Wales continue French winning streak

Dan Biggar's second-half try was enough for Wales to edge past France 20-13 in a nervy affair at the Stade de France.

While Wales dominated territory and possession in the first half, their biggest advantage was Leigh Halfpenny, who was virtually flawless from the kicking tee, unlike opposite number Camille Lopez.

Leading 6-3 at the break, the Welsh seemed in total control when Biggar went over with 15 minutes to go to make it 17-6, but France responded with a try through Brice Dulin.

Still, les Bleus had given themselves too much to do, and a final Halfpenny penalty eight minutes from time sealed a fourth-straight win for Wales against France.

That means that Wales are very much back in contention for the Six Nations title, ahead of their home game with Ireland in a fortnight, while France will likely find themselves finishing in the bottom half of the table for the fourth-straight year of under-fire Philippe Saint-André's reign.

Despite an early knock-on, it was France who made the better start, Yoann Huget putting in a thumping hit on Liam Williams before Eddy Ben Arous showed his ability at the breakdown to win a penalty.

However from their first set move there was a mix-up in midfield with Wesley Fofana's dummy run leading to an obstruction which allowed Wales to clear their lines.

Wales had made the decision to use Jamie Roberts early and often in midfield, but it was after a series of pick-and-goes in midfield that Wales earned the first kickable penalty, with Romain Taofifenua penalised for going off his feet.  From in front Halfpenny was never going to miss and Wales went 3-0 up.

France responded with their first dangerous attack, Rémi Lamerat almost going clean through in midfield but for a desperate tap tackle by Sam Warburton.  Then after an unsuccessful maul a cross-kick looked set to put Huget in but Williams got across well to cover.

Still, les Bleus were the more dominant team in terms of territory and were soon back on level terms when the Welsh rushed up too quickly in defence at a scrum, giving Lopez a penalty in front of the posts.

While they were back level, France were dealt a blow when Lamerat was forced off, seemingly having not recovered from a knock picked up when he broke through earlier.  In his place came Mathieu Bastareaud to resume his partnership with Fofana.

It was a fairly even affair but France could have moved in front after 25 minutes when Warburton was penalised in a ruck.  Morgan Parra took the quick tap and the Welsh weren't back ten.  However from 45 metres out, Lopez's effort was inches to the left.

Wales responded, almost scoring when Dulin struggled to deal with a grubber through, bringing back memories of George North's opener in Cardiff last year.  France survived, but conceded a penalty a minute later, Halfpenny on target to make it 6-3 after half an hour.

Back came the French again, and they thought they had the first try through Huget when he shrugged off three tackles to go over in the corner.  It was brought back though, with Lopez's long pass having drifted forward to put the winger away.

Wales' best chance of the half came when George North was put into space on the right, but having got away from Sofiane Guitoune, he was well-stopped by Dulin, who put his body on the line to stop the giant winger.

And France should have been level at the break, the Welsh guilty of pulling down a maul, but Lopez pulled his attempt to the right as the visitors went into half-time leading 6-3.

A change of kicker early in the second half made no difference, with Parra pushing his penalty attempt wide.

A moment of real class followed when Lopez spotted a gap in the Welsh rush defence and delayed his pass to put Fofana away.  He in turn found Huget but he couldn't get the ball back to Fofana and the Welsh survived.  Still the French had started the second half on fire, with another series of quick drives into Welsh territory leaving their visitors scrambling only for Lopez's cross-kick to land agonisingly out of Huget's reach.

Another penalty a minute later, with Wales seemingly at breaking point, allowed Lopez to deservedly bring les Bleus level.

It didn't last long through, with Wales coming back with their first real maul of the evening, and earning a penalty which Halfpenny slotted.

That seemed to be just what Wales needed, and they scored the first try on the hour after some more great work by Rhys Webb.  He spotted a gap at a ruck and broke before feeding Dan Lydiate on his shoulder.  The centre gave the ball straight to Biggar who had enough pace to go over in the corner.

Halfpenny was off-target with the conversion, but got his radar back with another penalty as France failed once more to defend a Welsh maul legally.

France looked done, but finally ended their long wait for a try against Wales when Dulin went over in the corner.  After an interminable sequence in the Welsh 22, Lopez put Dulin away on the left and he dived under Taulupe Faletau's desperate tackle.  From the touchline on the wrong side, Lopez found his kicking boots, bringing France back to 17-13 with just over ten minutes to go.

Wales responded with a powerful scrum, countering the big French replacements, and Halfpenny pushed the lead back up to seven points.

France came back once more, and threatened without working their way back into the Welsh 22.  And after a mess of a scrum, the visitors were able to see it out to stay in the hunt for the title.

As for les Bleus, they looked more dangerous than against the Scots, but paid for their indiscipline within range of the posts yet again, and a lack of a top-class goal-kicker when faced with Halfpenny.

Man of the match:  It was a real team effort from the Welsh, but Leigh Halfpenny's goal-kicking was the difference between the sides.  The full-back was a stark contrast to Camille Lopez who struggled from the tee.

Moment of the match:  There was always a feeling that Rhys Webb would make one snipe, and it proved the decisive one.  He spotted Sébastien Tillous-Borde a little out of position, and within seconds Dan Biggar was over.

Villain of the match:  No nasty stuff to report.

The scorers:

For France:
Try:  Dulin
Con:  Lopez
Pens:  Lopez 2

For Wales:
Try:  Biggar
Pens:  Halfpenny 5

France:  15 Brice Dulin, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Rémi Lamerat, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Sofiane Guitoune, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Romain Taofifenua, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Eddy Ben Arous.
Replacements:  16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Uini Atonio, 18 Vincent Debaty, 19 Jocelino Suta, 20 Loann Goujon, 21 Sebastien Tillous-Borde, 22 Rémi Talès, 23 Mathieu Bastareaud.

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Gethin Jenkins
Replacements:  16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Paul James, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Bradley Davies, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Scott Williams.

Venue:  Stade de France, Paris
Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees:  JP Doyle (England), Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO:  Simon McDowell

Italy conquer Murrayfield

Italy claimed a rare Six Nations victory on the road on Saturday, coming from behind to beat Scotland 22-19 at Murrayfield.

The Azzurri outscored their hosts two tries to one in the first half but Scotland nevertheless held a 16-15 lead at the interval.  There was late drama however as a penalty try in the last minute handed the visitors the spoils.

The Azzurri typically present bristling with blood-curdling pride and frenetic vigour, but lacking the clarity of mind to execute skills with great accuracy when entering what teams nowadays refer to as the ‘finish zone'.

There are signs this tendency is beginning to change, but their slow arc of improvement, fraught as it has been and will continue to be with setbacks and hammerings, is less advanced and progressing with less velocity than that of the Scots under Vern Cotter.

After the familiar anguish of narrow defeats to France and Wales, Scotland, desperate to shed the label of gallant losers, simply had to emerge from Round Three with not just a win, but a win with substance.

This then was a match that ought to have belied the gulf in panache and in ruthlessness between the sides, but a turgid, disjointed Scotland, often their own worst enemy, toiled to break down Jacques Brunel's Italy.

It was a dreadfully inept and utterly toothless display from the hosts – their worst under Cotter.

Pete Horne, a talented fly-half replacing the banned Finn Russell, looked sharp with ball in hand, with Greig Laidlaw kicking twelve points to supplement Mark Bennett's early interception score, but his missed touch just as his pack had won a crucial penalty blighted his earlier promise.

A bruising score from Josh Furno, a freak Giovanbattista Venditti try and the irresistible power of the Italian forwards left them staring at the Wooden Spoon.

It started well for the hosts, however.  With barely a minute gone, Laidlaw opened the scoring with a penalty in front of the posts as Glasgow Warriors' new signing Simone Favaro cleared his soon-to-be teammate Alex Dunbar off a ruck from the side.

Brunel opted with the power of Kelly Haimona at fly-half over the guile of Tommy Allan, and the pivot endured a tough opening ten minutes, blowing a two-man overlap on halfway with a dreadful pass picked off by Bennett, who raced in untouched for his first Test try.

Laidlaw converted with ease, but the Italians soon reminded their hosts just how mean their pack can be with a monstrous fifteen-metre maul that ended with Josh Furno plunging over in the corner, Haimona missing the conversion.

It was an omen, a sign of things to come as the visitors used the driving maul to great, ultimately match-winning effect.

Laidlaw extended Scotland's lead with another routine penalty, but it was cancelled out almost immediately by Haimona as Blair Cowan played the ball from an offside position from the restart.

Laidlaw struck again on twenty-seven minutes to restore Scotland's advantage, but despite enjoying a sizeable chunk of possession and territory, struggled to find the precision to break the blue line.

And when a Haimona penalty ricocheted back off the upright, bouncing a yard from the line and sparking panic in the home ranks, it was Venditti who pounced first to ground against the base of the post – his pivot couldn't miss with the conversion.

Haimona retreated injured five minutes into the second-half, Allan, capped at U20 level for the hosts his replacement, and trailing by a point, Italy continued to frustrate the Scots.

The substitute fluffed a simple penalty effort to the delight of most of Murrayfield, many of whom could surely sense the ignominy of another defeat to their fellow strugglers looming.

Sean Lamont almost sent Stuart Hogg in on the hour mark as Scotland finally mustered some momentum and dynamic phase play, but his pass inside was correctly called forward by George Clancy.

