance, the Islanders increasingly began to turn over possession to Wales, who, marshalled by Mike Phillips and Ceri Sweeney, controlled play astutely.

To play Test rugby at this level you need to play yourself into the game, a concept that escaped the Pacific Islanders, as they coughed up two intercept tries to Hook and Lee Byrne respectively, trying to live up to their reputation of a free-running side.

Sandwiched in between those two gifts Sonny Parker showed Wales what they have been missing of late with a searing break into the Islanders' 22 before sending Kevin Morgan in by the posts.

For all the flair and pace the Islanders boasted it was the power and muscle of their physical forwards that yielded their opening score, Justin Va'a crashing over in the corner after a smart line out move.

Half-time was a welcome relief for a tired looking Islanders side, who for all their endeavour were failing to live up to their billing.  They were hardly helped by the lack of possession from set piece, as Sidoli and Owen pulled their line-out to pieces.

Whether Wales realised they had the game wrapped up, or the Islanders began to find their form, the second half was a different story.  For starters the Islanders outscored Wales, and on top of that they looked to be the more lively side and were rewarded for their persistent adventure with tries from Seilala Mapasua and Kameli Ratuvou.

Wales did find their form briefly in the second half, scoring the try of the game through Ceri Sweeney.  The move started deep inside their own 22 from another turnover.  Alix Popham read the situation well feeding Sonny Parker on the inside to inject pace into the move.  Mark Jones was in support and would have scored himself but for a superb last ditch tackle.  As it was Ceri Sweeney was on hand to cap a fine move, one their opponents would have been proud of.

Both sides will be able to take enough positives from the game to be happy, although neither side found the form they would have been looking for in a game that ultimately was won and lost by half-time.

Man of the Match:  For the Pacific Islanders captain Simon Raiwalui never gave up and was always on hand to lead the way, along with the impressive Nili Latu.  For Wales Kevin Morgan again showed his true class and Mike Phillips was busy at scrum half.  But back in the side for the first time in a year Sonny Parker was often the key in defence and attack.

Moment of the Match:  The two moments that stood out were the intercept tries scored in the first half.  Had it not been for them the Islanders may have been in touch going into half time, as it was they gifted Wales fourteen points and the game.

Villain of the Match:  None -- all good clean family fun.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  M Jones, Hook, Morgan, Byrne, Sweeney
Cons:  Sweeney 5
Pen:  Sweney

For the Pacific Islanders:
Tries:  Va'a, Mapasua, Ratuvou
Con:  Pisi
Pen:  Pisi

Wales:  15 Kevin Morgan, 14 Lee Byrne, 13 Sonny Parker, 12 James Hook, 11 Mark Jones, 10 Ceri Sweeney, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Alix Popham, 7 Gavin Thomas, 6 Alun Wyn Jones, 5 Robert Sidoli, 4 Michael Owen, 3 Chris Horsman, 2 Rhys Thomas, 1 Duncan Jones (c).
Replacements:  16 Huw Bennett, 17 Adam Jones, 18 Gethin Jenkins, 19 Jonathan Thomas, 20 Gareth Cooper, 21 Gavin Evans, 22 Shane Williams.

Pacific Islanders:  15 Norman Ligairi, 14 Lome Fa'atau, 13 Seru Rabeni, 12 Seilala Mapasua, 11 Sailosi Tagicakibau, 10 Tusi Pisi, 9 Moses Rauluni, 8 Hale T-Pole, 7 Semo Sititi, 6 Nili Latu, 5 Daniel Leo, 4 Simon Raiwalui (c), 3 Tevita Taumoepeau, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Justin Va'a.
Replacements:  16 Aleki Lutui, 17 Census Johnson, 18 Ma'ama Molitika, 19 Epi Taione, 20 Junior Poluleuligaga, 21 Seremaiai Bai, 22 Kameli Ratuvou.

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Touch judges:  Donal Courtney (Ireland), Rob Debney (England)
Television match official:  George Clancy (Ireland)
Assessor:  Dick Byres (Australia)

All square in Cardiff thriller

Disappointing end to exciting match

In an anti-climactic end to a terrific match, Wales and Australia opened the November international season with a 29-all draw at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.

