Australia 92 Spain 10

World champions Australia crushed Spain by a record score of 92-10 at Ciudad Universitaria in Madrid, comprehensively winning their 400th Test and the first against the Spaniards.

A total of 8,000 people turned up to see the world, Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup champions, and they were not disappointed.  The Wallabies scored 13 tries and conceded just one, late in the match.

The visitors led 57-3 at the break.

The result surpasses Australia's previous biggest Test win, 76-0 over England in 1998, and equals the record of 13 tries in a game against Korea in 1987.

Australia scored the first points of the game after just three minutes when fullback Matthew Burke slotted a penalty goal.  Ten conversions later he ended on 23 points.

Spain, who are fourth in the Six Nations B Championship, kept in touch when they levelled five minutes later through a penalty by scrumhalf Jaime Alonso.

But Joe Roff scored the first of the Wallabies' 13 tries soon after.  The Wallaby forwards drove their Spanish counterparts up the park before the experienced left wing crossed for the try.

Chris Latham, playing on the right wing, added the second try in the 17th minute as the side captained by George Gregan began to tighten its grip on the game.

Inside centre Nathan Grey, hooker Michael Foley, flank George Smith, and No.8 Toutai Kefu all touched down before the break.

Prop Nick Stiles and centre Daniel Herbert added their names to the scoresheet soon after the restart, and Burke took Australia past 76 points in the 53rd minute with his tenth conversion after Roff had scored the Wallabies' 11th try.

The Wallabies took their foot off the gas after that, and after 10 minutes of sustained pressure by the home side, lock Jose Miguel Villau scored Spain's only try in the 66th minute.

Replacements Graeme Bond and Matt Cockbain notched the Wallabies' final tries of the game in the closing minutes with Elton Flatley converting both kicks.

Australia's next game is against Oxford University on 4 November and their second Test, against England, follows six days later on 10 November.

The teams:

Australia:  1 Ben Darwin, 2 Michael Foley, 3 Nic Stiles, 4 David Giffin, 5 Justin Harrison, 6 Owen Finegan, 7 George Smith, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan (c), 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Chris Latham, 12 Nathan Grey, 13 Dan Herbert, 14 Joe Roff, 15 Matthew Burke
Reserves:  Brendan Cannon, Matt Cockbain, Elton Flatley, Rod Moore, Warwick Waugh, Chris Whitaker, Graeme Bond

Spain:  1 Javier Salazar Lizarraga, 2 Roger Ripol, 3 Jose Ignacio Zapatero Ferreras, 4 Sergio Souto Vidal, 5 Jose Miguel Villau Cabeza, 6 Alfonso Mata Suarez, 7 Carlos Souto Vidal, 8 Antonio Leon Justel (c), 9 Jaime Alonso Lasheras, 10 Marc Ventura Miranda, 11 Miguel Angel Frechilla Manrique, 12 Fernando Diez Molina, 13 Alberto Socias Olmos, 14 Noe Macias Gimeno, 15 Ferran Velazco Querol
Reserves:  Fernando De La Calle Pozo, Jorge De Urquiza, 3FO1, Marco Garcia Kristenson, Alfonso Martinez, Antonio Socias Olmos, Steve Tuineau Iloa

Attendance:  8000
Referee:  Jutge j.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Cockbain M.J. 1, Foley M.A. 1, Grey N.P. 1, Herbert D.J. 1, Kefu R.S.T. 1, Latham C.E. 3, Roff J.W.C. 2, Bond G.S.C. 1, Smith G.B. 1, Stiles N.B. 1
Conv:  Burke M.C. 10, Flatley E.J. 2
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 1

Spain
Tries:  Villau Cabeza J.M. 1
Conv:  Martinez A. 1
Pen K.:  Alonso Lasheras J. 1

Ireland 20 England 14

Ireland blew England's chances of a Grand Slam with a 20-14 win in Dublin, as the desperate English once again fell at the last hurdle.

Going into the game without even a chance by the bookies, Ireland surged into the lead with a Keith Wood try in the first-half and never looked back, David Humphreys striking three penalties and replacement Ronan O'Gara adding another two as a Martin Johnson-less England failed to show any leadership or cohesion in the heat of battle.

Sole try-scorer for England was replacement wing Austin Healey, but even his 75th minute try could not rescue what was one of the worst England performances in recent memory, and one which brought their run of 11 consecutive wins crashing down in front of their very eyes, in a manner all too familiar in recent years.

The fallout from this game will take time to set in, with even the Sunday morning Dublin hangovers failing to mask the fact that even without captain Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio, England -- on paper -- should have had enough in the locker to put away their opponents.

Man for man, Ireland showed more desire, heart and importantly composure, and the amount of good ball kicked away by England to an eager Ireland will undoubtedly see Clive Woodward's gospel of "Total Rugby" brought down from the shelf and dusted off as the Irish party gets underway.

England still claim the Six Nations title, which was a mere mathematical formality after Ireland's bad day at the office against Scotland, but had the Irish not drawn a blank on that afternoon, they would have been the deserved holders of a memorable Grand Slam.

It was a surprisingly disjointed England which took the field, sloppy handling and too many wasted punts besetting a first half which saw them gain the early lead through a Wilkinson penalty after Humphreys had missed one from wide out on the right for the home side.

England hooker Phil Greening tried to emulate his bald-headed opposite number Keith Wood with a break and a chip down the right wing, but the most effective run of the half was that by the male streaker on 40 minutes, who ran the length of the field unopposed, beating the stewards for pace and power before being ejected from Lansdowne Road.

The stadium volume went up considerably after 16 minutes when Ireland spurned the chance of three easy points from a penalty, bravely electing instead to go for a lineout in the right corner of the England 22.

A superb high take saw hooker Keith Wood peel away to the back of the lineout and take the ball on the burst on an arcing course.  His momentum was too much for the England back-row from five metres, and his barging run saw the Harlequins man wriggle over to plant the ball on the whitewash for the try, Humphreys missing the conversion from right of the posts.

Jason Robinson showed the only real glimpse of spark for England with a rare break from his own 22, sprinting and jinking all the way to the centre spot before being hauled down.  The England support -- as was the general case in the half-failed to maximise the energy of their three-quarters as the attack petered out.

Ulsterman Humphreys -- despite his perfect kicking record against Wales last week -- proceeded to miss the third of his four attempts at goal from a penalty as England captain Matt Dawson bode farewell to the game after injury before the break.

His replacement was not however the lively Leicester scrum-half Austin Healey, rather Saracens' No.9 Kyran Bracken, a conservative choice by England as they stuttered into half-time only 11-6 down after a further penalty each from Humphreys and Wilkinson.

One penalty apiece for Humphreys and Wilkinson kept the home side's five point advantage, but England looked like snatching that lead back when wing Dan Luger started a run from halfway.

The Harlequins wing outstripped scrum-half Peter Stringer before powering through the tackle of fullback Girvan Dempsey, and with the after-burners turned on and the tryline beckoning, Stringer somehow stretched out and ankle-tapped the explosive Luger for what would have been a certain try.

With fly-half Humphreys leaving the pitch through injury on 60 minutes, Ronan O'Gara's first act was the prospect of a 35-metre penalty to extend their lead to 17-9.  He held his nerve and with England continuing to drop the ball in vital areas, yet another Grand Slam capitulation seemed inevitable -- even with 20 minutes left.

O'Gara again held his nerve as Ireland struck a penalty from the right touchline to take an even bigger lead, but the England attack finally reared its head with five minutes to go near the Irish line.

Left out of the starting line up, it was Leicester's Austin Healey who gave the English a fighting chance as he dived in the right corner on a diagonal short run from a Wilkinson pass, but with the Newcastle fly-half failing to strike the tricky conversion wide from the touchline, the six point gap looked too big to bridge.

The tension mounted as injury-time deepened and England pressed near the Irish line, but even sparks from Jason Robinson and Dorian West were rendered irrelevant as Austin Healey knocked on in the 22 -- the last effective passage of play for Clive Woodward's side.

After the final whistle had sounded to a rousing Dublin crowd, the sight of the dejected England team trudging across the stage on the centre spot to collect their Six Nations winners' medals was a surreal one, and summed up the frustrations of a way-below-par performance from virtually every single player in the white shirt.

Credit to Ireland, their grit and desire put shame on a mis-firing England, whose endless wasted possession ruined what -- in theory -- should have been a historic afternoon for England.

Instead, their Grand Slam wagon once again lies wrecked by the side of the road, as Ireland deservedly emerged victorious.

Man of the match:  Keith Wood.  Candidates from the England team were virtually non-existent, with Jason Robinson not putting too many feet wrong on the wing, but being starved of sufficient ball to make an impact.  Austin Healey looked lively on the wing, but his brief cameo as a replacement was blotted by a decisive knock-on deep into injury-time which could have theoretically cost England a score.  David Humphreys in the Ireland No.10 shirt solidified the Irish attack, although his missed kicks mean Wood gets our vote for the award, with Girvan Dempsey and Denis Hickie also well worth a mention after their efforts in the backs.

Moment of the match:  Stringer's ankle-tap on Luger.  A fleeting run from England wing Dan Luger in the Ireland half saw him sail through the tackle of Girvan Dempsey, and with a seemingly clean run into the tryline, it was Stringer whose outstretched palm clipped the heels of the Harlequin, sending him crashing to the floor, and keeping Ireland in the lead.  Stringer's tackle gets our vote not just for the drama, but for the importance.  Coming as it did at 14-9 to Ireland, Stringer effectively nipped English momentum in the bud, and went a long way to dampening their spirits.

Villain of the match:  The England team.  England failed to show up at Lansdowne Road -- the England who have recorded 11 consecutive Test match wins anyway.  To single one player out may seem harsh, not because there were no poor performers, but because as a collective unit, they failed to function.  Bad decisions, poor execution and handling errors in crucial areas meant that defeat was fully justified.  Of course they could have conceivably won the game, but it would have been a Grand Slam they did not deserve based on this 80 minute showing -- however good the previous 320 minutes may have been.

