New Zealand 34-17 Australia
New Zealand have become the first side to retain the Rugby World Cup and win the trophy three times courtesy of a 34-17 victory over Australia in a thrilling final at Twickenham this evening. The Trans-Tasman rivals were meeting on the biggest stage in rugby for the first time ever, with history promising to be made whatever the outcome.
It was New Zealand who made the brighter start to proceedings, and their domination of the early territory and possession proved to be a theme of the first half as they kept Australia, without a World Cup triumph since 1999, under pressure. The battles at the breakdown between World Player of the Year nominees David Pocock and Michael Hooper and retiring All Black stalwart Richie McCaw dominated much of the build-up to the match, but it was more a battle of the boot in the opening 39 minutes as Dan Carter kicked his side ahead.
The fly-half, winning his 113th and final cap for his country, opened the scoring inside 10 minutes, but Bernard Foley levelled things up after Ben Smith had knocked the ball on just outside his 22. The All Blacks turned down a simple three points shortly afterwards, a gamble which didn't pay off, but they did restore their lead when Carter kicked a penalty after being on the receiving end of a high tackle from Sekope Kepu, with a lenient Nigel Owens opting not to send the Australian prop to the sin-bin.
Another three points followed from the boot of Carter, himself a World Player of the Year nominee, although Australia felt that there should have been a forward pass called in the build-up. It was not until the minutes either side of half time that New Zealand really took the game beyond Australia with a brace of tries, however. The first arrived right on the stroke of the interval when McCaw marked his record 148th Test match by putting Nehe Milner-Skudder over in the corner, while Carter's conversion opened up a 13-point lead at the break. Conrad Smith's own 95-cap career came to an end at half time, but his long-time centre partner Ma'a Nonu, also hanging up his boots at the end of the match, was not perturbed and raced through for a fine solo try just two minutes after the restart to make it 21-3.
The game, and the World Cup, suddenly seemed beyond the Wallabies, but they responded well and were handed another boost when Smith was sent to the sin-bin for a dangerous tackle. Australia took immediate advantage of the numerical disparity when Pocock, enhancing his reputation as a contender for player of the tournament, finished off a forward drive to drag his side back into the match.
The momentum subsequently shifted heavily in Australia's favour, and they hauled the deficit back to just four points when a kick over the top found space that Drew Mitchell exposed before offloading for Tevita Kuridrani to go over underneath the posts. New Zealand, restored to their full complement, were able to halt the pressure and Carter gave another glimpse of his enduring class by coolly edging his side out of range again, first with a brilliant drop goal and then with a penalty from just inside the opposition half. Australia frantically went in search of a score to give them a late glimmer of hope, but New Zealand killed their old rivals off and clinched the William Webb Ellis Trophy when Beauden Barrett touched down underneath the posts on the break.
Saturday, 31 October 2015
Aviva Premiership Sat 31st Oct
Saracens 24-14 London Irish
Saracens beat the London Irish 24-14 at the Allianz Park to preserve their perfect start to the Aviva Premiership season. The home team took the lead after 13 minutes as Rhys Gill won a penalty and Owen Farrell nailed his kick straight through the uprights. Farrell then had two opportunities to increase the Saracens' lead with penalty kicks but the first drifted wide from distance while the second was dragged away from the posts.
Those missed chances proved costly moments later as Asaeli Tikoirotuma finished off an Exiles' attack and Chris Noakes converted to make it a surprise 7-3 lead to the London Irish at the break. Saracens put the visitors under pressure early in the second half and it paid off quickly, as Farrell brought his side to within a point with another penalty. Tikoirotuma was sin-binned five minutes later and the reigning champions took advantage as Jackson Wray went over to put his side in front, but Farrell missed the conversion.
The hosts continued to press and the tabble-toppers finally established a strong lead as Alex Goode took it round a tackle to reach over the line and Farrell this time nailed his kick to make it 18-7. However, the Irish pulled themselves to within four points three minutes later as Leo Halavatau scored a try and a Shane Geraghty conversion made it a nail-biting finish. Two late Farrell penalties put the score beyond doubt as Saracens keep their 100% record while London Irish still search for their first point of the season, after Geraghty missed a penalty in the last minute that would have given them a losing point.
Bath 28-38 Harlequins
Harlequins fly-half Nick Evans scored 28 points as his team put in a strong second half to beat Bath 28-38 at The Rec in the Aviva Premiership. Evans put Harlequins in front as he hit a penalty but Bath pulled level moments later after Nick Easter came in from the side and George Ford stuck his kick between the posts to make it 3-3.
Quins took back the lead through Evans after Wilson was again at fault for the hosts for incorrect binding but the hosts would go in front with the first try of the day as Kyle Eastmond went over in the right corner. Evans hit two more penalties to put Harlequins ahead before Ford hit his second penalty of the game to give his side a 13-12 lead at half time.
After the break, Evans put over another kick before Danny Care scored the away side's first try of the game as he broke from inside his own half, kicked over the Bath defence and seized on a Leroy Houston mistake to make it 22-13. Evans then hit three more penalties, with Ford scoring one penalty in between, as the Harlequins tightened their grip on the contest in the final 15 minutes.
Tim Visser thought he had put the Quins further ahead but TMO showed a forward pass but Dave Ward scored moments later after Eastmond was sin-binned for the home team. Nick Auterac sparked a late comeback as he went over with five minutes remaining but Ford missed the conversion and Leroy Houston thought he had pulled Bath even closer but his attempt was ruled no try. Semesa Rokoduguni crossed the line in the final minute but it was not enough as Harlequins jump to second in the table while last year's Premiership finalists sit in eighth.
Gloucester 24-22 Worcester Warriors
Gloucester held on to win 24-22 against Worcester Warriors in a competitive Aviva Premiership game that saw seven lead changes. Gloucester flew out of the blocks to score a try early as they used a rolling maul from a line-out and Richard Hibbard was the one emerging to go over for his team, but Billy Twelvetrees missed the conversion. Worcester came back with a try of their own moments later as Cooper Vuna intercepted a pass and ran home untouched and Tom Heathcote converted to give the visitors an early lead.
Twelvetrees then scored a penalty and Sione Kalamafoni put the hosts further in front with their second try of the day that had to be checked by TMO but fly-half Twelvetrees sliced another conversion for his side. Worcester's Ryan Mills then replied to another Twelvetrees penalty to make it 16-10 before prop Niall Annett touched the ball down across the line and Heathcote converted again as the Warriors went ahead for the second time.
Another Twelvetrees penalty changed the lead again but the 26-year-old had another chance to extend that before the break but his indifferent kicking performance continued, with his effort hitting the post. Vuna scored a second try after the break with another excellent run but Ryan Lamb, on for Heathcote, missed the following conversion. David Halaifouna went over to retake the lead after finishing a strong Gloucester attack and James Hook failed to hit the conversion as Twelvetrees was taken off kicking duties. Jonny May thought he had put his side further in front moments later but his try was ruled out for a foward pass, much to the displeasure of the Gloucester crowd. Despite some late Warriors pressure, Gloucester held on as they head to third in the Aviva Premiership table while Worcester remain in ninth.
Saracens beat the London Irish 24-14 at the Allianz Park to preserve their perfect start to the Aviva Premiership season. The home team took the lead after 13 minutes as Rhys Gill won a penalty and Owen Farrell nailed his kick straight through the uprights. Farrell then had two opportunities to increase the Saracens' lead with penalty kicks but the first drifted wide from distance while the second was dragged away from the posts.
Those missed chances proved costly moments later as Asaeli Tikoirotuma finished off an Exiles' attack and Chris Noakes converted to make it a surprise 7-3 lead to the London Irish at the break. Saracens put the visitors under pressure early in the second half and it paid off quickly, as Farrell brought his side to within a point with another penalty. Tikoirotuma was sin-binned five minutes later and the reigning champions took advantage as Jackson Wray went over to put his side in front, but Farrell missed the conversion.
The hosts continued to press and the tabble-toppers finally established a strong lead as Alex Goode took it round a tackle to reach over the line and Farrell this time nailed his kick to make it 18-7. However, the Irish pulled themselves to within four points three minutes later as Leo Halavatau scored a try and a Shane Geraghty conversion made it a nail-biting finish. Two late Farrell penalties put the score beyond doubt as Saracens keep their 100% record while London Irish still search for their first point of the season, after Geraghty missed a penalty in the last minute that would have given them a losing point.
Bath 28-38 Harlequins
Harlequins fly-half Nick Evans scored 28 points as his team put in a strong second half to beat Bath 28-38 at The Rec in the Aviva Premiership. Evans put Harlequins in front as he hit a penalty but Bath pulled level moments later after Nick Easter came in from the side and George Ford stuck his kick between the posts to make it 3-3.
Quins took back the lead through Evans after Wilson was again at fault for the hosts for incorrect binding but the hosts would go in front with the first try of the day as Kyle Eastmond went over in the right corner. Evans hit two more penalties to put Harlequins ahead before Ford hit his second penalty of the game to give his side a 13-12 lead at half time.
After the break, Evans put over another kick before Danny Care scored the away side's first try of the game as he broke from inside his own half, kicked over the Bath defence and seized on a Leroy Houston mistake to make it 22-13. Evans then hit three more penalties, with Ford scoring one penalty in between, as the Harlequins tightened their grip on the contest in the final 15 minutes.
Tim Visser thought he had put the Quins further ahead but TMO showed a forward pass but Dave Ward scored moments later after Eastmond was sin-binned for the home team. Nick Auterac sparked a late comeback as he went over with five minutes remaining but Ford missed the conversion and Leroy Houston thought he had pulled Bath even closer but his attempt was ruled no try. Semesa Rokoduguni crossed the line in the final minute but it was not enough as Harlequins jump to second in the table while last year's Premiership finalists sit in eighth.
Gloucester 24-22 Worcester Warriors
Gloucester held on to win 24-22 against Worcester Warriors in a competitive Aviva Premiership game that saw seven lead changes. Gloucester flew out of the blocks to score a try early as they used a rolling maul from a line-out and Richard Hibbard was the one emerging to go over for his team, but Billy Twelvetrees missed the conversion. Worcester came back with a try of their own moments later as Cooper Vuna intercepted a pass and ran home untouched and Tom Heathcote converted to give the visitors an early lead.
Twelvetrees then scored a penalty and Sione Kalamafoni put the hosts further in front with their second try of the day that had to be checked by TMO but fly-half Twelvetrees sliced another conversion for his side. Worcester's Ryan Mills then replied to another Twelvetrees penalty to make it 16-10 before prop Niall Annett touched the ball down across the line and Heathcote converted again as the Warriors went ahead for the second time.
Another Twelvetrees penalty changed the lead again but the 26-year-old had another chance to extend that before the break but his indifferent kicking performance continued, with his effort hitting the post. Vuna scored a second try after the break with another excellent run but Ryan Lamb, on for Heathcote, missed the following conversion. David Halaifouna went over to retake the lead after finishing a strong Gloucester attack and James Hook failed to hit the conversion as Twelvetrees was taken off kicking duties. Jonny May thought he had put his side further in front moments later but his try was ruled out for a foward pass, much to the displeasure of the Gloucester crowd. Despite some late Warriors pressure, Gloucester held on as they head to third in the Aviva Premiership table while Worcester remain in ninth.
Friday, 30 October 2015
RWC 2015 3rd place play-off
Argentina 13-24 South Africa
South Africa have secured a third-placed finish at the 2015 Rugby World Cup as tries from JP Pietersen and Eben Etzebeth helped the Springboks to a 24-13 win at the Olympic Stadium.
Argentina were dealt an early blow when Tomas Cubelli was sent to the sin bin just five minutes into the match, having been judged to have deliberately slowed the ball. It took the Springboks just a few moments to make their extra man count, with Pietersen spotting an opening out wide to race down the wing and ground the ball in the corner.
Bryan Habana had a couple of opportunities to become the outright leading try-scorer in Rugby World Cup history, but the winger could not get the grounding right while trying to leap over, before being tackled short later in the half. Cubelli tried to create something to get the Pumas back into the match was he returned from his spell off the pitch, but the two-time world champions quickly won the ball back, while Handre Pollard kicked three penalties before the interval to give South Africa a commanding lead heading into the break.
Argentina finally got off the mark at the start of the second half as Nicolas Sanchez slotted the ball over with a drop goal attempt from 40m out. South Africa soon punished their opponents down the other end though as Habana continued to look for the record-breaking try, but realised Etzebeth was in a better position, setting him up to power over for the second try of the night.
Pollard could not add the conversion, but split the uprights a few minutes later after Argentina were penalised for too many offsides. Sanchez kicked again to reduce the gap to 18 points with 30 minutes remaining, but South Africa seemed happy to let their opponents have the ball while continuing to hold such a big lead. The Pumas looked weary as full time approached, but their second-half efforts were rewarded with a late try as Juan Pablo Orlandi managed to stretch the ball over from a metre out for a consolation.
South Africa have secured a third-placed finish at the 2015 Rugby World Cup as tries from JP Pietersen and Eben Etzebeth helped the Springboks to a 24-13 win at the Olympic Stadium.
Argentina were dealt an early blow when Tomas Cubelli was sent to the sin bin just five minutes into the match, having been judged to have deliberately slowed the ball. It took the Springboks just a few moments to make their extra man count, with Pietersen spotting an opening out wide to race down the wing and ground the ball in the corner.
Bryan Habana had a couple of opportunities to become the outright leading try-scorer in Rugby World Cup history, but the winger could not get the grounding right while trying to leap over, before being tackled short later in the half. Cubelli tried to create something to get the Pumas back into the match was he returned from his spell off the pitch, but the two-time world champions quickly won the ball back, while Handre Pollard kicked three penalties before the interval to give South Africa a commanding lead heading into the break.
