Wales claim top spot in Pool D after unconvincing win

Wales will take on France in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup after finishing top of Pool D following a 35-13 triumph over Uruguay in Kumamoto.

It was a poor display from Warren Gatland’s men but they started well enough, going 7-0 ahead via Nicky Smith’s try.  However, they struggled to get to grips with a feisty and energetic Uruguayan outfit.  The 2019 Grand Slam winners conceded far too many penalties and Felipe Berchesi made no mistake off the tee to keep Los Teros in the contest at the interval.

Wales’ greater quality eventually told, though, as Josh Adams, Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies scores, as well as a penalty try, secured the bonus-point triumph.

The South Americans stunned Fiji earlier in the competition and they were rewarded for their performance here as German Kessler touched down, but a weakened Welsh team did enough to prevent them repeating the feat from Round One.

Los Teros deserve immense credit after producing an incredibly resilient display.  Centres Andres Vilaseca and Juan Manuel Cat carried hard and gave plenty of go-forward, while their industrious forwards and the booming boot of Santiago Arata got them out of several difficult situations.

Uruguay were also brave, if ill-disciplined, in defence, but they were eventually breached as the constant pressure resulted in Smith crossing the whitewash from a close-range surge.

That score could have opened the floodgates but the Uruguayans were impressive and frustrated the Six Nations outfit, earning a number of penalties which resulted in Berchesi reducing the arrears from the tee.

TRY!

Fully deserved and it's Uruguay's leading try-scorer of 2019, Kessler who sneaks over#ITVRugby #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/oLKpWaUyvY

— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) October 13, 2019

It was just reward for their endeavour and they continued to thwart Wales’ attack towards the end of the first half.  That led to several infringements and Uruguay’s fly-half duly added a second three-pointer to remarkably close the gap to one point at the break.

The Welsh needed to go back to basics and cut out a few of the errors which had pervaded their play.  Gatland’s side duly did that and an excellent looping pass from Rhys Patchell saw Adams touch down unopposed.

Those mistakes weren’t completely eradicated, however, and they were denied another score when Hadleigh Parkes’ assist to Hallam Amos was called back after correctly being adjudged forward.

Wales remained on the front foot, though, and Santiago Civetta was yellow carded following a series of indiscretions from Uruguay.  With their opponents a man down in the pack, they set up a maul and, when it was illegally collapsed, referee Angus Gardner awarded a penalty try.

That score took the game out of the South Americans’ reach but they continued to fight and deservedly went over through Kessler.  It brought them to within eight points of the Welsh but two late tries from Williams and Davies rubber-stamped the victory for the group winners.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  Smith, Adams, Penalty try, Williams, G Davies
Cons:  Halfpenny 4

For Uruguay:
Try:  Kessler
Con:  Berchesi
Pens:  Berchesi 2

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Josh Adams, 13 Owen Watkin, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Rhys Patchell, 9 Aled Davies, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Justin Tipuric (c), 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements:  16 Elliot Dee, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Wyn Jones, 19 Jake Ball, 20 Ross Moriarty, 21 James Davies, 22 Tomos Williams, 23 Gareth Davies

Uruguay:  15 Gaston Mieres, 14 Leandro Leivas, 13 Juan Manuel Cat, 12 Andres Vilaseca, 11 Nicolas Freitas, 10 Felipe Berchesi, 9 Santiago Arata, 8 Alejandro Nieto, 7 Santiago Civetta, 6 Juan Manuel Gaminara (c), 5 Manuel Leindekar, 4 Ignacio Dotti, 3 Diego Arbelo, 2 German Kessler, 1 Mateo Sanguinetti
Replacements:  16 Guillermo Pujadas, 17 Juan Echeverria, 18 Juan Pedro Rombys, 19 Diego Magno, 20 Manuel Diana, 21 Agustin Ormaechea, 22 Tomas Inciarte, 23 Rodrigo Silva

Referee:  Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Karl Dickson (England)
TMO:  Rowan Kitt (England)

Tonga prove too strong for USA

Tonga proved too strong for the USA as they sealed a 31-19 bonus-point win in their Rugby World Cup Pool C encounter in Higashiosaka on Sunday.

In a topsy-turvy match, characterised by several unforced errors from both sides, the Pacific Islanders got better as the match progressed and eventually outscored the Eagles by four tries to three.

Siegfried Fisi’ihoi, Malietoa Hingano, Siale Piutau and Telusa Veainu scored Tonga’s tries and Mike Te’o (2) and Tony Lamborn dotted down for the USA.  Tonga’s other points came courtesy of two conversions and a penalty from Sonatane Takulua while James Faiva and Piutau also succeeded with a conversion apiece.  AJ MacGinty added two conversions for the Eagles.

The opening exchanges were evenly contested with the sides feeling each other out but the game came alive in the 17th minute when the Pacific Islanders opened the scoring courtesy of Fisi’ihoi’s try from close quarters, after the ball went through several pairs of hands in the build-up.

Takulua added the extras but the Eagles did not take long to respond as Te’o found himself in space down the right-hand touchline in the 23rd minute and he did well to beat the cover defence with deft footwork before crossing for his first try.

Three minutes later, the USA were on the attack again inside Tonga’s half and they took the lead when Te’o crossed for his second try after gathering a brilliant flick pass from Cam Dolan.

Just before half-time, Tonga had a chance to narrow the gap when Fisi’ihoi was in the clear out wide but he had the ball knocked from his grasp while crossing the whitewash by Ruben de Haas and the teams changed sides at the interval with the USA leading 12-7.

Full-time | After an exciting match at #RWCHanazono, it's @officialTongaRU who finish their #RWC2019 with a 31-19 win over @USARugby pic.twitter.com/DpCiujxJId

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 13, 2019

Tonga drew first blood in the second half courtesy of a penalty from Takulua in the 51st minute after the Eagles’ backline strayed offside on defence.

The USA came back strongly and were camped close to Tonga’s try-line in the 59th minute, after taking the ball through 19 phases, but conceded a turnover which proved fatal.  The Pacific Islanders launched a counter-attack with Veainu booting the ball upfield before ‘Atieli Pakalani gathered deep inside the Eagles’ half.  He got a pass out to Hingano, who went over for a deserved try which meant the Pacific Islanders held the lead again.

Tonga continued to attack and five minutes later they were rewarded when Piutau breached the USA’s defence before dotting down.  Takulua was successful off the kicking tee which gave his side a 24-12 lead but the USA came back strongly in the game’s closing stages and narrowed the gap when Lamborn crashed over for their third try from close range.

Despite that score, Tonga finished stronger and secured the result when Veainu dotted down after gathering a teasing grubber kick from Latiume Fosita after the full-time hooter had gone.

The scorers:

For USA:
Tries:  Te’o 2, Lamborn
Cons:  MacGinty 2

For Tonga:
Tries:  Fisi’ihoi, Hingano, Piutau, Veainu
Cons:  Takulua 2, Faiva, Piutau
Pens:  Takulua

USA:  15 Will Hooley, 14 Blaine Scully (c), 13 Bryce Campbell, 12 Paul Lasike, 11 Marcel Brache, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Ruben de Haas, 8 Cam Dolan, 7 Malon Al-Jiboori, 6 Tony Lamborn, 5 Nick Civetta, 4 Greg Peterson, 3 Titi Lamositele, 2 Joe Taufete’e, 1 Eric Fry
Replacements:  16 James Hilterbrand, 17 Olive Kilifi, 18 Paul Mullen, 19 Ben Landry, 20 Hanco Germishuys, 21 Ben Pinkelman, 22 Nate Augspurger, 23 Mike Te’o

Tonga:  15 Telusa Veainu, 14 ‘Atieli Pakalani, 13 Malietoa Hingano, 12 Siale Piutau (c), 11 Viliami Lolohea, 10 James Faiva, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Maama Vaipulu, 7 Zane Kapeli, 6 Sione Kalamafoni, 5 Halaleva Fifita, 4 Sam Lousi, 3 Siua Halanukonuka, 2 Paula Ngauamo, 1 Siegfried Fisi’ihoi
Replacements:  16 Siua Maile, 17 Vunipola Fifita, 18 Ma’afu Fia, 19 Dan Faleafa, 20 Nasi Manu, 21 Leon Fukofuka, 22 Latiume Fosita, 23 David Halaifonua

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees:  Jérôme Garcès (France), Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

14-man Ireland power past Samoa to reach quarter-finals

Ireland claimed a 47-5 victory over Samoa in their final Rugby World Cup pool fixture in Fukuoka, despite a first-half red card for Bundee Aki.

In an entertaining match, played at a fast pace, Ireland did well to dominate proceedings after Aki received his marching orders.  This, for making contact with the head of Ulupano Seuteni with his shoulder in a tackle 10 minutes before half-time.

Jonathan Sexton led the way for Ireland with an 18-point haul courtesy of a brace of tries and four conversions.  Their other points came via tries from Rory Best, Tadhg Furlong, Jordan Lamour, CJ Stander and Andrew Conway while Joey Carbery succeeded with two conversions.

For Samoa, who had two players sent to the sin bin, Jack Lam crossed the whitewash.

Ireland were fastest out of the blocks and took the lead in the fourth minute courtesy of Best’s try which came off the back of a lineout drive deep inside Samoa territory.

Sexton slotted the conversion and the Pacific Islanders were dealt a further setback shortly afterwards when Seilala Lam was yellow carded for a high tackle on Jacob Stockdale.

With a numerical advantage, Ireland were always going to dominate and shortly after Lam was sent to the sin bin Furlong set off on a barnstorming run inside Samoa’s 22 where he burst through four tackles before crashing over for his side’s second five-pointer.

