Wales bounce back with gritty win over Scotland

Wales bounced back from last weekend’s heavy defeat to Ireland after they beat Scotland 20-17 in their Six Nations clash in Cardiff on Saturday.

In a fixture that did not live up to its billing, entertaining moments were lacking as Wales ground out a victory that derails Scotland’s Grand Slam hopes.

Wales’ points came via a try from prop Tomas Francis while fly-half Dan Biggar celebrated his 100th cap with a 15-point haul that included a drop-goal.

For Scotland, Darcy Graham crossed early and the remainder of their points were added by Finn Russell off the tee as their Six Nations hopes were dented.

Scotland do still remain in the title hunt ahead of hosting France in two weeks – when Wales tackle England at Twickenham – yet there will be a huge sense of frustration that Gregor Townsend’s team could not get the job done.

There will be an anxious wait for Wales, though, surrounding flanker Taine Basham, who escaped sanction for a shoulder-led challenge on Scotland’s Sam Skinner, but could yet attract the citing commissioner’s attention.

Wales showed four changes from their Dublin defeat, including a Test debut for Ospreys flanker Jac Morgan and wing Alex Cuthbert making his first Six Nations appearance since 2017.

Scotland had five switches of personnel, with Exeter’s Skinner replacing an injured Jamie Ritchie at blindside flanker, while Townsend also fielded a new front-row and lock Grant Gilchrist won his 50th cap.

The visitors made a bright start, with number eight Matt Fagerson and hooker Stuart McInally prominent, but Wales counter-attacked from their own 22 through a thrilling Owen Watkin break, then Biggar kicked a fifth-minute penalty from 40 metres.

Biggar doubled Wales’ advantage three minutes later, booting a second penalty following more impressive Wales phase-play, and Scotland were rocked back on their heels.

But they responded impressively, helped by a strong Duhan van der Merwe run, then Russell floated a pinpoint long pass to Graham, who finished in the corner for an outstanding try.

Russell missed the conversion before landing a short-range penalty, and it looked as if Scotland had weathered an early storm as they moved 8-6 ahead.

Another successful Russell penalty gave Wales further food for thought as rain fell steadily, only for Biggar to complete his penalty hat-trick and put his team back to two points adrift.

Russell followed suit through his own penalty treble, yet Scotland then experienced a testing few minutes as number eight Fagerson went off injured then Wales hit them with a try.

Biggar opted to kick a penalty to the corner rather than for goal and Wales drove the resulting lineout to impressive effect, allowing Francis a simple touchdown that levelled things up at 14-14.

Townsend sent on a trio of front-row replacements just five minutes into the second period, and Russell’s fourth penalty put Scotland back in front with 30 minutes left.

Biggar and impressive full-back Liam Williams gave Wales injury scares, but they both continued after treatment and Cuthbert went close to scoring a try before another Biggar penalty levelled the game again.

Scotland suffered a second injury blow midway through the half when substitute prop Rory Sutherland departed, then Russell was sin-binned after Cuthbert was inches away from a corner touchdown.

Before the Scots could regroup, Biggar rewarded a spell of pressure with a drop-goal, before he was joined on the pitch by substitute Jonathan Davies, who also clocked up a century of Wales and Lions Tests.

Scotland threw everything at Wales during the closing minutes, but the hosts were not to be denied.

Gabin Villiere hat-trick helps France to victory over Italy

Championship favourites France got their Six Nations campaign off to a winning start as they sealed a 37-10 victory over a stubborn Italy side.

It was not the most auspicious of performances from Les Bleus, especially in the opening half-hour, but they eventually pulled away.

The Azzurri gave it a real go and stunned the Stade de France early on when 19-year-old Tommaso Menoncello touched down, but the hosts hit back and eventually emerged with a comfortable win.

Anthony Jelonch benefited from an Italian mistake to move the French in front before Gabin Villiere gave Fabien Galthie’s men an 18-10 advantage at the break.

In difficult conditions, mistakes continued to pervade their play in the second period but brilliantly worked tries for Villiere, who completed his hat-trick, and Damian Penaud secured the triumph.