Argentina finally got off the mark at the start of the second half as Nicolas Sanchez slotted the ball over with a drop goal attempt from 40m out. South Africa soon punished their opponents down the other end though as Habana continued to look for the record-breaking try, but realised Etzebeth was in a better position, setting him up to power over for the second try of the night.
Pollard could not add the conversion, but split the uprights a few minutes later after Argentina were penalised for too many offsides. Sanchez kicked again to reduce the gap to 18 points with 30 minutes remaining, but South Africa seemed happy to let their opponents have the ball while continuing to hold such a big lead. The Pumas looked weary as full time approached, but their second-half efforts were rewarded with a late try as Juan Pablo Orlandi managed to stretch the ball over from a metre out for a consolation.
Sunday, 25 October 2015
RWC 2015 Semi Final 2
ARG 15-29 AUS
Adam Ashley-Cooper scored a hat-trick of tries as Australia reached the final of the Rugby World Cup for a fourth time with a 29-15 win over Argentina this afternoon. The Wallabies will face Southern Hemisphere rivals New Zealand's in next Saturday's showdown after battling past a spirited Pumas outfit at Twickenham.
In the 46th match of the tournament, Australia went over for the fastest try so far when Rob Simmons picked off Nicolas Sanchez's pass and touched down for his first-ever World Cup try with 67 seconds on the clock. Bernard Foley was good with the conversion, while up the other end Sanchez also split the posts to atone slightly for his earlier mistake as Australia gave away one of seven penalties in the first half.
Despite getting on the board, Argentina were all at sea defensively and Australia had their second try before the 10-minute mark as Foley found Ashley-Cooper with an arcing pass and the winger went over in the corner for his 35th Test try, the third-most in Australian rugby history.
From a much tougher position, Foley converted to put the Aussies 11 points in front before Argentina, looking to reach their first World Cup final, settled down.
Their top try-scorer in the tournament Juan Imhoff had to go off injured in the 18th minute, but it didn't dampen Los Pumas' momentum as more strong play at the breakdown won them a penalty which Sanchez kicked home from out wide. The initiative was handed back to Australia in the 25th minute when referee Wayne Barnes adjudged that Tomas Lavanini had tackled Israel Folau dangerously and the Wallabies made their numerical advantage count as Ashley-Cooper, this time out on the left, touched down for a second time.
At the other end, Sanchez's third penalty cut the gap to 10 and Argentina were close to reducing that further before the break when Joaquin Tuculet knocked on with the tryline at his mercy after Santiago Cordero had broken the Aussie line. Argentina had to start the second half stronger than they did the first, but they gifted Australia a penalty straight away.
Foley was kicking better than in the quarter-final against Scotland, but this time he skewed his attempt to let Los Pumas off the hook. Sanchez was having much less trouble and he sent over a fourth penalty moments later to bring Argentina within seven. However, Foley quickly answered with a penalty that just made it over the bar.
Sanchez was also having joy breaking through the Australian line, but Argentina could not find that killer pass or gap of space to score a try. The fly-half's fifth penalty cut the gap once more to seven and that was how it stayed for the next quarter of an hour as the Wallabies continued to hold firm. Victory was sealed with eight minutes on the clock largely thanks to Drew Mitchell.
The winger made a lung-busting run down the left-hand side before cutting infield and weaving through multiple Argentinian challenges to set up Ashley-Cooper on the right for his third try. That was game over, but Argentina, who miss out on a first final appearance, continued to push for a try to give their fans something to cheer about.
The Aussie defence held firm, though, and they will now face rivals New Zealand for the first time in a World Cup final next Saturday at Twickenham.
Adam Ashley-Cooper scored a hat-trick of tries as Australia reached the final of the Rugby World Cup for a fourth time with a 29-15 win over Argentina this afternoon. The Wallabies will face Southern Hemisphere rivals New Zealand's in next Saturday's showdown after battling past a spirited Pumas outfit at Twickenham.
In the 46th match of the tournament, Australia went over for the fastest try so far when Rob Simmons picked off Nicolas Sanchez's pass and touched down for his first-ever World Cup try with 67 seconds on the clock. Bernard Foley was good with the conversion, while up the other end Sanchez also split the posts to atone slightly for his earlier mistake as Australia gave away one of seven penalties in the first half.
Despite getting on the board, Argentina were all at sea defensively and Australia had their second try before the 10-minute mark as Foley found Ashley-Cooper with an arcing pass and the winger went over in the corner for his 35th Test try, the third-most in Australian rugby history.
From a much tougher position, Foley converted to put the Aussies 11 points in front before Argentina, looking to reach their first World Cup final, settled down.
Their top try-scorer in the tournament Juan Imhoff had to go off injured in the 18th minute, but it didn't dampen Los Pumas' momentum as more strong play at the breakdown won them a penalty which Sanchez kicked home from out wide. The initiative was handed back to Australia in the 25th minute when referee Wayne Barnes adjudged that Tomas Lavanini had tackled Israel Folau dangerously and the Wallabies made their numerical advantage count as Ashley-Cooper, this time out on the left, touched down for a second time.
At the other end, Sanchez's third penalty cut the gap to 10 and Argentina were close to reducing that further before the break when Joaquin Tuculet knocked on with the tryline at his mercy after Santiago Cordero had broken the Aussie line. Argentina had to start the second half stronger than they did the first, but they gifted Australia a penalty straight away.
Foley was kicking better than in the quarter-final against Scotland, but this time he skewed his attempt to let Los Pumas off the hook. Sanchez was having much less trouble and he sent over a fourth penalty moments later to bring Argentina within seven. However, Foley quickly answered with a penalty that just made it over the bar.
Sanchez was also having joy breaking through the Australian line, but Argentina could not find that killer pass or gap of space to score a try. The fly-half's fifth penalty cut the gap once more to seven and that was how it stayed for the next quarter of an hour as the Wallabies continued to hold firm. Victory was sealed with eight minutes on the clock largely thanks to Drew Mitchell.
The winger made a lung-busting run down the left-hand side before cutting infield and weaving through multiple Argentinian challenges to set up Ashley-Cooper on the right for his third try. That was game over, but Argentina, who miss out on a first final appearance, continued to push for a try to give their fans something to cheer about.
The Aussie defence held firm, though, and they will now face rivals New Zealand for the first time in a World Cup final next Saturday at Twickenham.
Aviva Premiership Sun 25th Oct
Leicester 22-19 Harlequins
Leicester Tigers have defeated Harlequins 22-19 in a tight Aviva Premiership game at the Welford Road Stadium on Sunday. The hosts were first to get points on board when Karl Dickson was deemed to be offside as the ball came out of a scrum in the 10th minute, with Tommy Bell kicking a point-blank range penalty between the posts.
Nick Evans then kicked Quins level almost immediately after Tigers were penalised themselves for being offside, but Bell restored the home side's three-point lead in the 14th minute from a penalty given after hooker Dave Ward was judged not to have released quickly enough. Bell and Evans traded penalties throughout the first half, though the visitors went in a point ahead at the break after Jack Clifford was handed the ball two metres out, allowing him free rein to dive over for his first try of the season.
Leicester gave away a penalty immediately after the restart, Evans striking his kick cleanly between the posts to extend his side's lead, but just four minutes elapsed before Bell kicked three points of his own.
A further penalty from Evans just inside the halfway line gave Quins a four-point lead, but with the game evenly poised, Tigers replacement Laurence Pearce barged over the try line with nine minutes to go, before Owen Williams, kicking in lieu of the substituted Bell, successfully converted. Tigers now join Saracens at the top of the Premiership, as the only two sides with two wins from their first two games.
Leicester Tigers have defeated Harlequins 22-19 in a tight Aviva Premiership game at the Welford Road Stadium on Sunday. The hosts were first to get points on board when Karl Dickson was deemed to be offside as the ball came out of a scrum in the 10th minute, with Tommy Bell kicking a point-blank range penalty between the posts.
Nick Evans then kicked Quins level almost immediately after Tigers were penalised themselves for being offside, but Bell restored the home side's three-point lead in the 14th minute from a penalty given after hooker Dave Ward was judged not to have released quickly enough. Bell and Evans traded penalties throughout the first half, though the visitors went in a point ahead at the break after Jack Clifford was handed the ball two metres out, allowing him free rein to dive over for his first try of the season.
Leicester gave away a penalty immediately after the restart, Evans striking his kick cleanly between the posts to extend his side's lead, but just four minutes elapsed before Bell kicked three points of his own.
A further penalty from Evans just inside the halfway line gave Quins a four-point lead, but with the game evenly poised, Tigers replacement Laurence Pearce barged over the try line with nine minutes to go, before Owen Williams, kicking in lieu of the substituted Bell, successfully converted. Tigers now join Saracens at the top of the Premiership, as the only two sides with two wins from their first two games.
Saturday, 24 October 2015
Aviva Premiership Sat 24th Oct
Northampton 42-16 Newcastle
Two tries each from Christian Day and Ben Foden have led Northampton Saints to a 42-16 victory over Newcastle Falcons. Northampton dominated the opening stages and Day crossed the line in the fourth minute to start the scoring. Steven Myler, who converted Day's try, added six more points from two penalties when Newcastle twice came in offside.
Mike Delany kicked three penalties through the posts before half time, before Myler took the half-time score to 16-9 in Saints' favour. Todd Clever was sin-binned in the 51st minute, and Day made Newcastle pay three minutes later when he touched down after a driving maul.
Luther Burrell added another try just five minutes later, and Foden secured the bonus point after consultation from the TMO. Tom Penny grabbed a consolation try with 14 minutes remaining after Chris Harris broke through the Northampton defence. Foden added his second, and Northampton's fifth, in the 71st minute after a scrum on the five-yard line.
Wasps 16-9 Bath
Wasps struck league hopefuls Bath an early blow as they defeated them 16-9 at the Ricoh Arena this afternoon. Wasps scored the only try of the game through a penalty try after Nikola Matawalu was shown a yellow card for obstruction. Tom Homer missed a penalty early on before Christian Wade almost got Wasps' first try after knocking the ball dead following a promising chip and chase. George Ford kicked a penalty either side of two from Jimmy Gopperth, before Bath threatened through Anthony Watson but the Wasps defence held firm.
Gopperth missed two kickable penalties after half-time as the Coventry-based outfit came out in the second half firing, looking to capitalise on any Bath mistake. That mistake came after a Bath clearance kick was charged down and Matawalu, on debut, was shown a yellow card for pulling back Nathan Hughes, gifting Wasps a penalty try.
Gopperth converted the try and a quick penalty, before Ford clawed six points back with two penalties of his own to bring Bath to within a converted try. Bath pushed Wasps all the way but a scrum penalty in the final play of the game allowed Gopperth to clear to touch and win the game for the home side. The result means that Wasps now lie in fourth in the Aviva Premiership, overtaking Bath in fifth.
Exeter 38-11 London Irish
Exeter Chiefs touched down six tries against London Irish this evening to record a 38-11 victory. Gareth Steenson was the first player to go over the line for the Chiefs, splitting the Irish defence afer being set up by his forwards before missing his own conversion. London fly-half Chris Noakes replied with a penalty, before Don Armand touched down for Exeter after an effective rolling maul brought Rob Baxter's side close to London Irish's try line. Immediately after Steenson popped over a penalty, Luke Cowan-Dickie scored the Chiefs' third try of the first half.
Steenson added the extra, with Noakes sending over another penalty to leave the scores at 19-6 after 40 minutes. James Short finished off an Exeter move immediately after the second half began, touching down in the corner after quick passing allowed the Chiefs to break through London's defence. Steenson converted once more but missed a further attempt in the 49th minute following Jack Nowell's first try.
Blair Cowan, who lined out for Scotland in their defeat to South Africa last weekend, touched down after 54 minutes for London Irish's only try of the game. Jack Nowell recorded a brace in the dying moments of the game with Steenson making no mistake from this conversion attempt, to give the Chiefs a 38-11 victory.
Two tries each from Christian Day and Ben Foden have led Northampton Saints to a 42-16 victory over Newcastle Falcons. Northampton dominated the opening stages and Day crossed the line in the fourth minute to start the scoring. Steven Myler, who converted Day's try, added six more points from two penalties when Newcastle twice came in offside.
Mike Delany kicked three penalties through the posts before half time, before Myler took the half-time score to 16-9 in Saints' favour. Todd Clever was sin-binned in the 51st minute, and Day made Newcastle pay three minutes later when he touched down after a driving maul.
Luther Burrell added another try just five minutes later, and Foden secured the bonus point after consultation from the TMO. Tom Penny grabbed a consolation try with 14 minutes remaining after Chris Harris broke through the Northampton defence. Foden added his second, and Northampton's fifth, in the 71st minute after a scrum on the five-yard line.
Wasps 16-9 Bath
Wasps struck league hopefuls Bath an early blow as they defeated them 16-9 at the Ricoh Arena this afternoon. Wasps scored the only try of the game through a penalty try after Nikola Matawalu was shown a yellow card for obstruction. Tom Homer missed a penalty early on before Christian Wade almost got Wasps' first try after knocking the ball dead following a promising chip and chase. George Ford kicked a penalty either side of two from Jimmy Gopperth, before Bath threatened through Anthony Watson but the Wasps defence held firm.
Gopperth missed two kickable penalties after half-time as the Coventry-based outfit came out in the second half firing, looking to capitalise on any Bath mistake. That mistake came after a Bath clearance kick was charged down and Matawalu, on debut, was shown a yellow card for pulling back Nathan Hughes, gifting Wasps a penalty try.
