Joseph thrills in Italy hammering

Jonathan Joseph stole the show with two tries as England dispatched Italy 47-17 at Twickenham in the Six Nations.

The 23-year-old Bath centre scored two of England's six tries in a slow-burning but eventually comfortable victory for Stuart Lancaster's side.

England started poorly, just as they have in other recent matches, but were more or less rampant after the break, a couple of inspired pieces of skill from Italy's backs, Luca Morisi in particular, the only exceptions to the one-way traffic.

Two years ago in this same fixture England spluttered their way to an unconvincing victory, but this was more akin to last year's rout in Rome.  The ending felt familiar.

No pre-match disco was required a week on from England's assault on Cardiff but they were expected to entertain, going from underdogs to favourites against an Azzurri side with four centurions in their pack.

Any Italian victory would hinge on their set-piece, but the early darts from Leicester's Leonardo Ghiraldini were wayward with England stealing two early lineouts.

Morisi's running was far more effective.  The outside centre cut down the near touchline, fending off three tacklers and putting his team firmly on the attack.  Good patience and handling freed up Sergio Parisse for the Italy captain to fool the defence and go over to send Twickenham silent.  Far from the expected start, but a brilliant one for the visitors.

Kelly Haimona's bright opening was reflected in the way his side played with real confidence, dominating the opening exchanges and starving England of possession and territory.

A smart chip over the top from Haimona forced Mike Brown into action sweeping behind to try to stop Andrea Masi, but he paid a heavy price, colliding nastily with the Italian's shoulder.  With the fallout from George North's concussion still fresh on the mind every care was taken to ensure Brown's well-being during a lengthy stoppage in play.  He was stretchered off and replaced by Billy Twelvetrees, with England moving Anthony Watson to full-back and Jonathan Joseph onto the wing.

Brown's injury, while of major concern, did give England a chance to restart after a dire opening.  Their scrum was monstrous and their attack showed patience, ending eventually with some first points for Ford from a penalty.

Only some sharp cover defence from Parisse stopped Edoardi Gori from being trampled by Billy Vunipola as he charged for the line, with the England number eight looking to finish off a sweep around from the maul.  Or so it initially seemed, with the TMO on closer inspection adjudging that Vunipola was both not in touch and had also scored.  England as a result took an 8-5 lead.

Rightly, England fans might have been concerned about Joseph being shunted out to the wing after his dazzling display against Wales in midfield, but they needn't have worried.  The Bath back produced a superb solo try, receiving the ball out wide and accelerating through two tacklers before outrunning the cover defence having sold them with a dummy.  It was truly a special score.

Haimona missed two penalties and the opportunity to narrow England's lead which the hosts should have extended, Jonny May carelessly squandering a three-on-one trying to go himself for the corner and consequently losing possession.  Italy clung on near their own line to close out the half, England's rolling maul failing them from close range as they went in 15-5 ahead.

Italy were struggling to handle Vunipola, the young number eight making four carries in just one passage of play as England started the second half much quicker than their sluggish opening.

Ford added a second penalty but England were a little rash in their eagerness to put Italy away, opting for miracle plays rather than patient build-up.

The Azzurri benefited, the excellent Morisi finishing off an attack that all started with Leonardo Sarto's chip and chase.  The giant winger recovered possession and with the ball spread to the left, Morisi straightened and had enough strength to withstand Watson's last-ditch tackle to score.  What might have been had Italy still been able to call upon a kicker with the quality of Diego Dominguez.  Again Haimona was off-target with the conversion, making it ten points missed with the boot.

Quick thinking from Ben Youngs held off any English jitters for the time being, as the scrum-half darted over from a tap penalty after more dominance in the scrum.  Such a soft score for Italy to concede and one that did little to alter Jacques Brunel's normal pessimistic expression.

A third penalty from Ford put England 28-10 ahead as the replacements arrived, but Joseph remained the star — although he was brilliantly assisted by club-mate Ford whose delay and pass to set up Joseph's second try was sublime.

It was to be his last act, Danny Cipriani coming on to make a first appearance at Twickenham for six and a half years, but typically scoring a try within less than a minute.  The replacement surged up on the shoulder of May after the winger sucked in defenders to sprint his way over for England's fifth try.

Nick Easter got in on the act by finishing off a powerful rolling maul to become the oldest try scorer in Six Nations history at 36 as Morisi added his second try, capping off a great afternoon at Twickenham for the Treviso youngster.

England though had the match won long ago, with the bonus of seeing Mike Brown up and about on the sidelines garnering a loud cheer from the crowd.  On goes the chariot.

Man of the Match:  Strong performances from Billy Vunipola and Joe Marler, but Jonathan Joseph takes the gong with his two tries and constant threat from 13.

Moment of the Match:  The quick tap from Ben Youngs.  Italy were just too slow, half distracted by the referee's ongoing explanation, and from 25-10 the game was decided.

Villain of the Match:  Nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  B Vunipola, Joseph 2, B Youngs, Cipriani, Easter
Cons:  Ford 3, Cipriani
Pens:  Ford 3

For Italy:

Tries:  Parisse, Morisi 2
Con:  Allan

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 James Haskell, 5 George Kruis, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements:  16 Tom Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Nick Easter, 20 Tom Croft, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Billy Twelvetrees.

Italy:  15 Luke McLean, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Andrea Masi, 11 Giovambattista Venditti, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Francesco Minto, 6 Mauro Bergamasco, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 George Fabio Biagi, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Alberto De Marchi.
Replacements:  16 Andrea Manici, 17 Matias Aguero, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Joshua Furno, 20 Samuela Vunisa, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Giulio Bisegni.

Date:  Saturday, February 14
Kickoff:  14:30 GMT
Venue:  Twickenham
Referee:  Johnny Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant Referees:  Pascal Gauzère (France), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO:  George Ayoub (Australia)

Lopez kicks France to laboured win

Five penalties from Camille Lopez gave France a difficult 15-8 victory over Scotland to open their Six Nations account in Paris.

Under new boss Vern Cotter, the Scots used their pacey outside backs to cause the French lots of problems, while Blair Cowan was a menace at the breakdown.

They were however indisciplined, and three first-half penalties from Lopez gave France a 9-8 lead at the interval despite Dougie Fife's score on the stroke of half-time.

France had more of the ball in the second half, adding another Lopez penalty, before his fifth three-pointer two minutes from time sealed the win.

It was cruel on the Scots, who played more of the rugby, but they struggle to keep hold of the ball in the second half, and despite their lack of cutting edge, the French established a stranglehold on the game.

France took the lead before having any ball in hand, earning a penalty in the first minute when Cowan found himself isolated.  Lopez made no mistake to put les Bleus 3-0 up.

In a scratchy opening 20, the Scots levelled matters with a Greig Laidlaw penalty, following a scrum infringement in front of the posts.

France hit straight back, Cowan, who was proving a nuisance at the breakdown, this time pinged for sprinting offside after a Wesley Fofana break.

From there Scotland began to take a stranglehold, with the likes of Mark Bennett and Stuart Hogg looking particularly dangerous.

After the former made one half-break, Hogg went clean through when faced with two forwards.  Scott Spedding tackled him just short of the line, and eventually the Scots were forced backwards before Finn Russell's drop goal attempt went wide from in front.

Les Bleus were struggling to make ground with the ball, but after one Rory Kockott break, they got into the Scottish 22, and once more the visitors strayed offside to slow down the French attack.  Lopez slotted three more points to make it 9-3 to the home side.

On the stroke of half-time, Scotland finally got the try their attacking play deserved.  First they made ground down the left, Hogg again at the heart of it, and with France scrambling, they moved it back to the right.

There Fife, on for the injured Tommy Seymour, went over after a lovely final pass from tighthead Euan Murray.  Laidlaw missed the conversion however, as France led 9-8 at the break.

The Scots started the second half well, but it was again France who scored first, Fife stupidly giving away a penalty.  After Lopez had kicked loosely Fife slipped into touch, giving away a lineout.  In his frustration he threw the ball away, stopping France from playing quickly, and gave the French fly-half three more points.

Cotter's side were giving away too many penalties, and after another offence in midfield at a ruck, France set up a rolling maul.  They eventually got going, with Benjamin Kayser breaking clear, but with the home side camped on the Scottish line, Pascal Pap

Ireland suffocate Italy in Rome

Defending champions Ireland got their 2015 campaign off the ground with a resounding if flawed 26-3 win at the Stadio Olimpico.

Tries from scrum-half Conor Murray and flanker Tommy O'Donnell saw the men in green home in a scrappy and error-strewn encounter.

O'Donnell's try represents something of a fairytale, as the Munster man was only in the side on account of Sean O'Brien pulling an apparent hamstring in the warm up.  But the man of the match was undoubtedly fly-half Ian Keatley, who contributed four penalties and a conversion in a flawless kicking display.

All the Italians could muster in response was a penalty from Kelly Haimona and although the hosts looked dangerous throughout the game, they created very little.

The Irish, who led at half-time, will be delighted with an opening win, but they'll know that they have a long way to go if they're going to retain their crown.

It was the Italians that made the better start, as Irish skipper Paul O'Connell failed to control the ball from the kick off.

But the Irish defence scrambled well, and the men in green were able to clear their lines.

The visitors settled into their patterns thereafter, as Six Nations debutant Keatley calmed his nerves with a couple of decent kicks out of hand.

And this early pressure allowed the fly-half to acquire the first points of the contest as he nailed a seventh-minute penalty after Italian loosehead Matias Aguero was caught in an offside position.

As expected, the Italians were full of vigour and physicality, but the hosts' momentum was disrupted by the concession of several unnecessary penalties in the first ten minutes.

The Irish looked relatively sharp in midfield, as Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne looked to inject the visitors' attack with width.

But scoring opportunities remained depressingly scarce as the Italian rear guard bolted the door firmly shut, with the redoubtable Sergio Parisse making several trademark tackles to shore up the home defence.