The Teams:

Ireland:  1 Peter Clohessy, 2 Keith Wood (c), 3 John Hayes, 4 Mick Galwey, 5 Malcolm O'Kelly, 6 Eric Miller, 7 David Wallace, 8 Anthony Foley, 9 Peter Stringer, 10 David Humphreys, 11 Denis Hickie, 12 Brian O'Driscoll, 13 Kevin Maggs, 14 Shane Horgan, 15 Girvan Dempsey
Reserves:  Kieron Dawson, Mike Mullins, Trevor Brennan, Emmet Byrne, Ronan O'Gara
Unused:  Guy Easterby, Frankie Sheahan

England:  1 Jason Leonard, 2 Phil Greening, 3 Julian White, 4 Danny Grewcock, 5 Simon Shaw, 6 Neil Back, 7 Martin Corry, 8 Richard Hill, 9 Matt Dawson (c), 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 11 Dan Luger, 12 Mike Catt, 13 Will Greenwood, 14 Jason Robinson, 15 Iain Balshaw
Reserves:  Kyran Bracken, Austin Healey, Graham Rowntree, Dorian West, Lewis Moody
Unused:  Matt Perry, Steve Borthwick

Referee:  Honiss p.

Points Scorers:

Ireland
Tries:  Wood K.G.M. 1
Pen K.:  Humphreys D.G. 3, O'Gara R.J.R. 2

England
Tries:  Healey A.S. 1
Pen K.:  Wilkinson J.P. 3

Wales 6 Ireland 36

Three tries in the last seven minutes saw Ireland surge to a record 36-6 win over Wales in the 2001 Lloyds TSB Six Nations Championship, with recalled fly-half David Humphreys producing a man-of-the-match performance at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

Ulster fly-half Humphreys did not miss a single kick all day as he struck five penalties and two conversions, after a spectacular late rally which saw tries by Leinster trio Denis Hickie, Brian O'Driscoll and Shane Horgan.

Ireland led 15-6 with seven minutes of normal time left on the clock, after a scrappy game which looked like ending without a try being scored due to a litany of handling errors and incohesion from both sides.

The 30-point winning margin tops Ireland's previous record -- a 19-3 win over Wales in Belfast in 1925 -- as Wales' unenviable home run against the Irish continued, their last Cardiff triumph over the men in green coming way back in 1983.

The magnitude of the score flattered Ireland somewhat, but anything other than a win for the visitors would have been unthinkable, despite glimpses of promise for Wales through lively fullback Kevin Morgan and Neath wing Shane Williams -- both never given sufficient room to fully show their explosive pace.

A try-less first half could have realistically seen four touchdowns as twice Ireland were denied by the video referee, and attacks by both sides seeing players bundled into the corner flag as the tryline beckoned.

Instead, it was the kicking of Humphreys which dominated the opening 40, the first of the Ulsterman's five first half penalties coming after only two minutes, with Ireland surging forward early on.

David Wallace and Eric Miller made serious headway in the back row, Wallace breaching the Welsh defence for a 60 metre run early on, the lack of support preventing what could have eventually resulted in a try as Wales missed tackle after tackle.

A further penalty for Humphreys, swiftly followed by Wales' first points from a Jones penalty, brought the score to 6-3 in Ireland's favour, before another three for the influential Humphreys pulled Ireland away from the mis-firing home side, who for all their enterprise and intent, failed to consistently hold onto their good ball when it mattered.

Swansea fullback Kevin Morgan came closest to scoring for Wales in the first half when he combined with Shane Williams down the left wing.  With Neath speedster Williams inside him, Morgan chose to go for the corner himself, the retreating Denis Hickie bundling him into the corner flag for what would have been a certain try had the ball been swiftly moved.

Ireland themselves blew an even easier scoring chance when Shane Horgan chose to go himself from ten metres away, after quick ball was received by the Irish three-quarters.  With Brian O'Driscoll and Girvan Dempsey on a two-man overlap outside him, the big wing was hardly the toast of the team after Shane Williams held him up magnificently over the line -- forcing the video referee to give a five metre scrum.

The drama did not stop there though as injury-time approached, Mick Galwey driving over the line from the ensuing scrum, with the video ref again turning down the try as the pile of bodies seemingly prevented the recalled Munsterman from downing the ball.

Ireland upped the tempo in injury-time and Denis Hickie went close to scoring when he attempted to dive in the left corner just before the half-time whistle, but the attentions of Dafydd James and Kevin Morgan sent the Leinster wing into the flag as Ireland went into the interval at 15 -- 3 up, and very much in the driving seat.

An early second half penalty for Jones saw Wales get back into the game, but when Ireland were awarded a penalty under the Welsh posts on the 50 minute mark, skipper Keith Wood chose instead to go for the lineout in the corner.  The three points went begging as Ireland infringed in the line, and Wales nicked possession back.

Both sides lost cohesion as the second half went on, the game petering out as handling errors and offsides forced referee Kaplan's whistle to ring loudly over a subdued Millennium Stadium.

Jones bludgeoned a heavily-struck elementary penalty wide of the posts as Wales as they searched for an avenue back into the game, but with consistent forward momentum at a premium, a scrappy midfield battle was the end result, with Humphreys persistently pinning Wales back in their own half with a string of punishing long-distance punts.

Ireland pressed under the Welsh posts, and after driving to within a yard of the line they worked the ball back to the base of the ruck.  With no scrum-half though it was Stephen Jones who pounced on the loose ball for Wales.

The try eventually came on 73 minutes though, and it was wing Denis Hickie who outpaced replacement back-row Gavin Thomas, from a move which saw Humphreys combine with Hickie in midfield to produce the space for the try.

It was Keith Wood and Malcolm O'Kelly who spun the ball wide from the ruck, and Thomas was no match for Hickie who dived into the left corner for the score, converted by Humphreys.

Ireland ensured a record win over Wales when Lions centre Brian O'Driscoll chipped and chased, racing past veteran Allan Bateman on the right wing from the 22.  O'Driscoll had an easy run-in after the kick bounced favourably, with Humphreys completing his perfect afternoon by nailing the conversion from the touchline before being replaced late on by Ronan O'Gara.

The scoring wasn't finished there though, as Shane Horgan grabbed an injury-time try in the right corner, after quick ruck ball from Peter Stringer saw Kevin Maggs do the basics and ship the ball wide for Horgan to dive over, O'Gara striking the conversion just inside the left upright for a morale-boosting triumph.

The scoreline flattered them -- of that there is no doubt -- but a disjointed and frustrating showing from Wales will not go a long way to easing discontent in some quarters over the state of the national side, with Ireland setting up what promises to be a red-hot afternoon at Lansdowne Road next Saturday when they face Grand Slam hopefuls England.

Man of the match:  David Humphreys.  Ronan O'Gara's kicking deficiencies paved the way for Humphreys to again strut his stuff on the international stage, and his 100 per cent kicking record shows that the Ulsterman's return was more than justified.  Humphreys consistently kept Wales on the back foot with his raking punts deep into Welsh territory, and his generally solid handling showed he can marshall a midfield with excellence under pressure.

Moment of the match:  Denis Hickie's try.  Okay, so it was an overlap try, and a wing like Hickie should always beat a forward one-on-one, but this score ignited what had until then been a pretty turgid affair, and injected a bit of life into a largely dormant second-half backline.

Villain of the match:  Shane Horgan.  Definitely harsh to use the label "villain" for Horgan after a game which did not see a single punch thrown in anger or even a handbag raised from either side.  Horgan's blatant waste of a two-man overlap in the first half prevented a certain try out on the right wing in the first half, and with no other candidates for the award, Horgan is the unfortunate recipient of the honour -- despite his late try.

The Teams:

Wales:  1 Iestyn Thomas, 2 Robin McBryde, 3 Dai Young (c), 4 Andrew Moore, 5 Chris Wyatt, 6 Colin Charvis, 7 Brett Sinkinson, 8 Geraint Lewis, 9 Rob Howley, 10 Stephen Jones, 11 Shane Williams, 12 Allan Bateman, 13 Leigh Davies, 14 Dafydd James, 15 Kevin Morgan
Reserves:  Gavin Thomas, Rhys Williams, Chris Anthony, Craig Quinnell, Barry Williams
Unused:  Gavin Henson, Dwayne Peel

Ireland:  1 Peter Clohessy, 2 Keith Wood (c), 3 John Hayes, 4 Mick Galwey, 5 Malcolm O'Kelly, 6 Eric Miller, 7 David Wallace, 8 Anthony Foley, 9 Peter Stringer, 10 David Humphreys, 11 Denis Hickie, 12 Brian O'Driscoll, 13 Kevin Maggs, 14 Shane Horgan, 15 Girvan Dempsey
Reserves:  Kieron Dawson, Guy Easterby, Mike Mullins, Trevor Brennan, Emmet Byrne, Ronan O'Gara, Frankie Sheahan

Referee:  Kaplan j.

Points Scorers:

Wales
Pen K.:  Jones S.M. 2

Ireland
Tries:  Hickie D.A. 1, Horgan S.P. 1, O'Driscoll B.G. 1
Conv:  Humphreys D.G. 3
Pen K.:  Humphreys D.G. 5

Ireland 10 Scotland 32

Scotland upset the odds and realistically ended Ireland's hopes of landing the 2001 Lloyds TSB Six Nations Championship by running in four tries for a 32-10 win at Murrayfield.

Tipped as no-hopers by the bookies going into the game, Scotland punished a stagnant Ireland with tries from captain Budge Pountney, Tom Smith, John Leslie and replacement Andrew Henderson on his debut.

Had it not been for Ireland's only try of the day deep in injury-time from fullback Girvan Dempsey, the visitors would have suffered a record defeat against Scotland, with the 38-10 win back in 1997 still the most convincing by Ian McGeechan's side.

Delighted Lloyds TSB Man of the Match and Scotland captain Pountney said after the game:  "We owed that to ourselves.  We changed a few things, and well done to the coaching staff.  James McLaren was hard to stop in the centres, and we stepped up our defence a lot."

"We had a poor start but we had changed a few things in training and it paid off.  That was down to the coaches.

"I didn't think that they [the Irish] were particularly poor.  We stepped up in our defence and it worked.  It was difficult for them to recreate their momentum after the long break.  It was very difficult to come back and get things going again."

"Our defence was outstanding," added injured Scotland wing Kenny Logan following the game.  "It was disappointing to give that try away at the end but I think that the Man of the Match Budge Pountney did brilliantly.

"Both sides were very rusty at the start and found it hard to get into it.

"We've had lots of squad sessions before this game and Ian [coach McGeechan] will keep it going.  It was a great game and we played brilliantly."

England are now all but mathematical certainties to retain their Six Nations title, with Warren Gatland's dejected Ireland still facing trips to the Millennium Stadium to face Wales before what would have been a potential Grand Slam decider against England on October 20 in Dublin.