Gopperth converted the try and a quick penalty, before Ford clawed six points back with two penalties of his own to bring Bath to within a converted try. Bath pushed Wasps all the way but a scrum penalty in the final play of the game allowed Gopperth to clear to touch and win the game for the home side. The result means that Wasps now lie in fourth in the Aviva Premiership, overtaking Bath in fifth.
Exeter 38-11 London Irish
Exeter Chiefs touched down six tries against London Irish this evening to record a 38-11 victory. Gareth Steenson was the first player to go over the line for the Chiefs, splitting the Irish defence afer being set up by his forwards before missing his own conversion. London fly-half Chris Noakes replied with a penalty, before Don Armand touched down for Exeter after an effective rolling maul brought Rob Baxter's side close to London Irish's try line. Immediately after Steenson popped over a penalty, Luke Cowan-Dickie scored the Chiefs' third try of the first half.
Steenson added the extra, with Noakes sending over another penalty to leave the scores at 19-6 after 40 minutes. James Short finished off an Exeter move immediately after the second half began, touching down in the corner after quick passing allowed the Chiefs to break through London's defence. Steenson converted once more but missed a further attempt in the 49th minute following Jack Nowell's first try.
Blair Cowan, who lined out for Scotland in their defeat to South Africa last weekend, touched down after 54 minutes for London Irish's only try of the game. Jack Nowell recorded a brace in the dying moments of the game with Steenson making no mistake from this conversion attempt, to give the Chiefs a 38-11 victory.
RWC 2015 Semi Final 1
SA 18-20 NZ
New Zealand have booked their spot in the World Cup final by beating South Africa 20-18 in a gripping encounter at Twickenham. An ill-disciplined display from Steve Hansen's team in the first half offered signs that South Africa could knock out the favourites, but the All Blacks recovered to keep alive their hopes of becoming the first side to defend their title successfully.
Handre Pollard offered a sign of what was to come in the first half when he started the scoring with a penalty in the third minute, but the signs were ominous when New Zealand hit back with the first try of the afternoon. A quick lineout caught the Springboks out of position for a moment and the All Blacks capitalised when the ball eventually reached Richie McCaw, whose pass to Jerome Kaino allowed the flanker to slide over in the corner, before Dan Carter added the conversion at the second attempt after Bryan Habana had been penalised for sprinting at the fly-half too early.
New Zealand would dominate with the ball in hand, but South Africa's defensive line fought impressively and they moved ahead with two more penalties as Pollard continued to keep his composure under pressure. Carter struck the outside of a post with a penalty of his own, and the frustration was clear for the defending champions as long spells continued to be halted by South Africa. New Zealand conceded a ninth penalty of the first half when Kaino foolishly kicked a grounded ball from an offside position, and Pollard split the posts once again just before the break as the All-Blacks lost their flanker to a 10-minute spell in the sin-bin.
Conditions became when rain started to more heavily before the start of the second half, and it was the All Blacks who returned with added pace to their play as Carter pulled his side within two with a drop goal prior to Kaino's return. The momentum had shifted with the score, but the game's decisive moment arrived seven minutes into the second half when Ma'a Nonu finished a patient move through the phases by using the space out wide to find replacement Beauden Barrett, who cruised over for his side's second try. Moments later, referee Jerome Garces had the yellow card out once again and Habana was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on prior to the try, before Carter added the conversion from close to the touchline to pile on the misery.
However, it did not feel like the same South African side which suffered embarrassment in their opening defeat to Japan, and their resilience was on full show when Pollard pulled it back to 17-15 with a straight penalty after the Springboks had dominated in the scrum. Carter offered an immediate response by punishing an error from South Africa at the ruck by sending over a penalty, and the stop-start nature of the contest now appeared to suit New Zealand.
The ill-discipline of the first half would return to leave the door open, though, as replacement fly-half Patrick Lambie continued the good work started by the injured Pollard when he scored with a penalty after Kieran Read charged through the side at a maul. South Africa looked more threatening in a promising spell heading into the closing stages, but New Zealand held firm to protect their slender advantage as the tension continued to build. It was New Zealand who managed the game well late on, and with South Africa unable to produce that one crucial breakthrough required, the champions held their nerve to set up a final against Australia or Argentina.
New Zealand have booked their spot in the World Cup final by beating South Africa 20-18 in a gripping encounter at Twickenham. An ill-disciplined display from Steve Hansen's team in the first half offered signs that South Africa could knock out the favourites, but the All Blacks recovered to keep alive their hopes of becoming the first side to defend their title successfully.
Handre Pollard offered a sign of what was to come in the first half when he started the scoring with a penalty in the third minute, but the signs were ominous when New Zealand hit back with the first try of the afternoon. A quick lineout caught the Springboks out of position for a moment and the All Blacks capitalised when the ball eventually reached Richie McCaw, whose pass to Jerome Kaino allowed the flanker to slide over in the corner, before Dan Carter added the conversion at the second attempt after Bryan Habana had been penalised for sprinting at the fly-half too early.
New Zealand would dominate with the ball in hand, but South Africa's defensive line fought impressively and they moved ahead with two more penalties as Pollard continued to keep his composure under pressure. Carter struck the outside of a post with a penalty of his own, and the frustration was clear for the defending champions as long spells continued to be halted by South Africa. New Zealand conceded a ninth penalty of the first half when Kaino foolishly kicked a grounded ball from an offside position, and Pollard split the posts once again just before the break as the All-Blacks lost their flanker to a 10-minute spell in the sin-bin.
Conditions became when rain started to more heavily before the start of the second half, and it was the All Blacks who returned with added pace to their play as Carter pulled his side within two with a drop goal prior to Kaino's return. The momentum had shifted with the score, but the game's decisive moment arrived seven minutes into the second half when Ma'a Nonu finished a patient move through the phases by using the space out wide to find replacement Beauden Barrett, who cruised over for his side's second try. Moments later, referee Jerome Garces had the yellow card out once again and Habana was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on prior to the try, before Carter added the conversion from close to the touchline to pile on the misery.
However, it did not feel like the same South African side which suffered embarrassment in their opening defeat to Japan, and their resilience was on full show when Pollard pulled it back to 17-15 with a straight penalty after the Springboks had dominated in the scrum. Carter offered an immediate response by punishing an error from South Africa at the ruck by sending over a penalty, and the stop-start nature of the contest now appeared to suit New Zealand.
The ill-discipline of the first half would return to leave the door open, though, as replacement fly-half Patrick Lambie continued the good work started by the injured Pollard when he scored with a penalty after Kieran Read charged through the side at a maul. South Africa looked more threatening in a promising spell heading into the closing stages, but New Zealand held firm to protect their slender advantage as the tension continued to build. It was New Zealand who managed the game well late on, and with South Africa unable to produce that one crucial breakthrough required, the champions held their nerve to set up a final against Australia or Argentina.
Friday, 23 October 2015
Aviva Premiership Friday 23rd Oct
Gloucester 15-17 Saracens
Saracens have made it two wins from two matches at the start of the 2015-16 Aviva Premiership season, beating Gloucester Rugby 17-15 at Kingsholm.
The visitors opened the scoring with their first attack of the match as Mike Ellery slipped down the sideline before leaping over in the corner for his third try of the season. The home side had the majority of the possession in the first half, but had to settle for a couple of penalties from Billy Twelvetrees, keeping the scores close at the interval.
Owen Farrell took over the kicking duties in the second half for Saracens, with the England fly-half and Twelvetrees each making three penalties, keeping the visitors two points ahead with four minutes remaining.
Gloucester stole the ball from a Saracens lineout in the final minute as they pushed for a match-winning score, but the defending champions quickly forced the turnover before kicking the ball into touch. The result keeps Saracens at the top of the table, while Gloucester sit second, having won in the opening round of fixtures.
Sale Sharks 27-13 Worcester Warriors
Sale Sharks have secured their first win of the 2015-16 Aviva Premiership season with a 27-13 victory over Worcester Warriors.
Having been thrashed by Saracens in their opening fixture of the season, Sale made sure they got off to a bright start, with Danny Cipriani getting the opening try of the match on the board less than 10 minutes in following a driving maul. The drive continued to yield results for the home side, as David Seymour crashed over midway through the first half after Ryan Mills had edged Worcester ahead with a couple of penalties.
Sale's power in the scrum proved too much for the visitors at the start of the second half as Josh Beaumont made the most of a solid scrum to add a third try of the night. Jonny Arr gave the Warriors some hope inside the final 15 minutes as he managed to dive over in the corner after the visitors got the ball out from a scrum, leaving them just a converted try down, but Sale managed to break back down the other end following a mistake from Worcester, resulting in Johnny Leota squeezing over in the final moments.
Saracens have made it two wins from two matches at the start of the 2015-16 Aviva Premiership season, beating Gloucester Rugby 17-15 at Kingsholm.
The visitors opened the scoring with their first attack of the match as Mike Ellery slipped down the sideline before leaping over in the corner for his third try of the season. The home side had the majority of the possession in the first half, but had to settle for a couple of penalties from Billy Twelvetrees, keeping the scores close at the interval.
Owen Farrell took over the kicking duties in the second half for Saracens, with the England fly-half and Twelvetrees each making three penalties, keeping the visitors two points ahead with four minutes remaining.
Gloucester stole the ball from a Saracens lineout in the final minute as they pushed for a match-winning score, but the defending champions quickly forced the turnover before kicking the ball into touch. The result keeps Saracens at the top of the table, while Gloucester sit second, having won in the opening round of fixtures.
Sale Sharks 27-13 Worcester Warriors
Sale Sharks have secured their first win of the 2015-16 Aviva Premiership season with a 27-13 victory over Worcester Warriors.
Having been thrashed by Saracens in their opening fixture of the season, Sale made sure they got off to a bright start, with Danny Cipriani getting the opening try of the match on the board less than 10 minutes in following a driving maul. The drive continued to yield results for the home side, as David Seymour crashed over midway through the first half after Ryan Mills had edged Worcester ahead with a couple of penalties.
Sale's power in the scrum proved too much for the visitors at the start of the second half as Josh Beaumont made the most of a solid scrum to add a third try of the night. Jonny Arr gave the Warriors some hope inside the final 15 minutes as he managed to dive over in the corner after the visitors got the ball out from a scrum, leaving them just a converted try down, but Sale managed to break back down the other end following a mistake from Worcester, resulting in Johnny Leota squeezing over in the final moments.
Sunday, 18 October 2015
RWC 2015 Quarter Finals Sun 18th Oct
Ireland 20-43 Argentina
Ireland's Rugby World Cup hopes have come to an end at the quarter-final stage following a 43-20 defeat at the hands of Argentina.
The Six Nations champions had battled back from 14-0 down at one stage to restore some hope, but Los Pumas proved too much in the end to book a place in the final four.
It was the South American side who settled quicker, as Joaquin Tuculet superbly collected a high ball from the back before offloading to Matias Moroni to burst down the right and touch down for the opener. Huge gaps were already beginning to appear in the Ireland backline, which their opponents again exposed when Juan Imhoff chased down Santiago Cordero's chipped pass to touch down right on the line to put Los Pumas in early control.
Things got even worse for Ireland soon after, with Tommy Bowe being stretchered off and Nicolas Sanchez kicking over three more points to leave Ireland with an early mountain to climb. That created a 14-point margin with just 14 minutes on the clock, meaning that Joe Schmidt's men would need to equal a World Cup record if they were to overturn the deficit.
A rare error from Argentina soon after gave their opponents real hope, though, as Ramiro Herrera charged into Keith Earls to earn himself a yellow card, and in those 10 minutes Ireland were able to open their account through Ian Madigan's close-range kick. While Argentina did manage to keep their tally ticking over via the boot of Sanchez, coming after some Chris Henry ill-discipline, the northern hemisphere side cut the deficit right in half thanks to Luke Fitzgerald's score.
The replacement cut inside from the left, dodging one tackle and crashing over to restore hope among Ireland's strong home contingent in the Welsh capital. With Argentina now back to full strength, having conceded 10 points while down to 14 men, the momentum remained with the Green and Whites who were unable to further pile on the pressure before the break due to Madigan's penalty crashing back off the left upright. © Getty Images Only on three previous occasions had a team overturned a 10-point half-time deficit, but Ireland went the right way about adding their name to that list by crossing over less than four minutes after the restart.
Jordi Murphy was the man to bag it - a first international try on his debut - coming after Fitzgerald showed some fine footwork to slip past Agustin Creevy and play in his teammate to lift the roof of the Millennium Stadium. Ireland have historically had the better of this fixture, winning 10 to their opponents' five, yet even with the crowd behind them they struggled to fully contain the world's sixth-placed side. With every last point now proving vital, the teams shared a pen apiece with Sanchez and Madigan keeping their nerve in front of the sticks to set up a pulsating finish in the final match to be held in Cardiff.
The bronze-medal winners of 2007 were perhaps a little fortunate when Herrera, already sin-binned once this afternoon, led with his hand in the ruck but escaped any punishment on this occasion. With an hour of the match now played, and the contest more balanced at this stage than at any other point, Ireland squandered a big chance to level things up for the first time since the opening minutes after Madigan got his pen all wrong.
It looked to prove costly as Sanchez maintained his solid kicking record to extend the deficit to six points, making his the top points scorer at this year's competition, with just 15 minutes left to play. Then came the killer blow for one of the northern hemisphere's last remaining hopes, as Tuculet stretched over the line to put Los Pumas on the brink of the semi-finals.