Laidlaw landed his fourth penalty, but persistent indiscipline from the Scots saw Italy, four points down, pile on the pressure with a series of mauls and scrums deep in home territory as the game entered its final ten minutes.

The visiting pack turned the screw – the set-piece went up, then down, then round on its axis, but somehow, Scotland's eight held firm, winning a penalty that heralded the biggest roar of the afternoon.

But the hosts' weren't yet done shooting themselves in the foot.  Horne missed touch from the penalty, Scotland infringed again, and they were back on their line, defending for their lives again.

Ben Toolis was sent to the sin-bin for pulling down a maul, and as the Italians kicked to the corner again, rest, drove and drove inexorably towards the whitewash, crumbling to the turf inches short, Clancy strode under the posts, consigning Scotland to a third straight loss, and bottom place in the tournament standings.

Hamish Watson too was shown yellow and the boos rang out as Allan converted.  The rain began to fall, and with it washed away the optimism and expectancy that abounded in these parts just a few short weeks ago.

Man of the match:  On a day when precious few stood out, Furno gets my nod for an impressive display of carrying and ballast in the tight.

Moment of the match:  Horne missing touch allowed Italy possession, from whence they won the penalty that enabled them to work their way downfield anew.  Unforgiveable.

Villain of the match:  Nothing terribly nasty to report, besides the odd spat.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Try:  Bennett
Con:  Laidlaw
Pens:  Laidlaw 3
Yellow cards:  Toolis, Watson

For Italy:
Tries:  Furno, Venditti, Penalty trty
Cons:  Haimona, Allan
Pen:  Haimona

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Peter Horne, 9 Greig Laidlaw (c), 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements:  16 Fraser Brown, 17 Ryan Grant, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 Ben Toolis, 20 Hamish Watson, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Greig Tonks, 23 Matt Scott.

Italy:  15 Luke McLean, 14 Michele Visentin, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Enrico Bacchin, 11 Giovambattista Venditti, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Francesco Minto, 5 Joshua Furno, 4 George Fabio Biagi, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Matias Aguero.
Replacements:  16 Andrea Manici, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Marco Fuser, 20 Samuela Vunisa, 21 Guglielmo Palazzini, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Giulio Bisegni.

Venue:  Murrayfield
Referee:  George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees:  Romain Poite (France), Leighton Hodges (Wales)
Television match official:  Graham Hughes (England)
Assessor:  Lyndon Bray (New Zealand)

Wales edge Scotland battle

A second-half try from Jonathan Davies and brave defence helped Wales to a 26-23 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield.

Hammered, humbled and humiliated, Scotland trudged off the Millenium Stadium paddock a year ago reeling from a red card, a record thrashing, ravaged by the Welsh dragon and nursing gaping wounds that remain palpably raw eleven months on.

On this crisp but sunny Sunday afternoon, they retreated to the Murrayfield dressing rooms on the final whistle, one would imagine, hurting every ounce as much.  The margin of defeat was far slimmer, but its manifestation was just as maddening.

Vern Cotter's side shipped penalties and possession, spurned opportunities that simply had to be grasped in a criminal display of profligacy, and kicked poorly from hand against a Wales side streetwise enough to take advantage.

For Scottish supporters, it was all very familiar.

The game lived up to its billing by most as ‘too close to call', Greig Laidlaw and Leigh Halfpenny trading shots at goal, before Jon Davies struck the killer blow for the visitors with a try under the posts that assured Wales a two-score lead for the final fifteen minutes.

The pre-match statistics, as usual in this day and age, did not favour the Scots.  They had not beaten Wales in their last seven attempts, and had scored a solitary try in their previous three.

A lack of discipline, particularly around the breakdown blighted their Parisian performance and hindered their capacity to retain possession.  They leaked three penalties in the opening five minutes – all at the ruck – on their way to a final, remarkable tally of seventeen as Wales started with energy, and Blair Cowan's failure to roll away in his own 22 presented Halfpenny with a simple opportunity to open the scoring.

Defensively, Scotland continued where they left off in the Stade de France, however, cutting the powerful red runners down around their ankles, and crucially, behind the gain-line.

Alex Cuthbert was one such runner, isolated and chopped down by namesake Dunbar, allowing the Scots' golden boy, Finn Russell, to pinch possession and feed Richie Gray, who found Stuart Hogg on the blindside with fifty yards of unguarded hybrid turf between him and the line – Richard Hibbard chased bravely, but the hooker had no chance of laying hands on his Lions teammate.

Laidlaw knocked over the conversion from straight in front, and Scotland should have been in again as Dunbar scythed through the Welsh midfield after a lovely delayed pass from Russell, only to see what looked a scoring pass tipped away by the covering Liam Williams.

That passage of play would yield three simple points for the skipper, before try-scorer Hogg saved the day at the other end with a magnificent tackle on Rhys Webb.

The scrum-half looked set to touch down after a brilliant Halfpenny take – Russell and Laidlaw both having lunged for a high ball with near-catastrophic consequences.

His kicker was soon removing scrum-cap and lining up another shot in the shadow of the Scottish posts, however, cutting the gap to four as the penalty count continued to rise.

Indeed, though Scotland's rear-guard action was exemplary, it should not have been required, self-inflicted as it was through a spree of needless infringements.

Their sixth and seventh respective transgressions at the contact area heaped on the pressure, Wales opting for the corner, but fine maul defence twice thwarting them.

There were shades of 2009 and Geoff Cross' debut sin-binning in this fixture as Russell inadvertently clattered the soaring Dan Biggar, turning his back to avoid a faceful of studs, but drawing a mandatory yellow card from Glen Jackson.

And the extra man was swiftly made to count as Cowan spilled possession in the Welsh 22, and Halfpenny instigated a flowing move featuring Jamie Roberts – a questionable looping pass – Davies and Williams, who drew Hogg and sent Webb scampering over in the corner.

Halfpenny converted, but Wales' numerical was soon harshly negated, as the chasing Davies collided with Johnnie Beattie in the air, aided by a shove in the back from Sean Lamont – a contest between two airborne players that warranted no sanction.

Scotland responded with a stirring onslaught on the Welsh line, beginning with a twenty-five metre maul for the Welsh, stopped at the corner flag, but unforgivably ending pointless, the visitors creaking but rallying to retain a six-point lead at the break.

With Russell's return, the Scots squandered more field position with an overthrown lineout on the Welsh 22, but excellent work from Dunbar at the breakdown earned a penalty in midfield and another three points for Laidlaw.

With concussed Samson Lee's absence, Aaron Jarvis was enduring the challenging shift on the tighthead side many anticipated, but Al Dickinson dropping his bind allowed Halfpenny to restore the visitors' lead off the post – Wales now restored to fifteen men.

Laidlaw slotted his third penalty from distance, but the visitors amped up the pressure anew, Roberts punching the Scottish midfield and driving the Welsh forward.

Williams was a denied a score in the corner when Alun Wyn Jones and Jake Ball obstructed Rob Harley from a maul breakaway, and though Scotland leaked yet another breakdown penalty, Halfpenny pulled his effort wide.

The hosts could only live dangerously for so long.  Game-breaker Davies struck the killer blow cutting a lovely line off Biggar, beating Matt Scott and dummying Hogg to stride between the posts, his full-back converting for a ten-point lead.

Scotland again laid siege to the Welsh line, but errors at vital times, and a brilliant turnover from Sam Warburton held them at bay until it was too late to snatch victory.

Sam Hidalgo-Clyne almost capped his Murrayfield debut off the bench with a try after a sixty-metre move from a stolen lineout, and Jon Welsh eventually lumbered over the line with the last play of the match.

Russell converted, but with apparently ten seconds remaining, Jackson called time, sending two-thirds of Murrayfield home nursing an accustomed sense of frustration, and the Scarlet hordes who biennially invade Edinburgh off into the local hostelries with their Championship back on-track.

Man of the match:  Alex Dunbar was excellent for Scotland, but Jamie Roberts gets the nod for me for nine bruising carries that sapped the hosts' energy.

Moment of the match:  Scotland had time for a comeback after Davies' try, but Sam Warburton's penalty-winning turnover under his own posts ten minutes from time ensured Wales a safe passage to victory.

Villain of the match:  Yellow cards aside, neither of which were the result of any malice, nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries:  Hogg, Welsh
Cons:  Russell 2
Pens:  Russell 3
Yellow Card:  Russell

For Wales:
Tries:  Webb, Davies
Cons:  Halfpenny 2
Pens:  Halfpenny 4
Yellow Card:  Davies

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Geoff Cross, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements:  16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Jon Welsh, 19 Jim Hamilton, 20 Alasdair Strokosch, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Greig Tonks, 23 Matt Scott

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Aaron Jarvis, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Paul James, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Scott Williams.

Referee:  Glen Jackson
Assistant Referees:  George Clancy, Dudley Phillips
TMO:  Simon McDowell

Sexton leads Ireland past les Bleus

Johnny Sexton marked his return to action with a confident display, allowing Ireland to see off a stubborn French challenge 18-11.

The Irish fly-half, after three months out, looked comfortable throughout, and his tactical kicking proved the difference between the sides.

In a game marred by indiscipline at the breakdown, Ireland played more of the game in French territory, and were able to feed of their visitors' errors to grind out the win.

Sexton kicked five penalties, with Ian Madigan also chipping in with a three-pointer, while France needed a late try from Romain Taofifenua to stay in touch.

The French fought hard in the final stages, but it was Ireland who held on for the win and set up a tantalising game against England in a fortnight's time.

