Monday, November 18, 2013

Aviva Stadium / Lansdowne Cup

General view of the Aviva Stadium before the International match between Ireland and Australia at Aviva Stadium on November 16, 2013 in Dublin, Ireland.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe)
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Four-try win for Wallabies

The Wallabies built on the momentum accrued last week in Turin by beating a disappointing Irish side 32-15 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.
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 Ben Mowen of Australia tries to tackle Paul O'Connell of Ireland during the International match between Ireland and Australia at Aviva Stadium on November 16, 2013 in Dublin, Ireland.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe)
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With many expecting a much closer scoreline than the one recorded, the visiting outfit will undoubtedly be delighted with their four-try win.
This sets them up nicely for remaining fixtures against Scotland and Wales, with head coach Ewen McKenzie's plans seemingly bearing fruit.
Ireland meanwhile will not look forward to their Monday video session as the Wallabies' wide game hurt the home side dearly in the first-half.
Joe Schmidt will have a whole host of questions at that meeting and should ask his side about their defensive frailties as tries for Nick Cummins, Michael Hooper (one of his two) and Quade Cooper left a lot to be desired from an Irish point of view. If they don't right those wrongs then the All Blacks should have little issue making it 14 wins.
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 Luke Marshall of Ireland is tackled by Israel Folau of Australia during the International match between Ireland and Australia at Aviva Stadium on November 16, 2013 in Dublin, Ireland.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe)
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 Ben Mowen of the Wallabies wins the ball during the International match between Ireland and Australia at Aviva Stadium on November 16, 2013 in Dublin, Ireland.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe)
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Man of the match: Australia seem to be clicking on this end-of-year tour after the initial loss to England and Michael Hooper is a major part of that. He edges this award from the always threatening Israel Folau because of the openside flank's hard graft and two scores.
Moment of the match: The second-half score for Quade Cooper summed up the Ireland defence as the fly-half slipped through a gap that shouldn't have been there. Work needed.
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Cian Healy of Ireland is tackled by Adam Ashley Cooper of Australia during the International match between Ireland and Australia at Aviva Stadium on November 16, 2013 in Dublin, Ireland.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe)
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next test:
23 Nov
Scotland v Australia
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24 Nov
Ireland v New Zealand
****

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Twickenham / Hillary Shield

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 Captain Richie McCaw of New Zealand receives the Hillary Shield after the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Phil Walter/Getty Images Europe)
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The England team line up to face the Haka from the All Blacks during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Warren Little/Getty Images Europe)
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New Zealand continued their unbeaten run in 2013 with a hard-fought 30-22 victory over England at Twickenham on Saturday.
Julian Savea scored two tries with Kieran Read also crossing the England line for the All Blacks to win their 13th match of the year.
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 Ben Youngs of England kicks the ball clear during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)
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 Julian Savea of New Zealand (R) is tackled during the QBE Autumn International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Tom Shaw/Getty Images Europe)
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This was a game that had it all. Theatre, power, pace, skill and above all, physicality.
In the final analysis, New Zealand simply just found a way to win, avenging their defeat in the corresponding fixture last season, and calling on the reference points of 12 victories on the trot.

But don't denude the England display. One could argue that England, in defeat, put in their best performance of 2013, with both Billy's, Vunipola and Twlevetrees, truly coming of age as Test match players.
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 Mike Brown of England fails to stop Kieran Read of New Zealand going over to score a try during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Phil Walter/Getty Images Europe)
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 Chris Ashton of England tackles Kieran Read of New Zealand during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Warren Little/Getty Images Europe)
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 Chris Ashton of England tackles Kieran Read of New Zealand during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Warren Little/Getty Images Europe)
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Man of the Match: With so many performances of quality it is very hard to single out an individual. For New Zealand, Nonu, McCaw and Salvea were compelling, and equally, England's heroes were led by Mike Brown, Billy Vunipola and Courtney Lawes. But for 70 minutes, one man was at the epicentre of everything good about All Black Rugby, and our award goes to Kiwi number eight Kieran Read.
Moment of the Match: With so much great rugby on display, it's hard to single one moment out. Read's offload in the opening minutes was delightful, but great sides find a way to win in adversity, and Ma'a Nonu's offload and pass around Courtney Lawes' huge tackle, to set Salvea free for the clinching score, takes this week's prize.
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 Billy Twelvetrees of England and Richie McCaw of New Zealand compete for the ball during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)
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 Lee Dickson of England tackles Aaron Smith of New Zealand during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)
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 Aaron Cruden of New Zealand tackles Joel Tomkins of England during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)
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 Julian Savea of New Zealand breaks through the tackle from Mike Brown of England to score his team'sthird try during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Phil Walter/Getty Images Europe)
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All Blacks maintain perfect record

