2019 Rugby World Cup warm-up fixtures.

[Swami]

Rugby World Cup: Ireland 29-10 Italy

By Michael Morrow

Ireland play England at Twickenham and then Wales home and away in their other World Cup warm-up games
World Cup warm-up match: Ireland v Italy
Ireland (19) 29
Tries: Carbery, D. Kearney, Conway, Murphy, Marmion Cons: Carbery 2
Italy (10) 10
Tries: Mbanda, Canna
Ireland kicked off their World Cup preparations with a five-try win over Italy in Dublin.

Joe Schmidt's experimental side were behind twice as Italy's Maxime Mbanda and Carlo Canna scored either side of Joey Carbery's try.

But Dave Kearney, Andrew Conway, Jordi Murphy and Kieran Marmion all crossed as Ireland sealed a comfortable win.


Ireland will hope an ankle injury sustained by fly-half Carbery does not put his World Cup place in doubt.

• Carbery injury 'not a fracture' - coach Schmidt
• You're the boss! Pick your starting Ireland XV

Schmidt's side begin their World Cup campaign against Scotland on 22 September.

Farrell puts hand up in attritional first half
With the majority of Ireland's starting XV on Saturday not assured of a place in Schmidt's final 31-man squad, the opening warm-up game was always going to be a test to see which player could make a convincing case for selection.

Munster's Chris Farrell did his chances no harm with an influential display in an otherwise unconvincing first half.

After falling behind to Mbanda's try from a rolling maul, Farrell showed quick thought and soft hands to offload to Carbery who registered Ireland's first points.

Irish fly-half Carbery will face an anxious wait to discover whether a knee injury will dent his World Cup hopes
Canna collected Guilio Bisegni's grubber kick to restore Italy's advantage before Kearney, on his first international appearance since November 2017, crossed in the corner after Farrell's bruising run into contact created numbers out wide.

Conway, who like Farrell gave a good account of himself showing composure under the high ball and purpose in attack, scored in the other corner two minutes before the interval to give the hosts a nine-point lead to take into the second half.

Carbery's injury a major concern
Ireland now face a nervous wait over the extent of Carbery's injury, with the fly-half leaving the field on a medical cart following what appeared to be an ankle injury in the 50th minute.

The New Zealand-born number 10 was been expected to be a player of considerable influence in Japan, as the chief back-up to Jonathan Sexton.

Indeed, such was Schmidt's desire for Carbery to be a crucial part of his set-up, he orchestrated the fly-half's move from Leinster to Munster to ensure that he was receiving regular game time at 10.

Carbery had shown glimpses of his considerable ability in the first half, his accurate kicking from hand finding territory for his side on several occasions.

Dave Kearney scores Ireland's second try despite the efforts of Italy's Matteo Minozzi
Senior stars set to return
While the injury is a huge concern, Schmidt will be mostly satisfied, if not elated, with what he saw from his side, who extinguished hopes of an Italy revival early in the second half as Murphy barrelled over following Garry Ringrose's fine break.

As replacements arrived in their numbers, Ireland continued to dominate proceedings, with Jack Carty ably steering the ship following Carbery's departure.

It was another replacement, Marmion, who struck the final blow for the hosts when his charge-down, just minutes after entering the fray, allowed him to dot down under the posts.

It is likely that a lot of Ireland's senior players will return for the England game on 24 August, by which time Schmidt may have cut a few more from his squad which currently consists of 43 players.

The head coach, who is leaving his position after the tournament in Japan, will not settle on his final squad until after Ireland's final warm-up game against Wales on 7 September.

Ireland: Larmour; Conway, Ringrose, C Farrell, D Kearney; J Carbery, L McGrath; J McGrath, Herring, Porter, Toner, Kleyn, Ruddock (c), O'Donnell, Murphy.

Subs: Scannell, Healy, J. Ryan, Henderson, Beirne, Marmion, Carty, Haley.

