South Africa 60 Italy 14

In Port Elizabeth, South Africa awoke from a first-half slumber at Telkom Park to beat Italy 60-14.  Whilst the scoreline may look convincing, with the Boks scoring eight tries to one, the truth is, the win was not easy.

Also, whether or not Springbok coach Harry Viljoen will be satisfied that he has all the answers he was looking for before this match, is up for discussion.

But at least Viljoen knows that debutants Neil de Kock and Conrad Jantjes have futures at this level, new captain Bob Skinstad is an inspirational leader, but still a game or two away from top-form, and Percy Montgomery is worth another look at flyhalf.  After all, Skinstad himself said as much after the match.

With half-time approaching, the Boks were 12-9 ahead -- thanks to four Montgomery penalties -- but minutes before the break, veteran lock Mark Andrews saved the homeside blushes when ran over unopposed for his 11th try in 71 Tests.

Shortly after half-time an avalanche of Bok tries ensued -- with Breyton Paulse, André Venter and Thinus Delport all touching down -- but other than that five-minute golden-period, there was precious little to write home about in the match.

The Boks will be concerned about the lack of quality first-phase ball, with the Azzurri nearly claiming a tighthead in the opening 20-minute period, and hooker John Smit missing his jumpers on at least two occasions in the line-out.

Incidentally, Smit left the field after 27 minutes of play with a hip injury and his replacement, Lukas van Biljon, in his first Test, spearheaded the Boks' "revival" with some bullocking runs and good handling in close-contact situations.

One of those runs from Van Biljon, who played most of the second half with a suspected broken hand, led to arguably the best try of the match.  Van Biljon collected the ball from the re-start after South Africa's second try, and charged downfield before releasing a flying Breyton Paulse, who passed inside to Mr Perpetual motion, André Venter, for the team's third try.

Thinus Delport squeezed over in the opposite corner only minutes later, but after that 19-point blitz the Boks went to sleep again.

They soon awoke when Italian scrumhalf Alessandro Troncon scored a well-taken try after an impressive build-up, their first against South Africa since 1997, which equates to over 200 minutes of rugby.

But the Boks soon hit back via Breyton Paulse's second try of the night following a good off-load from new skipper Bob Skinstad, to centre and vice-captain of the day Robbie Fleck, who made some ground before releasing his flying Stormers team-mate, who stepped inside a would-be defender for the try.

The entire Springbok bench got a run, with veteran scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen claiming two tries, taking his tally to 34 tries in 71 Tests, and looking full of running, perhaps indicating that he would be the ideal sort of player to come off the bench in the dying minutes of a Test.

Lock Victor Matfield celebrated his first taste of Test rugby with a knock-on, his Bulls team-mate Jaco van der Westhuyzen earned some more mileage in his very young Test-career, Corné Krige won his 18th cap and crowd favourite Deon Kayser made a sniping run in the closing minutes, much to the PE crowd's delight.

Man of the match:  Much-maligned and much-criticised, but always giving his best, Percy Montgomery delivered an impressive performance in the Springbok No.10 jersey.  His decision-making was superb and not once did he look jittery with the ball in his hand.  It remains to be seen whether or not Viljoen will look to Montgomery to play at flyhalf in the Tri-Nations, but if Monty can repeat this performance against bigger teams, then who knows.  Centre Robbie Fleck looked sharp, as did replacement hooker Lukas van Biljon, who was praised by Viljoen after the match for his performance.

Moment of the match:  South Africa's 24-point scoring burst on either side of half-time.  Andrews' try gave them the breathing-space they needed before half-time, then a team hat-trick by Breyton Paulse, André Venter and Thinus Delport stretched their lead at the start of the second stanza.

Villain of the match:  Nobody.  The Springboks behaved.  The Italians behaved and, for once, so did the crowd ...

The Teams:

South Africa:  1 Ollie Le Roux, 2 John Smit, 3 Willie Meyer, 4 Johan Ackermann, 5 Mark Andrews, 6 Andre Venter, 7 Andre Vos, 8 Bobby Skinstad (c), 9 Neil De Kock, 10 Percy Montgomery, 11 Thinus Delport, 12 Robbie Fleck, 13 Japie Mulder, 14 Breyton Paulse, 15 Conrad Jantjes
Reserves:  Etienne Fynn, Victor Matfield, Jaco Van Der Westhuizen, Lukas Van Biljon, Deon Kayser, Corne Krige, Joost Van Der Westhuizen

Italy:  1 Andrea Muraro, 2 Alessandro Moscardi (c), 3 Salvatore Perugini, 4 Wim Visser, 5 Mark Giacheri, 6 Fabio Ongaro, 7 Aaron Persico, 8 Carlo Checchinato, 9 Alessandro Troncon, 10 Francesco Mazzariol, 11 Nicola Mazzucato, 12 Luca Martin, 13 Walter Pozzebon, 14 Massimiliano Perziano, 15 Giovanni Antoni
Reserves:  Marco Bortolami, Andrea De Rossi, Giampiero De Carli
Unused:  Claudio Beltramini, Filippo Frati, Ramiro Pez, Giovanni Raineri

Referee:  Dume j.

Points Scorers:

South Africa
Tries:  Andrews M.G. 1, Delport G.M. 1, Montgomery P.C. 1, Paulse B.J. 2, Van Der Westhuizen J. 2, Venter A.G. 1
Conv:  Janjies C.A. 1, Montgomery P.C. 3
Pen K.:  Montgomery P.C. 4

Italy
Tries:  Troncon A. 1
Pen K.:  Mazzariol F. 3

New Zealand 37 France 12

Comeback Kid Jeff Wilson was the stand-out as New Zealand wound up their Tri-Nations preparations on a satisfactory note with a hard-won 37-12, four tries to none, victory over France at WestpacTrust Stadium, Wellington.

Wilson surged past Christian Cullen to become the All Blacks' leading Test try-scorer by running in the game's first try and he created two more against a defiant French team which was coming off a squared series against the Springboks.

Given that the All Blacks had lost five of their last eight Test encounters against the French, it was a particularly satisfying victory.

But it took the creativity of the outside backs, Wilson and Tana Umaga in particular, and a lot of resolute defence before the All Blacks could consider this game won.

The only areas of concern for coaches Wayne Smith and Tony Gilbert were the scrum, which was often under pressure and never once capitalised on the several five-metre scrum opportunities that arose, and the laboured play of halfback Justin Marshall.

With the scrum a troublesome zone, the All Blacks made capital off the line-out, three of their four tries coming directly from this launching pad.

Umaga, who was back to his brilliant best, created the first with a powerful surge in midfield, Wilson came off his wing to scorch through in the centres and set up Lomu for another while Howlett, in fairytale fashion, did it all himself a mere 22 seconds after coming on as a replacement.

Howlett didn't join the action until the 76th minute, scarcely enough time, one would have thought, for him to maintain his amazing record of having scored in every Test appearance.

But Lomu, who'd maintained a massive work-rate throughout the game, sucked the French defence in by running decoy, allowing Howlett to sprint through for his eighth try in seven internationals.

Howlett's try putting the trimmings on a performance which had the All Black management satisfied, even if they recognise there is still improvement needed before the side fronts up to South Africa and Australia.

Skipper Anton Oliver conceded that this was the team's "first real Test" of the season.  "The French were tough and disruptive, like the Pumas, and forced us into errors.  We probably needed to be more patient, but I'm stoked that we scored four tries to none and won so decisively."

The French could take encouragement from their performance, given the number of inexperienced individuals they had in their starting fifteen.

Fullback Pepito Elhorga and winger Nicolas Jeanjean, who did an excellent job in trying to contain Lomu, look footballers of the future and if David Skrela, the flyhalf, looks to be lacking a metre of pace, he nevertheless possesses a cultured boot and a cool head.

It was in the scrum, particularly after Raphaël Ibañez, Jean-Jacques Crenca and Pieter de Villiers joined the action in the second half, that the French exerted the greatest pressure.

There were major contributions from No.8 Patrick Tabacco, flanker Olivier Magne and veteran lock Olivier Brouzet as well, but in the finish it was the skill and inventiveness of the All Black backs and the tenacity of their defence that thwarted the tourists.

While Marshall struggled all night, often being disrupted by Fabien Galthié, Tony Brown was all aggression and commitment at first-five, challenging Wilson for the man of the match award.

Goalkicking impeccably, he accumulated 17 points, which dropped his Test average marginally (in matches where he's worn the No.10 jersey) from 31 to 29.

Pita Alatini was elusive again in midfield but it was Umaga, all thrust and power, Wilson and Lomu who eventually brought about the demise of the tourists.

The best of the New Zealand forwards were captain and hooker Oliver, lock Troy Flavell and blindside flanker Reuben Thorne.

It's questionable whether Taine Randell did on the openside of the scrum to hold off Marty Holah's challenge for the major Tests ahead.

The All Blacks led 17-6 at half-time and were ahead 23-12 before the two late tries by Lomu and Howlett secured their first victory at Wellington's new stadium.

Man of the match:  Hard to go past Jeff Wilson who demonstrated all his skills in his first test at WestpacTrust Stadium, on attack as well as defensively, and in the process overtook Christian Cullen as New Zealand's leading Test try-scorer.

Moment of the Match:  Jonah Lomu's try six minutes from time.  The French were hanging in at 12-23 but a scorching break by Wilson put the big man in behind the posts which represented game, set and match to the All Blacks.

Villain of the Match:  The only individual who visited the sin bin was Norm Maxwell but he's been guilty of countless more heinous offences than the tackle on Stéphane Glas which only referee Alan Lewis seemed to consider dangerous.

The Teams:

New Zealand:  1 Greg Somerville, 2 Anton Oliver (c), 3 Carl Hoeft, 4 Troy Flavell, 5 Norm Maxwell, 6 Taine Randell, 7 Reuben Thorne, 8 Ron Cribb, 9 Justin Marshall, 10 Tony Brown, 11 Jonah Lomu, 12 Pita Alatini, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Jeff Wilson, 15 Leon MacDonald
Reserves:  Carl Hayman, Doug Howlett, Marty Holah, Byron Kelleher
Unused:  Chris Jack, Mark Hammett, Andrew Mehrtens

France:  1 Christian Califano, 2 Olivier Azam, 3 Olivier Milloud, 4 Olivier Brouzet, 5 Lionel Nallet, 6 Olivier Magne, 7 Jean Bouilhou, 8 Patrick Tabacco, 9 Fabien Galthie (c), 10 David Skrela, 11 Christophe Dominici, 12 Stephane Glas, 13 Yannick Jauzion, 14 Nicolas Jeanjean, 15 Pepito Elhorga
Reserves:  David Auradou, Jean-Jacques Crenca, Pieter De Villiers, Raphael Ibanez, Gerald Merceron, Sebastien Bonetti, Sebastien Chabal

Attendance:  36000
Referee:  Lewis a.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Tries:  Howlett D.C. 1, Lomu J.T. 1, Thorne R.D. 1, Wilson J.W. 1
Conv:  Brown T.E. 4
Pen K.:  Brown T.E. 3

France
Pen K.:  Skrela D. 4

Australia 13 British Isles 29

The Lions upset the odds to beat Australia 29-13 on Saturday in the first Test at the Gabba, Brisbane, after a monumental tussle which saw the tourists hold-off a late Wallaby rally to claim a memorable win.

Jason Robinson set the game alight with a try in the second minute, then setting one up for Welshman Dafydd James in a first-half which saw the Lions tame a Wallaby team who never fired on all cylinders until the last 20 minutes -- by which time the game had passed them by.

After a 12-3 interval lead, the Lions' second-half tries came through Brian O'Driscoll and Scott Quinnell, with the game showing no manifestation of the pre-match bickering which had threatened to turn it in to a dour slug-fest.

