ABs fail to break SA resolve

New Zealand came up short against South Africa in the Tri-Nations on Saturday, going down 28-19 after fighting back from 17-3 down.

As with last week, it was the first half that cost the All Blacks.  A dire 47 minutes left them trailing 17-3 and having had barely a sniff of the line.  Only when Conrad Smith wove his way through three tackles to score a scintillating solo try did the belief finally begin to course through the black shirts.  This time it was too late.

Last week's slow All Black start could have been forgiven.  But this is now two weeks in a row.  The first-half statistics -- three line-outs lost out of seven, two scrums out of five, only 20 per cent of the first half-hour possession and eight penalties conceded -- would be gruesome reading for Graham Henry and co. in isolation, but couple that with similar stats from last week and you have a burgeoning problem.  Expect a first half of fire and improved set pieces from the All Blacks in Durban next week in response.

South Africa's gameplan was as limited as we have seen all year -- even more so than against the Lions.  So much for Peter de Villiers' initial ideals of expansive and beautiful rugby.  Debate rages on about whether he coaches the team or they do their own thing with him giving bits of advice, but the unity of purpose here suggests that players and coach are now singing from the same songsheet, regardless of whose it is.

It ain't pretty though.  Bryan Habana had nothing to do bar chasing kicks, a task he set about with gusto -- it probably saved him from frostbite, so cold was the rarified Bloemfontein air.  Fourie du Preez controlled the game peerlessly from the base of the scrum with the boot, teaching Brendon Leonard a masterclass in the measured arts.  It was no coincidence that when Piri Weepu brought his own culture to the game, things evened up immeasurably -- Graham Henry should take careful note there, using Weepu and Leonard with the latter making an impact would have been a far better option.

Leonard was also penalised twice for feeding at the scrum;  a laudable initiative from Alain Rolland but one he failed to sustain.  one scrum feed, from Fourie du Preez in the second half, actually surprised number eight Spies so much that the ball popped out and was stolen by the All Blacks.  Overfeed!

The South African ball rarely made it past the centres;  so blinkered were they to the concept of keeping it near the forwards that even Jean de Villiers at one point eschewed a three-man overlap, not even looking outside, and popped it inside to an onrushing forward.  Stephen Donald's channel was mercilessly targeted, a tactic which only really half-worked.

The driving maul, also frequently employed, worked a good deal better.  Out of all the nations in world rugby to try and react since those abominable ELVs were dropped, South Africa have mastered the driving maul the best.

But the abrasion and pressure created by the green-clad Leviathans bullied out the penalties which ultimately won them the game.  Had Ruan Pienaar had his kicking boots on, it could have been wrapped up by the break.

New Zealand's attempts to move the ball wide foundered under that forward pressure as well, not to mention some abysmal execution at times which occasionally left you wondering if the All Blacks hadn't merely first met each other on the flight over.  Again, Leonard's hesitancy as he felt his way into the game was a drawback, but neither Nonu nor Donald found any change from the defence and Joe Rokocoko and Sitiveni Sivivatu were wrapped up tight.  Once throttled, the All Black game went limp.

The visitors took an early lead after De Villiers had conceded a needless penalty for a late tackle and Donald had landed his first, but that was cancelled out by Frans Steyn from over 50m when Brad Thorn was caught not rolling away.

Pienaar hit the post with two more penalties -- one of them a sitter -- as the home side's intensity with the ball up-jumper and accuracy with the boot told.  The ball-carrying from Juan Smith and Pierre Spies in particular was exceptional.

Pienaar made it third time lucky as the All Blacks collapsed a maul, precipitating a nine-minute spell where the Boks did not leave the All Blacks 22 except to take a line-out for a clearance kick.  It culminated in a try for Pienaar, who looped the tackled De Villiers and cantered though the space vacated by Rokocoko into the corner.

Frans Steyn added a penalty on the half-hour to make it 14-3, Pienaar missed another sitter on the stroke of half-time as the Boks took full control.

Pienaar did not emerge from the dressing room after the break as a result of a foot injury, but replacement Morne Steyn fitted the initial bill, landing the first penalty of the half for a marginal offside involving Smith.

Momentum swung dramatically when Smith scored his try, with New Zealand looking more energetic, more effective and more cohesive.  Passes stuck, turnovers were forced, gaps sprung up in the green wall.  Donald narrowed the gap from the tee to 17-13, having converted the try.  It seemed as if those missed kicks might come back to haunt the Boks.

Frans Steyn steadied the boat with a penalty, but Donald once again pegged him back.  New Zealand had it all to do still with 17 minutes to go but the opposition was in sight.

But with eight minutes to go, Weepu dithered at the back of a ruck and Kieran Read over-ran him.  Spies hacked the ball forward, Weepu rescued it then threw a silly no-look past, picked off by Juan Smith who gave Jaque Fourie the run-in for the killer try.

In the final minutes, Donald's penalty gave New Zealand license to dream of a late winner once more before Morne Steyn sealed the deal with two minutes to go.

Man of the match:  Hard work up front was the order of the day, and the hardest and most effective grafter of all was Pierre Spies.  He's not just about the tries he scores in Super 14 ...

Moment of the match:  The killer blow was Jaque Fourie's try

Villain of the match:  A few bits of niggle, but nothing too untoward.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Tries:  Pienaar, Fourie
Pens:  F Steyn 2, Pienaar, M Steyn 3

For New Zealand:
Try:  Smith
Con:  Donald
Pens:  Donald 4

South Africa:  15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 John Smit (c), 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Replacements:  16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Morne Steyn, 22 Wynand Olivier.

New Zealand:  15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:  16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Jason Eaton, 19 Kieran Read, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Luke McAlister, 22 Cory Jane.

Referee:  Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Assistant referees:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Tim Hayes (Wales)
TMO:  Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)

All Blacks take advantage

New Zealand have won the opening match of the 2009 Tri-Nations, struggling past Australia 22-16 in Auckland on Saturday.

Having trailed 13-10 at half-time, the All Blacks utilised the stiff breeze at their backs to full advantage in the second half and played the game firmly in Australia's half.  Three penalties from the boot of Stephen Donald did the trick as Australia failed to find away through the All Black defence and the men in yellow made far too many infringements.

Australia will look at it as one that got away.  Stirling Mortlock was candid in his on-pitch post-match interview that his side's discipline let them down and it was hard to argue with him.  There were 12 penalties conceded in all, far too many at this level, and the turnover count will be gruesome reading for Robbie Deans when it arrives.

Then there were the first half errors that cost the Wallabies precious points.  Berrick Barnes, having scored one wonderful try himself already, utterly ruined what was effectively a five on two overlap through a mixture of indecision and poor execution under pressure.  All he needed to do was draw and pass.  He was not the only guilty party when it came to decision-making though.

In the other camp, New Zealand will need to up their game before travelling to South Africa to face the Boks.  The men in black missed 19 tackles in all, also losing four of their own throws at the line-out.  Excellent work in the rucks was often undone by a lack of cohesion in the half-backs and only when Piri Weepu took a firm hold of the game at scrum-half did the All Blacks find their shape.

Tactically, Australia came with a high-risk policy of committing as few people as possible to the rucks.  It worked to an extent -- certainly they played all the rugby in the opening half-hour -- but the Wallabies have to be prepared for opponents to counter it physically.  The strategy only works if the service from the base of the scrum is crisp and zippy.  Today it was not and the All Blacks were able to pile in the numbers and win those turnovers as a result.

But after 25 minutes you would have been a fool to predict a New Zealand win.  Australia led 13-3, a scoreline which flattered New Zealand.  The Wallabies did all the attacking, moving the ball ably and sweetly with Matt Giteau and Barnes alternating at fly-half to direct the traffic.

After five minutes, Barnes took a ball on the short side at pace and sliced through, beating off two weak covering tackles to get to the line for a super opening score which Giteau converted.

When Giteau landed a penalty four minutes later to make it 10-0, there seemed already to be little way back for the hosts, who just could not keep pace with the Wallaby movement.

Yet the Wallaby scrum provided a point of weakness for the All Blacks to concentrate on, with Al Baxter given a rough ride both by Tony Woodcock and referee Craig Joubert.  It was a little chink of armour the All Blacks used well.  Stephen Donald missed a chance from the tee after Baxter had been penalised once, he made no mistake five minutes later after Mortlock had been caused offside at a high kick.

The match turning point could well have been Barnes' missed opportunity.  Donald had a kick charged down from a line-out, a charge-down with more than a whiff of offside about it.

Giteau did wonderfully to regather and pop a pass out, almost while sliding across the turf on his belly.  Barnes took the ball at pace and had Mortlock and Smith coming close at straight angles, Horwill inside him and Drew Mitchell out wide to pass to.

Too many options?  Maybe, but at this level you have to make a decision.  Barnes dummied a switch with Mortlock which Muliaina read well.  The full-back caught Barnes, whose offload to the onrushing Smith was too late, too hard, too high and knocked on.  Giteau's penalty a minute later for hands in the ruck did nothing to ease the sense that a huge opportunity to take a match-winning lead had been blown;  there's a world of difference between 13-3 and 17-3.

On 25 minutes, the All Blacks finally stitched together a movement off a line-out and it yielded a try for Richie McCaw.  Sitiveni Sivivatu and Rodney So'oialo -- both of whom stood out as workhorses all night -- combined to make ground in midfield, then after a few more phases Conrad Smith broke the line and offloaded inside to McCaw for a score through a gap where a back-row should have been covering.

Australia's attack kept plugging away with some ever more creative formations, not least the move which had five players as a running screen in front of Giteau standing deep, but couldn't find a way through to extend the lead to the extent that it should have been with that wind at their backs.  Indeed, had Mitchell not batted down the pass from Donald's clean break, Australia could have been behind at the break.

The second half began with a flurry of penalties, two to New Zealand and one to the Wallabies, tying the scores at 16-apiece.  But with Weepu on for Cowan, New Zealand found an extra measure of control, crucial to be able to utilise that wind properly and pin Australia back.

It became an arm-wrestle, which suited New Zealand far more.  On the hour, they took the lead again after a dreadful pass from Burgess saw Giteau's kick charged down.  Three phases later, George Smith was fortunate not to be yellow-carded for the hand that took the ball out of Weepu's hands at the ruck, but Donald's penalty was punishment enough.

