France maintain Grand Slam hopes after win over Wales

France kept their Grand Slam dreams alive but it proved to be a huge struggle as they narrowly overcame Wales 13-9 at the Principality Stadium on Friday.

Les Bleus now go into their final game against England with a huge chance of claiming their first Six Nations title and Grand Slam since 2010.

Fabien Galthie’s men were given a massive fright, however, as the Welsh produced a resilient display and almost snatched the win.

The hosts simply lacked the power and quality to breach France’s impressive defence, with the visitors making several key turnovers.

In the end, Anthony Jelonch’s try and eight points from the boot of Melvyn Jaminet sealed the win.

Dan Biggar kept Wales in contention with three penalties but it wasn’t enough and Wayne Pivac’s charges fell to their third defeat of the competition.

Wales boss Pivac made four changes from the side beaten by England last time out, with fit-again Josh Navidi, fellow flanker Seb Davies, prop Gareth Thomas and centre Jonathan Davies called up.

Nick Tompkins missed out due to concussion, and there was no place in the matchday 23 for back-row prospect Taine Basham.  France, meanwhile, showed a solitary switch as wing Gabin Villiere replaced Damian Penaud, who was sidelined after testing positive for Covid-19.

France were quickest out of the traps, with skipper Antoine Dupont immediately testing Wales’ defence before Jaminet kicked a third-minute penalty after Navidi drifted offside.

Wales were level two minutes later, though, as a 40-metre Biggar penalty punished French obstruction.

But France were quickly back in charge when Jelonch rounded off a flowing move to touch down after Les Bleus initially looked like they had blown the chance when Villiere ignored an unmarked Dupont alongside him.

Jaminet converted and Wales also lost scrum-half Tomos Williams, who was removed from the field by medical staff after suffering a head injury.

A second Biggar penalty narrowed the gap, then Wales saw prop Gareth Thomas go off for a head injury assessment, with Wyn Jones joining the action.

Given the level of disruption, Wales regrouped strongly, threatening through number eight Taulupe Faletau and wing Alex Cuthbert to give France plenty to think about.

Thomas rejoined the action and Wales continued pressing, being handed a strong attacking platform after Biggar launched a 60-metre touch-finder.

Wales were on top as the interval approached, and Biggar completed his penalty hat-trick, making it 10-9 at half-time and setting up an engrossing second period.

Jaminet opened the second-half scoring when he landed a short-range penalty, but Wales then drove a close-range line-out after a brilliant Biggar kick, only for hooker Ryan Elias to be held up over the line.

France were unquestionably flustered, and Wales continued to hassle them, moving into the final quarter on top in terms of territory.

At times, it was backs to the wall for Les Bleus, yet the defensive structure given to them by their former Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards survived considerable scrutiny.

Pivac and his France counterpart Galthie rang the changes, but it was the home side who maintained momentum, keeping their opponents under pressure as the clock ticked down.

Wales, despite unremitting efforts, could not find a way through, and French relief was palpable as they kicked the ball out of play to set up next week’s enticing Paris spectacle.

Ireland ease to victory over 13-man Italy

Ireland sealed their second victory of this year’s Six Nations with a 57-6 triumph over Italy, but the game was ruined when the visitors were reduced to 13-men following Hame Faiva’s red card.

After an early injury to Gianmarco Lucchesi, Faiva was brought onto the field, but he was then sent off for a dangerous tackle 10 minutes later.

With no other hooker in the squad, it meant the teams had to go to uncontested scrums and for the Azzurri to lose another man.

In what was an already difficult task for the visitors, it effectively ended their chances of upsetting the odds and the Irish duly eased to a comfortable win.

James Lowe and debutant Michael Lowry scored a brace each, while Joey Carbery, Jamison Gibson-Park, Peter O’Mahony, Ryan Baird and Kieran Treadwell also went over.

Penalties from Edoardo Padovani and Paolo Garbisi were scant consolation for the depleted Italians as they slipped to a 100th Six Nations defeat and 35th in succession.

Ireland fly-half Carbery – making a second-successive start in the number 10 jersey – kicked two conversions, with replacement Johnny Sexton adding a further eight points as Andy Farrell’s men bounced back from their 30-24 defeat in France a fortnight ago.

Les Bleus remain in pole position for championship glory as the only team still with Grand Slam aspirations remaining.

But this routine nine-try victory – secured in unusual circumstances – keeps up the pressure on Fabien Galthie’s table-toppers ahead of Ireland’s Twickenham showdown with fellow title hopefuls England in just under two weeks.

An Irish team showing six personnel changes from the pulsating loss in Paris raced ahead inside four minutes.