That game now looks to be a watered down version of what could have been a champagne occasion, as Ireland are left reflecting on a day which saw kicker Ronan O'Gara miss his first three penalty attempts in a staid and largely sideways performance.

The scoreline perhaps suggests a perfect afternoon's rugby for Scotland, but they too failed at times to keep ball in hand in what was not a classic display of rugby excellence, but nevertheless a fulfilling one for most of the full house at Murrayfield.

With regular goal-kicker Kenny Logan sidelined with injury, Scottish kicking duties fell to Gregor Townsend, who in the first minute of the game appeared to have slotted a drop-goal over as Scotland's momentum showed going forward.

English referee Chris White had already blown his whistle though -- in favour of Scotland -- but the straightforward penalty in front of the posts from the 22 saw Townsend's kicking frailties exposed as he struck wide to the audible displeasure of the 67,500 sellout crowd.

Irish kicker Ronan O'Gara was having an equally sparse time of it on the kicking front as he blazed wide early efforts, Scotland looking the more adventurous in a scrappy half.

Townsend again bludgeoned a penalty wide from distance, but it was Metcalfe who probed the Irish defence on more than one occasion during the opening half, combining with Jon Steel on one occasion for a 40 metre gain in to Ireland territory, but the recycled ball was knocked on by prop Mattie Stewart as a try beckoned.

That try finally came on 22 minutes to break the deadlock, and it was a good running score when it came, captain Budge Pountney eventually touching down a move which started 50 metres away from the line.

It owed much to the creativity of the Scottish backline, centre John Leslie putting Paterson way down the left flank, the Glasgow flyer eventually cutting inside on a speedy diagonal line, stepping inside twice before floating a pass to Pountney at pace for the run in.

Townsend converted, but finally succumbed to the kicking pressure, left wing Chris Paterson taking over kicking duties for the Scots as half-time approached.

With Ireland's defence showing holes in the open play, and after a Paterson penalty for Scotland, the home side powered further into the lead on 37 minutes after a punishing spell of pressure inside the Irish half.

The move was ignited by a testing run from hooker Gordon Bulloch near the 22, and with the ball being worked through the hands left to right, it eventually created a ruck right under the posts.

The ball came to Townsend who drew the Irish defence before spinning to prop Tom Smith, the Northampton man battering a hole between Brian O'Driscoll and Kieran Dawson for the score, Paterson adding the extras for a 17-0 half-time lead.

Ireland started the second half in the same manner which had dogged their first 40 minutes, with O'Gara again failing to hit the target when presented with a kickable penalty.

The out-of-sorts Munsterman finally registered Ireland's first penalty nine minutes into the half after some good interplay involving Brian O'Driscoll.

Warren Gatland's side were again pinned back though as the Scots punished their defensive holes, John Leslie touching down near the posts for the third try of the afternoon.

It was Townsend who broke the Irish line after a lineout near the 22, the fly-half bursting through for a two-on-one with fullback Girvan Dempsey.

Dempsey held Townsend in the tackle, but the Castres No.10 offloaded to Leslie from short range, who under the attention of Shane Horgan still managed to put the ball down for the five points, Paterson having no trouble adding the conversion.

Searching for some attacking edge, Ireland shipped off half-backs Guy Easterby and Ronan O'Gara for Peter Stringer and David Humphreys.  It didn't have the desired effect though as Paterson added a penalty to take Scotland further away at 27-3.

O'Driscoll had the chance to register the first Ireland try of the afternoon after a skilled chip-and-chase outside the Scottish 22, but the awkward bounce eluded the Lions star as he knocked agonisingly on.

Scotland got their fourth try when replacement centre Andrew Henderson grabbed a debut try only minutes after coming on for John Leslie.

A Townsend kick ahead saw Metcalfe hack the ball on from the right wing, the bounce seeing Henderson pick up for a simple five metre run in past O'Driscoll, Paterson's conversion attempt being charged down as Murrayfield roared with sound.

A record defeat was narrowly avoided when Ireland fullback Girvan Dempsey got their only try of the day deep into injury-time, the only bright spot on a thoroughly devastating afternoon for his side's Six Nations hopes, but one Scotland will relish as they got their derailed train back on the tracks.

Man of the match:  Chris Paterson.  Shifted to the wing to accommodate Glenn Metcalfe at fullback, the running Edinburgh star tested the Irish defence, and played a crucial part in the first try after a typically fleeting run.  With Gregor Townsend struggling as goal-kicker, Peterson was game enough to stand up and steady the ship.

Moment of the match:  Tom Smith's try.  Not the most spectacular of the four Scottish tries, but one which owed everything to superb interplay throughout the team.  Gordon Bulloch was instrumental early on from hooker before the three-quarters and the back-row stretched the Irish rearguard, before fly-half Townsend made the gap for prop Smith to dive through.

Villain of the match:  Ronnie Browne.  Who's Ronnie Browne? you might be asking, but he is the bow-tied Kenny Rogers lookalike who sang the Scottish national anthem "Flower of Scotland" before kick-off.  As a consequence, the traditionally rousing rugby anthem that usually raises the hairs on the back of the neck was reduced it to a virtual slow march, and a thoroughly uninspiring spectacle.

The Teams:

Ireland:  1 Peter Clohessy, 2 Keith Wood (c), 3 John Hayes, 4 Jeremy Davidson, 5 Malcolm O'Kelly, 6 Kieron Dawson, 7 Simon Easterby, 8 Anthony Foley, 9 Guy Easterby, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 11 Denis Hickie, 12 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 14 Geordan Murphy, 15 Girvan Dempsey
Reserves:  David Humphreys, Gary Longwell, David Wallace, Emmet Byrne, Kevin Maggs, Peter Stringer
Unused:  Frankie Sheahan

Scotland:  1 Tom Smith, 2 Gordon Bulloch, 3 Mattie Stewart, 4 Scott Murray, 5 Jason White, 6 Budge Pountney (c), 7 Gordon Simpson, 8 Simon Taylor, 9 Bryan Redpath, 10 Gregor Townsend, 11 Jon Steel, 12 John Leslie, 13 James McLaren, 14 Chris Paterson, 15 Glenn Metcalfe
Reserves:  Jon Petrie, George Graham, Stuart Grimes, Andrew Henderson, Duncan Hodge, Andy Nicol, Steve Scott

Referee:  White c.

Points Scorers:

Ireland
Tries:  Dempsey G.T. 1
Conv:  Humphreys D.G. 1
Pen K.:  O'Gara R.J.R. 1

Scotland
Tries:  Pountney A.C. 1, Henderson A. 1, Leslie J.A. 1, Smith T.J. 1
Conv:  Paterson C.D. 2, Townsend G.P.J. 1
Pen K.:  Paterson C.D. 2

Australia 29 New Zealand 26

Never say die was the Wallabies' attitude in the 2001 Tri-Nations decider at Stadium Australia in Sydney as a last-gasp try from Toutai Kefu gave them a 29-26 win over New Zealand and retained the trophy they won in 2000.

As was the case last year, the Tri-Nations title was again sealed in the final moments.  In 2000 the Wallabies snuck home in Durban with a Stirling Mortlock penalty goal.  This time it was Kefu barrelling through to touch down under the posts.

But it was not easy for John Eales and his Wallaby troops who had to withstand an early second half blitzkrieg from New Zealand.

After leading 19-6 at the break the Wallabies must have though they were cruising to victory.  They were more clinical than the All Blacks and kept the visitors at bay with solid, but patient defence.

On the other hand, the Kiwis made too many errors, conceding penalties, which Matt Burke slotted with ease.  And while Burke did not miss once before the break, All Blacks' goal-kicker Andrew Mehrtens missed two attempts at goal.

But the defining moment of the first half came after 17 minutes, with the Wallabies attacking relentlessly.  Burke and Mehrtens had each slotted two penalty goals at that stage.

Wing Chris Latham made good ground and the Wallabies got a good drive going.  Then the always-alert Stephen Larkham spotted a weak link in the All Blacks' defensive line and chipped behind Jonah Lomu.

Lomu failed to gather and winger Chris Latham leaped high, shrugged off the desperate defence and ploughed over for the first try of the match.

Burke's conversion, and another penalty later in the half, saw the home-side take a commanding 19-6 lead at the break.

The All Black line-outs were terrible and New Zealand skipper Anton Oliver was struggling to find his jumpers.  Added to that lock Norm Maxwell was sent to the sinbin by South African referee Tappe Henning for retaliation after he was punched by Michael Foley, the Wallaby hooker.

Australia remained calm throughout the first 40 minutes.  They tried to keep the All Blacks pinned in their half and scored points when the Kiwis made crucial mistakes.  Although it was no spectacle, the Wallabies' tactics worked and they looked set to complete the win without any hitches.

Then the second half started.

Three minutes into the second stanza All Black inside centre Pita Alatini, who had a solid first half, sniped through the Wallaby defence on the half-way line.  He made 30 metres before offloading to Doug Howlett on his left shoulder.

The Blues' wing, who was a late replacement before the start for the injured Jeff Wilson, sped away for a great try.  Mehrtens converted and suddenly New Zealand were just six points behind.

Moments later Aussie prop Rod Moore was penalised for "loitering" and Mehrtens closed the gap to three points.

Moore was in trouble again when he took the law into his own hands and was yellow carded.  Off he went, and Alatini stepped into the spotlight again.

The All Black centre received the ball on the blindside, and with the Wallaby defence in disarray, he passed to Lomu, who drew a number of Aussie defenders before releasing a perfectly timed inside pass back to Alatini, who jogged over for his side's second try.

Mehrtens's conversion was good and suddenly, after scoring 17 points in a mere 11 minutes, the All Blacks took the lead 23-19.

Mehrtens, whose tactical kicking was brilliant, added three more and Andrew Walker, replacement wing for Burke, did the same.  With ten minutes left on the clock the Wallabies were trailing 22-26.

The Wallabies got three penalty goals inside the All Black 22 in that time, and every time Eales indicated to Walker to enforce the line-out.

The All Blacks fended off the first two charges, but it was third time lucky for Australia and Stephen Larkham's inside pass to a barrelling Kefu saw the big No.8 barge over for the series-clinching try.

The conversion was good and when Mehrtens' restart failed to go the 10 metres, the hooter went, Henning awarded the scrum, Latham found touch and it was all over.

