There were some very interesting results on the weekend in the last Rugby World Cup warm-up matches, befor the world showpiece starts on 18 September in England.
- England beat Ireland at Twickenham, by 21 / 13.
- Wales barely beat Italy by 23 / 19 but at the same time suffered 2 huge injury blows, one to Rhys Webb and the other to Leigh Halfpenny.
- France edged a spirited Scotland side at Stade de Framce, by 19 / 16.
- The Australian Wallabies romped past the USA Eagles by 47 / 10 at Soldier Field.
- Fiji put Canada to the sword by 47 / 18.
- Tonga beat Romania by 21 / 16.
- Japan beat Georgia 13 / 10.
- Samoa beat Wasps 25 / 19.
- Argentina beat Leicester 55 / 34.
It is the major results we will focus on however…
England 21 / 13 Ireland:
England beat Ireland 21 / 13 in an error-strewn World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham on Saturday.
The victory came after England’s disappointing loss to France in Paris a fortnight ago and will give them heart ahead of their Rugby World Cup opener against Fiji on 18 September.
It was 2 late Owen Farrell penalties that sealed the win, but it is a game that neither team would want to remember for long.
England were leading 12 / 3 after 13 minutes and 15 / 3 just on the 50-minute mark – before Ireland launched a powerful 2nd-half comeback to close the gap to 13 / 15.
However, Farrell slotted penalties in the 72nd and 77th minutes to seal the win.
Stuart Lancaster’s men made heavy weather of beating Ireland after threatening to blow them away earlier in the warm-up contest on Saturday.
Ireland were unable to bounce back from their recent loss to Wales, and will have plenty of food for thought over the next couple of weeks before their opening Rugby World Cup contest.
Jonny May used sheer strength, power and determination to crash his way over for the opening try within 3 minutes of the start.
Like a man on a special mission to cement his Rugby World Cup starting spot, he did his own Jonah Lomu impression on rival wing Tommy Bowe and then fullback Simon Zebo.
Both Irish defenders left sprawled on the ground as Gloucester ace May grabbed Ben Youngs’ pass out wide and charged through and over them in the left hand corner with Ford converting.
May turned sinner moments later handed the Irish a penalty and Jonathan Sexton kicked Ireland’s 1st points which bounced on the crossbar and over.
But that provided temporary respite for the Irish as George Ford’s high punt to the right wing saw Watson leap like a salmon and out-jump Zebo.
The talented wing plucked the ball out of the air and grounded it over the line as he fell back to earth.
It was another stunning moment of athleticism and skill from the youngster tipped to be a real Rugby World Cup sensation.
Ireland lost scrumhalf Conor Murray to concussion after his head connected with England prop Joe Marler.
May thought he had a 2nd try in the 26th minute when running over the line unchallenged.
But, after a series of TV replays, it was ruled out for a forward final pass from hooker Tom Youngs.
Ford and Sexton exchanged penalties at the start of the 2nd half, but then came an Irish resurgence with captain Paul O’Connell leading the way.
A strong forwards drive from the visitors from a line-out to the veteran lock forcing his way over for a try converted by Sexton.
From the threat of being overrun in the 1st half, Joe Schmidt’s men were suddenly right back in with a chance of upsetting the home side and the odds as England began to show some nerves.
Both sides made wholesale changes as a game which was lively, exciting and full of incident went through a quiet phase with neither managing to create any real pressure on the opponents line.
England threw on Rugby League convert Sam Burgess in a bid to add some more strength and power to their backline but his 1st 2 pieces of action resulted in a forward pass and knock on.
Not the kind of impact Burgess was hoping to make as he attempts to snatch a starting spot against Fiji.
England finally gained some renewed momentum and long series of phases saw them knocking on the Irish line.
Replacement scrumhalf Richard Wigglesworth cut in and desperately tried to plant the ball on the line, but was tackled by Ireland replacement hooker Richardt Strauss.