France got on the board first through Melvyn Jaminet’s early penalty, but Italy were making the most of some ill-discipline from the hosts.

Their reward came in the 17th minute when Paolo Garbisi kicked towards the corner and debutant Menoncello grabbed the ball to cross.

That quietened the Paris crowd momentarily but France hit back eight minutes later as Jelonch intercepted a pass from Gloucester scrum-half Stephen Varney and raced 20 metres for the try.

After the two sides traded penalties and the lead, France struck again on the brink of half-time – swift passing through the middle left Jaminet and Villiere two on one, and Jaminet set up his team-mate before kicking the conversion to give the hosts an 18-10 lead at the break.

With breathing space, France looked slightly more assured when the teams re-emerged.

Jonathan Danty was stopped just short of the line two minutes into the second half, but it was only a temporary reprieve for Italy.

Five minutes later Gregory Alldritt fed Villiere who raced into the corner to give the hosts a 23-10 lead.

The bonus-point was confirmed as the game moved into the final 10 minutes, with Penaud exchanging passes with Antoine Dupont before touching down, with Jaminet adding the extras.

And there was just time for Villiere to complete his treble at the death, taking a short pass from Yoram Moefana to slide in and complete France’s first Six Nations hat-trick since Vincent Clerc in 2008.

Scotland edge past England in Murrayfield thriller

Scotland produced a superb defensive display to start their Six Nations campaign in outstanding fashion following a narrow 20-17 victory over England.

Gregor Townsend’s men were on the back foot for much of the first half but still went into the break 10-6 ahead thanks to Ben White’s try and Finn Russell’s penalty.

Marcus Smith kicked a pair of three-pointers for the visitors and then added another early in the second period to reduce the arrears to 10-9.

Smith then scored a try to take the Red Rose in front before he kicked a fourth penalty to put the visitors in control.

That was until a moment of madness from Luke Cowan-Dickie, who intentionally knocked the ball into touch, which led to a penalty try and yellow card.

With their opponents down to 14 men, the home side took advantage and Russell’s three-pointer proved to be decisive as they retained the Calcutta Cup.

There was a familiar look to the Scotland side, with 13 of the starting XV from the 2021 Six Nations victory in France last March selected by Gregor Townsend to face the Auld Enemy.

England, without key trio Owen Farrell, Courtney Lawes and Manu Tuilagi through injury, sent out a relatively inexperienced side, captained for the first time by 23-year-old Sale back-rower Tom Curry.

It had been a wet and blustery day in Edinburgh, but conditions subsided slightly by the time kick-off arrived.

England enjoyed a strong start, forcing Scotland on to the back foot for much of the opening 10 minutes, but they were unable to get any points on the board to show for it.

The Scots suffered what appeared to be a blow in the 12th minute when Ali Price had to go off for a head injury assessment, paving the way for London Irish scrum-half Ben White to enter the fray for his debut.

England eventually got the breakthrough their early dominance deserved in the 17th minute when Smith kicked a penalty from a central position after Jonny Gray was penalised for pulling in.

However, Scotland, who had barely been in the game as an attacking force, responded just a minute later by taking a quick lineout on the right, allowing Darcy Graham to jink his way forward before laying it on a plate for debutant White to dart clear and edge the hosts in front.  Russell made no mistake with the conversion.

After a remarkable cameo, the try-scorer left the field in the 24th minute to make way for the return of Price to the action following his Head Injury Assessment.

Despite holding the initiative on the scoreboard, Scotland continued to spend much of the first half absorbing pressure and making tackles.

On the half hour, the hosts were fortunate to see a cross-field pass from Smith sail just over the head of Slade, who would have had a free run to the line wide on the right.  Two minutes later, the Scots pulled off some defiant defensive work to hold England up over the line.

Smith reduced the deficit to one point with a penalty in the 34th minute after Scotland’s Jamie Ritchie was penalised for using his hands in a ruck.

But in the last action of the half, Russell kicked another penalty to ensure the Scots, who had been outplayed in all departments, somehow went in at the interval with a four-point advantage.