It was then left to Imhoff to cross over for a fourth try and Sanchez to kick over once more to round things off for the South Americans, who will now face either Scotland or South Africa in next weekend's second semi-final showdown. For Ireland, on the other hand, they have now lost six times at this first knockout round of the showpiece competition.
Australia 35-34 Scotland
Australia have booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2015 Rugby World Cup courtesy of a thrilling 35-34 victory over Scotland at Twickenham this afternoon.
A gripping contest swung both ways throughout the 80 minutes, but ultimately it was a last-minute penalty from Bernard Foley that set up a last-four showdown with Argentina. Australia went into the match as heavy favourites despite losing two of the last three meetings between the sides, and it was they who made a storming start with early possession deep in the Scotland 22.
One chance went begging when Drew Mitchell knocked on just yards from the line following Foley's mini-break, but the Wallabies soon crossed over for the opening try of the contest when Tevita Kuridrani set up Adam Ashley-Cooper to score on his 112th cap.
That tally makes him the third-most capped Australian player ever, and with captain Stephen Moore and centre Matt Giteau joining him in the centurion club this afternoon, they soon needed to call on every bit of that experience as Scotland began to turn the tide. A Greig Laidlaw penalty got Vern Cotter's side on the board from their first meaningful attack, and they were quickly back on the offensive having been forced to weather an ominous storm in the opening 10 minutes. Again they moved into the Australian 22, and this time they breached a defence that had proved so resilient against Wales last time out when Peter Horne darted over from the base of a scrum.
It should have been even better for the Scots shortly after another successful Laidlaw penalty when Kuridrani gifted the ball to Finn Russell when looking to offload, only for Russell's pass to be dropped by Mark Bennett with clear grass in front of him. Michael Cheika's side looked rattled, but they soon composed themselves and began to build some momentum of their own, which resulted in Mitchell going over in the corner after some patient build-up play.
For the second time in the match, Foley was unable to convert from the touchline, and his uncharacteristic misses continued to be punished by Laidlaw, who kicked his third penalty of the match to extend the lead to six points. That would be cut to one by half time courtesy of an attacking move from captain Moore, who opted to kick for touch instead of going for goal. It proved to be a good decision when Michael Hooper touched down from the resulting driving maul, but once again Foley was unable to add the extras.
Scotland were dealt a big blow in the opening stages of the second half when Sean Maitland was sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on, and Australia immediately made the most of their numerical advantage when Mitchell went over for his second of the game and 14th at a World Cup, putting him behind only Jonah Lomu and Bryan Habana in the all-time list.
This time Foley did convert, but Scotland quickly pegged the Wallabies back through another Laidlaw penalty. As it turned out, Australia only managed seven points during Maitland's time off the field, but they thought they had added a fifth try of the match before his re-introduction when Ashley-Cooper finished off a move in the corner, only for the TMO to rule that there had been a knock-on in a ruck during the build-up.
After a shaky first half from the tee, Foley made it two from two in the second with a penalty, but the fly-half then saw an attempted chip blocked and collected by Russell, who managed to offload for Tommy Seymour to score Scotland's second try of the match.
That reduced the deficit back to one, but Laidlaw was unable to edge his side back in front when his kick from the touchline was unsuccessful and that allowed Australia to move two scores ahead when Kuridrani burrowed over from close range after Scotland had lost their own lineout inside their own 22. A fifth Laidlaw penalty brought Scotland back within range, and as the rain began to fall at Twickenham they created another twist in the tale when Bennett intercepted a pass and ran unchallenged under the post to draw his side level.
Laidlaw's conversion then Cotter's side back in front, but Australia were handed a late penalty which Foley converted to give his side a dramatic one-point victory. The result means that there will be no Northern Hemisphere teams in the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time ever.
Ireland's Rugby World Cup hopes have come to an end at the quarter-final stage following a 43-20 defeat at the hands of Argentina.
The Six Nations champions had battled back from 14-0 down at one stage to restore some hope, but Los Pumas proved too much in the end to book a place in the final four.
It was the South American side who settled quicker, as Joaquin Tuculet superbly collected a high ball from the back before offloading to Matias Moroni to burst down the right and touch down for the opener. Huge gaps were already beginning to appear in the Ireland backline, which their opponents again exposed when Juan Imhoff chased down Santiago Cordero's chipped pass to touch down right on the line to put Los Pumas in early control.
Things got even worse for Ireland soon after, with Tommy Bowe being stretchered off and Nicolas Sanchez kicking over three more points to leave Ireland with an early mountain to climb. That created a 14-point margin with just 14 minutes on the clock, meaning that Joe Schmidt's men would need to equal a World Cup record if they were to overturn the deficit.
A rare error from Argentina soon after gave their opponents real hope, though, as Ramiro Herrera charged into Keith Earls to earn himself a yellow card, and in those 10 minutes Ireland were able to open their account through Ian Madigan's close-range kick. While Argentina did manage to keep their tally ticking over via the boot of Sanchez, coming after some Chris Henry ill-discipline, the northern hemisphere side cut the deficit right in half thanks to Luke Fitzgerald's score.
The replacement cut inside from the left, dodging one tackle and crashing over to restore hope among Ireland's strong home contingent in the Welsh capital. With Argentina now back to full strength, having conceded 10 points while down to 14 men, the momentum remained with the Green and Whites who were unable to further pile on the pressure before the break due to Madigan's penalty crashing back off the left upright. © Getty Images Only on three previous occasions had a team overturned a 10-point half-time deficit, but Ireland went the right way about adding their name to that list by crossing over less than four minutes after the restart.
Jordi Murphy was the man to bag it - a first international try on his debut - coming after Fitzgerald showed some fine footwork to slip past Agustin Creevy and play in his teammate to lift the roof of the Millennium Stadium. Ireland have historically had the better of this fixture, winning 10 to their opponents' five, yet even with the crowd behind them they struggled to fully contain the world's sixth-placed side. With every last point now proving vital, the teams shared a pen apiece with Sanchez and Madigan keeping their nerve in front of the sticks to set up a pulsating finish in the final match to be held in Cardiff.
The bronze-medal winners of 2007 were perhaps a little fortunate when Herrera, already sin-binned once this afternoon, led with his hand in the ruck but escaped any punishment on this occasion. With an hour of the match now played, and the contest more balanced at this stage than at any other point, Ireland squandered a big chance to level things up for the first time since the opening minutes after Madigan got his pen all wrong.
It looked to prove costly as Sanchez maintained his solid kicking record to extend the deficit to six points, making his the top points scorer at this year's competition, with just 15 minutes left to play. Then came the killer blow for one of the northern hemisphere's last remaining hopes, as Tuculet stretched over the line to put Los Pumas on the brink of the semi-finals.
It was then left to Imhoff to cross over for a fourth try and Sanchez to kick over once more to round things off for the South Americans, who will now face either Scotland or South Africa in next weekend's second semi-final showdown. For Ireland, on the other hand, they have now lost six times at this first knockout round of the showpiece competition.
Australia 35-34 Scotland
Australia have booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2015 Rugby World Cup courtesy of a thrilling 35-34 victory over Scotland at Twickenham this afternoon.
A gripping contest swung both ways throughout the 80 minutes, but ultimately it was a last-minute penalty from Bernard Foley that set up a last-four showdown with Argentina. Australia went into the match as heavy favourites despite losing two of the last three meetings between the sides, and it was they who made a storming start with early possession deep in the Scotland 22.
One chance went begging when Drew Mitchell knocked on just yards from the line following Foley's mini-break, but the Wallabies soon crossed over for the opening try of the contest when Tevita Kuridrani set up Adam Ashley-Cooper to score on his 112th cap.
That tally makes him the third-most capped Australian player ever, and with captain Stephen Moore and centre Matt Giteau joining him in the centurion club this afternoon, they soon needed to call on every bit of that experience as Scotland began to turn the tide. A Greig Laidlaw penalty got Vern Cotter's side on the board from their first meaningful attack, and they were quickly back on the offensive having been forced to weather an ominous storm in the opening 10 minutes. Again they moved into the Australian 22, and this time they breached a defence that had proved so resilient against Wales last time out when Peter Horne darted over from the base of a scrum.
It should have been even better for the Scots shortly after another successful Laidlaw penalty when Kuridrani gifted the ball to Finn Russell when looking to offload, only for Russell's pass to be dropped by Mark Bennett with clear grass in front of him. Michael Cheika's side looked rattled, but they soon composed themselves and began to build some momentum of their own, which resulted in Mitchell going over in the corner after some patient build-up play.
For the second time in the match, Foley was unable to convert from the touchline, and his uncharacteristic misses continued to be punished by Laidlaw, who kicked his third penalty of the match to extend the lead to six points. That would be cut to one by half time courtesy of an attacking move from captain Moore, who opted to kick for touch instead of going for goal. It proved to be a good decision when Michael Hooper touched down from the resulting driving maul, but once again Foley was unable to add the extras.
Scotland were dealt a big blow in the opening stages of the second half when Sean Maitland was sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on, and Australia immediately made the most of their numerical advantage when Mitchell went over for his second of the game and 14th at a World Cup, putting him behind only Jonah Lomu and Bryan Habana in the all-time list.
This time Foley did convert, but Scotland quickly pegged the Wallabies back through another Laidlaw penalty. As it turned out, Australia only managed seven points during Maitland's time off the field, but they thought they had added a fifth try of the match before his re-introduction when Ashley-Cooper finished off a move in the corner, only for the TMO to rule that there had been a knock-on in a ruck during the build-up.
After a shaky first half from the tee, Foley made it two from two in the second with a penalty, but the fly-half then saw an attempted chip blocked and collected by Russell, who managed to offload for Tommy Seymour to score Scotland's second try of the match.
That reduced the deficit back to one, but Laidlaw was unable to edge his side back in front when his kick from the touchline was unsuccessful and that allowed Australia to move two scores ahead when Kuridrani burrowed over from close range after Scotland had lost their own lineout inside their own 22. A fifth Laidlaw penalty brought Scotland back within range, and as the rain began to fall at Twickenham they created another twist in the tale when Bennett intercepted a pass and ran unchallenged under the post to draw his side level.
Laidlaw's conversion then Cotter's side back in front, but Australia were handed a late penalty which Foley converted to give his side a dramatic one-point victory. The result means that there will be no Northern Hemisphere teams in the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time ever.
Aviva Premiership Sun 18th Oct
London Irish 16-28 Leicester
Leicester Tigers have got their Aviva Premiership campaign off to a positive start following a 16-28 victory over London Irish at the Madejski Stadium. In a tense encounter which saw just two tries scored, the visitors won a penalty in the first minute for an infringement at the breakdown, with Tommy Bell making no mistake to rifle the ball between the posts.
Eight minutes later the Tigers further cemented their lead by securing a try that came courtesy of a misplaced pass by Chris Noakes, which allowed Peter Betham to collect and stroll in under the posts, before Bell duly converted.
Noakes claimed his side's first points from a 15th-minute penalty kick, but three minutes later Bell struck again from a dead-ball situation to keep his side well in front. Irish then went on to claim their first and only try of the game 22 minutes in through Jebb Sinclair, who touched down following a lineout, before Noakes added the extras.
The rest of the game would be determined by a succession of penalty kicks, with two going the way of the hosts and five falling to the visitors, who comfortably held on for a solid victory.
Leicester Tigers have got their Aviva Premiership campaign off to a positive start following a 16-28 victory over London Irish at the Madejski Stadium. In a tense encounter which saw just two tries scored, the visitors won a penalty in the first minute for an infringement at the breakdown, with Tommy Bell making no mistake to rifle the ball between the posts.
Eight minutes later the Tigers further cemented their lead by securing a try that came courtesy of a misplaced pass by Chris Noakes, which allowed Peter Betham to collect and stroll in under the posts, before Bell duly converted.
Noakes claimed his side's first points from a 15th-minute penalty kick, but three minutes later Bell struck again from a dead-ball situation to keep his side well in front. Irish then went on to claim their first and only try of the game 22 minutes in through Jebb Sinclair, who touched down following a lineout, before Noakes added the extras.
The rest of the game would be determined by a succession of penalty kicks, with two going the way of the hosts and five falling to the visitors, who comfortably held on for a solid victory.
Saturday, 17 October 2015
RWC 2015 Quarter Finals Saturday 17th Oct
South Africa 23-19 Wales
South Africa scored a try with just five minutes remaining to battle to a 23-19 victory over Wales and book their spot in the semi-finals of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Injury-ravaged Wales put in a gallant performance at Twickenham, but ultimately the boot of Handre Pollard and a late Fourie du Preez score kept the Springboks' dreams of an unprecedented third World Cup triumph alive.
The first half proved to be a breathless spectacle, and it started in fitting fashion when George North was tackled just yards short of the line within the opening three minutes, before a pass flew over the head of 20-year-old Tyler Morgan with the try line gaping. Ill-discipline, a problem for Warren Gatland's side against Australia in their final pool game, soon became an issue again as they were penalised twice at the breakdown by referee Wayne Barnes, allowing Handre Pollard to knock over two penalties in quick succession.
Wales stole the ball straight back from kickoff and were able to get on the scoresheet when Dan Biggar kicked an easy penalty, although it could have been more for the designated visitors had Luke Charteris not gifted possession back to South Africa in the build-up. The Springboks quickly restored their six-point lead when Wales conceded another penalty, but it was Gatland's side who drew first blood in terms of tries.
Biggar was the creator with an up-and-under that he collected himself before getting the ball away to Gareth Davies, who went over for his fifth try of the tournament. Immediately after taking the lead, though, Wales were once again penalised and Pollard proceeded to convert his fourth penalty of the match to restore South Africa's advantage.