When Australia finally got their act together, their two late tries came through Andrew Walker and Nathan Grey, with Rod Macqueen's experiment of fielding Walker as goal-kicker failing to pay-off as first he, then Matt Burke struggled to counter the rampant Lions.

It was not only the result, but the magnitude of the Lions' performance for the first 60 minutes which clearly stunned a talented Wallaby team, with the Lions' pack pillaging ball all evening, and not giving the Gregan/Larkham combination time to exercise their tried and tested gameplan.

The Wallaby backs were equally subdued for large periods, Steve Larkham shipped off near half-time after failing to ignite the game, and the centre pairing of Dan Herbert and Nathan Grey thoroughly overshadowed by Rob Henderson and Brian O'Driscoll, whose adventure and industry created many of the openings.

Talk of water-tight defences and slow ball was dispelled after only two minutes when Robinson's dashing finish in the left corner past a sluggish Chris Latham saw the England man touch down a memorable try for the many legions of Lions fans who descended on Brisbane, almost turning the Gabba in a home ground for the Lions.

It was a move which stemmed from good combination play between Ireland centre pairing Rob Henderson and Brian O'Driscoll, with Jonny Wilkinson the link man as O'Driscoll set away down the middle of the pitch on a diagonal left slant.  The ball found Matt Perry -- up from fullback -- and with only Latham to beat, he offloaded to Robinson who skinned Latham on the outside, exposing the Queenslander's lack of pace for the touchdown.

With no Matt Burke, goal-kicking duties fell to internationally untested Andrew Walker, but he was not the only kicker having trouble in the first-half as Wilkinson missed his first three attempts at goal.

The Wallaby scrum was having trouble against the power of Phil Vickery in particular, Nick Stiles and Glenn Panoho getting driven into the ground on a number of occasions.  Stiles then showed his gamesmanship by slowing down play by first going down with an 'injury' and then taking more than a minute do tie his bootlaces after another set-piece tussle with Vickery on his own five metre line.

Walker narrowed the margin to 5-3 with a penalty on 18 minutes, but missed another one seven minutes later as George Gregan's relentless ball-chasing kept the Wallabies in it, and his combination play with Larkham started to rear its head.

Nathan Grey and Dan Herbert were struggling though with Henderson in fine tackling form, and the next try of the game came just after the half hour, going again to the tourists.

This time it was Dafydd James who touched down in the right corner, but again it owed much to the improved tactical play of Robinson, whose timely switch from left wing to right saw him on the end of another O'Driscoll break, with the Ireland centre showing Owen Finegan a clean pair of heels down the blindside from midfield.

Robinson scooted on to the ball, and again exposed Latham by popping a short ball for James to surge over the line from five metres out in the right corner, with Wilkinson making up for his earlier misses by striking the conversion from way out wide.

Another missed penalty from Walker failed to bolster the Wallabies' cause as the first-half came to an end, with the Lions going in to the break in front 12-3.

It was always risky opting for Walker as the kicker, and by half-time Rod Macqueen had seen enough, shipping on the more tested Burke as goal-kicker, Latham the man to make way after a torrid first-half, with opposite number Perry off for Iain Balshaw due to injury.

Burke got a taste of the Lions' attack straightaway though with a superb individual try from Brian O'Driscoll.

The Leinsterman picked up the ball on halfway and showed a dummy to Nathan Grey, before accelerating past the NSW player, and leaving George Smith exposed in the middle.

Streaking away to the 22 in a straight line, O'Driscoll showed that his pace is not just effective over the short distances, rounding Burke on the 22 before diving under the posts for a superb solo score.  The Wallabies were in a state of shock, their half-time containment plans destroyed as Wilkinson's conversion put the score at 19-3.

A penalty from Wilkinson extended that lead by three points, but there was even more to come as the Wallabies' defensive capitulation coincided with the rampant Lions' attacking streak.

A diagonal run from Henderson -- having the game of his life -- saw the Ireland man take on Matt Burke and win in the 22, before recycling the ball for Balshaw five metres out.  Balshaw could not find the gap, but sensibly worked it back in the ruck.

Scott Quinnell picked up, and instead of going round the ruck, drove straight through it, taking the flailing Burke with him to barge over for what turned out to be the Lions' final try of the evening.  Wilkinson converted to make it 29-3 and it seemed the Wallabies were out for the count.

Steve Larkham -- not allowed the time by the Lions' back-row to play his natural game -- then left the field for Elton Flatley to pick up the reins at fly-half, but his task was an impossible one with the Lions so far ahead, and the Wallaby pack coming off second best to their counterparts.

Jeremy Paul left the field injured for Michael Foley in the Wallaby hooking slot, but Australia finally put the Lions under pressure near their own line as Gregan worked the ball from left to right through the hands.  Walker was just halted by Balshaw, but as the ball came back after a break by Finegan, Burke found space on the right.

Diving for the corner he appeared to get the ball down, but referee Andre Watson signalled for the video ref, with the tape revealing Burke slightly brushing the flag just millimetres before the ball was put down.  A decision which could have gone either way as the world champions appeared to find some composure, using their assets like Gregan as they had failed to do early on.

Toutai Kefu looked too as if he had broken the Lions' defence when he went over the line on 60 minutes, but previous crossing in the move saw yet another try chalked off, this one a more clear-cut case.

The sin-binning of Martin Corry a minute later for killing the ball showed that the referee's patience had finally worn out with the Lions, as Colin Charvis replaced Quinnell in a back-row reshuffle.

Australia were again frustrated when a break from Kefu looked like putting Joe Roff in at the left corner, but a poor shovel pass from the No.8 gave Roff no chance of taking the catch on the overlap.

The try finally came though, and it was worth the wait as Walker finally got a free run at Robinson down the wing.  The Brumbies star passed Robinson on the inside before changing the angle to wrong-foot Balshaw on the inside, but the Wallaby cause was not helped by Burke failing to nail the conversion, and the Lions still led 29-8, with 13 minutes left.

Nathan Grey also exposed the 14-man Lions -- still without the sin-binned Corry -- touching down the Wallabies' second try, one created by Roff down the left wing in the Lions' 22.  Both James and Balshaw went for Roff, leaving Grey a clear run-in when the inside ball came from short range, but Burke's conversion struck the post, still leaving a 29-13 mountain to climb, with the clock working against them.

Phil Vickery found himself in the sin-bin for yet more Lions' hands in the ruck, but the contest was all but over by then, a failed drop-goal attempt from Keith Wood with 30 seconds to go the last real act of the game as the Lions upset the pundits.

It was a match which saw the tourists claim a heroic win over the world champions on their own soil -- one that will go down in history as a great day in northern hemisphere rugby, and one the Wallabies will want to forget.

So advantage to the Lions but surely the Wallabies won't get caught out again?  Roll on Melbourne.

Man of the match:  Rob Henderson.  So many options and all in the Lions side.  The fleet-footed Robinson, the surging O'Driscoll, the ever-present Hill but we opt for Rob Henderson who represented the whole Lions team today -- written off beforehand but stepped up to the plate and barely put a foot wrong.  Earning his Test place by default arguably, after injuries to Mike Catt and Will Greenwood, Henderson needed a huge game to quieten the call for Scott Gibbs to play inside centre, and he produced the goods.  Combination play with O'Driscoll in the open field, his resolute defence and the fact he found an extra yard of pace.

Moment of the match:  Jason Robinson's try.  Only two minutes into the game, Robinson ignited the match by taking the outside line offered to him by Chris Latham, showing the Wallaby fullback a clean pair of heels by turning on the after-burners in the left corner.  His first Test try, and what a way to do it.  Set the tone for the Lions and their fans.

Villain of the match:  The Lions' pack.  It was always going to be a tough encounter up front, but the Lions pack delayed ball throughout by lying over the top and putting hands in the ruck, particularly during the Australian second half fightback.  Vickery and Corry were the only ones sin-binned, but there could have been more yellow cards flourished if referee Andre Watson had been stricter earlier on in the match.

Sin bin:  Corry (Lions, 61-71), Vickery (Lions, 74-full time)

The teams:

Australia:  1 Glenn Panoho, 2 Jeremy Paul, 3 Nic Stiles, 4 John Eales (c), 5 David Giffin, 6 Owen Finegan, 7 George Smith, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan, 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Joe Roff, 12 Nathan Grey, 13 Dan Herbert, 14 Andrew Walker, 15 Chris Latham
Reserves:  Matthew Burke, Matt Cockbain, Elton Flatley, Michael Foley, Ben Darwin, David Lyons

British Isles:  1 Phil Vickery, 2 Keith Wood, 3 Tom Smith, 4 Danny Grewcock, 5 Martin Johnson (c), 6 Martin Corry, 7 Richard Hill, 8 Scott Quinnell, 9 Rob Howley, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 11 Jason Robinson, 12 Rob Henderson, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 14 Dafydd James, 15 Matt Perry
Reserves:  Jason Leonard, Iain Balshaw, Gordon Bulloch, Colin Charvis
Unused:  Matt Dawson, Austin Healey, Martyn Williams

Referee:  Watson a.

Points Scorers

Australia
Tries:  Grey N.P. 1, Walker A.M. 1
Pen K.:  Walker A.M. 1

British Isles
Tries:  Robinson J.T. 1, O'Driscoll B.G. 1, James D.R. 1, Quinnell L.S. 1
Conv:  Wilkinson J.P. 3
Pen K.:  Wilkinson J.P. 1

Samoa 23 Tonga 14

A late try from Gloucester centre Terry Fanolua saw Samoa to a 23-14 win over Tonga in Friday's Pacific Rim clash at Nuku’alofa, Tonga.

Samoa finish top of the Pacific Rim qualifying pool as a result, with Tonga's defeat consigning them to bottom spot, and ending their involvement in this year's competition

Samoa assistant coach Michael Jones told Teivovo after the match:  "Both teams were very committed and the game was physical in nature

"Naturally, we are pleased with the win and proud of the boys’ character to pull through.  It’s never easy to win here in Tonga.  I think we owed this to our people back home after the loss to Fiji last week."

Samoa's other try on the day came from Semo Sititi, with Tonga getting their two touchdowns from Viliami Ma'asi and Solomone Matangi.

Second-placed Fiji are the other side from the group to qualify for the Japanese phase of the Pacific Rim Championship, which sees the Canada and Japan involved.

The Teams:

Samoa:  1 Polo Asi, 2 Ace Tiatia, 3 Kas Lealamanu'a, 4 Leo Lafaiali'i, 5 Setefano Tone, 6 Craig Glendinning, 7 Semo Sititi, 8 Junior Paramore, 9 Joe Filemu, 10 Earl Va'a, 11 Brian Lima, 12 Fereti Tuilagi, 13 To'o Vaega, 14 Afato So'oalo, 15 Silao Leaega
Reserves:  Terry Fanolua

Tonga:  1 Ta'u Fainga'anuku, 2 Viliami Ma'asi, 3 Tevita Taumoepeau, 4 Fakataha Molitika, 5 Viliami Vaki, 6 Jonathan Koloi, 7 Manako Tonga, 8 Christopher Hala'ufi, 9 Sione Tuipulotu, 10 'Elisi Vunipola, 11 'Aisea Havili, 12 Salesi Finau, 13 Semi Taupeaafe, 14 Solomone Matangi, 15 Kusitafu Tonga

Points Scorers:

Samoa
Tries:  Fanolua T.L. 1, Sititi S. 1
Conv:  Leaega S. 2
Pen K.:  Leaega S. 3

Tonga
Tries:  Ma'asi V. 1, Matangi S. 1
Conv:  Tonga K. 2

Fiji 22 Samoa 19

Fiji kept its chances of making the Pacific Rim semifinals by beating Samoa 21-19 at Apia.

