Wales 33 France 37

A desperate tackle from French winger Aurélien Rougerie in injury-time saw France beat a spirited Welsh team 37-33 in their Lloyds TSB Six Nations clash at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

France led 24-19 at the half-time break, but they scored a controversial try through Rougerie just after the break when Wales captain Scott Quinnell spent some time in the sin bin for a dangerous challenge on French fullback Nicolas Brusque.

Rougerie chased a well-weighted grubber towards the goalline from classy inside centre Damien Traille and he and Welsh fullback Kevin Morgan arrived at the ball at the exact same time.

Rougerie claimed the try.  Morgan thought he got there first.  The Television Match Official -- Italy's Claudio Giacomel -- agreed with Rougerie and rather surprisingly he awarded the try to France (and Rougerie), which saw the visitors move into a 12-point lead.

French flyhalf Gérald Merceron, who weighed in with a points-haul of 19, soon stretched the lead to 15 points after another Welsh indiscretion, but that seemed to spur the home team on, who at that stage were without their captain and No.8 Scott Quinnell.

Quinnell's return to the field of play -- with some 30 minutes remaining on the clock -- gave Wales that extra bit of go-forward as the powerful British and Irish Lion, along with his brother Craig, Wales's first try-scorer of the day, played his heart out.

The French defence, which proved to be the difference between the two sides at the end of the day, held firm throughout most of the day, and Wales centre Andy Marinos, making his first start for his adopted country, eventually hit a hole in the French defence by jumping through a ruck before passing to hard-working flanker Nathan Budgett.

Budgett, burst over the tryline, even though it seemed that he hadn't grounded the ball properly, but Stephen Jones's conversion made the score 34-26.

Gérald Merceron soon added his fourth penalty of the day to put France 11 points clear and with regulation time running out, the French would have felt confident of securing the win.

However, to their credit, the Welsh kept at it and Jones, who weighed in with 18 points, taking his overall tally to 110 in 17 Test appearances, set up a try for Kevin Morgan's with a clever stab into the corner.  Morgan beat Xavier Garbajosa to the ball -- and Claudio Giacomel agreed.  Try to Wales and after Jones's tricky conversion, Wales were just four points down at 37-33.

Wales ran Merceron's re-start right back at the French and a clever kick from Jones trapped the French in their 22, but at least they had the line-out feed.  However, replacement French hooker Sébastien Bruno missed everyone except Scott Quinnell giving the big man a clear run to the line ...

French flanker Serge Betsen, who had a busy 80 minutes, and tighthead prop Pieter de Villiers, who also got through a mountain of work, managed to get underneath Quinnell, giving referee David McHugh no alternative but to ask the TMO again.  This time Giacomel denied Wales the try, but Wales had a five-metre scrum.

Wales managed to work the ball down their line, but the French defence held out when it mattered, especially in Rougerie's case as his textbook tackle around James's ankles saw the Bridgend wing's feet go into touch before he could ground the ball next to the corner-flag.

Man of the Match:  Tons of contenders here.  The main points-scorers of the day -- Stephen Jones and Gérald Merceron played important roles, as did Aurélien Rougerie, who scored his try at a crucial stage in the match, and of course made that try-saving tackle.  Welsh captain Scott Quinnell had his copybook blotted by spending 10 minutes in the sin bin, but in the end, French flanker Serge Betsen gets our vote.  Betsen, 27, was the senior member of the French loose trio with Imanol Harinordoquy debuting and Steven Hall playing in his second Test, but he did not shirk from his responsibilities on the pitch.  He tackled and chased for 80 minutes and his tackle on Scott Quinnell in the dying minutes of the match summed up his performance.  In the past Betsen has been used by France as an impact player, but this was certainly his best performances in 15 Tests for his country.

Moment of the Match:  Rougerie's try-saving, and ultimately match-saving, tackle on Dafydd James during extra-time.  Wales had hit the French with wave after wave of attack, and even though James had minimal space to work with, Rougerie did not let him out of his sight before dragging him into touch.  If he had missed the tackle ... he could easily have qualified for our villain of the match!

Villain of the Match:  Scott Quinnell may have been one of many contenders for the Planet Rugby Man of the Match award, but he wins our Villain of the Match award hands down!  His shoulder charge on Brusque ultimately cost his side the match as France scored 13 unanswered points.

The teams:

Wales:  1 Chris Anthony, 2 Robin McBryde, 3 Spencer John, 4 Andrew Moore, 5 Craig Quinnell, 6 Nathan Budgett, 7 Martyn Williams, 8 Scott Quinnell (c), 9 Rob Howley, 10 Stephen Jones, 11 Craig Morgan, 12 Tom Shanklin, 13 Andy Marinos, 14 Dafydd James, 15 Kevin Morgan
Reserves:  Ian Gough, Duncan Jones, Rhys Williams, Barry Williams
Unused:  Iestyn Harris, Dwayne Peel, Gavin Thomas

France:  1 Jean-Jacques Crenca, 2 Raphael Ibanez (c), 3 Pieter De Villiers, 4 Olivier Brouzet, 5 Thibault Privat, 6 Serge Betsen Tchoua, 7 Imanol Harinordoquy, 8 Steven Hall, 9 Pierre Mignoni, 10 Gerald Merceron, 11 Xavier Garbajosa, 12 Tony Marsh, 13 Damien Traille, 14 Aurelien Rougerie, 15 Nicolas Brusque
Reserves:  Fabien Pelous, Alexandre Audebert, Sebastien Bruno, Olivier Milloud
Unused:  Alexandre Albouy, Francois Gelez, Jimmy Marlu

Referee:  Mchugh d.t.m.

Points Scorers

Wales
Tries:  Budgett N.J. 1, Morgan K.A. 1, Quinnell J.C. 1
Conv:  Jones S.M. 3
Pen K.:  Jones S.M. 4

France
Tries:  Rougerie A. 1, Marsh T. 2
Conv:  Merceron G. 2
Pen K.:  Merceron G. 4, Traille D. 1
Drop G.:  Merceron G. 1

England 45 Ireland 11

A rampant England surged to the top of the Zurich World Rankings after racking up six tries in a 45-11 win over Ireland at Twickenham in the Lloyds TSB Six Nations Championship.

A lightning and mesmerising first half showing ensured that this game was over as a contest after 40 minutes, with tries from Jonny Wilkinson, Ben Cohen, Will Greenwood and Joe Worsley being added to in the last period by Ben Kay and a second for Greenwood.

Ireland could only manage one try from replacement fly-half Ronan O'Gara on an afternoon when they were completely outclassed for early portions, although it would be hard to single out one area of the team for special criticism on a day when England went as close to perfection in the first half, as Twickenham has ever seen

A 16-point win was all that was required for England to surpass New Zealand into the rankings' top spot -- one small step for a team, one giant leap for the northern hemisphere game.

Bright sunshine and a calm climate made sure that all the ingredients were there for both sides to play running rugby, and get the ball out wide they did, Jason Robinson troubling the Irish defence as early as the first minute as he showed frightening pace and movement down the left wing.

Greenwood and Wilkinson showed glimpses of spark early on too, but not even the most optimistic of England fans could have predicted the Blitzkrieg 40 minute spell which was to follow from the men in white.

David Humphreys put Ireland in front after eight minutes with a penalty from 25 metres, but the visitors were only in the lead for three minutes, Wilkinson levelling the scores with a penalty himself soon after.

The Irish cause had been dealt a blow when livewire wing Geordan Murphy limped from the pitch after a nasty twist in the tackle saw his knee and ankle come under considerable strain, Ireland forced to bring on centre Rob Henderson to replace him -- and paying for the lack of pace out wide.

England prop Graham Rowntree also left the field early, with Jason Leonard coming on to witness four tries in the space of 20 minutes, the first coming after Humphreys had missed a penalty for the Irish, and Ben Cohen had fallen just short of the tryline for England.

Twickenham erupted with noise on 22 minutes when Ben Kay swung a superb long pass out to hooker Steve Thompson on the left, with the Northampton man standing-up Humphreys before sensibly releasing an inside ball to Wilkinson on the diagonal for a run-in under the posts, and an easy conversion for the Newcastle No.10.

The feat was topped two minutes later with what must already be a hot contender for the try of the Championship award, Ben Cohen finishing off a superb length of the field move.

It started in the England 22 with Healey and Robinson getting the ball out wide quickly, before Kyran Bracken broke through the Irish midfield round halfway.

The Saracens scrum-half found Mike Tindall on the diagonal, who had the presence of mind to lay the ball off well in the tackle for Hill, who found Joe Worsley at pace, the Wasps man putting in Cohen near the right corner for one of the greatest tries ever seen at the famous stadium, Wilkinson adding the extras.

Humphreys struck back with a penalty for Ireland as they continued to be blasted off the park by rampant England, Stringer ensuring a supply decent ball for Ireland, but their back-row struggling to compete on the back foot.

England were by no means done for the half though, and Will Grenwood grabbed their third after Wilkinson went down the blindside, standing up the flat-footed Irish tacklers before finding Cohen, who calmly threw a short inside ball to Greenwood on the burst, with Stringer and Dempsey in no-mans' land, Wilkinson again adding the extras for a 24-6 lead.

With no sign of the white machine slowing down, Wilkinson showed great vision in a static midfield by chipping over the heads of the flat Irish defensive line, picking out Healey with perfect execution, the Leicester wing breaking two tackles before being held up over the line by Ireland wing Denis Hickie, who showed great skill in the tackle to prevent the try.

The stunned Irish could not stem the tide for long though, and No.8 Joe Worsley rounded off one of the finest halves of rugby ever seen on their home ground, when he dived in at the left corner for a try.

It was good work by hooker Steve Thompson from a short lineout which made the gap, Worsley going over the tryline under the tackle of Kevin Maggs, but having to wait all of four minutes for video referee Didier Mene to finally give the green light, Wilkinson again converting for an emphatic 31-6 half-time lead.

England roared out of the blocks as the second half got underway, and they compounded Irish woes when Ben Kay powered over the tryline after an inside ball from Jonny Wilkinson for a try, surging through the attempted tackle of David Humphreys, who had been forced into playing as a makeshift winger due to the half-time departure of replacement Rob Henderson- Ronan O'Gara coming on to assume duties at fly-half.

Ireland were gradually having more of a say in proceedings as Shane Byrne came on at hooker for Frankie Sheahan, Brian O'Driscoll getting more of a run with the ball in loose play, but still being hampered by an English defence very much playing on the front foot in their own half.

It was England who got the next try though, when a timely half-break from Wilkinson gave him a chance to lob a basketball-style chest pass out of the tackle to Austin Healey at pace.

With a 2-on-1, Healey drew Irish fullback Dempsey and put in Greenwood on his right for the unopposed run-in to the posts, with Wilkinson converting to seal his perfect record for the day as his side steamed into a 45-6 lead.

Ireland did show creditable character as the game entered the last quarter, and the way in which Eddie O'Sullivan's side dominated the last periods of play show that their commitment at least, cannot be questioned.

Indeed, Ireland were rewarded for their increasing momentum when a run from David Wallace in the 22 saw a ruck set up under the posts, from which Peter Stringer whipped the ball out left to O'Gara from five metres, the Munster fly-half dropping a sidestep before dancing out of Wilkinson's attempted tackle for the try, Humphreys drifting the conversion wide from left of the posts.

England then went down a gear, to the frustration of the management, but Clive Woodward's decision to withdraw captain Martin Johnson, Richard Hill and Austin Healey on 63 minutes took considerable spring away from the English step, as Danny Grewcock, Lewis Moody and Iain Balshaw made their cameos.

