Fiji claim famous win over the Wallabies to throw Pool C wide open

Fiji picked up their first victory of the 2023 Rugby World Cup as they claimed the scalp of the Wallabies, winning 22-15 at Stade Geoffroy Guichard on Sunday.

The famous win throws Pool C wide open as the islanders move on to six points, level with Australia and four behind Wales with two matches still to play.

A second-half try from Josua Tuisova as well as 14 points from the boot of Simione Kuruvoli and a Frank Lomani penalty saw Fiji to a crucial pool success.

For Australia this was a sobering loss as they were well beaten on the day, with Mark Nawaqanitawase and Suliasi Vunivalu's tries their only highlights.

This was Simon Raiwalui's team's first win over Australia since 1954 and it was hugely deserved as they dominated with and without the ball on Sunday.

Fiji were looking to bounce back from an agonising opening loss to Wales while the Wallabies had kicked off their Pool C campaign by seeing off Georgia.

Therefore the islanders knew it was pretty much win or bust in terms of their hopes of progressing to the knockouts, with a real drive evident early on.

Australia full-back Ben Donaldson was opportunistic early on and punished a Fiji high tackle when he converted the first opportunity of the game to give his side a 3-0 lead after three minutes.

The Pacific Islanders sought a response through scrum-half Kuruvoli, who tied the score before slotting another penalty to give his side a 6-3 lead after 20 minutes.

The first try of the game came in the 22nd minute through Nawaqanitawase.  The wing chased the long ball, took a quick lineout and combined with Samu Kerevi before he received the offload to add five more to to Australia's tally.

But the Wallabies' hard work started to unravel through ill-discipline and they started to concede needless penalties, much to the delight of Kuruvoli who added six more and the half ended 12-8 in favour of the Fijians.

Fiji extended their lead when Carter Gordon misjudged the bounce of a high ball which invited Tuisova to storm through and make it 19-8 in the 42nd minute.

Vunivalu went over late on for Australia after Fiji scored another penalty but it was not enough and they held on to complete a memorable 22-15 victory.

Fiji in the final? 👀#RWC2023 | #AUSvFIJ | @fijirugby pic.twitter.com/rhSTa9VWzv

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 17, 2023

The teams

Australia:  15 Ben Donaldson, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Nic White, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Richie Arnold, 4 Nick Frost, 3 James Slipper, 2 David Porecki, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Jordan Uelese, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Rob Leota, 21 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 22 Lalakai Foketi, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu

Fiji:  15 Ilaisa Droasese, 14 Jiuta Wainiqolo, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu (c), 12 Josua Tuisova, 11 Semi Radradra, 10 Teti Tela, 9 Simione Kuruvoli, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Levani Botia, 6 Lekima Tagitagivalu, 5 Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta, 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Luke Tagi, 2 Sam Matavesi, 1 Eroni Mawi
Replacements:  16 Tevita Ikanivere, 17 Peni Ravai, 18 Mesake Doge, 19 Temo Mayanavanua, 20 Albert Tuisue, 21 Frank Lomani, 22 Vilimoni Botitu, 23 Vinaya Habosi

Referee:  Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Chris Busby (Ireland)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Laboured England beat Japan to move a step closer to the quarter-finals

England made it two victories out of two in the 2023 Rugby World Cup as they overcame Japan on Sunday, winning 34-12 at Stade de Nice in the pool game.

It was far from pleasing on the eye but the Red Rose got the job done as they backed up their opening triumph over Argentina with a bonus-point success.

Tries from Lewis Ludlam, Courtney Lawes, Freddie Steward and a late crossing from Joe Marchant were added to by 14 points off the kicking tee from George Ford, but there was plenty of fortune in two of their scores especially in Nice.

For Japan this was their first loss in this year's tournament after beating Chile last weekend, with Rikiya Matsuda slotting all their points via four penalties.

Lawes' try came after the ball had taken a comical bounce off Joe Marler's head and while England celebrated their first World Cup tries since their 2019 semi-final victory over New Zealand, a madcap evening posed fresh questions.

Early in the second half they were booed by their own fans as they continued to kick the ball away at every opportunity, only to then throw the kitchen sink at enterprising opponents ranked 14th in the world.

The ambition paid off and with Ben Earl and Steward propelling them forward as well as impetus coming from Marcus Smith's arrival off the bench, they stormed out of sight.

After routing Argentina 27-14 with 14 men in their Pool D opener, they at least avoided a potential banana skin and with fixtures against Chile and Samoa to come, they are destined to reach the last eight.

The ball squirted around unpredictably because of the humidity and while Japan produced the more glaring mistakes in the first half ― including one costly line-out blunder ― they also adapted better in attack.

It took England half an hour to fire their first shots, launching Manu Tuilagi in midfield and Earl into the wall of red and white shirts, but until then they had displayed little endeavour.

Half-backs Ford and Alex Mitchell seemed content to continuously kick the ball away, perhaps convinced that the greasy conditions meant it was wiser to wait for Japan to make a mistake.

That is exactly what happened in the 25th minute when Ford steered a clever chip into the left corner and the underdogs botched the line-out, enabling Ludlam to pounce from short range.

All the ambition was being shown by Japan as they strung phases together, mixing up a handful of kicks with slick passing and cute running lines, although at times they were guilty of playing too much.

Full-back Semisi Masirewa had been lost to an innocuous injury in the eighth minute but with Matsuda kicking three penalties, they trailed just 13-9 at the interval.

The second half started at a ferocious pace, but the ball continued to slip out of the hands of players from both sides.

England's first instinct remained to kick, with Mitchell drawing boos when he booted the ball dead, but they were at least pinning Japan back in their own half and showing signs of building momentum.

Tension mounted as the Brave Blossoms escaped their own territory and claimed three more points from Matsuda, but when Earl went tearing down the right wing and the ball was recycled for Lawes to collect and score, their chances seemed to be fading.

Joe Marler's Mohawk, the playmaker England didn't know they needed. 😂#ENGvJPN #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/HgyOuN8PK3

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 17, 2023

Play swung from end to end and suddenly England were scrambling furiously, but Japan missed their chance and were made to pay when Steward caught Ford's kick and strolled over.  Marchant delivered the final blow in the closing moments.

The teams

England:  15 Freddie Steward, 14 Jonny May, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Lewis Ludlam, 7 Ben Earl, 6 Courtney Lawes (c), 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 Theo Dan, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 George Martin, 20 Billy Vunipola, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Ollie Lawrence

Japan:  15 Semisi Masirewa, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Tomoki Osada, 12 Ryoto Nakamura, 11 Jone Naikabula, 10 Rikiya Matsuda, 9 Yutaka Nagare, 8 Kazuki Himeno (c), 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Michael Leitch, 5 Amato Fakatava, 4 Jack Cornelsen, 3 Jiwon Gu, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Keita Inagaki
Replacements:  16 Atsushi Sakate, 17 Craig Millar, 18 Asaeli Ai Valu, 19 Warner Dearns, 20 Kanji Shimokawa, 21 Naoto Saito, 22 Dylan Riley, 23 Lomano Lemeki

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
Assistant Referees:  Nic Berry (RA), Andrea Piardi (FIR)
TMO:  Joy Neville (IRFU)

Clinical Boks cruise to one-sided win over hapless Romania in Bordeaux

The Springboks made a statement of intent as they produced a fine showing to cruise to a 76-0 bonus-point victory against Romania in their Rugby World Cup clash in Bordeaux on Sunday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was a one-sided affair as the defending world champions dominated from start to finish and eventually ran in 12 tries with Cobus Reinach and Makazole Mapimpi crossing for a hat-trick apiece.

Grant Williams (2), Damian Willemse, Deon Fourie, Willie le Roux also dotted down and they were also awarded a penalty try.

The Boks' other points came via five conversions from Willemse while Faf de Klerk also succeeded with a couple of two-pointers off the kicking tee.

The Boks started their rout as early as the third minute when Reinach broke off the back of a scrum on Romania's five-metre line before selling the defence a dummy on his way over the try-line.

Soon after, Mapimpi ran onto an inside pass from Le Roux and cantered in for an easy five-pointer and then Reinach got over for his second five-pointer after outpacing the cover defence, which meant South Africa were holding a comfortable 19-0 lead after just 10 minutes.

Two minutes later, Willemse bamboozled the Oaks with excellent footwork before crossing for his five-pointer and soon after Marco van Staden dotted down off the back of a lineout drive but his effort was disallowed by the TMO for obstruction in the build-up.

South Africa put that setback behind them and in the 24th minute Reinach went over for his third try with Willemse adding the extras to give the Boks a commanding 33-0 lead at half-time.

The #Springboks have made a statement with a big win in Bordeaux. Thanks for the game @RugbyRomania and good luck for the rest of your campaign🙌#StrongerTogether #RWC2023 #RSAvROM pic.twitter.com/gRKms2kzK5

― Springboks (@Springboks) September 17, 2023

The Boks continued to dominate after the interval and there were a first Test tries for Fourie ― shortly after he came on to replace captain Bongi Mbonambi at half-time ― and Williams midway through the half.