But the Irish pressure was always going to tell at some stage, and on 20 minutes Keatley doubled his side's advantage as the Azzurri were penalised for offside from a speculative Murray box-kick.

The Irish were thus 0-6 to the good, but the reigning champions weren't exactly setting Rome alight despite dominating possession.

What will have pleased Irish coach Joe Schmidt most was the assured performance of Keatley, who was controlling the game superbly.

The Irish had a great chance to accentuate their advantage on the 30-minute mark as they were awarded a penalty as a result of the pressure Mike Ross was exerting on Aguero at the scrum.

Keatley launched the ball deep into Italian territory, and from the ensuing lineout the Irish set up camp in the Italian 22.

The Irish initiated attack after attack, but the Italian defence proved absolutely outstanding to keep the visitors at bay.

But the relentless Irish kept coming and Keatley extended the lead to nine points on 36 minutes with another sweetly-struck penalty.

The first half ended with the Italians finding some momentum, with Luke McLean and Haimona putting together some phases in the Irish 22.

The ferocity of the onslaught forced the visitors to concede a succession of penalties.

The Italians kicked the first of these to touch, and set-up one of their trademark driving mauls.

The Irish defence repelled the initial incursion well, albeit illegally and the Italians were gifted another penalty attempt on the stroke of half time.

The second attempt was manifestly easier than the first, and this time the hosts wisely elected to go for the posts.

Haimona made no mistake with the resultant kick, and his side entered in the interval only six points adrift at 3-9.

Given Ireland's dominance of possession, the scoreline seemed a slightly distorted reflection of the game, but left both sides with everything to play for in the second half.

As the second period began, it was a similar story as errors and disruption abounded.  The Irish frantically tried to find their rhythm, but struggled to attain much continuity in their game.

While the Italian defence was certainly resolute, the visitors offered very little from an attacking viewpoint.

Their front row remained a potent weapon, though, and when the Italians' scrum collapsed on 57 minutes, Keatley continued his impeccable kicking performance to stretch the lead to 3-12.

With their attack off first phase proving blunt, the Irish resorted to plan B and utilised their potent maul.

With the visitors camped on the Italian line, the home side was forced to scramble desperately, and hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini was dispatched to the sin-bin for cynically disrupting the Irishmen's impetus.

With the Italians down to 14 men, the visitors were able to hammer home their advantage and from the ensuing passage of play Murray darted over for the opening try.  Keatley converted to make it 3-19.

The Azzurri were now severely under the cosh, and no sooner had Murray scored, than openside O'Donnell spotted a gap in the depleted Italian defence on 66 minutes to sprint over for his first Six Nations try.

With Keatley having been replaced, Ian Madigan added the extras to give his side a commanding 3-26 lead.

From a position of panic, the Irish now had control of the game.  The hosts had their moments in the final ten minutes as replacement Tommaso Allan injected some fluidity into their stagnant back play.

The Italians battered away furiously at the Irish defence, but the men in green proved adept at closing them down.

To their credit, the tenacious hosts refused to give up the ghost and they seemed to have got over for a consolation try on 78 minutes as Haimona grounded the ball.

The matter was referred to the TMO by Pascal Gauzère, but agonisingly for the Azzurri, Parisse was adjudged to have knocked on in the build-up.

The Irish thus held on to seal a valuable victory, but their perfectionist coach will know they still have plenty of work to do.

Man of the Match:  Ian Keatley surely claims the gong for his assured performance on his Six Nations debut.  The Munster fly-half controlled the tempo of the game like a 50-cap veteran, with sublime tactical kicking, astute game management, and variation in attack.  Add in an imperious performance with the boot, and Keatley was the stand-out performer, showing why he was selected over Ian Madigan and confirming that the Irish have another fly-half who can prosper at Test level.

Moment of the match:  Tommy O'Donnell's try capped a fine performance for the Munster forward.  What made the try all the more satisfying is the fact that O'Donnell wasn't in the original starting line-up, his involvement being due to Sean O'Brien's injury in the warm-up.  The try typified everything that O'Donnell is about:  pace, power, and work-rate; and was a just reward for a barnstorming performance.

Villain of the match:  When Italian hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini was yellow-carded in the second half for obstructing the progress of the Irish maul, the hosts were handicapped at a critical phase of the match and were placed at a massive disadvantage.  It is no coincidence that the Irish scored both of their tries while he was serving time in the bin.  Other than that, there wasn't any nasty stuff to report.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Pen:  Haimona
Yellow Card:  Ghiraldini

For Ireland:
Tries:  Murray, O'Donnell
Cons:  Keatley, Madigan
Pens:  Keatley 4

The teams:

Italy:  15 Andrea Masi, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Luke McLean, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Francesco Minto, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 George Biagi, 4 Joshua Furno, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Matias Aguero.
Replacements:  16 Andrea Manici, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Marco Fuser, 20 Marco Barbini, 21 Gulgielmo Palazzani, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Giovanbattista Venditti.

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jordi Murphy, 7 Tommy O'Donnell, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Jack McGrath.
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 James Cronin, 18 Marty Moore, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Robbie Diack, 21 Isaac Boss, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Felix Jones.

Date:  Saturday, February 7

Kick-off:  15:30 local (14:30 GMT)

Venue:  Stadio Olimpico

Referee:  Pascal Gauzère (France)

Assistant referees:  Johnny Lacey (Ireland), Luke Pearce (England)

Television match official:  Graham Hughes (England)

Assessor:  Donal Courtney (Ireland)

England make a statement in Cardiff

England laid out their championship credentials with an impressive 21-16 win in Cardiff over Wales, to help ease the memories of 2013.

Tries from young Bath backs Anthony Watson and Jonathan Joseph along with the boot of their team-mate George Ford got England's campaign off to the perfect start with a gritty performance.

Wales started phenomenally to make the likelihood of an English victory here seem remote, but with the ticking of the clock home doubts and errors along with away confidence grew.

Weeks of Hymns and Arias on a loop couldn't have prepared England for what was a barrage of noise before kick-off.  More of an opening ceremony than a pre-match warm-up, awesome to witness all the same.

Would England learn their lessons from 2013, especially with their discipline?  Leigh Halfpenny reminded them that any penalty conceded under 50 metres is an opportunity for him to convert, as he duly did in the second minute.

Wales were sharp, illustrated by Halfpenny sneaking up the right touchline and threading a kick through that, while smartly defended by Watson, culminated in a Welsh scrum.

Taulupe Faletau was then too smart, England too slow, as the number eight brilliantly fed Rhys Webb for the opening try through the arms of those trying to stop him.  That sickening sense of familiarity for Stuart Lancaster and so early too, with Wales cruising.

This though was a contest rather than another massacre, destined to twist and turn.  Dan Cole notched up a scrum penalty and from the resulting territory Watson scored, collecting Mike Brown's grubber in the corner.

Watson's try was his first in Tests with no doubt many more to come, the athletic Bath winger leaping and cutting his way through tacklers time and again.

The scrappier the game grew the more absorbing it became, Halfpenny added a second long-range penalty after England infringed again at the ruck.

Ford responded — the England scrum winning more valuable territory as George North temporarily departed from a stray boot to the head.

For all the skills on show what was needed was some assuredness, Dan Biggar providing it with a well-taken drop goal right on half-time to give Wales a 16-8 lead.

Joseph mimicked Faletau's earlier elusiveness in the exact same corner straight at the start of the second half.  On his first start for two years he ducked and dived through the tackle attempts of three Welsh players to cross for England's second try.

Momentum was with England but Ford couldn't follow up Joseph's key score with a penalty to take the lead, pushing the kick wide to the left to leave Wales ahead by one.

Time and again Wales were denied smooth possession around the ruck by stray English boots, as only the post could stop James Haskell's bulldozing carry towards the try line, England settling for another penalty as Alex Cuthbert went to the bin.

Wales had no answer to England's scrum as the forwards took control in all areas, Tom Youngs making a mark off the bench as Wales refused to concede while down to 14 men, just, with Luther Burrell's pass leaving plenty to be desired as Mike Brown surged up on his outside.

Dave Attwood then looked to have the match sewn up, but an obstruction call on Nick Easter in the build-up sent the Millennium crowd roaring back into life with the win still possible.

Discipline and nerve were paramount and England held theirs when it counted, winning a penalty for Ford who shut out the din to put his side ahead by five.  With all their injuries and doubts, they delivered when Wales failed to do the same.  The inquest now begins.

Man of the Match:  Standout performances from Halfpenny, Warburton, Haskell and more, but Anthony Watson for England was excellent.

Moment of the Match:  With England's second try, Jonathan Joseph gave his side belief and made Wales pay for some soft defence.

Villain of the Match:  Nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Try:  Webb
Con:  Halfpenny
Pens:  Halfpenny 2
Drop Goal:  Biggar
Yellow Card:  Cuthbert

For England:
Tries:  Watson, Joseph
Con:  Ford
Pens:  Ford 3

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Paul James, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Liam Williams.

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 James Haskell, 5 George Kruis, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements:  16 Tom Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Nick Easter, 20 Tom Croft, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Billy Twelvetrees.

Referee:  Jérôme Garcès (FFR)

Assistant Referees:  Romain Poite (FFR), Mathieu Raynal (FFR)

TMO:  Simon McDowell (Ire)

Essential win for England

England's season finally came good as the hosts saw off a dynamic Wallaby side at Twickenham with a 26-17 win on Saturday.

A first-half try from Ben Morgan, brilliantly orchestrated by the impressive George Ford, was the difference between the sides at half-time, but England will rue the litany of handling errors that have plagued their outside backs all season as several chances went begging on the wings through basic skill errors.

However, this was a victory hewn from England's scrummaging power and the penetration of their driving maul, not an unfamiliar situation for followers of Australian rugby.

Nonetheless, as a victory it is significant for England;  anything less would have thrown their season in the depths of calamity, and Graham Rowntree can take a lot of credit for the impregnable lineout and scrum that has been a feature of English rugby this November.

