Ireland find form against disappointing Italy

Ireland picked up their first triumph of the 2021 Six Nations Championship after they thumped Italy 48-10 in Rome on Saturday.

Scores from Garry Ringrose, Hugo Keenan, CJ Stander and Keith Earls, plus a brace for Will Connors, helped the Irish bounce back from defeats to Wales and France in emphatic fashion.

Captain Johnny Sexton, returning from a head injury, added all six conversions and two penalties as Andy Farrell celebrated the first away win of his tenure to ease mounting pressure.

Defeat for Italy was a 30th in succession in the championship, dating back six years to a victory over Scotland at Murrayfield.

Fly-half Paolo Garbisi conjured a moment of magic to set up a consolation try for Johan Meyer late in the first half and kicked a further five points but it was an all-too familiar story for the hosts.

Franco Smith’s men have now shipped 139 points and 19 tries in their three losses to date.

Ireland’s dominant victory could have been by a far greater margin had they not had a trio of tries ― scored by Iain Henderson, Stander and James Lowe ― disallowed.

The Irish arrived at Stadio Olimpico after losing their opening two Six Nations matches for the first time and having scored a tournament-low two tries.

Head coach Farrell made seven changes to the team beaten by Les Bleus, including recalling skipper Sexton and vice-captain James Ryan following head knocks.

Garbisi’s fourth-minute penalty rewarded the hosts’ bright start but was swiftly wiped out by Sexton’s boot as Ireland sprang into life.

Lock Henderson was denied what appeared to be a certain try when the television match official deemed he had lost control of the ball before grounding, before Ringrose capitalised on the sustained pressure to burrow over.

After a second-successful Sexton penalty, Keenan and Connors ― who made try-scoring debuts against the Italians in October ― each repeated the trick to help the visitors tighten their grip on the contest.

Full-back Keenan burst clear from a fine Ringrose offload to touch down, and just five minutes later quick ball allowed Leinster team-mate Connors to cross wide on the left.

Italy are on a seemingly eternal winless run in the competition and were struggling to contain their opponents’ speed and energy.

Head coach Smith had initially stuck with the side which showed moments of promise in defeat to England at Twickenham but was forced into a late change as a finger injury for Stephen Varney saw Callum Braley come in at scrum-half.

The South African was given cause for greater optimism just before the half-time whistle thanks to Garbisi producing a classy feint and offload, which allowed flanker Meyer to bulldoze over on the left flank, and then adding a tricky conversion to reduce the deficit to 27-10.

#TeamOfUs

👊 A 𝗯𝗶𝗴 #GuinnessSixNations W on the road 🛫

Well done, lads! 🟢 #IrishRugby #ShoulderToShoulder #ITAvIRE pic.twitter.com/MHz95ixRDm

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) February 27, 2021

Sexton slapped the turf in frustration after conceding the try and the collective annoyance perhaps prompted Ireland’s lightning-quick response.

Within three minutes of the restart, Stander was on hand to power over to guarantee his side a bonus point.

The match became increasingly scrappy and Italy’s cause was made harder by replacement Giosue Zilocchi and captain Luca Bigi each being sin-binned during a series of penalty concessions.

South Africa-born Stander thought he had scored his second try of the afternoon between the yellow cards but it was wiped off on review after Ronan Kelleher was adjudged to have knocked on in the build up.

With the game almost certainly won, Farrell used the final 17 minutes to hand debuts to Munster scrum-half Craig Casey and Leinster lock Ryan Baird.

Casey’s lively cameo looked to have been rewarded by a maiden international assist but his neat pass to Lowe was ruled to have gone forward, leaving Ireland to rue a third disallowed try.

Replacement Earls crossed wide on the right to complete the rout in the closing moments, claiming the 33rd international score of his career as Ireland kickstarted their campaign with an overdue victory against the competition’s weakest opponent.

Check out the video highlights from Ireland's 48-10 victory over Italy in Rome on Saturday.

France end Dublin drought to go two from two

Ireland’s Six Nations title aspirations were prematurely ended as France underlined their status as tournament favourites by grinding out a 15-13 win in Dublin.

The Irish suffered successive losses at the start of a Six Nations campaign for the first time following scores from Charles Ollivon and Damian Penaud, plus five points from the boot of Matthieu Jalibert.

Ronan Kelleher’s maiden international try helped keep Andy Farrell’s depleted hosts in contention until the final whistle but they were unable to avoid another damaging defeat following last weekend’s loss in Wales.

Les Bleus scrum-half Antoine Dupont ― widely regarded as the best player in the world on current form ― was largely well marshalled by the hosts, although he showed flashes of brilliance as the French revolution under Fabien Galthie continues apace.

France have won nine of 11 games since the appointment of Galthie, while this defeat piles more pressure on opposing head coach Farrell.

Ireland’s 2020 title aspirations were ended in Paris at the end of October and hopes of avoiding a repeat were dealt a severe blow during a challenging build-up in which a host of key players were ruled out.

Skipper Johnny Sexton, who this week became embroiled in a dispute with a French neurologist regarding his concussion history, and vice-captain James Ryan were unavailable due to head injuries, while scrum-half Conor Murray picked up a hamstring issue and flanker Peter O’Mahony was hit with a three-match ban following his costly red card in Cardiff.

It was the first time in a decade that Ireland had started a Six Nations match without fly-half Sexton or scrum-half Murray, resulting in an inexperienced half-back pairing of Billy Burns and Jamison Gibson-Park.

Fly-half Burns would have been desperate to prove himself a capable understudy to Sexton on the back of his much-discussed mistake which ended the game at the Principality Stadium.

His first penalty, after Jalibert had squandered one at the other end, was a wayward effort which showed signs of nerves but he made no mistake with a straightforward second attempt to put Ireland 3-0 ahead 20 minutes in.

With so much at stake so early in the competition, there had been a cagey start on a grey and wet afternoon in the Irish capital.

France were soon temporarily reduced to 14 men when Bernard Le Roux was sin-binned for a deliberate trip on Keith Earls.

Ireland looked to have quickly seized on the indiscipline, only for replays to show James Lowe was pushed into touch by a combination of Brice Dulin and Gael Fickou just before grounding the ball in the left corner.

France have been playing an exciting brand of rugby under former captain Galthie and are rapidly moving into contention for a home World Cup in 2023.

Despite their narrow escape, numerical disadvantage and a lack of possession, the visitors burst into life to claim the opening try of the afternoon.

A series of superb offloads and free-flowing rugby was followed by quick ball from right to left, with a bounce pass catching out Gibson-Park and allowing Fickou to set up Ollivon to register his seventh score in 10 matches.

Jalibert made no mistake with the conversion and added a penalty to put Les Bleus into a 10-3 half-time lead.

Here's what that French victory means to the @SixNationsRugby table!#IREvFRA #GuinnessSixNations #ITVRugby pic.twitter.com/tnvJ8xbUIX

— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) February 14, 2021

France could easily have been further ahead early in the second period but, after rampaging hooker Julien Marchand was tackled close to the line, Dupont’s recovery pass inadvertently hit the head of Paul Willemse.

Following that escape, the hosts suffered a triple blow due to a succession of head injuries.

After Burns was forced for assessment to be replaced by Ross Byrne, stand-in skipper Iain Henderson ― the 108th player to captain Ireland ― and prop Cian Healy were left bloodied by a nasty clash of heads.

France were well on top at that stage and took control of the contest in the 55th minute courtesy of a try from wing Penaud.

Penaud, one of two men recalled following last weekend’s thumping 50-10 win in Rome, dived over in the right corner following assistance from Jalibert and Dulin.

However, Les Bleus had little time to enjoy the cushion.

Ollivon conceded a penalty from the restart and Ireland’s replacement hooker Kelleher capitalised on a fortuitous bounce from the resulting line-out to touch down.

Substitute fly-half Byrne converted and then reduced the deficit to just two points at 15-13 with a penalty to set up a thrilling final 15 minutes.

Galthie was visibly frustrated when Jalibert hit the posts with a 72nd-minute penalty but Les Bleus were disciplined and doggedly dug in to win in Dublin for the first time since 2011 to keep their title charge on track.

Check out the video highlights from France's 15-13 victory over Ireland in Dublin on Sunday.

Louis Rees-Zammit stars as Wales shock Scotland

Louis Rees-Zammit’s double helped hand Wayne Pivac his first away win as Wales coach as they hit back to stun 14-man Scotland 25-24 at Murrayfield.

Gregor Townsend’s team were looking to build on last week’s historic Twickenham victory over England and got off to the perfect start with tries from Darcy Graham and Stuart Hogg.