The scoring slowed for the remainder of the half, and it looked as though the Springboks would go in ahead when Biggar's penalty from just inside the South Africa half hit the post. However, moments later he put a drop-goal over to give his side a one-point lead at the break, and he extended that to four early in the second half. South Africa began to apply heavy pressure, but some heroic defence, coupled with two missed penalties from the previously perfect Pollard, limited the Springboks to just a drop-goal that reduced the deficit back to one.
The 21-year-old returned to form with a kick just past the hour to put his side back in front, but Wales were immediately awarded a penalty at the other end which Biggar dispatched to continue the see-saw nature of the game. The Springboks struck a killer blow with just five minutes remaining, however, as Duane Vermeulen's brilliant offload from an attacking scrum enabled captain Fourie du Preez to dive over in the corner. It was just the third try that Wales had conceded in the tournament so far, but it proved to be enough as Heyneke Meyer's side held on.
New Zealand 62-13 France
New Zealand produced a Rugby World Cup masterclass to overcome France 62-13 at the Millennium Stadium and book their place in the semi-finals. The reigning champions crossed over nine times in all to brush aside their opponents in what was a repeat of the 2011 final. It was a bright start to the quarter-final tie for the All Blacks, who were able to get the first points on the board seven minutes in through a trademark Dan Carter pen.
Despite being hounded in their own half for much of the opening stages, France were able to level things up when Scott Spedding's mammoth kick from the halfway line punished some slack New Zealand play. Just when Les Bleus looked to have found some momentum, turning over the ball and mounting an attack, Brodie Retallick charged down Frederic Michalak's kick to scoop up and score in the simplest of manners. If that was not bad enough for Michalak, he picked up an injury in the process of his failed punt and had to leave the field, but the entertaining opening quarter to the match continued when Morgan Parra split the sticks to add three more points to the board.
Some real sloppiness was creeping into the All Blacks' game, which was perhaps a result of their lack of action against tier one nations so far at this showpiece competition, and they were almost further punished when Parra was gifted a second kick from 20 metres out. The scrum-half was wasteful from the attempt, though, failing to find the target to the dismay of the many France supporters in attendance, which would ultimately prove costly. Les Tricolours were beginning to grow more and more into things, yet in a sign of just why they are favourites to retain their title Steve Hansen's men found a second score of the evening through Nehe Milner-Skudder, who weaved his way beyond Spedding and Brice Dulin to become the joint-leading try scorer at the this year's World Cup.
Things went from bad to worse for the northern hemisphere side before the half-hour mark, as Julian Savea collected Carter's back-hand offload to run in for a third of the evening, before Carter maintained his imperious kicking record. That took the world's number one ranked side up to 300 tries in this competition, but there was some hope to arrive late in the half for France thanks to Louis Picamoles' score, coming after a powerful drive over the line which the TMO was happy to award.
Yet France could not see the remaining minutes through and, in the dying stages, Savea brushed aside the challenge of three opposition defenders to regain his side's hefty cushion - albeit one that Carter could not add to with a rare miss. On the back of arguably the most impressive opening 40-minute display of any side to date, which included a record 29-point haul at the knockout stages, Hansen's charges had to focus more on defence for large parts of the second period. In what was the seventh encounter between the two sides at the World Cup, making it the most contested ever, tempers began to flair when Picamoles caught Richie McCaw in the face with his hand, but a yellow card was the lenient punishment deemed worthy by referee Nigel Owens.
The sin bin proved more than costly, however, ending any momentum the 2011 finalists had built up after Jerome Kaino profited on the opposition defence once more being stretched to cross over the chalk. There was to be no repeat of the heroics shown at this very venue eight years ago for France who, unlike on that occasion when they came out on top against the southern hemisphere giants, simply could not contain the sheer pace and power in their ranks. Savea helped himself to a fourth career Test hat-trick on the hour after a turnover led to a simple burst down the left, before Kieran Read found a gap to join the party in what was now the most one-sided of last-eight affairs.
There was further embarrassment to come for the Europeans, too, as replacement Tawera Kerr-Barlow ran in twice in the space of three minutes to truly compound their misery. Some good handling paved the way for the scrum-half to ensure that this would become a record Test defeat for the French in terms of points scored. Read more at: https://tr.im/WammN
South Africa scored a try with just five minutes remaining to battle to a 23-19 victory over Wales and book their spot in the semi-finals of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Injury-ravaged Wales put in a gallant performance at Twickenham, but ultimately the boot of Handre Pollard and a late Fourie du Preez score kept the Springboks' dreams of an unprecedented third World Cup triumph alive.
The first half proved to be a breathless spectacle, and it started in fitting fashion when George North was tackled just yards short of the line within the opening three minutes, before a pass flew over the head of 20-year-old Tyler Morgan with the try line gaping. Ill-discipline, a problem for Warren Gatland's side against Australia in their final pool game, soon became an issue again as they were penalised twice at the breakdown by referee Wayne Barnes, allowing Handre Pollard to knock over two penalties in quick succession.
Wales stole the ball straight back from kickoff and were able to get on the scoresheet when Dan Biggar kicked an easy penalty, although it could have been more for the designated visitors had Luke Charteris not gifted possession back to South Africa in the build-up. The Springboks quickly restored their six-point lead when Wales conceded another penalty, but it was Gatland's side who drew first blood in terms of tries.
Biggar was the creator with an up-and-under that he collected himself before getting the ball away to Gareth Davies, who went over for his fifth try of the tournament. Immediately after taking the lead, though, Wales were once again penalised and Pollard proceeded to convert his fourth penalty of the match to restore South Africa's advantage.
The scoring slowed for the remainder of the half, and it looked as though the Springboks would go in ahead when Biggar's penalty from just inside the South Africa half hit the post. However, moments later he put a drop-goal over to give his side a one-point lead at the break, and he extended that to four early in the second half. South Africa began to apply heavy pressure, but some heroic defence, coupled with two missed penalties from the previously perfect Pollard, limited the Springboks to just a drop-goal that reduced the deficit back to one.
The 21-year-old returned to form with a kick just past the hour to put his side back in front, but Wales were immediately awarded a penalty at the other end which Biggar dispatched to continue the see-saw nature of the game. The Springboks struck a killer blow with just five minutes remaining, however, as Duane Vermeulen's brilliant offload from an attacking scrum enabled captain Fourie du Preez to dive over in the corner. It was just the third try that Wales had conceded in the tournament so far, but it proved to be enough as Heyneke Meyer's side held on.
New Zealand 62-13 France
New Zealand produced a Rugby World Cup masterclass to overcome France 62-13 at the Millennium Stadium and book their place in the semi-finals. The reigning champions crossed over nine times in all to brush aside their opponents in what was a repeat of the 2011 final. It was a bright start to the quarter-final tie for the All Blacks, who were able to get the first points on the board seven minutes in through a trademark Dan Carter pen.
Despite being hounded in their own half for much of the opening stages, France were able to level things up when Scott Spedding's mammoth kick from the halfway line punished some slack New Zealand play. Just when Les Bleus looked to have found some momentum, turning over the ball and mounting an attack, Brodie Retallick charged down Frederic Michalak's kick to scoop up and score in the simplest of manners. If that was not bad enough for Michalak, he picked up an injury in the process of his failed punt and had to leave the field, but the entertaining opening quarter to the match continued when Morgan Parra split the sticks to add three more points to the board.
Some real sloppiness was creeping into the All Blacks' game, which was perhaps a result of their lack of action against tier one nations so far at this showpiece competition, and they were almost further punished when Parra was gifted a second kick from 20 metres out. The scrum-half was wasteful from the attempt, though, failing to find the target to the dismay of the many France supporters in attendance, which would ultimately prove costly. Les Tricolours were beginning to grow more and more into things, yet in a sign of just why they are favourites to retain their title Steve Hansen's men found a second score of the evening through Nehe Milner-Skudder, who weaved his way beyond Spedding and Brice Dulin to become the joint-leading try scorer at the this year's World Cup.
Things went from bad to worse for the northern hemisphere side before the half-hour mark, as Julian Savea collected Carter's back-hand offload to run in for a third of the evening, before Carter maintained his imperious kicking record. That took the world's number one ranked side up to 300 tries in this competition, but there was some hope to arrive late in the half for France thanks to Louis Picamoles' score, coming after a powerful drive over the line which the TMO was happy to award.
Yet France could not see the remaining minutes through and, in the dying stages, Savea brushed aside the challenge of three opposition defenders to regain his side's hefty cushion - albeit one that Carter could not add to with a rare miss. On the back of arguably the most impressive opening 40-minute display of any side to date, which included a record 29-point haul at the knockout stages, Hansen's charges had to focus more on defence for large parts of the second period. In what was the seventh encounter between the two sides at the World Cup, making it the most contested ever, tempers began to flair when Picamoles caught Richie McCaw in the face with his hand, but a yellow card was the lenient punishment deemed worthy by referee Nigel Owens.
The sin bin proved more than costly, however, ending any momentum the 2011 finalists had built up after Jerome Kaino profited on the opposition defence once more being stretched to cross over the chalk. There was to be no repeat of the heroics shown at this very venue eight years ago for France who, unlike on that occasion when they came out on top against the southern hemisphere giants, simply could not contain the sheer pace and power in their ranks. Savea helped himself to a fourth career Test hat-trick on the hour after a turnover led to a simple burst down the left, before Kieran Read found a gap to join the party in what was now the most one-sided of last-eight affairs.
There was further embarrassment to come for the Europeans, too, as replacement Tawera Kerr-Barlow ran in twice in the space of three minutes to truly compound their misery. Some good handling paved the way for the scrum-half to ensure that this would become a record Test defeat for the French in terms of points scored. Read more at: https://tr.im/WammN
Pro 12 Sat 17th Oct
Treviso 22-25 Ospreys
Ospreys ended their try drought to secure their first win of the Pro12 season with victory over Benetton Treviso.
Steve Tandy's side led at the break through tries from Dan Evans and Ben John with James Ambrosini crossing for Treviso.
Sam Davies scored a third try in the second half and also kicked 10 points.
Jayden Hayward and Luca Bigi's late tries secured a bonus point for Treviso but Ospreys held on.
Ospreys had failed to scored a try in their opening three games of the season, all of which they had lost.
Fiji centre Josh Matavesi started for Ospreys after returning from World Cup duty with Italy flanker Alessandro Zanni back to captain Treviso.
Hayward's penalty gave the home side an early lead at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo.
Davies missed two penalty attempts for Ospreys before Evans scored the game's opening try only minutes after replacing Hanno Dirksen.
Davies missed the conversion and four minutes later Treviso restored their lead through Ambrosini's try, which Hayward failed to convert.
Ospreys took the lead when centre John crossed for their second try, which Davies converted with his first successful kick of the game.
Hayward missed a penalty which would have restored Treviso's lead but Ospreys went in at the break leading 12-8.
Davies extended Ospreys' lead with his first successful penalty and although he failed with a fourth attempt he made amends with his side's fourth try of the game.
The 22-year-old converted his own try before Treviso responded through Hayward's converted try.
Davies penalty sealed made it 25-15 before Hayward missed a penalty but Treviso had the last word with Bigi's stoppage time try converted by Hayward to secure a losing bonus point.
Munster 35-27 Cardiff Blues
Munster moved to the top of the Pro12 by beating Cardiff Blues to make it four wins our of four this season.
Tries from Tavis Knoyle and Richard Smith gave the Blues a 17-14 interval lead, sandwiching converted scores from Munster's Mike Sherry and Keatley.
Blues' Tom Isaacs and Sherry swapped tries in the third quarter.
Munster outscored the visitors 14-3 over the closing 20 minutes with the Blues ending the game without the sin-binned Jevon Groves.
The strong finish by the hosts denied the visitors only their second away victory in the Pro12 since last September.
Fly-half Rhys Patchell opened the scoring with a penalty from inside the 22 for the Blues. Their first try soon followed when Garyn Smith passed inside to Patchell and scrum-half Knoyle was up in support to finish under the posts. Patchell's conversion made it 10-0.
Munster hit back with a try of their own inside four minutes. With space out wide, Francis Saili's superb looping pass took three out defenders and sent hooker Sherry over in the left corner.
Keatley added the extras and as Munster remained on the front foot, the fly-half took advantage of Gavin Evans' missed tackle to glide in behind the posts.
However, in the final play of the first half, the Blues profited from some lacklustre Munster defending to work winger Richard Smith over out wide on the left, with Patchell converting with aplomb from the touchline.
Munster's poor tackling was again exposed when Sherry and Jack O'Donoghue failed to stop Isaacs from five metres out. Patchell converted the centre's 43rd-minute try to make it 24-14.
The introduction of Tomas O'Leary following his three-year spell with London Irish, coupled with a textbook maul try from Sherry, saw Munster go up a gear.
They drove the Blues off their own scrum five metres out, and replacement flanker Coghlan dived on the loose ball for his first Pro12 try which Keatley converted.
A Patchell three-pointer closed the gap to 28-27, but Saili's deft pass unlocked the Blues defence out wide for the increasingly influential Conway to go over.
Groves was binned for a no-arms tackle in the build-up, and Keatley's touchline conversion took a deserved bonus point away from the luckless Blues.
Ospreys ended their try drought to secure their first win of the Pro12 season with victory over Benetton Treviso.
Steve Tandy's side led at the break through tries from Dan Evans and Ben John with James Ambrosini crossing for Treviso.
Sam Davies scored a third try in the second half and also kicked 10 points.