Italy: Padovani; Esposito, Benvenuti, Minozzi, Besigni; Canna, Palazzani; Quaglio, Fabiani, Riccioni, Zanni, Budd (c), Licata, Mbanda, Tuivaiti.

Subs: Zani, Lovotti, Ferrari, Lazzardni, Giammarioli, Bradley, McKinley, Negri.

Swami

 

[Swami]

England beat Wales 33-19 in World Cup warm-up game

Hooker Cowan-Dickie marked his first England start with a try
World Cup warm-up match: England v Wales
England (21) 33
Tries: B Vunipola, Cokanasiga, Cowan-Dickie Cons: Ford (3) Pens: Ford (3) Drop: Daly
Wales (7) 19
Tries: G Davies, North, W Jones Cons: Anscombe, Biggar
England ended Wales' 14-match winning run as Eddie Jones' relatively inexperienced side beat the world number two team in their first World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham.

An energetic start from England saw Billy Vunipola and Joe Cokanasiga score from close range, before a solo effort from Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies got the visitors back in the game.

Luke Cowan-Dickie then scored his first England try to give his side a 14-point lead before half-time.


George North and Wyn Jones kicked off a second-half comeback for Wales with a try each, but it was not enough to earn them a first win at Twickenham since 2015.

Wales travelled to south-west London as favourites, bidding to become world number ones after New Zealand's loss to Australia on Saturday.

But Warren Gatland's side looked as if they might have been working too hard in their training camps in Cardiff and Switzerland, crouching down and looking breathless whenever there was a break in play.

The visitors brought a strong side to Twickenham, but were undone by an England team which looked eager to impress before head coach Jones names his 31-man World Cup squad on Monday.

Playing for a World Cup place

Tempers flared in the first half as England prop Ellis Genge and Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones grappled
While many of those starting for Wales will almost certainly be on the plane, England's players had to prove their worth to get to Japan.

England flanker Tom Curry and winger Anthony Watson made their presence known early, making breaks to get inside Wales' 22, and Vunipola managed to wrestle the ball down with Wales defenders hanging off him after just three minutes.

It was not just World Cup spots being played for, though. Any questions about whether this warm-up would have the usual intensity of an England v Wales game were soon settled when a fight broke out at the scrum shortly after the hosts' score.

England debutant Willi Heinz then had a dart to within a metre of the try-line, but it was Cokanasiga who picked up the ball from the back of the ruck and drove over.

But the hosts' level began to drop and Wales suddenly picked up as Davies shot round a scrum and left Elliot Daly lying on the floor, side-stepping the full-back to score at the same end where he went over for a crucial try against England in the 2015 World Cup.

A mistake from experienced forward Ken Owens allowed England to turn the tables again, though. Owens threw his line-out long and England hooker Cowan-Dickie was on the end of it, diving over before half-time.

Wales continued to build pressure in the second half as North grabbed the ball off the floor after a maul and darted through defenders to score.

Centre Hadleigh Parkes then cut an impressive line and Wales built through the phases inside the five-metre line, allowing Jones to cut the deficit to five points.

But three penalties from fly-half George Ford, who did not miss a kick all afternoon, and a Daly drop-goal gave England the 14-point lead with which they finished the game.

World Cup injury concerns

Curry was set to start alongside Sam Underhill before the Bath flanker suffered an injury of his own earlier in the week
England head coach Jones had already been forced into three changes the day before the match, with flanker Sam Underhill, centre Henry Slade and wing Ruaridh McConnochie withdrawing from the starting XV because of injury.

And England's back-row issues worsened when Curry, originally selected at blind-side flanker but who started in place of Underhill on the open-side, left the field injured after 28 minutes with an injury to his right arm.

But flanker Lewis Ludlam, who has made only 25 Premiership appearances for Northampton, made an impressive England debut and may have earned himself an unexpected place in the squad.

