Scots level Test series

Scotland beat Argentina 24-16 in Buenos Aires in a surprise win on Saturday to not only level the two-Test series, but overcome a 18-year losing drought against the Pumas.

The Scots salvaged some pride and ending their season on a high note after going down 15-21 in a heart-breaking defeat the week before in Rosario.

It seems Scotland coach Frank Hadden's six changes following last week's loss made the world of difference as the 2007 World Cup quarter-finalists out-muscled their way to a memorable victory in front of a packed crowd at Velez Sarsfield Stadium.

The Scots perhaps also threw Hadden a much-needed lifeline with his coaching future currently hanging by a thread after a forgetable Six Nations and the team's inability to cross the whitewash.

Two tries were scored against the Pumas thanks to hooker Ross Ford and centre Graeme Morrison in the first and second halves respectively -- Morrison's try sealing the deal for the visitors after the hosts threatened a comeback.

Off the pitch, Scotland assistant coach Andy Robinson's attention to detail and tactical expertise clearly also helped Scotland achieve a dream result against the side ranked third in the world.

The Pumas were far from their best, but they were subdued crucially in the first half by a Scottish display that had all that was lacking from the first Test -- the aggression, speed, ambition, skill and, significantly, more forceful refereeing of the breakdown area by Alan Rolland.

It was a disappointing end for long-serving lock Ignacio Fernandez.  The 33-year-old was playing in his last match before retirement from international rugby.

Record breaking full-back Chris Paterson, who became his country's most capped player by making his 88th appearance in the match, contributed 13 points to make it a particularly sweet occasion for him as he overtook Scott Murray's cap tally.

Scotland started strongly and carved out a penalty opportunity for Paterson after only six minutes.

He duly slotted the points but the hosts could have drawn level when Federico Todeschini pushed his attempt wide.

Scott MacLeod, soaring in the line-out, set up a another fierce drive by the Scottish pack, which was rewarded with a penalty when Pumas hooker Alvaro Tejeda pulled down the maul.

That mistake gave Paterson the chance to make it 6-0 as he converted from the left and after 23 minutes the Scots had a try to Ford after the hooker crashed over following superb interplay between Iain Morrison and Mike Blair.

The metronomic Paterson added the extras to make it 13-0 to the Scots.

The Pumas were looking nervy in possession and were clearly lacking the experience of some missing stars.

Scotland, on the other hand, were playing with confidence and Paterson added a further penalty to make it 16-0 at the interval.

The second half started in much the same fashion as the Paterson continued his fine form in front of the posts to add another three points after 52 minutes.

Nine minutes later Argentina were finally on the scoreboard as Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe finished a fine counter-attacking move.

Todeschini was on target with the conversion as the score moved to 19-7.

That re-awakened the fans and the team responded, Lucas Borges going over before seeing his effort ruled out after referral to the TMO.

Five minutes later, Scotland were back in the driving seat as Dan Parks made a great interception in his own half and ran 40 metres before running out of steam.

But he had the presence of mind to offload to Morrison who rushed through between the posts.

Man-of-the-match Paterson converted and gave the Scottish tourists a 24-7 lead.

Pumas winger Horacio Agulla touched down in the last minute for a consolation try and Todeschini hit the extras but it was all a little too late at that stage.

That score, however, prevented Scotland reaching the 15-point margin they needed to get an improved IRB ranking.

Man of the match:  Scotland were led superbly by scrum-half Mike Blair, while full-back Hugo Southwell's kicking from hand was impeccable.  The centre pair of Graeme Morrison and Ben Cairns, who in his second ever appearance at Test level looked assured, kept the opposition guessing.  Phil Godman's passing brought a new dimension to the Scotland back-line and really stood out in the number ten jersey before being replaced by Dan Parks.  Up front, Allan Jacobsen served up another display containing his trademark dogged determination while Matt Mustchin's know-how and ability to keep the ball alive helped Scotland move forward.  But it was Chris Paterson, selected to play on the wing this time out, who produced another flawless goal-kicking performance that ultimately proved the difference between the two sides and that gave Scotland their first win against Argentina since November 1990.

Moment of the match:  While it's fair to say that Graeme Morrison's swan dive under the posts sealed the deal for the Scots, there was a moment before kick-off that showed more passion and emotion than any try celebrated by either team.  The Fernandez Lobbe brothers were extremely emotional before kick-off, with Juan -- playing for the last time with his brother Ignacio -- crying for more than a minute after the anthems as he hugged his elder brother while the rest of his team lined up for the kick-off.  Who said big boys don't cry?

Villain of the match:  Two guilty parties on this occasion.  Argentinian captain Felipe Contepomi and Scotland prop Euan Murray.  Contepomi lost the plot as he fought with Scotland's tighthead yards from play.  The prop emerged from the scuffle with a badly bruised cheek and, after one exchange too many between the pair, the ref showed both the yellow card.

The scorers:

For Argentina:
Tries:  I Fernandez Lobbe, Agulla
Cons:  Todeschin 2

For Scotland:
Tries:  Ford, Morrison

Cons:  Paterson 2
Pens:  Paterson 4

Yellow cards:  Contepomi, punching (Argentina, 54 min);  Murray, punching (Scotland, 54 min).

The teams:

Argentina:  15 Bernardo Stortoni, 14 Lucas Borges, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Felipe Contepomi (c), 11 Horacio Agulla, 10 Federico Todeschini, 9 Nicolas Vergallo, 8 Manuel Leguizamon, 7 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Martin Durand, 5 Esteban Lozada, 4 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 3 Santiago Gonzalez Bonorino, 2 Alvaro Tejeda, 1 Marcos Ayerza,
Replacements:  16 Pablo Gambarini, 17 Juan Gomez, 18 James Stuart, 19 Alvaro Galindo, 20 Alfredo Lalanne, 21 Federico Aramburu, 22 Federico Serra.

Scotland:  15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Chris Paterson, 13 Ben Cairns, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Simon Webster, 10 Phil Godman, 9 Mike Blair (c), 8 Allister Hogg, 7 John Barclay, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Scott MacLeod, 4 Matt Mustchin, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements:  16 Dougie Hall, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Alastair Kellock, 19 Kelly Brown, 20 Rory Lawson, 21 Dan Parks, 22 Nick De Luca.

Referee:  Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Touch judges:  Alan Lewis (Ireland), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
Television match official:  Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
Assessor:  Dennis Immelman (South Africa)

Wales fall short in Pretoria

South Africa secured a two-nil series victory over a spirited Wales thanks to a 37-21 victory in Pretoria on Saturday.

A vastly improved Wales side twice led but were unable to capitalise on either position and ultimately paid the price for their lack of composure.

They will however take great heart from their performance but will be left to rue a slow opening quarter, after which they found themselves trailing 14-3.

The alarm bells would have been ringing when South Africa crossed for their second try in the opening twenty minutes.

At that stage images of cricket scores began to flash through the mind, but it was not to be.  Wales snapped out of their lull and took the game to their hosts, and to some effect too.

Having been bullied at the breakdown in the first Test, Wales had a point to prove, and they did just that by taking the game to their hosts in a controlled and physical manner.

The breakdown, South Africa's by right last week, was evenly contested, and Jonathan Thomas had a sterling game at openside flanker, allowing his team cleaner ball to attack with.

But for an early penalty from Stephen Jones, Wales struggled to contain their hosts in the opening twenty minutes, seemingly just hanging on.

It didn't take the Springboks long to cross for their first try, a five-metre driving maul was grinding to a halt inches short of the line when Jean de Villiers pounced to set South Africa on their way.

A second try after just 18 minutes, scored by Ricky Januarie but created by Victor Matfield's deft handling, and Wales were looking tired and facing the prospect of another hammering, yet they managed to muster a rousing effort to haul themselves back into the game.

They hit back almost immediately, a clever line-out move freeing Gareth Cooper down the flank, who stepped inside a despairing Tonderai Chavanga to restore Welsh belief.

With Jones adding the extras Wales were back in the game, and what's more they took the lead after half an hour, thanks to Shane Williams's stunning solo-try.

A loose ball was gathered on the half way line before Williams skipped past John Smit and set off for the line.  With space running out and four defenders covering, the game seemed up.

That was before some scintillating footwork turned the defenders inside-out and afforded Williams the half of yard of space he needed to waltz over in the corner.

Sadly for Wales they were unable to build on their lead, and a late Butch James penalty ensured South Africa went into the break with their noses in front.

The break did Wales the world of good, as they came out with an intensity not seen thus far on their tour and again they managed to take the lead.

Two penalties from Jones trumping James's single effort at goal.  A one-point lead and Wales were twenty minutes from creating history.

That was until their poor discipline cost them dear, James kicking his side back into the lead before a series of quick tap penalties lead to De Villiers' second try, and at that stage Wales were high and dry.  They did have a chance to narrow the gap but Jones pushed his effort wide, and with that Wales knew the game was up.

To make matters worse Bismarck du Plessis crossed for a try as the hooter sounded, adding salt to the Welsh wounds and giving the final score a slightly skew look.

That said, one thing is for certain, their performance here will have defiantly earned them the respect they came here hunting.

They were much improved from the first Test and proved that they can compete with the world's best.  It leaves one thinking how different it will be in November when Wales have a full squad and home advantage.

But, again, Peter de Villiers's side showed their class and clear potential to develop into one of the great Springbok teams.

Whilst Wales leave without a win on tour they do so safe in the knowledge that, in at least one of the Tests, they gave the Springboks a good run for their money.

No games won but plenty of respect earned for the manner in which they rose to the challenge here in Pretoria.

Man of the Match:  Hats off to Wales for bouncing back in fine fashion.  Jamie Roberts was solid at inside centre, Gareth Cooper had a much better game at nine and the pack competed in every facet of the game.  For South Africa, Victor Matfield was hugely impressive, as was Juan Smith.  But we are going with Jean de Villiers, not just for his two scores but for an outstanding display of rugby both in attack and defence.  Always looking to create something, he was a constant thorn in the Welsh side.

Moment of the Match:  Call us old romantics but it has to be Shane Williams's try.  The Boks were reminded of his danger last week when he raced over, and again he produced a stunning solo effort.  Gathering the ball on half way he skipped past the despairing clutches of John Smit before turning four defenders inside-out to race over in the corner.  A magical score.

Villain of the Match:  Whilst it was physical, both teams were focused on playing rugby, and a fine job they did too.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Tries:  De Villiers 2, Januarie, Du Plessis
Cons:  James 4
Pens:  James 3

For Wales:

Tries:  Cooper, S.Williams
Con:  S.Jones
Pens:  S.Jones 3

The teams:

South Africa:  15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Tonderai Chavanga, 13 Adrian Jacobs, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Luke Watson, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 BJ Botha, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements:  16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Gurthrö Steenkamp, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Bolla Conradie, 21 Francois Steyn, 22 Percy Montgomery.

