![LV= Cup [Anglo-Welsh]](images/LV Cup 2011 SB.jpg)
WALES 19 - 26 SAMOA 
Millennium Stadium - Friday 16 November 2012
KO: 19:30 HT: 13-10 Att: 58,000
A shock defeat for Wales at the hands of a mighty Samoan pack left them battered and their confidence shattered. The Welsh had done well to keep their visitors at bay in the first half but, come the restart, Samoa dug deep and proved that they were not to be taken lightly.
It took the Samoans just a minute to score their first try, Fa’atoina Autagavaia catching Wales off guard and storming through for the touchdown. Whilst the homeside gathered their thoughts and tried to focus, Tusi Pisi converted to give the visitors a perfect start. The visiting fly-half was soon teeing up again due to a penalty but was unable to hit his target.
Wales took a full 15 minutes to get on the scoreboard as they struggled against the Samoan defence; eventually Leigh Halfpenny grabbed a 3-pointer of his own to get the homeside’s tally ticking.
Injuries soon began to surface for Wales; after taking some big hits from the Samoan pack, Richard Hibbard was first to leave the field with a shoulder injury. The homeside continued bravely on and caused their opposition a couple of scares but were still finding the defence hard to evade.
Halfpenny whacked over another penalty to cut the deficit to a single point before Ashley Beck turned a pressurised moment into an interception try, grabbing a loose pass and racing downfield to the whitewash. Halfpenny made no mistake with the conversion and suddenly the situation had brightened for the jittery Welsh side.
The Welsh lost another to injury as Dan Biggar took a knock to the head but was actually carted off with a shoulder problem instead; Rhys Priestland entering the fray in replacement. The Samoans had one last surge before the break and managed to close the gap with another Pisi penalty to take them in 13-10 down at half-time.
At the restart it all began to go wrong for Wales as they rued the missed opportunities in the first half. Their lack of ideas in attack left them floundering whilst the Samoans stepped up a gear. Halfpenny was left doing a bit of a Bambi impression after taking a high hit and not quite recovering as he returned to his feet. But the Welsh fly-half shook off the knock and played on after a worrying couple of minutes for Welsh fans.
The Welsh applied pressure but could not break through, but Samoa quickly showed them how it was done, Kahn Fotuali’i making a brilliant run before offloading to Tusi’s brother, George Pisi who flew over the whitewash. The TMO was called upon to confirm that George had avoided touch to dot down and hand Samoa the lead once more with style. Tusi could not make the conversion and the advantage did not last long, Halfpenny teeing up soon after to slot another penalty.
It was Samoa’s turn for injury as Paul Williams was whisked off for a clean up after a clash of heads, being briefly replaced by Johnny Leota. Tusi Pisi redeemed himself swiftly, finding the posts with a 3-pointer to drag the visitors in front once more.
Halfpenny had a chance to nullify Tusi Pisi’s efforts but had a rare miss, leaving Wales lagging by 2 points. Maurie Fa’asavalu was spotted going in high and although he avoided a trip to the bin, this gave Halfpenny another shot at goal that found its mark.
Although the Samoans were letting poor discipline get the better of them, their open play was impressive. They used stunning switch balls and powerful runs to tear their way into the Welsh 22. Their scrum also began to come into its own and, as the Welsh buckled, Tusi added a further 3 points to the tally.
There was a moment when concentration from the visitors dwindled when they messed up the restart and failed to find touch with a penalty. However, the Welsh could not make the most of these situations, failing to pounce when the Samoans were faltering.
The visitors gathered momentum in the scrum and lineouts, making the Welsh work hard to keep any possession. Tusi Pisi had a chance to seal the match but missed the posts as boos rang around the Millennium Stadium from disgruntled Welsh supporters.
As Wales cleared, it all went horrible pear-shaped; a kick flew loose and Halfpenny scrambled back as Samoans flew forward. The Welsh fly-half’s fingers just missed the ball and Leota swooped in to ground it for a try. Tusi missed the extras but it did not matter, it was all over for Wales and the devastation on their faces was clear. They had not expected to lose to the likes of Samoa, leaving many to wonder what has happened to Welsh rugby.
