Italy scrape past spirited Uruguay

Italy got the job done but were made to work very hard for their 17-10 victory over Uruguay in their Autumn Nations Series Test in Parma on Saturday.

In a scrappy and error-ridden encounter, the home side held a slight edge throughout and in the end they outscored Uruguay by two tries to one with Pierre Bruno and Hame Faiva dotting down and their other points came courtesy of two conversions and a penalty from Paolo Garbisi.

For Uruguay, Santiago Civetta scored a try which Agustin Ormaechea converted and Federico Favaro succeeded with a penalty.

The opening exchanges were disjointed with both sides committing numerous handling errors which meant there was a stop-start nature to the game.

The Azzurri soon gained the upper hand and in the 13th minute they launched an attack deep inside Los Teros’ 22 and Garbisi did well to find Bruno with a long pass before he stepped past a defender on his way over the whitewash.

Uruguay struck back courtesy of a penalty from Favaro in the 20th minute but the rest of the half was a dour affair characterised by a plethora of unforced errors from the teams.

Italy had a bulk of the possession and territory during that period but despite upping the ante on attack, they could not breach the South Americans’ defence.

In the 35th minute, the visitors were reduced to 14 men when Tomas Inciarte was sent to the sin bin for entering a ruck illegally close to his try-line.

Despite having a numerical advantage, the Azzurri would not cross Uruguay’s try-line again before half-time but Garbisi did add another penalty which gave his side a 10-3 lead at the interval.

There was more of the same in the second half with both teams making little headway on attack and in the 46th minute Italy had a try disallowed when Luca Bigi was blown up for crawling over the try-line off the back of a maul.

Shortly afterwards, Bigi was replaced by Test debutant Faiva, who was immediately in the thick of the action when he barged over for a try after a lineout drive close to Los Teros’ try-line.  It did not take long for Uruguay to respond as five minutes later Ormaechea also went over from close quarters.

The final quarter was an arm wrestle with Uruguay spending long periods in Italy’s 22 but although the hosts finished the match with 14 players – after Danilo Fischetti was yellow carded in the closing stages for foul play – they held on for the win and in doing so ended a 16-Test losing streak.

Nervy Wales edge past 14-man Fiji

Fiji will be kicking themselves after they were potentially denied a famous victory over Wales following a needless red card for Eroni Sau.

The Pacific Islanders started the match superbly and took a 13-7 lead through Waisea Nayacalevu’s try and two Ben Volavola penalties ― Ryan Elias responding for the hosts.

However, Sau was sent off for a cheap shot on Johnny Williams and that ultimately proved costly in the end.

Wayne Pivac’s men struggled throughout but the pressure eventually told, despite a valiant effort from the visitors as Kieran Hardy, Alex Cuthbert, Elias and Louis Rees-Zammit secured a 38-23 victory.

Wales prop WillGriff John was handed a first Test start, with the Scarlets forward replacing Tomas Francis, who suffered concussion during training on Friday.

Wasps flanker Thomas Young made his first Wales appearance for more than two years, and wing Cuthbert returned following a four-year international absence, but centre Josh Adams was a late withdrawal and Saracens’ Nick Tompkins started.

Fiji stunned Wales with a try after just four minutes as they struck from their first attack.

The ball was moved at a rapid rate of knots, number eight Viliame Mata delivered a superb pass to skipper Nayacalevu and the centre sprinted over, with Volavola converting.

Wales’ troubles did not end there either, as John was forced off injured ― he was replaced by Dillon Lewis ― and Volavola kicked a penalty to move Fiji 10-0 ahead.

But the home side then opened their account through an 11th-minute touchdown for Elias as Fiji’s forwards were driven backwards from a lineout before Biggar’s conversion made it 10-7.

John failed a head injury assessment, meaning Lewis became a permanent replacement, but Fiji soon encountered major problems as Sau was sent off by referee Nic Berry following a swinging arm hit to Wales centre Johnny Williams’ head.

Berry had a lengthy discussion with television match official Stuart Terheege, having initially looked at issuing a yellow card, but a red was unquestionably the correct decision.

Wales exerted relentless pressure as the interval approached and Fiji were reduced to 13 players when flanker Albert Tuisue was sin-binned for a technical infringement.

And the home side pounced from close range, with Hardy darting over for a try that Biggar converted.

Wales thought they had added a third try on the stroke of half-time after Rees-Zammit caught Biggar’s kick and sprinted clear, but the ball had drifted over the touchline during build-up play and the score was disallowed, meaning Wales had a 14-13 lead at the break.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, though, Fiji regained the lead three minutes into the second period when Volavola kicked a 45-metre penalty.

Wales coach Wayne Pivac began to make changes, sending on Ospreys prop Gareth Thomas and Cardiff scrum-half Tomos Williams, before Volavola should have extended Fiji’s lead, but he drifted a penalty attempt wide.

But the visitors did not have to wait much longer for a second try as a brilliant move from deep inside their own half was finished by Nayacalevu and Volavola’s successful touchline conversion made it 23-14.

Wales, though, staged a grandstand finish with tries for Elias, Cuthbert, Rees-Zammit and Williams during a devastating 17-minute spell, and Fiji’s outstanding effort ultimately proved fruitless during an outstanding contest.

France too good for spirited Georgia

France got the expected win over Georgia, claiming a 41-15 triumph, but they were faced with a good display from the battling and, at times skilful, visitors.

Fabien Galthie’s men dominated the opening period but it took a while for it to be shown on the scoreboard.  The first quarter ended 3-3, with Melvyn Jaminet and Davit Niniashvili trading three-pointers, before the hosts took advantage of Georgian ill-discipline.

Los Lelos had Tedo Abzhandadze and Beka Saghinadze sin-binned ― the latter leading to a penalty try ― before Matthieu Jalibert and Damian Penaud touched down for the hosts.

At 24-3 in front, Les Bleus had effectively secured the win but the away side had their moments, especially in the second half, and scored well worked efforts through Vasil Lobzhanidze and Akaki Tabutsadze.

France, as expected, were much the better side, though, and completed the victory as Peato Mauvaka (twice) and Penaud went over.

France were expected to easily dispatch their opponents but, despite controlling play, they were struggling to get over the line in the early stages.

Mistakes were prevalent in their game, with Sekou Macalou particularly culpable, and they had to be content with a penalty from Jaminet.

They were then boosted by a sin-binning for Abzhandadze but the French couldn’t benefit and instead it was Niniashvili that levelled matters from the tee.

Les Bleus continued to press, however, and eventually got their reward as a maul was taken to ground illegally by Georgia, leading to a penalty try and yellow card for Saghinadze.

The Georgians’ fly-half returned after his 10 minutes off the field but the visitors were still down to 14 men and then found themselves further in arrears on the scoreboard as Jalibert crossed the whitewash.

An already comfortable lead was soon extended through Penaud for a 24-3 advantage at the interval, but it was reduced at the start of the second period.

Los Lelos were bright with ball in hand and Lobzhanidze sniped his way over to reduce the arrears.

Although France immediately responded via Mauvaka, the momentum had switched and the Georgians were playing some excellent rugby.

They looked well organised and impressively coached, giving the half-backs plenty of options, and were rewarded as Tabutsadze finished superbly out wide.

Evidently irked by that score, the hosts ended the match strongly as Penaud and Mauvaka crossed the whitewash to complete an ultimately comfortable triumph.

Ireland claim stunning victory over the All Blacks

Ireland produced another scintillating performance against the All Blacks, securing an outstanding 29-20 victory in a pulsating clash at the Aviva Stadium.

It was a staggeringly good game as the Irish played with incredible intensity from the start and deservedly moved into a 5-0 lead through the New Zealand-born James Lowe.

Despite being under significant pressure, the visitors somehow found themselves ahead at the break thanks to Codie Taylor’s try and Jordie Barrett’s penalty.

Ireland’s persistence paid off, however, and Ronan Kelleher and Caelan Doris touched down to give them a 20-10 lead.

Will Jordan responded to keep the southern hemisphere outfit in contention but three Joey Carbery penalties sealed another superb win for the Irish.

New Zealand could have few complaints about the end result as Ireland impressively registered only a third win from 33 meetings with their opponents to partially avenge their World Cup quarter-final exit of 2019, which marked the end of Joe Schmidt’s reign.

Ireland’s build up included the disruption of undergoing additional PCR testing on Friday following the false alarm of a potential case of coronavirus for an unnamed player, in addition to a letter of support from United States President Joe Biden, who has Irish ancestry.

The home side met the Haka by taking a collective stride forward before a rendition of The Fields of Athenry broke out among the stadium’s first capacity crowd for a rugby match in almost two years.

Andy Farrell’s men did not look to be unduly affected by the previous day’s Covid-19 episode and began like a team intent on building on last weekend’s impressive demolition of Japan.

Despite requiring a remarkable combined tackle from Garry Ringrose and Andrew Conway to stop Jordie Barrett crossing early on, they deservedly went ahead in the immediate aftermath of Taylor being sin-binned after catching Johnny Sexton’s head with a shoulder.

Quick ball from right to left culminated in Hugo Keenan teeing up former Maori All Blacks player Lowe ― one of three native Kiwis in Ireland’s starting XV ― to dive over in the left corner for the second-successive week.

The 15th-minute score increased the noise in the stands but was swiftly tempered by Barrett slotting a penalty to reduce the deficit after Sexton missed the conversion.

Ireland captain Sexton later received on-field treatment for an apparent leg issue before the scoreboard swung in the All Blacks’ favour in an action-packed three minutes.

After Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong had a try disallowed following incessant home pressure, the Kiwis broke and the returning Taylor latched on to Dalton Papalii’s pass to touch down, with Barrett adding the extras to ensure they led at the break.

Ireland continued to pen the visitors back but were lacking the clinical edge head coach Farrell called for at his pre-match press conference.

They improved considerably on that front early in the second period.

Hooker Kelleher bulldozed over to level the scores at 10-10 with his sixth try from only seven international starts.

