![LV= Cup [Anglo-Welsh]](images/LV Cup 2011 SB.jpg)
ITALY 22 - 15 IRELAND
Stadio Olimpico, Rome - Saturday 16 March 2013
KO: 15:30 HT: 9-6 Att: tba
 |
HEAD TO HEAD
|
 |
HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...
Italy vs Ireland First game of this magnificent rugby-packed day to kick off shortly in sunny Rome
Italy vs Ireland Wow the incredible roar at the Stadio Olympico when the home side came out! Loads of Irish fans too
Italy vs Ireland Ooh dear not sure Irish fans were singing in sync but you can tell who's at home
Italy 0-0 Ireland 0mins Sergio Parisse for Italy as Captain
Italy 0-0 Ireland 0mins Italy have the KO and Ireland have pen straight away. Paddy Jackson finds touch near H/W
Italy 0-0 Ireland 1min Good lineout for Ireland. Italy boot back into Irish half. Rob Kearney catches & sends back
Italy 0-0 Ireland 2mins Another pen for Ireland. Jackson finds touch into Italian 22, could this be danger?
Italy 0-0 Ireland 3mins Italy steal it Luke McLean kicks down field, Kearney collects with Keith Earls by side
Italy 0-0 Ireland 4mins Ireland have pelted their way into Italian 22 & given adv. Jackson now to take pen at goal
Italy 0-3 Ireland 6mins Jackson's kick sails through the posts and Ireland take the early lead
Italy 0-3 Ireland 6mins Conor Murray juggles with the ball from the restart resulting in a k/o> first scrum to Italy
Italy 0-3 Ireland 6mins Early engagement at the scrum so Ireland have free kick. Italy have the ball just in own half
Italy 0-3 Ireland 8mins McLean boots the ball away and Ireland secure their lineout but only just.
Italy 0-3 Ireland 8mins Murray's turn to boot the ball downfield & it bounces beautifully into touch near Italian 22.
Italy 0-3 Ireland 9mins Stadium looking packed. Italians secure the lineout well and need to keep ball in hand
Italy 0-3 Ireland 10mins Luciano Orquera kicks into touch still inside Italian half. Ireland on attack. Italy have pen
Italy 0-3 Ireland 11mins Ireland bring man down from air in lineout and Orquera boots Italy into Irish territory
Italy 0-3 Ireland 12mins Italians have a running maul & push the Irish back with phenomenal force.
Italy 3-3 Ireland 12mins Ireland don't release tackler> pen for Italy. Orquera swiftly bangs it over
Italy 3-3 Ireland 14mins Italians raring to go from the restart and pelt way down into Irish territory. Parisse penalised Rugby
Italy 3-3 Ireland 14mins Ireland kick for touch but don't secure own lineout and Italy are away again.
Italy 3-3 Ireland 16mins Azzurri using quick ball and using the whole width of the pitch but Ireland standing firm
Italy 3-3 Ireland 16mins Orquera's pass to Gonzalo Garcia goes wrong and Ireland recover the ball
Italy 3-3 Ireland 18mins Italy have t/o & handed advantage. Ireland don't release> Italy going for posts again
Italy 3-3 Ireland 19mins Crowd groans as Orquera's kick painfully rebounds off the uprights. Jamie Heaslip collects
Italy 3-3 Ireland 20mins Getting whiplash from this play, Ireland on attack then Italy gather ball & race down pitch
Italy 3-3 Ireland 20mins Stadio Olympico in full song as Cian Healy pinged for not rolling away
Italy 6-3 Ireland 21mins Orquera takes another shot at goal and this time it goes over no problem
Italy 6-3 Ireland 22mins Play seems to be stuck around H/W. Italians starting to break through Irish defence
Italy 6-3 Ireland 23mins Italy's momentum comes to a standstill as they k/o> scrum Ireland
Italy 6-3 Ireland 23mins Sun is still shining as the scrum goes well (not many times that can be said)
Italy 6-3 Ireland 24mins Looked like Keith Earls was onto something as he dummy passes and dodges the defence
Italy 6-3 Ireland 24mins Earls now receiving treatment as we await an Italian lineout
Italy 6-3 Ireland 24mins Earls off with a suspected shoulder injury as Luke Fitzgerald comes on to replace
Italy 6-3 Ireland 25mins Ireland have possession just inside own half. Jackson boots ball high. Italy pinged
Italy 6-3 Ireland 28mins Ireland have penalty as Luke Marshall is helped off the pitch. Jackson misses kick at goal
Italy 6-3 Ireland 29mins Italy once again penalised for not rolling away. O'Driscoll stamped on a player
Italy 6-3 Ireland 30mins O'Driscoll shown yellow card and is in sin bin for the remainder of this half
Italy 6-3 Ireland 30mins Italy looked as if they were going to exploit Ireland's 14 men but they pass forward
Italy 6-3 Ireland 30mins Immense amount of noise in the stadium as they do a Mexican Wave
Italy 6-3 Ireland 30mins Another good scrum from Ireland. Murray box kicks away and Italy easily collect.
Italy 6-3 Ireland 31mins Italy really putting some pace into game as they reach Irish 22. Numbers out wide for them
Italy 6-3 Ireland 31mins Italy k/o> Ireland have adv but comes to nothing so go back to original pen
Italy 6-3 Ireland 32mins Jackson's kick lands into touch near H/W. Good solid lineout but Ireland k/o
Italy 6-3 Ireland 34mins Good strong Italian scrum but Mike Ross pinged for not driving straight> Italy pen
Italy 9-3 Ireland 35mins Garcia setting up for the long range kick, takes big breath and the ball flies through posts
Italy 9-3 Ireland 36mins Italian team really looking alive in the past 10 mins
Italy 9-3 Ireland 36mins Ireland have lineout inside own half. They boot ball away and now Italy will go on the prowl
Italy 9-3 Ireland 38mins Italians keeping ball in hand. Prop Lo Cicero makes some metres but ball slows
Italy 9-3 Ireland 39mins Ireland have the scrum as O'Driscoll comes back on
Italy 9-3 Ireland 39mins Another good scrum and it's Ireland's turn to make their way into Italian territory.
Italy 9-3 Ireland 39mins Boos reverberate at the stadium after Kearney pushes Gonzalo Canale
Italy 9-6 Ireland 40mins Jackson boots pen through the posts for the last points of the first half
Italy 9-6 Ireland HT P: Orquera (2), Garcia | P: Jackson (2) 
O'Driscoll
Italy 9-6 Ireland 40mins Jackson restarts the game and it's a game of ping pong before Kearney kicks into touch
Italy 9-6 Ireland 40mins Italy's lineout is won by Parisse and we commence on another patch of aerial ping pong.
Italy 9-6 Ireland 42mins Andrea Masi beautifully kicks a difficult ball for Kearney to catch and knock it out
Italy 9-6 Ireland 42mins Italy have lineout in Irish 22. Italy really on the prowl but give Ireland a penalty
Italy 9-6 Ireland 43mins Ireland secure the lineout but automatically kick it out, what was the point?
Italy 9-6 Ireland 44mins Awkward lineout throw just makes it into Italian hands. Leonardo Ghiraldini lunges into 22
Italy 9-6 Ireland 44mins Crazy momentum with Italy, the noise from the crowd is once again phenomenal
Italy 9-6 Ireland 46mins Italy have a scrum 5 metres from tryline and adrenaline is pumping at the Stadio Olympico
Italy 9-6 Ireland 47mins Parisse claims ball and Italy keep it tight. Masi almost over near the right blindside
Italy 9-6 Ireland 48mins Italy have advantage and they are so close to the tryline now. Ref Wayne Barnes blows whistle
Italy 9-6 Ireland 48mins Ref:" Is there any reason I can not award the try?"
Italy 14-6 Ireland 48mins Barnes' arm goes up and a stupendous roar goes up with it
Italy 16-6 Ireland 48mins Orquera converts Giovanbattista Venditti's try and Italy are away!
Italy 16-6 Ireland 50mins Ireland now have a scrum in Italian half. Lovely sleight of hand from O'Driscoll
Italy 16-6 Ireland 51mins Men in green now on the attack and it's drama for Italy as Parisse is shown yellow card
Italy 16-9 Ireland 52mins Parisse sinbinned for tripping up Ian Madigan. Jackson tees up at posts. Kick sails through
Italy 16-9 Ireland 54mins Sun shining as Italy break their way through Irish defence into 22. Italy k/o> Irish scrum
Italy 16-9 Ireland 55mins Really good scrum from Ireland but still deep in 22. Ball kicked safely away
Italy 16-9 Ireland 56mins Italy pinged for not releasing and Ireland looks as if they are going to go for posts
Italy 16-12 Ireland 56mins Jackson tees up and takes his time for the long range kick and gets the points
Italy 16-12 Ireland 58mins Orquera's massive boot belts the ball downfield to Jackson who kicks it into touch
Italy 16-12 Ireland 58mins Crowd isn't happy about the Italians being pinged at the lineout. Irish scrum goes badly
Italy 16-12 Ireland 60mins Free kick to Ireland and the Irish fans are making their presence heard
Italy 16-12 Ireland 61mins Ireland pacing down field going through phases. Craig Gilroy breaks deep into Italy's 22
Italy 16-12 Ireland 61mins Ireland metres away from tryline and whole team having a go. Ireland have adv
Italy 16-12 Ireland 63mins Go back to pen for Edoardo Gori being offside. Parisse back on field
Italy 16-12 Ireland 63mins Ireland have opted for the posts
Italy 16-15 Ireland 63mins Jackson once again takes his time and easily pushes the ball over
Italy 16-15 Ireland 64mins Massive applause for Italy's most capped player Lo Cicero as he leaves pitch for last time
Italy 16-15 Ireland 64mins Momentum with Ireland at the moment. Ooh nasty incident. Italian player out cold
Italy 16-15 Ireland 64mins Murray box kicked the ball both Gilroy and Gori went for ball in air. Gori landed on head
Italy 16-15 Ireland 64mins Gori up, not as bad as it first looked. Ref happy that Gilroy accidentally took Gori out
Italy 16-15 Ireland 65mins Irish player down & receiving treatment as Garcia goes for goal
Italy 16-15 Ireland 66mins Garcia will kick a few metres in front of H/W line. Massive kick in length & importance
Italy 16-15 Ireland 67mins Garcia's kick is just short
Italy 16-15 Ireland 67mins Ireland have the lineout but Italy steal it and are driving way down centre of pitch
Italy 19-15 Ireland 69mins Ireland penalised. Donnacha Ryan in sin bin as Orquera boots another pen over
Italy 19-15 Ireland 70mins Donnacha Ryan apparently sinbinned for a late tackle. Italy have put in at scrum
Italy 19-15 Ireland 71mins Scrum turns and Italy have pen. They go for touch and beautifully secure their lineout
Italy 19-15 Ireland 72mins Italy thudding their way through the Irish defence but k/o> scrum to Ireland
Italy 19-15 Ireland 73mins Ireland scrumming with 7 men. Scrum has to be reset and Ireland get ball out of own 22
Italy 19-15 Ireland 74mins Italy have lineout in Irish half. They win the ball and form a maul down left blindside
Italy 19-15 Ireland 76mins Italy lose ball forward> scrum Ireland. Scrum has to be reset again and it goes well
Italy 19-15 Ireland 77mins Ireland pushing way downfield but Italians bullying them backwards
Italy 19-15 Ireland 78mins Ireland desperately clasping for points as they go for quicker ball near H/W. Italy t/o
Italy 19-15 Ireland 78mins Italy have advantage now and another Irish player is off. Conor Murray shown yellow card
Italy 19-15 Ireland 79mins Murray tripped a player up. Italy have gone for touch in 22. Will they have the last say?
Italy 19-15 Ireland 79mins Italy form a maul and are creeping forward. Italians have pen with 15 secs left
Italy 19-15 Ireland 79mins Fans cheer as they know Italy have pretty much got the win. The hugging has already started
Italy 22-15 Ireland 80mins Orquera boots the ball over and the crowd are happy with the home side's performance
Italy 22-15 Ireland 80mins Italy definitely the better team
15 Andrea Masi 14 Giovanbattista Venditti 13 Gonzalo Canale 12 Gonzalo Garcia 11 Luke McLean 10 Luciano Orquera 9 Edoardo Gori 1 Andrea Lo Cicero 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini 3 Lorenzo Cittadini 4 Quintin Geldenhuys 5 Joshua Furno 6 Alessandro Zanni 7 Simone Favaro 8 SERGIO PARISSE (C) BENCH: 16 Davide Giazzon 17 Michele Rizzo 18 Alberto de Marchi 19 Antonio Pavanello 20 Francesco Minto 21 Paul Derbyshire 22 Tobias Botes 23 Tommaso Benvenuti
SCORERS T: Venditti C: Orquera P: Orquera (4), Garcia Parisse
15 Rob Kearney 14 Craig Gilroy 13 Brian O'Driscoll 12 Luke Marshall 11 Keith Earls 10 Paddy Jackson 9 Conor Murray 1 Cian Healy 2 Rory Best 3 Mike Ross 4 Mike McCarthy 5 Donnacha Ryan 6 Peter O'Mahony 7 Sean O’Brien 8 JAMIE HEASLIP (C) BENCH: 16 Sean Cronin 17 David Kilcoyne 18 Stephen Archer* 19 Devin Toner 20 Ian Henderson 21 Paul Marshall* 22 Iain Madigan 23 Luke Fitzgerald
SCORERS P: Jackson (5) O'Driscoll, Murray, Ryan
Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU) Asst Referee: Romain Poite (FFR), Glen Jackson (NZRU) TMO: Jim Yuille (SRU)
WALES 30 - 3 ENGLAND
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff - Saturday 16 March 2013
KO: 17:00 HT: 9-3 Att: 74,104
 |
HEAD TO HEAD
|
 |
HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...
Wales vs England So this is it, the decider. A trophy will be won in this game but who will win it?
Wales vs England Wales need to close out the match by 8 points to win
Wales vs England England hope to finalise their Grand Slam dreams at this fire- filled stadium
Wales vs England The roof is shut and what a sight it is in this packed millennium stadium as we go for the anthems
Wales 0-0 England 0mins The anthems are done, time for the main course & the atmosphere is electric
Wales 0-0 England 0mins England KO and Toby Faletau catches. England have the ball and are immediately on the attack
Wales 0-0 England 1mins Owen Farrell boots the ball high. Wales now on the attack but England t/o
Wales 0-0 England 2mins England have the lineout and Wales seem to be asleep as they don't even try to get the ball
Wales 0-0 England 2mins England get maul going but Manu Tuilagi knocks on. Wales have possession great kick downfield
Wales 0-0 England 3mins Wales have lineout in English 22 and they actually go to catch this one
Wales 0-0 England 4mins Wales deep in English 22 on prowl for a try. Bread of Heaven in full chorus
Wales 0-0 England 5mins Whistle goes and England have the scrum on their own 22
Wales 0-0 England 5mins Scrum collapses and has to be reset again as Hymns and Arias lingers in the air
Wales 0-0 England 7mins England don't feed in time after a massive push from the Welsh> Wales now have put in
Wales 0-0 England 8mins Dangerous for England as the scrum is reset yet again. Scrum collapses but play goes on
Wales 0-0 England 8mins Wales making their way back into the English 22 but English defence stays strong
Wales 0-0 England 10mins England pinged for not rolling away just outside their own 22. Leigh Halfpenny tees up
Wales 3-0 England 10mins Mr Reliable Halfpenny is back in form and gets first pts
Wales 3-0 England 11mins England restart. Phillips box kicks to Chris Robshaw who boots it downfield to Halfpenny
Wales 9-3 England 23mins Halfpenny is once again in fine form as he sweetly swings it over
Wales 9-3 England 24mins Such a fast game, difficult to keep up with it. Goode making a break for it Adam Jones covers
Wales 9-3 England 25mins England have the momentum & are given pen as Wales don't roll away
Wales 9-3 England 26mins Farrell teeing up and going through his routine quite a way from posts but just misses
Wales 9-3 England 27mins Halfpenny boots the ball towards half way and Goode covers. England creep forward. Wales t/o
Wales 9-3 England 29mins Wales handed the scrum near H/W. Wales pinged and England handed pen. Farrell kicks for touch
Wales 9-3 England 30mins Lineout goes wrong for England & Wales boot ball down field, into touch. Ball goes back to 22
Wales 9-3 England 30mins This time England secure lineout. Men in white creeping into Welsh 22. Wales t/o
Wales 9-3 England 31mins George North pacing down field and him tripping saved England. England regather & boot
Wales 9-3 England 32mins Pressure on Richard Hibbard in own 22. Lineout goes loose but Wales gather
Wales 9-3 England 33mins England on attack, Wales t/o, England then t/o again and Halfpenny boots down blindside
Wales 9-3 England 34mins Mike Brown was so close to the tryline. Handbags come out for Justin Tipuric
Wales 9-3 England 34mins England have the ball in their own half. Farrell boots perfectly down field> Welsh lineout
Wales 9-3 England 36mins Welsh lineout went into no man's land and England gather. English on attack. Nice chip Ashton
Wales 9-3 England 37mins England still have possession. Farrell kicks to Alex Cuthbert who keeps ball in hand.