Australia had another gilt-edged chance to launch a line-threatening attack after Kieran Read dropped a high ball in his own 22, but the ball was turned over at second phase, once again with the Wallabies failing to commit enough people to secure possession.  It was turned over and hoofed a mile downfield.

Donald landed another with eight minutes to go, as Australia upped their desperation levels, to seal the game.

Man of the match:  Hard work was the order of the day in this win and none worked harder than Jerome Kaino.

Moment of the match:  It has to be the missed chance to go two tries ahead from Australia in the first half.  They could have been out of sight if that had been run home.

Villain of the match:  So clean it was almost sanitised!  No award.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Try:  McCaw
Con:  Donald
Pens:  Donald 5

For Australia:
Try:  Barnes
Con:  Giteau
Pens:  Giteau 3

New Zealand:  15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:  16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Jason Eaton, 19 Kieran Read, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Luke McAlister, 22 Josevata Rokocoko.

Australia:  15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Stirling Mortlock (c), 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 George Smith, 6 Richard Brown, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 James Horwill, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements:  16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 Phil Waugh, 20 David Pocock, 21 Will Genia, 22 James O'Connor.

Referee:  Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees:  Marius Jonker (South Africa), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
TMO:  Vinny Munro (New Zealand)

US Eagles pip Canada

The US Eagles celebrated Independence Day with a hard-fought 12-6 victory over Canada in Saturday's Rugby World Cup qualifying tie at the Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.

The winner over two legs, the second of which will be played in Edmonton, Canada on 11 July, will claim the Americas 1 spot in Pool A of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand to face the host nation as well as France, Tonga and the top Asian qualifier.

The loser moves on to face Uruguay, the winner of the South American qualification phase, in a two-match series to determine the Americas 2 qualifier in Pool C against Australia, Ireland, Italy and the Europe 2 qualifier.

In Oceania, Papua New Guinea overcame the Cook Islands in Port Moresby 29-21 to win the Oceania Cup and reach the region's qualifying final.

The PNG side now faces a daunting two-match series against relative heavyweights Samoa, who finished outside the top three in their 2007 World Cup pool meaning they had to qualify for the 2011 event.

Veteran USA fly half Mike Hercus kicked all of the USA's as the Eagles ground out a first win against Canada since 2005.

Hercus kicked one drop goal and three penalty goals in the sweltering South Carolina heat in front of a patriotic home crowd.

"The forwards played exceptionally well.  They built the platform for Hercus and he executed.  Canada is always a very tough competitor and this was a hard fought match.  But I thought these boys deserved this victory," said USA coach Eddie O'Sullivan.

"We missed a couple of opportunities, but a win is a win and I'm really happy we could get the job done at home.  Now we just need to repeat it next week."

Hercus was named man of the match, but remained modest about his own performance.

"I just happen to be the kicker, the forwards did all the hard work.  It was a tough game and they played very well.

"We only had five guys on the team, including myself, who had ever beaten Canada before and of course this is our biggest game of the year.  This is about as good as it gets," said Hercus, who was joined by Mike MacDonald, Todd Clever, Salesi Sika and Paul Emerick on the team that dealt Canada a 20-19 defeat in the 2005 Churchill Cup tournament.

Canada coach Kieran Crowley tipped his hat to the USA's effort and knows that his side will have to perform a lot better next weekend to avoid the play-off withUruguay.

"They just out-passioned us and they deserved the win," said Crowley after the match.  "That's what this series is about and today we just weren't good enough.

"They got good go-forward ball and our ball was slow.  In the first half we got sucked into their game a little bit and the pressure just kept on."

The scorers:

For the United States:
Pens:  Hercus 3
Drop:  Hercus

For Canada:
Pens:  Pritchard 2

The teams:

United States:  15 Chris Wyles, 14 Takudzwa Ngwenya, 13 Paul Emerick, 12 Roland Suniula, 11 Kevin Swiryn, 10 Mike Hercus, 9 Tim Usasz, 8 Nic Johnson, 7 Todd Clever (c), 6 Louis Stanfill, 5 Hayden Smith, 4 John Van der Giessen, 3 Shawn Pittman, 2 Chris Biller, 1 Mate Moeakiola.
Replacements:  16 Brian McClenahan, 17 Mike MacDonald, 18 Alec Parker, 19 JJ Gagiano, 20 Mike Petri, 21 Ata Malifa, 22 Alipate Tuilevuka.

Canada:  13 DTH van der Merwe, 12 Ryan Smith, 11 Justin Mensah-Coker, 10 Ander Monro, 9 Ed Fairhurst, 8 Aaron Carpenter, 7 Adam Kleeberger, 6 Jebb Sinclair, 5 Tyler Hotson, 4 Mike Burak, 3 Dan Pletch, 2 Pat Riordan, 1 Kevin Tkachuk.
Replacements:  16 Mike Pletch,17 Andrew Tiedemann, 18 Frank Walsh, 19 Stu Ault, 20 Nanyak Dala, 21 Phil Mack, 22 Ciaran Hearn.

Referee:  Alan Lewis (Ireland)

Lions win back their pride

The British and Irish Lions notched their first win in eight Tests on Saturday, beating South Africa convincingly 28-9 in Johannesburg.

The tourists had been widely-tipped to fall flat on their faces in the third match, a dead rubber at the end of a long tour.  Not a bit of it.  All the energy and pride associated with the proud red jersey was on display for the full eighty minutes, while the Boks floundered under the weight of changes and occasional lack of experience at key moments.

But South Africa will not garner any sympathy.  They took to the fields with white armbands emblazoned with "Justice 4", a puerile protest at the two-week ban handed out to the Bakkies Botha.  It was an absolutely ludicrous idea, which smacked of Peter de Villiers' nonsensical thinking and deserves full censure from the IRB, who must surely examine this brazen flouting of their authority and take some form of action.

The stats also tell a little tale.  The Lions have outscored their hosts by seven tries to five, and by 74 points to 63 over the three games.  The key stat is obviously the 2-1 series defeat, but small wonder that the tourists did a lap of honour at the end.  The Lions brand is alive and strong and whatever the result, credit has to be lavished upon the touring party for the way they have gone about their business.

The Lions set their stall out to up the pace of the game early on, eschewing kicks for touch for measured up and unders or the mesmerising counter-attack talents of Rob Kearney.  It worked a charm.  Riki Flutey and Shane Williams got ball in the danger zones as a result and rather than the blunt hammer of the first two Tests, the Lions wielded a honed sword in attack.  Martyn Williams in particular, was pure class, aided by his team-mates' deft handling skills.

They were in fine fettle in the set-pieces too.  At the first scrum both Phil Vickery and Andy Sheridan annihilated their opposite numbers, forcing a penalty.  Stephen Jones missed with his first, but succeeded minutes later after a penalty conceded for not releasing the tackled player -- the Boks' fourth penalty to zero from the Lions.

Those points were donated back at the restart, with Shane Williams slicing the clearance kick and the Boks forcing a penalty from the resulting line-out and subsequent phases.

In defence, the tourists tightened up significantly, not so much in technique but with some indomitable spirit.  Flutey put in a monstrous hit on Wynand Olivier, while Joe Worsley's backtrack to grad Odwa Ndungane by the ankles was near-miraculous.

The Boks looked like a team with ten changes at times, especially in defence.  Heinrich Brüssow, mentioned by Ieuan Evans before the game as a possible player of the series, was nowhere to be seen.  Martyn Williams was everywhere -- at times the gulf in positioning ability and game-reading was that of tutor and tutee.  Brüssow lashed out at Williams after 63 minutes as his frustration boiled over;  he was not the only Bok to have a go as they faced an ignominious defeat in a pugnacious final twenty minutes.

There was not the same accuracy at the rucks and mauls from the men in green, especially with the ball in hand.  As a result, the Lions forced all sorts of turnovers, two of which yielded tries.

The first one was imbued with a whiff of controversy, with South Africa justly complaining that Simon Shaw had run in front of Jamie Heaslip as the Irish number eight broke the line on the blindside.

Neither Stuart Dickinson nor Vinny Munro picked it up though, and Heaslip drew Zane Kirchner masterfully before popping inside to Shane Williams for the opening score under the posts.

A bizarre missed conversion followed, as the ball fell off the tee during Jones' run-up and he was unable to pick it up and drop goal it in time -- and was there just a sniff of a lash-out from Brüssow's boot as he smothered Jones?

8-3 seemed precarious, but the Lions quickly put that to rights with the try of the series.  Flutey's chip bounced kindly, but his catch and flip over his head to Williams was as instinctive as it was scintillating.  Williams again had the simplest of run-ins to the posts and this time there was no intervening gust of wind.

In between the two there could have been a third try had anyone chased up Williams' infield kick but it was perhaps the one criticism of the Lions at times.

The Boks got themselves a toe back in the door at the end of the half, controlling the ball better and tempting Simon Shaw to incur the wrath of the crowd with a knee to the upper back of Fourie du Preez.  Shaw got ten minutes, but Du Preez did not re-appear after half-time -- given the atmosphere around the tams with regard to foul play, a citing will surely follow.

Two more penalties followed the line-out, the second of which Morné Steyn knocked over on half-time to make it 15-6, a deserved lead for the tourists.

The game followed a similar pattern in the second half, although Francois Steyn's introduction sparked a bit of life into the South African attack.

Tommy Bowe made a terrific cover tackle on Ndungane, knocking the ball out of the winger's hands as he neared the corner.

The decisive moment came on 55 minutes.  As the Boks searched for the try out wide that would get them back into it, Ugo Monye came in off his wing.  It's a defensive move that has cost the Lions four or five tries during this series but this time the Harlequins flyer picked off the floated pass and hared away for an 80m try under the posts.

That sealed the game.  The Boks fought briefly and secured three further points from the boot of Steyn, but discipline crumbled under pressure, enabling Jones to put the game out of reach with two quick penalties.

Man of the match:  Another magnificent performance from Martyn Williams in his last showing in a Lions jersey.