The rest of the game was spent by and large in the England half, Malcolm O'Kelly coming on from the Irish bench to dominate the lineout, and Denis Hickie once again showing that he was by far the best green-shirted player on the pitch with a string of diagonal runs and solid tackles.

The pace of the final exchanges was considerably slower than the lightning first 40, and proceedings petered out to a predictable but frustrating lull, on a day which will be talked about for years among those who were there.

For Ireland, scant reward can be claimed for their final surges, given the leaky and stagnant 60 minutes which preceded it, although it is hard to argue that many defences -- if any -- on the planet could have contained England in that sort of form.

So the English finally break the southern hemisphere stranglehold on the Zurich World Rankings.  Their form over the last two years has certainly merited it, whatever the arguments might be about World Cup performances and their record below the equator.

Can they capitalise on their No.1 spot?  Who knows?  But they could have hardly asked for a tougher assignment to do so, a trip to Paris in two weeks' time.

Ireland have a home date with last season's Grand Slam dream destroyers Scotland, but it is hard to look past this England team as the benchmark of the northern hemisphere game, on a day when they showed that they are finally the top dogs in the global game -- for the short term at least.

Man of the match:  Jonny Wilkinson
The England fly-half had arguably his best 40 minutes of rugby in a memorable first half, mixing his usual solid kicking with a running game given added vigour and sharpness.  His decision-making was divine early on, although some missed touch kicks in the second half blotted the copybook a little.  Ben Kay in the England second-row is unlucky not to get our award, but Wilkinson's seven kicks from seven attempts seals it.  Sole contender from a well-beaten Ireland team has to be wing Denis Hickie, who saved one try with a magnificent tackle on Healey, and tried to inject some pace to the attack when the rest of his team were content to be on the back foot.

Moment of the match:  Ben Cohen's try
24 minutes into the second half, England found themselves with the ball in their own 22, but adventurously chose to run instead of clear their lines, Healey and Robinson taking the ball down the left wing past the Irish defensive line.  Bracken picked it up in midfield and ran forwards, before offloading to Mike Tindall on a left to right diagonal.  Tindall was tackled ten metres from the line, but threw a perfect pass from the contact area to Richard Hill, who found Joe Worsley, the Wasps back-rower passing to Cohen for an easy run-in, but a remarkable length of the field score which will grace the highlights reels for years to come.

Villain of the match: Clive Woodward
Hard to criticise a man whose side have just reached the summit of the Zurich World Rankings, but the England manager's decision to remove Martin Johnson, Richard Hill and Austin Healey took the spark out of a second half which could have seen a record win for the home side.  A sensible injury-saving move it may have been, but a frustrating one nonetheless.  The fact that our criteria for the "villain" award is so picky, shows what a largely well-tempered and officiated game this was.

The teams:

England:  1 Graham Rowntree, 2 Steve Thompson, 3 Phil Vickery, 4 Ben Kay, 5 Martin Johnson (c), 6 Neil Back, 7 Richard Hill, 8 Joe Worsley, 9 Kyran Bracken, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 11 Austin Healey, 12 Will Greenwood, 13 Mike Tindall, 14 Ben Cohen, 15 Jason Robinson
Reserves:  Danny Grewcock, Jason Leonard, Iain Balshaw, Nick Duncombe, Charlie Hodgson, Lewis Moody
Unused:  Dorian West

Ireland:  1 Peter Clohessy, 2 Frankie Sheahan, 3 John Hayes, 4 Mick Galwey (c), 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 Geordan Murphy, 15 Girvan Dempsey
Reserves:  Shane Byrne, Simon Easterby, Rob Henderson, Gary Longwell, Paul Wallace, Ronan O'Gara
Unused:  Simon Easterby

Referee:  Marshall p.

Points Scorers

England
Tries:  Kay B.J. 1, Greenwood W.J.H. 2, Worsley J.P.R. 1, Cohen B.C. 1, Wilkinson J.P. 1
Conv:  Wilkinson J.P. 6
Pen K.:  Wilkinson J.P. 1

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

Italy 12 Scotland 29

An impressive performance by fullback Brendan Laney steered Scotland to their first-ever Test win on Italian soil as they beat the Azzurri by 29-12 in the Lloyds TSB Six Nations clash in Rome.

The New Zealand-born fullback -- known as "Chainsaw" -- scored 24 points to help give Scotland the victory, their first of the 2002 Championship.

Laney's form with the boot seems to have finally solved one of the great problems facing coach Ian McGeechan in recent seasons, the absence of a genuine international class goal kicker.

The No.15 was only handed the responsibility after Scotland's nominated kicker Chris Paterson flunked an early shot at goal, but once he had slotted his first penalty in the 18th minute, Laney never looked back.

Indeed, the confidence he demonstrated in his kicking seemed to translate to the rest of his game, with a late try providing the knockout blow to fell Italy.

With just two minutes to go of the contest, Scotland effected a turnover on the right of the pitch, enabling Townsend to fling out a wide pass left to his backline.  Laney came into the line at pace, transfixing the Italian defence with a delightful dummy and then accelerating on an arching run to score a well-taken try.

That try was definitely the highlight of a fairly unstructured, dour match that saw the referee hand out three yellow cards handed out for indiscipline.

While there was no lack of passion on display at Stadio Flaminio, this clash had the unmistakable air of a bargain-basement, wooden spoon dogfight, with neither side possessing the necessary skill levels to match their ambition to play a wide-ranging game.

An eventful first half saw both sides manufacture a series of gaps in the opposition defence but all too often the try went begging through errors, both sides having to rely instead on the sharpshooting skills of Diego Dominguez and Laney for any points.

With the score poised at 9-all at half-time, Dominguez and Laney scoring three penalties apiece, Scotland began to get into their stride for the first time in the match, holding onto possession for long stretches and asking questions of the Italian defence.

But, as in Paris a fortnight ago, the turning point in the match for Italy was an act of indiscipline by one of their forwards as Santiago Dellape took a swing at Jason White in an off-the-ball incident in the 50th minute.

After an intervention from the touch judge, Dellape duly trotted off to spend ten minutes in the sin-bin but, more crucially, this enabled Laney to level the scores to 12-all.

A further Laney put Scotland further ahead a few minutes later and then Scotland fly-half Gregor Townsend seized an opportunity to put some daylight between the sides.

Townsend took advantage of some lax Italian handling by replacement centre Luca Martin to intercept and race 40 metres for a crucial try.  With Laney on hand to provide the conversion, Scotland at last looked ready to make history.

With Laney having the last word in the 78th minute, Scotland sealed the victory and will now look forward to their next encounter -- against Ireland at Lansdowne Road -- in good heart.

Man of the Match
There are only two candidates for this award and both of them were wearing Scottish jersies.  Gregor Townsend's interception struck a telling blow against Italy, but it was fullback Brendan Laney who earns the accolade, having scored 24 of his side's points.  As well as showing great form with the boot, Laney also scored an excellent individual try to finish off the Azzurri.

Villain of the Match
A bit harsh to single out Santiago Dellape for this award considering that the punch that earned him his second-half sin-binning was hardly a Martin Johnson-like haymaker and was only thrown in retaliation for an elbow in the face from Scotland backrower Jason White.  But the Italian lock's indiscipline cost his side the lead and restricted them to 14 men during a crucial period in the match.

Moment of the Match
Has to be Brendan Laney's cheeky dummy before he cruised in for his second-half try.  With Chris Paterson seemingly ready to explode onto the pass, the Italian defenders took their eyes off the Scotland fullback for a crucial few seconds -- enough for Laney to retain the ball and accelerate over for the try.

The teams:

Italy:  1 Giampiero De Carli, 2 Alessandro Moscardi (c), 3 Federico Pucciariello, 4 Carlo Checchinato, 5 Santiago Dellape, 6 Mauro Bergamasco, 7 Marco Bortolami, 8 Matthew Phillips, 9 Alessandro Troncon, 10 Diego Dominguez, 11 Denis Dallan, 12 Mirco Bergamasco, 13 Cristian Stoica, 14 Roberto Pedrazzi, 15 Paolo Vaccari
Reserves:  Andrea Lo Cicero, Luca Martin, Mark Giacheri, Alejandro Moreno, Aaron Persico, Ramiro Pez
Unused:  Juan Manuel Queirolo

Scotland:  1 Tom Smith, 2 Gordon Bulloch, 3 Mattie Stewart, 4 Stuart Grimes, 5 Scott Murray, 6 Andrew Mower, 7 Jason White, 8 Simon Taylor, 9 Bryan Redpath (c), 10 Gregor Townsend, 11 Glenn Metcalfe, 12 Andrew Henderson, 13 James McLaren, 14 Chris Paterson, 15 Brendan Laney
Reserves:  George Graham, Martin Leslie
Unused:  Jon Petrie, Graeme Beveridge, Duncan Hodge, Kenny Logan, Robbie Russell

Referee:  Deaker k.

Points Scorers

Italy
Pen K.:  Dominguez D. 4

Scotland
Tries:  Laney B.J. 1, Townsend G.P.J. 1
Conv:  Laney B.J. 2
Pen K.:  Laney B.J. 5

Ireland 54 Wales 10

Two tries from winger Geordan Murphy helped a classy Ireland to a record 54-10 win over a sorry Welsh side in their opening game of the 2002 Six Nations in front of a delighted Lansdowne Road crowd.

It was an excellent start to new coach Eddie O'Sullivan's regime, his charges demonstrating power, pace and poise to dispose of a bedraggled Welsh outfit that simply could not gain parity in any department.

The first half was virtually one-way traffic for Ireland with Wales' incursions into Irish territory all too infrequent as Irish fly-half David Humphreys pinned the Welsh back into their own half, drilling the ball into the corners with a series of rolling touchfinds.

Meanwhile, the Irish forwards' game plan could be summed up in one line:  "It's our ball and we're keeping it" as the Welsh were deprived of possession for vast stretches of time, their lineout stuttering badly and ball being turned over by a rampaging Irish backrow.

On the rare occasions when they did have the ball, Wales tended to be in their own half and could make little headway through the green defensive wall which swept towards them.

Admittedly Wales' efforts were disrupted by a double injury blow before a bare ten minutes of play had lapsed, lock Chris Wyatt and centre Jamie Robinson both limping off the field to be replaced by Ian Gough and Andy Marinos respectively.

The loss of Wyatt was of particular detriment to the Welsh cause and the dragons were to badly miss the Llanelli man's athleticism and physical presence over the next 70 minutes.

His absence also deprived the Welsh of another ball-carrier in the pack with skipper and No.8 Scott Quinnell almost single-handedly having to take the game to the Irish with ball in hand.

By the time Wyatt and Robinson had retreated to the sidelines, the visitors were already 7-0 down after Ireland signalled their attacking intentions in the opening salvos of the encounter.

Launching a mighty drive from a lineout just outside the Welsh 22, the Irish pack drove straight through their red-jerseyed counterparts before setting back the ball in textbook fashion to Munster scrum-half Peter Stringer who wasted no time in feeding No.10 David Humphreys.

With the Welsh defence seemingly convinced that the ball would be immediately shipped out to the talented Irish midfield and drifting across field, Humphreys instead gave a deft inside pop to flanker David Wallace who came onto the ball at breakneck speed, running towards the Welsh posts before being stopped just yards short.  Staying on his feet in the tackle, he deftly fed Geordan Murphy and the Leicester back dived in for a try, converted by Humphreys.