But their hopes were wrecked when Zander Fagerson was sent off for a dangerous clear-out and Wales ruthlessly exploited their man advantage.

Gloucester wing Rees-Zammit had scored just before half-time to keep Wales in the contest, with his second ― after Liam Williams and Wyn Jones had also crossed over ― confirming a bonus point.

Hogg did briefly put Scotland back in front, but Pivac’s team held their nerve to claim their first win on foreign soil in five attempts under Warren Gatland’s replacement.

There was no repeat of last week’s Twickenham knee-gate row as all 23 Scotland players plus the visitors remained standing with heads bowed during the ‘moment of reflection’ called for by the tournament organisers to show support for the fight against racism.

Some remarkable discipline saw the Scots pinged just six times against the Auld Enemy, but they were not quite so tight this time, handing over three penalties inside the opening seven minutes.

Leigh Halfpenny slotted over the first points of the day but they were quickly matched up as Finn Russell responded.

The Scotland fly-half was one of the chief architects of that Twickenham triumph and he was flying by the seat of his pants again this time, chucking around passes so flat they missed Welsh noses by mere millimetres.

And it was from his daring offload to Jonny Gray that the opening try came after 19 minutes.  The big lock did not have the speed to go all the way, but Scotland recycled possession before Ali Price’s sublime chip over the static Welsh defence dropped into Darcy Graham’s hands and he scampered round Halfpenny to dot down under the posts.

Nice one, @Darcy_Graham 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IQyZ882ULg

— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) February 13, 2021

It was a despairing effort from the Welsh full-back but he should have done much better six minutes later.

Hogg started and finished the move that brought the second as he chipped over the back of the visitors.

The ball should have been easily gathered by Halfpenny, but instead he let it tumble from his grasp as his opposite number appeared in a flash to scoop the ball up and slide over the line to put his team 17-3 up on seemingly on course for victory.

Halfpenny ended up going off to have a head knock assessed after a mid-air clattering with Graham, who was looking a threat every time he got his hands on the ball.

His namesake, Scotland replacement Gary Graham, who had taken over from the concussed Blade Thomson early, was also proving a menace ― to his own side.

First he wrecked a good scoring chance by getting caught on top of the ball at a ruck, before giving Wales good territory with a high tackle on Taulupe Faletau.

It was a costly mistake as Wales got the momentum changer they desperately needed 90 seconds before the break.  Tying the Scotland pack up at the breakdown, the visitors worked the ball wide through Tompkins and Williams before Rees-Zammit ran in for the touchdown.

Scotland hoped that was just a blip.  It may have been had Scott Cummings not denied Gary Graham the chance to make amends after 48 minutes as he was ruled to have obstructed the Wales defence as Darcy Graham charged over the line.

And instead of going two scores in front, Townsend’s team found their lead trimmed back to two points a minute later as the Welsh pack careered forward from a devastating line-out maul before Rees-Zammit released Williams in space to score.

Wales 𝗚𝗢 𝗧𝗢𝗣! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿#GuinnessSixNations #SCOvWAL pic.twitter.com/QXJMWBF4jI

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 13, 2021

Things went from bad to worse for the hosts after 53 minutes as Fagerson got his marching orders for slamming into Jones with an illegal clear-out.

Against 14 men, Pivac’s team needed just 90 seconds to nudge in front as Jones barged over from another well-executed line-out manoeuvre.

Scotland still had plenty of time to respond but they needed someone to take command.

Up stepped Hogg as he collected a Russell pass before setting off on a 15-metre rampage towards the corner as he brushed off Owen Watkin and Tompkins before getting the ball down on the line.

But Wales simply had too much space to play with and they claimed the win with 10 minutes left as Rees-Zammit chipped the ball over Hogg’s head before racing through to claim the bonus point.

Scotland fought to the end but their hopes were dashed in stoppage time as Hogg failed to hold onto Duhan van der Merwe’s desperate last charge.

Check out the video highlights from Wales's 25-24 victory over Scotland in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Serious Jack Willis injury mars comfortable England win

England kick-started their 2021 Six Nations campaign with a dominant 41-18 triumph over Italy but it came at a cost as one of the try-scorers, Jack Willis, was stretchered off with a serious-looking injury.

Willis’ left knee was damaged when he was cleared out at a ruck, just moments after the replacement flanker had scored the fifth of England’s six tries.

Jonny May plundered his 32nd international touch down on the stroke of half-time by leaping for the whitewash and grounding the ball from a mid-air horizontal position.

It was a remarkable moment of skill and ingenuity from one of the game’s most ruthless finishers, whose acrobatics swept him over a despairing tackle by Luca Sperandio and up one place in England’s all-time try-scoring charts.

Having moved above Ben Cohen and Will Greenwood into clear second, Rory Underwood’s total of 49 is the last remaining target.

A week after Scotland had claimed their first win at Twickenham since 1983, the most experienced England team of all time began the process of rebuilding their title defence with a predictably comprehensive triumph against the Six Nations’ weakest opposition.

Anthony Watson ran in two tries while Jonny Hill and Elliot Daly also crossed, but at times their play was scrappy and unconvincing, partly the result of Italy’s stubborn resistance and occasional flourishes in attack.

The Azzurri’s moments of promise were insufficient to prevent a 29th successive loss in the Six Nations, although on this occasion they were competitive if comprehensive losers.

Memories of the Calcutta Cup debacle came rushing back as England conceded two early penalties before leaking a try after only 144 seconds as Monty Ioane capitalised on some sluggish defending to race in.

They had been caught cold by Italy’s tempo with Watson and Daly at fault, but Owen Farrell settled nerves with a penalty as the setback made way for a spell of red rose dominance.

A short-range free-kick saw the ball retained in the pack and eventually the Azzurri cracked before the succession of pick and goes with Hill touching down.

Fly-half Paolo Garbisi was off the mark with a penalty that levelled the score and while they were still in the fight, territory and possession were slipping away at an alarming rate.

England’s back three were dwarfing their contribution against Scotland, with Watson the most effective carrier, and the Bath wing’s side-step and injection of pace swept him over in the 26th minute.

But for greater accuracy, Italy would have been in as they poured forward from a line-out as they impressively fought their way back into contention.

England ended the half strongly, however, and were rewarded when Sperandio went walkabout in defence and May crossed with a spectacular try that saw him leap into the corner.

✈️ Air May cleared for landing. #GuinnessSixNations #ENGvITA pic.twitter.com/8BOGrPh1Nu

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 13, 2021

Garbisi opened the second half with a penalty as Italy, helped by some mistakes from the home side, played with pace and intent exemplified by two eye-catching breaks.

It was therefore a blow when their best spell was ended by an ill-advised Garbisi pass that was cleverly picked off by Watson, who galloped 80 metres to score his second try.

Again Italy were stubbornly holding their own only to fall to England’s smarter thinking, caught unawares during a period of niggle and when camped on their line, Willis drove over.

Willis’ celebrations at scoring his second try were cruelly muted shortly afterwards when his leg twisted during a clear-out, causing an awful injury to his left knee that saw him driven from the pitch on the medical cart.

After a lengthy delay to treat Willis, England were caught cold as Tommaso Allan raced in from a scrum but Daly replied quickly thanks to a turnover by Maro Itoje, completing the rout.

Check out the video highlights from England's 41-18 victory over Italy in London on Saturday.

Peter O'Mahony shown red as Wales defeat Ireland

Louis Rees-Zammit scored a try on his Six Nations debut as Wales held off 14-man Ireland to win 21-16 at the Principality Stadium on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Gloucester wing pounced midway through the second half, destroying Irish hopes of a famous triumph over adversity after flanker Peter O’Mahony’s 14th-minute red card.

Munster forward O’Mahony was sent off following a reckless shoulder-led hit to Wales prop Tomas Francis’ head, but Ireland still led until Rees-Zammit struck.

Ireland also lost lock James Ryan to a failed head injury assessment, and skipper Johnny Sexton’s afternoon ended 11 minutes from time when Wales flanker Justin Tipuric’s knee accidentally caught him in the head.

But Sexton’s eight points and a try by lock Tadhg Beirne gave Ireland scent of a first Six Nations victory in Cardiff since 2013, and they mounted relentless late pressure before replacement Billy Burns missed touch with a penalty in the final seconds that would have given his team an attacking line-out.

George North’s 42nd touchdown for his country, three Leigh Halfpenny penalties and a conversion ultimately broke Ireland, despite a late Burns penalty.

It meant that Wales boss Wayne Pivac could celebrate just a fourth victory from 11 Tests since he succeeded Warren Gatland.