After the Welsh had clawed their way back from 17-6 down after 20 minutes to lead 26-17, tries by Chris Latham and Cameron Shepherd took the Wallabies 29-26 ahead, but James Hook -- on for Stephen Jones and delivering a flawless performance -- kicked a nerveless penalty to level the scores.

Hook then had the final play of the match, a superb touch-finder to Australia's corner, but referee Steve Walsh then blew for the end of the match, leaving the Welsh scratching their heads and wondering about the time-keeping once again.

What a great day for rugby football!  A great game on a great field before a great crowd -- a grand occasion.  The sun certainly shone in Cardiff, literally and metaphorically.  And the irony of it was that at the end there were two disappointed sides.  Two.

Perhaps what the great New Zealander Tom Pearce famously said -- "drawing is like kissing your sister" -- applied here.

The Wallabies were disappointed, for they wanted a win and after 30 minutes a Wallaby win seemed the only possibility.  And in the end they scored four tries to two, which suggests a winning effort.  The Wallabies always looked more likely to score tries but as their ill-discipline gave Wales chances so Welsh lapses gave them tries.

The Welsh were disappointed as they came back to take a nine-point lead and then squandered it and yet that last kick of the match took them deep into the Wallaby 22, but there was no further play as the final whistle sounded.

It was a great game of concentrated effort by two skilful sides.  The attacking and defending were of a high quality.

Millennium Stadium is such a wonderful palace of a ground and yet the playing surface remains a problem.  It is unstable and may have had something to do with scrums that were wonky and players who slipped.  For the Wallabies the scrums remain a problem.  One of their collapsed scrums gave the Welsh three points for the penalty and near the end they were destroyed in a scrum within the Welsh 22 and Wales had the put-in to the subsequent scrums.

Line-outs on the other hand were good for the Wallabies as they took four off Wales.

The difference came in the penalties -- 9-4 in Welsh favour.  In the second half Wales were not penalised once.  Four of the penalties were naughty - stamping, punching, late obstruction and collapsing a maul.

But those are all such tawdry things.  There were the glittering jewels of passing and running, and six thrilling tries.  Six?  Yes, even Matt Giteau's was fascinating as he caught the whole of the Wales napping, strolled, jogged, darted, tapped and scored while Wales waited for a kick at goal.

The Wallabies experimented with a backline shuffle.  It certainly worked for Giteau who had a lively match at scrum-half while he was there, judging effectively, passing accurately if off steps, always testing the defence and kicking long.  Mat Rogers was fairly anonymous at flyhalf, which may not have been a great success.  Lote Tuqiri had some good moments at outside centre and Stephen Larkham did some useful things at inside centre.  But it was not an experiment that could be regarded as a great success.

After Wales had won the singing and the weird hairdos, the Wallabies kicked off to get the November Tests going, and for 30 minutes they were in the ascendancy.  Wales got only scraps of possession as the Wallabies went through their familiar phases.  Their very first passing movement had them at the Welsh line on the Wallaby left after an astonishing, left-handed pass by Larkham had found Cameron Shepherd who had come off his left wing to be far out on the right.  The attack yielded three points from a penalty when Tom Shanklin was off-side, but Wales were probably grateful that it was only three.  They were probably astounded that it became 3-all when they went into Wallaby territory for the first time and Rodney Blake was penalised at a tackle.

On 12 minutes the Wallabies got the first try as they went through phases and then came back to their left when big Wycliff Palu surged through a gap and powered on till Kevin Morgan bravely stopped him.  But the Wallabies were bashing at the line till they passed flat to their left.  Mat Rogers flicked a dummy and they got a clever pass to Shepherd who was over.  Giteau converted well.  10-3.

When Blake was penalised at a collapsed scrum, spiky and tanned Gavin Henson kicked a magnificent penalty from a long way out and at an angle.  10-6, a score which flattered Wales.

Three minutes later Giteau got the try.  The referee played advantage on the Wallaby right as play petered out wide on their left.  Giteau saw the chance, tapped, darted, dived and scored far out.  He converted.  17-6 after 20 minutes.