With the match in the bag, the Boks did not take their foot off the pedal and it was one-way traffic for this game.  In the 53rd minute, South Africa put great pressure on Romania at a scrum close to the try-line and referee Mathieu Raynal had no option but to award a penalty try.

Williams then got his name onto the scoresheet on the hour-mark, which brought up a half century of points, before Mapimpi went over for his second five-pointer shortly afterwards.

It was more of the same in the closing stages as Mapimpi went over for his third five-pointer in the 67th minute before Le Roux capped a fine display when he crossed for his try in the 74th minute which sealed an emphatic victory.

The teams

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Grant Williams, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Kwagga Smith, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi (c), 1 Ox Nche
Replacements:  16 Deon Fourie, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Jasper Wiese, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Faf de Klerk, 23 Jesse Kriel

Romania:  15 Marius Simionescu, 14 Tevita Manumua, 13 Jason Tomane, 12 Taylor Gontineac, 11 Nicholas Onutu, 10 Hinckley Vaovasa, 9 Gabriel Rupanu, 8 Cristian Chirica (c), 7 Vlad Neculau, 6 Andre Gorin, 5 Marius Iftimiciuc, 4 Adrian Motoc, 3 Alexandru Gordas, 2 Ovidiu Cojocaru, 1 Iulian Hartig
Replacements:  16 Robert Irimescu, 17 Alexandru Savin, 18 Thomas Cretu, 19 Stefan Iancu, 20 Damian Stratila, 21 Cristi Boboc, 22 Alin Conache, 23 Gabriel Pop

Referee:  Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees:  Angus Gardner (Australia), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (Australia)

Ireland throw down the gauntlet with statement demolition of Tonga

Ireland continued their fine start to the 2023 Rugby World Cup after they thrashed Tonga 59-16 at the Stade de la Beaujoire on Saturday.

Tougher tests await in South Africa and Scotland but on the evidence of their opening two matches, Andy Farrell's men look in fine shape.

Against a talented Pacific Island outfit ― on paper at least ― the European team were excellent, running in eight tries in total.

Johnny Sexton, on his second game back following injury and suspension, once again impressed and broke Ronan O'Gara's points record when he touched down after 38 minutes.

The fly-half also added four conversions and a penalty before he was replaced at the break, with Ross Byrne coming on to kick the extras to scores from James Lowe, Bundee Aki (twice) and Rob Herring.

Tadhg Beirne initially set the ball rolling, while Caelan Doris and Mack Hansen also crossed the whitewash in the first period.

The world's top-ranked nation comfortably maintained their 100 per cent start to the tournament and emerged relatively unscathed, moving towards pivotal Paris appointments with the Springboks and Scotland.

Despite the looming threat of the reigning world champions, head coach Andy Farrell named an extremely strong starting XV showing just four personnel changes from last weekend's thumping 12-try triumph over Romania.

His side, unfamiliar in white shirts, were once again heavily backed on the terraces and met Tonga's Sipi Tau by taking a collective step forward.

Sexton slotted an early penalty to increase the volume, but William Havili landed a long-range reply to level before Ireland were frustrated to have an Andrew Porter try disallowed for a knock-on by Hansen.

The disappointment proved to be fleeting as Farrell's men remained on the front foot, culminating in Beirne collecting Doris' pass and touching down under the posts for his third score of the tournament.

Havili landed another audacious penalty from close to halfway to cut Tonga's deficit, but their hopes of a first win over the Six Nations champions were swiftly reduced by costly indiscipline.

Lowe was clattered in his own 22 by opposing wing Solomone Kata, gifting Ireland a penalty at the other end of the field from which Doris powered over.

Hansen ― one of four men recalled by Farrell ― then superbly danced through the opposition defence wide on the right to stretch the scoreboard, leading to Sexton equalling O'Gara's previous national record.

Sexton overtook his former fly-half rival in memorable fashion to secure the bonus point.

🔥 RECORD BREAKING SCORE!

Johnny Sexton becomes Ireland's all-time leading points scorer! 🙌#RWC2023 #IREvTON pic.twitter.com/D0FSUEq0KK

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 16, 2023

The 38-year-old effortlessly slipping through Tonga's defence to touch down and then celebrated jubilantly with fans seated behind the posts before regaining his composure to add a simple conversion.

Ireland were threatening to blitz the stunned underdogs.

Yet Tonga roared back and, during a series of penalties close to the Irish line, O'Mahony was sin-binned before former All Black Vaea Fifita shrugged off an early injury issue to power over.

No one can stop him 💪#RWC2023 | #IREvTGA pic.twitter.com/mim4PNDpuK

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 16, 2023

Ireland changed their entire front-row at the break while wrapping Sexton in cotton wool.

Yet replacement tighthead prop Finlay Bealham departed for a head injury assessment after Havili kicked his third penalty of the evening, requiring the swift return of Tadhg Furlong before substitute hooker Herring had a try chalked off on review.

Lowe eventually claimed Ireland's fifth and official man-on-the-match Aki then propelled himself to the top of the tournament's embryonic try-scoring charts with a quick-fire brace, all converted by Sexton's replacement Ross Byrne.

Ireland were relatively untroubled in the second period, and Herring sealed another statement win ― a 15th in succession overall ― ahead of two critical fixtures in the French capital.

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton (c), 9 Conor Murray, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 James Ryan, 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Rob Herring, 17 David Kilcoyne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Ryan Baird, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Robbie Henshaw

Tonga:  15 Charles Piutau, 14 Afusipa Taumoepeau, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Solomone Kata, 10 William Havili, 9 Augustine Pulu, 8 Vaea Fifita, 7 Sione Talitui, 6 Tanginoa Halaifonua, 5 Halaleva Fifita, 4 Sam Lousi, 3 Ben Tameifuna (c), 2 Paula Ngauamo, 1 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi
Replacements:  16 Sam Moli, 17 Tau Koloamatangi, 18 Sosefo Apikotoa, 19 Semisi Paea, 20 Solomone Funaki, 21 Sione Vailanu, 22 Sonatane Takulua, 23 Fine Inisi

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO:  Tom Foley (England)

Wales struggle to second Rugby World Cup win against brilliant Portugal

Wales were made to work incredibly hard by Portugal but they managed to secure their second triumph in Pool C after claiming a 28-8 win in Nice.

The Portuguese were impressive throughout and caused their opponents numerous problems, but the greater quality eventually told.

Louis Rees-Zammit, Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan, and Taulupe Faletau's tries proved to be enough as Warren Gatland's men claimed a crucial bonus-point.

Os Lobos, making their first Rugby World Cup appearance since 2007, were excellent and were rewarded through Nicolas Martins' try, but they could not quite go over for a second time to set up an exciting finale.

Portugal's exciting back division stretched Wales' defence in all directions, although wing Vincent Pinto blotted the copybook when he was red-carded late in the game following a bunker review after his boot caught Josh Adams in the face.

Wales suffered an injury blow shortly before kick-off when flanker Tommy Reffell withdrew from the starting line-up and was replaced by Morgan.

Portugal, playing their first World Cup game for 16 years, were captained by centre Tomas Appleton and under the coaching direction of former France international wing Patrice Lagisquet.

Samuel Marques missed a golden chance to put his team in front when he sent a short-range penalty wide, and Wales went ahead through a ninth-minute try that saw an impressive finish from Rees-Zammit, who then performed a Cristiano Ronaldo-style celebration.

Leigh Halfpenny converted, but Portugal showed plenty of adventure in attack, and Faletau pulled off a try-saving tackle that preserved Wales' 7-0 lead after 17 minutes.

It was an impressive effort by the underdogs as their eagerness to move possession wide and at pace tested Wales' defence.

Wales made errors when they got within sight of Portugal's line, and an element of frustration was underlined when Johnny Williams received a yellow card following a technical infringement.

It was an outstanding first-half display by Portugal, who were beaten 102-11 on their only previous meeting with Wales in a World Cup qualifier 29 years ago.

Wales just could not get going, compounding their situation through poor work in the contact area, and Marques kicked a penalty three minutes before the break.

Williams then had a try disallowed after he failed to ground the ball, only for Lake to power over from close range, with Halfpenny's conversion making it 14-3 at the interval.

🇵🇹 WHAT A MOMENT FOR PORTUGAL!

Nicolas Martins scores their first try of #RWC2023! #WALvPOR pic.twitter.com/GwYrGm5aAj

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 16, 2023

Wales began the second period by losing two attacking lineouts in quick succession inside Portugal's 22, and Gatland soon turned to his replacements' bench, sending on Ryan Elias, Corey Domachowski, Tomas Francis and Adam Beard.

Back-row forward Taine Basham soon followed them into the action, and Wales claimed a third try after 56 minutes when Morgan crossed from close range and Halfpenny added the extras.

Portugal deservedly claimed a try midway through the second half when clever lineout work produced a try for Martins.  Marques' touchline conversion attempt hit a post, and it was a warning sign to Wales that their opponents had no intention of going quietly.

The closing stages were all about whether or not Wales could secure a bonus point, and they thought they had it when scrum-half Gareth Davies crossed, only to see it disallowed for midfield obstruction.