Hooker Dan Sheehan, on his first Test start, was heavily involved, teeing up Carbery to crawl over the line for only his second international try on the occasion of his 30th cap.

Following the raucous atmosphere of the Stade de France, a sold-out Aviva Stadium was far more subdued.

Padovani’s long-range penalty put Italy on the scoreboard but the match swiftly deviated from the norm when New Zealand-born Faiva ploughed into the head of Sheehan.

That flashpoint came just 10 minutes after the early exit of the stricken Lucchesi.

Ireland quickly took advantage of the numerical advantage, with Gibson-Park diving over.

Fleet-footed Lowry, who excited the crowd all day, was then mobbed by the entire Irish team after crossing on a dream debut, before skipper O’Mahony marked his first Six Nations start since being sent off against Wales last year by diving over in the left corner to secure the bonus point.

Garbisi’s boot doubled Italy’s tally just before the half-time whistle but Kieran Crowley’s men faced a thankless task.

Ireland’s Lowe, back in action after injury saw him miss the opening two rounds, reinforced the difficulty of the Azzurri mission by dotting down unopposed seven minutes into the second period.

Star man Lowry again brought spectators to their feet with his second, before lock Baird celebrated his maiden Six Nations start by charging down Alessandro Fusco’s attempted clearance to gleefully dive over.

Things went from bad to worse for the beleaguered Italians late on.

They finished the encounter with just 12 men as Braam Steyn was sin-binned five minutes from time for deliberately knocking the ball into touch, before Lowry unselfishly passed up the chance of a hat-trick by providing the assist for Lowe’s second.

England and Scotland will provide far sterner tests for Farrell’s men in the coming weeks but a professional job here was completed by replacement Treadwell crashing over in the final moments on his first Test appearance for more than four years.

Marcus Smith kicks England to victory over Wales

Marcus Smith scored six penalties as England maintained their Six Nations title hopes following a 23-19 triumph over Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.

Wayne Pivac’s men were poor in the first half, conceding a string of penalties and seeing Liam Williams sin-binned for a cynical infringement, and they were punished by Smith.

The fly-half scored four penalties in the opening period before his Harlequins team-mate Alex Dombrandt extended their buffer to 17 points after the break.

To the visitors’ credit, they responded and reduced the arrears to 17-12 thanks to tries from Josh Adams and Nick Tompkins, but two more Smith three-pointers sealed the win for England, despite Kieran Hardy’s late consolation for Wales.

For a second successive match Smith was named man of the match and apart from his 18-point haul, his repeated attempts to ignite a laboured attack caught the eye.

England revealed their reshuffled backline shortly before kick-off and into the void created by Manu Tuilagi’s hamstring strain stepped Elliot Daly, with Henry Slade moving to inside centre.

But for most of the first half, play bypassed the midfield altogether as Smith’s two early penalties set the tone for the scoring until the interval.

Alex Cuthbert quickly emerged as Wales’ most potent threat as he bulldozed a path through several white shirts but his side were being whistled out of contention by referee Mike Adamson, who had earlier chalked off a Tomos Williams tap-and-go try for not being taken from the right mark.

England were almost over in the 20th minute but Charlie Ewels fells just short of the line and Liam Williams was sent to the sin-bin for illegally dislodging the ball from the Bath lock’s hands.

Play slowed to a snail’s pace as the home scrum looked for the breakthrough until Kyle Sinckler, who was winning his 50th cap, was eventually penalised.

Luke Cowan-Dickie’s afternoon was over, damaging his right leg and while England were quickly back on the offensive the match continued its scruffy trajectory with Cuthbert’s barnstorming runs the highlight of a lifeless first half.

A third Smith penalty extended the lead but neither side seemed capable of seizing control as Welsh attempts to get their attack firing merely saw them shuffle sideways across the pitch.

Smith desperately tried to inject some pace into the game and after two half-breaks, his team responded with their most incisive attack that ended with their fly-half finding the posts.

England began the second half with the same intent and they were rewarded with their only try, although they needed a helping hand from a terrible line-out throw by Ryan Elias.

The ball sailed high over Wales’ jumpers and fell into the arms of Dombrandt who accelerated towards the line, rode a tackle from Cuthbert and touched down with an outstretched arm.

Stung into action, the champions responded with a sustained period of attack that ended when Williams brilliantly fed Adams who exposed the stranded Slade to score with a turn of pace.

Wales were now in full flow as they broke from deep inside their own half, their backs switching on the afterburners to devastating effect.