Australia started well, with Bernard Foley making the first inroads as England transgressed at the ruck.  But the next penalty was a portent of things to come as Australia collapsed a powerful English scrum and George Ford slotted three points.

Time and time again the Wallaby eight struggled to cope with the pinching of the outstanding David Wilson and Joe Marler on the Australia tighthead and hooker, and as James Slipper was 'disconnected' the Aussie front row were forced either to stand up, collapse or detach as the wave of English power decimated the Australian tight five.

The scoreboard showed 12 points to the front row but frankly there were a number of occasions were Jerome Garces could quite have justifiably considered penalty tries.

Morgan's opening score after 28 minutes was a direct result of the immense forward pressure England exerted.  Chris Robshaw, a rock all afternoon, forced a turnover in his own half with Israel Folau fumbled the resulting low kick from the percussive Ben Youngs.

The resulting scrum was huge from England and as Brad Barritt made big inroads into the Wallaby defence, Youngs recycled quickly and flanker Tom Wood linked to send Morgan crashing over.

Australia are a side that relish a disparity of possession and retaliated with an exhilarating break from the outstanding Adam Ashley-Cooper down the right flank.

However, defensive systems count for a lot in modern international rugby and Anthony Watson's awareness to stay on Ashley-Cooper as the veteran offloaded to Rob Horne, allowed Courtney Lawes to snuff out the attack with a tackle of Herculean proportions on the Wallaby wing.

With Ford missing long-range penalties either side of the break, Australia hit back with intelligence and style.

Ford coughed up the ball as Twelvetrees was smashed in the tackle by Matt Toomba.  Five phases later and Foley and Horne combined to send the Wallaby fly-half under the posts, converting his own effort to bring Australia to within a penalty of England at 13-10.

Despite the very best efforts of Ashley-Cooper, who tore England's push defence apart time and time again with his direct running approach, Australia simply couldn't compete with England's forward power.

After 58 minutes Mike Brown, back to his rock-like self at full-back, sent a testing grubber deep into the Wallaby 22.  The ensuing line-out gave England a five-metre scrum and Australia capitulated, giving Morgan the opportunity to scamper over for his brace.

But Australia were not going down without a fight and a crucial missed tackle by Robshaw on his opposite number Michael Hooper allowed the Wallaby flanker to combine with replacement Quade Cooper and Toomua, popping up the ball for the giant Will Skelton to thunder over the whitewash.

With England fearing a deja-vu moment, another loss in the closing minutes of the game, the men in white turned to their forwards and, right on cue, they produced a rolling maul of some 25 metres.

Australia inevitably collapsed it and Ford took the chance to take England six points clear.

Another penalty moments later led the home team to the relative safely of an eight-point lead and England clung on for dear life as they finally got the big win they so sorely needed.

In the final analysis, England will be grateful for a win and Australia will leave Twickenham wondering how on earth they disintegrated against an England scrum yet again.

However, in analysing their victory, England need to take notice of the basic handling errors they produced yet again and the lack of penetration of their backs from phase possession.

It's a step forward for England, but when examined carefully, it's more of a shuffle in the right direction than a confident stride.

Man of the Match:  Adam Ashley-Cooper was a thorn in England's side all day, as was the dynamic running of Michael Hooper.  For England, Brad Barritt's leadership of the defence was outstanding, as was Courtney Lawes' physicality.  But in a season where England have struggled to score tries, Ben Morgan's brace wins him our award.

Moment of the Match:  This week has been a horrific one for sport in general and Australian sport in particular.  The ovation given to deceased cricketer Phil Hughes at the start of the game ensured there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  Astonishing, poignant and apt.

Villain of the Match:  Nothing to report at all here.  Played in wonderful spirit.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Morgan 2
Cons:  Ford 2
Pens:  Ford 4

For Australia:
Tries:  Foley, Skelton
Cons:  Foley, Cooper
Pen:  Foley

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 David Wilson, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements:  16 Rob Webber, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 George Kruis, 20 James Haskell, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Marland Yarde.

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Sean McMahon, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Sam Carter, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Saia Fainga'a, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements:  tbc

Referee:  J

Joy at last as Wales beat SA

Wales clinched the sweetest of victories with a 12-6 triumph over South Africa, their first Southern Hemisphere scalp since 2008.

Neither side were able to build any momentum in a game punctuated by numerous knock-ons and schoolboy errors.

In a tryless contest Wales' will to win shone through in the dying stages, as the Springboks fluffed their final chances.

Heyneke Meyer will want to forget this trip to Cardiff in a hurry, with a serious knee injury for Jean de Villiers giving South Africa real cause for concern.

Wales hadn't picked up a win over the Springboks since 1999, while their ongoing troubles against the Boks, Wallabies and All Blacks were starting to gather mythical status.

How crucial the timing of this win of all wins was with the Rugby World Cup looming on the horizon.

Wales may have failed to land a blow on their Pool A rivals Australia, but defeating South Africa will feel just as sweet.  Crucially, England are the next visitors to Cardiff in a clash that is set to be momentous.

It would be wrong to take anything away from the Welsh victory, but the Springboks were admittedly miles off their best.

This was only the second Welsh win over South Africa in 108 years, incredibly, but they were worthy winners in a slugfest characterised by several brutal collisions.

Toulon full-back Leigh Halfpenny kicked all of the home side's points, countered by two strikes by Pat Lambie, as the 13-man Welsh lineout made a couple of appearances in the desperate struggle for victory.

Halfpenny's heroics also lay elsewhere in defence with an inspired try-saving tackle on Eben Etzebeth, which according to the laws of size should have never been successful.

With the boot Halfpenny struck as early as the fourth minute, after an early tackle on Rhys Webb, with Lambie not waiting long to counter.

A bone-crunching hit from Duane Vermeulen on Jamie Roberts had set the tone for the game's physicality, although it was interspersed with moments of skill such as Sam Warburton delivering a flick pass through his legs.

Even the Welsh 15-man maul couldn't generate a try as the Boks did enough to stop Halfpenny, of all people, just short of the whitewash but Lambie's missed penalty kick on the half hour mark left both sides deadlocked at 3-3 by half-time.

Warburton was excellent throughout, the captain making a key play when his turnover at the ruck won a kickable penalty for Halfpenny to fire over.

Typically given the nature of the contest Lambie instantly responded, with the Boks scrum gaining an advantage.

Two penalties in four minutes then put Wales into the decisive lead, first for Coenie Oosthuizen's side entry at the ruck and then after Wales produced the scrum of the day with a monster drive.

Halfpenny delivered, setting up a tense final quarter that was overshadowed by the concern over De Villiers as he left on a stretcher with a dislocated knee after a lengthy stoppage.

Wales' cause was helped by a yellow card for Cornal Hendricks after he was adjudged to take out Halfpenny in the air, with some superb defence and the Boks failure to execute sending Cardiff into delirium and easing the pressure on Warren Gatland.  It's a day that will live long in the memory for Welsh fans.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Pens:  Halfpenny 4

For South Africa:
Pens:  Lambie 2
Yellow Card:  Hendricks

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Emyr Phillips, 17 Aaron Jarvis, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 James King, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Scott Williams.

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Jan Serfontein, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Replacements:  16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Julian Redelinghuys, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Francois Hougaard, 22 Handr

Georgia put five past Japan

Georgia bounced back from last week's heavy defeat to Ireland as they cruised past Japan, winning 35-24 in Tbilisi.

The hosts went in at the break 17-10 up after tries from hooker Shalva Mamukashvili and full-back Merab Kvirikashvili either side of a penalty try.

Japan's response came from right wing Kotaro Matsushima, with Ayumu Goromaru adding the extras and a penalty three minutes before the try.

But after the break Georgia took full control with further tries from fly-half Lasha Khmaladze and replacement Beka Tsiklauri meaning that a late score from Japan served only as a consolation.

The scorers:

For Georgia:
Tries:  Mamukashvili, Penalty try, Kvirikashvili, Khmaladze, Tsiklauri
Con:  Kvirikashvili 2
Pen:  Kvirikashvili 2

For Japan:
Tries:  Matsushima, Tatekawa
Con:  Goromaru 3
Pen:  Goromaru

Georgia:  15 Merab Kvirikashvili, 14 Tamaz Mtchedlidze, 13 David Kacharava (C), 12 Merab Sharikadze, 11 Sandro Todua, 10 Lasha Khmaladze, 9 Vazha Khutsishvili, 8 Lasha Lomidze, 7 Vito Kolelishvili, 6 Giorgi Tkhilaishvili, 5 Levan Datunashvili, 4 Giorgi Nemsadze, 3 David Kubriashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili.
Replacements:  16 Simon Maisuradze, 17 Zurab Zhvania, 18 Levan Chilachava, 19 Kote Mikautadze, 20 Giorgi Chkhaidze, 21 Giorgi Begadze, 22 Beka Tsiklauri, 23 Giorgi Aptsiauri

Japan:  15 Ayumu Goromaru, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Male Sau, 12 Harumichi Tatekawa, 11 Karne Hesketh, 10 Yu Tamura, 9 Atsushi Hiwasa, 8 Amanaki Lelei Mafi, 7 Hayden Hopgood, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Shoji Ito, 4 Luke Thompson, 3 Kensuke Hatakeyama, 2 Takeshi Kizu, 1 Masataka Mikami.
Replacements:  16 Keita Inagaki, 17 Hiroki Yuhara, 18 Shinnosuke Kakinaga, 19 Hitoshi Ono, 20 Shinya Makabe, 21 Yuki Yatomi, 22 Kosei Ono, 23 Toshiaki Hirose.

Venue:  Mikheil Meshki Stadium, Tbilisi
Referee:  Romain Poite (France)

Misfiring England do enough

England winger Jonny May scored two tries as Stuart Lancaster's side picked up a welcome if unconvincing 28-9 win over Samoa at Twickenham.

Seeing England and Samoa's players link arms following the final whistle and kneel in prayer was undoubtedly the highlight of a poor game that had been overshadowed by off-field matters all week.