The first half was an attritional affair, with Ireland taking advantage of French indiscipline to open up a 12-6 lead and Sexton showing no ill-effects from his three months off as he picked out the open spaces with his kicking game.

The Irish started keeping hold of the ball and trying to move the French pack around and they monopolised possession in the opening minutes of the game.

However at the first ruck Mike Ross went straight to his knees under pressure from Eddy Ben Arous, conceding a penalty.

That allowed France to send Mathieu Bastareaud down Sexton's channel for the first time, but the returning Irish fly-half was up to the task, clamping onto the ball to earn a scrum.

The Irish turned things around at the third scrum of the afternoon, earning a penalty which allowed them to kick into the French 22.  While their maul struggled to make ground, Thierry Dusautoir was penalised, giving Sexton a first shot at goal of the afternoon.  He made no mistake from wide on the left, giving Ireland a 3-0 lead after 13 minutes of play.

France responded immediately when Rob Kearney misjudged a high ball and then found himself isolated with Ben Arous earning the penalty.

From 45-metres out in front, Camille Lopez split the posts to level the scores but almost immediately Ireland were back in front.

Guilhem Guirado tried to contest a ball in a ruck as the tackler, but the ruck had already been formed and Wayne Barnes penalised him.  From the right Sexton was on target to make it 6-3.

The Irish were starting to dominate possession and territory, although the French defence was holding strong.

On their first incursion into the Irish 22, France tried to get their maul going, but Ireland chose not to defend it and earned a penalty as the French were deemed offside, with Dusautoir called back as he went over.  When Ben Arous was penalised at a ruck a couple of minutes later, Sexton stretched the lead to 9-3.

Meanwhile France had lost winger Teddy Thomas to an ankle injury, with Rémi Lamerat on in his place and Wesley Fofana shifted to the wing.

Still, the French were able to cut the lead back to three when Rory Best slowed the ball down in a ruck.

The contest at the breakdown was leading to lots of penalties, with the French furious as Barnes penalised them again in the 22 when they had isolated an Irish ball carrier.  Sexton was never going to miss from straight in front, and he gave the home side a 12-6 lead at the break.

Ireland had the first chance of the second half when Kearney was first to an up and under on the French 22.  The Irish seemed to have worked an overlap but Bastareaud got up quickly to stop Sexton, with both players forced off to get patched up after a clash of heads and resulting blood.

The home side had clearly taken control of the game, and after a long period in the French 22, they earned a penalty when Damien Chouly was caught offside, allowing Madigan to stretch the lead to 15-6.

Having brought on their big subs France started to make some ground, working their way into the Irish 22 but after the Irish had stripped the ball in a maul, France lost second row Pascal Papé to a yellow card after he entered the maul with a knee to Jamie Heaslip's back.

Ireland should have scored the first try of the game just before the hour when a powerful maul allowed them to create a huge overlap.  Robbie Henshaw put down the ball in midfield with three men free outside him.

Despite being a man down in the pack, France had clearly got the upper hand in the scrum, with Ross constantly collapsing as he failed to deal with both Ben Arous and replacement Vincent Debaty.  Successive penalties saw him on a final warning and allowed France's 14 men to get back into Irish territory.

After Papé's moment of stupidity, Best matched him, tripping Dusautoir in a ruck and earning ten minutes in the bin as a result.  However Lopez was off-target with his penalty attempt and France were still more than a score down.

When Chouly was penalised in a lineout, Sexton added a fifth penalty but it was France who would finally score the first try with nine minutes to go.  It came after some great work from the French replacements, with Uini Atonio and Debaty very involved.  Eventually they created an overlap and Debaty delivered to Romain Taofifenua to go over in the corner.

The French kept battling, and had the better of the final minutes, but in the end they couldn't find a way through the Irish defence.

It was by no means pretty, but Ireland were a little sharper in the basics, with their kick-chase a level above their opponents and their ability to play most of the first half in French territory allowing them to open up a lead.

When France brought on their big guns, they finally started to make some headway, and weren't too far away from snatching a draw.  Still they looked short of ideas for the second week running and need to show they have more than just powerful runners in midfield.  Ireland's ambition to retain their title however remains on track, with England coming to town.

Man of the Match:  He'd been out for three months, but Johnny Sexton didn't show it as he orchestrated proceedings pinning Scott Spedding back throughout the first half.

Moment of the Match:  France clearly wanted to target Sexton, and on Mathieu Bastareaud's first charge they did precisely that.  The Irish fly-half stood up to it and even won a turnover when the ball didn't come back.  He was battered and bruised later on, but that was morale-boosting moment for the Irish early on.

Villain of the Match:  Pascal Papé and Rory Best both saw yellow for stupid infringements, but overall it was fairly clean stuff.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Pens:  Sexton 5, Madigan

For France:
Try:  Taofifenua
Pens:  Lopez 3

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell (c), 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Jack McGrath
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Martin Moore, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Jordi Murphy, 21 Isaac Boss, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Felix Jones

France:  15 Scott Spedding, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Teddy Thomas, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Papé, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Eddy Ben Arous.
Replacements:  16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Uini Atonio, 18 Vincent Debaty, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Loann Goujon, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Rémi Talès, 23 Rémi Lamerat.

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Leighton Hodges (Wales)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

Joseph thrills in Italy hammering

Jonathan Joseph stole the show with two tries as England dispatched Italy 47-17 at Twickenham in the Six Nations.

The 23-year-old Bath centre scored two of England's six tries in a slow-burning but eventually comfortable victory for Stuart Lancaster's side.

England started poorly, just as they have in other recent matches, but were more or less rampant after the break, a couple of inspired pieces of skill from Italy's backs, Luca Morisi in particular, the only exceptions to the one-way traffic.

Two years ago in this same fixture England spluttered their way to an unconvincing victory, but this was more akin to last year's rout in Rome.  The ending felt familiar.

No pre-match disco was required a week on from England's assault on Cardiff but they were expected to entertain, going from underdogs to favourites against an Azzurri side with four centurions in their pack.

Any Italian victory would hinge on their set-piece, but the early darts from Leicester's Leonardo Ghiraldini were wayward with England stealing two early lineouts.

Morisi's running was far more effective.  The outside centre cut down the near touchline, fending off three tacklers and putting his team firmly on the attack.  Good patience and handling freed up Sergio Parisse for the Italy captain to fool the defence and go over to send Twickenham silent.  Far from the expected start, but a brilliant one for the visitors.

Kelly Haimona's bright opening was reflected in the way his side played with real confidence, dominating the opening exchanges and starving England of possession and territory.

A smart chip over the top from Haimona forced Mike Brown into action sweeping behind to try to stop Andrea Masi, but he paid a heavy price, colliding nastily with the Italian's shoulder.  With the fallout from George North's concussion still fresh on the mind every care was taken to ensure Brown's well-being during a lengthy stoppage in play.  He was stretchered off and replaced by Billy Twelvetrees, with England moving Anthony Watson to full-back and Jonathan Joseph onto the wing.

Brown's injury, while of major concern, did give England a chance to restart after a dire opening.  Their scrum was monstrous and their attack showed patience, ending eventually with some first points for Ford from a penalty.

Only some sharp cover defence from Parisse stopped Edoardi Gori from being trampled by Billy Vunipola as he charged for the line, with the England number eight looking to finish off a sweep around from the maul.  Or so it initially seemed, with the TMO on closer inspection adjudging that Vunipola was both not in touch and had also scored.  England as a result took an 8-5 lead.

Rightly, England fans might have been concerned about Joseph being shunted out to the wing after his dazzling display against Wales in midfield, but they needn't have worried.  The Bath back produced a superb solo try, receiving the ball out wide and accelerating through two tacklers before outrunning the cover defence having sold them with a dummy.  It was truly a special score.

Haimona missed two penalties and the opportunity to narrow England's lead which the hosts should have extended, Jonny May carelessly squandering a three-on-one trying to go himself for the corner and consequently losing possession.  Italy clung on near their own line to close out the half, England's rolling maul failing them from close range as they went in 15-5 ahead.

Italy were struggling to handle Vunipola, the young number eight making four carries in just one passage of play as England started the second half much quicker than their sluggish opening.

Ford added a second penalty but England were a little rash in their eagerness to put Italy away, opting for miracle plays rather than patient build-up.

The Azzurri benefited, the excellent Morisi finishing off an attack that all started with Leonardo Sarto's chip and chase.  The giant winger recovered possession and with the ball spread to the left, Morisi straightened and had enough strength to withstand Watson's last-ditch tackle to score.  What might have been had Italy still been able to call upon a kicker with the quality of Diego Dominguez.  Again Haimona was off-target with the conversion, making it ten points missed with the boot.

Quick thinking from Ben Youngs held off any English jitters for the time being, as the scrum-half darted over from a tap penalty after more dominance in the scrum.  Such a soft score for Italy to concede and one that did little to alter Jacques Brunel's normal pessimistic expression.

A third penalty from Ford put England 28-10 ahead as the replacements arrived, but Joseph remained the star — although he was brilliantly assisted by club-mate Ford whose delay and pass to set up Joseph's second try was sublime.

It was to be his last act, Danny Cipriani coming on to make a first appearance at Twickenham for six and a half years, but typically scoring a try within less than a minute.  The replacement surged up on the shoulder of May after the winger sucked in defenders to sprint his way over for England's fifth try.