Two tries apiece by Fijian Sevens star Vilimoni Delasau and Samoan wing Brian Lima meant victory depended on the boots of Nicky Leto and Silao Laeaga.

Fiji's Leto scored three penalties and a conversion to give the visitors the two-point win.  Laeaga could only manage three penalties, missing both conversion attempts.

This win moves Fiji from last place on the Pacific Rim table to joint top-place with Samoa on 10 points.  The top two teams in the Pacific Islands pool qualify for the Pacific Rim semifinals in Tokyo next month and game automatic entry to the 2003 World Cup.  Samoa and Tonga have a game in had against the Fijians.  Japan and Canada have already qualified for the semifinals.

Fiji were ahead 15-11 at half-time, thanks to Delasau's spectacular tries, the first of which came in the opening minute.  Laeaga put the home team in the lead with two penalties, but Delasau struck again, running about 50 metres to score out wide.

Lima took the field midway through the first half and immediately made an impact.  Not only did he score the first of his tries quickly, but he also sharpened his team's backline, putting more pressure on the Fijian defence.

Lima struck again the second half, taking the score to 18-16 to the visitors.  And then it was up to the kickers.  Samoa went ahead 19-18 with 15 minutes to go, but Leto nullified that with a penalty that gave his team the win.

The Teams:

Fiji:  1 Billy Cavubati, 2 Greg Smith (c), 3 Henry Qiodravu, 4 XKO7, 5 Apisai Naevo, 6 Alifereti Doviverata, 7 Jope Tuikabe, 8 Inoke Male, 9 Jacob Rauluni, 10 Nicky Little, 11 Vilimoni Delasau, 12 XBA6, 13 Saimoni Rokini, 14 XRI1, 15 Norman Ligairi
Reserves:  XBO3, Emori Katalau, Kameli Natoba, Sami Rabaka Nasagavesi, Isaia Rasila, XSE6

Samoa:  1 Polo Asi, 2 Trevor Leota, 3 Mark Luafalealo, 4 Opeta Palepoi, 5 Lama Tone, 6 MSE2, 7 Semo Sititi (c), 8 Junior Paramore, 9 Stephen So'oilao, 10 Earl Va'a, 11 Afato So'oalo, 12 Terry Fanolua, 13 To'o Vaega, 14 Fa'apulou So'olefai, 15 Silao Leaega
Reserves:  Ace Tiatia, Craig Glendinning, Kas Lealamanu'a, Brian Lima, Tanner Vili

Points Scorers:

Fiji
Tries:  Delasau V. 2, Male I. 1
Conv:  Little N.T. 2
Pen K.:  Little N.T. 1

Samoa
Tries:  Lima B.P. 2
Pen K.:  Leaega S. 3

South Africa 20 France 15

In a tale of two halves, South Africa beat France by 20-15 at Durban's ABSA Stadium on Saturday as they restored parity following their upset loss in the 1st Test but it was rather a dour affair.

Trailing 14-15 (also the score at half-time) for most of the second half, the Springboks launched one attack after another.  But Les Bleus defence held out and if it was not for a penalty goal by Butch James in the 75th minute, the score would have remained the same for the whole of the second stanza.

Incidentally James' penalty attempt was one of only two successful attempts out of five after the break, after he slotted three from four in the first 40 minutes.

The game started at pace, and both teams ran hard at each other.

The Springboks held their heads high in the opening exchanges, and although coach Harry Viljoen would still not be completely satisfied with their play, they showed a lot of promise on attack.

The only try of the match was scored after 32 minutes in the first half, when the Boks broke the advantage line a number of times with great attacking play.  After a number of well-constructed phases flank Corné Krige, who conceded three early penalties, barged over for the five-pointer in the corner.

The Boks lead 11-9 after the missed conversion, with the two flyhalves slotting two penalty goals each in the first half-hour.

Sadly for South Africa, Krige's try was the only real highlight of the game.  They could not break the French defence in the second half and will have to put in a lot of work it they are going to score tries in the Tri-Nations.

However, the Boks were much more committed and fluent on the attack than last week, with centre Robbie Fleck and wing Dean Hall looking dangerous when they got the ball.

However, the last week's disciplinary problems reared its ugly head again, and Mark Andrews (lock) and De Wet Barry (centre) spent some time in the sinbin in the opening 40 minutes.

James, slotting five from nine in only his second Test, was also lucky not to be yellow carded in the first half for an armless tackle.  Two crucial penalties, under a lot of pressure, came late in the game.

The Springboks' line-outs, though much better than last week with the lanky Albert van den Berg the stand-out player, were still not good enough and they will struggle against the Aussies and All Blacks if they don't improve drastically in this department.

Van den Berg's injury late in the game -- he left the field on a buggy with a suspected rib or chest injury -- will provide Viljoen with a few problems, as he was really good in this game, his line-out jumping in the second half virtually flawless.

Like the rugby public in South Africa has become accustomed to, captain André Vos was every where on the field.  His leadership was outstanding and his general play much better than last week.

The French played well and their patience in the first half paid off as they were awarded 12 penalties -- four of which flyhalf Gérald Merceron converted into points.  The little French general also slotted a drop-goal late shortly before half-time.

No.7 flank Olivier Magne again looked dangerous and they missed him when he had to leave the field for a yellow card.  Stéphane Glas (centre) and Merceron also gave their all for Les Bleus.

The visitors' best player was their veteran captain and scrumhalf Fabien Galthié, who was a thorn in the Boks' side with his great defence around the fringes as well as varying his attacking play very well.

However, in the second half things were much different for Les Bleus.  They had to defend like lions and their first scoring opportunities was in the 77th minute (when Merceron missed a drop goal) and 79th minute (missed penalty goal by the flyhalf).

Both teams were warned against foul play by English referee Chris White, who controlled the game well.

France, leaving South Africa for one Test agaist the All Blacks, will be satisfied with the first stop of their three-Test tour.  The drawn series against the Boks would be much more than they expected to achieve with an inexperienced team, and the promise showed by some of the youngsters is a good omen for the future of French rugby.

For the Boks it is back to the drawing board.  They were somewhat lucky to escape with the win in Durban and their lack of finishing moves is something Viljoen and his assistant coaches must seriously look at if they want to prevent a whitewash at the hands of Australia and New Zealand in the Tri-Nations.

Their veteran scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen would have been pleased with his effort this week after a somewhat indifferent performance in Johannesburg.

But Rassie Erasmus (flank) and Willie Meyer did not impress and they will have to lift their games considerably if they want to feature in the Tests later in the year.

Man of the match:  The Springbok captain André Vos played very well for the home side, committing himself 200 per cent on defence and on the attack.  His cover play was also much better than last week.

Moment of the match:  After 32 minutes Corné Krige scored the only try of the game after a good build-up by the Boks.  That was the only real highlight of the game.

Villain of the match:  The three players that received yellow cards -- Mark Andrews, De Wet Barry and Olivier Magne -- share the "award".  Their stupid play could have cost their teams dearly, but lucky for the trio, it did not amount to too much.

The Teams:

South Africa:  1 Ollie Le Roux, 2 John Smit, 3 Willie Meyer, 4 Mark Andrews, 5 Albert Van Den Bergh, 6 Johan Erasmus, 7 Corne Krige, 8 Andre Vos (c), 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Butch James, 11 Dean Hall, 12 De Wet Barry, 13 Robbie Fleck, 14 Breyton Paulse, 15 Thinus Delport
Reserves:  Johan Ackermann, Robbie Kempson, Percy Montgomery, Bobby Skinstad
Unused:  Neil De Kock, Etienne Fynn, Conrad Jantjes

France:  1 Jean-Jacques Crenca, 2 Raphael Ibanez, 3 Pieter De Villiers, 4 David Auradou, 5 Olivier Brouzet, 6 Olivier Magne, 7 Sebastien Chabal, 8 Patrick Tabacco, 9 Fabien Galthie (c), 10 Gerald Merceron, 11 David Bory, 12 Stephane Glas, 13 Yannick Jauzion, 14 Christophe Dominici, 15 Nicolas Jeanjean
Reserves:  Olivier Azam, Christian Califano, Lionel Nallet, Elvis Vermeulen
Unused:  Pepito Elhorga, Pierre Mignoni, David Skrela

Attendance:  45000
Referee:  White c.

Points Scorers:

South Africa
Tries:  Krige C.J.P. 1
Pen K.:  James A.D. 5

France
Pen K.:  Merceron G. 4
Drop G.:  Merceron G. 1

New Zealand 67 Argentina 19

Brain triumphed over brawn big time as New Zealand ran Argentina ragged at Jade Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday night, scoring 10 tries to two in winning 67-19.

Predictably, the Argentinians were combative up front but were exposed ruthlessly out wide by the All Blacks who dealt them a lesson in the art of counter-attacking and slick passing to create the overlap.

The Pumas had come to New Zealand determined to erase the agony of their 93-8 loss at Wellington in 1997 but, although competitive, they were dealt another rugby lesson by the men in black.

New Zealand's victory was achieved at the expense of several injuries, however, some of which could be serious.

New No.8 Jerry Collins dislocated his shoulder, first-five Andrew Mehrtens damaged his quadricep muscle, lock Troy Flavell was damaged in a crude off-the-ball incident involving Roberto Grau and fullback Leon MacDonald, who was shaping up as one of the stars of the evening, limped off with a leg muscle strain.

The reshuffles allowed other individuals to grab their share of glory.

When MacDonald went off, and was replaced by Doug Howlett, Jeff Wilson reverted to fullback, the position he'd occupied for the All Blacks in 1999.

He flourished, showing many deft touches and scoring two tries to equal Christian Cullen's New Zealand test record of 42 tries.

Marty Holah also prospered as Collins' replacement, having a huge second half and capping it with his first test try.

The 80-minute stars of New Zealand's handsome win were halfback Justin Marshall, midfielder Pita Alatini, Wilson in his twin positions, MacDonald in the 43 minutes he was on the field, lock Norm Maxwell, who ruled the line-out, a rampaging Flavell and Randell, who proved his versatility by playing one half as the openside flanker, the other as the No.8.

Marshall completely outplayed his rival Agustin Pichot who was contained throughout by New Zealand's close-in defence.

Indeed, the All Blacks' aggressive tackling in the second half was truly sensational.

As captain Anton Oliver later explained, "The Argentinians obviously decided at halftime the only way to win was to through the forwards, but we stopped them with some big hits."

Oliver had the embarrassment of being shown a yellow card, and having to sit out 10 minutes of the second half, ostensibly for throwing a punch, but TV replays showed clearly he was guilty of nothing more than pushing an opponent in the chest.

He was delighted that the backs were able to piece together so many tries.  "We played conservatively against Samoa but decided to try a few moves tonight.  It resulted in us making mistakes at times but we scored some classic tries.  I'm happy with 67 points."

Jonah Lomu marked his return to the test line-up with some typically bruising runs.  Although he didn't feature among the tryscorers, he did set up Tana Umaga for New Zealand's first five-pointer.

Umaga mishandled a few times but he and Alatini created huge problems for the Argentinian defence, as did MacDonald as a counter-attacker and, from the 43rd minute, Howlett, who has now scored seven tries in six tests.

The New Zealand scrum, shaky against Samoa, held solid this time, with young Carl Hayman coming through his challenging debut with flying colours.  Not only did he hold steady in the scrums, he made some huge tackles.

Maxwell had one of his finest games for New Zealand, winning every one of his own balls and a few Argentinian line-out throws as well.

Apart from some elusive footwork by flyhalf Felipe Contepomi, and a couple of well-taken, opportunist tries, it was a rather forgettable evening for the Pumas backline.