A few minutes later, Wales were again on the rack as Ireland strung together a series of quick ruck balls.  Wales crept up offside allowing Ireland's No.10 to stretch his side's lead to 10-0.  Ireland inched up 13-0 in the 20th minute through a Humphreys penalty, before the superiority of the Irish forwards was again demonstrated a few minutes later.  New cap Paul O'Connell won clean ball in the middle and the Irish pack moved as one, driving inexorably over the tryline.

As the referee signalled for the try it was O'Connell who gained the credit but he had seven of his mates to thank for the five-pointer, which went unconverted by Humprheys.

Another penalty from Humprheys and then Brian O'Driscoll was nearly over for a try after 35 minutes, chipping ahead and just missing out on the chase for the touchdown as the ball rolled over the Welsh tryline.

Another successful penalty from Humphreys just before half-time and Wales were staring a record defeat in the face.

Finally, Wales opened their account deep into injury time with a well-struck penalty from 39 metres for Stephen Jones.

Any thoughts of a Welsh revival soon faded as play went into the second half.  After two minutes, Wales were again pinned back into their own 22 following a superb touch find from Humphreys.

Wales were able to win the lineout and edge back upfield but Jones' tactical kicking game was no match for that of Humphreys.  To be fair to Jones, he was not exactly overflowing with options with the Quinnell brothers and flanker Nathan Budgett the only players able to break the gainline on a consistent basis.

Still, Wales did manage to hold onto possession for a protracted period early in the first half, Scott Quinnell, Ian Gough and Dafydd James making good yardage to force a penalty.  But Jones was uncharacteristically off-target with the kick and once Ireland had regained possession they came up with a score from long range effort that typified Ireland's team ethic as forwards and backs linked to conjure up a try.

Wales centre Iestyn Harris spilled the ball forward in the tackle in midfield and the ball obligingly popped into the arms of loosehead John Hayes who drove on, before front row partner Peter Clohessy continued, switching Kevin Maggs who cut through the welsh defence before being brought to ground.  As he hit the deck, the Bath centre popped the ball up to Murphy who cruised in for his second try.

Humphreys scored another penalty to stretch Ireland's lead but as humiliation beckoned for Wales, they were spurred into their best period of the entire match.

Craig Morgan made 10 yards down the left wing, before the ball was switched right to Craig Quinnell who recycled just inside the Irish 22.  Stephen Jones picked up and span over the line under a heap of bodies for a try.  The fly-half converted his own try to put Wales at 37-10.

But the revival was shortlived with Ireland finishing strongly after making a raft of replacements going into the last ten minutes, a tactic that was to push them into record-breaking territory.

Humphreys found another defensive hole in the Welsh 22 and set off for the the right hand corner before off-loading to Denis Hickie who dived in at the corner.

Then replacement forward Keith Gleeson scored with his very first touch of the ball, benefiting from a breathtaking counter attack from Brian O'Driscoll.

With another flowing movement resulting in a try for replacement No.10 Ronan O'Gara, the rout was complete for Ireland who got their campaign off to the best possible start.

After that display Eddie O'Sullivan's men will look ahead to their next challenge, against England at Twickenham in two weeks time, with no little confidence.

Wales, on the other hand, will be shattered by the margin of their defeat and must regroup, and regroup fast, if they are to rescue their 2002 Six Nations campaign and the career for former "Great Redeemer" Graham Henry, a man whose stock is falling faster than Enron's.

Man of the match:  There were many Irish heroes in a great team victory but David Humphreys was the man who kept the green machine running forwards, drilling the ball into the corners with an excellent display of tactical kicking to keep Wales pinned back into their own territory.  The Ulsterman also managed to kick a few points too, racking up 22 points to help bury Welsh hopes.

Moment of the match:  Geordan Murphy's second try typified Ireland's devotion to the creed of "total rugby" with props Peter Clohessy and John Hayes linking like centres in the build-up to the score.

Villain of the match:  The Welsh pack.  Excepting the brave efforts of skipper Scott Quinnell, the Dragons' eight were out-powered and out-though up front with th result that Rob Howley and his backline had to make do with scrappy possession, often supplied from a retreating platform.  If there is not a vast improvement from Wales up-front, the season could carry on in this nightmare fashion.

(Half-time:  Ireland 24 Wales 3)

Referee:  Pablo Deluca (Arg)
Touchjudges:  Kelvin Deaker (NZ), Rob Dickson (Scot)

The teams:

Ireland:  1 Peter Clohessy, 2 Frankie Sheahan, 3 John Hayes, 4 Mick Galwey (c), 5 Paul O'Connell, 6 Simon Easterby, 7 David Wallace, 8 Anthony Foley, 9 Peter Stringer, 10 David Humphreys, 11 Denis Hickie, 12 Brian O'Driscoll, 13 Kevin Maggs, 14 Geordan Murphy, 15 Girvan Dempsey
Reserves:  Shane Byrne, Simon Easterby, Rob Henderson, Gary Longwell, Paul Wallace, Keith Gleeson, Ronan O'Gara

Wales:  1 Chris Anthony, 2 Robin McBryde, 3 Spencer John, 4 Craig Quinnell, 5 Chris Wyatt, 6 Nathan Budgett, 7 Martyn Williams, 8 Scott Quinnell (c), 9 Rob Howley, 10 Stephen Jones, 11 Craig Morgan, 12 Iestyn Harris, 13 Jamie Robinson, 14 Dafydd James, 15 Kevin Morgan
Reserves:  Ian Gough, Duncan Jones, Dwayne Peel, Andy Marinos, Barry Williams
Unused:  Rhys Williams, Brett Sinkinson

Attendance:  49000
Referee:  Deluca p.

Points Scorers

Ireland
Tries:  Hickie D.A. 1, Gleeson K.D. 1, Murphy G.E.A. 2, O'Connell P. 1, O'Gara R.J.R. 1
Conv:  Humphreys D.G. 2, O'Gara R.J.R. 1
Pen K.:  Humphreys D.G. 6

Wales
Tries:  Jones S.M. 1
Conv:  Jones S.M. 1
Pen K.:  Jones S.M. 1

Scotland 3 England 29

England got the defence of their 2001 Lloyds TSB Six Nations title underway with a 29-3 Calcutta Cup win over Scotland at Murrayfield, with two early tries from Jason Robinson fuelling a businesslike performance in a stadium which has so often been the scene of disappointment for the English.

The Sale Sharks fullback flew past the Scottish defence twice in the first 13 minutes to give his side an unassailable lead, and with further tries from Mike Tindall and Ben Cohen to follow, Scotland were never close enough to gain a share of the points.

Scotland's challenge was not done any favours by a woeful goal-kicking display from recalled Edinburgh fly-half Duncan Hodge, whose appalling success rate of one in five saw his side's occasional breakthroughs into English territory go unrewarded.

Pre-match weather forecasts of a rain and windswept Murrayfield proved inaccurate, as a relatively calm day saw a sodden pitch, but one still firm enough to see flowing rugby, and certainly in a different league from the water-logged surface of the now infamous Calcutta Cup match two years ago.

It was England who made best use of the pitch early on, and they exploded out of the blocks with a try inside the first eight minutes, going to fullback Jason Robinson, whose lightning burst down the left wing came as the result of fine three-quarter play.

A quick tap penalty by scrum-half Kyran Bracken on the opposite side of the pitch saw the ball worked through the hands, Jonny Wilkinson, Austin Healey and finally Ben Cohen all playing crucial parts in picking the holes in the Scottish backline before sending Robinson in to the corner, the tough conversion just asking too much of Jonny Wilkinson.

Scotland hit back straight from the kick-off, and were unlucky not to score in the left corner through wing Brendan Laney, but England asserted their early dominance with another try after 13 minutes, Jason Robinson again showing just why he is now regarded by many as the best fullback on the planet by racing into the left corner for his second score of the afternoon.

This time it was quick, deft hands from Wilkinson who put Greenwood through the first line of defence with a well-timed pop pass, and when Greenwood offloaded to Tindall, the Bath centre was clean through in the middle of the pitch.

He sensibly fed left to Robinson, who showed returning fullback Glenn Metcalfe a clean pair of heels, scampering in for a trademark try, which was this time converted by Wilkinson from the left touchline, securing a 12-0 advantage.

Scotland somehow found some defensive shape as the half panned out, and did not concede any more points to an England team seemingly keen to ship the ball quickly away from the ruck area.

The Scots could have been level at the break had Duncan Hodge brought his kicking boots with him though, and his three missed first half penalties audibly frustrated the packed Murrayfield terraces.

Hodge did however land one successful penalty on 28 minutes, enough to send his team in with only nine points to make up against their heavily-fancied visitors.

As the teams came out for the second half, young Harlequins scrum-half Nick Duncombe was given a full debut after a whirlwind rise into the squad, with a dead-leg for Kyran Bracken paving the way for a lively and energetic showing from Duncombe.

Scotland thought they had a way back into the game three minutes into the second half when Laney hacked on down the right and pounced on the loose ball in the try area, but it seemed Laney was the only person in the stadium who had not heard the referee's whistle pulling play back for a previous infringement.

England effectively shut the game out soon after when Mike Tindall grabbed their third try, chipping and chasing in the Scotland half, collecting the ball after Glenn Metcalfe failed to claim his kick near the line, granting Tindall an unopposed run-in, in what was a solid performance after being chosen ahead of his club colleague Mike Catt.

Wilkinson converted and added a penalty soon after for a 22-3 lead, and Duncan Hodge's miserable afternoon continued with ten minutes to go when he bludgeoned an elementary penalty wide of the posts from right in front on the England 22.

England then shifted Jason Robinson to centre as Iain Balshaw entered the fray late on, and as injury-time wore on, Scotland's inertia in their own half was to be their undoing, as Ben Cohen touched down an injury-time try.

It came from a long pass by Will Greenwood near the Scottish 22, with the Harlequins centre freeing Cohen down the left, and the Northampton wing showing great strength to burst through Metcalfe and touch down in the corner.

Scotland now face a trip to Italy in two week's time, a game which could theoretically decide the wooden spoon if they continue to show the lack of ruthlessness on display this time.

That of course could prove a gross exaggeration given the talent they have, but it is hard to see too many plus points from a match which saw them on the back foot both in the loose and in the set piece, although the finishing from the England side would have been nigh-on impossible for any defence to halt.

Next for England is a home tie against the Irish, and with impressive debuts for Steve Thompson and Nick Duncombe to work from, Clive Woodward's men look to have a solid foundation for continued success.

Man of the match:  Jason Robinson
The Sale speedster ignited the first half with two outstanding finishes, although Will Greenwood and Mike Tindall also linked well in the centres.  Ben Kay was the standout in the pack, and the candidates from Scotland were few and far between, despite some late flashes of brilliance from scrum-half Bryan Redpath.

Moment of the match:  Jason Robinson's first try
A well-judged quick tap penalty from Kyran Bracken on the right wing near halfway saw the ball transferred through the hands of almost the entire backline, with sufficient urgency to see the Scotland defence caught short.  Robinson's scamper into the left corner got the game off on the right foot for the visitors, and will likely be regarded as one of the tries of the Championship come April.

Villain of the match:  Duncan Hodge
One successful shot at goal for the Scotland No.10 from five attempts earned Hodge the wrath of the Murrayfield crowd after his recall.  His chances of keeping his starting place for the Italy trip look decidedly limited, with Gregor Townsend a strong possibility to return at fly-half if injured centre John Leslie regains fitness in time.

