All Blacks maul Lions
Aussies stagger to shaky win, Ireland sweep Japan
AUCKLAND, June 24, (Agencies): New Zealand winger Rieko Ioane scored two tries as the All Blacks faced down a spirited British and Irish Lions challenge 30-15 at Eden Park on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-test series.
The world champions produced a performance of real grit and character to subdue a Lions surge around halftime before racing away to extend their winning streak at their spiritual home to 38 tests going back to 1994.
Hooker Codie Taylor also crossed for the home side, while flyhalf Beauden Barrett had a perfect evening from the kicking tee with three penalties and three conversions.
The tourists scored the best try of the night through flanker Sean O’Brien and got a late consolation effort from replacement scrumhalf Rhys Webb with Owen Farrell chipping in with a penalty and a conversion.
The Lions made enough linebreaks to head to next week’s second test in Wellington confident they can score against the All Blacks but know they will have to cut down on the errors if they want to win a first series in New Zealand since 1971.
The first of the linebreaks could have secured the Lions the opening try in the first two minutes but winger Elliot Daly was bundled into touch after centre Jonathan Davies had stormed through the All Blacks midfield.
Barrett scored the first three points from a penalty after 14 minutes, though, and four minutes later the All Blacks caught the Lions napping with a quick tap from a second.
The home side moved the ball quickly down the line to Taylor out on the wing and the hooker picked it off his boot laces to score.
Barrett sent the conversion sailing through the posts and the All Blacks were 10-0 in front, their nerves settled and any hopes the tourists had of catching them cold gone.
Farrell and Barrett traded penalties around the half hour mark before the Lions wrested back the momentum with a try from the least promising of circumstances.
Fullback Liam Williams was forced to run the ball out of defence but the field opened up for him and he was able to offload to Davies, who exchanged passes with Daly before getting the ball to O’Brien for the flanker to touch down.
It was a breathtaking riposte to those who doubted the ability of the tourists
Roger Federer from Switzerland returns a ball to Karen Khachanov (not in picture) from Russia at the Gerry Weber Open tennis tournament in Halle,
western Germany on June 24. (AFP) (Left): Ireland’s fly-half Paddy Jackson tackles against Japan’s lock Uwe Helu during their rugby union test match in Tokyo on June 24. (Right): Andries Van Schalkwyk of Italy is tackled by Lopeti Timani of Australia during the international rugby match between Australia and Italy at Suncorp
Stadium in Brisbane on June 24. (AFP)
to create try-scoring chances and even though Farrell missed the conversion, the Lions went in at halftime 13-8 down but with heads held high.
Another searing break down the left four minutes after the break spoke of the confidence now surging through the Lions and when the All Blacks were penalised close to the line, they elected to kick for the corner.
The first chants of “Lions! Lions! Lions!” echoed around the ground but an effective counter-shove from the All Blacks prevented the pushover try and the hosts worked their way out of trouble.
The All Blacks had lost fullback Ben Smith and centre Ryan Crotty to injury in the first half but it was the strategic swap of both props after 50 minutes that triggered the next score.
The Lions pack simply disintegrated at a scrum on their own 22 and Read picked up to feed the backline with Ioane touching down in the corner in the 55th minute.
Referee Jaco Peyper checked that Read had not knocked on and Barrett added the extras to give the All Blacks a 20-8 lead, which he extended with his third penalty on the hour mark.
The Lions kept coming but the All Blacks now looked to be in the groove and when Williams spilt the ball on his own 10-metre line 10 minutes from time, Ioane outpaced Daly down the left wing to score his third try in three tests.
An unconvincing Australia suffered a huge scare against Italy before scoring two late tries to secure a shaky 40-27 win in Brisbane.
The Wallabies led 28-13 early in the second half at Lang Park, but Italy roared back with 14 uninterrupted points to trail by a point with three minutes remaining.
Flyhalf Bernard Foley thwarted the comeback with a jinking run and try in the 77th minute before replacement back Reece Hodge made the result certain with a brilliant dash down the left touchline to cross at the final hooter.
Australia rebounded from their surprise 24-19 loss to Scotland last week but the laboured win over 15th-ranked Italy will do little for their confidence ahead of bigger tests against world champions New Zealand in the Rugby Championship.
“It probably shows where we’re at a little bit, probably down on confidence a little bit in that game,” said Wallabies captain Stephen Moore, reinstated as starting hooker after being relegated to the bench against Fiji and Scotland.
“It probably showed in our attack ... We’ve got a big, big couple of months ahead to work on before we play New Zealand.”
Israel Folau scored two tries in the first half, adding to his doubles against Fiji and Scotland, and became the first Wallaby to score multiple tries in three successive matches.
It was one of the only positives for Michael Cheika’s side, who were cruising at 28-13 in the 45th minute before suffering an apparent loss of confidence as their scrum disintegrated in front of a modest crowd of 22,000.