Byron Kelleher, the All Black No.9, again upstaged his more illustrious opponent and George Gregan could not stamp his usual authority on the game.  That almost cost the Wallabies the game as New Zealand's continuing pressure, with Kelleher leading the charge, saw their defensive pattern shredded in the second half.

For the Wallabies the driving play of Owen Finegan, Nathan Grey and Kefu were worth gold.  They made a lot of ground and took two or more Kiwi defenders out of the game every time they put their heads down.

In the end the Wallabies are deserved winners and we'll have to wait until next year to see if the All Blacks or Springboks could upstage the world champions.

Man of the match:  This is a difficult decision.  On the Wallaby side John Eales, Michael Foley and Toutai Kefu all had good games.  The All Blacks' best were Troy Flavell, Chris Jack, Byron Kelleher and Andrew Mehrtens.  But Pita Alatini wins it for his second half brilliance, which led to two tries and almost won the game for New Zealand.

Moment of the match:  The last-mintue try by Toutai Kefu, without a doubt.  The whole Wallaby squad exploded with joy and swamped their No.8 and outgoing captain John Eales, whose Wallaby career ended, as it started, with a win.

Villain of the match:  The two "yellows" win this one today -- Norm Maxwell for retaliation, and Rod Moore for the same offence.

The teams:

Australia:  1 Rod Moore, 2 Michael Foley, 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 Chris Latham, 12 Nathan Grey, 13 Dan Herbert, 14 Joe Roff, 15 Matthew Burke
Reserves:  Matt Cockbain, Elton Flatley, Ben Darwin, Andrew Walker, Phil Waugh
Unused:  Brendan Cannon, Chris Whitaker

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

Attendance:  90978
Referee:  Henning t.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Kefu R.S.T. 1, Latham C.E. 1
Conv:  Burke M.C. 1, Flatley E.J. 1
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 4, Walker A.M. 1

New Zealand
Tries:  Howlett D.C. 1, Alatini P.F. 1
Conv:  Mehrtens A.P. 2
Pen K.:  Mehrtens A.P. 4

New Zealand 26 South Africa 15

New Zealand are back in business, big time, overwhelming South Africa 26-15 in a high-action international at Eden Park.  Their victory ensures the Tri-Nations championship will go right to the wire in Sydney.

With the "new chums" Byron Kelleher, Andrew Mehrtens, Chris Jack and Leon MacDonald all excelling, the All Blacks dominated virtually throughout, scoring the game's only two tries, one brilliantly taken by Pita Alatini, the other a penalty try awarded for an early tackle on Leon MacDonald.

Once again, the All Blacks kept the Springboks try-less, the visitors' only points coming courtesy of the deadly accurate boot of Braam van Straaten.

The Springboks haven't won at Eden Park since 1937 and never at any stage looked like improving that record, even though they trailed only 9-13 at halftime.

South Africa came close to salvaging a bonus point in the dying moments, but the knock-ons that had plagued the team, of a ball made slippery by rain which fell for much of the game, denied it even that satisfaction.

And so the Harry Viljoen's Boks are fated to finish last in the 2001 Tri-Nations championship, even though they did not lose to the world champion Wallabies.

The All Blacks demonstrated an energy, resourcefulness and inventiveness that was grossly absent from their play against the Wallabies at Carisbrook.

They took the game dynamically to the South Africans, clearing the ball efficiently from the breakdown zones, where they'd been so inept in Dunedin, and utilising it enthusiasm and enterprise along the backline.  Where at Dunedin they'd played largely by numbers, demonstrating a reluctance to counter-attack, here they swung into sevens mode at times, running everything back at the Springboks with gusto.

Had the rain, which cruelly returned just prior to kick-off, not made the ball so slippery, almost certainly New Zealand would have scored more tries.

Jonah Lomu missed a sitter in the fifth minute when he failed to control Ron Cribb's infield pass with the goalline at his mercy.  And several times in the second half, as New Zealand came at South Africa in waves, tries seemed inevitable until a mix of fumbles combined with desperate defence terminated the thrusts.

New Zealand has been a gloomy country since the All Blacks' loss in Dunedin, but there will be a spring in the Kiwis' step after this magnificent revival.

The selectors gambled on six changes, and they all paid off.  Kelleher had a blinder at halfback and Mehrtens, benefiting from his rocket service, controlled play superbly from first-five.  His giant passes repeatedly set the threequarters attacking.

Jack was a human dynamo from the opening seconds and MacDonald, who alternated with Mehrtens between fullback and first-five, was among the best attackers on the field.

Troy Flavell was a rich success as a blindside flanker, running like an extra back for much of the game.

Alatini was elusive and snaked through for the opening try while Tana Umaga ran with thrust and Lomu enjoyed a 100 per cent more involvement than at Carisbrook.

The All Black scrum was solid and the line-out generally sound.

The Springboks never got out of second gear, being on the back foot throughout, save for the final couple of minutes when the game was out of reach.

Locks Victor Matfield and Mark Andrews battled honestly and the front rowers were competitive but in almost every other phase of play the Springboks were overshadowed.

Perhaps the massive effort they'd put in at Perth had sapped their energy.  Or maybe it was simply the Eden Park bogey striking again.

Man of the match:  All Black halfback Byron Kelleher has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and grabbed it spectacularly.  He cleared the ball beautifully, probed the gaps and pressured both his opposite Joost van der Westhuizen and fullback Conrad Jantjes throughout.  It could be a while before Justin Marshall sees the No.9 Test jersey again.  Other strong contenders for the award were Chris Jack and Andrew Mehrtens.

Moment of the Match:  Springbok hooker Lukas van Biljon's early tackle on Leon MacDonald that led to referee Peter Marshall awarding the All Blacks a penalty try in the 55th minute.  It pushed New Zealand out to 26-9, sinking South Africa's hopes of a comeback.

Villain of the Match:  A few contenders, for there were several punch-ups and some crude rucking, but no one received either a yellow or red card.

The Teams:

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

South Africa:  1 Robbie Kempson, 2 Lukas Van Biljon, 3 Cobus Visagie, 4 Victor Matfield, 5 Mark Andrews, 6 Andre Venter, 7 Andre Vos, 8 Bobby Skinstad (c), 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Butch James, 11 Dean Hall, 12 Andre Snyman, 13 Braam Van Straaten, 14 Breyton Paulse, 15 Conrad Jantjes
Reserves:  John Smit, Deon Kayser, Ollie Le Roux, Albert Van Den Bergh, Joe Van Niekerk
Unused:  Neil De Kock, Thinus Delport

Attendance:  45000
Referee:  Marshall p.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Tries:  Alatini P.F. 1, Penalty Try 1
Conv:  Mehrtens A.P. 2
Pen K.:  Mehrtens A.P. 4

South Africa
Pen K.:  Van Straaten A.J.J. 5

Australia 14 South Africa 14

The Springboks of South Africa held the world champion Wallabies to a 14-all draw in a bruising Tri-Nations encounter at the Subiaco Oval in Perth, Australia.

It was a physical match, characterised by bone-crunching defence and few try-scoring opportunities, but the Springboks will be elated with their gutsy performance, which saw the first draw in the history of the Tri-Nations.

Only two tries were scored in the match, one by each side in each half, but the Wallabies will be kicking themselves after failing to exploit a one-man advantage, which they held for 20 minutes in the second half when the Springboks had two players in the sin bin on separate occasions.

First flyhalf Butch James spent 10 minutes off the field when referee Steve Walsh showed him a yellow card for a reckless tackle on Wallaby opensider George Smith, and then with 15 minutes remaining in the match Springbok skipper Bob Skinstad was sent to the bin for killing the ball near his side's line.

No damage was caused with James in the bin, but Skinstad could only watch from the sidelines as Wallaby inside centre Nathan Grey finally found a hole in the Springbok defence, after more than 200 minutes of Tri-Nations rugby this season, to pull his side level.

Matt Burke, who along with Braam van Straaten missed three kicks at goal the entire night, missed the conversion and at 11-all, with nine minutes remaining on the clock, it was still anyone's game ...

The visitors then reclaimed the lead five minutes later, after a high tackle by Wallaby loosehead Nick Stiles, but from the re-start André Venter knocked the ball on, which allowed the Wallabies to swarm into the Bok 22 and secure yet another penalty.  Burke made no mistake from in front of the uprights and with three minutes on the clock the match had not yet been decided.

Skinstad managed to get back on the field before the final whistle, but with his side in an attacking position shortly before the final whistle all they could do was concede a penalty for going off their feet at a ruck after Deon Kayser was wrapped up by Phil Waugh.

The Wallabies kicked to touch, drove up-field and Stephen Larkham attempted a drop, but it just went wide.  Conrad Jantjes dotted down and that was it.  Game over.  The first draw in the Tri-Nations (after the 34th match), and the first-ever draw between the Wallabies and Springboks (after their 47th encounter).

The Wallabies started the match with a bang.  After controlling possession and territory they had three points to show for their efforts after the first 10 minutes.

But when the Springboks eventually started settling down, they lost their vice-captain and main attacking weapon Robbie Fleck, who limped off with an ankle injury.

Fleck and Wallaby No.8 Toutai Kefu were involved in a scuffle shortly before Fleck left the field and whilst it remains to be seen whether or not the scuffle caused the injury, Fleck, as was the case in Pretoria three weeks ago, seemed to be getting on the Wallabies' nerves.  Fleck was replaced by Kayser, who put in a sterling defensive performance, despite not offering much on attack.

Braam van Straaten got his side on the board as Fleck left the field when Breyton Paulse was impeded as he was trying to gather a chip-ahead, and from then on the Bok pack started gaining a slight upper-hand.

The Springboks scored their only try of the match close to the half-time break when Butch James saw some space and unleashed the players on his outside.  Flank André Venter was one of the players who handled the ball as it got down to fullback Conrad Jantjes.  Jantjes raced along the touchline before flinging the ball to Mark Andrews for his third try against the Wallabies in 13 Tests.

Man of the match:  Wallaby flanker Owen Finegan showed power on attack and defence and a never-say-die attitude through the entire match.  He tested the Springbok tacklers on the fringes at rucks and mauls and flung himself from tackle to tackle with no respite.  Nathan Grey also shone for the Wallabies and for the Springboks, former skippers André Vos and Joost van der Westhuizen never gave up.

Moment of the match:  There was a five-minute period in the first half, just before the 30th minute, when the Wallabies attacked the Springboks' line incessantly.  But the Bok defence held firm in the face of danger and when the Wallabies were awarded a scrum on the Bok line a perfect eight-man shove saw them turn the ball over.  If the Boks had won the match, that would have been a very key moment.