The teams:

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

England:  1 Graham Rowntree, 2 Steve Thompson, 3 Julian White, 4 Ben Kay, 5 Martin Johnson (c), 6 Neil Back, 7 Richard Hill, 8 Joe Worsley, 9 Kyran Bracken, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 11 Austin Healey, 12 Will Greenwood, 13 Mike Tindall, 14 Ben Cohen, 15 Jason Robinson
Reserves:  Danny Grewcock, Jason Leonard, Iain Balshaw, Nick Duncombe, Charlie Hodgson
Unused:  Martin Corry, Mark Regan

Attendance:  67500
Referee:  Walsh s.

Points Scorers

Scotland
Pen K.:  Hodge D.W. 1

England
Tries:  Robinson J.T. 2, Tindall M.J. 1, Cohen B.C. 1
Conv:  Hodgson C. 1, Wilkinson J.P. 2
Pen K.:  Wilkinson J.P. 1

France 33 Italy 12

Bernard Laporte's French team left off where they finished last season when they outplayed Italy in the first Lloyds TSB Six Nations match of 2002 at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday.  The final score of 33-12 actually flattered Les Bleus, whom made too many errors in the match.

It wasn't a memorable match, and France would not be happy with the amount of good possession they threw away by making handling errors.  Playing like this is not going to get Les Bleus anywhere in the Six Nations, and that's for sure!

However, the Italians deserve a pat on the back for their sturdy defence, which was one of the reasons for all the French mistakes.

At the same time their discipline was poor and referee Alan Lewis sent four Azzurri players to the sin-bin.  At one stage they played with only 13 men.

In fact, it was while lock Carlo Checchinato was in the bin before the break, that the home team scored 16 unanswered points to take a 19-12 half-time lead.

But for 35 minutes the French machine spluttered in first gear.  The numerous handling errors and four kickable penalties, which Diego Dominguez, Italy's veteran flyhalf, easily converted into points, saw the Laporte's troops trial 3-12 after 30 minutes.

The tide started turning after 35 minutes when Checchinato was penalised and binned for over-zealous use of the boot.  Within three minutes Gérald Merceron converted two penalties into points and the score changed to 12-6.

Then, on 40 minutes, French centre Damien Traille burst through the Italian defence for the first try of the 2002 Six Nations.  He beat his opponent on the outside and had too much pace for the cover defenders.

Merceron's conversion and another penalty on the stroke of half-time saw Les Bleus take a 19-12 lead at the break.

It was one-way traffic after the rest period and although France struggled to breach the Italian defence, Merceron's boot kept the score-board ticking as the visitors conceded penalty after penalty.

The French looked dangerous in the final stages, but their hands failed them and Italy escaped from jail on a number of occasions.

The only kickable penalties Italy got in the second half was when Dominguez was in the bin for continuously standing offside, and all Cristian Stoica could do was boot the ball into touch.

The French scored a late try when Serge Betsen walzed over in the corner as the Italian defence finally collapsed.  That try changed the score to 33-12, which flatters the home team as they were not that much better than the visitors.

France's best players were captain Olivier Magne, South African-born No.8 Steven Hall, Betsen, Merceron (who missed two attempts at goal) and Traille, while Luca Martin and Allesandro Troncon never gave up for Italy.  Dominguez also slotted four from four at goal.

Man of the Match:  The contenders were Gérald Merceron, Diego Dominguez (for their solid goal-kicking) and Steven Hall, but Damien Traille takes the award for two moments of brilliance of which one lead to his try.

Moment of the Match:  As there were very few highlights in this match, Traille's try gets it.

Villain of the Match:  Any one of the five players that spent time in the sin-bin:  France's David Auradou was first, then followed four Italians Diego Dominguez, Matthew Phillips, Mauro Bortolami and Carlo Checchinato, who gets it because it was while he was off the field that the French took control of the match.

The teams:

France:  1 Jean-Jacques Crenca, 2 Yannick Bru, 3 Pieter De Villiers, 4 David Auradou, 5 Thibault Privat, 6 Serge Betsen Tchoua, 7 Olivier Magne (c), 8 Steven Hall, 9 Frederic Michalak, 10 Gerald Merceron, 11 Aurelien Rougerie, 12 Tony Marsh, 13 Damien Traille, 14 David Bory, 15 Nicolas Jeanjean
Reserves:  Xavier Garbajosa, Raphael Ibanez, Fabien Pelous, Alexandre Albouy
Unused:  Francois Gelez, Jean-Baptiste Poux, Elvis Vermeulen

Italy:  1 Andrea Lo Cicero, 2 Alessandro Moscardi (c), 3 Andrea Muraro, 4 Carlo Checchinato, 5 Santiago Dellape, 6 Mauro Bergamasco, 7 Marco Bortolami, 8 Matthew Phillips, 9 Alessandro Troncon, 10 Diego Dominguez, 11 Denis Dallan, 12 Luca Martin, 13 Cristian Stoica, 14 Roberto Pedrazzi, 15 Paolo Vaccari
Reserves:  Mirco Bergamasco, Giampiero De Carli, Mark Giacheri, Alejandro Moreno, Aaron Persico
Unused:  Ramiro Pez, Juan Manuel Queirolo

Attendance:  62000
Referee:  Lewis a.

Points Scorers

France
Tries:  Betsen Tchoua S. 1, Traille D. 1
Conv:  Merceron G. 1
Pen K.:  Merceron G. 7

Italy
Pen K.:  Dominguez D. 4

South Africa 43 United States 20

The result was not surprising, but South Africa will know that they were in a Test match after they beat a brave United States outfit 43-20 in Houston on Saturday afternoon.

The Eagles tested the former world champions right to the bitter end, and the scoreline even flattered the Springboks somewhat thanks to a late score by Bok fullback Conrad Jantjes after the Americans had camped in the South African 22 just before the final whistle.

Jantjes's try came as a result of some good work from Bok veterans Joost van der Westhuizen and Pieter Rossouw, but Eagles No.12 Juan Grobler will be kicking himself after he lost possession on the Springbok tryline when he had support on his outside.

Grobler, who holds the distinction of having scored the only try against the Wallabies at the 1999 World Cup, backed himself against the Bok defence, but could only watch as Trevor Halstead ripped the ball away from him before Rossouw and Van der Westhuizen combined to put Jantjes away.

Earlier in the game, some 74 minutes earlier to be exact, Jantjes got the first try of the day after some good work from Bok No.12 Adrian Jacobs, even though Jacobs's pass to Jantjes did look suspiciously forward ...

Louis Koen did not convert the try -- his only miss of the day -- but South Africa led 5-3 after a first-minute penalty from Eagles flyhalf Link Wilfley.

Wilfley was in excellent kicking form throughout the day -- he also missed just one shot at goal -- and he struck three long-range penalties, to see his side hold a 9-5 lead after 15 minutes of play.

The Springboks were guilty of losing a lot of ball in contact situations, going off-sides and holding on in the tackle, and shortly after his team's second try -- by hooker Lukas van Biljon -- Bok tighthead prop Cobus Visagie found himself in the sin bin when he impeded Eagles scrumhalf Kevin Dalzell as he tried to take a quick tap-penalty.

The Eagles were unable to capitalise on their one-man overlap, but left-wing Jason Keyter slotted a neat drop-goal just after Visagie arrived back on the field.  Keyter's drop went straight and true after a good passage of play from the Eagles, but soon afterwards, Springbok skipper-of-the-day André Vos strolled over for his side's third try.

Eagles flyhalf Link Wilfley narrowed the gap to 22-15 at half-time, and after the break two Springbok substitutions up front -- Ollie le Roux for debutant Lawrence Sephaka and Willie Meyer for Cobus Visagie -- were the prelude to Pieter Rossouw's 21st Test try.

Rossouw took a nice inside-pass from Conrad Jantjes, who for the record looked much more assured this week after some shaky performances in recent week, after some quick hands from centres Adrian Jacobs and André Snyman.

Jacobs teased the Eagles defence with subtle changes of pace and some deft footwork at times, but he never got enough ball to make enough of an impression on the Eagles defence, which stood up to all the Boks had to offer.

Soon after Rossouw's try, former captain Dan Lyle was forced from the field with a head injury, and his departure, along with South Africa's greater level of fitness and the sin-binning of lock Eric Reed for an intentional knock-down, saw the match fizzle out as a contest before the home side stormed back in the final five minutes.

The Springboks had used their entire bench by then, and with utility forward André Venter, who came on early in the game for Joe van Niekerk after he took a knock to his ankle early in the first stanza, struggling with an injury, the Eagles forwards combined to get young loosehead prop Mike MacDonald over the tryline for their first try of the day.

No.6 flanker Kort Schubert took some good ball at the tail of the Eagles line-out and MacDonald was the lucky man with the ball after a powerful Eagles drive surged into the Bok in-goal area.

The Eagles, who are basically a bunch of amateurs, can hold their heads high after they were given no price against the fully-professional Springbok outfit.

At times they tested the Springbok defence around the fringes of the rucks and mauls, but their discipline was streets ahead of South Africa's, and this performance bodes well for their future.

The Springboks will return home after a less-than-satisfactory tour, which yielded just two wins from four Tests.  They missed the stability of Robbie Kempson up front, the attacking prowess of Robbie Fleck in the midfield and a specialist fetcher in their starting fifteen.

Maybe the tour was part of Harry Viljoen's much-vaunted "process", but either way it proved that the 1995 World Cup champions need a major overhaul if they are to be competitive in 2002.

Man of the match:  Eagles No.8 Dan Lyle was superb before he left the field just after half-time, as was South African-born No.13 Philip Eloff.  For the Boks, hooker Lukas van Biljon and lock Victor Matfield were brilliant and inside centre Adrian Jacobs showed touches of class.  But in the end, Springbok skipper of the day André Vos scoops our man of the match award for his outstanding leadership and never-say-die attitude.

Moment of the match:  When Springbok flyhalf Louis Koen got the match underway at 20.00 GMT.  This was the first meeting between the USA and South Africa in 20 years and a big day for sport -- and rugby in particular -- in the United States.

Villain of the match:  Springbok tighthead prop Cobus Visagie picks up our award for his blatant foul on Eagles No.9 Kevin Dalzell in the 25 minute of the first half.  It was out of character for Visagie and the only bit of foul-play in the match.

The Teams:

South Africa:  1 Lawrence Sephaka, 2 Lukas Van Biljon, 3 Cobus Visagie, 4 Victor Matfield, 5 Albert Van Den Bergh, 6 A.J. Venter, 7 Andre Vos (c), 8 Joe Van Niekerk, 9 Deon De Kock, 10 Louis Koen, 11 Dean Hall, 12 Adi Jacobs, 13 Andre Snyman, 14 Pieter Rossouw, 15 Conrad Jantjes
Reserves:  De Wet Barry, Trevor Halstead, John Smit, Ollie Le Roux, Willie Meyer, Joost Van Der Westhuizen, Andre Venter

United States:  1 Mike MacDonald, 2 Kirk Khasigian, 3 Paul Still, 4 Luke Gross, 5 Eric Reed, 6 Dave Hodges (c), 7 Kort Schubert, 8 Dan Lyle, 9 Kevin Dalzell, 10 Link Wilfley, 11 Jason Keyter, 12 Phillip Eloff, 13 Juan Grobler, 14 Johnny Naqica, 15 Kurt Shuman
Reserves:  Dan Dorsey, Olo Fifita, Kimball Kjar, Brian Surgener, Mose Timoteo
Unused:  Dan Anderson, Andy McGarry

Attendance:  10000
Referee:  Mene d.

