Dominant All Blacks prove too strong for Wallabies

New Zealand made a statement of intent as they produced a fine showing to beat Australia 27-7 in their Bledisloe Cup Test at Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday.

As the scoreline suggests, it was a very different story to a week ago when the sides drew 16-16 in Wellington with New Zealand dominating most facets of play especially during the second half when they produced a brilliant attacking display.

Tries from Aaron Smith, Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea and Sam Cane got the job done for the All Blacks and their other points came via the boot of Richie Mo'unga, who added a penalty and two conversions.

Marika Koroibete scored a try for the Wallabies which was converted by James O'Connor.

The result means New Zealand are still unbeaten at Eden Park since 1994 while Australia are yet to win there since 1986.

Australia made a blistering start but, despite spending a large part of the game's early stages inside New Zealand's half, they had nothing to show for their attacking endeavour.

The All Blacks soaked up the early pressure and eventually opened the scoring in the 18th minute courtesy of a Mo'unga penalty after the Wallabies strayed offside on defence.

Five minutes later, they went further ahead when Smith crossed for the opening try from close quarters after Jack Goodhue laid the groundwork with a strong run in the build-up.

The Wallabies needed a response and that came in the 29th minute when they took the ball through 12 phases inside the All Blacks' half with Ned Hanigan making a telling break which took play into the home side's 22.  The ball was recycled quickly and Koroibete went over for his five-pointer.

The rest of the half was tense with both teams continuing to run the ball from all areas of the field but neither side would score further points during that period and the match was evenly poised at half-time with New Zealand holding a 10-7 lead.

Boy, that feels good.#NZLvAUS #BledisloeCup pic.twitter.com/mVkBP4l1FS

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 18, 2020

The All Blacks were fastest out of the blocks when the match restarted and were rewarded with two tries in quick succession inside the first five minutes of the half.

First, Mo'unga and Goodhue created space for Barrett, who score in the right hand corner, and shortly afterwards Caleb Clarke put the All Blacks on the front foot with a brilliant attacking run before Savea rounded off out wide.

Those scores boosted the All Blacks' confidence and they continued to attack at every opportunity.  And in the 54th minute Cane crossed for their fourth try after gathering a lobbed pass from Patrick Tuipulotu on the edge of the Wallabies' 22.

With the game in the bag, the All Blacks took their foot off the pedal and, although the Wallabies launched several attacks during the final quarter, they were not rewarded as the home side sealed a deserved win.

Check out the highlights from the All Blacks' 27-7 Bledisloe Cup triumph against the Wallabies at Eden Park in Auckland.

All Blacks and Wallabies share the spoils in Wellington

New Zealand and Australia could not be separated in Wellington on Sunday, with their Bledisloe Cup Test finishing in a hard-fought 16-16 draw.

In a drama-filled and exciting contest, both sides scored two tries apiece with Jordie Barrett and Aaron Smith dotting down for the All Blacks while Marika Koroibete and Filipo Daugunu crossed for the Wallabies.

Barrett also added a couple of penalties for the home side and Australia's other points came courtesy of two three-pointers off the kicking tee from James O'Connor.

The hosts dominated early on but Australia improved as the match progressed and finished stronger.  The Wallabies had a chance to win the game in injury time when Reece Hodge lined up a goal-kick from 53 metres out but his effort struck an upright and the teams had to settle for the draw.

The opening exchanges were frantic with the Wallabies doing most of the attacking but the All Blacks soaked up the early pressure and eventually took the lead with a well-taken try from Barrett in the ninth minute.  Rieko Ioane laid the groundwork with a strong run before the ball was recycled quickly and brilliant offloading from Damian McKenzie, Jack Goodhue and Shannon Frizell created space for Barrett out wide and he went over in the right-hand corner.

In the 27th minute, Barrett increased the All Blacks' lead when he slotted a penalty from close range before O'Connor opened the Wallabies' account with his first three-pointer midway through the half.

Just before half-time, Sam Cane pounced on a loose ball just outside his 22 and the All Blacks launched a counter-attack with McKenzie and Richie Mo'unga prominent.  The fly-half did well to draw in the final defender before offloading to Ioane, who had an easy run-in, but he lost the ball while crossing the whitewash which meant the teams changed sides at the interval with New Zealand leading 8-3.

Australia had an early opportunity to score points in the second half when shortly after the restart O'Connor lined up a shot at goal, after McKenzie was blown up for holding onto the ball on the ground, but his effort was wide of the mark.

That proved costly as shortly afterwards the home side launched an attack from a lineout close to the halfway line and Codie Taylor caught the Wallabies napping on defence when he threw an inside pass to George Bridge at the back of the set-piece.  Bridge hit the line at pace before getting a pass out to Smith, who got the better of Nic White before crashing over in the left-hand corner.

DEADLOCK. #NZLvAUS #BledisloeCup pic.twitter.com/UlEZGb88rG

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) October 11, 2020

The Wallabies needed a response and that came in the 53rd minute when they launched an attack just outside New Zealand's 22.  O'Connor ran a good line before finding Koroibete with a long pass and he did well to score out wide despite a desperate cover tackle from McKenzie.

Ten minutes later, the Wallabies drew level when McKenzie did well to rip the ball from the grasp of Matt Philip at a ruck close to his try-line but none of his team-mates were there to gather the loose ball.  White was quickest to react and offloaded to Daugunu, who cantered in for an easy try.

O'Connor failed to convert which meant the sides were deadlocked at 13-13 and we were set for an exciting finish.  In the 71st minute, New Zealand were awarded a scrum penalty but with rain pouring down and a strong wind blowing, Barrett pushed his kick wide of the uprights.

Soon after, Karl Tu'inukuafe infringed at a breakdown close to his 22 and with the wind at his back O'Connor made no mistake off the tee to give his side the lead for the first time in the game.

Two minutes before full-time, Rob Simmons entered a ruck from the side and Barrett made up for his earlier miss by slotting the resulting penalty.  That meant the sides were level at 16-16 but that was not the end of the match.

There was plenty of drama after Hodge's long-range effort hit the post with both sides scrambling to win the game as the clock went into over-time.  The All Blacks came closest but conceded possession near to the Wallabies' try-line deep into injury time with O'Connor opting to kick the ball into touch and the teams had to settle for a share of the spoils.

The highlights from New Zealand and Australia’s thrilling 16-16 draw in their Bledisloe Cup encounter.

Revived Scotland end France's Grand Slam hopes

Scotland made it back-to-back wins in the Six Nations as they ended France’s Grand Slam dreams with an impressive 28-17 victory at Murrayfield, a result which lifts them to third in the standings.

Fabien Galthie’s side touched down in Edinburgh looking to take another step towards their first Championship clean sweep in a decade.

They even found themselves ahead midway through the opening half thanks to Damian Penaud’s try.

But a defence remodelled in Shaun Edwards’ stingy image was left terribly exposed when Mohamed Haouas got himself sent off for an act of sheer stupidity as he aimed a punch at Jamie Ritchie.

Scotland have struggled to make the most of their attacking opportunities this campaign but, with just 14 men to contend with, they finally found their verve.  Sean Maitland crossed either side of half-time before Stuart McInally sealed a precious victory.

France had previously toppled England, Italy and Wales but looked out of sorts in the Scottish capital from the off.

The foundations of Les Bleus’ success so far had been the twin talents of youngsters Romain Ntamack and Antoine Dupont.

But Ntamack’s involvement was limited to eight rather shambolic minutes.  First he skewed wide with a simple penalty, then came a knock-on from a high ball before he finally copped a bang to the head from Sam Johnson which forced him to be replaced.

The visitors were already a man down by this point after flanker Francois Cros was sent to the bin for dropping Grant Gilchrist on his head.

Kiwi referee Paul Williams decided the tip tackle was clumsy rather than reckless and opted to keep his red in his pocket ― but not for long.

The early signs were good for the Scots, with a couple of big shunts from the pack teeing up Adam Hastings to slot over a penalty on 11 minutes.  He added another seven minutes later as his forwards continued to pilfer and frustrate at the breakdown.

However, while Ntamack’s departure was a blow to France, they had another exciting young pivot to call on in the shape of Matthieu Jalibert and it was his combination with Arthur Vincent that saw the visitors grab the lead against the run of play.