Wales:  15 James Hook, 14 Mark Jones, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Gareth Cooper, 8 Gareth Delve, 7 Jonathan Thomas, 6 Ryan Jones (c), 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Rhys Thomas, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 T Rhys Thomas, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Ian Evans, 19 Dafydd Jones, 20 Warren Fury, 21 Andrew Bishop, 22 Tom James.

Referee:  Lyndon Bray (New Zealand)
Touch judges:  Dave Pearson (England), Stuart Terheege (England)
Television match official:  Geoff Warren (England)
Assessor:  Patrick Robin (France)

Wallabies hold out brave Irish

Robbie Deans got his tenure as Australia coach off to a winning start with a hard-fought 18-12 win over a determined Ireland outfit in Melbourne on Saturday.

But the Kiwi import would have had mixed feelings about his adopted team's performance.

The Wallabies kept mistakes to a minimum but understandably looked rusty in their first Test of the 2008 season which, judging by this performance, looks generally promising.

Deans will have noted areas for improvement, but Australia fans can be satisfied with a complete team performance that saw crisp passing, attacking flair and solid defence that kept the Irish playing catch-up for most of the match.

Even though the visitors boasted the majority of possession, it was the hosts that did more with ball in hand and made the most of their opportunities -- especially in the first half with two well-taken tries taking the score to 15-7 at half-time.

Ireland, on the end of a very long campaign, showed their commitment but struggled to penetrate their attacking prowess into points and at times were left wanting in defence at crucial tackle points -- particularly out wide.

The communication factor in the first half was also missing in the Irish backs leading to unnecessary pressure from the Wallabies who pounced on every error made.

Misguided passes also didn't help matters with skipper Brian O'Driscoll the main culprit when he uncharacteristically made a hash of two try-scoring opportunities in both halves.

However, it was in the second half that things certainly started to turn around for Ireland when veteran half-back Peter Stringer was replaced by Eoin Reddan who immediately injected more rhythm and structure into the visitors play.

A superb try by O'Driscoll in the 63rd minute against the run of play gave Ireland a shot at winning their first Test on Australia soil since 1979, but the luck of the Irish went the Wallabies' way, and -- not for the first time -- the men from the Emerald Isle will be left pondering what could have been.

Berrick Barnes got the ball rolling for Australia with barely six minutes up on the stadium clock after showing excellent support play following a Jonah Lomu-like run from winger Lote Tuqiri who tore down the right-hand touchline.

Tuqiri took a delayed pass from George Smith, beat one defender with pace, then used Irish full-back Robert Kearney as a speed bump before offloading to Barnes a metre out when he was finally brought to the ground.

Matt Giteau's conversion attempt shaved the post, but the Wallabies were nevertheless up and running with an early 5-0 lead.

It was the start of a rousing first half from Tuqiri in both attack and defence, yet it was Ireland who scored next through flanker Denis Leamy in the 15th minute following a line-out win and drive just five metres out from the Wallabies tryline.

Ronan O'Gara's successful conversion nudged Ireland ahead 7-5, but the Wallabies were quick to restore their lead following some fancy Lord of the Dance footwork from Giteau that would have left Michael Flatley proud.

The stepping Wallaby fly-half fooled two defenders before finding big lock James Horwill, who crashed over from close range for his first Test try.

Giteau slotted the simple conversion to leave the Wallabies up 12-7 after 21 minutes and then nailed a 40-metre penalty goal five minutes later to leave the home side comfortably placed at the interval.

Another Giteau penalty four minutes into the second half extended Australia's lead to 11 points, but it would be the last time Australia would come close to scoring.

O'Driscoll made up for a botched pass -- that would have put Kearney over untouched following a tremendous cross-kick intercept from the Irish centre -- with a try 15 minutes from full-time.

Winger Tommy Bowe counter-attacked a move sparked by Denis Leamy down the touchline following some deft skill from that man Kearney who was by far the pick of the Irish backs.

Bowe didn't have enough gas in his tank, however, but did well to find his skipper on his inside who stretched over to set up a tense final quarter of an hour.

O'Gara couldn't land the conversion, leaving the visitors trailing by six.

But the Wallabies hung on after being forced to tackle for more than a dozen phases to deny Ireland at the death.

Man of the match:  Rookie scrum-half Luke Burgess was sound if unspectacular in his eagerly awaited first Test, while debutant winger Peter Hynes looked genuinely dangerous whenever he had room to showcase his blistering pace.  Matt Giteau was his usual classy and livewire self -- as well as reliable as Australia's new first-choice goal-kicker -- even if his combinations with Burgess inside and Berrick Barnes outside him are still works in progress.  And Lote Tuqiri played with energy and confidence, particularly in the first half, while the Wallabies pack did the job in nullifying their physical Irish counterparts.  However it's not often that we give the nod to a player on the losing team, but Robert Kearney played his green heart out with an inspirational performance that was missing in the Ireland's World Cup campaign last year.  Kearney made absolute carnage of the Wallaby backs every time he got the ball and was once again safe under the high ball and on defence.

Moment of the match:  The Wallabies' two tries in the first half proved to be the clincher for the hosts.  But the man they call BOD turned the game on its head with his second half try that gave Ireland and all their supporters a glimmer of hope in causing an upset.

Villain of the match:  This is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen is it not?

The scorers:

For Australia:

Tries:  Barnes, Horwill
Cons:  Giteau
Pens:  Giteau 3

For Ireland:
Tries:  Leamy, O'Driscoll
Con:  O'Gara

Australia:  15 Cameron Shepherd, 14 Peter Hynes, 13 Stirling Mortlock (c), 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 James Horwill, 3 Matt Dunning, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements:  16 Adam Freier, 17 Al Baxter, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 Phil Waugh, 20 Sam Cordingley, 21 Ryan Cross, 22 Adam Ashley-Cooper.

Ireland:  15 Robert Kearney, 14 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c), 12 Paddy Wallace, 11 Tommy Bowe, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Peter Stringer, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Shane Jennings, 6 Denis Leamy, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Rory Best, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements:  16 Jerry Flannery, 17 Tony Buckley, 18 Mick O'Driscoll, 19 Stephen Ferris, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Geordan Murphy, 22 Girvan Dempsey.

Referee:  Christophe Berdos (France)

Touch judges:  Chris White (England), Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Television match official:  Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)
Assessor:  Andrew Cole (Australia)

All Blacks eclipse England

New Zealand disarmed their critics by stifling a bright start by England to record a controlled 37-20 victory at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday, running four tries past the disjointed tourists.

Knifes were sharpened across New Zealand following last week's lacklustre win over Ireland, but Graham Henry's troops managed to shake off the World Cup albatross with a display of unified mettle against the outclassed English.

But that's not to say the All Blacks are back to their best.

England, virtual orphans following the cruel dismissal of Brian Ashton, asked all the right questions in the opening exchanges, and two opportunist tries from debutant wing Topsy Ojo at the end of each half gave the final score a measure of respectability.

But belief fled from English hearts as soon as Conrad Smith crossed for the opening try of the game, and New Zealand wasted no time in applying the killer blows.

England now face an uncomfortable week ahead of the second Test, and questions of their temperament and leadership will abound.  So let's kick off proceedings right here.

What sense is there of sending a team to New Zealand under the tutelage of a part-time coach?

Why pull Charlie Hodgson off the field for one missed tackle?  Is he not a performer who feeds of the sort of confidence that only coaches can instil?

Why replace James Haskell just at the moment when he is finding his feet?

Why leave Mathew Tait on the bench when the game has broken up and the field is firm and dry?

Admittedly, Hodgson had a game to forget -- the Test-phobic fly-half was targeted by New Zealand and fell like a sack of spuds -- but it was obvious he had been sent in to the fray, not for the first time, without a coherent gameplan.

But none of this should distract from a fine -- albeit bitty -- response from the All Blacks following months of internal strife.

Their forwards -- line-out apart -- stood up to the stiff challenge England offered, and their backline simply ran rings around the opposition.

Mils Muliaina and Sitiveni Sivivatu followed Smith over for tries, and Dan Carter -- the chief architect of England's destruction -- added a fourth to finish with a personal haul of 22 points.

But England started with mean determination, chasing the kick-off hard and stripping the ball from All Blacks lock Ali Williams before launching a powerful drive for the line.

Richie McCaw came flying in from the side to concede the penalty but Olly Barkley, handed the kicking duties ahead of Hodgson, pushed his effort wide.

The All Blacks were targeting England's lightweight back three, with Mike Brown and David Strettle both taken out by big hits in the opening minutes.

But England were not rattled.  Hodgson and then Barkley pushed New Zealand back into their own half with astute clearances and when Greg Somerville was penalised for not rolling away Barkley slotted the kick to put England ahead.

England's forwards were enjoying great success in the loose, with Haskell and Luck Narraway combining to win another turnover.

Richie McCaw pounced to tie up Haskell at the back of a scrum and Carter tied the scores with his first penalty shot.

But England were forcing mistakes from the All Blacks.

Hooker Andrew Hore fumbled inside his own 22 and New Zealand needed some desperate last-ditch defence from Jerome Kaino to halt Strettle dart for the corner.

McCaw was stripped of possession in the tackle and then received a warning from referee Nigel Owens after New Zealand were penalised again for not rolling away.

Barkley was gifted another simple shot at goal to push England ahead -- but again it last only minutes.

Tom Palmer and Lee Mears failed to gather the restart cleanly and the All Blacks pounced, with Carter dabbing a neat grubber kick which Smith collected to score his seventh Test try.

Almost immediately, the swagger returned to New Zealand's game and England's hopes of matching the heroics of 1973 and 2002 suffered a hammer blow.

New Zealand scored 20 points in the space of 11 minutes to charge into a commanding lead just past the half hour.

The All Blacks signalled their intentions with razor-sharp attacks from Mils Muliaina and Smith before Carter converted a long-range penalty.

Sivivatu then shredded England's defence and supplied the offload for Carter to score next to the posts.

And to make matters worse, England then had Andy Sheridan sin-binned.  The prop was then sent to cool off for 10 minutes after referee Owens lost patience with England at the breakdown and Carter landed the penalty to open a 23-6 lead.

Barkley then saw a long-range effort of his own drop below the crossbar and England were on the back foot again as Carter looked to prise open their defence again.

But this time Ojo, who had endured a forgettable debut, intercepted the offload and sprinted 80 metres to score in the corner.