Villain of the match:  Springbok flyhalf Butch James got his first yellow card at Test level for his no-arms, no-holds barred tackling style.  Whilst he may feel a trifle unlucky at getting 10 minutes in the sin bin, he can take comfort in the fact that he had received an official caution earlier in the game.  Luckily for James no points were scored when he was off the field, but will he learn from it?

The teams:

Australia:  1 Rod Moore, 2 Michael Foley, 3 Nic Stiles, 4 John Eales (c), 5 Justin Harrison, 6 Owen Finegan, 7 George Smith, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan, 10 Steve Larkham, 11 Chris Latham, 12 Nathan Grey, 13 Dan Herbert, 14 Joe Roff, 15 Matthew Burke
Reserves:  Matt Cockbain, Graeme Bond, Ben Darwin, Phil Waugh
Unused:  Brendan Cannon, Elton Flatley, Chris Whitaker

South Africa:  1 Robbie Kempson, 2 Lukas Van Biljon, 3 Cobus Visagie, 4 Victor Matfield, 5 Mark Andrews, 6 Andre Venter, 7 Andre Vos, 8 Bobby Skinstad (c), 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Butch James, 11 Dean Hall, 12 Robbie Fleck, 13 Braam Van Straaten, 14 Breyton Paulse, 15 Conrad Jantjes
Reserves:  John Smit, Deon Kayser, Ollie Le Roux, Albert Van Den Bergh
Unused:  Neil De Kock, Thinus Delport, Corne Krige

Referee:  Walsh s.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Grey N.P. 1
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 3

South Africa
Tries:  Andrews M.G. 1
Pen K.:  Van Straaten A.J.J. 3

Australia 23 New Zealand 15

Helped by a penalty-try at a critical moment of the game, Australia buried the Carisbrook bogey emphatically and kept their 2001 Tri-Nations prospects alive by downing New Zealand 23-15 with a disciplined performance at Dunedin.

The All Blacks scored the first try, in the second minute, and the last but in between the Australians demonstrated why they are the world champions, operating with composure, patience and assurance.

Most importantly of all, they took their opportunities.

While Tony Brown disappointed his home-town fans by landing just one goal from four attempts, Matt Burke, ever the man for the occasion, coolly slotted five out of six, to complement a stunning individual try.

But the turning point was the awarding by referee Steve Lander of a penalty-try to the Wallabies when All Black No.8 Ron Cribb crudely tackled Joe Roff minus the ball.

The Wallabies were ahead 13-8 at the time with 18 minutes remaining and the game was wide open.  But once Burke added the conversion for 20-8, the All Blacks' fate was effectively sealed.

"The penalty-try killed us," New Zealand captain Anton Oliver declared afterwards.  "It left us with too much to claw back."

Why Cribb flattened Roff as he was setting out in pursuit of a well-judged kick through by Stephen Larkham remains a mystery.  The ball settled short of the deadball line and it would have been a straight sprint between Roff and New Zealand's fastest man Doug Howlett.

But Cribb's rush of blood left referee Lander no alternative but to divert to the goalposts and award the try which, remarkably, is the first penalty-try ever conceded by the All Blacks in a Test.

Burke's third penalty goal in the 67th minute pushed Australia out to 23-8, a scoreline which rather distorted the evenness of the contest.

A flurry of changes, which got Byron Kelleher and Andrew Mehrtens involved, finally sparked an All Black try, tellingly created by Tana Umaga and Jonah Lomu and sweetly finished off by New Zealand's best player Jeff Wilson ... his 50th try -- in all matches -- for New Zealand.

It was too little too late and the All Blacks were left to lament handling lapses, poor goalkicking and indiscipline within range of their goalposts.

The statistical sheet revealed that New Zealand had the greater share of possession, won the rucks and mauls, yet made 18 handling errors against Australia's five, which starkly illustrated where this match was won.

Brilliantly guided by those master tacticians George Gregan and Stephen Larkham, the Wallabies played this game almost chess-like, demonstrating great patience while cutting errors to an absolute minimum.

They won the tactical kicking game hands down.  They almost taunted New Zealand by repeatedly kicking the ball at them, always deep.  "Come on, run it back at us!" they seemed to be saying.

But, surprisingly, New Zealand almost never took up the challenge.

Although they possessed immense strike power among the three-quarters, they rarely sought to counter attack and move the ball wide.

New Zealand had had the best possible start to the game, with Lomu scoring inside two minutes, courtesy of some masterly play by Wilson after Larkham's first kick, a grubber, had come unstuck.  Wilson hacked the ball 70 metres downfield, New Zealand claimed a quick line-out and Umaga pushed the ball through perfectly for Lomu to run on to.

Brown missed the conversion and a penalty attempt soon after.  What could have been 10-nil remained 5-nil.

Burke didn't hiccup when the same opportunities came his way.  He converted his own try, from wide out, and soon after landed a penalty goal.  Suddenly the Aussies had a 10-5 lead, one they would never relinquish.

It became 10-8, then 13-8 after half-time, with both teams creating likely situations, many of them stymied by referee Lander's pedantic interpretation of the tackle ball zone.

That's how it remained until the penalty-try was given, an award that flattened New Zealand's hopes of regaining the Bledisloe Cup which has been the property of Australia since 1998.

If Burke was Australia's most valuable player, it was by the slenderest margin from Gregan and Larkham, who controlled vast portions of the game.

Daniel Herbert was thrustful at centre, Toutai Kefu drove powerfully off the back of the scrum, George Smith scavenged expertly again and John Eales marshaled his troops mightily as always.

The Aussies were often under pressure in the scrums and surprisingly conceded three line-outs against the throw.  But they absorbed every setback and went back to doing the basics beautifully.

The All Blacks would be hugely disappointed with their effort, especially losing at Carisbrook, their favourite ground (where their record against Australia had been intact since 1913).

Justin Marshall was laboured again at halfback, which impacted on Brown whose tactical and goalkicking was sub-standard.

Umaga tried but couldn't get through at centre until the final stages while Lomu oozed aggression on the wing but once again, and it's now reaching an almost criminal level, he was starved of attacking chances.

Wilson was elegant and effective in everything he did at fullback, which included saving a certain try when he gave Roff a 10-metre start and gunned him down.

The All Black scrum was strong, Troy Flavell pilfered Aussie line-out throws and Cribb had a powerful game but undid all his good work by yielding that penalty-try.

Man of the match:  Not for the first time Matt Burke proved the All Blacks' nemesis, accounting for all of Australia's points apart from the penalty-try.  His try was a magnificent solo effort while his general play was faultless.

Moment of the match:  Had to be the penalty-try, witlessly conceded by Ron Cribb through tackling Joe Roff without the ball.  The All Blacks trailed by only five points at the time and could still have salvaged the game.  At 8-20, they were dead and buried.

Villain of the match:  No yellow cards, no red cards, no stoush, no unsavoury moments.  From the New Zealanders' viewpoint, the villain was Cribb for conceding the penalty-try.

The teams:

Australia:  1 Rod Moore, 2 Michael Foley, 3 Nic Stiles, 4 John Eales (c), 5 Justin Harrison, 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 Matthew Burke
Reserves:  Brendan Cannon, Matt Cockbain, Elton Flatley, Chris Latham, Ben Darwin, Phil Waugh
Unused:  Chris Whitaker

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 Doug Howlett, 12 Pita Alatini, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Jonah Lomu, 15 Jeff Wilson
Reserves:  Carl Hayman, Marty Holah, Leon MacDonald, Mark Cooksley, Byron Kelleher, Andrew Mehrtens
Unused:  Mark Hammett

Attendance:  36000
Referee:  Lander s.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Burke M.C. 1, Penalty Try 1
Conv:  Burke M.C. 2
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 3

New Zealand
Tries:  Lomu J.T. 1, Wilson J.W. 1
Conv:  Mehrtens A.P. 1, Umaga J.F. 1
Pen K.:  Brown T.E. 1

Australia 15 South Africa 20

Visitors Australia were unable to shake their Loftus Versfeld hoodoo, losing by five points to South Africa in their Tri-Nations clash.  The final score was 20-15.

The Bok victory was laid by their powerful pack.  With tighthead Cobus Visagie, hooker Lukas van Biljon, flank André Venter and captain and No.8 Bob Skinstad leading from the front, the home team's forwards built the foundation for a great victory in front of a capacity crowd at Loftus Versfeld.

For the world champions, in their first Test under new coach Eddie Jones, it is back to the drawing board if they are to successfully defend their Tri-Nations crown after the highs of a series win over the Lions.

No-one gave the Springboks a chance to win this game, but they came out firing on all cylinders, and had the Wallabies on the back-foot from the outset.

The score probably flatters Australia, and they can count themselves lucky that they are returning Down Under with one log point in the bag.  They tried their best to break the Springbok defence, but failed to do so.  The South Africans defended like men possessed, and it paid off for them.

The Springboks took a 14-0 lead at the break after their captain Bob Skinstad scored a brilliant try in the corner as the Wallaby defence went AWOL.  Scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen fed the Bok No.8 who ran all of 20 metres before crashing over with Matt Burke on his back.

Although Braam van Straaten missed the conversion, he justified his inclusion in the Bok side early when he slotted a penalty goal from inside his half of the field.  That was the first of two first-half penalty goals that Van Straaten struck from more than 50 metres.

After the first penalty, the Boks immediately went on the attack again.  From the restart Breyton Paulse made a break before offloading to Skinstad, who gave the ball to Joost van der Westhuizen who was stopped inside the Wallaby 22, but the visitors' backline were offside and Van Straaten increased the Bok lead to 6-0.

Both sides were keen to throw the ball around, but the defence was good all round.  Butch James and Van Straaten did well in keeping the Wallabies pinned back in their own half with good tactical kicking, while Elton Flatley and Walker did the same for the visitors.

The Wallabies looked dangerous when they got into the Boks' 22, but everytime they spoiled a good overlap with someone trying to break the homeside's defensive line.  Nathan Grey and Toutai Kefu were the culprits, not sending the ball wide when they should have.

Australia's best attacking move came in the 30th minutes when Grey chipped a kick into South Africa's in-goal area, but Andrew Walker knocked on as he was going for the touchdown and the Boks escaped from jail for the third time in the opening stanza.