However, referee Nigel Owens ruled the England man had come up short, but 2 penalties from replacement No 10 Owen Farrell sealed victory.
Man of the match:
Sean O’Brien, as he always does, put his body on the line for Ireland, while Johnny Sexton did his best to keep his team in the hunt. Jonny May and Anthony Watson showed their finishing power, while George Ford’s boot also played a key role. Chris Robshaw, especially on defence, and Tom Youngs were among England’s most productive forwards. However, our award goes to England flank Tom Wood – making plenty of metres with ball in hand, invaluable on defence and an asset in the line-outs.
Moment of the match:
There were 3 great tries and Paul O’Connell’s score midway through the 2nd half got his team back into the game. However, the 2 crucial Owen Farrell penalties – in the 72nd and 77th minutes – sealed the win.
Villain of the match:
Nothing villainous, unless you were offended by the high error count on both sides.
Scorers:
England:
- Tries: Jonny May (1), Anthony Watson (1)
- Conversions: George Ford (1)
- Penalties: George Ford (1), Owen Farrell (2)
Ireland:
- Tries: Paul O’Connell (1)
- Conversions: Johnny Sexton (1)
- Penalties: Johnny Sexton (2)
Teams:
England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (Captain), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Courtney Lawes, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Joe Launchbury, 20 Billy Vunipola, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Sam Burgess.
Ireland: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O’Brien, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 Paul O’Connell (Captain), 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Jack McGrath
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Tadhg Furlong, 18 Nathan White, 19 Donnacha Ryan, 20 Chris Henry, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Darren Cave.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Romaine Poite (France), Leighton Hodges (Wales)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
Wales 23 / 19 Italy:
Wales suffered a major double injury blow as Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb were both carried off in Cardiff on Saturday.
It was a dear price to pay for an unconvincing 23 / 19 win against Italy in a World Cup warm-up match.
Webb suffered a suspected broken ankle in the 1st half, after falling awkwardly at a ruck.
And as if the sight of his 1st-choice scrumhalf leaving the field was not bad enough, Wales coach Warren Gatland then saw British & Irish Lions star Halfpenny follow.
Halfpenny’s right knee, already heavily strapped, gave way as he moved to collect a kick 12 minutes from time.
Gatland and Wales now face an anxious wait for news on 2 of their star players, having already lost centre Jonathan Davies to a knee injury at the start of the off-season.
But the early signs at the Millennium Stadium were not encouraging, just a fortnight before the Rugby World Cup kicks off.
The injuries compounded a frustrating game for Wales who trailed 11 / 8 at halftime.
Wales failed to build on the confidence gained from victory over Ireland in Dublin 7 days earlier and were behind inside just 2 minutes.
Italy captain Sergio Parisse, back for the 1st time in the warm-up games, picked off Alex Cuthbert’s pass intended for Taulupe Faletau as Wales threatened to score.
Parisse galloped 70 metres up-field before he was finally hauled down just short of the try line by Scott Williams. However, Italy were quickly in support and wing Leonardo Sarto surged through Cuthbert on the line to score from close range.
Tommaso Allan missed with the conversion but slotted a penalty to hand Italy a surprise 10-point lead after as many minutes in Cardiff.
Wales’s response was swift and emphatic with man of the match Scott Williams the architect.
Twice the centre was involved, 1st when he beat opposite number Gonzalo Garcia to start the move. Sam Warburton, Jake Ball and Ken Owens all followed before Williams fired a pass out wide to hand George North an easy finish on 13 minutes, his 23rd in Tests.
Halfpenny missed the conversion but kicked a penalty that was soon cancelled out by Allan’s 2nd effort, before halftime.
Wales, under-pressure at the set-piece for much of the 1st half, began the 2nd period in far brighter fashion.
Halfpenny kicked 2 penalties after the break to hand Wales the lead for the 1st time on 62 minutes, but Faletau again failed to collect the re-start and Carlo Canna’s drop goal levelled the scores again.