15 Leigh Halfpenny 14 Alex Cuthbert 13 Ashley Beck 12 Jamie Roberts 11 George North 10 Dan Biggar 9 Mike Phillips 1 Paul James 2 Richard Hibbard 3 Aaron Jarvis 4 Bradley Davies 5 Ian Evans 6 Ryan Jones (C) 7 Justin Tipuric 8 Toby Faletau BENCH: 16Ken Owens 17 Gethin Jenkins 18 Scott Andrews 19 Luke Charteris 20 Sam Warburton 21 Tavis Knoyle 22 Rhys Priestland 23 Scott Williams
SCORERS T: Beck C: Halfpenny P: Halfpenny (4)
15 Fa’atoina Autagavaia 14 Paul Perez 13 George Pisi 12 Paul Williams 11 David Lemi (C) 10 Tusiata Pisi 9 Kahn Fotuali’i 1 Sakaria Taulafo 2 Wayne Ole Avei 3 Census Johnston 4 Daniel Leo 5 Teofilo Paulo 6 Ofisa Treviranus 7 Maurie Fa’asavalu 8 Taiasina Tuifu’a BENCH: 16 Ti’i Paulo 17 Viliamu Afatia 18 James Johnston 19 Joe Tekori 20 Tivaini Foma’i 21 Jeremy Su’a 22 Johnny Leota 23 Robert Lilomaiava
SCORERS T: Autagavaia, George Pisi, Leota C: Tusi Pisi P: Tusi Pisi (3)
Referee: Pascal Gauzere (FFR) Asst. Referees: Wayne Barnes (RFU), Jérôme Garcès (FFR) TMO: Giulio De Santis (FIR)
ENGLAND 14 - 20 AUSTRALIA
COOK CUP
Twickenham - Saturday 17 November 2012
KO: 14:30 HT: 14-11
HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...
England vs Australia Anthems done...let the games begin!
England vs Australia Just getting ready for KO as England run out to rapturous applause in putrid purple ;o)
England vs Australia 1min Good start for England with pen early on with infringement from Sitaleki Timani. Toby flood tees up...
England 3-0 Australia 2mins Quick opening of the score by Flood with perfect penalty kick
England 3-0 Australia 3mins Wallaby restart not great & pen goes to England on Aussie 10m - scrum...
England 3-0 Australia 4mins Aussies win scrum & battle to make some ground; Beale kicks into England territory...
England 3-0 Australia 5mins Aussie scrum on H/W is won & tho forced back, cross over England 10m...
England 3-0 Australia 6mins Alex Goode in possession but horrific kick give Aussies 5m L/O
England 3-0 Australia 7mins Another L/O for Aussies & only inches from T/L; find space out wide but shut down...
England 3-0 Australia 8mins Eng steal possession deep in own 22; time off for Dan Cole but he's fine...Eng fans in fine voice today
England 3-0 Australia 9mins Romain Poite in firm control so far today; another England penalty & clear Wallabies back
England 3-0 Australia 10mins England scrum just outside own 10m but k/o gives Wallabies the ball
England 3-0 Australia 11mins Poite referring to England as 'pink' - forcing giggles in East Stand press box!
England 3-3 Australia 13mins Good break from Wallabies & drop goal from Berrick Barnes equalises
England 3-3 Australia 15mins England work way into Aussie territory but static H/W between 10m & 22; good defence
England 3-3 Australia 16mins England busted for crossing & Aussies have L/O on England's 10m
England 3-3 Australia 17mins Wallaby k/o & England scrum on own 22; time out for Joe Marler...
England 3-3 Australia 18mins England steal ball back & clear; Aussie L/O just inside England H/W
England 3-3 Australia 18mins Good scrum for England but ball goes loose & Wallabies capitalise..inside England 22...
England 3-3 Australia 19mins England win ball; free kick & clear; England L/O just inside Wallaby H/W; good ball & break over 10m
England 3-3 Australia 20mins But pen Wallabies outside own 22 & Beale clears for L/O just inside England 10m
England 3-3 Australia 21mins England scrum just inside own 10m; collapses & Aussies told to watch bin...reset
England 3-3 Australia 22mins England win pen & head over H/W led by Captain Chris Robshaw; Michael Hooper infringes & Flood tees up
England 6-3 Australia 24mins Robbo told by ref to "talk a little bit less"..Flood converts pen to take lead
England 6-3 Australia 25mins Neat clearance from England & Aussies have L/O on own 22
England 6-3 Australia 27mins Aussies advantage still in own territory but expires; England t/o in own half but shocking kick...