Ireland, though, must regroup quickly ― mentally and physically ― and dust themselves down for a Dublin showdown against resurgent France in just seven days’ time.

Pivac recalled Ospreys flanker Dan Lydiate for his first Wales appearance in more than two years, but Josh Adams and Liam Williams were both suspended, while Rees-Zammit and centre Johnny Williams made their Six Nations bows.

Sexton recovered from a hamstring problem to win his 96th cap, and there was a start for flanker Josh van der Flier, who replaced an injured Caelan Doris in a reshuffled Ireland back-row.

Wales opened the scoring after five minutes when Halfpenny kicked a short-range penalty, but Lydiate’s international return ended soon afterwards.

He required treatment to his right knee after appearing to lose his footing, and he was forced out of the contest, being replaced by Josh Navidi.

Ireland, though, suffered a far greater blow just four minutes after Lydiate’s exit when O’Mahony was red-carded.

1 – Peter O'Mahony is the first player to receive a red card in the #SixNations for Ireland. Bin. pic.twitter.com/tgcaCxXtIP

— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) February 7, 2021

Referee Wayne Barnes had no choice but to send him off following an inexplicable loss of discipline, and it meant Ireland faced a mountain of Himalayan proportions.

Wales then doubled their advantage courtesy of a second Halfpenny penalty, this time following a high tackle by Sexton on Johnny Williams.

Williams went off for a head injury assessment when he attempted to tackle Garry Ringrose, and Ryan also needed an HIA shortly after, with Nick Tompkins going on for Wales and Iain Henderson taking Ryan’s place.

In another blow for Ireland, Ryan did not rejoin the action, while Williams was also forced permanently out of the game.

Despite Ireland’s double setback, they rallied impressively, dominating territory and possession as Sexton cut the deficit by kicking a 40-metre penalty.

It was an impressive response by the visitors, and Sexton hauled them level five minutes before half-time through a second successful penalty.

And it got even better for Ireland as Wales continued to struggle, with centre Robbie Henshaw brushing off two attempted tackles, linking with Van der Flier, before Beirne touched down.

Sexton’s conversion made it 13-6 at the break, and there was more woe for Wales as scrum-half Tomos Williams limped off with what appeared to be a hamstring problem, and Gareth Davies replaced him.

Wales needed a response, and it was centre North who delivered after he gathered Navidi’s pass and broke clear despite close attention from three defenders.

Halfpenny missed the conversion, but Wales were back in the contest following an error-strewn spell, then Rees-Zammit applied a brilliant one-handed finish before Halfpenny converted from the touchline.

The full-back added a third penalty with 15 minutes left, and Wales had finally found a way to see themselves home ahead of next Saturday’s Murrayfield clash against Scotland, despite Ireland’s late rally.

Check out the video highlights from Wales's 21-16 victory over Ireland in Cardiff on Sunday.

Scotland end 38-year wait with away win over England

Scotland celebrated the 150th anniversary of the oldest rivalry in rugby by stunning England 11-6 to claim their first victory at Twickenham since 1983.

The 38-year wait for success at the home of the reigning Six Nations champions finally came to an end as Finn Russell inspired the underdogs to a magnificent win.

Russell directed play masterfully, Cameron Redpath enjoyed an influential debut and Stuart Hogg was world class at full-back as strutting Scotland were given the freedom to roam Twickenham.

But Scotland lacked the points to reflect their dominance, Duhan van der Merwe’s try as part of an 8-6 half-time lead an inadequate return given they had put England into a straitjacket.

Russell was at the heart of their brilliant display, keeping the home defence guessing with an array of kicks and passes, but there also were erratic moments, most notably a trip on Ben Youngs punished by a yellow card.

Lions coach Warren Gatland was watching from the stands and he will view the Racing 92 magician as a clear winner in his duel with Owen Farrell.

Scotland’s mastery of almost every department continued after the interval yet they struggled to make the impact on the scoreboard needed to kill off England, who were bitterly disappointing.

Almost a fifth of Eddie Jones’ team had not played since France were edged in sudden death 62 days ago and while the inactivity of the Saracens contingent contributed to the lack of intensity, England had more pressing problems.

Conceding four penalties in the first five minutes alone, one of them resulting in three points for Russell, led to a dismal start and the indiscipline became a debilitating theme of the match.

Twice Maro Itoje charged down kicks by scrum-half Ali Price inside the Scots’ 22 as the visitors invited pressure, but they were rare positive moments for the Red Rose.

A historic win at Twickenham! 🏆

The first time since 1983 😃#AsOne pic.twitter.com/qN8Gf1MQcQ

— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) February 6, 2021

Redpath was already making his presence felt at inside centre, most notably by catching a long line-out throw and running hard into the heart of the home defence.

Russell was beginning to weave his magic with his passing already making a difference and there was another swing towards Scotland when he was chopped down by a swinging arm from Billy Vunipola, who was sent to the sin bin.

Showing no ill effects, Russell lofted the ball into the left corner where the bounce just deceived Van der Merwe, but soon after the wing’s powerful run swept him to the line and he was able to touch down.

The first half hour had been dominated by Scotland, but England clawed their way back into contention with successive penalties by Farrell.

Russell saw a yellow card for his trip on Youngs, his spell in the sin bin spanning either half, but when he returned the Scots were pounding away at the home line and he slotted a penalty.

Hogg weaved his way into space and the difference in attacking ability between the rivals was stark as England struggled to fire a shot.

Two huge touchfinders from Hogg pinned the champions back as rain began to fall, but the Exeter full-back was unable to land a long-range penalty that would have propelled his side eight points ahead.

It was not needed, however, as England could just not muster any meaningful response and Scotland’s players celebrated noisily when the final whistle blew.

Check out the video highlights from Scotland's 11-6 victory over England in London on Saturday.

Clinical France put Italy to the sword

France made a fantastic start to this year’s Six Nations when they cruised to a 50-10 victory against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Saturday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was a one-sided affair with Les Bleus holding the upper hand for long periods and they eventually outscored their hosts by seven tries to none with Teddy Thomas (2), Dylan Cretin, Gael Fickou, Arthur Vincent, Brice Dulin, Antoine Dupont crossing the whitewash, while Matthieu Jalibert finished with a 15-point haul after slotting six conversions and a penalty.

For Italy, Luca Sperandio scored a try and Paolo Garbisi succeeded with a penalty and a conversion.

Italy were competitive during the early stages and came close to scoring shortly after the kick off when Juan Ignacio Brex made a fantastic break but Gabin Villiere saved the day for France with a cover tackle deep inside his 22.

It didn’t take long for the visitors to open the scoring, however, after Thomas put them onto the front foot with a mazy run which tore the Azzurri’s defence to shreds.  The ball was then taken through some phases in Italy’s 22 before Cretin crashed over for the opening try.

Jalibert converted and increased Les Bleus’ lead when he landed a penalty in the 10th minute.  Despite battling to cope with the intensity of France’s attacks, Italy eventually opened their account when Garbisi slotted a penalty midway through the half after Charles Ollivon infringed at a breakdown.

Despite that penalty, it was still France who dominated proceedings and they were holding a 24-3 lead by the half-hour mark thanks to well-taken tries from Fickou and Vincent.  The latter one came after a moment of magic from Dupont who, despite being caught in possession deep inside Italy’s 22, still did well to throw a short inside pass over his shoulder to the on-rushing Vincent, who had an easy run-in under the posts.

Italy needed a response and they thought they had done that when Stephen Varney did brilliantly to sell dummies to Cyril Baille and Dupont down the left-hand touchline before offloading to Monty Ioane, who outpaced the cover defence before crossing in the left-hand corner.  That score was disallowed though after television match official Karl Dickson ruled that the final pass from Varney went forward and the visitors had their tails up at half-time.

🗣 "But the French, wow."

A lovely try from Teddy Thomas after a Jailbert break and a Dupont assist. #GuinnessSixNations #ITAvFRA pic.twitter.com/M61hXQyKTM

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 6, 2021

Les Bleus continued to dominate in the second half and in the 49th minute Dulin scored his try after gathering a well-weighted chip kick from Villiere inside the Azzurri’s 22.

With their bonus-point secured, France turned on the style and had the game in the bag courtesy of two excellent tries from Dupont and Thomas midway through the half.

In the 54th minute, Dupont was rewarded for a brilliant performance when he gathered an inside pass from Thomas, after the flyer burst through the home side’s defence with a powerful line break, and shortly afterwards the scrum-half returned the favour when he found himself in the clear inside Italy’s 22 and Thomas went over for his first try.