A further 2 Halfpenny penalties saw Wales lead 20 / 14 following an immediate impact off the bench by Ross Moriarty only for Welsh fortunes to be struck once again.
Halfpenny, who passed 500 points for Wales in the game, was left punching the ground in frustration as he waited to be carried off the pitch as a stunned 52 000 fans watched on in horror.
Dan Biggar took over the kicking duties and landed a penalty 5 minutes from time.
But having opened the scoring, Italy also had the last say when replacement Guglielmo Palazzani barged through Matthew Morgan on the line to score.
The conversion sailed wide and Wales were winners, but it hardly felt like a victory given the potential loss of 2 key players.
Man of the match:
Sam Warburton had a massive game. He was strong on defense and managed to steal some crucial balls at the rucks. However, Leigh Halfpenny was very good under the high-ball and managed to kick Wales to victory with 2 late penalties -putting them out of reach after a late Italian onslaught.
Moment of the match:
2 Injuries to key players. Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb were both stretchered off the field – the extent of their injuries are not confirmed – but if they fail to make a full recovery it will surely dent the Welsh World Cup aspirations.
Villain of the match:
The discipline was impeccable from both teams.
Scorers:
Wales:
- Tries: George North (1)
- Penalties: Leigh Halfpenny (6)
Italy:
- Tries: Leonardo Sarto (1), Guglielmo Palazzani (1)
- Penalties: Tommaso Allan (2)
- Drop Goals: Carlo Canna (1)
Teams:
Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Cory Allen, 12 Scott Williams, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (Captain), 6 James King, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Gethin Jenkins
Replacements: 16 Kristian Dacey, 17 Paul James, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Ross Moriarty, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Matthew Morgan.
Italy: 15 Andrea Masi, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse (Captain), 7 Francesco Minto, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Joshua Furno, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Michele Rizzo
Replacements: 16 Andrea Manici, 17 Matias Aguero, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Valerio Bernabò, 20 Samuela Vunisa, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Carlo Canna, 23 Luke McLean.
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant Referees: Greg Garner (England), Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
France 19 / 16 Scotland:
France edged Scotland 19 / 16 in a thrilling Rugby World Cup warm-up match in Paris on Saturday.
The entertainment value was not so much the quality of the 2 teams’ play, but the intrigue as Scotland edged ahead, before France took the lead midway through the 2nd half, only for Scotland to streak ahead again and finally France producing a moment of magic that brought the match-winning score.
For an hour Greig Laidlaw and Frederic Michalak exchanged penalties, before a 55m Scott Spedding penalty sparked the game alive.
It was followed by the 1st of 2 tries – France attacking from deep inside their own half, only to turn the ball over inside the Scottish 22 and Tommy Seymour to score at the other end.
Then the best of the French came to the fore – a series of powerful scrums and forward charges that resulted in David Denton being Yellow-Carded for repeated infringements.,
Then Noa Nakaitaci scored the match-winning try off another series of forward charges that was followed by some sublime interplay.
The visitors, who will open their Rugby World Cup campaign in Pool B against Japan, were in front for most of the match – but France’s power eventually prevailed.
France, who also beat England at home a fortnight ago, will need to show a lot more creativity, however, if they want to prevail in Pool D where they face Ireland, Italy, Canada and Romania.
Greig Laidlaw, who ended with 11 points, opened the scoring for Scotland when he slotted home a 45m penalty after France captain Thierry Dusautoir was sanctioned for offside.
Flyhalf Frederic Michalak levelled with a penalty for the hosts only for Laidlaw to add another 3 points as the visitors were rewarded for their attacking intent.
But Vern Cotter’s Scotland lacked discipline and Michalak was handed an easy penalty to make it 6 / 6.
The French built momentum and Scott Spedding eased his way through the Scotland defence before centre Wesley Fofana dived over the line only to see referee Wayne Barnes rule out the try for a forward pass.
Scotland were lucky to reach halftime with a 9 / 6 lead after Laidlaw added another penalty when the French were again penalised for offside.