England 6-3 Australia 27mins Wallabies clear & set up L/O just inside England 22; is good & barely 8m out from T/L
England 6-3 Australia 30mins Wallabies heave over T/L & TMO takes an age to confirm no try
England 6-6 Australia 33mins Aussies knock over pen to equalise
England 9-6 Australia 35mins England take lead again with a penalty...
England 6-11 Australia 37mins Nick Cummins finds the space to charge over the T/L to take Wallabies into the lead but no conversion
England 6-11 Australia 39mins England retaliate with huge effort & Manu Tuilagi hurls himself over to score...TMO decision pending
England 14-11 Australia 39mins Again TMO takes an age but the try is good; England back in front...
England 14-11 Australia 40mins There's no conversion but England are just ahead of Australia going into the break
England 14-11 Australia HT T: Tuilagi P: Flood (3) | T: Cummins P: Beale DG: Barnes
England 14-11 Australia 41mins And we're back...Stephen Moore's on for Tatafu Polota-Nau
England 14-11 Australia 42mins The Wallabies are 5m from the England T/L & win a pen in front to the posts...time out
England 14-14 Australia 44mins Aussies take the points & Barnes equalises for the Wallabies.
England 14-14 Australia 46mins England forge way into Aussie territory; Wallabies have scrum just outside own 22
England 14-14 Australia 47mins Doesn't bode well for England as Marler pinged & 'pinks' forced back 10m; Aussie L/O on H/W
England 14-14 Australia 49mins Aussies deep in England's 22 again; Marler getting lambasted/warned by ref for infringing; pen Aus
England 14-14 Australia 50mins Sensibly Marler replaced immediately with Tom Johnson...churlish errors = points to opposition
England 14-17 Australia 50mins An simple lead for Aussies with pen for Barnes in front of posts...schoolboy error England
England 14-17 Australia 51mins Wallabies firmly in control right now with possession & territory
England 14-17 Australia 52mins Careless hands give Aussie further control & yet another pen inside England 10m; homeside need focus
England 14-20 Australia 53mins Barnes tees up another pen kick & further increases lead by 3; England have lost concentration
England 14-20 Australia 55min Joe Launchbury replaces Tom Palmer & England go on the attack into 22...crowd joyous & awfully loud!
England 14-20 Australia 56mins England finally look dangerous for 1st time; Chris Ashton heads for corner flag but in touch
England 14-20 Australia 57mins Come back for pen & England all over T/L; ball cleared & England L/O in 22 > heave...
England 14-20 Australia 57mins Ref comes back for collapsed scrum pen & England have 5m L/O...pressure on Tom Youngs
England 14-20 Australia 58mins All a bit of mess & ball goes loose; ref gives England pen & 5m L/O again to come...
England 14-20 Australia 58mins Oh & Liam Gill came on as blood replacement for Dave Denton earlier
England 14-20 Australia 59m Waldrom hurls himself to T/L but Ref defers to TMO; crowd joyous at replay but looks like lost control
England 14-20 Australia 60mins Correctly no try & Wallabies have 5m scrum...clear England outside 22 but they attack to 22
England 14-20 Australia 60mins Penalty to Wallabies on own 22; England cleared back 10m.
England 14-20 Australia 61min Danny Care & Charlie Sharples replaced by Mike Brown & Ben Youngs; James Slipper on for Benn Robinson
England 14-20 Australia 62mins Ashton breaks & kicks ahead but ref calls back into England territory for pen Wallabies
England 14-20 Australia 63mins But England win ball, clear & L/O on Aussie 10m. Charge into 22 but k/o & advantage over
England 14-20 Australia 65mins Aussie scrum just England side of H/W; ref having words with all for procrastinating; Wallaby pen
England 14-20 Australia 67mins Barnes pen & kicks at posts & misses; but dispute amongst asst refs so TMO confirms no score
England 14-20 Australia 69mins England forcefully head into Aussie territory; win pen & tap & go; inches from T/L...
England 14-20 Australia 70min Wallabies t/o ball & head back into England territory; Aussie pen on H/W much to annoyance of England
England 14-20 Australia 70mins Denton back on for Gill & Digby Ioane replaced by Drew Mitchell
England 14-20 Australia 70mins Sekope Kepu on in front row for Ben Alexander
England 14-20 Australia 72mins Plenty of faffing in the scrum before moving ahead for England L/O on Aussie 22
England 14-20 Australia 73mins Unsurprisingly massive crowd support for England as head over Aussie 22 but pen from Waldrom for k/o
England 14-20 Australia 74mins Owen Farrell & David Paice on for Flood & Tom Youngs; Aussie scrum & pen
England 14-20 Australia 75mins England win ball back & pen for obstruction; Eng L/O inside Aussie 22...