They seemed to forget they had backs who could attack and as the scoreline mounted, reverted to type, trying to outmuscle the All Blacks.

Skipper Lisandro Arbizu started and finished a 75-metre try, knocking the ball away from Alatini on his own 22 and joining the action in time to sprint away for the touchdown.

That took Argentina to 14 points in the 33rd minute, which is where they stayed until Gonzalo Camardon won the sprint after a Quesada grubber kick 46 minutes later.

Man of the match:  Several contenders all wearing black jerseys, but none was classier throughout the 80 minutes than halfback Justin Marshall who threw strong passes and several times burst through the Pumas defence.

Moment of the Match:  Probably New Zealand's 90-metre try in the sixth minute, instigated by fullback Leon MacDonald, who counter-attacked brilliantly, and finished off by Tana Umaga.  It set the tone for the evening.

Villain of the Match:  Pumas prop Roberto Grau who recklessly pile-drove into Troy Flavell off the ball, Flavell went off injured and Grau spent 10 minutes in the sin bin.

The Teams:

New Zealand:  1 Carl Hayman, 2 Anton Oliver (c), 3 Carl Hoeft, 4 Troy Flavell, 5 Norm Maxwell, 6 Jerry Collins, 7 Reuben Thorne, 8 Taine Randell, 9 Justin Marshall, 10 Andrew Mehrtens, 11 Jonah Lomu, 12 Pita Alatini, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Jeff Wilson, 15 Leon MacDonald
Reserves:  Doug Howlett, Marty Holah, Chris Jack, Greg Somerville, Tony Brown, Mark Hammett
Unused:  Byron Kelleher

Argentina:  1 Roberto Grau, 2 Federico Mendez, 3 Omar Hasan Jalil, 4 Alejandro Allub, 5 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Rolando Martin, 7 Santiago Phelan, 8 Gonzalo Longo Elia, 9 Agustin Pichot, 10 Felipe Contepomi, 11 Diego Albanese, 12 Lisandro Arbizu (c), 13 Jose Orengo, 14 Gonzalo Camardon, 15 Bernardo Stortoni
Reserves:  Lucas Ostiglia, Jose Nunez Piossek, Gonzalo Quesada, Mauricio Reggiardo

Attendance:  20000
Referee:  Cole a.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Tries:  Howlett D.C. 1, Holah M.R. 1, Jack C.R. 1, MacDonald L.R. 1, Alatini P.F. 2, Randell T.C. 1, Umaga J.F. 1, Wilson J.W. 2
Conv:  Brown T.E. 4, Mehrtens A.P. 3
Pen K.:  Mehrtens A.P. 1

Argentina
Tries:  Arbizu L. 1, Camardon G.F. 1
Pen K.:  Contepomi F. 3

Wales 53 Japan 30

Wales beat Japan 53-30 in the second Test in Tokyo on Sunday, after trailing 20-19 at halftime.  It was the last of the visitors' five-game tour in Japan.

Winger Gareth Thomas scored a hat-trick of tries as Wales finished their five-game tour of Japan with a comprehensive win over the host nation.

Captain Andrew Moore described it as "an excellent win" to finish the tour.  "We had set a goal of winning two Test matches and playing with a style that we are going to build, and I feel we did that," he added.

Bath flanker Gavin Thomas scored a try in the 16th minute -- after his team trailed 3-0 -- before Gareth Thomas added two more in the 21st and 26th minutes, all converted by Stephen Jones, to build a 19-3 lead.

But the Japanese squad fought back, thanks to tries through Koichi Kubo and Teruyoshi Masuho.  Toru Kurihara converted them and added a penalty goal in injury time as the home side surprisingly led 20-19 at half time.

But Wales were a different team in the second half as Gavin Thomas again made it 24-20 in the 43th minute near the left corner, which started a six-try second-half onslaught to make sure of their victory.

"Japan led a little bit better than we did in the first half, they were able to turn us over in a contact area," said Wales coach Lynn Howells.  "In the second half I put players into areas where their defence struggled.  I think their defences are too tight, they congregate along the situation on the maul and ruck, so it becomes easier to draw their defence."

Wales ended the tour with three wins against two defeats.  They suffered the first-ever defeat to a Japanese team when they lost to Japanese national club champions Suntory 41-45 in the opener.

Their young squad also went down 16-36 to the Pacific Barbarians.

But Wales, who defeated a Japanese selection 33-22, celebrated their 500th Test match with a lopsided 64-10 victory a week ago to keep an unbeaten record against Japan.

The Teams:

Wales:  1 Iestyn Thomas, 2 Andrew Lewis, 3 Chris Anthony, 4 Andrew Moore, 5 Craig Quinnell, 6 Nathan Budgett, 7 Gavin Thomas, 8 Geraint Lewis, 9 Gareth Cooper, 10 Stephen Jones, 11 Tom Shanklin, 12 Adrian Durston, 13 Gareth Thomas, 14 Shane Williams, 15 Kevin Morgan
Reserves:  Dwayne Peel, Jamie Robinson, Jamie Ringer, Chris Stephens

Japan:  1 Shin Hasegawa, 2 Masaaki Sakata (c), 3 Masahiko Toyoyama, 4 L. Vatuvei, 5 Hiroyuki Tanuma, 6 Kazuya Koizumi, 7 Kouichi Kubo, 8 Yuya Saito, 9 Wataru Murata, 10 Ken Iwabuchi, 11 Toru Kurihara, 12 Yukio Motoki, 13 Hideki Nanba, 14 Terunori Masuho, 15 Hirotoki Onozowa
Reserves:  J. Akune, Takeomi Ito, Patiliai Tuidraki, Ryo Yamamura

Referee:  Deaker k.

Points Scorers:

Wales
Tries:  Robinson J.P. 1, Shanklin T. 2, Thomas G. 2, Williams S.M. 1, Thomas G. 3
Conv:  Jones S.M. 4

Japan
Tries:  Kubo K. 1, Masuho T. 1, Onozowa H. 1
Conv:  Kurihara T. 3
Pen K.:  Kurihara T. 3

England 48 United States 19

A 48-19 win over the USA in San Francisco saw Clive Woodward's England side make history as they secured the longest ever consecutive England winning streak, with their 11th victory on the trot.

A pair of tries for backs Leon Lloyd (pictured) and Josh Lewsey helped them on their way after a five-try first-half showing and a 33-5 interval lead, with the other English tries from forwards Pat Sanderson, Joe Worsley, Lewis Moody and Dorian West.

The USA put up a gallant fight though, especially in the second-half as they held England to three tries, one right at the death.  The Eagles scored three of their own, two for debutant wing Jone Niciqa and one for other wing Juan Grobler, but they were never going to stop England's date with the record book.

It was clear from the outset however that the result was not going to be in much doubt when Leicester hooker West rumbled over from a five-metre lineout he had just thrown in to on the left wing, with Walder getting over his jittery start to the tour by converting from the touchline for England.

Pat Sanderson -- on from the bench for a Lewis Moody blood-bin replacement -- was next to score on 11 minutes when he went under the posts after good crash ball running from Jamie Noon, with Walder again there for the easy extras.

Fullback Josh Lewsey then got in on the act, touching down in the right corner after a swift left to right transfer through the England three-quarters, culminating in Lloyd's deft flick, which although bouncing off the ground, was always going to put Lewsey in on the overlap for an easy run-in, Walder again adding the conversion.

The hosts shocked England though on 19 minutes when right wing and sevens specialists Jone Niciqa switched wings, and burst on to a well-timed pass from otherwise nervous fly-half Grant Wells to break through the line from short range near the left corner.  In truth it owed much to the strangely dis-organised England defence after a solid start defensively, one that coach Ellery Henley would no doubt be fuming over in the dressing room.

With the USA's defence getting even more shambolic as the half went on, the spectacle of forwards Joe Worsley and Steve Borthwick tearing them apart in the loose happened after 23 minutes, with the Bath lock putting Worsley in for a jog to the posts after Borthwick had sauntered up to the USA last man and created the most basic of overlaps, as Walder converted again.

Julian White earned himself a place in the sin-bin with a haymaker in a midfield ruck, but a fine try from Leon Lloyd was to be the final score of the first period.

In a spooky copy of Dan Luger's first try for the Lions against Queensland earlier in the day, it came from a Newcastle fly-half's perfect crossfield kick under pressure.  This time the executioner was Walder, who struck a mighty crossfield bomb in to the arms of the waiting Lloyd, who just avoided touch in the right wing for England's fifth try, and a 33-5 interval lead.

The crowd had to wait only five minutes after the break for England's sixth try, when Lloyd claimed his second after an interception from the normally reliable hands of Bath No.8 Dan Lyle down the right wing, with Lloyd cantering down the right flank, and Walder missing the tough conversion.

A new pair in the backs was introduced with half an hour left, Ollie Barkley making his Test debut despite not having played a senior game in England, and Wasps' scrum-half Martyn Wood replacing skipper Kyran Bracken.

America got their second try when inside centre Juan Grobler dived in at the right corner after a Dan Lyle lay-off, in a flowing backs move which again owed much to the stand-offish England three-quarters in the tackle, with Grant Wells kicking his firt points of the game as he slotted the fairly tough conversion.

It got worse for England on 63 minutes when fullback Kurt Shuman broke in to the line near halfway, and after a searing run put in Niciqa for his second try on his debut in the left corner.  Wells converted, and although England held a commanding lead they looked rattled at only 38-19 up.

England hit back though when Lewsey got his second try, a score which earned much to the good driving work of replacement Pat Sanderson, with Bracken giving Lewsey a short pop pass five metres out down the right wing, and Lewsey scoring under a heap of diving bodies in the loose, with Walder missing the wide extras.

A rolling maul try from Lewis Moody put the seal on the win as Ollie Barkley hopelessly scuffed his first international conversion.  Not as convincing a triumph as it had looked at half-time, but all the same a record-breaking one.

Man of the match:  Lewis Moody.  Just where the young Leicester openside flanker will play his club rugby next season after his club's signing of Josh Kronfeld remains open to conjecture, but a superb domineering, high energy display in this game showed that he is still one of the top openside specialists England have in their back-up cupboard.  His battling try at the end was a fitting tribute.

Moment of the match:  Leon Lloyd's first try.  A carbon copy of Dan Luger's first try for the Lions on the same day.  A well-flighted kick from a Newcastle fly-half (Dave Walder) to a well positioned and composed recipient on the wing.  A great try and testament to the thinking approach of the England side this tour.

Villain of the match:  Julian White.  A completely needless haymaker on 28 minutes rightly earned the England prop a place in the sin-bin after a good-tempered game with little niggle, a stupid act in full view of the touch-judge.

Sin bin:  Julian White (Eng) 28-38 mins.

The Teams:

England:  1 Graham Rowntree, 2 Dorian West, 3 Julian White, 4 Simon Shaw, 5 Steve Borthwick, 6 Lewis Moody, 7 Steve White-Cooper, 8 Joe Worsley, 9 Kyran Bracken (c), 10 Dave Walder, 11 Leon Lloyd, 12 Fraser Waters, 13 Jamie Noon, 14 Michael Stephenson, 15 Josh Lewsey
Reserves:  Tom Palmer, Martyn Wood, Olly Barkley, David Flatman, Andy Long, Pat Sanderson, Tom Voyce

United States:  1 Mike MacDonald, 2 Kirk Khasigian, 3 Paul Still, 4 Luke Gross, 5 Eric Reed, 6 Dave Hodges (c), 7 Kort Schubert, 8 Dan Lyle, 9 Kevin Dalzell, 10 Grant Wells, 11 Johnny Naqica, 12 Phillip Eloff, 13 Juan Grobler, 14 Jovesa Naivalu, 15 Kurt Shuman
Reserves:  Olo Fifita, Alex Magleby

Referee:  Turner a.