That summed up Wales' day, but after Pinto was dismissed, Faletau scored in the game's final play and Costelow converted.

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Mason Grady, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 4 Christ Tshiunza, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements:  16 Ryan Elias, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Taine Basham, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Josh Adams

Portugal:  15 Nuno Sousa Guedes, 14 Vincent Pinto, 13 Jose Lima, 12 Tomas Appleton (c), 11 Rodrigo Marta, 10 Jeronimo Portela, 9 Samuel Marques, 8 Rafael Simoes, 7 Nicolas Martins, 6 Joao Granate, 5 Steevy Cerqueira, 4 José Madeira, 3 Anthony Alves, 2 Mike Tadjer, 1 Francisco Fernandes
Replacements:  16 Raffaele Storti, 17 Joris Moura, 18 Pedro Lucas, 19 David Wallis, 20 Martim Belo, 21 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 22 Lionel Campergue, 23 David Costa

Referee:  Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Strong second half hands Samoa a bonus point win over Chile

Samoa flexed their muscles in the second half to power to a 43-10 win over Chile in their Rugby World Cup clash in Bordeaux on Saturday.

Tries late in the first half and several in the second were enough to keep a brave Chile side at bay despite their best efforts.

Samoan fly-half Christian Leali'ifano opened the scoring with a penalty in the third minute before Chile responded with the first try of the game as the robust Matias Dittus crashed over in the fifth minute, with Santiago Videla kicking the conversion.

Leali'ifano would add two further penalties in the ninth and 14th minute before a lengthy lull in the scoring as both sides jostled for position, with Chile pushing hard to get back on the scoreboard whilst Ulupano Seuteni was in the sin bin for a dangerous tackle.  They managed a penalty through Matias Garafulic in the 29th minute, but this was cancelled out by the Samoan pivot, who kicked a penalty of his own in the 36th minute.

Samoa finally crossed the whitewash for the first time on the stroke of halftime through a well-worked Duncan Paia'aua converted try to take the lead into the break.

🇼🇸🇨🇱 A late surge sees Samoa take the lead into the break. #RWC2023 #SAMvCHI pic.twitter.com/q51SK3VZ0A

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 16, 2023

Everything began to go the way of the Pacific side, who flew out of the blocks with a brilliant try from Jonathan Taumateine only two minutes after halftime.  This time, the conversion was missed.

It was not long until the next try for Samoa which came in the 47th minute through Fritz Lee, before Sama Malolo scored one of his own in the 52nd.  Leali'ifano missed the first of the two conversions.

The sides traded yellow cards with replacements Ereatara Enari (Samoa) and Alfonso Alvarez (Chile), which slowed down the scoring as fatigue set in.  Chile would have another player sin-binned for repeated infringements as Esteban Inostroza spent the final 10 minutes on the sideline.

It was a brave effort from Chile, but ultimately, the quality of Samoa shone through in their victory as Malolo crossed over for a try in the final minute, which Lima Sopoaga converted.

Teams

Samoa:  15 Duncan Paia'aua, 14 Danny Toala, 13 Ulupano Seuteni, 12 Tumua Manu, 11 Nigel Ah-Wong, 10 Christian Leali'ifano, 9 Jonathan Taumateine, 8 Steven Luatua, 7 Fritz Lee, 6 Taleni Seu, 5 Theo McFarland, 4 Chris Vui, 3 Michael Alaalatoa (c), 2 Seilala Lam, 1 James Lay
Replacements:  16 Sama Malolo, 17 Jordan Lay, 18 Paul Alo-Emile, 19 Sam Slade, 20 Sa Jordan Taufua, 21 Ereatara Enari, 22 Lima Sopoaga, 23 Ed Fidow

Chile:  15 Inaki Ayarza, 14 Santiago Videla, 13 Domingo Saavedra, 12 Matias Garafulic, 11 José Ignacio Larenas, 10 Rodrigo Fernandez, 9 Marcelo Torrealba, 8 Raimundo Martínez, 7 Clemente Saavedra, 6 Martín Sigren (c), 5 Santiago Pedrero, 4 Pablo Huete, 3 Matias Dittus, 2 Tomas Dussaillant, 1 Javier Carrasco
Replacements:  16 Diego Escobar, 17 Salvador Lues, 18 Esteban Inostroza, 19 Javier Eissmann, 20 Alfonso Escobar, 21 Ignacio Silva, 22 Benjamin Videla, 23 Pablo Casas

Venue:  Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux

Referee:  Paul Williams (NZR)
Assistant Referees:  Angus Gardner, James Doleman (NZR)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (RA)

All Blacks bounce back in style with 11-try victory over Namibia

New Zealand bounced back from their opening Rugby World Cup defeat to France by dominating Namibia, winning 71-3 at Stadium de Toulouse on Friday.

It was one-way traffic in the Pool A clash as the All Blacks ran in 11 tries on the night, with Damian McKenzie adding a further 16 points off the tee.

Electric half-backs Cam Roigard and McKenzie starred with two tries apiece while Leicester Fainga'anuku, Anton Lienert-Brown, Ethan De Groot, Dalton Papali'i, David Havili, Caleb Clarke and Rieko Ioane also crossed as New Zealand showed their class.

However, replacement prop De Groot's evening was soured by a yellow card that was upgraded to red after he made head on head contact in a tackle.

There was no such negativity for scrum-half Roigard though, with the youngster shining on his first start as he won the Player of the Match award.

Namibia remain without a victory in 23 attempts at the World Cup going back to 1999 and never looked strong enough to pose problems for New Zealand.

The three-time winners drew first blood after only two minutes.  McKenzie kicked on for Fainga'anuku to collect and he offloaded for Roigard to take over and score under the posts, with McKenzie converting comfortably.

It took only another six minutes for the lead to extend to 12 points when Roigard received the ball from a scrum and went over for his second try.

Namibia's night took a further turn for the worse when centre Le Roux Malan suffered a bad knee injury, leaving the pitch on a stretcher and clutching an oxygen mask, moments after Tiaan Swanepoel had cut the deficit with a penalty.

Minutes later New Zealand pulled further ahead when McKenzie went over for a converted try, weaving through Namibia's line to make it 19-3.

The bonus point was secured for the All Blacks with 15 minutes of the first half still to play, Fainga'anuku powering over and showing excellent hands for his team's fourth try, before two tries in just over a minute made the score unassailable before the break.

First, Lienert-Brown took full advantage of the slippery conditions with two well controlled kicks along the ground to get in behind Namibia and drop on it as it crossed the try-line, then McKenzie added his second of the game when he collected from Roigard off a scrum and crossed the whitewash to make it 38-3 at the interval.

De Groot ensured New Zealand began the second half in the same ruthless vain with which they finished the first, the prop crashing over just 30 seconds after coming off the bench despite the attentions of two Namibia defenders.

Beauden Barrett made the next try for Papali'i, breaking out wide before slipping the ball across with a fine bullet pass for the flanker to go over under the posts, minutes before Havili took advantage of a superb run through the middle from Roigard to go over the line and make it 57-3.

👏 Filthy from Ofa Tu'ungafasi. #NZLvNAM #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/0AwfdmkSRU

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 15, 2023

Clarke scored New Zealand's 10th try when he got on the end of a cross-field kick from Richie Mo'unga to slide over the line.

De Groot was sent to the sin bin with eight minutes to play ― later upgraded to a red card for dangerous play ― but it did not halt New Zealand's charge, replacement Ioane scoring to make it 71-3 near the end.

The teams

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Caleb Clarke, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 David Havili, 11 Leicester Fainga'anuku, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Dalton Papali'i, 6 Luke Jacobson, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Samisoni Taukei'aho, 1 Ofa Tu'ungafasi
Replacements:  16 Dane Coles, 17 Ethan de Groot, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Tupou Vaa'i, 21 Aaron Smith, 22 Richie Mo'unga, 23 Rieko Ioane

Namibia:  15 Cliven Loubser, 14 Gerswin Mouton, 13 Johan Deysel (c), 12 Le Roux Malan, 11 Divan Rossouw, 10 Tiaan Swanepoel, 9 Damian Stevens, 8 Richard Hardwick, 7 Prince Gaoseb, 6 Wian Conradie, 5 Tjiuee Uanivi, 4 Johan Retief, 3 Johan Coetzee, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Jason Benade
Replacements:  16 Louis van der Westhuizen, 17 Desiderius Sethie, 18 Haitembu Shifuka, 19 PJ Van Lill, 20 Adriaan Booysen, 21 Max Katjijeko, 22 Jacques Theron, 23 JC Greyling

Referee:  Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees:  Andrew Brace (Ireland), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

France labour to victory over impressive Uruguay as they go two from two

France were given a major scare in front of their home fans as Uruguay pushed them all the way to their 27-12 victory in the Rugby World Cup on Thursday.

The game in Lille was predicted to be a comfortable result for Les Bleus but it was anything but as Los Teros will view this as a match they could have won.

Indeed, Uruguay were in the contest throughout and possibly should have been playing against 14 men for over 50 minutes but for a Bunker Review deciding that Romain Taofifenua's dangerous tackle on Santiago Arata warranted no more than the yellow card.