Moment of the match:  Ugo Monye's intercept -- with a little juggle and against a three-man overlap to put hearts in mouths -- killed it all off.

Villain of the match:  Quite a few nasty moments.  Simon Shaw will no doubt be censured for his knee to Fourie du Preez's back, while Francois Steyn was fortunate not to catch Mike Phillips with a vicious backhand swing.  One apiece there ... so a joint award.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Pens:  Steyn 3

For the British & Irish Lions:
Tries:  S.Williams 2, Monye
Cons:  Jones 2
Pens:  Jones 3

Yellow card:  Shaw (Lions, 38, knee)

South Africa:  15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Jongi Nokwe, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Johann Muller, 3 John Smit, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements:  16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Guthro Steenkamp, 18 Dean Carstens, 19 Steven Sykes, 20 Pierre Spies, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Frans Steyn.

British & Irish Lions:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Ugo Monye, 13 Tommy Bowe, 12 Riki Flutey, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Joe Worsley, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Phil Vickery, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements:  16 Ross Ford, 17 John Hayes, 18 Alun-Wyn Jones, 19 David Wallace, 20 Tom Croft, 21 Harry Ellis, 22 James Hook.

Referee:  Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Assistant referee:  Christophe Berdos (France), Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
Television match official:  Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assessor:  Tappe Henning

Morné Steyn sinks the Lions

A last-minute penalty by Morné Steyn gave South Africa a 28-25 victory and 2-0 series lead over the British & Irish Lions in Pretoria on Saturday.

The Lions will head back to Johannesburg seething.  They will likely fly back to Britain and Ireland still seething.  And it's safe to say, Christophe Berdos will not have any cards with Joyeaux Noël write across it on Lions stationary any time soon.

How the French referee failed to send Schalk Burger off for gouging is beyond belief.  Not only was Burger caught on the giant TV screens picking furiously at Luke Fitzgerald's eyes, but assistant Bryce Lawrence also caught the incident and reported it.  Berdos thought for a minute, and chickened out ingloriously, telling Burger to keep his fingers to himself in future and dispatching him for ten minutes.  It was a like a suspended sentence for a murder.

It had, for the sake of the game which is being increasingly blighted by this most cowardly of crimes, to be a red card.  It was not.

In a match decided with the final kick, it was the ultimate turning point and it was in the opening minute.  The likely subsequent citing and long ban will do nothing to remove the sour taste in the Lions' mouths, but Peter de Villiers' ridiculous and detestable denial of the offence -- "Ach, it's sport, man, this is what it's all about" -- after the game will merely exacerbate it -- both to the British rugby public and, potentially, the world's.

Burger aside, Ronan O'Gara will also have to take a long period of deep introspection.  The blood rushed in the final minute, and instead of settling for a kick to touch which would have secured the draw he launched a huge up and under, following it up with a hot-blooded mid-air shoulder charge on Fourie du Preez.  Steyn had to land a kick from 55 metres, but in his home stadium and at altitude, it was always his to make.  O'Gara should never have given that opportunity, certainly not in that fashion.

There were so many other talking points.  Did the Lions have their game eviscerated by losing both props to injury in the 46th minute?  The South African comeback after that point suggests so.  Should JP Pietersen have been yellow-carded for his atrocious tackle on Rob Kearney shortly after Burger had returned?  Most definitely.  The Lions were no angels in a Test match of shuddering physicality, but the pick of the fouls -- aside from O'Gara's -- came from the men in green.

Enough of all that now though, instead, let's have a sift through the finest Test match all those lucky enough to be in Loftus have seen for some time.

In a rip-roaring first half, the Lions did everything they had to do, not only to take control of the game but to make the strongest statement possible to their hosts that this series would go all the way to the wire.

There was physical intimidation, a magnificent scrum against the head on their own five-metre line, an early try and a domination of possession that will have warmed the hearts of the coaching team who have made that kind of style their priority.  By 25 minutes, the Lions had enjoyed a staggering 71 per cent of the ball in play and were good value for perhaps more than their 13-5 lead.

The Lions had heroes everywhere -- no-one more so than 35-year-old lock Simon Shaw, whose magnificent Test debut gained its deserving reward when he was named man of the match.

South Africa kept themselves in the contest as Bryan Habana, his fellow wing JP Pietersen and substitute centre Jaque Fourie scored tries, the latter just six minutes from time following lengthy deliberation by Australian television official Stuart Dickinson.

Steyn added 10 points from the boot, while his namesake Francois slotted a long-range effort, and the Lions were thwarted.

It was a game that had everything, and is still not over for Springboks flanker Schalk Burger, who must surely be facing a disciplinary hearing on Sunday after he clearly eye-gouged Lions wing Luke Fitzgerald inside the first minute of the match.

Referee Christophe Berdos opted for a yellow card for Burger, who was winning his 50th cap, but television replays suggested it should have been red, with Burger now looking certain to be cited by the match commissioner.

The Lions cashed in on his 10-minute absence, taking the lead through a Jones penalty and then carving South Africa open by creating a quality try for Kearney.

Berdos had been forced to issue a warning just seconds before following a dust-up sparked by Springboks lock Victor Matfield, yet the Lions kept their focus.

Scrum-half Mike Phillips launched a blindside attack, and Jones' exquisite off-load freed Kearney, who finished majestically.

Jones' effortless touchline conversion put the Lions 10-0 ahead after they delivered a start in stark contrast to their efforts in Durban seven days ago.

South Africa needed an immediate response, and it arrived within five minutes when flanker Juan Smith and Du Preez combined from a lineout and Pietersen exploded through an inviting midfield gap.

Ruan Pienaar hit the post with an easy conversion attempt, before a second Jones penalty and a magnificent defensive Lions scrum under pressure underlined their colossal first-half improvement from last weekend.

The Lions were once again confident with ball in hand, and after going through the phases deep inside Springboks territory, Jones dropped a short-range goal.

It was impressively assured rugby from the Lions, and although Steyn booted a long-range penalty as half-time approached, South Africa still had it all to do at 16-8 adrift.

There were big problems for the Lions though within six minutes of the restart as props Jenkins and Jones both went off.

Jenkins clashed heads with Habana, and was forced off nursing a head wound, but worse was to follow when Jones suffered a serious-looking arm injury.

Lock Alun-Wyn Jones took over from his Ospreys colleague, with Andrew Sheridan replacing Jenkins, yet it meant uncontested scrums for the final 30 minutes.

A scoreless third quarter played into the Lions' hands, and the physical intensity of the match was further underlined when a collision between O'Driscoll and Springboks substitute Danie Rossouw ended with Rossouw going off just four minutes after joining the action.

O'Driscoll only lasted another two minutes though, making his exit after South Africa had cut the deficit in ruthless fashion.

Habana sprinted over for his 33rd Test try in 48 games, finishing off a rapier-like move, and substitute Steyn's conversion set up a gripping finish with the Lions leading 19-15.

Steyn then slotted a penalty that cranked up the pressure on the Lions, but the immaculate Jones quickly responded, making it 22-18 with 10 minutes left.

An injury to Roberts meant the Lions had to reorganise their back division, and they entered the closing stages with O'Gara at fly-half, Jones and wing Tommy Bowe in midfield and Fitzgerald and Shane Williams on the wings.

There was a sense of the Lions hanging on, and they relinquished their lead five minutes from time when Fourie squeezed in at the corner and Steyn booted the touchline conversion.

A draw would have been arguably the fair result -- but Steyn had other ideas.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Tries:  Pietersen, Habana, Fourie
Cons:  Pienaar, M Steyn
Pens:  M Steyn 2, F Steyn

For the Lions:
Try:  Kearney
Con:  Jones
Pens:  Jones 5
Drop goal:  Jones

South Africa:  15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Adi Jacobs, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 John Smit (captain), 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements:  16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Heinrich Brüssow, 21 Jaque Fourie, 22 Morné Steyn.

British and Irish Lions:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Luke Fitzgerald, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Paul O'Connell (captain), 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Andrew Sheridan, 17 Ross Ford, 18 Alun Wyn Jones, 19 Martyn Williams, 20 Harry Ellis, 21 Ronan O'Gara, 22 Shane Williams

Referee:  Christophe Berdos (France)
Assistant referees:  Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand), Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
TMO:  Stuart Dickinson (Australia)

Giteau kicks life out of France

Australia defeated a wearisome French outfit 22-6 on Saturday, but managed little else in a painfully dull encounter at ANZ Stadium.

Sydney's far from enthralling spectacle handed the Wallabies their fourteenth win from fifteen on home soil over recent seasons, which has to rank them as major contenders for the Tri-Nations.

That assessment is not due to their most recent showing oh no, it comes from the maturity of their squad as on-field combinations continue to grow.

One such pairing has been the Matt Giteau and Berrick Barnes balance at numbers ten and twelve, which set up the game's only five pointer.

But that seventeenth minute effort was the only highlight in an international that failed to match all of its midweek hype, with breakdown offences ultimately hurting Les Bleus as the hosts pulled clear.

Giteau's impressive team score came either side of two Australian penalties that sent the teams in at 10-3 on half time.  It was a much-needed break.

There could have been something to rival the pivot's effort soon after though, as Perpignan centre Maxime Mermoz found himself called back for offside by referee David Pearson, with a 50-metre run to the whitewash going begging.

Giteau added the three points that kept the scoreboard ticking over and so the pattern continued as Englishman Pearson struggled to impact any sort of flow on the 16-3 arrears in Sydney.

And with the looming prospect of a Bledisloe Cup opener against the All Blacks possibly in the back of Australia's minds, the trend continued until the final whistle in what was meant to be the perfect appetiser for South Africa versus the British & Irish Lions.

Man-of-the-match:  It would be easy to hand the award to Matt Giteau after he claimed everything else in Sydney for Australia.  But the hard graft and turnover work of flanker George Smith cannot be played down.  One for the forwards.

Moment of the match:  The simplest of decisions for this gong after Matt Giteau's first-half try proved the game's highlight.  Started by the former Western Force man, his long pass to Stirling Mortlock allowed Lachie Turner to slice inside before Berrick Barnes fed his fly-half.

