Rebels 0 – 35 Lions

photo credit: [lionsrugby.com]

The Lions were having some teething problems early on with the line-out, with the Rebels stealing two of the first three, putting them on the back foot. The Lions conceded a penalty early on and the Rebels elected to kick for the corner with a line-out in mind, given the Lions early problems. However, the Rebels knocked-on from their line-out and a scrum was awarded to the Lions.

The tourists began to put a good period of play together, after Hibbard found his man for the second time of four attempts. The line-out was functioning, and therefore the Lions’ backs were getting into the game. The ball was turned over for the Rebels, but Luke Burgess kicked the ball out on the full, putting the pressure back on.

Fifteen minutes in, the first points of the match were notched up by the Lions. The scrum was crippling the Rebels, leaving a messy mass of forwards on the try-line, with few aware of the ball’s location. The maul moved backwards towards the Rebels line, and Faletau tried to touch down a little too early. The ball squirted out the back of the maul however, but it landed in Connor Murray’s hands. Murray pivoted on the sport and dived low for the line. Owen Farrell stepped up for the conversion, maintaining his 96% conversion rate on the tour.

The Rebels found themselves in uncharted territory in the Lions half, and Sean O’Brien infringed at the ruck with hands on the ball. Woodward stepped up to kick the three points, but narrowly missed.

To add insult to injury, the Lions scored an excellent try on five minutes later. Farrell tossed out a wonderful flat pass towards Sean O’Brien, who offloads to Manu Tuilagi, returning from injury. Tuilagi drew in a trio of Rebels players, holding the ball in one hand, before offloading to Sean Maitland. The Scotsman went on a snaking run through the midfield and passed out to an oncoming Toby Faletau, who slipped at the vital moment. Sean O’Brien picked up the pieces, giving it to Zebo, whose quick hands delivered it back to Maitland, who went over for the try. Farrell converted the try, of course he did.

A third try almost came three minutes later after some great work from Farrell and Zebo. Owen Farrell took a Lions penalty quickly, with a quick tap and go, with Zebo over his shoulder for support. He found Zebo, who tried to offload to ball to Farrell in space, but the ball went marginally forward.

Just before half-time, another rare trip to the Lions half from the Rebels yielded a penalty. Woodward appeared to shape up for the three points, but Rebels captain Delve denied him, signalling a kick for the corner. It was a brave move for the home side, and one to excite the crowd, but the ball was lost to the Lions in the line-out.

The score at half-time was Rebels 0 – 14 Lions.

An early Lions line-out resulted in a maul, but the ball was turned over and the Rebels were awarded a scrum on their try line. The scrum capitulates under Lions pressure, but the ball is secured. A dodgy pass to Hegarty however, forced him to launch the ball into touch, only five yards out for another Lions line-out.

Five minutes later, the line-out resulted in a try for the Lions. Since losing two early line-outs, the tourists had secured every single one since. A maul formed from the throw-in, and the Lions got quick ball this time, with Dan Lydiate appearing from the back of the maul and off-loading to Sean O’Brien, who touched down in the corner for the third try of the match. Farrell was given everything to do, with his conversion situated on the touch-line, but he converted superbly.

A penalty try was awarded in the 62nd minute for the Lions. The maul was going forward, but Rebel Jordy Reid came in illegally from the side to disrupt the forward ball from the Lions. The Rebels also collapse the maul. Reid was sin-binned and the penalty try was awarded, with Hogg tapping the conversion over.

The Rebels did create a half chance in the second-half however. The Lions were in a strong position within the home side’s 22, but the ball was turned over, and London-born Nic Stirzaker led a break-out.  He was crowded out just beyond the half-way line, but Stirzaker looks a promising prospect for the future.

The Lions finished off the job with a remarkable solo try from Ben Youngs, with the score again coming from the line-out. The ball came off the top of the line-out through Tom Croft, and Ben Youngs exploited a gap in the Rebels defense, handing off an opponent on the way through, before jumping and reaching for the line, his momentum guiding him over. Youngs proved his versatility by converting his own try, which proved to be the last score of the match.

The score at full-time: Melbourne Rebels 0 – 35 British and Irish Lions

Melbourne Rebels: Jason Woodward, Tom English, Mitch Inmar, Rory Sidey, Lachlan Mitchell, Bryce Hegarty, Luke Burgess; Nic Henderson, Ged Robinson, Laurie Weeks, Cadeyrn Neville, Hugh Pyle, Jarrod Saffy, Scott Fuglistaller, Gareth Delve (capt).

Replacements: Pat Leafa (for Robinson, 61) Cruze Ah-Nau (for Henderson, 61) Paul Alo-Emilie (for Weeks, 61), Luke Jones (for Pyle, 41), Jordy Reid (for Delve, 56), Nic Stirzaker (for Burgess, 56), Angus Roberts (for Hegarty, 72), Cooper Vuna (for Inman, 50).

Yellow card: Reid (63)

British and Irish Lions: Rob Kearney; Sean Maitland, Manu Tuilagi, Brad Barritt, Simon Zebo; Owen Farrell, Conor Murray; Ryan Grant, Richard Hibbard, Dan Cole, Richie Gray, Ian Evans, Dan Lydiate (capt), Sean O’Brien, Toby Faletau.

Replacements: Rory Best (for Hibbard, 55), Tom Court (for Grant, 55), Matt Stevens (for Cole, 55), Tom Croft (for Lydiate, 64), Justin Tipuric (for O’Brien, 55), Ben Youngs (for Murray, 62), Owen Farrell , Billy Twelvetrees (blood, for Barritt, 32-40, for Kearney, 62), Stuart Hogg (for Farrell, 52).