Points Scorers:

South Africa
Tries:  Hall D. 1, Jantjes C.A. 2, Van Biljon L. 1, Rossouw P.W.G. 1, Vos A.N. 1
Conv:  Koen L.J. 5
Pen K.:  Koen L.J. 1

United States
Tries:  MacDonald M. 1
Pen K.:  Wilfley L.M. 4
Drop G.:  Keyter J.C. 1

New Zealand 24 Argentina 20

A storming try two minutes into injury time by No 8 Scott Robertson allowed the All Blacks to preserve their unbeaten record against the Pumas in an error-ridden international played before a massive crowd at the River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires.  New Zealand won 24-20.

Two calamitous defensive blunders that gifted Argentina two converted tries meant the All Blacks were almost always coming from behind in their final outing for 2001.

They trailed 3-7 after 20 minutes, were behind 8-10 at halftime and conceded Argentina a 17-20 start going into the final 10 minutes.

Argentina had the opportunity to stretch that advantage close to injury time but goal kicker Felipe Contepomi missed a penalty attempt from point-blank range.

And so John Mitchell's All Blacks, who would have had only themselves to blame if they'd lost, because of their handling mistakes, remained in contention.

Enterprising winger Doug Howlett created the opportunity with a bold counter-attacking run that took the All Blacks right to the Pumas' goal-line.

Under pressure, Contepomi sliced his clearing kick which provided the All Blacks with the Heaven-sent opportunity they needed.

Young fullback Ben Blair, who'd started nervously but became a key player in the second half, burst through the Pumas' first line of defence, then threw a beautiful long pass to No 8 Robertson who finished off wide out.

To the All Blacks' enormous relief, Andrew Mehrtens, who'd brought up 800 test points during the game, slotted the wide-angle conversion, to give his side a four-point buffer.

The All Blacks had had to play their get-out-jail card which allowed them to complete their five-match tour undefeated.

They were a far more creative team than the Pumas, who, except when Agustin Pichot was sniping from halfback, preferred to pressure the enemy through kicks.

These tactics produced two unexpected tries.

On the first occasion, it seemed skipper Lisandro Arbizu had wasted quality ruck ball when he chipped a kick into the All Blacks' in-goal zone.

But, inexplicably, halfback Mark Robinson, starting in a test for the first time, let the ball slip through his arms, back towards Arbizu who couldn't believe his good fortune as he pounced on it for a gift five-pointer.

That was bad enough for the All Blacks.  Worse followed 15 minutes into the second half, immediately after Mehrtens had put the tourists ahead 14-10 with a superb 50-metre penalty goal.

Poised to take control of the match, the All Blacks initiated a bold counter-attack from the restart.  But skipper Anton Oliver got in the way of a pass destined for Lomu in midfield and the ball deflected back towards the posts.

Howlett was there to retrieve but instead of playing safe, he tried to slip a pass to Robertson who wasn't expecting it.  The ball spewed free and Arbizu was all happiness as he pounced for another bonus try.

Suddenly, the Pumas were in front 17-14.

Matching penalty goals by Mehrtens and Contepomi made it 20-17 which is how it remained for 15 tense minutes, until Robertson's match winner in the second (of six) minutes of injury time.

While it won't be recorded as an epic All Black victory, because of the alarmingly high error rate, the tourists nonetheless demonstrated character and skill to uncork a winning try in a desperate situation.

And beating a fired-up Pumas team in Buenos Aires is no easy assignment, as the Wallabies and the Springboks have proven in recent times.

The All Blacks missed dynamic halfback Byron Kelleher, who had returned home concussed.  His replacement, Robinson, who had ongoing problems with his contact lens, gave a laboured service and made costly mistakes.

Blair also had a nervous opening 30 minutes while Howlett finished about all square in terms of attacking brilliance and general blunders.

The one individual who didn't make any mistakes and who was a constant menace to Argentina was Jonah Lomu.

His try in the 25th minute represented All Black rugby at its best, combining the sizzling speed of Howlett with the brilliant link work of the new loose forward star Richard McCaw with the awesome finishing off Lomu, who swotted aside four defenders before dotting down.

Mehrtens directed operations sweetly from first-five and goal-kicked beautifully but Aaron Mauger and Tana Umaga were frustrated for opportunities in midfield.

Best of the All Black forwards were loosies McCaw and Robertson and lineout ace Norm Maxwell.

There was much talk about the might of the Pumas scrum in the shakedown to the game but in the event the All Black scrum held solid.

Argentina's star was its captain Arbizu for claiming those two opportunist tries that so nearly brought an historic victory.

Loose forwards Rolando Martin and Gonzalo Longo were mightily effective, Martin cutting Blair down from behind to save a try, and Pichot was always dangerous.

But the Pumas were guilty of kicking too much possession away and, at the death, pressure told on Contepomi, who missed a sitter of a penalty goal and sliced a clearing kick that created the opportunity for New Zealand's winning try.

Man of the match:  It came as no surprise that the individual who made the greatest impact was Jonah Lomu.  His try, in which he swotted away four determined defenders, was a classic and he repeatedly made territory for the All Blacks.

Moment of the Match:  Two minutes into injury time, Felipe Contepomi missed touch, allowing the All Blacks to launch into attack.  Ben Blair slipped fullback Ignacio Corleto and put Scott Robertson across for the match winner.

Villain of the Match:  Pumas halfback Agustin Pichot who copped 10 minutes in the sin bin for a head-butt.  All Black prop Kees Meeuws also received a yellow card for trampling an opponent in a ruck.

The Teams:

New Zealand:  1 David Hewett, 2 Anton Oliver (c), 3 Kees Meeuws, 4 Chris Jack, 5 Norm Maxwell, 6 Richard McCaw, 7 Reuben Thorne, 8 Scott Robertson, 9 Mark Robinson, 10 Andrew Mehrtens, 11 Doug Howlett, 12 Aaron Mauger, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Jonah Lomu, 15 Ben Blair
Reserves:  Greg Somerville, Dion Waller
Unused:  Marty Holah, Jason Spice, Tom Willis, Pita Alatini, Caleb Ralph

Argentina:  1 Omar Hasan Jalil, 2 Federico Mendez, 3 Mauricio Reggiardo, 4 Rimas Alvarez Kairelis, 5 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Rolando Martin, 7 Santiago Phelan, 8 Gonzalo Longo Elia, 9 Agustin Pichot, 10 Felipe Contepomi, 11 Diego Albanese, 12 Lisandro Arbizu (c), 13 Jose Orengo, 14 Gonzalo Camardon, 15 Ignacio Corletto
Reserves:  Martin Durand, Roberto Grau, Mario Ledesma Arocena, Gonzalo Quesada, Bernardo Stortoni
Unused:  Nicolas Fernandez Miranda, Pedro Sporleder

Attendance:  59000
Referee:  Young s.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Tries:  Lomu J.T. 1, Robertson S.M. 1
Conv:  Mehrtens A.P. 1, Umaga J.F. 1
Pen K.:  Mehrtens A.P. 4

Argentina
Tries:  Arbizu L. 2
Conv:  Contepomi F. 2
Pen K.:  Contepomi F. 2

Australia 21 Wales 13

Seven penalties from fullback Matthew Burke secured a 21-13 win for Australia over Wales in Cardiff on Sunday, as the Wallabies finally registered their first win over Six Nations opposition on their disappointing European tour.

It was far from a vintage Wallaby performance after going into half-time at only 9-3 up, and even their total dominance in the forwards during the second half could not mask the fact that Wales got the only try of the day from this largely dire spectacle.

Both sides went into the game with a mood of pessimism surrounding their recent exploits, the Wallabies aiming to lay the ghosts to rest from defeats against France and England, and Wales yearning to defy the odds and give coach Graham Henry a break from the barrage of criticism directed at the Kiwi of late.

Both can partly rest assured that those goals were reached, but if the world champions are to mount a serious tilt at retaining their Tri-Nations title next year, then the identity crisis blighting their play during this game for early periods needs to be addressed hastily.

Matt Burke was the executioner for Eddie Jones' men, his seven penalties rewarding what was, in the main, a scrappy yet muscular display, against a Wales side which always looked to have a bullet in the barrel with Iestyn Harris, Kevin Morgan and a rejuvnated Gareth Thomas, but lacking the trigger finger to effect the killer blow at the vital moments.

Replacement flanker Gavin Thomas saved at least some face when he rumbled over in injury-time for the game's only try, after yet more quick thinking from Rob Howley, as he tapped and went from a short range penalty, before offloading to Bath youngster Thomas, spinning over the line and placing the ball down after brushing the post pads.

With much attention down Cardiff way again directed at Rugby League convert Iestyn Harris in the Welsh centres, the crowd were restricted to two penalties and an easy conversion as his space was cut down by Owen Finegan and Toutai Kefu in the loose, and by Elton Flatley and Graeme Bond from the set piece.

Physicality certainly wasn't lacking, with Wallaby lock David Giffin dispatched to the sin bin as early as seven minutes into the game after some over-zealous rucking.

Wales got their only lead of the game when Harris' eighth-minute penalty flew over, but three from Burke before the interval put paid to any immediate Welsh challenge.

Burke advanced his side further early in the second half with another after Lions hooker Robin McBryde's indiscretion in the ruck, the Llanelli man getting stuck into Wallaby captain George Gregan, who marshalled his pack in typically vocal and sniping style throughout, despite the attentions of Colin Charvis and Brett Sinkinson in open field.

One penalty apiece for Burke and Harris took the score to 15-6 with 20 minutes left, and Australia were harshly denied a try from Joe Roff after he intercepted a chip-and-chase by the recalled Wayne Proctor on the wing.

English referee Steve Lander brought play back for a previous Wallaby infringement as Roff jogged unopposed into the Welsh try area, but the length of advantage allowed by the official had some in the stadium scratching their heads as Wales were let off the hook.

Australia's vast territorial dominance in the second half made them the more likely to score a try, despite Wales stringing some impressive passing moves together, offloading well in the tackle at times, but trying too hard to force the crucial pass when perhaps a dose of composure may have been the better option.

Two more Burke penalties took the Australians into an unassailable lead, and despite Gavin Thomas barging over under the posts for a try with the last kick of the game, the result was never in too much doubt.

Plus points for both coaches then from this encounter.

Most importantly a return to winning ways for a clearly victory-thirsty Wallaby XV.  Also the sharpness of fit-again Ben Tune on the Wallaby wing bodes well, despite the Queenslander being starved of ball for much of the afternoon.

Owen Finegan and Toutai Kefu were typically big-hitting upfront, and although coach Jones has work to do, the foundations of his side showed they are prepared to grind out a result when called upon to do so.

Graham Henry's Wales saved face with their renewed desire, audibly appreciated by the majority of those in the stadium after recent embarassments.

Put into perspective, they never conceded a try against the supposed best team in the world, and had it not been for their numerous kickable penalties conceded, the scoreline could have been even more heartening.

Man of the match:  Owen Finegan.  A game with so much ball limited to the tight exchanges was always going to produce a man of the match from the forwards, and with the nature of the Wallaby pack's performance in the second half, it had to be an Australian.  Pretty much a toss-up between Toutai Kefu and Finegan, as both asserted their considerable physical attributes in a spoiling and yard-gaining capacity, but Finegan just shades it.