England 14-20 Australia 76mins Gill back on for Dennis; Wallaby scrum inside own 22...
England 14-20 Australia 77mins Wallabies kick to clear; England L/O on Aussie 10m & forcefully charge by Mako Vunipola...
England 14-20 Australia 78mins Tuilagi misses crucial pass & ref gets heated at players for interfering... Play in H/W
England 14-20 Australia 79mins England defence holding Aussies on H/W but Robbo busted for off feet & Aussie pen...
England 14-20 Australia 80mins Aussies make it up to England 22 & have the ball as Poite calls time on the game
England 14-20 Australia 80mins Not an thrilling match but England just not good enough & Aussies backlash was v real
England 14-20 FT Awfully disappointing from England; well played Wallabies
15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi 12 Brad Barritt 11 Charlie Sharples 10 Toby Flood 9 Danny Care 1 Joe Marler 2 Tom Youngs 3 Dan Cole 4 Tom Palmer 5 Geoff Parling 6 Tom Johnson 7 Chris Robshaw (C) 8 Thomas Waldrom BENCH: 16 David Paice 17 David Wilson 18 Mako Vunipola 19 Joe Launchbury 20 Tom Wood 21 Ben Youngs 22 Owen Farrell 23 Mike Brown
SCORERS T: Tuilagi P: Flood (3)
15 Berrick Barnes 14 Digby Ioane 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper 12 Ben Tapuai 11 Nick Cummins 10 Kurtley Beale 9 Nick Phipps 1 Benn Robinson 2 Tatafu Polota Nau 3 Ben Alexander 4 Sitaleki Timani 5 Nathan Sharpe (C) 6 Dave Dennis 7 Michael Hooper 8 Wycliff Palu BENCH: 16 Stephen Moore 17 James Slipper 18 Sekope Kepu 19 Radike Samo 20 Liam Gill 21 Brett Sheehan 22 Mike Harris 23 Drew Mitchell
SCORERS T: Cummins P: Beale, Barnes (3) DG: Barnes
Referee: Romain Poite (FFR) Asst. Referees: Nigel Owens (WRU), Mathieu Raynal (FFR) TMO: Jim Yuille (SRU)
SCOTLAND 10 - 21 SOUTH AFRICA
Murrayfield - Saturday 17 November 2012
KO: 14:30 HT: 3-14 Att: 58,893
ALTHOUGH Murrayfield was in full voice for the Scottish National Anthem, it was not enough to deny South Africa a victory. The Scots began well defensively, showing that they were not going to be scared by the huge Springbok pack early on. However, the visitors were first off the mark as Pat Lambie slotted a penalty in the 6th minute.
Greig Laidlaw made some appalling kicks in open play but was bang on with his first attempt at the posts, drawing the homeside level. But the Scots were a little nervy and another 3-pointer at the breakdown was chipped over by Lambie swiftly after.
The situation began to worsen as discipline faltered; Stuart Hogg sliced a clearance kick and Richie Gray was knocked unconscious. The Scottish lock awoke but was removed from play none-the-less, leaving Alastair Kellock to take up his place.
Meanwhile, South Africa had found their stride and, although their scrum was still troubling, they provided plenty of power in the maul from a lineout, driving Adriaan Strauss over the whitewash for a score. Lambie missed the conversion but it was clear that Scotland were going to struggle from this point onwards.
Rattled from the try, the homeside managed to put together another attack and won a penalty. However, Laidlaw failed to find his target and left his side trailing. Scotland pushed up again but David Denton knocked on as he took a big tackle from a waiting Jean de Villiers.
The Bokke soon imposed themselves on Scotland again and, although the Scottish defence just held them back, the penalty was granted which Lambie slotted to ease the South African tally upwards. Both sides had a final attack before the whistle but neither could change the score from 3-14 at the break.
After the interval, it was referee George Clancy who was taking the hits; luckily he was undamaged from the collision and swiftly returned to his feet. This was not the only surprise of the restart as Strauss claimed his second try with an interception. The hooker charged to the tryline from a fair distance to touchdown in a rare show of speed.