Wales 9-3 England 37mins North racing down field again with Jonathan Davies beside him. Good tackle from Farrell
Wales 9-3 England 38mins North knocked on> English scrum. Hymns and Arias being sung so loud right now
Wales 9-3 England 39mins Scrum has to be reset ad could be the last play of this action packed half
Wales 9-3 England 39mins England pushed back. Phillips take the free kick & Wales are creeping forwards
Wales 9-3 England 40mins Wales prowling, Biggar gets into the pocket and goes for DG. Thought it was over but missed
Wales 9-3 England 40mins Has got to have been the most exciting match so far of the Six Nations, heart is pumping
Wales 9-3 England HT P: Halfpenny (3) | P: Farrell
Wales 9-3 England 40mins KO and there's a game of ping pong going on
Wales 9-3 England 41mins English lineout near Welsh 22. Maul has been formed and they are pushing men in red backwards
Wales 9-3 England 42mins England continuing to be penalised in 2nd half> Wales have put in in scrum near own 22
Wales 9-3 England 43mins Scrum collapses> Biggar kicks pen into touch near H/W. England steal lineout
Wales 9-3 England 44mins England k/o> Welsh scrum near H/W.
Wales 9-3 England 44mins Referee Steve Walsh keeps resetting scrums, not the favourite person in Millennium stadium
Wales 9-3 England 45mins England being heavily penalised again for not binding at the scrum.
Wales 9-3 England 46mins Wales just outside English 22. England t/o, boot down field, Halfpenny returns
Wales 9-3 England 47mins Mistake by England gives Wales good lineout position. Wales now metres from tryline
Wales 9-3 England 48mins Noise is phenomenal as the Welsh team keep it tight so close to the tryline
Wales 9-3 England 49mins English defence standing strong. Faletau goes for a push but is short. Tipuric almost over
Wales 9-3 England 49mins Wales have pen adv and are still clambering away at the tryline must be a metre short now
Wales 9-3 England 50mins Going back for original penalty now and Halfpenny is looking to the posts
Wales 12-3 England 51mins Phew feel knackered just watching that explosive play. Halfpenny's kick sails through
Wales 12-3 England 52mins England making numerous changes in the forward pack as they have lineout near H/W
Wales 12-3 England 53mins England's turn to go on the attack now as they run towards Welsh 22.
Wales 12-3 England 54mins Wales t/o and have adv. They boot ball down field and England start their attack from H/W
Wales 12-3 England 54mins Farrell boots it to North. Wales have possession but Davies boots away
Wales 12-3 England 55mins England back in possession of the ball, it goes loose near H/W. England recover
Wales 12-3 England 56mins Wales t/o. There's numbers out wide. Cuthbert gets ball & no-one can keep up with his pace
Wales 17-3 England 57mins Alex Cuthbert scores a try in the right corner of the pitch, his 3rd international try
Wales 17-3 England 57mins Halfpenny misses the conversion but that doesn't stop the Welsh from singing
Wales 17-3 England 58mins Has got to be the loudest I have ever heard the millennium stadium.
Wales 17-3 England 60mins Faletau pinged for high tackle. Farrell goes for posts but it's a tricky kick &just misses
Wales 17-3 England 61mins Biggar restarts with 22 dropout. Mako Vunipola pushes his way through Welsh defence near H/W
Wales 17-3 England 61mins Ref calls a maul & England pinged at breakdown again> Welsh scrum
Wales 17-3 England 62mins Captain Gethin Jenkins leaves the pitch. England pinged at scrum> Wales kick for touch
Wales 17-3 England 63mins Wales secure lineout just outside English 22 & form a maul. They begin to pass out wide
Wales 17-3 England 63mins Davies almost through & play is getting dangerously close to the left touchline
Wales 17-3 England 64mins Good strong defence from England & Wales are patiently chipping away. Biggar's in the pocket
Wales 20-3 England 64mins Biggar goes for the DG and it's perfect
Wales 20-3 England 66mins Wales are stunning right now. Warburton is through, manages to pass and Tipuric is over
Wales 25-3 England 66mins Sorry Tipuric passed to Cuthbert and he got his 2nd try of the match
Wales 27-3 England 68mins What a game Wales are playing!! Biggar converts
Wales 27-3 England 69mins Wales have another penalty as Biggar looks at goal. Halfpenny looks to be injured
Wales 30-3 England 70mins Biggar kicks it beautifully. England not moping at the restart and are in Welsh 22
Wales 30-3 England 72mins England stupidly kick the ball metres from the Welsh tryline> opportunity missed
Wales 30-3 England 72mins Biggar kicks the 22 dropout & England look desperate to get more points as they form a maul
Wales 30-3 England 73mins Welsh scrum near H/W & like most of the others, it has to be reset
Wales 30-3 England 74mins Yet another reset at the scrum. Wales pushing England back . Another reset
Wales 30-3 England 75mins England pinged for wheeling the scrum> Wales kick for touch
Wales 30-3 England 76mins Many changes for the Welsh as they secure lineout just outside English 22 and they push on
Wales 30-3 England 77mins Wales now trying to go out wide but it's slow ball giving England time to gather
Wales 30-3 England 77mins England t/o and pace down towards Welsh 22, George North goes back
Wales 30-3 England 78mins Tom Croft knocks on> Welsh scrum. They get the ball out but k/o> English scrum
Wales 30-3 England 80mins England t/o by George North. Mike Brown gets the ball & Geoff Parling paces down field
Wales 30-3 England 80mins England just inside Welsh half but drop the ball and that is it. Wales have won!
Wales 30-3 England 80mins Wales win both the match and the 2013 Six Nations trophy and do so well deservedly
Wales 30-3 England 80mins Some tough calls from the ref against England but the Welsh thoroughly deserved the win
15 Leigh Halfpenny 14 Alex Cuthbert 13 Jonathan Davies 12 Jamie Roberts 11 George North 10 Dan Biggar 9 Mike Phillips 1 GETHIN JENKINS (C) 2 Richard Hibbard 3 Adam Jones 4 Alun Wyn Jones 5 Ian Evans 6 Sam Warburton 7 Justin Tipuric 8 Toby Faletau BENCH: 16 Ken Owens 17 Paul James 18 Scott Andrews 19 Andrew Coombs 20 Aaron Shingler 21 Lloyd Williams 22 James Hook 23 Scott Williams
SCORERS T: Cuthbert (2) C: Biggar P: Halfpenny (4), Biggar DG: Biggar
15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Manu Tuilagi 12 Brad Barritt 11 Mike Brown 10 Owen Farrell 9 Ben Youngs 1 Joe Marler 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Joe Launchbury 5 Geoff Parling 6 Tom Croft 7 CHRIS ROBSHAW (C) 8 Tom Wood BENCH: 16 Dylan Hartley 17 David Wilson 18 Mako Vunipola 19 Courtney Lawes 20 James Haskell 21 Danny Care 22 Toby Flood 23 Billy Twelvetrees
SCORERS P: Farrell
Man of the Match: Alex Cuthbert (Wales)
Referee: Steve Walsh (ARU) Asst Referee: Craig Joubert (SARU), Mathieu Raynal (FFR) TMO: Marshall Kilgore (IRFU)
FRANCE 23 - 16 SCOTLAND 
Stade de France, Paris - Saturday 16 March 2013
KO: 21:00 HT: 0-6 Att: tba
 |
HEAD TO HEAD
|
 |
HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...
France vs Scotland The trophy may have been won but this is another key game in the tournament
France vs Scotland Will France get the wooden spoon for the first time in the Six Nations?
France vs Scotland The Stade de France is cold and wet as we get ready for the final game of the 2013 Six Nations
France vs Scotland Scotland have never won in France in the Six Nations & France haven't won a match this Six Nations
France vs Scotland Rain is pouring down as France make their dramatic entrance onto the pitch
France 0-0 Scotland 0mins Scotland KO this final match at the Stade de France
France 0-0 Scotland 0mins Frederic Michalak boots the ball down field but it doesn't quite find touch.
France 0-0 Scotland 1mins Scotland lose the ball. Michalak sends the ball high Stuart Hogg misses the catch & k/o
France 0-0 Scotland 2mins France have scrum deep inside Scottish half
France 0-0 Scotland 2mins Scrum goes well & France pace down right blindside. Scotland have lineout but ball goes loose
France 0-0 Scotland 4mins Scotland boot down field and out of danger
France 0-0 Scotland 5mins France have the put in again at the scrum & pitch not faring well. France handed the pen
France 0-0 Scotland 6mins Michalak kicks for touch. Lineout goes loose & Scotland claim the ball
France 0-0 Scotland 6mins Duncan Weir almost through for Scotland as they push France backwards into their own half
France 0-0 Scotland 7mins Scotland handed advantage. Their patience pays off and they have a pen
France 0-3 Scotland 8mins Not going to be a running game today. Greg Laidlaw tees up and his kick smoothly goes over
France 0-3 Scotland 8mins Scotland knock ball out so close to their 22 and France looking desperate to prove... http://fb.me/2pmh9mwi7
France 0-3 Scotland 10mins France on the prowl and battering their way through the defence. France have scrum
France 0-3 Scotland 10mins Amazingly scrums going well as Mathieu Bastareaud rams into the Scottish wall. Scotland t/o RBS6Nations Rugby
France 0-3 Scotland 11mins Scotland boot ball away, beginning their counter attack & now in French territory
France 0-3 Scotland 11mins Scotland have the lineout, they lose the ball and France are pegging their way down field
France 0-3 Scotland 12mins France penalised & Scotland kick for touch
France 0-3 Scotland 13mins France pinged for taking man out in lineout. Scotland have another shot at goal
France 0-6 Scotland 14mins Laidlaw tees up once again & it sweeps perfectly between the uprights
France 0-6 Scotland 14mins Michalak restarts & Johnnie Beattie takes it. Scotland boot the ball away> France lineout
France 0-6 Scotland 15mins Scotland going on the attack but ball gets lost out. Scotland steal French lineout
France 0-6 Scotland 17mins France have another chance at the lineout but once again Scotland steal it. France t/o
France 0-6 Scotland 17mins France k/o deep in Scottish territory> scrum to Scotland
France 0-6 Scotland 18mins Scottish scrum goes well enough & Hogg belts it down field. Maxime Medard makes a nice run
France 0-6 Scotland 19mins Scotland t/o illegally. Michalak's kick doesn't quite reach touch but Scotland k/o
France 0-6 Scotland 20mins France have scrum inside Scottish 22 & crowd is roaring
France 0-6 Scotland 21mins France handed pen & handbags come out. Pitch is being shredded
France 0-6 Scotland 21mins France opt for the scrum again, 5 metres out from the tryline
France 0-6 Scotland 22mins Another massive roar from the crowd as France push forward Louis Picamoles almost over
France 0-6 Scotland 22mins France push on and are over line. Ball held up> French 5 metre scrum
France 0-6 Scotland 23mins Another massive scrum for France but it collapses
France 0-6 Scotland 23mins Rain beginning to come down again as French fans sing Picamoles collects ball from scrum
France 0-6 Scotland 25mins Michalak passes to Bastareaud who spills it backwards but France keep the ball
France 0-6 Scotland 25mins France still pushing their way through the 22. Now 7 metres out & closing
France 0-6 Scotland 26mins Back for another 5 metre scrum to France. Scotland defending well but French patience pays
France 0-6 Scotland 27mins Highly physical game so far. Another huge push from France & they pound on
France 0-6 Scotland 28mins Unpopular decision from Nigel Owen as he awards Scotland a pen. France sealed ball off
France 0-6 Scotland 29mins Good kick for touch out of their own 22 gives Scotland lineout in own half
France 0-6 Scotland 30mins France powering forwards but Wesley Fofana k/o> Scottish scrum in own 22
France 0-6 Scotland 30mins Very much a scrum dominated first half
France 0-6 Scotland 32mins Scotland handed the penalty at the scrum & Weir kicks for touch just short of H/W
France 0-6 Scotland 32mins Scotland in French half. High ball from Scotland Vincent Clerc goes to catch but spills
France 0-6 Scotland 33mins Laidlaw tries a cheeky chip but it goes back to the k/o
France 0-6 Scotland 34mins Scotland pinged for collapsing scrum> French pen
France 0-6 Scotland 34mins French lineout in own half. Scotland gather the ball & boot away
France 0-6 Scotland 35mins Morgan Parra takes his time despite the Scottish onslaught & calmly kicks to touch
France 0-6 Scotland 35mins Scottish lineout goes wrong & France hammer away at defence in Scottish half. Scotland t/o
France 0-6 Scotland 36mins Hogg pelts his way down the centre of the pitch as Scotland come alive.
France 0-6 Scotland 36mins Slow ball allows French defence to reform. Scotland kick deep into French 22.
France 0-6 Scotland 37mins Max Evans looking dangerous, pacing downfield but he's stopped by a French wall.
France 0-6 Scotland 38mins Hogg tries for a DG but misses
France 0-6 Scotland 40mins France pelting their way into Scottish half but Scotland get t/o. They k/o> French scrum
France 0-6 Scotland 40mins Not the quickest of balls from either side. France now in possession & hammering away again
France 0-6 Scotland 40mins Scotland t/o France & Scotland have the penalty. Weir knows the time & kicks it out
France 0-6 Scotland 40mins Boos erupt around the Stade de France as ref Nigel Owens blows the whistle for half time
France 0-6 Scotland 40mins Frustrating 1st half from both teams, especially from France being so close to tryline
France 0-6 Scotland HT P: Laidlaw (2)
France 0-6 Scotland 40mins France KO & Michalak was nearly through the sea of blue but Scotland t/o
France 0-6 Scotland 41mins Scotland handed pen. France steal lineout & pace down pitch
France 0-6 Scotland 42mins Fofana dodges Hogg as France keep their momentum. They kick it down but Scotland lose it
France 0-6 Scotland 43mins Boos erupt at the Stade de France as Nigel Owens calls Hogg over
France 0-6 Scotland 43mins France handed the scrum feed as Owens tells Hogg off for mini fight between him & Michalak
France 0-6 Scotland 43mins French scrum edging forward & France handed pen. Michalak really needs to calm down
France 3-6 Scotland 44mins Good clean kick from Michalak puts first points on board for the French
France 3-6 Scotland 44mins Good clear from Bastareaud & French forcing Scottish to make errors by
France 3-6 Scotland 45mins A k/o from Scotland gives France put in at scrum. France pushing forwards by
France 3-6 Scotland 47mins France have adv & Michalak does a nice cross field kick. French metres from the tryline
France 3-6 Scotland 47mins France still have ball, nothing comes from it. Was Fofana obstructed?
France 6-6 Scotland 49mins Michalak takes the penalty and brings the scores level
France 6-6 Scotland 50mins France on attack again deep in their own half chip from Michalak bounces off Scottish foot
France 6-6 Scotland 51mins France really hungry for a try as they power through each metre. Michalak fakes a DG
France 6-6 Scotland 52mins France have adv & are only metres from tryline. France piling on pressure. Goes back to pen
France 9-6 Scotland 53mins Familiar sight of Michalak teeing up results in the same outcome, more points for France
France 9-6 Scotland 54mins France have to win by 16 points to not finish bottom
France 9-6 Scotland 54mins It's on for France as they race down field going out wide. Scotland t/o just outside own 22
France 9-6 Scotland 55mins Scotland clear ball into touch just outside French 22. Jim Hamilton hobbling?
France 9-6 Scotland 56mins Good French lineout results. Scotland k/o> French scrum. Picamoles collects
France 9-6 Scotland 57mins France pinged for being offside giving Laidlaw another shot at pen shot at goal
France 9-9 Scotland 58mins A good swift kick from Laidlaw sails through the posts & scores are level again
France 9-9 Scotland 59mins France have lineout in Scottish half & will be looking to regain their lead
France 9-9 Scotland 59mins France spill the ball after catching the lineout ball> Scottish scrum
France 9-9 Scotland 60mins Pitch is definitely being shredded by all these scrums
France 9-9 Scotland 60mins Weir clears the ball away from scrum incredibly well> French lineout just inside own half
France 9-9 Scotland 61mins France secure lineout. Medard forcing his way forward. France battling down left blindside f
France 9-9 Scotland 61mins Crowd coming to life. France battle forward but ball spills. Scotland kick upfield f
France 9-9 Scotland 61mins Huget covers & Vincent Debaty rams his way down the blindside but Scotland have the pen f
France 9-9 Scotland 64mins Ball goes loose but Scotland have pen as France were offside> lineout Scotland on H/W f
France 9-9 Scotland 64mins Scotland create a maul, kick down field, Huget covers & counter attacks pelting forwards
France 14-9 Scotland 64mins France on the attack still & Fofana caught the Scottish defence napping & he scores a try!