That was the only points scored during Lam’s stint on the sidelines but Ireland continued to dominate and midway through the half Sexton crossed the whitewash after Lamour did well in the build-up.

Despite that onslaught from the Irish, Samoa came back strongly and opened their account in the 28th minute when Lam scored his try from close quarters despite the attentions of two defenders.

Just before the half-hour mark, Aki received his marching orders but Ireland still finished stronger during the opening period and led 26-5 at half-time after Sexton crossed for his second try shortly before the interval.

#RWC2019

FULL TIME SCORE: IRELAND 47-5 SAMOA #TeamOfUs #ShoulderToShoulder #IREvSAM pic.twitter.com/4SR6MKb9jL

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) October 12, 2019

Ireland’s numerical disadvantage did not prove too costly and they continued to hold the upper hand after the restart.  And in the 48th minute, they extended their lead when Larmour dotted down after gathering a well-timed long pass from Conor Murray.

They spent the next 20 minutes camped inside Samoa’s territory, although they were frustrated by a solid defensive effort from their opponents, who also committed a plethora of penalties during that time.  In the 59th minute, the Pacific Islanders suffered a further setback when TJ Ioane was also yellow carded for a cynical defensive foul close to his try-line.

Five minutes later, Stander crossed the whitewash from close quarters for his side’s sixth try and in the 70th minute Conway scored his five-pointer by diving onto a perfectly weighted grubber kick from Carbery behind Samoa’s try-line.

That sealed an emphatic win for the men from the Emerald Isle as well as their spot in the tournament’s quarter-finals.  They will face either New Zealand or South Africa in the play-offs, depending on the outcome of the match between Japan and Scotland which is set to be played in Yokohama on Sunday.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Tries:  Best, Furlong, Sexton 2, Lamour, Stander, Conway
Cons:  Sexton 4, Carbery 2
Red Card:  Aki

For Samoa:
Try:  J Lam
Yellow Cards:  S Lam, Ioane

Ireland:  15 Jordan Larmour, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Iain Henderson, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rory Best (c), 1 Cian Healy
Replacements:  16 Niall Scannell, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Joey Carbery, 23 Andrew Conway

Samoa:  15 Tim Nanai-Williams, 14 Ahsee Tuala, 13 Alapati Leiua, 12 Henry Taefu, 11 Ed Fidow, 10 Ulupano Seuteni, 9 Dwayne Polataivao, 8 Jack Lam (c), 7 TJ Ioane, 6 Chris Vui, 5 Kane Le’aupepe, 4 Teofilo Paulo, 3 Michael Alaalatoa, 2 Seilala Lam, 1 Logovii Mulipola
Replacements:  16 Ray Niuia, 17 Paul Alo-Emile, 18 Jordan Lay, 19 Piula Faasalele, 20 Josh Tyrell, 21 Pele Cowley, 22 Tusi Pisi, 23 Kieron Fonotia

Referee:  Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant referees:  Romain Poite (France), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO:  Rowan Kitt (England)

Australia stutter to victory over Georgia

Australia produced another mistake-ridden performance but did enough to overcome Georgia 27-8 in Fukuroi and move to the top of Pool D.

The Wallabies had 80 per cent of the ball in the first half but they could only muster a 10-3 advantage at the break following Nic White’s try and Matt Toomua’s penalty.

Soso Matiashvili responded for the Lelos off the tee and they remained in the contest as the Australians struggled in the inclement conditions.  However, Marika Koroibete, Jack Dempsey and Will Genia tries ensured the victory and took them to the group summit, despite Alexander Todua’s score.

Michael Cheika’s outfit are still likely to face England in the quarter-finals, though, with Wales only needing a victory against Uruguay on Sunday to claim the pool.

Although conditions made it difficult for the Australians, they will need to improve significantly if they are to challenge the Red Rose.

The Wallabies did start well on Friday, however, and remained patient, displaying good skills to initially keep mistakes at a premium.  Their pressure was unrelenting and Milton Haig’s men began to tire, resulting in fly-half Toomua breaking the line.  Although the pivot was halted, they went through the phases and White showed his sniping instincts to touch down.

Buoyed by that score, Cheika’s charges had the confidence to move the ball from inside their own 22, but it didn’t prove to be the wisest call as Tolu Latu lost the ball in contact.  The hooker then proceeded to take Merab Sharikadze high and that allowed Matiashvili to reduce the arrears after half-an-hour.

Australia continued to control the encounter, though, and earned a series of penalties close to the opposition line.  They maintained their tactic of going for the corner but it did not yield any reward as the Lelos remained stout and held out.

Georgia try!@GeorgianRugby score their first try thanks to Alexander Todua but the dummy to set him away down the flank is pure 🔥#RWC2019 #ITVRugby #AUSVGEO pic.twitter.com/I56YeWwRvB

— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) October 11, 2019

The Australians were then hampered by a yellow card handed out to Isi Naisarani for a dangerous clearout, but they managed to restore their seven-point buffer just shy of the interval via the boot of Toomua.

It was an unsurprisingly scrappy affair and both teams struggled to keep hold of the ball at the start of the second period.  Errors, particularly from the southern hemisphere outfit, pervaded the play and that kept Georgia in the contest.

Cheika’s men needed something special to break the game open and it came from Koroibete, who weaved his way in and out of would-be Georgian tacklers to score a superb individual effort.

That effectively ended the match as a contest, even though their opponents constructed an excellent try as Lasha Khmaladze scythed through and fed Todua, who finished in the left-hand corner.

At 17-8 down, the Lelos had shown commendable spirit, but two late tries from Dempsey and Genia gave the scoreline a more comfortable look for the Wallabies.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  White, Koroibete, Dempsey, Genia
Cons:  Toomua 2
Pen:  Toomua

For Georgia:
Try:  Todua
Pen:  Matiashvili

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Jordan Petaia, 13 James O’Connor, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Nic White, 8 Isi Naisarani, 7 David Pocock (c), 6 Jack Dempsey, 5 Rory Arnold, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tolu Latu, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements:  16 Jordan Uelese, 17 James Slipper, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 21 Will Genia, 22 Christian Lealiifano, 23 Dane Haylett-Petty

Georgia:  15 Soso Matiashvili, 14 Giorgi Kveseladze, 13 David Kacharava, 12 Merab Sharikadze (c), 11 Alexander Todua, 10 Lasha Khmaladze, 9 Gela Aprasidze, 8 Beka Gorgadze, 7 Mamuka Gorgodze, 6 Beka Saginadze, 5 Konstantine Mikautadze, 4 Giorgi Nemsadze, 3 Beka Gigashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili
Replacements:  16 Jaba Bregvadze, 17 Guram Gogichashvili, 18 Giorgi Melikidze, 19 Otari Giorgadze, 20 Giorgi Tkhilaishvili, 21 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 22 Lasha Malaguradze, 23 Tamaz Mchedlidze

Referee:  Pascal Gaüzère (France)
Assistant referees:  Jérôme Garcès (France), Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Wales take the spoils in thriller against Fiji

Wales were given an almighty scare by Fiji on Wednesday, before registering a hard-earned 29-17 win in their Rugby World Cup clash in Oita.

In a tough and uncompromising encounter which was characterised by brilliant attacking play and several brutal collisions, Fiji were competitive throughout but Wales proved too strong in the end and outscored the Pacific Islanders by four tries to three with Josh Adams leading the way with a hat-trick.

Liam Williams also crossed the whitewash for Wales whose other points came via two conversions from Dan Biggar as well as a penalty and a conversion from Rhys Patchell.

Josua Tuisova and Kini Murimurivalu scored five-pointers for Fiji and they were also awarded a penalty try.

Fiji made their intentions known from the outset as they launched several attacks early on and the game exploded into life when Tuisova opened the scoring with a brilliant try in the fourth minute.

This, after he gathered a pass from Frank Lomani off the back of a scrum on Wales’ five-metre line and then bumped off Adams before crossing the whitewash despite the attentions of Biggar and Josh Navidi.

Two minutes later, Wales thought they had drawn level when George North scooped up a loose ball in Fiji’s 22 before passing to Navidi, who dotted down, but his effort was disallowed after Hadleigh Parkes knocked on in the build-up.

Shortly afterwards, Fiji also had a try disallowed after the final pass went forward from Semi Radradra to Lomani, who crossed the line.  The Pacific Islanders received a shot in the arm, however, when Wales were reduced to 14 men after Ken Owens was yellow carded for a tip tackle on Viliame Mata after he offloaded to Radradra.

Fiji made full use of their numerical advantage as shortly afterwards Radradra found Murimurivalu with a long pass out wide and the full-back showed great determination as he powered through two tackles on his way over the try-line.

Despite trailing 10-0, Wales did not panic and they received a boost when the Pacific Islanders were also reduced to 14 men after Tevita Cavubati was sent to the sin bin for a shoulder charge on Alun Wyn Jones.

And just like the previous yellow card which helped Fiji, Wales also benefited as Adams soon crossed the whitewash after gathering a cross-field kick from Biggar.

Adams was over the try-line again in the 26th minute but a superb cover tackle from Tuisova pushed him into touch while dotting down.

Fiji were then reduced to 14 men again when Semi Kunatani was yellow carded for an offside tackle deep inside his 22 and on the half-hour mark Adams scored his second five-pointer after gathering a pass from Jonathan Davies close to Fiji’s try-line.

Biggar added the extras which gave his side a 14-10 lead and although the half’s closing stages were frantic, with Wales doing most of the attacking, Fiji’s defence held firm and no further points were scored before half-time.