Points Scorers:

England
Tries:  West D.E. 1, Worsley J.P.R. 1, Lewsey O.J. 2, Lloyd L.D. 2, Moody L.W. 1, Sanderson P.H. 1
Conv:  Walder D.J.H. 4

United States
Tries:  Naqica J. 2, Grobler J. 1
Conv:  Wells G. 2

South Africa 23 France 32

France remained unbeaten at Ellis Park in Johannesburg when they beat South Africa by 32 points to 23 in front of more than 52 000 spectators.

France, who were better in the tight phases, enjoyed more ball and territorial advantage, thus leading 16-11 at the break.  But only after they got an early wake-up call.

Pieter de Villiers, France's South African-born prop, led Les Bleus on to the Ellis Park pitch.  However, that omen did not work as Breyton Paulse danced his way over for the first try of the match after a mere 30 seconds, thanks to Butch James spinning the ball wide in the first movement of the game.

The conversion, by Percy Montgomery, hit the upright, and the Boks were leading 5-0 before the first minute of the game was over.

The Springboks struggled with their line-outs throughout the entire match, with the visitors stealing a number of balls.  However, skipper André Vos and later Albert van den Berg, who replaced Mark Andrews, proved to be the trumpcards at the back, taking their balls with relative ease.

The scrums were another area where the game struggled to gain momentum, with the French getting the better of South Africa.  They dominated the slightly lighter South Africans and Springbok coach Harry Viljoen may have to seriously consider bringing in more bulk for the second Test.

France, not given too much chance of winning, gave their best performance of the year after an awful Six Nations campaign.  They knew they had to get the upper-hand up front, which they did without too much hassle.

The big thorn in the Springbok forwards' side was the magnificent Olivier Magne.  The brilliant French flank tormented the Boks in the tight, the loose and the line-outs.  He was everywhere and did not give the South Africans an inch on the attack.

Meanwhile Percy Montgomery, who had a terrible day on the field, extended the Boks' five-point lead with a penalty goal, but then the French started attacking with vigour.

Les Bleus got their first real chance after 12 minutes when Nicolas Jeanjean broke a Corné Krige tackle and streaked into the clear.  However, the pass to Stéphane Glas, who would have scored a certain try, was not good and the ball rolled into touch.

But three minutes later France scored their first try when speed-merchant Christophe Dominici went over in the corner after the whole French backline handled the ball in a classic backline move.

Montgomery added a penalty goal and Gérald Merceron, the French No.10 who missed two drop-goals, added six points of his own with two penalties.

The visitors extended their 13-11 lead after Montgomery missed two penalty goals and Mulder was penalised for a late tackle on Jeanjean.  The burly Bok centre was lucky to escape with only a warning, and Merceron made no mistake with the kick at goal to put his side in the lead -- 16-11 -- just before half-time.

Five minutes into the second half the Boks narrowed the scores via Montgomery's third penalty goal.

With the Bok backline looking more and more dangerous, they took the lead with 30 minutes left on the clock when Montgomery slotted his fourth three-pointer, straight after he hit the upright with an attempted penalty goal.

Merceron, landing his fifth kick at goal from seven attempts, put the visitors back in the lead with a penalty in the 54th minute.  Moments later, after a high-tackle on Barry, Montgomery did the same and the Boks were back in the lead at 20-19.

Dominici almost got his second try shortly afterwards as he dribbled through, but the big wing Hall out-sprinted him and beat him to the ball.  Hall carried the ball over the line and after being awarded a five-metre scrum, the French kept up the pressure.

France were awarded another five-metre scrum and Merceron, who was playing his heart out, crashed through half-hearted tackles by Mulder and Krige to put his side back in the lead with a good converted try.  He added another three points shortly afterwards and France went into the last 20 minutes with a handy 29-20 lead.

Montgomery, who narrowed the gap with his sixth penalty, was penalised when he held on to the ball inside his own 22 with one minute left on the clock.  Merceron added the points, the siren went, and the Tricolours remained unbeaten at Ellis Park.

De Wet Barry was the home team's best back, with debutante Dean Hall also looking dangerous on the few occasions he touched the ball.  André Vos never gave up front, and Rassie Erasmus and John Smit also gave their all.

Apart from Magne and Merceron, the visitors' best men were the young trio of fullback Nicolas Jeanjean, big centre Yannick Jauzion and No.8 Patrick Tabacco.  Former skipper Raphael Ibanez also played his heart out.

Man of the match:  France flyhalf Gérald Merceron, who contributed 27 points, was brilliant for the visitors.  He kept the Boks pinned in their own half with good tactical kicking and his kicks at goal were also top notch.

Moment of the match:  The final penalty goal of the match by Merceron, which came on full-time.  As he hit the ball, the French flyhalf threw his arms in the air.  The French were victorious again.

Villain of the match:  Japie Mulder, the Boks' No.12, was lucky not to be yellow carded after a no armed late charge on Jeanjean late in the first half.  He was also penalised earlier for diving on a French player.  He also got warned for retaliating in the second half.

The Teams:

South Africa:  1 Etienne Fynn, 2 Robbie Kempson, 3 John Smit, 4 Mark Andrews, 5 Andre Venter, 6 Johan Erasmus, 7 Andre Vos (c), 8 Corne Krige, 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Butch James, 11 Dean Hall, 12 De Wet Barry, 13 Japie Mulder, 14 Breyton Paulse, 15 Percy Montgomery
Reserves:  Robbie Fleck, Ollie Le Roux, Willie Meyer, Bobby Skinstad, Albert Van Den Bergh
Unused:  Neil De Kock, Conrad Jantjes

France:  1 Jean-Jacques Crenca, 2 Raphael Ibanez, 3 Pieter De Villiers, 4 David Auradou, 5 Olivier Brouzet, 6 Olivier Magne, 7 Sebastien Chabal, 8 Patrick Tabacco, 9 Fabien Galthie (c), 10 Gerald Merceron, 11 David Bory, 12 Stephane Glas, 13 Yannick Jauzion, 14 Christophe Dominici, 15 Nicolas Jeanjean
Reserves:  Elvis Vermeulen
Unused:  Olivier Azam, Christian Califano, Pepito Elhorga, Pierre Mignoni, Lionel Nallet, David Skrela

Attendance:  52330
Referee:  Deluca p.

Points Scorers:

South Africa
Tries:  Paulse B.J. 1
Pen K.:  Montgomery P.C. 6

France
Tries:  Merceron G. 1, Dominici C. 1
Conv:  Merceron G. 2
Pen K.:  Merceron G. 6

New Zealand 50 Samoa 6

Tony Brown and Jeff Wilson continued their love affair with North Harbour Stadium as New Zealand opened their 2001 Test campaign with a 50-6 win over Samoa in a bruising, unspectacular contest.

First-five Brown's haul of 30 points included a hat-trick of tries and preserved a remarkable average of 29 points from three Test appearances at the ground.

And by scoring the seventh and last try of the evening, winger Wilson brought his aggregate of five-pointers at the ground to 19 from six outings.

Apart from these milestones, and the fact that Carl Hayman and Mark Ranby jointly shared the honour of becoming the 1000th All Black by taking the field together, there wasn't too much to shout about in a generally workmanlike performance by the Men in Black.

Wayne Smith's men led 26-6 at half-time in challenging, slippery conditions and, through resolute and well-organised defence, did well to keep the spirited Samoans tryless.

New All Black captain Anton Oliver said that because the ball was so slippery, his team resorted to the kicking option a lot, to maintain pressure on the Samoans.

"They're a tough, physical side," said Oliver, "not one you put away easily.  We'll take 50 points and be satisfied."

The positives for the All Blacks, apart from their watertight defence, were the efficiency of the line-out, the effectiveness of the Otago inside back pairing of Byron Kelleher and Brown, the go-forward achieved by forwards Ron Cribb and Troy Flavell and the attacking skills of wingers Doug Howlett and Wilson, on the infrequent occasions they were brought into play.

The biggest demerit mark went to the All Black scrum which made no impact on Samoa and which on occasions appeared to be under pressure.

Oliver conceded the scrum was something his forwards would have to focus on before next weekend when they engaged the power scrummagers from Argentina.

Brown had his, and New Zealand's, first try inside three minutes, created by Howlett who leapt high to gather a soaring "bomb" by Kelleher.

The next nine points were courtesy of Brown penalty goals as the Samoans persistently infringed under pressure.

Then came two well-taken tries, halfback Kelleher twice stretching the Samoan defence before lock Norm Maxwell (who also scored against the same opposition on the same ground in 1999) dived over, and Brown exploiting a huge gap from a line-out.

Returning from the interval 26-6 ahead, the All Blacks were across inside 90 seconds, Howlett capitalising on a sweetly-judged chip-kick through from fullback Leon MacDonald.

The most spectacular try of the evening came from a counter-attack launched 60 metres out, Brown eventually creating the overlap for Umaga who ran hard, then kicked ahead to the goalline.  Umaga and Samoan halfback Steven So'oialo managed to eliminate each other, allowing Flavell, following up fast, to grab the five points.

A turnover under pressure cost Samoa the next score, with Wilson in-passing to Brown for his third try, and the scoring was completed with Wilson being put away by Flavell.

The best the Samoans could manage were two penalty goals by fullback Silao Leaega, who missed three other attempts.  At no stage in the entire 80 minutes did the Samoans seriously threaten the All Black line.

New Zealand's new loose forward trio of Cribb, Marty Holah and Reuben Thorne worked most effectively in defence, with Cribb producing some dynamic running.  Holah had a quiet introduction to international rugby, but was swift to the breakdowns.

Maxwell, Flavell and Cribb were unchallenged in the line-outs.

The Samoans, lacking world-class performers, were highly competitive in the scrum and in close-quarter play, but were flat out containing individuals like Howlett, Wilson, Kelleher, Cribb and Flavell.

Man of the match:  Obviously, a case for giving it to Tony Brown for his 30-point (three try) performance, but some of his play was ragged.  The individual who made no mistakes but challenged the Samoans repeatedly, with his pace and skill, was winger Doug Howlett, so we'll award it to the All Black No 14.

Moment of the Match:  Fifteen minutes into the second half when Carl Hayman and Mark Ranby took the field in tandem, to share the honour of becoming the 1000th All Black.

Villain of the Match:  Samoan second-five Fereti Tuilagi was on a last warning after two dangerous tackles, but he survived for 80 minutes, so no true villain notwithstanding the fact there were plenty of big, bruising tackles.

The Teams:

New Zealand:  1 Greg Somerville, 2 Anton Oliver (c), 3 Carl Hoeft, 4 Troy Flavell, 5 Norm Maxwell, 6 Ron Cribb, 7 Reuben Thorne, 8 Marty Holah, 9 Byron Kelleher, 10 Tony Brown, 11 Doug Howlett, 12 Pita Alatini, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Jeff Wilson, 15 Leon MacDonald
Reserves:  Carl Hayman, Mark Ranby

Samoa:  1 Polo Asi, 2 Trevor Leota, 3 Mark Luafalealo, 4 Leo Lafaiali'i, 5 Opeta Palepoi, 6 Craig Glendinning, 7 Semo Sititi (c), 8 Junior Paramore, 9 Stephen So'oilao, 10 Earl Va'a, 11 Afato So'oalo, 12 Terry Fanolua, 13 Fereti Tuilagi, 14 Fa'apulou So'olefai, 15 Silao Leaega
Reserves:  Ace Tiatia, Kas Lealamanu'a, Elvis Seveali'i, Patrick Segi, Setefano Tone

Attendance:  20000
Referee:  Marshall p.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Tries:  Flavell T.V. 1, Howlett D.C. 1, Brown T.E. 3, Maxwell N.M.C. 1, Wilson J.W. 1
Conv:  Brown T.E. 3
Pen K.:  Brown T.E. 3

Samoa
Pen K.:  Leaega S. 2

Wales 64 Japan 10

After a disappointing start to their Far East tour, Wales got things back on track with a huge 64-10 victory over Japan at the Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka.  Wales led 52-0 at half-time.