Sexton struck the posts with his conversion but made no mistake seven minutes later after flanker Doris exploited a gap in the All Blacks defence to charge clear into their 22 and dot down to the delight of the lively home crowd.

Despite Ireland’s prolonged dominance, the three-time world champions refused to roll over.

All Blacks winger Jordan helped bring them to within just three points, chipping over the top and then receiving the ball back from Rieko Ioane to zoom clear and touch down.

Sexton departed gingerly for a head injury assessment 15 minutes from time and replacement Carbery soon kicked a penalty to make it 23-17 during an influential cameo.

New Zealand threatened to steal what would have been a unmerited victory when Akira Ioane dotted down.

But that score was eventually ruled out for a forward pass and they had to settle for just the consolation of another Barrett penalty.

Ireland, who complete their autumn campaign at home to Argentina next weekend, will embark on a three-Test tour of New Zealand next summer and were not to be denied.

A couple more penalties from Carbery guaranteed a seventh-successive win, prompting a deafening noise from the delirious terraces followed by a lap of honour.

England continue red hot streak against Wallabies

An early try from full-back Freddie Steward helped England see off Australia 32-15 in their Autumn Nations Series clash at Twickenham on Saturday.

For all the hosts’ possession and territory, England were only 16-12 in front at half-time, with Steward scoring their only try amid a high-octane start.

At least one more crossing should have been added against a resilient Wallabies side who were on the ropes yet managed to stay in the fight through a steady stream of James O’Connor penalties.

And as the Cook Cup clash staggered into its final quarter after a humdrum spell full of indiscipline, untidy play and fussy refereeing from Jaco Peyper, England’s attacking intent subsided and an arm-wrestle took over.

Five penalties from Owen Farrell and one from Marcus Smith ultimately propelled them to a second win of the autumn, with Jamie Blamire’s stoppage-time try distorting the final scoreline, but Jones has been left with plenty to work on ahead of South Africa’s visit to Twickenham next Saturday.

For the first half at least the experiment of pairing Smith and Farrell together in a creative axis was a success, although for most of the match they interchanged between fly-half and inside centre.

Frequently Farrell would appear at first receiver, creating time and space for Smith to orchestrate play with clever passes and miss moves, and the pair combined beautifully for Steward’s try.

It was among the best displays seen from England’s captain at inside centre and a return to international form after a period when he has failed to make an impact, although his evening was cut short by injury.

Picking up where they left off last Saturday against Tonga, Jones’ team made an all-action start when Farrell and Smith united to weave Steward into space and the Leicester full-back made easy work of the finish past a diving Kurtley Beale.

Jonny Hill and Kyle Sinckler had taken early bangs but were soldiering on and when the attack was renewed with Sam Underhill carrying hard it looked ominous for Australia.

Hurtling infield off his wing, Manu Tuilagi made inroads into the heart of the visiting defence to win a penalty that was kicked by Farrell, but he then showed his discomfort in his new position by dropping the restart.

Australia scrambled effectively to keep out a second try when Henry Slade and Jonny May threatened and then Jamie George was sent bursting into space by a cute pass from Courtney Lawes.

George was stopped by a dangerous tackle from wing Tom Wright, who was sent to the sin-bin, and the Saracens hooker was then denied a try when Nic White dislodged the ball from his arms as he was about to touch down.

The second-half started with O’Connor’s fifth penalty and now the home lead read just 16-15, but two big carries from Hill including one where he was held up over the line placed England in control.

Angus Bell was sin-binned for a tip tackle on Lawes, and Alex Dombrandt and Tuilagi interchanged to great effect in the 54th minute, only for the ball to be turned over and Australia to launch a counter-attack.

It was the Wallabies’ most threatening moment of the game but it led to their captain Michael Hooper being replaced.

Farrell kicked a penalty before limping off in obvious pain and then Smith also landed three points to kill off the Australian challenge before Blamire charged over.

South Africa show their class as they see off Scotland

South Africa made it back-to-back victories on their Autumn Nations Series travels as they outclassed Scotland, winning 30-15 at Murrayfield.

A brace of tries from Makazole Mapimpi and points via the kicking tee from Elton Jantjies, Handre Pollard and Frans Steyn saw them to the triumph.

For Scotland, Stuart Hogg also went over twice to become his nation’s joint leading try-scorer while Finn Russell knocked over a penalty and conversion.

The visitors’ control and physicality saw them comfortably win the penalty count and they kicked themselves out of sight in the final quarter of the game.

Scotland were looking to follow up victory over Australia last Sunday and Gregor Townsend made four changes, with Glasgow wing Rufus McLean handed a start and Leicester centre Matt Scott starting his first international since June 2017.  Hamish Watson had dropped to the bench.

Scotland faced a difficult opening, not helped by early handling errors from Russell and Hogg, and they conceded five penalties in the opening 11 minutes.

They fronted up to the physicality of the tourists though and stole a line-out on their five-metre line, before Duhan van der Merwe turned defence into attack in devastating fashion after another turnover.

The South Africa-born wing ran from the try-line to the halfway line before forcing a penalty which Russell kicked over from 40 metres after the visitors were further punished for dissent.

Russell soon missed another penalty from similar range but tougher angle and the home side were warned about the number of penalties they were conceding before Jantjies kicked the visitors level.

Mapimpi went over in the 28th minute having evaded two despairing tackles after the visitors got an overload on the left wing.

Jantjies was well off target with the conversion and Scotland pushed forward before Hogg got his first try in the 34th minute following good possession.  Russell kick out wide to Van der Merwe for the second time in a minute and there were a series of offloads from the wing, Sam Skinner and Chris Harris before Hogg went over.

Russell converted but missed a good penalty chance to extend the half-time lead ― seconds after visiting head coach Jacques Nienaber made three front-row substitutions rather than wait for half-time.

Nienaber also swapped scrum-halves at half-time and his side stepped up a gear.

Van der Merwe was robbed in the air and Mapimpi soon went over inside three minutes of the restart following a good burst of pace and a perfectly timed pass from Damian De Allende.

Jantjies kicked the conversion plus two penalties before Hogg burst over again in the 59th minute.  Scotland moved the ball quickly from left to right after a line-out and Van der Merwe’s one-handed offload sent the captain running into yards of space to cross.

Russell missed the conversion to leave the deficit at six, but Scotland soon forced a penalty deep in visiting territory following a kick and chase.

However, South Africa stole the resulting lineout and the world champions turned the screw in the final quarter.

Their physicality forced a number of penalties which proved the difference.  Pollard kicked two and Steyn added one from long range to secure an ultimately comfortable away win.

Argentina dominate error-strewn Italy in Treviso

Argentina eased the pressure slightly on head coach Mario Ledesma as they proved far too strong for Italy, claiming a 37-16 triumph in Treviso.

Ledesma’s men laid the platform in the first half, benefiting from numerous Azzurri errors and taking a 17-6 advantage into the interval.

Marcos Kremer and Juan Martin Gonzalez touched down for the visitors, with Emiliano Boffelli adding two conversions and a penalty, for a 17-point buffer.

Paolo Garbisi responded for the Italians, kicking two penalties, but further tries from Matias Moroni, Santiago Cordero and Facundo Bosch sealed the win for Los Pumas and ended their run of seven consecutive defeats.

Between two teams low on confidence it was a scrappy affair, but Argentina were the ones that were clinical when the chances presented themselves.

They had the greater quality and experience throughout the XV and that was shown when the excellent Boffelli beat Matteo Minozzi to a high ball and sent Kremer over.

Italy were trying to play an expansive game but were often undone by their own errors and that enabled the Argentinians to build a comfortable lead.  One such mistake resulted in an infringement and allowed Boffelli to kick Ledesma’s charges further ahead.

At 10-0 down, the hosts needed to build some pressure but instead they lost possession inside their own half and Los Pumas took advantage.

Kieran Crowley’s men were completely disorganised defensively and Jeronimo de la Fuente’s kick was pounced on by Gonzalez, who touched down.

Garbisi did reduce the arrears from the tee late in the half, but Argentina continued to control matters in the second period and duly scored their third try.

This one was nicely constructed as the ball was moved through the hands and ended when Pablo Matera’s superb pass was collected and finished by Moroni.

Although the home side got one back via Stephen Varney and Garbisi added another three-pointer, Argentina effectively completed the win when Cordero crossed the whitewash.

That win was then rubberstamped when Nicolas Sanchez added a penalty and Bosch went over late on.

Scotland edge to victory over in-form Wallabies

Finn Russell’s 69th minute penalty proved decisive as Scotland continued their fine start to their Autumn Nations Series campaign with a battling 15-13 victory over Australia.

It was an enthralling game which was tight throughout, but it was the hosts that took an advantage into the interval thanks to Hamish Watson’s try.

James O’Connor’s penalty reduced the arrears before Rob Leota touched down in the second period to take the Wallabies into the lead for the first time.

The match continued to see-saw, however, with debutant Ewan Ashman crossing the whitewash for the Scots and O’Connor responding off the tee for the visitors.

However, Gregor Townsend’s men controlled the latter exchanges, earning a penalty from the scrum, and Russell was on target to give his side the win.

Townsend made six changes to the side that thrashed Tonga last weekend as he sent out a team featuring 14 of the 15 players who started the historic win in Paris in March.

Australia, ranked number three in the world and buoyed by a run of five consecutive wins, looked set to get the first points on the board in the fourth minute when they won a penalty just to the right of the posts, but O’Connor sliced his kick wide from 30 metres out.

Scotland were forced into a change after just 11 minutes when George Turner went off with a head injury to be replaced by debutant Ashman.

The Murrayfield crowd was in raptures after 22 minutes when Edinburgh back-row Watson touched down to break the deadlock after the Scots pushed their way over following a lineout just a few metres from the try-line.

After a delay while the TMO checked for an obstruction, Finn Russell made no mistake in kicking the conversion between the posts.