Australia 21 – 23 Lions

photo credit: [lionsrugby.com]

In a roller coaster of a first test against the Australian XV, the British and Irish Lions came out on top against a spirited Australian side which was plagued by injuries throughout, with the Wallabies ending the match with their replacement scrum-half Phipps, and open-side flanker Hooper playing in the centre positions. Crucially, Australia missed an 80th minute kick, handing the Lions the win.

The match began on a particularly sour note, with Australia’s promising young inside centre, Christian Lealiifano, was stretchered off after sustaining a neck injury whilst tackling Lions’ centre Jonathan Davies. Both sides and the crowd applauded the young man off.

The home team were the first to be given the opportunity for a score, with Brian O’Driscoll getting pinged for being off his feet in the ruck. It was a contentious decision, with the clash of ‘Northern’ and ‘Southern’ hemisphere interpretations of the rules clashing, which could have been crucial in the outcome of the match. O’Driscoll’s tenacious play at the breakdown, is usually complimented in the Northern hemisphere games, but referee Pollock deemed it to infringe the rules. O’Connor stepped up to to convert, but the ball fell just short.

Only two minutes later, O’Driscoll was pinged for the same reason, with the Irishman proclaiming his innocence: “look at the replays”, he said incredulously. O’Connor is given a second bit of the proverbial cherry, but this time misses by inches, achieving the distance but not the direction.

The first scrum occurs in the eighth minute of the match, with the tourists slaughtering the Wallabies up front, forcing a penalty which puts the Lions on the attack. They put together some brilliant passing and rucking moves, however the Australian defense is strong and stems the tide.

 

Australia’s defense was mature and disciplined, which worked in their favour when a penalty was awarded in their favour. The quick-thinking Will Genia took charge, picking the ball up for a quick tap and go, exploiting the out-of-position Lions. He went on a marvellous snaking run down the right wing, drawing a trio of Lions player, before grubber kicking the ball through for Israel Folau who swept up with ease. O’Connor converted, third time lucky.

It took as long as 22 minutes for the Lions to get on the scoreboard, despite playing fairly well. Tom Youngs threw the ball into the line-out and the Lions cleaned out the Australian defense with ease. With the hosts on the back foot, they conceded a penalty at the set-piece, much to the delight of the Lions fans. Leigh Halfpenny puts three points on the board for the lions.

Four minutes later, the Lions go in for the kill with George North showing why he is arguably the best winger in the world at the moment. O’Connor kicks the ball down field, and granted it isn’t the best kick, but what North does afterwards is outrageous. He takes the high ball, and runs at the Australian defense, shirking off a tackle with ease, keeps his balance from a tap tackle and sidesteps Berrick Barnes with ease, before finishing in the left-hand corner. Halfpenny converts from an almost impossible angle, with the Lions taking the lead. Australia 7 – 10 Lions.

The Lions were building some real momentum and almost scored a second try instantaneously. They were camped on the Wallabies’ try line, with George North offering himself as the battering ram alternative out wide. Phillips elected to use North, who was static, yet still managed to muscle his way into the left hand corner and touch down, dragging two Australians with him. However, North’s elbow was in touch upon consulting the TMO, and Folau did an excellent job of holding the ball up. The referee, with consultation with the TMO, brought the game back for a Lions penalty, which Halfpenny converted to extent their lead to 13 points to 7.

In response to a fervent Lions attack, the Wallabies scored a great try of their own. The ball was given to that man Folau, with real hints of a forward pass, but a moment of magnificent footwork and magical trickery from the Australian number 14, again deceived a trio of Lions, bamboozling Sexton and creating the space for the winger to finish the try. The amount of space that Genia and Folau were finding in Lions ranks, not only finding, but creating, was marvellous. The referee consulted the TMO, who adjudged the ball to have not gone forward, correctly giving the attacker the benefit of the doubt. O’Connor missed the conversion however. The score now standing at 13 – 12 to the Lions.

Just before half-time, another serious injury occurred for the home team. Berrick Barnes and Israel Folau accidentally collided, with Barnes coming off far worse, being stretchered off with another neck injury for the hosts. Kurtley Beale came on as a replacement, who would prove to play a decisive part in which way the test would swing.

On the stroke of half-time, some cynical rucking from Australia earned the Lions a penalty. Who could blame them for designating the kick to Halfpenny, having only missed one kick all tour. This would be his second miss, however. The Lions went in at half-time with a minute lead of one point, the score: Australia 12 – 13 Lions.

The second half began negatively for the Wallabies, with replacement Pat McCabe, who came on for Lealiifano in the first minute, stretchered off with yet another neck injury. McCabe has had a history of neck issues in the past, but this was poor timing for it to re-occur. As a result, the Australians brought on a flanker, with current openside flanker Hooper, being forced into the centre position, with no suitable replacements on the bench.

Only two minutes later, the Lions exploited the weakness in the back-line. Jonathan Sexton stretchered the centre position, drawing Hooper before switching the ball out to Alex Cuthbert who poured through the yawning gap. It appeared that Brian O’Driscoll obstructed number 10 O’Connor in the build up, but the TMO adjudged that “there was no clear obstruction”, which Wallabies fans will be disappointed with. It was perhaps fair on the balance of play however, with the potential forward pass in the build up to the Australian try in the first half. Halfpenny resumed his kicking supremacy with a conversion to give the Lions a lead of 20 points to Australia’s 12.