Barkley slotted the conversion to drag England back within 10 points at the interval but they still had a mountain to climb.

Within seven minutes of the restart New Zealand were out of sight.  First Ma'a Nonu, the explosive inside centre, swatted away Hodgson's weak tackle to send Muliaina over for the All Blacks' third try.

New Zealand were swarming onto any mistake and when Narraway failed to hold onto possession, they pounced with characteristic ruthlessness.

Carter and Nonu combined to feed Sivivatu who skipped past a stranded Strettle to score the fourth try as England began to lose shape and composure.

Hodgson was replaced after just 50 minutes with Jamie Noon introduced to try to steel up the midfield and Barkley switched to fly-half.

Barkley had his first kick charged down but received a let-off when replacement hooker Keven Mealamu knocked the ball on as he tried to scoop it up.

With half an hour remaining, Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care replaced Wigglesworth to make his Test debut and Joe Worsley took over from Haskell in the back row.

Carter thought he had broken clear for a fifth try but referee Nigel Owens called play back for a knock-on.

But England managed to keep New Zealand honest for the final quarter of the game and even finished with a flourish.  Care injected some spark into their attacking play and, despite having three kicks blocked, Barkley was adventurous with the ball in hand.

Tindall escaped onto a loose ball and sprinted clear but he too was called back when the touch-judge ruled the ball had brushed the line before it was scooped back into play.

The Gloucester centre was then sent to the sin-bin after he killed a dangerous move down the right, leaving England to finish the game with just 14 men.

But it was the visitors through Ojo, a frustrated passenger for most of the game, who struck the next blow.  He collecting a clever chip from Care to sprinted past Sione Lauaki and Sivivatu to score in the corner.

But it was too little too late, and New Zealand remain unbeaten at home since 2003.

Man of the match:  Topsy Ojo had a dream debut, Luke Narraway laid down a marker, and Tom Rees was almost a match for the peerless Richie McCaw.  For New Zealand, Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu formed a fine midfield partnership of brains and power.  Elsewhere, Jerome Kaino finally made good on his massive Test promise, Brad Thorn impressed in the tight, and Sitiveni Sivivatu came looking for work all over the park.  But the show was stolen by a near faultless display by Dan Carter -- 'tis no wonder AB bosses have gone to such lengths to accommodate their golden child's every whim.

Moment of the match:  Four well-worked tries from the All Blacks, but we'll opt for their response from the restart after England took a 6-3 lead.  It was a game-breaking siege founded on sheer unity of purpose.

Villian of the match:  Two yellow cards for England, but nothing too untoward from either side.  If anyone deserves this hideous gong it is the suits at the RFU for allowing England to travel to the world's toughest testing ground with no coach.  Confidence -- perhaps the one major element that England currently lack -- is not born from such slapdash decision-making.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Smith, Carter, Muliaina, Sivivatu
Cons:  Carter 4

Pens:  Carter 3

For England:
Tries:  Ojo 2
Cons:  Barkley 2
Pens:  Barkley 2

Yellow cards:  Sheridan (England) -- not rolling away, 32;  Tindall (England) -- killing the ball, 76.

The teams:

New Zealand:  15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Anthony Tuitavake, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Jerome Kaino, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Rodney So'oialo, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Neemia Tialata.
Replacements:  16 Keven Mealamu, 17, John Schwalger, 18 Anthony Boric, 19 Sione Lauaki, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Stephen Donald, 22 Leon MacDonald.

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Topsy Ojo, 13 Mike Tindall, 12 Olly Barkley, 11 David Strettle, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Luke Narraway, 7 Tom Rees, 6 James Haskell, 5 Steve Borthwick (c), 4 Tom Palmer, 3 Matt Stevens, 2 Lee Mears, 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements:  16 David Paice, 17 Tim Payne, 18 Ben Kay, 19 Joe Worsley, 20 Danny Care, 21 Jamie Noon, 22 Mathew Tait.

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Touch judges:  Stuart Dickinson (Australia), Paul Marks (Australia)
Television match official:  George Ayoub (Australia)
Assessor:  Stuart Beissel (New Zealand)

Australia A savage Japan

Australia A recorded an emphatic 42-21 win over Japan in Fukuoka on Sunday to join New Zealand Maori and Fiji as winners in the opening round of this year's IRB Pacific Nations Cup.

The Australians ran in six tries, including a brace to Brumbies lock Peter Kimlin, to overwhelm a gallant Japanese outfit and claim a bonus point in front of 7,493 fans.

Japan found themselves 25-3 down at the break, despite taking the lead courtesy of a drop goal by James Arlidge in the sixth minute.

Tries from captain Morgan Turinui, Mark Gerrard, Peter Kimlin and Van Humphries, all converted by Gerrard, gave the visitors a commanding lead at the break.

The second half began in the same fashion as the first, with Arlidge kicking a penalty for Japan before Australia A extended their lead through Sam Norton-Knight's try.

After Arlidge had added another penalty, Australia then lost two players to the sin bin -- Guy Shepherdson and Julian Salvi -- and Japan made the most of their extra numbers.

Tomoaki Taniguchi made full use of his 125kg to power over for two tries, the second coming following a great offload from Hare Makiri.

But any hopes Japan had of pulling off a remarkable victory were dashed when Kimlin crossed for his second try in the 70th minute.

"In one-on-one situations, we let the opposition come through our defence," said Japan captain Takuro Miuchi.

"We need to rectify our set plays and give more ball to our backs."

The scorers:

For Japan:
Tries:  Taniguchi 2
Cons:  Arlidge
Pens:  Arlidge 3

For Australia A:
Tries:  Kimlin 2, Humphries, Turinui, Gerrard, Norton-Knight
Cons:  Gerrard 6

The teams:

Japan:  15 Shaun Webb, 14 Kosuke Endo, 13 Yuta Imarua, 12 Ryan Nicholas, 11 Hirotoki Onozawa, 10 James Arlidge, 9 Fumiaki Tanaka, 8 Takuro Miuchi, 7 Hare Makiri, 6 Ryu Koliniaisi Holani, 5 Toshizuma Kitagawa, 4 Hitoshi Ono, 3 Tomokazu Soma, 2 Yusuke Aoki, 1 Tatsukichi Nishiura.
Replacements:  16 Taku Inokuchi, 17 Yuta Inose, 18 Tomoaki Taniguchi, 19 Takashi Kikutani, 20 Tomoki Yoshida, 21 Bryce Robins, 22 Christian Loamanu

Australia A:  15 Mark Gerrard, 14 Matt Carraro, 13 Morgan Turinui (c), 12 Timana Tahu, 11 Francis Fainifo, 10 Ben Lucas, 9 Josh Holmes, 8 Julian Salvi, 7 Matt Hodgson, 6 Mitch Chapman, 5 Peter Kimlin, 4 Van Humphries, 3 Guy Shepherdson, 2 Sean Hardman, 1 Pek Cowan.
Replacements:  16 Tai McIsaac, 17 Salesi Ma'afu, 18 Al Campbell, 19 Poutasi Luafutu, 20 Patrick Phibbs, 21 Tyrone Smith, 22 Sam Norton-Knight.

Referee:  Willie Roos (South Africa)

New Zealand Maori out-slug Tonga

New Zealand Maori got their Pacific Nations Cup campaign off to a winning start with a 20-9 win over Tonga at Albany Stadium on Saturday.

In a game characterised by heavy tackles and penalty kicks the New Zealanders managed to get the better of their visitors as both teams threw all the weight they possessed at each other.

Fly-half Callum Bruce missed two easy penalty kicks in the first 15 minutes, keeping the Tongans in the game.  Bruce did however open the scores after 25 minutes.

The lead wasn't to last however, as Togan first fly-half Fangatapu Apikotoa drew the scores level with a penalty of his own.

The bash and crash play continued until half-time when the teams headed for the changing rooms all square.

It took all of ten minutes of the second half for the Maori to score the first try of their campaign when inside centre Tamati Ellison dotted down with Bruce adding the extra two.

Tongan full-back Sione Mone Tu'ipolotu was yellow-cared in the process of the try for some blatant illegal play right under the referee's nose.

Apikotoa was quick to reply though on the other side of the field, steering another penalty through the uprights to make the score 10-6.

Bruce then took the opportunity to again stretch the lead after he kicked another three-pointer in the 54th minute.

Some ridiculous illegal play in a ruck right inside the Maori 22 then allowed Apikotoa to add another three valuable points through a penalty and take the score to 13-9.

Another yellow card was handed to Tongan centre Epi Taione after he was caught tackling Thomas Waldrom around the head -- an act for which he was subsequently cited.

The try of the match was then scored in the 72nd minute by halfback Piri Weepu after he received an offload from wing Hosea Gear who had busted tackles all the way down the touchline.

Bruce added the two extra points to shut the game down and hand the locals a 20-9 win.

The Scorers:

For NZ Maori:
Tries:  Ellison, Weepu
Cons:  Bruce 2
Pens:  Bruce 2

For Tonga:
Pens:  Apikotoa 3

Fijians off to a flyer

Fiji beat Samoa 34-17 in the opening match of the Pacific Nations Cup in Lautoka on Saturday, with debutant wing Timoci Nagusa scoring two tries.

Fiji ran in five tries in all, with the others going to veteran scrum-half Mosese Rauluni and to two cousins, full-back Taniela Rawaqa and lock Ifereimi Rawaqa.  Taniela Rawaqa added a penalty and three conversions.

Fiji led 12-0 at half-time, but Samoa rallied in the second half with tries for Henry Fa'afili, David Lemi and Semo Sititi keeping them in the game until late on.

The scorers:

For Fiji:
Tries:  Nagusa 2, Taniela Rawaqa, Irefreimi Rawaqa, Rauluni
Cons:  Taniela Rawaqa 3
Pen:  Taniela Rawaqa

For Samoa:
Tries:  Fa'afili, Lemi, Sititi
Con:  Warren

Fiji:  15 Taniela Rawaqa, 14 Timoci Nagusa, 13 Sireli Naqelevuki, 12 Kameli Ratuvou, 11 Vilimoni Delasau, 10 Waisea Luveniyali, 9 Mosese Rauluni, 8 Netani Talei, 7 Aca Ratuva, 6 Semisi Naevo, 5 Kele Leawere, 4 Ifereimi Rawaqa, 3 Jone Railomo, 2 Sunia Koto, 1 Graham Dewes.
Replacements:  16 Vereniki Sauturaga, 17 Viliame Seuseu, 18 Wame Lewaravu, 19 Akapusi Qera, 20 Aporosa Vata, 21 Jonetani Ralulu, 22 Marika Vakacegu.