Nick Easter got in on the act by finishing off a powerful rolling maul to become the oldest try scorer in Six Nations history at 36 as Morisi added his second try, capping off a great afternoon at Twickenham for the Treviso youngster.

England though had the match won long ago, with the bonus of seeing Mike Brown up and about on the sidelines garnering a loud cheer from the crowd.  On goes the chariot.

Man of the Match:  Strong performances from Billy Vunipola and Joe Marler, but Jonathan Joseph takes the gong with his two tries and constant threat from 13.

Moment of the Match:  The quick tap from Ben Youngs.  Italy were just too slow, half distracted by the referee's ongoing explanation, and from 25-10 the game was decided.

Villain of the Match:  Nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  B Vunipola, Joseph 2, B Youngs, Cipriani, Easter
Cons:  Ford 3, Cipriani
Pens:  Ford 3

For Italy:

Tries:  Parisse, Morisi 2
Con:  Allan

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 James Haskell, 5 George Kruis, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements:  16 Tom Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Nick Easter, 20 Tom Croft, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Billy Twelvetrees.

Italy:  15 Luke McLean, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Andrea Masi, 11 Giovambattista Venditti, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Francesco Minto, 6 Mauro Bergamasco, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 George Fabio Biagi, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Alberto De Marchi.
Replacements:  16 Andrea Manici, 17 Matias Aguero, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Joshua Furno, 20 Samuela Vunisa, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Giulio Bisegni.

Date:  Saturday, February 14
Kickoff:  14:30 GMT
Venue:  Twickenham
Referee:  Johnny Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant Referees:  Pascal Gauzère (France), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO:  George Ayoub (Australia)

Lopez kicks France to laboured win

Five penalties from Camille Lopez gave France a difficult 15-8 victory over Scotland to open their Six Nations account in Paris.

Under new boss Vern Cotter, the Scots used their pacey outside backs to cause the French lots of problems, while Blair Cowan was a menace at the breakdown.

They were however indisciplined, and three first-half penalties from Lopez gave France a 9-8 lead at the interval despite Dougie Fife's score on the stroke of half-time.

France had more of the ball in the second half, adding another Lopez penalty, before his fifth three-pointer two minutes from time sealed the win.

It was cruel on the Scots, who played more of the rugby, but they struggle to keep hold of the ball in the second half, and despite their lack of cutting edge, the French established a stranglehold on the game.

France took the lead before having any ball in hand, earning a penalty in the first minute when Cowan found himself isolated.  Lopez made no mistake to put les Bleus 3-0 up.

In a scratchy opening 20, the Scots levelled matters with a Greig Laidlaw penalty, following a scrum infringement in front of the posts.

France hit straight back, Cowan, who was proving a nuisance at the breakdown, this time pinged for sprinting offside after a Wesley Fofana break.

From there Scotland began to take a stranglehold, with the likes of Mark Bennett and Stuart Hogg looking particularly dangerous.

After the former made one half-break, Hogg went clean through when faced with two forwards.  Scott Spedding tackled him just short of the line, and eventually the Scots were forced backwards before Finn Russell's drop goal attempt went wide from in front.

Les Bleus were struggling to make ground with the ball, but after one Rory Kockott break, they got into the Scottish 22, and once more the visitors strayed offside to slow down the French attack.  Lopez slotted three more points to make it 9-3 to the home side.

On the stroke of half-time, Scotland finally got the try their attacking play deserved.  First they made ground down the left, Hogg again at the heart of it, and with France scrambling, they moved it back to the right.

There Fife, on for the injured Tommy Seymour, went over after a lovely final pass from tighthead Euan Murray.  Laidlaw missed the conversion however, as France led 9-8 at the break.

The Scots started the second half well, but it was again France who scored first, Fife stupidly giving away a penalty.  After Lopez had kicked loosely Fife slipped into touch, giving away a lineout.  In his frustration he threw the ball away, stopping France from playing quickly, and gave the French fly-half three more points.

Cotter's side were giving away too many penalties, and after another offence in midfield at a ruck, France set up a rolling maul.  They eventually got going, with Benjamin Kayser breaking clear, but with the home side camped on the Scottish line, Pascal Pap

Ireland suffocate Italy in Rome

Defending champions Ireland got their 2015 campaign off the ground with a resounding if flawed 26-3 win at the Stadio Olimpico.

Tries from scrum-half Conor Murray and flanker Tommy O'Donnell saw the men in green home in a scrappy and error-strewn encounter.

O'Donnell's try represents something of a fairytale, as the Munster man was only in the side on account of Sean O'Brien pulling an apparent hamstring in the warm up.  But the man of the match was undoubtedly fly-half Ian Keatley, who contributed four penalties and a conversion in a flawless kicking display.

All the Italians could muster in response was a penalty from Kelly Haimona and although the hosts looked dangerous throughout the game, they created very little.

The Irish, who led at half-time, will be delighted with an opening win, but they'll know that they have a long way to go if they're going to retain their crown.

It was the Italians that made the better start, as Irish skipper Paul O'Connell failed to control the ball from the kick off.

But the Irish defence scrambled well, and the men in green were able to clear their lines.

The visitors settled into their patterns thereafter, as Six Nations debutant Keatley calmed his nerves with a couple of decent kicks out of hand.

And this early pressure allowed the fly-half to acquire the first points of the contest as he nailed a seventh-minute penalty after Italian loosehead Matias Aguero was caught in an offside position.

As expected, the Italians were full of vigour and physicality, but the hosts' momentum was disrupted by the concession of several unnecessary penalties in the first ten minutes.

The Irish looked relatively sharp in midfield, as Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne looked to inject the visitors' attack with width.

But scoring opportunities remained depressingly scarce as the Italian rear guard bolted the door firmly shut, with the redoubtable Sergio Parisse making several trademark tackles to shore up the home defence.

But the Irish pressure was always going to tell at some stage, and on 20 minutes Keatley doubled his side's advantage as the Azzurri were penalised for offside from a speculative Murray box-kick.

The Irish were thus 0-6 to the good, but the reigning champions weren't exactly setting Rome alight despite dominating possession.

What will have pleased Irish coach Joe Schmidt most was the assured performance of Keatley, who was controlling the game superbly.

The Irish had a great chance to accentuate their advantage on the 30-minute mark as they were awarded a penalty as a result of the pressure Mike Ross was exerting on Aguero at the scrum.

Keatley launched the ball deep into Italian territory, and from the ensuing lineout the Irish set up camp in the Italian 22.

The Irish initiated attack after attack, but the Italian defence proved absolutely outstanding to keep the visitors at bay.

But the relentless Irish kept coming and Keatley extended the lead to nine points on 36 minutes with another sweetly-struck penalty.

The first half ended with the Italians finding some momentum, with Luke McLean and Haimona putting together some phases in the Irish 22.

The ferocity of the onslaught forced the visitors to concede a succession of penalties.

The Italians kicked the first of these to touch, and set-up one of their trademark driving mauls.

The Irish defence repelled the initial incursion well, albeit illegally and the Italians were gifted another penalty attempt on the stroke of half time.

The second attempt was manifestly easier than the first, and this time the hosts wisely elected to go for the posts.

Haimona made no mistake with the resultant kick, and his side entered in the interval only six points adrift at 3-9.

Given Ireland's dominance of possession, the scoreline seemed a slightly distorted reflection of the game, but left both sides with everything to play for in the second half.

As the second period began, it was a similar story as errors and disruption abounded.  The Irish frantically tried to find their rhythm, but struggled to attain much continuity in their game.

While the Italian defence was certainly resolute, the visitors offered very little from an attacking viewpoint.

Their front row remained a potent weapon, though, and when the Italians' scrum collapsed on 57 minutes, Keatley continued his impeccable kicking performance to stretch the lead to 3-12.

With their attack off first phase proving blunt, the Irish resorted to plan B and utilised their potent maul.

With the visitors camped on the Italian line, the home side was forced to scramble desperately, and hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini was dispatched to the sin-bin for cynically disrupting the Irishmen's impetus.

With the Italians down to 14 men, the visitors were able to hammer home their advantage and from the ensuing passage of play Murray darted over for the opening try.  Keatley converted to make it 3-19.

The Azzurri were now severely under the cosh, and no sooner had Murray scored, than openside O'Donnell spotted a gap in the depleted Italian defence on 66 minutes to sprint over for his first Six Nations try.

With Keatley having been replaced, Ian Madigan added the extras to give his side a commanding 3-26 lead.

From a position of panic, the Irish now had control of the game.  The hosts had their moments in the final ten minutes as replacement Tommaso Allan injected some fluidity into their stagnant back play.

The Italians battered away furiously at the Irish defence, but the men in green proved adept at closing them down.

To their credit, the tenacious hosts refused to give up the ghost and they seemed to have got over for a consolation try on 78 minutes as Haimona grounded the ball.

The matter was referred to the TMO by Pascal Gauzère, but agonisingly for the Azzurri, Parisse was adjudged to have knocked on in the build-up.

The Irish thus held on to seal a valuable victory, but their perfectionist coach will know they still have plenty of work to do.

Man of the Match:  Ian Keatley surely claims the gong for his assured performance on his Six Nations debut.  The Munster fly-half controlled the tempo of the game like a 50-cap veteran, with sublime tactical kicking, astute game management, and variation in attack.  Add in an imperious performance with the boot, and Keatley was the stand-out performer, showing why he was selected over Ian Madigan and confirming that the Irish have another fly-half who can prosper at Test level.