Serious stats from @mastercard Player of the Match Semi Radradra.

140 metres (#1 for Fiji)
19 carries (#1 in match)
7 defenders beaten (#1 in match)#POTM #RWC2019 #StartSomethingPriceless pic.twitter.com/QXXcERAicm

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 9, 2019

Just like the opening period, the second half started at a frenetic pace with plenty of end-to-end action.

In the 53rd minutes, James Davies became the fourth player to be sent to the sin bin due to a cynical defensive foul deep inside Fiji’s half.

Volavola put the resulting penalty into touch on Wales’ five-metre line and Fiji launched a lineout drive from the set-piece which was brought to ground close to Wales’ try-line.  Referee Jérôme Garcès had no hesitation in awarding a penalty try to the Pacific Islanders which meant Fiji were now leading 17-14.

Wales were dealt a further blow when Biggar was forced off the field shortly afterwards for a HIA, after he collided with Williams while trying to field a high ball.

He was replaced by Patchell, who drew his side level when he slotted a penalty in the 58th minute before Adams scored his third try in spectacular fashion after gathering a backhanded pass from Davies close to the left-hand corner flag.

Although Fiji continued to fight, Wales finished stronger and secured the win in the game’s closing stages when Williams scored their bonus-point try after receiving a pass from Gareth Davies, who had exploited a hole in Fiji’s defence in the build-up.

The result means Wales advance to the quarter-finals and they will look to secure top spot when they face Uruguay in their final pool match in Kumamoto on Sunday.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  Adams 3, L Williams
Cons:  Biggar 2, Patchell
Pen:  Patchell
Yellow Cards:  Owens, James Davies

For Fiji:
Tries:  Tuisova, Murimurivalu, Penalty try
Yellow Cards:  Cavubati, Kunatani

Wales:  15 Liam Williams, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 James Davies, 6 Josh Navidi, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Jake Ball, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements:  16 Elliot Dee, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Aaron Shingler, 20 Aaron Wainwright, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Rhys Patchell, 23 Owen Watkin

Fiji:  15 Kini Murimurivalu, 14 Josua Tuisova, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu, 12 Levani Botia, 11 Semi Radradra, 10 Ben Volavola, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Semi Kunatani, 6 Dominiko Waqaniburotu (c), 5 Leone Nakarawa, 4 Tevita Cavubati, 3 Manasa Saulo, 2 Samuel Matavesi, 1 Campese Ma’afu
Replacements:  16 Mesulame Dolokoto, 17 Eroni Mawi, 18 Peni Ravai, 19 Apisalome Ratuniyarawa, 20 Peceli Yato, 21 Nikola Matawalu, 22 Jale Vatubua, 23 Josh Matavesi

Referee:  Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant Referees:  Romain Poite (France), Karl Dickson (England)
TMO:  Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Nine-try Scotland get job done against Russia

Scotland produced the performance of their Rugby World Cup thus far as they hammered Russia 61-0 at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa on Wednesday.

With a try bonus-point also achieved, the Scots claimed the required five points that sets up a mouth-watering clash with Japan on Sunday.

George Horne starred with a hat-trick while Adam Hastings (2), George Turner, Tommy Seymour, John Barclay and Stuart McInally also crossed, with Hastings kicking eight conversions for a 26-point haul.

The Scots were two thirds of the way to that critical bonus point at the halfway point in the game after an impressive opening 40 minutes.

Critics of Gregor Townsend’s decision to make 14 changes to his XV were swiftly silenced when, after a non-stop first five minutes to the game, Scotland opened the scoring through Hastings.  The fly-half dummied 15 metres out before showing a good turn of pace to make it 7-0.

The playmaker was over again on 19 minutes but in slightly fortuitous circumstances as his kick ahead would evade Russia full-back Vasily Artemyev in the in-goal area and Hastings would gleefully dot down to double the advantage.  It was a perfect opening quarter for Scotland.

Scotland were now on a roll but Russia did not help themselves, a third try coming on 23 minutes as Dmitry Perov’s pass on his own try-line from a lineout was intercepted by the busy Horne.  Scotland though weren’t complaining as they were on the verge of mission accomplished.

The fourth try would not arrive in the half, however, as Russia stood firm in their own 22 before a knock-on ended the Scottish onslaught.

FULL TIME | Scotland run in nine tries to defeat Russia at the Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa! #AsOne pic.twitter.com/xpdEWVScBu

— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) October 9, 2019

It wouldn’t take long for the fourth try to arrive as just five minutes into the second period scrum-half Horne finished off a wonderful breakout from wing Darcy Graham.  The sense of relief was visible in the Scotland camp as they knew they had the five matchday points they needed.

That prompted a release in pressure and Scotland turned the screw, with hooker Turner next to go over as he broke away from a maul.

Seymour got in on the act on 56 minutes as he did well to dive on a smart Blair Kinghorn kick through, with Scotland now up to 42 points.

It was now a case of how many Scotland would get and they showed no signs of slowing when Horne completed his hat-trick on the hour mark, collecting a pass from Henry Pyrgos on the left wing to cap a memorable individual feat.  Hastings could not add the extras so it was 49-0.

Horne’s evening almost got better shortly after when he crossed for what looked like a fourth try.  However, the final pass was adjudged to have been forward.  That mattered not though as the half-century was brought up late on, with Barclay cruising over before McInally wrapped up an impressive victory that gives Scotland confidence ahead of this weekend’s huge fixture.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries:  Hastings 2, G Horne 3, Turner, Seymour, Barclay, McInally
Cons:  Hastings 8

Scotland:  15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Duncan Taylor, 12 Pete Horne, 11 Darcy Graham, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 George Horne, 8 Ryan Wilson, 7 Fraser Brown, 6 John Barclay (c), 5 Ben Toolis, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Gordon Reid
Replacements:  16 Stuart McInally, 17 Simon Berghan, 18 Willem Nel, 19 Grant Gilchrist, 20 Magnus Bradbury, 21 Jamie Ritchie, 22 Henry Pyrgos, 23 Chris Harris

Russia:  15 Vasily Artemyev (c), 14 German Davydov, 13 Vladimir Ostroushko, 12 Dmitry Gerasimov, 11 Vladislav Sozonov, 10 Ramil Gaisin, 9 Dmitry Perov, 8 Nikita Vavilin, 7 Tagir Gadzhiev, 6 Vitaly Zhivatov, 5 Evgeny Elgin, 4 Andrey Ostrikov, 3 Kirill Gotovtsev, 2 Stanislav Selskii, 1 Valery Morozov
Replacements:  16 Sergey Chernyshev, 17 Azamat Bitiev, 18 Vladimir Podrezov, 19 Bogdan Fedotko, 20 Andrey Garbuzov, 21 Sergey Ianiushkin, 22 Anton Sychev, 23 Yury Kushnarev

Referee:  Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Argentina finish on a high after beating USA

Argentina finished their Rugby World Cup campaign on a high when they notched a 47-17 victory over the USA in Kumagaya on Wednesday.

With their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals dashed after losing to England at the weekend, the Pumas were determined to bounce back with an improved effort and they did just that as they dominated most facets of play and eventually outscored the USA by seven tries to three.

Nicolas Sanchez led the way with a 15-point haul courtesy of a try and five conversions while Joaquin Tuculet (2), Juan Cruz Mallia (2), Jeronimo De La Fuente and Gonzalo Bertranou also scored tries and Benjamin Urdapilleta succeeded with a two-pointer off the kicking tee.

For the USA, Blaine Scully scored a brace of tries and Paul Lasike also crossed the whitewash while AJ MacGinty added a conversion.

The opening exchanges were evenly contested with both teams showing a willingness to run the ball from all areas of the field.

In the 11th minute, Argentina thought they had taken the lead when Felipe Ezcurra crossed the whitewash after a sniping break off the back of a scrum, but referee Paul Williams disallowed the try after television replays revealed that Pablo Matera had held Tony Lamborn back off-the-ball at the set-piece.

Despite that setback, the Pumas were slowly gaining the upper-hand and midway through the half an excellent line break from Mallia caught the Eagles’ defence napping.  He was soon on the edge of his opponents’ 22 where he got a pass out to Sanchez, who dotted down in the left-hand corner despite a desperate tackle from Mike Te’o.

Sanchez added the extras and five minutes later he turned provider when he delivered a chip kick behind the Eagles’ try-line which Te’o failed to deal with and Tuculet dived onto the bouncing ball for his side’s second try.

10 minutes later, the Pumas launched an attack at a lineout deep inside USA territory and after setting up some phases with their forwards, the ball was shifted wide to Tuculet, who crossed for his second try.

Sanchez was off target from the kicking tee but with the score 19-0 in their favour, Argentina were in the driving seat with half-time approaching.  Just before the interval, the USA struck back when Scully gathered a teasing grubber kick from MacGinty before crossing for his side’s first try.

Full-time: @lospumas have beaten @USARugby 47-17 at #RWC2019, securing their qualification for #RWC2023 #ARGvUSA pic.twitter.com/M1Tp5X6mEb

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 9, 2019

That score did not alter the course of the match too much as Argentina came out firing in the second period and four minutes into the half Mallia ran a good line before scoring his side’s bonus-point try.

Four minutes later, Mallia grabbed his second five-pointer after running onto a pass from Tuculet and when De La Fuente crossed the whitewash in the 56th minute, the match was over as a contest.

The USA struck back with a try from Lasike on the hour-mark before Argentina hammered home their advantage when Bertranou scored their seventh try in the 71st minute, after good work from the impressive Mallia in the build-up.