Samoa:  15 Esera Lauina, 14 David Lemi, 13 Paletuatoa Toelupe, 12 Samasoni Moala, 11 Henry Faafili, 10 Roger Warren, 9 Notise Tauafao, 8 George Stowers, 7 Bell Sasulu, 6 Raymond Stowers, 5 Chad Slade, 4 Filipo Levi, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Evile Telea.
Replacements:  16 Mullufi Salanoa, 17 Heroshi Tea, 18 Semo Sititi, 19 Jonathan Faamatuainu, 20 Eliota Fuimaono Sapolu, 21 Gasolo Salima, 22 Neli Sasulu.

Referee:  Keith Brown (NZRU)

Pumas squeeze past Scotland

Argentina kept their lengthy unbeaten run against Scotland intact with a 21-15 win in Rosario on Saturday.

Fly-half Federico Todeschini kicked the winning points with a penalty five minutes from the end in a typically robust and tight encounter in Argentina's north, and Gonzalo Tiesi's late try made the game safe for the hosts.

Chris Paterson, starting at full-back, scored all Scotland's points at the Gigante de Arroyito stadium in Rosario to go four clear of Gavin Hastings as his country's all-time record holder.

By playing, he also equalled Scott Murray's record of 87 caps -- but his efforts were not enough to subdue a Pumas side playing their first international since finishing third at the World Cup.

The scorers:

For Argentina:
Tries:  Tejada, Tiesi
Con:  Todeschini
Pens:  Todeschini 3

For Scotland:
Pens:  Paterson 5

Argentina:  15 Bernardo Stortoni, 14 José María Núñez Piossek, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Felipe Contepomi (c), 11 Tomás De Vedia, 10 Federico Todeschini, 9 Nicolás Vergallo, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 7 Juan Fernández Lobbe, 6 Martín Durand, 5 Esteban Lozada, 4 Ignacio Fernández Lobbe, 3 Santiago González Bonorino, 2 Álvaro Tejeda, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements:  16 Pablo Gambarini, 17 Juan Gómez, 18 James Stuart, 19 Alejandro Campos, 20 Alfredo Lalanne, 21 Santiago Fernández, 22 Hernán Senillosa.

Scotland:  15 Chris Paterson, 14 Simon Danielli, 13 Ben Cairns, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Thom Evans, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Mike Blair (c),

8 Allister Hogg, 7 Johnnie Beattie, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Scott MacLeod, 4 Matt Mustchin, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements:  16 Dougie Hall, 17 Allister Dickinson, 18 Alastair Kellock, 19 Kelly Brown, 20 Rory Lawson, 21 Phil Godman, 22 Simon Webster.

Referee:  Alan Lewis (Ireland)
Touch judges:  Alain Rolland (Ireland), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
TMO:  Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

South Africa make light work of Wales

South Africa kept their perfect home record against Wales intact on Saturday, beating a valiant Welsh outfit 43-17 in Bloemfontein.

Under crystal clear skies and a warming sun, South Africa, in their first game under Peter de Villiers, went about their business in an impressive and professional manner.  Despite suffering in the scrum the Springboks, guided by an astute display from Butch James, played a well-constructed game of rugby.

James' boot did the damage as he kicked five first-half penalties and ensured Wales were never really in with a chance of breaking their duck in South Africa.  That is not to say Wales were not value for money, far from it, but ultimately they were lacking in firepower.  There was no hiding the fact that Wales missed those at home injured as well as a recognised openside.

Leading into the game, Ryan Jones constantly reminded us that South Africa is the toughest place in the world to play Test rugby, and he wasn't far from the truth.  South Africa grew in confidence as the game developed and by the time Percy Montgomery rounded things off, Peter de Villiers could be seen with a smile stretched across his face that summed up the feeling of his team perfectly.

There has been, in recent weeks, a growing concern that De Villiers would not produce a team capable of developing from where Jake White left them after the World Cup.  That fear was compounded further when he announced his team on Thursday -- several surprise selections and those in the know were starting to question his sanity and coaching ability.  All that will be forgotten now as his charges proved they are just as good as the class of 2007.

Not to say there are areas that won't need fine tuning but on the whole this was a performance from a team who are only going to get better.  The main concern will be the scrum -- a facet of the game South Africa are not used to struggling in -- and with the Tri-Nations not far off De Villiers will need to look at other options.  Brian Mujati was exposed at tighthead and may find he pays the price when the side for next week's Test is announced.

Neither side started particularly well -- there were plenty of early nerves and errors to boot -- but Wales shot themselves in the foot by gifting their hosts an early head start.  Butch James proved he is a more than capable goal kicker -- he ended the day with an unblemished scorecard -- and had the Springboks into a six-point lead before Wales had even entertained the idea of scoring themselves.

Stephen Jones did reply with three points of his own but Wales were struggling to assert themselves with ball in hand and continued to give away costly penalties.  James continued kicking the points and after twenty minutes South Africa were starting to play some enterprising rugby.  Wales' defence was, at times, impressive but there was little they could do to prevent Conrad Jantjes scoring the game's opening try.

The score came from a stolen line-out, for which Andries Bekker was responsible, and highlighted South Africa's ability to play fast, attacking rugby.  When Luke Watson surged through the middle of a ruck, Wales were on the ropes.  Quick ball ensured they were unable to recover and slick interplay between Jantjes and Adi Jacobs left Shane Williams chasing shadows and Wales staring down the barrel.

If anything, the score lifted Wales, who were slowly starting to find their feet and cause the Springboks a few problems of their own.  Having seen one overlap wasted when Dafydd Jones was hammered so hard he lost the ball forward Wales were not about to let another chance pass them by.  It came as no surprise that Shane Williams sparked the move with a typical dazzling run before the ball was moved wide to Sonny Parker who ran hard and straight before sending Jamie Roberts in for his first try in Test rugby.

Sadly for Wales their only other score, a fine try from Williams, was nothing more than a consolation.  For try as they did to get a foot hold in the game they didn't quite have that extra gear to do so.  Be it a long domestic season, altitude or a lack of senior players Wales simply couldn't unlock the Springbok defence on a regular enough basis to stand a chance of staging a fightback.

Instead South Africa exerted their collective muscle and simply overpowered Wales.  The try that sealed the game came early in the second half.  Wales were still in the hunt at 22-10 but when Jean de Villiers went over it was game, set, and match to the Springboks.  Two further tries came for Pierre Spies and Percy Montgomery to give the final scoreline a healthy look and South Africa can now look forward to the second Test in Pretoria next Saturday.

Wales will take the positives from this and move on, but in doing so they must also realise you simply can't afford to give away so many kickable penalties in Test rugby.  Williams' try was a touch of class and he made Bryan Habana look like a slouch in the process of scoring, but Wales can ill afford to rely on one man to do their damage.  So after the Grand Slam euphoria it is very much a case of back down to earth for Wales, the true test of their ability will come next week when they look to hit back.

Man of the Match:  Alun Wyn-Jones impressed once again, showing just why he is so highly rated as a player and a leader.  Ryan Jones was industrious and carried with intent but was always up against it.  Adi Jacobs' performance will silence those critics who felt he should not have started, Andries Bekker shone on debut and Luke Watson was a constant thorn in Wales' side.  Butch James takes the honours though for his total control of the game at fly-half.  He turned in a stellar display of goal-kicking and had an air of confidence in everything he did.

Moment of the Match:  Butch James' first penalty kick.  In a game that, after twenty minutes, was only ever going to end with a Springbok win it was the start of a long afternoon for Wales.

Villain of the Match:  Both sides were too busy playing rugby for there to be anything untoward.

The Scorers:

For South Africa:
Tries:  Jantjes, De Villiers, Spies, Montgomery
Cons:  James 4
Pens:  James 5

For Wales:
Tries:  Roberts, Williams
Cons:  S.Jones, Hook
Pens:  S.Jones

Yellow cards:  CJ van der Linde (South Africa -- 76th minute -- fighting), Richard Hibbard (Wales -- 76th minute -- fighting).

The Teams:

South Africa:  15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Tonderai Chavanga, 13 Adrian Jacobs, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Bolla Conradie, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Luke Watson, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Brian Mujati, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Gurthro Steenkamp.
Replacements:  16 CJ van der Linde, 17 Bismarck du Plessis, 18 Victor Matfield, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Peter Grant, 22 Percy Montgomery.

Wales:  15 Jamie Roberts, 14 Mark Jones, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 Sonny Parker, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Gareth Cooper, 8 Ryan Jones (c), 7 Dafydd Jones, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Duncan Jones, 17 Richard Hibbard, 18 Ian Evans, 19 Gareth Delve, 20 Warren Fury, 21 James Hook, 22 Morgan Stoddart.

Referee:  Dave Pearson (England)
Touch judges:  Lyndon Bray (New Zealand), Stuart Terheege (England)
Television match official:  Geoff Warren (England)
Assessor:  Patrick Robin (France)

New All Black era starts with a win

New Zealand took the first of their June Tests with an ultimately comfortable 21-11 win over Ireland on Saturday, in appalling conditions in Wellington.

With the wind backing the Irish in the first half, the visitors kept New Zealand tied to 8-8 at half-time, but the pressure exerted by the New Zealand forwards told in the third quarter, and a try from Ma'a Nonu 15 minutes from the end sealed the win.

Considering the conditions, it was an excellent match.  Ireland played clever with the boot and using the strong nor'wester in the first half, making light of the obliteration of their front row in the scrums.  New Zealand stuck to wet weather rugby in the pouring rain, making significant inroads into Ireland's vaunted forward defence.  In the second half, Ireland kept their kicks low and kept the All Blacks pinned in their own 22, while New Zealand looked to use the wind to do the same, and prey on wet weather mistakes to launch a platform.  Good old rules, good old tactical intrigue, good old tension.  Yah boo sucks to the ELVs.

Ireland have got themselves back on track a little here.  There was a real intelligence and focus to their play, even if the choice of tactic was restrictive to the game itself.  Everybody knew who was doing what at each phase of the game, be the ball behind, in front, or in opposition hands.  Only in the second half did it unravel, with the line-out going astray too often and presenting the All Blacks with the necessary field position.  In the third quarter of the match, four successive line-outs were pinched by the All Blacks, and the frustration caused Marcus Horan to land a punch on Neemia Tialata, resulting in a penalty for Dan Carter that gave the All Blacks their winning position.  The line-out ills were duly cured when Rory Best came on for Jerry Flannery, but the damage was done.