The Welsh hero for was winger Shane Williams, who scored four tries, a Welsh record for an international match.  He scored two in each half.  Williams shares the record with Willie Llewellyn, Reggie Gibbs, Maurice Richards, Ieuan Evans and Nigel Walker.

After the match, Williams said:  "I had a lot of chances to run with the ball which was nice.  We had been working for two weeks on getting the ball to the wings and we managed that today."

Williams was not voted man of the match.  That honour fell to Geraint Lewis, the Welsh No.8.

Wales's first try was scored after only four minutes when Gareth Thomas went over from a tapped kick.  Soon after that Mark Jones collected a chip-ahead by Lewis to score, and Wales were 14-0 up.

The solo effort of the match came from Kevin Morgan whose run, chasing his won kick, took him the length of the field.

Two of the scorers were making their debuts -- Andy Lloyd and Adrian Durston.

In all Wales scored ten tries, through Gareth Thomas, Mark Jones, Kevin Morgan (2), Andy Lloyd, Shane Williams (4) and Adrian Durston.  Stephen Jones kicked seven conversions.

For Japan:  Luantangi Vaturei and Takeomi Ito scored tries. o.

The Teams:

Wales:  1 Iestyn Thomas, 2 Andrew Lewis, 3 Chris Anthony, 4 Andrew Moore, 5 Craig Quinnell, 6 Gavin Thomas, 7 Andy Lloyd, 8 Geraint Lewis, 9 Gareth Cooper, 10 Stephen Jones, 11 Mark Jones, 12 Adrian Durston, 13 Gareth Thomas, 14 Shane Williams, 15 Kevin Morgan
Reserves:  Gavin Henson, Steve Jones, Jamie Robinson, Jamie Ringer

Japan:  1 Shin Hasegawa, 2 Masaaki Sakata (c), 3 Masahiko Toyoyama, 4 L. Vatuvei, 5 Hiroyuki Tanuma, 6 Takeomi Ito, 7 Hiroshi Sugawara, 8 Yuya Saito, 9 Wataru Murata, 10 Syotaro Oonishi, 11 Toru Kurihara, 12 Yukio Motoki, 13 N. Oto, 14 Patiliai Tuidraki, 15 Tsutomu Matsuda
Reserves:  Ken Iwabuchi, Kouichi Kubo, Hideki Nanba, Yuji Sonoda, Masato Yamamoto

Referee:  Dickson r.

Points Scorers:

Wales
Tries:  Durston A. 1, Jones M.A. 1, Williams S.M. 4, Lloyd A. 1, Morgan K.A. 2, Thomas G. 1
Conv:  Jones S.M. 7

Japan
Tries:  Vatuvei L. 1, Ito T. 1

England 59 Canada 20

In a stirring eight try victory 59-20 over Canada, England shook off the "A" team moniker, led by a 29 point performance by flyhalf David Walder, who scored a pair of second half tries, five conversions and three penalties, in just his second Test.

The ten straight wins on the hop equal England's best ever record in 130 years of international rugby and a win against the USA next week will break that best set in 1982-86 and again in 1994-5.

Fly-half David Walder, who had a shaky debut in England's 22-10 win over Canada a week ago, put in a sterling 29 point performance, including two tries, five conversions and three penalties.

Walder admits he never had such a huge effort stored in the back of his mind as a possibility, but he did want to restore England manager Clive Woodwards faith with a strong follow up performance.

"I just knew I had to play better than I did last week," the young Newcastle player said candidly.  "Last week I let myself down -- this week I played a lot better."

Walder scored two huge tries within the space of 90 seconds that broke the Canadian resolve, and he admits it was suprising to have them come in such rapid succession.

"It was a bit strange really,"he chuckled.  "I was just getting over the first one and then I was back again.  It was really nice to score and the whole team performance was amazing today."

He says despite the early scores Canada were making a hard effort in the first half hour, but he credits his forwards for digging in.

"Our forwards did really well to get on top of that," Walder said.  "There were a number of turnovers and we started to find the gaps and that made all the difference."

A normally staid Clive Woodward was beaming following the near record performance, and credited his whole coaching staff, and the young team for the huge win.

"I've been delighted with John Wells, Ellery Hanley.  Brian Ashton is someone I would always have next to me in a coaching situation," said Woodward.

Things did not start well for Canada, as almost from the opening kick-off Rod Snow was given a penalty for shoulder charging wing England wing David Rees.  England went for the lineout, and from the resulting maul second row Simon Shaw, trundled over from 5 metres for an unconverted try.

Ross got Canada on the board a moment later for a 5-3 scoreline.

From that restart it was a Michael Stephenson chip through that got by Scott Stewart, and the Canadian flyhalf was penalised for nudging the England wing on the way to the tryline.  Referee Joel Jutge awarded a penalty try and with a David Walder conversion England were ahead 12-3 with the game barely give minutes old.

Walder added to the England lead with a penalty when Canada was called for being offside, and then not retreating ten metres.

Dan Baugh showed Canada was still alive when from a Morgan Williams quick tap found the Cardiff flanker blazing into space for a hard 25 metre run.  It all came to an end with a Canadian knock on a moment later, but it was an emotional lift for the team.

Ross added his second penalty at the 19 minute mark and England held a 15-6 lead.

Walder missed a second attempt, showing much the same form as on his debut a week ago.

On the half hour Canada were called for offside and Walder kicked to touch.  From the ensuing lineout a rolling maul to England to the Canadian five where prop Julian White showed liberal boot work on Rod Snow.  A moment later Dan Baugh waded in with a number of punches on White, and the duo received a pair of sinbins.

England were awarded the penalty and Walder made no mistake from 8 metres and England led 18-6.

Walder showed some pace making a 40 minute break before second row John Tait wrestled him to the ground at the Canadian 22.  Morgan Williams was called for a professional foul and Canada were down to 13 on 14, and Walder made good on the penalty kick -- 21-6 after 35 minutes.

Canada showed remarkable resolve while shorthanded, making tackle after tackle and stymying the English attack.

In injury time Michael Stephenson made a huge break chipped ahead an narrowly missed a try, knocking on in-goal and Canada had a scrum at their own five metre line.

England got control of the ball from an ensuing Canadian penalty, replacment scrum-half Martyn Wood took the quick tap, and number 8 Joe Worsley bounced over from 5 metres.  Walder converted and England hold a commanding 28-6 lead at the half.

From the restart England threatened with the Tiger's Lewis Moody finding a gap and finally being tackled by Leicester teammate Winston Stanley.  Leon Lloyd kicked just too far, and Canada restarted with a 22 metre dropout.  Stephenson attacked and was tackled at the Canadian 15 metre line, Walder recycled and sent Shaw over for his second try of the day, and England had added another score with half only a minute old.  Walder missed the touchline conversion and England led 33-6.

Canada got an indirect penalty a moment later when Dorian West was called for having his foot up and the ball worked to the outside where Sean Fauth sped for the line and was caught just five metres short, with the ball going into touch.

England continued to dominate in open play, exposing the Canadian defense on a number of occasions, but knock-ons, and small errors stopped a number of good efforts from netting further points.

At 60 minutes Canada had an opportunity lost when John Tait kicked through on a loose ball and Julian White

Canada was awarded a penalty at the England five metre line, and the quick tap by Morgan Williams, followed by two recycling phases finally found the previously bannished Baugh away for a one metre try.  Ross converted and the England lead was twenty points -- 33-13.

In the 68th minute Walder gathered a head of steam, finding a hole from 22 metres, and with one move was away under the posts with a self-converted try, and England were well away at 40-13.

A moment later, he decided to do it again, this time from 40 metres and the rout was on -- with the conversion making the score 47-13.

The pressure continued, with Noon popping over two minutes later under the posts for a converted try, the third in three minutes and the Canadian confidence was in shreds with a 54-13 scoreline.

Canada kept England off the board for some ten minutes before Martyn Wood found a gap from in close to stretch the lead to 59-13, after Walder missed the conversion after 75 minutes.

Sean Fauth redeemed the Canadian effort with a strong try from a Nik Witkowski pass in the 78th minute, and with a tough touchline conversion by Ross England led 59-20.

Canada made a couple of late charges, but England stopped them from finding the line, and full time gave England it's third victory of the North America tour.

The Teams:

England:  1 Graham Rowntree, 2 Dorian West, 3 Julian White, 4 Ben Kay, 5 Simon Shaw, 6 Lewis Moody, 7 Steve White-Cooper, 8 Joe Worsley, 9 Kyran Bracken, 10 David Walder, 11 Paul Sampson, 12 Leon Lloyd, 13 Jamie Noon, 14 Michael Stephenson, 15 Josh Lewsey
Reserves:  Alex King, Mark Regan, Tim Stimpson, Martyn Wood, Steve Borthwick, David Flatman, Pat Sanderson

Canada:  1 Rod Snow, 2 Dale Burleigh, 3 John Thiel, 4 Alan Charron, 5 John Tait, 6 Dan Baugh, 7 Gregor Dixon, 8 Ryan Banks, 9 Morgan Williams, 10 Scott Stewart, 11 Sean Fauth, 12 John Cannon, 13 Bobby Ross, 14 Nik Witkowski, 15 Winston Stanley
Reserves:  Ed Knaggs, Duane Major, Mike Schmid

Attendance:  10000
Referee:  Jutge j.
Touch Judges:  Andy Turner (South Africa), Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)

Points Scorers:

England
Tries:  Shaw S.D. 2, Worsley J.P.R. 1, Wood M.B. 1, Noon J. 1, Walder D.J.H. 2, Penalty Try 1
Conv:  Walder D.J.H. 5
Pen K.:  Walder D.J.H. 3

Canada
Tries:  Baugh D.R. 1, Fauth S. 1
Conv:  Ross R.P. 2
Pen K.:  Ross R.P. 2

England 22 Canada 10

They had to work hard but two tries from fullback Josh Lewsey helped England to see off Canada 22-10 in Toronto in England's opening Test of their 2001 North America tour.

Without 18 first choice players due to the Lions tour, England had to make do with their younger brigade with five players making their senior debut.

Captain Kyran Bracken led by example, adding experience to a distinctly nervy looking backline, and it was his first half try that helped England to hold a slender 5-3 lead at the break.

Clive Woodward was complimentary of the Canadians acknowledging they had delivered the game expected.

"I thought Canada played very well," he said.  "I am well pleased that the Canadians played more than a forward oriented game, and the try they scored was probably the best try of the game.

"They will take a lot out of the game," he went on.  "(Canada) are playing England, who are full time professional players.  The game could have gone either way."

"I thought it was played in great spirit, and that's a credit to both camps and both coaches," said Woodward, who now takes his team west to Vancouver to play a British Columbia representative side on Tuesday, before the next test against Canada June 9th.

Hooker Dorian West ploughed over for a close quarter try in the second-half before England extended their lead as Leicester's Leon Lloyd released Josh Lewsey to sprint to the corner.

Lewsey added a second soon after, returning a loose kick with ease from 70 yards, and with Dave Walder finally managing a successful kick, the converted try gave England some breathing space.

The young Wasps back said he was pleased with the length of his blistering runs, but said they were the result of hard work against the Canucks.