A classic full of drama comes to an end in Edinburgh

FT: Scotland 28-17 France#GuinnessSixNations #SCOvFRA pic.twitter.com/6QSRkUyQJm

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 8, 2020

Scotland were cut apart down the left and the broken field was manna from heaven for Dupont, with his kick to the opposite flank drawing Blair Kinghorn into no-man’s land as Penaud scored on 33 minutes.

France felt the tide had turned in their favour ― but then came Haouas’ moment of madness.

An off-the-ball squabble of pushes and shoves suddenly exploded into a furious row when the prop threw a punch at Ritchie’s chin.  Williams took his time reviewing the images on the big screen and was left with no choice but to flash red when the cameras caught Haouas’ haymaker in HD quality.

Once the commotion was cleared, Hastings nudged Scotland back ahead with a penalty.

And it took Townsend’s team just four minutes to make use of the extra room as Maitland struck on the stroke of half-time.

Hastings punctured Les Bleus’ line with a daring break and Scotland did not hang about to let the visitors regroup as Stuart Hogg and Johnson snapped the ball out to the Saracens wing to score in the corner.

That put Scotland seven up at the break ― and the lead was doubled just five minutes into the second period as Maitland grabbed another.

A kicking duel between the teams was going nowhere until Hogg sensed his moment to surge forward.  Chris Harris took the drive on before Ali Price scampered to within five yards of the whitewash.

Again Scotland were quick to spot the space on the wing as Maitland stretched to dot down a try, converted by Hastings.

A Jalibert penalty trimmed the deficit by three but Scotland stuck another seven onto their tally on 65 minutes as Bernard Le Roux failed to gather a line-out.  The big lock watched forlornly as McInally raced onto the loose ball and across the line for Scotland’s third try, again converted by Hastings.

The French did have one last cheer five minutes from the end when skipper Charles Ollivon crossed over after a swift counter-attack but it was the Scots making all the noise at full-time.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries:  Maitland 2, McInally
Cons:  Hastings 2
Pens:  Hastings 3

For France:
Tries:  Penaud, Ollivon
Cons:  Jalibert 2
Pen:  Jalibert
Yellow Card:  Cros
Red Card:  Haouas

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg (c), 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Sam Johnson, 11 Blair Kinghorn, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Ali Price, 8 Nick Haining, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Rory Sutherland
Replacements:  16 Stuart McInally, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Willem Nel, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Magnus Bradbury, 21 George Horne, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Kyle Steyn

France:  15 Anthony Bouthier, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Arthur Vincent, 11 Gael Fickou, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Grégory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon (c), 6 François Cros, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Bernard Le Roux, 3 Mohamed Haouas, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements:  16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Demba Bamba, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Dylan Cretin, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Matthieu Jalibert, 23 Thomas Ramos

Referee:  Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Frank Murphy (Ireland)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

England keep hopes alive with deserved win

England maintained their chances of winning their first Six Nations title since 2017 after securing a 33-30 triumph over Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.

Eddie Jones’ men touched down three times through Anthony Watson, Elliot Daly and Manu Tuilagi for their third successive victory in this year’s tournament.

The visitors did garner a losing bonus-point against 13-man England ― who saw Ellis Genge sin-binned and Tuilagi red carded late on ― as Dan Biggar and Justin Tipuric went over, but the Red Rose deservedly took the spoils.

Memories of Cardiff a year ago resurfaced when a spellbinding try finished by Tipuric just seconds after the restart hinted at another dramatic comeback.

On that day at the Principality Stadium, Jones’ side were in full command as they cruised 10-3 ahead at the same stage only to suffer a harrowing collapse that the Australian head coach admitted last week still rankles.

But England were ready this time as they stepped up a gear to remove any danger, with penalties by Owen Farrell and George Ford followed by a converted Tuilagi try sweeping them beyond reach.

The last six minutes were played with only 13 men after Tuilagi was sent off for a shoulder-led charge to the head of George North as the Wales wing approached the whitewash.

Having showed his remorse to North, Tuilagi departed for the stands where he joined Genge, who had been yellow carded shortly before for straying offside, but England were already out of sight as Biggar and Tipuric ran in late consolation tries.

A red card shown to Manu Tuilagi for a shoulder charge on George North#ITVRugby pic.twitter.com/NXkmVmqfQg

— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) March 7, 2020

Victory over their fierce rivals keeps the title quest alive but they must wait to learn when their final round clash with Italy in Rome can be played after it was postponed due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

If France defeat Scotland and Ireland in their remaining two games, the ill-fated 2020 Six Nations will have new Grand Slam champions and Jones’ decision to take a knowingly undercooked team to Paris will haunt him over the months to come.

A feisty but captivating encounter produced the comical sight of Joe Marler grabbing Alun Wyn Jones by the testicles as tempers frayed around them in what will be a unique case for the citing officer to investigate.

Wales woke up to the news that their former centre Matthew J Watkins had died at the age of 41 after a long battle with pelvic cancer and their spirits sank further as they crashed to a third successive Six Nations defeat for the first time 2007.

Alongside Mark Wilson, Watson was making his first England appearance since the World Cup final and the Bath wing took less than four minutes to make his presence felt.

Ben Youngs dashed sideways from an attacking line-out and found Watson on the inside, the switch of play offering sight of the try-line.  Several side-steps and an outstretched arm later and Watson was over.

Wales muscled their way downfield only to spill the ball over the line, resulting in the first flashpoint of the afternoon.

Biggar and Farrell exchanged penalties but England were dealt a blow when Jonny May failed to reappear from an HIA required after he had collided in mid-air with Leigh Halfpenny.

Farrell was incurring the wrath of referee Ben O’Keeffe as he conceded a second penalty and, while Wales had plenty of possession with Jones’ work-rate especially high, their play was aimless.

England’s kicking game overseen by Ford was superior as the underdogs were manoeuvred around the pitch, but once again it was the set-piece that laid the foundations for their second try.

A dominant scrum was rewarded with a penalty and from the subsequent line-out a succession of forward carries created an overlap that was finished with stunning precision when Ford fixed the last defender to send Daly diving over.

Biggar sent a long-range kick between the uprights and just 22 seconds after the break he successfully landed a conversion after Wales had produced a magical try that started when they caught a deep restart and expertly raided the blindside.

One of the greatest tries the #GuinnessSixNations has EVER seen#ENGvWAL pic.twitter.com/QskEGowmaw

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 7, 2020

Josh Navidi, Nick Tompkins and Tomas Williams timed their passes to perfection and Tipuric had the gas to the finish under the posts.

Successive Farrell penalties calmed home nerves but the killer blow was landed in the 61st minute when Tuilagi strolled over after Wales had splintered in the face of waves of attacks.

George Kruis waved to the crowd as he was replaced, perhaps in recognition that he had played his final match for England as he considers a move to Japan, but upon their arrival the bench were forced to subdue a sustained Welsh assault.

Genge was sent to the sin-bin and Tuilagi trooped off after him and the lack of numbers helped Biggar and Tipuric plunder late tries.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Watson, Daly, Tuilagi
Cons:  Farrell 3
Pens:  Farrell 3, Ford
Red Card:  Tuilagi
Yellow Card:  Genge

For Wales:
Tries:  Tipuric 2, Biggar
Cons:  Biggar 3
Pens:  Halfpenny 2, Biggar

England:  15 Elliot Daly, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Tom Curry, 7 Mark Wilson, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 George Kruis, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 Charlie Ewels, 21 Ben Earl, 22 Willi Heinz, 23 Henry Slade

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Josh Navidi, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Ross Moriarty, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Jake Ball, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Rob Evans
Replacements:  16 Ryan Elias, 17 Rhys Carre,18 Leon Brown, 19 Aaron Shingler, 20 Taulupe Faletau, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Johnny McNicholl

Referee:  Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Romain Poite (France), Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Dominant England end Ireland's Grand Slam dream

England kept their Six Nations hopes alive and ended Ireland's chances of claiming a Grand Slam after a convincing 24-12 triumph at Twickenham on Sunday.

Tries from George Ford, Elliot Daly and Luke Cowan-Dickie secured a comfortable win over the Irish, who touched down twice via Robbie Henshaw and Andrew Porter.

There were shades of the knockout phase romps against Australia and New Zealand as Eddie Jones' men ended the Irish Grand Slam march in destructive fashion, leaving France as the Six Nations' only unbeaten team.

