Saturday's Summer Tests

New Zealand 36-22 Wales

New Zealand produced another dominant second-half performance to crush battling Wales in Wellington.

Alun Wyn Jones' 38th-minute try tied the scores 10-10 at the interval.

But inspired by replacement fly-half Beauden Barrett, the All Blacks scored four tries after the break through Ben Smith, Barrett, Waiseke Naholo and Ardie Savea.

Liam Williams and Jonathan Davies scored in a late flurry, but Wales have now not beaten the Kiwis in 28 games.

Barrett was on the field following a serious-looking injury to Aaron Cruden who was taken off on a buggy in the first half.

After their 39-21 loss in the first Test, Wales' management had warned their players they needed an 80-minute performance against the world champions.


But again the Welsh could not live with the All Blacks in a crucial 10-minute period after the break in when they scored four tries.

It might have been different if Taulupe Faletau had held on to a pass from Sam Warburton who had intercepted a pass in the 51st minute with the scores still tied.

The pass went to ground and within a minute Smith had crossed for New Zealand's second try and the hosts put their foot on the accelerator.

Another positive start

Again Wales gave as good as they got in the first half, dominating possession in the early phases but having only Biggar's 15th minute penalty to show for it.

The All Blacks made no mistake on their first visit to the Welsh 22, Aaron Smith brilliantly exploiting a narrow defence with Israel Dagg dummying his way over to mark his 50th cap with a try.

The long break for Cruden's injury disrupted the momentum, before Wales struck on the stroke of half time.


Jonathan Davies brushing past Barrett to set up the attack and then sending a long pass to Jones loitering on the left-hand touchline who scored his ninth Test try in his 101st game for Wales with Biggar's conversion levelling the scores.


Japan 13-26 Scotland

Scotland beat a depleted but resilient Japan in Toyota City to go one-up in their two Test series, the second coming in Tokyo next Saturday.

Japan scored the opening try through Shota Horie, but their ruinous ill-discipline dynamited their chances.

Scotland's reply - a penalty try - came as Japan's Hendrik Tui was sin-binned.

Tui was still off and had been joined by Rikiya Matsuda when Scotland got their second and last score, via a barrelling finish from WP Nel.

The unerring goal-kicking of Greig Laidlaw steered Scotland home, the captain landing 16 points in all.

Vern Cotter's team rarely looked convincing against a team shorn of seven of the men who created history by beating South Africa at the World Cup last year.

For Scotland, the beginning was grim, Alasdair Dickinson going off injured after just two minutes. Laidlaw calmed them soon after with his first penalty but the wheels came off in quick order.

The dogs in the street knew what Japan were going to try to do here. Any chance of introducing pace and fury to proceedings would be taken, any penalty that was tapable would be tapped and things would happen at breakneck speed.

That was the way of it when they won a penalty around halfway in the ninth minute and Scotland were not ready for it. Japan attacked in a blur, Amanaki Mafi roaring down the right and punching holes in the Scotland defence, then Harumichi Tatekawa following in the next wave.

It all ended with Scotland stretched and porous, Horie darting in under the posts for a try that was converted by Yu Tamura.

Scotland were jumpy for a spell. Stuart McInally overthrew at a lineout and the visitors looked weary. Their respite came in the guise of wretched Japanese discipline at the breakdown and their inability to hold Nel in the scrum.

They conceded six penalties in the opening 23 minutes - and 11 in the first 40 including those two costly yellow cards. Laidlaw booted Scotland back into a 9-7 lead before Tamura restored Japan's lead with a penalty of his own on the half-hour.

It was then that Japan's problems began in earnest.

Scotland got little change out of their lineout maul, but they did get a bonus of having Tui, Japan's blindside flanker, binned in trying to stop it. One yellow card became two when Matsuda walked after deliberately knocking-on a pass from Stuart Hogg to Tommy Seymour that would have seen the wing score in the corner.

Matsuda need not have bothered. Referee Ben O'Keeffe gave a penalty try in any event and Laidlaw added the extras.

Scotland made hay against the 13 men, Ruaridh Jackson's deft chip ahead at the start of the second half putting Japan in a hole they did not get out of until Nel had blasted his way through bodies to score Scotland's second try, converted from the touchline by Laidlaw.

Tamura made it 23-13 with a penalty soon after, Laidlaw negating it with a simple kick after fine counter attack by Hogg, Sean Maitland and Duncan Taylor.


Scotland looked a tired team even by that point, midway through the second half. Japan got some ball and plenty of territory but could not break the tourists.


Australia 7-23 England

England produced a heroic defensive display to win the second Test and earn their first ever series victory in Australia.