Burke, who missed two relatively easy attempts early on, got his side's first points in the first minute after the break with a penalty goal.  His second three-pointer came four minutes later when Burke landed a 50 metre attempt with ease.  But Van Straaten increased his side's lead to 11 points from the restart when Nick Stiles went offside.

Burke added two more penalty goals (in the 50th and 58th minutes) before the Wallabies got a good attacking scrum on the Boks' 22.  They spread it wide and the try was on, but Joe Roff held on in the tackle and the Boks were awarded a penalty.

The Boks spent most of the time between the 60th and 70th minutes camped in the Wallaby half and almost scored from a brilliant chip-and-chase by fullback Conrad Jantjes.  Unlucky for the Boks Dean Hall did not get a good bounce in the Australian in-goal area after Butch James kicked through.

However, the Boks' relentless pressure paid off when the visitors were penalised with less than 10 minutes remaining.  Van Straaten did the necessary and the scored changed to 20-12 with nine minutes left on the clock.

With four minutes left, after replacement flyhalf Manny Edmonds narrowed the lead to five points, the Springboks got a good attacking scrum inside the Wallaby 22, but Breyton Paulse, who had a good game, attempted a drop goal, his second of the night, and failed.

The Wallabies were awarded a scrum in their 22, they attacked, the Boks tackled them man for man, the siren went and the referee ended the game.  The Boks are still unbeaten against Australia in Pretoria.

Man of the match:  A few contenders here -- André Venter and Joost van der Westhuizen for the Boks, and George Gregan for the Wallabies.  However, nobody was better than Braam van Straaten.  He proved that you need a good kicker at this level of rugby -- not only at goal, but tactically as well.  His goal-kicking was great and Van Straaten slotted five kicks from six attempts at goal.

Moment of the match:  Bob Skinstad's try late in the first half saw the Wallabies turn 14 points behind the Boks.  They never had it in them to close that gap, and Skinstad left the field smiling after his first taste of victory as captain in the Tri-Nations.

Villain of the match:  Wallaby lock David Giffin for his elbow-charge on Robbie Fleck late in the first half.  Neither the referee nor the touch-judges spotted him, but Giffin deserves to be cited for the incident.

The teams:

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

South Africa:  1 Robbie Kempson, 2 Lukas Van Biljon, 3 Cobus Visagie, 4 Johan Ackermann, 5 Mark Andrews, 6 Andre Venter, 7 Andre Vos, 8 Bobby Skinstad (c), 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Butch James, 11 Dean Hall, 12 Robbie Fleck, 13 Braam Van Straaten, 14 Breyton Paulse, 15 Conrad Jantjes
Reserves:  John Smit, Corne Krige, Ollie Le Roux, Joe Van Niekerk
Unused:  Neil De Kock, Thinus Delport, Deon Kayser

Referee:  Mchugh d.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 4, Edmonds M.H.M. 1

South Africa
Tries:  Skinstad R.B. 1
Pen K.:  Van Straaten A.J.J. 5

New Zealand 12 South Africa 3

The All Blacks of New Zealand defeated South Africa 12-3 in a hard-fought opening 2001 Tri-Nations encounter at Newlands in Cape Town.

Whilst the Springboks will take some heart from their brave performance, once again the bad out-weighed the good as the Men in Black showed the value of having a well-organised defence and a specialist goalkicker.

Whilst tries were non-existent, blood and guts were a hallmark of a game that did not quite reach the level of play that the near 50 000-strong crowd would have hoped for.  Sure they got a bit of rain and a torrent of tackles, but for the first time in Tri-Nations history no tries were scored in an entire match.

South Africa dominated much of the possession and territory stakes in the first-half, but other than a third-minute penalty by Percy Montgomery they had nothing to show for their efforts in the entire match as New Zealand defended as if their lives depended on it.

There were good moments for the Boks, especially at line-out time where novices Victor Matfield and Lukas van Biljon impressed, but it was New Zealand flyhalf Tony Brown who stole the show with a faultless goalkicking performance in the first 40 minutes, whereas Springbok fullback Percy Montgomery missed three attempts at goal and Butch James missed one fairly long-range attempt very late in the match.

At one stage South Africa spent a considerable amount of time in the All Blacks' half, but they could only watch minutes later as the visiting side entered their territory and Tony Brown kept the scoreboard ticking over with four penalties from different parts of the ground, although none of them were long-range attempts.

There were no real try-scoring opportunities in the first stanza, but in the last five minutes wings Jonah Lomu and Doug Howlett threatened the homeside's defence on numerous occasions.

Some brave defence from vice-captain Robbie Fleck saved the Boks on one occasion in particular when Lomu managed to get his hands through a tackle from André Venter and Breyton Paulse, before feeding lock Troy Flavell on his outside.  Fleck hunted Flavell down and won a penalty for his side.

But the All Blacks continued their knew-found dominance, which was reminiscent of the last time the two countries met at Newlands, and Brown extended their lead by yet another three points shortly before half-time.

The Boks' second half onslaught began with earnest some eight minutes into the second stanza.

They went left, they went right, they re-cycled the ball for over 10 phases, but the All Black defence, with retreaded opensider Taine Randell and skipper Anton Oliver the stand-outs, just stood firm in the face of danger.

The Boks managed to force a scrum on the All Black tryline after Dean Hall was held up by Jonah Lomu with the tryline only a metre away, but despite winning a penalty, which Joost van der Westhuizen took quickly, they did not make any impression on the All Black defence or the scoreboard.

The All Blacks almost managed a break-away try through wing Doug Howlett in the last quarter and the match ended with an interlude from an adventurous spectator dressed in a wet-suit and a botched penalty attempt from Springbok flyhalf Butch James, which could have given his team an all-important bonus-point for losing by less than seven points.

New Zealand will no doubt be delighted with a hard-fought opening Tri-Nations win but where to from here for South Africa?  Well, that is a good question, which could perhaps be answered against Australia next week.  They were not embarrassed, but simply beaten by a side that seemed to want it more in the second half, which produced no score and only one penalty attempt by South Africa.

Man of the match:  Springbok hooker Lukas van Biljon had an outstanding match in only his first start for his country.  He did the basics first.  Cleaning out at rucks and mauls, his line-out throwing was spot-on, he stood his ground at scrum-time and he ran with much power and purpose when given a chance with ball in hand.

Villain of the Match:  Nobody.  Sure there were some niggles and a bit of "how's your father", but boys will be boys.

Moment of the Match:  When the very brave spectator, clad in a wet-suit, emerged on to the pitch abd got the loudest cheer from a subdued crowd.  He even had the guts to initiate a tackle on the policeman, who was about to apprehend him.

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 Doug Howlett, 12 Pita Alatini, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Jonah Lomu, 15 Jeff Wilson
Reserves:  Marty Holah, Chris Jack, Leon MacDonald
Unused:  Carl Hayman, Mark Hammett, Byron Kelleher, Andrew Mehrtens

South Africa:  1 Robbie Kempson, 2 Lukas Van Biljon, 3 Cobus Visagie, 4 Victor Matfield, 5 Mark Andrews, 6 Andre Venter, 7 Andre Vos, 8 Bobby Skinstad (c), 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Butch James, 11 Dean Hall, 12 Robbie Fleck, 13 Marius Joubert, 14 Breyton Paulse, 15 Percy Montgomery
Reserves:  John Smit, Johan Ackermann, Deon Kayser, Ollie Le Roux, Joe Van Niekerk
Unused:  Neil De Kock, Conrad Jantjes

Attendance:  49720
Referee:  Young s.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Pen K.:  Brown T.E. 4

South Africa
Pen K.:  Montgomery P.C. 1

Argentina 38 Italy 17

Argentina scored four tries (three converted) and four penalties to Italy's one try and four penalties.

On Saturday, Argentina defeated Italy 38-17 in a one-off Test in front of 20 000 spectators at Ferreocarril Oeste soccer stadium.

The tough Italians put up more of a fight than expected in an evenly matched first half, but the Argentinians got the upper-hand in the second half after leading 13-6 at half-time.

Diego Albanese's try after 23 minutes was the only highlight of the first half.

Felipe Contepomi converted Argentina's try and slotted two penalties in the first half, compared to Francesco Mazzariol scoring Italy's only first-half points with two penalties.

Mazzariol added two early penalty goals after the break, but with the Azzurri trailing 13-12 the Argentines ran away with the score courtesy of stand-off Gonzalo Quesada, who came on just before the end of the first half as a substitute.

Quesada scored a penalty and a try, converted by himself within five minutes to make it 23-12 after 50 minutes.

Argentina's two other tries were scored by Eduardo Simone, converted by Quesada in the 54th minute, and Albanese.

Italy attacked furiously during the last 10 minutes, but could only get over the tryline once as Los Pumas mounted a sturdy defence.  Giovanni Rainieri crossed the line two minutes before the end.

The Italians lost a Test to South Africa, but beat Uruguay last week and now return home to rest.

The Teams:

Argentina:  1 Omar Hasan Jalil, 2 Federico Mendez, 3 Mauricio Reggiardo, 4 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 5 Gonzalo Longo Elia, 6 Rolando Martin, 7 Santiago Phelan, 8 Lucas Ostiglia, 9 Agustin Pichot, 10 Felipe Contepomi, 11 Diego Albanese, 12 Lisandro Arbizu (c), 13 Eduardo Simone, 14 Gonzalo Camardon, 15 Bernardo Stortoni
Reserves:  Martin Durand, Mario Ledesma Arocena, Gonzalo Quesada
Unused:  Leopoldo De Chazal, Nicolas Fernandez Miranda, Mariano Sambucetti, Facundo Soler

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

Attendance:  20000
Referee:  Whitehouse n.

Points Scorers:

Argentina
Tries:  Albanese D.L. 2, Quesada G. 1, Simone E. 1
Conv:  Contepomi F. 1, Quesada G. 2
Pen K.:  Contepomi F. 2, Quesada G. 1
Drop G.:  Quesada G. 1

Italy
Tries:  Raineri G. 1
Pen K.:  Mazzariol F. 4

Australia 29 British Isles 23

Two tries from centre Daniel Herbert helped Australia to a 29-23 win over the Lions in the decisive third Test in Sydney, claiming an enthralling 2-1 Test series win at a tension-filled Stadium Australia.

The scores were tied at 23-23 going in to the last 12 minutes, but fullback Matt Burke stepped up and shrugged off the pressure to become the Wallabies' hero landing two penalties to fend-off a gallant, if at times headstrong Lions' challenge.