From start to finish they tore into their opponents, who never recovered from an early onslaught and whose fingers found the self-destruct button with alarming frequency.

Ford and Daly poached tries that propelled title-chasing England out of sight after 25 minutes, both of them profiting from blunders by Johnny Sexton and Jacob Stockdale behind the whitewash.

By the end of the first half Ireland had spent only 31 seconds in the enemy 22 and, although they eventually became a more cohesive attacking force, they never looked remotely capable of overcoming a 17-0 interval deficit.

Cowan-Dickie crossed for the third try and Owen Farrell kicked three conversions and a penalty as England's mastery of the Irish was extended to a third successive rout.

Ireland's failings were collective but at the heart of their collapse was Sexton, who never recovered from an awful start and butchered five easy points from the kicking tee at important moments.

It was not the return to Twickenham hoped for by Andy Farrell and this day belonged to his son Owen, who cut a composed figure as he drove England onwards to a triumph that relieves pressure on the Jones regime.

Daly and the unstoppable Manu Tuilagi were influential in a promising start but a poor pass from Ben Youngs found Courtney Lawes' head instead of his hands as England moved to within inches of the line.

Youngs made amends by firing a smart grubber that led to the opening try but Sexton, who was under pressure from Farrell and deceived by a cruel bounce, was also to blame as he failed to gather the ball as it bobbled over the whitewash to allow Ford to touch down.

The opening quarter deteriorated further for Sexton as he produced two poor kicks in a row before hooking a shot at goal horribly wide.

Aided by Ireland's refusal to contest line-outs, England resumed their advance downfield with Tuilagi's power across the gainline helping them on to the front foot.

Déjà vu for @EnglandRugby...#ENGvIRE #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/z4ZES1WvTC

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 23, 2020

Daly was revelling in his return to full-back for the first time since the World Cup final and it was the Saracen who plundered the second try as Stockdale inexplicably dithered over Ford's cute kick, offering the score on a plate.

The first half unfolded against the backdrop of Farrell's constant dialogue with referee Jaco Peyper as Ireland were repeatedly bullied in contact, with man-of-the-match Lawes their chief agitator.

At times England's attack was overly frantic and too reliant on kicking, but with the white shirts winning just about every collision and then defending ferociously they could afford moments of inaccuracy.

The first half finished with a pumped-up Kyle Sinckler being escorted off the pitch after the Harlequins prop had given Ireland a tongue lashing at another breakdown dominated by a pack that had their feet on opposition throats.

Ireland emerged from the interval with their purpose restored and their urgency was evident as CJ Stander hammered his palm into Farrell's stomach in an attempt to make the centre let go of his leg.

Henshaw barged over from close range to round off a spell of Irish ascendancy but, as Sexton yanked the conversion and England resumed their offensive, a comeback appeared unlikely.

A line-out drive ended with Cowan-Dickie emerging with the ball and, although Ireland had the final say with a stoppage time try by Porter, it failed to distract from a heavy defeat.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Ford, Daly, Cowan-Dickie
Cons:  Farrell 3
Pen:  Farrell

For Ireland:
Tries:  Henshaw, Porter
Con:  Cooney

England:  15 Elliot Daly, 14 Jonny May, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Jonathan Joseph, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Tom Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 George Kruis, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 Charlie Ewels, 21 Ben Earl, 22 Willi Heinz, 23 Henry Slade

Ireland:  15 Jordan Larmour, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jonathan Sexton (c), 9 Conor Murray, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 James Ryan, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Ultan Dillane, 20 Caelan Doris, 21 John Cooney, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Keith Earls

Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees:  Romain Poite (France), Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Check out the highlights from England's 24-12 victory over Ireland at Twickenham on Sunday.

France march on with gutsy victory over Wales

France claimed their first victory in Cardiff since 2010 as they made it three wins out of three in the Six Nations with a 27-23 triumph on Saturday.

Former Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards, now performing the same role with France, looked on as his team ran in tries from full-back Anthony Bouthier, lock Paul Willemse and fly-half Romain Ntamack.

Ntamack added three conversions and two penalties for a 17-point haul, with Les Bleus claiming a first win on Welsh soil in 10 years.

And it proved richly deserved despite Wales clawing back to one point behind early in the second period through prop Dillon Lewis' first try for his country and fly-half Dan Biggar touching down late on.

Biggar booted two conversions and three penalties, collecting 18 points, yet Wales could have few complaints after falling to a second successive defeat under new head coach Wayne Pivac.

The reigning Six Nations champions suffered a first home reversal in the tournament since England toppled them three years ago.

They now have to pick themselves up for a Twickenham appointment with England in two weeks' time, while resurgent France will complete a Six Nations clean sweep if they see off Scotland at Murrayfield, followed by Ireland in Paris.

Wales showed two changes from the side beaten by Ireland a fortnight ago, with scrum-half Gareth Davies replacing Tomos Williams and flanker Ross Moriarty preferred to Aaron Wainwright.

Powerhouse centre Virimi Vakatawa returned to the French midfield following injury, partnering Arthur Vincent, with Gael Fickou deputising for Vincent Rattez on the wing, who is recovering from a broken leg.

Biggar kicked a fourth-minute penalty that opened the scoring, yet France responded in clinical fashion just three minutes later.

Right place, right time... Anthony Bouthier snaps up the loose ball after a huge kick from Romain Ntamack as France storm into the lead against Wales#FRAvWAL #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/BXX4oaUnQB

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 22, 2020

Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny failed to claim Ntamack's steepling kick, and Les Bleus did not require a second invitation as Bouthier gathered and sprinted clear to score.

Ntamack converted, and alarm bells quickly rang again in the Welsh defence when wing Teddy Thomas looked to be clear, but the home side snuffed out danger.

France, though, continued to dominate, and Ntamack extended their lead through an angled penalty after Wales lost George North.

North, who was winning his 94th cap, did not return after going off for a head injury assessment following an aerial collision with Fickou, and Johnny McNicholl replaced him.

A second Biggar penalty cut the deficit, yet Wales immediately found themselves under pressure when France broke incisively and Fickou touched down after gathering Ntamack's kick.

But referee Matt Carley ruled it out following a forward pass in the build-up from Bouthier to Vakatawa, and Wales escaped.

It was a reprieve that lasted barely two minutes, though, as the French forwards drove an attacking lineout and Willemse touched down, with Ntamack converting.

Wales were being out-run and out-thought, and despite Biggar completing a penalty hat-trick as the interval approached, France continued to dominate.

There were chances for Wales ahead of the break, when they twice sacrificed kickable penalties for attacking scrums, fancying their chances after Les Bleus number eight Gregory Alldritt was sin-binned.

But aggressive French defence kept Wales out, and the visitors enjoyed a deserved 17-9 interval advantage.

Power play... Dillon Lewis will never forget his first try for Wales #WALvFRA #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/lotC3tEJSE

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 22, 2020

Wales knew they had to announce themselves in the game, and their response was impressive, with Lewis crashing over for a 47th-minute try that Biggar converted to make it a one-point contest.

Wales' mini revival was a true test of the French, yet their response spoke volumes, with Ntamack intercepting Nick Tompkins' pass and sprinting 60 metres to score before converting his try.

It was a savage blow for Wales to absorb, and a 64th-minute Ntamack penalty gave France a double figures advantage as their sizeable travelling support belted out the French national anthem.

Wales went close to a second try 15 minutes from time, but hooker Ken Owens' pass to wing an unmarked Josh Adams was interrupted by Willemse, whose knock-down conceded a penalty, yet saw him avoid a yellow card.

Prop Mohamed Haouas was sin-binned, though, for a technical infringement as Wales began to pile on pressure, but their scrum folded under pressure and Les Bleus cleared.

