Saturday, 6 February 2016

Aviva Premiership & RBS 6 Nations Sat 6th Feb 2016

Six Nations

France 23-21 Italy


France edged to an unconvincing win over Italy to make a successful start to their Six Nations campaign.

In a tight first half Virimi Vakatawa and Damien Chouly crossed for France, but a Carlo Canna drop-goal and Sergio Parisse's try kept Italy in touch.

Canna finished off a burst by Parisse to put the visitors in the ascendancy.

France retook the initiative with Hugo Bonneval's score, but they still needed a late penalty from Jules Plisson to hand a win to new coach Guy Noves.

This was first sporting event held at the Stade de France since the attacks on Paris in November last year.

Former Toulouse boss Noves, 62, had promised to build a more entertaining French side from the one that went out in the quarter-finals of last year's World Cup and finished a disappointing fourth in the 2015 Six Nations.

There was certainly a sense of adventure about Noves's side, personified by powerful sevens international Vakatawa who showed guile and fleet of foot on the wing to score the opening try.

Gael Fickou's quick-tap penalty opened the door for Chouly to cross for their second and Jonathan Danty drew in defenders expertly to release Bonneval for the third, but there remained a fragility to the home side.

Parisse so nearly the match winner

Sergio Parisse made the furthest metres, most carries and most turnovers for Italy
Italy, inspired by their captain Parisse, almost took full advantage with a structured, organised performance, in which they won seven turnovers to France's three.

Parisse, who plays his club rugby in Paris with Stade Francais, has for so long been Italy's talisman and the number eight stepped even closer to legendary status for his country with this all-action performance.

The 32-year-old touched down from a catch and drive in the first half and came agonisingly close to finishing off a barnstorming burst after the break, before Canna applied the finishing touch regardless.


In fact, he almost snatched it at the death with an audacious drop-goal attempt that drifted wide, but in the end it was Plisson's monster penalty from near the halfway line that ended up being the difference maker.


Scotland 9-15 England
Scotland's wait to regain the Calcutta Cup goes on after England opened the Eddie Jones era with victory at Murrayfield.

Four months on from a disastrous World Cup campaign on home soil, England established an early lead through George Kruis' converted try, but were then pegged back by the boot of Greig Laidlaw to make it 7-6 at half-time.

But after the hosts failed to capitalise on several promising openings, English strength off the bench saw them establish a grip on what had been a messy affair.

Jack Nowell finished off a well-worked try and Owen Farrell landed his second penalty, and with their forwards in the ascendancy England closed the game out in increasing comfort.

Scotland were left disappointed once again after just eight wins in nine Six Nations campaigns.

But a third successive win at Murrayfield for the men in white means Jones - who has had just seven training sessions with his new charges and had picked a team for a rumble rather than a revolution - has time to stamp his own mark on England.

Kruis missile dents Scotland's hopes

England dominated the early territory and had their first try of the Jones era when Kruis rumbled through weak Scottish arms to crash over from four metres out.

Laidlaw landed a fine penalty and as both sides attacked from deep and wide the match quickly became frantic and error-ridden.

England were shipping penalties at a rate - eight in the first period alone - and with George Ford struggling at fly-half it was Scotland who increasingly took control.

Laidlaw missed from out wide but made it 7-6 from 20m out after England were burgled at the breakdown, and had Russell not rushed a straightforward drop-goal attempt the home side would have led at the break.

English replacements the difference

Scotland came again, setting up a series of drives deep in English territory only for errors to leave them pointless.

Jones threw on Courtney Lawes for Joe Launchbury and Mako Vunipola for Joe Marler and as England's ball-carriers made dents, quick ball came and the points with it.

George Ford went right, prop Vunipola hit Farrell with a cute inside pass and Nowell scampered into the corner for 6-12.

Farrell kicked a penalty to the corner and England drove the line-out, hammering away at the line until Russell intercepted and almost sent Stuart Hogg away.

Farrell then stroked over a penalty from distance, only for Scotland to haul themselves to within a converted try through Laidlaw's third penalty.

But England's power off the bench snuffed out any sparks, and they will head to Rome next week with some confidence restored.

Man of the match


England's go-to man so often, Vunipola consistently made the sort of hard yards that gave England the critical momentum.


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