Jayden Hayward and Luca Bigi's late tries secured a bonus point for Treviso but Ospreys held on.
Ospreys had failed to scored a try in their opening three games of the season, all of which they had lost.
Fiji centre Josh Matavesi started for Ospreys after returning from World Cup duty with Italy flanker Alessandro Zanni back to captain Treviso.
Hayward's penalty gave the home side an early lead at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo.
Davies missed two penalty attempts for Ospreys before Evans scored the game's opening try only minutes after replacing Hanno Dirksen.
Davies missed the conversion and four minutes later Treviso restored their lead through Ambrosini's try, which Hayward failed to convert.
Ospreys took the lead when centre John crossed for their second try, which Davies converted with his first successful kick of the game.
Hayward missed a penalty which would have restored Treviso's lead but Ospreys went in at the break leading 12-8.
Davies extended Ospreys' lead with his first successful penalty and although he failed with a fourth attempt he made amends with his side's fourth try of the game.
The 22-year-old converted his own try before Treviso responded through Hayward's converted try.
Davies penalty sealed made it 25-15 before Hayward missed a penalty but Treviso had the last word with Bigi's stoppage time try converted by Hayward to secure a losing bonus point.
Munster 35-27 Cardiff Blues
Munster moved to the top of the Pro12 by beating Cardiff Blues to make it four wins our of four this season.
Tries from Tavis Knoyle and Richard Smith gave the Blues a 17-14 interval lead, sandwiching converted scores from Munster's Mike Sherry and Keatley.
Blues' Tom Isaacs and Sherry swapped tries in the third quarter.
Munster outscored the visitors 14-3 over the closing 20 minutes with the Blues ending the game without the sin-binned Jevon Groves.
The strong finish by the hosts denied the visitors only their second away victory in the Pro12 since last September.
Fly-half Rhys Patchell opened the scoring with a penalty from inside the 22 for the Blues. Their first try soon followed when Garyn Smith passed inside to Patchell and scrum-half Knoyle was up in support to finish under the posts. Patchell's conversion made it 10-0.
Munster hit back with a try of their own inside four minutes. With space out wide, Francis Saili's superb looping pass took three out defenders and sent hooker Sherry over in the left corner.
Keatley added the extras and as Munster remained on the front foot, the fly-half took advantage of Gavin Evans' missed tackle to glide in behind the posts.
However, in the final play of the first half, the Blues profited from some lacklustre Munster defending to work winger Richard Smith over out wide on the left, with Patchell converting with aplomb from the touchline.
Munster's poor tackling was again exposed when Sherry and Jack O'Donoghue failed to stop Isaacs from five metres out. Patchell converted the centre's 43rd-minute try to make it 24-14.
The introduction of Tomas O'Leary following his three-year spell with London Irish, coupled with a textbook maul try from Sherry, saw Munster go up a gear.
They drove the Blues off their own scrum five metres out, and replacement flanker Coghlan dived on the loose ball for his first Pro12 try which Keatley converted.
A Patchell three-pointer closed the gap to 28-27, but Saili's deft pass unlocked the Blues defence out wide for the increasingly influential Conway to go over.
Groves was binned for a no-arms tackle in the build-up, and Keatley's touchline conversion took a deserved bonus point away from the luckless Blues.
Aviva Premiership Sat 17th Oct
Bath 19-17 Exeter Chiefs
Bath managed to hold on to a scrappy 19-17 victory against the Exeter Chiefs on the opening weekend of Aviva Premiership Rugby. Exeter took the lead within the first 90 seconds, as an excellent counter put debutant James Short through, who held off a tackle to put the away side 5-0 up after Gareth Steenson missed the conversion.
England international George Ford put his kick between the posts to pull Bath to within two points of Exeter before Steenson made up for his earlier mistake by adding three points to make it 8-3. Bath then took the lead through captain Stuart Hooper after Anthony Watson took a challenge before playing the ball to Hooper in space to score. Steenson then scored another penalty to give Exeter the lead at 11-10 at half time.
Ford and Steenson then exchanged two kicks each as both sides pushed hard for the victory in a scrappy affair. The England international then hit the vital three points in the final two minutes before Henry Slade has his drop-kick blocked that sealed the win for last seasons' Premiership finalists. The Chiefs performed admirably and earned a bonus point to help ease their heartbreak.
Saracens 41-3 Sale Sharks
Reigning Premiership champions Saracens earn a 41-3 win against Sale Sharks in their opening game of the Aviva Premiership Rugby season. Saracens took an early lead as Michael Rhodes ended a strong drive with a try and Charlie Hodgson added three points from a penalty to put the hosts 10-0 up.
Danny Cipriani pulled three points back with a penalty after missing his first but Hodgson restored the hosts' 10-point lead with another kick through the uprights. Tim Streather then put the champions further ahead, with the centre bashing his way through the Sale resistance to score a try. Just before the half, Mike Ellery was set free by a Hodgson pass to give Saracens a commanding 27-3 lead at the break.
Ellery doubled his tally in the second half, earning his side the bonus point as Hodgson continued to be perfect with his kicking. Will Fraser went over towards the end to compound Sale's misery, who had a try disallowed by TMO in the final seconds.
Bath managed to hold on to a scrappy 19-17 victory against the Exeter Chiefs on the opening weekend of Aviva Premiership Rugby. Exeter took the lead within the first 90 seconds, as an excellent counter put debutant James Short through, who held off a tackle to put the away side 5-0 up after Gareth Steenson missed the conversion.
England international George Ford put his kick between the posts to pull Bath to within two points of Exeter before Steenson made up for his earlier mistake by adding three points to make it 8-3. Bath then took the lead through captain Stuart Hooper after Anthony Watson took a challenge before playing the ball to Hooper in space to score. Steenson then scored another penalty to give Exeter the lead at 11-10 at half time.
Ford and Steenson then exchanged two kicks each as both sides pushed hard for the victory in a scrappy affair. The England international then hit the vital three points in the final two minutes before Henry Slade has his drop-kick blocked that sealed the win for last seasons' Premiership finalists. The Chiefs performed admirably and earned a bonus point to help ease their heartbreak.
Saracens 41-3 Sale Sharks
Reigning Premiership champions Saracens earn a 41-3 win against Sale Sharks in their opening game of the Aviva Premiership Rugby season. Saracens took an early lead as Michael Rhodes ended a strong drive with a try and Charlie Hodgson added three points from a penalty to put the hosts 10-0 up.
Danny Cipriani pulled three points back with a penalty after missing his first but Hodgson restored the hosts' 10-point lead with another kick through the uprights. Tim Streather then put the champions further ahead, with the centre bashing his way through the Sale resistance to score a try. Just before the half, Mike Ellery was set free by a Hodgson pass to give Saracens a commanding 27-3 lead at the break.
Ellery doubled his tally in the second half, earning his side the bonus point as Hodgson continued to be perfect with his kicking. Will Fraser went over towards the end to compound Sale's misery, who had a try disallowed by TMO in the final seconds.
Friday, 16 October 2015
Pro 12 Friday 16th October
Connacht 34-15 Zebre
Connacht ran in five tries as they claimed a second consecutive bonus point win in the Pro12 by beating bottom club Zebre 34-15 in Galway.
The hosts built up a 19-point half-time lead with the help of tries from Matt Healy, Kieran Marmion, Eoin McKeon and Craig Ronaldson.
Dion Berryman's 35th-minute touchdown was Zebre's lone response.
Prop Denis Buckley crossed for his side's fifth try and flanker Johan Meyer grabbed a late consolation score.
Impressive fly-half Ronaldson, who started in place of an ill Jack Carty, slotted an early penalty before Connacht notched their opening try against the run of play.
Ronaldson launched a kick chase out of his 22, Berryman failed to deal with the bouncing ball and the onrushing Healy hacked on and picked up to score.
Ronaldson's conversion was cancelled out by an Edoardo Padovani penalty and Connacht absorbed some more Zebre pressure before striking again at the midpoint of the half.
Following a fine aerial take by Danie Poolman, Bundee Aki put boot to ball and Healy did brilliantly to control it and flick it back for Marmion to finish off by the posts.
Australian international scrum half Luke Burgess' brilliant reverse pass over his shoulder released winger Berryman for his converted try.
But Zebre were rocked back onto their heels by prop Andrea Lovotti's sin-binning for obstruction and Ronaldson's well-taken seven-pointer which saw him step inside two defenders.
Buckley plunged over from a maul wide out on the right for try number five, but the remaining half hour was particularly listless with Zebre dictating play and Aki and John Cooney making try-saving interventions.
Pat Lam will have been disappointed with the way his side ceded territory and played second fiddle to the Italians.
The one positive was the collective performance of their young replacement front row - Shane Delahunt, Conan O'Donnell and Finlay Bealham.
However, with 78 minutes on the clock, Aki saw yellow following a series of infringements in Connacht territory, and the hard-working Meyer immediately mopped up with an unconverted try.
Glasgow 29-15 Newport Gwent Dragons
Defending Pro12 champions Glasgow bagged a late bonus-point victory over the Dragons despite a host of absentees and two yellow cards.
Simone Favaro got the crucial try with the last move of the game, following earlier touchdowns by Chris Fusaro, Zander Fagerson and Junior Bulumakau.
Rynard Landman and Ashton Hewitt got a try in either half for the Dragons.
Glasgow showed far superior strength in depth as they took control of a messy match in the second period.
Gregor Townsend gave a debut to powerhouse Fijian-born Wallaby wing Taqele Naiyaravoro while centre Alex Dunbar returned from long-term injury, and the Dragons gave first starts of the season to wing Aled Brew and hooker Elliot Dee.
Glasgow lost hooker Pat McArthur to an early shoulder injury but took advantage of their first pressure when Rory Clegg slotted over a penalty on 12 minutes.
It took 24 minutes for a disjointed game to produce a try as Sarel Pretorius sniped from close range and Landman forced his way over for Jason Tovey to convert- although it was the lock's last contribution as he departed with a chest injury shortly afterwards.
Glasgow struck back when Fusaro drove over from a rolling maul on 35 minutes for Clegg to convert.
But the Dragons levelled 10-10 at halftime when Naiyaravoro was yellow-carded for an aerial tackle on Brew, and Tovey slotted the easy goal.
The visitors could not make the most of their one-man advantage after the break as their error count cost them dearly.
It was Glasgow's bench experience that showed when Mike Blair's break led to a short-range score from teenage prop Fagerson, converted by Clegg.
Debutant Favaro was the second home player to be sin-binned, on 63 minutes, but again the Warriors made light of it as replacement wing Bulumakau, a recruit from the Army, pounced to deftly hack through a bouncing ball for an opportunist try.
The Dragons got back within striking range with some excellent combined handling putting Hewitt over unopposed after 72 minutes.
But Favaro became the sinner turned saint as he got on the end of another effective rolling maul to earn his side the extra point with the last move of the game, Clegg converting.
Scarlets 25-14 Leinster
Winger DTH van der Merwe scored twice on his Scarlets debut as the early Pro 12 leaders maintained their 100% start.
The Canadian intercepted a loose pass to score from 80 meters after James Davies' try had given the home side an early lead at Parc y Scarlets.
Van der Merwe's second from close range shortly after the hour put the result beyond doubt, opening up a 25-0 lead.
But a bonus point proved beyond them, and the visitors hit back with tries from Isa Nacewa and James Tracy.
The late scores left a bitter taste in the mouth for the home side as they looked well set to go on to score a fourth try in the final 20 minutes.
But there was plenty to savour in the preceding 60 minutes that laid the foundations for the foutth consecutive win, with Regan King pulling the creative strings and van der Merwe again proving he needs no second invitation to score a try.
Steven Shingler's penalty opened the scoring and the home side's sparkling start was rewarded with the first try of the match inside the first 10 minutes.
A series of surges from the halfway line put Leinster on the back foot, and a sweeping move from right to left created a three on one overlap that flanker James Davies converted in the corner. Shingler missed the conversion attempt.
Leinster slowly began to excerpt some pressure and the home side needed a superb try-saving tackle from Hadleigh Parkes in the right corner to push Nacewa into touch.
The visitors maintained territorial advantage and a try looked on the cards as the Scarlets defence looked stretched.
But a long pass from Garry Ringrose lacked power, and Van der Merwe pounced to intercept.
The Canadian winger, fresh from scoring four tries at the World Cup, had the pace to score from 80 meters to mark his Scarlets debut in style. Shingler's conversion gave the home side a 15-0 half-time advantage.
Leinster lost centre Noel Reid to the sin bin three minutes into the second half and Scarlets capitalised on their numerical advantage just before the centre's return to score their third try.
Patient probes near the Leinster tryline finally paid dividends as King, an outstanding creative force throughout, timed his pass perfectly for the on-rushing Van der Merwe to cross unopposed.
Shingler converted and then added a second penalty as the home side threatened to run away.
Leinster refused to lie down, though, and Ringrose atoned slightly for his earlier error by drawing the last man before finding Nacewa on his shoulder that gave the full-back a clear run towards the post.
McFadden converted, but the experienced winger was then guilty of a horrendous error by squandering a certain try when he dropped a straightforward pass five yards from the tryline.
The visitors continued to probe, and replacement hooker Tracy crossed from a driving lineout two minutes from time to give the score a respectability that had looked beyond them.
Edinburgh 16-10 Ulster
Edinburgh maintained their winning start to the season, grinding out an unglamorous victory over Ulster at Murrayfield.
Connacht ran in five tries as they claimed a second consecutive bonus point win in the Pro12 by beating bottom club Zebre 34-15 in Galway.