It took the Wallabies 38 minutes to score again.

Shortly after Giteau's try, Welsh captain Stephen Jones went off with a twisted knee to be replaced by young James Hook, who proved that not only an old hand has a cool head.

The Wallabies had some good moments when Latham grubbered and when Vickerman broke.  Giteau missed with two kicks at goal, the second hitting the upright.  But it was Wales who scored.

Suddenly they got possession as they kept the ball in hand, possession begetting possession and their try when it came was a splendid one.

From a scrum Shanklin was a decoy and Henson squeezed a pass to fullback Morgan who switched with shorn Shane Williams who scored far out in the corner.  Hook converted.  It was astounding to look up at the scoreboard and see 17-13 after such Wallaby domination.

But Wales were not done yet.  They came running at the Wallabies again and when Tuqiri was off-side, Hook made it 17-16, the half-time score.

The tackle situation throughout the match was well protected, the Wallabies more firmly, but the first turn-over at the tackle came to Wales in the second half.

They also got the first points when Shane Williams chipped, chased and was impeded by Larkham.  Hook goaled and a miracle seemed imminent as Wales went ahead 19-17 with 29 minutes to play.

Wallaby hands wobbled in this half and when it happened a second time Shanklin kicked on and the Wallabies were forced to scamper in defence.  Stephen Hoiles, on for Palu, got back and fell on the ball, but it squired from him back into the Wallaby in-goal where Martyn Williams delighted himself and whole of Wales by scoring a try.  It was farish out but Hook converted.  26-17 with 23 minutes to go.

That lasted just on a minute.  It may have been that comfort produced relaxation  but suddenly Giteau, now at centre with Larkham off injured, cut clean through and sent Tuqiri racing for the line.  He looked certain to score but Shane Williams felled him.  But the Wallabies were at the line.  They went left and Shepherd forced his way over for his second try.  26-24 with 22 minutes to play.

They nearly scored again when Wales won a defensive line-out and made a regulation maul.  Suddenly Rocky Elsom burst out of the maul and looked about to score but three Welshmen banged at him and he lost the ball forward for a scrum to Wales -- an excellent scrum as they surged forward on their own ball.

The Wallaby try was the result of an aberration.  Morgan received the ball inside his 22.  He had time and space.  The touch-line was not far away on his left.  Instead he chose to kick a long diagonal to his right where one of the world's best counterattackers, Chris Latham was waiting.

Latham got the ball on the half-way line, not far from touch and started running.  He ran for 50 metres, beating four Welshmen who would stop him as part of a threadbare defence and over he went in the left corner.  Giteau missed the conversion but the Wallabies were winning with 15 minutes to play.

With nine minutes left Al Baxter was penalised for collapsing a maul and cool Hook kicked the penalty goal which drew the match.

The last nine minutes were thrilling but scoreless, though it took Matthew Rees's fingertips to grab Stepehen Hoiles from behind and prevent a possible try.

It was astonishing that when the final whistle went on this great encounter, some people booed.  It may have been an anticlimax but not a bad one.  But once again, the Welsh were left confused at the whistle, when they clearly expected another play where the whistle blew.  What is it with the Welsh and stadium clocks ... are we to coin the phrase a Welsh minute?

Man of the Match:  There were Dwayne Peel, the Williamses Martyn and Shane, Ian Gough Jonathan Thomas and James hook -- at least those.  There were Matt Giteau.  Daniel Vickerman and, our man of the match, Chris Latham for Australia.  Latham was everything he could have been on defence and attack.  Australia have a whole lot to thank him for.

Moment of the Match:  All the tries in their different ways but our choice is Chris Latham's 50m burst for a score.  He is always looking for a try.