Biggar's try, that he also converted, set up a grandstand finish, but France closed out the game amid a late skirmish involving both packs, to claim a famous win.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  Lewis, Biggar
Cons:  Biggar 2
Pens:  Biggar 3

For France:
Tries:  Bouthier, Willemse, Ntamack
Cons:  Ntamack 3
Pens:  Ntamack 2
Yellow Cards:  Alldritt, Haouas

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Ross Moriarty, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Jake Ball, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements:  16 Ryan Elias, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Leon Brown, 19 Will Rowlands, 20 Aaron Wainwright, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Johnny McNicholl

France:  15 Anthony Bouthier, 14 Teddy Thomas, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Arthur Vincent, 11 Gael Fickou, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Grégory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon (c), 6 François Cros, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Bernard Le Roux, 3 Mohamed Haouas, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements:  16 Camille Chat, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Demba Bamba, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Dylan Cretin, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Matthieu Jalibert, 23 Thomas Ramos

Referee:  Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Karl Dickson (England)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

Check out the highlights from France's 27-23 victory over Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

Scotland overcome Italy in dire game

Scotland secured their first victory in this year's Six Nations following a comfortable 17-0 triumph over Italy in a dreadful encounter at the Stadio Olimpico.

Stuart Hogg, Chris Harris and Adam Hastings touched down for the visitors, but it was an atrocious contest between two teams low on confidence.

Hogg helped relieve some of the pressure on head coach Gregor Townsend as his stunning solo try sent Scotland on their way to their first win of the campaign.

The new skipper has had a championship to forget so far after costly mistakes in the defeats to Ireland and England.

But he went some way to atoning for those blunders as his 20th Test touchdown opened the scoring in Rome.

The Dark Blues were again guilty of failing to take their chances but Harris and Hastings also got on the scoresheet to give Townsend some respite after a bruising tournament overshadowed by the Finn Russell row.

That bust-up with Scotland's star man, combined with last year's early World Cup exit and six games without a win in the Six Nations, had placed the head coach under increasing scrutiny but his team will now welcome France to Murrayfield in a fortnight with confidence renewed after a deserved victory.

Scotland had failed to register a try in either of their two opening defeats despite having more than enough chances.

And the travelling Tartan Army in the Eternal City must have feared their side were set for a fresh bout of white-line fever as another chance went begging eight minutes in.

A monster 60-yard kick from Hogg forced a line-out deep into the Azzurri's 22 but while the hosts were caught out by Stuart McInally's long throw for Sam Johnson, they were back in position to hold up Hogg before a knock-on from Magnus Bradbury saw the Scots come frustrated yet again.

The Dark Blues' scrum was working well and a big shunt should have been rewarded with an easy three points.  Hastings, however, shanked a simple kick almost in front of the sticks.

It was a sloppy start from Townsend's team and it almost became a disastrous one as another poor swipe of Hastings' boot released Mattia Bellini.  The Zebre wing danced past three tackles before storming up field, with Jayden Hayward only prevented from scoring by Hogg's last-ditch tackle.

But it was Scotland who at last found a breakthrough in the 23rd minute.

Blair Kinghorn put Matteo Minozzi under pressure with a well-placed kick and he could only respond by firing straight at Jamie Ritchie in centre-field.  The flanker handed off to Hogg and the skipper did the rest, rampaging through a gap in the hosts' line before striding away from Hayward to score a sensational try.

Worth waiting for... What a score from Scotland skipper @StuartWHOGG_!#ITAvSCO #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/wrWhSXSlKI

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 22, 2020

It was a moment of redemption for the relieved captain as he was pounced upon by his jubilant team-mates after hitting back at those who have suggested the armband might be too heavy for him.

Hastings missed the conversion but Scotland thought they had a second try on the half-hour mark as Ali Price scampered in under the posts, but the celebrations were cut short when the TMO alerted referee Ben O'Keeffe to Hamish Watson's forward pass in the build-up.

Tommaso Allan then fired a late penalty against the upright as Italy wasted a chance before Scotland's 5-0 lead before the break.

But Scotland were still being wasteful, with Price and Ritchie again letting the ball slip through their fingers with the line in sight either side of the turnaround.

They did not lose heart though and got their reward in the 47th minute.  There were times during 17 phases of sheer grunt on the Italian line where Italy's resistance looked like it might pay off but in the end there was just enough space for Harris to squeeze through wide on the right for the second.  Again Hastings failed to convert.

Italy had to play out the final stages a man light after Federico Zani was binned for a tip-tackle on Grant Gilchrist.

And with their legs tiring they could do nothing as Hastings pick-pocketed a ruck before cantering in under the posts to put the seal on a much-needed win for Scotland and their coach.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Yellow Card:  Zani

For Scotland:
Tries:  Hogg, Harris, Hastings
Con:  Hastings

Italy:  15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Mattia Bellini, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Carlo Canna, 11 Matteo Minozzi, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Abraham Steyn, 7 Sebastian Negri, 6 Jake Polledri, 5 Niccolò Cannone, 4 Alessandro Zanni, 3 Giosuè Zilocchi, 2 Luca Bigi (c), 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements:  16 Federico Zani, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Marco Lazzaroni, 20 Dean Budd, 21 Giovanni Licata, 22 Guglielmo Palazzani, 23 Giulio Bisegni

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg (c), 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Sam Johnson, 11 Blair Kinghorn, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Ali Price, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Ben Toolis, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Stuart McInally, 1 Rory Sutherland
Replacements:  16 Fraser Brown, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Willem Nel, 19 Grant Gilchrist, 20 Matt Fagerson, 21 George Horne, 22 Rory Hutchinson, 23 Byron McGuigan

Referee:  Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
TMO:  Rowan Kitt (England)

Check out the highlights from Scotland's 17-0 victory over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.

France see off spirited Italy for second win

France overcame a battling Italy side to secure their second win of this year's Six Nations following a 35-22 bonus-point triumph in Paris on Sunday.

Despite struggling with his goal-kicking, Romain Ntamack touched down for their fourth try as Fabien Galthie's men made it two wins from two to join Ireland as the only other team with a 100 per cent record in the competition.

Teddy Thomas, Charles Ollivon, Gregory Alldritt, Ntamack and Baptiste Serin all crossed for the French, who coasted to victory despite several phases of wayward attacking play.

Wasps' electric wing Matteo Minozzi, hooker Federico Zani and Mattia Bellini bagged tries for the battling Azzurri, but Franco Smith's side still slipped to a 24th straight Six Nations loss.

France have not won the Six Nations since their 2010 Grand Slam but, after adding this eventually facile victory over Italy to the scalping of England, hopes will be high that the drought can come to an end.

New head coach Galthie will face a strong test of their title credentials when heading to Wales on February 22 though.

Factor in the return of defence coach Shaun Edwards to his old Principality Stadium stomping ground, and that encounter will doubtless prove pivotal to the entire tournament's make-up.

It's all there in black and white...

How are your team doing?#GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/nac9iOrhgE

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 9, 2020

Les Bleus bludgeoned into early control, Thomas racing in after neat build-up.

Flanker Ollivon then doubled the hosts' try count, punching over the line from short range.

Ntamack struggled with the ball off the tee in the increasingly stormy conditions, and a mini slump from the French allowed Italy back into the contest.

Wasps star Minozzi capped a fine 13-phase move with a morale-boosting score for the Azzurri, who had the ever-excellent Jake Polledri to thank for creating the necessary midfield space for the try.

The powerful Gloucester flanker for once opted against brute force, instead pivoting and delivering a cute pass out the back, with Braam Steyn's shy dummy line also foxing the French.

Allan's penalty just shy of the half-hour hauled Italy into touching distance at 13-10 down, but the visitors could not muster enough of a comeback to alter the outcome.

France number eight Alldritt cantered home having lurked on the left wing and been duly furnished with a superb floated pass from Antoine Dupont.

Les Bleus' petit general scrum-half had another match to remember, scampering around the fringes and directing his side in style.

And his pass out to Alldritt allowed the big forward almost a walk-in, to leave France leading 23-10 at the break.

A largely forgettable third quarter came and went without incident, before France sealed the bonus point.

Italy's first-half rally had long evaporated when Ntamack bisected the visiting defence, scything through for a facile try, and Les Bleus' fourth.

Replacement hooker Zani registered for Italy however, dotting the ball against the base of the post for the Azzurri's second try.

And that set up a needlessly nervy denouement for the French, who invited yet more pressure when Ntamack spilled a high ball.

If you want something doing...

Replacement scrum-half Baptiste Serin goes from halfway with a magnificent solo try for @FranceRugby#FRAvITA #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/X2cI9Y837c

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 9, 2020

Again the Italians were unable to make good on any kind of comeback though, and replacement half-back Serin stunned the Azzurri with a sharp quick-tap try.