The home side had gone into the half-time interval at 16-13 in front after an early Lions' try from wing Jason Robinson, but Herbert's touch down just before the break set the tone for a see-saw match, which had pulses on both sides of the equator racing as the Lions mounted a failed late challenge.

The Lions' other try on the day came from Jonny Wilkinson just after half-time, putting the Lions in front only until Herbert's second in the 49th minute.

In truth, the series could have swung either way, but it was the Wallabies' tenacity in the 50/50 contests which saw them edging ahead, Justin Harrison in the second row having a debut to remember, stealing a memorable late lineout from Lions skipper Martin Johnson with the hooter imminent to drive a further nail into the Lions' coffin.

The tourists far from disgraced themselves, with the back-row in particular exposing the soft underbelly of the home side in the loose, where they repeatedly drove through the heart of the Wallaby pack with a string of surging rolling mauls.  But in the battle on the ground, it was Wallaby openside George Smith who emerged victorious, with team-mates Kefu and Finegan not far behind him.

Without late injury withdrawal Austin Healey, the 84,000 crowd at Stadium Australia were denied the chance to witness the Leicester wing's pre-match slurs against all things Australia being rammed down his throat.

His late replacement was Welshman Dafydd James, but with Healey also due to serve as Matt Dawson's scrum-half replacement, the Lions' management had to take desperate measures and recruit Scotland scrum-half Andy Nicol to the bench.

Nicol had not even been part of the squad, being in Sydney merely as a tour guide, but found himself thrown into the cauldron of Stadium Australia.  He was not used in the end, but his inclusion in the squad served as a fitting marker of the drama surrounding the 2001 tour right from day one.

But the real drama unfolded on the pitch and it was Jason Robinson -- one of the shining lights for the Lions -- who made the first in-roads to the Wallaby defence out wide when he touched down in the left corner after 20 minutes.

It was a move which proved that the tourists -- underdogs going into this match -- were capable of playing their own brand of "total rugby", two front row players out wide playing a valuable part in the score.  Firstly hooker Keith Wood drew in Andrew Walker ten metres out, and then loosehead Tom Smith pulled in the last defender before putting Robinson in for a textbook 2 on 1 overlap try next to the corner flag, with Wilkinson nailing the tricky extras in a mixed kicking half.

By this time though Matt Burke had already kicked three penalties to Wilkinson's one, and Herbert's try just before the half-time whistle was the next score as both teams sparred around the fringes of the ruck -- the Wallaby front-row again given a rough ride by the Lions as Nick Stiles and Rod Moore looked out of sorts.

Herbert's try when it came was a result of constant Wallaby pressure, the marvellous George Gregan in particular back to his marshalling best at the base of every ruck, capitalising on some quick breaks by the three-quarters to set the scene for the try, which eventually came after a quick exchange between Herbert and Andrew Walker on the right flank, Burke hitting the conversion for a 16-13 half-time lead.

Jonny Wilkinson gave the vast and noisy legions of Lions fans something to cheer when he jinked over from short range just after the break, showing a shimmy to Toutai Kefu before cutting in past Dan Herbert for the try, and then hitting the conversion to snatch the lead.

Herbert made amends five minutes later when he was on the end of a quick transfer through the Wallaby hands, their speedy continuity play creating the stage for hooker Michael Foley out wide to unselfishly offload to Herbert for his second try.  Foley could well have gone himself, but made sure of the score by putting in the Queensland centre on the overlap, Burke again converting.

Herbert's next contribution to the match was not so glorious when his clothes-line tackle on the below-par Lions centre Brian O'Driscoll landed the Wallaby a ten-minute spell in the sin-bin.

The Lions failed to make the most of the space though, Wilkinson's penalty drawing the scores, but no more points coming in what could have been a crucial ten-minutes.

The England man missed his third kick of the day shortly after, the pivot's hit-and-miss kicking day giving heart to the Wallabies, particularly during the enforced absence of Herbert.

Almost immediately after Herbert's return to the fray, Burke again put the home side in front with a penalty.  It was a decisive moment, and the Lions had a mountain to climb as injury-time approached.

The Lions' rolling-maul got into full swing, and as a Lions' lineout came with seconds to go in Wallaby territory, the visitors knew this was the moment they had to sieze the initiative.

Keith Wood threw in, and Justin Harrison claimed an awesome take at the front, eclipsing Martin Johnson at the front, leaping across his line of sight, stealing the ball, and shutting the door firmly on the Lions.

Referee Paddy O'Brien pulled the curtain down on a memorable series with the final whistle, Australia on balance deserved victors in a series which had everything, great tries, big-hits, controversy, injury, two well-matched teams and most of all, a true rugby atmosphere.

Australia were wounded after their first Test humiliation, but the last eight days have seen them stamp their mantle as true champions, obliterating the Lions in Melbourne, and then finding the scrapping spirit to pull out a win under adversity in Sydney.

The 2001 Lions may have been only seven points away from emulating their 1997 counterparts, but the Wallabies will be partying away in to the wee small hours, knowing that they have beaten the northern hemisphere's finest.

It was a fitting way for the cerebral and dignified Rod Macqueen to end his tenure as Wallaby coach, and sets up a fascinating Tri-Nations series as Eddie Jones takes the reins.

So, a day of joy for Australia but disappointment for the many thousands of away supporters who had journeyed across the globe to yell themselves hoarse for their team.  No matter, after this epic series, the majority of them will already have begun their plans to play their part in British and Irish rugby's next great crusade -- the 2005 Lions tour of New Zealand.

Man of the match:  Justin Harrison.  What a debut!  On this showing, it is hard to imagine why the aggressive Brumbies lock has been frozen out of the starting XV for the first two Tests.  His edgy, abrasive play may have earnt him the wrath of opponents and Lions' fans, but his lineout play and general combative game will surely see him as a must for the Wallabies in the Tri-Nations.  Two try hero Dan Herbert may be the scoreboard's choice for our award, but although his support play may have earned him his two scores, Harrison's excellence throughout shades our vote.  Not a vast abundance of Lions' contenders, with Martin Corry and Scott Quinnell the main two that spring to mind, as well as a largely impressive showing from Jonny Wilkinson.

Moment of the match:  Daniel Herbert's second try.  Herbert's first score may have been easier on the eye, but the sheer importance of this try wins the vote by a mile, as it eventually led to the scores being ties going in to the final stages with Burke's conversion.  Coming from a quick series of Wallaby phases, Michael Foley created the overlap for Herbert to dive in the left corner and set the scene for a Wallaby series win.

Villain of the match:  Daniel Herbert.  The only blot on Herbert's copybook was his deserved second-half sin-binning after flattening opposite number Brian O'Driscoll with a stiff-arm clothesline tackle round the neck.  Not normally a malicious competitor, Herbert served his ten-minute penance with relative calm as the Lions failed to capitalise on his absence.

Sin bin:  Herbert (Aus, 52-62 mins)

The teams:

Australia:  1 Rod Moore, 2 Michael Foley, 3 Nic Stiles, 4 John Eales (c), 5 Justin Harrison, 6 Owen Finegan, 7 George Smith, 8 Toutai Kefu, 9 George Gregan, 10 Elton Flatley, 11 Joe Roff, 12 Nathan Grey, 13 Dan Herbert, 14 Andrew Walker, 15 Matthew Burke
Reserves:  Matt Cockbain, James Holbeck
Unused:  Brendan Cannon, Chris Latham, Chris Whitaker, Ben Darwin, David Lyons

British Isles:  1 Phil Vickery, 2 Keith Wood, 3 Tom Smith, 4 Danny Grewcock, 5 Martin Johnson (c), 6 Neil Back, 7 Martin Corry, 8 Scott Quinnell, 9 Matt Dawson, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 11 Jason Robinson, 12 Rob Henderson, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 14 Dafydd James, 15 Matt Perry
Reserves:  Iain Balshaw, Colin Charvis, Darren Morris
Unused:  Dorian West, Ronan O'Gara, Andy Nicol, Martyn Williams

Referee:  O'brien p.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Herbert D.J. 2
Conv:  Burke M.C. 2
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 5

British Isles
Tries:  Robinson J.T. 1, Wilkinson J.P. 1
Conv:  Wilkinson J.P. 2
Pen K.:  Wilkinson J.P. 3

Canada 7 Japan 39

In the third-place play-off in the Pacific Rim Championship, Japan thrashed Canada 39-7 at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo.

A year ago, at Markham in Canada, Canada thrashed Japan 62-18.  This Tokyo result is a remarkable turn-around.

In the semi-finals Japan had been thumped 47-8 by Samoa, which made this victory over Canada all the sweeter.  In their semi-final Canada had been well beaten by Fiji, 52-23.

Japan were simply too fast and too skilful for the Canadians.  They scored five tries to one.

Wing Toru Kurihara scored two tries and Yuya Saito, Hideki Namba and Luatangi Vatuvei scored one each.  Kurihara added another 14 points with the boot.  Phil Murphy, the Canadian No.8, scored his team's only try.

The teams:

Canada:  1 Rod Snow, 2 Harry Toews, 3 Kevin Wirachowski, 4 Ron Johnstone, 5 Ed Knaggs, 6 Brad Major, 7 Colin Yukes, 8 Phil Murphy, 9 Morgan Williams, 10 Bobby Ross, 11 Jeremy Cordle, 12 John Cannon, 13 Shane Thompson, 14 Sean Fauth, 15 Jeff Williams
Reserves:  Ryan Banks, Garth Cooke, Mike Danskin, Pat Dunkley, Kyle Nichols, Kevin Tkachuk

Japan:  1 Shin Hasegawa, 2 Masaaki Sakata, 3 Ryo Yamamura, 4 L. Vatuvei, 5 Hiroyuki Tanuma, 6 Kouichi Kubo, 7 Yuya Saito, 8 Takeomi Ito, 9 Yuji Sonoda, 10 Syotaro Oonishi, 11 Toru Kurihara, 12 Yukio Motoki, 13 Hideki Nanba, 14 Terunori Masuho, 15 Hirotoki Onozowa
Reserves:  Sinichi Tsukida

Referee:  Aiolupotea a.

Points Scorers:

Canada
Tries:  Murphy P. 1
Conv:  Ross R.P. 1

Japan
Tries:  Vatuvei 1, Kurihara T. 2, Nanba H. 1, Saito Y. 1
Conv:  Kurihara T. 4
Pen K.:  Kurihara T. 2

Fiji 28 Samoa 17

Fiji beat holders Samoa 28-17 to win the Pacific Rim Championship in a tough final played at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo.