To their credit, Italy did not surrender and in the 65th minute they were rewarded when Sperandio caught the defence napping when he chipped ahead and regathered down the right-hand touchline before crossing for his side’s only five-pointer.

But France finished stronger and in the 74th minute Thomas dotted down out wide ― a score which also brought up a half century of points and sealed an emphatic win for Les Bleus.

Check out the video highlights from France's 50-10 victory over Italy in Rome on Saturday.

Taulupe Faletau stars as Wales beat Italy

Number eight Taulupe Faletau was in outstanding form as Wales finished in fifth place in the Autumn Nations Cup after overcoming Italy 38-18 in Llanelli.

Faletau and back-row colleague Justin Tipuric were excellent, but there was still little evidence to suggest that Wales will be a Six Nations force later this season.

It was just a third Test win under Wayne Pivac since he succeeded Warren Gatland 13 months ago, yet they have come against Italy twice, and Georgia.

Italy, without a victory over Wales for 13 years, led by a point until the 58th minute, so difficult did they make life for a team that once again made countless errors and conceded too many penalties.

Tries during the final 22 minutes by Gareth Davies, George North and Tipuric saw Wales home ― there were earlier touchdowns by Kieran Hardy and Sam Parry ― while fly-half Callum Sheedy kicked five conversions and a penalty.

Centre Marco Zanon and flanker Johan Meyer scored tries for Italy, with fly-half Paolo Garbisi booting two penalties and a conversion.

And while the history books will show a 15th successive win for Wales in the fixture, they laboured for so much of the contest, despite the best efforts of outstanding Faletau.

Pivac will now turn to Six Nations planning and while a number of players should be back after injuries, considerable improvements are required across the board.

Wales were forced into a late change after centre Johnny Williams was ruled out with calf muscle trouble, so fit-again Jonathan Davies replaced him in midfield alongside George North.

Italy, meanwhile, included Wales-born Stephen Varney for his first Test start at scrum-half and wing Monty Ioane made an international debut in a team captained by hooker Luca Bigi.

Wales were off and running after just seven minutes, taking the lead when Faletau’s brilliantly-timed pass sent Tipuric clear and the supporting Hardy crossed, with Sheedy converting.

It was a confident start by the home side and although full-back Liam Williams appeared fortunate to escape sanction after he charged into a ruck and caught Italy centre Carlo Canna high, Wales soon extended their lead.

This time it was solid work by the forward close to Italy’s line and Parry matched Hardy in scoring a first try for his country.

Sheedy’s conversion opened up a 14-point lead after just 18 minutes, bur Wales suffered an injury blow when Williams departed with what appeared to be an ankle problem and was replaced by Bristol’s Ioan Lloyd.

Garbisi opened Italy’s account through a 28th-minute penalty and then they caught Wales cold with a clinically-executed score.

𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 @WelshRugbyUnion open the scoring in their final #AutumnNationsCup outing

Watch #WALvITA LIVE on #PrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/YhPRkq9r4X

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 5, 2020

Varney found Canna from the base of a scrum and his clever kick into space was gathered by his midfield partner Zanon, who surged away from a stunned Welsh defence.

Wales were suddenly all over the place and Garbisi followed his conversion with a penalty, cutting the deficit to one point following a superb Varney break.

And Wales also found themselves a player down as referee Wayne Barnes showed a yellow-card to wing Josh Adams after Varney was tackled, leaving Italy holding a temporary one-man advantage and trailing just 14-13 at the interval.

A Sheedy penalty calmed things down for Wales five minutes into the second period, yet Italy responded in thrilling fashion, spinning possession wide and Meyer scored in the corner, edging his team ahead.

Wales were rocked by the score and Pivac began making changes, sending on Davies, Aaron Wainwright, Wyn Jones and Cory Hill midway through the third quarter.

And Davies took just eight minutes to make a mark, breaking away to score his team’s third try before Sheedy’s touchline conversion made it 24-18.

North’s touchdown 11 minutes from time meant that Wales could finally breathe easily, with Sheedy’s conversion taking them past 30 points, but they have so much to work on ahead of a Six Nations campaign that begins in just nine weeks’ time.

Check out the video highlights from Wales' 38-18 victory over Italy in Llanelli on Saturday.

Dominant Ireland ease past Scotland

Ireland produced an excellent second half display to seal third place in the Autumn Nations Cup following a 31-16 triumph over Scotland.

A pair of tries from Keith Earls, plus one from Cian Healy, helped Andy Farrell’s hosts overcome a slow start and end an inconsistent year in positive fashion.

Victory for the Irish was their seventh in succession against the Scots on home soil and a 20th win from the last 25 meetings between the countries, dating back to 2002.

Duhan van der Merwe’s second-half score and 11 points from the boot of debutant Jaco van der Walt helped keep Scotland in contention but, after early promise, they faded following Duncan Taylor’s 30th-minute sin-binning.

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton, back from a two-match injury absence, kicked 10 points on his return before he once again limped off with a fitness issue.

After a second defeat of the year to England and an underwhelming win over Georgia during an experimental period, Ireland were eager for a response in order to build momentum ahead of next year’s Six Nations, which starts in two months’ time.

Head coach Farrell, whose tenure began with a narrow 19-12 success over the Scots in February, named arguably his strongest available team by making six changes, which included the return of veteran fly-half Sexton.

Scotland also had a fresh face in their number 10 jersey as Gregor Townsend handed a maiden Test appearance to Edinburgh’s South Africa-born playmaker Van der Walt as one of his six alterations.

Ireland and Scotland went into the game as the only two sides with 100 per cent goal-kicking records in the tournament.

That statistic was wiped out inside 10 minutes as Sexton and Van der Walt each missed penalties, before the latter put the visitors 6-0 ahead by making no mistake with his next two attempts.

Scotland were all over their opponents and, after a Sexton penalty briefly halved their lead, Van der Walt restored the six-point advantage with another kick.

Townsend’s men were on a run of 12 successive games without receiving a yellow card but that sequence was abruptly ended on the half-hour mark when Taylor was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on, allowing Sexton to again reduce the deficit to three points.

Having weathered the early storm, Ireland took advantage of their numerical advantage to go in 11-9 ahead at the interval courtesy of Earls’ 31st international try.

Sexton’s clever kick saw Henshaw challenge the flat-footed Darcy Graham behind the try line and, after the loose ball fell backwards, onrushing winger Earls was on hand to ground and become his country’s outright second highest try scorer, 15 behind Brian O’Driscoll.

Ireland extended their advantage early in the second period with two quickfire scores during incessant pressure.

Earls at the double ☘️☘️

Watch the conclusion of #IREvSCO LIVE on #PrimeVideo now pic.twitter.com/cAp26c2RhV

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 5, 2020

Experienced prop Healy, with notable assistance from his fellow forwards, powered over to the right of the posts with Sexton adding the extras.

Having already moved one try ahead of retired winger Tommy Bowe, Earls then wasted little time in closing the sizeable gap to former Ireland captain O’Driscoll.

A flowing team move culminated in Peter O’Mahony moving the ball out to the left wing, allowing Earls to dive over in the corner and Sexton to make the scoreline more comfortable with a challenging conversion.

Scotland were in desperate need of a swift response and it arrived courtesy of Van der Merwe.

The winger burst through the challenge of Rob Herring and had sufficient speed to beat Jacob Stockdale to the line, with Van der Walt’s kick leaving the scoreboard at 25-16.

Sexton, who suffered a hamstring problem in the opening match of the competition, then departed in clear discomfort.

His deputy Ross Byrne slotted a couple of straightforward penalties to quash any hopes of an unlikely comeback, while Ireland were denied a fourth try in the closing stages when O’Mahony was adjudged to have carried the ball into touch.

While question marks remain over Farrell’s strategy going forward, Ireland’s strong second-half showing should help ease some of the mounting pressure.

Scotland, meanwhile, return home following another fruitless trip across the Irish Sea.

Check out the video highlights from Ireland's 31-16 victory over Scotland in Dublin on Saturday.

Nemani Nadolo hat-trick sinks Georgia

Fiji ended their disrupted Autumn Nations Cup campaign in style when they sealed a 38-24 triumph over Georgia at Murrayfield on Saturday.

The Pacific Islanders’ three previous games in the tournament were cancelled after they reported 29 coronavirus cases in their squad and they were highly motivated to deliver a good performance.

They did just that as tries from Johnny Dyer, Josua Tuisova, Mesulame Kunavula and a Nemani Nadolo hat-trick proved too much for the Lelos, who scored through Giorgi Melikidze and Beka Saghinadze (2).