The scrum-half raced clear with quick wits, grubbering to turn the defence and beating the cover to the ball to score.

Italy managed the last word, with Bellini scampering home after Jayden Hayward's break.  But France still roll on, with the defining battle yet to come in Cardiff.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:  Thomas, Ollivon, Alldritt, Ntamack, Serin
Cons:  Ntamack, Jalibert
Pens:  Ntamack 2

For Italy:
Tries:  Minozzi, Zani, Bellini
Cons:  Allan 2
Pen:  Allan

The teams:

France:  15 Anthony Bouthier, 14 Teddy Thomas, 13 Arthur Vincent, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Vincent Rattez, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Grégory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon (c), 6 François Cros, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Bernard Le Roux, 3 Mohamed Haouas, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements:  16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Jefferson Poirot, 18 Demba Bamba, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Boris Palu, 21 Cameron Woki, 22 Baptiste Serin, 23 Matthieu Jalibert

Italy:  15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Mattia Bellini, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Carlo Canna, 11 Matteo Minozzi, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Abraham Steyn, 7 Sebastian Negri, 6 Jake Polledri, 5 Niccolò Cannone, 4 Dean Budd, 3 Giosuè Zilocchi, 2 Luca Bigi (c), 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements:  16 Federico Zani, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Jimmy Tuivaiti, 20 Federico Ruzza, 21 Giovanni Licata, 22 Guglielmo Palazzani, 23 Giulio Bisegni

Referee:  Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Check out the highlights from France's 35-22 victory over Italy in Paris on Sunday.

England regain Calcutta Cup after turgid win

Ellis Genge's try proved decisive as England won the Calcutta Cup following a 13-6 triumph over Scotland at Murrayfield in rain-sodden conditions.

Swirling wind and driving rain turned the Round Two contest into a lottery as points became a precious commodity that were fought over ferociously in a dreadful spectacle beyond the tension created.

Penalties by Owen Farrell and Adam Hastings produced a live score of 3-3 entering the final quarter and it took until the 70th minute for England to engineer the decisive moment and lift the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 2017.

They thought they had scored moments earlier when Farrell appeared to have capitalised on Stuart Hogg's hesitation under the posts, but the ensuing five-metre scrum began a barrage on the line that ended when Genge powered over.

Scotland started the second-half like a freight train but the collapse of their set-piece stripped away their foundations and England were ruthless in exploiting their weakness.

Victory ended the two-match losing run that was placing pressure on Eddie Jones while the Scots were at least able to secure a bonus point through a late penalty by Hastings.

Apart from an ill-advised up and under into the wind, England's early kicking was smart with Farrell drilling the ball low to prevent it being blown off course, although the captain was beaten by a gust as he attempted his first penalty.

A second attempt soon after was nailed and when Scotland applied pressure with the help of a George Ford clearance that was swept sideways, they escaped from their 22 as they continued to fall on the right side of referee Pascal Gauzere's whistle.

Impeccable from Ali Price and Jonny May!

Dealing with the windy conditions in sensational style 💨💨#GuinnessSixNations #SCOvENG pic.twitter.com/EkkFEmQAmj

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 8, 2020

Chances to attack continued to fall the Scots' way but they yielded the ball repeatedly, albeit against English forwards who were jacking hard with Tom Curry and Sam Underhill producing steals on the ground.

The unpredictable conditions played their part again as a second Farrell penalty was dragged wide and, although Hogg was making huge ground with each clearance, his team persevered in inviting pressure on to themselves despite generally having the wind at their backs.

Hastings kicked the ball straight into touch and Jamie George was wayward with a line-out throw as both sides made errors in filthy weather that destroyed the game as a spectacle.

Pulses finally quickened as the second half got underway with a dummy by Rory Sutherland parting the white shirts and inviting the prop to make a marauding run downfield.

A sustained onslaught advancing towards the line failed to pierce the defence but Scotland were given a penalty for offside that allowed Hastings to kick three priceless points.

Knowing the difficulty of kicking into the wind, Hogg darted his way out of his 22 and when his run was coming to an end he sent the ball into touch to launch another wave of forward-led attacks.

Just as England appeared to have escaped the siege through a scrum penalty and rolling mauling, Ford sent the ball straight into touch once more and then Elliot Daly followed suit.

Scotland's set-piece had ceased functioning but Farrell, who had Genge holding the ball upright, could not make them pay from a penalty.

The pendulum swung when Hogg lacked conviction as he looked to gather a kick and, although a try was averted, he had conceded a five-metre scrum that allowed Genge to storm over with Farrell converting.

The respective kickers then traded penalties late on as the Red Rose bounced back from last weekend's defeat with a crucial victory.

📽️Impact! Replacement Ellis Genge finally breaks the deadlock#GuinnessSixNations #SCOvENG pic.twitter.com/PCxVaEozFH

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 8, 2020

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Pens:  Hastings 2

For England:
Try:  Genge
Con:  Farrell
Pens:  Farrell 2

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg (c), 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sam Johnson, 11 Blair Kinghorn, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Ali Price, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Rory Sutherland
Replacements:  16 Stuart McInally, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Ben Toolis, 20 Nick Haining, 21 George Horne, 22 Rory Hutchinson, 23 Chris Harris

England:  15 George Furbank, 14 Jonny May, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Willi Heinz, 8 Tom Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Lewis Ludlam, 5 George Kruis, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements:  16 Tom Dunn, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 Courtney Lawes, 21 Ben Earl, 22 Ben Youngs, 23 Ollie Devoto

Referee:  Pascal Gaüzère (France)
Assistant referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO:  James Leckie (Australia)

Check out the highlights from England's 13-6 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Impressive Ireland too good for Wales

Ireland secured their second successive win in this year's Six Nations Championship following a thoroughly deserved 24-14 triumph over Wales in Dublin on Saturday.

After struggling against Scotland in their opening match of the tournament, they were much improved in Round Two, securing a bonus-point via scores from Jordan Larmour, Tadhg Furlong, Josh van der Flier and Andrew Conway.

It was Wales' first Six Nations defeat since Ireland beat them two years ago, while they have not won in the tournament on Irish soil for eight years.

Andy Farrell's team remain on course for a Grand Slam, but Wales' hopes of a clean sweep are over, and they could have few complaints.

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton converted two of Ireland's tries, with Wales fly-half Dan Biggar adding the extras to a sharp Tomos Williams score and Leigh Halfpenny converting flanker Justin Tipuric's touchdown in added time.

What a response!

Biggar ➡️ Alun Wyn Jones ➡️ Biggar ➡️ Williams ➡️ TRY!

Hint of a forward pass but Wales won't mind#ITVRugby pic.twitter.com/ItGZobUSY9

— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) February 8, 2020

There was no doubting Ireland's supremacy as they improved considerably on last weekend's performance in beating Scotland.

Wales, though, have plenty of questions to answer during the build-up to their next game against a resurgent French team in Cardiff following Wayne Pivac's first defeat as head coach.

Ireland showed two changes from the side that beat Scotland, with centre Robbie Henshaw replacing an injured Garry Ringrose and flanker Peter O'Mahony also starting in a reshaped back-row that saw CJ Stander move to number eight instead of Caelan Doris.

Saracens centre Nick Tompkins, a try-scoring debutant off the bench in Wales' victory over Italy seven days ago, made his first Test start and George North moved back to the wing from midfield.

Wales were under immediate pressure after Ireland wing Jacob Stockdale's kick left them retreating, but a strong early scrum reaped a penalty that was cleared to touch.

The Wales forwards enjoyed early supremacy, proving technically efficient, and Ireland did not gain their first penalty until the 13th minute as both sides went about their business like two sparring boxers.

Ireland had more than a fair share of territorial control, yet just as a tight opening quarter appeared to be moving towards a scoreless conclusion, the home side struck.

They initially kept possession tight in the forwards, and when it was eventually moved wide, Larmour finished impressively after brushing off a Tompkins challenge.

Sexton made a hash of the conversion attempt, but Ireland were off and running, leading 5-0 after finding their feet in what was proving an attritional encounter.

Wales suffered a major blow 15 minutes before the interval when wing Josh Adams, who had scored 10 tries in his last eight Tests, limped off to be replaced by Johnny McNicholl.

It came just at a time when Wales needed to find an attacking spark, but their response was impressive as Biggar darted inside and outside of Irish defenders before sending a scoring pass to Williams.