Villain of the Match:  There was nothing bad enough to be described as villainy, but interestingly in view of the recent instruction on stamping by the IRB was the penalty -- and only that -- against Nathan Sharpe for doing just that early in the match.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Try:  S Williams, M Williams
Con:  Hook w
Pens:  S Jones, Henson, Hook 3

For Australia:
Tries:  Shepherd 2, Giteau, Latham
Cons:  Giteau 3
Pen:  Giteau

Teams:

Wales:  15 Kevin Morgan, 14 Gareth Thomas, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 Gavin Henson, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Jones (captain), 9 Dwayne Peel, 8 Ryan Jones, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 5 Ian Gough, 4 Ian Evans, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Rhys Thomas, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Gavin Thomas, 19 Alun Wyn Jones, 20 Mike Phillips, 21 James Hook, 22 Mark Jones.

Australia:  15 Chris Latham (vice-captain), 14 Clyde Rathbone, 13 Lote Tuqiri, 12 Stephen Larkham (vice-captain), 11 Cameron Shepherd, 10 Mat Rogers, 9 Matt Giteau, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Phil Waugh (captain), 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Daniel Vickerman (vice-captain), 4 Nathan Sharpe, 3 Rodney Blake, 2 Tai McIsaac, 1 Al Baxter.
Replacements:  16 Brendan Cannon, 17 Benn Robinson, 18 Mark Chisholm, 19 Stephen Hoiles, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Mark Gerrard, 22 Adam Ashley-Cooper

Referee:  Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
Touch judges:  Paul Honiss, Bryce Lawrence (both New Zealand)
Television match official:  Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand)

Namibia get a leg up

Solid victory in Windhoek

In the first leg of their World Cup qualifier against Morocco, Namibia gave themselves a great chance of going to France next year when they beat Morocco 25-7 in Windhoek.

The victory means that the Lions of the Atlas will have to win by at least 19 points when the two teams meet in Casablanca on 11 November.

The winner of this two-legged qualifier, will go to France.  The loser goes into répechage and plays the loser of the two-legged qualifier between Georgia and Portugal for the right to play Uruguay and qualify that way.

From the start it was a game of contrasting styles.  The Moroccans wanted to play through their forward while the Namibians wanted to get the ball wide to their speedsters.

After the Lions of the Atlas had started in fiery fashion, the Biltongboere got on top and after Emile Wessels had missed with a penalty attempt the Stellenbosch flyhalf goaled to give his side a 3-0 lead after 14 minutes.

The Moroccan forwards continued to dominate the line-outs and the loose where Namibia lost several turn-overs.  It was a physical battle.

Just before the break centre Lu-Wayne Botes grabbed a dropped pass and fed wing Guillaume Nel who raced ahead, drew the defence and gave to fullback Heini Bock who came dashing up on the outside.  Bock scored under the posts.

After the Lions had missed a second penalty attempt, Wessels goaled his second when the visitors were penalised for stamping.

Leading 13-0 the Biltongboere became their worst enemies when Irish referee Simon McDowell sent first scrumhalf Pieter Rossouw to the sin bin for a late tackle and then captain Kees Lensing joined him for stamping.  The latter decision incensed the home crowd.

Against 13 men the Lions drove hard at the Namibian line but the Namibians withstood attack after attack till the referee awarded a penalty try against them.  Thomas Garçia converted this time to make the score 13-7, and the home side was under pressure.  13 brave men withstood the onslaught and the big boot of Wessels drove the attackers back time and again, till at last the errant duo returned to the fray.

Namibia welcomed them back and it was the visitors' turn to defend, possibly dispirited by their failed attacks.

Quick ball from the loose enabled experienced Corné Powell to feed No.8 Jacques Burger who scored a try which Wessels converted.  20-7.

Just before the final whistle Botes chipped.  Replacement Rodger Thompson gathered, sidestepped and scored in the corner.