A string of abysmal handling errors set the slide in motion, with scrumhalf Will Genia sending a long pass sailing over Foley’s head as the flyhalf streamed down the left flank, unmarked and gunning for the try-line in the 56th minute.
Winger Dane Haylett-Petty then gifted a try to the Azzurri eight minutes later, spilling a high cross-kick by flyhalf Tommaso Allan at the right corner to allow fullback Edoardo Padovani to scamper over.
Ireland overpowered Japan 35-13 to finish with a perfect record on their three-game summer tour.
Joe Schmidt’s second-string side looked on course to rack up 50 points for the third successive match as the visitors ran in four first-half tries in Tokyo.
Despite wilting in the heat as the game went on, Ireland had enough of a cushion to keep the Japanese comfortably at arm’s length in a dress rehearsal for their 2019 World Cup pool clash.
The signs were ominous for Japan’s “Brave Blossoms” when Garry Ringrose raced clear to score under the posts and flanker Josh van der Flier wriggled over in the corner in the first 10 minutes.
Bulldozing tries from Kieran Marmion and stand-in skipper Rhys Ruddock further stretched the lead for Ireland, the bulk of whose regular players are on British and Irish Lions duty in New Zealand.
Japan’s sole glimmer of hope had been Kotaro Matsushima’s swashbuckling try on 24 minutes but after trailing 28-8 at half-time, the next World Cup hosts offered significantly more resistance after the interval.
Akihito Yamada tiptoed down the wing to register Japan’s second try, while Ireland narrowly avoided going scoreless in the second half thanks to replacement flanker Sean Reidy’s late effort.
Fly-half Paddy Jackson unerringly converted all five tries for Ireland, who crushed Japan 50-22 last weekend and also broke the 50-point mark against the United States in their opening tour game in New Jersey.
“We knew after last week Japan would bring a new level of intensity and test us,” said Ruddock.
Wales players had to overcome a debilitating virus sweeping their camp to beat Samoa, coach Robin McBryde revealed Saturday.
More than 10 players were said to have been stricken by the bug in the lead up to their 19-17 win on a muddy pitch in Apila.
Several players, including captain Jamie Roberts were sick on the sideline at half-time in the match.
Steffan Evans’ two second-half tries and three penalties by Sam Davies secured the win to give Wales back-toback victories after beating Tonga 24-6 the previous week.
Samoa’s points came from tries to Alapati Leiua and Manu Leiataua and the boot of fly-half Tusi Pisi.
With the bulk of the Wales squad in New Zealand on duty with the British and Irish lions, the starting XV against Samoa contained just 151 caps of which 92 belonged to captain and centre Roberts.
Fiji held off a late Scotland fightback to secure a 27-22 victory in a June international test at Suva on Saturday, bringing the tourists down to earth after their upset of Australia last week.
It was a second victory over European opposition in a week for the Fijians after they edged Italy last Saturday and came courtesy of tries from Peceli Yato and Henry Seniloli as well as five penalties and a conversion from flyhalf Ben Volavola.
The Scots, weakened by the absence of five players on British and Irish Lions duty, scored tries through Ross Ford, Ruaridh Jackson and Fraser Brown. Flyhalf Jackson also kicked a penalty and two conversions.
Hooker Ford, who won his 110th cap to better Chris Paterson’s tally and claim the Scottish record, crossed in the first half with his replacement Brown crashing over four minutes from time to give the visitors hopes of a late comeback.
Three yellow cards in the first half, two for Fiji and one for the Scots, set the tone for a hardfought battle played out in humid conditions in the capital of the Pacific island nation.
Scotland also beat the Italians in their first June international in Singapore two weeks ago.
South Africa ground out a 35-12 victory Saturday to beat France at Ellis Park in Johannesburg for the first time and complete a 3-0 Test series whitewash.
Les Bleus, who won the four previous clashes with the Springboks at the ground, fell behind after six minutes and never looked likely to snap a losing streak on this tour.
Victory in a match that never scaled great heights continued a South African revival after a calamitous last season in which they lost eight of 12 Tests.
Winning the first two matches of the series has reignited public support for the Springboks with a 55,820 crowd creating an electric atmosphere.
South Africa were skippered by lock Eben Etzebeth for the first time after the late withdrawal of No.8 Warren Whiteley due to a groin injury.
Flanker Jean-Luc du Preez replaced Whiteley with Jaco Kriel coming into the team off the bench.
Etzebeth said: “What an unbelievable day it was for me and the whole team. This whole three weeks was unbelievable.
“The crowd that was here tonight, all the support back home. We just want to thank everyone for this massive day and this great three weeks.
“(The buildup) was not tough at all. I think if you put on a Springbok jersey, you want to win every game. That is exactly what we wanted to do tonight.
“We are really happy and so excited for the squad and looking forward to the Rugby Championship.”
France captain and hooker Guilhem Guirado said: “Tonight, three games, three Tests, three times (almost) the same score — very bad for the French team.