Moment of the match:  Burke's third penalty.  An endictment of the match is the fact that the most crucial moment was a kick, but had Matt Burke not nailed this first-half injury-time penalty, then his side would have only gone into the interval with a 6-3 lead.  He did though, and never looked back.

Villain of the match:  David Giffin.  The match had plenty of scuffles, but the only one showing comparative intent to damage was Giffin's stamping in the seventh minute, for which he was rightly sin-binned.  There were a few punches thrown in the open field, but mainly handbags at the breakdown.  Andy Moore was sin-binned for Wales near the end for getting carried away with the fisticuffs, but Giffin's offence was more premeditated.

Sin bin:  Giffin (Aus, 7 mins), Moore (Wal, 81 mins) Harrison (Aus, 81 mins)

The teams:

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

Wales:  1 Spencer John, 2 Robin McBryde, 3 Darren Morris, 4 Ian Gough, 5 Andrew Moore, 6 Colin Charvis, 7 Brett Sinkinson, 8 Scott Quinnell (c), 9 Rob Howley, 10 Stephen Jones, 11 Wayne Proctor, 12 Iestyn Harris, 13 Jamie Robinson, 14 Gareth Thomas, 15 Kevin Morgan
Reserves:  Duncan Jones, Gavin Thomas, Rhys Williams, Barry Williams, Chris Wyatt, Unused Dwayne Peel, Andy Marinos

Referee:  Lander s.

Points Scorers:

Australia
Pen K.:  Burke M.C. 7

Wales
Tries:  Thomas G. 1
Conv:  Harris I. 1
Pen K.:  Harris I. 2

France 77 Fiji 10

Eight second-half tries tries for France helped them annihilate a disorganised Fiji team 77-10 in Saint-Etienne on Saturday, having led 29-0 at the break.

By inflicting Fiji's worst ever Test defeat, France have made it three wins out of three games against southern hemisphere opposition in their 2001 end-of-year Tests, having beaten South Africa and Australia in previous weeks.

The French scored 12 tries in total, to the Fijians' one, with recalled winger Christophe Dominici, flank Serge Betsen and Aurelien Rougerie grabbing two each.

The one way traffic was temporarily interrupted in the sixth minute of the second half when stand-off Nicky Little slotted over a penalty to reduce the deficit to 41-3.

The French were scoring at will and with just 10 minutes gone in the second period Dominici ran in his second try after a flowing back move which Merceron converted.

Fiji finally broke the French defence when Fero Lasagavibau burst past Galthie's tackle and ran it in for a try which the sure boot of Little converted to make it 55-10.

But it took France all of 10 minutes to open the scoring when Betsen scored his first try after persistent pressure by the home team.

Although the Fijians put together some nice flowing moves, they were let down by poor handling once they got close to the French line.

The Teams:

France:  1 Jean-Jacques Crenca, 2 Raphael Ibanez, 3 Pieter De Villiers, 4 David Auradou, 5 Thibault Privat, 6 Serge Betsen Tchoua, 7 Olivier Magne, 8 Patrick Tabacco, 9 Fabien Galthie (c), 10 Gerald Merceron, 11 David Bory, 12 Tony Marsh, 13 Damien Traille, 14 Christophe Dominici, 15 Clement Poitreneaud
Reserves:  Yannick Bru, Aurelien Rougerie, Sebastien Chabal, Nicolas Jeanjean, Frederic Michalak, Lionel Nallet, Jean-Baptiste Poux

Fiji:  1 Billy Cavubati, 2 Paula Biu, 3 Henry Qiodravu, 4 XDO3, 5 Emori Katalau, 6 XDA4, 7 Alifereti Doviverata, 8 Jope Tuikabe, 9 Sami Rabaka Nasagavesi, 10 Nicky Little, 11 Vilimoni Delasau, 12 Ilai Derenalagi, 13 Viliame Satala, 14 Marika Vunibaka, 15 Waisale Serevi
Reserves:  XKO7, Fero Lasagavibau, XNA29, Ilaitia Tuisese, Jonetani Waqa

Attendance:  33390
Referee:  Lawrence m.

Points Scorers:

France
Tries:  Betsen Tchoua S. 2, Galthie F. 1, Magne O. 1, Rougerie A. 2, Bory D. 1, Dominici C. 2, Jeanjean N. 1, Poux J-B. 1, Poitreneaud C. 1
Conv:  Merceron G. 7
Pen K.:  Merceron G. 1

Fiji
Tries:  Lasagavibau F.T. 1
Conv:  Little N.T. 1
Pen K.:  Little N.T. 1

South Africa 9 England 29

A clinical display of counter-attacking rugby and solid defence saw England record their third consecutive victory over South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday, beating the Boks by a record margin of 29-9.

In doing so Clive Woodward's men became the first European nation to gain five successive Test victories over southern hemisphere opposition.

By the time Dan Luger scored an intercept try in the final minute, the writing was already on the wall for the Boks.  They were not up to standard, while England continued their surge up the ladder in world rugby.

The Springboks, now with their backs against the wall after their second Test defeat in three weeks, were guilty of knock-ons and giving away unnecessary penalties, like they did against France and Italy.  This time the Boks conceded 16 penalties to England's 10.

England, on the other hand, sat back and waited for the Boks to make mistakes before they pounced.  On a number of occasions the English won kickable penalties after the Boks were penalised for everything from hands in the ruck to offside at the line-out.

Jonny Wilkinson, probably the top flyhalf in the world today, kept the scoreboard ticking and he missed only two from nine attempts at goal.

The Boks did show a bit more urgency than against France and Italy, but coach Harry Viljoen needs to do some serious rethinking of where he's going with the 2003 World Cup in mind.

Woodward will be happy now that his side has beaten the Wallabies twice and the Boks three times in the last two years.  They must be one of the favourites going into 2003 and need only build on their current structure in the next 18 months.

With players like Wilkinson, Jason Robinson and Danny Grewcock England must be early favourites with the All Blacks at this stage.

Robinson, shaken by an early illegal tackle by Bok skipper Bob Skinstad, regained his composure and ran pinball in the second half.  He bounced the one Bok defender off after the other, setting up great attacking opportunities for the home team.

Skinstad's woes started in the first minute and ended in the final minute, when Dan Luger intercepted a wayward pass on the England try-line.  The flyer raced away for his 17th Test try for the men in white.

The Bok skipper had one of his worst games in a green jersey, losing the ball on numerous occasions with 50/50 passes, also knocking on a few times.

The home team did well to stay focused throughout the game and they deserved victory after leading 9-6 at the break.  Wilkinson (three) and Van Straaten (two) landed five penalty goals between the two of them.

The home team also attacked more than the visitors, but Louis Koen did exceptionally well to keep the English pinned back in their own half with pin-point tactical kicking.  Why he ceased to do that in the second half is a mystery.

Koen also tested Robinson from the start of the game, and Skinstad took the nuggety fullback's feet from under him with his first touch.

Stupid transgressions like that, coupled with unnecessary handling errors, crept back into the Springboks' game, and they lost valuable ball in great attacking situations.

Van Straaten missed two attempts at goal, both 55-metre efforts that had the distance, but not direction.

In the end South Africa could not sustain their pressure while the English increased the pressure after the break, forcing mistakes by the Boks and happily converting it into three-pointers.

Man of the match:  Well, if England did not have Jonny Wilkinson, the result may have been different.  This 22-year-old has cemented himself as the top pivot in the world, and after Saturday, the Springboks will know why!

Moment of the match:  In the 58th minute, Mike Catt slotted a drop goal that effectively put an end to the Boks' charge, as the visitors fell behind by 12 points at that stage.

Villain of the match:  Bok skipper Bob Skinstad had a terrible game in the green and gold, losing lots of quality ball in attacking positions with bad passing.

The Teams:

South Africa:  1 Ollie Le Roux, 2 John Smit, 3 Willie Meyer, 4 Victor Matfield, 5 Mark Andrews, 6 A.J. Venter, 7 Andre Vos, 8 Bobby Skinstad (c), 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Louis Koen, 11 Dean Hall, 12 Trevor Halstead, 13 Braam Van Straaten, 14 Breyton Paulse, 15 Conrad Jantjes
Reserves:  Lukas Van Biljon, Corne Krige, Andre Venter, Cobus Visagie
Unused:  Deon De Kock, Percy Montgomery, Andre Snyman

England:  1 Graham Rowntree, 2 Dorian West, 3 Phil Vickery, 4 Danny Grewcock, 5 Martin Johnson (c), 6 Neil Back, 7 Richard Hill, 8 Joe Worsley, 9 Kyran Bracken, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 11 Austin Healey, 12 Mike Catt, 13 Will Greenwood, 14 Dan Luger, 15 Jason Robinson
Reserves:  Ben Kay, Mike Tindall, Lewis Moody
Unused:  Jason Leonard, Mark Regan, Ben Cohen, Charlie Hodgson

Attendance:  75000
Referee:  Dickinson/mchugh

Points Scorers:

South Africa
Pen K.:  Van Straaten A.J.J. 3

England
Tries:  Luger D.D. 1
Pen K.:  Wilkinson J.P. 7
Drop G.:  Catt M.J. 1

Argentina 25 Scotland 16

In difficult conditions, Argentina powered their way to their third successive victory over northern hemisphere opposition, Felipe Contepomi kicking 20 points to help his side defeat Scotland by 25-16 at Murrayfield.

Following on from their all-round excellence in the 31-16 victory over Wales last week, the Argentina pack performed heroics against their Scottish counterparts, their cohesion and upper body strength apparent both in the tight and loose exchanges of the match.

Each time the Scots threatened to take the initiative in this match – mainly through the paced and invention of Gregor Townsend at fly-half – the Puma forwards came to the rescue, slowing Scottish ball at the breakdown, effecting turnovers in midfield or simply rocking the home team back with some mighty forward drives.

Perhaps surprisingly, given the way they had dominated the Welsh eight last week, the Pumas actually looked second best to their opponents in the scrummage and it was this aspect of their play that was very nearly their undoing, the decisive moment in the first half coming at a defensive scrum just five yards out from the Pumas' tryline.

With the score poised at 3-all after 25 minutes, Gregor Townsend and Felipe Contepomi having exchanged a penalty apiece, a nightmare moment for Argentina enabled Scotland to take the lead.

After seemingly squandering a scoring opportunity by throwing crooked into an attacking lineout, some good work from the Scotttish forwards in the ensuing scrum allowed their scrum-half Andy Nicol to pressurized Pichot at the base, causing a clearance kick by the No.9 to skew straight into the arms of Townsend who managed to contain his surprise at the early Christmas gift and stroll over for the try.  He could not convert his own try but that made it 8-3 to Scotland.

Contepomi slotted another penalty before half-time and then after the break, Argentina took the lead with another penalty.

The lead was shortlived though with Townsend scoring a long range penalty to make it 11-9 but then a moment of individual magic from Ignacio Corleto lifted the Pumas.  The fullback took advantage of some sloppy Scottish defence to dance down the right-hand touchline, handing off John Leslie for the touchdown.Contepomi was on hand with the conversion, but even at 16-11 down the home side refused to capitulate and hit back with a well-worked try through Derrick Lee.

Making amends for his slipshod defence at the other end, Leslie took the ball at pace into the heart of the Pumas' defence, sucking in a number of defenders before releasing lightning quick ball.  The ball was moved left, with Cameron Murray off-loading from the tackle into the outstretched arms of Lee coming into the line at pace.

With Townsend not forthcoming with the conversion, the score was level at 16-all, but now Argentina upped the pace of their game as they sensed themselves within sight of another famous victory.