This was the third time the two teams have met in the last five weeks.  Before the final they had each won a match.

For Fiji it was a glorious end to troubled season that saw their performance at Sevens take a dive and the sudden departure of their 15-a-side coach.

Fiji dominated most of the match as their forwards got on top to send their backs running.  Manu Samoa did not really get into the game till the last ten minutes, when they, the proud holders of the Epson Cup, threw attack after attack at the Fijian defence which held firm.

Tries were scarce.  Each side scored only one.  In the end it was the boot of Nicky Little, the Fijian flyhalf, which won the day.  He scored with eight of nine attempts at goal.  At half-time Fiji led the kicking duel and were ahead 12-9.

Both tries were scored early in the second half -- by Alfie Uluinayau for Fiji from a backline movement after a line-out and scrumhalf Steven So'oialo for Samoa.

For most of the match the Samoans looked sluggish, which was hardly surprising as they were playing their eighth test in six weeks, their fourth in a fortnight.  Losing both locks in the first half did not help their cause.

In the second half the match threatened to boil over and the referee, Bruce Kuklinski was forced to keep a firm hand on proceedings.

The Teams:

Fiji:  1 Billy Cavubati, 2 Greg Smith (c), 3 Henry Qiodravu, 4 Apisai Naevo, 5 Simon Raiwalui, 6 Alifereti Doviverata, 7 Jope Tuikabe, 8 Inoke Male, 9 Jacob Rauluni, 10 Nicky Little, 11 Vilimoni Delasau, 12 Viliame Satala, 13 Alfred Uluinayau, 14 Adriu Rinakama, 15 Norman Ligairi
Reserves:  Dan Baleinadogo, Peniasi Damu, Sisa Koyamaibole, Sami Rabaka Nasagavesi, Isaia Rasila, Saimoni Rokini

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

Referee:  Kuklinski b.

Points Scorers:

Fiji
Tries:  Uluinayau A.B. 1
Conv:  Little N.T. 1
Pen K.:  Little N.T. 7

Samoa
Tries:  So'oilao S. 1
Pen K.:  Va'a E.V. 3, Leaega S. 1

Australia 35 British Isles 14

A resurgent Australia put to bed the ghosts of Brisbane a week earlier by dominating the Lions in the second Test in Melbourne, claiming a powerful and well deserved 35-14 win as Joe Roff touched down two tries.

The third Test in Sydney is now the series decider after Rod Macqueen's Wallabies battled back from an 6-11 half-time deficit, Roff's score immediately after the break cancelling out Neil Back's first-half try.

Roff added another five minutes later, and when Matt Burke went over for Australia's third on 64 minutes, the result was beyond all doubt.

Burke was equally potent with the boot after his recall at fullback, kicking six penalties and a conversion under the Colonial Stadium roof.

There were only brief early signs of the Lions' penetration in the backs, with Rob Henderson in particular failing to summon up the sort of composure and pace which typified their first Test win seven days previously.

In truth, the Lions weren't given half the room to play that they had last time out, with the Wallaby back-row a constant threat, Toutai Kefu and George Smith first to the breakdown more often than not, and George Gregan marshalling the whole team with superb poise throughout.

Ominous signs for the Lions were the departures through injury of Jonny Wilkinson and Rob Howley in the second-half, with Richard Hill also leaving the field with a facial injury as a result of Nathan Grey's clumsy high challenge just before the interval.  Andrew Walker went off looking groggy for the Wallabies after a clattering Jason Robinson tackle.

For all the Australian Rugby Union's free handouts of flags, scraves and baseball caps, it was clear from the start that the vast legions of Lions' fans would not be easily silenced -- even tinkering with the traditional Australian pre-match rugby anthem in their own rendition of Waltzing O'Driscoll, but their volume was only to last 40 minutes as the Wallabies fought back.

Just as in Brisbane last week, the early momentum was with the Lions, but with both sides showing signs of nerves, a one-dimensional start to the match saw the Lions take a 6-0 lead via two Jonny Wilkinson penalties.

There was no Wallaby defensive capitulation though, with George Smith finally living up to at least some of the hype, spoiling Lions' ball in the ruck in tandem with Toutai Kefu.

Matt Burke -- shipped in for goal-kicking duties after last week -- missed his first ambitious shot from the halfway line, but got the Wallabies back in the game with an elementary penalty on 20 minutes after a needless offside at the base of the scrum from Lions scrum-half Rob Howley, showing his impatience as Kefu kept the ball at his feet.

The Wallaby scrum also showed added steel after their abysmal performance last week, and held their own in the set piece, although in the loose, it was the constant battering-ram running of Scott Quinnell early on which punctured the defensive line time after time.

The Lions put their foot on the pedal after 25 minutes, and the result sent the vast Lions' contingent in to delirium, when Brian O'Driscoll's breath taking chip-and-chase down the right wing saw the ball worked back to Jonny Wilkinson on the Australia 22.

Wilkinson fired a precision crossfield kick right on top of right wing Andrew Walker near the try line, and Richard Hill's pressure on the Brumbies star forced a close lineout on the left flank for the Lions.

A typically Leicester-esque rolling maul saw the ball worked first left then right, and as the heap of bodies crossed the line, it was recalled openside Neil Back who emerged with the ball, excellent referee Jonathan Kaplan awarding the try, with Wilkinson slicing the wide conversion attempt.

George Gregan continued to test the Lions' defence around the fringes, and Australia narrowed the tourists' lead two minutes before the half-time whistle after a clothes-line tackle by Martin Johnson on Steve Larkham in midfield -- not a malicious stiff-arm, but still round the neck as Richard Hill clattered in to Larkham's ribs.

Wilkinson dropped a 45 metre penalty effort from way out on the left just short of the posts, before the hooter went for half-time with the Lions in front at 11-6.

The lead was instantly diminished as the game restarted, a careless miss pass by Wilkinson in the loose, snapped up by Joe Roff on the 22, with Roff beating Howley for pace and evading the challenge of O'Driscoll for the touchdown.

It took a video-referee decision to confirm the score, but after the brief wait, Burke had the chance to give the Wallabies the lead for the first time with the conversion attempt.  He missed though, leaving the game on a knife edge at 11-11.

For the first time in the Test series, the Wallabies took the lead as Burke nailed a long penalty.  Andrew Walker left the field looking groggy after a massive, but legal tackle from Robinson, with Chris Latham coming on for the former League flyer.

The Wallabies turned the screw as the Lions' gameplan went up in smoke, their discipline and cohesion seemingly evaporating as Kefu and Smith in the scrum conspired to wheel the Lions' put-in.

From the turnover, Gregan picked the ball up in midfield, shipping it to Larkham at pace on the left.  With an overlap at their disposal, Larkham put in Roff.  The Brumbies wing ran through the tackle of Dafydd James on the 22, stepping inside O'Driscoll for the try, converted by Burke as the Australian crowd finally made some noise.

A penalty miss from Wilkinson failed to reel-in the 21-11 deficit as Iain Balshaw replaced Perry at fullback for the Lions as they looked desperately for some kind of spark.

Owen Finegan gave the Lions a chance of points when once again he was on the wrong side of a ruck on the floor, presenting a penalty for Wilkinson outside the 22 which the Newcastle man made no mistake with, the Lions finally finding some forward momentum as the Wallaby lineout started to dominate, Giffin and skipper Eales both taking clean ball to set the platform.

Now at full tilt in both the forwards and backs, the Wallabies' quick recycling had the Lions on the ropes, with the knockout blow coming on 65 minutes, with phase after phase of swift ruck ball.

It was the break of Owen Finegan down the left wing near the 22 which did the damage, Henderson standing him up in the tackle, but giving him sufficient space to sneak out a basketball pass to Burke on the flank, with the fullback wriggling over the line for a try, but failing to hit the tough conversion attempt from the touchline.

A further Burke penalty put the game beyond the reach of the Lions, with Jonny Wilkinson's early exit through injury not cheering up their already miserable day, Neil Jenkins replacing him for the last five minutes.

Burke kicked two injury-time penalties to end proceedings, setting up a fitting climax to a dramatic series when the two sides clash at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

Not a great evening for the Lions, in a game which saw Australia reveal their true colours with a physical and dominant 80 minutes, and demonstrated the tourists' failings under adversity.

The best of Britain and Ireland now have to draw on the positives, but after such a brutal dismantling, all the momentum lies with the impressive Wallabies.

Roll on Sydney.

Man of the match:  Joe Roff.  Harsh to deny contenders such as George Gregan, Owen Finegan and the sole standout for the Lions Scott Quinnell, but Roff finished the opportunities which came his way with pacy ruthlessness, burning off Dafydd James for the first, and showing brilliant support play for the second.  Biarritz fans must be raising a glass of the finest chablis to his imminent arrival.

Moment of the match:  Joe Roff's first try.  It came immediately after the half-time break, and obliterated the Lions' lead.  A foolish, misjudged lob pass from Wilkinson was sniffed out by Roff on the intercept, leaving Rob Howley for dead down the left flank for the touch down.  From then on it was all Wallaby.

Villain of the match:  Nathan Grey.  Not a dirty game by any stretch, but Grey's challenge on Richard Hill in the first-half saw the Waratahs' centre catch Hill in the face, forcing the flanker to leave the field after an initial blood-bin period.  Arguably a sin-binning offence, but more clumsy than brutal in the heat of battle.  Steve Larkham took two uncalled for late challenges from Rob Henderson and Scott Quinnell, but neither had the effect of Grey's, drawing blood and leaving the Lions without one of their most effective back-row weapons.

The teams:

Australia:  1 Rod Moore, 2 Michael Foley, 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 Matthew Burke
Reserves:  Brendan Cannon, Matt Cockbain, Elton Flatley, Chris Latham
Unused:  Chris Whitaker, Ben Darwin, David Lyons

British Isles:  1 Phil Vickery, 2 Keith Wood, 3 Tom Smith, 4 Danny Grewcock, 5 Martin Johnson (c), 6 Neil Back, 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:  Martin Corry, Matt Dawson, Jason Leonard, Iain Balshaw, Neil Jenkins
Unused:  Dorian West, Martyn Williams

Referee:  Kaplan j.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Tries:  Burke M.C. 1, Roff J.W.C. 2
Conv:  Burke M.C. 1
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 6

British Isles
Tries:  Back N.A. 1
Pen K.:  Wilkinson J.P. 3

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