"We had a couple of nice breaks today.  I think our defense in general was pretty good and kept the Canadians out.  They pushed us right to the limit.

"When you are defending like that and get quick turnovers, which both my tries came from, you've got the panoramic view to the back and we were able to capitalise on it.

Lewsey says they got exactly what they expected from the Canadians, saying "In the first few minutes I got a boot in the head and a punch in the face.  You do expect rough and tumble -- they are hard boys.

"I think today's game was wide open in many respects.  I thought there was a lot of handling errors on both sides, partly some nerves, and errors in execution.  (In Vancouver) We expect Canada to give 110% just like they did today."

Canada scored a late consolation try through winger Sean Fauth after multiple phases of recycled ball at the England five metre line finally bore fruit.

Canada's coach, David Clark was not happy about the fact that for a second straight week his team dipped down to 14 men because of discipline problems.  This time it was flyhalf Scott Stewart getting the yellow for a late hit on England centre Leon Lloyd.  Stewart had received a warning for a shoulder charge on wing Michael Stephenson, but Clark thought the call for the Lloyd tackle was hard.

"I don't like that.  I think what he got sin-binned for was a fair tackle on Leon Lloyd.  It was called late and it wasn't late, and the video will show you that.  It just seems England got their hands all over the ball and slowed things down in the rucks," said Clark.

Another concern for Clark was Canada's lineout.  Starting hooker Pat Dunkley came out with a rib injury, replaced by Toronto native Dale Burleigh, but the timing never quite clicked.

According to Clark, they need to keep things simple, saying:  "We put a hell of a lot of work into our lineouts, but I think there is too much movement and too much insecurity.  We've got to simplify it and get down to some bread and butter lineouts that give us ball."

Canada's captain Al Charron, on for his 63rd cap, agrees that some work needs to be done on the lineout, but thinks the answer is in adding some variety to the jumpers.

"We have to look at other people in the lineout," conceded the fan favourite.  "John Tait -- as great a jumper as he is, they know we are going to him every time, and it is easy to defend against -- and that is not fair to him."

The Teams:

England:  1 Graham Rowntree, 2 Dorian West, 3 Julian White, 4 Ben Kay, 5 Steve Borthwick, 6 Martin Corry, 7 Lewis Moody, 8 Joe Worsley, 9 Kyran Bracken (c), 10 David Walder, 11 Paul Sampson, 12 Leon Lloyd, 13 Jamie Noon, 14 Michael Stephenson, 15 Josh Lewsey
Reserves:  Simon Shaw, Tim Stimpson, Pat Sanderson
Unused:  Alex King, Martyn Wood, David Flatman, Andy Long

Canada:  1 Rod Snow, 2 Pat Dunkley, 3 John Thiel, 4 Ed Knaggs, 5 John Tait, 6 Alan Charron (c), 7 Gregor Dixon, 8 Dan Baugh, 9 Morgan Williams, 10 Scott Stewart, 11 Sean Fauth, 12 John Cannon, 13 Bobby Ross, 14 Nik Witkowski, 15 Winston Stanley
Reserves:  Dale Burleigh, Duane Major, Mike Schmid

Attendance:  8,100
Referee:  Whitehouse n.

Points Scorers:

England
Tries:  Bracken K.P.P. 1, West D.E. 1, Lewsey O.J. 1
Conv:  Walder D.J.H. 1

Canada
Tries:  Fauth S. 1
Conv:  Ross R.P. 1
Pen K.:  Ross R.P. 1

Ireland 37 Romania 3

In Bucharest, Ireland beat hosts Romania 37-3 before some 2000 spectators, scoring four tries to nil, all in the second half after leading 9-3 at half-time.

Although Ireland had no real difficulty in winning, Romania started well and scored first, through a penalty by Ionut Tofan.  But in that half, Irish stand-off David Humphreys scored three penalties.

Ireland came close to scoring in the fourth minute of the second half when only Brezoianu's desperation tackle stopped Tyrone Howe from scoring.  Anthony Foley got Ireland's first try a quarter of an hour into the half and it was followed by tries by Kevin Maggs, Mick Galwey and finally Jonathan Bell.

The Teams:

Ireland:  1 Peter Clohessy, 2 Frankie Sheahan, 3 John Hayes, 4 Mick Galwey, 5 Gary Longwell, 6 Kieron Dawson, 7 Eric Miller, 8 Anthony Foley, 9 Peter Stringer, 10 David Humphreys, 11 Denis Hickie, 12 Mike Mullins, 13 Kevin Maggs, 14 Tyrone Howe, 15 Geordan Murphy
Reserves:  Jonathan Bell, Paul Burke, Shane Byrne, Guy Easterby, David Wallace, Justin Fitzpatrick, Mick O'Driscoll

Romania:  1 Silviu Florea, 2 Petru Balan, 3 Marcel Socaciu, 4 Vasile Nedelcu, 5 Ovidiu Tonita, 6 Marius Bejan, 7 Costica Mersoiu, 8 Florin Corodeanu (c), 9 Lucian Sirbu, 10 Ionut Tofan, 11 Vasile Ghioc, 12 Nicolae Oprea, 13 Valentin Maftei, 14 Ioan Teodorescu, 15 Gabriel Brezoianu
Reserves:  Marius Dragomir, Serban Guranescu, Stefan Soare, Petru Balan, Stefan Demici, Cristian Podea

Referee:  Ramage i.

Points Scorers:

Ireland
Tries:  Bell J.C. 1, Foley A.G. 1, Galwey M.J. 1, Maggs K.M. 1
Conv:  Burke P.A. 1, Humphreys D.G. 3
Pen K.:  Humphreys D.G. 3

Romania

Pen K.:  Tofan I.R. 1

United States 31 Uruguay 28

The USA Eagles held off a late charge by the Uruguay Teros at Fletcher's Fields, Markham on Saturday to claim third-place in the Finals the 2001 PARA Tournament.

With the US ahead 31-16 with only eight minutes of regular time to play, Uruguay threw everything into the attack to claim a brilliant individual try by outside-half Bernardo Amarillo at 77 minutes and a penalty-try at 79 minutes to bring the final score to 31-28.

The Eagles began well, playing a wide-open, enterprising rugby with San Francisco's Grant Wells trading penalty kicks with Uruguay's Juan Menchaca.  6-6.  Then at 30-minutes the US won a Uruguayan ball deep in its own end, and set centre Phillip Eloff on a long run.  Using wing Maklakai Delai as a foil, Eloff ran seventy- metres to score.  Wells converted, but Menchaca hit another penalty to bring the half-time score to 13-9.

At 47-minutes US number 8 Kort Schubert fielded a poor Uruguay clearance and took the ball up, he passed to wing Jovesa Naivalu who rounded his man and scored from 25-metres, 18-9.  Uruguay came back in its usual fashion mauling, mauling, mauling until it put wing-forward Nicolas Brignoni over at 50 minutes.  Menchaca converted 18-16.  A minute later Naivalu again took matters into his own hands, taking a wing-in pass and weaving through the South American defense to score under the posts, Wells converted 25-16.

Wells accounted for two penalties at 70- and 72-minutes bringing the US to its widest differential, 31-16.  Then Uruguay mounted its last ditch scoring drive that nearly saw it claim victory, almost in the same fashion as it had against Canada on Wednesday night in Hamilton.

"We played well for 70-minutes," said US coach Duncan Hall, "but Uruguay played well for 80 minutes.  It was a great relief to hear the final whistle.

"Uruguay are such a tough side to play against," he continued "But, I thought we played with more variety in our game today than we have all tournament.  Though there was one try by Eloff that could be considered opportunistic, we constructed tries today, and looked threatening with the ball in hand."

"We had control for most of the match," said US Captain Dave Hodges.  "We made hard work of it.  We need more maturity and experience to learn how to hold onto leads and not let games get away from us.  But, we had the heart to stick it out and I think the guys did well."

Uruguay, unlucky not to come away with a victory in its last two matches, proved tough opponents losing closely in all its games:  to Argentina 32-27, Canada 14-8 and the USA 31-28 to earn tournament bonus points in all games for losses within 7-points.

The Teams:

United States:  1 Mike MacDonald, 2 Kirk Khasigian, 3 Paul Still, 4 Dave Hodges (c), 5 Tom Kelleher, 6 Olo Fifita, 7 Alex Magleby, 8 Kort Schubert, 9 Mose Timoteo, 10 Grant Wells, 11 Malakai Delai, 12 Phillip Eloff, 13 Link Wilfley, 14 Jovesa Naivalu, 15 Kurt Shuman
Reserves:  Robbie Flynn, Juan Grobler, Tim Kluempers, Eric Reed

Uruguay:  15. Juan Menchaca 14. Juan Martin Marquez 13. Pedro Vecino 12. Joquain De Freitas 11.Emiliano Ibarra 10. Bernardo Amirillo 9.Martin Mendaro (Caffera 71 mins) 8.Juan Carlos Bado 7.Nicolas Grille 6.Nicolas Brigonini 5.Rodrigo Capo (Ponce De Leon 60 mins) 4. Juan Alzueta 3.Juan Machado (Storace 60 mins) 2.Francisco De Los Santos (Lamelas 64 mins) 1. Rodrigo Sanchez
Replacements:  16. Diego Lamelas 17. Guillermos Storace 18. Eduardo Berrutti 19. Augustin Ponce De Leon 20. Pablo Pagani 21. Emiliano Caffera 22. Hillario Canessa

Referee:  Ian Hyde-Lay (Canada)
Touch Judges:  Santiago Borsani (Argentina), Mr. Berry (Canada)
Attendance:  2,400

Points Scorers:

United States
Tries:  Eloff P. 1, Naivalu J. 2
Conv:  Wells G. 2
Pen K.:  Wells G. 4

Uruguay
Try:  Nicolas Brignoni, Bernardo Amarillo, Penalty try
Penalties:  Juan Menchaca (3)
Conversion:  Juan Menchaca

Argentina 20 Canada 6

Fuelled by three Juan Fernandez Miranda drop-goals the Argentina Pumas defeated Canada 20-6 to capture their fourth Pan American Rugby championship at Fletcher's Fields in Markham, Ontario in front of 2,400 fans on Saturday.

It was a predicatably physical affair that saw a total of two sinbins and a red card on Canada and a yellow card on Argentina's flanker Rimas Alvarez, who in the fifth minute was called for punching.  Canada could do nothing with the advantage, and the Pumas mounted wave after wave of attack.  Canada were well organised in defense and brought each attack to a halt.

Argentina opened the scoring at the nine minute mark when Miranda struck a well placed left footed drop goal 40 metres for the 3-0 lead.

Argentina added to that with a Felipe Contepomi penalty goal and the 6-0 advantage.

It was a clever up and under, inside the Canadian 22 that had prop Rod Snow leaving earth to go after the high ball.  Fullback Bernardo Mario Stortoni jumped a little higher, and gathered in the ball, dishing it right where a maul quickly formed, and then second row Leonardo Roldan rolled right, and in the grasp of Canadian scrum-half Ed Fairhurst, touched down for the unconverted try -- Argentina 11-0.

Scott Stewart finally got Canada on the board in the 28th minute with a penalty kick from 23 metres.

A moment later Canadian wing Fred Asselin was called for throwing a punch, leaving Canada shorthanded for ten minutes.

The South Americans began to play in the Canadian end, winning a penalty at the five metre line, but following two Puma scrums the Canucks were awarded a penalty for Argentina not coming into the scrum straight.  Scott Stewart kicked a long ball down the park to relieve the pressure.

The Pumas almost got an interception try following a Canadian break at their own 22, but USA referee Al Klemp called it back for an offside infringement and Canada had dodged another bullet.

Canadian team coach David Clark was not upset at the number of send-offs, saying, "we wanted to be quite forceful out there.  That's what we needed against a team like Argentina.