The hosts built up a 19-point half-time lead with the help of tries from Matt Healy, Kieran Marmion, Eoin McKeon and Craig Ronaldson.
Dion Berryman's 35th-minute touchdown was Zebre's lone response.
Prop Denis Buckley crossed for his side's fifth try and flanker Johan Meyer grabbed a late consolation score.
Impressive fly-half Ronaldson, who started in place of an ill Jack Carty, slotted an early penalty before Connacht notched their opening try against the run of play.
Ronaldson launched a kick chase out of his 22, Berryman failed to deal with the bouncing ball and the onrushing Healy hacked on and picked up to score.
Ronaldson's conversion was cancelled out by an Edoardo Padovani penalty and Connacht absorbed some more Zebre pressure before striking again at the midpoint of the half.
Following a fine aerial take by Danie Poolman, Bundee Aki put boot to ball and Healy did brilliantly to control it and flick it back for Marmion to finish off by the posts.
Australian international scrum half Luke Burgess' brilliant reverse pass over his shoulder released winger Berryman for his converted try.
But Zebre were rocked back onto their heels by prop Andrea Lovotti's sin-binning for obstruction and Ronaldson's well-taken seven-pointer which saw him step inside two defenders.
Buckley plunged over from a maul wide out on the right for try number five, but the remaining half hour was particularly listless with Zebre dictating play and Aki and John Cooney making try-saving interventions.
Pat Lam will have been disappointed with the way his side ceded territory and played second fiddle to the Italians.
The one positive was the collective performance of their young replacement front row - Shane Delahunt, Conan O'Donnell and Finlay Bealham.
However, with 78 minutes on the clock, Aki saw yellow following a series of infringements in Connacht territory, and the hard-working Meyer immediately mopped up with an unconverted try.
Glasgow 29-15 Newport Gwent Dragons
Defending Pro12 champions Glasgow bagged a late bonus-point victory over the Dragons despite a host of absentees and two yellow cards.
Simone Favaro got the crucial try with the last move of the game, following earlier touchdowns by Chris Fusaro, Zander Fagerson and Junior Bulumakau.
Rynard Landman and Ashton Hewitt got a try in either half for the Dragons.
Glasgow showed far superior strength in depth as they took control of a messy match in the second period.
Gregor Townsend gave a debut to powerhouse Fijian-born Wallaby wing Taqele Naiyaravoro while centre Alex Dunbar returned from long-term injury, and the Dragons gave first starts of the season to wing Aled Brew and hooker Elliot Dee.
Glasgow lost hooker Pat McArthur to an early shoulder injury but took advantage of their first pressure when Rory Clegg slotted over a penalty on 12 minutes.
It took 24 minutes for a disjointed game to produce a try as Sarel Pretorius sniped from close range and Landman forced his way over for Jason Tovey to convert- although it was the lock's last contribution as he departed with a chest injury shortly afterwards.
Glasgow struck back when Fusaro drove over from a rolling maul on 35 minutes for Clegg to convert.
But the Dragons levelled 10-10 at halftime when Naiyaravoro was yellow-carded for an aerial tackle on Brew, and Tovey slotted the easy goal.
The visitors could not make the most of their one-man advantage after the break as their error count cost them dearly.
It was Glasgow's bench experience that showed when Mike Blair's break led to a short-range score from teenage prop Fagerson, converted by Clegg.
Debutant Favaro was the second home player to be sin-binned, on 63 minutes, but again the Warriors made light of it as replacement wing Bulumakau, a recruit from the Army, pounced to deftly hack through a bouncing ball for an opportunist try.
The Dragons got back within striking range with some excellent combined handling putting Hewitt over unopposed after 72 minutes.
But Favaro became the sinner turned saint as he got on the end of another effective rolling maul to earn his side the extra point with the last move of the game, Clegg converting.
Scarlets 25-14 Leinster
Winger DTH van der Merwe scored twice on his Scarlets debut as the early Pro 12 leaders maintained their 100% start.
The Canadian intercepted a loose pass to score from 80 meters after James Davies' try had given the home side an early lead at Parc y Scarlets.
Van der Merwe's second from close range shortly after the hour put the result beyond doubt, opening up a 25-0 lead.
But a bonus point proved beyond them, and the visitors hit back with tries from Isa Nacewa and James Tracy.
The late scores left a bitter taste in the mouth for the home side as they looked well set to go on to score a fourth try in the final 20 minutes.
But there was plenty to savour in the preceding 60 minutes that laid the foundations for the foutth consecutive win, with Regan King pulling the creative strings and van der Merwe again proving he needs no second invitation to score a try.
Steven Shingler's penalty opened the scoring and the home side's sparkling start was rewarded with the first try of the match inside the first 10 minutes.
A series of surges from the halfway line put Leinster on the back foot, and a sweeping move from right to left created a three on one overlap that flanker James Davies converted in the corner. Shingler missed the conversion attempt.
Leinster slowly began to excerpt some pressure and the home side needed a superb try-saving tackle from Hadleigh Parkes in the right corner to push Nacewa into touch.
The visitors maintained territorial advantage and a try looked on the cards as the Scarlets defence looked stretched.
But a long pass from Garry Ringrose lacked power, and Van der Merwe pounced to intercept.
The Canadian winger, fresh from scoring four tries at the World Cup, had the pace to score from 80 meters to mark his Scarlets debut in style. Shingler's conversion gave the home side a 15-0 half-time advantage.
Leinster lost centre Noel Reid to the sin bin three minutes into the second half and Scarlets capitalised on their numerical advantage just before the centre's return to score their third try.
Patient probes near the Leinster tryline finally paid dividends as King, an outstanding creative force throughout, timed his pass perfectly for the on-rushing Van der Merwe to cross unopposed.
Shingler converted and then added a second penalty as the home side threatened to run away.
Leinster refused to lie down, though, and Ringrose atoned slightly for his earlier error by drawing the last man before finding Nacewa on his shoulder that gave the full-back a clear run towards the post.
McFadden converted, but the experienced winger was then guilty of a horrendous error by squandering a certain try when he dropped a straightforward pass five yards from the tryline.
The visitors continued to probe, and replacement hooker Tracy crossed from a driving lineout two minutes from time to give the score a respectability that had looked beyond them.
Edinburgh 16-10 Ulster
Edinburgh maintained their winning start to the season, grinding out an unglamorous victory over Ulster at Murrayfield.
In a game otherwise lacking in accuracy and verve, the outstanding openside flanker Hamish Watson scored a fine second half try for the hosts.
Sean Reidy's close-range effort had nudged Ulster ahead after the break.
But as Ulster pressed, Watson's crucial intervention on the last play secured Edinburgh their fourth straight win.
A drab first half saw home full-back Greig Tonks trade penalties with the visitors' stand-off, Peter Nelson, for a 6-3 lead at the interval, but a lack of precision and dynamism halted promising moves for both teams.
Watson, the game's stand-out player, proved a perennial menace at the breakdown from the off, displaying quick feet and a machinelike leg drive to make unlikely yards in contact.
In keeping with much of elite Irish rugby, however, the visitors were largely adept at soaking up Edinburgh's carries with their choke tackle technique yielding turnovers.
Scrum-half Paul Marshall played well to the greasy conditions, chasing Edinburgh back with an array of neat, probing kicks that turned the hosts' back three.
And when the lively Tom Brown was seized and turned-over yards from his own line, the Ulstermen brought their heavy artillery into action, ending with Reidy's burrowing over the line as Edinburgh's fringe defence was stretched to breaking point.
Minutes later, however, Watson combined brilliantly with back-row colleague Nasi Manu to collect an inside ball from the galloping number eight down the left touchline and finish beyond the cover.
Tonks banged over his third penalty from distance, and Edinburgh dealt manfully with Ulster's assaults on the home rearguard.
Fittingly, it was Watson who had the final say when, with the clock red and an Ulster maul rumbling towards the whitewash, the feisty openside brilliantly infiltrated the away pack, sealing off the ball, and ending the match.
This was far from a vintage Edinburgh performance, but perhaps one in the uncompromising image of head coach Alan Solomons, and against one of the league's heavyweights, a victory not to be sniffed at.
Aviva Premiership Friday 16th Oct
Harlequins 26-21 Wasps
Harlequins have started the 2015-16 Aviva Premiership campaign with a 26-21 win over Wasps at The Stoop, holding off a late comeback from the visiting side.
Jake Cooper-Woolley scored the opening try of the night as Wasps tried to get off to a strong start, squeezing his way across the line inside the opening 20 minutes. Having already kicked two early penalties for the hosts, Nick Evans extended Harlequins' lead when he met a kick forward from Karl Dickson before leaping across in the corner. Evans was involved again in the second half as he offloaded the ball to George Lowe, setting the centre up for Quins' second try of the night, putting them nine points ahead.
Two more penalties from Evans left Wasps facing a big deficit heading into the final five minutes, but Elliot Daly opened his account for the season for close the gap, but the visitors could not force another score in the closing moments.
Worcester Warriors 13-12 Northampton Saints
A last-minute drop goal from Tom Heathcote has given Worcester Warriors a narrow 13-12 win over Northampton Saints in their first match since winning promotion back to the Aviva Premiership.
The visitors made a bright start to the match, with Stephen Myler adding two penalties following some early errors from the newly-promoted Warriors. Worcester soon started to dominate the possession though, setting up captain GJ van Velze to ground the ball following a maul, giving him a try again his old club.
The home side were penalised following a scrum early in the second half, allowing Myler to go for the posts again, closing the gap to one point, but points-scoring opportunities remained scarce for both sides, with neither side adding to score again until the last two minutes. It looked like Northampton were going to snatch a last-gasp win when Myler kicked his fourth penalty of the match, putting the visitors in front for the first time in the second half.
However, Heathcote got a sighting at the posts from 25 metres out, kicking it through with the final action of the meeting to hand the hosts the narrowest of victories.
Newcastle Falcons 27-39 Gloucester
Billy Twelvetrees kicked 29 points to lead Gloucester Rugby to a 39-27 win over Newcastle Falcons in their opening fixture of the new Aviva Premiership season this evening.
Gloucester saw the majority of the ball in the opening 20 minutes, but had to settle for penalty kicks, with Twelvetrees booting the ball through four times. The visitors got their opening try on the board when Willi Heinz played the ball out wide to Matt Kvesic, setting the flanker up for a short dash across the line.
Charlie Sharples was over just three minutes later, with Bill Meakes setting the winger up for a sprint over as Gloucester started to run away with proceedings. Newcastle started to see more Gloucester territory in the second half, allowing Simon Hammersley to close the gap shortly after the restart, before Chris Harris broke free to race over for a second Falcons try.
Twelvetrees continued to put in a clinical performance with the boot for the visitors, adding nine penalties and a conversion with five minutes remaining, but a late try from George McGuigan gave Newcastle hope, but they were unable to find a fourth try in the final moments, allowing Gloucester to hold on for the win.
Harlequins have started the 2015-16 Aviva Premiership campaign with a 26-21 win over Wasps at The Stoop, holding off a late comeback from the visiting side.
Jake Cooper-Woolley scored the opening try of the night as Wasps tried to get off to a strong start, squeezing his way across the line inside the opening 20 minutes. Having already kicked two early penalties for the hosts, Nick Evans extended Harlequins' lead when he met a kick forward from Karl Dickson before leaping across in the corner. Evans was involved again in the second half as he offloaded the ball to George Lowe, setting the centre up for Quins' second try of the night, putting them nine points ahead.
Two more penalties from Evans left Wasps facing a big deficit heading into the final five minutes, but Elliot Daly opened his account for the season for close the gap, but the visitors could not force another score in the closing moments.
Worcester Warriors 13-12 Northampton Saints
A last-minute drop goal from Tom Heathcote has given Worcester Warriors a narrow 13-12 win over Northampton Saints in their first match since winning promotion back to the Aviva Premiership.
The visitors made a bright start to the match, with Stephen Myler adding two penalties following some early errors from the newly-promoted Warriors. Worcester soon started to dominate the possession though, setting up captain GJ van Velze to ground the ball following a maul, giving him a try again his old club.
The home side were penalised following a scrum early in the second half, allowing Myler to go for the posts again, closing the gap to one point, but points-scoring opportunities remained scarce for both sides, with neither side adding to score again until the last two minutes. It looked like Northampton were going to snatch a last-gasp win when Myler kicked his fourth penalty of the match, putting the visitors in front for the first time in the second half.
However, Heathcote got a sighting at the posts from 25 metres out, kicking it through with the final action of the meeting to hand the hosts the narrowest of victories.
Newcastle Falcons 27-39 Gloucester
Billy Twelvetrees kicked 29 points to lead Gloucester Rugby to a 39-27 win over Newcastle Falcons in their opening fixture of the new Aviva Premiership season this evening.
Gloucester saw the majority of the ball in the opening 20 minutes, but had to settle for penalty kicks, with Twelvetrees booting the ball through four times. The visitors got their opening try on the board when Willi Heinz played the ball out wide to Matt Kvesic, setting the flanker up for a short dash across the line.
Charlie Sharples was over just three minutes later, with Bill Meakes setting the winger up for a sprint over as Gloucester started to run away with proceedings. Newcastle started to see more Gloucester territory in the second half, allowing Simon Hammersley to close the gap shortly after the restart, before Chris Harris broke free to race over for a second Falcons try.
Twelvetrees continued to put in a clinical performance with the boot for the visitors, adding nine penalties and a conversion with five minutes remaining, but a late try from George McGuigan gave Newcastle hope, but they were unable to find a fourth try in the final moments, allowing Gloucester to hold on for the win.