That reprieve ultimately helped France avoid a potential banana skin against their South American opponents, with tries from Antoine Hastoy, Peato Mauvaka and Louis Bielle-Biarrey seeing them to victory.  Melvyn Jaminet would add 12 points off the tee.

Nicolas Freitas and Baltazar Amaya were Uruguay's try-scorers in an excellent performance as they caused the French plenty of problems on the night.

Anthony Jelonch returned from a lengthy ACL injury absence to captain the team as part of 12 changes to the starting XV which had opened the tournament with an impressive victory over three-time world champions New Zealand in Paris.

Les Bleus went in front from an early Jaminet penalty after Uruguay had collapsed the scrum.

The home fans, though, were then left in stunned silence when Jaminet failed to gather a deep cross-field kick out on the touchline.  Freitas picked up the loose ball to dart down the left and score in the corner.

France responded with a try in the 11th minute when Hastoy burst through off the scrum, which Jaminet converted and then further extended the lead with another penalty.

Taofifenua was sent to the sin bin after the French lock caught Arata high with his shoulder going into a tackle ― which remained at a yellow card after review by the TMO, Welshman Ben Whitehouse, when on another night it could have been deemed a red.

Uruguay, playing their first match in Pool A, had a try ruled out in the 35th minute when Felipe Etcheverry dived over, with Tomas Inciarte penalised for an obstruction in the build-up as France went into half-time 13-5 ahead.

France thought they had scored a try early in the second half when Gabin Villiere collected a loose ball to run in, but it had been inadvertently knocked-on off Jelonch's shoulder.

🇫🇷 FRANCE WIN BUT WHAT ABOUT URUGUAY?! #FRAvURU #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/tlJJG35DRg

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 14, 2023

Uruguay then reduced the deficit to 13-12 after Amaya powered over in the corner and Etcheverry made the conversion.

France, though, responded again when Mauvaka touched down under the posts after a fortunate ricochet from Etcheverry's clearance to settle the home fans' nerves once again.

Any hopes of a comeback from Los Teros were finally ended after Bielle-Biarrey went over in the corner before Sekou Macalou's breakaway 80-metre try was ruled out by the TMO for kicking through the ruck.

The teams

France:  15 Melvyn Jaminet, 14 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 13 Arthur Vincent, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Gabin Villière, 10 Antoine Hastoy, 9 Maxime Lucu, 8 Anthony Jelonch (c), 7 Sekou Macalou, 6 Paul Boudehent, 5 Romain Taofifenua, 4 Cameron Woki, 3 Dorian Aldegheri, 2 Pierre Bourgarit, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements:  16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Sipili Falatea, 19 Bastien Chalureau, 20 Thibaud Flament, 21 Francois Cros, 22 Baptiste Couilloud, 23 Thomas Ramos

Uruguay:  15 Baltazar Amaya, 14 Bautista Basso, 13 Tomas Inciarte, 12 Andres Vilaseca (c), 11 Nicolas Freitas, 10 Felipe Etcheverry, 9 Santiago Arata, 8 Manuel Diana, 7 Santiago Civetta, 6 Manuel Ardao, 5 Manuel Leindekar, 4 Felipe Aliaga, 3 Ignacio Peculo, 2 Guillermo Pujadas, 1 Mateo Sanguinetti
Replacements:  16 Facundo Gattas, 17 Matias Benitez, 18 Reinaldo Piussi, 19 Ignacio Dotti, 20 Lucas Bianchi, 21 Carlos Deus, 22 Agustin Ormaechea, 23 Felipe Berchesi

Referee:  Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Paul Williams (New Zealand), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Wales cling on to edge Rugby World Cup thriller against Fiji

Wales had to hang on with their fingernails as they edged Fiji in a thrilling Rugby World Cup Pool C match in Bordeaux, winning 32-26 on Sunday.

The Fijians came agonisingly close to recovering from 32-14 down with just seven minutes remaining, but a knock-on from Semi Radradra ended their fight.

Earlier, Wales had crossed the try-line through Josh Adams, George North, Louis Rees-Zammit and Elliot Dee, with Dan Biggar kicking 12 points off the tee.

For Fiji, their scorers were Waisea Nayacalevu, Lekima Tagitagivalu, Josua Tuisova and Mesake Losilosi Doge, but they will rue this loss as one that got away.

Warren Gatland masterminded two semi-final appearances during his previous reign as Wales’ head coach, and his players produced easily their best performance this year.

Biggar steered the ship impressively, while Wales’ defence often came up trumps at key moments, even somehow withholding Fiji late on after they were matched blow for blow.

Taulupe Faletau returned to Wales’ starting line-up after a calf muscle injury that sidelined him for the entire tournament warm-up schedule.

Fiji, meanwhile, showed one enforced change from the side that beat England at Twickenham last month, with fly-half Teti Tela replacing an injured Caleb Muntz.

Wales made an outstanding start, taking an 8-0 lead in as many minutes through a Biggar penalty and Adams try.

Biggar, playing in his final World Cup before retiring from Test rugby, kicked a long-range penalty before Wales carved open the Fiji defence.

North’s powerful midfield surge was taken on by scrum-half Gareth Davies before possession quickly went wide, and Adams – the top try-scorer at the 2019 World Cup in Japan – finished in style.

Fiji responded strongly, though, and Nayacalevu scored a 13th-minute try that Lomani converted.

It was a breathless contest in stamina-sapping heat, and Wales fell behind just four minutes later after Radradra broke clear, and his pass to Tagitagivalu gave him an easy run-in.

🇫🇯 Oh Fiji. #WALvFIJ #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/sAn1ReaHSS

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 10, 2023

Frank Lomani’s conversion took Fiji 14-8 ahead, ringing alarm bells for Wales, before Biggar cut the gap by landing a second penalty.

And Wales regained the lead after relentless pressure reaped its reward as Nick Tompkins sent North over between the posts, with Biggar’s conversion securing an 18-14 advantage midway through the second quarter.

Fiji thought they had gone back in front just before the break, but Saracens prop Eroni Mawi was denied a try following a lengthy review of his dive for the line.

Davies was then on the receiving end of a high tackle by Selestino Ravutaumada and departed for a head injury assessment to be replaced by Tomos Williams.  Wing Ravutaumada conceded a penalty but escaped further punishment from referee Matthew Carley as Wales held a four-point interval advantage.

Davies returned for the second period, and Biggar missed a 30-metre penalty chance before they conjured a third try in an unlikely fashion.

Sharp work by Tompkins unlocked Fiji’s defence, and skipper and flanker Jac Morgan provided the assist by kicking into space, and Rees-Zammit finished off, with Biggar’s conversion making it 25-14.

Fiji camped deep inside Wales’ 22 entering the final quarter, and it took sustained last-ditch defending to keep them out.

But the game looked to have drifted away from Fiji when Tagitagivalu was yellow-carded, and Wales scored before he had barely left the pitch.

The forwards drove a short-range lineout, and Dee claimed a touchdown that Biggar converted.

However, Wales then lost replacement prop Corey Domachowski to the sin-bin for a technical infringement, and Fiji had the final say through tries from Tuisova and Doge, but Gatland’s men held on.

The teams

Wales:  15 Liam Williams, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 George North, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Jac Morgan (c), 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements:  16 Elliot Dee, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Dafydd Jenkins, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Rio Dyer

Fiji:  15 Ilaisa Droasese, 14 Selestino Ravutaumada, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu (c), 12 Semi Radradra, 11 Vinaya Habosi, 10 Teti Tela, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Lekima Tagitagivalu, 6 Albert Tuisue, 5 Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta, 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Luke Tagi, 2 Samuel Matavesi, 1 Eroni Mawi
Replacements:  16 Tevita Ikanivere, 17 Peni Ravai, 18 Mesake Doge, 19 Temo Mayanavanua, 20 Levani Botia, 21 Simione Kuruvoli, 22 Josua Tuisova, 23 Sireli Maqala

Referee:  Matthew Carley (RFU)
Assistant Referees:  Wayne Barnes (RFU), Christophe Ridley (RFU)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (IRFU)

Springboks open World Cup title defence with bruising win over Scotland

South Africa kicked off their Rugby World Cup title defence with a bruising and streetwise 18-3 victory over Pool B rivals Scotland in Marseille on Sunday.

It wasn’t a game full of entertaining and free-flowing rugby as both sides rolled up their sleeves in a battle that the Springboks ultimately got the better of.

Tries from Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kurt-Lee Arendse helped them to victory, with Manie Libbok kicking two penalties and Faf de Klerk one conversion.

There was controversy early on, however, as centre Jesse Kriel made head on head contact with Scotland number eight Jack Dempsey that went unpunished.

The defeat leaves Gregor Townsend’s side with no margin for error in their remaining three matches against Tonga, Romania and Ireland if they are to qualify for the quarter-finals.

The two sides went into the tournament in confident mood following encouraging summer campaigns which left the Boks ranked second and the Scots fifth in the world, but with Ireland – the top-ranked team – also in Pool B, the pressure was on both nations to start with a victory.