Australia were struggling to breach Scotland’s resistance, but they thought they had got themselves off and running in the 35th minute when Michael Hooper forced the ball down under the posts.

However, the try was ruled out after the TMO spotted some foul play with the shoulder by Allan Alaalatoa on Matt Fagerson.  The Wallabies prop was duly sent to the sin-bin.

Australia got their first points on the board right on half-time when O’Connor kicked a penalty after Fagerson was caught going off his feet at a ruck.

Four minutes after the restart, the Wallabies got themselves in front when Leota received a lay-off from Nic White, found a gap in the Scots’ defence and darted over the line.  O’Connor was successful with the conversion.

The match swung back in the hosts’ favour in the 59th minute when Ashman was fed by Pierre Schoeman wide on the left and somehow managed to touch the ball down on the line despite the close attention of two Wallabies.  Russell sent his kick wide of the post.

O’Connor edged Australia back in front with a penalty in the 64th minute after Watson went in off his feet at a ruck.

However, Scotland regained the initiative in the 68th minute when Russell kicked a penalty from 40 metres after the Australian scrum collapsed.  It proved to be decisive in an exhilarating contest as Townsend’s classy team maintained their impressive momentum.

England kick off with comfortable win over Tonga

England got their Autumn Nations Series campaign off to a winning start as they thumped a disappointing Tonga 69-3 at Twickenham on Saturday.

The first 82,000 full house at the home of English rugby for 20 months because of the coronavirus pandemic enjoyed an 11-try rout led by Jonny May, Ben Youngs and Jamie George, who each crossed twice.

Victory was completed despite a disrupted build-up that saw Owen Farrell withdraw as fly-half and captain after testing positive for Covid with confirmation of his absence delivered only 90 minutes before kick-off.

George Furbank was promoted to chief conductor for his fifth cap and a rookie who is more accustomed to playing full-back rose to the occasion by showing several attacking flourishes until he was replaced by Marcus Smith.

The intention had been for Farrell and Smith to form a playmaking axis but Covid and Smith’s leg injury sabotaged that plan and instead the Harlequins prodigy had to wait until the 53rd minute to step off the bench.

Smith entered the fray at a time when England were becoming scruffy in the face of successful Tongan spoiling but his arrival gave Eddie Jones’ men a second wind and he picked a brilliant support line to finish a break by man of the match Henry Slade.

The 22-year-old’s afternoon was marred only when he was elbowed on the floor in the 70th minute by Viliami Fine, who was sent off as a result.

Courtney Lawes deputised as captain for the isolating Farrell, who will also miss next Saturday’s visit of Australia, and the veteran flanker was highly influential with his try-saving tackle on Telusa Veainu a remarkable feat of athleticism.

Even allowing for the strength of determined but limited opposition it was an impressive start to the autumn as England, wearing their red change kit, attacked at speed showing an intent that was missing in the Six Nations.

Bigger tests are to come against Australia and South Africa across the next two weekends but this was a meaningful step towards resetting after a calamitous fifth place finish in the Championship.

Kick-off was delayed by 10 minutes after Tonga arrived late and it looked bleak for the Islanders from the moment Adam Radwan showed slick footwork to cross in the third minute.

Tongan resistance then melted away before a driving maul that produced a try for George.

England were sending penalties into touch rather opting for goal and while they met typically ferocious Islanders defence in tight channels, their superior organisation was already evident.

A scrappy phase followed that delivered Tonga’s first points through Sonatane Takulua’s boot but a dummy from Furbank that deceived Sione Vailanu forced the tourists to scramble.

The attack ultimately went nowhere but in the 29th minute England were over again as fast ball, sharp hands and touchline charge from Manu Tuilagi created the opportunity for May to strike.

To make matters worse for Tonga, wing Solomone Kata was sin-binned for taking May out in the air and when a surging Ellis Genge broke the first line of defence Maro Itoje was on hand to finish.

Veainu was denied an intercept try by the athleticism of Lawes, who raced 70 metres to make the tackle and the first half finished when Youngs dummied his way over.

Sam Underhill was replaced at half-time having led with his head in a tackle, ushering in Alex Dombrandt, and Youngs claimed his second try when he ripped the ball from Vailanu at the base of a scrum and sprinted home.

Angling infield off his wing, May grabbed his second as the maul became an increasingly powerful weapon for England with George on the end of one powerful drive.

With Fine seeing red, Smith, Jamie Blamire and Alex Mitchell ran in additional tries late on to power the hosts past the 60-point mark.

Springboks edge out Wales in Cardiff

South Africa got the job done but were made to graft for their 23-18 Autumn Nations Series victory against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.

It was the Springboks’ first win in Cardiff since 2013, but they did not secure it until replacement hooker Malcolm Marx scored a 73rd-minute try and Elton Jantjies kicked a penalty.

Despite being without injured captain Alun Wyn Jones and a host of other absent British and Irish Lions, Wales delivered a towering performance, with fly-half Dan Bigger kicking six penalties.

Biggar’s sixth successful penalty put Wales back in front at 18-15, although there was drama just a minute earlier when the hosts attacked through Liam Williams just as a spectator ran on to the pitch only a few metres away from him.

Williams had to jump over the pitch invader before he was duly led away, although Wales would not have scored.

Handre Pollard kicked four penalties and Frans Steyn one for South Africa, yet Wales bounced back superbly from a 54-16 drubbing against New Zealand last weekend.

And their outstanding performer was flanker Ellis Jenkins, who suffered a major knee injury against the Springboks three years ago and had not played Test rugby since.

Wales were without Jones, while other unavailable Lions included Ross Moriarty, Ken Owens, Justin Tipuric and George North, with centre Jonathan Davies taking over as skipper.

South Africa made three switches from the side that beat New Zealand last month, with full-back Damian Willemse, wing Jesse Kriel and scrum-half Herschel Jantjies all featuring behind an unchanged pack.

Wales made a bright start and shaded the early possession, with Biggar mixing his running and kicking game impressively before wing Louis Rees-Zammit was denied a try by brilliant Springboks cover defence.

Biggar kicked Wales into the lead through a 10th-minute penalty, but Pollard landed an equalising strike two minutes later as persistent drizzle swirled around the stadium.

Biggar restored Wales’ advantage through a second penalty, while South Africa saw Willemse go off for a head injury assessment as Steyn joined the action.

A tight opening quarter reached its conclusion with South Africa showing an early sign of scrum dominance and Pollard kicking a second penalty to make it 6-6.

South Africa attempted to launch their main ball-carriers at Wales, but the home side defended superbly, with Jenkins at the forefront.

Biggar completed his penalty hat-trick 13 minutes before the break, and referee Paul Williams’ growing impatience at South Africa’s poor technical discipline saw him engage in a lengthy conversation with Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi.

South Africa then saw prop Ox Nche yellow-carded for obstruction on Tompkins, and Biggar’s fourth successful penalty opened up a six-point advantage.

But even though Wales had prop Rhys Carre sin-binned for a technical infringement, they deservedly claimed a 12-9 interval lead after Pollard landed a third penalty.

South Africa sent on a replacement front-row of Steven Kitshoff, Marx and Vincent Koch just five minutes after the restart as they looked to establish a foothold in the game.

Wales were forced into a defensive rearguard, but they tackled and harried magnificently before breaking away, forcing South Africa to infringe, and Biggar kicked a 45-metre penalty.

It was a stirring effort by the home side, and although the Springboks looked more threatening in attack than during the first half, it required a 52-metre penalty from Steyn for their next points.

South Africa, however, had other ideas, breaking into Wales’ half from 70 metres out, but wing Makazole Mapimpi had a try disallowed, and the home side retained their narrow advantage before Marx struck following a relentlessly-driven lineout, but Elton Jantjies missed the conversion.

Jantjies final kick penalty, though, meant South Africa sealed the deal and finally broke Welsh resistance.

France get the better of Argentina in Paris

France got their Autumn Nations Series campaign off to a positive start when they notched a 29-20 victory over Argentina in Paris on Saturday.

In a hard-fought and often tempestuous encounter, both sides scored two tries apiece with Thibaud Flament and Peato Mauvaka crossing the whitewash for France, while their other points came via the boot of Melvyn Jaminet, who contributed 19 points courtesy of five penalties and two conversions.

For the Pumas, Tomas Cubelli and Matteo Carreras dotted down with Emiliano Boffelli succeeding with a conversion and a couple of penalties and Nicolas Sanchez also added a two-pointer off the kicking tee.

Les Bleus had the better of the early exchanges and were leading 6-0 midway through the half after Jaminet succeeded with a couple of penalties.

In the 21st minute, Argentina had their first opportunity to score points ― after the home side were penalised on defence ― but Boffelli’s shot at goal was wide of the mark.

From the restart, Pablo Matera charged down a Matthieu Jalibert kick on France’s 22-metre line before regathering and charging towards his opponents’ try-line.  His progress was halted just short of the whitewash but Cubelli gathered at the ensuing ruck before diving over under the posts.

Five minutes later, Marcos Kremer and Julien Marchand were yellow carded after an off-the-ball incident and in the 35th minute Jaminet added his third penalty which gave his side a 9-7 lead at half-time.

The visitors made the brighter start to the second half and were leading 10-9 by the 48th minute after another Boffelli penalty, but France struck back shortly afterwards when Flament gathered a pass from Jalibert before crossing for his side’s first try.

Another Boffelli penalty on the hour-mark meant the match was evenly poised with France holding a slender 16-13 lead but France finished stronger and accurate goal-kicking from Jaminet and Mauvaka’s five-pointer gave them a healthy buffer.

The Pumas refused to surrender and were rewarded when Carreras went over for their second five-pointer in the 78th minute but Jaminet secured his side’s win when he slotted his fifth penalty in the game’s dying moments.