Fiji’s other points came via the boot of Ben Volavola courtesy of four conversions, and Tedo Abzhandadze succeeded with a penalty and three conversions for Georgia.

The Pacific Islanders made a terrific start and were leading 12-0 inside the opening 10 minutes courtesy of early tries from Nadolo and Dyer.  Nadolo opened the scoring as early as the second minute when he crossed in the left-hand corner, after strong carries from Tuisova and Semi Radradra in the build-up, and five minutes later Dyer burrowed his way over the try-line from close quarters.

After failing to convert Nadolo’s try, Volavola made up for that miss by adding the extras to Dyer’s score before Abzhandadze opened the Lelos’ account with a penalty in the 10th minute.

Fiji continued to dominate, however, and after taking the ball through several phases in Georgia’s half, the ball was played out wide to Tuisova, who had an easy run-in for their third try.

The Lelos needed a response and that came in the 22nd minute, when Melikidze, who came on as a replacement for the injured Beka Gigashvili earlier in the half, went over for their first try, from close range.

There was nothing interesting to report during the rest of the half but the match was still evenly poised at the interval with the Pacific Islanders holding a 19-10 lead.

It's official, @fijirugby and @nemani_nadolo are back.

Loved every second of that, what a contest!

🇬🇪 🤝 🇫🇯#GEOvFIJ #AutumnNationsCup pic.twitter.com/fp8KjPqQmU

— Autumn Nations Cup 🏉 (@autumnnations) December 5, 2020

Like the opening period, Fiji had the better of the early exchanges in the second half and were soon camped inside Georgia’s half.  And in the 55th minute, Tuisova tore the Lelos’ defence to shreds with a powerful run down the right-hand touchline before throwing an inside pass to Kunavula, who dotted down.

That score boosted the Pacific Islanders’ confidence and in the 58th minute Nadolo scored his second try, after gathering a grubber kick from Volavola.  Five minutes later, the behemoth wing ran onto a pass from Sam Matavesi before busting through two tackles to score his third five-pointer.

Volavola converted which meant Fiji were holding a comfortable 38-10 lead and, with the game in the bag, they took their foot off the pedal during the final quarter.  To their credit, Georgia did not surrender and Saghinadze added some respectability to the final score when he scored his two tries during the game’s latter stages.

Check out the video highlights from Fiji's 38-24 victory over Georgia at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Wallabies and Pumas end all square in Sydney

The Wallabies and Pumas had to settle for a 16-16 draw in their Tri-Nations encounter at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney on Saturday.

The previous Test between these sides ended in a 15-15 draw and it was a similar story in this Test which was played in horrendous weather conditions, with heavy rain prominent throughout.

In the end, both sides scored a try apiece with Bautista Delguy crossing the whitewash for the Pumas and Michael Hooper dotted down for the Wallabies.  Australia’s other points were scored by Reece Hodge, who added three penalties and a conversion.

Nicolas Sanchez kicked a penalty for Argentina, while Domingo Miotti succeeded with two three-pointers off the kicking tee and a conversion.

Both sides’ discipline let them down, however, and the Wallabies had to play the last 20 minutes with 14 men after Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was red carded for a dangerous challenge to Santiago Grondona’s face.

Australia did most of the early attacking but despite spending long periods camped inside Argentina’s half, they could not score points during the opening exchanges.

The Wallabies eventually opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Marcos Kremer was yellow carded for an illegal clear-out on James O’Connor.  Hodge slotted the resulting penalty before Sanchez restored parity with his three-pointer off the kicking tee in the 18th minute.

With rain pelting down, the next 10 minutes were scrappy, characterised by plenty of kicking for territory and both teams committed several handling errors in the wet.

In the 28th minute, it was the Wallabies’ turn to play with 14 men when Hooper was also sent to the sin bin, after he committed a similar foul to Kremer’s at a breakdown.

Sanchez was on the receiving end of Hooper’s illegal hit and the Pumas fly-half left the field for a HIA which meant Miotti came on as his replacement and on the half hour-mark the rookie pivot gave his team the lead courtesy of a penalty.

The match came alive in the 34th minute when the Pumas launched a lineout drive from inside their 22 and gained 30 metres before Felipe Ezcurra launched an attack from close to the halfway line.  He rounded Allan Alaalatoa, after selling him a dummy, before offloading to Delguy, who saw off the attentions of Hunter Paisami with a strong fend before crossing for the opening try.

That score seemed to stun the Wallabies and they went onto the attack during the closing stages of the half, but they were kept at bay thanks to a solid defensive effort from the Pumas.  Just before half-time, the visitors strayed offside on defence and Hodge added his second penalty which meant Argentina were leading 13-6 at the interval.

🌧️ FULL TIME 16 – 16. Hard conditions but we've retained the Puma Trophy. #AUSvARG @eToro #TriNations #YourTeam #OurJourney pic.twitter.com/0XYrWpdQt2

— Wallabies (@wallabies) December 5, 2020

Ten minutes into the second half the Wallabies narrowed the gap to four points courtesy of another Hodge penalty, after the Pumas were blown up for illegal scrummaging.

However, things went pear-shaped for the hosts on the hour-mark, when Salakaia-Loto was sent off for that indiscretion on Grondona, and Miotti added his second penalty to restore his side’s seven-point lead.

Despite that setback, Australia continued to attack and they received a shot in the arm in the 66th minute when Lucas Paulos received a yellow card for a professional foul close to his try-line.  Soon after, the home side launched a lineout drive from which Hooper barged over for his try and Hodge was on target with the conversion which meant the sides were deadlocked at 16-16.

That set up a tense finish and the Wallabies had a chance to win the game, when they received a penalty in the 79th minute, but just like the corresponding Test in Newcastle a fortnight ago, Hodge pushed his kick wide of the mark and the sides had to settle for the draw.

Check out the video highlights from Australia's 16-16 draw with Argentina in Sydney on Saturday.

Ireland struggle to victory over Georgia

Ireland secured their second victory in the Autumn Nations Cup after overcoming Georgia 23-10 in Dublin, but it was a far from convincing performance.

Fly-half Billy Burns staked his claim as the first-choice understudy to sidelined skipper Johnny Sexton by contributing 15 points to help the Irish return to winning ways following last weekend’s disappointing defeat to England.

However, a promising afternoon for the England-born Ulster man was prematurely ended by a knock sustained early in the second period at the Aviva Stadium, significantly disrupting the rhythm of the unconvincing hosts.

Hugo Keenan claimed Ireland’s other try, while replacement number 10 Ross Byrne added a second-half penalty as Andy Farrell’s men set up a third-place play-off with Scotland on Saturday.

Georgia arrived in Dublin yet to score a point in the tournament but produced arguably the moment of the match courtesy of a dazzling first-half score from Giorgi Kveseladze.

The tenacious visitors can take plenty of confidence into next weekend’s meeting with Fiji, although that wooden spoon fixture remains in doubt as each of their opponents’ Group B matches were cancelled due to Covid-19 protocols

Ireland endured persistent set-piece struggles in the 18-7 loss at Twickenham last time out and, despite the relatively comfortable final scoreline, were far from flawless in that area this week.

Head coach Farrell made nine changes to the side beaten by Eddie Jones’ World Cup finalists as he seeks greater competition from a relatively small player pool.

He would have been encouraged by a positive start in which the hosts went 10-0 ahead inside 14 minutes following sustained pressure and some neat interplay.

Quick hands from centre Chris Farrell released Burns and he dived over the line for his first international try before adding the extras and, minutes later, kicking a penalty.

Georgia could have been disheartened by the early setbacks, considering their lack of attacking threat in this tournament,

Yet they responded in fine style with a sensational try from the nimble-footed Kveseladze.

The centre collected the ball in his own half following some slick passing, burst into Irish territory and then dummied his way past Jacob Stockdale and Burns to touch down beneath the posts, allowing Tedo Abzhandadze a simple conversion.

A second Burns penalty kept the hosts in control of the scoreboard, before he kicked another conversion to make it 20-7 at the interval after winger Keenan collected Stockdale’s pass to touch down his third international score wide on the right.

🔥 What a try from Georgia! #IREvGEO #AutumnNationsCup pic.twitter.com/PZ3GniS5un

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) November 29, 2020

The half-time lead would have been greater had Stuart McCloskey not been harshly denied a try on his return from the international wilderness.

Ulster centre McCloskey, winning his first cap in more than two years, stretched his legs on the left wing to cross in the corner, only for French referee Mathieu Raynal to adjudge Stockdale’s pass had travelled forward.

On the back of the disallowed score, Georgia began the second half with renewed vigour.