The Springboks started in more assured fashion and had a chance to get the scoreboard up and running in the 11th minute when the Scots were deemed to have collapsed the scrum, but Libbok hooked his penalty wide from 40 metres.

The South African fly-half made no such mistake, however, when presented with another opportunity two minutes later after Finn Russell was penalised for a deliberate knock-on as he sent his kick soaring between the posts from a central position 35 metres out.

Tempers flared on the side of the pitch just after the midway point in the first half after Damian de Allende was slammed into touch but referee Angus Gardner – after reviewing the skirmish – spoke to four players, but decided no further action was required.

Libbok doubled the Boks’ lead to six points shortly afterwards with another penalty after Sione Tuipulotu failed to release.

After South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth limped off to be replaced by RG Snyman, Scotland, who had been struggling to get their attacking game going, carved out a brilliant chance to score, but Darcy Graham opted to go himself and ran into trouble when fellow wing Duhan van der Merwe, on his outside, was crying out for a pass and appeared to have a free run to the line.

Despite being unable to impose their game on the Boks, the Scots were generally standing up well to the physical challenge of their opponents and they cut their deficit to three points in the last action of the first half when Russell – who had earlier needed treatment following a bang to the ribs – kicked a penalty from 45 metres right on half-time.

Two minutes after the restart Libbok attempted to kick a penalty from almost five metres inside his own half, but he failed to get enough distance on it and the Scots were able to gather.

South Africa got their first try of the match in the 47th minute when Du Toit pushed over on the left after a sustained spell of pressure.  Libbok was off target with his conversion attempt.

🇿🇦 Ridiculous from Manie Libbok to Kurt-Lee Arendse! #RSAvSCO pic.twitter.com/raQkZEpmai

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 10, 2023

Thing got worse for the Scots four minutes later when Arendse ran in to touch down in the right corner after a lovely cross-field kick from Libbok set him free.  With the fly-half having missed three of his five attempts at goal, scrum-half De Klerk took over kicking duties and duly pinged the conversion between the posts.

Scotland have made a habit in recent times of mounting impressive fightbacks, but this time they were unable to find a way of breaching the obdurate Boks.

The teams

South Africa:  15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements:  16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Duane Vermeulen, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Willie le Roux

Scotland:  15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Jamie Ritchie (c), 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements:  16 Dave Cherry, 17 Jamie Bhatti, 18 WP Nel, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Matt Fagerson, 21 Ali Price, 22 Cameron Redpath, 23 Ollie Smith

Referee:  Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Bonus-point Japan down historic Chile in exciting Rugby World Cup clash

Japan powered to a 42-12 win over Chile in an electric Rugby World Cup Pool D clash in Toulouse on Sunday.

The game was filled with running from start to finish with the sharp-shooting boot of fly-half Rikiya Matsuda and six tries enough to secure the Brave Blossoms their first victory of this year’s tournament.

It was a dream start for Chile in their first World Cup game as Rodrigo Fernandez crossed early on for their maiden try which Santiago Videla converted.

🇨🇱 CHILE SCORE THEIR FIRST #RWC2023 TRY!! #JPNvCHI pic.twitter.com/sRAXn1TcJO

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 10, 2023

Japan did not sit around as they responded in the eighth minute through Amato Fakatava, who crashed over for a converted try.

A back-and-forth period loaded with running and a yellow card for Chilean prop Matias Dittus did not see any change in the scoreline until Jone Naikabula crossed for a try on the half-hour mark that Matsuda had no problems converting.

Japan had the final say of the first half to widen the deficit as Fakatava powered over to complete his brace which was converted from the touchline.

The second period began in the same fashion as the first with an early Chile try as Alfonso Escobar scored in the 48th minute with the conversion missed.  Typical of the clash, Japan responded quickly through veteran Michael Leitch who scored under the posts on 53 minutes.  Matsuda made no mistake from the tee again.

The scoreline held for a decent period as Chile worked hard to try to get within striking distance but it was not to be as Ryoto Nakamura crossed for a converted try in the 71st minute which effectively secured the result.

Japan had the final say of the game as Nakamura secured his brace right at the end of play with Matsuda making no mistake from the tee.

🇯🇵🇨🇱 Japan comes out on top in an all-action clash against a brave Chile side. #JPNvCHI #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/JdWuVTcS42

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 10, 2023

The teams

Japan:  15 Semisi Masirewa, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Dylan Riley, 12 Ryoto Nakamura, 11 Jone Naikabula, 10 Rikiya Matsuda, 9 Yutaka Nagare, 8 Kazuki Himeno (c), 7 Kanji Shimokawa, 6 Michael Leitch, 5 Amato Fakatava, 4 Jack Cornelsen, 3 Jiwon Gu, 2 Atsushi Sakate, 1 Keita Inagaki
Replacements:  16 Shota Horie, 17 Craig Millar, 18 Asaeli Ai Valu, 19 Warner Dearns, 20 Shota Fukui, 21 Naoto Saito, 22 Tomoki Osada, 23 Lomano Lemeki

Chile:  15 Inaki Ayarza, 14 Santiago Videla, 13 Domingo Saavedra, 12 Matias Garafulic, 11 Franco Velarde, 10 Rodrigo Fernandez, 9 Marcelo Torrealba, 8 Alfonso Escobar, 7 Raimundo Martínez, 6 Martín Sigren (c), 5 Javier Eissmann, 4 Clemente Saavedra, 3 Matias Dittus, 2 Diego Escobar, 1 Javier Carrasco
Replacements:  16 Augusto Bohme, 17 Salvador Lues, 18 Inaki Gurruchaga, 19 Pablo Huete, 20 Santiago Pedrero, 21 Ignacio Silva, 22 Lukas Carvallo, 23 José Ignacio Larenas

Referee:  Nic Berry (RA)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (RFU), Andrea Piardi (FIR)
TMO:  Tom Foley (RFU)

George Ford drop-goal clinic helps 14-man England dismantle Argentina

George Ford put on a drop-goal clinic as he scored all of England’s points in their 27-10 victory against Argentina in their Rugby World Cup pool opener.

Despite being without Tom Curry after he received an upgraded yellow card to red after barely three minutes, England produced an inspired performance.

Ford was the architect of their impressive underdog success as he nailed three drop-goals and six penalties as Los Pumas were left shell-shocked in Marseille.

Only a late Rodrigo Bruni try gave Argentina something to cling to from what was an awful performance, with Ford and England savouring a special win.

While the outstanding Ford was busy steering England around the pitch and keeping the scoreboard ticking over, his team-mates fought themselves to a standstill with Ben Earl and Courtney Lawes magnificent.

It was an ugly spectacle with neither side functioning in attack, but Steve Borthwick‘s men showed the character needed to place one foot in the quarter-finals by taking control of Pool D at the expense of their greatest rivals.

A giant stride forward was taken in plugging their leaky defence, but discipline remains a major concern, with Curry set to join Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola in being banned for periods of the World Cup.

England will argue that Curry was unfortunate to become the country’s first red card at a World Cup – and the fastest in the tournament’s history – despite the clash of heads that came as a result of his tackle.

And when Santiago Carreras was punished with only a sin-binning for clattering late into Ford early on, they had additional cause for grievance.

Once the initial drama of Curry’s dismissal had subsided, England rolled up their sleeves to withstand a battering on their line by Argentina’s pack, winning a penalty that enabled them to clear their lines.

They have often delivered a spirited response when down on numbers and so it was proving in Marseille as a methodical drive downfield ended with Ford landing a drop-goal.

Ford repeated the trick but this time from the halfway line as a monster kick sailed between the uprights with distance to spare.

The glaring deficiencies in England’s attack were apparent as they butchered a four-on-two overlap, but with Ford landing drop-goals at will – he coolly added a third from short range – it did not seem to matter.

Even with Curry sat watching in the stand they built a 12-3 lead, helped by rattled opponents who were also struggling with the ball in hand.

The intensity was cranked up for the second half, forcing a breakdown penalty that Ford inevitably steered between the uprights, while in reply the Pumas squirted the ball forward to end a rare attack.

3⃣ of the best! #RWC2023

📽️ In the spirit of Jonny Wilkinson, George Ford slotted three drop goals in the first of half #ENGvARG!https://t.co/x6IokcQhLo

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 9, 2023

Manu Tuilagi cut Santiago Chocobares in half with a wince-inducing tackle and with Ford on target from the kicking tee twice in quick succession, it was starting to look bleak for Argentina.

Over went the fifth and then sixth penalties and although the shambolic Pumas finally crossed through Bruni in the closing moments, their fate was already sealed.

The teams

England:  15 Freddie Steward, 14 Jonny May, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Manu Tuilagi, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Courtney Lawes (c), 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements:  16 Theo Dan, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 George Martin, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Danny Care, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Ollie Lawrence

Argentina:  15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Emiliano Boffelli, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2 Julian Montoya (c), 1 Thomas Gallo
Replacements:  16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Joel Sclavi, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Pedro Rubiolo, 21 Rodrigo Bruni, 22 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 23 Matias Moroni

Referee:  Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees:  Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Johnny Sexton racks up 24-point haul as Ireland cruise past Romania

Johnny Sexton marked his return to action with a 24-point haul as Ireland eased to an 82-8 victory over Romania in their Rugby World Cup opener.