France 16-9 Scotland 67mins Michalak converts well & France are looking more confident
France 16-9 Scotland 67mins Replacements come on for both sides as Scotland have lineout deep in French half
France 16-9 Scotland 68mins Lineout goes badly for Scotland but they recover & keep pushing forwards in French half
France 16-9 Scotland 69mins Slow ball for Scotland & France t/o. Bastareaud almost through France still going forward
France 21-9 Scotland 70mins Medard goes over for France's 2nd try of the match
France 23-9 Scotland 70mins Michalak is down so Maxime Machenaud takes the conversion & it sails through
France 23-9 Scotland 70mins Michalak being stretchered off as French crowd chants his name
France 23-9 Scotland 72mins Scotland edging their way into the French half. Ruaridh Jackson tries to sneak through
France 23-9 Scotland 72mins Max Evans looked as if he was going to get a pass away near blindside but Jackson spills
France 23-9 Scotland 73mins France have scrum in their own 22. Scotland engage too early & France have the kick
France 23-14 Scotland 75mins Scotland pace back into the game as Tim Visser dashes over the tryline
France 23-16 Scotland 75mins Jackson easily converts
France 23-16 Scotland 78mins Stade de France in full song now despite the shadow of the wooden spoon looming
France 23-16 Scotland 79mins Huge scrum by Scotland gives them the penalty. Scotland k/o
France 23-16 Scotland 80mins The final whistle blows & France finally have their 1st win this Six Nations
France 23-16 Scotland 80mins The best rugby we have seen from France all tournament
So France are handed the wooden spoon but their final game win will make their 2013 tournament record a bit sweeter.
15 Yoann Huget 14 Vincent Clerc 13 Mathieu Bastareaud 12 Wesley Fofana 11 Maxime Medard 10 Frederic Michalak 9 Morgan Parra 1 Thomas Domingo 2 Benjamin Kayser 3 Nicolas Mas 4 Sebastien Vahaamahina 5 Yoann Maestri 6 Antonie Claassen 7 THIERRY DUSAUTOIR (C) 8 Louis Picamoles BENCH: 16 Guilhem Guirado 17 Vincent Debaty 18 Luc Ducalcon 19 Christophe Samson 20 Yannick Nyanga 21 Maxime Machenaud 22 Francois Trinh-Duc 23 Gaël Fickou
SCORERS T: Fofana, Medard C: Michalak, Machenaud P: Michalak (3)
15 Stuart Hogg 14 Sean Maitland 13 Sean Lamont 12 Matt Scott 11 Tim Visser 10 Duncan Weir 9 Greig Laidlaw 1 Ryan Grant 2 Ross Ford 3 Euan Murray 4 Grant Gilchrist* 5 Jim Hamilton 6 Alastair Strokosch 7 KELLY BROWN (C) 8 Johnnie Beattie BENCH: 16 Dougie Hall 17 Moray Low 18 Geoff Cross 19 Alastair Kellock 20 Ryan Wilson 21 Henry Pyrgos 22 Ruaridh Jackson 23 Max Evans
SCORERS T: Visser C: Jackson P: Laidlaw (3)
Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU) Asst Referee: George Clancy (IRFU), Lourens van der Merwe (SARU) TMO: Carlo Damasco (FIR)
SCOTLAND 18 - 28 WALES
Murrayfield, Edinburgh - Saturday 09 March 2013
KO: 14:30 HT: 12-13 Att: 67,144
|
HEAD TO HEAD
|
|
SOMETIMES making a new record is not a thing to be proud of, as was the case of the Scotland versus Wales game. There were more penalty kicks attempted in this game than any other in history, and it was possibly one of the most mundane matches too.
At the cold and windy Murrayfield stadium fans were not sure what to expect or which team was to be victorious. Both sides were still on a high from winning their last two games and this year’s tournament has been one of the most unpredictable.
As soon as the whistle was blown, Wales picked up from where they had left off and absolutely dominated the scrum. Four minutes into the first half, the home side felt the pressure from the men in red and Wales were handed a penalty. Leigh Halfpenny unnervingly struck the ball over to give Wales the early lead 0-3. However, just as quickly as the Welsh got their early lead, they lost it again by giving Greg Laidlaw the chance to push over a tough penalty kick, making the scores 3-3.
Just 12 minutes into the game, the frustration could be seen on the fans faces as Wales were penalised for being offside. Laidlaw had no hesitation in teeing up and the home team took the lead for the first time 6-3.
Three minutes later and it appeared the teams were taking turns in having penalty kicks at goal. The familiar sight of Halfpenny taking off his scrum cap and teeing up was followed by the not so familiar sight of him hooking the ball wide. Moments after missing for the first time, Halfpenny had to relive the same sorry affair once again as he missed another penalty. Wales’ Mr Reliable was definitely having an off day.
At the 22 minute mark Wales were well into Scotland’s 22 and working through the phases. A dash down the right blindside from George North peaked the crowd’s attention but Scotland stood firm. Wales patiently hammered away at the Scots’ defence and were rewarded for their efforts. Richard Hibbard hurled himself through the blue barrier and scored his first ever international try. Halfpenny nervously hammered the ball home and brought the scores to 6-10.
Handbags came out between Adam Jones and Captain Kelly Brown when a collapsed scrum resulted in yet another penalty to Scotland. Laidlaw once again nailed the kick and Scotland came back to within a point of the visiting side at 9-10.
Moments after Laidlaw’s successful kick, Richie Gray did not get up from a tackle and physiotherapists clambered onto the pitch. Minutes passed and the medical buggy arrived on the scene to take Gray off with what looked like a nasty hamstring injury.
With 5 minutes to go before half-time, Wales once again collapsed the scrum and Paul James handed the blame. Looking to put his team ahead when the half-time whistle blew, Laidlaw perfectly chipped the ball between the posts. However, it was Wales who sealed the first half after Jim Hamilton was penalised for an early tackle. Halfpenny’s fine kicking form returned to boot another penalty over, leaving the scores at 12-13.
The first half was dominated by frustrating mistakes and time consuming penalties, and this unfortunately continued throughout the second. In fact, throughout the entire game there were a phenomenal 19 kicks attempted at goal, which means almost one every 4 minutes. With so many kicks at the uprights and collapsed scrums, very little rugby was played and the game was definitely not the best advertisement of the sport.
In the first minute of the second half, Toby Faletau was pinged for being offside near the halfway line. The long range kick at goal proved too much for Laidlaw and the scores remained the same. Four minutes later Johnnie Beattie was penalised for sealing off the ball and Halfpenny banged over another penalty as Captain Ryan Jones was led from the pitch with a tournament-ending shoulder injury 12-16.
Penalties came in thick and fast as both teams made obvious and silly errors. As the clock ticked to the 70 minute mark Wales were leading 18- 25. With only 10 minutes to go, Scotland had to get a converted try to just get a draw but any hopes of even that were dashed when Wales won another penalty. Knowing this was a big kick, not in length but in importance, Halfpenny nervously eyed up the uprights before slamming the ball straight through the middle making the scores 18-28.
Not ones to be downtrodden, Scotland resiliently chiselled their way deep inside the Welsh 22. With only 3 minutes left on the clock Paul James was sin-binned and the Scots were only a matter of metres away from the ever evasive Welsh try-line. 
They knew the win was out of reach but the men in blue went down fighting.
After the final whistle it was clear Wales were elated with the win, even if some of the fans did not look as thrilled. Wales are the only team that can stand in the way of England’s Grand Slam dreams and potentially win the 2013 tournament, however, they will need to cut down on the mistakes at the scrum and learn to keep onside before next weekend, or be prepared to be punished heavily.
15 Stuart Hogg 14 Sean Maitland 13 Sean Lamont 12 Matt Scott 11 Tim Visser 10 Duncan Weir 9 Greig Laidlaw 1 Ryan Grant 2 Ross Ford 3 Euan Murray 4 Richie Gray 5 Jim Hamilton 6 Robert Harley7 KELLY BROWN (C) 8 Johnnie Beattie BENCH: 16 Dougie Hall 17 Moray Low 18 Geoff Cross 19 Alastair Kellock 20 Ryan Wilson 21 Henry Pyrgos 22 Ruaridh Jackson 23 Max Evans
SCORERS P: Laidlaw (6)
15 Leigh Halfpenny 14 Alex Cuthbert 13 Jonathan Davies 12 Jamie Roberts 11 George North 10 Dan Biggar 9 Mike Phillips 1 Paul James 2 Richard Hibbard 3 Adam Jones 4 Alun Wyn Jones 5 Ian Evans 6 RYAN JONES (C) 7 Sam Warburton 8 Toby Faletau BENCH: 16 Ken Owens 17 Scott Andrews 18 Craig Mitchell 19 Andrew Coombs 20 Justin Tipuric 21 Lloyd Williams 22 James Hook 23 Scott Williams
SCORERS T: Hibbard C: Halfpenny P: Halfpenny (7) James
Man of the Match: Sam Warburton (Wales)
Referee: Craig Joubert (SARU) Asst. Referees: Glen Jackson (NZRU) Lourens van der Merwe (SARU) TMO: Giulio De Santis (FIR)
IRELAND 13 - 13 FRANCE
Aviva Stadium, Dublin - Saturday 09 March 2013
KO: 17:00 HT: 13-3 Att: 51,000
|
HEAD TO HEAD
|
|
A mist draped over the field as the French kicked off the first half at Dublin’s sodden Aviva Stadium. The result of the match was unpredictable but one thing was for sure, it wasn’t going to be a quiet game with both sets of fans in high spirits and good singing form.
Just 10 minutes into the first half, Ireland had a lineout inside the French 22 and began a driving maul to force the visitors back. France’s resistance was futile as Captain Jamie Heaslip pushed through the defence and put the first points on the scoreboard. Baby faced fly-half, Paddy Jackson, easily converted and the home side took the early lead with 7-0.
Minutes after the first points appeared on the scoreboard, France were set to get some points of their own when they were handed a penalty and Frederic Michalak eyed up the posts. His controversial call up to the number 10 jersey was once again the talking point when his kick slipped wide of the posts.
Les Bleus begrudgingly ran back for the restart and a number of collapsed scrums later, they were handed another opportunity to kick at goal. This time Michalak made sure he did not miss and France were awarded their first points, leaving the score at 7-3.
A matter of minutes flew by and France undid all their hard work, gifting the Irish with a chance to get more points on the scoreboard. As Paddy Jackson lined up his kick, a deathly silence loomed over the stadium. The thud of leather hitting leather resulted in a huge roar from the crowd as the ball sailed perfectly between the uprights and the scoreboard flickered to 10-3.
Just 8 minutes before half-time, Ireland were on the prowl and going through the phases deep in the French’s half. France once again proved to be their own worst enemy as the pressure got too much for them and they gave away another penalty. Silence once again fell over the stadium as Jackson booted the ball over from almost 50 metres away.
At the 40 minute mark, Ireland were penalised and Michalak thought he would get the last points of the half. His kick flew wide of the posts leaving the scores at 13-3.
Four minutes into the second half, France were penalised at the scrum handing Ireland another opportunity to kick at goal but Jackson’s attempt slipped just wide of the posts. Ten minutes later it was France’s turn after Ireland collapsed the scrum. In an unusual twist, scrum-half Parra took over the kicking duty and showed Michalak how it was done by adding another 3 points to the board 13-6.
It had been a scrappy game but the men in green jerseys were in control for most of it. They had the most possession and majority of the game was spent inside the French half, but tough weather conditions made it harder for the Irish to keep the French at bay.
The last 10 minutes of the game was filled with confusion, drama, tragedy and tension. Ireland thought they had the win under their belts. The fans and commentators were also in agreement but in the 74th minute, Les Bleus did the unimaginable as Louis Picamoles darted across Ireland’s try-line. Back on kicking duty, Michalak converted the French try and the scoreboard levelled at 13 points apiece.
As the clock flickered to the 76th minute, Keith Earls darted down the right blindside and looked on for a try, but it appeared he had been nudged out of the way by a French defender. The TMO was called to review the moment and Ireland cruelly had a penalty denied with the referee calling for a 22 drop out.
In the 79th minute replacement Eoin Reddan went to ground with what appeared to be a nasty leg injury and time was stopped. Reddan was driven off the pitch on a stretcher and with only four seconds remaining, Ireland’s hopes of winning the match were as bedraggled as the soggy pitch.
When the final whistle was blown it was hard not to notice the disappointment plastered across the Irish team’s faces, and the relief for the French.
However, it was not all bad for Ireland as 21-year-old Paddy Jackson put his previous bad form to bed and earned his place in the 
green number ‘10’ jersey. Not only had he kicked exceptionally, he had also danced his way out of a tricky situation near his own try-line and coolly kicked the ball away to safety, something even experienced fly-halves have difficulty with.
The penultimate week of the tournament was overshadowed at its end by the spectre of Irish centre and British Lion Brian O’Driscoll who may well have walked into the tunnel at the Aviva Stadium Dublin for the last time in his iconic No.13 shirt.
15 Rob Kearney 14 Fergus McFadden 13 Brian O'Driscoll 12 Luke Marshall 11 Keith Earls 10 Paddy Jackson 9 Conor Murray 1 Cian Healy 2 Rory Best 3 Mike Ross 4 Mike McCarthy 5 Donnacha Ryan 6 Peter O'Mahony 7 Sean O’Brien 8 JAMIE HEASLIP (C) BENCH: 16 Sean Cronin 17 David Kilcoyne 18 Stephen Archer 19 Donncha O’Callaghan 20 Ian Henderson 21 Eoin Reddan 22 Iain Madigan* 23 Luke Fitzgerald
SCORERS T: Heaslip C: Jackson P: Jackson (2)
15 Yoann Huget 14 Vincent Clerc 13 Florian Fritz 12 Wesley Fofana 11 Maxime Medard 10 Frederic Michalak 9 Morgan Parra 1 Thomas Domingo 2 Benjamin Kayser 3 Nicolas Mas 4 Christophe Samson 5 Yoann Maestri 6 Yannick Nyanga 7 THIERRY DUSAUTOIR (C) 8 Louis Picamoles BENCH: 16 Guilhem Guirado 17 Vincent Debaty 18 Luc Ducalcon 19 Sebastien Vahaamahina 10 Antonie Claassen 21 Maxime Machenaud 22 Francois Trinh-Duc 23 Mathieu Bastareaud
SCORERS T: Picamoles C: Michalak P: Michalak (2)
Man of the Match: Conor Murray
Referee: Steve Walsh (ARU) Asst. Referees: Wayne Barnes (RFU) Greg Garner (RFU) TMO: Nigel Whitehouse (WRU)
ENGLAND vs ITALY
Twickenham, London - Sunday 10 March 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 12-3 Att: 81,458
|
HEAD TO HEAD
|
|
A freezing Twickenham welcomed the Azzurri to the home of England Rugby in a vain but honourable attempt at beating the only team they had not yet conquered in the Six Nations since its inception. In 1986, the Azzurri held an England XV to a 15-all draw in Rome, but aside from that score, the Italians had not defeated the men of the red rose in 19 encounters. This 14th Six Nations encounter was to be the 20th occasion.
The rousing Italian anthem led by Gianluca Paganelli resonated round the stadium, followed by England Rugby’s volume-challenged Laura Wright with God Save The Queen in a ridiculous wedding-like strapless white number split to the thigh in sub-zero temperatures, thankfully lifted by the 80,000-strong Twickenham voices, before Toby Flood kicked off the main event under the watchful eye of Ireland’s George Clancy who managed to stifle play on more than one occasion.
ITALY ANTHEM |
ENGLAND ANTHEM |
England dominated the first half of the game with 65% possession and 71% territory. An early penalty came from a strong scrum which Flood converted in the third minute, but his kick from the second penalty soon after found Giovanbattista Venditti rather than touch. Mike Brown charged down Venditti’s clearance just short of the Italian tryline but bounced behind the dead ball area before Brown could pounce on it.
Mako Vunipola made an impact as expected with his first start for England, and his opposite prop Martin Castrogiovanni gifted another penalty quickly for the homeside to make inroads. Scrum half Danny Care acted quickly around the breakdown and was the first to actually break the solid Azzurri wall of defence on their 22, but an intercept from Luke McLean thwarted England’s first chance at finding the whitewash.
A sharp turnover from the Italians just outside their 22 was swiftly stopped by Chris Ashton but the chip ahead found touch long before he could reach it in empty space. A disruptive Italian defensive prevented England from making definitive in roads in the 22, and again Flood’s kick to the corner could not find touch thanks to Venditti, but the visitors’ penalty count allowed him to double the score from in front of the posts.
Italy finally found their way into England’s 22 at the tail end of the first quarter, and after Tom Youngs collapsed the maul, Luciano Orquera opened the tally for the Azzurri taking the score to 6-3.
Excellent set piece work from halfway saw returning captain and talisman Sergio Parisse eloquently offload to Alessandro Zanni to break almost to the 22; Edoardo Gori crossed the gainline but Clancy pulled them back for a knock on penalty to England. Despite touch judge Nigel Owens firm and vocal correct protestation that the ball came off Chris Robshaw, Clancy stuck to his guns.