Lambie added the extras and that was the end of scoring for South Africa, the last 35 minutes saw Scotland trying, and failing, to catch up. The homeside could not believe it when a trained set piece move provided a brilliant try for Henry Pyrgos. Coming off of the lineout, Pyrgos darted straight through a gaping hole to score with ease. Laidlaw converted and the home crowd felt a glimmer of hope.
Alas there was to be no magical comeback, no matter how hard Scotland fought. They tried chip and chases, set pieces and big drives but nothing could get the homeside over the whitewash. Kelly Brown was halted just a metre short and the ball was recycled, only to be lost to the Boks moments later.
The Scottish scrum began to really dominate the South African pack who, despite their size, engaged early or pulled down at almost every set. The Scots kept throwing everything they had at the visitors but were cursed by an inability to finish, the worst being when Tim Visser fumbled over the tryline.
The Bokke shut down the Scottish attack one last time before booting the ball into touch to claim victory. It was a disappointing end to a rousing rally from the homeside, leaving their fans quiet and reflecting on what might have been.
15 Stuart Hogg 14 Sean Lamont 13 Nick De Luca 12 Matt Scott 11 Tim Visser 10 Greig Laidlaw 9 Mike Blair 1 Ryan Grant 2 Ross Ford 3 Euan Murray 4 Richie Gray 5 Jim Hamilton 6 Kelly Brown (C) 7 John Barclay 8 David Denton BENCH: 16 Dougie Hall 17 Kyle Traynor 18 Geoff Cross 19 Alastair Kellock 20 Stuart McInally 21 Henry Pyrgos 22 Ruaridh Jackson 23 Peter Murchie
SCORERS T: Pyrgos C: Laidlaw P: Laidlaw
15 Zane Kirchner 14 JP Pietersen 13 Juan de Jongh 12 Jean de Villiers (C) 11 Francois Hougaard 10 Pat Lambie 9 Ruan Pienaar 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp 2 Adriaan Strauss 3 Jannie du Plessis 4 Eben Etzebeth 5 Juandré Kruger 6 Francois Louw 7 Willem Alberts 8 Duane Vermeulen BENCH: 16 Schalk Brits 17 Heinke van der Merwe 18 CJ van der Linde 19 Flip van der Merwe 20 Marcell Coetzee 21 Morné Steyn 22 Jaco Taute 23 Lwazi Mvovo
SCORERS T: Strauss (2) C: Lambie P: Lambie (3) 
Van der Merwe
Referee: George Clancy (IRFU) Asst. Referees: John Lacey (IRFU), Christophe Berdos TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
ITALY 10 - 42 NEW ZEALAND
Stadio Olimpico - Saturday 17 November 2012
KO: 16:00 HT: 7-13 Att: 73,000
ITALY began well, but in the end they were of little concern to New Zealand as the unstoppable All Blacks turned up the heat in the second half.
The Italians held off the visitors for 13 minutes in an impressive display of defence. Aaron Cruden eventually drew first blood for the All Blacks with a simple penalty. Soon after the visitors pierced the defensive line and skipper Kieran Read finished off with a touchdown. As Cruden added the extras, swiftly followed by a penalty to go 13 points up, everyone feared that the heroics of the initial minutes from Italy were already spent.
However, the homeside gritted their teeth and countered, first with an attempt from Mirco Bergamasco, which was unfortunately spoilt by a wayward pass to Tommaso Benvenuti. Their second go at the tryline was fruitful though, with Alberto Sgarbi dotting down, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Luciano Orquera converted and it was clear that the Italians meant business. Hosea Gear tried to haul himself over the whitewash to gain further points for New Zealand but tackles from Bergamasco and Simone Favaro halted him short. This left the score at a surprisingly small margin of 7-13 at the break.
The second half was where the All Blacks really kicked in though. The Italians had done well in the first half to keep in touch of their opponents but they could not withstand the brutal attacks much longer.
Cruden added another 3-pointer after a deliberate knock on, before Ma’a Nonu thundered over the tryline to grab a converted score. Orquera responded with a stunning drop goal, but handling was sloppy on the next attack and this was to be the beginning of the end for Italy.
As the homeside tired, New Zealand just kept coming, hitting hard and bursting through. Cory Jane entered the fray and his fresh legs were simply too much for the Italians; he waltzed past them for an easy touchdown.
Luke Mclean managed to get fingers to the ball to stop Cruden from planting, but the All Blacks soon threatened again and this time Julian Savea, with only one boot on, found his way over in the corner. Cruden missed the conversion but Savea soon handed him the chance to tee up again, finishing a great break from Jane with his second try of the match.