Biggar's conversion made it 7-5, but Williams went from hero to villain just five minutes later.

Wales skipper Alun Wyn Jones won lineout ball deep inside his own 22, throwing the ball to Williams, but he dropped it and Ireland gained an attacking scrum from which they scored when Furlong crashed over.

Sexton converted to restore a five-point advantage, before Ireland closed out the half and trooped off holding a 12-7 lead.

Wales could not get going early in the second period, and Ireland hit them with a third try after 47 minutes when Van der Flier claimed a close-range touchdown that Sexton converted.

Wales thought they had cut the deficit 10 minutes later after Hadleigh Parkes went over, but video replays showed he lost control of the ball as he attempted a one-handed touchdown under pressure, and Ireland escaped.

It was a key scoreboard moment, and Wales did not gain another opportunity until Tipuric stretched over in the dying seconds as Ireland comfortably closed out the contest with Conway's 76th-minute try, and they will now march confidently on to Twickenham.

TRY!

Good quality passing as Ireland lets the ball do all the work and Conway finishes Wales off#ITVRugby pic.twitter.com/iQtHgzn3Xw

— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) February 8, 2020

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Tries:  Larmour, Furlong, Van der Flier, Conway
Con:  Sexton 2

For Wales:
Tries:  Williams, Tipuric
Cons:  Biggar, Halfpenny

Ireland:  15 Jordan Larmour, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jonathan Sexton (c), 9 Conor Murray, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 James Ryan, 4 Iain Henderson, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Devin Toner, 20 Max Deegan, 21 John Cooney, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Keith Earls

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Jake Ball, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements:  16 Ryan Elias, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Leon Brown, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Ross Moriarty, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Johnny McNicholl

Referee:  Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO:  Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

Check out the highlights from Ireland's 24-14 victory over Wales in Dublin on Saturday.

France fast out the blocks to claim England scalp

France's new era under head coach Fabien Galthie got off to an impressive start as they saw off bitter rivals England 24-17 in their opening Six Nations match at the Stade de France on Sunday.

Jonny May's solo masterclass saved England from humiliation in Paris as one of the worst performances of the Eddie Jones era ended in a defeat that puts a large dent in their title ambitions.

Jones had promised France "brutal physicality" but instead it was his rattled World Cup runners-up who fell victim to a ferocious onslaught as words that had caused controversy on this side of The Channel came back to haunt him.

Les Bleus stormed 24-0 ahead when captain Charles Ollivon ran in the second of his two tries in the 55th minute and that was the cue for May to conjure a pair of devastating solo tries.

For the second he beat five defenders while plotting a diagonal line to the posts in a score made possible by his extraordinary pace.

May's brilliance provided temporary inspiration but England lacked the firepower to make further inroads into the deficit in an improved final quarter they controlled and that finished with Owen Farrell landing a penalty to claim the bonus point.

A rain-swept Stade de France noisily greeted the new era launched by their head coach Galthie and the influence of his assistant Shaun Edwards was stamped all over the defensive heroics.

England, meanwhile, will lick their wounds as they come to terms with the possibility their World Cup final rout by South Africa last autumn may have left deeper scars than initially expected.

A new era for @FranceRugby begins with an electrifying win ⚡️#LeCrunch always delivers... 💥#FRAvENG #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/tXeKkLEN1Y

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 2, 2020

For the first time since 1988 they were held scoreless at the interval in a Championship match and it is hard to imagine a worse start as they were breached in the sixth minute by Vincent Rattez.

Once an initial attack had collapsed through Kyle Sinckler's knock-on, Teddy Thomas stormed into the 22 after skilfully evading Sam Underhill and Rattez took advantage of a weak tackle by Ben Youngs to slip over.

England's scrum ascendancy offered a foothold in the game but otherwise they were being beaten at every turn in an alarming opening quarter that deteriorated further when Romain Ntamack added a penalty to his conversion.

Manu Tuilagi left the field in the 16th minute, although there was no obvious sign of injury, and soon after France went over for a controversial second try through Ollivon.

Ollivon challenged for a kick and it was unclear whether its struck him or Courtney Lawes before falling to Rattez who sped forward before supplying his openside with the scoring pass.

England disputed the try, saying the ball had hit Ollivon's arm, but referee Nigel Owens disagreed and they only had themselves to blame as they stopped playing in anticipation of the decision that went ultimately went against them.

Underhill was smashed backwards in the tackle, George Furbank's shaky debut continued with another knock-on, Sinckler split forward and then Farrell snatched clumsily at a pass as errors compounded at a ferocious rate.

It was making attack an impossibility and the cascade of mistakes continued as Youngs ended a promising spell by being penalised for holding on before a needless free-kick was conceded at a line-out.

Jones questioned at the start of the week how France's young team would cope with the pressure, but it was his players who looked powerless as events unfolded around them.

👏 France kick off with a win. #FRAvENG #GuinnessSixNations

📽️ Catch the video highlights of Sunday's game. 👉 https://t.co/tIsEXSBSB4 pic.twitter.com/9z5LhNwH20

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 2, 2020

The second half started with a sustained onslaught on the French line that almost saw Maro Itoje go over but the defence held firm.

Pressure continued to build on the home whitewash, however, with Jonathan Joseph almost slipping over only to be stripped of the ball by Virimi Vakatawa.

With the immediate danger averted, France rallied superbly and when Antoine Dupont raced free on the outside to evade Youngs, Ollivon arrived in support to score their third try.

Owens spoke to both captains after a large fight broke out in the wake of the touch down and England were finally off the mark when May beat Thomas to his own grubber.

Better yet was to come from May as he switched on the afterburners to leave a trail of French defenders in his wake for his second, setting up a nervy climax to the afternoon.

George Kruis almost forced his way over under the posts and England continued their assault on the line, but apart from a stoppage-time penalty by Farrell that secured the bonus point, France kept them out.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:  Rattez, Ollivon 2
Cons:  Ntamack 3
Pens:  Ntamack

For England:
Tries:  May 2
Cons:  Farrell 2
Pen:  Farrell

France:  15 Anthony Bouthier, 14 Teddy Thomas, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Vincent Rattez, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Grégory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon (c), 6 François Cros, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Bernard Le Roux, 3 Mohamed Haouas, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements:  16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Jefferson Poirot, 18 Demba Bamba, 19 Boris Palu, 20 Cameron Woki, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Matthieu Jalibert, 23 Artur Vincent

England:  15 George Furbank, 14 Jonny May, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Tom Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 George Kruis, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Willi Heinz, 22 Ollie Devoto, 23 Jonathan Joseph

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees:  Andrew Brace (Ireland), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Check out the highlights from France's 24-17 victory over England at the Stade de France on Sunday.

Ireland edge past gritty Scotland

Johnny Sexton scored all of Ireland's points as they opened the 2020 Six Nations with a tense 19-12 triumph over Scotland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

The Scots were physical throughout and played some excellent rugby at times, but the hosts, led by their inspirational skipper, did just enough to claim the win.

Match-winner Sexton scored and converted the hosts' opening try of the clash in Dublin before adding four penalties.

Saturday's match was far from the one-sided encounter many predicted and the outcome could have been completely different had new Scotland skipper Stuart Hogg not cost his side a second-half score with a bizarre fumble.

Adam Hastings, in at stand-off for the Scots owing to the ill-discipline of star man Finn Russell, kept Gregor Townsend's visitors in contention until the final whistle with four penalties of his own.

But, despite a largely positive display, the unfancied visitors paid for their lack of clinical edge as their abysmal away record in this competition continued.

Meanwhile, Farrell, who stepped up to replace Joe Schmidt after the World Cup, has plenty to ponder following a disjointed performance which was compounded by debutant Caelan Doris leaving the field injured inside five minutes.

Scotland arrived at the Arriva Stadium as rank outsiders, priced at 7/1 for victory with some bookmakers, and on the back of dismal trip to Japan at the back end of last year.

Townsend's men flew out of the traps looking like a team with a point to prove and were rewarded for their fast tempo by an early lead as Hastings kicked a straightforward penalty.

Ireland, meanwhile, were forced into a premature reshuffle as the maiden Test appearance of 21-year-old Doris was agonisingly cut short, with the experienced Peter O'Mahony brought on his place.