Soon it was England on the attack again, Care and Brad Barritt’s quick work allowing Manu Tuilagi to bulldoze ahead repeatedly. Deft hands and momentum from Flood and Vunipola allowed Ashton to collect and sprint towards the posts before he was targeted and swiftly shut down. With plenty of space out to the left, England should have used the three men they had over but Flood went himself only to be obviously held up.
England quickly lost all momentum, penalised on their attacking 5m scrum, turned over in the midfield then giving away a penalty from a knock on; Italy then stole the homeside’s lineout on England’s 22. A knock on from the Azzurri finally returned possession back to England just outside the 22, and also lost Castro to injury, replaced by Lorenzo Cittadini.
HIGHLIGHTS
Italy retrieved possession back in their own territory, but a charge down from Flood released Mike Brown to chase the ball towards the Azzurri 22, only to be halted by Clancy’s whistle again. Edoardo Gori was sent to the bin for obstructing Flood off the ball, leaving Italy with 14 men for the remaining 10 minutes of the half.
The resulting 5m lineout put England back on the attack but Italy turned over the ball from Barritt’s hands deep in their own 22. An excellent turnover from England put the ball deftly through Care, Goode, Tuilagi to Ashton whose pass inside bounced off Joshua Furno instead of finding Flood, and deemed forward found Italy with a scrum on their own 22, with Tobias Botes at scrum replacing Andrea Masi.
A knock on reversed the scrum, handing Flood a conducive position for a penultimate penalty kick at the uprights before half time, stretching the gap to 9-3. England had one more opportunity to score a try as the clock turned 40 with a lineout on the Azzurri 22, and excellent work from the forwards took them close but Geoff Parling’s foot found touch. However, a mystery penalty was awarded to England and Flood knocked over a final 3-pointer before the whistle, leaving the homeside in front 12-3.
Any hope England would return renewed to play a more attacking game getting over the hurdles they hit in the first 40 minutes was shortlived; the second half was a reversal of fortune for Italy in terms of both possession and territory, and England continued to be incapable of finishing any attacking move.
After some intensity from Italy early on -back up to 15 men and Masi back on for Botes- the homeside started with Flood increasing the lead to 15-3, maintaining a 100% record while Parling received treatment on his shoulder. Interestingly, England coach Mike Catt intimated the previous day if they won through kicking alone, he would take it. This would be the case.
Courtney Lawes replaced Parling as England gave a penalty at the scrum, allowing Orquera to cancel out Flood’s 3-pointer within 2 minutes. Then in as short a time, it was Orquera who provided the chip ahead to the corner following England’s lineout outside their own 22, neatly collected by McLean to pop over for a soft try. The conversion flew across both uprights but Italy notched up 8 points in 4 minutes.
Tom Croft returned to the field after 8 months out for a broken neck injury, replacing James Haskell with half an hour remaining. Meanwhile, England continued to show a lack of composure, but lucky for them Orquera’s penalty kick at the uprights went wide, keeping the homeside ahead by 4 points at 15-11.
England prepared to bring on more replacements earlier than the 60 minute norm, with Ben Youngs and Joe Marler on for Care and Vunipola. Italy also made changes with Botes returning for Gori, and Davide Giazzon for Leonardo Ghiraldini.
Into the final quarter and from a lineout inside Italy’s 22, England struggled to get over the gainline, but had a penalty coming which Flood converted into the final score of 18-11, though 18 minutes remained of the match.
The final quarter saw Italy empty their bench, while England replaced all but Freddie Burns. An attritional defensive battle ensued from the opposing sides, but Italy retained the upper hand through much of the second half.
A defensive scrum from England was rescued by Tuilagi but a knock put Italy back in an attacking position, and from the setpiece, McLean broke down the wing again pulled down deep in England’s 22; a foot in touch gave Tom Youngs another defensive lineout.
Flood made 30m from own territory into the Azzurri’s before he was isolated, and eventually McLean made yet another break back over halfway, shut down by Ashton. But the attacks were relentless and for 8 minutes, bar 60 seconds back in the Italian half, the Azzurri arrived like crashing waves just metres short of the England tryline. 
The homeside finally found their composure and held out the Italian invasion.
A final turnover as the clock turned red, and Ben Youngs kicked the ball into touch, both teams exhausted, and Italy convincingly taking England to task despite the loss. Masi won Man of the Match, and tipped England for the Grand Slam, but Italy undoubtedly gave Wales hope of a chance to steal the Championship from under the leaders’ nose.
15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Manu Tuilagi 12 Brad Barritt 11 Mike Brown 10 Toby Flood 9 Danny Care 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Joe Launchbury 5 Geoff Parling 6 James Haskell 7 CHRIS ROBSHAW (C) 8 Tom Wood BENCH: 16 Dylan Hartley 17 David Wilson 18 Joe Marler 19 Courtney Lawes 20 Tom Croft 21 Ben Youngs 22 Freddie Burns 23 Billy Twelvetrees
SCORERS P: Flood (6)
15 Andrea Masi 14 Giovanbattista Venditti 13 Gonzalo Canale 12 Gonzalo Garcia 11 Luke McLean 10 Luciano Orquera 9 Edoardo Gori 1 Alberto de Marchi 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 4 Quintin Geldenhuys 5 Joshua Furno 6 Alessandro Zanni 7 Robert Barbieri 8 SERGIO PARISSE (C) BENCH: 16 Davide Giazzon 17 Andrea Lo Cicero 18 Lorenzo Cittadini 19 Antonio Pavanello 20 Francesco Minto 21 Simone Favaro 22 Tobias Botes 23 Tommaso Benvenuti
SCORERS T: McLean P: Orquera (2) Gori
Man of the Match: Andrea Masi (Italy)
Referee: George Clancy (IRFU) Asst. Referees: Nigel Owens (WRU) Pascal Gauzere (FFR) TMO: Simon McDowell (IRFU)
ITALY 9 - 26 WALES
Stadio Olimpico, Rome - Saturday 23 February 2013
KO: 15:30 HT: 6-9 Att: 73,526
|
HEAD TO HEAD
|
|
HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...
Italy 0-0 Wales 1min Italian player down but gets back up. Rain is being unforgiving. Welsh lineout in own 22
Italy 0-0 Wales 2mins Scrum to Wales as Italy put wrong numbers to lineout. Italy scrum too early> free kick Wales
Italy 0-0 Wales 2mins Good solid Italy first scrum in own half. Bit of heading of the ball going on HW
Italy 0-0 Wales 4mins Italy going through phases 10 metres in Welsh half. Italy pinged and Biggar boots into Italy 22
Italy 0-0 Wales 5mins Toby Faletau pushing his way deeper into Italy 22. Italian fans roaring as Italy penalised
Italy 0-3 Wales 7mins Leigh Halfpenny tees up. Noise coming from the stadium is ridiculous. Ball sails through.
Italy 0-3 Wales 8mins Wales dominating territory at the moment. Good tackle by Castrogiovanni on Mike Phillips
Italy 3-3 Wales 9mins Gethin Jenkins penalised at Italian scrum> Kris Burton looking to even the scores & he does
Italy 3-3 Wales 10mins Halfpenny clearing kick charged down and so lucky Biggar could collect it
Italy 3-3 Wales 12mins Oooh Italy looked like they may be onto something but they blocked Welsh defence> Welsh scrum
Italy 3-3 Wales 13mins Good Welsh scrum and Wales are handed the penalty. Biggar kick for touch misses but Italy k/o
Italy 3-3 Wales 13mins Wales destroying Italy the scrum as handbags come out. Halfpenny tees up once again
Italy 3-6 Wales 15mins Mr reliable Halfpenny's kick beautifully slides between the posts
Italy 3-6 Wales 17mins Welsh lineout just inside Italian half. Another mistake in lineout by Italy> Welsh scrum
Italy 3-6 Wales 17mins Wales looking confident and the 82,000 capacity stadium looks pretty full despite the weather
Italy 3-6 Wales 18mins Wales once again come out top in Scrum even though it isn't completed. Halfpenny tees to punish
Italy 3-9 Wales 19mins Halfpenny makes a 45 metre kick look so easy as he once again adds more points
Italy 3-9 Wales 19mins Italians ran at Welsh defence with quite some pace but lose the ball. Band music serenades fans
Italy 3-9 Wales 21mins Welsh scrum. Italy really struggling with their scrummaging. Wales collect ball from scrum.
Italy 3-9 Wales 22mins No doubt who is in charge of this game. Finally Welsh fans can be heard with Hymns and Arias
Italy 3-9 Wales 24mins Italian lineout secured on H/W. Italy try a cheeky chip but Biggar catches.
Italy 3-9 Wales 25mins Wales don't release at b/d. Burton's kick doesn't reach touch but Alex Cuthbert k/o
Italy 3-9 Wales 26mins Italian scrum in Welsh 22 as rain once again pelts down. Italy looking feisty. Burton DG misses
Italy 3-9 Wales 26mins Burton down after DG attempt. Parisse in the house but looks anxious
Italy 3-9 Wales 27mins Burton ok. Italy t/o Wales but errors keep slipping into the game from both sides
Italy 3-9 Wales 29mins Players dripping with rain as it comes down in torrents. Italian scrum. Ref unhappy with scrums
Italy 6-9 Wales 29mins Wales penalised at scrum & Burton kicks for goal which just sneaks in
Italy 6-9 Wales 30mins Biggar passes to Cuthbert & he thinks something is on before Gonzalo Canale brilliantly tackles
Italy 6-9 Wales 31mins Not really been many attacking opportunities as ball has been slow for both sides
Italy 6-9 Wales 32mins Welsh lineout secured but Castrogiovanni t/o. Italy's clearing kick charged down
Italy 6-9 Wales 32mins Italy penalised and lucky not to be given yellow card. Halfpenny kicks at goal but misses
Italy 6-9 Wales 35mins Cuthbert makes some yards down pitch after restart but Italian player sandwich stops him
Italy 6-9 Wales 36mins Massive boot from Burton leads to a 22 drop out from Biggar, cue aerial ping pong
Italy 6-9 Wales 38mins Neither team wanting to keep ball in hand. Italian lineout on H/W goes awry. Welsh scrum
Italy 6-9 Wales 40mins Welsh scrum goes wrong> Italian scrum. This scrum goes down and play is getting scrappy
Italy 6-9 Wales 41mins Italy finally secure scrum ball & have the last say of the 1st half
Italy 6-9 Wales HT P: Burton (2) | P: Halfpenny (3)
Italy 6-9 Wales HT Welsh team back out on the pitch awaiting the arrival of the Azzurri
Italy 6-9 Wales 40mins 2nd half KO by Burton. Scrappy collection by Wales & Phillips clears
Italy 6-9 Wales 40mins Burton sets up his team with a tap down field & Wales have been warned by Italy despite a k/o
Italy 6-9 Wales 42mins Burton tries for yet another DG but it hooks to the right of the uprights
Italy 6-9 Wales 43mins The men in blue are the ones who are impressing in the start of the 2nd half
Italy 6-14 Wales 44mins Phillips kicks for blindside, bounces perfectly for Welsh, evading Italy. Jonathan Davies try
Italy 6-16 Wales 45mins Halfpenny converts & Italy were unlucky with the bounce of ball. Davies has try on 1st touch
Italy 6-14 Wales 46mins Nice kick from Italy sliding them into Welsh half> Welsh lineout Scrappy Richard Hibbard throw
Italy 6-14 Wales 48mins Italy have throw in. Wales pinged for tackling man in air. Burton looks to kick at goal
Italy 6-16 Wales 49mins Burton's powerful boots adds points to the Italian's cause
Italy 9-16 Wales 51mins Alun Wyn Jones comes on for Wales. As Wales go for a scrum. Wales given pen
Italy 9-16 Wales 52mins There is a familiar sight of Halfpenny teeing up a tough kick from the left side of pitch
Italy 9-19 Wales 53mins Halfpenny's kick is successful once again
Italy 9-19 Wales 54mins Wales have the ball but a Phillips decision to kick gives Italy possession
Italy 9-19 Wales 54mins Italian replacements come on to the pitch as the men in blue have a penalty kick for touch
Italy 9-19 Wales 55mins Italy show why they are most successful lineout catchers of 6 Nations by securing own ball
Italy 9-19 Wales 56mins 'WALES' choruses around stadium as the Welsh lose lineout ball in own half
Italy 9-19 Wales 57mins Cuthbert thought it was on for him again as he dashes down blindside but k/o
Italy 9-19 Wales 58mins No it appears Italian k/o as Wales have scrum. Ref delving into pocket & Castrogiovanni is off
Italy 9-19 Wales 59mins Will be a long 10mins for Italy after new captain sin binned. Wales exploiting 14 men and maul
Italy 9-19 Wales 60mins Wales are through! Castrogiovanni looks absolutely gutted as Cuthbert gets his try
Italy 9-24 Wales 60mins A driving maul from the Welsh boys and a nice dummy run from Davies shuts down the Azzurri
Italy 9-26 Wales 62mins Halfpenny converts & Wales' confidence is growing by the second. Italy given pen in Welsh half
Italy 9-26 Wales 63mins Phillips replaced by Lloyd Williams as Italy have lineout in Welsh 22
Italy 9-26 Wales 64mins Italy looking fierce as they work through the phases. Pressure gets to them & they lose ball
Italy 9-26 Wales 65mins Italy bring on Lorenzo Cittadini for Welsh scrum in their own 22. Wales clear
Italy 9-26 Wales 66mins Italy on the attack near H/W but are punished for blocking Cuthbert > Welsh lineout
Italy 9-26 Wales 68mins Quicker ball for Wales as they hammer away at Italian half. Wales advantage turns into pen
Italy 9-26 Wales 67mins Ryan Jones given choice- kick for goal or touch? Long deliberation sees Castrogiovanni back
Italy 9-26 Wales 69mins Hook on for Wales. Howley looking anxious despite growing Welsh lead
Italy 9-26 Wales 69mins Italian scrum in own 22. Scrum looked to have gone well but Paul James pinged for wrong angle
Italy 9-26 Wales 70mins Italian lineout goes well but Wales are pushing Azzurri back and force them to kick it away
Italy 9-26 Wales 72mins James Hook tries to set Halfpenny up but Andrea Masi takes it
Italy 9-26 Wales 73mins Castrogiovanni replaced minutes after sinbin was up and all Welsh replacements have been used
Italy 9-26 Wales 73mins Pause in the game as Masi's head wound is wrapped up
Italy 9-26 Wales 74mins Welsh lineout finds goes well. Cuthbert k/o. Ref decides it was deliberate> Italy go for touch
Italy 9-26 Wales 75mins Wales t/o Italy and the gigantic figure of George North rams his way down centre of field
Italy 9-26 Wales 76mins Masi's head wound looks to be trickling down his face. Halfpenny named Man of the Match
Italy 9-26 Wales 77mins Davies attacking kick slips off field> Italian lineout near H/W. Paul Derbyshire chins ball
Italy 9-26 Wales 79mins Scrum goes well & Wales driving forwards to seal the match with points.
Italy 9-26 Wales 80mins Wales kick the ball out & it's game over
Italy 9-26 Wales 80mins Perhaps not the most exciting of rugby matches but Wales should be pleased
Italy 9-26 Wales 80mins Both teams really need to work on their scrummaging though but weather conditions didn't help
15 Andrea Masi 14 Giovanbattista Venditti 13 Tommaso Benvenuti 12 Gonzalo Canale 11 Luke McLean 10 Kris Burton 9 Edoardo Gori 1 Andrea Lo Cicero Vaina 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini 3 MARTIN CASTROGIOVANNI (C) 4 Antonio Pavanello 5 Francesco Minto 6 Alessandro Zanni 7 Simone Favaro 8 Manoa Vosawai BENCH: 16 Davide Giazzon 17 Alberto de Marchi 18 Lorenzo Cittadini 19 Quintin Geldenhuys 20 Paul Derbyshire 21 Tobias Botes 22 Luciano Orquera 23 Gonzalo Garcia
SCORERS P: Burton (3) Castrogiovanni
15 Leigh Halfpenny 14 Alex Cuthbert 13 Jonathan Davies 12 Jamie Roberts 11 George North 10 Dan Biggar 9 Mike Phillips 1 Gethin Jenkins 2 Richard Hibbard 3 Adam Jones 4 Andrew Coombs 5 Ian Evans 6 RYAN JONES (C) 7 Justin Tipuric 8 Toby Faletau BENCH: 16 Ken Owens 17 Paul James 18 Craig Mitchell 19 Alun-Wyn Jones 20 Sam Warburton 21 Lloyd Williams 22 James Hook 23 Scott Williams
SCORERS T: Davies, Cuthbert C: Halfpenny (2) P: Halfpenny (4)
Man of the Match: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)
Referee: Romain Poite (FFR) Asst. Referees: Alain Rolland (IRFU) Pascal Gauzere (FFR) TMO: Geoff Warren (RFU)
ENGLAND 23 - 13 FRANCE
Twickenham, London - Saturday 23 February 2013
KO: 17:00 HT: 9-10 Att: 81,713
|
HEAD TO HEAD
|
|
HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...