Samoa were never going to be walkovers but England were expected to find some fluency in attack, which they never truly achieved bar rare flashes of inspiration.

This win may have ended a five-match losing streak, but it was hardly something to shout about.

Their first half was best described as shambolic;  a never-ending succession of nervous errors and limited attacking rugby that did little to inspire a crowd who are turning on them.

May is a threat and worked hard while Mike Brown showed glimpses of his old self, but there wasn't enough to feel confident about England again after the last two weeks.

Had they been up against a side with a competitive scrum, anything rather than Samoa's struggling eight, then their recent record may have turned even more sour.

England have regressed considerably since Wales and Ireland came to Twickenham and were sent packing.

The four games against New Zealand were meant to improve England as a competitive force, not accentuate their now painfully obvious weaknesses.  The whole first half typified where they've been going wrong, as despite a dominant set-piece the failed to capitalise.

Matters certainly improved in the second half, no doubt, but a bruised Wallabies outfit will arrive in London licking their lips after two narrow losses in seven days.

England will have to be hugely better than this.  For the most part, they were all bluster and no end product going forward, though that's not to be confused with defence where Chris Robshaw led the way on 22 tackles.

George Ford provided some pleasing touches on his first start, particularly with an arrowed cross field kick for England's second try by Mike Brown.

Smashed on a couple of occasions, the 20-year-old on his first cap didn't flinch.  England needed authority and confidence and he provided it when required.

A hard tackle on England's new man from Johnny Leota should never have been a yellow card, but in the process decided the result as England scored their third try with Samoa down to 14 men.

That decision was rough on Samoa but in reality is a drop in the water compared to the off-field calamity that is the governance of the Samoan Rugby Union.

Dan Leo admitted earlier this week that being focused for Twickenham would be difficult and for all of their determination, Samoa's set-piece couldn't support them enough to really punish England's error-strewn 40 minutes and beyond.

Slopping handling in the opening quarter hindered the home side's progress after Tusi Pisi's fourth-minute penalty, but Ford broke the deadlock following a Samoa indiscretion at the scrum which paved the way for Jonny May's first try.

The flyer was practically tap tackled by a team-mate after being released by Mike Brown, but did enough to score his second Test try.

Further penalties from Pisi and Ford took us to half-time with England up 13-6 in poor conditions.

Ford's input continued after the break with a third penalty and that fine assisting kick which ended with Brown's score, Anthony Watson showing good composure to offload rather than force the score, with Pisi keeping England honest before the yellow card changed the game's dynamic.

From then on Twickenham fell flat again, groaning as England's attack once again misfired.

The centre pairing of Owen Farrell and Brad Barritt was greeted with scepticism and shouldn't be trotted out again, even despite Farrell and Ford linking well for May's first try.

England simply have better options that need to be used instead — Barritt's lack of attacking prowess in Test rugby, however well he does for Saracens, cannot be ignored.

England's coaches should watch Luther Burrell closely on Sunday against Saracens and consider pairing him with one of Kyle Eastmond or Billy Twelvetrees for Australia to give their midfield more life.

That had been the hope for James Haskell, brought in to give England's carrying options, yet he failed to register a single one.

England ended with a whimper rather than the morale-boosting bang required.  Marland Yarde and Brown's failure to execute a breakaway chance summed up their night, with Dave Attwood's knock on signalling the end.

For Samoa this is their last game until the All Blacks next year.  Change has to happen behind the scenes if we are to see the best of them in that momentous occasion.

They deserve more, never giving up even with the game lost, typified by their captain David Lemi.  Let's hope the media attention and call to arms over the last week isn't another false dawn.

Man of the Match:  Chris Robshaw shone defensively but George Ford gave England some positive signs and must start next week.

Moment of the Match:  The aforementioned Ford's cross kick to Anthony Watson was perfect and ended with a try.

Villain of the Match:  The collective decision by the officials to yellow card Johnny Leota.  A terrible call.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  May 2, Brown
Cons:  Ford 2
Pens:  Ford 3

For Samoa:
Pens:  Pisi 3
Yellow Card:  Leota

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 James Haskell, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 David Wilson, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 Dylan Hartley, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 George Kruis, 20 Tom Wood, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Billy Twelvetrees, 23 Marland Yarde

Samoa:  15 Ken Pisi, 14 Alapati Leiua, 13 Reynold Lee-Lo, 12 Johnny Leota, 11 David Lemi, 10 Tusi Pisi, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Ofisa Treviranus, 7 Jack Lam, 6 Maurie Fa'asavalu, 5 Kane Thompson, 4 Filo Paulo, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Ti'i Paulo, 1 Zak Taulafo.
Replacements:  16 Manu Leiataua, 17 Viliamu Afatia, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Fa'atiga Lemalu, 20 Dan Leo, 21 TJ Ioane, 22 Pete Cowley, 23 Mike Stanley.

Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
TMO:  Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Romania battle past Canada

Romania fly-half Florin Vlaicu kicked all of his side's points as they got the better of Canada, prevailing 18-9 at Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf.

The victory was Romania's first of November as they bounced back from defeats to USA and Japan with this gritty success in Bucharest.

Canada could only muster three penalty goals in the game but did take the lead via full-back James Pritchard's boot before Vlaicu responded in the 28th and 37th minute for a 6-3 half-time lead.

Gordon McRorie did level for Canada in the 47th minute but Romania then churned through the three-pointers as pivot Vlaicu added four more penalties to Pritchard's second to seal the win.

The scorers:

For Romania:
Pen:  Vlaicu 6

For Canada:
Pen:  Pritchard 2, McRorie

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Dorin Manole, 13 Csaba Gal, 12 Robert Dascalu, 11 Ionut Botezatu, 10 Florin Vlaicu, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Stelian Burcea, 7 Valentin Ursache, 6 Mihai Macovei (capt), 5 Valentin Popirlan, 4 Alin Coste, 3 Horatiu Pungea, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Mihaita Lazar.
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Andrei Ursache, 18 Paulica Ion, 19 Marius Antonescu, 20 Vlad Nistor, 21 Florin Surugiu, 22 Florin Ionita, 23 Robert Neagu.

Canada:  15 James Pritchard, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Conor Trainor, 12 Ciaran Hearn, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Patrick Parfrey, 9 Gordon McRorie, 8 Tyler Ardron (capt), 7 Nanyak Dala, 6 Jebb Sinclair, 5 Jon Phelan, 4 Jamie Cudmore, 3 Jason Marshall, 2 Aaron Carpenter, 1 Hubert Buydens.
Replacements:  16 Ray Barkwill, 17 Andrew Tiedemann, 18 Doug Wooldridge, 19 Kyle Gilmour, 20 Richard Thorpe, 21 Sean White, 22 Jordan Wilson-Ross, 23 Nick Blevins.

Referee:  Nick Briant (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Andrew McMenemy (Scotland), Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
Television match official:  Geoff Warren (England)

Five-try Scotland beat Tonga

Scotland exorcised their demons of 2012 with a comfortable 37-12 triumph over Tonga to round off a successful November Test series.

Tries from Blair Cowan, who enjoyed his best performance in a navy shirt to date, Stuart Hogg, Alex Dunbar, Geoff Cross and Tommy Seymour ensured there would be no repeat of the Scots' insipid Aberdeen loss to the same opponents.

Two years ago, almost to the day, Tonga raided polar Pittodrie, outscoring Scotland two tries to nil and notching a first-ever victory over their hosts, spelling the end for Andy Robinson in doing so.  It was one of Scottish rugby's lowest ebbs in the professional era.

But this Scottish side has a very different feel to it than the disjointed, confidence-bereft gaggle that succumbed to the marauding Islanders of yesteryear, Vern Cotter instilling confidence, freedom and ruthlessness in his new charges in equal measure.

Despite the narrow confines of the Rugby Park pitch, which despite its moniker, has not played host to the oval ball game for nearly fifty years, both teams sought an expansive, offloading style of play, yielding errors and infringements aplenty, but also some tidy Scottish tries.

With ten minutes gone, Hogg's failure to roll away presented fly-half Latiume Fosita with an opportunity to open the scoring from the left touchline;  the mop-headed pivot converted smartly.

The Scots, eager to set the ball rolling, eschewed a spree of kickable shots at the posts in favour of multiple cracks at the corner and the line.  Though the Tongan pack repeatedly thwarted their driving maul, they did so illegally on no less than four consecutive occasions — JP Doyle sent skipper Nili Latu to the bin, Scotland remained patient, and on attempt number five, Cowan burrowed his way to the whitewash under a mass of bodies.

Laidlaw converted, but Fosita soon flighted over his second penalty from the ten-metre line after Scotland fluffed their lines in midfield, and added a third when Ross Ford failed to roll away.

The Tongans are known for ferocious defence that often toys with the boundaries of legality, but it was Dunbar who saw yellow for what TMO Carlo Damasco deemed a dangerous tip-tackle.

The penalties kept coming, and Fosita, almost flanker-esque in physique and clad in scrum cap, continued to punish home indiscipline with each languid swing of his right boot.

Strike number four sailed over on the half-hour mark, though the fly-half was perhaps a touch too languid in clearing from his own in-goal area moments later, Finn Russell seizing on the charge-down only to be pulled back for offside.

Tonga continued to press, however, and their hulking carriers, both backs and forwards, made dangerous inroads into the Scottish 22 — centre Hemani Paea was particularly threatening.

Indeed, an overlap and a try in the corner beckoned for the Islanders, but for a huge Russell hit, forcing the ball from Fetu'u Vainikolo's grasp, and allowing Hogg to scoop up and race the length of the pitch.

Laidlaw added the extras, and fumbled a great chance for a third with the clock red from a neat lineout move.

The theme of Scots infringing with folly and consistency continued after the break, Fosita pulling his fifth attempt wide on 44 minutes, after what by my count was a fifth penalty for not rolling away.  Such indiscipline will prove more costly against more potent opposition.