Nine-try Ireland thrash hapless Japan

Ireland made a superb start to their Autumn Nations Series campaign when they sealed a 60-5 victory against Japan at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Andrew Conway led the way with a well-taken hat-trick while James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park, Johnny Sexton, Bundee Aki, Garry Ringrose and Cian Healy also crossed the whitewash for the home side.  Sexton finished with a 16-point haul as he also slotted four conversions and a penalty and Joey Carbery added two conversions.

Japan’s only points came via a try from Siosaia Fifita but they were outclassed and powerless to prevent the Irish stretching their winning streak to six successive games.

Sexton became only the seventh Irishman to reach a century of appearances ― following Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara, Rory Best, Paul O’Connell, John Hayes and current team-mate Healy ― and was afforded a standing ovation ahead of kick-off.

Any negativity regarding the swathes of empty seats and Ireland’s decision to ditch their traditional green jerseys in favour of a purple alternative swiftly dissipated in a spellbinding opening quarter.

New Zealand-born Lowe ― recalled after being dropped for March’s Six Nations win over England ― set the ball rolling by diving over in the left corner just four minutes in.

Scrum-half Gibson-Park, another native Kiwi, played a pivotal role in the opener and he was also instrumental in the second.

The hosts gained serious ground with a series of neat offloads, before their number nine ― starting ahead of Conor Murray ― produced a delightful, defence-splitting kick to give Conway a straightforward finish in the corner.

Munsterman Conway was one of only three non-Leinster players in the Irish line-up.

He stretched the scoreboard further with only 19 minutes on the clock, benefiting from a quick cross-field ball following a rolling maul on the left to once again charge over out wide.

Japan, beaten narrowly on this ground by an experimental Ireland side in early July, had shocked the hosts in the pool stage of the 2019 World Cup.

Playing only a fourth fixture since that home tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic, Jamie Joseph’s men never looked likely to spring another surprise and struggled to break out of their own 22 for the duration of a one-sided opening period.

After a simple Sexton penalty in front of the posts, Ireland took further control as Gibson-Park claimed his maiden Ireland try seven minutes before the break having latched on to a Ringrose pass.

A difficult first 40 minutes for the Brave Blossoms was compounded by hooker Atsushi Sakate being sin-binned in added time for repeated infringements.

Ireland continued on the front foot after the restart and 36-year-old Sexton once again brought spectators to their feet.

The influential talisman burst on to a Gibson-Park offload to find a gap in the Japan defence and touch down, before being mobbed by team-mates and then regaining his composure to slot the extras.

Things were quickly becoming embarrassing for the Brave Blossoms as Aki went over in the 55th minute.

But just two minutes later ― after Ireland brought on hooker Dan Sheehan for an international debut ― Fifita found space to marginally reduce the arrears.

Sexton was given a rapturous reception when he was rested in favour of understudy Carbery 18 minutes from time.

The replacement 10 successfully converted after Ringrose bulldozed over, before Conway continued the rout by completing his treble six minutes from time with his 13th international try.

Replacement Healy had the final say by powering over under the posts at the death, with Carbery’s second conversion completing the scoring.

Head coach Farrell could not have wished for much more from his side’s opening match of the month but they will face a far more serious test with the All Blacks in town next Saturday, followed by Argentina the following weekend.

Error-strewn All Blacks eventually pull away from Italy

New Zealand were made to work hard for their 47-9 victory over a spirited Italy in their Autumn Nations Series fixture, with errors hampering the visitors’ game.

Despite the eventual scoreline seeing them rack up seven tries at the Stadio Olimpico, the All Blacks were out of sorts and need to improve for future matches.

Finlay Christie, Dane Coles (2), Sevu Reece, Asafo Aumua (2) and Hoskins Sotutu got over the whitewash, with Richie Mo’unga converting six of those crossings.

Italy’s only points came via the boot of fly-half Paolo Garbisi but the hosts can be pleased with how they frustrated New Zealand for large parts on Saturday.

It was an error-strewn opening half from the All Blacks as they coughed up possession on several occasions, which meant they were held scoreless for 28 minutes.

Handling mistakes from Braydon Ennor would have frustrated the All Blacks outside centre but perhaps more upsetting for the Azzurri was that they were denied a try on 12 minutes when referee Karl Dickson blew for New Zealand obstruction, one second before Monty Ioane was on his way over the whitewash for a certain score.

More errors hurt New Zealand’s game thereafter but eventually an opportunistic score from replacement scrum-half Christie came, which relieved lots of pressure.

Coles would be next to cross three minutes later via a driving maul and despite two Garbisi penalties arriving before the turnaround, Coles’ second made it 21-6.

Much like the first period, the opening to the second was similarly fractious from the All Blacks and it was in fact Garbisi who struck first with a penalty goal.

But then on the hour mark New Zealand found some form with Reece being put in by Christie to make it 28-9 before Aumua raced over off the back of a lineout.

New Zealand weren’t done and a lovely score involving Mo’unga and George Bridge then sent Sotutu over for 42-9 before the final try from Aumua added the gloss.

All Blacks romp to victory over depleted Wales

Star fly-half Beauden Barrett touched down twice on his 100th Test appearance as New Zealand proved to be far too good for a weakened Wales side, easing to a dominant 54-16 victory in Cardiff.

The All Blacks controlled the majority of the match and moved into a comfortable lead at the interval thanks to Barrett’s try and TJ Perenara’s effort.

Wayne Pivac’s men responded through a pair of Gareth Anscombe penalties, but they had been dealt a blow when Alun Wyn Jones’ record-breaking afternoon was ruined after the captain picked up an injury.

It didn’t get any better for Jones watching on, despite Johnny Williams briefly giving the hosts hope, as Will Jordan, Dalton Papalii, Sevu Reece and Anton Lienert-Brown went over.

That brought them to the cusp of the 50-point mark, but it was apt that their centurion should take them over it with the last action of the match as Barrett intercepted a stray pass and crossed the whitewash to complete the rout.

Barrett started opposite his former U20 team-mate Anscombe, who was returning to Test rugby following an absence of more than two years after being sidelined by a major knee injury.

Meanwhile, Wales’ Jones won his 149th cap, overtaking New Zealander Richie McCaw’s record for one country, although his evening lasted just 18 minutes.

It proved a nightmare start for Anscombe as he saw a pass intercepted by Barrett after just four minutes, and he sprinted clear to claim a try that his brother Jordie converted.

Wales had shown initial promising signs before the intercept, but they quickly regrouped and Anscombe kicked a penalty, making it 7-3.

The game swiftly found a rapid tempo, and Beauden Barrett was lucky to escape a yellow card following a knock-on when he looked to intercept Wales wing Owen Lane’s inside pass intended for Williams.

Jordie Barrett then booted a penalty, before Wales suffered an injury hammer-blow when Jones was forced off.

Jones left the action, being replaced by Will Rowlands, as Wales lost their leader with more than an hour of the contest remaining, with centre Jonathan Davies taking over leadership duty.

Wales had a let-off after prop Nepo Laulala dropped the ball when a try looked certain, before Jordie Barrett kicked another penalty and the home side trailed by 10 points.

New Zealand’s accuracy made the difference, and they claimed a second try six minutes before half-time when outstanding build-up play was rewarded with a score for Perenara.

Wales suffered another injury setback on the stroke of half-time when Moriarty was forced off following a tackle by Laulala and flanker Ethan Blackadder, with the former being yellow-carded for not wrapping his arm in the manoeuvre.

Anscombe then kicked his second penalty on the stroke of half-time, and New Zealand took an 18-6 lead into the interval.

Barrett completed his penalty hat-trick early in the second period, while Wales sent on Cardiff fly-half Priestland for Anscombe, making a first Test match appearance since 2017.

And Priestland was immediately in the action, kicking a penalty and setting up Williams’ score, only for the the All Blacks to quickly resume normal service when Jordan conjured a superb solo try, with Jordie Barrett adding the extras.

New Zealand finished in trademark fashion as Papalii, Reece, Lienert-Brown and Beauden Barrett added further tries during a devastating finale that showcased All Blacks rugby at its finest.

Kyle Steyn scores four tries as Scotland beat Tonga

An impressive first-half showing helped Scotland kick off their Autumn Nations Series with a 60-14 victory over Tonga at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Kyle Steyn scored four tries while his fellow Glasgow Warriors wing, Rufus McLean, enjoyed a debut double in the opening 15 minutes, with Edinburgh loosehead prop Pierre Schoeman also marking his first international cap with a try on the half-hour mark.

There were further second-half scores from hooker George Turner and substitute duo Nick Haining and Oli Kebble.

Number 10 Blair Kinghorn contributed with three of his seven conversion attempts, while debutant replacement Ross Thompson successfully kicked two of his three efforts as Gregor Townsend’s side thrived in their first match in front of supporters since March 2020.

After weathering some early Tonga pressure, Scotland made the breakthrough in the seventh minute when debutant McLean seized on a loose ball after Jamie Ritchie was tackled to the ground.  Kinghorn duly kicked the conversion.

Tonga reduced the deficit in the 13th minute as full-back James Faiva kicked a penalty from 40 metres after Scotland were adjudged not to have rolled away at a ruck in time.

McLean added a brilliant second try in the 15th minute when he received a miss-pass from Kinghorn wide on the left and waltzed superbly past Faiva before touching down.  Kinghorn converted immaculately from a tight angle.

Five minutes later, Faiva kicked another penalty when the Scots were penalised once more for not rolling away.

Steyn ― in his second Scotland appearance ― got his first try of the afternoon in the 23rd minute when he took a pass from Sione Tuipulotu and bounded over the line to finish off an impressive flowing move.

Tonga were struggling to cope with their hosts, but Faiva gave them some relief in the 27th minute when he pinged a penalty between the posts from close to the halfway line.

Schoeman then muscled his way over for his debut try in the 30th minute after a period of pressure in front of the line, with Kinghorn kicking the conversion.

Steyn got his second try when he took a pass from co-captain Ali Price and cut through the Tongan defence far too easily before touching down wide on the left.