To their credit, the Eagles continued to fight and they were rewarded in the game’s dying moments when Scully crossed for his second try after gathering a long pass from Will Hooley.

The scorers:

For Argentina:
Tries:  Sanchez, Tuculet 2, Mallia 2, De La Fuente, Bertranou
Cons:  Sanchez 5, Urdapilleta

For USA:
Tries:  Scully 2, Lasike
Con:  MacGinty

Argentina:  15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Juan Cruz Mallia, 12 Jeronimo de La Fuente, 11 Santiago Carreras, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Felipe Ezcurra, 8 Rodrigo Bruni, 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Matias Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements:  16 Agustín Creevy, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Marcos Kremer, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Gonzalo Martin Bertranou, 22 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 23 Matías Moroni

USA:  15 Mike Te’o, 14 Blaine Scully (c), 13 Bryce Campbell, 12 Paul Lasike, 11 Marcel Brache, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Ruben de Haas, 8 Cam Dolan, 7 Hanco Germishuys, 6 Tony Lamborn, 5 Greg Peterson, 4 Nate Brakeley, 3 Titi Lamositele, 2 Joe Taufete’e, 1 Eric Fry
Replacements:  16 Dylan Fawsitt, 17 Olive Kilifi, 18 Paul Mullen, 19 Ben Landry, 20 Ben Pinkelman, 21 Nate Augspurger, 22 Will Hooley, 23 Martin Iosefo

Referee:  Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

10-try Springboks put Canada to the sword

South Africa were in sensational form, running in 10 tries in a 66-7 victory over Canada in their Rugby World Cup encounter in Kobe on Tuesday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was a one-sided affair which was dominated by the Springboks from the kick off and they held a comfortable 47-0 lead at half-time.

The Canucks were second best in all departments and they had to play most of the match with 14 men after Josh Larsen was red carded for a shoulder charge to Thomas du Toit’s neck, while clearing out a ruck in the 36th minute.

Cobus Reinach led the way with a hat-trick of tries for South Africa while Elton Jantjies finished with a 16-point haul after succeeding with eight conversions.  Their other points came courtesy of five-pointers from Damian de Allende, S’busiso Nkosi, Warrick Gelant, Frans Steyn, Schalk Brits, Damian Willemse and Frans Malherbe.

For Canada, Matt Heaton scored a try and Peter Nelson added a conversion.

The Springboks made a fantastic start and had their bonus point in the bag inside the opening quarter after early five-pointers from De Allende, Nkosi and Reinach (2).

They opened the scoring as early as the third minute when De Allende crossed the whitewash from close quarters before Nkosi went over in the left-hand corner after gathering a pass from Kwagga Smith deep inside the Canucks’ 22.

And in the 10th minute, Reinach also got his name onto the scoresheet courtesy of a sensational five-pointer.  The Bok number nine set off on an attacking run 10 metres inside Canada’s half and tore his opponents’ defence to shreds with a superb line break.  He then delivered a perfectly-weighted chip kick which he regathered and had an easy run-in over the try-line.

Five minutes later, Reinach spotted a gap close to the try-line before diving over for his second try and he secured his hat-trick the 21st minute after Jantjies, Gelant and De Allende combined brilliantly in the build-up.

Canada’s defence continued to let them down as Gelant also crossed the whitewash in the 28th minute and Jantjies added the extras which meant South Africa were cruising with the score 40-0 in their favour.

Just before half-time, Canada suffered a major blow when referee Luke Pearce sent Larsen off for an illegal hit on Du Toit and things went from bad to worse for them when Steyn scored the Boks’ seventh try after intercepting a pass from Phil Mack close to the Canucks’ try-line.

FT: @springboks go top of Pool B after beating @RugbyCanada 66-7 at #RWC2019 #RSAvCAN #RWCKobe pic.twitter.com/4W4M0BLZaJ

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 8, 2019

The second half started brightly for Canada and shortly after the restart Jeff Hassler put them onto the front-foot with a strong run before being brought to ground deep inside South Africa’s 22.  The ball was recycled quickly before Mack offloaded to Heaton, who crossed for his side’s only try in the 46th minute.

10 minutes later, Brits stepped past a couple of defenders before dotting down and there was more joy for the Boks when their inside backs created space for Willemse, who crossed for his first Test try.

And in the 71st minute, Malherbe also got over the whitewash for the first time at Test level which secured an emphatic win for the Springboks and sets them up nicely ahead of the quarter-finals.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Tries:  De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach 3, Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse, Malherbe
Cons:  Jantjies 8

For Canada:
Try:  Heaton
Con:  Nelson
Red Card:  Larsen

South Africa:  15 Damian Willemse, 14 Warrick Gelant, 13 Damian de Allende, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 S’busiso Nkosi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Francois Louw, 7 Kwagga Smith, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Thomas du Toit
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Willie le Roux

Canada:  15 Andrew Coe, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Conor Trainor, 12 Ciaran Hearn, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Peter Nelson, 9 Phil Mack, 8 Tyler Ardron (c), 7 Matt Heaton, 6 Lucas Rumball, 5 Kyle Baillie, 4 Evan Olmstead, 3 Jake Ilnicki, 2 Andrew Quattrin, 1 Hubert Buydens
Replacements:  16 Benoit Piffero, 17 Djustice Sears-Duru, 18 Matthew Tierney, 19 Josh Larsen, 20 Mike Sheppard, 21 Jamie Mackenzie, 22 Shane O’Leary, 23 Guiseppe du Toit

Referee:  Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees:  Angus Gardner (Australia), Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO:  Rowan Kitt (England)

France book quarter-final spot with nervy win over Tonga

France became the second side to advance to the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals when they notched a 23-21 victory against Tonga in Kumamoto on Sunday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was a tightly contested affair and although France secured the result, Tonga finished stronger and eventually outscored them by three tries to two.

But in the the end, Les Bleus did enough to hold on for their win although there is still plenty of room for improvement ahead of the knockouts.  Alivereti Raka and Virimi Vakatawa scored tries for France and Romain Ntamack added 13 points courtesy of four penalties and two conversions.

Sonatane Takulua, Malietoa Hingano and Zane Kapeli claimed Tonga’s tries and Takulua slotted two conversions while Latiume Fosita also succeeded with a two-pointer off the kicking tee.

Les Bleus dominated during the opening half and after Ntamack opened the scoring with a penalty in the fourth minute, they extended their lead shortly afterwards courtesy of a try from Vakatawa.  Raka laid the groundwork as he breached the Tongan defence with an excellent run, in which he beat three defenders, before offloading to Vakatawa, who had an easy run-in over the try-line.

The next 20 minutes was a slugfest with play restricted mostly to the middle of the field as both sides conceded several turnovers.  France eventually took control of proceedings with Raka leading the way with several superb line breaks.

The Fijian-born flyer was rewarded with his try in the 32nd minute when quick thinking from Baptiste Serin caught the Pacific Islanders’ defence by surprise.  France were awarded a short arm penalty just outside their 22 and Serin opted to play quickly before passing to Raka, who stabbed a grubber kick through, and he did well to regather the ball close to the try-line before crossing the whitewash.

Ntamack’s conversion was successful but, to their credit, Tonga came back strongly during the latter stages of the half.

Just before half-time, they were camped close to France’s try-line and were rewarded when Takulua scored a converted try from close range, which meant Les Bleus were leading 17-7 as the teams changed sides at half-time.

FULL TIME at #RWCKumamoto

A late @officialTongaRU try wasn't enough as a brave Tongan fightback ended two points short @FranceRugby join England in the Quarter-finals 👏#RWC2019 #FRAvTGA pic.twitter.com/E7CnDuyi7u

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 6, 2019

Tonga were fastest out of the blocks in the second period and seven minutes into the half Maxime Medard failed to deal with a Cooper Vuna kick deep inside France’s half which had dire consequences for Les Bleus.  Medard allowed the ball to bounce inside his 22 and was caught by surprise when it was grabbed by Hingano, who showed great determination and leg drive to power his way over the try-line.

Takulua slotted the conversion which meant the Pacific Islanders were back in the game with France clinging to a narrow 17-14 lead.

Tonga did not kick on, however, and conceded two penalties in quick succession.  Both were converted by Ntamack which gave his side some breathing space as the match drew to an end.

France thought they had clinched the result when Antoine Dupont broke around the fringe of a maul before offloading to Damain Penaud, who crossed the whitewash but his effort was disallowed when the TMO ruled that Medard had knocked on when fielding a high ball in the build-up.

The closing stages were tense as Tonga upped the ante on attack and they were rewarded when Kapeli gathered a cross-field kick before crossing for his side’s third try in the 79th minute and Fosita was successful with the conversion which meant they were trailing by just two points.

Tonga failed to gather from the restart, however, and France scrambled to get the ball into touch after the full-time hooter had gone to escape with the four points.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:  Vakatawa, Raka
Cons:  Ntamack 2
Pens:  Ntamack 3

For Tonga:
Tries:  Takulua, Hingano, Kapeli
Cons:  Takulua 2, Fosita

France:  15 Maxime Medard, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Sofiane Guitoune, 11 Alivereti Raka, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Baptiste Serin, 8 Gregorie Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 4 Paul Gabrillagues, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Camille Chat, 1 Jefferson Poirot (c)
Replacements:  16 Guilhem Guirado, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Emerick Setiano, 19 Bernard Le Roux, 20 Yacouba Camara, 21 Antoine Dupont, 22 Camille Lopez, 23 Pierre-Louis Barassi

Tonga:  15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Cooper Vuna, 13 Malietoa Hingano, 12 Siale Piutau (c), 11 David Halaifonua, 10 James Faiva, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Maama Vaipulu, 7 Zane Kapeli, 6 Sione Kalamafoni, 5 Halaleva Fifita, 4 Sam Lousi, 3 Ma’afu Fia, 2 Paula Ngauamo, 1 Siegfried Fisi’ihoi
Replacements:  16 Sosefo Sakalia, 17 Vunipola Fifita, 18 Siua Halanukonuka, 19 Sitiveni Mafi, 20 Nasi Manu, 21 Leon Fukofuka, 22 Latiume Fosita, 23 Atieli Pakalani

Referee:  Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant referees:  Paul Williams (New Zealand), Matthew Carley (England)
TMO:  Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

11-try All Blacks too good for plucky Namibia

New Zealand made a statement of intent to their Rugby World Cup rivals as they claimed a 71-9 victory over Namibia in their Pool B clash in Tokyo on Sunday.