England 0-0 France 0min kicks off in front of roaring crowd at Twickers & 1st pen to home side...
England 3-0 France 2mins Owen Farrell opens the scoring early & starts with a 3-pointer
England 3-3 France 4mins But quickly Joe Launchbury pinged for offside & Morgan Parra equalises
England 3-3 France 6mins Gotta say absolutely bloody freezing at HQ today! England L/O outside French 22
England 3-3 France 6mins Big French presence in North stand - makes for excellent atmosphere...
England 3-3 France 7mins L/O's fine but pen gives Les Bleus possession on own 22; ball kicked around like football
England 3-3 France 9mins England scrum just outside French 22; reset; early engagement & scrum to France
England 3-3 France 10mins Massive encouragement from England fans but France have the kick; clear to just over H/W
HIGHLIGHTS
England 3-3 France 12mins Small break from Francois Trinh-Duc but spills ball fwd; ref Craig Joubert comes back for pen
England 3-3 France 14mins French L/O just outside England 22; results in French scrum H/W between 22 & 10m
England 3-3 France 16mins England take back possession & head over French 10m; small break from Chris Ashton...
England 3-3 France 17mins But awesome t/o at b/d from captain Thierry Dusautoir; Les Bleus back into England territory
England 3-3 France 18mins France scrum outside England 10m...the real France have pitched up today!
England 3-3 France 20mins France lose ball forward; England scrum but time off for attention to Brad Barritt
England 3-3 France 21mins Good kick & England have L/O just outside French 10m
England 3-3 France 22mins England make some yards towards 22 but French t/o...
England 3-3 France 23mins French concede possession at b/d & England have scrum outside French 10m
England 3-3 France 26mins Pen England & Farrell kicks for L/O on 22; massive heave & Tuilagi breaks but down 10m short
England 3-3 France 26mins England regather, Faz chips fwd but overshoots & Ashy left standing in goal area
England 6-3 France 27mins Faz furious with himself but makes up for it with perfect pen kick taking lead again
England 6-8 France 29mins Spectacular break from Wesley Fofana from b/d & leaves Ben Youngs & Ashy in wake to score!
England 6-10 France 31mins Parra converts and France on the front foot convincingly
England 6-10 France 32mins England retaliate by heading up to French 22 but great defence holds them back...
England 9-10 France 33mins Faz closes gap to just a point after Thomas Domingo pinged at b/d
England 9-10 France 34mins Ben Youngs clearance kick in own 22 charged down by Yoann Maestri but Alex Goode saves try
England 9-10 France 37mins Ball dribbles towards touch inside French 10m & Les Bleus have L/O; touch again & England L/O
England 9-10 France 38mins Doesn't go so well for England as forced back towards own 22 but have L/O
England 9-10 France 39mins Ball kicked from midfield into England 22 but Faz calls mark & clears back to H/W
England 9-10 France 40mins England concede pen & Parra kicks for uprights from almost H/W but falls almost 20m short
England 9-10 France HT P: Farrell (3) | T: Fofana C: Parra P: Parra
England 9-10 France 40mins France KO as darkness descends on Twickenham, England scrum on own 10m line
England 9-10 France 42mins France win pen & Parra tees up from 10m but pulls it wide
England 9-10 France 43mins Nothing beats neutral Irish journo sat next to you...tis the hugely talented David Walsh
England 9-10 France 44mins Pen to England at b/d just on own side of H/W, Faz wallops it into touch for L/O inside 22
England 9-10 France 46mins L/O ball stolen & cleared for England 22 L/O; heave & pen. Faz tees up from just outside 22
England 12-10 France 48mins A perfect penalty conversion from Faz & England creep ahead again
England 12-10 France 49mins From restart, France win L/O on England 10m but spill ball fwd as Ben Y makes 1st break...
England 12-10 France 51mins Early changes for England with Haskell, Vunipola & Tom Youngs for Lawes, Marler & Hartley
England 12-10 France 52mins French fans delighted at Trinh-Duc replaced by Freddie Michalak
England 12-10 France 54mins French scrum inside England 10m; early engagement from Les Bleus...Faz clears towards French 22
England 17-10 France 55mins Kerfuffle at b/d of sorts & Manu Tuilagi collects from side & charges to score in corner
England 17-10 France 55mins Sorry was Goode who kicked the up & under not Faz; conversion missed
England 17-13 France 56mins But as quickly as try came, pen gifted & Michalak adds 3 easily
England 17-13 France 58mins France reciprocate as Faz preps to kick from almost H/W; meanwhile Danny Care on for Ben Y
England 17-13 France 59mins Faz pulls wide but Eng quickly back in possession; kick to touch but Vincent Clerc calls it
England 17-13 France 61mins Toby Flood on for Faz & England make some yards but Ashy's foot finds touch...time off
England 17-13 France 62mins From L/O France head towards England 22; neat intercept & clearance from Haskell
England 17-13 France 64mins Play goes French way again til Michalak knocks on outside England 22
England 17-13 France 64mins Dimitri Szarzewski & Vincent Debaty on for Domingo & Kayser earlier
England 17-13 France 65mins Luc Ducalcon, Jocelino Suta & Maxime Machenaud on for Mas, Samson & Parra
England 17-13 France 66mins Ball crosses T/L chased by 2 England shirts but Clerc just saves the try
England 17-13 France 67mins England into French 22 again but cross kick finds touch rather than Ashy; French L/O
England 17-13 France 69mins England L/O outside of 22 but infringement at B/D & France clear to outside Eng 22 for L/O
England 17-13 France 70min Antonie Claassen on for Nyanga & game definitely stepped up in pace; England up to French 22
England 17-13 France 71mins French clear to touch; from L/O heave from England & Bastareaud pinged for not rolling away
England 20-13 France 72mins Toby Flood tees up from in front of posts & is bang on target
England 20-13 France 74mins Bastareaud replaced by Florian Fritz; Michalak dribbles ball into touch on own 22
England 20-13 France 76mins England L/O is good; Fritz pinged at B/D for not releasing; Flood tees up from outside 22
England 23-13 France 76mins Crowd convinced its going thru & cheer before even H/W there - it did!
England 23-13 France 78mins Handbags drawn between Mike Brown & Maestri off the ball - silly nonsense
England 23-13 France 79mins L/O outside French 22 & Les Bleus clear, forcing England back into own 22...
England 23-13 France 80mins England captain Chris Robshaw named RBS Man of the Match
England 23-13 France 80mins France still in possession & up to England 22; t/o ball & Ashy runs it into touch...
England 23-13 France 80mins Handbags drawn again between Care & Michalak on touch line & few more join in...
England 23-13 France FT Final whistle eventually blown & England march on towards Grandslam while France lose 3rd game
15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi 12 Brad Barritt 11 Mike Brown 10 Owen Farrell 9 Ben Youngs 1 Joe Marler 2 Dylan Hartley 3 Dan Cole 4 Joe Launchbury 5 Geoff Parling
6 Courtney Lawes 7 CHRIS ROBSHAW (C) 8 Tom Wood BENCH: 16 Tom Youngs 17 David Wilson 18 Mako Vunipola 19 James Haskell 20 Thomas Waldrom 21 Danny Care 22 Toby Flood 23 Billy Twelvetrees
SCORERS T: Tuilagi P: Farrell (4), Flood (2) Dan Cole
15 Yoann Huget 14 Vincent Clerc 13 Mathieu Bastareaud 12 Wesley Fofana 11 Benjamin Fall 10 Francois Trinh-Duc 9 Morgan Parra 1 Thomas Domingo 2 Benjamin Kayser 3 Nicolas Mas 4 Christophe Samson 5 Yoann Maestri 6 Yannick Nyanga 7 Thierry DUSAUTOIR (C) 8 Louis Picamoles BENCH: 16 Dimitri Szarzewski 17 Vincent Debaty 18 Luc Ducalcon 19 Jocelino Suta 20 Antonie Claassen 21 Maxime Machenaud 22 Frederic Michalak 23 Florian Fritz
SCORERS T: Fofana C: Parra P: Parra, Michalak
Man of the Match: Chris Robshaw (England)
Referee: Craig Joubert (SARU) Asst. Referees: John Lacey (IRFU) Leighton Hodges (WRU) TMO: Jim Yuille (SRU)
SCOTLAND 12 - 8 IRELAND
Murrayfield, Edinburgh - Sunday 24 February 2013
KO: 14:00 HT: 0-3 Att: 67,006
|
HEAD TO HEAD
|
|
HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...
Scotland vs Ireland Just 10 minutes to go til KO. Hugely under strength side from Ireland to face a buoyant Scotland
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 1min Paddy Jackson buried at B/D on debut picked over O'Gara; Scots engage early at 1st scrum
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 3mins Ireland scrum on Scottish 10m but pop up & Scots pen
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 4mins Good clearance but pen Ireland for infringement at B/D on Irish 10m. Ref is Wayne Barnes!
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 5mins Rob Kearney attempts grubber kick but messes it up; off Scots foot & Ireland L/O
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 6mins Suddenly momentum with Ireland as break to just 5m from Scots T/L; Scots defence strong
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 8mins But pen Ireland & opt for corner & 5m L/O; stolen by Jim Hamilton but pen Ireland again
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 9mins Awesome work from Ireland as head back towards Scottish 22 but pass goes awry into touch
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 10mins Scots scrum in own 22 - win pen & good clear for L/O on H/W
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 12mins Scots don't get far into Irish territory before play back into own half & Irish attack
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 14mins Wave upon wave of Irish attacking forced to recycle with pen coming; 2nd pen for not 10m
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 15mins Ryan Grant harshly binned & Paddy Jackson tees up for 1st points in international rugby
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 16mins Paddy J's kick doesn't have result Ireland hoped for but play still in Scottish half...
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 18mins Belting kick downfield from Irish but much too far into touch passed T/L
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 19mins Moray Low comes into front row for Scottish scrum back on H/W but Ireland pen on own 10m
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 21mins Ireland firmly in control of this game despite lack of points; Irish L/O on Scots 22
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 22mins Scots making light work of disrupting Irish L/Os. Scots scrum & clear to Irish territory
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 23mins Irish L/O just in own half & play driven back over H/W but Scots L/O
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 24mins Irish lose brilliant scoring opportunity as Keith Earls breaks but doesn't offload...
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 25mins ...to waiting Brian O'Driscoll as he's bundled into touch.
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 26mins Awesome tackle into touch & general good work from Kiwi Sean Maitland
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 28mins Irish scrum just inside own half & early engagement from Scots gives them free kick
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 29mins But struggling to get out of own half; Irish pen & good kick from Paddy J for L/O inside 22
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 31mins L/O not to plan resulting in Scots ball back at H/W but Rob Harley tackles player in air
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 32mins Scots concede another pen in own half & Irish kick for corner for L/O in 22
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 33mins Irish retain possession 5m out but not going forward; back up to 22 & attack again...
Scotland 0-0 Ireland 34mins Tho Scots defence is good in slowing ball down, pinged at B/D & pen for Paddy J to kick
Scotland 0-3 Ireland 35mins Paddy J earns his first points as Ireland get onto scoreboard from inside 22
Scotland 0-3 Ireland 37mins Irish scrum on H/W; Scots k/o & Irish offside gives Ireland scrum on Scots 10m
Scotland 0-3 Ireland 38mins Irish up to 22; BOD chips thru but into touch & Scots L/O H/W between 10 & 22.
Scotland 0-3 Ireland 40mins Scots pen>opt for goal kick from 51m! Stuart Hogg wallops it but just falls under crossbar
Scotland 0-3 Ireland HT YC Ryan Grant | P: Paddy Jackson
Scotland 0-3 Ireland HT Most bizarre game where Ireland have 75% possession & 86% territory but only 3pts up
Scotland 0-3 Ireland HT Two awful elements of match - Wayne Barnes' reffing & BBC's horrific camerawork
Scotland 0-3 Ireland 40mins Back for 2nd half & Scots doing great job of slowing ball down...
Scotland 0-3 Ireland 42mins Sean O'Brien makes great break but slips; recycling good & only 3m from Scots T/L...
Scotland 0-8 Ireland 43mins Craig Gilroy finds his way T/L for Ireland but many many handbags drawn all round
Scotland 0-8 Ireland 45mins Paddy J misses conversion while Kelly Brown off for blood & Ross Ford replaced by Hall & Denton
Scotland 0-8 Ireland 48mins Scots attack; bit of aerial work > Irish possession & pen on H/W but Paddy J misses touch
Scotland 0-8 Ireland 50mins Scots finally get to Irish 22 with L/O; blood reversal & Brown's back on for David Denton
Scotland 3-8 Ireland 52mins Good L/O & pen coming too still in Irish 22; Greig Laidlaw tees up & converts to roars
Scotland 3-8 Ireland 54mins But Scots immediately gift pen at B/D & Paddy J prepares from his wrong side outside 22
Scotland 3-8 Ireland 56mins Scots ball on H/W & clear to just outside Irish 22 for L/O...
Scotland 3-8 Ireland 57mins Good L/O but Tim Visser knocks on > Irish scrum midfield just outside own 22
Scotland 6-8 Ireland 59mins Excellent work at scrum from Scots as they steal ball; pen Scots & Laidlaw adds another 3
Scotland 6-8 Ireland 59mins David Kilcoyne & Luke Fitzgerald on for Court & Gilroy
Scotland 6-8 Ireland 60mins Duncan Weir on for Ruaridh Jackson & makes immediate impact with Scots into Irish 22
Scotland 6-8 Ireland 61mins Adv Scots & just metres away; Brown thinks he's scored but k/o earlier brings it back
Scotland 9-8 Ireland 63mins Scottish fans joyous & vocal as Laidlaw kicks over 3rd pen to take lead
Scotland 9-8 Ireland 64mins After 3 missed kicks for Paddy J on his debut, Kidney finally sends on Ronan O'Gara
Scotland 9-8 Ireland 67mins Irish in control again but hand creeps thru at B/D whilst off feet & pen Scotland
Scotland 9-8 Ireland 69mins Eoin Reddan replaces Conor Murray at scrum half & more changes to come...
Scotland 9-8 Ireland 70mins Scots possession in own territory but Laidlaw clears way over H/W.
Scotland 9-8 Ireland 72mins Goes long & 22 Irish restart- ball flies both ways til Ireland kick backwards into own 22!
Scotland 9-8 Ireland 73mins Bonkers decision from O'Gara; changes happening all round...pen Scot
Scotland 9-8 Ireland 73mins Denton & Ali Kellock on for Harley & Hamilton; Henderson & Toner for O'Mahony & O'Callaghan
Scotland 12-8 Ireland 74mins Laidlaw clocks up 4th pen to widen gap slightly but Irish still have time to catch up...
Scotland 12-8 Ireland 76mins Irish fight back hard & have adv outside Scots 22; pen & kick to corner for 5m L/O
Scotland 12-8 Ireland 77mins Didn't look awfully straight but anyway; Irish worked width of T/L still 5m out...
Scotland 12-8 Ireland 78mins Scots keep composure & heap pressure on Irish at B/D > pen Scotland && 5m defensive scrum
Scotland 12-8 Ireland 79mins Scrum goes to Scotland again after Reddan practically climbs on Scots front row...
Scotland 12-8 Ireland 80mins Scrum reset as coach Scott Johnson paces on sideline...
Scotland 12-8 Ireland 80+1mins Scots only had to hold on but pen Irish! Oh so tense!
Scotland 12-8 Ireland 80+2mins Irish take quick tap but k/o to hand victory to Scots at the death. Well played Scots
Scotland 12-8 Ireland FT Ireland 74% possession 71% territory... Scotland showed real mettle today
15 Stuart Hogg 14 Sean Maitland 13 Sean Lamont 12 Matt Scott 11 Tim Visser 10 Ruaridh Jackson 9 Greig Laidlaw 1 Ryan Grant 2 Ross Ford 3 Geoff Cross 4 Richie Gray 5 Jim Hamilton 6 Robert Harley 7 KELLY BROWN (C) 8 Johnnie Beattie BENCH: 16 Dougie Hall 17 Jon Welsh 18 Moray Low 19 Alastair Kellock 20 David Denton 21 Henry Pyrgos 22 Duncan Weir 23 Max Evans
SCORERS P: Laidlaw (4) Ryan Grant
15 Rob Kearney 14 Craig Gilroy 13 Brian O'Driscoll 12 Luke Marshall* 11 Keith Earls 10 Paddy Jackson 9 Conor Murray 1 Tom Court 2 Rory Best 3 Mike Ross 4 Donncha O’Callaghan 5 Donnacha Ryan 6 Peter O'Mahony 7 Sean O’Brien 8 JAMIE HEASLIP (C) BENCH: 16 Sean Cronin 17 David Kilcoyne 18 Declan Fitzpatrick 19 Devin Toner 20 Iain Henderson 21 Eoin Reddan 22 Ronan O'Gara 23 Luke Fitzgerald
SCORERS T: Gilroy P: Paddy Jackson
Man of the Match: Jim Hamilton (Scotland)
Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU) Asst. Referees: Jérôme Garces (FFR) Greg Garner (RFU) TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
SCOTLAND 34 - 10 ITALY
Murrayfield, Edinburgh - Saturday 9th February 2013
KO: 14:30 HT: 13-3 Att: 50,247
|
HEAD TO HEAD
|
|
HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...