England made a strong start to the second period and got within a point again when Smith kicked another penalty in the 48th minute.

Smith continued his one-man mission to turn the game in England’s favour when he ran on to an offload from Ben Youngs and touched down to put his side in front in the 53rd minute.  The Harlequins fly-half blotted his copybook slightly when he missed the conversion.

In the 63rd minute, Smith kicked his fourth penalty of the match to put England seven points in front and seemingly on course for victory.

But, incredibly, the hosts drew level with a 64th-minute penalty try after Cowan-Dickie was deemed to have knocked on Russell’s crossfield pass as he batted the ball out of play volleyball style.

The Englishman was duly sin-binned and Scotland capitalised on their extra-man advantage as Russell won the game with a 72nd-minute penalty.

Four-try Ireland blow Wales away in Dublin

Ireland got their Six Nations campaign off to an outstanding start as they thrashed a disappointing Wales 29-7 in Dublin on Saturday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was a one-sided affair with Ireland dominating for long periods and they eventually outscored their opponents by four tries to none with Andrew Conway leading the way with two five-pointers.  Their other points came through tries from Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose while captain Johnny Sexton succeeded with three conversions and a penalty.

For Wales, Taine Basham scored a try and Callum Sheedy added a conversion.

Having gone through a transitional phase under head coach Andy Farrell, 2018 Grand Slam champions Ireland are beginning to look the real deal again after an outstanding autumn, which included glory against New Zealand.

Supporters returned for a Six Nations fixture for the first time in 699 days following the easing of coronavirus restrictions.

Ahead of kick-off, the 51,700 in attendance fell silent in memory of former Ireland and Lions captain Tom Kiernan, who died on Thursday at the age of 83.

Diminished Wales had a decent share of the crowd but had travelled across the Irish Sea with a lengthy absentee list, which included the most-recent Lions skipper Alun Wyn Jones.

The loss of almost 700 caps of experience was apparent from the outset.

Debutant Mack Hansen – the sole newcomer in a fairly-settled Ireland starting XV – made an instant impact to instigate the third-minute opener.

After accelerating clear to start the initial move, the United Rugby Championship’s leading try scorer teed up Connacht team-mate Aki to dive over unchallenged in the left corner.

Wayne Pivac’s visitors upset the odds to win a 28th championship in 2021 but struggled to gain a foothold in the game.

Only some wayward kicking from fly-half Sexton, who converted Aki’s score before missing a couple of penalties in the testing conditions, prevented them falling further behind against commanding opposition.

Wales – captained by Dan Biggar for the first time – were 10-0 behind by the time they finally gained some meaningful territory after Ireland skipper Sexton made it third time lucky.

Yet they were unable to force a penalty during an opening period of relentlessly physical rugby and would have been grateful to still be in touching distance at the break.

The one-way traffic continued after the restart as Wales’ task rapidly became more difficult.

Quick ball deep inside the visitors’ 22 culminated in Sexton spraying a pass out to winger Conway, who held off a last-ditch tackle from stand-in Wales centre Josh Adams to scramble the ball over the line.

Sexton, who nailed the tricky conversion from the right flank, received on-field treatment minutes later following a hefty collision, which resulted in a yellow card for Adams.

Ireland swiftly made the most of their numerical advantage as Conway strolled in for his second to put the result beyond doubt, with Sexton maintaining his perfect conversion record.

Wales were in damage limitation mode but powerless to resist a home side in full flow.

Ringrose stretched the lead in the 60th minute with arguably the try of the game, weaving beyond a series of red jerseys to gleefully dot down.

Wales eased their embarrassment slightly with around five minutes to go as Dragons flanker Basham pounced on a loose ball to charge under the posts, with Callum Sheedy adding the simple conversion.

But the day undoubtedly belonged to Ireland as their emphatic victory avenged defeat in Cardiff in last year’s opener.

The impressive progress of Farrell’s men will be severely tested during next weekend’s trip to pre-tournament favourites France, while the Welsh will look for a response at home to Scotland.