As expected this was a one-sided affair although the All Blacks battled to hit their stride and held a narrow 10-9 lead after 35 minutes before two late first-half tries gave them a 24-9 buffer at the break.

In the end, the world champions ran in 11 unanswered tries with Sevu Reece (2), Anton Lienert-Brown (2), Ben Smith (2), Angus Ta’avao, Joe Moody, Sam Whitelock, Jordie Barrett and TJ Perenara all crossing the whitewash.  Barrett finished with a 21-point haul as he also kicked eight conversions while Damian Stevens scored all Namibia’s points courtesy of three penalties.

New Zealand will be sweating over the availability of Nepo Laulala and Ofa Tu’ungafasi for their next match, against Italy on October 12, though after both props were yellow carded for dangerous tackles.

Despite being outplayed in most facets of play, Namibia were competitive during the first half and drew first blood courtesy of a penalty from Stevens after just two minutes.

It did not take long for the All Blacks to gain the upper hand, however, and four minutes later Reece scored the opening try after gathering a cross-field kick from Barrett.

Surprisingly, the next 15 minutes were evenly contested and Namibia did well to breach the All Blacks’ defence on a couple of occasions.

Only desperate tackling from the world champions prevented the Welwitchias from scoring a try during that period, particularly in the 13th minute when Johan Deysel was stopped close to the All Blacks try-line after a superb line break from PJ van Lill in the build-up.

New Zealand did well to soak up the pressure and midway through the half they extended their lead when Lienert-Brown crossed the whitewash after a fine run in which he beat three defenders.

That score did not deter the Welwitchias, however, and they narrowed the gap to a point by the half-hour mark after Stevens succeeded with two more penalties.

Shortly afterwards, the All Blacks were dealt a further blow when Laulala was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle to the head of Lesley Klim.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, New Zealand dominated the closing stages of the half and were rewarded with tries by Laulala’s replacement, Ta’avao, and Smith which gave them a 24-9 lead at half-time.

FT | Job done in Tokyo.#NZLvNAM #BACKBLACK pic.twitter.com/C5vcKPRzPF

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 6, 2019

The All Blacks came out firing after the interval and two minutes after the restart Moody crossed for their fifth five-pointer when he crashed over from close quarters.

It was one-way traffic during the rest of the match as the world champions delivered a masterclass on attacking play and they continued to run in tries from all areas of the field.

Five minutes after Moody’s try, Ardie Savea breached the Namibian defence before offloading to Lienert-Brown, who crossed for his second try before Smith turned provider when he got a pass out to Reece, who also got in for his second five-pointer.

In the 56th minute, Whitelock got his name on the scorescheet, which brought up a half century of points for his team, and the world champions turned on the style as the match progressed while Namibia struggled to cope.

Smith crossed for his second try in the 68th minute, after gathering a superb flick pass from Lienert-Brown, but five minutes later the All Blacks were reduced to 14 men again when Tu’ungafasi also received his marching orders for a high tackle on Darryl De La Harpe.

Despite that setback, the All Blacks finished stronger and late tries from Barrett and Perenara sealed an emphatic win for the world champions, who return to the top of Pool B’s standings.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Reece 2, Lienert-Brown 2, Ta’avao, B Smith 2, Moody, Whitelock, Barrett, Perenara
Cons:  Barrett 8
Yellow Cards:  Laulala, Tu’ungafasi

For Namibia:
Pens:  Stevens 3

New Zealand:  15 Ben Smith, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 George Bridge, 10 Jordie Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Sam Whitelock (c), 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Matt Todd, 21 Brad Weber, 22 TJ Perenara, 23 Rieko Ioane

Namibia:  15 Johan Tromp, 14 Lesley Klim, 13 Justin Newman, 12 Johan Deysel (c), 11 JC Greyling, 10 Helarius Axasman Kisting, 9 Damian Stevens, 8 Janco Venter, 7 Thomasau Forbes, 6 Prince Gaoseb, 5 Tjiuee Uanivi, 4 PJ Van Lill, 3 AJ De Klerk, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Andre Rademeyer
Replacements:  16 Obert Nortje, 17 Nelius Theron, 18 Johannes Coetzee, 19 Johan Retief, 20 Adriaan Booysen, 21 Eugene Jantjies, 22 Darryl De La Harpe, 23 Janry du Toit

Referee:  Pascal Gaüzère (France)
Assistant referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
TMO:  Rowan Kitt (England)

Japan still unbeaten after victory over Samoa

Japan retained their unbeaten status at the Rugby World Cup when they notched a 38-19 win over Samoa at City of Toyota Stadium on Saturday.

In a fast-paced and entertaining encounter, momentum between the sides ebbed and flowed throughout but the Brave Blossoms held a slight edge throughout and secured the win despite a brave effort from their opponents.

Yu Tamura led the way for Japan with an 18-point haul after kicking three conversions and four penalties while Timothy Lafaele, Kazuki Himeno, Kenki Fukuoka and Kotaro Matsushima scored their tries.

Henry Taefu scored all Samoa’s points courtesy of a converted try and four penalties.

The Brave Blossoms made a terrific start and were up 6-0 after eight minutes courtesy of two penalties from Tamura, but Samoa reduced the deficit when Taefu also slotted a three-pointer off the kicking tee in the 10th minute.

With points on the board, the Pacific Islanders’ confidence started to grow and they dominated proceedings over the next 10 minutes.  They drew level in the 16th minute when Taefu added his second penalty after Michael Leitch infringed at a ruck.

Japan regained the lead when Tamura succeeded with his third penalty in the 25th minute and Samoa were dealt a further setback shortly afterwards when TJ Ioane was yellow carded for a late and dangerous tackle on Matsushima.

The Brave Blossoms made full use of their numerical advantage as they started to run the ball from all areas of the field.  That tactic reaped reward shortly after Ioane’s exit when Matsushima put his side on the front-foot with a brilliant run deep inside Samoa’s 22.  He was eventually brought to ground close to his opponents’ try-line but the ball was recycled quickly and shifted wide to Lafaele, who crossed for the opening try.

Tamura added the extras but five minutes later Taefu reduced the deficit with his third penalty and the teams changed sides at half-time with Japan holding a 16-9 lead.

Great scenes as Japan and Samoa shake hands after a tough encounter, where the hosts kept their hopes of a quarter-final spot well and truly alive. #JPNvSAM #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/Ut2vbI82XN

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 5, 2019

Japan had a chance to extend their lead five minutes into the second half when Tamura lined up another penalty but his effort was wide of the mark.  Luckily for the World Cup hosts, the Pacific Islanders continued to concede penalties and in the 51st minute Tamura made up for his earlier miss when he succeeded with his fourth three-pointer off the kicking tee.

Soon after, Japan extended their lead when Himeno crossed the whitewash off the back off a lineout drive inside Samoa’s 22.  Tamura’s conversion was successful but the next 20 minutes proved to be an arm wrestle with Samoa coming back strongly during that period.

And in the 73rd minute, the Pacific Islanders launched an attack from a lineout on Japan’s five-metre line and Taefu rounded off from close range after Kane Le’aupepe and Jack Lam came to the fore with strong carries in the build-up.

Japan finished the stronger, however, and were soon on the attack deep inside Samoa’s half.  And after several phases, the ball was taken out wide to Fukuoka, who crossed for their third try in the 76th minute.

The closing stages was a tense affair as Japan went in search of the bonus-point try and they achieved that feat when Matsushima crossed the whitewash late on.

The result means the Brave Blossoms move above Ireland into top spot in Pool A which sets them up nicely ahead of their final pool match against Scotland in Yokohama on October 13.

The scorers:

For Japan:
Tries:  Lafaele, Himeno, Fukuoka, Matsushima
Cons:  Tamura 3
Pens:  Tamura 4

For Samoa:
Try:  Taefu
Con:  Taefu
Pens:  Taefu 4
Yellow Card:  Ioane

Japan:  15 Ryohei Yamanaka, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Timothy Lafaele, 12 Ryoto Nakamura, 11 Lomano Lemeki, 10 Yu Tamura, 9 Yutaka Nagare, 8 Kazuki Himeno, 7 Pieter Labuschagne (c), 6 Michael Leitch, 5 James Moore, 4 Wimpie van der Walt, 3 Jiwon Koo, 2 Atsushi Sakate, 1 Keita Inagaki
Replacements:  16 Shota Horie, 17 Isileli Nakajima, 18 Asaeli Ai Valu, 19 Uwe Helu, 20 Hendrik Tui, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Rikiya Matsuda, 23 Kenki Fukuoka

Samoa:  15 Tim Nanai-Williams, 14 Ahsee Tuala, 13 Alapati Leiua, 12 Henry Taefu, 11 Ed Fidow, 10 Ulupano Seuteni, 9 Dwayne Polataivao, 8 Jack Lam (c), 7 TJ Ioane, 6 Chris Vui, 5 Kane Le’aupepe, 4 Piula Faasalele, 3 Michael Alaalatoa, 2 Seilala Lam, 1 Jordan Lay
Replacements:  16 Ray Niuia, 17 Paul Alo-Emile, 18 James Lay, 19 Senio Toleafoa, 20 Josh Tyrell, 21 Pele Cowley, 22 Tusi Pisi, 23 Kieron Fonotia

Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees:  Angus Gardner (Australia), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

England reach last-eight after beating 14-man Argentina

England became the first team to reach the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals following a dominant 39-10 triumph over 14-man Argentina in Tokyo.