Shortly after Curry's departure, Wales were also dealt a blow as fly-half Gareth Anscombe was helped off the pitch supported by two physios after going down with a knee injury.

The number 10 was replaced by Dan Biggar, but Warren Gatland will want to take both players to Japan and will not have been happy to see Anscombe return to the bench on crutches.

Man of the match - Anthony Watson (England)

Winger Anthony Watson was playing his first match for England since sustaining an Achilles injury in March 2018, but he looked sharp as he cut through the Welsh defence to help set up Cokanasiga's try. With Jack Nowell currently injured, the 25-year-old is a good option in England's back three.
'All you have to do is worry about yourself' - What they said
England coach Eddie Jones: "We had a good team out there, a good mix of young guys, guys who haven't played for a while and I knew their attitude would be right. I was pleased for the young guys playing today. It's a special moment for those guys.

"Wales had a lot of expectation to cope with. I thought that would weigh them down and in the end it probably did.

"These are tough games, we don't know what sort of work Wales have been doing - we might be at different stages of our preparation. All you have to do is worry about yourself."

Wales coach Warren Gatland: "It's all about what happens in the middle of September, it's what we are building for.

"Everyone's writing off the All Blacks, but you do at your peril. England probably have a few more headaches than we do. It looked like a pre-season game for us and we will definitely be better next week."

England: Daly, Cokanasiga, Joseph, Francis, Watson, Ford, Heinz, Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Cole, Launchbury, Ewels, Ludlam, T. Curry, B. Vunipola.

Replacements: Tuilagi for Francis (74), Youngs for Heinz (50), H. Williams for Cole (53), Singleton for Launchbury (79), Kruis for Ludlam (69), Lawes for T. Curry (29). Not Used: Marler, Marchant.

Wales: L. Williams, North, J. Davies, Parkes, Adams, Anscombe, G. Davies, Smith, Owens, Francis, Beard, A. Jones, Wainwright, Tipuric, Moriarty.

Replacements: Watkin for Parkes (68), Biggar for Anscombe (34), A. Davies for G. Davies (53), W. Jones for Smith (50), Dee for Owens (52), Lewis for Francis (50), Ball for Beard (68), Shingler for Tipuric (62).


Swami

 

[Swami]

Wales 13-6 England: Wales top world with England revenge win
By Dafydd Pritchard

Wales' defence against England in Cardiff was a cut above last week's loss at Twickenham
World Cup warm-up: Wales v England
Wales (10) 13
Try: North Pens: Biggar, Halfpenny Con: Biggar
England (0) 6
Pens: Ford 2
Wales will rise to the top of the world rankings for the first time after they ground out a 13-6 victory over England in the World Cup warm-up match in Cardiff.

George North's try after an inspired passage of play from Dan Biggar helped Wales build a 10-0 lead at the end of a keenly contested but disjointed first-half.

England edged back into contention with two George Ford penalties as defences continued to dominate.


But Leigh Halfpenny struck the decisive penalty on his return to the Wales side after an injury-ravaged year.

• McConnochie misses out on debut
• How to follow the World Cup warm-ups on BBC Sport
• 'Wales won't win the World Cup with Biggar'
• World Rugby's full breakdown of this weekend's ranking ramifications

That means on Monday morning, when the next world rankings are released officially, Warren Gatland's men will sit at the summit for the first time since World Rugby introduced the ranking system in 2003.

It also ends New Zealand's uninterrupted 10 years at the top, despite the All Blacks' 36-0 victory over Australia earlier on Saturday.

Man of the match Dan Biggar was a rock in both defence and attack for Wales
Biggar inspires Wales improvement
By making only three changes to the team that lost 33-19 to England at Twickenham last Sunday, Gatland said he was giving his players the chance to "redeem" themselves in Cardiff.

And while this Wales side is still evidently a work in progress where the World Cup is concerned, this was a marked improvement.