Scotland v Italy Not as sunny this weekend. Murrayfield eagerly awaiting what could be a very important game
Scotland v Italy Captain Sergio Parisse knocks the idea that Italy are going in favourites in this always tight match
Scotland v Italy Massive roar from the crowd at Murrayfield as Captain Kelly Brown leads out the homeside
Scotland v Italy An incredible number of bagpipes being played as both sides greet Her Royal Highness Princess Anne
Scotland v Italy Last 6 encounters between 2 sides have been won by the homeside- could it be victory for Scotland?
Scotland 0-0 Italy 0mins Anthems been belted out. Referee Jaco Peyper blows his whistle and Scotland KO
Scotland 0-0 Italy 0mins Scotland immediately on the attack, pacing down the field towards Italy 22 KO
Scotland 0-0 Italy 1mins Quick lineout, Scotland making a fab start to 2nd round. Still on attack
Scotland 0-0 Italy 2mins Unfortunate bounce of ball stops an early Scottish try opportunity
Scotland 0-0 Italy 3mins First scrum> Italian feed. Italy given free kick and Italy are off for Scottish half
Which idiot approved Scotland to wear exactly the same colour as Italy?! *muppets* ~Ed
Scotland 0-0 Italy 4mins Ball goes up and it's a mad scramble to catch it in Italian half. Italy back on attack
Scotland 0-0 Italy 5mins Italy given pen and they have a lineout just inside Scotland's half
Scotland 0-0 Italy 6mins Scotland come in from the side of a running maul and Italy awarded another pen
Scotland 0-0 Italy 6mins Luciano Orquera tees up and ball painfully bounces off uprights, Italy somehow collect it
Scotland 0-0 Italy 8mins Andrea Masi charges down a Scottish box kick and there's another scrum to Italy
Scotland 0-0 Italy 10mins Scrum collapses as 'Scotland' reverberates around the Murrayfield. Scrum collapse again
Scotland 0-0 Italy 11mins Masi boots the ball down field perfectly> lineout Scotland. Ryan Grant given some attention
Scotland 0-0 Italy 13mins Orquera tries to keep ball in Italian half but accidentally kicks it out
Scotland 0-0 Italy 14mins Scotland attacking Italian 22 with some pelt! Scots have pen. Greig Laidlaw kicks at goal
Scotland 3-0 Italy 15mins Laidlaw kicks cleanly and it's the home team in front
Scotland 3-0 Italy 16mins Another solid Azzurri scrum but Scotland t/o
Scotland 3-0 Italy 17mins Couple of men down at the moment and receiving treatment, looks like nothing serious
Scotland 3-0 Italy 18mins Italy have yet another scrum and Parisse hits ground running. On halfway & Italy still going
Scotland 3-0 Italy 19mins Ref gets a ball kicked to the noggin but smiles it off
Scotland 3-0 Italy 20mins Early engage at scrum from Italy> Scottish free kick. Italian lineout on H/W
Scotland 3-0 Italy 22mins Evenly matched game so far. Parisse catches long ball from Scotland and Italy back on attack
Scotland 3-0 Italy 22mins Italy refuse to let go of ball at B/D> Scottish penalty takes play inside Italy's 22
Scotland 3-0 Italy 23mins Lineouts going well so far, cross field kick from Ruaridh Jackson almost came off for Scots
Scotland 6-0 Italy 24mins Scots have another penalty & Laidlaw knocks over another 3 pts
Scotland 6-0 Italy 25mins Sloppy restart from Italy fly half Orquera> Scottish scrum & Scotland hungry for more pts
Scotland 6-0 Italy 25mins Scottish agonisingly close to getting a try but Matt Scott was stopped> ltaly lineout
Scotland 6-0 Italy 28mins Scotland still searching for that try and Tim Visser is over! Crowd comes to life
Scotland 13-0 Italy 30mins Laidlaw's kicking record kept to 100%
Scotland 13-0 Italy 31mins Will Italy get on the scoreboard before HT?
Scotland 13-0 Italy 31mins Italy trying to fight back as they head towards Scottish T/L but Italy give away a pen
Scotland 13-0 Italy 32mins Both teams had pretty much equal possession but Italy keep making silly mistakes
Scotland 13-0 Italy 34mins Leonardo Ghiraldini k/o> scrum to Scotland
Scotland 13-0 Italy 34mins Italians penalised at scrum as Scotland handed free kick
Scotland 13-0 Italy 35mins Scotland in Italy's half but Italy's defence pushing them back and slowing down the ball
Scotland 13-0 Italy 37mins Matt Scott refuses to let go and Italy have a penalty> lineout inside Scottish 22
Scotland 13-0 Italy 35mins Lineout successful and Italy have a maul on the go, pitch seems slippery for Azzurri
Scotland 13-0 Italy 35mins Scotland penalised for slowing down ball, Italy handed advantage. Scots t/o & back to pen
Scotland 13-3 Italy 39mins Whistling from crowd as Orquera successfully kicks Italy's first points
Scotland 13-3 Italy HT T: Visser C: Laidlaw P: Laidlaw (2) | P: Orquera
Scotland 13-3 Italy 40mins HT- Scotland will be happy with how the 1st half went but Italy need to stop the mistakes
Scotland 13-3 Italy HT Scoreboard controlled by Scots but game is still very open with both teams putting up a fight
Scotland 13-3 Italy HT Could Italy come back and win 3 consecutive Six Nations games for the first time?
Scotland 13-3 Italy 40mins No changes to either side as Italy KO
Scotland 13-3 Italy 40mins Italy straight into Scottish half and on the attack but Scotland t/o and kick ball away
Scotland 13-3 Italy 43mins Scottish lineout just outside Italian 22 and Matt Scott rips through the Italian defence
Scotland 20-3 Italy 43mins Scott Johnson grinning in management box as Laidlaw converts
Scotland 20-3 Italy 44mins Scotland coming into their own and really putting the pressure on Italy.
Scotland 20-3 Italy 44mins Italy working their way up the right blindside but miss their chance. Laidlaw clears
Scotland 20-3 Italy 4mins Italy lose lineout ball but recover the ball. Italy race for 22 but Stuart Hogg intercepts
Scotland 25-3 Italy 47mins Hogg scores try after dashing 80 metres downfield!
Scotland 27-3 Italy 48mins Laidlaw adds the pts. Looked as if Italy were in but Orquera isolated
Scotland 27-3 Italy 49mins Scottish crowd really in this game as they boom their support
Scotland 27-3 Italy 51mins Scottish scrum in own half. Scrum being painfully reset. Italy handed put in
Scotland 27-3 Italy 51mins Scrum goes down and Italy handed penalty. Replacement Kris Burton boots into Scottish 22
Scotland 27-3 Italy 53mins Italy have advantage as they edge towards T/L. More advantages being given to Italy
Scotland 27-3 Italy 54mins 5 metre scrum to Italy & Scotland lucky not to have any yellow cards in last passage
Scotland 27-3 Italy 54mins Scrum reset again, so much time spent resetting scrums today! Scrum goes down & Parisse k/o
Scotland 27-3 Italy 56mins Scottish scrum 5 metres away from own T/L. Minor scuffle breaks out as Scotland given pen
Scotland 27-3 Italy 57mins Scottish lineout goes well and boot ball downfield. Italy back on attack on H/W
Scotland 27-3 Italy 58mins Italy slowly etching away at Scottish defence but Scotland look more organised in own half
Scotland 27-3 Italy 58mins Italy now in Scottish 22, given advantage as Scotland doesn't roll away, go back to pen
Scotland 27-3 Italy 59mins Replacements coming on for Italy as they go for a scrum in Scotland's 22
Scotland 27-3 Italy 60mins Laidlaw box kicks the ball away from danger zone> Italy lineout on H/W
Scotland 27-3 Italy 61mins Scotland look hungry for another try as they burst down the field. Scotland have penalty
Scotland 27-3 Italy 62mins Scottish lineout in Italian 22, will this be the nails in the coffin for Italy?
Scotland 27-3 Italy 63mins Lineout goes wrong and Italy have the ball but kick straight to Scotland
Scotland 27-3 Italy 63mins Richie Gray fancying himself a try but stopped
Scotland 27-3 Italy 64mins Scotland have a maul and they are edging ever closer to Azzurri T/L. Try for Matt Scott?
Scotland 27-3 Italy 64mins Matt Scott thought he was in but he received a forward pass from Lamont> Italy scrum
Scotland 27-3 Italy 65mins Scrum goes wrong and Italy use free kick to clear their 22
Scotland 27-3 Italy 64mins Jim Hamilton replaced for Scotland and Matt Scott receiving attention. More replacements
Scotland 27-3 Italy 68mins Italy picking up the pace towards Scottish 22 but players too close together to do anything
Scotland 32-3 Italy 68mins Another interception try for Scotland as Sean Lamont leaps over the line!
Scotland 34-3 Italy 68mins Laidlaw's trusty boots keeps on punishing Italy and it is Scotland's day today!
Scotland 34-3 Italy 70mins Italy still looking for something magical but obstruct and Scotland given pen> Scot lineout
Scotland 34-3 Italy 71mins Scotland now obstruct> Italy lineout. Fans shroud Murrayfield with 'Flower of Scotland'
Scotland 34-3 Italy 71mins Cheer erupts as Hogg goes off to be replaced. Italy have scrum in Scottish 22
Scotland 34-8 Italy 71mins Italy finally rewarded for their hard work as Alessandro Zanni goes over the T/L
Scotland 34-10 Italy 74mins Italian try converted as Scotland make a replacement for man of the match Laidlaw
Scotland 34-10 Italy 75mins Italy trying to go from deep taking ball in hand from own 22
Scotland 34-10 Italy 76mins Italy look boosted but ball goes out
Scotland 34-10 Italy 77mins Scotland lineout and it is Scotland who are now going from deep in their own half
Scotland 34-10 Italy 77mins Scotland still in own half but edging forwards as every second ticks by
Scotland 34-10 Italy 78mins Italy off feet at B/D & are pinged. Scotland kick deep into Italian half> Scottish lineout
Scotland 34-10 Italy 80mins Scotland still looking for more points but Italian defence stay strong & go on attack
Scotland 34-10 Italy 80mins Final whistle goes and a yellow card comes out of the refs pocket. Drama in dying mins
Scotland 34-10 Italy 80mins Final whistle goes and a yellow card comes out for Geoff Cross pocket. Drama in dying mins
15 Stuart Hogg 14 Sean Maitland 13 Sean Lamont 12 Matt Scott 11 Tim Visser 10 Ruaridh Jackson 9 Greig Laidlaw 1 Ryan Grant 2 Ross Ford 3 Euan Murray 4 Richie Gray 5 Jim Hamilton 6 Rob Harley 7 KELLY BROWN (C) 8 Johnnie Beattie BENCH: 16 Pat McArthur 17 Moray Low 18 Geoff Cross 19 Alastair Kellock 20 David Denton 21 Henry Pyrgos 22 Duncan Weir 23 Max Evans
SCORERS T: Visser, Scott, Hogg, Lamont C: Laidlaw (4) P: Laidlaw (2) Cross
15 Andrea Masi 14 Giovanbattista Venditti 13 Tommaso Benvenuti 12 Gonzalo Canale 11 Luke McLean 10 Luciano Orquera 9 Tobias Botes 1 Andrea Lo Cicero 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 4 Quintin Geldenhuys 5 Francesco Minto 6 Alessandro Zanni 7 Simone Favaro 8 SERGIO PARISSE (C) BENCH: 16 Davide Giazzon 17 Alberto de Marchi 18 Lorenzo Cittadini 19 Antonio Pavanello 20 Paul Derbyshire 21 Edoardo Gori 22 Kris Burton 23 Gonzalo Garcia
SCORERS T: Zanni C: Burton P: Orquera
Referee: Jaco Peyper (SARU) Asst Referees: John Lacey (IRFU), Leighton Hodges (WRU) TMO: Marshall Kilgore (IRFU)
FRANCE 6 - 16 WALES
Stade de France, Paris Saturday 9th February 2013
KO: 18:00 HT: 3-3 Att: 80,000
|
HEAD TO HEAD
|
|
BOTH teams had not had the greatest of starts to their 2013 6 Nations campaigns. The French were left frustrated by their performance against Italy and had taken a lot of flack over the past week, something the incumbent championship title holders knew all about after losing eight consecutive matches. France, the team who were tipped to win this year’s tournament, were also favourites to win this battle between the two rugby nations, especially since Wales had not won in Paris since 2005. However, it was the dragon which ruled the cockerel’s roost on Saturday, with Ryan Jones at the helm after Sam Warburton was ruled out with a shoulder injury.
The cold and slightly misty Stade de France was alive with French chorus as Wales’ Dan Biggar kicked off what was hoped to be an exciting and fast game of rugby where both teams would rip apart each other’s defences and deliver a flood of tries. What actually happened in the first half was a lot of mundane rugby being played with plenty of basic errors made from both sides, and the only thing being ripped apart was the French turf under the immense weight of the scrum.
Completing a scrum was near impossible on the formerly flooded pitch, but it was not the ground that was largely to blame for the scrum continually collapsing before having to be painstakingly reset. Both the French and the Welsh struggled to stay up on their feet, and many minutes were spent watching players standing around and being told off by referee George Clancy.
The crowd, huddled together, looked largely underwhelmed with the entirety of the first 40 minutes as the only points on the board came from solitary French and Welsh penalty kicks at goal. There was not one moment where either side looked creative enough to score a try. Half time was called and both teams strolled off the pitch with the scoreboard reading 3-3.
After the try-barren first half and no doubt a stern talking in the dressing room, the momentum of the game picked up a notch. Within the first minute Wales were awarded a penalty kick at goal which sailed perfectly between the uprights for Leigh Halfpenny, despite the noise emanating from the crowd. Wales were in the lead for the first time with the score standing at 3-6, but it looked as if the French team had other ideas. Within moments of the successful Halfpenny penalty, France were straight into the Welsh 22 working through the phases. François Trinh-Duc lined himself up to pocket a drop goal but clipped it wide and France’s momentum was lost.
The game reverted back to both teams making silly handling errors and a great number of failed scrums whilst the crowd looked pained to watch another half an hour of the same rugby. At the 53 minute mark, Freddie Michalak successfully kicked another penalty over for France and the scores evened out once more at 6-6.
As the game reached its last 10 minutes, it looked as if the second half would be as tryless as the first, but Wales went on the prowl in France’s 22 to try to get themselves back in the lead. After a flurry of passes between the men in red, a perfectly executed chip from Dan Biggar set up Welsh winger George North down the blindside. North finished the try in his inimitable style by marginally evading the touch line to find the corner. Halfpenny’s left boot easily converted and Wales rudely began to show up their hosts as the scoreboard flickered to 6-13.
In the final moments France did not help their own cause by giving away a penalty in the 74th minute. Man of the Match Halfpenny once again sent the ball flying perfectly between the posts and brought the scores to 6-16. With 5 minutes left on the clock, French fans began to leave the stadium looking as miserable as the weather. When the final whistle was blown, an echo of boos resonated around the stadium as Welsh players and interim Welsh coach Rob Howley beamed from ear to ear.
If France had been given grief from fans and the media last week, it is nothing to what they will receive in the coming days after they have now lost the first two games of the 6 Nations, something which they have not done since 1982. And Philippe Saint-André must stop playing his men out of position, a tactic which has failed Les Bleus for years.
Wales, however, will grow in confidence from their performance but need to work on their basic handling skills if they are to put their hand up to reclaim the Championship, though the Grand Slam is out of contention.
15 Yoann Huget 14 Wesley Fofana 13 Mathieu Bastareaud 12 Maxime Mermoz 11 Benjamin Fall 10 Frederic Michalak 9 Maxime Machenaud 1 Yannick Forestier 2 Dimitri Szarzewski 3 Nicolas Mas 4 Jocelino Suta 5 Yoann Maestri 6 Fulgence Ouedraogo 7 THIERRY DUSAUTOIR (C) 8 Louis Picamoles BENCH: 16 Benjamin Kayser 17 Vincent Debaty 18 Luc Ducalcon 19 Romain Taofifenua 20 Damien Chouly 21 Morgan Parra 22 Francois Trinh-Duc 23 Florian Fritz
SCORERS P: Michalak (2)
15 Leigh Halfpenny 14 Alex Cuthbert 13 Jonathan Davies 12 Jamie Roberts 11 George North 10 Dan Biggar 9 Mike Phillips 1 Gethin Jenkins 2 Matthew Hibbard 3 Adam Jones 4 Andrew Coombs 5 Ian Evans 6 RYAN JONES (C) 7 Justin Tipuric 8 Toby Faletau BENCH: 16 Ken Owens 17 Paul James 18 Craig Mitchell 19 Lou Reed 20 Aaron Shingler 21 Lloyd Williams 22 James Hook 23 Scott Williams
SCORERS T: North C: Halfpenny P: Halfpenny (3)
Man of the Match: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)
Referee: George Clancy (IRFU) Asst Referees: Alain Rolland (IRFU), Francisco Pastrana (UAR) TMO: Giulio De Santis (FIR)
IRELAND 6 - 12 ENGLAND
Aviva Stadium, Dublin - Sunday 10th February 2013
KO: 15:00 HT: 0-6 Att: 51,000
|
HEAD TO HEAD
|
|
HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...
