25-2-9 6 nations
6 NATIONS
ITALY 16-26 IRELAND
MAGNIFICANT MURRAY
Farrell almost powered his way over the line but is held up
short but Roux thrusts himself over the whitewash. Sexton then hits the
conversion through the posts.
Italy almost get a try of their own but Campagnaro is
penalised for trying to restart play having been tackled. Luckily for them it
goes back for a penalty to the hosts and Allan smashes it through the sticks.
Well well well ... the kick-off is completely missed by the
Italian forwards and then it bounces off another, allowing Stockdale to take
hold of the ball and sprint through the space to touch down. Poor from Italy.
Sexton sends the conversion just wide.
Padovani receives a pass to his feet when in space on the
right wing, which is a shame as if it was into his hands he would have been
one-on-one. On the upside, they then get a penalty for offside, which Allan
converts.
Hayward shows some quick feet to defeat the Ireland defence
after the visitors lost a lineout, but they just about hold him up in the end,
but that is not the end of the danger as the ball is chucked out to the
opposite wing by Allan to Padovani who runs it in
Cronin gets the lineout right, allowing Ireland to get a
maul going. They earn some good territory but Italy win it back and kick clear.
Padovani is chief chaser of Tebaldi’s kick and it ends up in the corner, before
it swung out to the other side where Morisi collects after Tuivaiti is tackled,
before powering over the line.
After a long process of trying to power their way over Earls
takes a couple of steps to the right and goes through a tiny gap he earned for
himself. Murray coverts to give Ireland a three-point lead.
An Ireland maul ends in a try for Murray. O’Mahony takes the
lineout and is then joined by a number of his teammates, who power the ball
towards the line, ending with Murray stretching to get the ball down.
MY
OPINION
Good result bad performance is
all I can say about this one as they had a similar game against England this
campaign is this one of the mistakes that Ireland can fix now as they will need
to soon or they will have no hope of competing at a top level.
FRANCE 27-10 SCOTLAND
ALLDRITT AIMS
A brilliant counter-attacking try by France, who scythe
through the Scotland defence with a glorious running move. Th0omas Ramos,
Damian Pernaud and Antoine Dupont were all heavily involved as they built from
deep, with Pernaud taking a massive hit from Nick Grigg as he offloaded to
Dupont. Up in support, Ntamack touched down under the posts and the bonus
points are duly added.
Completely in control of this game, France win another
penalty in front of the Scottish posts after Blair Kinghorn refuses to release
the ball after retrieving the ball under pressure from a French kick-and-chase.
Thomas Ramos slots the ball over.
Scotland penalty after Basteraud comes in from the side moments after making a tackle. The ref warns Guirado that the next French player to do this will be sent to the sin-bin and Greig Laidlaw slots the ball over to get Scotland on the scoreboard.
France pick-up where they left off, coming from their own 22
to go over the Scottish line, with Yoann Huget finishing a wonderful team move.
Thomas Ramos fails to add the extras, hitting the post.
France win their own scrum and look for the shove, driving
towards the French line. Over they go, twisting and driving, with replacement
No8 Gregory Alldritt picking the ball from his own feet and touching down.
Baptiste Serin puts his conversion wide.
An uncharacteristically delighted French crowd strike up a
rousing rendition of La Marseillaise which comes to a very abrupt end as Scotland
score a long overdue try straight from the kick-off. Ali Price slides between
the post after Scotland had taken dvantage of a wonderful kick-off by Blair
Kinghorn. Even I’d score that conversion and the extra two points are duly
added.
MY
OPINION
France have got this ability to
blow hot and cold more so than any other team in world sport and this was their
hot day. I think that they looked very impressive in this match and this shows
what exactly they have the capability to do. Scotland have to try to learn from
every match they play.
WALES 21-13 ENGLAND
HUNGRY HILL
It’s been an extremely attritional opening quarter, during
which the ball has spent an awful long time in play. Wales are rewarded for
their efforts with a penalty just inside the England half. Tom Curry, I think,
refusing to release the ball after the tackle. Wales kick for touch and get it,
halfway inside the English 22 metre area.
Advantage penalty for Wales as Gareth Anscombe
kicks wide for Hadleigh Parkes to catch and try to go over, but there’s too
much weight on his kick. Penalty for Wales 18m from the England posts, a little
to the right
Tom Curry goes over for England following a scrummage under
the Wales posts. After a Courtney Lawes interception as Wales tried to clear
the ball, Curry picked the ball off the ground, spotted a gap and went for it.
“No guard there, no blocker in front of the ball,” declares Brian Moore in the
BBC commentary box. “Justin Tipuric was out of position.” The conversion is put
over
Jonny May is penalised for hanging on to the ball after a
tackle and Wales have a penalty kick at goal a fair bit right of centre. Gareth
Anscombe tees it up. Anscombe curls the ball
between the posts for the crucial first score of the second half.
Wales advance upfield and Sinckler gives away another
penalty, this time for holding Alun Wyn Jones in a choke-hold while in a
rolling maul. Jones has the good sense to catch the referee’s attention and
point to the arm around his neck, slowly strangling him. Sinckler is given a
final warning, while Anscombe kicks.
England win and score a penalty when Hadleigh Parkes is
brought to ground in possession by Tom Curry and lies on the ball;. There’s an
unseemly bout of face-patting, fist-bumping and celebratory handshakes between
Curry and several of his team-mates, a sight I’m sure none of us want to see in
the sport of rugby just because a wing forward does his job. In the England
ranks, George Kruis is replaced by Joe Launchbury.
Wales take the lead after playing the ball out wide, with
Cory Hill finding a great angle to crash over after taking a pass from Dan
Biggar. That’s a great reward for Wales’s patience in the long, long build-up
to that try. Dan Biggar makes no mistake with a difficult conversion.
Dan Biggar kicks the ball cross-field to the far touchline.
He’s aiming for Josh Adams, who out-jumps Henry Slade, next two grabs at the
ball and goes to ground and wriggles over the line. Brilliant stuff from Wales.
MY
OPINION
By the way England played against
Ireland and the fact Wales had not got a bonus point win I don’t think that
anyone saw a result like this coming but it is here now and Wales have shown
that they are also a world force.
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