Los Pumas actually began the game well, going ahead via Benjamin Urdapilleta’s penalty, but Tomas Lavanini’s red card for a dangerous tackle changed the course of the encounter.

The Red Rose had already hit back via Jonny May but they capitalised on the extra man as Elliot Daly and Ben Youngs touched down for a 15-3 lead at the break.

George Ford, Jack Nowell and Luke Cowan-Dickie then went over in the second half while Owen Farrell added three conversions and a penalty as Eddie Jones’ charges claimed an important win.

Unless Tonga can upset France on Sunday then Argentina’s tournament is over, despite Matias Moroni’s try giving them a semblance of consolation late on.

With their World Cup on the line, the Argentines were unsurprisingly physical early on, but they were also intelligent on attack as Urdapilleta’s deft chip was collected out wide by Moroni.  The wing then sped away and grubbered ahead, forcing May to concede a five-metre scrum.

Having struggled in the set-piece for the past couple of years, there was a significant improvement against France and that good work continued on Saturday as a stable platform gave Los Pumas an opportunity to attack.

Under duress, the Red Rose infringed several times close to their own line and were perhaps fortunate not to be sin-binned, but they escaped with just a three-point deficit as Argentina’s fly-half kicked a penalty.

It was a hugely positive start from Mario Ledesma’s men but it was to go horribly wrong before the first quarter had even elapsed.  Firstly, England scored their opening try when poor defence on the short side saw May go over before the decisive moment in the contest.  Farrell took the ball and looked to step but was hit in the head by Lavanini’s shoulder and a red card inevitably followed.

To the Argentinians’ credit, they battled well but the pressure was unrelenting and they conceded twice late in the opening period.  Daly touched down, stepping Emiliano Boffelli and finishing well, before Youngs sniped around the fringes and crossed the whitewash for a 15-3 advantage.

England took that momentum into the second half and a well-constructed phase attack resulted in Ford scoring to seal the bonus-point.  Farrell, who had missed his opening four attempts off the tee, was finally successful with a conversion and they held a 19-point buffer.

Irrespective of the earlier red card, the Red Rose were controlling every facet of the game and a penalty from their inside centre increased their lead further.

With the match won and their passage assured, the contest lost its intensity and that allowed Argentina to gain a foothold, as a fine set-piece attack saw Moroni go over.

Evidently irked by that response, England hit back when the returning Nowell, who hasn’t played since the Premiership final in June, bounced out of a tackle and touched down.

Cowan-Dickie then followed him to complete a win which takes them into the last-eight.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  May, Daly, Youngs, Ford, Nowell, Cowan-Dickie
Cons:  Farrell 3
Pens:  Farrell

For Argentina:
Try:  Moroni
Con:  Boffelli
Pen:  Urdapilleta
Red Card:  Lavanini

England:  15 Elliot Daly, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Tom Curry, 5 George Kruis, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Courtney Lawes, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Willi Heinz, 22 Henry Slade, 23 Jack Nowell

Argentina:  15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Matías Moroni, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Santiago Carreras, 10 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti Pagadizabal, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements:  16 Agustín Creevy, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Lucas Mensa, 23 Bautista Delguy

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees:  Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Seven-try Wallabies cruise past Uruguay

The Wallabies proved too strong for Uruguay as they ran out comfortable 45-10 winners in their Rugby World Cup encounter in Oita on Saturday.

Australia were full value for their win as they held the upper hand for long periods and scored seven tries, but their discipline let them down as Adam Coleman and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto were both yellow carded for dangerous tackles.

Dane Haylett-Petty and Tevita Kuridrani crossed for a brace of tries apiece and their other five-pointers were scored by Test debutant Jordan Petaia, Will Genia and James Slipper while Christian Lealiifano succeeded with five conversions.

For Uruguay, Manuel Diana scored a try and Felipe Berchesi added a penalty and a conversion.

Australia had the better of the opening exchanges and after setting up several phases inside Uruguay’s 22, Kurtley Beale joined the line at pace before offloading to Haylett-Petty, who cantered in for the first try.

Despite that score, Los Teros fought back bravely and narrowed the gap in the 13th minute courtesy of a Berchesi penalty, after a high tackle from Michael Hooper on Nicolas Freitas.

A minute later the Wallabies were reduced to 14 men for the first time when Coleman was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle on Rodrigo Silva.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Wallabies scored the only points during Coleman’s spell on the sidelines courtesy of a try from Petaia, who stepped past two defenders on his way over the whitewash after gathering a pass from Beale deep inside Uruguay’s 22.

On the hour-mark, the Wallabies had another man in the sin bin when Salakaia-Loto was blown up for a high hit on Manuel Ardao but, once again, that did not hamper them too much.  In the 31st minute Beale and Petaia traded passes before the debutant offloaded to Kuridrani, who had an easy run-in over the try-line.

Just before half-time, Uruguay thought they had narrowed the gap when Tomas Inciarte crossed the whitewash but his effort was disallowed when television replays revealed an indiscretion from Diana at a ruck in the build-up.

Thank you to all of our fans for your support this week.

We have defeated @RugbyUruguay 45-10 in our third #RWC2019 pool match!#AUSvURU #GoldBlooded #TeamRugby pic.twitter.com/bRf8MtB7PU

— Wallabies (@wallabies) October 5, 2019

That meant the Wallabies were leading 19-3 at half-time and shortly after the restart Kuridrani crossed for his second five-pointer after a bullocking run in the build-up from Taniela Tupou, who came on as a replacement at the start of the second half.

Australia were in control during the rest of the half as they dominated most facets of play.  In the 53rd minute a strong run from Jack Dempsey was rounded off by Genia, who burst through a gaping hole in Los Teros’ defence before dotting down.

On the hour-mark, Genia turned provider when he offloaded to Slipper, who barged over from close quarters for his first Test try and Haylett-Petty sealed the win when he crossed for his second try in the 68th minute.

To their credit, Uruguay did not surrender and were rewarded when Diana scored their only try from close range in the game’s dying moments.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Haylett-Petty 2, Petaia, Kuridrani 2, Genia, Slipper
Cons:  Lealiifano 5
Yellow Cards:  Coleman, Salakaia-Loto

For Uruguay:
Try:  Diana
Con:  Berchesi
Pen:  Berchesi

Australia:  15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Jordan Petaia, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Nic White, 8 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Jack Dempsey, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Folau Fainga’a, 1 James Slipper
Replacements:  16 Jordan Uelese, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Rory Arnold, 20 David Pocock, 21 Will Genia, 22 Samu Kerevi, 23 Adam Ashley-Cooper

Uruguay:  15 Rodrigo Silva, 14 Federico Favaro, 13 Tomas Inciarte, 12 Andres Vilaseca (c), 11 Nicolas Freitas, 10 Felipe Berchesi, 9 Agustin Ormaechea, 8 Manuel Diana, 7 Juan Diego Ormaechea, 6 Manuel Ardao, 5 Manuel Leindekar, 4 Franco Lamanna, 3 Diego Arbelo, 2 German Kessler, 1 Juan Echeverria
Replacements:  16 Guillermo Pujadas, 17 Joaquin Jaunsolo, 18 Juan Pedro Rombys, 19 Ignacio Dotti, 20 Juan Manuel Gaminara, 21 Santiago Arata, 22 Felipe Etcheverry, 23 Agustin Della Corte

Referee:  Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant referees:  Jérôme Garcès (France), Karl Dickson (England)
TMO:  Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Clinical Springboks thrash 14-man Italy

South Africa’s impressive recent form at the Rugby World Cup continued when they notched a deserved 49-3 victory over Italy in Shizuoka on Friday.

Although the Springboks dominated for long periods, the complexion of the match changed in the 43rd minute when Italy’s Andrea Lovotti received a red card for upending Duane Vermeulen in a tackle and dumping him on his head.

South Africa were leading 17-3 at the time and with a numerical advantage they dominated the rest of the match.

They eventually ran in seven unanswered tries with Cheslin Kolbe (2), Bongi Mbonambi, Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi, RG Snyman and Malcolm Marx all crossing the whitewash.

Handre Pollard finished with a 14-point haul courtesy of four conversions and two penalties while Italy’s only points came via a penalty from Tommaso Allan.

Italy suffered an early setback when Simone Ferrari was forced off the field with a leg injury in the third minute.  His replacement, Marco Riccioni, was soon on the back foot at a scrum and he was penalised for illegal scrummaging.

The Boks put the resulting penalty into touch on the Azzurri’s 22-metre line and went on the attack deep inside their opponents’ half.  After setting up a couple of phases, the ball came out to Willie le Roux, who threw a long pass to Kolbe, and the diminutive flyer showed his class as he stepped past Michele Campagnaro and Matteo Minozzi before crossing in the right-hand corner.

Pollard added the extras from close to the touchline but Allan opened Italy’s account when he slotted a penalty in the ninth minute after Mbonambi had infringed at a ruck.