Potency is something Scotland have rediscovered this November, however, and though space appeared to be at a premium in the Tongan 22, Russell switched play and allowed Dunbar to swivel and step brilliantly past Viliami Ma'afu, and outpace Paea Fa'anunu to the corner flag.

Laidlaw missed, but his centre's score administered the Scots an injection of pace and incisiveness.  Dunbar again broke into the 22, and a period of pressure yielded the captain's first penalty of the match, handing the hosts a ten-point advantage.

The scrum, solid in the first half, began to dominate, sapping the energy of the Tongan eight, while the Gray brothers, Richie and Jonny, augmented busy shifts in the loose by ruling the skies.

Cross, resplendent as ever with flowing Nordic facial hair, forced his way over following a tidy Hogg break and more strong carrying from Cowan, Laidlaw converting.

Seymour continued his prolific, and opportunistic November by dotting down Duncan Taylor's tap-back of Russell's up-and-under in the Tongan in-goal area, though the fly-half could not convert, and added a fitting symmetry to the morale-boosting series, having scored in all three Tests.

Man of the match:  Blair Cowan was excellent at the breakdown, snaffled plenty loose ball, carried well, making over 30 metres, and scored his first Test try.

Moment of the match:  Alex Dunbar's try was the beginning of the end for Tonga.

Villain of the match:  Nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries:  Cowan, Hogg, Dunbar, Cross, Seymour
Con:  Laidlaw 3
Pen:  Laidlaw 2
Yellow:  Dunbar (24 minutes)

For Tonga:
Pen:  Fosita 4
Yellow:  Latu (12 minutes)

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Sean Lamont, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (c), 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Geoff Cross, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson
Replacements:  16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Ryan Grant, 19 Kieran Low, 20 Alasdair Strokosch, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Duncan Taylor.

Tonga:  15 Vungakoto Lilo, 14 David Halaifonua, 13 Siale Piutau, 12 Hemani Paea, 11 Fetu'u Vainikolo, 10 Latiume Fosita, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Viliami Ma'afu, 7 Nili Latu (capt), 6 Sione Kalamafoni, 5 Joe Tu'ineau, 4 Tukulua Lokotui, 3 Paea Fa'anunu, 2 Aleki Lutui, 1 Tevita Mailau.
Replacements:  16 Elvis Taione, 17 Sione Lea, 18 Sila Puafisi, 19 Lisiate Fa'aoso, 20 Hale T Pole, 21 Tomasi Palu, 22 Kurt Morath, 23 Sione Piukala.

Referee:  JP Doyle (England)
Assistant Referees:  Greg Garner (England), Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO:  Carlo Damasco (Italy)

Wales stunned by Barrett brilliance

Three tries in the final ten minutes saw New Zealand - in Richie McCaw's 100th game as captain - beat Wales 34-16 at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

15-16 up on 69 minutes, Wales were sniffing a massive win over the All Blacks.  But then fly-half Beauden Barrett's individual score knocked the stuffing out of the Welsh before Kieran Read and Barrett again sealed New Zealand's fourth win of their successful end-of-year international tour.

The All Blacks fly-half was clearly given a pre-game message to put the ball behind the rushing defence and he duly found the spaces.  However Barrett, who was selected ahead of Aaron Cruden and Dan Carter for the tour finale, didn't get much possession in decent areas early on in Cardiff.

In fact, the Welsh would take the lead on seven minutes when milestone man Richie McCaw was penalised by English referee Wayne Barnes at the breakdown to offer full-back Leigh Halfpenny the opportunity to slot over a simple penalty.  Wales found themselves ahead without New Zealand having even threatened them.  New Zealand were indeed struggling to pierce a fierce Welsh defence as hits were halting the likes of Sonny Bill Williams and Ben Smith.

They did get the chance to level with a quarter of the game gone when Jake Ball was caught offside but unfortunately for Barrett he was off-target as water-boy Carter watched on.  He did make amends on 23 minutes though from halfway after Wales were penalised at scrum time.

While the scoreline didn't change in the closing 17 minutes of the half, the tackles and intensity meant it was anything but dull at the Millennium Stadium, with Dan Lydiate, Brodie Retallick and the like having adopted the unfamiliar tag of being the stand-out performers.

But in they went at the break as those in Cardiff and at home caught their breath - it would have been interesting to hear the coaches' briefing to their respective players as Warren Gatland surely would have avoided talking up the possibility of ending their long wait.

Steve Hansen's words clearly had the desired effect though as from turnover ball in the Welsh 22, the All Blacks went to the left wing where Julian Savea saw off Dan Biggar to end his own drought, picking up a first try against Wales.  Barrett added the extras for 10-3.

The lead didn't last long though as three minutes later number eight Taulupe Faletau set up scrum-half Rhys Webb as Wales levelled matters, scooting over from seven metres out.

If they weren't already, Wales were clearly beginning to believe that victory could be theirs and when referee Barnes adjudged All Black second-row Sam Whitelock to have failed to roll away at the ruck, Halfpenny took his chance to put the hosts into the lead on 50 minutes.

But as is their wont, New Zealand did a Dublin 2013 on 65 minutes as hands on the left led to Dane Coles racing on before handing the ball to McCaw who was brought down five out.  The recycled ball saw Barrett kick cross field to where Jerome Kaino was on hand for 15-13.

The game wasn't done there though as McCaw found himself penalised by Barnes for side entry as Wales retook the lead, with sharp-shooter Halfpenny again on target off the tee.

But then came a moment of high class individual quality from Barrett as his chip and regather down the right wing moved New Zealand six points to the good with ten minutes remaining.

And it was game over three minutes later when replacement Mike Phillips' attempted box kick was charged down and Read collected the ball for New Zealand's fourth try.  Colin Slade's second successful conversion extended the lead to 13 as Wales were stunned.

New Zealand didn't let up as a cross-field kick found Barrett - now playing full-back - for his brace and with it the rubber stamped win, sending the All Blacks home with a clean sweep.

Man of the match:  While he was a little shaky early on, that moment of quality when he floored Wales with a chip that resulted in a key try almost saw Beauden Barrett win this award.  But in the end we go for Kieran Read after a tireless effort in Cardiff.

Moment of the match:  See above.

Villain of the match:  Nothing too nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Try:  Webb
Con:  Halfpenny
Pen:  Halfpenny 3

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Savea, Kaino, Barrett 2, Read
Con:  Barrett, Slade 2
Pen:  Barrett

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Paul James.
Replacements:  16 Scott Baldwin , 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Luke Charteris , 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 James Hook, 23 Liam Williams.

New Zealand:  15 Ben Smith, 14 Charles Piutau, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements:  16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Liam Messam, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Colin Slade, 23 Ryan Crotty.

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Craig Joubert (South Africa), Luke Pearce (England)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

Ireland edge Wallabies in thriller

Ireland claimed their second Southern Hemisphere scalp of the month with a 26-23 victory over Australia in a thrilling clash in Dublin on Saturday.

The hosts were outscored three tries to two by the Wallabies but another incredible performance on defence — as was the case against the Springboks — was at the origin of a memorable win.

What a game!

One of the best first-halves of international rugby seen anywhere this year came to an end with the scores locked at 20-all.

It was breathtaking stuff as both sides impressed.  Australia's ability to offload in the tackle kept the ball alive while the hosts' tactical execution was out of the top drawer.

An amazing first half-hour that featured five tries saw Ireland race to a 17-0 lead inside 15 minutes only for Australia to fight back and draw level.

Irish wings Simon Zebo and Tommy Bowe both touched down early on but the Wallabies replied via three tries from half-backs Nick Phipps — who scored twice — and Bernard Foley.

The paced never slowed in the second half — even if the tries stopped flowing — and the game went right down to the wire with the opposing fly-halve exchanging penalties.

Zebo got the hosts off to a perfect start as he raced down the touchline to latch onto Jonathan Sexton's equally perfect kick ahead to score.  It all came thanks to Rory Best ripping the ball away in a choke tackle.  Sexton added the conversion to go with an earlier penalty as Ireland led 10-0.

Two minutes later, with Australia looking dangerous, Bowe intercepted a Phipps pass and bolted 80 metres to score.  Sexton's extras made it 17-0 and the Dublin crowd was ready to party.

The mood changed very quickly however as Phipps made amends for his earlier gaff by beating four defenders on a wonderful run off turnover ball to score.  Foley converted and the comeback was in full swing.

Australia's second try come in controversial circumstances as Phipps sent what looked like a distinctly forward pass to Foley, who only just managed to get the tip of the ball onto the whitewash.  If Australia hadn't been given the try, a yellow card was likely after Henry Speight was stopped just short and Irish hands grappled for the ball on the deck.

Foley sent the conversion wide, but at 17-12 the game was alive again.

There was nothing wrong with the Wallabies' third try though — probably the best of the game — with Matt Toomua and Foley providing wonderful uploads to put Phipps away to level the scores.

Foley's missed the easy conversion but incredibly could put the visitors in front with penalty as halt-time loomed large.

Sexton replied in kind on the stroke of half-time and it was all-square and anyone game as the teams swapped ends.

Kurtley Beale came on for Tevita Kuridriani early in the second period but the try-scoring dried up to leave Foley and Sexton to exchange three-pointers.

Rob Kearney hit the upright from nearly 50 metres on the angle, but Ireland never really threatened to score another try.

Their work at the breakdown was outstanding though and the home fly-half landed two excellent kicks to put Ireland ahead at 26-23 with 15 minutes left on the clock.

The Wallabies were in full-attack mode in the dying minutes but the Irish defence was rock solid, not giving an inch as they matched their commitment with organisation.

Having lost back-to-back games after last week's defeat in Paris, Australia must now look to salvage their tour at Twickenham while Ireland finish their November series unbeaten.