Moment of the match:  Tommy O'Donnell's try capped a fine performance for the Munster forward.  What made the try all the more satisfying is the fact that O'Donnell wasn't in the original starting line-up, his involvement being due to Sean O'Brien's injury in the warm-up.  The try typified everything that O'Donnell is about:  pace, power, and work-rate; and was a just reward for a barnstorming performance.

Villain of the match:  When Italian hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini was yellow-carded in the second half for obstructing the progress of the Irish maul, the hosts were handicapped at a critical phase of the match and were placed at a massive disadvantage.  It is no coincidence that the Irish scored both of their tries while he was serving time in the bin.  Other than that, there wasn't any nasty stuff to report.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Pen:  Haimona
Yellow Card:  Ghiraldini

For Ireland:
Tries:  Murray, O'Donnell
Cons:  Keatley, Madigan
Pens:  Keatley 4

The teams:

Italy:  15 Andrea Masi, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Luke McLean, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Francesco Minto, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 George Biagi, 4 Joshua Furno, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Matias Aguero.
Replacements:  16 Andrea Manici, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Marco Fuser, 20 Marco Barbini, 21 Gulgielmo Palazzani, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Giovanbattista Venditti.

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jordi Murphy, 7 Tommy O'Donnell, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Jack McGrath.
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 James Cronin, 18 Marty Moore, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Robbie Diack, 21 Isaac Boss, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Felix Jones.

Date:  Saturday, February 7

Kick-off:  15:30 local (14:30 GMT)

Venue:  Stadio Olimpico

Referee:  Pascal Gauzère (France)

Assistant referees:  Johnny Lacey (Ireland), Luke Pearce (England)

Television match official:  Graham Hughes (England)

Assessor:  Donal Courtney (Ireland)

England make a statement in Cardiff

England laid out their championship credentials with an impressive 21-16 win in Cardiff over Wales, to help ease the memories of 2013.

Tries from young Bath backs Anthony Watson and Jonathan Joseph along with the boot of their team-mate George Ford got England's campaign off to the perfect start with a gritty performance.

Wales started phenomenally to make the likelihood of an English victory here seem remote, but with the ticking of the clock home doubts and errors along with away confidence grew.

Weeks of Hymns and Arias on a loop couldn't have prepared England for what was a barrage of noise before kick-off.  More of an opening ceremony than a pre-match warm-up, awesome to witness all the same.

Would England learn their lessons from 2013, especially with their discipline?  Leigh Halfpenny reminded them that any penalty conceded under 50 metres is an opportunity for him to convert, as he duly did in the second minute.

Wales were sharp, illustrated by Halfpenny sneaking up the right touchline and threading a kick through that, while smartly defended by Watson, culminated in a Welsh scrum.

Taulupe Faletau was then too smart, England too slow, as the number eight brilliantly fed Rhys Webb for the opening try through the arms of those trying to stop him.  That sickening sense of familiarity for Stuart Lancaster and so early too, with Wales cruising.

This though was a contest rather than another massacre, destined to twist and turn.  Dan Cole notched up a scrum penalty and from the resulting territory Watson scored, collecting Mike Brown's grubber in the corner.

Watson's try was his first in Tests with no doubt many more to come, the athletic Bath winger leaping and cutting his way through tacklers time and again.

The scrappier the game grew the more absorbing it became, Halfpenny added a second long-range penalty after England infringed again at the ruck.

Ford responded — the England scrum winning more valuable territory as George North temporarily departed from a stray boot to the head.

For all the skills on show what was needed was some assuredness, Dan Biggar providing it with a well-taken drop goal right on half-time to give Wales a 16-8 lead.

Joseph mimicked Faletau's earlier elusiveness in the exact same corner straight at the start of the second half.  On his first start for two years he ducked and dived through the tackle attempts of three Welsh players to cross for England's second try.

Momentum was with England but Ford couldn't follow up Joseph's key score with a penalty to take the lead, pushing the kick wide to the left to leave Wales ahead by one.

Time and again Wales were denied smooth possession around the ruck by stray English boots, as only the post could stop James Haskell's bulldozing carry towards the try line, England settling for another penalty as Alex Cuthbert went to the bin.

Wales had no answer to England's scrum as the forwards took control in all areas, Tom Youngs making a mark off the bench as Wales refused to concede while down to 14 men, just, with Luther Burrell's pass leaving plenty to be desired as Mike Brown surged up on his outside.

Dave Attwood then looked to have the match sewn up, but an obstruction call on Nick Easter in the build-up sent the Millennium crowd roaring back into life with the win still possible.

Discipline and nerve were paramount and England held theirs when it counted, winning a penalty for Ford who shut out the din to put his side ahead by five.  With all their injuries and doubts, they delivered when Wales failed to do the same.  The inquest now begins.

Man of the Match:  Standout performances from Halfpenny, Warburton, Haskell and more, but Anthony Watson for England was excellent.

Moment of the Match:  With England's second try, Jonathan Joseph gave his side belief and made Wales pay for some soft defence.

Villain of the Match:  Nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Try:  Webb
Con:  Halfpenny
Pens:  Halfpenny 2
Drop Goal:  Biggar
Yellow Card:  Cuthbert

For England:
Tries:  Watson, Joseph
Con:  Ford
Pens:  Ford 3

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Paul James, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Liam Williams.

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 James Haskell, 5 George Kruis, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements:  16 Tom Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Nick Easter, 20 Tom Croft, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Billy Twelvetrees.

Referee:  Jérôme Garcès (FFR)

Assistant Referees:  Romain Poite (FFR), Mathieu Raynal (FFR)

TMO:  Simon McDowell (Ire)

Essential win for England

England's season finally came good as the hosts saw off a dynamic Wallaby side at Twickenham with a 26-17 win on Saturday.

A first-half try from Ben Morgan, brilliantly orchestrated by the impressive George Ford, was the difference between the sides at half-time, but England will rue the litany of handling errors that have plagued their outside backs all season as several chances went begging on the wings through basic skill errors.

However, this was a victory hewn from England's scrummaging power and the penetration of their driving maul, not an unfamiliar situation for followers of Australian rugby.

Nonetheless, as a victory it is significant for England;  anything less would have thrown their season in the depths of calamity, and Graham Rowntree can take a lot of credit for the impregnable lineout and scrum that has been a feature of English rugby this November.

Australia started well, with Bernard Foley making the first inroads as England transgressed at the ruck.  But the next penalty was a portent of things to come as Australia collapsed a powerful English scrum and George Ford slotted three points.

Time and time again the Wallaby eight struggled to cope with the pinching of the outstanding David Wilson and Joe Marler on the Australia tighthead and hooker, and as James Slipper was 'disconnected' the Aussie front row were forced either to stand up, collapse or detach as the wave of English power decimated the Australian tight five.

The scoreboard showed 12 points to the front row but frankly there were a number of occasions were Jerome Garces could quite have justifiably considered penalty tries.

Morgan's opening score after 28 minutes was a direct result of the immense forward pressure England exerted.  Chris Robshaw, a rock all afternoon, forced a turnover in his own half with Israel Folau fumbled the resulting low kick from the percussive Ben Youngs.

The resulting scrum was huge from England and as Brad Barritt made big inroads into the Wallaby defence, Youngs recycled quickly and flanker Tom Wood linked to send Morgan crashing over.

Australia are a side that relish a disparity of possession and retaliated with an exhilarating break from the outstanding Adam Ashley-Cooper down the right flank.

However, defensive systems count for a lot in modern international rugby and Anthony Watson's awareness to stay on Ashley-Cooper as the veteran offloaded to Rob Horne, allowed Courtney Lawes to snuff out the attack with a tackle of Herculean proportions on the Wallaby wing.

With Ford missing long-range penalties either side of the break, Australia hit back with intelligence and style.

Ford coughed up the ball as Twelvetrees was smashed in the tackle by Matt Toomba.  Five phases later and Foley and Horne combined to send the Wallaby fly-half under the posts, converting his own effort to bring Australia to within a penalty of England at 13-10.

Despite the very best efforts of Ashley-Cooper, who tore England's push defence apart time and time again with his direct running approach, Australia simply couldn't compete with England's forward power.

After 58 minutes Mike Brown, back to his rock-like self at full-back, sent a testing grubber deep into the Wallaby 22.  The ensuing line-out gave England a five-metre scrum and Australia capitulated, giving Morgan the opportunity to scamper over for his brace.

But Australia were not going down without a fight and a crucial missed tackle by Robshaw on his opposite number Michael Hooper allowed the Wallaby flanker to combine with replacement Quade Cooper and Toomua, popping up the ball for the giant Will Skelton to thunder over the whitewash.

With England fearing a deja-vu moment, another loss in the closing minutes of the game, the men in white turned to their forwards and, right on cue, they produced a rolling maul of some 25 metres.

Australia inevitably collapsed it and Ford took the chance to take England six points clear.

Another penalty moments later led the home team to the relative safely of an eight-point lead and England clung on for dear life as they finally got the big win they so sorely needed.

In the final analysis, England will be grateful for a win and Australia will leave Twickenham wondering how on earth they disintegrated against an England scrum yet again.

However, in analysing their victory, England need to take notice of the basic handling errors they produced yet again and the lack of penetration of their backs from phase possession.

It's a step forward for England, but when examined carefully, it's more of a shuffle in the right direction than a confident stride.