From the kick-off, the Lions gave away a silly penalty with a ruck infringement. This gave O’Connor three easy points to kick for. 15-20. The Lions switched their props, with Vunipola and Cole coming on for Corbisiero and Jones, which was arguably a major turning point at scrum time. The replacements didn’t have their best game.

Indiscipline, combined with an ‘alternative’ reading of the breakdown by referee Pollock began to plague the tourists. Kurtley Beale assumed kicking duties, and reduced the Lions’ lead to two points, with a distance conversion of the penalty.

What followed, was a series of penalties for either side. Firstly, the Lions struck through Halfpenny, after Benn kicked the ball out the side of the ruck from an offside position, which was a silly infringement to give away given the nature of the match.

Kurtley Beale struck back, with a scintillating run through the midfield, burning off Sam Warburton and Brian O’Driscoll with a jink and a rapid change of pace. Halfpenny brought him down, but the Lions were on the back foot, and O’Connell was forced, cynically, to give away the penalty. Beale converted the penalty from the move which he started, to bring the game back to a two point margin. Australia 21 – 23 Lions.

With ten minutes to go, the Lions were awarded a scrum in front of the Wallabies’ posts. A perfect opportunity to grind out the win, and slot a drop goal. However, the scrum wheeled and the ball found Will Genia who cleared with a high ball, which found the last man the Lions wanted it to; Israel Folau.

The Lions were unexpectedly on the back foot, and Vunipola who has a had a great tour so far, was having a less bountiful time in the first test. He was pinged by Pollock for being off his feet at the ruck, and with five minutes to go, gave Beale an opportunity to put the hosts in front. However, Beale shanked the penalty wide, with Lions fans breathing collective sighs of relief.

If the Lions thought their squad had problems, Australia were having a horrendous time with injuries; Adam Ashley-Cooper had been nursing a serious hand injury for a fair portion of the second half, and with 4 minutes to go, could not continue. This meant that scrum-half Phipps had to come on. The Wallabies were now playing with a scrum-half and open-side flanker in the centre positions.

Despite their injury problems, in the eightieth minute, the scrum collapsed under Australian possession, and the hosts were awarded a penalty, with Pollock deeming the Lions to have brought it down. This gave substitute Kurtley Beale the opportunity to win the game for the Aussies, with the last kick of the match, 46 yards out and straight on at the posts. Beale took his time to step up, composing himself, and stepped up to take the final penalty. However, he slipped in the run up to the penalty, with the ball falling short of the posts and bouncing out the back of the pitch, giving the match to a very relieved team of Lions.

 

Australia: Berrick Barnes; Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Christian Leali’ifano, Digby Ioane; James O’Connor, Will Genia; Benn Robinson, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander, James Horwill (capt), Kane Douglas, Ben Mowen, Michael Hooper, Wycliff Palu.

Replacements: Saia Fainga’a, James Slipper (for Robinson, 68), Sekope Kepu (for Alexander, 58), Rob Simmons (for Douglas, 68), Liam Gill (for McCabe, 47), Nick Phipps (for Ashley-Cooper, 77), Pat McCabe (for Leali’ifano, 2) Kurtley Beale (for Barnes, 38).

Lions: Leigh Halfpenny, Alex Cuthbert, Brian O’Driscoll, Jonathan Davies, George North, Jonathan Sexton, Mike Phillips; Alex Corbisiero, Tom Youngs, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Paul O’Connell, Tom Croft, Sam Warburton (capt), Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements: Richard Hibbard (for T Youngs, 65), Mako Vunipola (for Corbisiero, 52), Dan Cole (for A Jones, 52), Geoff Parling (for AW Jones, 70), Dan Lydiate (for Croft, 73), Ben Youngs (for Phillips, 62), Owen Farrell, Sean Maitland.

 

 

 

 

Lions squad announced to face Wallabies

photo credit: [lionsrugby.com]

George North has been passed fit for the first test against Australia, with Alex Corbisiero and Jamie Heaslip ousting Mako Vunipola and Toby Faletau from the first XV. Meanwhile, Jamie Roberts and Manu Tuilagi crucially miss out through injury. 

Warren Gatland has arguably picked the strongest side possible, given the injuries of recent weeks, but it is still a monumentally strong test side to face the Wallabies. Sam Warburton leads the side out, with Leigh Halfpenny adopting kicking duties. Stuart Hogg, Justin Tipuric, Sean O’Brien and Richie Gray will consider themselves unlucky to be left out of the squad entirely, but poor performances in the mid-week game against the Brumbies probably did their chances more harm, than their successors outplaying them. But with two more tests to play, I think it’s fair to say we’ll see them play a crucial role at some point.

 

British & Irish Lions starting XV: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), Alex Cuthbert (Wales), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), Jonathan Davies (Wales), George North (Wales), Jonathan Sexton (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales); Alex Corbisiero (England), Tom Youngs (England), Adam Jones (Wales), Alun Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O’Connell (Ireland), Tom Croft (England), Sam Warburton (Wales, capt), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland).

Replacements: Richard Hibbard (Wales), Mako Vunipola (England), Dan Cole (England), Geoff Parling (England), Dan Lydiate (Wales), Ben Youngs (England), Owen Farrell (England), Sean Maitland (Scotland).

Australia starting XV: Berrick Barnes (NSW Waratahs); Israel Folau (NSW), Adam Ashley-Cooper (NSW), Christian Leali’ifano (ACT Brumbies), Digby Ioane (Queensland Reds); James O’Connor (Melbourne Rebels), Will Genia (Reds); Benn Robinson (NSW), Stephen Moore (ACT), Ben Alexander (ACT), James Horwill (Reds – capt), Kane Douglas (NSW), Ben Mowen (ACT), Michael Hooper (NSW), Wycliff Palu (NSW).