Three minutes later, Italy’s backs strayed offside on defence and Pollard made no mistake off the kicking tee which gave his side a 10-3 lead.

Italy were dealt another blow in the 18th minute when Riccioni also had to leave the field for a HIA which he failed and that meant there would be uncontested scrums for the rest of the match.

Despite being neutralised in the scrums, the Boks continued to dominate the other tight phases and in the 27th minute they launched a lineout drive inside Italy’s 22 from which Mbonambi crossed for his side’s second try.

The Azzurri needed a response if they wanted to win the match and they too had an opportunity from a lineout inside South Africa’s 22 but the Boks’ defence did well to stop them in their tracks and soon won a penalty close to their try-line.

The rest of the half petered out with neither side managing to score further points and the Boks had their tails up with the score 17-3 in their favour at half-time.

Full-time | Cheslin Kolbe scores twice as @Springboks beat Italy by 46 points #RSAvITA #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/wqBqRGBY3H

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 4, 2019

Italy made a bright start to the second half and three minutes after the restart they were on the attack close to South Africa’s try-line after a brilliant line break from Braam Steyn.

That all came to nothing, however, as Italy were soon reduced to 14 men after Lovotti’s moment of madness and the Boks soon regained the initiative.

Shortly afterwards, Du Toit dotted down after running onto a pass from Pollard but that effort was disallowed after television replays revealed that Siya Kolisi had obstructed Tito Tebaldi in the build-up.

The Boks did not panic, however, and a penalty from Pollard in the 51st minute was followed by another try from Kolbe, after gathering a cross-field kick from the pivot.  And five minutes later, they secured their bonus-point try when Am crossed the whitewash after good work from Le Roux in the build-up.

With the game in the bag, the Boks upped the ante on the attack and the final quarter was a one-sided affair.  They sealed an emphatic win with late tries from Mapimpi, Snyman and Marx, and are now on course to reach the quarter-finals.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Tries:  Kolbe 2, Mbonambi, Am, Mapimpi, Snyman, Marx
Cons:  Pollard 4
Pens:  Pollard 2

For Italy:
Pen:  Allan
Red Card:  Lovotti

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements:  16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Franco Mostert, 21 Francois Louw, 22 Herschel Jantjies, 23 Frans Steyn

Italy:  15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Tommaso Benvenuti, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Jayden Hayward, 11 Michele Campagnaro, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Tito Tebaldi, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Jake Polledri, 6 Braam Steyn, 5 Dean Budd, 4 David Sisi, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements:  16 Federico Zani, 17 Nicola Quaglio, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Alessandro Zanni, 20 Federico Ruzza, 21 Sebastian Negri, 22 Callum Braley, 23 Carlo Canna

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees:  Romain Poite (France), Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO:  Rowan Kitt (England)

Ireland struggle to victory over Russia

Ireland garnered their second victory of the 2019 Rugby World Cup after sealing a 35-0 bonus-point triumph over Russia in Kobe on Thursday.

It still wasn’t a convincing performance by the Irish, despite opening up a 21-0 lead at the interval via Rob Kearney, Peter O’Mahony and Rhys Ruddock tries.

The Russians were spirited and they forced Joe Schmidt’s side into mistakes, and the bonus-point wasn’t assured until Andrew Conway touched down in the 61st minute.

That should have opened the floodgates against Lyn Jones’ tiring outfit but they could only add one more try through Garry Ringrose.

After the shock of the Japan defeat, this was supposed to be the ideal match for Ireland to get their campaign back on track but, although they ultimately emerged with a comfortable victory, it was an error-strewn display.

The start was positive enough, however, as just one minute had elapsed when the Irishmen opened the scoring through Kearney.  The full-back, who hadn’t scored a Test try for four years before September, touched down for his third in three successive matches.

O’Mahony soon followed his team-mate across the whitewash as Johnny Sexton grubbered through after spotting space in behind the Bears’ defensive line.

#IREvRUS #RWC2019 #RWCKobe pic.twitter.com/B5vOA8uNBd

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 3, 2019

To Russia’s credit, they battled and prevented their opponents from adding to their lead over the next 20 minutes, but Schmidt’s men gradually increased the pressure and that resulted in a yellow card for Bogdan Fedotko.

With the second-row off the field, Ireland went over once again as Ruddock touched down from close range for a 19-point buffer.  Sexton converted for the third time but it would be one of the fly-half’s final actions as the Leinsterman was replaced by Jack Carty at the break.

Carty has shown some good touches in the early stages of his international career but he struggled to get the Irish on the front foot in the third quarter.  Russia defended excellently and, as a result, the 2018 Six Nations winners were frustrated by their opponents.

Although ill-discipline was a problem for the Russians with Andrei Ostrikov being sin-binned for a dangerous ruck clearout on John Ryan, Ireland initially failed to take advantage.

Instead, a series of errors saw a number of scrums take place in the middle of the pitch and Jones’ men kept it scoreless for the majority of those 10 minutes.

They were eventually breached, though, when Carty and Keith Earls combined to send Conway across the whitewash before another excellent move saw Ringrose complete the win late on.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Tries:  Kearney, O’Mahony, Ruddock, Conway, Ringrose
Cons:  Sexton 3, Carty 2

For Russia:
Yellow Cards:  Fedotko, Ostrikov

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Jonathan Sexton (c), 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Jordi Murphy, 7 Peter O’Mahony, 6 Rhys Ruddock, 5 Jean Kleyn, 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 John Ryan, 2 Niall Scannell, 1 Dave Kilcoyne
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 CJ Stander, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Carty, 23 Jordan Larmour

Russia:  15 Vasily Artemyev (c), 14 German Davydov, 13 Igor Galinovskiy, 12 Kirill Golosnitskiy, 11 Denis Simplikevich, 10 Ramil Gaisin, 9 Dmitry Perov, 8 Victor Gresev, 7 Tagir Gadzhiev, 6 Anton Sychev, 5 Bogdan Fedotko, 4 Andrey Garbuzov, 3 Kirill Gotovtsev, 2 Evgeny Matveev, 1 Andrei Polivalov
Replacements:  16 Stanislav Selskii, 17 Valery Morozov, 18 Vladimir Podrezov, 19 Andrei Ostrikov, 20 Evgeny Elgin, 21 Sergey Ianiushkin, 22 Roman Khodin, 23 Vladimir Ostroushko

Referee:  Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant Referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO:  Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Seven-try Fiji blow Georgia away

Fiji registered their first victory of the 2019 Rugby World Cup when they beat Georgia 45-10 in their Pool D encounter in Higashiosaka on Thursday.

After losing their two previous matches against Australia and Uruguay, there was plenty of pressure on John McKee’s troops but they were full value for their win as they dominated most facets of play.

The match kicked off with heavy rain pelting down but despite the atrocious weather conditions, the Pacific Islanders stayed true to their attacking roots, although they had little reward initially.  The rain subsided as the match progressed and they eventually outscored their opponents by seven tries to one.

Semi Radradra was his team’s hero as he scored a brace of tries and set up three other five-pointers.  Waisea Nayacalevu, Frank Lomani, Josua Tuisova, Semi Kunatani and Apisalome Ratuniyarawa also crossed the whitewash while Ben Volavola succeeded with five conversions.

For Georgia, Mamuka Gorgodze scored a try and Soso Matiashvili added a conversion and a penalty.

The Lelos had a chance to open the scoring in the 15th minute when Kunatani was penalised for an illegal hit on Giorgi Tkhilaishvili but Matiashvili was off target with his shot at goal.

That proved a costly miss as five minutes later Fiji took the lead in spectacular fashion.  This, after Volavola stabbed a teasing grubber kick through just inside Georgia’s half and Radradra gathered the ball brilliantly close to the left-hand touchline before throwing an inside pass to Nayacalevu, who outsprinted the cover defence on his way over the try-line.

That score seemed to jolt Georgia into life as they upped the ante on attack after that and they were soon camped inside Fiji’s half.

In the 33rd minute, the Lelos launched a brilliant attack from close to their try-line and after several phases, they found themselves deep inside Fiji territory.  They were unlucky not be rewarded for their efforts, however, when Giorgi Nemsadze lost the ball while crossing the whitewash.

Fiji’s backs had strayed offside in the build-up to that effort and Matiashvili slotted the resulting penalty which meant the teams changed sides at half-time with the Pacific Islanders holding a slender 7-3 lead.

FT: @fijirugby 45 @GeorgianRugby 10

Semi Radradra double helped Fiji to a 35 point win over Georgia. #GEOvFIJ #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/mJyDDhP9co

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 3, 2019

Fiji were fastest out of the blocks in the second period and six minutes after the restart Tuisova and Radradra combined brilliantly before the latter offloaded to Lomani, who crossed for his side’s second try.

Five minutes later, Radradra joined the Fiji line at pace and drew in the defence before offloading to Tuisova close to the right-hand touchline.  The burly wing still had work to do but beat the last defender with ease and crossed for a deserved try.

Despite those setbacks, Georgia came back strongly and in the 53rd minute Gorgodze showed great power and determination before dotting down from close range.  Matiashvili added the extras but that would be the last time the Lelos would score points as Fiji dominated the rest of the match with Radradra leading the onslaught.

In the 61st minute a superb back-line move, after a scrum close to Georgia’s 10-metre line, created space for Radradra out wide and he showed his class to outpace the cover defence before crossing for his side’s bonus-point try.

That score knocked the wind out of Georgia’s sails as it was all Fiji during the game’s final quarter.

Kunatani and Ratuniyarawa crossed the whitewash in quick succession before Radradra sealed the win with his second try in the game’s closing stages.