New Zealand still have a few tweaks to make, but considering the large proportion of this squad was playing together in an All Black jersey for the first time and taking into account the wind and rain, it wasn't bad at all.  There were a few yips and moments of mis-communication -- receiving kicks and restarts were perpetually nervy moments -- but the collective forward effort was enough to send Ireland's scrum into convulsions at times, both at set-piece and breakdown.  We await dry weather to see what the backs can really do, but the vital signs -- both tries came outside -- are good.

The early game belonged to New Zealand, yet it took a while for them to gather the lead.  The All Blacks back row, led by the matgnificent Richie McCaw, turned over ball at the first two breakdowns, and they drove their first line-out to 2m out from the Irish line with a series of bruising mauls.  It could have been a mission-statement try, but instead, flat backs meant Eoin Reddan had time to intercept Andy Ellis' pass to Carter, and only a desperate ankle-tap from Mils Muliaina kept Reddan at bay.

A minute later, Carter, not for the first time in his career, dithered over a clearance kick and saw it charged down.  If the bounce of the ball had favoured Tommy Bowe, Ireland would have nicked a try-scoring lead.  They did get the lead a couple of minutes later, when a good old hand in a ruck gave O'Gara a good old kickable penalty.

New Zealand's first try came after a quarter of an hour, and it was brilliant.  They lost a line-out to the towering Paul O'Connell, but Andrew Hore turned the ball back over and the ball went out to Conrad Smith.  Smith sold a dummy, and then out-stripped Brian O'Driscoll with a wonderful turn of pace before slipping a pass for Sitiveni Sivivatu to slide in at the corner.  Smith was not everyone's choice for his position for this game, but he proved his doubters wrong, both at this moment and several others.

Four minutes later, Ireland were back in the lead.  One of those moments of mis-communication -- non-communication in this instance -- at the restart gave the Irish a 5m scrum.  Horan's backside was sticking so far up in the air during the four resets that you just yearned for an air rifle, but Chris White saw different and decided that the fifth collapse warranted an Irish free-kick.  Four mauls later, Reddan slipped it blind side for Paddy Wallace to score.  O'Gara's conversion miss meant it was 8-5.

The rot set into the Irish line-out on the half-hour.  From the second loss of their own throw, the All Blacks once again mauled with intent towards the line and were halted illegally.  Carter levelled the scores, and New Zealand might have stolen the lead had they made more of a charged-down O'Gara grubber.

The teams traded penalties in the opening five minutes of the second half, but there was no disguising the pressure on Ireland's scrum and line-out.  The Irish repelled attacks and territory with some grand kicking, but All Black patience was rewarded by a knock-on at a maul in Irish territory.  Horan aimed his punch -- he had already been spotted doing a little barrel-dance on an All Black chest earlier in the game -- and Carter gave his team the lead.  Horan and Flannery went off, but the damage was done.

Five minutes later, the game was well and truly up.  Carter made a scorching break, ably supported by Ali Williams, and John Schwalger marked his debut with a terrific scoring offload to Nonu, who was tackled five metres out but had enough surface water on the pitch to carry him home.  Carter converted, and then joined his team-mates in calmly closing out the win.

Man of the match:  Paul O'Connell was excellent for Ireland, despite his side's poor line-out.  Conrad Smith played well, Andy Ellis had a good command of play from scrum-half, and the All Black front row was excellent -- injury marred a particularly good debut for John Afoa.  But pulling his new team together was All Black skipper Richie McCaw who beat O'Connell to the gong by picking up the big man and flipping him over in one monstrous tackle.

Moment of the match:  It seemed innocuous, but the penalty from Dan Carter that gave his team a 14-11 lead was the moment when you realised that Irish luck would not be enough, even in the close game.  McCaw's tackle on O'Connell two minutes later underlined that fact.

Villain of the match:  Hang your head in shame Marcus Horan.  The only two moments of genuine nastiness in the game both came from the same fellow.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Sivivatu, Nonu
Con:  Carter
Pens:  Carter 3

For Ireland:
Try:  Paddy Wallace
Pens:  O'Gara 2

New Zealand:  15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Anthony Tuitavake, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Jerome Kaino, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Rodney So'oialo, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 John Afoa, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Neemia Tialata.
Replacements:  16 Keven Mealamu, 17 John Schwalger, 18 Anthony Boric, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Stephen Donald, 22 Leon MacDonald.

Ireland:  15 Robert Kearney, 14 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c), 12 Paddy Wallace, 11 Tommy Bowe, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Denis Leamy, 5 Donncha O'Callaghan, 4 Paul O'Connell, 3 John Hayes, 2 Jerry Flannery, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements:  16 Rory Best, 17 Tony Buckley, 18 Mick O'Driscoll, 19 Shane Jennings, 20 Peter Stringer, 21 Geordan Murphy, 22 Girvan Dempsey.

Referee:  Chris White (England)
Touch judges:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Matt Goddard (Australia)
Television match official:  Christophe Berdos (France)
Assessor:  Stuart Beissel (New Zealand)

England limp home against Barbarians

England signed off for the summer tour of New Zealand with a shambolic performance against the Barbarians at Twickenham.

The home side narrowly won the game 17-14 with tries from Nick Easter and Mathew Tait but there were unanswered questions barely 24 hours before they jet off to Auckland.

Rob Andrew's Test squad will be strengthened by the return of players from Leicester, Wasps and Bath -- but he was still able to name 15 of the senior touring party in his match 22.

Man-of-the-match Seilala Mapusua, the London Irish centre, and former Wales captain Gareth Thomas scored for the Barbarians.

England captain Easter admitted his side had "a lot more work to do" ahead of the tour to New Zealand.

"We wanted to play an expansive game but it got a bit messy at the breakdown and it was very frustrating," Easter told Sky Sports 1.

"A win is a win but the breakdown is becoming key.  It's a real fight down there and neither side was clinical through the phases.

"The execution wasn't quite there, both sides only had a week to prepare so I suppose you could put it down to that.

"We have to do a lot more work."

Andrew however believed it was a worthwhile exercise for his players.

"In a way it was difficult, the Barbarians were very streetwise," he said.

"They came to stop us playing, very unlike the Barbarians of old.

"It was a pretty tough work-out for the players who have not played for three weeks.

"They needed it, it was more like a Premiership game in some respects."

The Scorers:

For England:
Tries: Easter, Tait
Cons: Flood, Brown
Pen: Flood

For Barbarians:
Tries: Mapusua, Thomas
Cons: Gomarsall, Jackson

Yellow Cards: Molitika -- Barbarians (29th minute), Thomas -- Barbarians (61st minute).

The Teams:

England: 15 Mike Brown (Harlequins), 14 Topsy Ojo (London Irish), 13 Mathew Tait (Newcastle), 12 Toby Flood (Newcastle), 11 David Strettle (Harlequins), 10 Charlie Hodgson (Sale Sharks), 9 Richard Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks), 8 Nick Easter (Harlequins, capt), 7 Will Skinner (Harlequins), 6 Luke Narraway (Gloucester), 5 Nick Kennedy (London Irish), 4 Chris Jones (Sale Sharks), 3 Jason Hobson (Bristol), 2 David Paice (London Irish), 1 Nick Lloyd (Saracens).
Replacements: 16 Dylan Hartley (Northampton), 17 David Wilson (Newcastle), 18 Stuart Hooper (Leeds Carnegie), 19 Tom Guest (Harlequins), 20 Danny Care (Harlequins), 21 Pete Richards (London Irish), 22 Ugo Monye (Harlequins).

Barbarians: 15 Thinus Delport, 14 Gareth Thomas, 13 Morgan Turinui, 12 Seilala Mapusua, 11 Iain Balshaw, 10 Stephen Larkham, 9 Andy Gomarsall, 8 Pedrie Wannenburg, 7 Maama Molitika, 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Justin Harrison, 4 Kris Chesney, 3 Cobus Visagie, 2 Mark Regan (capt), 1 Federico Pucciariello.
Replacements: 16 Sebastien Bruno, 17 Patrice Collazo, 18 Santiago Dellape, 19 David Croft, 20 Michael Claassens, 21 Glen Jackson, 22 Jaco Pretorius.

Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Touch judges: Alan Lewis (Ireland), Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Television match official: John Burtenshaw (England), Brendan Fitzgerald (England)

Ireland win big over Baa-baas

Ireland overcame the absence of captain Brian O'Driscoll to record an emphatic 39-14 warm-up victory ahead of their tour of New Zealand and Australia.

O'Driscoll returned to Dublin from Gloucester following the death of a close friend.

The Ireland squad head for Wellington on Friday night before facing the All Blacks on June 7 and Australia in Melbourne seven days later.

There is no news at this stage whether O'Driscoll will travel with his colleagues when they leave Heathrow.

Stand-in skipper Shane Horgan led by example, scoring two tries during an early onslaught that left the Barbarians gasping.

Coach Michael Bradley, in caretaker control until Munster's Heineken Cup-winning mastermind Declan Kidney takes charge after the tour, could not fail to have been impressed by his team's handling skills and support work.

Horgan's fellow wing Tommy Bowe also touched down during the initial blitz, and there was no way back for a Barbarians side high on intent, but lacking finesse.

Number eight Jamie Heaslip added Ireland's fourth and fifth tries, while fly-half Paddy Wallace kicked 14 points as the Barbarians were restricted to converted scores by flanker Craig Newby and number eight Pedrie Wannenburg.

Ireland, fielding 12 of their New Zealand-bound squad, made a blistering start by slicing open the Barbarians defence inside five minutes.

Bowe was the beneficiary, sprinting over on an angled run that underlined his quality as an outstanding finisher.

And he almost repeated the feat two minutes later, this time after Ireland attacked from deep inside their own half, but the Ospreys-bound wing spilled a difficult pass five metres out.

Wallace added a 10th minute penalty to his earlier conversion, and a Barbarians side including the likes of Stephen Larkham, Lesley Vainikolo and Michael Claassens found themselves under sustained early pressure.

There was no let-up from an Irish team committed to playing traditional Baa-baas open rugby, as two more converted tries in four minutes effectively ended the contest.

Horgan completed a slick move for the first, then he struck again after Claassens' pass was intercepted by Ireland full-back Rob Kearney, rounding off an 80-metre move.

Wallace booted both conversions to complete a breathless opening 24 minutes that left the Barbarians playing catch-up, and even when they claimed a consolation score just before the interval, it came at a cost.

Newby, who will join Guinness Premiership finalists Leicester from Otago later this summer, claimed an impressive touchdown that London Irish full-back Peter Hewat converted.

But Newby was injured in the process and had to be carried off and taken to hospital as Ireland closed out a 24-7 half-time lead.

Ireland saw scrum-half Isaac Boss sin-binned for obstruction within five minutes of the restart, but another Wallace penalty extended the lead to 20 points.