The fly-half played 66 minutes in Bordeaux, and he celebrated his comeback match with two tries and seven conversions as the Irish cruised to five points.

Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan, Tadhg Beirne (2), Bundee Aki (2), Rob Herring, Peter O’Mahony (2) and Joe McCarthy also crossed in the huge win.

Andy Farrell‘s men were given a jolt by Romania scrum-half Gabriel Rupanu crossing early on but emphatically avoided a major upset ahead of far stiffer tests against Tonga, South Africa and Scotland.

Fly-half Sexton also slotted seven of eight conversions before being withdrawn 16 minutes from time to a standing ovation and now sits just nine points shy of Ronan O’Gara’s national record tally of 1,083.

The 38-year-old was back from his lengthy absence to lead his country into his fourth World Cup, while Mack Hansen replaced Robbie Henshaw on the bench in a late change following his surprise initial omission from the matchday 23.

An expectant sea of green flooded the stands of Stade de Bordeaux in sweltering south-west France.

But it was Romania who made the blistering start.

Sexton’s poor grubber kick was pounced upon by Hinckley Vaovasa, and he raced forward to give half-back partner Rupanu a simple third-minute finish.

🇷🇴 How about that! Romania score first against Ireland early on. #IREvROM #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/v0lzDWfmjw

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 9, 2023

Ireland swiftly recovered from the sloppy opening moments to assert their authority.

Gibson-Park benefited from slick interplay involving Sexton, Aki and Garry Ringrose to dive over before Keenan crossed under the posts and flanker Beirne touched down wide on the left.

Rupanu reduced the deficit with a penalty ahead of the first drinks break, but the fourth World Cup meeting between the nations rarely threatened to be truly competitive, epitomised by an early Mexican wave.

Ireland had won all of the past clashes – nine in total – and had the bonus point in the bag in the 34th minute when the rampaging Aki claimed a fine solo score shortly after Romania full-back Marius Simionescu was sin-binned for obstruction.

Sexton got in on the act in the final moments of the half, crossing under the posts before overcoming a bang suffered in the process to slot the extras and make it 33-8 at the interval.

Ireland players had spoken all week of wanting to begin with a bang by producing a statement victory.

Undeterred by the stifling conditions, the Six Nations Grand Slam champions stretched their advantage courtesy of hooker Herring and flanker O’Mahony dotting down amid prolonged pressure.

Sexton’s 17th Test try added further gloss to the scoreline before a first for 22-year-old lock McCarthy and a second of the afternoon for O’Mahony enhanced Romania’s punishment.

Aki, who was sent off against Samoa in his last World Cup outing, and Beirne became the third and fourth men in green to claim a brace.

Replacement number 10 Crowley successfully added the extras from his four conversions as Ireland ruthlessly dispatched the team ranked 19th in the world to stretch their record-winning run to 14 matches and satisfy the bulk of the 41,170 crowd.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jonathan Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Peter O’Mahony, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Mack Hansen

Romania:  15 Marius Simionescu, 14 Nicolas Onutu, 13 Fonovai Tangimana, 12 Jason Tomane, 11 Tevita Manumua, 10 Hinckley Vaovasa, 9 Gabriel Rupanu, 8 Cristian Chirica (c), 7 Vlad Neculau, 6 Florian Rosu, 5 Stefan Iancu, 4 Adrian Motoc, 3 Alexandru Gordas, 2 Ovidiu Cojocaru, 1 Iulian Hartig
Replacements:  16 Florin Bardasu, 17 Alexandru Savin, 18 Gheorghe Gajion, 19 Marius Iftimiciuc, 20 Dragos Ser, 21 Alin Conache, 22 Tudor Boldor, 23 Taylor Gontineac

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

Wallabies emphatically end losing run in slick World Cup win over Georgia

Australia ended a run of five straight losses as they kicked off their Rugby World Cup campaign with an impressive 35-15 win over Georgia on Saturday.

The drought is finally over for the Wallabies as tries from Jordan Petaia, Mark Nawaqanitawase and Ben Donaldson (2) sealed a first-up pool triumph.

Donaldson also contributed 15 points off the kicking tee in a strong outing at full-back as Eddie Jones‘ troops avoided a potential banana skin in Paris.

Luka Ivanishvili and Beka Gigashvili were the Lelos’ only try scorers on the day, as Georgia missed the chance to cause a shock at the Stade de France.

The Wallabies – with former England head coach Jones having taken over again in January – needed just a couple of minutes to get their first try when the ball was worked out wide to Petaia.

Georgia, who have yet to qualify from the pool stage in their five previous World Cup appearances, soon reduced the deficit with a penalty from Luka Matkava.

However, Australia – twice world champions but heading into the tournament with low expectations back home – swiftly extended their lead again with a try from wing Nawaqanitawase after good work by Petaia.  This time, full-back Donaldson did convert for the extra two points.

✈️ Soaring through the air! #RWC2023 #AUSvGEOpic.twitter.com/M95020JZwX

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 9, 2023

Donaldson then kicked three penalties to put further daylight between the sides, punishing more indiscipline from Georgia.

Australia scrum-half Tate McDermott was replaced by Nic White shortly before the break after taking a blow to the head as he went into a tackle.

Georgia were reduced to 14 men when winger Mirian Modebadze took out White for a second penalty and was swiftly sent to the sin-bin by Welsh referee Luke Pearce as Australia went into half-time with a 21-3 lead.

The Lelos, though, rallied at the start of the second half, with flanker Ivanishvili powering over for a try.

Australia were soon back on the offensive when prop Taniela Tupou took an interception to pick out Donaldson, who dived over next to the posts and then added the extras.

Donaldson capped a fine individual display when he scored another try in the 70th minute, taking a pass from Carter Gordon to secure Australia’s bonus point before Georgia added a late consolation try from a lineout through replacement prop Gigashvili.

The teams

Australia:  15 Ben Donaldson, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Will Skelton (c), 4 Richie Arnold, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 David Porecki, 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Matt Faessler, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Rob Leota, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Nic White, 22 Lalakai Foketi, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu

Georgia:  15 Davit Niniashvili, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Demur Tapladze, 12 Merab Sharikadze (c), 11 Miriani Modebadze, 10 Luka Matkava, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 8 Beka Gorgadze, 7 Luka Ivanishvili, 6 Tornike Jalagonia, 5 Konstantine Mikautadze, 4 Nodar Cheishvili, 3 Guram Papidze, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Nika Abuladze
Replacements:  16 Tengizi Zamtaradze, 17 Guram Gogichashvili, 18 Beka Gigashvili, 19 Lasha Jaiani, 20 Giorgi Tsutskiridze, 21 Gela Aprasidze, 22 Tedo Abzhandadze, 23 Giorgi Kveseladze

Referee:  Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees:  James Doleman (New Zealand), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Seven-try Italy put 50 past plucky Namibia in Saint-Etienne

Italy made an excellent start to their Rugby World Cup campaign when they sealed a 52-8 bonus-point victory against Namibia in Saint-Etienne on Saturday.

Although it was a comfortable win in the end, the Azzurri were made to work hard for the result, especially in the opening half when their opponents put in a competitive performance.

In the end, Italy’s class shone through and they eventually outscored Namibia by seven tries to one with Lorenzo Cannone, Paolo Garbisi, Dino Lamb, Ange Capuozzo, Hame Faiva, Manuel Zuliani and Paolo Odogwu crossing the whitewash for the Azzurri, while Tommaso Allan finished with a 17-point haul courtesy of seven conversions and a penalty.

For the Welwitschias, Gerswin Mouton scored a try and Tiaan Swanepoel added a penalty.

Namibia made the brighter start and opened the scoring as early as the fourth minute when Swanepoel succeeded with a penalty but five minutes later the Azzurri drew level courtesy of a Allan three-pointer off the kicking tee.

Shortly afterwards, Namibia were reduced to 14 men when Torsten van Jaarsveld was yellow carded for collapsing a maul illegally close to his try-line.

Italy put the resulting penalty into touch deep inside Namibia territory and got a rolling maul going from the lineout before Cannone crashed over for the opening try.

With Van Jaarsveld in the sin bin, Namibia struggled with their throw-ins at the lineouts and in the 15th minute Italy pounced on a wayward throw from Richard Hardwick at the set-piece.

The ball came out to Garbisi, who beat a couple of defenders with ease inside Namibia’s 22 before dotting down under the posts.

Despite their numerical advantage, the Welwitschias did not panic and in the 21st minute they were rewarded when Mouton gathered a long pass from Swanepoel before dotting down in the right-hand corner.

The rest of the half was a scrappy affair as Namibia did well to keep the Azzurri at bay and the Welwitschias had a chance to narrow the gap on the stroke of half-time when Swanepoel lined up a monster shot at goal from 60 metres out.

His effort had the distance but not the direction and the teams changed sides at the break with the Azzurri holding a 17-8 lead.