Argentina again took the lead as the match reached the final quarter, Contepomi kicking his fourth penalty after Scotland offended at a breakdown.

Despite some last gasp attacking efforts from the Scots, it was Argentina who fittingly had the last word, with Contepomi landing his fifth penalty to seal it for his side.

Moment of the match:  Ignacio Corleto lit up a dismal Edinburgh afternoon, the fullback showing tremendous pace and rugby skill to round three defenders for Argentina's only try.

Man of the match:  Despite a shaky start to proceedings as he took some time to accustom himself to some poor conditions, Felipe Contepomi quickly regained his composure to eclipse his opposite number Gregor Townsend and help the Pumas record their fourth victory over Scotland.

Villain of the match:  If the match failed to come to life for vast stretches, much of the blame must be attributed to the Scottish weather with driving rain making it very difficult for either side to play a slick, fast-paced game.

The Teams:

Argentina:  1 Omar Hasan Jalil, 2 Federico Mendez, 3 Mauricio Reggiardo, 4 Rimas Alvarez Kairelis, 5 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Rolando Martin, 7 Santiago Phelan, 8 Gonzalo Longo Elia, 9 Agustin Pichot, 10 Felipe Contepomi, 11 Diego Albanese, 12 Lisandro Arbizu (c), 13 Jose Orengo, 14 Gonzalo Camardon, 15 Ignacio Corletto
Reserves:  Roberto Grau, Lucas Ostiglia
Unused:  Martin Durand, Nicolas Fernandez Miranda, Mario Ledesma Arocena, Gonzalo Quesada, Bernardo Stortoni

Scotland:  1 Tom Smith (c), 2 Gordon Bulloch, 3 Mattie Stewart, 4 Stuart Grimes, 5 Scott Murray, 6 Andrew Mower, 7 Jason White, 8 Jon Petrie, 9 Andy Nicol, 10 Gregor Townsend, 11 Roland Reid, 12 John Leslie, 13 James McLaren, 14 Cammie Murray, 15 Derrick Lee
Reserves:  George Graham, Gordon Simpson
Unused:  Iain Fullarton, Gordon Ross, Graeme Burns, Andrew Henderson, Steve Scott

Attendance:  45113
Referee:  Jutge j.

Points Scorers:

Argentina
Tries:  Corletto I. 1
Conv:  Contepomi F. 1
Pen K.:  Contepomi F. 6

Scotland
Tries:  Lee D.J. 1, Townsend G.P.J. 1
Pen K.:  Townsend G.P.J. 2

England 134 Romania 0

A ruthless England romped to the biggest Test victory in history, as they hammered hapless Romania 134-0 at Twickenham, with only the width of the goalpost preventing debutant Charlie Hodgson from an individual world record points haul.

England's 20-try humiliation of an outclassed Romanian side eclipses the 145-17 demolition by New Zealand of Japan in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, a game which also produced Simon Culhane's world-record 45-point individual tally.

Sale Sharks' exhuberant fly-half Charlie Hodgson had to be content with a mere 44-point total, watching on in agony as his last-minute touchline conversion attempt rebounded of the left hand upright.

Hodgson's 44 points came courtesy of two first-half tries, 14 conversions and two penalties, but a missed conversion attempt right in front of the posts earlier on will surely come back to haunt him as he looks back on his chance of a world record on an otherwise dream debut.

His Sale clubmate Jason Robinson helped himself to four tries, with hat-tricks for Ben Cohen and Dan Luger, braces for Hodgson, Lewis Moody and Mike Tindall, and one each for Austin Healey, Alex Sanderson, Mark Regan and Joe Worsley.

Equally impressive for England was their clean sheet in defence, but with the game petering out into an embarassing one-sided spectacle, what have the English really learnt from an 80-minutes which was no more competitive than Lennox Lewis relentessly pounding a defenceless punchbag?

They never went more than six minutes without scoring, and were 72-0 up by the break, the Romanians' sole contribution to proceedings being their one attack under the England posts early into the match.

The plus points for England were the distribution and thought of Hodgson at No.10, who linked well with the pack, and had the composure and knowhow to sniff out the numerous gaps in the visitors' defence.

The lightning way with which Jason Robinson converted his chances into tries bodes well for the visit of South Africa next Saturday, with Robinson's second score seeing a weaving 70-metre run ending in lightning fashion under the posts after a passage of play more reminiscent of a punt return in American football than a rugby move.

Ben Kay in the second-row threw a marker down for Martin Johnson's No.4 shirt with another immense display, and Lewis Moody was efficiency personified in open play, barging over two tries in the first half before leaving the field.

Romania twice had the chance to register on the Twickenham scoreboard -- which could not cope with the three-figure England tally -- but they gamely turned down easy shots at goal from the penalty, going instead for ultimately fruitless lineouts, as the England pack policed the gain line with composure and ease.

Dan Luger on the left wing had to wait until the very last minute for his hat-trick try, with Hodgson's cut-out pass flat-footing the Romanians, as the Harlequins flyer raced into the left corner.

The 10 tries in the first half ensured that the game as a spectacle was over within the opening minutes, and the fixture schedulers need to take a long hard look at themselves and the current state of Romanian rugby, in deciding whether or not this televised humiliation is the best way to advance the game in the nation.

But what will next week's opposition South Africa garner from this virtual unopposed training session ahead of their trip to Twickenham?

For one, England showed their utter ruthlessness in turning nearly every single half break into some sort of score, and also demonstrated that the absence of some of their frontline players will not send tremors through a squad whose strength in depth is an apt measure of the current healthy state of the English domestic game.

The ghosts of their Six Nations nightmare in Dublin have been exorcised.  Roll on the Springboks.

Man of the match:  Charlie Hodgson.  Maybe a cop-out to automatically choose the major points-scorer, but debuts don't come much better than this.  Not only was his goal-kicking mainly impressive, but his passing off either hand showed his rugby brain in full flight.  Managing the backline with consumate ease, his armchair ride against a comparatively feeble Romania pack demonstrated he has the bottle to handle the England shirt, although tougher outings in future may be the true test of his composure.  Jason Robinson should think himself unlucky to miss the award after a magnificent finishing display, and Ben Kay and Lewis Moody to name only a few, were simply immense in the pack

Moment of the match:  Robinson's second try.  Picking the ball up in his own half, the Sale fullback scuttled toward the left wing at pace, flat-footing the retreating Romanian defence before cutting back inside in the opposition half, dropping two superb Phil Bennett Barbarian-esque sidesteps on his course to the line, accelerating under the posts for one of the most spectacular tries recently seen at Twickenham.

Villain of the match:  The fixture schedulers.  This humiliating spectacle should never have happened.  The RFU heirarchy have expressed their willingness to forward the development of Romanian rugby, and cannot be blamed in the least for this horrendous mis-match, but surely there must be a better way for their currently deteriorating national team to further their standards.  Perhaps they should be fielded in the Parker Pen Shield, similarly to the way in which Holland and Ireland are featured in English cricket's cup competition, although the implications for Romanian players contracted to other European teams may make this unworkable.  Answers need to be found though, as more embarassments like this are undoubtedly futile exercises, and a backward step.

Referee:  Pablo Deluca (Argentina)
Touch judges:  Paddy O’Brien (NZ), David McHugh (Ire)

England:  1 Jason Leonard, 2 Mark Regan, 3 Graham Rowntree, 4 Lock Ben Kay, 5 Steve Borthwick, 6 Neil Back (c), 7 Lewis Moody, 8 Joe Worsley, 9 Austin Healey, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 11 Dan Luger, 12 Will Greenwood, 13 Mike Tindall, 14 Ben Cohen, 15 Jason Robinson
Reserves:  Kyran Bracken, Mike Catt, Danny Grewcock, Alex Sanderson, Julian White
Unused:  Dorian West, Jonny Wilkinson

Romania:  1 Nicolae Dragos Dima, 2 Petre Balan, 3 Marcel Socaciu, 4 Vasile Nedelcu, 5 RPE5, 6 Florin Corodeanu, 7 Valentin Samuil, 8 Alin Petrache, 9 Lucian Sirbu, 10 Ionut Tofan, 11 Vasile Ghoic, 12 Flaviu Dobre, 13 Nicolae Oprea, 14 Ion Teodorescu, 15 Gabriel Brezoianu
Reserves:  Mihai Ciolacu, Marius Dragomir, Silviu Florea, George Pasache, Marius Codea, Petrisor Toderasc
Unused:  Bogdan Munteanu

Attendance:  61000
Referee:  Deluca p.

Points Scorers:

England
Tries:  Healey A.S. 1, Luger D.D. 3, Regan M.P. 1, Robinson J.T. 4, Tindall M.J. 2, Worsley J.P.R. 1, Cohen B.C. 3, Hodgson C. 2, Moody L.W. 2, Sanderson A. 1
Conv:  Hodgson C. 14
Pen K.:  Hodgson C. 2

South Africa 54 Italy 26

The Springboks had to withstand a strong first-half onslaught by Italy, coupled with a whole host of unforced errors by the visitors from South Africa, to win their one-off Test at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa by 54-26.

The Boks scored eight tries, the Azzurri two, but one can't help feel that there were still too many mistakes by the visitors.

Despite the win, Bok coach Harry Viljoen will not be sleeping well, with England looming at Twickenham next weekend.  His biggest concern will be the penalty count, one area where the visitors ran away with the game, giving away 18 penalties to Italy's six.

The Boks made most of their penalisable errors on the ground, going off their feet at the ruck, using hands on the ground and not releasing in the tackle.  Against Jonny Wilkinson these mistakes are equal to suicide, as the English flyhalf will surely punish the Boks for every indiscretion they commit.

A positive for the Springboks were the way in which they ran straight at their opponents, and after last weekend's drifting by the backs, this was good to see.

Luckily for the Boks the Azzurri were not very effective in turning tap penalties into points close to the visitors' try-line, or the score-line would have been much closer.

On three occasions the Italians only had to spin the ball wide for a try from a tap penalty, but the Springboks' resilient defence held out and the home team were stopped in their tracks.

Probably the best try of the game came from one such move, where the Italians lost the ball five metres from the Bok try-line.

Debutant Joe van Niekerk snapped up the ball and passed it to Conrad Jantjes, who had a forgettable first half.  The flying fullback sped away before passing the ball to skipper Bob Skinstad, who flipped it to Trevor Halstead, who passed back inside to Van Niekerk and eventually the best Bok on the day, Victor Matfield, got the ball, racing away from 25 metres out for the try under the uprights.

That try, 15 minutes into the second half, put the Boks ahead by 35-12 after they lead 21-12 at the break.

But it was Italy who smelt first blood after just five minutes when the trusty boot of Diego Dominguez slotted his first penalty goal of the day.  Twelve minutes and two more penalties (by Dominguez) later Italy were leading 9-0, as the Boks were made pay for their ill discipline on the ground.

They hardly got into the Italian half during this period, and Dominguez, with pinpoint tactical kicking, made sure the Springboks were on the defence in the opening 20 minutes even though he was playing against the strong wind in the first half.

A heap of handling errors, more mistakes on the ground and general poor execution on the attack cost the visitors dearly.  If it was not for three tries in the second quarter of the game, Italy may well have been leading at the break.

But hats off to the Boks, who, despite the shaky start, took their chances when they got them.

First Joost van der Westhuizen got over for his 35th Test try when he made a marvellous break from the base of a ruck and side-stepped past Luca Martin for the five-pointer.  Braam van Straaten duly converted.