And the Barbarians were then rocked by a fourth Irish try, this time the result of lock Malcolm O'Kelly's powerful running as Heaslip rounded off his committed approach work.

The reliable Wallace landed his sixth successful kick, steering Ireland 34-7 clear entering the closing quarter.

It was now all about damage limitation for the Barbarians as they made an inevitable raft of substitutions, which included run-outs for England World Cup hooker Mark Regan, Gloucester prop Patrice Collazo and Saracens fly-half Glen Jackson.

A dust-up between Ireland flanker Neil Best and Baa-baas prop Cobus Visagie ended with a bloodied and bruised Visagie leaving the field, before the rugby took centre stage again when Wannenburg galloped over.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Tries: Bowe, Horgan 2, Heaslip 2
Cons: Kearney, Wallace 3
Pens: Wallace 2

For Barbarians:
Tries: Newby, Wannenburg
Cons: Hewat 2

Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c), 12 Luke Fitzgerald,11 Tommy Bowe, 10 Paddy Wallace, 9 Isaac Boss, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Shane Jennings, 6 Stephen Ferris, 5 Mal O'Kelly, 4 Bob Casey, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Bryan Young.
Replacements: 16 Bernard Jackman, 17 Tom Court, 18 Ryan Caldwell, 19 Neil Best, 20 Frank Murphy, 21 Jonny Sexton, 22 Girvan Dempsey.

Barbarians: 15 Peter Hewat, 14 Soseni Anesi, 13 Morgan Turinui (c), 12 Jaco Pretorius, 11 Lesley Vainikolo, 10 Stephen Larkham, 9 Michael Claassens, 8 Pedrie Wannenburg, 7 David Croft, 6 Craig Newby, 5 Ross Skeate, 4 Kris Chesney, 3 Cobus Visagie, 2 Sebastien Bruno, 1 Ollie le Roux.
Replacements: 16 Mark Regan, 17 Patrice Collazo, 18 Santiago Dellape, 19 Mitchell Chapman / Jerry Collins, 20 Andy Gomarsall, 21 Glen Jackson, 22 Tyrone Smith / Seilala Mapusua.

Referee: Andrew Small (England)
Touch judges: Chris White and Tony Spreadbury (both England)

Wales seal the deal in Cardiff

They did it!  Cheered on by 70,000 delirious fans, Wales clinched their tenth Grand Slam following an epic 29-12 victory over France at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday -- a richly deserved reward for hard graft and deep introspection.

Who would have thought this could possibly happen following Wales's inglorious exit from the World Cup at the hands of Fiji?  Not even the most passionate Welshman would have entertained the idea with anything other than a snort of derision.

But here we are -- just six short months later!  To the dates 1908, 1909, 1911, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1976, 1978 and 2005 we can add another:  2008.  It hardly seems real.

Inevitably it was Shane Williams who provided the decisive moment with the try that put Wales on course for the clean sweep.

The wing's second-half score broke the Welsh international record of 40 tries held by Gareth Thomas and sent Cardiff into a frenzy of excitement as the misery of the last two years were finally forgotten.

The victory over France -- and the championship triumph as a whole -- was built on an extraordinary, heroic defensive display.

Wales kept their tryline intact once again and only conceded twice during the tournament, breaking the previous record set by England's World Cup winners in 2002 and 2003.

After Williams pounced on a 60th-minute mistake from Yannick Jauzion to score under the posts, Wales pulled clear to record their biggest victory over France in Cardiff since 1950.

Stephen Jones came off the bench to kick 10 points, on top of nine from James Hook, while Martyn Williams rounded off the win, and a magnificent individual performance, with a late try.

If Graham Henry was known as the Great Redeemer, then Welsh rugby fans will be convinced tonight that Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards really are capable of turning water into wine -- and they'd better hope the coaches can:  booze will be short supply come the earlier hours of tomorrow.

The Millennium Stadium roof was closed to keep out the filthy weather and although Marc Lièvremont picked his strongest team of the championship so far, not even the French could rain on Wales' Grand Slam parade.

The visitors seemed spooked by the occassion, and for that the Welsh team owes an immense debt of gratitude to a crowd that drowned out Marius Jonker's whistle on several occassion.

Outside the stadium, an estimated 250,000 fans defied the conditions to pack the pubs and bars in scenes not witnessed since Wales's triumphant campaign under Mike Ruddock four seasons ago.

While the touts did a brisk trade, Grand Slam fever had even reached the West Indies from where the Prince of Wales sent a message of support.

He congratulated Ryan Jones's men on winning the Triple Crown and said:  "I hope your hard work and discipline will come to fruition when you face France in Saturday's Grand Slam decider."

And it was, in spades.  Wales were forced to defend for their lives and never took a backward step in an attritional encounter.

Wales had to make a remarkable 77 first-half tackles -- more than twice as many as France -- and yet never tired.  By the end, Wales were unstoppable.

But for the first hour Wales were given the toughest test of the championship.

Ian Gough led the team out on the occasion of his 50th cap, alongside the two daughters of late Wales international Ray Gravell.

Perhaps the frenzied atmosphere got to Wales in the opening exchanges.  Huw Bennett missed his jumper at the first line-out, they conceded an early penalty for offside and Lee Byrne decided unadvisedly to attempt a drop-goal from inside his own half.

Wales soon settled, with Martyn Williams pouncing on a loose ball and Gavin Henson a massive influence in the centre.

Hook, preferred to Stephen Jones for his creative edge, sparked Wales's first attack with a delightful flick outside to Shanklin.

Mark Jones, in two minds whether to chip or pass inside to Byrne, lost his footing on the greasy surface but the Welsh adventure was rewarded as Hook slotted his first shot at goal after seven minutes.

David Skrela's extraordinary restart went backwards and Wales needed no second invitation to keep the pressure on, with Henson again a midfield target and his neat offload sent Shanklin charging into the French 22.

Hook shanked his second shot at goal but made amends almost immediately, just reward for Wales' early dominance.

Untidy breakdown work gifted Jean-Baptiste Elissalde a simple shot at goal, which he accepted, but Hook slotted his third penalty to open Wales a 9-3 lead after the first quarter.

France began to take control and never stopped asking questions as Wales were forced into some lung-bursting defence.

France were at their most dangerous when they managed to break the game up.

After Hook's attempted clearance was charged down, Julien Malzieu broke the first line but was quickly swallowed up by a swarm of scrambling Welsh defenders.

Another break from Malzieu carried France to the edge of the Welsh 22 but Martyn Williams, who Gatland persuaded to come out of retirement before the tournament, snaffled the turnover.

France hammered away at the Welsh defensive line and Elissalde slotted a second penalty after Henson was sin-binned for a high tackle on flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo.

By the time Henson returned France had drawn level, with a third penalty from Elissalde, after Hook had pulled a second attempt wide of the posts.

With half an hour remaining Gatland introduced the more steady, controlling hand of Stephen Jones at fly-half -- but it predictably it was Shane Williams who conjured up the match-winning moment.

Jauzion spilled the ball under pressure from Shanklin and Williams pounced, hacking the ball forward twice before diving on it under the posts.

Stephen Jones converted and then landed a penalty to move Wales two scores clear.

Dimitri Yachvili caused a few nervous moments by pulling a penalty back for France but Jones slotted a second shot and the party began.

And to top it all off, after Mark Jones had made a searing 80-metre break, Martyn Williams scored under the posts to send the Millennium Stadium into raptures.

Man of the match:  Wales were magnificent to a man, as were their fans who played a full part in putting the wind up the French.  Wales's coaching team also deserves special mention for the tournament as a whole -- winning five games on the trot and leaking just two tries (one an interception, as Shaun Edwards has repeatedly pointed out!) is a magnificent feat.  Indeed, it would be so hard to pick out an individual ... at least it would be if Wales were not blessed with a man of Martyn Williams's standing.  He was -- is -- simply brilliant, there is nothing he can't do.  Make Wales a republic and make him president!

Moment of the match:  Recreations of the two tries will echo around Welsh pubs for decades to come, and David Skrela's shanked restart exemplified France's plight.  Perhaps it would have all been different had this French been allowed to play together at some point before this game!  But we'll opt for a moment that summed up the true dimensions of Wales's collective heart.  Just 19-6 behind, France sensed a chink of light when they were awarded a scrum in the shadow of the home side's sticks.  Somehow, Wales won the scrum against the head with an incredible shove, and French lights went out for good.

Villian of the match:  Gavin Henson was sin-binned for a high tackle, but there didn't seem to be any malice in his action -- and why ruin a beautiful day of rugby?  No award.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  S Williams, M Williams
Cons:  Jones 2
Pens:  Hook 3, S Jones 2
Drops:

For France:
Pens:  Elissalde 4

Yellow card(s):  Henson (Wales) -- high tackle, 40

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

France:  15 Anthony Floch, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Yannick Jauzion, 12 Damien Traille, 11 Julien Malzieu, 10 David Skrela, 9 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 8 Julien Bonnaire, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 5 Jérôme Thion, 4 Lionel Nallet (c), 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Fabien Barcella.
Replacements:  16 William Servat, 17 Jean-Baptiste Poux, 18 Arnaud Méla, 19 Elvis Vermeulen, 20 Dimitri Yachvili, 21 François Trinh-Duc, 22 Cédric Heymans.

Referee:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Touch judges:  Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa), Federico Cuesta (Argentina)
Television match official:  Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Assessor:  Paul Bridgman (England)

Cipriani steers England home

England bounced back from their Edinburgh ills by recording a well-taken 33-10 win over Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday, with Danny Cipriani celebrating his first Test start by contributing 18 points.

The questions that linger after this match concern the coaches.  Has Brian Ashton's skin been saved by his youthful troops?

Danny Cipriani delivered outstandingly, but Tom Croft and Michael Lipman should also get honourable mentions.  Lesley Vainikolo pulled his weight, and James Haskell made a promising return from injury.  It was a rare good day at the office for England rugby.

Has Eddie O'Sullivan's time finally come after eight years in Ireland's hot seat?  His team started well enough, but no longer are they as physically dominant and controlled as in days of old.  Of the youngsters coming through, only Luke Fitzgerald showed signs of maturing into a full international player, and the team still retained an air of staleness.  We await the union inquests on both sides of the Irish sea with interest.

The game started with both teams displaying all the ordinariness of the weeks gone by.  Fully two minutes at the start of the game consisted of poor quality kicks.

Then Ireland got a penalty and pushed it to touch.  Then they got a free-kick at the line-out and opted to tap and spin the ball wide.  Moments later Rob Kearney budged through a couple of tackles and scored.  Ronan O'Gara converted and it was 0-7.