Michalak drew the hosts level again after Gordon Reid was penalised early in the 2nd half, but France were guilty of making too many errors.
A knock-on after a long phase of domination cost France a possible try, while Yoann Huget was bundled into touch by Sean Maitland 5m from the line after bursting down the right wing.
France took the lead for the 1st time just before the hour thanks to Spedding’s 55m penalty as the hosts’ upped the pressure.
But Saint-Andre’s side wasted another good try-scoring chance, when they lost the ball 5m from the line.
Scotland then grabbed their only try of the match when Laidlaw’s long kick set up Tommy Seymour, who comfortably scored between the posts and the conversion gave Scotland a 4-point lead.
France then laid siege to the Scottish line, winning scrum after scrum, and No 8 David Denton was shown a Yellow Card.
France finally found a way through the Scotland defence when Nakaitaci escaped 2 tackles and dived over while replacement scrumhalf Morgan Parra converted.
Man of the match:
The Gray brothers, Jonny and Richie, were monumental throughout the game, while Greig Laidlaw was the general that kept driving his troops onwards. Scott Spedding had a brilliant 1st half, Mathieu Bastareaud was his team’s main battering ram, Wesley Fofana the creative spark. Pascal Papé was a rock in the 2nd row, but our award goes to French captain Thierry Dusautoir – for his unwavering workrate and determined efforts to get his team over the line.
Moment of the match:
There were 2 great, and crucial, tries. However, the most crucial play came after 82 minutes. Scotland won a penalty inside the French 22 and a kick at goal would have given them a draw. They opted to tap and go, ultimately coughed up the ball and lost the match – bravery to be lauded, but a costly error.
Villain of the match:
Nothing really, not even David Denton’s Yellow Card, as he was at the end of a string of Scottish penalties as they desperately defended their tryline.
Scorers:
France:
- Tries: Noa Nakaitaci (1)
- Conversions: Morgan Parra (1)
- Penalties: Frédéric Michalak (4)
Scotland:
- Tries: Tommy Seymour (1)
- Conversions: Greig Laidlaw (1)
- Penalties: Greig Laidlaw (3)
Teams:
France: 15 Scott Spedding, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Noa Nakaitaci, 10 Frédéric Michalak, 9 Sébastien Tillous-Borde, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Damien Chouly, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (Captain), 5 Alexandre Flanquart, 4 Pascal Papé, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Eddy Ben Arous
Replacements: 16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Nicolas Mas, 19 Bernard le Roux, 20 Yannick Nyanga, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Rémi Talès, 23 Alexandre Dumoulin.
Scotland: 15 Sean Maitland, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (Captain), 8 David Denton, 7 John Hardie, 6 Ryan Wilson, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 WP Nel, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson
Replacements: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Jon Welsh, 19 Tim Swinson, 20 Alasdair Strokosch, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Sean Lamont.
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: JP Doyle (England), Luke Pearce (England)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Australia 47 / 10 USA:
Australia wrapped up their Rugby World Cup preparations with a 47 / 10 victory over the USA Eagles in a hard-fought Test match at Soldier Field.
A largely 2nd string Wallabies side were made to work hard for the win by the American underdogs before running out convincing winners, outscoring their opponents by 7 tries to 1.
Flyhalf Bernard Foley was the top scorer for the Australians, finishing with a 17-point haul, with a try and 6 conversions.
After being held 14 / 10 at halftime, Australia pulled away with 5 unanswered 2nd half tries in front of 23 112 fans.
Australia coach Michael Cheika voiced satisfaction at the Wallabies 2nd half performance against a physical Eagles outfit.
“I expected nothing else other than a tough battle,” Cheika told reporters. “The USA are very much an improving side. They’re competing with the teams like Samoa, they’re moving up through the rankings.”
Cheika revealed his side improved after a halftime team talk.
“There was the odd loud word said, yes,” Cheika quipped. “I just think we lost our way with the decision making a bit. I thought the lads improved their detail in the 2nd half.”