Ireland v England Anthems ring out as rain continues to drench the Aviva Stadium. Pitch already cutting up pre-match!
Ireland v England Jerome Garces is today's ref in Dublin...as Owen Farrell prepares to KO...
HIGHLIGHTS
Ireland 0-0 England 0mins Good start & England in possession just in Irish territory...
Ireland 0-0 England 1min England heading towards 22 & Ireland quickly hand over pen at breakdown; Farrell teeing up...
Ireland 0-3 England 2mins Absolute accuracy from Faz as he perfectly splices the uprights for opening points
Ireland 0-3 England 3mins England pen & Faz clears Irish back from own 22...but captain Jamie Heaslip can't catch it
Ireland 0-3 England 4mins England scrum in own half; goes down Ireland nab possession
Ireland 0-3 England 5mins Jonny Sexton clears & Rory Best throw into favourable L/O...
Ireland 0-3 England 6mins Ireland in possession but all the way back in own territory...
Ireland 0-3 England 7mins Best hoping this 2nd L/O works better than 1st after Faz hands over penalty
Ireland 0-3 England 8mins Definitely better work as Irish just inside England 22...
Ireland 0-3 England 9mins Irish creeping forward as English defence holding well against immense pressure
Ireland 0-3 England 10mins Ball goes England's way into Irish 22; chase that Rob Kearney reaches before Chris Robshaw
Ireland 0-3 England 10mins England scrum in Irish 22 as Simon Zebo hobbles off for Keith Earls to replace...
Ireland 0-3 England 11mins Good work but wet conditions awkward as Chris Ashton can't catch Andy Goode's offload
Ireland 0-3 England 13mins Ireland thump ball into England 22 but Goode thumps it back inside Irish 10m; Irish L/O
Ireland 0-3 England 13mins Ref steps in shouting 'discipline now' as forwards on both sides draw handbags...
Ireland 0-3 England 14mins Cian Healy stamps on white ankle in front of ref who's blind to it!
Ireland 0-3 England 15mins Irish L/O on England 22 but stolen... England possession & Tom Youngs preps for L/O...
Ireland 0-3 England 17mins Irish t/o ball & have L/O back in England territory; Goode collects loose ball & clears
Ireland 0-3 England 19mins Irish L/O again just outside England 22; ball v slow & dodgy tactics from Ireland at b/d
Ireland 0-3 England 19mins Ireland holding on to players at b/d by hand not allowing backs to regroup...
Ireland 0-3 England 21mins Irish stamping/holding on etc not phasing England defence & Irish k/o...
Ireland 0-3 England 23mins Ben Youngs feeds scrum & Ireland wheel enough for Eng to get pen; Eng L/O outside Irish 10m
Ireland 0-3 England 24mins L/O not straight & Ireland have scrum as grass mounds up like moles have been at work!
Ireland 0-3 England 24mins Good work from Ireland & into England 22 but another Irish k/o hands possession to England
Ireland 0-3 England 25mins Time out while the groundsmen run out to repair pitch...
Ireland 0-3 England 25mins Ben Youngs clears to H/W & Best throws into L/O on H/W
Ireland 0-3 England 26mins Irish hand possession back for Tom Youngs to throw into L/O outside Irish 10m...
Ireland 0-3 England 27mins Looks like it was Heaslip offside as Ireland pinged & Faz tees up...
Ireland 0-6 England 28mins Further excellent work from Faz from out wide as he doubles England tally
Ireland 0-6 England 29mins From restart, Heaslip drops ball & it's England scrum on Irish 10m...
Ireland 0-6 England 30mins Only slow forward movement for England; loose ball saved by Goode but goes Ireland's way...
Ireland 0-6 England 31mins Another blow for Ireland as Sexton pulls hamstring & is helped off pitch; Ronan O'Gara on
Ireland 0-6 England 32mins Ireland head into England territory but kick away possession & Goode thumps it back...
Ireland 0-6 England 33mins But England pinged for coming in from side & O'Gara finds touch on Eng 10m > L/O
Ireland 0-6 England 35mins Yet another Irish k/o & England scrum on own 10m line in the pouring rain
Ireland 0-6 England 37mins No advantage & Faz clears for L/O on Irish 22; Irish nick it but England nick it back
Ireland 0-6 England 37mins Handbags result from Healy throwing punches at b/d; England scrum on Irish 22
Ireland 0-6 England 39mins Irish eventually clear - ping pong & ROG pinged giving Faz chance to prep goal kick...
Ireland 0-6 England 40mins From way back near H/W, Faz aim not quite perfect this time as ball goes wide. HT
Ireland 0-6 England HT - | P: Farrell (2)
Ireland 0-6 England HT What a fascinating old-fashioned game in horrid conditions. Ireland making too many mistakes
Ireland 0-6 England HT Kidney has to make decision on Healy tho; stamping on Dan Cole's ankle then losing it at b/d...
Ireland 0-6 England 41mins We're back for final half as the rain comes down even harder than before...
Ireland 0-6 England 42mins England lose 1st scrum & O'Gara pumps it into touch inside England 10m line...
Ireland 0-6 England 43mins But Ireland lose it at the L/O with k/o; scrum England...Irish spin & win pen...
Ireland 3-6 England 44mins O'Gara tees up & puts 1st points on board for the homeside
Ireland 3-6 England 45mins England L/O but England told to back off as ROG takes pen kick...
Ireland 3-6 England 46mins Aviva has completely livened up as ROG now leads game for Ireland; transformation...
Ireland 3-6 England 47mins Manu Tuilagi & Courtney Lawes on for Billy Twelvetrees & Joe Launchbury
Ireland 3-6 England 48mins England mess up at a couple of L/Os in 2nd half; Ireland L/O in own half...
Ireland 3-6 England 50mins BOD drops ball; Manu tries to collect but slips away; Irish scrum in own 22...
Ireland 3-6 England 51mins Dylan Hartley has replaced Tom Youngs in front row; Ireland gain 70m as Hartley has L/O
Ireland 3-6 England 53mins The clear gives Ireland L/O around 10m the ball starts pinging from one end to other...
Ireland 3-6 England 54mins Irish ball but way back in own territory but have pen coming; time out & BOD gets treatment
Ireland 3-6 England 54mins BOD's fine; ROG clearance bit rubbish but Irish L/O just inside own half...
Ireland 3-6 England 56mins Tom Wood pinged & ROG clears for Irish L/O on England 10m...
Ireland 3-6 England 57mins While Healy can punch & stamp at will, James Haskell gets binned for clearing out of ruck
Ireland 6-6 England 58mins ROG equalises the score while Mako Vunipola comes on for Joe Marler
Ireland 6-6 England 60mins Farrell chases Kearney deep into Irish 22 & Mike Brown jumps over as Kearney into touch
Ireland 6-6 England 62mins England 5m L/O; pen England & Faz tees up almost from touchline...
Ireland 6-9 England 63mins Farrell is bang on target & England are slightly ahead again...
Ireland 6-9 England 64mins Horrid mis-tackle from Lawes; brings down man in green but looks knocked out...
Ireland 6-9 England 65mins Lawes is up & looks OK; pen England & Farrell is teeing up again already...
Ireland 6-12 England 65mins Damn impressive work from England & Faz - a man down yet 6 points up in that time
Ireland 6-12 England 66mins Ireland directly into England's 22 but ball cleared right back up towards H/W; Irish ball
Ireland 6-12 England 67mins Bit of ping pong - Ben Youngs into Irish 22 & Kearney into touch...
Ireland 6-12 England 67mins Not often you can actually hear Swing Low over the Irish at the Aviva! You can today...
Ireland 6-12 England 69mins England pinged for obstruction; Irish L/O outside England 22; Hartley pinged & ROG tees up
Ireland 6-12 England 70mins ROG's kick goes wide & the score remains; Thomas Waldrom replaces Courtney Lawes
Ireland 6-12 England 71mins Haskell's returned; Donncha O'Callaghan & Chris Henry on for Donnacha Ryan & Sean O'Brien
Ireland 6-12 England 73mins ROG fumbles ball setting Faz up for another kick at goal; whistling is deafening *badform*
Ireland 6-12 England 75mins Faz pulls it wide; Sean Cronin on for Rory Best. Converted try would be enough for Ireland
Ireland 6-12 England 76mins Time out as England regroup for scrum; Dave Kilcoyne on for Healy & David Wilson for Cole
Ireland 6-12 England 78mins Both front rows told to change bind as scrum reset; whistle for unstable & reset again...
Ireland 6-12 England 78mins Ireland get pen in own 22; Irish L/O but time out for Declan Fitzpatrick on for Mike Ross
Ireland 6-12 England 79mins England disrupt Ireland's L/O while captain Chris Robshaw is named man of the match
Ireland 6-12 England 80mins Final L/O to England who can faff for a sec b4 celebrating their 1st away win in 10yrs
15 Rob Kearney 14 Craig Gilroy 13 Brian O’Driscoll 12 Gordon D’Arcy 11 Simon Zebo 10 Jonny Sexton 9 Conor Murray 1 Cian Healy 2 Rory Best 3 Mike Ross 4 Mike McCarthy 5 Donnacha Ryan 6 Peter O’Mahony 7 Sean O’Brien 8 JAMIE HEASLIP (C) BENCH: 16 Sean Cronin 17 Dave Kilcoyne 18 Declan Fitzpatrick 19 Donncha O’Callaghan 20 Chris Henry 21 Eoin Reddan 22 Ronan O’Gara 23 Keith Earls
SCORERS P: O'Gara (2)
15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Brad Barritt 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 Mike Brown 10 Owen Farrell 9 Ben Youngs 1 Joe Marler 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Joe Launchbury 5 Geoff Parling 6 James Haskell 7 CHRIS ROBSHAW (C) 8 Tom Wood BENCH: 16 Dylan Hartley 17 David Wilson 18 Mako Vunipola 19 Courtney Lawes 20 21 Danny Care 22 Toby Flood 23 Manu Tuilagi
SCORERS P: Farrell (4) Haskell
Referee: Jérôme Garces (FFR) Asst Referees: Nigel Owens (WRU), Pascal Gauzere (FFR) TMO: Iain Ramage (SRU)
WALES 22 - 30 IRELAND
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff - Saturday 2nd February 2013
KO: 13:30 HT: 3-23 Att: 73,230
|
HEAD TO HEAD
|
|
THE first match of the 2013 RBS Six Nations kick started the tournament with an explosion of tries, yellow cards and plenty of drama.
It was always going to be a highly physical and competitive match between the Celtic brethren as both sides were desperate to exorcise their autumn demons. Wales had lost the last seven games on the trot and were looking for redemption. Meanwhile, Ireland were looking for revenge after losing their last three games against Wales.
The roof was open and the sun was shining down at Cardiff’s sold out Millennium Stadium. Chants from Welsh and Irish supporters reverberated around the stadium as Wales kicked off this hugely adrenaline filled match.
Ireland completely dominated the first half. Creativity, quick ball and even quicker thinking meant both Simon Zebo and Cian Healy slipped through the Welsh defence and scored some magnificent tries. It appeared that the luck of the Irish was indeed with the men in green. Wales did not help their own cause as they kept making silly errors at the breakdown. These cost them greatly as the trusty boot of Jonathan Sexton ensured Wales were punished to the full.
Despite the pitch being in great condition to start with, the scrums continually went awry, leading to both teams being penalised. Lineouts also kept going wrong as both Ireland and Wales could not secure a number of their own throws.
Being such a physical game, it was unsurprising to see a number of injuries cropping up over the pitch but thankfully none were too serious. Within minutes of kick-off, Welsh Hooker Matthew Rees received 10 stitches for a gaping wound on his forehead. Brian O’Driscoll also received bandaging for a head injury and Gethin Jenkins spent some time in the blood bin.
As half time approached, the defending 6 Nations champions were being brought to their knees by a 20 point Irish lead and it looked as if the men in the red jerseys would leave the pitch with no points on the scoreboard. However, Ireland did not release the ball in their own 22 and 7 minutes before half time the accurate boot of Leigh Halfpenny ensured Wales left the field with 3 points on the board.
Wales thought they had the last word of the first half but Ireland quickly managed to pull back their 20 point lead as a last minute Sexton penalty sailed between the uprights to leave the score at 3-23.
After a halftime break it looked as if the second half was going to be the same story as the first. Within minutes of kick-off O’Driscoll forced himself over the Welsh try line. Sexton easily converted the former captain’s try and it looked as if Wales were in for a further hiding.
But 47 minutes in and the game miraculously changed momentum. The men in red began to use quicker ball giving the Irish defence less time to re-gather their lines and mark their men. Creativity and teamwork surged for the Welsh giving backs Alex Cuthbert and Leigh Halfpenny the opportunity to dart over the Irish try line, and it really was game on.
Last year’s most accurate kicker in the 6 Nations, Leigh Halfpenny missed the conversion of his own try and the scores stood at Wales 15, Ireland 30 as Wales began to claw back at the Irish lead.
The first half Wales were making most of the errors, but the tables turned and it was Ireland who began to make them spending 20 minutes of the second half down to 14 men after Rory Best and Conor Murray were both shown yellow cards.
In the 69th minute, Toby Faletau looked to have crossed the try line for Wales, but after a review by the TMO, it was denied, and the Millennium groaned agonisingly as Wales were given a penalty.
In the last 10 minutes, the homeside resiliently kept pounding away to break into the Irish 22 but Ireland stood strong. Wales’ patience was rewarded by a 75th minute try from Craig Mitchell reminding fans of the incredible comeback Wales had made against Scotland three years earlier. Wales looked like they could be the ultimate ‘Comeback Kings’ but with only 
5 minutes remaining, they had left themselves too much to do in the dying embers of the game with the final score 22-30.
O’Driscoll was named the RBS Six Nations Man of the Match while Ireland had outclassed the men in red in the first half and their defence managed to hold off the majority of Welsh attacks in the second. They will be pleased with the start of their 6 Nations campaign, but the incumbent champions have much to work on if they want to put a stop to their losing streak.
15 Leigh Halfpenny 14 Alex Cuthbert 13 Jonathan Davies 12 Jamie Roberts 11 George North 10 Dan Biggar 9 Mike Phillips 1 Gethin Jenkins 2 Matthew Rees 3 Adam Jones 4 Andrew Coombs 5 Ian Evans 6 Aaron Shingler 7 SAM WARBURTON (C) 8 Toby Faletau BENCH: 16 Ken Owens 17 Paul James 18 Craig Mitchell 19 Olly Kohn 20 Justin Tipuric 21 Lloyd Williams 22 James Hook 23 Scott Williams
SCORERS T: Cuthbert, Halfpenny, Mitchell C: Halfpenny (2) P: Halfpenny
15 Rob Kearney 14 Craig Gilroy 13 Brian O’Driscoll 12 Gordon D’Arcy 11 Simon Zebo 10 Jonny Sexton 9 Conor Murray 1 Cian Healy 2 Rory Best 3 Mike Ross 4 Mike McCarthy 5 Donnacha Ryan 6 Peter O’Mahony 7 Sean O’Brien 8 JAMIE HEASLIP (C) BENCH: 16 Sean Cronin 17 Dave Kilcoyne 18 Declan Fitzpatrick 19 Donncha O’Callaghan 20 Chris Henry 21 Eoin Reddan 22 Ronan O’Gara 23 Keith Earls
SCORERS T: Zebo, Healy, O'Driscoll C: Sexton (3) P: Sexton (3) Best, Murray
Man of the Match: Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland)
Referee: Romain Poite (FFR) Asst Referees: Jaco Peyper (SARU), Pascal Gauzere (FFR) TMO: Graham Hughes (RFU)
ENGLAND 38 - 18 SCOTLAND
Twickenham, London - Saturday 2nd February 2013
KO: 16:00 HT: 19-11 Att: 81,347
|
HEAD TO HEAD
|
|
HERE'S HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...
England 0-0 Scotland Anthems done...Owen Farrell prepares for KO
England 0-0 Scotland 0mins Swing low rebounds round the stadium & Scots immediately hand over pen outside 22m
England 3-0 Scotland 2mins Farrell wastes no time in kicking off the scoring with a spot on pen at uprights
England 3-0 Scotland 4mins Scots gain territory from the restart but England nick it back & head into Scots' 22
England 3-0 Scotland 6mins England camp out for a while in Scots 22 but pass overshoots Ashton
England 3-0 Scotland 8mins But a change in hands & Scots take adv charging into England's 22 & recycling quickly
England 3-5 Scotland 10mins An impressive run for Scots & eventually Seam Maitland finds the gap to score
England 3-5 Scotland 10mins An impressive run for Scots & eventually Sean Maitland finds the gap to score
England 3-5 Scotland 13mins But quickly infringement from Scots hands Farrell opportunity to get ahead...