Worse still for the home team came moments later, with Iain Balshaw penalised for holding on and Ronan O'Gara punishing the infringement with a penalty.  0-10 after seven minutes, and the axe-wielders were sharpening their blades around the English coaching seats.

But Cipriani came good, as at last England produced some good quality ball.  First a flat pass to Jamie Noon was batted on to send Nick Easter charging into the Irish 22.  Then there was a neat little grubber to the corner.  Then there was England's first points of the afternoon from the tee after Jamie Heaslip was caught going over the top.  Then there were two whopping kicks from hand to gain his team 70 metres.

Cipriani's ebullience spread to his team-mates.  Vainikolo got the ball in space and began to bounce people off his ridiculous thighs.  The back-row began to get into the game.  Balshaw looked positively competent.  More than anything else though, England's exuded utter physical domination at the breakdown, and it soon yielded results.

Paul Sackey made an elegant run to Ireland's 22, and then Lipman took it on at pace and with strength.  Lipman offloaded to Flood, who set the ball up well, and Cipriani wasted no time in looking for the men wide.  The last man was Sackey, who ghosted over the line.  Cipriani made it 10-10 with the extras.

Penalty after penalty came England's way thereafter, as Ireland were simply smashed out of the game.  Steve Borthwick and Simon Shaw were monstrous, and Cipriani's clever choices released the backs dangerously each time.  Jamie Noon could have scored on 25 minutes, and so could Toby Flood had Noon thought to look to his right instead of going for the line.  Eventually Cipriani did give England the lead after half an hour from an offside penalty.  That was pretty much it for the first half as England continued to dominate although Ireland held firm.  So far so good for England, but what would the second half yield?

Well, it yielded a turnover from Croft, a charge into the England 22 from Shane Horgan, and a dangerous position for the Irish, but in stark contrast to previous weeks, England's defence held firm -- helped in no small way by the lack of support for Irish runners.

Four minutes later, after nine phases of English possession, a penalty, which Cipriani clipped over for a 16-10 lead.  England were in complete control.

Ireland did not lie down.  Tommy Bowe and Luke Fitzgerald combined superbly to take the ball into England's 22, but once again the subsequent phases were slowed by a lack of support.  Ireland then managed to eke out a penalty, but O'Gara missed.  Andrew Trimble, then Bowe, then Horgan, then Simon Easterby all got ball in good positions in the England 22, but every time the white shirts outnumbered the green ones by two to one, the door was held shut, and no Irishman would prise it open.

Eventually, after another deft piece of footwork by Cipriani, and with Jonny Wilkinson now installed in the centre to back the youngster up as the game approached crunch-time, a superb quick hands move led to a try in the corner for Mathew Tait, who had only been on for two minutes as a blood replacement for Sackey, and left the field again while celebrating his try.  With Wilkinson on, the question hung in the air:  Who would convert?  Cipriani of course.

Then, Cipriani's pièce de resistance.  A five-metre scrum, an outside line, and a perfect flip pass to Noon for England's third score, followed up by a majestic touchline conversion.  He also landed another late penalty, completing a seven out of seven kicking record.  Is this another false dawn or have England unearthed someone to guide them into the future?  And will Brian Ashton be his mentor if they have?

Man of the Match:  Please re-read.  There is only one candidate.  Arise, Sir Danny Cipriani.

Moment of the match:  Mathew Tait's try.  The kind of move England fans have been yearning for since last year.

Villain of the match:  Nobody -- a good clean game, and it is worth noting how many times we have written this during this Six Nations.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Sackey, Tait, Noon
Cons:  Cipriani 3
Pens:  Cipriani 4
Drops:

For Ireland:
Tries:  Kearney
Cons:  O'Gara
Pens:  O'Gara

England:  15 Iain Balshaw, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Toby Flood, 11 Lesley Vainikolo, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Michael Lipman, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Steve Borthwick, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Phil Vickery (c), 2 Lee Mears, 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements:  16 George Chuter, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Ben Kay, 19 James Haskell, 20 Paul Hodgson, 21 Jonny Wilkinson, 22 Mathew Tait.

Ireland:  15 Geordan Murphy, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Andrew Trimble, 12 Shane Horgan, 11 Rob Kearney, 10 Ronan O'Gara (c), 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Denis Leamy, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Rory Best, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements:  16 Bernard Jackman, 17 Tony Buckley, 18 Mick O'Driscoll, 19 Simon Easterby, 20 Peter Stringer, 21 Paddy Wallace, 22 Luke Fitzgerald.

Referee:  Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Touch judges:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Tim Hayes (Wales)
Television match official:  Hugh Watkins (Wales)
Assessor:  Steve Hilditch (Ireland)

Italy sneak Mallett a first win

Andrea Marcato's last-gasp drop goal sealed a miserable Six Nations for Scotland on Saturday, with the Azzurri claiming a 23-20 win in Rome.

It was, as expected, a game that for long periods failed to capture the imagination, although it did finally came to life in the last quarter as both sides pressed for victory.  In the end it was Italy who struck the decisive blow, one that will bring renewed confidence to their camp and at the same time cast doubt over Scotland's future.

Whilst they played some promising rugby in spells, Scotland continued to demonstrate their inability to perform for a full game -- an inability that will continue to cost them games until it is rectified.  The question remains as to whether or not Frank Hadden is the right man to lead them forward.  With his first contract review looming large on the horizon it will not take long to find out the answer.

One of the few positives to come from the Scottish Six Nations campaign was their scrum, but even that wilted under extreme Italian pressure in Rome.  So much so that three early penalties against Euan Murray for bringing the scrum down resulted in a penalty try for the hosts and Italy had a sniff of set-piece blood.

Italy were more intent on playing an expansive game, a pity then that most of the damage they did was in the wrong areas.  Upon entering the Scotland 22 they more often than not reverted back to their forward pack, a useful weapon when deployed at the right time but a rather lethargic one otherwise.

That it took twenty minutes for Scotland to string a meaningful attack together was both a measure of their lacklustre form and of Italy's resolute defence.  But for perhaps the first time in the tournament, Scotland went through more than ten phases after a quarter of the game and drew level thanks to Allister Hogg's try.

It came as little surprise that Alasdair Strokosch and Scott MacLeod were at the heart of the move, both turning in fine displays.  It was Strokosch's step and break that caused the initial damage before MacLeod laid the try on a silver platter for Hogg.  With Paterson adding the extras it was all square.

Dan Parks and Andrea Marcato then traded penalties as the half was heading for a disappointing end, that was until Mike Blair gave Scotland the lead with a ghosting run.  The Scotland forwards paved the way for the try, sucking in the Italian defence, before Blair spotted a gapping whole that he slipped through to race away and score.

With little apart from avoiding the Wooden Spoon to play for, it was hardly surprising that the game failed to get going after the break.  Scotland looked the more likely of the two to press on but their indiscipline cost them on several occasions -- luckily for them Marcato was off target with the boot.

One man who was not off target though was Sergio Parisse, the Italian captain turning in yet another vintage display.  It was his intercept, searing run and dreamy pass that allowed Gonzalo Canale to cruise in under the posts for the score that once again levelled the score.

Finally the game began to open up -- both sides realising they had little to lose but a bit more pride -- and Italy began to prosper.  Scotland were rattled, yet more penalties went against them as their hosts turned the screw.  With ten minutes to go Marcato sent his side into the lead, albeit a slender three point advantage.  Suddenly the little things, charge downs, fifty-fifty passes, loose balls and referee decisions started to go the way of Italy and they sensed a rare victory.

Their hopes were dashed momentarily by Paterson's boot, his penalty putting Scotland back on level terms, as well as taking him to 33 consecutive successful kicks in Test rugby.  As the game seemed to be heading for a rather unsatisfactory draw Marcato stepped up and stole the day, his last-minute drop goal giving Nick Mallett his first taste of success as Azzurri coach.  The South African was in tears as he congratulated his charges.

Granted they still end up with the Wooden Spoon, but there is no doubt that Scotland will be the less happy of the two sides.  But for that win over England they have been shambolic for most of the season, while Italy are gradually getting better.

Man of the Match:  For Scotland Scott MacLeod was in fine fettle whilst he was on, Simon Webster was full of buzz and ran hard all game.  Alasdair Strokosch is going from strength to strength -- turning in another superb performance.  For the Azzurri Leonardo Ghiraldini was industrious, Gonzalo Canale a constant danger, but this award goes to Sergio Parisse.  It has been said before, and no doubt it will be again, but Parisse is a class above.  He was irresistible in attack and defence, leading by supreme example and setting up the try that allowed his side to win their first game under Nick Mallett.

Moment of the Match:  When Sergio Parisse snapped up Dan Parks's pass and set off on the run that would lead to Gonzalo Canale's try you knew the tide had turned and Italy were on their way to victory.

Villain of the Match:  Andrew Henderson was his usual awkward self, throwing the odd wild elbow but nothing to merit this gong.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Tries:  Penalty try, Canale
Cons:  Marcato 2
Pens:  Marcato 2
Drop goal:  Marcato

For Scotland:
Tries:  Hogg, Blair
Cons:  Paterson 2
Pens:  Paterson 2

Italy:  15 Andrea Marcato, 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Mirco Bergamasco, 11 Ezio Galon, 10 Andrea Masi, 9 Simon Picone, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Alessandro Zanni, 6 Josh Sole, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero
Replacements:  16 Fabio Ongaro, 17 Salvatore Perugini, 18 Carlos Nieto, 19 Jacobus Erasmus, 20 Pietro Travagli, 21 Enrico Patrizio, 22 Alberto Sgarbi

Scotland:  15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Simon Danielli, 13 Simon Webster, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Chris Paterson, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Mike Blair (c), 8 Simon Taylor, 7 Allister Hogg, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Scott MacLeod, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Fergus Thomson, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements: 16 Scott Lawson, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Craig Smith, 19 Jason White, 20 Kelly Brown, 21 Rory Lawson, 22 Andrew Henderson.

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Touch judges:  Chris White (England) and Simon McDowell Ireland)
Television Match Official:  Romain Poite (France)

England pay the penalty

English rugby, after the high of Paris, sunk to a fresh low on Saturday with Scotland ending their Six Nations chances by beating the auld enemy 15-9 in Edinburgh.

In a terrible game, the Scots simply kept their heads and plugged away as England, and Jonny Wilkinson in particular, gifted Scotland far too much easy possession and only once threatened the Scottish line.  In the end it came down to discipline and mental strength, and Scotland were, by and large, far superior in that department.