Replacements: Saia Fainga’a (Reds), James Slipper (Reds), S Kepu (NSW), Rob Simmons (Reds), Liam Gill (Reds) Nick Phipps (Rebels), Pat McCabe (ACT), Kurtley Beale (Rebels).

Waratahs 17 – 47 Lions

photo credit: [lionsrugby.com]

In a spectacular clash at a sold-out Sydney Football Stadium, the Lions ran out with a record-setting 30 point win over the Waratahs which didn’t reflect the dynamism of the home side. However, it did reflect the sheer hard work of the Lions and the strength and depth of the squad. The only negative was Jamie Roberts limping off, wincing, towards the end of the game.

The Lions and Simon Zebo almost got off to a dream start against the Waratahs in the first minute with an attack down the left wing. Jonathan Davies slipped the ball through to Zebo, who with the first touch of his Lions career, and only his seventh international appearance, touched down in the corner. The TMO correctly judged that his leg was in touch however, after a magnificent try-saving tackle from Drew Mitchell, and the try was ruled out.

A penalty only one minute later, gave the Lions the first points of the match. Waratahs centre Rob Horne was pinged for a dump tackle on Lions hooker Tom Youngs, and Leigh Halfpenny converted comfortably.

The Lions continued their scintillating start to the match with a try in the firth minute, atoning for the try ruled out. Simon Zebo and Jonathan Davies were involved again; Zebo passed out wide to Davies who slipped the ball inside again, but this time releasing Sexton who sprinted to the left corner and touched down. Leigh Halfpenny converted, to make the score 10-0 after five minutes.

Eight minutes later, the home side showed why they are so highly regarded in the Super 14, and despite missing nine first-team players, crafted a masterful try. The Waratahs threw a quick lineout, deceiving the visitors. Fly-half Bernard Foley received the ball, and kicked the ball into space, which the youngster Beetham picked up, shrugging off Maitland’s tackle and drawing Leigh Halfpenny’s tackle, only to unselfishly offload the ball with one hand to Tom Carter, who finished with ease. McKibbin kicked, to bring the score back to 10-7.

Leigh Halfpenny extended the lead for the Lions with a penalty, after the Waratahs infringed at the ruck. The Lions were roundly booed for not ‘playing’, and instead taking the points, demonstrating a Northern/Southern hemisphere clash in play styles.

The home side contested unlike any other team the Lions had battled with on the tour, and this showed early on. The ‘Tahs were gaining ground with every phase and won a penalty from Adam Jones taking the man without the ball. They kicked for the corner, and Will Skelton took the lineout, crashing over the line with his massive frame. However, the ball unluckily spilled loose, with the trio of Lions players swarming him.

Indiscipline at the ruck from the home side let them down; they were warned to stop taking out Mike Phillips at the breakdown and the Lions were awarded another penalty. Halfpenny converted again, with the score being extended to 16-7.

Again, the ‘Tahs showed their class and pulled the score back, after Tom Youngs was caught on the wrong side of the ruck. McKibbin successfully converted again.

The Lions were to end the half as well as they had started it, with a magnificent team try in the 39th minute. After weathering a tough Waratah attack, they crept up the pitch, and with Alun-Wyn Jones making great yardage, the ruck was on the home side’s try-line. The ball was passed through the backs, and Jonathan Davies slipped the ball to full-back Leigh Halfpenny who had a simple finish. He converted his try, with the Lions going in with a 23-10 lead at half-time.

The second half began well for the Lions, as much of their second halves have this tour, with a superb try in the 43rd minute. Jamie Roberts was tackled, offloading it to Davies, whose assist work was fantastic, yet again, and he slipped it inside to a sprinting Halfpenny, who ran over with a barnstorming finish for his second try of the evening. Halfpenny converted yet again, with imperious kicking, to give the Lions a 30-10 lead.

The ‘Tahs conducted themselves marvellously, and gave a strong riposte to the Lions with a try only two minutes later. The tourists gave away a cheap penalty, with the home side opting for the lineout. Will Skelton, who had a magnificent game, ripped the ball from the resulting ruck, and passed it to an oncoming Carter, for his second try of the match, as he busted through the Lions defence. McKibbin converted again, with the score at a more reasonable 30-17.

However, they were the last points the Waratahs would score. Jonny Sexton came off for Owen Farrell shortly after. Leigh Halfpenny kicked another penalty though for the Lions, after the home side’s indiscipline at the ruck proved costly. 33-17 to the Lions.

Tom Croft was the next to score for the Lions, giving Gatland a selection headache for the back row. Jonathan Davies intercepted a pass from McKibbin, beginning a move for the Lions. The ball went along the line through hands of both forwards and backs, before reaching Tom Croft, who used his immense pace to burn off the home defense, but not before giving a defender a flat palm of a hand-off and running through to finish the score. Halfpenny converted, of course he did, with the score standing at 40-17.

The Lions rounded off the try by ringing the changes; Vunipola, T Youngs, A Jones, O’Connell, Phillips and Halfpenny made way for Corbisiero, Hibbard, Cole, Parling, B Youngs and Kearney.

Five minutes later, Jamie Roberts limped off wincing for the Lions which will worry fans and selectors alike. His fitness will be monitored carefully in the next week or so.

The final score came from the Lions, with Jonathan Davies and Ben Youngs capitalising on a jaded Waratahs side. Youngs whipped the ball out wide to Davies who jogged through unchallenged. Farrell kicked converted his only kick solidly.