England 6-5 Scotland 14mins Farrell is bang on target again & England regain the narrow lead
England 6-5 Scotland 16mins Nothing one-sided about this game with Scots having nothing to lose...
England 6-5 Scotland 17mins Quick injury time out then Farrell tees up for 3rd kick at goal...
England 9-5 Scotland 18mins High pen count for Scotland with Farrell punishing them every time.
England 9-8 Scotland 20mins But England reciprocate with Tom Youngs pen & Greig Laidlaw slots it over
HIGHLIGHTS
England 9-8 Scotland 24mins England back in Scots territory but time out for Ryan Grant getting checked
England 9-8 Scotland 25mins Back on & clearance kick gives Scots L/O on own 10m
England 9-8 Scotland 27mins Another L/O but Scots make nothing of it as England conference huddle...
England 9-8 Scotland 28mins Scots momentarily enter England territory but not for long as England back in their 22.
England 9-8 Scotland 29mins Not long before forwards do their job & Chris Ashton hurls over whitewash > TMO
England 14-8 Scotland 30mins No doubt about Ashy's try & ref Alain Rolland awards it
England 16-8 Scotland 31mins Farrell doesn't fail & England are a score clear with 9 mins remaining...
England 16-8 Scotland 32mins England scrum outside own 22 & win pen; good clear from Faz & England L/O on Scots 10m
England 16-8 Scotland 33mins Possession goes to Scots & chip ahead from Laidlaw who then gets weebled by Faz
England 16-8 Scotland 34mins England scrum outside own 22 again cleared over H/W & a spot of ping pong ensues
England 16-8 Scotland 36mins Good L/O from Tom Youngs on Scots 10m but good defensive line from Scots
England 16-8 Scotland 37mins Johnnie Beattie busted for high tackle & Faz teeing up again just inside 10m
England 19-8 Scotland 37mins Perfect shot from in front of posts & England edge ahead further...
England 19-8 Scotland 38min Scots up to England 22 again but can't find way thru til Tom Wood comes in from side
England 19-11 Scotland 39mins Laidlaw has another shot at goal & narrows gap by 3 & HT called
England 19-11 Scotland HT T: Ashton C: Farrell P: Farrell (4) | T: Maitland P: Laidlaw (2)
England 19-11 Scotland HT Starting to get a tad chilly here at Twickers as sun disappears *frozenfingers*
England 19-11 Scotland HT Lanny's plan appears to be working; can see change in Scots but twice as many pens
England 24-11 Scotland 42mins England waste NO time on return & Billy Twelvetrees scores 1st try on debut
England 26-11 Scotland 43mins Needless to say, Faz converts. Great start for homeside
England 26-11 Scotland 45mins Ben Morgan replaced with James Haskell in back row.
England 26-11 Scotland 47mins England scrum inside Scots' 10m after Ross Ford replaces Dougie Hall in front row
England 26-11 Scotland 48mins Hall off with buggered knee & Morgan with twisted ankle
England 26-11 Scotland 49mins Another great tactical kick gives Tom Youngs L/O on Scots 22...
England 26-11 Scotland 51mins Not bad defence as England struggle to gain ground til man over but Faz pass snaffled
England 31-11 Scotland 52mins Great work from England as head for posts > recycle > try Joe Launchbury
England 26-11 Scotland 53mins Try rescinded as touch judge reports pre-try high tackle from Tom Youngs > pen
England 31-11 Scotland 54min But England not letting up > run circles round Scots defence & Geoff Parling scores
England 31-11 Scotland 55mins Faz misses his 1st kick at goal as it sweeps in front of posts
England 31-11 Scotland 56mins Jim Hamilton replaces Alastair Kellock
England 31-11 Scotland 57mins A time out; Danny Care & Mako Vunipola replace Marler & Ben Youngs
England 31-11 Scotland 59mins England hugely threaten the T/L yet again, but Scots manage t/o & clear
England 31-11 Scotland 60mins Clearance gives England L/O just outside Scots' 22 & attack again but t/o
England 31-11 Scotland 62mins Scots finally make it into England 22 & secure 5m L/O...
England 31-11 Scotland 63mins Ball takes an age to appear but Dave Denton can't hold on & carried into touch
England 31-11 Scotland 64mins England scrum 5m for own T/L & Care puts in well but pen goes to Scotland
England 31-11 Scotland 64mins Time out as Courtney Lawes replaces Joe Launchbury; Scottish scrum
England 31-11 Scotland 65mins Scrum takes forever; eventually ball pops up but Ford pinged for not releasing
England 31-11 Scotland 67mins Time off; Toby Flood & David Strettle on for Twelvetrees & Alex Goode
England 31-11 Scotland 69min England return to Scots 22 & creep right up to 5m out but excellent intercept
England 31-11 Scotland 70mins Brilliant charge from own 22 all way to England's; chip ahead from Stuart Hogg
England 31-16 Scotland 71mins Hogg holds off defence long enough to find the whitewash & score
England 31-18 Scotland 72mins Neat conversion from Laidlaw & Scots are on a roll...
England 31-18 Scotland 73mins Laidlaw's job is done & Henry Pyrgos replaces the Scottish fly half
England 31-18 Scotland 74mins Ball rolls into goal area but Ashy saves it from a score. Pen England on own 10m
England 31-18 Scotland 75mins Kick goes awry - Scots get possession but England are pushing up to 22
England 31-18 Scotland 75min Ball goes loose in Scots goal area but Gray pounces on it before Care & Stretts get there
England 31-18 Scotland 77mins England only 5m out & forced along width of T/L before pinged for holding on
England 31-18 Scotland 78mins Hogg replaced by Max Evans; Care steals the L/O ball from Scotland & at 10m
England 31-18 Scotland 79mins Pen England & Faz kicks to corner for 5m L/O...
England 36-18 Scotland 80mins England finish with a spectacular flourish with a try from Care!
England 38-18 Scotland 80mins a final conversion from Faz & England have truly retained the Calcutta Cup
The RBS 6 Nations Man of the Match was Owen Farrell after his outstanding Calcutta Cup performance
15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Brad Barritt 12 Billy Twelvetrees 11 Mike Brown 10 Owen Farrell 9 Ben Youngs 1 Joe Marler 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Joe Launchbury 5 Geoff Parling 6 Tom Wood 7 CHRIS ROBSHAW (C) 8 Ben Morgan BENCH: 16 Dylan Hartley 17 David Wilson 18 Mako Vunipola 19 Courtney Lawes 20 James Haskell 21 Danny Care 22 Toby Flood 23 David Strettle
SCORERS T: Ashton, Twelvetrees, Parling, Care C: Farrell (3) P: Farrell (4)
15 Stuart Hogg 14 Sean Maitland 13 Sean Lamont 12 Matt Scott 11 Tim Visser 10 Ruaridh Jackson 9 Greig Laidlaw 1 Ryan Grant 2 Dougie Hall 3 Euan Murray 4 Richie Gray 5 Jim Hamilton 6 Alasdair Strokosch 7 KELLY BROWN (C) 8 Johnnie Beattie BENCH: 16 Ross Ford 17 Moray Low 18 Geoff Cross 19 Alastair Kellock 20 David Denton 21 Henry Pyrgos 22 Duncan Weir 23 Max Evans
SCORERS T: Maitland, Hogg C: Laidlaw P: Laidlaw (2)
Man of the Match: Owen Farrell (England)
Referee: Alain Rolland (IRFU) Asst. Referees: Jérôme Garces (FFR), Francisco Pastrana (UAR) TMO: Nigel Whitehouse (WRU)
ITALY 23 - 18 FRANCE
Stadio Flaminio, Rome - Sunday 3rd February 2013
KO: 16:00 HT: 13-15 Att: tbc
|
HEAD TO HEAD
|
|
Good afternoon rugby peeps! Well here we are - La Marseillaise booming round Stadio Olimpico on a glorious sunny afternoon in Rome.
Italy v France Now it's the turn of the homeside as Il Canto degli Italiani is sung with Italian passion
Italy 0-0 France 2mins Another fierce battle ensues from kick & first penalty goes to Italy with a neat L/O
Italy 0-0 France 3mins Les Bleus attempt to slow the ball at b/d but Azzurri wriggle out of it & head into French 22
Italy 0-0 France 4mins France grab possession & clear but Azzurri aren't having any of it as the attack back directly
Italy 5-0 France 4mins Captain Sergio Parisse sweeps between the defence & charges over the whitewash for opening try
Italy 7-0 France 5mins Luciano Orquera adds the extras & France need to watch their back
Italy 7-0 France 7mins A pen from Italy gives France a L/O on Azzurri 22; could be dangerous but Parisse nicks it
Italy 7-0 France 9mins Italy don't manage to clear well enough & France on attack in the 22
Italy 7-0 France 10mins Freddie Michalak kicks ahead beautifully but ball forced into touch; France attack again...
Italy 7-5 France 11mins Louis Picamoles stretches over the T/L despite tackle from Parisse & Andrea Masi to score
Italy 7-5 France 12mins Michalak misses the conversion; is going to be an exciting game!
Italy 10-5 France 14mins Orquera gets into position & floats over a beautiful drop goal to increase the lead...
Italy 10-5 France 16mins Always knew it would happen one day - a pleasure to see Italy improving to such a degree!
Italy 10-5 France 16mins France hand over another pen & Orquera tees up from favourable position outside 22
Italy 13-5 France 17mins Orquera is perfectly on target & Italy are a score clear already; France need to step up
Italy 10-5 France 20mins It's scrum Italy; thankfully its the brilliant Nigel Owens reffing so we're safe...
Italy 10-5 France 22mins Awesome Italian front row take control & pen to homeside; Wesley Fofana fails to stop touch
Italy 10-5 France 24mins France snaffle the ball away& set up L/O on Italian 10m...
Italy 10-5 France 26mins This is becoming a great battle to watch; another French L/O on Azzurri 22 & head to T/L...
Italy 13-5 France 26mins A pile of bodies hurl over the T/L - both blue & white & Owens has to go to TMO
Italy 13-5 France 26mins Really no clarity in the replays so its a 5m scrum to France; Owens asked try or not try
Italy 13-8 France 27mins Pen to France & Michalak adds 3-pointer for the visitors
Italy 13-8 France 30mins Orquera can't quite get hands on high ball & ends up with French gaining territory & scrum...
Italy 13-8 France 32mins Tussling on both sides but that touch of French flair appears with some lovely hands...
Italy 13-13 France 33mins Great teamwork & Benjamin Fall side steps way to under the posts to score & equalise
Italy 13-15 France 34mins An easy conversion for Michalak & France are finally in the lead
Italy 13-15 France 35mins Italy into French territory again but a k/o & France have the scrum on own 22
Italy 13-15 France 37mins French back in control at favourable end of field...the Italian end
Italy 13-15 France 38mins Italy scrum & hold on in own territory; ball changes possession both ways til Italy clear
Italy 13-15 France 39mins Dimitri Szarzewski throws short into L/O on Italy 10m but pulled up for dummy throw
Italy 13-15 France 40mins Italy take quick pen kick & Yoann Huget wallops it straight back into touch at HT
Italy 13-15 France HT T: Parisse C: Orquera P: Orquera DG: Orquera | T: Picamoles, Fall C: Michalak P: Michalak
Italy 13-15 France 40mins And we're back for a final half in this most excellent 1st weekend of Six nations rugby...
Italy 13-15 France 42mins Hope the momentum isn't lost in this half...bit lacklustre already...
Italy 13-15 France 42mins Time out while Leonardo Ghiraldini gets attention & Martin Castrogiovanni changes his shorts
Italy 13-15 France 43mins Ghiraldini all strapped up & Italy have scrum on H/W
Italy 13-15 France 44mins Pace picks up & Italy are at the French 22 with some verve...
Italy 13-15 France 45mins But all comes to nothing & pen to France; clear to set up French L/O back over H/W
Italy 13-15 France 46mins Szarzewski pinged again - this time for too slow; Italy take advantage & advance to French 22
Italy 13-15 France 46mins Szarzewski pinged again -this time for too slow; Italy take advantage & advance to French 22
Italy 13-15 France 48mins T/O & play back in Italian territory but Azzurri scrum > reset & pen France
Italy 13-18 France 49mins Michalak tees up from 40m out to side & bangs it over to stretch lead a smidgeon
Italy 13-18 France 50mins Italy almost up at French 22 from restart but scuffle & French kick back all the way...
Italy 13-18 France 52mins Ghiraldini gifts churlish pen but Michalak can't find the uprights from 48m so score remains
Italy 13-18 France 54mins Huge kick downfield from Michalak > Italy quick L/O in own 22 > clearance doesn't find touch
Italy 13-18 France 55mins Botes, Ghiraldini & Lo Cicero replaced by Edoardo Gori, Davide Giazzon & Alberto de Marchi
Italy 13-18 France 56mins France so close to T/L they can taste it but slip up at 11th hour & ball heads other way
Italy 18-18 France 57mins Brilliant work from Italy from own 22 & Castrogiovanni scores magnificently to equalise
Italy 20-18 France 58mins Orquera converts & the Azzurri are back ahead with final quarter remaining
Italy 20-18 France 62mins Lorenzo Cittadini, Paul Derbyshire & Kris Burton on for Castrogiovanni, Favaro & Orquera
Italy 20-18 France 62mins Romain Taofifenua, Morgan Parra & Mathieu Bastareaud on for Pape, Fritz & Machenaud
Italy 23-18 France 67mins Luc Ducalcon on for Nicolas Mas while Burton drops back into pocket & wallops over drop goal
Italy 23-18 France 69mins Depth of French bench needs to make impact now as Damien Chouly comes on for Picamoles...
Italy 23-18 France 71mins French flair has fizzled; Italy at French 22 again; French possession but do little with it
Italy 23-18 France 71mins Time out for more replacements Antonio Pavanello & Gonzalo Canale for Geldenhuys & Benvenuti
Italy 23-18 France 73mins Brilliant charge from own half by Giovanbattista Venditti into touch but offloads 1st...
Italy 23-18 France 74mins Almost at French 22 & France screw up giving Italy scrum on 22...
Italy 23-18 France 75mins "Italia!" deafeningly reverberating round stadium as Italy threaten to repeat 2011 win!
Italy 23-18 France 77mins Italy in possession in own half but good defence & t/o as France cross 22 line
Italy 23-18 France 78mins Les Bleus edging forward while Italy battle to hold them back > 10m form T/L
Italy 23-18 France 79mins Giazzon upsets ref Owens & earns yellow card & France opt for scrum almost in front of posts
Italy 23-18 France 79mins Massive scrum > pen France & scrum again...too far out for penalty try...
Italy 23-18 France 80mins Good scrum & French ball out wide - k/o but touch judge doesn't call it so play continues...
Italy 23-18 France 80mins Ball comes back other way along width of T/L & Azzurri bundle France into touch to win!
Italy 23-18 France 80mins Fantastic rugby! Italy win Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy again & beat France for just 4th time
15 Andrea Masi 14 Giovanbattista Venditti 13 Tommaso Benvenuti 12 Alberto Sgarbi 11 Like McLean 10 Luciano Orquera 9 Tobias Botes 1 Andrea Lo Cicero 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 4 Quintin Geldenhuys 5 Francesco Minto 6 Alessandro Zanni 7 Simone Favaro 8 SERGIO PARISSE (C) BENCH: 16 Davide Giazzon 17 Alberto de Marchi 18 Lorenzo Cittadini 19 Antonio Pavanello 20 Paul Derbyshire 21 Edoardo Gori 22 Kris Burton 23 Gonzalo Canale
SCORERS T: Parisse, Castrogiovanni C: Orquera (2) P: Orquera DG: Orquera, Burton Giazzon
15 Yoann Huget 14 Wesley Fofana 13 Florian Fritz 12 Maxime Mermoz 11 Benjamin Fall 10 Frederic Michalak 9 Maxime Machenaud 1 Yannick Forestier 2 Dimitri Szarzewski 3 Nicolas Mas 4 PASCAL PAPÉ (C) 5 Yoann Maestri 6 Fulgence Ouedraogo 7 Thierry Dusautoir 8 Louis Picamoles BENCH: 16 Benjamin Kayser 17 Vincent Debaty 18 Luc Ducalcon 19 Romain Taofifenua 20 Damien Chouly 21 Morgan Parra 22 Francois Trinh-Duc 23 Mathieu Bastareaud
SCORERS T: Picamoles, Fall C: Michalak P: Michalak (2)
Man of the Match: Luciano Orquera
Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU) Asst. Referees: Wayne Barnes (RFU), Leighton Hodges (WRU) TMO: Gareth Simmonds (WRU)