Villain of the match:  Possibly the prospect of a Tri-Nations opener against New Zealand.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Giteau
Con:  Giteau
Pen:  Giteau 5

For France:
Pen:  Beauxis, Yachvili

Australia:  15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Stirling Mortlock (c), 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Richard Brown, 7 George Smith, 6 Dean Mumm, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 James Horwill, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements:  16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Phil Waugh, 19 David Pocock, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Ryan Cross, 22 James O'Connor.

France:  15 Damien Traille, 14 Maxime Medard, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Cedric Heymans, 10 Lionel Beauxis, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Julien Puricelli, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 5 Romain Millo Chluski, 4 Pascal Papé, 3 Sylvain Marconnet, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Fabien Barcella.
Replacements:  16 Guilhem Guirado, 17 Nicolas Mas, 18 Remy Martin, 19 Damien Chouly, 20 Julien Dupuy, 21 Vincent Clerc, 22 Julien Arias.

Referee:  Dave Pearson (England)
Assistant referees:  Chris Pollock (New Zealand), Garratt Williamson (New Zealand)

All Blacks stutter in Christchurch

Victory was posted by New Zealand on Saturday, but it was by no means plain sailing at AMI Stadium as Italy bravely fell short of the mark in 27-6 defeat.

Assistant Coach Wayne Smith had this week admitted the selection heat is on ahead of Tri-Nations 2009.  And after an Azzurri-dominated opening quarter of the game, squad roles felt the full glare of the spotlight in Christchurch.

But despite the territory statistic hugely favouring the visitors throughout, the All Blacks held their nerve to eventually pull away thanks to two scores after the hour that struggled to cover their cracks.

Italy had certainly come out fighting on their end-of-season tour finale -- carrying their Melbourne form over the Tasman -- with the play unbelievably reading 93 per cent in their favour a quarter in.

Add to that fact they almost crossed on four minutes but for Mils Muliaina being taken out mid-air by the onrushing Mirco Bergamasco, and this pre-billed formality might have finished even closer.

The Kiwis must now pick themselves up to face Australia and then South Africa slightly injury-hit and not in form -- don't even start fast-tracking one's thoughts to events on home soil in 2011.

Several changes had been made after reversing the negative against France last weekend.  Graham Henry called on a new half-back combination in the shape of Brendon Leonard and Luke McAlister, who certainly took time to bed into proceedings against the fired up Italians.

But the former Sale man's delicate chips over the top were one mini positive for the side under pressure before he got the ABs on the board with a penalty against the run of play.

The Kiwis had finally started to weather the fierce blue waves and when McAlister changed the momentum with a decent touch-finder downfield, the gap was widened to ten points.

Coming from the resulting lineout -- with impressive centre Gonzalo Garcia receiving treatment way downfield for a head knock -- the hosts took full advantage by stealing Leonardo Ghiraldini's lineout before Joe Rokocoko was picked out cross-field.

It was the much-need score for the winger as he powered over the Italian tacklers for his first Test score since the Romania fixture at Rugby World Cup 2007.

Some reward then finally came the way of Sergio Parisse and company after a good set-piece led to Ma'a Nonu infringing at ruck time.  Fly-half Luke McLean duly knocked over the posts to send the teams in with a ten-point margin.

The half-time territorial factor was still up at 69 per cent in favour of the visitors and there would have been plenty of encouraging signs for Mallett to take into the dressing room.  Henry on the other hand ...

The latter had obviously laid down the law during the break and must have warned that replacements would be utilised sooner rather than later if things didn't improve.

And he stuck to his word on 53 minutes as scrum-half Piri Weepu, flanker George Whitelock and prop Tony Woodcock all emerged from their tracksuits in an attempt to lift the intensity.

In the end though, it was a man called in during midweek that put the fixture beyond doubt as second row Isaac Ross galloped over following good work from Isaia Toeava, who had freed up space to allow Ali Williams' replacement to stroll through under the uprights.

The gloom was finally lifted and Ross proved the catalyst for their change of fortunes, as he enjoyed more ball on halfway before Nonu set up flanker Whitelock to seal matters.

But it was no means the margin of the last seven meetings between these two nations, which had seen the southern hemisphere heavyweights break the 50-point barrier.

Man-of-the-match:  Plenty of Italians performed well in Christchurch with mentions going to Craig Gower, Kaine Robertson and Leonardo Ghiraldini.  But the award goes to midweek call-up Isaac Ross, who is quickly establishing himself as a worthy understudy to Ali Williams.  The lock fully deserved his try and was very busy with ball in-hand.

Moment of the match:  Ross was involved in this too by breaking the line on halfway before Ma'a Nonu fed George Whitelock to score on debut.  How rugby should be played.

Villain of the match:  Played in good spirits so it goes unclaimed.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Rokocoko, Ross, G Whitelock
Con:  McAlister 3
Pen:  McAlister 2

For Italy:
Pen:  McLean 2

New Zealand:  15 Mils Muliaina (capt), 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Isaia Toeava, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Josevata Rokocoko, 10 Luke McAlister, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 John Afoa, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements:  16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Tony Woodcock, 18 Owen Franks, 19 Bryn Evans, 20 George Whitelock, 21 Piri Weepu, 22 Cory Jane.

Italy:  15 Luke McLean, 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Craig Gower, 9 Tito Tebaldi, 8 Sergio Parisse (captain), 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Ignacio Rouyet, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Salvatore Perugini.
Replacements:  16 Franco Sbaraglini, 17 Fabio Staibano, 18 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 19 Simone Favaro, 20 Giulio Toniolatti, 21 Kristopher Burton, 22 Matteo Pratichetti.

Referee:  George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees:  James Leckie (Australia), Ian Smith (Australia)
Television match official:  George Ayoub (Australia)
Assessor:  Wayne Erickson (Australia)

Wallabies hold off the Italians

Australia wrapped up their two-Test series against Italy on Saturday with very little to shout about in a fragmented 34-12 win in Melbourne.

Once again the Wallabies struggled to recapture the same rhythm that did for the Barbarians only a fortnight ago, which was partly down to Italy's ability to suffocate their opposition to a point that almost snatched the spoils.

But victory was eventually confirmed by the home side and they will now move towards a fixture against France with their all-star bench freshened and ready for action.  Let us hope it will be a humdinger across the Tasman.

Atmosphere there was not in Melbourne and the 22-point margin failed to reflect how the 80 minutes actually panned out, with the physical Azzurri impressing until Lachie Turner's 70th minute try opened the floodgates.

Full-back James O'Connor was slightly flat following last week's hat-trick and endured a nightmare opening to the game by dropping a simple high ball moments into the game that led to Luke McLean's opening match points.

He did atone for his error later on but it was our Player to Watch, Tatafu Polota-Nau, who picked up the first of Australia's five tries after good running work from Luke Burgess and Quade Cooper allowed wing Turner to eventually feed his front-rower wide out.

Robbie Deans had opted to rest regular playmaker Matt Giteau this week in favour of shifting Berrick Barnes in one position and that option be key in giving them options ahead of their 2011 Rugby World Cup charge.

The kicking duties were in fact handed to a much more inexperienced team-mate though, in the shape of O'Connor to add a little bit more pressure on his young shoulders.  But unlike last weekend, the Wallabies were struggling for a territorial game as Italy held the upper hand around the hour mark.

That was until Turner's opportunistic score added to the 20-12 lead and from then on Australia made sure of victory, with Adam Ashley-Cooper adding to his first-half score to seal matters.

Man of the match:  It will become even tougher for Lote Tuqiri to reclaim his number fourteen jersey after Lachie Turner impressed again with an error-free performance.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  Polota-Nau, Cross, Ashley-Cooper 2, Turner
Con:  O'Connor 2, Barnes
Pen:  O'Connor

For Italy:
Pen:  McLean 4

Australia:  15 James O'Connor, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Quade Cooper, 11 Peter Hynes, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 George Smith (c), 7 David Pocock, 6 Peter Kimlin, 5 Dean Mumm, 4 James Horwill, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Pekahou Cowan.
Replacements:  16 Stephen Moore, 17 Benn Robinson, 18 Nathan Sharpe, 19 Phil Waugh, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Matt Giteau, 22 Adam Ashley-Cooper.

Italy:  15 Luke McLean, 14 Giulio Rubini, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Alberto Sgarbi, 10 Craig Gower, 9 Tito Tebaldi, 8 Sergio Parisse (capt), 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Jean Francois Montauriol, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Tommaso Reato, 3 Fabio Staibano, 2 Franco Sbaraglini, 1 Matias Aguero.
Replacements:  16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 Salvatore Perugini, 18 Quintin Geldenhuys, 19 Alessandro Zanni, 20 Giulio Toniolatti, 21 Kris Burton, 22 Roberto Quartaroli.

Referee:  Dave Pearson (England)
Assistant referees:  Garratt Williamson (New Zealand), TBC (New Zealand)

All Blacks struggle past France

New Zealand enacted a vague revenge for their shock defeat at the hands of France last week, beating the tourists 14-10 in a rain-soaked Wellington.

New Zealand came into the game desperate to atone for last week's uncharacteristic errors.  They had as passionate a crowd backing them as could be and two key players back in the mix to help them on their way.

But a south-wester blew up before kick-off, bringing a fine curtain of rain and bringing to an end any ambition either team had of being able to play cohesive running rugby.

The opening twenty minutes was poor enough to even dull the fervour of the crowd.  By the end of it we had had two missed penalty attempts at goal by Stephen Donald, a missed drop goal from Damien Traille and an awful lot of knock-ons.

We had also had as fine a piece of play-acting as will be found this side of the equator from Cedric Heymans, who milked a late hit from Ma'a Nonu for all it was worth and turning what should have been an All Black line-out 5m from the line into a French penalty.

But he who laughs last, laughs longest.  With New Zealand dominating territory and the French attempts to break out getting rarer and rarer, a home try looked inevitable.

It came after 23 minutes.  Following a good bust up the middle by Keven Mealamu, some quick possession had the French defence streaming over to the left-hand side and Joe Rokocoko headed off to the right.  Bizarrely, hooker William Servat managed to close him down, but Rokocoko's offload to Nonu inside saw the centre canter home in front of his home fans.