The Waratahs almost gave the home side something more to shout about, breaking out, but a turnover from great work by Alun-Wyn Jones stopped their attack short of the try line, and Youngs kicked the ball into touch.

The full-time score: New South Wales Waratahs 17 – 47 British and Irish Lions.

NSW Waratahs: Drew Mitchell; Cam Crawford, Rob Horne, Tom Carter, Peter Betham; Brendan Foley, Brendan McKibbin; Jeremy Tilse, John Ulugia, Paddy Ryan; Will Skelton, Ollie Atkins; Jed Holloway, Pat McCutcheon, Dave Dennis (capt).

Replacements: Luke Holmes, Richard Aho, Sam Talakai, Lopeti Timani, AJ Gilbert, Matt Lucas, Ben Volavola, Tom Kingston.

Lions: Leigh Halfpenny; Sean Maitland, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, Simon Zebo; Jonathan Sexton, Mike Phillips; Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs, Adam Jones; Alun Wyn Jones, Paul O’Connell; Tom Croft, Sam Warburton (capt), Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements: Richard Hibbard (for Youngs, 59), Alex Corbisiero (for Vunipola, 59) Dan Cole (for Jones, 59), Geoff Parling (for O’Connell, 59), Dan Lydiate (for Croft, 59), Ben Youngs (for Phillips, 59), Owen Farrell (for Sexton, 49), Rob Kearney (for Halfpenny, 59).

RBS Six Nations 2013 – Final Round

photo credit: [RBSsixnations.com]

The final round of the RBS Six Nations 2013 was a tumultuous affair; England and Wales clashed at the Millenium Stadium for the title decider, with England on for a potential Grand Slam win. Ireland travelled to Italy to attempt to rescue a poor tournament, and France hosted Scotland in the hope to avoid the wooden spoon.

With all the games being played on the same day, Italy first hosted Ireland in the early kick-off. The Irish, who once again travelled without legend Ronan O’Gara, despite all the injuries suffered in the backs against France would quickly rue this decision, with Luke Marshall, Keith Earls and Luke Fitzgerald all going off injured in the first half. This was further marred by the talismanic Brian O’Driscoll being sin-binned for a cheap stamp on an opposing player. Ireland took the lead early on with a well dispatched penalty from Paddy Jackson, whose kicking in recent weeks had been lacklustre. However, Italy struck back with penalties of their own; Orquera kicking two of his three to give the Italians the lead after 20 mintues. With O’Driscoll off in the sin bin, the Italians added to their lead with another converted penalty, only for Jackson to bring the Irish back within three points, going in at 9-6 down, with three injured backs and O’Mahony, a blindside flanker playing on the wing.
If the first half had been poor for the Irish, the second half certainly wasn’t any better. With a lack of backs at the away side’s disposal, open free-flowing rugby was not on the agenda and the game descended into a slug-fest, which the Italians of course did not mind. They capitalised on this with a strong drive over the line from Venditti, who had looked great for the Italians this year. Orquera converted to give the Italians a commanding 16-9 lead, though this wasn’t to last. Paddy Jackson was in inspired form, in comparison to his previous weeks, and slotted home three penalties to bring the Irish within a point of Italy. They took advantage of the home side who looked all at sea with Sergio Parisse sin-binned for a cynical trip. However, this resurgence was not to last; two further sin-bins for the Irish, from Donnacha Ryan and Conor Murray, set up two simple penalties for Orquera to dispatch. The final score Italy 22 – 15 Ireland

The second game of the day, the one every rugby fan was looking forward to, was the title decider between England and Wales at the Millenium Stadium. Wales would have to defeat England by 8 points to win the title, England would have to defeat Wales to win the Grand Slam. Both sides began strongly, but a handling error from Tuilagi put England under pressure, with Wales staying camped in the England 22 for the next 10 minutes. Sport just wouldn’t be sport without some hilariously awful refereeing decisions, and it was clear that Steve Walsh had his own interpretations of how rules should be applied, penalising England twice and Wales once for ‘not rolling away’, both sides bemused considering the three eighteen stone men lying on top of them. Wales led 6-3, and were getting the rub of the green in both refereeing and bounce-of-the-ball respects, yet it was what the home side did with the ball which was what counted. They went in at half-time, leading 9-3, after a scintillating half of rugby, both sides flying into tackles, but the home team looked stronger, faster, and more up for it. The crowd urged both on, and with the first half being relatively well-balanced, the second half was anything but. The referee took a back seat this half, and this time far more Rugby was played. England were poor in the line-out, they looked second-best in the scrum and their backs were underperforming, giving Wales a massive advantage. Halfpenny kicked another penalty to put Wales further ahead, so several changes were made later in the second half. However, these quick changes did little to help, with England failing to stem the Welsh tide and Alex Cuthbert went over, palming of Mike Brown and burning him off with sheer pace. The conversion was missed, but Dan Biggar performed a well placed drop goal to give Wales a commanding 20-3 lead. Only 1 minute later, Wales finished the job, with Justin Tipuric storming through towards the line in a centre-esque fashion, only to off load the ball to Cuthbert for his second try. The conversion was missed again, but a penalty shortly after added to England’s woes. Suddenly, England began to play, putting some great moves together, but with 9 minutes to go and a 27 point deficit, the game was all but over. England were poor and added no points in this period of pressure, the game finishing 30-3.