England took a 10-0 lead through Dylan Hartley's try and an Owen Farrell conversion and penalty but Australia hit back via Stephen Moore's try.

Farrell's second penalty gave England a six-point lead in the second half.


They then had to survive relentless Australian attacks before Farrell crossed to wrap up victory late on.

England will head to Sydney for the third and final Test with an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

England's white cliffs

This was a victory built on one of the great defensive displays in the history of Test rugby.

After Farrell had kicked his second penalty soon after the restart Australia took total control of possession and territory, and for half an hour they hammered away at the English defence.

But the tourists refused to let their line be breached and with James Haskell leading the way they made 200 tackles - nearly four times as many as Australia - to set up a famous rearguard victory.

We'll fight them on the beaches...

In the first half it looked as though the appalling pitch at AAMI Park would provide the main talking point.

The ground was churned up at the very first scrum and both sides struggled to keep their footing on the sandy surface - negating the advantage England hoped to earn at first phase.


Eddie Jones' men also struggled at the line-out, with line-out caller George Kruis pulled from the fray after 55 minutes, but they had enough power up front to take what proved to be a vital 10-0 lead in the first half.

England go clear - briefly

England took the lead from a line-out after kicking a penalty to the corner, with an unstoppable driving maul ending with captain Hartley emerging with the ball.

Farrell, who had raced in to join the maul, added the conversion and when a mighty England scrum - the ground for once not giving away - earned a penalty, Farrell made it 10-0.

Any thoughts the visitors had of pulling away were quickly dashed though as they failed to win the restart and Australia showed anything England could they could do just as well, Wallaby captain Moore being driven over from a line-out for a converted try.

Farrell edged England into a six-point lead early in the second half, but that only served to spark a relentless assault by Australia.

Bodies on the line

Australia came in waves, their powerful backs combining with their forwards to hammer away at England, but no matter what they tried they could not break through.

Chris Robshaw came up with a vital turnover a metre from the line to halt one assault and a blur of white-clad bodies flew in to tackle Wallaby attackers every time they approached, forcing the hosts into errors.

England's discipline was remarkable and on the two occasions they did give away penalties, Australia elected to kick for the corner and go for attacking line-outs, rather than kick for the posts.

It seemed inevitable England's walls would be breached but entering the closing stages they finally lifted the siege.


Farrell broke Australia hearts as he won the race for the ball after Courtney Lawes and Jamie George had led an England charge, and the Saracens man, playing at 12 for England, landed a conversion and penalty to secure a historic win for England.


South Africa 32-26 Ireland

South Africa staged a stirring comeback in the second Test in Johannesburg to square the three-match series.

Fourteen-man Ireland prevailed in Cape Town last weekend, and led 19-3 at half-time at Ellis Park.

But the Springbok replacements injected much-needed urgency and the hosts eventually outscored Ireland four tries to two to deserve their victory.


Ireland were chasing a first series win in South Africa but could still make history in Port Elizabeth next weekend.

If Ireland do win at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, they will also be the first of the four home nations to win a Test series in South Africa.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt denied he was saving players for next Saturday, despite making five changes to the side that started at Newlands.

Meanwhile, Springboks head coach Allister Coetzee made only two changes for his second game in charge - both enforced - despite coming in for some fierce criticism from the South African media.

Boos and whistles

Fly-half Elton Jantjies, starting in place of the injured Patrick Lambie, gave the hosts the lead with an early long-range penalty before Paddy Jackson hit back with two three-pointers of his own.

South Africa had the lion's share of possession in the opening quarter but were frustrated by a combination of handling errors and stout Irish defence.

And when Ireland demolished a Springboks scrum, leading to another straightforward penalty from Jackson, the home crowd was stunned into near silence.

Silence turned to whistles when JP Pietersen infringed at the breakdown and gifted Jackson another three points, before Jantjies missed two makeable penalty kicks in quick succession.

Things got worse for South Africa when Devin Toner crashed over following smart work from Andrew Trimble and Jared Payne, and the Springboks were roundly booed off the pitch at half-time.

The grand recovery

The hosts started the second half with more purpose but continued to be undermined by unforced errors.

There was relief when replacement wing Ruan Combrinck bulldozed over in the corner after a slick break by Willie Le Roux, but Ireland hit back immediately with a try from Jamie Heaslip.

However, another rampaging carry by debutant Combrinck created a try for replacement number eight and Lions team-mate Warren Whitely.

When Pieter-Steph du Toit showed tremendous strength to shrug off a slew of tacklers and score under the posts, Ireland were suddenly reeling.


And with Ireland fading fast in the rarefied Johannesburg air, Damian de Allende blasted through some weak tackles to make sure of victory and save Coetzee's blushes.