Stephen Donald missed his third of the night with the conversion, but that seemed not to matter as Mealamu once again inspired a move that culminated with Cory Jane going in at the corner among French bodies.

There then followed one of those ridiculous TMO conversations where neither referee nor TMO can make his mind up what should happen.  Replays showed Jane sliding over the line with enough of a glimpse of ball to suggest he had got it down, but with enough of Maxime Medard's arm underneath it to cast doubt on that.  The pair then slid into touch.  It could have been a try.  It could have been a 5m scrum to New Zealand.  What it absolutely was not was a 22m drop out to France.  The All Blacks were furious.

France fought their way back into it and carved out a pair of kicks for Julien Dupuy to have a go at goal, but one hit the post and the other flew well wide as time ticked on, then Donald landed a late penalty to make it 8-0 at the break.

The French started the second half with an ambush, when Jane left Heymans a little too much space on the right and the Toulouse flyer was away.  He tore down the left, stepping inside Joe Rokocoko before steaming the final 20 metres home for a scintillating 50m try.  Julien Dupuy's conversion brought his side to within a point.

But the half continued as the first had left off, with New Zealand dominating the territory and failing abjectly to convert their superiority into points.  Donald landed a penalty after 57 minutes but it was scant reward for their superior play.

As the benches emptied, New Zealand found that whatever they gained in individual skill they lost in team cohesion and the French began to spy a chance for another ambush.  Dimitri Yachvili screwed a kick horribly to the right and Brad Thorn got back to make a miracle ball-dislodging tackle on Vincent Clerc within diving distance of the line.

McAlister and Yachvili swapped penalties, the former's ground out of the French by heavy pressure, the latter's as a result of a silly offside at the restart.  New Zealand just could not get enough between themselves and the visitors.

Still the All Blacks hammered away and still nothing came.  The threat of a counter-attack or sucker-punch by France lurked, yet nothing came there either.  Piri Weepu booted the ball out triumphantly from the back of a scrum for the win, but New Zealand will have to be better than this in the Tri-Nations.

Man of the match:  Keven Mealamu delivered a storming performance from hooker, also helping in no small way with New Zealand's line-out dominance through some pinpoint throwing.

Villain of the match:  Cedric Heymans and Ma'a Nonu, the latter for the stupidity of following through with his shoulder even half-heartedly, the latter for his ludicrous parody of someone who had been late-tackled.  This is not football, gentlemen ...

Moment of the match:  Heymans' try.  A moment of individual magic that lit up a game floundering in the weather.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Try:  Nonu
Pens:  Donald 2, McAlister

For France:
Try:  Heymans
Con:  Dupuy
Pen:  Yachvili

New Zealand:  15 Mils Muliaina (c), 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Josevata Rokocoko, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:  16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 John Afoa, 18 Bryn Evans, 19 George Whitelock, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Luke McAlister, 22 Isaia Toeava.

France:  15 Maxime Medard, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Maxime Mermoz, 12 Damien Traille, 11 Cedric Heymans, 10 Francois Trinh-Duc, 9 Julien Dupuy, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (captain), 5 Romain Millo-Chluski, 4 Sebastien Chabal, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 William Servat, 1 Fabien Barcella.
Replacements:  16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Thomas Domingo, 18 Remy Martin, 19 Damien Chouly, 20 Dimitri Yachvili, 21 Florian Fritz, 22 Mathieu Bastareaud.

Referee:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Assistant referees:  George Clancy (Ireland), Nathan Pearce (Australia)
Television match official:  George Ayoub (Australia)
Assessor:  Andrew Cole (Australia)

Lions go down in Durban

In the end, it was all a little bit tame.  The Lions came to Durban, on the back of six victories and with confidence abounding, and were beaten 26-21 by the Boks.

There was fight at the death, and high drama as the tourists produced a super final quarter to narrow the gap to within a score.  But the game had long been lost in a dreadful first half -- in reality, it was the multiple changes that stumped the Boks' rhythm and nearly cost them their win, rather than any inherent superiority.

What on earth happened early on though?  The scrums, so talked up as the focal point of the Lions efforts, so derided in southern hemisphere teams as being devoid of the necessary technique and strength, were annihilated.  Phil Vickery alone on five occasions crumpled like a milk carton under an elephant's foot against Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira.  The Boks got six points from that alone.

The line-outs were always going to be difficult, but after losing two of the first four the Lions simply gave up kicking for touch and kicked down the sidelines instead, playing right into the hands of the big-booted Bok full-back Frans Steyn, who returned the kicks with interest.

The Boks were a yard faster to the breakdown every time, with the Lions often caught looking on and willing the carrier to break the line rather than heading off in support.  It was a classic team freeze.  A choke straight from the Greg Norman school of choking.  It was ruthlessly punished by a clinical home side that looked fresh, hungry and together.  Underdone?  Not a bit of it.  This was a champion team of near-limitless experience performing to its absolute prime.

The Lions may point with frustration at the officiating, which absolutely did not go their way until a frantic final quarter in which everything seemed to go the Lions' way.  They can point to two well-taken tries, two more TMO calls and Ugo Monye's drop of the ball in a tackle with the tryline begging.  There are bright spots for a team that needs to grow together still further.  They will point with fury too, at the farce that allowed John Smit back on after he had previously been substituted -- that has to warrant an investigation.

But they must also reflect that for the first hour the Boks made their own luck with the officials and however well the Lions fought back, there was far too much to do.  There are deficiencies all over the park that the Lions will have to address next week in Pretoria, in rucks, at scrums, with the boot and in attack with the ball in hand.

The faint hope for the Lions fans might have been that half-time could precipitate one of those miracle turnarounds.  Fat chance.  Within five minutes of the second half starting, the Boks pack had driven two mauls a combined total of 35 metres and scored their second try through Heinrich Brüssow.  If Lions heads had not dropped before, they did then.  It could have been a massacre.

In the end, there was enough fight in the tourists to avoid that.  The Boks sat back and defended patiently against an attack as imaginative as the latest Obama biography, concentrating on their numbers at the breakdown and waiting for the frustration and penalties to come, playing the percentages with their own possession.

The first try came so easily.  The Boks stole a line-out, and after an initial thrust by Jean de Villiers Ruan Pienaar floated a super kick across for JP Pietersen to chase.  The Boks won a 5m scrum at the breakdown, took the ball through three simple, quick phases, and John Smit crashed over near the posts on the third.

Worse came.  Vickery took the first two of his Beast-ings, and on the second Pienaar made it 10-0 from the tee.  Stephen Jones, who had already missed one long-range shot, missed a sitter from 30 metres, while Pienaar made no mistake after a no-arm tackle by Tom Croft, a hugely contestable decision.

David Wallace took a simple pop pass to break the line, but found himself running away from his support, which was scant anyway.  Then came another of those officiating moments, when Bryce Lawrence allowed a Lions advantage to go only one phase further before calling it over, raising the ire of the Lions players and fans alike.

Moments later came the first of the TMO calls, with Monye haring for the corner after a simple miss-move, and brilliantly double-tackled by Steyn and De Villiers, whose grab of the ball and flip of it free just as Monye was sliding over the line was genius.

On 22 minutes, Tom Croft scored a cracking try, started by Jamie Roberts' bust of a gap and offload to Brian O'Driscoll, and finished off when O'Driscoll showed the presence of mind to cut inside for Croft on the offload.

It was a brief flicker for first half momentum, which stayed with the hosts.  Beast conquered Vickery again:  16-7 -- courtesy of Steyn.  Tommy Bowe was left isolated by another raking Pienaar kick:  19-7.  That was it at the break.

The second half started with a shower of penalties against the Lions, including some lengthy advantage at a driving maul so palpably absent from the officiating of the Lions' efforts.

This time, the Boks eschewed the posts for the touchline and more driving.  Ultimately, they drove 55m down the pitch for Brussow to score the try that made it 26-7.

Phillips nearly struck right back, but he lost the ball in the tackle from Bakkies Botha as he lunged for the line -- the tightest of calls from the TMO, but once again, an act of desperation born out of a ludicrously short advantage allowance from referee Lawrence.

From then, Pienaar controlled the game with some raking kicks, with Steyn mopping up the return and the chasers tight as the nun's proverbial with their pattern, forcing the Lions to kick back and run down the clock.

The game was changed by the weird and wonderful changes of Peter de Villiers, who decided that Brussow should come off despite his magnificence at getting to the breakdown and that Smit and Beast no longer needed to boss the scrums.  Suddenly, the Lions clicked, kept their ball and forced penalty after penalty out of the Boks.

One went to the corner, and two rucks later, Tom Croft took an inside pass from Roberts to score the Lions' second.  With five minutes to go, Phillips made a trademark dummy and dart off the back of a ruck for a third, with Jones converting both to make it 26-21.

The stadium held its breath, while the Bok coaching team panicked and sent Smit back on to shore things up.  It worked to a degree, with the Boks also grateful to a tackle by Pierre Spies in the final minute that knocked the ball loose on the Lions' final attack.  But the Lions now know:  it can be done.  Next week, maybe it will be done in the first half as well.

Man of the match:  The Beast.  He was magnificent.

Moment of the match:  The 40m driving maul that led to the Boks' second try.  Awesome.

Villain of the match:  Why does Ricky Januarie have to start a fight every time he comes on the pitch?  He really is an unpleasant and unwelcome little man.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Tries:  Smit, Brussow
Cons:  Pienaar 2
Pens:  Pienaar 3, Steyn

For the Lions:
Tries:  Croft 2, Phillips
Cons:  S. Jones 3

South Africa:  15 Frans Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Adi Jacobs, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 John Smit (c), 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements:  16 Gurthrö Steenkamp, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Jaque Fourie, 22 Morné Steyn.

British & Irish Lions:  15 Lee Byrne, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Tom Croft, 5 Paul O'Connell (c), 4 Alun-Wyn Jones, 3 Phil Vickery, 2 Lee Mears, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Matthew Rees, 17 Adam Jones, 18 Donncha O'Callaghan, 19 Martyn Williams, 20 Harry Ellis, 21 Ronan O'Gara, 22 Rob Kearney.