The scorers:

For Georgia:
Try:  Gorgodze
Con:  Matiashvili
Pen:  Matiashvili

For Fiji:
Tries:  Nayacalevu, Lomani, Tuisova, Radradra 2, Kunatani, Ratuniyarawa
Cons:  Volavola 5

Georgia:  15 Soso Matiashvili, 14 Giorgi Kveseladze, 13 David Kacharava, 12 Merab Sharikadze (c), 11 Alexander Todua, 10 Lasha Khmaladze, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 8 Beka Gorgadze, 7 Mamuka Gorgodze, 6 Giorgi Tkhilaishvili, 5 Konstantine Mikautadze, 4 Giorgi Nemsadze, 3 Beka Gigashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili
Replacements:  16 Jaba Bregvadze, 17 Guram Gogichashvili, 18 Levan Chilachava, 19 Otari Giorgadze, 20 Beka Saginadze, 21 Gela Aprasidze, 22 Lasha Malaguradze, 23 Miriani Modebadze

Fiji:  15 Kini Murimurivalu, 14 Josua Tuisova, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu, 12 Levani Botia, 11 Semi Radradra, 10 Ben Volavola, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Peceli Yato, 7 Semi Kunatani, 6 Dominiko Waqaniburotu (c), 5 Leone Nakarawa, 4 Tevita Cavubati, 3 Manasa Saulo, 2 Samuel Matavesi, 1 Campese Ma’afu
Replacements:  16 Tuvere Vugakoto, 17 Eroni Mawi, 18 Peni Ravai, 19 Apisalome Ratuniyarawa, 20 Viliame Mata, 21 Nikola Matawalu, 22 Jale Vatubua, 23 Josh Matavesi

Referee:  Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Matthew Carley (England)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

Barrett brothers all score as All Blacks ease to win

The Barrett brothers, who became the first sibling trio since the Vunipolas to start a World Cup match, all touched down as the All Blacks thrashed Canada 63-0 in Ōita.

Fe’ao, Elisi and Manu Vunipola were in the Tongan team that played Scotland in 1995, but the Barretts went better than that with Jordie, Beauden and Scott touching down.

Two of those players went over in the first half as Steve Hansen’s men took a 28-0 advantage at the break.  Sonny Bill Williams also crossed the whitewash, while they were awarded a penalty try, which opened up a comfortable buffer at the interval.

Rieko Ioane then scored in the second period before Scott Barrett completed a fine day for the family.  New Zealand were not done there, however, with Shannon Frizell and Brad Weber (twice) completing an easy victory.

It was always going to be a long evening for the Canadians and immediately they were put under pressure by the three-time World Cup winners.  From the kick-off, the All Blacks collected and went through the phases, almost touching down via captain Kieran Read.

Kingsley Jones’ charges did well to hold him up but, from the resultant scrum, New Zealand’s forward eight surged towards the line and they were awarded a penalty try for a 7-0 lead.

A second score was soon forthcoming when Richie Mo’unga’s excellent cross-field kick was collected and finished by wing Barrett.

They are the only trio of brothers to start in an @AllBlacks Rugby World Cup match, and they have now all scored a try in #NZLvCAN. #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/80FX7W2KmT

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 2, 2019

Against the quality of the defending champions, it was a long way back and, when Williams touched down following an impressive step, the Canucks were 21-0 in arrears after 16 minutes.

Canada almost hit back, however, as Gordon McRorie and Lucas Rumball combined to send Peter Nelson clear, but the scramble defence was impressive to prevent the fly-half from going over.

Following the break down of that attack, Hansen’s men reasserted their authority and had the bonus-point secured before the half-time whistle.  Although Scott Barrett initially missed a glorious chance to score, dropping the ball over the line, brother Beauden wasn’t so profligate and they held a 28-point buffer at the interval.

Conditions were difficult, which led to several handling errors in the first half, but they were well and truly eradicated in the third quarter.  Just one minute had elapsed when Ioane crossed the whitewash before second-row Barrett followed him soon after.

Canada’s heads duly dropped and the All Blacks were simply irresistible at times with the axis of Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett combining superbly.

With the talented duo dictating play Frizell increased their lead, taking Ioane’s off-load and touching down, before Weber twice sprinted clear after good work from the two playmakers.

The game then became loose in the latter stages and New Zealand failed to add to their 63 points, but the All Blacks remained stout in defence and kept the Canadians scoreless.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Penalty try, J Barrett, Williams, B Barrett, Ioane, S Barrett, Frizzell, Weber 2
Cons:  Mo’unga 8

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Jordie Barrett, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Matt Todd, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Atu Moli
Replacements:  16 Codie Taylor, 17 Ofa Tuungafasi, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Samuel Whitelock, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 Brad Weber, 22 Ryan Crotty, 23 Ben Smith

Canada:  15 Patrick Parfrey, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Conor Trainor, 12 Ciaran Hearn, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Peter Nelson, 9 Gordon McRorie, 8 Tyler Ardron (c), 7 Matt Heaton, 6 Lucas Rumball, 5 Conor Keys, 4 Evan Olmstead, 3 Cole Keith, 2 Eric Howard, 1 Djustice Sears-Duru
Replacements:  16 Andrew Quattrin, 17 Hubert Buydens, 18 Jake Ilnicki, 19 Mike Sheppard, 20 Josh Larsen, 21 Phil Mack, 22 Taylor Paris, 23 Andrew Coe

Referee:  Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees:  Pascal Gauzere (France), Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

France hold off spirited USA

France consolidated their position amongst the front-runners in Pool C courtesy of a 33-9 victory against the USA in Fukuoka City on Wednesday.

Despite the big winning margin, Les Bleus were made to work very hard for this result as the game was evenly balanced for long periods and they only secured their win when they scored three tries late in the second half.

But, in the end, France’s class came through as they outscored the USA by five tries to none with Yoann Huget, Alivereti Raka, Gael Fickou, Baptiste Serin and Jefferson Poirot crossing the whitewash while Camille Lopez added three conversions and Thomas Ramos one.

For the USA, who were competitive for long periods, AJ MacGinty succeeded with three penalties.

Les Bleus dominated from the outset and opened the scoring in the sixth minute when Huget gathered a teasing chip kick from Lopez inside the Eagles’ 22 before crossing for a deserved try.

Lopez added the extras but despite that setback, the USA played well during the next 15 minutes and narrowed the gap to four points when MacGinty slotted his first penalty midway through the half.

France regained the initiative, however, and were rewarded with their second try in the 24th minute – Raka crossing the whitewash this time, after collecting a perfectly weighted cross-field kick from Lopez deep inside his opponents’ half.

Lopez was off target with his conversion attempt which meant France were leading 12-3 and the rest of the half would prove to be frustrating for them as they battled to gain the ascendancy.

The USA showed considerable improvement as the half progressed while France were penalised on several occasions during that period.

On the half-hour mark, Les Bleus’ forwards were blown up for straying offside on defence and MacGinty added his second penalty.  That meant the match was evenly balanced at half-time with France holding on to a slender 12-6 lead.

FT at #RWCFukuoka @FranceRugby 🇫🇷 defeat @USARugby 🇺🇸 in Pool C #RWC2019 #FRAvUSA pic.twitter.com/bGwpCuhONL

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 2, 2019

Although they had the bulk of the possession after the restart, Les Bleus continued to be frustrated and battled to take control of the match.

In the 50th minute, France thought they had extended their lead when Raka crossed the whitewash after gathering a long pass from Sofiane Guitoune inside the Eagles’ 22, but Raka was called back by referee Ben O’Keeffe, who ruled that Guitoune’s pass went forward.

The next 15 minutes was evenly contested and the USA narrowed the gap to three points when MacGinty succeeded with his third shot off the kicking tee, after Maxime Medard held onto the ball at a ruck.

France came alive after that penalty and were soon camped inside the Eagles’ half.  And after setting up 15 phases, the ball came out to Fickou, who crashed over for their third try from close range in the 67th minute.

It was all France during the game’s closing stages and in the 70th minute Serin broke through the USA’s defence before crossing for his side’s bonus point try with Lopez’s conversion putting more daylight between his side and the Eagles.

Les Bleus continued to dominate and just before the end Poirot sealed their win when he crossed the whitewash off the back of a lineout drive deep inside USA territory.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:  Huget, Raka, Fickou, Serin, Poirot
Cons:  Ramos, Lopez 3

For USA:
Pens:  MacGinty 3

France:  15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Alivereti Raka, 13 Sofiane Guitoune, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Yoann Huget, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Louis Picamoles (c), 7 Yacouba Camara, 6 Arthur Iturria, 5 Paul Gabrillagues, 4 Bernard Le Roux, 3 Emerick Setiano, 2 Camille Chat, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements:  16 Guilhem Guirado, 17 Jefferson Poirot, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 20 Gregory Alldritt, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Romain Ntamack, 23 Maxime Medard

USA:  15 Mike Teo, 14 Blaine Scully (c), 13 Marcel Brache, 12 Bryce Campbell, 11 Martin Iosefo, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Shaun Davies, 8 Cam Dolan, 7 Hanco Germishuys, 6 Tony Lamborn, 5 Nick Civetta, 4 Nate Brakeley, 3 Titi Lamositele, 2 Joe Taufetee, 1 Eric Fry
Replacements:  16 Dylan Fawsitt, 17 Olive Kilifi, 18 Paul Mullen, 19 Greg Peterson, 20 Ben Pinkelman, 21 Ruben de Haas, 22 Will Magie, 23 Thretton Palamo

Referee:  Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
TMO:  Rowan Kitt (England)