Man of the Match:  Adam Ashley-Cooper was a thorn in England's side all day, as was the dynamic running of Michael Hooper.  For England, Brad Barritt's leadership of the defence was outstanding, as was Courtney Lawes' physicality.  But in a season where England have struggled to score tries, Ben Morgan's brace wins him our award.

Moment of the Match:  This week has been a horrific one for sport in general and Australian sport in particular.  The ovation given to deceased cricketer Phil Hughes at the start of the game ensured there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  Astonishing, poignant and apt.

Villain of the Match:  Nothing to report at all here.  Played in wonderful spirit.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  Morgan 2
Cons:  Ford 2
Pens:  Ford 4

For Australia:
Tries:  Foley, Skelton
Cons:  Foley, Cooper
Pen:  Foley

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 David Wilson, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements:  16 Rob Webber, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 George Kruis, 20 James Haskell, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Marland Yarde.

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Sean McMahon, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Sam Carter, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Saia Fainga'a, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements:  tbc

Referee:  J

Joy at last as Wales beat SA

Wales clinched the sweetest of victories with a 12-6 triumph over South Africa, their first Southern Hemisphere scalp since 2008.

Neither side were able to build any momentum in a game punctuated by numerous knock-ons and schoolboy errors.

In a tryless contest Wales' will to win shone through in the dying stages, as the Springboks fluffed their final chances.

Heyneke Meyer will want to forget this trip to Cardiff in a hurry, with a serious knee injury for Jean de Villiers giving South Africa real cause for concern.

Wales hadn't picked up a win over the Springboks since 1999, while their ongoing troubles against the Boks, Wallabies and All Blacks were starting to gather mythical status.

How crucial the timing of this win of all wins was with the Rugby World Cup looming on the horizon.

Wales may have failed to land a blow on their Pool A rivals Australia, but defeating South Africa will feel just as sweet.  Crucially, England are the next visitors to Cardiff in a clash that is set to be momentous.

It would be wrong to take anything away from the Welsh victory, but the Springboks were admittedly miles off their best.

This was only the second Welsh win over South Africa in 108 years, incredibly, but they were worthy winners in a slugfest characterised by several brutal collisions.

Toulon full-back Leigh Halfpenny kicked all of the home side's points, countered by two strikes by Pat Lambie, as the 13-man Welsh lineout made a couple of appearances in the desperate struggle for victory.

Halfpenny's heroics also lay elsewhere in defence with an inspired try-saving tackle on Eben Etzebeth, which according to the laws of size should have never been successful.

With the boot Halfpenny struck as early as the fourth minute, after an early tackle on Rhys Webb, with Lambie not waiting long to counter.

A bone-crunching hit from Duane Vermeulen on Jamie Roberts had set the tone for the game's physicality, although it was interspersed with moments of skill such as Sam Warburton delivering a flick pass through his legs.

Even the Welsh 15-man maul couldn't generate a try as the Boks did enough to stop Halfpenny, of all people, just short of the whitewash but Lambie's missed penalty kick on the half hour mark left both sides deadlocked at 3-3 by half-time.

Warburton was excellent throughout, the captain making a key play when his turnover at the ruck won a kickable penalty for Halfpenny to fire over.

Typically given the nature of the contest Lambie instantly responded, with the Boks scrum gaining an advantage.

Two penalties in four minutes then put Wales into the decisive lead, first for Coenie Oosthuizen's side entry at the ruck and then after Wales produced the scrum of the day with a monster drive.

Halfpenny delivered, setting up a tense final quarter that was overshadowed by the concern over De Villiers as he left on a stretcher with a dislocated knee after a lengthy stoppage.

Wales' cause was helped by a yellow card for Cornal Hendricks after he was adjudged to take out Halfpenny in the air, with some superb defence and the Boks failure to execute sending Cardiff into delirium and easing the pressure on Warren Gatland.  It's a day that will live long in the memory for Welsh fans.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Pens:  Halfpenny 4

For South Africa:
Pens:  Lambie 2
Yellow Card:  Hendricks

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements:  16 Emyr Phillips, 17 Aaron Jarvis, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 James King, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Scott Williams.

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Jan Serfontein, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Replacements:  16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Julian Redelinghuys, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Nizaam Carr, 21 Francois Hougaard, 22 Handr

Georgia put five past Japan

Georgia bounced back from last week's heavy defeat to Ireland as they cruised past Japan, winning 35-24 in Tbilisi.

The hosts went in at the break 17-10 up after tries from hooker Shalva Mamukashvili and full-back Merab Kvirikashvili either side of a penalty try.

Japan's response came from right wing Kotaro Matsushima, with Ayumu Goromaru adding the extras and a penalty three minutes before the try.

But after the break Georgia took full control with further tries from fly-half Lasha Khmaladze and replacement Beka Tsiklauri meaning that a late score from Japan served only as a consolation.

The scorers:

For Georgia:
Tries:  Mamukashvili, Penalty try, Kvirikashvili, Khmaladze, Tsiklauri
Con:  Kvirikashvili 2
Pen:  Kvirikashvili 2

For Japan:
Tries:  Matsushima, Tatekawa
Con:  Goromaru 3
Pen:  Goromaru

Georgia:  15 Merab Kvirikashvili, 14 Tamaz Mtchedlidze, 13 David Kacharava (C), 12 Merab Sharikadze, 11 Sandro Todua, 10 Lasha Khmaladze, 9 Vazha Khutsishvili, 8 Lasha Lomidze, 7 Vito Kolelishvili, 6 Giorgi Tkhilaishvili, 5 Levan Datunashvili, 4 Giorgi Nemsadze, 3 David Kubriashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili.
Replacements:  16 Simon Maisuradze, 17 Zurab Zhvania, 18 Levan Chilachava, 19 Kote Mikautadze, 20 Giorgi Chkhaidze, 21 Giorgi Begadze, 22 Beka Tsiklauri, 23 Giorgi Aptsiauri

Japan:  15 Ayumu Goromaru, 14 Kotaro Matsushima, 13 Male Sau, 12 Harumichi Tatekawa, 11 Karne Hesketh, 10 Yu Tamura, 9 Atsushi Hiwasa, 8 Amanaki Lelei Mafi, 7 Hayden Hopgood, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Shoji Ito, 4 Luke Thompson, 3 Kensuke Hatakeyama, 2 Takeshi Kizu, 1 Masataka Mikami.
Replacements:  16 Keita Inagaki, 17 Hiroki Yuhara, 18 Shinnosuke Kakinaga, 19 Hitoshi Ono, 20 Shinya Makabe, 21 Yuki Yatomi, 22 Kosei Ono, 23 Toshiaki Hirose.

Venue:  Mikheil Meshki Stadium, Tbilisi
Referee:  Romain Poite (France)

Misfiring England do enough

England winger Jonny May scored two tries as Stuart Lancaster's side picked up a welcome if unconvincing 28-9 win over Samoa at Twickenham.

Seeing England and Samoa's players link arms following the final whistle and kneel in prayer was undoubtedly the highlight of a poor game that had been overshadowed by off-field matters all week.

Samoa were never going to be walkovers but England were expected to find some fluency in attack, which they never truly achieved bar rare flashes of inspiration.

This win may have ended a five-match losing streak, but it was hardly something to shout about.

Their first half was best described as shambolic;  a never-ending succession of nervous errors and limited attacking rugby that did little to inspire a crowd who are turning on them.

May is a threat and worked hard while Mike Brown showed glimpses of his old self, but there wasn't enough to feel confident about England again after the last two weeks.

Had they been up against a side with a competitive scrum, anything rather than Samoa's struggling eight, then their recent record may have turned even more sour.

England have regressed considerably since Wales and Ireland came to Twickenham and were sent packing.

The four games against New Zealand were meant to improve England as a competitive force, not accentuate their now painfully obvious weaknesses.  The whole first half typified where they've been going wrong, as despite a dominant set-piece the failed to capitalise.

Matters certainly improved in the second half, no doubt, but a bruised Wallabies outfit will arrive in London licking their lips after two narrow losses in seven days.

England will have to be hugely better than this.  For the most part, they were all bluster and no end product going forward, though that's not to be confused with defence where Chris Robshaw led the way on 22 tackles.

George Ford provided some pleasing touches on his first start, particularly with an arrowed cross field kick for England's second try by Mike Brown.

Smashed on a couple of occasions, the 20-year-old on his first cap didn't flinch.  England needed authority and confidence and he provided it when required.

A hard tackle on England's new man from Johnny Leota should never have been a yellow card, but in the process decided the result as England scored their third try with Samoa down to 14 men.

That decision was rough on Samoa but in reality is a drop in the water compared to the off-field calamity that is the governance of the Samoan Rugby Union.

Dan Leo admitted earlier this week that being focused for Twickenham would be difficult and for all of their determination, Samoa's set-piece couldn't support them enough to really punish England's error-strewn 40 minutes and beyond.

Slopping handling in the opening quarter hindered the home side's progress after Tusi Pisi's fourth-minute penalty, but Ford broke the deadlock following a Samoa indiscretion at the scrum which paved the way for Jonny May's first try.

The flyer was practically tap tackled by a team-mate after being released by Mike Brown, but did enough to score his second Test try.

Further penalties from Pisi and Ford took us to half-time with England up 13-6 in poor conditions.

Ford's input continued after the break with a third penalty and that fine assisting kick which ended with Brown's score, Anthony Watson showing good composure to offload rather than force the score, with Pisi keeping England honest before the yellow card changed the game's dynamic.