Whereas they were 14 points down in as many minutes at Twickenham, Wales wrestled their way into a position of strength at the Principality Stadium.

Their scrum may have still creaked a little against a powerful England pack, but in Biggar they had a fly-half made for these tight encounters - and perhaps with a point to prove after former British and Irish Lions wing JJ Williams claimed Wales would not win the World Cup with the Northampton man at 10.

Biggar was starting as a result of fellow fly-half Gareth Anscombe's tournament-ending knee injury and he peppered England's back three with an early bombardment of high balls that was a taste of things to come.

Leigh Halfpenny was a late pre-match change for Wales at full-back for the injured Liam Williams
When England wing Anthony Watson was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on, Biggar - whose earlier penalty had put Wales 3-0 up - sensed an opportunity from the resultant penalty and took it quickly.

His long cross-field kick found Josh Adams and, after the wing made ground, from the next phase Biggar repeated the trick to set up North in the opposite corner for a fine try that the fly-half converted for a 10-0 lead.

There were precious few opportunities for Biggar to demonstrate such creativity in a second-half in which both attacks were frustrated by disciplined defences.

He did, however, show his appetite for the physical side of the game, stopping galloping England lock Maro Itoje with a shuddering tackle that might have been called high had referee Pascal Gauzere reviewed the footage.

But the intervention illustrated Biggar's willingness to put his body on the line for his country and sealed his deserved man-of-the-match award.

England fail to ignite
While Wales' players were still auditioning for a place in their final World Cup squad - expected to be named on 1 September - England coach Eddie Jones has already decided on his 31-man party for Japan.

There was therefore less on the line for them in Cardiff perhaps, but there was no lack of motivation, with Jones imploring his side to be "absolutely brutal" in their attempts to halt Wales' 10-match winning run at home that stretches back to a defeat against New Zealand in 2017.

The likes of Billy Vunipola certainly heeded that call, the man mountain of a number eight bulldozing towards Welsh tacklers at every opportunity.

Billy Vunipola offered his usual physical presence from number eight - but it was not enough for England
But England struggled to cut through the opposition defence as they did at Twickenham and, while the scrum remained a weapon, their driving maul was less of a threat.

Neither side was at its fluent best in attack and it was not until Watson's yellow card left England a man down that the visitors found their defence meaningfully breached.

The Principality Stadium crowd found its voice after North's try but, despite that setback, Jones' men gathered themselves and chipped away at Wales' advantage in the second-half.

Ford, keeping the kicking duties despite the introduction of Owen Farrell at centre, struck two penalties to reduce England's deficit to 10-6.

There was no way through Wales' determined defence though as England failed to replicate their attacking precision from Twickenham and missed out on their own opportunity to top the world ranking.

Wales: L Halfpenny; North, Jonathan Davies, Parkes, Adams; Biggar, G Davies; Smith, Owens, Francis, Ball, AW Jones, Wainwright, James Davies, Moriarty.

Replacements: Dee, W Jones, Lewis, Shingler, Navidi, A Davies, Evans, Watkin.

England: Daly; McConnochie, Joseph, Francis, Cokanasiga; Ford, Heinz; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Cole, Launchbury, Itoje, Lawes, Ludlam, B Vunipola.

Replacements: George, Marler, Sinckler, Kruis, Singleton, Youngs, Farrell, Tuilagi

Swami

 

[Swami]

France 32-3 Scotland: Gregor Townsend's men crushed in Nice

By Andy Burke

A first-half surge had the hosts 20-3 up at the break against Gregor Townsend's Scotland
World Cup warm-up: France v Scotland
France (20) 32
Tries: Raka, Medard 2, Alldritt, Dupont Con: Lopez 2 Pens: Lopez
Scotland (3) 3
Pens: Hastings
Scotland's World Cup build-up got off to a poor start as they were crushed by an impressive France side in Nice.

The hosts claimed the initiative within two minutes through Alivereti Raka's try and never looked back.