Referee:  Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Stuart Dickinson, Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
Television match official:  Christophe Berdos (France)
Assessor:  Tappe Henning (South Africa)

O'Connor treble deflates Azzurri

Teenage full-back James O'Connor continued his meteoric rugby rise on Saturday as his hat-trick saw the Wallabies beat Italy 31-8 in Canberra.

Still at the tender age of only eighteen and with a hefty international future sure to follow, O'Connor supported well for his first two scores but saved the best until last by bumping off the mighty Sergio Parisse in the first of this two-Test series.

It's difficult to gauge the Wallabies at this early stage -- particularly as they have only played a jet-lagged Barbarians outfit and a nation who have not won for a year -- but what they do possess is a host of attacking weapons and solid defence that will serve them well in the 2009 Tri-Nations.

But while Robbie Deans will of course be pleased with how O'Connor took his chance, Italy's usual strangling tactics did make life difficult for the hosts to find any fluidity in the cold conditions.

Their first score did take just four minutes to arrive when an unmarked Lachie Turner was utilised well from his blindside wing to feed the young debutant.  So everything seemed to be going to the pre-match script with more five-pointers on their way, surely?

But that wasn't the case as the steely resolve of the Azzurri became prominent, with Mauro Bergamasco and captain Parisse made their presence felt -- the former's accidental knee collision with Lachie Turner's head leaving the back motionless for a period.

Unfortunately for the touring side though, who play the Wallabies again in Melbourne next week, their attacking arsenal did not match their tackling.  And with George Smith at his breakdown best throughout alongside the tactical kicking of you know who, Italy's efforts were few and far between as the scoreline remained at 5-0 on 25 minutes.

But from that moment up until the break the Wallabies finally clicked into some sort of rhythm to demonstrate the kind of form that did for the Barbarians last weekend.

First it was the in-form Giteau's late change of direction from behind the ruck that saw him pierce a gap before freeing his arms to send O'Connor over for his second.  Then his partner in crime, Berrick Barnes, was then on hand to set up the fly-half for a slightly fortuatest try under the posts on 33 minutes.

But from that moment up until the break the Wallabies finally clicked into gear and showed the kind of form that did for the Barbarians last weekend.

First it was the in-form Giteau's late change of direction from behind the ruck that saw him pierce a gap before freeing his arms to send O'Connor over for his second.  They weren't done there though as his partner in crime, Berrick Barnes, was then on hand to set up the fly-half for a slightly fortuitous try under the posts on 33 minutes.

Italy did respond before the interval with three points from the boot of Luke McLean, who had been pushed into the full-back role due to Australian-born Craig Gower's inclusion at ten, and they were also starting to look much more impressive on the turnaround.

And it was in fact Bayonne's 31-year-old that set up the Azzurri's first and only try on 43 minutes when his drop-goal dummy saw took him down the touchline before a switch with Kaine Robertson closed the gap to just nine points.

But the winger's score served only as false hope for Nick Mallett's side as Australia regrouped to dominate the second period with two more tries putting the game beyond doubt.  Stirling Mortlock's now typical surge against the grain got them going before O'Connor's crafty footwork left Parisse and Italy slightly embarrassed.

Man of the match:  We're not going to fall into the trap of building up a youngster to the point of stupidity but credit where credit is due, James O'Connor was impressive on debut.  However, the game award goes to Berrick Barnes after he once again went about his business alongside Matt Giteau.  His tactical kicking was faultless and the centre's calmness in possession was a big factor in the result.

Moment of the match:  It has to be when James O'Connor bumped off an unbalanced Sergio Parisse to claim his third score of the evening.  One feels the youngster should run and hide when they meet again in Melbourne.

Villain of the match:  Nothing huge to report but at a push Mauro Bergamasco's knee might appear in Lachie Turner's clouded thoughts later tonight.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries:  O'Connor 3, Giteau, Mortlock
Con:  Giteau 3

For Italy:
Tries:  Robertson
Pen:  McLean

Australia:  15 James O'Connor, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Stirling Mortlock (capt), 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Richard Brown, 7 George Smith, 6 Dean Mumm, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 James Horwill, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements:  16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Peter Kimlin, 19 David Pocock, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Quade Cooper, 22 Adam Ashley-Cooper.

Italy:  15 Luke McLean, 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Mirco Bergamasco, 12 Matteo Pratichetti, 11 Alberto Sgarbi, 10 Craig Gower, 9 Pablo Canavosio, 8 Sergio Parisse (capt), 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Fabio Staibano, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Salvatore Perugini.
Replacements:  16 Franco Sbaraglini, 17 Ignacio Rouyet, 18 Marco Bortolami, 19 Paul Derbyshire, 20 Tito Tebaldi, 21 Kristopher Burton, 22 Gonzalo Garcia.

Referee:  Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees:  Marius Jonker (South Africa), Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
Television match official:  Garratt Williamson (New Zealand)

Ruthless Pumas send England packing

Argentina enacted revenge for their defeat to England in Manchester last week, with a bullying 24-22 win in Salta on Saturday.

Having cured their disciplinary ills of last week, the Pumas' aggression counted for far more, as did Juan Hernandez's boot, which might be of interest to Kim Jong-Il as he ponders a response to Nato sanctions.

Hernandez landed a stream of first-half penalties to compound an early English error at the line-out that led to a simple try for Juan Manuel Leguizamon, with Andy Goode only able to reply with one as the Pumas held their line and their nerve.

That last bit was also important, in the face of some stiff provocation from the English side, whose loss of discipline under presasure will have likely infuriated Martin Johnson more than the result.

Leguizamon's early try came as a result of two early lost line-outs for England, with Patricio Alabcete and Rimas Alvarez making the intercepts look effortless.  From the second, Leguizamon ran a glorious scything line as the rest of his runners drifted, taking him through the gap without a hand being laid on him.

Goode replied with a penalty for England, struck courtesy of an off-the-ball tackle from the otherwise impressive Santiago Fernandez, but it was a brief pause in otherwise one-way traffic.  One move, sparked by the effervescent Hernandez, ought to have yielded a second try, but Leguizamon carried the ball too long and ran out of options.

Instead, Hernandez goaled two of a steady flow of penalties resulting from England's sloppiness at the rucks and another one for a high tackle by Danny Care.  He was not the only one to be aiming his shots a little high, Mark Cueto was lucky to stay on the field after 21 minutes.

Hernandez controlled the game with the boot, with his chasers ceaseless in their speed and dilligence at closing down the recipients.  The fly-half produvced a mesmeric sequence at one point, with an up and under, a clearance, then a deft grubber to the corner all pulled off within a couple of minutes with awe-inspiring precision.

Half-time was marked with a penalty miss from Goode, then the second half was started by a brilliant Argentina try.

Horacio Agulla steamed through a yawning midfield gap before sending a magnificent 20-yard pass out to Gonzalo Camacho, who showed Harlequins what they will be getting next season with a scintillating sprint finish.

But it was a blip.  Whatever Martin Johnson said in the dressing room at half-time, he must have hammered home as he would, say, crashing a fist into a Twickenham desk.

England became the ruthless punishers at the ruck, England dominated the possession, Andy Goode dictated the play with clever kicks.

Gode chipped away at the lead, 21-6, 21-9, 21-12, 21-15, each penalty coming roughly five minutes after the last, so we headed into the final ten minutes with less than a converted try between the teams, and referee Alan Lewis reminding Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe of the need for discipline.

But cheekily from first phase at a scrum, Hernandez restored a two-score lead with a drop goal.

Cueto dropped a ball on a simple overlap as England threatened and then, after Vesty had come on and added a bit of zip, Delon Armitage's cheeky flick sent Matt Banahan away down the left and then under the posts to make it 24-22.

But too late.  Argentina's pack marched out the final moments and secured a precious and treasured win.

The scorers:

For Argentina:
Tries:  Leguizamon, Camacho
Con:  Hernandez
Pens:  Hernandez 3
Drop goal:  Hernandez

For England:
Try:  Banahan
Con:  Vesty
Pens:  Goode 5

Argentina:  15 Horacio Agulla, 14 Francisco Leonelli, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Santiago Fernández, 11 Gonzalo Camacho, 10 Juan Martín Hernández, 9 Alfredo Lalanne, 8 Juan Fernández Lobbe (c), 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 6 Genaro Fessia, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Rimas Álvarez Kairelis, 3 Marcos Ayerza, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements:  16 Alberto Vernet Basualdo, 17 Juan Pablo Orlandi, 18 Manuel Carizza, 19 Esteban Lozada, 20 Nicolás Vergallo, 21 Miguel Avramovic, 22 Lucas González Amorosino.

England:  15 Delon Armitage, 14 Mark Cueto, 13 Dan Hipkiss, 12 Tom May, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 Andy Goode, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Steffon Armitage, 6 Chris Robshaw, 5 Louis Deacon, 4 Steve Borthwick (c), 3 Julian White, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements:  16 George Chuter, 17 David Wilson, 18 Ben Kay, 19 James Haskell, 20 Paul Hodgson, 21 Sam Vesty, 22 Mathew Tait.

Referee:  Alan Lewis (Ireland)
Assistant referees:  Simon McDowell (Ireland), David Changleng (Scotland)
Television match official:  Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)
Assessor:  Arrie Schoonwinkel (South Africa)

French curse strikes NZ again

France scored their second consecutive win against New Zealand with a well deserved 27-22 victory on their first ever visit to Carisbrook on Saturday.

The visitors scored first and never trailed, eventually outscoring an under-strength All Blacks three tries to two.

A massive defensive display from France was contrasted by a below-par performance from the home team, who were dominated for most of the match.

But nothing should be taken away from France who attacked decisively and made very few errors to record their highest-ever Test score in New Zealand.

France got the scoreboard ticking after enjoying the better of the opening exchanges.  The French maul was functioning well and earned the visitors a penalty in accordance with the return to the "old laws" as the All Blacks pulled it down.

Julien Dupuy opened his account in international rugby without a problem but Stephen Donald leveled the scores ten minutes later after a late tackle from French skipper Thierry Dusautoir.

Les Bleus were competing well in the set pieces, dominating the territory stats in the first quarter and they would be first to cross the whitewash.