Scorers:

For Namibia:
Tries:  Bock, Burger, Thompson
Cons:  Wessels 2
Pens:  Wessels 2

For Morocco:
Try:  penalty
Con:  Garçia

Teams:

Namibia:  15 Heini Bock, 14 Guillaume Nel, 13 Lu-Wayne Botes, 12 Corné Powell, 11 Melrick Africa, 10 Emile Wessels, 9 Pieter Rossouw, 8 Jacques Burger, 7 Herman Lintvelt, 6 Tinus du Plessis, 5 Uakazuvaka Kazombiaze, 4 Heino Senekal, 3 Johannes Redelinghuys, 2 Johannes Meyer, 1 Kees Lensing (captain)
Replacements:  16 Morné Louw, 17 Gideon van der Berg, 18 Nico Genis, 19 Schalk van der Merwe, 20 Eugene Jantjies, 21 Rodger Thompson, 22 Adriaan du Plessis
Coaches:  Johannes Venter, Eden Meyer, Michael

Morocco:  15 Aziz Chahid, 14 Mounir Elhajji, 13 Eziyar Jawad, 12 Derraz Younès, 11 Boujouala Boubker, 10 Thomas Garçia, 9 Aissaoui Kamal, 8 Abdellatif Boutaty, 7 Mathias Garcia, 6 Hicham Housni, 5 Arif Hamid, 4 Hicham Laoni, 3 Samir Amechtane, 2 Jalil Narjissi (captain), 1 Mohamed Gouasmia.
Replacements:  Abdelkafi Abachri, Mounir El Hamzaoui, Mounir Jaoui, Karim Benherrou, Mohamed Loukrassi, Eziyar Hicham, Arif Nassim.
Coaches:  Bruno Barrero, Francis Was, Youssef Sridi

Referee:  Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Important win for Georgia

Lelos defeat Leones

In a vital World Cup qualifier in Tblissi Georgia beat Spain 37-23 on Saturday, thus keeping the Lelos' hopes alive of qualifying for the World Cup in France

The defeat has dashed Spanish hopes of repeating their 1999 success when they went to the World Cup.

There were some 10 000 spectators in the Lokomotivi Stadium, vocal in their support of the home side.

Spain actually scored first.  Two penalty goals by flyhalf Esteban Roqué gave the visitors a 6-0 lead after just ten minutes, but two tries in five minutes, both converted, put Georgia 14-6 ahead after 25 minutes.  For the first the forwards, expected to be the Georgian strong point, mauled over the line for a try by No.8 Besarioni Udesiani and the second was scored by prop David Zirakashvili, both converted by fullback Malkhaz Urjukashvili.

Roqué and Urjukashvili exchanged penalties to make the score 17-9 at half-time.  Two mistakes had cost Spain dearly, but there had been enough in the first half to give Spain hope.

Hopes were dashed early in the second half when Urjukashvili added another penalty when Óscar Astarloa was sent to the sin bin.  In his absence Georgia added a third try, by replacement prop Avtandil Kopaliani, to take the score to 27-9 and two minutes later added a fourth, by fullback Urjukashvili who had a good afternoon.  34-9.  Spain was buried.

Still the Lions fought back with two tries - the first by fullback César Sempere, the second by Juan González, the first converted by Sempere, the second by replacement flyhalf Andrei Kovalenco.  Inside centre Irakli Giorgadze completed the scoring with a dropped goal five minutes before the final whistle.

Scorers:

For Georgia:
Tries:  Udesiani, Zirakashvili, Kopaliani, Urjukashvili
Cons:  Urjukashvili 4
Pens:  Urjukashvili 2
Drop:  Giorgadze

For Spain:
Tries:  Sempere, González
Cons:  Sempere 2
Pens:  Roque 3

Teams:

Georgia:  15 Malkhaz Urjukashvili, 14 Besiki Khamashuridze, 13 Rezo Gigauri, 12 Irakli Giorgadze, 11 Giorgi Shkinin, 10 Otar Barkalaia, 9 Bidzina Samkharadze, 8 Besarioni Udesiani, 7 Zviad Maisuradze, 6 Rati Urushadze, 5 Mamuka Gorgodze, 4 Ilia Zedginidze, 3 David Zirakashvili, 2 Akvsenti Giorgadze, 1 Goderdzi Shvelidze.
Replacements:  16 David Khinchagashvili, 17 Avtandil Kopaliani, 18 Giorgi Nemsadze, 19 Shalva Sutiashvili, 20 Irakli Abuseridze, 21 David Kacharava, 22 Giorgi Elizbarashvili