The hosts quickly regrouped and conjured up a slick opening try in the 10th minute.

After attempting to bulldoze over the line, quick ball from a resultant ruck culminated in skipper Sexton crossing unchallenged after a neat pass from Murray, and then converting his own score from wide on the left.

TRY! Serious hands from Ireland

Murray to Sexton and that's a try#ITVRugby pic.twitter.com/huCXtxy3Ls

— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) February 1, 2020

It was a special moment for Dubliner Sexton, appointed skipper at the age of 34-year-old following the retirement of Rory Best and cheered on from the stands by his family.

Townsend's preparations for this tournament were severely disrupted by influential stand-off Russell being sent home for breaching team rules following an alleged late-night drinking session.

Russell's notable absence at number 10 had afforded Hastings' opportunity in that role.

The 23-year-old son of Scotland great Gavin Hastings converted a far more difficult penalty from wide on the left to quickly reduce the deficit to a single point, but was later off target moments after Hogg escaped punishment for a late tackle on Jordan Larmour.

Scotland almost went ahead in the closing stages of a breathless first half after Huw Jones intercepted a slack pass from Murray inside his own 22 and raced away.

The ball was eventually worked to Sean Maitland but, with the try line in sight, a superb last-ditch tackle from Iain Henderson brought the breakaway to an end, leaving Murray to breathe a sigh of relief and the home side 10-6 in front at the break following Sexton's first penalty.

Scotland played the better of the rugby in the opening period of the second half and repeatedly came within striking distance of the Irish line before coughing up possession.

They were punished further for their profligacy minutes into the second period when fly-half Sexton added another three points, before a calamitous error from Hogg cost them a 50th-minute try.

Full-back Hogg was left with a simple finish in the left corner but somehow dropped the ball before grounding, a costly error initially missed by the on-field officials but picked up by the TMO.

Trial by television 📺

Scotland captain Hogg drops the ball with the try-line gaping#ITVRugby pic.twitter.com/P3W4D4xGRH

— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) February 1, 2020

Scotland had to settle for just three points as Hastings subsequently kicked another penalty after Ireland were penalised for not rolling away.

Ireland obliterated their opponents during their World Cup opener just over four months ago but this was a far more competitive affair.

Appearances off the bench for in-form John Cooney, who had challenged Murray for the number nine jersey, World Cup absentee Devin Toner and debutant Ronan Kelleher each brought rapturous receptions from the home crowd.

Ireland produced some staunch defending on their own try line in the final few minutes to prevent Scotland potentially snatching a draw, after a couple more Sexton penalties — either side of one from Hastings — moved the scoreboard to 19-12.

The failure to break through from close range left Scotland to rue another fruitless away trip.

Aside from a handful of victories against perennial wooden spoon winners Italy in Rome, the Scots remain without an away success in this competition since a 23-20 win at Croke Park a decade ago.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Try:  Sexton
Con:  Sexton
Penalties:  Sexton 4

For Scotland:
Penalties:  Hastings 4

The teams:

Ireland:  15 Jordan Larmour, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jonathan Sexton (c), 9 Conor Murray, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 CJ Stander, 5 James Ryan, 4 Iain Henderson, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Devin Toner, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 John Cooney, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Robbie Henshaw

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg (c), 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sam Johnson, 11 Blair Kinghorn, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Ali Price, 8 Nick Haining, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Rory Sutherland
Replacements:  16 Stuart McInally, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Ben Toolis, 20 Cornell du Preez, 21 George Horne, 22 Rory Hutchinson, 23 Chris Harris

Referee:  Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant referees:  Pascal Gaüzère (France), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO:  Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

Check out the highlights from Ireland's 19-12 victory over Scotland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Wales open Six Nations with dominant win

Josh Adams scored a hat-trick as Wales began their 2020 Six Nations campaign with a comfortable 42-0 triumph over Italy in Cardiff on Saturday.

In Wayne Pivac's first game in charge they were dominant throughout and, after Adams had scored two first-half tries, debutant Nick Tompkins and wing Adams completed the win in the second period.

Fly-half Dan Biggar, who delivered an outrageous scoring pass for Adams' second try by flicking the ball at pace through his legs, kicked three penalties and a conversion to put Wales 21 points clear by the interval.

Biggar also converted Tompkins' score for a 13-point haul, although it took Wales until the 77th minute to claim an all-important fourth try when George North crossed and Leigh Halfpenny converted, before Halfpenny added the extras after Adams completed a treble.

For outclassed Italy, it was a 23rd successive Six Nations loss, and their next game is against France in Paris.

Pivac handed a Test debut to New Zealand-born Scarlets wing Johnny McNicholl, while number eight Taulupe Faletau made a first Wales appearance in almost two years and there were places on the bench for Tompkins and scrum-half Rhys Webb.

Italy, without a Six Nations win since beating Scotland at Murrayfield in 2015, included Gloucester pair Callum Braley and Jake Polledri, and Benetton lock Niccolo Cannone won his first cap.

It was simple.
It was clinical.
It was beautifully finished!

Here's how Josh Adams scored the opening try of the 2020 #SixNations!

Watch on @BBCOne or follow live text here: https://t.co/qQkhJGpyKt#bbcrugby #sixnations pic.twitter.com/v9Zr9EmjRp

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 1, 2020

Wales made a bright start, gaining promising early territory on the back of a break by scrum-half Tomos Williams, and Biggar opened their account through a third-minute penalty.

Biggar doubled the advantage with another penalty eight minutes later, before Tompkins replaced McNicholl while he underwent a head injury assessment.

Italy were pinned back by some aggressive Wales running, with Williams injecting a real snap to Wales' attacking game, and Biggar completed his penalty hat-trick after just 15 minutes.

Pivac could not have wished for a more committed opening by his team, and they ended a dominant opening quarter by scoring the first try of this season's championship.

It was all down to speed of ball as Wales whipped possession wide, Halfpenny cut a decisive attacking line and Adams sped over before McNicholl rejoined the action.

Italy were behind the eight-ball, and Wales struck again 10 minutes before half-time as Adams claimed his second try following Biggar's cheeky assist.

The fly-half also converted, continuing a virtuoso contribution, as Wales opened up en emphatic advantage and promised more misery for Italy in the second period.

Italy, though, dominated the early stages of the second-half, keeping possession and patiently building phases as Pivac made a double change, sending on Tompkins for Hadleigh Parkes and Ross Moriarty, who replaced Faletau.

The Azzurri could not break down Wales' defence, but it proved a frustrating spell for the home side as they looked to complete the job and collect a five-point maximum.

Further reinforcements arrived off the Wales bench in prop Rob Evans and lock Cory Hill, yet it proved a third quarter to forget from a Welsh perspective after proving unable to increase their lead.

But normal service was resumed when Hill charged clear in midfield and Tompkins finished brilliantly from 40 metres, making it an occasion to savour for the newcomer, and Biggar's conversion.

Nothing was stopping Nick Tompkins then!

A try on his Test debut.#WALvITA: https://t.co/qQkhJGpyKt#bbcrugby #sixnations pic.twitter.com/2F6cwTxeum

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 1, 2020

A fourth try should have arrived just five minutes later when North sprinted clear, but the score was ruled out after video replays revealed a Tompkins knock-on.

Webb had joined the action by this stage for a first Wales appearance since December 2017, and North ensured a bonus point by scoring his 40th Wales try to move equal-second alongside Gareth Thomas on Wales' all-time list.

And there was still time for Adams to complete his hat-trick, with Halfpenny adding the conversion.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Tries:  Adams 3, Tompkins, North
Cons:  Biggar 2, Halfpenny 2
Pens:  Biggar 3

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Johnny McNicholl, 13 George North, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Jake Ball, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements:  16 Ryan Elias, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Leon Brown, 19 Cory Hill, 20 Ross Moriarty, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Nick Tompkins

Italy:  15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Carlo Canna, 11 Mattia Bellini, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Abraham Steyn, 7 Jake Polledri, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Niccolò Cannone, 4 Alessandro Zanni, 3 Andrea Lovotti, 2 Luca Bigi (c), 1 Giosuè Zilocchi
Replacements:  16 Federico Zani, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Marco Lazzaroni, 20 Dean Budd, 21 Giovanni Licata, 22 Guglielmo Palazzani, 23 Jayden Hayward

Referee:  Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO:  James Leckie (Australia)

Check out the highlights from Wales' 42-0 victory over Italy in Cardiff on Saturday.