A scything run down the inside channel from Francois Trinh-Duc saw the fly-half bounce off four tackles to crash over.  Dupuy added the extras to give France a deserved 10-3 lead.

As the French confidence grew, so did the momentum they were gathering.  When number eight Louis Picamoles ran a kick back from deep just before the half-hour mark, there was trouble brewing.  A wonderful flowing movement in the best traditions of French rugby would follow as the Toulouse back three showed their class, taking the ball up to the corner.  Hooker William Servat's bulk did the rest putting the All Blacks further behind.  Dupuy was on target from the touchline with the conversion to give the visitors a fourteen-point lead.

The All Blacks had been their own worst enemies and never looked like touching down in the first half-an-hour.  They struggled to string any phases together and the tackling just wasn't up to scratch.

The home side looked certain to score when they laid siege to the French try-line with series of drives after Isaac Ross secured possession at an attacking line-out.  But all the forwards' hard work in retaining the ball was wasted when Isaia Toeava knocked-on as the ball went wide.  It seemed to sum up the All Black performance in the first half.

New Zealand were thrown a lifeline just before the break however.  First Donald slotted a penalty on 39 minutes before a try from Liam Messam after the hooter put the All Blacks back in the game.

The French were caught flat-footed when Jimmy Cowan chipped ahead, and not out as they expected as the siren went.  Cory Jane plucked the ball from the air to break.  Messam was up in support to round off the 70m move and Carisbrook could breathe again.  Donald's conversion attempt was wide, leaving the score 17-11 as the teams heading for the changing rooms.

There was a distinct change in momentum in the second period.  The All Blacks displayed much more urgency and were rewarded with an early penalty to reduce to gap to three.  Donald's next attempt soon afterwards bounced off the post but his third kick in twenty minutes found the mark to level the scores at 17-all.

The All Blacks brought Luke McAlister on at inside centre for the last quarter but it was Dupuy who would put France back in the lead with fifteen minutes to play.  His penalty provided France's first points in 37 minutes.

The knock-out blow was soon to follow when full-back Maxime Medard intercepted a pass from McAlister and then outpaced him to score under the posts to give France a ten-point lead.

The home side fought back well and Mils Muliaina's first line-break of the game provided the impetus for Ma'a Nonu to score in the corner with four minutes to play.

But it was too little to late as, once Donald had missed the conversion, the French forwards were able to run down the clock at the death and hand France an historic victory.

Man of the match:  Francois Trinh-Duc's running of the game proved decisive.

Moment of the match:  Being as Trinh-Duc already has a mention, we'll plump for Maxime Medard's winning intercept try -- an inauspicious return for Luke McAlister.

The scorers

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Messam, Nonu
Pens:  Donald 4

For France:
Tries:  Trinh-Duc, Servat, Medard
Cons:  Dupuy 3
Pens:  Dupuy 2

The teams:

New Zealand:  15 Mils Muliaina (c), 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Isaia Toeava, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Cory Jane, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Liam Messam, 7 Adam Thomson, 6 Kieran Read, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:  16 Keven Mealamu, 17 John Afoa, 18 Bryn Evans, 19 Tanerau Latimer, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Luke McAlister, 22 Lelia Masaga.

France:  15 Maxime Medard, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Damien Traille, 11 Cedric Heymans , 10 Francois Trinh-Duc, 9 Julien Dupuy, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 5 Romain Millo-Chluski, 4 Pascal Pape, 3 Sylvain Marconnet, 2 William Servat, 1 Fabien Barcella.
Replacements:  16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Nicolas Mas, 18 Sebastien Chabal 19 Julien Puricelli, 20 Dimitri Yachvili, 21 Yannick Jauzion, 22 Alexis Palisson.

Referee:  George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees:  Stuart Dickinson (Australia),
Television match official:  George Ayoub (Australia)

England respond against Pumas

England recorded an immediate response to last week's Barbarians upset by edging past Argentina 37-15 at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The ever-rebuilding hosts, who were one place below the Pumas in the IRB rankings pre-game, provided more in both attack and defence as Martin Johnson was left to enjoy an evening that did not climax in frustration.

Both nations were without several of their regular pillars in Manchester -- England due to British & Irish Lions commitments while the Top 14 Final weakened the Pumas -- but there was ample talent on show as Juan Martín Hernández proved.

The Stade Français playmaker was in fine fettle against the flowing locks of Brive's number ten, with Goode only winning the drop-goal battle by leading England past the side that ended Andy Robinson's reign in November 2006.

For England, Delon Armitage scored twice while winger Matt Banahan was named man-of-the-match after marking his Test debut with a try to Goode's personal tally of 22 points.

Old Trafford has been England's home away from home before -- in 1997 they were beaten by New Zealand after Richard Cockerill decided to antagonise Norm Hewitt during the haka -- but today they were officially the visitors.

Despite their bronze medal finish at the 2007 World Cup, Argentina are trying to drag themselves into professionalism and convince the SANZAR nations they deserve a place at the Tri-Nations table.

A crowd of 40,521, sponsorship and a television deal with Sky will have helped raise an estimated £500,000 for the UAR's cause -- if not the result against an England side shorn of nine Lions and featuring three Test debutants.

Argentina were strengthened by the availability of their three-strong contingent and Hernández, the masterful fly-half, stroked them into the lead after 70 seconds with a nonchalant drop-goal.

Hernández had pinned England back into their own corner with a pin-point kick and then profited when Dylan Hartley overthrew the lineout.

But the ten missed the chance to extend Argentina's lead with a penalty soon after and as hard as 'El Magico' tried to weave his magic, the first half was dominated by Goode's boot and a ferocious breakdown battle.

Steffon Armitage and James Haskell competed well on the floor and Goode's tactical kicking took the sting out of Argentina's early thrust and he edged England 9-3 ahead with a two simple penalties and a long-range drop-goal.

Danny Care zipped around the base but the breakdown arm-wrestle left him with slow ball, which did not help England's attacking cohesion and the Old Trafford crowd grew frustrated with the aerial approach.

When England did piece together a slick attack it resulted in the opening try, with Banahan powering onto Armitage's grubber kick and through two defenders to touch down under the posts.

Goode, Dan Hipkiss and Mark Cueto had combined to send Armitage away with quick hands in a tight space and although the England full-back was taken out off the ball, Banahan pounced to score with a celebratory punch to the air.

Hernandez slotted a penalty in reply but England were gathering momentum.

Tom May blew one golden opportunity when his attempted miss-pass flew straight into touch when he should have kept it short and sent Armitage clear.

But powerful surges from Nick Easter and Hartley set the platform for Goode to strike his second drop-goal of the half and secure England a 19-9 half-time lead.

Goode extended England's lead with another penalty shortly after the restart and Hernández responded with two of his own to keep Argentina in touch.

The Old Trafford crowd grew increasingly impatient by England's approach, greeting Steve Borthwick's decision to go for the posts with boos and slow handclaps.

When Goode made a pass to Cueto inside his own 22, it was greeted by ironic cheers.

The crowd soon got what they wanted with a try for Armitage after Care had launched a sizzling midfield break.

Care's pass to Cueto was poor but the England wing showed football skills suitable for the occasion by volleying the ball back infield and Armitage pounced for the second try.

Argentina full-back Horacio Agula was sin-binned for a professional foul but England failed to take advantage, not only because Goode missed a simple penalty but because Julian White soon followed him to the bin.

White had only been on the field for six minutes after coming off the bench to win his 50th Test cap.

But England rounded off the victory with a scintillating try from Armitage, who raced through the gears to chase down another volley from Cueto.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Banahan, Armitage 2
Con:  Goode 2
Pen:  Goode 4
Drop:  Goode 2

For Argentina:
Pen:  Hernández 4
Drop:  Hernández

England:  15 Delon Armitage, 14 Mark Cueto, 13 Dan Hipkiss, 12 Tom May, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 Andy Goode, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Steffon Armitage, 6 James Haskell, 5 Louis Deacon, 4 Steve Borthwick, 3 David Wilson, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Tim Payne,
Replacements:  16 Julian White, 17 Steve Thompson, 18 Ben Kay, 19 Jordan Crane, 20 Paul Hodgson, 21 Sam Vesty, 22 Mathew Tait.

Argentina:  15 Horacio Agulla, 14 Federico Martín Aramburu, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Miguel Avramovic, 11 Gonzalo Camacho, 10 Juan Martín Hernández, 9 Nicolás Vergallo, 8 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (c), 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 6 Álvaro Galindo, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Juan Pablo Orlandi, 2 Alberto Vernet Basualdo, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements:  16 Eusebio Guiñazu, 17 Marcos Ayerza, 18 Esteban Lozada, 19 Alejandro Abadie, 20 Alfredo Lalanne, 21 Santiago Fernández, 22 Lucas González Amorosino.

Referee:  Christophe Berdos (France)
Assistant referees:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Hugh Watkins (Wales) (Wales)
Television match official:  Jim Yuille (Scotland)
Assessor:  Brian Stirling (Ireland), Brian Campsall (England)

Wales cruise in Chicago

Wales made it two wins from two on their North American tour as they demolished the United States 48-15 at Toyota Park on Saturday.

The under-strength visitors enjoyed the majority of possession in Chigaco, with impressive Scarlets centre Jonathan Davies claiming a brace of tries to accompany eighteen points from the tee.

USA now head into the 2009 Churchill Cup on the back of a couple of defeats under new coach Eddie O'Sullivan and will be keen to start the tournament in better form against the Argentina Jaguars this coming Wednesday.

Robin McBryde's side were forced to cope with an early injury to captain Ryan Jones as they finished their season on a high to claim success in what was their 600th international match.

Playing in front of a 6,262 crowd the majority of whom appeared to be Welsh supporters, had expected a physical encounter with the Americans, just as they had experienced in beating Canada 32-23 a week earlier in Toronto.

They got exactly what they expected early when Eagles prop Will Johnson landed a big hit on Jones in the opening minute.  He needed a lengthy spell of treatment before returning to the action.

He was still in trouble though, and twice needed further attention before being forced to leave the field in the 20th minute, his replacement Sam Warburton of Cardiff Blues coming on to earn his first cap.