Ireland rack up record victory over Argentina

Seven tries from Ireland’s forward pack helped them to an impressive 53-7 win over Argentina in their Autumn Nations Series clash in Dublin.

Back-row Josh van der Flier scored twice as the Irish wrapped up a fruitful end-of-year campaign in style at the Aviva Stadium.

Fellow forwards Andrew Porter, Caelan Doris, Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy and Tadhg Beirne also claimed tries to help Andy Farrell’s men stretch their unbeaten run to eight games.

Meanwhile, the exceptional Joey Carbery ― filling in for injured skipper Johnny Sexton ― backed up his match-winning cameo in last weekend’s stunning success over New Zealand by kicking 18 points.

Los Pumas have history of upsetting Ireland following three shock wins at World Cups but faded fast from a promising start as their record of never having won at the Aviva Stadium continued.

Mateo Carreras’ early try was all Mario Ledesma’s men had to show from a difficult afternoon, while lock Tomas Lavanini was dismissed 20 minutes from time for a dangerous challenge on Irish replacement Ryan Baird.

The visitors’ hopes of avoiding a 14th defeat of a difficult calendar year were not helped by a bizarre spell of first-half profligacy during which Emiliano Boffelli somehow squandered two simple penalties and Carreras was denied a second score by an unexpected fumble.

England seal epic victory over the Springboks

England’s resurgence under Eddie Jones continued after they edged out South Africa 27-26 in a tightly contested Autumn Nations Series Test at Twickenham on Saturday.

Marcus Smith knocked over the crucial points with 90 seconds remaining to prevent the Springboks from completing a comeback win on an afternoon of high drama.

Jones’ charges overcame the early loss of centre Manu Tuilagi, who was injured while claiming the first try, to build a 17-6 lead with Freddie Steward also going over.

South Africa showed resilience in the face of the storm, doggedly defending their line and relying on Handre Pollard’s boot knowing they had won their last three games despite trailing at half-time.

At times England looked willing victims as they gave away penalty after penalty and with their lead eroded by Pollard, they seemed increasingly powerless to stop the momentum shift.

For much of the second half they were entrenched inside their 22, fighting hard for every yard and Pollard eventually kicked the Springboks ahead in the 64th minute.

Defences had reigned but in the space of four minutes they were momentarily shredded as Raffi Quirke and Makazole Mapimpi exchanged slick tries to usher in a nerve shredding final 10 minutes.

Francois Steyn booted a penalty but South Africa saw captain Siya Kolisi sent to the sin-bin for the last five minutes and England pounced through 22-year-old fly-half Smith when the Springboks were penalised for going off their feet.

For all the pre-match focus on the threat coming from the world champions’ set-piece they came off worse at two scrums and then a line-out, providing an early platform for England to attack.

Smith and Henry Slade, who pushed Steward hard for the man of the match award, created the space for Tuilagi to charge into the corner but it was a bitter-sweet moment as the Sale centre was injured and he hobbled off, his afternoon over.

Jonny May invited pressure on to his team by making two glaring mistakes close to his line, but once the danger has been dealt with England used a scrum to launch a fresh attack with Slade floating the ball long to Max Malins.

Using his speed, Malins almost reached the line and once May had carried, Ben Youngs sent Steward over from short range with two tacklers unable to stop his powerful surge.

Three penalties from Pollard kept South Africa in the hunt and they were encouraged by England’s lapses in discipline as the lead deteriorated to just 17-12 as the half-hour mark passed.

But only the hosts posed a threat with the ball in hand as they threatened in the 22 time and again with Slade and Malins influential.

Repeated interventions from referee Andrew Brace sent them scuttling backwards, however, and when Smith shanked a drop-goal another attack had amounted to nothing.

Four minutes into the second half the Bomb Squad came on and for the first time South Africa ignited as Kolisi marauded down the touchline.

The tables were being turned as Pollard missed the posts twice and England conceded scrum penalties, but the Springboks now had the wind between their sails.