After Burns, winning his third cap following two substitute appearances, departed, the physical visitors kept themselves in contention at 20-10 thanks to Abzhandadze’s long-range penalty.

Stifled by Levan Maisashvili’s men, Ireland’s display lacked fluidity and a cutting edge as the game wore on.

The hosts rarely looked like increasing their advantage but did manage to draw the second half 3-3 thanks to a penalty from substitute Byrne.

A debut from the bench for Shane Daly was a notable moment during the uneventful closing stages, while CJ Stander was held up on the line as he tried to force a late try.

Ireland’s victory was an eighth in succession on home soil, although the stuttering fashion in which it was achieved leaves Farrell with plenty to ponder ahead of locking horns with the Scots and, further forward, next year’s Six Nations.

Check out the video highlights from Ireland's 23-10 victory over Georgia at Dublin on Sunday.

France thump Italy to set up final with England

France demonstrated their strength in depth as they cruised to a 36-5 victory over Italy to set up a final with England in the Autumn Nations Cup.

On the night that they remembered Christophe Dominici, who died at the age of 48 this week, France looked to a new generation as a side featuring 13 changes made light work of the Italians.

The visitors did briefly lead, going 5-3 up when Carlo Canna ran in a 24th-minute try, but they were Italy’s only points of the night.

Jonathan Danty got his first France try in the 35th minute after a strong scrum, but the full onslaught was reserved for the second half.

Gavin Villiere scored on debut with a 55th-minute try before two of the more experienced players on show, Baptiste Serin and Teddy Thomas, scored two minutes apart to put the game beyond Italy.

Sekou Macalou ― back in the side for the first time since 2017 ― then rounded things off with an 80th-minute try as France moved back to the top of Pool B, bound for the final on December 6.

The #AutumnNationsCup finalists are confirmed! @EnglandRugby 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 v @FranceRugby 🇫🇷

📍Twickenham, 06/12, KO 14:00 GMT#ENGvFRA pic.twitter.com/q7fxKGb8Nx

— Autumn Nations Cup 🏉 (@autumnnations) November 28, 2020

Check out the video highlights from France's 36-5 victory over Italy at Stade de France on Saturday.

England too strong for Wales as they seal final spot

England booked their place in the Autumn Nations Cup final by overcoming a battling Wales side 24-13 at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday.

Eddie Jones’ men secured a seventh successive win thanks to tries by centre Henry Slade and prop Mako Vunipola, while Owen Farrell kicked four penalties and a conversion for a 14-point haul.

Wales led through an early Johnny Williams try and it was unquestionably their best performance of the autumn campaign, but the harsh reality now reads seven defeats from the last eight Tests under head coach Wayne Pivac.

Two Dan Biggar penalties kept them in the hunt after Leigh Halfpenny converted Williams’ score, yet England never came under sustained threat.

England march on, and they can look forward to France ― the last team they were beaten by ― as probable Nations Cup final opponents at Twickenham on Sunday week.

Many pundits had predicted an overwhelming England win in Llanelli, and while it was more workmanlike than world-beating from the visitors against organised and resilient opponents, they still made it a comfortable case of job done.

Fly-half George Ford returned to the England starting line-up as a solitary change from the side that saw off Ireland last weekend, with skipper Farrell moving into midfield alongside Slade.

Wales, meanwhile, were without five injured British and Irish Lions, with rookie flankers Shane Lewis-Hughes and James Botham handed starts in addition to 19-year-old Gloucester wing Louis Rees-Zammit.

England monopolised possession during the early skirmishes, although there was also some solid early defence from Wales with Rees-Zammit accomplished under the high ball, before Farrell missed a 40-metre penalty chance.

Wales then stunned their opponents through an 11th-minute try after Biggar charged down Slade’s kick on halfway.

Bigger reacted quickly to lead a strong counter-attack and Williams then won the touchdown race, scoring on only his second Wales appearance and 18 months after he claimed a try for England in a non-cap game against the Barbarians.

Williams, whose father is from Rhyl, only returned to professional rugby in January this year following chemotherapy treatment for testicular cancer.

England required only four minutes to reply, breaching Wales’ defence when Slade made amends for his earlier error by crossing wide out, but Farrell drifted a second successive kick wide.

Our first win in Wales since 2017 🌹#WALvENG #AutumnNationsCup pic.twitter.com/ws5dcw5oFt

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 28, 2020

Both sides looked to keep ball in hand before Farrell found the target from his third attempt, landing a 30-metre penalty that edged England a point ahead 10 minutes before half-time.

England looked to up the ante as the interval approached, using their forwards to powerful effect and testing Wales’ close-quarter defence.

That growing physical authority was emphasised when Wales conceded a scrum penalty and Farrell kicked the points, giving England an 11-7 interval advantage.

Wales’ scrum issues with referee Romain Poite continued early in the second period, which coincided with Pivac making a first change when he sent on Exeter prop Tomas Francis instead of Samson Lee, and hooker Elliot Dee soon followed, replacing Ryan Elias.

Lock Will Rowlands and scrum-half Rhys Webb also joined the action, but they had been on the pitch less than five minutes before England claimed their second try.

Relentless forward pressure took its toll, with Wales unable to keep a heavyweight pack out from close range as Mako Vunipola touched down and Farrell converted for an 11-point lead.

Biggar reduced the arrears when he kicked a penalty with 25 minutes left, and then a second successful three-pointer shortly afterwards reminded England that they were not home and dry.

But Farrell completed his penalty hat-trick 15 minutes from time before a fourth successful strike broke Wales’ resistance and ensured that England continued on an unbeaten run that has lasted since early February.

Check out the video highlights from England's 24-13 victory over Wales at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday.

Bonus-point victory for All Blacks against Pumas

The All Blacks took a giant step towards winning this year’s Tri Nations as they sealed a 38-0 bonus-point win over Argentina in Saturday’s Test in Newcastle.

In a fast-paced and entertaining encounter, New Zealand had the bulk of the territory and possession and although they had to work hard to break down Argentina’s defence, they showed great patience and eventually outscored their opponents five tries to nil.

Replacement back Will Jordan led the way with a brace of five-pointers and their other tries were scored by Dane Coles, Ardie Savea and Patrick Tuipulotu, while Richie Mo’unga finished with a 13-point haul courtesy of five conversions and a penalty.

With the build-up to this game dominated by the passing of Argentina football legend Diego Maradona, the Pumas were highly motivated to secure victory as a tribute to their fallen countryman.  And there was a touching gesture from New Zealand — before their customary haka — when their captain, Sam Cane, presented his opponents with an All Blacks jersey with Maradona’s name and the number 10 on its back.

The All Blacks came out firing from the kick off and were leading 10-0 by the 17th minute.

They started brightly and had a Beauden Barrett try disallowed in the 10th minute, after Anton Lienert-Brown knocked on in the build-up, but continued to dominate and two minutes later opened the scoring courtesy of Coles’ score.  This, after the ball went through 11 phases, with Akira Ioane, Scott Barrett and Nepo Laulala prominent ball carriers, before Mo’unga threw a skip pass to Coles, who went over in the right-hand corner.

Mo’unga added the extras before slotting a penalty after the Pumas strayed offside on defence.

Argentina were slowly getting into the game but battled to gain momentum as New Zealand were winning most of the collisions and they also held the upper hand in the set phases.

On the half-hour mark, Argentina finally found themselves on the attack inside New Zealand’s 22 but after a solid lineout drive, the ball came out to the backs and Jeronimo de la Fuente knocked on a poor pass from Felipe Ezcurra.

Despite that effort, the All Blacks finished the half stronger but they could not score further points and the match was evenly poised with the score 10-0 in their favour at the interval.

Feels good to finish 2020 with the dub.#ARGvNZL #TriNations pic.twitter.com/SHtr5clwuJ

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) November 28, 2020

The second half started in a similar fashion to the first, with the All Blacks dominating, and they thought they had increased their lead in the 46th minute, when Savea crossed the whitewash off the back of a scrum close to Argentina’s try-line, but he failed to ground the ball after being held up by the cover defence.

Savea was not to be denied, however, as five minutes later he scored his side’s second try after powering over off the back of a lineout on Argentina’s five-metre line.

That score brought plenty of relief to the All Blacks ranks and there was further reward in the 69th minute when Jordan rounded off after pouncing on a wayward pass from Santiago Carreras.  And two minutes later he found himself in the clear again to cross for the all-important bonus-point score.

Despite having the game in the bag, New Zealand continued to attack although they had to finish the game with 14 men after Tyrel Lomax was yellow carded for clearing out an opponent illegally at a ruck.

That did not deter them, however, as they stayed true to their attacking roots and sealed their win in style when Tuipulotu scored their fifth try in injury time.