Maxime Medard and Gregory Alldritt scored further first-half tries, with Medard and Antoine Dupont crossing after the break as the free-flowing French ran riot.


The sides meet again at Murrayfield next weekend.

Scottish trips to France have brought little joy in the past two decades and the most recent visit in February was one of the more painful ones.

• France v Scotland: Reaction & as it happened
• Townsend says Scotland need "big improvements"

Memories of that Paris pummelling came flooding back when France struck early. A botched Scotland line-out deep in their own territory gave the home side a sniff, and there was no stopping Raka when he came thundering into the line to take Wesley Fofana's clever inside pass.

Camille Lopez's conversion and subsequent penalty established a handy 10-point lead, and that soon became 15 when Medard went over in the corner after some soft Scotland defence in the build-up.

Adam Hastings got Scotland on the board with a penalty, but they were looking rusty. The set-piece was poor and whenever they did break through the France defence through the likes of Stuart Hogg or Ali Price, a lack of patience and accuracy led to the chance disappearing.

This may have been a warm-up game, but France brought a Test match level of intensity and physicality that Scotland struggled to deal with.

With Hastings in the sin-bin, Alldritt added the finishing touch after the France pack overpowered their opponents with a rolling maul to end the first half as it began.

France's big ball-carriers continued to blast holes in the Scotland defence after the break as Francois Cros careered through a gap and Medard was given a run to the line for his second try.

Damian Penaud carved Scotland open with a weaving run and put in Dupont for try number five and by now the visitors were going down with barely a whimper.

Rory Hutchinson came off the bench for his international debut and showed some nice touches after replacing Duncan Taylor, who came through almost 50 minutes on his Test return after two injury-ravaged years.

In terms of positives for Gregor Townsend from this match, that was about it.

France, for their part, suddenly look like they could be a force to be reckoned with in Japan.

'This isn't progression, it's worrying'
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer Tom English

It's pretty worrying stuff. Scotland just weren't at the races at all. I know it's their first game, but it was France's first game as well. It would be too simplistic to say 'it's just the first game'. It's the continuation of a trend.

Scotland have conceded an average of four tries a game across the last six matches. An average of 26 points conceded across those games. Unless they get the defence sorted out, you can forget about it. This isn't progression. This is worrying.

Swami

 

[Swami]

Scotland 17-14 France: Gregor Townsend's side win World Cup warm-up at Murrayfield

By Tom English

Sean Maitland's first-half try kickstarted Scotland's comeback
World Cup warm-up: Scotland v France
Scotland: (10) 17
Tries: Maitland, Harris; Pens: Laidlaw; Cons: Laidlaw 2
France: (14) 14
Tries: Penaud 2 Cons: Ramos 2
Scotland avenged last week's rout in Nice with a battling World Cup warm-up victory over France at Murrayfield.

A week on from a 32-3 collapse, the Scots' horror start at the Allianz Riviera was repeated as Damian Penaud went over within the first two minutes before later adding a second try.

Sean Maitland's score just before the break jolted the crowd into life to build on Greig Laidlaw's early penalty.


Chris Harris crashed over the line with 20 minutes to play to clinch victory.

While far from a perfect display, this was an improved showing from Gregor Townsend's men, particularly in the second half.

A negative from the afternoon for the Scotland head coach came in the form of Tommy Seymour, Blade Thomson and Sam Skinner being forced off.

The Scots now face a double header with Georgia, starting in Tbilisi next week, before heading to Japan where they open against Ireland on 22 September.

• Scotland v France: Reaction & as it happened

Mixed emotions as Scotland experience high again
After the awful performance in Nice last Saturday, Scotland desperately needed a performance to restore confidence. In recent times they have made awful beginnings in these games, conceding early and being forced to play catch-up. Scotland's slow starts became a feature of the week and it will continue to be a talking point after they yet again conceded in the opening seconds.