Right on half-time, Steyn made it a hat-trick after a cross-field kick from Kinghorn took a favourable bounce into his path wide on the right.

The first score of the second half came in the 50th minute when hooker Turner touched down on the back of a rolling maul.

Tonga got their first try in the 58th minute when David Lolohea pushed his way over after a period of pressure.

Haining scored Scotland’s eighth try in the 70th minute after some excellent handling by Ritchie in the build-up before Kebble and Steyn both touched down in the closing four minutes, with Thompson converting on each occasion.

16-try All Blacks make light work of USA in Washington

A rampant New Zealand racked up 16 tries as they demolished the USA 104-14 in a one-sided meeting at FedExField in Washington DC on Saturday.

Luke Jacobson (2), Ethan de Groot, Will Jordan (3), Damian McKenzie, Richie Mo’unga, Angus Ta’avao (2), Quinn Tupaea, Dalton Papalii, Anton Lienert-Brown, Beauden Barrett, Dane Coles and TJ Perenara all crossed the whitewash, with Mo’unga and McKenzie adding 18 and six points off the kicking tee respectively.

In reply for the Eagles, Nate Augspurger and Ryan Matyas went over to give USA fans a small amount of cheer in an otherwise embarrassing game for the hosts.

It was one-way traffic from the outset as New Zealand got the scoreboard ticking inside a minute, running the kick-off back as George Bridge and Finlay Christie helped set up Jacobson to race over.  Mo’unga added the extras and it would be the first conversion of many as USA were about to feel the full force of the All Blacks.

Further crossings from loosehead prop De Groot and wing Jordan, who regathered his own chip kick to score, moved New Zealand into a 19-0 advantage with just 11 minutes gone.  And the procession continued as they went from deep again, this time a nice interchange ending with McKenzie scoring as USA’s woes continued.

26 points to the good there was no letting up from Ian Foster’s charges as on 20 minutes their ability to keep the ball alive allowed Jordan to find Jacobson for his second try of the match, converted by Mo’unga, before the fly-half got in on the try-scoring act five minutes later as he fought his way over to make it a 40-0 lead.

New Zealand were far from finished in the opening period as further crossings came when Jordan added his own brace on 30 minutes before having a hand in setting up Ta’avao for a run-in under the posts.  With Mo’unga’s kick that made it 52-0 and then a minute before the interval Tupaea’s score added another to the tally.

However, it was to be USA who ended the half the stronger when scrum-half Augspurger sprinted over from 40 metres out, lifting the fans’ mood in the ground.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, the All Blacks started the second stanza as they began the first, with Ta’avao adding his second with barely a minute on the clock.

New Zealand would cross again seven minutes later through Papalii, converted by Mo’unga, which made it 73-7 before USA responded well through wing Matyas.

But that was to be the hosts’ final offering in the game as the clinical All Blacks turned the screw as the contest moved into its final half-hour, replacement Lienert-Brown getting his name on the board on 54 minutes before Barrett raced over from long-range, with the visitors’ bench already offering a significant impact.

With 10 minutes remaining the free-scoring Jordan would complete his hat-trick and there was still time for two further scores in the closing minutes, hooker Coles cutting back off the right wing to make it 97-14 before Braydon Ennor’s run down the left led to Perenara going over, McKenzie adding the final two points.

Wallabies get the better of spirited Japan

Australia got their end-of-year tour of the northern hemisphere off to a positive start when they sealed a 32-23 triumph over Japan in Oita on Saturday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was a hard-fought battle with the home side proving competitive throughout but the Wallabies were deserved winners in the end and eventually outscored their hosts five tries to two.

Tom Wright, Jordan Petaia, Taniela Tupou, Robert Leota and Connal McInerney dotted down for the visitors while Quade Cooper slotted a couple of conversions and a penalty.

For Japan, Lomano Lemeki and Ryoko Nakamura scored tries with Rikiya Matsuda adding a conversion and two penalties and Yu Tamura also succeeded with a conversion and a penalty.

The Wallabies opened the scoring as early as the seventh minute when Cooper took on the home side’s defence on the edge of their 22 before offloading to Wright, who stepped past a couple of defenders on his way over the try-line.

Australia were dealt a setback in the 13th minute when Reece Hodge was forced off the field with a shoulder injury and three minutes later the Brave Blossoms opened their account when Matsuda succeeded with his first penalty.

Shortly after entering the fray ― as Hodge’s replacement ― Petaia crossed for his five-pointer after gathering a pass from Andrew Kellaway and Cooper did well to slot a difficult conversion which meant the visitors were in control of proceedings with the score 14-3 in their favour.

In the 26th minute, Japan found their attacking groove when Matsuda delivered a perfectly weighted crossfield kick which Lemeki gathered before crossing for his side’s first try.

Matsuda added the extras as well as a penalty in the 33rd minute but Cooper struck back with a three-pointer off the kicking tee of his own which meant the match was evenly poised with Australia leading 17-13 at half-time.

Three minutes after the restart Tupou ran onto a pass from Folau Fainga’a deep inside Japan’s half and he showed great determination and leg drive to power his way over the try-line for his side’s third five-pointer.

In the 50th minute, the Brave Blossoms were reduced to 14 men when Lemeki was yellow carded for a no-arms tackle on Hunter Paisami and two minutes later Leota rounded off a flowing move to give Australia a 27-13 lead.

Despite being down a man, Japan stayed true to their attacking roots and were rewarded in the 56th minute when Nakamura went over for their second five-pointer and in the 74th minute Tamura added a penalty.

That meant the Wallabies were holding a slender 27-23 lead but they secured the win in the game’s closing stages when debutant McInerney crossed for their fifth try, off the back of a lineout drive close to to Japan’s try-line.

Springboks bounce back with epic win over All Blacks

The Springboks ended a three-match losing streak when they claimed a hard-fought 31-29 Rugby Championship triumph against the All Blacks on the Gold Coast on Saturday.

In another drama-filled and exciting encounter, just like last weekend’s match between these sides, this contest also went down to the wire with Elton Jantjies clinching the result for his team with an injury time penalty.

South Africa’s other points came via tries from Damian de Allende and Makazole Mapimpi while Handre Pollard succeeded with four penalties and Jantjies added another three-pointer off the kicking tee and a drop-goal.

For New Zealand, Sevu Reece, Ardie Savea and Brad Weber scored tries while Jordie Barrett finished with a 14-point haul courtesy of three penalties and a conversion.

The Springboks did most of the early attacking although Pollard was off target with a penalty attempt in the fifth minute, after a high tackle on Mapimpi, but the Boks put that setback behind them and soon opened the scoring courtesy of De Allende’s try.

Lukhanyo Am did well to win a loose ball inside New Zealand’s 22 before offloading brilliantly out of the back of his hand to Sbu Nkosi, who drew Jordie Barrett before passing to De Allende, who crossed in the right-hand corner.

Shortly afterwards the All Blacks opened their account courtesy of a Barrett penalty after Am infringed at a ruck.

Five minutes later, Willie le Roux failed to gather an up-and-under just outside his 22 and the Boks were made to pay as the All Blacks launched a counter attack with Beauden Barrett finding Reece with a cross-field kick and he did well to score out wide despite a desperate tackle from Duane Vermeulen.

10 minutes later, Scott Barrett impeded Mapimpi while the latter was competing for a high ball and Pollard gave his side an 11-8 lead when he succeeded with the resulting penalty in the 24th minute.

Five minutes later, the All Blacks launched an attack from a lineout close to the halfway line with Beauden Barrett doing brilliantly to beat a couple of defenders before getting a pass out to Rieko Ioane.  He set off towards the Boks’ try-line before throwing an inside pass to Savea, who dove over in spectacular fashion.

Full-back Barrett converted to give the All Blacks a 15-11 lead and shortly afterwards Weber pounced when Eben Etzebeth failed to gather a throw-in at a lineout close to South Africa’s try-line.  Etzebeth knocked the ball onto the arm of Joe Moody and Weber gathered before crossing out wide.

Just before half-time, Pollard stepped up to add his third penalty which meant New Zealand were holding a 20-14 lead as the teams changed sides at the interval.

The second half started in similar fashion to the first with the Springboks on the attack from the kick off and two minutes after the restart they won a scrum penalty which Pollard converted to narrow the gap to three points.

The Boks continued to hold the upper hand and in the 52nd minute they launched an attack from a lineout close to the All Blacks’ try-line.  Malcolm Marx and Steven Kitshoff put them on the front foot with strong carries before the ball was shifted to the wing where Mapimpi dotted down in the left-hand corner.

The next 15 minutes was an attritional affair as both sides gave their all to win this Test and in the 58th minute Jantjies extended the Boks’ lead when he slotted a penalty, after the All Blacks strayed offside on defence.  Despite trailing by five points, the All Blacks did not panic and they narrowed the gap again when Barrett added his second penalty in the 67th minute.

That set up a nail-biting finish and in the 74th minute Barrett slotted his third three-pointer off the kicking tee after Frans Steyn infringed at a breakdown.  The world champions did not surrender though and soon after Jantjies landed his drop-goal from 40 metres out to give his side the lead again.

There was plenty of drama in the game’s closing stages and in the 79th minute the All Blacks went in front for the third time courtesy of another Barrett penalty after Franco Mostert was blown up for an indiscretion at a ruck.

The Boks refused to throw in the towel and launched one final attack and Jantjies added the match-winning points with the clock in the red after the All Blacks were caught offside on defence again.

Andrew Kellaway hat-trick powers Wallabies past Pumas

Andrew Kellaway was the Wallabies’ hero as he scored a hat-trick of tries in a 32-17 victory against the Pumas in their Rugby Championship Test on the Gold Coast on Saturday.

Australia were full value for their win as they dominated for long periods and eventually outscored Argentina five tries to two with Folau Fainga’a and Samu Kerevi crossing for their other five pointers, while Quade Cooper added a couple of conversions and a penalty.