By then Wales were on top at 13-3, thanks to two opening penalties from Nicky Robinson, Gavin Debartolo replying for USA, and a try from Mark Jones, who finished off a move started by Deiniol Jones off a ruck.

Jones had also scored a try in Wales' 500th international, eight years ago in Osaka against Japan and Robinson added the conversion to send Wales 13-3 up.

It got better for Wales moments later when Robinson collected from scrum-half Peel and chipped over the top, collecting the ball and off-loading on the halfway line for outside centre Davies to run in for his first international try.

There was more collateral damage as flanker Robin Sowden-Taylor joined fellow back rower Jones on the bench after tweaking a hamstring.

Reserve hooker Richard Hibbard was sent on at blindside with Warburton already at openside, Dafydd Jones having taken over at number eight when Jones went off to form a very unfamiliar back row, with prop Duncan Jones taking over the captaincy.

American zeal strayed over into indiscipline when back row Louis Stanfill was sin-binned by referee Matt Goddard for bringing down a maul and a minute later the Australian official awarded a penalty try to Wales when Dafydd Jones was denied a try as his pack pushed over.

Eagles back rowers Peter Dahl and Nic Johnson both went deliberately offside to prevent the touchdown.  Robinson converted from in front of the posts and Wales went in at the break 27-3 up and well in control.

Mike Hercus replaced Ata Malifa at half-time while Wales rejigged their pack further in the 49th minute with Craig Mitchell replacing tighthead prop John Yapp and Luke Charteris coming on for Gough in the second row.

The USA had lost 27-10 to Ireland in California last Sunday and there was still life in the Eagles in Chicago as they nullified the Welsh threat and started to gain territory of their own.

Their reward came in the 53rd minute when centre Alipate Tuilvuka crashed through tackles from substitute lock Luke Charteris and Peel to give the USA their first try of the game.  Debartolo added the conversion and Wales' lead had been cut to seventeen points.

Jonathan Spratt came off the Wales bench for full-back Daniel Evans and nearly had a hand in a fourth try for the tourists only for his pass outside to Tom James, who subsequently went over the line, to be ruled forward in the 59th minute.

James did get his try four minutes later, pouncing on a ball that ricocheted off his boot near the USA 22 to pick up on the try line and touch down.  Robinson converted with his last kick of the game before making way for Dan Biggar at fly-half with the score at 34-10.

Cooper replaced James and he got on the scoresheet when Biggar kicked ahead, the 30-year-old scrum-half beating the 19-year-old fly-half to the ball to touchdown.

Biggar was left to kick the conversion as Wales moved 41-10 ahead.

Davies added his second try of the afternoon with two minutes to go, Biggar converting again for another perfect outing from the Wales kickers.

The Americans, building for a World Cup qualifying tie with Canada next month, added their second try in the final minute when sub JJ Gagliano got over the line, referee Goddard having the score confirmed by video review.

The scorers:

For USA:
Tries:  Tuilevuka, Gagiani
Con:  DeBartalo
Pen:  DeBartalo

For Wales
Tries:  Davies 2, penalty, James, Jones, Cooper
Con:  Robinson 3, James, Biggar 2
Pen:  Robinson 2

USA:  15 Chris Wyles, 14 Gavin DeBartalo, 13 Alipate Tuilevuka, 12 Roland Suniula, 11 Kevin Swiryn, 10 Ata Malifa, 9 Mike Petri, 8 Nic Johnson, 7 Peter Dahl, 6 Louis Stanfill, 5 Hayden Smith, 4 John Van Der Giessen, 3 Will Johnson, 2 Chris Biller, 1 Matekitonga Moeakiola.
Replacements:  16 Brian McClanahan, 17 Mike MacDonald , 18 Courtney Mackay, 19 JJ Gagiani, 20 Tim Usasz, 21 Mike Hercus, 22 Junior Sifa.

Wales:  15 Daniel Evans, 14 Mark Jones, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Andrew Bishop, 11 Tom James, 10 Nicky Robinson, 9 Dwayne Peel, 8 Ryan Jones (capt), 7 Robin Sowden-Taylor, 6 Dafydd Jones, 5 Ian Gough, 4 Deiniol Jones, 3 Duncan Jones, 2 Gareth Williams, 1 John Yapp
Replacements:  16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Craig Mitchell, 18 Luke Charteris, 19 Sam Warburton, 20 Gareth Cooper, 21 Daniel Biggar, 22 Jonathan Spratt.

Referee:  Matt Goddard (Australia)
Assistant referees:  Rob Debney, Dave Smortchevsky
Assessor:  Douglas Kerr (Scotland)

Baa-Baas no match for Wallabies

Australia opened their international season by smashing the Barbarians 55-7 in Sydney on Saturday, running in eight tries past the visitors in the famous white and black hoops.

Most pleasing for Wallabies fans was the fact that their were clearly picking up where they left off last year -- playing like a side that had been together for six months, not six days.

The Barbarians started well, a penalty putting them deep into Wallabies territory and it was almost a dream international rugby debut for Sonny Bill Williams as he charged through a tackle of Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock only to be stopped inches short from a superb tackle from Luke Burgess.

Mortlock got his revenge just minutes later hitting Williams in a huge tackle that brought cheers from the packed Sydney Football Stadium crowd and a rye smile from the former Rugby League star.

It was the Wallabies turn to attack soon after when a clever kick ahead from Burgess saw his team-mates turn over possession just metres from the Barbarians' line.

A few phases later lock James Horwill ran a sharp angle to cut through the Barbarians' defence and crash over for the opening try for the Wallabies' 2009 season. Matt Giteau missed the conversion, but the hosts were up 5-0 after six minutes.

An offside penalty gave the Wallabies another scoring opportunity, and Mortlock showed how serious they were taking the Barbarians threat by pointing to the posts where Giteau duly obliged.

Mortlock put in a powerful run soon after and it looked like the Wallabies were in again but a crunching tackle from All Blacks legend Jerry Collins dispossessed the Wallaby skipper.

But just a minute later the home side were in after a superb scything run from winger Drew Mitchell, who picked up a loose ball in the Barbarians 22 and went through the tackles of centre Seilala Mapusua, prop B J Botha and Williams to score wide out -- just managing to ground the ball over the line despite the attention of scrum-half Chris Whitaker.

Giteau again missed the conversion but after 16 minutes the Wallabies were in control at 13-0.

The gap was almost bigger just four minutes later when breaks from inside centre Berrick Barnes and Burgess saw winger Lachie Turner sprint away before being tackled into touch just a metre from the line.

It was a momentary reprieve for the visitors, with Giteau selling two dummies to a perplexed Barbarians backline before strolling over untouched next to the posts. Giteau converted his own try and after 23 minutes the men in green and gold were out to a 20-0 lead.

The Barbarians looked to strike back shortly after with Mapusua finding a gap before Whitaker sent a long pass to winger Iain Balshaw, whose neat grubber was just gathered in time by Burgess.

Strong defence and speedy attack had the Wallabies well in control -- and the Baa-Baas were further disrupted when Mapusua limped off to be replaced by Saracens fly-half Glen Jackson, with Luke McAlister moving to inside centre.

But the Barbarians struck back just before half-time with McAlister making a break on his own 22 before Whitaker popped up twice to put Balshaw away on a sprint down the left touchline. McAlister converted wide out to give the Baa-Baas something to smile about.

The Barbarians launched the second half with a superb long range attack after replacement Ben Blair was away on a superb break, but some quick work from Mitchell saw the ball turned over deep into Wallabies' territory.

Moments later the Wallabies were on the attack. Flanker George Smith popped the ball back into replacement half-back Josh Valentine who then fed the ball inside to hooker Stephen Moore who charged away on a twenty metre burst to the line.

Giteau again converted and the Wallabies were well clear at 27-7 up with just over twenty minutes left to play.

The Barbarians then launched another attack with replacement hooker Schalk Brits (on for Sebastien Bruno) making a break before feeding inside to another replacement, prop Greg Somerville (on for Clarke Dermody).

Williams, who was having an impressive international debut, was then upended in a huge hit by Turner. Barbarian's captain Phil Waugh then received a huge ovation as he went off after a tireless performance to be replaced by French legend, Serge Betsen. Lock Chris Jack was also replaced by the Baa-Baas with Martin Corry coming on for his last game.

Ben Alexander showed the backs how it was done on 65 minutes running a superb angle from a Berrick Barnes pass to dive over under the posts for his first try for the Wallabies. The try coming after a strong burst up the middle from Mortlock.

Another conversion to Giteau and the Wallabies were up 34-7.

Polota-Nau, now on as full replacement for Moore, set up the next Wallabies try with a powerful burst. The ball came to O'Connor then to Giteau who put through a neat grubber for Mitchell to follow up and score his second try for the night.

Giteau again converted wide out and the Wallabies were out to a commanding 41-7 with just under ten minute remaining.

Pocock edged the Wallabies towards the half century, barging over for a try with four minutes to go. Mortlock converted and the Wallabies were up 48-7. Then Polota-Nau and Horwill combined to put James O'Connor away on a thirty metre sprint, outpacing the cover to score his first try for the Wallabies.

Mortlock converted and the Wallabies had laid down a marker for a daunting season ahead with one of the biggest losses in Barbarians history.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries: Horwill, Mitchell 2, Giteau, Moore, Alexander, Pocock, O'Connor
Cons: Giteau 3, Mortlock 2
Pen: Giteau

For Barbarians:
Try: Balshaw
Con: McAllister

Australia: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Stirling Mortlock (c), 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Richard Brown, 7 George Smith, 6 Matt Hodgson, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 James Horwill, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 David Pocock, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Quade Cooper, 22 James O'Connor

Barbarians: 15 Geordan Murphy, 14 Iain Balshaw, 13 Sonny Bill Williams, 12 Seilala Mapusua, 11 Josh Lewsey, 10 Luke McAlister, 9 Chris Whitaker, 8 David Lyons, 7 Phil Waugh (c), 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Paul Tito, 4 Chris Jack, 3 BJ Botha, 2 Sebastien Bruno, 1 Clarke Dermody.
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Greg Somerville, 18 Martin Corry, 19 Serge Betsen, 20 Justin Marshall, 21 Glen Jackson, 22 Ben Blair.