Ireland’s earlier loss to Italy gave France the chance to avoid the wooden spoon, provided they could see off Scotland by 17 points. This was, however, asking a lot of the French side which has looked appalling from start to finish, in comparison to a new-look Scotland side. In a game which was more or less a dead rubber, other than France trying to save some blushes, the home side looked the stronger in possession. France were consistently assaulting the Scottish try line, with some excellent defense and typical Scottish counter-attacking rugby, taking the away side in at half-time with a 6-0 lead. Laidlaw converted two penalties for Scotland in a game where running rugby was not to be performed too often, the pitch disintegrating under any movement. The pitch was a metaphor for the French team all tournament, falling to pieces at every turn, making uncharacteristic errors and, with the exception of Fofana, completely lacking in flair. However, the French fought back in the second half, and Scotland couldn’t quite muster the defense they were so proud of in the first half. Three early penalties from Michalak in the second half to Scotland’s one, were followed by a try from Fofana; Bastareud bruised his way through the defense, before offloading it to Fofana who ran over the line for a simple finish. Michalak converted and the French took the lead, 16-9. Soon after, Maxime Medard went over with Machinaud converting, after Bastareud again put a tiring Scottish defense to the sword. Visser went over for the Scottish for a consolation try, with Jackson converting, to give the away side a well deserved try in a tough game in Paris. France secured their first win of their tournament on the last day, but it was not enough for them to avoid the wooden spoon, finishing bottom for the first time in 1999.

RBS Six Nations 2013 – Round four

Photo credit: [RBSsixnations.com]

In the penultimate weekend of internationals rugby, Scotland met Wales at Murrayfield, Ireland did battle with France and England played host to a mercurial Italian side.

Firstly, Scotland faced Wales in a game that promised to be a close encounter with Scotland’s new-found form, masterminded by the new head coach, Scott Johnson. The first half was a penalty strewn affair, with Scotland keeping within touch of Wales, despite the Welsh side having most of the possession and chances. Laidlaw and Halfpenny exchanged penalty kicks, with Halfpenny missing three penalties in quick succession, keeping Scotland in the game. Hibbard went over for a try before half time for Wales, after an incisive run from George North, who laid the ball off to Hibbard who was helped over the line by his forwards. A successful conversion from Halfpenny put Wales in a solid position in the game. The home side were unlucky, with Richie Gray being taken off after a serious injury, being replaced by Al Kellock. It was Scotland however, who were to go into half-time in the lead, or rather it would have been had Jim Hamilton not conceded a silly penalty right in front of the referee in the 39th minute. Hamilton entered the ruck at the side, obviously and cynically, and Halfpenny converted in due course, with Wales going in at the break 13-12 up. Both teams came out in the second half feeling the game was there to be won, but this half, Wales too suffered an injury. Captain Ryan Jones sustained a shoulder injury and is in doubt for the England game next week. Tipuric came on for the injured captain, not a bad replacement to have, with Tipuric shining at club level. The second half was again full of penalties aplenty, Scotland clearly irritated at Craig Joubert’s fussy officiating. Laidlaw kicked over two penalties for Scotland, but Halfpenny was the hero for Wales, notching up an 87% conversion rate, kicking a further five penalties for the Welsh, the score finishing 18-28 to Wales.

The second game of our penultimate week of the Six Nations championship was at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Ireland played host to a French side that has looked appalling all tournament, having won 0 points, but this was about to change. Ireland themselves have looked out of all sorts, an O’Gara howler contributing to their downfall against Scotland the round before. The wind was up, the rain lashed down and the crowd were treated to a game not dissimilar to the scrappy match versus England a few weeks ago; Ireland thrived early on, Heaslip going over for a try with Paddy Jackson converting. Jackson added two further penalties in reply to Michalak’s one to put the Irish in front at half-time with a less-than-commanding lead of 13-3. The second half was full of change, Jackson missed a drop goal attempt, as did Rob Kearney shortly after, whereas the French were having more luck against the Irish. Morgane Parra assumed control of kicking after Michalak spurned opportunities in the first half, and converted a penalty to bring the away side back into contention. Louis Picamoles, a rose between fourteen thorns then went over for the try for France, bringing them within two points of the Irish. Michalak returned for the conversion, and slotted home from a tight angle to bring the sides equal at 13-13. Almost instantaneously, the Irish responded, the crowd getting nervy at Ireland’s lack of any points in the second half. After a fantastic grubber kick, Keith Earls was through for a try, though was quite clearly taken out off the ball by Debaty. The decision went to the TMO, who bizarrely chose not to give Ireland a penalty at the very least, instead awarding the 22 drop out. The game ended 13-13, with the match potentially being Brian O’Driscoll’s last home game in the Ireland jersey. Certainly a lacklustre finish at home for an Irish side that never got going; as for France, Saint-Andre’s P45 is in the post as we speak, the wooden spoon being a very distinct possibility.