Both sides went into this one proclaiming that it didn't matter how they got the win, as long as they got it.  How true that proved to be.  The weather also didn't care, showering the players with sheet after sheet and blowing the sheets for good measure.  As a result, England rarely had any third phase possession, an error or a kick inevitably punctuating phases one and two.  Scotland rarely had any territorial gain, with a blinkered runner or a kick punctuating what ball came their way.  Anyone suffering insomnia should be prescribed a good dose of this game.

Jonny Wilkinson did, in the end, surpass Neil Jenkins as the world's top points-scorer in Test rugby, but it was a day he will want to forget.  That one record-breaking kick aside, Wilkinson's boot was used to gift possession away.  Kick after aimless kick fell upon the solid Hugo Southwell like the rain that fell on Edinburgh.  It was, by quite a way, Wilkinson's worst performance in the white shirt.  Danny Cipriani anyone?  Oh, that's right, he wasn't there...

England's woes are generally deeper though, and the finger of accusation will point with unerring straightness at Briann Ashton.  Was it upset in harmony in the camp that caused England to look so uninterested?  It isn't as if they would normally be deterred by a cold wet day.  Given the manner in which they put pay to France, you would have thought England's confident pack would have eaten the Scots like so many porridge oats.  But they all trotted around the field, hitting the tackles, rucks and mauls but never really clearing them.  A tactic or game-plan was never apparent.  One step forward two weeks ago, two steps back this time.  Why?  Time for someone at the RFU to answer that one.

Anything to say about Scotland?  Not much.  They took their chances and defended excellently, not least when the English pack drove at their line for five minutes in the first half immediately after Rory Lamont had been taken from the field with a serious-looking head injury.  That was England's one real threatening moment in the whole game.  Scotland never got to the English line once, but then with a stream of needless penalties coming their way, they didn't need to.  The win certainly won't blunt the knives being quietly sharpened for Frank Hadden, but at least his players scrapped and fought for the cause.

Scotland took an early lead as a result of the third penalty in a row conceded at a Scots line-out by England's pack after nine minutes.  Then finally, after a quarter of utter torpor, England got a couple of penalties near the Scots line.  Wilkinson kicked for the corner, as is England's frequent wont, but fully four minutes of driving later all the English pack had gained was a scrum in the middle of the field.  Euan Murray slipped his binding at the scrum, and Wilkinson broke the record to equalise at 3-3.

But discipline was missing.  Andy Sheridan was fortunate not to connect with Nathan Hines's face more sharply with his elbow, and even more so being as he had been the man with hands in the ruck that had given Paterson the chance to give Scotland back the lead.

On the half-time whistle, Paterson landed another to make it 9-3, with more hands being spied by referee Kaplan in the ruck.

It got worse after the break.  Right from the off, Simon Shaw was caught coming in at the side and Paterson made it 12-3.  Seven minutes and one unidentified pair of hands in the ruck later it was 15-3, Dan Parks this time doing the damage from distance.

Within five minutes it was 15-9, Wilkinson kicking two goals of his own as Scotland eased off the pressure slightly, and conceded one penalty for offside and one for going over the top.

Then the rot truly set in.  Kick after kick boomed down the field, with no semblance of tactic from either side.  The kicks were not even quality touch-finders or hanging up-and-unders.  They were just the actions of bored people who didn't want to play.

Eventually England swung it wide on 65 minutes to Paul Sackey, who never once slipped away from anyone.  England built up a head of steam with some better picks and drives.  Then they turned it over.

With four minutes to go, Jason White put in a hit on Sackey that drove the winger some eight metres back, with a verve and passion that English players never once looked like showing.

With one minute, one minute to go, Charlie Hodgson, presumably on for Wilkinson in order to add some spice and lift to the dough, received the ball from a ruck and kicked it fully 50 metres down field.  One minute to go, his team six behind, and he did that.  What on earth goes on behind England's scenes?  Scotland got the ball, and never gave it back to England again.  England didn't deserve it.

Man of the match:  In a match ruined by so much kicking, at least Hugo Southwell caught the ball well, ran it well, and kicked constructively for his team.  His entire team gathers a group award for its defensive effort as well.

Moment of the match:  Not a single one.

Villain of the match:  None of these either.  Even the niggle was passionless.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Pens:  Paterson 4, Parks

For England:
Pens:  Wilkinson 3

Scotland:  15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Rory Lamont, 13 Simon Webster, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Nikki Walker, 10 Chris Paterson, 9 Mike Blair (c), 8 Simon Taylor, 7 Allister Hogg, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Scott MacLeod, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements:  16 Fergus Thomson, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Craig Smith, 19 Jason White, 20 Kelly Brown, 21 Rory Lawson, 22 Dan Parks.

England:  15 Iain Balshaw, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Toby Flood, 11 Lesley Vainikolo, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Michael Lipman, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Steve Borthwick, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Phil Vickery (c), 2 Lee Mears, 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements:  16 George Chuter, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Ben Kay, 18 Luke Narraway, 20 Paul Hodgson, 21 Mathew Tait, 22 Charlie Hodgson.

Referee:  Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Touch-judges:  Marius Jonker (South Africa), Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Television match official:  Tim Hayes (Wales)

Wales remain on course for the Grand Slam

Wales' quest for the Grand Slam remains firmly on course after they accounted for Ireland 16-12 at Croke Park on Saturday, winning the Triple Crown in the process.

The rain that was predicted never materialised and, despite a howling wind, both sides showed a willingness to play positive rugby.  In the end it was Wales' patience and maturity that shone through, leaving Ireland to ponder what might have been.

For it was the hosts who dominated the early running, although their inability to convert pressure into points came back to haunt them.  Ronan O'Gara did manage two penalties in the opening twenty minutes but in all honesty Ireland should have had more to show for their efforts.

Aware of how Wales like to play, Eddie O'Sullivan sent his troops out with a specific game-plan and they executed it with aplomb for most of the first half, although they were left hanging on in the dying stages.  Wales eased their way into the game and the longer they kept the ball the better they became, stretching their hosts across the width of the field and isolating weak links in the defensive line.

A pity then that their best raid on the Irish line resulted in a yellow card for the petulant Mike Phillips.  Wales had a penalty under Ireland's post only to see it reversed for Phillips' needless knee in the back of Marcus Horan.

In the absence of Phillips Wales showed a new-found maturity that has been missing over the past few years, controlling play in the forwards to see out the ten-minute disadvantage.  In fact the visitors emerged at the other end of the sin-binning three points to the good, Stephen Jones' second penalty squaring things up.

Wales had squandered several good attacking positions due to poor timing, the half-back axis of Phillips and Jones appearing a little rusty.  On three separate occasions the two lost their timing, wasting overlaps each time with poor passes.  Nevertheless Wales kept on plugging away and eventually they breached the Irish line.

It was hardly surprising that it was Shane Williams, his fortieth try for Wales that takes him joint top of the all-time try scoring list for Wales.  That he has done it in forty-three fewer games than Gareth Thomas is a testament to his undoubted class.  The try itself was born out of an Irish error but the pressure had been mounting.

Phillips, just back on, directed his forwards well before sending it wide via Stephen Jones leaving Williams against Andrew Trimble.  The Osprey showed great strength with a powerful hand off before turning on the pace to scuttle in at the corner.  Jones added a dreamy conversion and suddenly their was a real sense of belief among the Welsh faithful.

Having looked so comfortable in the first half Ireland could not get going in the second half, largely due to Wales' patience on the ball -- time and again going through at least six phases.  And, with the game firmly in their control, Wales then gifted their hosts a path back into the game.

An uncharacteristic trip from Martyn Williams saw the carrot-topped flank heading for the sin-bin and O'Gara sending over a simple penalty.  It was just the tonic Ireland needed as they suddenly discovered their running game, causing Wales major problems.  However with each game that goes by the new-look Welsh defence looks more assured and Ireland could not quite unlock it.

Welsh indiscipline continued and O'Gara trimmed the lead to just one point with ten minutes remaining.  Ireland sniffed a win, against the odds with the way the game had gone, but they were unable to produce the rugby required to achieve it.  In fact when the pressure was on they seemed to implode and gift Wales a chance to see the game out.

Bernard Jackman lost his cool -- shoulder charging a prone Ryan Jones well away from the ball -- and James Hook kept his composure to slot the three points.  Then we saw the Welsh maturity again, playing keep-ball for the dying stages of the game until the siren sounded and Phillips punted the ball into the stands.

The Triple Crown is secured and now Wales are one game away from the Grand Slam -- the prospect of France at home in the final game of the tournament is a mouthwatering one.  Wales, on the back of this win, will be brimming full of confidence but France will bring a different test with them -- one Wales need to provide the answers to in order to earn the Grand Slam.

Man of the Match:  For Ireland Eoin Reddan continues to grow with his new-found responsibility at scrum-half and Paul O'Connell added a calmness to the Irish set-piece.  For Wales Alun Wyn Jones was a rock on his return to the side, Ryan Jones turned in a fine performance but it was Gavin Henson who stole the show.  Under Gatland he has been moved away from the spotlight and encouraged to focus on his rugby.  And that is exactly what he has done, and to some effect.  As mature a player in the Welsh team as there is he produced a near-flawless display that allowed Wales to head home with their eyes firmly on a Grand Slam.

Moment of the Match:  In a game that was largely uneventful there were few moments that caught the eye.  However Mike Phillips' tackle on Shane Horgan in the first half saved a certain try and gave Wales the belief that they could indeed return from Ireland with the win.  A smaller man may have been brushed aside but Phillips stood up to Horgan and rescued his side.

Villain of the Match:  The game was a physical one but that was not an excuse for two mindless acts.  Mike Phillips had no need, or right, to drop his knee into Marcus Horan's back, and Bernard Jackman was stupid to think he could take out Ryan Jones with his shoulder for no apparent reason.  Otherwise a good clean game of rugby.

The Scorers:

For Ireland:
Pens:  O'Gara 4

For Wales:
Try:  S.Williams
Con:  S.Jones
Pens:  S.Jones 2

Yellow Cards:  Phillips (38th -- foul play), M.Williams (61st -- deliberate trip).

The Teams:

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c), 12 Andrew Trimble, 11 Tommy Bowe, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 James Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Denis Leamy, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Rory Best, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements:  16 Bernard Jackman, 17 Tony Buckley, 18 Mick O'Driscoll, 19 Simon Easterby, 20 Peter Stringer, 21 Paddy Wallace, 22 Luke Fitzgerald.

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

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Touch judges:  Christophe Berdos (France), Peter Allan (Scotland)
Television match official:  David Changleng (Scotland)
Assessor:  Steve Hilditch (Ireland)