Pollard successfully readjusted his sights to slash the deficit to two points and only desperate defending over the line prevented South Africa’s increasingly influential maul from breaching the whitewash.

The Springboks took the lead for the first time through Pollard but England’s midfield conjured a moment of magic when Slade put Joe Marchant through a gap and Quirke was on hand to take the scoring pass.

Will Stuart was sin-binned for going in at the side and South Africa constructed an impressive try finished by Mapimpi.

Steyn was on target to put the tourists back in front but with Kolisi off, England rallied heroically with Smith landing the killer blow.

France end 14-game losing run against All Blacks in style

New Zealand suffered back-to-back defeats in the Autumn Nations Series as they were beaten 40-25 by a superb France side in Paris on Saturday.

The All Blacks, who were seeking an immediate response to last week’s 29-20 defeat to Ireland, trailed 24-6 at half-time as a clinical French side took complete control at the Stade de France.

However, three tries in 12 minutes after the interval – from Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane and Ardie Savea – saw New Zealand close to within two points of their hosts at 27-25, as well as becoming the first team in Test match history to score 100 tries in a single season.

At that point French hopes of a first win over the three-time Rugby World Cup winners since 2009 looked to be fading fast, but an incident in the 63rd minute saw the pendulum swing back their way.

Savea was sin-binned to reduce New Zealand to 14 men and France took full advantage with Melvyn Jaminet slotting over the resulting penalty before Damian Penaud broke away for an interception try.

At 37-25 down, there was no way back for New Zealand and France, who had seen Peato Mauvaka score twice either side of Romain Ntamack’s try in a dominant first-half display, wrapped up a memorable win with Jaminet’s late penalty.

Wales leave it late to edge the Wallabies

Rhys Priestland slotted a penalty after the siren had sounded as Wales snatched a dramatic 29-28 victory over Australia in a thrilling Test in Cardiff on Saturday.

Substitute Priestland’s penalty with the final kick of a frantic game thwarted the Wallabies and sent a 68,000 Principality Stadium crowd wild.

Australia number eight Rob Valetini was sent off after just 15 minutes for a dangerous tackle on Wales lock Adam Beard.

Beard played no further part in the game as a result, but Wales were pushed to the wire and outscored three-two on tries by a resilient Wallabies outfit.

Hooker Ryan Elias and centre Nick Tompkins scored tries for Wales, yet it was fly-half Dan Biggar’s goalkicking that proved the difference, as he amassed 16 points through four penalties and two conversions, until Priestland struck.

Australia, desperate for a win following losses to Scotland and England, made Wales fight every inch of the way despite the numerical disadvantage, as wings Andrew Kellaway and Filipo Daugunu touched down, with scrum-half Nic White also scoring.

James O’Connor booted two penalties and two conversions, yet his conversion attempt of Daugunu’s late score hit the post, and Wales could breathe a huge sigh of relief, despite Kurtley Beale’s 78th-minute penalty.

Wales centre Uilisi Halaholo featured for a first start of the autumn campaign, while wing Josh Adams, prop Tomas Francis and number eight Aaron Wainwright all recovered from injuries.

But the Wallabies were without 118 times-capped skipper Michael Hooper because of a foot injury, so prop James Slipper led the side.

Australia made a dream start, going ahead after just three minutes as they scored a try from their first attack.

Powerful prop Taniela Tupou charged into space and put Wales on the back foot, before centre Hunter Paisami’s cleverly-placed kick allowed wing Kellaway a simple finish, and O’Connor converted.

Biggar opened Wales’ account through a fifth-minute penalty, yet Tupou continued to make his presence felt by having an instant dominant impact in the scrums.

The Wallabies then suffered a huge blow when Valetini was sent off.

His head-on-head high challenge floored Beard, who went off, and referee Mike Adamson had no option but to brandish a red card.

Ben Carter went on for Beard, and Australia were left to play more than a hour with 14 men, although the Wallabies led 10-6 after Biggar and O’Connor exchanged penalties.

It was the sixth time in 12 Tests this year that Wales had seen a player sent off against them.