Attention turned to their pack as they battered away at the line, led by Taulupe Faletau, and with a lengthy overlap created Tompkins was able to muscle over with Biggar converting.

England’s position looked increasingly precarious but Ben Youngs came on for a record 115th cap and Smith calmed the tension with successive penalties.

Hardy touched down with seconds to spare to set up a grandstand finish before Wales’ search for the match-winning try ended when they were penalised to effectively extinguish their Six Nations hopes.

France show their class as they hammer Scotland

France took another ominous step towards a Six Nations Grand Slam as they eased past Scotland at Murrayfield, winning 36-17 on Saturday.

Les Bleus scored six tries in all against their hosts as they exacted revenge over Scotland for their win in Paris last year, with this another big statement.

Paul Willemse, Yoram Moefana, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty and Damian Penaud (two) crossed the line while Melvyn Jaminet added three conversions.

For Scotland their tries came via Rory Darge and Duhan van der Merwe in a disappointing showing as they were outclassed by an impressive France side.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, already without Jamie Ritchie, Rory Sutherland, Matt Fagerson and Jonny Gray through injury, lost another key man on the eve of the game after Hamish Watson tested positive for coronavirus.  His place in the XV was taken by Nick Haining, with Andy Christie added to the replacements.

France, backed by a large travelling support on a pleasant late-February afternoon, had Danty back from injury in the only change to the XV that started the victory over Ireland a fortnight previously.

Les Bleus had a great chance to get on the scoreboard in the sixth minute when they won a penalty right in front of the posts, but Jaminet was surprisingly off target with what looked a routine kick.

The breakthrough came for the visitors just two minutes later, however, when Willemse touched down at the end of a scintillating attack down the left flank led by captain Antoine Dupont.  This time Jaminet made no mistake with his kick.

Finn Russell got Scotland off the mark in the 11th minute with a penalty from right in front of the posts after France were penalised for offside.

But within two minutes the French stretched their advantage with another excellent try when Moefana went over the line after an offload by Cyril Baille, who did superbly to keep the attack alive.  Jaminet’s conversion attempt, from a tight angle wide on the right, drifted the wrong side of the posts.

The Scots enjoyed a good spell of pressure and Ali Price thought he had forced the ball down for a try in the 28th minute but the French were deemed to have kept the ball up after a TMO review.

The hosts were not be denied though.  Within seconds of play resuming just in front of the French try-line, Darge darted over after being played in by Price.  Russell was successful with the conversion.

Just as Scotland looked like they were gaining the initiative, Fickou extended the French lead in the last action of the first half with a stunning individual drive over the line, which was converted by Jaminet.

Things got worse for the home side two minutes into the second half when a kick downfield bounced kindly back into the path of Danty and left him with a free run at the line.  Jaminet once again added the extras.

This seemed to knock the stuffing out of Scotland and France added a fifth try just before the hour when Penaud went over on the right.  Jaminet missed his conversion.

Penaud then scored his second try of the match when he ran on to a cross-field kick from Romain Ntamack in the 74th minute, with the conversion attempt again unsuccessful.

Scotland got a late consolation when Van der Merwe went over the line but it was too little, too late on a day when they were emphatically outclassed.

Marcus Smith stars as England bounce back by beating Italy

England’s newest star Marcus Smith played a key role as they bounced back from a loss to Scotland and defeated Italy 33-0 at the Stadio Olimpico.

Smith scored the opener, set up Elliot Daly’s try with a bullet pass and controlled the game nicely for the opening 50 minutes before the Red Rose lost their intensity and allowed the hosts to gain a foothold.

Jamie George also went over twice, while Kyle Sinckler had the final word as the visitors completed a comfortable win.

Italy battled and, like against France, they defended much better in phase play than under Franco Smith but Kieran Crowley’s men failed to breach the English rearguard.

The story, however, was all about Smith.  Unlike at Murrayfield a week earlier when he was replaced in the 63rd minute to widespread puzzlement, there was no sign of George Ford arriving off the bench until late on and this time Joe Marchant made way.

Ben Youngs eventually joined him at half-back to equal Jason Leonard’s record as England’s most capped player on 114 appearances, with the round-three visit of Wales to Twickenham the likely setting for him to surpass the milestone.

But, having replaced the impressive Harry Randall, Youngs entered a team that were in the midst of losing their way as Italy discovered renewed purpose to spend long spells camped in opposition territory, albeit with little end product.

An England side showing six changes in personnel following their Calcutta Cup setback struggled to reimpose themselves, taking some gloss off the victory.

Italy defended manfully for stretches and it took resilience to hold out against a sustained attack on their line in the first half, but they were also wasteful with the chances they created.