From then on Twickenham fell flat again, groaning as England's attack once again misfired.

The centre pairing of Owen Farrell and Brad Barritt was greeted with scepticism and shouldn't be trotted out again, even despite Farrell and Ford linking well for May's first try.

England simply have better options that need to be used instead — Barritt's lack of attacking prowess in Test rugby, however well he does for Saracens, cannot be ignored.

England's coaches should watch Luther Burrell closely on Sunday against Saracens and consider pairing him with one of Kyle Eastmond or Billy Twelvetrees for Australia to give their midfield more life.

That had been the hope for James Haskell, brought in to give England's carrying options, yet he failed to register a single one.

England ended with a whimper rather than the morale-boosting bang required.  Marland Yarde and Brown's failure to execute a breakaway chance summed up their night, with Dave Attwood's knock on signalling the end.

For Samoa this is their last game until the All Blacks next year.  Change has to happen behind the scenes if we are to see the best of them in that momentous occasion.

They deserve more, never giving up even with the game lost, typified by their captain David Lemi.  Let's hope the media attention and call to arms over the last week isn't another false dawn.

Man of the Match:  Chris Robshaw shone defensively but George Ford gave England some positive signs and must start next week.

Moment of the Match:  The aforementioned Ford's cross kick to Anthony Watson was perfect and ended with a try.

Villain of the Match:  The collective decision by the officials to yellow card Johnny Leota.  A terrible call.

The scorers:

For England:
Tries:  May 2, Brown
Cons:  Ford 2
Pens:  Ford 3

For Samoa:
Pens:  Pisi 3
Yellow Card:  Leota

England:  15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Brad Barritt, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 James Haskell, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 David Wilson, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements:  16 Dylan Hartley, 17 Matt Mullan, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 George Kruis, 20 Tom Wood, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Billy Twelvetrees, 23 Marland Yarde

Samoa:  15 Ken Pisi, 14 Alapati Leiua, 13 Reynold Lee-Lo, 12 Johnny Leota, 11 David Lemi, 10 Tusi Pisi, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Ofisa Treviranus, 7 Jack Lam, 6 Maurie Fa'asavalu, 5 Kane Thompson, 4 Filo Paulo, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Ti'i Paulo, 1 Zak Taulafo.
Replacements:  16 Manu Leiataua, 17 Viliamu Afatia, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Fa'atiga Lemalu, 20 Dan Leo, 21 TJ Ioane, 22 Pete Cowley, 23 Mike Stanley.

Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
TMO:  Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Romania battle past Canada

Romania fly-half Florin Vlaicu kicked all of his side's points as they got the better of Canada, prevailing 18-9 at Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf.

The victory was Romania's first of November as they bounced back from defeats to USA and Japan with this gritty success in Bucharest.

Canada could only muster three penalty goals in the game but did take the lead via full-back James Pritchard's boot before Vlaicu responded in the 28th and 37th minute for a 6-3 half-time lead.

Gordon McRorie did level for Canada in the 47th minute but Romania then churned through the three-pointers as pivot Vlaicu added four more penalties to Pritchard's second to seal the win.

The scorers:

For Romania:
Pen:  Vlaicu 6

For Canada:
Pen:  Pritchard 2, McRorie

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Dorin Manole, 13 Csaba Gal, 12 Robert Dascalu, 11 Ionut Botezatu, 10 Florin Vlaicu, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Stelian Burcea, 7 Valentin Ursache, 6 Mihai Macovei (capt), 5 Valentin Popirlan, 4 Alin Coste, 3 Horatiu Pungea, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Mihaita Lazar.
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Andrei Ursache, 18 Paulica Ion, 19 Marius Antonescu, 20 Vlad Nistor, 21 Florin Surugiu, 22 Florin Ionita, 23 Robert Neagu.

Canada:  15 James Pritchard, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Conor Trainor, 12 Ciaran Hearn, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Patrick Parfrey, 9 Gordon McRorie, 8 Tyler Ardron (capt), 7 Nanyak Dala, 6 Jebb Sinclair, 5 Jon Phelan, 4 Jamie Cudmore, 3 Jason Marshall, 2 Aaron Carpenter, 1 Hubert Buydens.
Replacements:  16 Ray Barkwill, 17 Andrew Tiedemann, 18 Doug Wooldridge, 19 Kyle Gilmour, 20 Richard Thorpe, 21 Sean White, 22 Jordan Wilson-Ross, 23 Nick Blevins.

Referee:  Nick Briant (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Andrew McMenemy (Scotland), Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
Television match official:  Geoff Warren (England)

Five-try Scotland beat Tonga

Scotland exorcised their demons of 2012 with a comfortable 37-12 triumph over Tonga to round off a successful November Test series.

Tries from Blair Cowan, who enjoyed his best performance in a navy shirt to date, Stuart Hogg, Alex Dunbar, Geoff Cross and Tommy Seymour ensured there would be no repeat of the Scots' insipid Aberdeen loss to the same opponents.

Two years ago, almost to the day, Tonga raided polar Pittodrie, outscoring Scotland two tries to nil and notching a first-ever victory over their hosts, spelling the end for Andy Robinson in doing so.  It was one of Scottish rugby's lowest ebbs in the professional era.

But this Scottish side has a very different feel to it than the disjointed, confidence-bereft gaggle that succumbed to the marauding Islanders of yesteryear, Vern Cotter instilling confidence, freedom and ruthlessness in his new charges in equal measure.

Despite the narrow confines of the Rugby Park pitch, which despite its moniker, has not played host to the oval ball game for nearly fifty years, both teams sought an expansive, offloading style of play, yielding errors and infringements aplenty, but also some tidy Scottish tries.

With ten minutes gone, Hogg's failure to roll away presented fly-half Latiume Fosita with an opportunity to open the scoring from the left touchline;  the mop-headed pivot converted smartly.

The Scots, eager to set the ball rolling, eschewed a spree of kickable shots at the posts in favour of multiple cracks at the corner and the line.  Though the Tongan pack repeatedly thwarted their driving maul, they did so illegally on no less than four consecutive occasions — JP Doyle sent skipper Nili Latu to the bin, Scotland remained patient, and on attempt number five, Cowan burrowed his way to the whitewash under a mass of bodies.

Laidlaw converted, but Fosita soon flighted over his second penalty from the ten-metre line after Scotland fluffed their lines in midfield, and added a third when Ross Ford failed to roll away.

The Tongans are known for ferocious defence that often toys with the boundaries of legality, but it was Dunbar who saw yellow for what TMO Carlo Damasco deemed a dangerous tip-tackle.

The penalties kept coming, and Fosita, almost flanker-esque in physique and clad in scrum cap, continued to punish home indiscipline with each languid swing of his right boot.

Strike number four sailed over on the half-hour mark, though the fly-half was perhaps a touch too languid in clearing from his own in-goal area moments later, Finn Russell seizing on the charge-down only to be pulled back for offside.

Tonga continued to press, however, and their hulking carriers, both backs and forwards, made dangerous inroads into the Scottish 22 — centre Hemani Paea was particularly threatening.

Indeed, an overlap and a try in the corner beckoned for the Islanders, but for a huge Russell hit, forcing the ball from Fetu'u Vainikolo's grasp, and allowing Hogg to scoop up and race the length of the pitch.

Laidlaw added the extras, and fumbled a great chance for a third with the clock red from a neat lineout move.

The theme of Scots infringing with folly and consistency continued after the break, Fosita pulling his fifth attempt wide on 44 minutes, after what by my count was a fifth penalty for not rolling away.  Such indiscipline will prove more costly against more potent opposition.

Potency is something Scotland have rediscovered this November, however, and though space appeared to be at a premium in the Tongan 22, Russell switched play and allowed Dunbar to swivel and step brilliantly past Viliami Ma'afu, and outpace Paea Fa'anunu to the corner flag.

Laidlaw missed, but his centre's score administered the Scots an injection of pace and incisiveness.  Dunbar again broke into the 22, and a period of pressure yielded the captain's first penalty of the match, handing the hosts a ten-point advantage.

The scrum, solid in the first half, began to dominate, sapping the energy of the Tongan eight, while the Gray brothers, Richie and Jonny, augmented busy shifts in the loose by ruling the skies.

Cross, resplendent as ever with flowing Nordic facial hair, forced his way over following a tidy Hogg break and more strong carrying from Cowan, Laidlaw converting.

Seymour continued his prolific, and opportunistic November by dotting down Duncan Taylor's tap-back of Russell's up-and-under in the Tongan in-goal area, though the fly-half could not convert, and added a fitting symmetry to the morale-boosting series, having scored in all three Tests.

Man of the match:  Blair Cowan was excellent at the breakdown, snaffled plenty loose ball, carried well, making over 30 metres, and scored his first Test try.

Moment of the match:  Alex Dunbar's try was the beginning of the end for Tonga.

Villain of the match:  Nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries:  Cowan, Hogg, Dunbar, Cross, Seymour
Con:  Laidlaw 3
Pen:  Laidlaw 2
Yellow:  Dunbar (24 minutes)

For Tonga:
Pen:  Fosita 4
Yellow:  Latu (12 minutes)

Scotland:  15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Sean Lamont, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (c), 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Geoff Cross, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson
Replacements:  16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Ryan Grant, 19 Kieran Low, 20 Alasdair Strokosch, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Duncan Taylor.