Check out the video highlights from New Zealand's 38-0 victory over Argentina at Newcastle on Saturday.

France end Scotland’s hot streak with win at Murrayfield

Scotland came up short in their quest for a sixth successive win as France claimed a 22-15 Autumn Nations Cup victory at Murrayfield.

Gregor Townsend’s men were looking to match a feat achieved only twice in the Dark Blues’ modern rugby history, the last by David Sole’s 1990 Grand Slam winners.

But beating France for the second time this year proved to be a game too far as Fabien Galthie’s men claimed a vital victory in Edinburgh thanks to Virimi Vakatawa’s try and 17 points from the boot of Thomas Ramos.

The first half was a battle of the kickers, with Duncan Weir ensuring Scotland went in level at 12-12 after successfully knocking over his four attempts.

But the fly-half could only add three more points after the break to leave the Scots all but out of the reckoning for the competition’s first-place play-off in a fortnight.

Scotland will be idle next week after seeing their clash with Covid-hit Fiji axed ― but France can book their place in the final with victory over Italy in Paris.

It was evident early that keeping referee Wayne Barnes on side would be key for both teams ― but neither had much joy on that front.

It was Scotland who found themselves in the naughty books in the opening 10 minutes, with Chris Harris pinged for not rolling away and Ramos slotted the opening penalty.

Blair Kinghorn’s needless body check on Antoine Dupont cost the Scots decent territory but the big wing redeemed himself shortly afterwards when he scrambled back across his own line to prevent Vakatawa touching down from Gael Fickou’s clever grubber kick.

However, Ramos did kick over again as Les Bleus were forced to settle for three points.

Scotland identified Vincent Rattez as the weak spot in the visitors’ defence, targeting him with a series of high balls.  The ploy paid off as the wing found himself pounced upon by three white jerseys.

Scotland’s trusty maul attack did not do much to dent the French rearguard but Weir did the necessary with his first penalty to halve the deficit.

A tense affair as @FranceRugby hold off @Scotlandteam at BT Murrayfield, ending Scotland’s winning run.

That was a cracker! 💥#SCOvFRA #AutumnNationsCup pic.twitter.com/9GeNfqxtvf

— Autumn Nations Cup 🏉 (@autumnnations) November 22, 2020

France were now the team on the wrong side of Barnes, with Gregory Alldritt penalised for stopping Scotland getting clean ball as he flopped on a ruck.  Weir split the posts again to level the scores.

France then appeared to have let a good attacking opportunity slip when Matthieu Jalibert threw a loose pass but Ramos had other ideas, slicing his way through the Scottish line with a lacerating run that cleared the space for Jalibert to nail a surprise drop-goal.

With the clash effectively a semi-final to decide who will play for the trophy in a fortnight, both teams were taking points whenever they were on offer.

Weir brought the hosts level again after another French tackler found themselves unable to roll out of Ali Price’s way ― only for Matt Fagerson to immediately hand Ramos the chance to boot France back in front with another breakdown infringement.

Weir, however, did fire Scotland level at the break following Alldritt’s knock-on, but only after the Dark Blues defence ― which has shipped just seven tries in the last seven games ― held firm on the line to block a desperate charge from Galthie’s forwards.

It took France just two minutes after the restart to produce the game’s first moment of real quality as Fickou’s offload released Rattez surging through a huge gap before he handed over to Vakatawa to score the opening try.

Scotland responded with Weir’s fifth penalty but holding off the rampant French pack was becoming an ever harder task as Les Bleus grasped the set-piece upper hand.

Ramos continued his flawless evening with the boot to kick another penalty which moved his team seven in front.

France did offer some late hope with a number of sloppy mistakes but Townsend’s team were unable to capitalise.  And they were left to sample the bitter taste of defeat for the first time since February when Stuart Hogg’s failure to find the corner with a stoppage-time penalty sealed France’s win.

Check out the video highlights from France's 22-15 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.

Wales end barren run with battling victory over Georgia

An inexperienced Wales team secured their first win in seven matches as they defeated a stubborn Georgia outfit 18-0 in atrocious conditions at the Parc y Scarlets.

Nineteen-year-old wing Louis Rees-Zammit, showing the finishing ability that brought him 10 tries for Gloucester in England’s Premiership last season, and replacement Rhys Webb crossed in either half.

Callum Sheedy kicked two penalties and a conversion as Wales claimed a much-needed victory in difficult wet conditions.

The scrutiny on Wayne Pivac had intensified, with six successive defeats matching Wales’ worst run since 2012.

Having been Six Nations Grand Slam champions and World Cup semi-finalists under Warren Gatland in 2019, the former Scarlets coach had only overseen victories against Italy and the Barbarians during a miserable 12 months in charge.

This was the third meeting between the two countries, with Wales having won the two previous games, 13-6 in Cardiff in 2017 before a more convincing 43-14 success at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

Pivac made a raft of changes, with only flanker Justin Tipuric, who took over the captaincy, and full-back Liam Williams remaining from the side soundly beaten by Ireland in their Autumn Nations Cup opener in Dublin.

Flanker James Botham, the grandson of England cricket great Sir Ian, scrum-half Kieran Hardy and centre Johnny Williams made debuts, the latter two on their home Parc y Scarlets ground.

Williams’ appearance for the land of his Rhyl-born father came 17 months after he had made a Twickenham try-scoring appearance for England in an uncapped match against the Barbarians.

Sheedy was the newest model to emerge from Wales’ famous fly-half factory, with the Bristol outside-half, like Rees-Zammit, handed his first start.

Georgia made five changes from their 40-0 defeat to England in their Autumn Nations Cup opener, with hooker Jaba Bregvadze, lock Kote Mikautadze and flanker Otar Giorgadze back to bolster a pack that has been their biggest weapon over the years.

With eight of the starting 15 plying their trade in France, including six of the forwards, Georgia had cause for optimism against hosts who had nine starters with fewer than 25 caps.

Wales’ set-piece has struggled in recent games, but their scrum and lineout was strong in the opening exchanges and Sheedy profited from that superiority up front to land a 10th-minute penalty.

𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗥@WelshRugbyUnion open up a 10-point lead over @GeorgianRugby

Watch the second half 𝙇𝙄𝙑𝙀 on #PrimeVideo NOW#AmazonDeliversTheRugby pic.twitter.com/wnRlvrS5wT

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) November 21, 2020

Despite the wet conditions, Wales were keen to play with ball in hand and Rees-Zammit almost scored following Sheedy’s cross-field kick.

Rees-Zammit did not have to wait long for his first Test try, though, centre Nick Tompkins driving towards the line after 26 minutes and recycling possession.

Sheedy floated a lovely pass to the waiting 19-year-old and then converted from the touchline for a 10-0 interval lead.

Georgia hooker Bregvadze was penalised for a high tackle on Seb Davies, but Sheedy missed the chance to extend Wales’ lead.

However, he made no mistake from in front of the posts after the visitors were caught offside.

Georgia were reduced to 14 men for 10 minutes when flanker Beka Saginadze caught Tipuric with a swinging forearm that led to his departure and Webb taking over the captaincy.

Webb accepted Rees-Zammit’s pass four minutes from time to seal the win, but Wales know a far sterner test awaits them in Llanelli next weekend when Six Nations champions England are their final Group A opponents.

Check out the video highlights from Wales' 18-0 victory over Georgia at the Parc y Scarlets on Saturday.

Impressive England too good for Ireland

England produced a dominant physical display to secure their second successive victory in the Autumn Nations Cup after overcoming Ireland 18-7 at Twickenham on Saturday.

Jonny May crossed twice to move beyond Jeremy Guscott and into joint second in the all-time red rose try-scoring list alongside Ben Cohen and Will Greenwood with 31 touch downs, leaving only Rory Underwood ahead.

An athletic opener ended his sequence of five Tests without crossing, but it was his next intervention that really captured imaginations as he plundered a stunning solo score that started from inside his own 22.

It was an electric moment and the highlight of a fourth successive victory against Ireland that was possibly the most conclusive of them all as Ireland were brutally outplayed.

Apart from a promising start and strong finish, Andy Farrell’s misfiring team were taken apart to expose a gulf in class between the rivals.

England’s pack bullied their opponents virtually throughout and were at their most effective in a defensive effort led by flanker Sam Underhill and Tom Curry, but to which all the forwards contributed.

May was denied the man of the match award by Maro Itoje, who stood at the heart of a suffocating home display that had echoes of last autumn’s march to the World Cup final.

After monotone wins against Italy in Rome that secured the 2020 Six Nations and Georgia last weekend, it was an afternoon to excite England fans and expose worrying Irish frailties.