They traditionally provide stiff opposition for an hour until eventually being worn down, but it took just nine minutes for England to get off the mark when Max Malins and Smith combined for the fly-half to score.

Smith was looking to run the ball at every opportunity, but Italy also produced flashes of danger and, had their passing been more accurate, in the 17th minute they would have been over.

Jack Nowell was involved in much of England’s best work but he failed an HIA following a tackle and was replaced by Daly.

Big carries from Nick Isiekwe and Maro Itoje shoved Italy’s pack backwards and, as the pressure built, George burrowed over from close range.

To underline the threat of complacency, wing Federico Mori escaped down the right and might have crossed had Smith not made his covering tackle, but England were soon back on top.

The maul had been an effective weapon against Scotland but an attempt to launch it on the half-hour mark proved unsuccessful before Itoje had a try chalked off for offside.

The first half finished with George using his strength to claim his second try but the damage was done by slick handling and a piercing run from Freddie Steward.

It began to look ominous for Italy as Randall weaved a path into space and their scrum conceded a penalty and, when England opted for the set-piece again, Smith flashed his classy long pass for Daly to score.

Wing Monty Ioane caused havoc in the visiting defence, showing real gas until he was well tackled by Steward who, as the last man, needed to get the hit right.

Ioane’s run launched a period of Azzurri dominance that England just could not shake off and even Smith made a mistake as he knocked on in contact, but a breakaway try from Sinckler eventually completed the Six Nations victory.

France march on as Ireland come up short in Paris

France made it two wins out of two in this year’s Six Nations after they overpowered Ireland in Paris, winning 30-24 at the Stade de France.

Off the back of their opening round victory over Italy, Les Bleus flexed their muscles to beat an Ireland side that had demolished Wales one week ago.

Tries from Antoine Dupont and Cyril Baille and the boot of Melvyn Jaminet saw France to the win, while Mack Hansen, Josh van der Flier and Jamison Gibson-Park crossed for Ireland.  Joey Carbery added nine points off the tee for the visitors in defeat.

Ireland arrived in the French capital having not been beaten since suffering defeat to France on this weekend last year but without the services of injured skipper Johnny Sexton.

Carbery filled in at fly-half to make his first Six Nations start, while lock James Ryan took on the captaincy.

Both sides began the tournament with bonus-point wins and pre-match talk was dominated by this being a potential early title decider.

While no Six Nations championship is won in round two, the game certainly lived up to the hype, launched by a breathless opening 10 minutes in which France flew out of the blocks.

Roared on by a passionate home crowd, live-wire Dupont dived over following a huge carry from Uini Atonio and fine offload from Romain Ntamack, with a conversion and penalty from Jaminet swiftly stretching the scoreboard to 10-0.

But Fabien Galthie’s hosts had no chance to enjoy their early cushion as Ireland immediately hit back.

Australia-born Hansen claimed his maiden Test try in bizarre fashion, racing forward to unexpectedly pluck Carbery’s restart kick out of the air and power over wide on the left in just the sixth minute.

Carbery – filling the sizeable boots of former Racing 92 player Sexton, who received jeers from the stands when he appeared on the big screen – coolly added a tricky conversion, his first of three.

Ireland went 53 minutes without conceding a penalty in brushing aside defending champions Wales last weekend in Dublin.

Faced with the formidable physicality of the French pack, Farrell’s men were being forced into far more mistakes on this occasion.

And their repeated indiscretions were proving expensive, with a further three Jaminet penalties putting the hosts 19-7 ahead at the break.

Full-back Jaminet landed a monster penalty kick from halfway just after the restart but Ireland were not about to roll over.

They responded with two converted tries in six minutes to reduce their deficit to a single point at 22-21.

Van der Flier broke off from a maul to touch down following an Irish lineout, before Gibson-Park – who was at fault during France’s rapid start – ghosted through the middle to cross under the posts.

Sensing a momentum shift, the home crowd raised the noise levels and their side duly responded.

Prop Baille bulldozed over to claim Les Bleus’ second try of the evening, with Jaminet’s only wayward kick of the game meaning the Irish were only six points behind.

A Carbery penalty then left proceedings finely poised going into the final seven minutes, with the tension on the terraces almost palpable.

But Irish resistance was fatally broken with three minutes to go, with the impressive Jaminet again at the heart of the action.

The Perpignan player was denied a try after replays showed he had not grounded properly under pressure from Dan Sheehan but recovered to slot another penalty.

Cheers of joy – mixed with some relief – greeted the final whistle as France ensured they are the sole team still in Grand Slam contention going into round three.

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.