By Gregor Paul at Twickenham
Hard slog and a classy lineout got the All Blacks home this morning in London. Seriously hard slog as it happens as England were a tough nut to crack. These Poms are not bad.
Not quite the side they were last year, but good enough to be a contender for 70 minutes, until the All Blacks superior skills and fitness told.
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 Owen Farrell of England in action during the QBE Autumn International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Tom Shaw/Getty Images Europe)
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 Dan Carter of New Zealand tackles Billy Twelvetrees of England during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)
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Certainly the All Blacks will know they were in a game. Brutal wouldn't quite be the word for it. It was clean, just ferocious and chunks were taken out of everyone. This was test rugby all right. Miss a tackle and the game opened up. There wasn't even a split second to be had for the tackled player: the defending side was on the ball instantly and the battle at the breakdown was phenomenal. England probably won it, but not to the extent that they could deny the All Blacks the possession and pace of possession that they needed.
And by the final 10 minutes, the All Blacks had them just about under control.
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 Liam Messam of New Zealand pulls on the shirt of Dan Carter of New Zealand as they perform the Haka during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Phil Walter/Getty Images Europe)
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 Courtney Lawes of England wins the ball during the QBE Autumn International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Tom Shaw/Getty Images Europe)
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They'd started to clear the bodies quicker and were making dominant tackles to leave England toiling a bit behind the gainline.
The All Blacks also managed to disrupt England's lineout and it was probably there that they won the game. At 22-20 down, England were searching for the killer blow. But the All Blacks started to win England's lineout ball. They started to damage the quality of England's possession from the touchline and the game changed in the final 20 minutes.
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 Joe Marler of England goes through the Nez Zealand defense during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)
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England push back the All Blacks in the scrum during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Phil Walter/Getty Images Europe)
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It was apparent that New Zealand were the team with all the momentum and were the only one likely to score which they did when Julian Savea bashed over for his second after concerted and controlled build up.
It was a score every All Blacks was relieved to see - not only in the context of the game, but because it meant Dan Carter would have something at least to take from his 100th cap. He limped off after 25 minutes - a damaged calf looked to be the problem after he was cleaned up in a crunching tackle.
As he disappeared and England grew in confidence, memories of last year were hard to keep at bay. Waves of England runners came round the corner and recycled quick ball that left them running into space.
They backed their driving maul from lineouts and got plenty out of it and for the second quarter of the first half, the All Blacks were under as much pressure as they have been all year.
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  Courtney Lawes of England wins the line out ahead of Sam Whitelock of New Zealand during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Phil Walter/Getty Images Europe)
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Mike Brown of England tackles Owen Franks of New Zealand during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Warren Little/Getty Images Europe)
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They couldn't get the ball. They couldn't get their counter-attacking game going and they were being hammered on the penalty count. It was mainly around the breakdown that they were being pinged - either refusing to release the tackled player or coming in from the side.
That's what pressure it does - it saps players, forces them to make mistakes in their desperation to stop the momentum and England are one of the great sides in world rugby at applying it. Kieran Read, in his urgency to turn the tide, was shown a yellow card. Had to go. There had been too many infringements and to be fair to England, they deserved something tangible for their dominance.
But two deadly strikes from the All Blacks in the first half and a third late in the game kept the All Blacks in track for a perfect calendar year
England 22 (J. Launchbury tries; O. Farrell 5 pens, con) 
New Zealand 30 (J. Savea (2), K. Read tries; D. Carter 2 cons; A. Cruden 3 pens, con)
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Dan Carter of New Zealand shakes hands with Richie McCaw of New Zealand (R) after receiving his 100th cap during the QBE International match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham Stadium on November 16, 2013 in London, England.
(November 15, 2013 - Source: Phil Walter/Getty Images Europe)
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next test:
24 Nov
Ireland v New Zealand
*****

Monday, November 11, 2013

Argentina tour / Investec Challenge

 Chris Robshaw the England captain lifts the trophy following his sides victory during the QBE International match between England and Argentina at Twickenham Stadium on November 9, 2013 in London, England.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe)
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England made it two wins from two in their November series on Saturday, sealing a 31-12 victory over Argentina.
It wasn't pretty, particularly in the second-half as the hosts only troubled the scorers in the final minutes after what was a decent opening spell.
Questions will be asked of his team by head coach Stuart Lancaster as to what happened at the turnaround to cause such a slump in form.
But credit must also go to the Pumas, who were a different side after the interval, as they looked to eat into the sizeable 24-6 half-time scoreline.
As mentioned, Argentina looked a shadow of their best in the first-half as England took them on up front, leading to gaps being created on the fringe.
However, the second 40 minutes would see the English fail to add to their three first period tries which will be a concern ahead of New Zealand.
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 Ben Morgan of England breaks clear to score a try during the QBE International match between England and Argentina at Twickenham Stadium on November 9, 2013 in London, England.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe)
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 Julio Farias Cabello of Argentina reaches for the ball in the line-out during the QBE International match between England and Argentina at Twickenham Stadium on November 9, 2013 in London, England.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)
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Man of the match: Tough seeing as few players stood out for the full game but we go forTom Wood, who continues to shine. His rangy yet powerful style was again prominent.
Moment of the match: Half-time...what happened at the break to see such a turnaround?
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Courtney Lawes (L) of England and Julio Farias Cabello (R) of Argentina challenge for the ball at a lineout during the QBE International match between England and Argentina at Twickenham Stadium on November 9, 2013 in London, England.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe)
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next test:
16 Nov
Wales v Argentina
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England v New Zealand
****