Spain:  15 César Sempere, 14 David Mota, 13 Alvar Enciso, 12 Javier Canosa, 11 Rafael Álvarez, 10 Esteban Roqué, 9 Pablo Feijóo, 8 Oscar Astarloa, 7 ,Alfonso Mata 6 Rafael Camacho, 5 César Bernasconi, 4 Andrew Ebbet, 3 Javier Salazar, 2 Mathieu Cidre, 1 Miguel Burgaleta.
Replacements:  16 José Maria Bohorquez, 17 Ion Insausti, 18 Sergio Souto, 19 Juan González, 20 Facundo Lavino, 21 Andrei Kovalenco, 22 Ignacio Martín

Referee:  Peter Allan (Scotland)
Touch judges:  Graeme Hannah, Jim Yuille (both Scotland)

Portugal sneak in

Last-gasp victory in Lisbon

Portugal's hopes of going to France next year are still alive, thanks to a last-minute try over Russia in Lisbon.

Portugal now face Georgia who beat Spain.  If Portugal win that they will head straight for France.  If they lose that they have to go into répechage.  There they will play the loser of the two-legged qualifier between Namibia and Morocco and then, if they win that, Uruguay.

Russia can no longer qualify.

Russia went 23-16 up with 15 minutes to go but, as time ran out, Portugal scored the try which may yet send them to France next year.  The try came with Portugal trailing 23-19.  Lock Marcelo D'Orey broke brilliantly to send inside cengtre Diogo Mateus in for the try.

Russia started off in splendid fashion when they grabbed a dropped pass and centre Andrey Kuzin scored the try.  5-0 after just two minutes.

Gonçalo Malheiro, whose error had led to the try, then goaled a penalty.  5-3, which Viktor Motorin cancelled out with a penalty goal.

From the kick-off, Portugal got on top and good teamwork brought a try for right wing António Aguilar, converted by Malheiro to give Portugal a 10-8 lead at half-time.

The lead did not last long in the second half for near the beginning No.8 Vyacheslav Grachev burst through to score.  Two penalties by Malheiro and one by Motorin were followed by Grachev's second try and Russia led 23-16 with 15 minutes to play.

Those 15 minutes belonged to Portugal.  First replacement Duarte Pinto reduced the lead to 23-19, to be followed then by all the drama of the finish.

Scorers:

For Portugal:
Tries:  Aguilar, Mateus
Cons:  Malheiro, Pinto
Pens:  Malheiro 3, Pinto

For Russia:
Tries:  Kuzin, Grachev 2
Con:  Motorin
Pens:  Motorin 2

Teams:

Portugal:  15 Pedro Leal, 14 António Aguilar, 13 Miguel Portela, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 Pedro Carvalho, 10 Gonçalo Malheiro,8 Vasco Uva, 9 José Pinto, 7 Paulo Murinello, 6 Diogo Coutinho, 5 Marcelo D’Orey, 4 Gonçalo Uva, 3 Joaquim Ferreira, 2 João Correia, 1 Cristian Spachuk or Rui Corderio
Replacements:  16 Cristian Spachuk or Rui Cordeiro, 17 Juan Severino, 18 Sebastião Cunha, 19 João Uva, 20 Luís Píssara, 21 Duarte Pinto, 22 João Diogo Mota or Gustavo Duarte

Russia:  15 Dmitriy Zubarev, 14 Mikhail Babaev, 13 Andrey Kuzin, 12 Konstantin Rachkov, 11 Vladimir Ostroushko, 10 Alexey Korobeynikov, 9 Viktor Motorin, 8 Vyacheslav Grachev, 7 Artem Fatahov, 6 Aleksey Sarychev, 5 Kiril Kulemin, 4 Sergey Sergeev, 3 Victor Zdanovich, 2 Roman Romak, 1 Alexander Khrokin,
Replacements (from):  Oleg Shukaylov, Vladimir Marchenko, Valery Fedchenko, Vladislav Korshunov, Aleksandr Shakirov, Yury Kushnarev, Sergey Belousov, Ivan Prishchepenko, Victor Gresev

Referee:  Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)