For the third Test in a row they shipped a try inside two minutes, a condition that needs curing and quickly. It was hopelessly soft and entirely self-inflicted. In their haste to get the ball wide and play with a frenzied pace, Pete Horne threw an ill-advised pass under pressure.

Intended for Stuart Hogg it was picked off by Penaud. After scoring twice in Nice, the right winger had an easy job of running in again. Camille Lopez had a shocker with the boot last week. The job of adding the extras fell to Thomas Ramos and the full-back made it 7-0 before everyone had properly settled in their seat.

Damian Penaud celebrates France's early lead
Laidlaw's penalty narrowed the gap soon after. What was better from Scotland was their aggression in the tackle and their organisation in defence. They trailed, but they didn't lack intent. Making his debut, Thomson never had a chance to show his stuff with ball in hand but his work off the ball was impressive. He emptied Gregory Lambey in midfield at one point. That howitzer was one of the differences from last week.

Another difference - when France get a five-metre line-out they usually score. They take the ball, drive it forward, skittle the Scottish forwards and touch it down. That was the case in the Six Nations and it was the case in Nice. Midway through the opening half they had a chance to do it again, but this time they were repelled. Baby steps, perhaps. But progress for sure.

And then, more of the same weaknesses. One step up, two steps back. Finn Russell, who was a constant source of invention, made an error, dropping the ball and giving France the opportunity to counter, which they did, devastatingly. Sofiane Guitoune spotted the space and sped into it before finding Penaud outside. The wing sprinted over for another score, once again converted by Ramos.

Resurgent Scots show mettle
At 14-3 down, Scotland were in a hole again. Bad enough that they were monstered in France, the thought of an even worse defeat now reared its head. Murrayfield was quiet. There was a moment when they might have found their voice but Scotland butchered a lineout on France's 22. The butchering of lineouts in good positions became a theme of the day for the home team.

With a minute to go, the Test started to turn. Penaud spilled ball and Scotland's Blair Kinghorn - an early replacement for Seymour - picked up and sent Harris to the line. France scrambled and looked to have scrambled well, but Russell's gorgeous floated pass over two defenders and into Maitland's grateful mitts did the job. Laidlaw converted; 14-10.

Thomson had to retire early in the new half. A shame. Everybody wanted to see more of him. Scotland might have taken the lead had Kinghorn made his pass to Stuart Hogg, but it went to ground. With France subdued and offering little, Scotland hit the front when countering off a spillage from Camille Chat.

Finn Russell was a creative force for Scotland
Kinghorn's chase took play from one end to the other. France knocked on from the line-out. From the scrum Harris came in on the crash ball and thundered over. Harris was impressive. He was a borderline pick before this. He advanced his cause here.

The conversion was good from Laidlaw and from 14-3 behind Scotland were now 17-14 ahead. It was a lead they really only ever looked like adding to. Hamish Watson was terrific. Ryan Wilson came on to a big game. Russell showed for the millionth time how truly indispensable he is.

They wasted another couple of moments before the end and, worryingly, lost Skinner through injury after an hour. Townsend will be praying for good news on that front, but the sight of the big lock being carried off was encouraging. A bit of a low point on a day when Scotland experienced the high of victory again.

Scotland: Hogg, Seymour, Harris, P Horne, Maitland, Russell, Laidlaw (capt); Reid, Turner, Nel, Cummings, Skinner, Wilson, Watson, Thomson.

Replacements: Stewart, Dell, Berghan, Gilchrist, Barclay, G Horne, Hutchinson, Kinghorn.

France: Ramos, Penaud, Fickou, Fofana, Raka, Lopez, Dupont; Poirot, Guirado (capt), Slimani, Lambey, Vahaamahina, Iturria, Alldritt, Ollivon.