The whistle blew and an exhausted Italy dragged themselves down the tunnel; if only it had finished at half-time.
15 Andrea Masi 14 Giovanbattista Venditti 13 Tommaso Benvenuti 12 Alberto Sgarbi 11 Mirco Bergamasco 10 Luciano Orquera 9 Edoardo Gori 8 Sergio Parisse (C) 7 Simone Favaro 6 Alessandro Zanni 5 Francesco Minto* 4 Antonio Pavanello 3 Martin Castrogiovanni 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini 1 Andrea Lo Cicero BENCH: 16 Davide Giazzon 17 Alberto De Marchi 18 Lorenzo Cittadini 19 Quintin Geldenhuys 20 Mauro Bergamasco 21 Robert Barbieri 22 Tobias Botes 23 Luke Mclean
SCORERS T: Sgarbi C: Orquera DG: Orquera
15 Beauden Barrett 14 Hosea Gear 13 Conrad Smith 12 Ma’a Nonu 11 Julian Savea 10 Aaron Cruden 9 Aaron Smith 8 Kieran Read (C) 7 Sam Cane 6 Liam Messam 5 Brodie Retallick 4 Ali Williams 3 Charlie Faumuina 2 Keven Mealamu 1 Tony Woodcock BENCH: 16 Dane Coles 17 Wyatt Crockett 18 Ben Franks 19 Sam Whitelock 20 Victor Vito 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow 22 Daniel Carter 23 Cory Jane
SCORERS T: Read, Nonu, Jane, Savea (2) C: Cruden (4) P: Cruden (3)
Referee: Alain Rolland (IRFU) Asst. Referees: Craig Joubert (SARU), Peter Allan TMO: Nigel Whitehouse (WRU)
O2 IRELAND WOLFHOUNDS 53 - 0 FIJI 
Thomond Park - Saturday 17 November 2012
KO: 17:30 HT: 29-0 Att: 17,126
THE Ireland Wolfhounds had no trouble dispatching Fiji, leaving the visitors pointless and dejected.
It took 6 minutes for the Wolfhounds to draw first blood, Paddy Jackson doing the honours with a neat penalty. From here on, the match was a walk in the park for the Irish side, with Fiji doing little to hassle their defence or stop their attack.
Just 3 minutes, later Craig Gilroy claimed a try finishing a move started by Luke Marshall who created a huge gap for Gilroy to slide through for the score; Gilroy would go on to grab a hat-trick. Jackson converted and only had to wait another 10 minutes before he was teeing up again.
This time Marshall partnered with Darren Cave to elude the defence before offloading to Fergus McFadden to dot down, as confirmed by the TMO. Sean Cronin soon followed suit, taking just a minute to seek out the tryline from the restart, leaving the Fijians unable to catch their breath.
Cave pulled off a dummy pass, a chip through and then hauled himself through the defence to reach for the whitewash. His score was the icing on the cake for the first half, with the homeside strolling into the break with a healthy 29-0 lead.
The onslaught continued after the interval with the Fijians unable to cope and being left for dust by the darting bursts from the Irish. Jackson showed off his handling and offloaded to Jamie Heaslip who powered forward before seeing McFadden cross for his second.
The situation worsened for the frustrated Fiji side as Timoci Matanavou was sent marching to the sin bin after performing a tip tackle. The Wolfhounds lost Chris Henry to a yellow 17 minutes later as he was penalised for entering the ruck incorrectly. But he would soon be joined by Talemaitoga Tuapati, who came in late on Gilroy.
After this rather busy period for the referee’s pocket, normal play resumed with Gilroy crossing for two further tries and Marshall, who had been involved in so many himself, planted the ball for the last score of the match. It is safe to say the Fijians were relieved when the whistle finally blew on this painful episode.