"We kept them to one try which was another very good defensive effort.  The field-goals they scored were a bit of a kick in the backside -- they always are."

Argentina's first shot at goal in the second half came from an obstruction call in a lineout.  Contepomi got some leg on the attempt, but it was short and the Canadians restarted from a 22 dropout.  The Pumas counter attacked, Ed Fairhurst misplayed the ball and Argentina had an attacking position from the 8 metre line.  A knock-on by Fernandez gave Canada a scrum and the relief they needed.

In the 48th minute Miranda used the wind to adavantage slotting his second drop goal of the game, and the Pumas led 14-3.

Coach for Argentina Marcelo Loffreda admitted the Canadian defense was well settled and that the best route would be through the air.

"We had to figure out other ways to score points, and our number ten had a good afternoon with the drop-goals," said Loffreda.

"I think that Canada is a very good team.  I think that it was very difficult for us to break the (Canadian) defense and in some parts of the game Canada also broke our defense."

A moment later Klemp awarded Canada a penalty after talking from the Pumas caused a reversed call.  Stewart had a shot from left of the posts 22 metres out, and made no mistake about it cutting the South American's lead to 14-6.

In the 57th minute Canada received their second sinbin of the day when hooker Pat Dunkley was shown the gate for 10 minutes, causing Dale Burleigh to come on as a front row substitute and Fred Asselin coming off for the second time that day to even the numbers.

Despite the shortage of manpower Canada managed to shift the flow of the game when Puma fullback Stortoni gathered in a Scott Stewart clearing kick at the Canadian 35 metre line and met the one man welcoming committee of Al Charron, who cleared the back off his feet in a thunderous tackle that momentarily winded the Argentinean.

The tackle by Charron seemed to embolden the rest of the team, and despite being shorthanded they controlled the ball and tackled well, rattling the Pumas.

Coach Clark said that kind of thing is why Charron is so important in galvanizing his young team.

"I think it's marvelous -- it rubs off on the other players.  That just gives you the desire to do something to match him and catch up with him," said Clark.

Al Charron said that while he regrets the number of yellows and the red, he doesn't think the Canadian aggressiveness neccessarily left the team in peril.

"I don't think we got ourselves into real trouble when we were short a man," said the big flanker -- in for his record setting 63rd appearance for Canada.

He said that there was no rhythm in the Canadian pattern in the first half, and that is something they, as a team will have to sort out in short order.  "We can't wait until the second half to try and find that rhythm.  The first half is where we need to have a bit more rhythm."

In the 68th minute Canada guessed wrong about a ball being out of a lineout giving Contepomi his second penalty goal of the day from 22 metres, giving the Pumas an 11 point edge 17-6.

Canada finally tired of yellow cards, with number 8 Ryan Banks getting a red in the 74th minute for an errant elbow on Pumas scrumhalf Augustin Pichot, and it appeared the cause was lost.  A moment later Miranda got his third drop goal of the afternoon from 25 metres and Argentina led 20-6.

Miranda, who matched Pumas legend Hugo Porta for most drop goals in a match said "kicking drops is one of the things I like most.  On every opportunity I saw that the forwards were on the floor, I didn't have many options and I tried and they went."

Pumas scrum-half Augustin Pichot commended Miranda for the job he did on the afternoon.  "It was a better opportunity, it was what we were looking for.  I think it was a tough game and we had to kick sometimes, play sometimes."

The game stepped up physically another notch, and the Pumas trainers were spending more time on the field then some of the Canadian players.

Clark feels it was a successful tournament for his team, noting "we sorted a couple of things out -- though we still haven't got it right.  We've got to get a settled back line -- it was lot better today.  We got the breaks, got the ball to the edges of field but we're just short one or two players."

Canada showed a late flourish, with just 14 men, recycling the ball after an excellent John Cannon run, bolstered by large charges up the field from Rod Snow and his front row partner Jon Thiel.  They finally ran out of space and steam and Klemp blew the whistle to close the 2001 Pan American championships.

Argentina finish the tournament a perfect 3-0, with Canada runners-up at 2-1.  Earlier in the day the USA got their first win of the tournament 31-28 over Uruguay to take third place, just edging the Teros who had three bonus points from losing games by 7 points or less each game.

Canada now prepare for a two test tour from England, beginning in Toronto next Saturday.  They will be without the services of Ryan Banks, who just after the conclusion of the match attended a hearing with match commissioner Bob Latham of the USA who handed the flanker a one week suspension for throwing an elbow during the match.

Yellow Cards:  Fred Asselin (Canada), Pat Dunkley (Canada), Rimas Alvarez (Argentina)

Red Card:  Ryan Banks (Argentina)

Attendance:  2,400

The Teams:

Argentina:  1 Leopoldo De Chazal, 2 Juan Jose Villar, 3 Santiago Gonzalez Bonorino, 4 Leonardo Roldan, 5 Mariano Sambucetti, 6 Rimas Alvarez Kairelis, 7 Rolando Martin, 8 Hugo Dande, 9 Agustin Pichot, 10 Juan Fernandez Miranda, 11 Octavio Bartolucci, 12 Felipe Contepomi, 13 Jose Orengo, 14 Gonzalo Camardon, 15 Bernardo Stortoni
Reserves:  Agustin Canalda, Martin Durand, Gustavo Morlaes Oliver

Canada:  1 Rod Snow, 2 Pat Dunkley, 3 John Thiel, 4 Ed Knaggs, 5 John Tait, 6 Alan Charron, 7 Gregor Dixon, 8 Ryan Banks, 9 Ed Fairhurst, 10 Scott Stewart, 11 Fred Asselin, 12 John Cannon, 13 Mark Irvine, 14 Sean Fauth, 15 Jeff Williams

Referee:  Al Klemp (USA)
Touch Judges:  David Steele (Canada), Bernardo Blengio (Uruguay)

Points Scorers:

Argentina
Tries:  Roldan L. 1
Pen K.:  Contepomi F. 2
Drop G.:  Fernandez Miranda J. 3

Canada
Pen K.:  Stewart D.S. 2

Canada 14 Uruguay 8

Canada came away with an uninspiring win over Uruguay, 14-8, to secure second place after two rounds of the 2001 Pan American rugby championships at Hamilton, Ontario Wednesday night.

It was a game that neither team really wanted to win, rife with errors, jerky play, and poor decision making that had the 1,200 fans at the edge of their seats -- trying decide whether to head to the beer tent or not.

Canada got on the board first courtesy of a Bob Ross penalty from 24 metres, his first international points since "retiring" in 1999.

The Teros began to test Canadian fullback Scott Stewart, launching high balls that he took on the trot each time to great effect.  The crowd roared their approval when he knocked Uruguayan second row Augustin Ponce De Leon back before getting stopped by multiple opposition tackles.

Wing Fred Asselin made a break from several knock ons giving the crowd something to cheer about as he zoomed for a 40 metre break before the Teros defence shut him down.

The first half became as exciting as watching two guys play chess in a darkened room, with kicks on the full, chips knocked on, and scrums wheeling on both sides.  Ross scored a second penalty from 26 metres but that would be the only offense from either team.

Teros fullback Juan Menchaca missed two shots at goal and the chance at an even scoreboard heading into the dressing rooms.

"It was a dreadful display on many people's parts," said Canadian coach David Clark.  "We weren't allowed to get in our rhythm, there were a number of penalties which I thought were very, very severe.  Their driving maul was a problem to us, and the touch judges should do something about it.

"We didn't do it well, too many mistakes, dropped balls, turned the ball over.  We looked dangerous when we went wide and could hang onto the ball, but we didn't get enough of it."

Uruguayan coach Daniel Herrera felt that his team was beaten not by Canada, but by Argentinean referee Santiago Borsani, saying his team could have won the game had it not been for the officiating.

"I think in the second half the only team on the field was Uruguay, and unfortunately we are a little team and some persons are under pressure and only watch one side, otherwise we could have won this game," said Herrera.  "We are accustomed to this person, and these things happening-- we know him -- we were prepared for him."

Of concern to the Canadians must have been the fact the scrum was being moved by the short but stocky Uruguayans.  With that in mind Clark inserted John Tait into the engine room, giving Ed Knaggs the rest of the night off.

Jeff Williams began to explore some of his options, moving around the park from his right wing position and finding the occasional gap.  The Canadians began to stretch the Teros defense and were awarded a five metre scrum from a Uruguayan knock on.  The scrum worked hard, benefited by the fresh legs of Ryan Banks, and new cap, hooker Dale Burleigh dropped on the ball for his first international try.  Banks and a few of the Teros began to exchange opinions following the score before the veteran trotted away to the admiring whoops of the home crowd.

Canadian captain Al Charron marked his return to international duties with some big hits, and useful work cleaning up ball at the back of the lineout.

Ross added a third penalty, and it appeared Canada were in safe 14-0.  But those feelings of security were premature as the Uruguyans mounted a counter attack in the 63rd minute ending with a maul at the Canadian five metre line.  A moment later flanker Nicolas Brignoni found the space he needed scoring the crucial try.  Menchaca could not convert, and the Teros trailed 14-5 and plenty of time to work with.

Uruguay got on the scoreboard again with Menchaca penalty from 38 metres and the South Americans were within a converted try of tying the match.

Bob Ross had the chance to extend the Canadian lead, but missed from 37 metres and both teams dug in for the dash to the finish line.

With full time approaching, hostilities heightened around the Canadian ten metre line, with a number of punches thrown on both sides and the Uruguayan coaches screaming for a sinbin.  Instead Canada were awarded a penalty, kicked for touch and Santiago Borsani blew the whistle to end a dreary night of rugby.

Following the match Charron was bitingly honest about the quality of the spectacle.

"To be honest I didn't come out of that game very tired, and that's a sin really to say that, but there was so many stoppages you were getting breaks," said the flanker who made his team leading 62nd appearance for Canada.  "No matter how much running you do to get things going it was stop/start and a sorry display of rugby -- It must have been painful to watch."

Argentina now lead the round robin tournament with a 2-0 record and 10 points, with Canada second at 8 points, Uruguay in third with 2, and the USA in last with 0 pts.

On Saturday Uruguay take on the US in the first match of a rugby doubleheader, while Argentina and Canada will decide the Pan American championship starting at 4:00 p.m at Fletcher's Fields in Markham, Ontario.

The teams:

Canada:  1 Duane Major, 2 Dale Burleigh, 3 Boris Stoikos, 4 Ron Johnstone, 5 Ed Knaggs, 6 Alan Charron, 7 Jeff Tomlinson, 8 Mike Schmid, 9 Marco Di Girolomo, 10 Bobby Ross, 11 Fred Asselin, 12 Kyle Nichols, 13 Colin Robertson, 14 Jeff Williams, 15 Scott Stewart
Reserves:  Ryan Banks, John Tait, Kevin Wirachowski, Colin Yukes

Uruguay:  Juan Menchaca, Bernardo Saenz, Pedro Vecino, Hilario Canessa, Emiliano Ibarra, Bernardo Amarillo, Augustin Urrestara, Eduardo Berrutti, Diego Lamelas, Guillermo Storace, Augustin Ponce De Leon, Nicolas Brignoni, Sebastien Mosquera, Juan Carlos Bado
Replacements:  (16-22) Francisco Santos De Los (49 mins for Lameuas), Sanchez Rodrigo (Berrutti), Juan Machado, Juan Alzueta, Another, Martin Mendaro, Joaquin De Freitas

Attendance:  1200

Points Scorers:

Canada
Tries:  Burleigh D. 1
Pen K.:  Ross R.P. 3

Uruguay
Try:  Nicolas Brignoni
Penalty:  Juan Menchaca