Replacements: Chat, Baille, Setiano, Taofifenua, Camara, Serin, Ntamack, Medard

Swami

 

[Swami]

England 57-15 Ireland: Eddie Jones' side dominate visitors in World Cup warm-up
By Alex Bysouth

Joe Cokanasiga scored the first of England's eight tries at Twickenham
World Cup warm-up: England v Ireland
England (22) 57
Tries: Cokanasiga 2, Daly, Tuilagi, Itoje, Kruis, Curry, Cowan-Dickie Cons: Farrell 6, Ford Pen: Farrell
Ireland (10) 15
Try: Larmour, Aki Con: Byrne Pen: Byrne
England produced a dominant performance as they continued their preparations for the World Cup by hammering Ireland.

Eddie Jones's side ran in eight tries at Twickenham to register their largest winning margin against the visitors.

Ireland crossed first through Jordan Larmour but Joe Cokanasiga, Elliot Daly and Manu Tuilagi all scored as the hosts built a 12-point half-time lead.


England added further tries from Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Tom Curry, Cokanasiga and Luke Cowan-Dickie.

Itoje capitalised on a loose Ireland line-out shortly after the break and the rampant hosts continued to increase their advantage as Kruis and Curry crossed in quick succession on a sweltering afternoon.

Cokanasiga's converted second took the hosts to the 50-point mark as England, beaten by Wales in a lacklustre display last week, laid down a marker with less than a month to go before their World Cup opener against Tonga in Japan.

Ireland centre Bundee Aki finished a well-taken solo consolation try, but England replacement Cowan-Dickie dived over late on to complete the hosts' win.

More to follow.

Teams
England: Daly; Cokanasiga, Tuilagi, Farrell, May; Ford, Youngs; Marler, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Kruis, Curry, Underhill, B Vunipola.

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, M Vunipola, Cole, Lawes, Wilson, Heinz, Francis, Marchant.

Ireland: R Kearney; Larmour, Ringrose, Aki, Stockdale; R Byrne, Murray; Healy, Best, Furlong, Henderson, Kleyn; O'Mahony, Van der Flier, Stander.

Replacements: Cronin, J McGrath, Porter, Toner, Beirne, L McGrath, Carty, Conway.

Swami

 

[Swami]

World Cup warm-up matches: France cruise past Italy in Paris

• 
  

France begin their World Cup campaign against Argentina on 21 September
France cruised to a 47-19 victory over Italy in their final World Cup warm-up match at Stade de France.

Italy took the lead after going behind to Yoann Huget's early try when Tommaso Allan converted Mattia Bellini's try in the 21st minute.

But France took control after tries from Camille Chat, Antoine Dupont and Arthur Iturria followed a penalty try.


Jake Polledri and Bellini scored after the break but Wenceslas Lauret and Thomas Ramos crossed for the hosts.

The Italians complete their preparations with a warm-up against England on 6 September, while France begin their tournament against Argentina in Pool C on 21 September.

Italy's trip to Newcastle is also England's final warm-up game before travelling to the tournament in Japan.

Swami

 

[Swami]

Wales 17-22 Ireland: Jacob Stockdale brace gives Ireland edge over Wales

Ireland wing Jacob Stockdale underlined his status as one of the world's most lethal finishers
World Cup warm-up: Wales v Ireland
Wales (3) 17
Tries: Lane, Patchell Pens: J Evans, Patchell Con: Patchell
Ireland (15) 22
Tries: Stockdale 2, Penalty try Pen: Carty Con: Carty
Two Jacob Stockdale tries helped Ireland knock Wales off the top of the world rankings with victory in Cardiff.

Ireland built a 22-3 lead with a brace from winger Stockdale and a penalty try, before Wales staged a second-half revival through tries from Owen Lane and Rhys Patchell.

Defeat was not an ideal way to mark Warren Gatland's last home game in charge of Wales.


Wales will name their 31-man World Cup squad on Sunday.

Ireland coach Joe Schmidt is expected to submit a provisional 31-man squad on Monday, before confirming it after the final warm-up game against Wales in Dublin next weekend.