Tonga:  15 Vungakoto Lilo, 14 David Halaifonua, 13 Siale Piutau, 12 Hemani Paea, 11 Fetu'u Vainikolo, 10 Latiume Fosita, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Viliami Ma'afu, 7 Nili Latu (capt), 6 Sione Kalamafoni, 5 Joe Tu'ineau, 4 Tukulua Lokotui, 3 Paea Fa'anunu, 2 Aleki Lutui, 1 Tevita Mailau.
Replacements:  16 Elvis Taione, 17 Sione Lea, 18 Sila Puafisi, 19 Lisiate Fa'aoso, 20 Hale T Pole, 21 Tomasi Palu, 22 Kurt Morath, 23 Sione Piukala.

Referee:  JP Doyle (England)
Assistant Referees:  Greg Garner (England), Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO:  Carlo Damasco (Italy)

Wales stunned by Barrett brilliance

Three tries in the final ten minutes saw New Zealand - in Richie McCaw's 100th game as captain - beat Wales 34-16 at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

15-16 up on 69 minutes, Wales were sniffing a massive win over the All Blacks.  But then fly-half Beauden Barrett's individual score knocked the stuffing out of the Welsh before Kieran Read and Barrett again sealed New Zealand's fourth win of their successful end-of-year international tour.

The All Blacks fly-half was clearly given a pre-game message to put the ball behind the rushing defence and he duly found the spaces.  However Barrett, who was selected ahead of Aaron Cruden and Dan Carter for the tour finale, didn't get much possession in decent areas early on in Cardiff.

In fact, the Welsh would take the lead on seven minutes when milestone man Richie McCaw was penalised by English referee Wayne Barnes at the breakdown to offer full-back Leigh Halfpenny the opportunity to slot over a simple penalty.  Wales found themselves ahead without New Zealand having even threatened them.  New Zealand were indeed struggling to pierce a fierce Welsh defence as hits were halting the likes of Sonny Bill Williams and Ben Smith.

They did get the chance to level with a quarter of the game gone when Jake Ball was caught offside but unfortunately for Barrett he was off-target as water-boy Carter watched on.  He did make amends on 23 minutes though from halfway after Wales were penalised at scrum time.

While the scoreline didn't change in the closing 17 minutes of the half, the tackles and intensity meant it was anything but dull at the Millennium Stadium, with Dan Lydiate, Brodie Retallick and the like having adopted the unfamiliar tag of being the stand-out performers.

But in they went at the break as those in Cardiff and at home caught their breath - it would have been interesting to hear the coaches' briefing to their respective players as Warren Gatland surely would have avoided talking up the possibility of ending their long wait.

Steve Hansen's words clearly had the desired effect though as from turnover ball in the Welsh 22, the All Blacks went to the left wing where Julian Savea saw off Dan Biggar to end his own drought, picking up a first try against Wales.  Barrett added the extras for 10-3.

The lead didn't last long though as three minutes later number eight Taulupe Faletau set up scrum-half Rhys Webb as Wales levelled matters, scooting over from seven metres out.

If they weren't already, Wales were clearly beginning to believe that victory could be theirs and when referee Barnes adjudged All Black second-row Sam Whitelock to have failed to roll away at the ruck, Halfpenny took his chance to put the hosts into the lead on 50 minutes.

But as is their wont, New Zealand did a Dublin 2013 on 65 minutes as hands on the left led to Dane Coles racing on before handing the ball to McCaw who was brought down five out.  The recycled ball saw Barrett kick cross field to where Jerome Kaino was on hand for 15-13.

The game wasn't done there though as McCaw found himself penalised by Barnes for side entry as Wales retook the lead, with sharp-shooter Halfpenny again on target off the tee.

But then came a moment of high class individual quality from Barrett as his chip and regather down the right wing moved New Zealand six points to the good with ten minutes remaining.

And it was game over three minutes later when replacement Mike Phillips' attempted box kick was charged down and Read collected the ball for New Zealand's fourth try.  Colin Slade's second successful conversion extended the lead to 13 as Wales were stunned.

New Zealand didn't let up as a cross-field kick found Barrett - now playing full-back - for his brace and with it the rubber stamped win, sending the All Blacks home with a clean sweep.

Man of the match:  While he was a little shaky early on, that moment of quality when he floored Wales with a chip that resulted in a key try almost saw Beauden Barrett win this award.  But in the end we go for Kieran Read after a tireless effort in Cardiff.

Moment of the match:  See above.

Villain of the match:  Nothing too nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Wales:
Try:  Webb
Con:  Halfpenny
Pen:  Halfpenny 3

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Savea, Kaino, Barrett 2, Read
Con:  Barrett, Slade 2
Pen:  Barrett

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Paul James.
Replacements:  16 Scott Baldwin , 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Luke Charteris , 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 James Hook, 23 Liam Williams.

New Zealand:  15 Ben Smith, 14 Charles Piutau, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements:  16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Liam Messam, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Colin Slade, 23 Ryan Crotty.

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Craig Joubert (South Africa), Luke Pearce (England)
TMO:  Graham Hughes (England)

Ireland edge Wallabies in thriller

Ireland claimed their second Southern Hemisphere scalp of the month with a 26-23 victory over Australia in a thrilling clash in Dublin on Saturday.

The hosts were outscored three tries to two by the Wallabies but another incredible performance on defence — as was the case against the Springboks — was at the origin of a memorable win.

What a game!

One of the best first-halves of international rugby seen anywhere this year came to an end with the scores locked at 20-all.

It was breathtaking stuff as both sides impressed.  Australia's ability to offload in the tackle kept the ball alive while the hosts' tactical execution was out of the top drawer.

An amazing first half-hour that featured five tries saw Ireland race to a 17-0 lead inside 15 minutes only for Australia to fight back and draw level.

Irish wings Simon Zebo and Tommy Bowe both touched down early on but the Wallabies replied via three tries from half-backs Nick Phipps — who scored twice — and Bernard Foley.

The paced never slowed in the second half — even if the tries stopped flowing — and the game went right down to the wire with the opposing fly-halve exchanging penalties.

Zebo got the hosts off to a perfect start as he raced down the touchline to latch onto Jonathan Sexton's equally perfect kick ahead to score.  It all came thanks to Rory Best ripping the ball away in a choke tackle.  Sexton added the conversion to go with an earlier penalty as Ireland led 10-0.

Two minutes later, with Australia looking dangerous, Bowe intercepted a Phipps pass and bolted 80 metres to score.  Sexton's extras made it 17-0 and the Dublin crowd was ready to party.

The mood changed very quickly however as Phipps made amends for his earlier gaff by beating four defenders on a wonderful run off turnover ball to score.  Foley converted and the comeback was in full swing.

Australia's second try come in controversial circumstances as Phipps sent what looked like a distinctly forward pass to Foley, who only just managed to get the tip of the ball onto the whitewash.  If Australia hadn't been given the try, a yellow card was likely after Henry Speight was stopped just short and Irish hands grappled for the ball on the deck.

Foley sent the conversion wide, but at 17-12 the game was alive again.

There was nothing wrong with the Wallabies' third try though — probably the best of the game — with Matt Toomua and Foley providing wonderful uploads to put Phipps away to level the scores.

Foley's missed the easy conversion but incredibly could put the visitors in front with penalty as halt-time loomed large.

Sexton replied in kind on the stroke of half-time and it was all-square and anyone game as the teams swapped ends.

Kurtley Beale came on for Tevita Kuridriani early in the second period but the try-scoring dried up to leave Foley and Sexton to exchange three-pointers.

Rob Kearney hit the upright from nearly 50 metres on the angle, but Ireland never really threatened to score another try.

Their work at the breakdown was outstanding though and the home fly-half landed two excellent kicks to put Ireland ahead at 26-23 with 15 minutes left on the clock.

The Wallabies were in full-attack mode in the dying minutes but the Irish defence was rock solid, not giving an inch as they matched their commitment with organisation.

Having lost back-to-back games after last week's defeat in Paris, Australia must now look to salvage their tour at Twickenham while Ireland finish their November series unbeaten.

Man of the Match:  Too many candidates to mention them all but Sexton was outstanding again.  Paul O'Connell was immense however, leading by example in a towering defensive display

Moment of the Match:  Plenty of highlights but Zebo's try in the opening minutes typified Ireland's performance.  It was a perfect example of grabbing a half-chance with clinical efficiency and set the tone for the rest of the Irish display

Villain of the Match:  If you're Irish, TMO Eric Gauzins's interpretation of what constitutes a forward pass is debatable.

The scorers:

For Ireland: 
Tries:  Zebo, Bowe
Cons:  Sexton 2
Pens:  Sexton 4

For Australia: 
Tries:  Phipps 2, Foley
Con:  Foley
Pens:  Foley 2

Ireland:  15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Rhys Ruddock, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Jack McGrath.
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Rodney Ah You, 19 Dave Foley, 20 Tommy O'Donnell, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Felix Jones.

Australia:  15 Israel Folau, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Tevita Kuridriani, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Henry Speight, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Luke Jones, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Sam Carter, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Saia Fainga'a, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements:  16 James Hanson, 17 Tetera Faulkner, 18 Benn Robinson, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Jake Schatz, 21 Will Genia, 22 Quade Cooper, 23 Kurtley Beale.

Venue:  Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
Referee:  Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Nigel Owens (Wales), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Television match official:  Eric Gauzins (France)
Timekeeper:  Kevin Beggs (Ireland)