Japan in Edinburgh

 Japan fans in the crowd during the Scotland v Japan Autumn International Series Match at Murrayfield Stadium on November 9, 2013 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Mark Runnacles/Getty Images Europe)
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Scotland too strong for Japan

Scotland held off a spirited performance from Japan before claiming a 42-17 victory at Murrayfield on Saturday.
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 Kensuke Hatakeyama of Japan is tackled by Euan Murray (L) and Alasdair Strokosch (R) of Scotland during the Scotland v Japan Autumn International Series match at Murrayfield Stadium on November 9, 2013 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Mark Runnacles/Getty Images Europe)
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 Michael Broadhurt of Japan is tackled by Gary Richie (Left) David Denton (Right) of Scotland clash during the Scotland v Japan Autumn International Series Match at Murrayfield Stadium on November 9, 2013 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Mark Runnacles/Getty Images Europe)
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A brace of tries from Tommy Seymour, and scores from Greig Laidlaw, Al Dickinson and Sean Lamont cancelled out a wonderful double from the visitors' speedster, Kenki Fukuoka.
The Brave Blossoms imposed themselves well, with the wonderfully quick ball they generated, and the fleetness of their outside backs causing the Scots problems in defence.
And indeed, they twice clawed themselves back to within a single point of the Scots, showing discipline and resilience to score a couple of excellent tries.
It was, however, a disjointed opening quarter, with neither side able to string many phases together.
The hosts looked rusty on their first outing as a team since June, and static attacking play combined with knock-ons and errors stunted their attack.
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 Tui Hendrick of Japan and Euan Murray clash during the Scotland v Japan Autumn International Series Match at Murrayfield Stadium on November 9, 2013 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Mark Runnacles/Getty Images Europe)
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Man of the Match: There were a few candidates, but none more impressive than Tim Swinson. Despite his lack of size at second-row, the Glasgow Warriors man was excellent in the loose, making big hits aplenty and always making yards with ball in hand. With this showing, he be in real contention to face South Africa next week.
Moment of the Match: The beginning of the end for Japan was marked by Dickinson's tidy score. There are few finer sights in rugby than a prop barrelling his way over the line from distance.
Villain of the Match: Ryu Holani's yellow-card contributed heftily to Japan's downfall, with the Cherry Blossoms shipping two tries while down to fourteen men.
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Craig Wing (2nd L) of Japan is tackled by Euan Murray of Scotland during the Scotland v Japan Autumn International Series Match at Murrayfield Stadium on November 9, 2013 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Mark Runnacles/Getty Images Europe)
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next test:
17 Nov
Scotland v S.Africa
****

Stadio Olimpico

 Alessandro Zanni of Italy is tackled by Will Genia of Australia during the international match between Italy and Australia at the Stadio Olimpico on November 9, 2013 in Turin, Italy.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Harry Engels/Getty Images Europe)
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Australia put 50 on Italy

The Wallabies bounced back from last weekend's loss to England with an emphatic 50-20 win over Italy in Turin.
Any doubts that Ewen McKenzie's men would fail to keep their country's 15 win record against theAzzurri intact were erased 15 minutes into the contest when Quade Cooper put skipper Ben Mowen over for his first Test try.
Pardon the alliteration, but it could very well end up being one of the most memorable moments of Mowen's career as his men were trailing 10-0 following a surprisingly solid start by the hosts.
The new Wallaby captain had just weathered storm of complaints following last week's loss to England and would have known when he agreed to take the job, that nothing but a total turnaround in his team's fortunes would satisfy his countrymen.
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 Nick Cummins of Australia breaks through to score his team's second try during the international match between Italy and Australia at the Stadio Olimpico on November 9, 2013 in Turin, Italy.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Harry Engels/Getty Images Europe)
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 The Australian wallaby is seen on the pitch prior to the international match between Italy and Australia at the Stadio Olimpico on November 9, 2013 in Turin, Italy.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Harry Engels/Getty Images Europe)
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Man of the match: Michael Hooper - Hooper's presence at the tackle area prevented Italy from setting the attacking platform they would have liked to have. His general awareness was exceptional while there were very few faults with his defence.
Moment of the match: Ben Mowen's first Test try turned the tables. Australians fans will be hoping that it is a permanent change of their fortunes following a terrible season.
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 Israel Folau of Australia is tackled by Luca Morisi of Italy during the international match between Italy and Australia at the Stadio Olimpico on November 9, 2013 in Turin, Italy.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Harry Engels/Getty Images Europe)
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Matt Toomua of Australia is tackled by Luca Morisi and Alberto Sgarbi of Italy during the international match between Italy and Australia at the Stadio Olimpico on November 9, 2013 in Turin, Italy.
(November 8, 2013 - Source: Harry Engels/Getty Images Europe)
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next test:
16 Nov
Ireland v Australia
*
Italy v Fiji
****