Italy were fastest out of the blocks in the second period and extended their lead in the 46th minute when Lamb crashed over from close quarters for their third try.

10 minutes later, Capuozzo launched a stunning counter-attack from deep inside his half and traded passes with Monty Ioane before diving over in the left-hand corner for a well-taken try.

🇮🇹 Italy speedster Ange Capuozzo leaves his stamp on the match with this brilliant try against Namibia in Toulouse! #RWC2023 #ITAvNAM pic.twitter.com/WCGLXlE6uk

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 9, 2023

With the bonus-point in the bag, the Azzurri upped the ante on attack and were rewarded with further tries from Faiva and Zuliani during the latter stages of the match before Odogwu came off the bench to show a superb turn of pace as he added the final nail in Namibia’s coffin after the full-time hooter had sounded.

The teams

Italy:  15 Tommaso Allan, 14 Ange Capuozzo, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Dino Lamb, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements:  16 Epalahame Faiva, 17 Ivan Nemer, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 David Sisi, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Martin Page-Relo, 22 Paolo Odogwu, 23 Pierre Bruno

Namibia:  15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Gerswin Mouton, 13 Johan Deysel (c), 12 Danco Burger, 11 JC Greyling, 10 Tiaan Swanepoel, 9 Damian Stevens, 8 Richard Hardwick, 7 Johan Retief, 6 Wian Conradie, 5 Tjiuee Uanivi, 4 Adriaan Ludick, 3 Johan Coetzee, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Desiderius Sethie
Replacements:  16 Louis van der Westhuizen, 17 Jason Benade, 18 Casper Viviers, 19 Tiaan De Klerk, 20 Prince Gaoseb, 21 Jacques Theron, 22 Andre van der Bergh, 23 Le Roux Malan

Referee:  Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees:  Paul Williams (New Zealand), Chris Busby (Ireland)
TMO:  Joy Neville (Ireland)

France hand All Blacks their first-ever Rugby World Cup pool stage defeat

France got their Rugby World Cup campaign off to a winning start as they beat the All Blacks 27-13 at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday.

Tries from Damian Penaud and Melvyn Jaminet were added to by 17 points from the boot of Thomas Ramos as Les Bleus claimed a deserved triumph.

It was an absorbing contest in the heat as New Zealand battled bravely but in the end couldn’t live with France, who wore them down to seal the win.

Wing Mark Telea scored two tries for New Zealand, with fly-half Richie Mo’unga kicking a penalty.  While New Zealand are still odds-on to secure a quarter-final place from Pool A, France’s success sent an immediate message of their world title intent.

New Zealand suffered a late injury blow when captain Sam Cane was ruled out.

The All Blacks announced just 45 minutes before kick-off at Stade de France that flanker Cane would miss the heavyweight clash, although they did not specify his injury.

Number eight Ardie Savea took over as skipper, with Dalton Papali’i moving from blindside to openside flanker and Tupou Vaa’i being promoted to the starting XV.

Despite the loss of Cane, New Zealand showed no sign of it unsettling them as they went ahead after just 93 seconds when full-back Beauden Barrett’s precision kick was gathered by Telea for the opening try.

Although Ramos kicked a penalty shortly afterwards, Les Blues struggled to settle and hooker Julien Marchand was forced off injured after 13 minutes.

A second Ramos penalty nudged France ahead, but Mo’unga quickly cancelled that out ahead of a water-break as temperatures nudged 28 degrees at almost 10pm local time.

Ramos completed his penalty hat-trick 12 minutes before half-time as France claimed a 9-8 interval lead.

New Zealand began the second period with an immediate statement of intent as skipper Savea’s kick was gathered by wing Will Jordan before centre Rieko Ioane’s superb long pass found Telea, who sprinted over for his second try.

Back came France, though, when fly-half Matthieu Jalibert’s half-break set up Penaud for an outstanding try, and Ramos’ wide-angled conversion made it 16-13.

🇫🇷🇳🇿 No stopping Damian Penaud this time! #FRAvNZL #RWC2023pic.twitter.com/i8bcHR3Id4

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 8, 2023

Jordan was shown a yellow card by referee Jaco Peyper for an illegal aerial challenge on Ramos, which was also referred to to the ‘bunker’ before remaining as a sin-binning only.

Ramos’ fourth successful penalty opened up a six-point gap inside the final quarter, and another successful kick seven minutes from time sealed the deal as France triumphed 27-13 on the back of Jaminet’s late touchdown.

The teams

France:  15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Gabin Villiere, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Thibaud Flament, 4 Cameron Woki, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Reda Wardi
Replacements:  16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Paul Boudehent, 21 Maxime Lucu 22 Arthur Vincent, 23 Melvyn Jaminet

New Zealand:  15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Anton Lienert-Brown, 11 Mark Telea, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Dalton Papali’i, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Nepo Laulala, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements:  16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Brodie Retallick, 20 Luke Jacobson, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 David Havili, 23 Leicester Fainga’nuku

Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees:  Karl Dickson (England), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO:  Tom Foley (England)

France hand Australia fifth straight loss in fine fashion ahead of World Cup

France continued with their superb form ahead of the upcoming Rugby World Cup when they cruised to an emphatic 41-17 victory over Australia in Paris on Sunday.

In a fast-paced and exciting encounter in which both sides gave the ball plenty of air, Les Bleus were full value for their win as they held the upper-hand for long periods and eventually outscored their opponents by four tries to three.

Damian Penaud led the way with a brace of tries while Gabin Villiere and Jonathan Danty also crossed the whitewash.  The home side’s other points came via three conversions and four penalties from Thomas Ramos, while Melvyn Jaminet also succeeded with a conversion and a three-pointer off the kicking tee.

For the Wallabies, who have now lost all five of their Tests this year, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Fraser McReight and Suliasi Vunivalu dotted down and Carter Gordon added a conversion.

The visitors had a chance to open the scoring as early as the third minute, when Antoine Dupont was blown up for offside play on defence, but Gordon’s shot at goal from the resulting penalty was wide of the mark.

That early miss proved costly as it did not take long for the hosts to respond when Danty crossed for the opening try in the eighth minute.  This, after he ran onto a flat pass from Dupont inside Australia’s 22 before powering through a tackle from Gordon on his way over the try-line.

😤 Jonathan Danty opens the scoring! #FRAvAUSpic.twitter.com/Uyr56nfGdQ

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 27, 2023

Despite that score, the Wallabies did not panic and shortly afterwards they struck back when Andrew Kellaway joined the line at pace before finding Nawaqanitawase with a long pass out wide, and the wing dotted down in the left-hand corner.

Gordon was off target with the conversion attempt, but both sides stayed true to their attacking roots, and in the 16th minute Villiere came close to increasing their lead when he found himself in space out wide before he was bundled into touch by a desperate cover tackle from Nawaqanitawase close to the corner flag.

The rest of the half saw France gradually gaining the upper-hand as Australia conceded a plethora of penalties, and when it was within goal-kicking range, Ramos made them pay.

The full-back succeeded with two penalties in quick succession, which gave his side a 13-5 lead by the half hour-mark but Australia had a chance to reduce the deficit in the 33rd minute ― when Les Bleus were penalised for illegal scrumaging ― but Gordon was off target again.

That proved a costly miss as two minutes later, Tate McDermott was penalised for obstruction, and Ramos made the Wallabies pay again as he made no mistake from the kicking tee, which meant France were holding a deserved 16-5 lead as the teams changed sides at half-time.

The second half started in a similar fashion, with Ramos lining up a shot at goal in the 43rd minute ― after Lalakai Foketi was penalised for a high tackle on Gael Fickou ― but surprisingly, his effort struck an upright.

Australia spent most of the next 10 minutes camped inside France’s half, but they were met with a solid defensive effort from their hosts, and no points were scored during that period.

Their inability to score points came back to haunt the Wallabies in the 53rd minute when Vunivalu was yellow-carded for a cynical defensive foul deep inside his half.

It did not take long for Les Bleus to make their numerical advantage count as in the 57th minute, Penaud gathered a perfectly weighted cross-field kick from Dupont before cantering in for his first five-pointer.

🇫🇷 FRANCE THRILL AS WALLABIES LOSE FIVE STRAIGHT! #FRAvAUS pic.twitter.com/YrKrmxclXE

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 27, 2023

To their credit, the Wallabies did not surrender, and on the hour-mark, McReight crossed the whitewash when he ran onto a pass from McDermott after France failed to deal with a teasing box kick from the Wallabies scrum-half inside their 22.

It did not take long for Les Bleus to respond, though as soon after, Matthieu Jalibert found Villiere with a cross-field kick, and he did well to score his try despite the attentions of two defenders.

France’s dominance continued, and in the 76th minute, they were rewarded again when Penaud chipped ahead before regathering to score his second try.  Shortly afterwards, Vunivalu was rewarded when he scored his try, after gathering a high ball, but France finished stronger and sealed their win in the game’s dying moments when Jaminet slotted his penalty from just inside his half.

Fiji claim historic victory over England as Twickenham stunned

Fiji secured a stunning first-ever victory over England in their Rugby World Cup warm-up fixture at Twickenham as the Red Rose sunk to a new low.