15 Denis Hurley 14 Fergus McFadden 13 Darren Cave 12 Luke Marshall* 11 Craig Gilroy* 10 Paddy Jackson* 9 Conor Murray 1 David Kilcoyne 2 Sean Cronin 3 Mike Ross 4 Donncha O'Callaghan 5 Dan Tuohy 6 Iain Henderson 7 John Muldoon 8 Jamie Heaslip (C) BENCH: 16 Richardt Strauss 17 Cian Healy 18 Michael Bent 19 Mike McCarthy 20 Chris Henry 21 Paul Marshall* 22 Jonathan Sexton 23 Simon Zebo
SCORERS T: Gilroy (3), McFadden (2), Cronin, Cave, L Marshall C: Jackson (5) P: Jackson Henry
15 Metuisela Talebula 14 Simeli Koniferedi 13 Vereniki Govena 12 Josh Matavesi 11 Watisoni Votu 10 Jonetani Ralulu 9 Nicola Matawalu 1 Jerry Y Anuyanutawa 2 Viliame Veikoso 3 Deacon Manu (C) 4 Leone Nakarawa 5 Api Naikatini 6 Iliesa Ratuva 7 Malakai Ravulo 8 Nemani Nagusa BENCH: 16 Tuapati Talemaitoga 17 Manasa Saulo 18 Setefano Somoca 19 Apisai Ratuniyarawa 20 Jovili Domolailai 21 Kelemedi Bola 22 Saula Radidi 23 Timoci Matanavou
SCORERS Tuapati, Matanavou
Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU) Asst. Referees: n/a TMO: n/a
FRANCE 39 - 22 ARGENTINA 
Grand Stade Lille Métropole - Saturday 17 November 2012
KO: 21:00 HT: 24-13
HOW IT HAPPENED MINUTE BY MINUTE...
France 3-0 Argentina 4mins Apologies for being a tad late...couldn't find English commentary! Resolved & Les Bleus knock over pen
France 3-5 Argentina 5mins Lovely score from Marcelo Bosch in to French early penalty...
France 3-7 Argentina 6mins Nicolás Sánchez kicks over the conversion & the Pumas show what they're made of...
France 3-7 Argentina 8mins The only thing that will ruin the excitement of this spectacle is ref Steve Walsh. We can live in hope!
France 3-10 Argentina 9mins Sánchez knocks over a penalty & the Pumas forge ahead early on...
France 3-10 Argentina 12mins Louis Picamoles takes Sánchez out in the air so pen Pumas; L/O inside French H/W & forge ahead...
France 3-10 Argentina 13mins Pumas with advantage & French offside give Sánchez to go for uprights...
France 3-13 Argentina 14mins An easy penalty conversion & Pumas are 10 points clear
France 8-13 Argentina 16mins Les Bleus with a beautiful try from Vincent Clerc in all his glory
France 10-13 Argentina 18mins The most excellent Freddie Michalak bangs over the conversion to narrow the gap to just 3 points
France 15-13 Argentina 21mins More impressive play from Clerc as he collects chip ahead to score...
France 17-13 Argentina 22mins Michalak adds the extras & as suspected, this is the best game of the day
France 17-13 Argentina 27mins Michalak has attention so time out & a breather for all involved...
France 17-13 Argentina 29mins Play resumes & Michalak is just fine. Pumas possession charging up to French 22
France 17-13 Argentina 30mins French pen & ball walloped downfield but just as swiftly returned...
France 22-13 Argentina 33mins France head up to Pumas 22 & perfect hands allow Yannick Nyanga to fly over whitewash for score
France 24-13 Argentina 34mins As per, Michalak knocks over the conversion to stretch the gap...
France 24-13 Argentina 37mins Huge effort from both sides as scrum collapses for lousy pitch falling apart
France 24-13 Argentina 40mins Scrum shifted, Pumas in possession & head up to French 22 but grab possession & clear...
France 24-13 Argentina 40mins Ref calls time on 1st half & damn exciting rugby all round so far!
France 24-13 Argentina HT T: Clerc (2), Nyanga C: Michalak (3) P: Michalak | T: Bosch C: Sánchez P: Sánchez (2)
France 24-13 Argentina 42mins Pumas back into French 22 & Les Bleus pinged for infringing at breakdown; pen & Sánchez tees up
France 24-16 Argentina 43mins Perfect kick find centre of uprights & Pumas back in the game...
France 27-16 Argentina 46mins Michalak not having any of this reducing margin nonsense & drops a delightful goal!
France 27-16 Argentina 49mins Agustín Creevy replaces Eusebio Guiñazú at hooker. Pumas L/O inside own 22 > clear
France 27-16 Argentina 51mins Time out for attention to Nicolas Mas...scrum France on H/W
France 27-16 Argentina 53mins Pumas grab possession & chip ahead in desperation; Pumas L/O inside French 22
France 27-16 Argentina 55min Gonzalo Camacho for Tiesi; Benjamin Kayser & Thomas Domingo for Dimitri Szarzewski & Yannick Forestier
France 27-19 Argentina 57mins Meanwhile, Sánchez pops over another penalty; ooh...handbags...