Australia’s woes continued when Beale received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, giving Wales a temporary two-man advantage.

And they immediately punished Australia when scrum-half Tomos Williams broke from a lineout and sent Elias over for a try that Biggar converted.

O’Connor put Australia level through his second penalty, but Wales held the upper hand as half-time approached and Biggar completed a penalty hat-trick that made it 16-13 at the break.

Wales extended their lead eight minutes into the second half as Tompkins interrupted an Australian move when the ball bounced off him, and he gathered possession to sprint away unopposed.

Biggar kicked the conversion, yet Wales were then forced into a change when wing Louis Rees-Zammit limped off and was replaced by Johnny McNicholl.

Australia continued to push hard in the game, but Wales appeared to hold all the aces midway through the third quarter, despite seeing substitute Gareth Thomas sin-binned for a reckless challenge.

It was poor discipline by the Ospreys forward, and offered Australia a glimmer of hope at a time in the game when Wales should have been looking to press the accelerator.

And the Wallabies struck on the hour-mark when White finished off a sweeping move, and O’Connor’s conversion cut the deficit to just three points.

Biggar, though, restored a degree of order by booting a 64th-minute penalty, and Wales led 26-20 before late drama unfolded, Australia briefly led, then Priestland grabbed the glory.

Try record for Stuart Hogg as Scotland hold off Japan

Stuart Hogg became Scotland’s record try scorer as he helped lead his side to a 29-20 win over Japan in their Autumn Nations Series clash at Murrayfield.

The full-back had moved level with Ian Smith and Tony Stanger on 24 tries for Scotland when he scored a brace against South Africa last weekend, and his first-half crossing against the Brave Blossoms took him out on his own on a day when he also became the Scots’ fourth most capped player.

The win means Gregor Townsend’s outfit have won three out of four Tests in their Autumn Nations Series and ended a largely progressive 2021 on a high note.

The Scots made a positive start when Duhan van der Merwe collected the ball following a rolling maul and pushed his way over in the left corner, with Finn Russell’s conversion attempt coming back off the post.

Japan notched their first points of the match in the 11th minute as Rikiya Matsuda kicked a close-range penalty after Scotland were penalised for using hands illegally in a ruck.

The hosts gave away too many penalties throughout, and they had a let-off in the 15th minute when Matsuda sent his kick agonisingly wide of the posts from a tight angle after Chris Harris did not roll away after a tackle.

The Scots were not so fortunate in the 26th minute when they once again failed to roll away, and Matsuda made no mistake in launching his penalty between the sticks from a central position, edging the Brave Blossoms in front.

A minute later, however, Hogg took a pass from Russell and darted over the line, punching the air in delight before touching down for his record-breaking try.  Russell did the honours with the conversion.

In the last action of the first half, the Scots were on the scoreboard again when Darcy Graham received a pass from Russell wide on the right and stepped inside two Japanese defenders before dotting down over the line.  Russell duly converted to give the hosts a commanding 19-6 lead at the break.

The second half got off to a bad start for Scotland as Jamie Bhatti, making his first start in more than two years, was sent to the sin-bin in the 42nd minute for not rolling away.  Matsuda successfully kicked his penalty from in front of the posts.

Japan reduced their arrears further in the 46th minute when Matsuda booted his fourth penalty of the afternoon after Scotland were called for offside.

Scotland reasserted themselves in the 54th minute when Stuart McInally, who had just entered the pitch as a replacement for George Turner, forced his way over from a lineout on the left.  Russell kicked the conversion.

Japan were not finished, however, and Tevita Tatafu brought them back into contention with their first try of the match in the 64th minute after the Scots failed to deal with a lineout.  Matsuda, from a great position just to the right of the sticks, sliced his conversion attempt wide.

Matsuda was given another penalty opportunity from an almost identical position eight minutes later and this time he made no mistake, bringing Japan within a converted try of victory.

Any Scottish nerves were eased in the 79th minute, however, when Russell despatched a penalty to effectively seal victory against a Japan side who had ended their World Cup dream a little over two years previously.

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.