The visitors created history at the home of English rugby on Saturday as Steve Borthwick’s men fell to a 30-22 loss in front of a disappointed home crowd.

Waisea Nayacalevu, Vinaya Habosi and Simione Kuruvoli got Fiji’s tries, while Caleb Muntz kicked 15 points via three conversions and three penalty goals.

Jonny May, Marcus Smith and Joe Marchant went over for England, but the hosts came up short in another big setback ahead of their World Cup campaign.

Wales and Australia will be eyeing their clashes with their Pool D rivals nervously, having seen what what unfolded in front of a disappointing crowd of 56,854 at Twickenham.

It was England’s fifth defeat in six matches and was a dismal World Cup send-off that adds to the tension surrounding their pivotal opening game against Argentina on September 9.

No-one will have felt the disappointment more than captain Courtney Lawes, who was making his 100th appearance on a day that is expected to see England drop beneath Fiji in the global rankings.

Borthwick had said the listlessness seen in the previous three warm-up matches was a result of being in the midst of a conditioning block and that they would benefit when the load was reduced.

As they made the brightest start of their four warm-up games, they certainly looked like a side with fresh purpose – Manu Tuilagi making early dents, George Ford fizzing a pass to Ollie Lawrence and May supplying the determined kick-chase that had been missing in Dublin.

May quickly decorated his international comeback with a first try since November 2021 in the left corner after Alex Mitchell and Ford found the veteran Gloucester wing with sharp distribution from a scrum.

It was the first try scored by an England back in 261 minutes, and it began to look like Borthwick’s team were emerging from their long spell of underachievement.

But the rest of the first-half belonged to Fiji, and once their first attack had unfolded amid a downpour, Muntz landed a penalty.

The heavy rain had stopped and, while handling was still treacherous, the well-organised Islanders continued to probe for openings that almost produced a dynamic try for Nayacalevu that was ruled out for a marginal forward pass.

Under-pressure, England wrestled back the ball and were only denied in the right corner by a try-saving tackle on Max Malins that took place in the moments after prop Eroni Mawi committed a yellow card breakdown offence.

With Mawi still in the sin-bin, Fiji ran in their first try with a little help from weak tackles by May and Freddie Steward on Selestino Ravutaumada that enabled Nayacalevu to cross at the end of a slickly-orchestrated attack.

🙌 HISTORY MAKERS! FIJI CLAIM FIRST-EVER WIN OVER ENGLAND!

🇫🇯🤯 AND THEY HAVE DONE IT AT TWICKENHAM! WOW! #ENGvFIJ pic.twitter.com/UgxW5cHqP8

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 26, 2023

A brief England assault followed, but once this subsided, they paid the price for Ben Earl switching off around the ruck to allow Habosi to dart clear and race over the line.

Smith touched down a Ford chip as tension mounted at Twickenham, but with Muntz landing another penalty, they still trailed, although there was evidence they had found a second wind.

That was confirmed when Joe Marchant capitalised on the space down the right, but when Danny Care dropped the restart, they were back under the cosh, and the ruthless Fijians pounced through Kuruvoli to claim a famous win.

Samoa give Ireland fright of their lives in Rugby World Cup warm-up clash

Ireland were given a mighty scare by Samoa in their final Rugby World Cup warm-up fixture as they held on to defeat the islanders 17-13 in Bayonne.

Trailing 10-7 at the interval before a further Lima Sopoaga penalty extended the margin to six points on 46 minutes, Ireland managed to avoid a shock defeat.

Crossings from Conor Murray and Rob Herring in the second period to go with Jimmy O’Brien’s first-half score ultimately proved enough to seal the victory.

Duncan Paia’aua had grabbed his side’s only try of the game on 36 minutes as Samoa sent a message to their pool rivals that they are a threat this World Cup.

The win at a sold-out Stade Jean Dauger could come at significant cost for Ireland after Cian Healy, who departed just 21 minutes into his 126th Test outing, added to Ireland’s front-row concerns.

Andy Farrell’s planning has already been complicated by ongoing injury issues for Healy’s fellow loosehead Dave Kilcoyne and hookers Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher, although he expects the trio to be available in the coming weeks.

The head coach, whose side begin the World Cup on September 9 against Romania in Bordeaux, was also forced into a change ahead of kick-off as a “niggle” for wing Keith Earls afforded a chance to Jacob Stockdale.

Heavy rain and forecasts of thunderstorms in south-west France did not deter a capacity crowd from turning out, with the slippery conditions contributing to a series of fumbles.

A fine Murray tackle denied Samoa an early lead before Jack Crowley’s pinpoint cross-field kick allowed Mack Hansen to gallop down the right wing and give full-back O’Brien a simple finish for his maiden Test try.

Ireland have unsettling memories of this stadium, having endured a bruising affair – dubbed the Battle of Bayonne – against the host club ahead of the 2007 World Cup.

Physicality was at the forefront of this encounter and Farrell’s men suffered a setback when the hobbling Healy was assisted off the pitch by medical staff and replaced by Jeremy Loughman.

Unfamiliar in white shirts and blue shirts, Ireland’s mix-and-match line-up were struggling to find their rhythm.

They ended the half 10-7 behind after Paia’aua intercepted a Stuart McCloskey pass inside his own half to brilliantly race clear and dive over, before Sopoaga added the conversion and a subsequent penalty.

Samoa, who will be England’s final pool-stage opponents in early October, were facing a tier one nation for only the second time since losing 47-5 to Ireland at the 2019 World Cup.

A second penalty from former Wasps fly-half Sopoaga stretched their lead early in the second period before Stockdale’s kick over the top was gleefully dotted down by the diving Murray, albeit Crowley’s wayward conversion left Ireland a point behind.

Jimmy the rocket! 🚀#TeamOfUs pic.twitter.com/bdAfVUkdjK

― Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) August 26, 2023

The world’s top-ranked side finally regained the lead 17 minutes from time when replacement hooker Herring bulldozed over from a line-out maul.

Crowley’s conversion attempt was charged down before James Ryan was held up on the line to keep the contest firmly in the balance.

Roared on by the mostly-French crowd, Samoa refused to roll over and continued to cause problems.

Yet, on a day when Fiji stunned England at Twickenham, they ultimately fell short of producing a further major shock as Ireland survived a significant wake-up call which could yet prove expensive due to Healy’s premature exit.

Scotland find form in second half to seal comeback win over Georgia

Scotland came back from 6-0 down at the break to seal a 33-6 victory over Georgia in their final Rugby World Cup warm-up game at Murrayfield on Saturday.

It was a frustrating opening 40 minutes for Gregor Townsend’s men as two Luka Matkava penalties sent the Lelos into the half-time interval with a narrow lead.

However, Scotland clicked into gear upon their return with tries from Duhan van der Merwe (2), Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey and Kyle Steyn sealing the triumph.

Finn Russell, who played with his customary swagger, fired over two conversions before his replacement at fly-half, Ben Healy, did likewise later in the contest.

The slow-starting Scots survived a scare in the 17th minute when Georgia wing Mirian Modebadze tried to get on the end of a kick through and slam down over the line but full-back Ollie Smith got back just in time to avert the danger.

The visitors continued in the ascendancy though and they doubled their advantage to six points in the 21st minute when Matkava kicked another penalty.

The 6-0 deficit seemed to inject a semblance of urgency into Scotland’s play and they started to become more of a threat as the first half wore on.

The hosts thought they had got themselves up and running in the 36th minute when Steyn – added to the starting XV on Friday after Darcy Graham was ruled out with a minor quad strain – forced his way over the line in the right corner but following a TMO review he was deemed to have lost control of the ball before placing it down.

The only first-half blemish for the dogged Georgians was the worrying sight of hooker Shalva Mamukashvili – on his 100th appearance – hobbling off before the break, just two weeks ahead of their World Cup opener against Australia in Paris.

With Scotland unable to get a point on the board, they found themselves in the now familiar position of having to mount a second-half recovery.

And that is exactly what they did.  Van der Merwe began the revival with his 19th try for Scotland as he eased over on the left after being teed up perfectly by a lovely pass from the outside of Russell’s boot.  Russell added the extras to edge the hosts in front.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇪 Breakthrough for Scotland. They now lead 21-6. #SCOvGEO pic.twitter.com/Ujt0VQp3K4

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 26, 2023

The Scots swiftly took control.  Darge – who also scored in the last match away to France – forced his way over from close range in the 51st minute after Van der Merwe had been held up following a marauding run.  Russell again converted in what was the talisman’s last act of the match before going off amid a raft of substitutions.

Dempsey then powered his way through a ruck of Georgian bodies to push down just left of the posts in the 59th minute, with replacement Healy converting.

Steyn – who scored a double in St Etienne last time out – added his team’s fourth try of the match from close range in the 69th minute after Dempsey was denied just in front of the line.  Healy again added the extras.

And Van der Merwe had the 54,000 crowd in raptures when he capped an impressive second-half display from the Scots with a straightforward touchdown on the left two minutes from the end, with Healy again on target with his kick.