For the Pumas, Thomas Gallo led the way as he scored a brace of tries which were both converted by Emiliano Boffelli, who also slotted a penalty.

The opening exchanges were evenly contested with both teams awarded kickable penalties during that period but Boffelli and Cooper were both off target with shots at goal.

The Wallabies eventually took the lead in the 10th minute courtesy of a penalty from Cooper after the Pumas were blown up for illegal scrummaging.

There was enterprising play from the teams over the next 15 minutes with both sides giving the ball plenty of air but poor option taking and unforced errors meant no points were scored during that period.

The match came alive in the 27th minute when Argentina were reduced to 14 men after Tomás Lavanini was yellow carded for taking out Izack Rodda illegally at a lineout inside his 22.

Reece Hodge put the ball into touch and from the resulting lineout the Wallabies launched a drive before Fainga’a crossed for the opening try in the 28th minute.

Five minutes later, Australia were on the attack again, at a lineout midway between Argentina’s 22 and the halfway line, and from the set-piece Fainga’a and Rob Valetini combined brilliantly before the latter threw an inside pass to Kellaway, who had an easy run-in over the try-line.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Argentina finished the half stronger and spent the last five minutes camped inside Wallabies territory.  They could not cross the whitewash, however, and had to settle for a Boffelli penalty which meant Australia held a 15-3 lead at half-time.

The Wallabies drew first blood in the second half when three minutes after the restart Kerevi ran onto a well-timed pass from Cooper before barging over for his side’s third try.

10 minutes later, Kellaway found himself in space out wide inside Argentina’s 22 and he did well to shrug off a tackle from Santiago Chocobares before crossing for his second five-pointer.

Those two scores boosted the Wallabies’ confidence and just before the hour-mark Len Ikitau did brilliantly to draw in a couple of defenders before offloading to Kellaway, who cantered in for his third try.

With the game in the bag, the Wallabies took their foot off the pedal during the final quarter and the Pumas came back strongly and scored both their tries during that period.

In the 63rd minute, Argentina set up several phases close to Australia’s try-line before replacement prop Gallo, who was making his Test debut, burrowed his way over the try-line.

That score seemed to reinvigorate the Pumas and in the 73rd minute they were rewarded again when Gallo dotted down for the second time in similar fashion to his previous effort from close quarters.

Those tries gave some respectability to the final score and although Australia finished the contest with 14 players ― after their captain Michael Hooper was yellow carded for a professional foul on defence ― they managed to keep Argentina at bay during the game’s dying moments, and, in doing so, they secured a bonus-point victory.

All Blacks hold off Boks to win Rugby Championship

Jordie Barrett’s 78th-minute penalty snatched a 19-17 victory for New Zealand against South Africa in their Rugby Championship encounter in Townsville on Saturday.

This was the 100th Test between these sides and it lived up to the hype as the match was in the balance throughout, with the All Blacks’ triumph meaning they have won the tournament.

Both sides scored a try apiece with Will Jordan crossing for the All Blacks and Sbu Nkosi dotting down for the Springboks.  Full-back Barrett scored all New Zealand’s other points courtesy of a conversion and four penalties and Handre Pollard also added four three-pointers off the kicking tee for South Africa.

South Africa came into this game under tremendous pressure ― after losing their two previous Tests against the Wallabies ― but they delivered a much improved and more competitive performance which did justice to their status as world champions.

The All Blacks made a terrific start and three minutes into the game Codie Taylor tore the Springbok defence to shreds with a powerful carry from just inside his half.  He was soon inside his opponents’ territory where he offloaded to Jordan, who outpaced the cover defence on his way over the try-line.

Shortly afterwards, the Springboks struck back in bizarre fashion.  This, when George Bridge failed to gather a routine bomb from Faf de Klerk inside his 22 and Nkosi pounced on the loose ball before crossing for an easy five-pointer.

Pollard’s conversion attempt was wide of the mark but he made up for that miss when he landed a penalty in the 10th minute after Brodie Retallick was blown up for obstruction.

Two minutes later, the All Black second-row was penalised again and Pollard succeeded with a long-range goal-kick which meant the world champions were leading 11-7 by the 12th minute.

The next 20 minutes was a slugfest with the sides giving their all to gain the ascendancy and their contrasting styles was evident throughout, with the Boks’ tactic of trying to slow proceedings down countered by the All Blacks’ expansive style of play.

New Zealand managed to breach the Boks’ defence on a couple of occasions but their execution was not of its usual high standards, although they managed to narrow the gap to a point when Barrett landed his first penalty on the half-hour mark.

Five minutes later, South Africa were reduced to 14 men when Nkosi was yellow carded for a deliberate knock down deep inside his 22 and Barrett slotted the resulting penalty which gave his side a 13-11 lead at half-time.

The All Blacks were fastest out of the blocks after the interval and soon after the restart they were camped close to the Springboks’ try-line only for Nepo Laulala to knock on a short pass from TJ Perenara.

The attritional nature to the game continued with neither side giving an inch and we had to wait until the 58th minute for the first points of the half when Pollard added another penalty after foul play from the All Blacks deep inside their half.

That lead did not last long as on the hour-mark Barrett succeeded with his third penalty after the Boks strayed offside on defence.

The final quarter was a tense affair with South Africa upping the ante in possession and in the 67th minute they launched an attack from a lineout inside New Zealand’s 22.  And when the All Blacks’ strayed offside on defence, Pollard stepped up to add his fourth penalty which put his team in front for the last time.

There was plenty of end-to-end action as the game drew to a close and in its dying moments Willie le Roux was penalised for holding onto the ball on the ground, leaving Barrett a difficult shot from distance, but he held his nerve to slot the match-winning three points.

Australia get the better of Argentina in Townsville

Australia continued to impress in the Rugby Championship as they claimed a 27-8 triumph over Argentina in Townsville on Saturday.

The Wallabies were full value for their win as they had the bulk of the possession and territory and eventually outscored the Pumas three tries to one with Reece Hodge, Samu Kerevi and Andrew Kellaway dotting down.

Their other points came via two conversions and a penalty from Quade Cooper while James O’Connor also added a penalty and a conversion. For Argentina, Julian Montoya scored a try and Emiliano Boffelli succeeded with a penalty.

Argentina had an early chance to take the lead when Boffelli lined up a penalty in the fourth minute but his effort was off target.

That kick proved costly as shortly afterwards Kerevi put his team on the front foot with a powerful run before his progress was halted by a thumping tackle from Santiago Carreras.  The ball was recycled quickly to Hodge, however, and he did well to step past three defenders on his way over the whitewash.

The Wallabies continued to hold the upper hand and in the 19th minute they were rewarded again when Kerevi crossed for his try.  This, after Cooper delivered a teasing grubber kick inside Argentina’s 22 which was gathered by Len Ikitau, who was brought to ground close to the posts and Kerevi regained possession at the ensuing ruck before dotting down.

From the restart, Rob Valetini was blown up for obstruction and Boffelli opened the visitors’ account by slotting the resulting penalty.

The rest of the opening period was evenly contested with the Pumas becoming more competitive as the half progressed, although the Wallabies had a try disallowed when Nic White lost the ball while trying to dive over from close quarters in the 31st minute.  Argentina committed a defensive indiscretion in the build-up and Cooper added his second penalty from in front of the posts which gave his team a 17-3 lead at half-time.

The South Americans were fastest out of the blocks in the second half and three minutes after the restart Montoya powered his way over the try-line, off the back of a lineout maul on the Wallabies’ five-metre line.

Although Boffelli missed the conversion attempt, Argentina continued to have the better of the exchanges, but poor discipline from Marcos Kremer cost his team dearly when referee Matthew Carley had to overturn two Pumas penalties after foul play from the flanker.

First, it was for a no-arms hit on Marika Koroibete in the 47th minute and 10 minutes later Kremer was yellow carded for a trip on Hodge deep inside Australian territory.

Despite playing with 14 men, Argentina were still competitive and an O’Connor penalty on the hour-mark was the only points scored during Kremer’s stint in the sin bin.

The Wallabies finished stronger, however, and in the 70th minute Kellaway crossed for his side’s third five-pointer after collecting a well-timed inside pass from O’Connor close to the Pumas try-line.

That sealed the result for the home side and although they went in search of their fourth try, which would have secured them a bonus-point, they would not breach the Pumas defence again, although they will be happy with the result which takes them above South Africa into second position on the Rugby Championship table.

Wallabies claim bonus-point win over Springboks

The Wallabies secured yet another triumph over the Springboks courtesy of a deserved 30-17 bonus-point victory in their Rugby Championship encounter in Brisbane on Saturday.

After claiming a narrow win over the world champions last week, the Wallabies continued to impress and they outscored the Boks four tries to one with Len Ikitau and Marika Koroibete scoring two five-pointers apiece while Quade Cooper succeeded with two conversions and a couple of penalties.

For the Boks, Lukhanyo Am crossed the whitewash and Handre Pollard added four penalties.

The Boks did most of the early attacking but had nothing to show for their efforts as they were met a solid defensive effort by the home side.  Things went pear-shaped for the visitors in the 12th minute when Faf de Klerk was yellow carded for slapping the ball out of Nic White’s hands at a ruck inside the Boks’ 22.

It was a needless and cynical offence and Australia made full use of their numerical advantage with Ikitau scoring his tries during the Bok scrum-half’s stint in the sin bin.

From the resulting penalty, the Wallabies attacked from a lineout and the ball was shifted quickly to their backs where Ikitau slipped past a couple of defenders before crossing for his first Test try.

Cooper’s conversion attempt struck an upright before Pollard reduced the deficit with a penalty after Matt Philip infringed at a lineout.  With a man down, South Africa’s much vaunted defence looked all at sea and midway through the half Tom Banks threw an inside pass to Koroibete, who offloaded to Ikitau and he dotted down again.

Soon after, De Klerk returned to action and the next 10 minutes were evenly contested with Pollard and Cooper trading penalties which meant the Wallabies were leading 15-6 by the half-hour mark.