Jones had questioned the legality of Ireland’s scrummaging in the build-up to the 137th minute clash between the rivals but the binding of prop Andrew Porter became irrelevant as the visitors crumbled on two occasions.

Time and again England sent kickable penalties into touch or opted to run and in the 17th minute their ambition was rewarded when May outjumped full-back Hugo Keenan to grab Owen Farrell’s crossfield kick and touch down.

A dominant opening continued as turnover ball from Ireland’s misfiring line-out close to the line was turned into an unlikely attacking opportunity when the ball was threaded to May.

𝗝𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗬 𝗠𝗔𝗬-𝗛𝗘𝗠

Two tries in as many minutes for the @EnglandRugby flyer…#ENGvIRE is LIVE on #PrimeVideo now!#AmazonDeliversTheRugby pic.twitter.com/R1Wui7f6pd

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) November 21, 2020

Starting from inside the 22, the Gloucester wing slipped between two Irish defenders and upon reaching the halfway line he kicked into space, winning the foot race to gather and score.

May was mobbed by his team’s replacements bench and once the celebrations England rolled up their sleeves for a savage defensive shift.

Cian Healy could make no impression on the wall of white shirts despite several brave carries and even when wing Keith Earls threatened the line, a turnover was forced and Ireland remained scoreless.

English dominance continued into the second-half and when Farrell rifled over two penalties, the lead grew to 18-0.

Ireland could make no impression on a ferocious defence that drove them backwards and in another worrying sign, they were pinned back in their own territory with little prospect of escape.

And when they finally approached the whitewash they were denied by a brilliant steal from Itoje, who was a constant menace in the tight.

Ireland continued to press in the final quarter and when Billy Burns chipped into space, his fellow replacement Jacob Stockdale ran on to the ball to score under the posts, but the outcome had been decided long ago.

Check out the video highlights from England's 18-7 victory over Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.

Wallabies and Pumas share the spoils in Newcastle

The Wallabies and Pumas settled for a 15-15 draw in their Tri Nations encounter in Newcastle on Saturday, with neither side managing to score a try.

In a tight and unspectacular encounter, Australia impressed on attack — especially in the first half — but they came up against a solid defensive effort from the Pumas.

The Wallabies had two tries disallowed during the opening period and, in the end, all their points came via the boot of Reece Hodge, who kicked five penalties.  Nicolas Sanchez also added five three-pointers off the kicking tee for the Pumas.

The opening exchanges were evenly contested and the sides were level at 3-3 after Hodge and Sanchez traded penalties inside the opening 10 minutes.

The Wallabies had the bulk of the possession over the next 10 minutes and thought they had taken the lead in the 16th minute when Jordan Petaia crossed the whitewash after Hunter Paisami stabbed through a grubber kick.  The score was disallowed, however, after television replays revealed that Petaia’s foot was on the dead-ball line while dotting down.

Australia continued to hold the upper hand but could not convert their dominance into points.  Midway through the half, Tom Banks and Tom Wright combined brilliantly down the right-hand wing but nothing came from the attack after a handling error close to the Pumas’ try-line.

And, it was Argentina who took the lead courtesy of another Sanchez penalty in the 31st minute, when the Wallabies strayed offside on defence.  That lead did not last long though as Australia were level five minutes later when Hodge added his second three-pointer off the tee, after Sanchez was blown up for foul play.

The closing stages of the half were frantic with Australia camped deep inside Argentina territory and they thought they had regained the lead when Marika Koroibete crossed in the left-hand corner, but his effort was also disallowed after the final pass from Banks went forward.

Australia continued to hammer away at the Pumas’ line during the half’s dying moments but could not breach the South Americans’ defence and Wallabies captain Michael Hooper eventually decide to kick for posts.  Hodge duly did and on the stroke of half-time he succeeded with his third penalty which gave his team a narrow 9-6 lead at the interval.

🏟️ All square in Newy. See you again two weeks! #ARGvAUS @etoro #TriNations #YourTeam #OurJourney pic.twitter.com/UEW0tAZmz8

— Wallabies (@wallabies) November 21, 2020

Argentina also received a final warning for conceding cynical penalties on defence and five minutes after the restart Julian Montoya was yellow carded for that with Hodge slotting the resulting penalty.

Despite being a man down, the Pumas continued to concede penalties and when it was in goal-kicking range Hodge made them pay.  In the 56th minute, Bautista Delguy infringed at a breakdown and the Wallabies fly-half was on target again which meant his side were up 15-6.

That brought some urgency from Argentina on attack but, although they spent some time in Australia’s 22 during the next five minutes, there was no reward during that time.

Shortly afterwards, Sanchez narrowed the gap when he added his third penalty after the Wallabies’ forwards were penalised for illegal scrummaging and that score seemed to lift the Pumas’ spirits as they finished stronger.

In the 68th minute, Argentina’s fly-half slotted his fourth penalty, which meant they were trailing by just three points and three minutes later they had a chance to draw level when Koroibete was blown up for accidental offside on the halfway line.

Despite rain pouring down, Sanchez showed his class as he landed that long-range effort which drew his side level once again.  There was drama at the end as Hodge had a chance to win the game for the Wallabies, when he lined up a shot at goal in the 79th minute, but his effort was wide of the mark and the teams had to settle for the draw.

Check out the video highlights from Australia's 15-15 draw with Argentina at Newcastle on Saturday.

Jamie George hat-trick leads England to victory

Jamie George became the first England hooker to score a hat-trick of tries as Georgia were pounded into submission in a 40-0 Autumn Nations Cup mismatch at Twickenham.

George was the beneficiary as the home pack struck repeatedly through their line-out drive, reverting to the tactic time and again as their disappointing attack never left first gear.

The highlight of a dour, scrum-heavy clash was Jonathan Joseph's searing break that led to a 38th-minute try for Elliot Daly, but the moment was also touched by misfortune as the Bath three-quarter sustained an injury and had to be helped off.

It ended a successful start to Joseph's life as an outside centre-turned-wing given licence to roam Twickenham and Eddie Jones must wait to see when he can repeat the experiment.

From start to finish, the afternoon was a grim slog for Georgia as the sport's 12th-ranked side fought hard to limit opportunities while barely ever troubling the home 22 themselves.

Aided by the arrival of heavy rain, they turned the third quarter into an arm-wrestle to stem the flow of points and stop the game turning into a training ground run out for England, who were wearing their navy change kit.

Jack Willis became the first England player to score on his debut since Billy Vunipola in 2013 after crossing in the 15th minute and the Wasps flanker was clearly comfortable at this level, although tougher tests than Georgia await.

Jones will trumpet a job done as he looks to add more silverware to the Six Nations title won a fortnight ago, but his team's six-try procession was often ordinary and pedestrian even allowing for the tenacity of opponents who fought to the end.

Georgia have only one victory over a tier one nation in 31 attempts and that record never looked like being improved from the moment they came under sustained early pressure.

Only determined defending kept their try line intact as they repelled a succession of short-range assaults from the set piece.

Joseph was already making an impact but up-front was England's focus as they pounded away and in the process forced a series of penalties.

Forty points for @EnglandRugby in their first game of the #AutumnNationsCup 👏 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿#ENGvGEO pic.twitter.com/reXz3dLbgW

— Autumn Nations Cup 🏉 (@autumnnations) November 14, 2020

It was not easy on the eye, but Georgia were being squeezed at the scrum and with their energy spent they cracked in the 15th minute when Willis showed strength to force his way over, with a little help from Wasps team-mate Joe Launchbury.

Georgia celebrated wildly as they won a scrum penalty to partially avenge the earlier battering they had taken near the posts, but generally the one way traffic continued.

Frustratingly, despite the reams of possession England's attack was aimless and the second try once again came from the set-piece as a line-out was driven over the line finished by George.

And it was a carbon copy when number three was engineered in the 34th minute, the pack driving forward on an unstoppable march until George touched down.

England eventually injected pace into an attack, Joseph accelerating through a gap, drew the full-back and delivered the scoring pass to Daly, only to then be helped off.

Rain started lashing Twickenham and the ball started squirting around as result, producing knock-ons that impeded English progress.

Jones sought to inject fresh impetus by sending on replacements such as Mako Vunipola, Kyle Sinckler and Ben Earl, but with the changes came Georgia's most promising spell.

Once that was subdued, however, England responded with a third line-out try for George as they once again reverted to their greatest strength.  Dan Robson dummied and slipped over to complete the rout.

Check out the video highlights from England's 40-0 victory over Georgia at Twickenham on Saturday.