Man of the Match:  Too many candidates to mention them all but Sexton was outstanding again.  Paul O'Connell was immense however, leading by example in a towering defensive display

Moment of the Match:  Plenty of highlights but Zebo's try in the opening minutes typified Ireland's performance.  It was a perfect example of grabbing a half-chance with clinical efficiency and set the tone for the rest of the Irish display

Villain of the Match:  If you're Irish, TMO Eric Gauzins's interpretation of what constitutes a forward pass is debatable.

The scorers:

For Ireland: 
Tries:  Zebo, Bowe
Cons:  Sexton 2
Pens:  Sexton 4

For Australia: 
Tries:  Phipps 2, Foley
Con:  Foley
Pens:  Foley 2

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Rhys Ruddock, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Jack McGrath.
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Rodney Ah You, 19 Dave Foley, 20 Tommy O'Donnell, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Felix Jones.

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Tevita Kuridriani, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Henry Speight, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Luke Jones, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Sam Carter, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Saia Fainga'a, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements:  16 James Hanson, 17 Tetera Faulkner, 18 Benn Robinson, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Jake Schatz, 21 Will Genia, 22 Quade Cooper, 23 Kurtley Beale.

Venue:  Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
Referee:  Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Television match official:  Eric Gauzins (France)
Timekeeper:  Kevin Beggs (Ireland)

No shocks as Ireland put away Georgia

Ireland had to wait but finished with a six-try win over visitors Georgia with a 49-7 victory at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Sunday.

The hosts showed plenty of endeavour in the opening half but struggled to finish off plenty of opportunities, as Joe Schmidt rested leading stars such as Paul O'Connell and Jonathan Sexton for the clash with European Nations Cup champions.

Dave Foley and Dominic Ryan were both handed debuts in the pack, with Robin Copeland another player to win a first cap when he came on as a replacement.

In the end Ireland's accuracy shone through after the break, when they racked up all of their six tries.

Georgia showed impressive resilience in defence early on as Ireland continually broke the line, before the Lelos rallied to slow down the ball at the ruck and use their power to drive Ireland backwards.

Multiple chances were missed by Ireland and they showed respect opting for the posts rather than the corner, Madigan adding two penalties and missing one in an industrious but unsuccessful first half.

The major talking point surrounded openside flanker Vito Kolelishvili, who with a lazy leg caught the eye of Dominic Ryan at the bottom of a ruck.

The incident wasn't refereed to the TMO and there was no penalty, but it looked nasty as Kolelishvili was lucky to escape possible punishment even though his action could be deemed as accidental.

Had that not been the case, he would have been in big trouble and the citing officer may take a closer look.

Dave Kilcoyne was prominent for Ireland, coming up with a rampaging run in the first half, and he followed it up with Ireland's first try just after half-time when he powered through two tacklers to dot down.

Scrum-half Giorgi Begadze had paid the price for his team's mounting penalty count just before the interval and by the 43rd minute Ireland led 16-0.

Capitalising on Georgia's lack of numbers and sensing the ascendancy with their maul, Richardt Strauss was the next man to benefit as Ireland's pack got to work again and finished in the right corner.

Georgia to their credit refused to give up and were justly rewarded following an injection of impetus from their replacement front row.

Begadze, back on the field after his yellow card, scampered down the blindside and setup the lock Giorgi Nemsadze for a fine try.

Simon Zebo couldn't be stopped after Ireland created a huge overlap to score their third try, seconds after Dimitri Basilaia became the second Georgian player sent to the bin.

There was real concern however over the condition of Lasha Malaguradze, who took a nasty head knock and was attended to by medical staff before being stretchered off and encouragingly waving his arms to the crowd.

Not by any surprise, Georgia's worst moments came when down to 14 men and Felix Jones pounced for Ireland's fourth try with too much space and time in the corner.

Jones didn't have to wait long for a second, Robin Copeland's rip in the tackle making room for Ireland's replacements — Kieran Marmion, Ian Keatley and Sean Cronin — to all surge upfield and hand Jones the chance to score.

Stuart Olding got in on the act for a weaving try as Georgia's defence lost their shape and Ireland lined up to add more scores, with debutant Foley named Man of the Match to cap off a strong first outing.

Job done for Schmidt, who will now begin planning for the visit of the Wallabies next weekend as Ireland look to end November unbeaten.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Tries:  Kilcoyne, Strauss, Zebo, Jones 2, Olding
Cons:  Madigan 5
Pens:  Madigan 3

For Georgia:
Try:  Nemsadze
Con:  Kvirikashvili
Yellow Card:  Begadze, Basilaia

Ireland:  15 Felix Jones, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Eoin Reddan (c), 8 Robbie Diack, 7 Tommy O'Donnell, 6 Dominic Ryan, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Dave Foley, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Dave Kilcoyne.
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Rodney Ah You, 19 Devin Toner, 20 Robin Copeland, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Ian Keatley, 23 Stuart Olding.

Georgia:15 Merab Kvirikashvili, 14 Tamaz Mchedlidze, 13 David Kacharava , 12 Merab Sharikadze, 11 Sandro Todua, 10 Lasha Khmaladze, 9 Giorgi Begadze, 8 Dimitri Basilaia, 7 Vito Kolelishvili, 6 Giorgi Tkhilaishvili, 5 Giorgi Nemsadze, 4 Kote Mikautadze, 3 Davit Kubriashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili
Replacements:  16 Simon Maisuradze, 17 Zurab Zhvania, 18 Levan Chilachava, 19 Levan Datunashvili, 20 Giorgi Chkhaidze, 21 Vazha Khutsishvili, 22 Lasha Malaguradze, 23 Muraz Giorgadze

Referee:  JP Doyle (England)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO:  Jim Yuille (Scotland)

Les Bleus hold on against Wallabies

Teddy Thomas' wonder try helped France to a thrilling 29-26 win over Australia in a bruising encounter at the Stade de France.

France were hanging on at the end but this was a deserved win for Les Bleus, and much-needed for under-fire Philippe Saint-André.

Camille Lopez controlled the game from fly-half, while in Thomas, France have a born finisher.  On another day Australia might have nicked it, but just when his team needed him most, Thierry Dusautoir produced two decisive tackles in the last five minutes to secure the win.

Saint-André had chosen to stick with the same starting lineup that beat Fiji in Marseille and was rewarded in the first 30 minutes as Les Bleus played with real intensity in both attack and defence.

Tries from Sébastien Tillous-Borde and Thomas saw France lead 17-6, but from there Australia fought back through Bernard Foley and an Adam Ashley-Cooper try and trailed by just a point at half-time.

As well as France had started, Michael Cheika's team looked much the stronger going into the break and it seemed as if they would power away in the second half.  Instead Les Bleus tightened things up, opened up a lead thanks to the boot of Lopez, and despite Rob Simmons' late try, held on for the win.

It was Australia who almost made the perfect start though when Scott Spedding's clearance kick was charged down and Simmons touched down inside a minute.  The second row had knocked on while picking up the ball, however, and France's blushes were spared.

In an entertaining opening Les Bleus came within inches of crossing themselves after some great work by Yoann Huget.  The winger collected Lopez's cross-kick before beating two men and feeding Spedding inside him only for the full-back to be nudged into touch at the last second by the covering Foley.

Australia then tried to play their way out of trouble from the resulting lineout, and when James Horwill knocked on, Alexandre Dumoulin's wide pass was just too high for Thomas.

France didn't have to wait long for their try though, from the scrum Lopez made a half-break, and with the Australian defence scrambling, Tillous-Borde spotted a gap and darted over from the back of a ruck.  Lopez was injured in the move but shrugged that off to convert and make it 7-0.

Just as they had done repeatedly last week against Wales, Australia hit back straightaway, earning a penalty when Tillous-Borde was isolated from the restart.  Foley made no mistake to cut the lead to four.

France were almost in again soon after, Lopez again ghosting through a gap before a grubber had Joe Tomane scrambling but the winger just managed to get back into time to palm the ball into touch with Huget lurking.

A Lopez penalty from the next lineout was immediately cancelled out by Foley, with the visitors doing just enough to stay in touch.

Lopez was playing well in general, but for the second time in a row his restart went straight out, giving Australia a scrum on halfway and handing them back possession.

France were nullifying the Australian attack, but the Wallabies had clearly singled out Thomas as a weakness under the high ball and he was twice caught out to give away lineouts in French territory.

But while the winger was struggling in defence, he showed just why he was selected with a sensational individual try.  He collected the ball out wide under pressure, before beating Christian Leali'ifano, Ashley-Cooper, Saia Fainga'a and Nick Phipps to go over for his fourth Test try in just his second appearance.  Lopez converted again to make it 17-6.

While France deservedly led, the one bright point for Australia was their scrum, which had the upper hand on their French counterparts and even earned a penalty just after the half-hour.  Unfortunately for the Wallabies the same could not be said for their misfiring lineout.

When they did manage to secure one though, they sucked in the French defence with a maul before spreading the ball to the right.  Foley slipped out of Tillous-Borde's tackle, before finding Ashley-Cooper, who was too strong for Spedding and notched up his 30th Test try.  Foley's conversion from out wide made it 17-13 with half-time approaching.

France looked to be running out of steam and when Pascal Papé was caught offside, Foley gratefully accepted three more points to make it a one-point game at the break.

With his team tiring, Saint-André made some changes at half-time, with Uini Atonio and Mathieu Bastareaud both entering the fray, and the centre showed all his power in the opening seconds breaking three tackles to force Australia back on to their own line.  When the Wallabies were caught offside a couple of phases later, Lopez stretched the lead back to four.

The momentum was back with the home side and Michael Hooper caught Guilhem Guirado high a couple of minutes later, but wasn't made to pay as Lopez's penalty didn't quite have the legs.

France didn't have to wait long to stretch the lead again though, with Sean McMahon penalised for lifting Bernard Le Roux after the whistle had gone, and this time Lopez made no mistake.

The seven-point lead was back to four almost immediately, a French kick-chase setting off a fraction early giving Foley an easy penalty.

The French scrum was still struggling, but the introduction of Xavier Chiocci for Menini had an instant impact, shunting the Australians back and earning penalty just before the hour.