In the 31st minute, Andrew Kellaway was penalised when he tackled Am in the air and Pollard narrowed the gap to six points when he slotted the resulting place-kick.

Australia were then reduced to 14 men when Lachlan Swinton was yellow carded for a no-arms challenge on Duane Vermeulen.  Initially, referee Matthew Carley wanted to issue a red as he thought Swinton’s shoulder hit Vermeulen’s head but television replays showed that the initial contact was with the Bok number eight’s shoulder.

South Africa dominated the closing stages of the half but although they spent long periods inside Australia’s half, a 37th minute Pollard penalty was their only reward and the match was evenly poised at half-time with the Wallabies holding a 15-12 lead.

The Boks made a terrific start to the second period and from the restart they regathered possession before taking the ball through several phases inside Australia’s half.  They were soon on the attack on the edge of their hosts’ 22 where De Klerk stabbed through a well-weighted grubber kick which Am gathered before scoring his try.

Although Pollard’s conversion attempt was off target, the visitors’ tails were up and they held the upper hand for the next 10 minutes but the Wallabies regained the lead courtesy of a Cooper penalty in the 50th minute.

After that it was one-way traffic with Australia the dominant side while South Africa made several uncharacteristic unforced errors.

🤯 Taniela, take a bow!

📺 @StanSportAU & @9Gem#TRC2021 #Wallabies #RSAvAUS @eToroAU @cadburyAU pic.twitter.com/Otux6OSRJM

— Wallabies (@wallabies) September 18, 2021

On the hour-mark, the Wallabies launched an attack on the blindside which caught the Boks by surprise with Taniela Tupou doing well to draw in Sbu Nkosi before getting a brilliant offload out to Koroibete, who outsprinted the cover defence before dotting down.

That boosted the home side’s confidence and in the 68th minute Koroibete went over for his second try after gliding through a gap in the Bok defence.

That clinched the result for the hosts although the world champions continued to fight but, in doing so, they lost their discipline and just before full-time Jasper Wiese was also sent to the sin bin after taking Samu Kerevi out illegally at a ruck.

All Blacks see off plucky Pumas in Brisbane

New Zealand made it four wins from four in the Rugby Championship but were made to work as they beat Argentina 36-13 in Brisbane on Saturday.

As the scoreline suggests, this encounter was not as one-sided as last weekend’s Test on the Gold Coast ― with the Pumas being more competitive ― but the All Blacks still claimed a bonus point as they outscored their opponents five tries to one.

Tupou Vaa’i led the way with a brace of five-pointers while Patrick Tuipulotu, TJ Perenara and Samisoni Taukei’aho also dotted down and Jordie Barrett finished with an 11-point haul after adding four conversions and a penalty.

Emiliano Boffelli scored all Argentina’s points courtesy of a try, a conversion and two penalties.

New Zealand were fastest out of the blocks and opened the scoring after five minutes when Tuipulotu crossed from close quarters after a superb line break from Hoskins Sotutu in the build-up.

Barrett added the extras before Boffelli reduced the deficit shortly afterwards via a penalty after Ethan Blackadder was blown up for obstruction.

New Zealand had the bulk of the possession during the next 10 minutes but Argentina did well on defence and a Barrett penalty in the 13th minute was the All Blacks’ only reward during that period.

In the 17th minute, slick handling and interpassing between New Zealand’s forwards and backs from broken play saw Will Jordan crossing the whitewash but referee Jaco Peyper correctly ruled out his try due to the pass from Taukei’ahoto being forward.

Five minutes later, Jordan gathered a chip kick from Damian McKenzie in Argentina’s half before offloading to Rieko Ioane, who went over under the posts, but once again the final pass went forward and that effort was also disallowed.

The All Blacks continued to dominate and in the 29th minute they attacked off the back of a scrum on Argentina’s five-metre line and Perenara forced his way over the try-line after gathering a pass from Sotutu.

And just before half-time, Vaa’i rounded off a flowing move, in which the ball went through several pairs of hands in the build-up, which meant the All Blacks were cruising with the score 24-3 in their favour at half-time.

The second half started with Boffelli adding another penalty but it wasn’t long before the All Blacks regained the initiative courtesy of Taukei’aho’s try after great offloading from Jordan and Ardie Savea in the build-up.

Despite that setback, the Pumas did not surrender and they were soon on the attack inside the All Blacks’ half.  The South Americans’ attacking endeavour was rewarded in the 52nd minute when Santiago Carreras delivered an inch perfect cross-field kick which Boffelli gathered before scoring in the left-hand corner.

The Pumas wing showed his class as he landed the difficult conversion from close to the touchline and with the score 29-13 to the All Blacks, Argentina were more energetic during the rest of the match.

Although they did most of the attacking during the next 25 minutes, the All Blacks also had a chance to increase their lead but after doing well to charge down a clearance kick close to the Pumas try-line, Finlay Christie failed to regather the ball while crossing the whitewash.

In the game’s closing stages, Quinn Tupaea won a turnover inside Argentina’s half and the All Blacks soon launched a counter attack.  The ball came out to Scott Barrett, who offloaded out of the back of his hand to Vaa’i, who crossed for his second try which added some gloss to his side’s victory.

Quade Cooper the hero as Wallabies edge out Springboks

A late penalty from Quade Cooper secured a 28-26 Rugby Championship win for the Wallabies against the Springboks on the Gold Coast on Sunday.

In a hard-fought and tightly contested encounter, the result was in the balance until the dying moments but Cooper held his nerve to slot a difficult goal-kick, after the Boks’ pack were penalised for illegal scrummaging.

Cooper finished with a 23-point haul as he also succeeded with six other penalties and a conversion after Andrew Kellaway went over for Australia’s only try.  For South Africa Malcolm Marx (two) and Bongi Mbonambi crossed the whitewash and Handre Pollard added three penalties and a conversion.

There were some strong carries and big hits during the early exchanges and the sides were level at 3-3 after Pollard and Cooper traded penalties inside the opening 10 minutes.

Shortly afterwards, the Springboks regained the lead when Pollard succeeded with his second three-pointer off the kicking tee, after Angus Bell dropped his bind at a scrum.

However, things went pear-shaped in 16th minute for the world champions when they lost the services of their captain, Siya Kolisi, who was yellow carded for a dangerous tip tackle on Tom Banks.

And with a one-man advantage, it wasn’t long before the Wallabies breached the Boks’ much vaunted defence.  Samu Kerevi did the damage with a superb line break before throwing a long pass to Kellaway, who stepped past a couple of defenders before crossing for the opening try.

Shortly after Kolisi returned to the field, Pollard stabbed a teasing grubber kick through behind Australia’s try-line but although Lukhanyo Am gathered the ball, he lost possession while trying to dot down.

Despite that setback, South Africa soon had a numerical advantage of their own when Matt Philip was sent to the sin-bin for collapsing a lineout drive close to his try-line.  Shortly afterwards, the Boks launched a lineout drive on the Wallabies’ five-metre line from which Mbonambi went over for his five-pointer.

On the stroke of half-time, Bell made up for his earlier indiscretion at scrum-time when he put pressure on Frans Malherbe at the set-piece and the Bok front-row was soon penalised, with Cooper succeeding off the kicking tee to give Australia a deserved 19-11 lead at half-time.

The Springboks made the brighter start to the second period and spent most of the early stages of the half camped in Wallabies territory.  They could not breach Australia’s defence though but narrowed the gap to five points courtesy of another Pollard penalty in the 46th minute.

Five minutes later, the Boks were reduced to 14 men again when Willie le Roux received his marching orders for a deliberate knock down while the Wallabies were on the attack and Cooper slotted the resulting penalty which gave his side a 22-14 lead.

The Boks needed a response and that came shortly after Folau Fainga’a received a yellow card for a no-arms tackle on Ox Nché, with South Africa soon on the attack at a lineout deep inside Wallabies territory.  They had the Wallabies on the back foot with a strong drive from which Marx scored and Pollard added the extras which meant the match was evenly balanced with Australia holding a slender 22-21 lead.

Two minutes later, the Wallabies extended their lead when Cooper succeeded with his sixth penalty, after Jasper Wiese was blown up for holding onto the ball on the ground.

Despite that setback, the Boks did not panic and in the 72nd minute Marx went over for his second try ― once again off a lineout drive but, crucially, Damian Willemse was off target with his conversion attempt.

That proved costly as Cooper showed his class in the game’s closing stages when he slotted the match-winning penalty, sparking scenes of jubilation in the home camp.

Five-try All Blacks prove too strong for Argentina

The All Blacks proved too strong for the Pumas as they clinched a 39-0 victory in their Rugby Championship clash on the Gold Coast on Sunday.

As the scoreline suggests, New Zealand dominated proceedings and they were rewarded with five tries ― which secured them a deserved bonus-point ― with Luke Jacobson (2), Rieko Ioane, Sevu Reece and Dalton Papalii crossing the whitewash.

Their other points came via the boots of the Barrett brothers with fly-half Beauden adding a conversion and a penalty and full-back Jordie slotting three conversions and a penalty.

The opening exchanges were tightly contested with both sides showing a willingness to run the ball but neither team would score points during that period.

The match came alive in the 10th minute when Reece took the ball into contact before he was brought to ground inside the Pumas’ 22.  From the next phase Beauden Barrett launched an attack and when he offloaded to Ioane, the ball was knocked backwards by Bautista Delguy before the All Blacks outside centre dove on it behind Argentina’s try-line.

Just like the early stages, the next 25 minutes was scoreless although there were a few occasions when New Zealand came close to scoring a try again.  In the 14th minute, a teasing chip kick from the older Barrett was gathered by his brother Jordie, who crossed for what the All Blacks believed was their second try but that effort was ruled out after television replays revealed that he had dotted down on the dead-ball line.