Finally, England met Italy at Twickenham in a game which many deemed a straight-forward match for the in-form home side. The result was far from it. Both sides put together some great running rugby in the first half, but with said running rugby came embarrassing mistakes. England had two separate opportunities for almost certain trys, the first with a seven man overlap to Italy’s three defending players. Goode handed the ball short to Toby Flood who was the only player that the defenders could have conceivably tackled, and the ball was held up. Controversially at the other end, Italy broke free from the England defence, with referee George Clany overruling touch-judge Nigel Owens, giving the decision that Italy had knocked on. They hadn’t. Parisse, clearly furious, quickly checked his temper, remembering that he was only participating in this match after an appeal against a ban for abusing officials. England went in with four penalties to Italy’s one, leading 12-3 at the break. The second half began with John Inverdale rather tragically announcing ‘we all know who is going to win this one’, which carried an ominousness to it throughout the second half. England never got going, their attacking line was flat, the Italians rush defence dealing with England with ease and with a Luke McClean try for the Italians shortly into the second half, the game was on. Danny Care botched his box kick for England which Zanni swept up, off loading to Orquera who rather with rather a ‘Ronan O’Gara-esque’ finish, chipped the ball behind the England defence onto an oncoming Luke McClean who finished incisively. Flood kicked a further two penalties for England, but Orquera reclaimed one for Italy also; the gap narrowing to 7 points from 9 in the first half. The game was a close encounter as the match got closer to its climax, and with the Azurri storming the England defence for the remaining 10 minutes, but England held out for a nail-biting 18-11 win to secure a final round play-off against Wales.

RBS Six Nations 2013 – Round three

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In round three of the 2013 RBS Six Nations, Italy once again looked fragile, unable to recover their fantastic rugby from the France match, and went down to an improving Wales side. England and France clashed at Twickenham in a toughly fought game, England proving to have the better strength in depth. Finally, Scotland and Ireland toiled at Murrayfield, with the new-look Scottish side looking to be a force to be reckoned with. The final scores of round three are as follows:

Italy 9 – 26 Wales

England 23 – 13 France

Scotland 12 – 8 Ireland

In the first match of round three, Italy hosted Wales and with both teams proving to be inconsistent this Six Nations, and Italy at home, one could potentially see a closely-fought game. The first half was a close encounter with Wales leading 9 – 6, but trys from Jonathan Davies and Alex Cuthbert and a further penalty from Halfpenny to Italy’s sole reply from Kris Burton, left the final score 26 – 9 to the Welsh side. Italy were sloppy as they were against Scotland, unable to recapture the form they showed in round one against France, and showed signs of devolving into their mediocre old-self of a strong forwards game with backs devoid of ideas. Conversely, the Welsh forwards were monstrous, going toe-to-toe with the Italians and rendering their forwards game less effective. This put pressure on the Italian backs, with the Welsh closing them down early, forcing more errors from the Italians and allowing the Welsh backs more space as the match went on. Whilst they are certainly improving, it is perhaps a little ambitious to tip Wales to defend their Six Nations title as they still have a fair amount to improve on.

The second game of the weekend showcased what is generally perceived to be one of the most mouthwatering fixtures of the Six Nations, England vs France. In recent weeks, Phillipe Saint-Andre has received much criticism pertaining to his selections, and quite rightly so: no natural fly-half instead opting for for two scrum-halfs playing in the half-back position, Fofana, a natural centre, being played on the wing and the list goes on. This week, Morgane Parra came in at scrum-half, with Francois Trinh-Duc back in at fly-half, and Fofana back in the centre. As a result, the French side looked a much improved outfit with Parra dominating throughout. England blew hot and cold in the first half, doing something amazing, usually through Tuilagi and then following with something dreadful. With Parra controlling the French pack and Picamole leading from the front, France edged the first-half 10-9, thanks to a magnificent solo effort from Fofana and some poor tackling from the England backs. The second half began with a penalty from Owen Farrell, later followed by an excellent try from Manu Tuilagi, justifying his selection by gaining serious ground every time he was in possession. Saint-Andre then elected to take off Domingo, Parra and Trinh-Duc, a contentious decision which arguably cost France the game. Ultimately though, England that not only were they willing to switch up the tactics on the move against a resurgent French side, but that they have great strength in depth, being able to call upon top players as the game goes on. Credit has to go to Chris Robshaw, who is flourishing as England captain, leading by example and proving to be an inspirational choice by Lancaster.  With remaining games against Italy and Wales, England are now very much in contention with a chance for the grand slam.

Finally, a Scotland side who have looked strong and exciting to watch this Six Nations met an Ireland team on the slide. However, Ireland dominated the first half, with Scotland looking woeful. However new fly-half Paddy Jackson missed a series of kicks, so Ireland led merely 3-0 at half-time.  Three minutes into the second half, Gilroy went over to make the score 8-0 but Jackson missed the conversion. However, an incredible Scottish defense led on the front foot by Jim Hamilton and a series of cheap penalties conceded by Ireland turned the game on its head. Laidlaw kicked all four Scottish penalties to make the score 12-8 and turned the game around in incredible style. Scotland are once again proving to be an excellent counter-attacking team, using their defense as a strong base for attacking and forcing the opponent into mistakes. Whilst England are strong favourites for the title, Scotland should stand in good stead for a strong finish to the Six Nations; a breath of fresh air for Scottish fans used to being candidates for the wooden spoon. France in comparison, are looking increasingly likely to pick up the wooden spoon, sitting rooted to the bottom of the table with 0 points.

RBS Six Nations 2013 – Round two

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In contrast to the opening week of the Six Nations, the quality of the second round was unusually poor given the fixtures. Scotland entertained a resurgent Italy, the home team not performing badly themselves in the first week. An out of all-sorts France hosted an equally poor Wales side under Rob Howley, and the two favourites for the grand slam of Ireland and England, clashed at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The final scores for round two are as follows:

Scotland 34 – 10 Italy

France 6 – 16 Wales

Ireland 6 – 12 England

The first match of round two was at Murrayfield where Scotland hosted an Italian side who had previously defeated France in Rome. The game began in a scrappy fashion and continued to be throughout, much of the Italian’s hard work the week before being undone by silly handling errors, forwards appearing in the back lines and handing Scotland cheap penalties. They truly looked a different team to the previous week, reverting back to their typical sloppy backs performance, which was a real shame to see. I’d have like to have seen them give Scotland a tough game. Scotland on the other hand are looking to be dark horses for the Six Nations win, providing England trip up in their remaining fixtures; their counter-attacking play, which we saw shades of against England was truly potent and put Italy to the sword. It was great to see Scotland playing running rugby, having confidence in their abilities to play the ball along the back line instead of kicking for field position and taking penalties.