South Africa blow England away to win third World Cup

South Africa were crowned world champions for a third time courtesy of a 32-12 victory over England in the Rugby World Cup Final in Tokyo on Saturday.

In an epic and attritional contest, South Africa's power game proved the difference between the sides and their forwards deserve special praise as they laid the platform for this win.

Handré Pollard was the Springboks' hero as he finished with a 22-point haul, after kicking six penalties and two conversions, while Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe crossed for tries.

All England's points came via the boot of Owen Farrell, who slotted four penalties.

The win is an historic one as it means the Boks become the first side to lift the Webb Ellis trophy despite losing a match during the tournament.  They are also the first team to win the World Cup and Rugby Championship in the same year.

South Africa had an early opportunity to open the scoring when Courtney Lawes was penalised at a ruck shortly after the kick off but Pollard's shot at goal was off target.

England were then dealt a heavy blow when Kyle Sinckler was forced off the field for a HIA — which he failed — after an accidental clash with Maro Itoje while trying to tackle Mapimpi.

South Africa continued to hold the upper hand during the early stages and Pollard made up for his earlier miss when he opened the scoring off the kicking tee in the 10th minute, after Farrell held onto the ball on the ground deep inside his 22.

🇿🇦 VIDEO: South Africa's #RWC2019 win over England. #ENGvRSA

🎥 Check out the highlights, here. 👉 https://t.co/RJbOp4VaK5 #RWCFinal pic.twitter.com/EYsPu8JZOk

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) November 2, 2019

The Boks were winning the collisions but midway through the half they suffered a double setback when Bongi Mbonambi and Lood de Jager were forced off the field with head and shoulder injuries respectively.

England were soaking up the pressure and restored parity in the 23rd minute when Farrell added a penalty after Kolbe infringed at a breakdown.

That did not deter the their opponents, however, who held an edge in the tight exchanges and shortly afterwards a dominant scrum saw England conceding a penalty which Pollard converted.

Momentum continued to ebb and flow and during the latter stages of the half and England strung several phases together inside South Africa's 22 but they were met by a wall of green defenders.  Inevitably, one of the Bok tacklers — Tendai Mtawarira — infringed while defending his line and Farrell drew his side level by slotting the resulting penalty.

South Africa regained the initiative soon after when they were awarded another breakdown penalty in the 39th minute and, once again, Pollard held his nerve to succeed with his third shot at goal.

And on the stroke of half-time, England's pack succumbed under great pressure at a scrum and Pollard slotted the ensuing penalty which meant his side were leading 12-6 at the interval.

The Boks came out firing after the break and once again their scrum gave them a significant edge.  Shortly after the restart, Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch replaced Mtawarira and Frans Malherbe and the new props made their presence felt at a set-piece, just inside England's half.  Pollard showed his class by landing the long-range kick at goal.

England seemed shell-shocked but, to their credit, they did not panic and in the 51st minute they also won a scrum penalty which Farrell duly converted to reduce the deficit to six points again.

This team, just incredible.

Congratulations to @Springboks, Rugby World Cup 2019 champions!#RWC2019 #RWCFinal #WebbEllisCup pic.twitter.com/MT6jWcphem

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

Three minutes later Farrell had a chance to make it a three-point game — when Pollard was penalised after holding onto the ball on the ground — but his goal-kick was off target.

That proved costly as Pollard soon slotted his sixth penalty, after Elliot Daly strayed offside on defence, but from the restart Siya Kolisi went off his feet at a ruck and Farrell made it 18-12 when he succeeded with his fourth three-pointer off the kicking tee.

In the 63rd minute, Pollard lined up a penalty from five metres inside his half but his effort was a poor one which did not have the distance or the direction.

The match needed a moment of brilliance and that came in the 66th when Mapimpi delivered a beautifully weighted chip kick which Lukhanyo Am gathered.  He then offloaded to Mapimpi, who crossed for a deserved try.

Pollard added the extras which gave his side a healthy 25-12 lead and England would then up the ante on attack during the game's closing stages.  That proved risky and in the 74th minute the Boks won a crucial turnover.  The ball was shifted wide to Kolbe, who stepped past Farrell inside England's 22 before crossing for the match-sealing try.

The scorers:

For England:
Pens:  Farrell 4

For South Africa:
Tries:  Mapimpi, Kolbe
Cons:  Pollard 2
Pens:  Pollard 6

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 Courtney Lawes, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements:  16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Dan Cole, 19 George Kruis, 20 Mark Wilson, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Henry Slade, 23 Jonathan Joseph

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Francois 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

Referee:  Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant referees:  Romain Poite (France), Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
TMO:  Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

All Blacks power past Wales to win Bronze Final

New Zealand finished their Rugby World Cup campaign on a high when they clinched a 40-17 win over Wales in the Bronze Final in Tokyo on Friday.

After being knocked out by England in the semi-finals, the tournament's defending champions were keen to redeem themselves and they certainly did that as they dominated for long periods in a fast-paced and entertaining game.

They eventually ran in six tries with Ben Smith leading the way with a deserved brace and their other five-pointers were scored by Joe Moody, Beauden Barrett, Ryan Crotty and Richie Mo'unga, who finished with a 15-point haul after slotting five conversions.

For Wales, Hallam Amos and Josh Adams scored tries while Rhys Patchell added a conversion and a penalty and Dan Biggar also succeeded with a two-pointer off the kicking tee.

The All Blacks showed their intentions from the outset as they ran the ball from all areas of the field and that tactic reaped reward as early as the sixth minute when Moody crossed for a fine try.

This, after slick handling from Mo'unga, Kieran Read and Brodie Retallick created space for Moody, who showed an excellent turn of speed after gathering a pass from Retallick on the edge of Wales' 22 and he did well to outpace the cover defence before crashing over.

The three-time world champions continued to dominate as the half progressed and they extended their lead in the 13th minute when Barrett ran onto an inside pass from Aaron Smith deep inside Wales territory before crossing the whitewash.

Wales needed a response and it came midway through the half when Amos collected a long pass from Patchell inside New Zealand's 22 before stepping past Mo'unga on his way over the try-line.

Patchell added the extras and also slotted a penalty in the 27th minute which meant they were back in the match as the All Blacks were now holding a slender 14-10 lead.

That was the last time the Six Nations champions would score points during the half, however, as the All Blacks soon regained the initiative and were rewarded with two tries from wing Smith before the interval.

In the 34th minute, he did brilliantly to beat three defenders before dotting down and on the stroke of half-time he gathered a well-timed long pass from his namesake Aaron Smith inside Wales' 22 before rounding Tomos Williams to score his second five-pointer.

FULL TIME in #RWCTokyo @AllBlacks win the Bronze Final to seal 3rd place at #RWC2019

They scored 6 tries this evening to win by a comfortable margin #RWC2019 #NZLvWAL pic.twitter.com/npnhOoOONc

— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) November 1, 2019

That meant New Zealand were leading 28-10 at the break and they started the second half in a similar vein to the way they finished the first when shortly after the restart Crotty scored their fifth try after collecting a trademark offload from Sonny Bill Williams close to Wales' try-line.

It was one-way traffic during the next 15 minutes as the All Blacks continued with their fast-paced style of play but despite their dominance, they could not score any points during that period.  Smith thought he had scored his third try when he crossed Wales' try-line in the 48th minute but referee Wayne Barnes ruled out his effort after a handling error from Rieko Ioane in the build-up.

Wales soaked up the pressure and struck back on the hour-mark courtesy of Adams' try from close quarters.  That was a momentous score as it was his seventh try at the tournament which is the most by any Welsh player at a World Cup.

Despite that score, the All Blacks finished stronger and sealed their win when Mo'unga crossed for their sixth try in the 76th minute.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Moody, Barrett, Smith 2, Crotty, Mo'unga
Cons:  Mo'unga 5

For Wales:
Tries:  Amos, Adams
Cons:  Patchell, Biggar
Pen:  Patchell

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Ben Smith, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements:  16 Liam Coltman, 17 Atu Moli, 18 Angus Ta’avao, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Matt Todd, 21 Brad Weber, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Jordie Barrett

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

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Pascal Gaüzère (France)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)