Most exciting match occurring in Lille & there are rugby players watching X-Factor! Oh dear...how awfully sad.
France 27-19 Argentina 58mins France on the attack & towards Pumas 22 but ball pops out forwards...
France 30-19 Argentina 59mins Pumas infringe again & Michalak punishes them with 3 more points
France 30-19 Argentina 63mins Soon Pumas with penalty of their own but kick not quite accurate so no change in score
France 30-19 Argentina 63mins Cubelli, Kodela & Vallejos on for Landajo, Figallo & Cabello; Suta & Huget for Maestri & Fritz
France 30-22 Argentina 65mins Sánchez may have missed the penalty but right back in with lovely drop goal
France 33-22 Argentina 67mins But as quickly Pumas hand over pen & Michalak is bang on target to cancel out the drop
France 33-22 Argentina 68mins Dulin & Mas replaced with Francois Trinh-Duc & Vincent Debaty
France 33-22 Argentina 70mins Les Bleus wallop ball into Pumas' 22 but neat defensive work allows Pumas to clear
France 33-22 Argentina 71mins Les Bleus forced back to Pumas 10m & L/O; is good & pen against Pumas so Michalak tees up...
France 36-22 Argentina 72mins Michalak clocks up another 3 & just 8 minutes to go; Les Bleus 2 converted scores clear
France 36-22 Argentina 73mins Nasty collision for Horacio Agulla in tackle & is being stretchered off...hopefully will be fine.
France 36-22 Argentina 73mins Football pitches don't work for rugby - looks like tractor's been over it!
France 36-22 Argentina 74mins Joaquín Tuculet on for Agulla, Nahuel Lobo debuts for Ayerza & Damien Chouly on for Picamoles
France 36-22 Argentina 75mins Ref Steve Walsh appears to have behaved himself today...makes a change!
France 36-22 Argentina 76mins Les Bleus in possession & power over H/W but forced backwards...
France 39-22 Argentina 77mins But penalty to the homeside & Michalak tees up again & bingo! Bang on...
France 39-22 Argentina 78mins Nyanga clashes heads & straight down but up just as quickly in time out
France 39-22 Argentina 80mins Clock ticks over 80 & France in Pumas 22 with penalty...with more for posterity? No but another pen
France 39-22 Argentina 80+2mins Ball into touch but Walsh plays on; scrum France just 5m out from whitewash...
France 39-22 Argentina 80+3mins Wave on wave of attack from Les Bleus & oh so close...
France 39-22 Argentina 80+3mins Goes nowhere & final whistle blown for emphatic win for Les Bleus
15 Brice Dulin 14 Wesley Fofana 13 Florian Fritz 12 Maxime Mermoz 11 Vincent Clerc 10 Frederic Michalak 9 Maxime Machenaud 1 Yannick Forestier 2 Dimitri Szarzewski 3 Nicolas Mas 4 Pascal Papé (C) 5 Yoann Maestri 6 Yannick Nyanga 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo 8 Louis Picamoles BENCH: 16 Benjamin Kayser 17 Thomas Domingo 18 Vincent Debaty 19 Jocelino Suta 20 Damien Chouly 21 Morgan Parra 22 Francois Trinh-Duc 23 Yoann Huget
SCORERS T: Clerc (2), Nyanga C: Michalak (3) P: Michalak (5) DG: Michalak
15 Lucas González Amorosino 14 Horacio Agulla 13 Gonzalo Tiesi 12 Marcelo Bosch 11 Juan Imhoff 10 Nicolás Sánchez 9 Martín Landajo 1 Marcos Ayerza 2 Eusebio Guiñazú 3 Juan Figallo 4 Manuel Carizza 5 Julio Farías Cabello 6 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (C) 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamón 8 Leonardo Senatore BENCH: 16 Agustín Creevy 17 Nahuel Lobo* 18 Francisco Gómez Kodela 19 Tomás Vallejos 20 Tomás De la Vega 21 Tomás Cubelli 22 Gonzalo Camacho 23 Joaquín Tuculet
SCORERS T: Bosch C: Sánchez P: Sánchez (4) DG: Sánchez
Referee: Steve Walsh (ARU) Asst. Referees: Jaco Peyper (SARU), David Changleng (SRU) TMO: Carlo Damasco (FIR)