Ten minutes later big Dean Hall, who put in a number of strong runs during the game, crashed over for his first try in the green and gold after the visitors managed to pile on the phases.

Then, on the stroke of half-time, Halstead got his first of two tries on the day, dotting down after John Smit brilliantly ran into space.  Van Straaten's third conversion, and a 34th minute drop-goal by Dominguez, meant the teams changed sides with the visitors leading by 21-12.

The Boks started strongly in the second half and dominated the game after the break.  John Smit extended their lead in the 47th minute when he crashed over for the visitors' fourth try from close-in.

Matfield's brilliant try came next, but still the Boks made mistakes, passes not going to hand and even more knock-ons stopping potential scoring opportunities.

Another moment of Matfield magic saw Willie Meyer also getting a try.  The big lock drove up the side of the field and threw a clever inside pass, behind his back, to Meyer, who burst over for the Boks' sixth try.

Dominguez, who already placed and dropped points for Italy, then broke the Bok line for a brilliant solo try, and by converting his own try, he scored in every possible way on the day.

Skinstad also scored a late try and Marco Bortolami got a consolation try for the home team, but by that time it was already game, set and match to the visitors.

Italy's best players were Alessandro Troncon, Dominguez, Mauro Bergamasco and Carlo Checchinato, who never gave up trying for the Azzurri.

Matfield was the Boks' best player on the day, providing good, clean ball from the line-outs, defending like a brick wall, providing the spark in many good forward drives and once even snatching the ball from the air from an attempted penalty goal by Dominguez.  He was well supported by Willie Meyer, AJ Venter, Louis Koen, who fared well in the No.10 jersey, and Hall.

If they can stop giving away penalties and knocking on good attacking ball, the Boks may just be in with a slight chance against England next weekend.

It's back to the drawing board for Brad Johnstone and his Italian team, and although they were not humiliated, they still lack that big match temperament when playing against the top teams in the world.

Man of the match:  Although Victor Matfield played a massive game for the Boks, Italy's little general Diego Dominguez, whose third penalty goal saw hime become only the second man in history to pass 900 Test points, wins the award for his brilliant try, good goal-kicking (which included a conversion, three penalty goals and a drop-goal) and solid all-round play for the Azzurri.

Moment of the match:  Victor Matfield's try in the second half.  The Boks turned over possession on their own try-line and through good support and handling Matfield scored under the uprights.

Villain of the match:  Only because he got the only yellow-card of the game, for a shoulder charge, Braam van Straaten "wins" this award.  But the game was generally clean and without niggles.

The Teams:

South Africa:  1 Ollie Le Roux, 2 John Smit, 3 Willie Meyer, 4 Victor Matfield, 5 A.J. Venter, 6 Joe Van Niekerk, 7 Andre Vos, 8 Bobby Skinstad (c), 9 Joost Van Der Westhuizen, 10 Louis Koen, 11 Dean Hall, 12 Trevor Halstead, 13 Braam Van Straaten, 14 Breyton Paulse, 15 Conrad Jantjes
Reserves:  Deon De Kock, Adi Jacobs, Lukas Van Biljon, Corne Krige, Percy Montgomery, Andre Venter, Cobus Visagie

Italy:  1 Andrea Lo Cicero, 2 Alessandro Moscardi (c), 3 Andrea Muraro, 4 Wim Visser, 5 Mark Giacheri, 6 Mauro Bergamasco, 7 Aaron Persico, 8 Carlo Checchinato, 9 Alessandro Troncon, 10 Diego Dominguez, 11 Denis Dallan, 12 Walter Pozzebon, 13 Cristian Stoica, 14 Massimiliano Perziano, 15 Luca Martin
Reserves:  Andrea Benatti, Samuele Pace, Marco Bortolami, Giampiero De Carli, Francesco Mazzariol, Tino Paoletti
Unused:  Juan Manuel Queirolo

Referee:  Erickson w.

Points Scorers:

South Africa
Tries:  Halstead T.M. 2, Hall D. 1, Matfield V. 1, Smit W.J. 1, Meyer W. 1, Skinstad R.B. 1, Van Der Westhuizen J. 1
Conv:  Koen L.J. 2, Van Straaten A.J.J. 5

Italy
Tries:  Benatti A. 1, Dominguez D. 1
Conv:  Dominguez D. 1, Mazzariol F. 1
Pen K.:  Dominguez D. 3
Drop G.:  Dominguez D. 1

New Zealand 40 Ireland 29

Another fine display from Ireland was not enough to give them their first ever win over New Zealand and, after a 20 minute second half blitz of four tries, the home side were undone 40-29 at Lansdowne Road in Dublin.

Chris Jack, in the first-half, Reuben Thorne, Doug Howlett, Aaron Mauger, Jonah Lomu and Dave Hewett were the All Black try scoring heroes while five point replies from Kevin Maggs, Denis Hickie and the excellent Eric Miller were not enough for a historic win.

Warren Gatland can be proud of his troops, who just one minute into the second-half led the game 21-7 but his ex-Waikato colleague and new New Zealand coach John Mitchell can take a lot of satisfaction from his first game and first win in charge.

The All Blacks forward, once they had shaken off their early lethargy were simply irresitable and apart from 60 seconds after half-time anything but a win for the tourists, their 14th over Ireland, would have been a travesty.

The Irish began the game well and Humphreys confidently knocked over his first penalty from fully 43 metres after only three minutes.

New Zealand, looking a little rusty after two and a half months of inactivity, looked dangerous in the early stages especially Byron Kelleher, who was putting a lot of pressure on Humphreys in the pocket.

However the home side deservedly took the lead after 13 minutes.

Inevitably it was the genius of O'Driscoll, who cut open the All Blacks defence around half-way.  The ball was recycled out by Stringer to Humphreys.  The Ulster outside-half scythed through some non-existent All Black defence before spotting Maggs on his shoulder.

The powerful Bath centre evaded a last-gasp Umaga tackle to go under the post and Humphreys easily tapped over the conversion.

Five minutes later a wonderful Humphreys drop goal 10 metres outside the 22 put 13 points between the sides and John Mitchell's All Blacks were well and truly rattled.

Midway through the opening period, Ireland should have gone further ahead.

A somewhat cumbersome looking Jonah Lomu was well tackled within his own 22.  Ireland won the ball and a fine Shane Horgan break drew in the defence for David Wallace.

The Irish Lion went for glory with at least four attackers in support, and his over delayed attempted pass was accidentally knocked on by Norm Maxwell and with it a gilt edged opportunity was lost.

The Irish were left to rue that missed opportunity, when after a period of concerted All Black pressure the All Blacks' big 6ft 7in Canterbury lock Jack went over the whitewash for his second try for his country.

Five minutes before half-time, the New Zealand forwards set up a series of phases of rucks.  The Irish defence stood firm but it was left to the giant Jack to pick up the ball and stretch over Peter Stringer to touch down for the All Blacks first try of the game.

Then, another monster Humphreys penalty just before half-time put two scores between the two teams and a 16-7 lead at the break.

Whatever Irish coach Gatland said to his team had the interval worked immediately, when the Irish came out fired up and with all their guns blazing.

Two New Zealand players were penalised for crossing just outside their own 22 and from the resulting scrum O'Driscoll got on the ball once more.

The Dubliner tried to go for the line himself but was fortunate to have Hickie in support.  The Leinster wing bounced All Blacks full-back Leon MacDonald backwards and went down in the corner for Ireland's second try.  Humphreys missed a difficult conversion from the near touchline to leave the score 21-7 in the home side's favour.

The All Blacks hit back instantly after MacDonald, slotting in well in the absence of Chris Cullen's, was half stopped inside the Ireland 22.  He was able to get the ball out to his No.8 Scott Robertson and the Canterbury back row held off another couple of defenders before right wing Howlett crashed over under Hickie's last ditch challenge.  Mehrtens missed conversion meant Ireland were still two points to the good with half hour still to play.

Moments later Humphreys extended the Irish lead for the final time following a perfect drop goal from 34 metres, 24-19.

However by this time the All Blacks were looking likely to break through every time and seemed certain to open the floodgates.

After 56 minutes Lomu, who worringly for the Irish was getting more and more into the game as an injured Horgan ceased up, gathered possession and passed to Canterbury captain Mauger.  The 20-year-old had to work hard to break three tackles and touch down.  Mehrtens this time made no mistake from the conversion.

Six minutes later, after a line-out was won deep inside the Irish 22, it was no surprise when Lomu went under the Irish posts unopposed for his third try against the men in green.

The ball was span cross from Kelleher and Mauger fed Lomu.  The Wellington wing was coming in at a great angle and steamed in easily.

The big man after scoring New Zealand's fourth try of the game was involved again for the fifth just after the hour mark.

He crashed through a couple of tackles but was held up inches short of the try line.  From the ruck a clever Kelleher pass inside put the replacement Dave Hewett, on for Greg Feek, in for another debut try to seal the game with the All Blacks 40-24 ahead.

A last minute try from the unsung Leinster blindside Miller, crashing down after a line-out and rolling maul were won, was mere consolation for another brave but ultimately unsuccessful Irish display.

Man of the match:  Richard McCaw.  Phew!  What a debut from the 20-year-old Canterbury openside flanker.  McCaw was everywhere through much of the 80 minutes belying his lack of experience at international level.  He gave David Wallace a torrid time throughout and his strong running and ball winning skills gave confidence for a fightback when New Zealand were stuttering in the first half.

Moment of the Match:  David Wallace glorious try scoring opportunity midway through the opening period with Ireland 13-0 ahead and the All Blacks rocking.  A Lomu mistake was picked up and opposite number Horgan drove at the New Zealand defence.  He passed to the Irish Lion who went for glory.  Four Irishmen were inside of the Munster openside but he elected to hold on.  He over delayed a pass which was accidentally knocked on and with a chance lost to put at least 20 points between the two teams.

Villain of the Match:  It would be harsh to pinpoint anyone as a villain at the end of a thrilling Test match.  We all understood why Wallace tried to score himself with support in abundance in the first half but after the break the tourists were simply irresistible and fully deserved the plaudits at the end of the near perfect advertisement for the breathtaking excitement of glorious international rugby.

The Teams:

New Zealand:  1 Greg Somerville, 2 Anton Oliver (c), 3 Greg Feek, 4 Chris Jack, 5 Norm Maxwell, 6 Richard McCaw, 7 Reuben Thorne, 8 Scott Robertson, 9 Byron Kelleher, 10 Andrew Mehrtens, 11 Doug Howlett, 12 Aaron Mauger, 13 Tana Umaga, 14 Jonah Lomu, 15 Leon MacDonald
Reserves:  David Hewett
Unused:  Ben Blair, Marty Holah, Dion Waller, Tom Willis, Caleb Ralph, Mark Robinson

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:  Gary Longwell, Mike Mullins, Emmet Byrne
Unused:  Kieron Dawson, Guy Easterby, Ronan O'Gara, Frankie Sheahan

Attendance:  49000
Referee:  Watson a.

Points Scorers:

New Zealand
Tries:  Hewett D.N. 1, Howlett D.C. 1, Jack C.R. 1, Mauger A.J.D. 1, Lomu J.T. 1, Thorne R.D. 1
Conv:  Mehrtens A.P. 5

Ireland
Tries:  Hickie D.A. 1, Miller E.R.P. 1, Maggs K.M. 1
Conv:  Humphreys D.G. 1
Pen K.:  Humphreys D.G. 2
Drop G.:  Humphreys D.G. 2