And shortly afterwards centre Ioane tore the Pumas defence to shreds with a brilliant line break.  He was soon inside Argentina’s 22 and tried to offload to Reece on his outside but the pass was intercepted by Santiago Cordero, who was bundled into touch close to his corner flag.

The All Blacks were eventually rewarded in the 34th minute when Beauden Barrett kicked a penalty before Reece scored their second try from close quarters shortly afterwards.

Just before the interval, Argentina suffered a further setback when Pablo Matera was sent to the sin-bin after he committed a cynical defensive foul deep inside his half.

The All Blacks set up a lineout drive from the resulting penalty and they were rewarded when Papalii crossed the whitewash off the back of the maul on the stroke of half-time.  Jordie Barrett added the extras which meant the All Blacks were leading 22-0 at the break.

The All Blacks started the second half in a similar vein to the way they ended the first and in the 46th minute fly-half Barrett set off on a mazy run before throwing a backhanded pass out to Jacobson, who went over for their fourth five-pointer.

Although they were in control of proceedings, the All Blacks could not extend their lead over the next 20 minutes although they had a try disallowed in the 66th minute when Ethan Blackadder’s effort was chalked off for a double movement.  However, their opponents were reduced to 14 men again when Enrique Pieretto was yellow carded for a professional foul on defence close to his try-line.

With a one man advantage, it did not take long for the All Blacks to capitalise and soon after Jacobson scored his second try after breaking off the back of a scrum on Argentina’s five-metre line.

That score knocked the wind out of the Pumas’ sails and there was more misery for them in the game’s closing stages when Jordie Barrett slotted an easy penalty which gave his team a deserved victory.

All Blacks cruise past Wallabies despite red card

The All Blacks hammered home their dominance over the Wallabies when they beat their trans-Tasman rivals 38-21 in a highly entertaining and drama-filled Rugby Championship Test in Perth on Sunday.

Like the previous two Bledisloe Cup Tests, the All Blacks controlled proceedings for long periods and although they had to play with 14 men for 20 minutes, after Jordie Barrett was red carded for a dangerous flying kick to Marika Koroibete’s face ― while gathering a high ball ― late in the first half, they thoroughly deserved their victory.

In the end, New Zealand outscored their hosts six tries to three with David Havili leading the way with a brace of five-pointers while full-back Barrett, Will Jordan, Anton Lienert-Brown and George Bridge also crossed the whitewash.  The All Blacks’ other points came courtesy of two penalties and a conversion from Beauden Barrett.

For the Wallabies, Folau Fainga’a, Nic White and Tom Banks scored tries while Noah Lolesio and Reece Hodge (2) succeeded with conversions.

The Wallabies enjoyed a superb start and in the third minute Samu Kerevi made an excellent line break which had the All Blacks’ defence at sixes and sevens.  He did well to offload to Koroibete, who shrugged off a couple of defenders on his way over the try-line, but his effort was disallowed when television replays revealed that Kerevi had launched the attack from an offside position at a ruck.

From the resulting penalty, the visitors were soon inside Australia’s half but despite an extended period camped close to the home side’s try-line, they could not score a try but eventually opened the scoring in the ninth minute courtesy of a Barrett penalty.

The All Blacks continued to hold the upper hand and in the 15th minute Barrett made it 6-0 when he slotted his second penalty after James Slipper was blown up for illegal play on defence.

Shortly afterwards, fly-half Barrett delivered a perfectly weighted grubber kick which Jordan gathered before passing to Brad Weber and he was in the clear inside Australia’s half.  Weber did well to draw in Noah Lolesio before offloading to the younger Barrett, who had an easy run-in next to the posts.

In the 28th minute, Australia had a chance to open their account when Nepo Laulala strayed offside on defence but Lolesio was off target with his shot at goal.

Despite that setback, the Wallabies received a shot in the arm shortly afterwards when full-back Barrett was sent off in controversial fashion.  This, while gathering a high ball in his half but as he descended to the ground his boot struck Koroibete’s face and after watching replays and consulting his TMO, referee Damon Murphy ruled that Barrett’s kick was dangerous and issued a red card.

🇦🇺🇳🇿 Was this a red card offence in the #BledisloeCup Test in Perth?pic.twitter.com/g7Jm1usZ6R

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 5, 2021

With an extra man on the field, Australia were soon on the attack in New Zealand’s half and in the 39th minute Koroibete dotted down after a lineout drive deep inside his opponents’ territory.  That score was ruled out, however, as a television replay showed that he had crawled on his way over the try-line.

That proved costly as on the stroke of half-time Havili went over for his first try, off the back of a maul, and the All Blacks had their tails up at the interval with the score 18-0 in their favour.

Just like the first half, Australia were fastest out of the blocks in the second period and in the 50th minute a superb line break from Tate McDermott set up a well-taken try for Fainga’a.

The Wallabies’ joy didn’t last long as five minutes later Akira Ioane beat three defenders before offloading to Jordan, who crossed for the visitors’ third try before Havili intercepted a wayward pass from Matt Philip and raced away for his second five-pointer on the hour-mark.

The final quarter was a frantic affair with both sides running the ball from all areas of the field.  Australia were rewarded when White scored his try in the 66th minute but New Zealand cancelled that effort out with further five-pointers from Lienert-Brown and Bridge before Banks scored a consolation try in the game’s closing stages.

Dominant Springboks too powerful for Argentina

South Africa proved to be too strong for Argentina once again as they continued their fine 2021 with a comfortable 29-10 triumph in Port Elizabeth.

The Springboks controlled much of the first half thanks to another dominant display up front and the ill-discipline of their opponents.

They were too strong for the Pumas and Handre Pollard rewarded the efforts of their pack by kicking five penalties for a 15-3 advantage at the interval.

Domingo Miotti responded with a three-pointer of his own but they were outgunned and Makazole Mapimpi’s try at the start of the second period effectively sealed their fate.

Malcolm Marx then went over to rubberstamp the win and maintain South Africa’s fine start to the Rugby Championship.

Jacques Nienaber’s men will now wait to see what happens with the rest of the competition after the All Blacks dramatically withdrew from next week’s Bledisloe Cup tie and cancelled their two games with the Boks, putting the tournament in disarray.

There was more of an effort from the Springboks to find some of their dangerous runners in the outside channels on Saturday, but it was still their trusty set-piece which did most of the damage.

Lukhanyo Am made an early incursion into opposition territory as they showed a bit more intent, but it was still their lineout drive and scrum which earned the penalties from which Pollard was able to build their lead.

A number of infringements by the Pumas allowed the Springbok fly-half to move his side into a 9-0 lead before Miotti reduced the arrears from the tee.

South Africa continued to control matters, however, with Argentina continuing to concede needless penalties.  Pollard duly added two more three-pointers ― the second also leading to a yellow card for Rodrigo Bruni ― as Nienaber’s charges opened up a comfortable advantage at the break.

It got even better for the South Africans in the early part of the second period when they scored their first try of the match.

Cheslin Kolbe finally got the ball in his hands and took play deep into the Argentine 22 before the Springboks went through the phases.  The pressure was unrelenting and Mario Ledesma’s men eventually succumbed when Willie le Roux sent Mapimpi over.

Boosted by that score, a second try was soon forthcoming for the Boks as they went back to their exceptional maul and were rewarded with Marx touching down.

There was still 25 minutes left but the remainder of the clash turned into a scrappy affair as the Springboks missed out on a bonus-point.  Instead, Argentina had the final word when, with the clock in the red, Pablo Matera crossed the whitewash for a consolation score.

South Africa grind out victory over Argentina

South Africa got their Rugby Championship campaign off to a winning start as they eased past Argentina 32-12 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.

Tries from Cobus Reinach, Aphelele Fassi and new cap Jaden Hendrikse saw the Springboks to victory, with Elton Jantjies kicking 17 points off the tee.

In reply Los Pumas had to rely on four penalties from Nicolas Sanchez as their start to the tournament ended in a disappointing loss in Port Elizabeth.

Fresh from their series victory over the Lions, the Springboks were much-changed in terms of their starting line-up and quickly got things ticking on the scoreboard, with Jantjies sending over a penalty goal after Argentina second-row Marcos Kremer was penalised by referee Andrew Brace for not rolling away.

Despite Argentina then managing to find their feet in the game via decent possession and territory, they were floored on 15 minutes when loose play in the backline saw the ball come free and subsequently get regathered by Reinach.  The scrum-half speedster needed no second invitation as he ran in from distance.

With the score now 10-0 in favour of the Springboks, it was crucial that the Pumas struck next, which is what they did through the boot of fly-half Sanchez.  However, barely a minute later that penalty was overshadowed by South Africa’s second try as Jantjies’ low and flat cross-kick found Fassi who made it 15-3.

Unfortunately that was the last of the tries in the opening period as the remainder of the half was all about the goal-kickers, first Jantjies knocking over from in front on 24 minutes before Sanchez responded on 35 minutes.  Both kickers would strike again in the closing stages, sending the two teams in at 21-9.

That pattern would continue shortly after the resumption as Sanchez struck first on 44 minutes, this after Kwagga Smith was penalised for hands in the ruck.  But, once again, the response would come and Jantjies made no mistake moments later following a scrum offence from Argentina’s back-pedalling forwards.

The contest was quickly becoming increasingly fragmented as errors marred the next 15 minutes, Frans Steyn missing a penalty from halfway one notable moment.

Jantjies would make no such mistake from in front on 59 minutes to make it 27-12, this after a high tackle from Rodrigo Bruni was spotted by the match officials.

The game’s try drought looked to have finally ended 12 minutes later when, following sustained pressure from the Springboks in the Pumas’ 22, Reinach’s pass found Fassi for a run-in.  However, the TMO intervened after spotting hooker Malcolm Marx crawling which subsequently saw the wing’s second score chalked off.

But world champions South Africa would get their third try moments before the final whistle when replacement and debutant Hendrikse finished smartly in the right-hand corner after a solid carry from Marco van Staden.  The race for the bonus-point then ensued but the Boks did not come close to threatening again.