USA coach Mike Tolkin bemoaned his side’s failure to turn pressure into points in the 2nd half when they had the Wallabies on the back foot.
“2nd Half we put pressure on but we didn’t capitalise on it but then compounded it by allowing them to score,” Tolkin said. “That was disappointing. We could have turned the screws a little bit but we didn’t and they turned them on us.”
It was Australia’s final game before they open their bid for a 3rd Rugby World Cup crown against Fiji in Cardiff on 23 September.
An entertaining 1st half saw Australia surge into a comfortable early lead, with Foley and scrumhalf Nick Phipps both dotting down for converted scores in the opening quarter.
Foley skipped over for the Wallabies 1st, jinking inside from close range to score under the posts.
Phipps’ score came after a superb sweeping move, with captain James Slipper and No 8 Wycliff Palu combining to send the scrumhalf over for a well-worked score.
With Australia’s scrum dominating the early exchanges, twice driving the Americans back to take put-ins against the head, the tourists looked to be firmly in control against their less experienced counterparts.
But after overcoming their early nerves the Americans hit back with a penalty from AJ MacGinty to reduce the deficit to 14 / 3 on 21 minutes when Australia were penalised for coming in from the wrong side.
The score lifted the Eagles and it got better after the half hour mark when Takudzwa Ngwenya found himself in space down the right.
The Zimbabwe-born right wing carved open a hole and offloaded to the supporting scrumhalf Mike Petri who touched down.
MacGinty’s conversion made it 14 / 10 at the break. Australia started the 2nd half as they had done the 1st, dominating up front and grabbing an early score when a drive from close range resulted in flank Sean McMahon surging over.
The Wallabies extended the lead to 28 / 10 towards the end of the 3rd quarter, replacement lock Dean Mumm crashing over after Australia worked the ball through the phases following an attacking lineout.
The USA almost hit back with their 2nd try when Saracens star Chris Wyles burst clear with an interception, but just couldn’t make it to the tryline after a lungbursting sprint up field.
But the chance went a-begging and moments later Australia raced away from deep in their own territory, with fullback Kurtley Beale going over in the corner, Foley adding his 5th conversion of the night to make it 35 / 10.
Quade Cooper and wing Taqele Naiyaravoro bagged the final scores of the night.
Scorers:
Wallabies:
- Tries: Bernard Foley (1), Nick Phipps (1), Sean McMahon (1), Dean Mumm (1), Kurtley Beale (1), Quade Cooper (1), Taqele Naiyaravoro (1)
- Conversions: Bernard Foley (6)
USA Eagles:
- Tries: Mike Petri (1), AJ MacGinty (1)
- Conversions: AJ MacGinty (1)
- Penalties: AJ MacGinty (1)
Teams:
USA Eagles: 15 Blaine Scully, 14 Takudzwa Ngwenya, 13 Seamus Kelly, 12 Thretton Palamo, 11 Chris Wyles (Captain), 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Mike Petri, 8 Samu Manoa, 7 Andrew Durutalo, 6 Al McFarland, 5 Greg Peterson, 4 Cameron Dolan, 3 Titi Lamositele, 2 Zach Fenoglio, 1 Eric Fry
Replacements: 16 Phil Thiel, 17 Olive Kilifi, 18 Chris Baumann, 19 Louis Stanfill, 20 John Quill, 21 Danny Barrett, 22 Shalom Suniula, 23 Folau Niua.
Wallabies: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Joe Tomane, 13 Henry Speight, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Sean McMahon, 6 Ben McCalman, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Kane Douglas, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 James Slipper (Captain)
Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Scott Sio, 18 Toby Smith, 19 Dean Mumm, 20 Sam Carter, 21 Quade Cooper, 22 Will Genia, 23 Taqele Naiyaravoro.
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Joaquín Montes (Argentina), Dave Smortchevsky (Canada)
TMO: Andrew McMaster (Canada)