The resulting lineout was lost but Rory Kockott, on for Tillous-Borde, charged down Foley and the Wallabies barely survived with Rob Horne's clearing kick giving France a lineout five metres out.

Unfortunately for Les Bleus they were then penalised for offside when trying to set up a maul, blowing a golden opportunity to open up a gap between the sides.

The tide had certainly turned in the scrum though, with Sekope Kepu, on his 50th appearance, given a torrid time by Chiocci and conceding another penalty which Lopez converted.

It was getting scrappy, but France were in control, and when Will Skelton was penalised in a lineout, Kockott stretched the lead to ten with eight minutes remaining.

The game looked up but Australia worked an overlap to send Ashley-Cooper away and after going straight through Spedding he was dragged down just short of the line.  Rémi Talès thought he'd secured a decisive turnover but he was deemed to have done so illegally and was sin-binned as a result.

Australia were right back in it, but a huge tackle and rip from Thierry Dusautoir on Skelton forced the Wallabies to start again.

It was only temporary respite however.  Israel Folau, having barely featured all game, made a searing break and while he couldn't finish, a couple of phases later, Quade Cooper slipped the ball out of a tackle for Simmons to go over.  This time there was no knock-on and Foley's conversion cut the lead back to three with three minutes remaining.The visitors were flying and Foley went straight through once more as Australia looked certain to score.  Yet again Dusautoir was in the right place and the right time, making a perfect tackle on Ben Alexander to force a knock-on five metres out.

That left France with a final scrum to negotiate and they did precisely that, earning some measure of revenge for June's 3-0 whitewash.  It wasn't easy, and they are far from the finished article, but it was an important step for their under-fire coach.

For Australia, there was disappointment, with the likes of Tevita Kuridrani and Folau, in particular, struggling to have a real impact in the game.  Foley was outstanding once more, but overall the Wallabies turned over too much ball in contact to emerge victorious.

Man of the match:  There were a number of candidates:  Teddy Thomas for his solo score alone, Thierry Dusautoir for his captain's performance at the death and Bernard Foley for keeping Australia in it.  In the end though, we're going to go for Camille Lopez.  He ran the show for France, showing great decision-making and helping them turn things around after a sticky end to the first half.  We'll even forgive him his two fluffed restarts.

Moment of the match:  How can we not go with Teddy Thomas' try?  Saint-André said in the build-up that Thomas has weaknesses in defence but makes up for them with his attacking threat.  This game was proof of that, but as a finisher he is something else.

Villain of the match:  It was fiery and the tackles came flying in, but overall it didn't quite boil over.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:  Tillous-Borde, Thomas
Cons:  Lopez 2
Pens:  Lopez 4, Kockott
Yellow Card:  Talès

For Australia:
Tries:  Ashley-Cooper, Simmons
Cons:  Foley 2
Pens:  Foley 4

France:  15 Scott Spedding, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Alexandre Dumoulin, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Teddy Thomas, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Sébastien Tillous-Borde, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Papé, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Alexandre Menini
Replacements:  16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Uini Atonio, 18 Xavier Chiocci, 19 Alexandre Flanquart, 20 Yannick Nyanga, 21 Rory Kockott, 22 Rémi Talès, 23 Mathieu Bastareaud

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Christian Leali'ifano, 11 Joe Tomane, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Sean McMahon, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 James Horwill, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Saia Fainga'a, 1 James Slipper
Replacements:  16 James Hanson, 17 Benn Robinson, 18 Ben Alexander, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Matt Hodgson, 21 Will Genia, 22 Quade Cooper, 23 Rob Horne

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

England too late again as Boks triumph

Emerging on top in a physical, flawed tussle, the Springboks rebounded from defeat in Dublin to win 31-28 at Twickenham.

South Africa's issues against Ireland were well documented but there was no arrogance at Twickenham, just trademark power and commitment in defence in a brutal battle.  They weren't perfect by any stretch, but got the job done.

If you like your mauls, you were in for a treat.

From 20-6 up they will have been bitterly disappointed to let England back into the contest, but their greater experience and composure shone through.

Nerves jittered out of both camps and into the stands before kickoff.  Back-to-back losses for either side would have been disastrous and now it's England who are taking a long look at themselves.

Their reliance on Billy Vunipola for any go-forward is a burden, as the Boks licked their lips and chopped down England's slow ball carriers time and again.

Owen Farrell had been demanded to deliver an authoritative performance yet he failed, putting his future as England's long-term number ten in doubt with the efforts of his forwards in the second half covering up England's flaws with successive tries from rolling mauls.

England had not beaten the Boks since 2006, coincidentally the last time South Africa lost back-to-back matches to Northern Hemisphere sides.

Stuart Lancaster's reign is now under more scrutiny than ever before since he took charge in 2012.

When called upon to beat the best, England fell short and just like against the All Blacks they left it too late.

Kyle Eastmond's footwork showed promise against the All Blacks and nearly undid the Springboks early on, a burst through the space between defenders handing England a half-chance before his offload fell to ground.

Farrell's lack of composure in his 22 handed Pat Lambie the chance for the game's first points with a well-struck penalty.

Handling errors were compounding England's progress with the Boks defence standing firm and then pouncing on Danny Care's indecision.  Jan Serfontein burst away for his first Test try after latching onto an absolute gift of a misdirected pass.

England were a shambles, but the Springboks showed ruthlessness and all of a sudden sat 10-0 up.

Early dominance of the scrum and line-out gave England a set-piece but they did little with it, with no runners crashing up from deep after any initial progress before Marcell Coetzee pounced at the breakdown.

Half chances for Anthony Watson and Jonny May fell by the wayside but South Africa's telegraphed clearance kicks were holding them back, a second chargedown ending with Farrell's opening points for the home side.

Lambie responded following strong work from South Africa's rolling maul in the ongoing battle of strength versus strength, England's scrum responding with a free-kick ending in a second penalty for Farrell.

Careless penalties were a trend, Tom Wood following up Duane Vermeulen's second ruck offence by playing Eben Etzebeth in the air.

Lambie let England off the hook just as his team had in general, only letting the hosts trail by a converted try at the break despite England dominating possession and territory.

There was no leniency after half-time;  Cobus Reinach blazed over after combined brilliance from Lambie's initial chip and then Willie le Roux's perfect pass onto the rapid scrum-half.

The timing was critical — England were put into desperation mode and assaulted the Springbok line with a rampaging maul that careered from the left touchline to finish up under the posts through Davey Wilson.

In between England's maul attempts the Boks were reduced to 14 men with Victor Matfield's yellow card for pulling it down illegally.

England were now red hot and an error from the officials sprung them for their second try.

Bryan Habana's clever lineout catch with feet either side of the line was incorrectly deemed to be ill-timed, giving England a throw-in that culminated with a rampaging score for the replacement Ben Morgan at the end of another monster maul.

From 6-20 to 20-20 in three minutes, England couldn't capitalise on the yellow card against the All Blacks but made sure of it seven days on.

The Springboks counter-punched in similar style, the work of Schalk Burger standing out as South Africa bullied their way over in the corner to restore their lead.

Dylan Hartley's yellow card was an unnecessary problem England didn't need as he trampled over Vermeulen on the deck.

Coetzee continued to reign supreme at the breakdown, generating a third Lambie penalty, before George Ford instantly cancelled it out with his first three-pointer in Test rugby.

Tantalisingly poised with England returning to the corner and back to a full compliment, Vermeulen's line-out steal came at a crucial time with the clock running out and Twickenham growing behind their side.

Just as Habana was unlucky earlier, so was Courtney Lawes as he attempted to sneak around the back of the maul — with the Boks going to the corner from the resultant penalty and confirming the result with a drop-goal from Lambie in the pocket.

Brad Barritt's try, just like against the All Blacks, came too late as the English inquest begins into another near miss — character and composure from the Springboks shining through.

Man of the Match:  Outstanding at the breakdown, Marcell Coetzee won a number of penalties.

Moment of the Match:  The line-out England shouldn't have had.  From it Ben Morgan drove over to level the game up at 20-20.

Villain of the Match:  Was it the right call?  Dylan Hartley's yellow card will split opinion but his careless action could have been avoided.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Wilson, Morgan, Barritt
Cons:  Farrell 2
Pens:  Farrell 2, Ford
Yellow Card:  Hartley

For South Africa:
Tries:  Serfontein, Reinach, Burger
Cons:  Lambie 2
Pens:  Lambie 3
Drop Goal:  Lambie
Yellow Card:  Matfield

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Kyle Eastmond, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Danny Care, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 David Wilson, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements:  16 Rob Webber, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 George Kruis, 20 Ben Morgan, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 George Ford, 23 Marland Yarde.

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jan Serfontein, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements:  16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Bakkies Botha, 20 Teboho Mohoje, 21 Francois Hougaard, 22 Handr

All Blacks survive Scotland scare

Jeremy Thrush's late try finally killed off a valiant Scottish challenge as New Zealand scrapped to a 24-16 win at Murrayfield.

The Scots performed exceptionally, acquitting themselves with more grit and more aptitude than in any recent encounters with the World Champions, keeping pace with a much-changed, but nonetheless exemplary All Blacks unit until the 74th minute, and recording their narrowest defeat in this fixture for 23 years.

Second-row Thrush barrelled over to quash the hopes of those among a 66,000-strong home crowd who, with time ticking and Scotland trailing by a point, began to believe the impossible - a first-ever victory over New Zealand - might be imminent.

Though it is rather a benign clich・ in truth, their performance, building upon last week's success against Argentina would always bear greater significance to Vern Cotter and co than the final outcome.

In that regard, the Kiwi coach must be delighted, though more than a touch rueful that, with ten minutes remaining, Greig Laidlaw spurned the opportunity to kick his side ahead.

This was a weakened All Blacks XV, but that must be clarified through the prism of the best team in the world - by any other standard, it was awesome.