Next, Wales travelled to France, win both sides really needing a win after round one losses and dwindling confidence amongst the fans. France persisted with Fofana, a natural centre, playing on the wing, and Michalak, a scrum-half, playing at fly-half. It did not work well at all. France were poor, really poor, and their backs game which is usually the most dangerous weapon in the Six Nations was blunt. Handling errors, poor passes, flat attacking lines, not-flat defensive lines; they had it all and were a mess.  One has to question the tactics of the French coach and any France fan will be begging Philippe Saint Andre to drop Michalak next time round. Wales, despite the media whirlwind and hype after defeating France, were also very poor in my opinion. There’s nothing to get excited about if you’re a Wales fan, France were just worse. The positives being for the away team being that they picked up much needed points away from home, which is a great result regardless, and Halfpenny and Biggar look fantastic. The rest of the team looks unbalanced and needs some minor tweaking. The difference between the two sides in this respect is that Wales look like they could rescue their Six Nations with some changes to the team and tactics, and France look like they just might get the wooden spoon, with a difficult game at Twickenham next round.

Finally, Ireland and England, the two favourites clashed in Dublin with all the hype surrounding this fixture as the most important, and quite reasonably so. Unfortunately, the weather killed the game; the pitch was rather reminiscent of a vegetable patch, the handling from both sides was mediocre at best due to the wet ball, and as a result the game devolved into a war of attrition at the rucks and scrums, with very little running rugby. England won the battle throughout, their forwards proving to be the more disciplined and having a considerably lower penalty count. Ireland were frustrated by this and it boiled over in frustration for the home side when Cian Healy cowardly stamped on Dan Cole’s ankle at the collapse of a maul; the Ireland prop having been correctly cited for the incident. Worryingly for Ireland, Simon Zebo was taken off injured early on and will potentially miss the rest of the Six Nations, with Jonathan Sexton looking to have pulled a hamstring and also had to be substituted. England, who hadn’t won in Ireland since 2003 looked a mature side considering their team is rather raw and this away win in Dublin will prove to be crucial come the end of the Six Nations, putting them in prime position for the grand slam.

RBS Six Nations 2013 – Round one

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The opening weekend of the Six Nations produced arguably one of the most dramatic opening weekends of the tournament’s history, with each game providing ample drama, worthy of a weekend of test matches. The final scores for round one are as follows:

Wales 22 – 30 Ireland

England 38 – 18 Scotland

Italy 23 – 18 France

Wales and Ireland opened proceedings with a strange game at the Millenium Stadium. Jonathan Davies believed Wales had ‘thought the game started at 2:30, not 1:30’ which was more or less spot on. The defending Grand Slam champions who endured a torrid time during the Autumn tests and went into this Six Nations off the back of seven straights losses, looked devoid of ideas and confidence. They started the first half poorly, and ended it diabolically. In contrast, Brian O’Driscoll who may have lost the captaincy for Ireland, showed no signs of aging, nor injury and produced a man-of-the-match performance to secure the win. It wasn’t easy for them in the end though; a combination of Irish lackadaisical play, and a spirited Welsh resistance helped them fight back from a 3-23 deficit at half-time to 22-30  by the end of the match. A loss is a loss though, and one wonders where the Howley-led Wales squad will go from here with tough games away at Italy and Scotland yet to come.

The England and Scotland game was rather a pleasant surprise for rugby fans with a high score being posted in a Scotland game. The away team have gathered a reputation for choking the life out of games and leeching off opponent’s mistakes, which would be effective if they managed to succeed regularly with this tactic. However, both teams played an open and expansive game, much to the pleasure of spectators. The score shows there was a large gulf between the teams, and whilst partly true, it was mainly a case of England being more clinical with their opportunities. Scotland showed promise of potentially having a very strong counter-attack game, one they should employ more often, scoring a try with runs from their own 22. England were almost surely going to score another try, before Scotland performed a magnificent break-away try, providing enough backs for the overlap, with Hogg, a forward chasing down the ball for a score. England however, were much more consistent, won more of the breakdowns at the ruck, and had far more clinical finishers in their arsenal, with Billy Twelvetrees having a magnificent debut capping it with a try.

Many thought the weekend’s drama was over, with a French domination of Italy sure to follow on Sunday. Despite this, it was arguably Sunday that produced the most breathtaking match in recent years, with Italy edging out strong favourites France 23-18 in a nail-biting final couple of minutes. France, who were welcoming back Michalak after 7 years away from the Six Nations, chose to play him at fly-half, despite him being a scrum-half. They also chose to play Fofana, a natural centre, on the wing. But it wasn’t this that lost them the game; Italy with a magnificent crowd behind them were stronger at the breakdowns, more efficient with their kicking and played a high line, preventing any French flair from being unleashed. In recent years, one could criticise the Italians for only playing a forward game, their backs usually letting them down with knock-ons, poor runs and the inability to tackle just to name a few issues, but this year they appear to have bought their game full-circle, with their backs providing (dare I say) a more dynamic game than the French backs. Scotland and Wales should be very worried.

Magnificent opening weekend and I hope we have more of this in the coming weeks.