Pro 12 2nd to 4th Oct
Sun 4th Oct
Zebre 8-20 Scarlets
Sat 3rd Oct
Leinster 37-13 Newport Gwent-Dragons
Connacht 36-31 Cardiff Blues
Munster 23-21 Glasgow
Edinburgh 20-9 Ospreys
Ulster 48-7 Treviso
Sunday, 11 October 2015
RWC 2015 Sunday 11th October last group games
Argentina 64-19 Namibia
Argentina scored nine tries by nine different players as they beat Namibia 64-19 in their final group game of the Rugby World Cup. The Pumas went ahead thanks to a Juan Martin Hernandez try before a Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias penalty put the South American 10-0 up. However, the Africans replied despite being reduced to 14 men after some sloppy Argentine defending allowed Johan Tromp to kick the ball over them and dive on the ball for a try.
The Argentinians would stomp out any hope soon after, with Matias Morini going over for an excellent solo score before three more tries from Horacio Agulla, Facundo Isa and Lucas Noguera put them 36-7 ahead at half-time. Namibia gave themselves a glimmer of hope just after the break as JC Greyling seized on some poor passing to go through alone to score his nations' second try of the afternoon. That hope was short-lived as Argentina would reply quickly again, with Matias Alemanno powering over the line after a strong scrum.
Leonardo Senatore finished off another classy move from the Pumas for their seventh try before Julian Montoya and Tomas Cubelli compounded their advantage with quick tries within five minutes. Eugene Jantjies scored a late consolation try for Namibia and the nation allowed retiring prop Johnny Redelinghuys to take the attempt but the big man's kick fell short. Argentina had already qualified from Pool C before the game and will now take on either France or Ireland in the quarter-finals.
Italy 32-22 Romania
Italy have secured third place and qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup after beating Romania 32-22 at Sandy Park. Lynn Howells side took an early lead at Sandy Park after their scrum managed to stand up the Italy pack and earn a shot at the posts. However, winger Leonardo Sarto crossed in the corner for the Azzurri before an Eduardo Gori try increased Italy's advantage. With the interval approaching, stand-off Tomasso Allan touched down as Jacques Brunel's side led 22-3.
The Six Nations outfit threatened to run away with proceedings when Alessandro Zanni scored before Adrian Apostol delivered the first try for Romania. Romania finished strongly with Valentin Poparlin getting a second score before Apostol scored his second try of the afternoon. However, it was not enough to overhaul Italy, who secured victory and a place at the 2019 World Cup in Japan, courtesy of their third-place finish in Pool D.
France 9-24 Ireland
Ireland have finished their pool campaign at the Rugby World Cup with a 100% record, defeating France 24-9 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff this evening.
France showed signs of nerves with their kicking game in the opening stages of the match as Frederic Michalak and Scott Spedding both missed chances to open the scoring, allowing Jonny Sexton to boot the opening points of the encounter through down the other end. Penalties continued to dominate the opening 25 minutes of the closely-contested first half in front of a vocal crowd in Cardiff, with Spedding making a couple for France, while Sexton maintained his 100% record.
The Ireland fly-half had to go off with a rib injury though, leaving Ian Madigan to assume the kicking duties, but he quickly restored his side's lead just moments after coming off the replacements bench. Both sides had chances to get the opening try on the board before half time, but Keith Earls spilled the ball following a blistering run from Tommy Bowe, while Wesley Fofana went over, only to see play called back for a knock on. There was a further injury blow for Ireland on the cusp of half time though as captain Paul O'Connell, who will retire at the end of this tournament, remained on the pitch for several minutes after appearing to injure his knee, eventually leaving the field on a stretcher. Ireland made a determined start to the second half following the loss of their captain, with Tommy Bowe and Conor Murray both involved in setting up Rob Kearney for a leap over in the right corner to score the opening try of the contest.
Joe Schmidt's side were soon pressing for a second try as Cian Health, Earls and Chris Henry all trying to create something, but France fought back, with Morgan Parra closing the gap to five points with just under 20 minutes remaining. France continued to see more of the ball as the final 10 minutes approached, with Parra involved again as he tried to set up Brice Dulin for a score, but the Ireland defence held firm. The Ireland supporters soon had something else to cheer though as Jack McGrath tried to power through under the posts, being held up just short, but still able to get the ball to Conor Murray, setting up the scrum-half for the team's second try. The result sets up a quarter-final with Argentina, which will take place in Cardiff next weekend.
USA 18-28 Japan
Japan have become the first side in Rugby World Cup history to win three of their pool-phase fixtures and still exit the competition after seeing off USA 28-18.
The Brave Blossoms have provided some of the finest moments of the tournament, but their fate had already been decided following other results this weekend.
It took the United States just a couple of minutes to register their first points of the contest, as Alan MacGinty found the sticks from an early pen after the opposition failed to roll away from the tackle. Japan responded in superb fashion, though, breaking through Yoshikazu Fujita before some solid handling allowed the Far East nation to string together a sweeping move which culminated in Kotaro Matsushima making a breakthrough.
There was a special moment for Ayumu Goromaru from the follow-up, with his successful kick from the conversion taking him to the 700-point mark in Test rugby. For large parts of the opening quarter of the match events on the field failed to match those off it, with both teams being heavily supporters at the home of Gloucester Rugby.
USA used this boisterous backing to their advantage shortly before the half-hour mark courtesy of Takudzwa Ngwenya's score, which came after his side's first real prolonged spell of pressure in the opposition's 22, but MacGinty was well short from the resulting conversion.
Much like before, the Brave Blossoms - hosts of the next instalment of this showpiece competition in four years' time - hit back almost instantly as a result of a US fumble from the restart. Fujita was the man to profit by picking out a gap and crossing over on his Rugby World Cup debut, ensuring that the game remained tight.
Japan were slowly able to turn the screw and assert their dominance when Goromaru split the sticks for a second time, making this officially their best ever World Cup showing in terms of points scoring, and opening up a nine-point advantage in the process. It was left to Goromaru to kick off the second half in the same manner as he ended the first, with his perfect kicking record being maintained after splitting the sticks with an early pen.
USA, who have exited the tournament at the group stage in each of their past seven appearances now, pushed hard for a route back into the game that was only denied by some poor handling errors. There was some hope for the Americans when MacGinty kicked over 25 minutes from time to reduce the arrears, but they were denied a second try due to Harumichi Tatekawa's superb challenge to deny flying winger Ngwenya down the right.
It proved a key moment in the game, too, as Eric Fry was shown a yellow for kicking the ball on the ground, and just moments later Eddie Jones's men capitalised after opting to kick into touch and crossing over through replacement Amanaki Mafi from the subsequent lineout.
Japan had already bagged more win in this year's tournament than in their previous seven, but they were made to work hard for victory number three as the US refused to go down without a fight. On the back of arguably their finest attacking move of the evening, MacGinty used his vision to pick out skipper Chris Wyles in acres of space on the right to cut the deficit a little more heading into the closing stages. Just when it looked as though the Eagles were beginning to build some momentum, Goromaru again remained composed to slot over after Michael Leitch's ill-discipline at the ruck to re-open that hefty margin.
Argentina scored nine tries by nine different players as they beat Namibia 64-19 in their final group game of the Rugby World Cup. The Pumas went ahead thanks to a Juan Martin Hernandez try before a Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias penalty put the South American 10-0 up. However, the Africans replied despite being reduced to 14 men after some sloppy Argentine defending allowed Johan Tromp to kick the ball over them and dive on the ball for a try.
The Argentinians would stomp out any hope soon after, with Matias Morini going over for an excellent solo score before three more tries from Horacio Agulla, Facundo Isa and Lucas Noguera put them 36-7 ahead at half-time. Namibia gave themselves a glimmer of hope just after the break as JC Greyling seized on some poor passing to go through alone to score his nations' second try of the afternoon. That hope was short-lived as Argentina would reply quickly again, with Matias Alemanno powering over the line after a strong scrum.
Leonardo Senatore finished off another classy move from the Pumas for their seventh try before Julian Montoya and Tomas Cubelli compounded their advantage with quick tries within five minutes. Eugene Jantjies scored a late consolation try for Namibia and the nation allowed retiring prop Johnny Redelinghuys to take the attempt but the big man's kick fell short. Argentina had already qualified from Pool C before the game and will now take on either France or Ireland in the quarter-finals.
Italy 32-22 Romania
Italy have secured third place and qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup after beating Romania 32-22 at Sandy Park. Lynn Howells side took an early lead at Sandy Park after their scrum managed to stand up the Italy pack and earn a shot at the posts. However, winger Leonardo Sarto crossed in the corner for the Azzurri before an Eduardo Gori try increased Italy's advantage. With the interval approaching, stand-off Tomasso Allan touched down as Jacques Brunel's side led 22-3.
The Six Nations outfit threatened to run away with proceedings when Alessandro Zanni scored before Adrian Apostol delivered the first try for Romania. Romania finished strongly with Valentin Poparlin getting a second score before Apostol scored his second try of the afternoon. However, it was not enough to overhaul Italy, who secured victory and a place at the 2019 World Cup in Japan, courtesy of their third-place finish in Pool D.
France 9-24 Ireland
Ireland have finished their pool campaign at the Rugby World Cup with a 100% record, defeating France 24-9 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff this evening.
France showed signs of nerves with their kicking game in the opening stages of the match as Frederic Michalak and Scott Spedding both missed chances to open the scoring, allowing Jonny Sexton to boot the opening points of the encounter through down the other end. Penalties continued to dominate the opening 25 minutes of the closely-contested first half in front of a vocal crowd in Cardiff, with Spedding making a couple for France, while Sexton maintained his 100% record.
The Ireland fly-half had to go off with a rib injury though, leaving Ian Madigan to assume the kicking duties, but he quickly restored his side's lead just moments after coming off the replacements bench. Both sides had chances to get the opening try on the board before half time, but Keith Earls spilled the ball following a blistering run from Tommy Bowe, while Wesley Fofana went over, only to see play called back for a knock on. There was a further injury blow for Ireland on the cusp of half time though as captain Paul O'Connell, who will retire at the end of this tournament, remained on the pitch for several minutes after appearing to injure his knee, eventually leaving the field on a stretcher. Ireland made a determined start to the second half following the loss of their captain, with Tommy Bowe and Conor Murray both involved in setting up Rob Kearney for a leap over in the right corner to score the opening try of the contest.
Joe Schmidt's side were soon pressing for a second try as Cian Health, Earls and Chris Henry all trying to create something, but France fought back, with Morgan Parra closing the gap to five points with just under 20 minutes remaining. France continued to see more of the ball as the final 10 minutes approached, with Parra involved again as he tried to set up Brice Dulin for a score, but the Ireland defence held firm. The Ireland supporters soon had something else to cheer though as Jack McGrath tried to power through under the posts, being held up just short, but still able to get the ball to Conor Murray, setting up the scrum-half for the team's second try. The result sets up a quarter-final with Argentina, which will take place in Cardiff next weekend.
USA 18-28 Japan
Japan have become the first side in Rugby World Cup history to win three of their pool-phase fixtures and still exit the competition after seeing off USA 28-18.
The Brave Blossoms have provided some of the finest moments of the tournament, but their fate had already been decided following other results this weekend.
It took the United States just a couple of minutes to register their first points of the contest, as Alan MacGinty found the sticks from an early pen after the opposition failed to roll away from the tackle. Japan responded in superb fashion, though, breaking through Yoshikazu Fujita before some solid handling allowed the Far East nation to string together a sweeping move which culminated in Kotaro Matsushima making a breakthrough.
There was a special moment for Ayumu Goromaru from the follow-up, with his successful kick from the conversion taking him to the 700-point mark in Test rugby. For large parts of the opening quarter of the match events on the field failed to match those off it, with both teams being heavily supporters at the home of Gloucester Rugby.
USA used this boisterous backing to their advantage shortly before the half-hour mark courtesy of Takudzwa Ngwenya's score, which came after his side's first real prolonged spell of pressure in the opposition's 22, but MacGinty was well short from the resulting conversion.
Much like before, the Brave Blossoms - hosts of the next instalment of this showpiece competition in four years' time - hit back almost instantly as a result of a US fumble from the restart. Fujita was the man to profit by picking out a gap and crossing over on his Rugby World Cup debut, ensuring that the game remained tight.
Japan were slowly able to turn the screw and assert their dominance when Goromaru split the sticks for a second time, making this officially their best ever World Cup showing in terms of points scoring, and opening up a nine-point advantage in the process. It was left to Goromaru to kick off the second half in the same manner as he ended the first, with his perfect kicking record being maintained after splitting the sticks with an early pen.
USA, who have exited the tournament at the group stage in each of their past seven appearances now, pushed hard for a route back into the game that was only denied by some poor handling errors. There was some hope for the Americans when MacGinty kicked over 25 minutes from time to reduce the arrears, but they were denied a second try due to Harumichi Tatekawa's superb challenge to deny flying winger Ngwenya down the right.
It proved a key moment in the game, too, as Eric Fry was shown a yellow for kicking the ball on the ground, and just moments later Eddie Jones's men capitalised after opting to kick into touch and crossing over through replacement Amanaki Mafi from the subsequent lineout.
Japan had already bagged more win in this year's tournament than in their previous seven, but they were made to work hard for victory number three as the US refused to go down without a fight. On the back of arguably their finest attacking move of the evening, MacGinty used his vision to pick out skipper Chris Wyles in acres of space on the right to cut the deficit a little more heading into the closing stages. Just when it looked as though the Eagles were beginning to build some momentum, Goromaru again remained composed to slot over after Michael Leitch's ill-discipline at the ruck to re-open that hefty margin.
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