And then there was the bench:  where Scotland could call upon Duncan Weir and Sean Lamont to bolster their backline, New Zealand had Sonny Bill Williams and Julian Savea ready and waiting.  If there exists a more lethal reserve double anywhere in the game, I haven't seen it.

Yet while it is easy to saturate one's dialogue with superlatives when eulogising the All Blacks, and particularly these All Blacks, they are fallible.  Steve Hansen's side didn't quite click in attack, and credit must go to Scotland for exerting pressure, and pouncing when presented with opportunities, Tommy Seymour's interception try a prime example.

The waves of cautious optimism lapping at these shores is well-documented, and right from the off, there was a sense the hosts would not crumble as they have done so many times before, that they would not be pushed around by their illustrious guests - even born-again Christian Euan Murray was in the thick of the early handbags.

For all the Scots' defiance, however, the omens were not promising when with ten minutes gone, Victor Vito, harnessing loose skills honed during his sevens days, dummied, shrugging off Ross Ford's limp tackle, broke forty metres down the left side and powered through Stuart Hogg to finish brilliantly in the corner.

World rugby's leading Test marksman, Dan Carter, on his return from injury, was wide for the second time to the delight of most of Murrayfield, having pulled a penalty attempt two minutes prior.

In years gone by, Vito's strike would probably have spelled the beginning of the end for Scotland, and indeed it might well have done, had Richie McCaw, of all people - while Mark Bennett was prone and receiving treatment - with overlap and opportunity beckoning, not seen his pass plucked from the air by Seymour, the winger racing clear to score his second interception in as many weeks under the sticks.

Laidlaw converted, and Bennett was sadly carted off, a hamstring injury ending his game, with Lamont his replacement in midfield.

And having been comprehensively flattened by the hulking Thrush, fly-half Finn Russell joined his fellow youngster on the bench, albeit temporarily, Weir stepping in for ten minutes to allow his teammate to undergo concussion assessments.

Carter, the deity, the magician who dazzled on his last visit to Edinburgh, was still looking a tad rusty as he spilled a couple of passes, and miscued the odd punt, but knocked over a pair of straightforward penalties to put the Kiwis back ahead.

The Scots were holding their own, but the bruising collisions took their toll;  Murray was the third in garish red to hobble off before half-time, replaced by Geoff Cross.

Laidlaw struck again to cut the gap to a point as the interval loomed, but Carter once more slotted from the tee to cancel out the captain's goal with the last kick of the half.

Scotland started the second period with incision, thanks to another Seymour interception and two line breaks from Hogg and Sean Maitland, yielding a second penalty for Laidlaw.

Hansen rolled out his big guns on 55 minutes, with Savea and Williams replacing Carter and Malakai Fekitoa, the giant winger showing glimpses of his power from midfield, and after Scotland tried and failed repeatedly to run the ball from deep, Colin Slade punished them with three more points, taking over the kicking duties.

Straight from the restart, however, New Zealand were penalised, and Laidlaw once more kept Scotland a single point adrift.

When the Blacks strayed offside two minutes later, the scrum-half stepped up, and suddenly, remarkably, with ten to play, the hosts had a chance for the lead.  Murrayfield dared to dream.  Laidlaw's kick skewed wide.

Then the All Blacks did what the All Blacks do.  They won back possession, put themselves in their opponents' 22, and patiently cycled through the phases.  The red line of defiance finally creaked, and Thrush, a real presence in the loose, forced his way to the whitewash from close range;  the look on his face betrayed his sense of relief that this game had finally been put to bed.

Slade converted, and though Scotland threw everything at the Kiwis in the final three minutes, they could not cut the deficit any further.

That said, they trooped off with heads aloft, and took the acclaim from supporters that, in the space of two weeks, feel an awful a lot better about the state of their rugby.

Man of the match:  Jeremy Thrush made yards aplenty in the loose, tackled fiercely, was at the coalface throughout a dominant scrummaging display and scored the all-important try.

Moment of the match:  Greig Laidlaw's miss.  Ten minutes is a long time to play against New Zealand, but with the scoreboard and the crowd behind them, who knows what might have been ...

Villain of the match:  A few spats, but nothing too sinister to report.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Try:  Seymour
Con:  Laidlaw
Pens:  Laidlaw 3

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Vito, Thrush
Con:  Slade
Pens:  Carter 3, Slade

The teams:

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tommy Seymour, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (c), 8 Adam Ashe, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements:  16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 David Denton, 20 Johnnie Beattie, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Sean Lamont.

New Zealand:  15 Ben Smith, 14 Colin Slade, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Charles Piutau, 10 Dan Carter, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Richie McCaw (c), 5 Dominic Bird, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 James Parsons, 1 Joe Moody.
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Ben Franks, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Liam Messam, 21 Augustine Pulu, 22 Sonny Bill Williams, 23 Julian Savea.

Referee:  Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees:  Johnny Lacey (Ireland), Stuart Berry (South Africa)
TMO:  Gareth Simmonds (Wales)

Goromaru boots Japan past Romania

Japan full-back Ayumu Goromaru knocked over six penalties to give his team the win over Romania in Bucharest on Saturday.

Romania picked up the game's only five-pointer with a penalty try to put the hosts 10-3 ahead after half an hour, before the Brave Blossoms pulled through.

Japan started brightly and had the bulk of the possession but could not convert their overwhelming dominance into points.

Goromaru opened the scoring with a penalty after 16 minutes but the Oaks responded in style, taking a 10-3 advantage after fly-half Florin Vlaicu scored a penalty, before the home pack earned the only try in the game during an impressive 10-minute spell.

The visitors reduced the deficit to only one point at halftime after Goromaru slotted two more penalties and he confirmed his fine kicking form with three more penalties after the break.

Vlaicu made it 18-13 less than 10 minutes from time before missing another penalty in the closing stages at the Arch of Triumph National Rugby Stadium.

Romania host Canada next Saturday while Japan visit Georgia on the following day.

The scorers:

For Romania:
Try:  Penalty Try
Con:  Vlaicu
Pens:  Vlaicu 2
Yellow Card:  Sirbe

For Japan:
Pens:  Goromaru 6

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu 14 Dorin Manole, 13 Csaba Gal, 12 Robert Dascalu, 11 Ionut Botezatu, 10 Florin Vlaicu, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Daniel Carpo, 7 Mihai Macovei, 6 Ovidiu Tonita 5 Valentin Popirlan, 4 Marius Serbs, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 Andrei Radoi, 1 Andrei Ursache,
Replacements:16 Otar Turashvili, 17 Mihaita Lazar, 18 Horace bags, 19 Alin Coste, 20 Stelian Burca, Grigoras 21 Diaconescu, 22 Florin Ionita, 23 Robert Neagu

Japan:  15 Ayumu Goromaru, 14 Karne Hesketh, 13 Kotaro Matsushima, 12 Male Sau, 11 Akihito Yamada, 10 Kosei Ono, 9 Atsushi Hiwasa, 8 Amanaki Lelei Mafi, 7 Michael Leitch, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Shinya Makabe, 4 Shoji Ito, 3 Kensuke Hatakeyama, 2 Takeshi Kizu, 1 Masataka Mikami.
Replacements:  16 Keita Inagaki, 17 Hiroki Yuhara, 18 Hiroshi Yamashita, 19 Hitoshi Ono, 20 Hayden Hopgood , 21 Yuki Yatomi, 22 Harumichi Tatekawa, 23 Toshiaki Hirose.

Referee:  Stuart Berry (South Africa)

Late Tonga charge sinks Georgia

Tonga scored three tries in the final quarter as they came from behind to beat Georgia 23-9 in Tbilisi on Saturday.

Trailing 9-6 on the hour mark, the Islanders turned on the gas, scoring three unanswered tries in 12 minutes to kick off their European tour with a bang.

Replacement scrum-half Taniela Moa came off the bench to score two tries while full-back Vungakoto Lilo added the final nail in the coffin.

Georgia led 6-3 at the interval thanks to two penalties from full-back Kvirikashvili.

Tonga pivot Kurt Morath leveled the scores from the kicking tee soon after the break before Kvirikashvili nudged his side ahead again with half an hour to play.

It was all Tonga in the closing stages though.

The scorers:

For Georgia:
Pens:  Kvirikashvili 3
Yellow card:  Tkhilaishvili

For Tonga:
Tries:  Moa 2, Lilo
Con:  Fosita
Pens:  Morath 2

Georgia:  15 Merab Kvirikashvili, 14 Irakli Machkhaneli, 13 David Kacharava, 12 Merab Sharikadze, 11 Tamaz Mchedlidze, 10 Lasha Khmaladze, 9 Giorgi Begadze, 8 Giorgi Chkhaidze, 7 Viktor Kolelishvili, 6 Giga Tkhilaishvili, 5 Levan Datunashvili, 4 Konstantin Mikautadze, 3 Davit Kubriashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili.
Replacements:  16 Simon Maisuradze, 17 Zurabi Zhvania, 18 Levan Chilachava, 19 Giorgi Nemsadze, 20 Lasha Lomidze, 21 Vazha Khutsishvili, 22 Lasha Malaguradze, 23 Sandro Todua.

Tonga:  15 Vungakoto Lilo, 14 David Halaifonua, 13 Siale Piutau, 12 Hemani Paea, 11 Fetu'u Vainikolo, 10 Kurt Morath, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Viliami Ma'afu, 7 Nili Latu, 6 Sione Kalamafoni, 5 Joe Tu'ineau, 4 Tukulua Lokotui, 3 Sila Puafisi, 2 Aleki Lutui, 1 Tevita Mailau.
Replacements:  16 Elvis Taione, 17 Siua Halanukonuka, 18 Paea Fa'anunu, 19 Lisiate Fa'aoso, 20 Hale T Pole, 21 Taniela Moa, 22 Latiume Fosita, 23 Otulea Katoa.

Venue:  Mikheil Meshki Stadium, Tbilisi
Referee:  Pascal Gauz