• World Cup cut so hard for Wales coach Gatland
• Opera singers, WC selection and baby names: Hadleigh Parkes column

Wales will drop to fourth and Ireland rise to second when the official World Rugby rankings are released on Monday, with New Zealand again topping the charts.

Not many Welsh players pushed their cases in their final audition before the World Cup party is selected on Saturday evening and announced on Sunday afternoon, with nine disappointed players to be dropped from the current 40-man squad.

Wing Lane was perhaps an exception with a try-scoring display on his first cap, while Hallam Amos was also prominent in the battle for a back-three place.

Replacement fly-half Patchell was also more impressive than rival Jarrod Evans in the bid to be the second fly-half in Japan behind Dan Biggar.

For an hour there was little attacking cohesion for the hosts, the normally resolute defence faltering at the Principality Stadium as Wales suffered a home loss for the first time in 12 games and almost two years.

The summer scrum concerns continued as Wales were again dominated in this set-piece facet, with Ireland awarded a second-half penalty try.

In contrast, Ireland will be encouraged with the first hour after putting their Twickenham horror show behind them, when England inflicted a record 57-15 win over Schmidt's men.

All change

Rhys Patchell made his case to be Wales' back-up fly-half with an assured second-half display
Wales initially looked exactly what they were: a shadow side who had not played together before with 14 changes from the team that defeated England.

Only flanker James Davies survived, while there were two new caps in Lane and prop Rhys Carre, while Cardiff Blues back-rower Josh Navidi captained the side for the first time from number eight.

There was a late change on the replacements bench with Aaron Wainwright replacing fellow Dragons back-rower Ross Moriarty who aggravated a hip.

Ireland themselves made 11 alterations including the inclusion of full-back Will Addison, while hooker Niall Scannell and flanker Tadhg Beirne were also included.

The visitors looked more cohesive and powerful, with British and Irish Lions duo Peter O'Mahony and Iain Henderson, plus James Ryan in their pack.

What pressure?

Wales coach Warren Gatland was overseeing his last game in Cardiff before stepping down after the World Cup
Gatland had made pre-match comments stating Wales could derail Schmidt's side and put them under pressure ahead of the World Cup.

There was no evidence of that when official man-of-the-match Jack Carty opened the scoring with a penalty, before Wales responded through Evans after some prominent work from Lane.

Ireland scored the first try after great work from Dave Kilcoyne, Carty and Andrew Conway pierced through some poor Welsh defence, allowing Stockdale to cross. Carty converted.

Gatland had stated previously it was a straight shootout at fly-half between Jarrod Evans and Patchell to go to Japan alongside Biggar.

Evans would have rued missing a simple penalty kick before Stockdale took advantage of a loose Aaron Shingler pass, with the Irish wing kicking ahead and sprinting away for his second try.

Evans also missed a simple kick to touch as Ireland led 15-3 at the interval.

Gatland kept his word and Evans was replaced at half-time by Patchell, while Stockdale also did not reappear for the second half.

Home revival

Wales wing Owen Lane marked his Test debut with a try
Wales started brightly with a flowing move down the right touchline but that was a brief foray as Ireland turned the screw.

Replacement Wales prop Leon Brown was yellow-carded by French referee Romain Poite for persistent scrum infringements.

The visitors were able to bring on Rory Best, Tadhg Furlong, Devin Toner and Garry Ringrose from their bench.

A Conway try was disallowed for a forward pass before the almost inevitable penalty try was awarded with the scrum under constant pressure.

Wales finally gained an attacking foothold and after concerted pressure, Lane was released in the right corner and produced a smart finish. Patchell converted from the touchline.

Replacement hooker Elliot Dee spurned the chance of a second try when he knocked the ball on with the line at his mercy.

Ringrose had a try disallowed after Bundee Aki tackled James Davies in the air, before Patchell went over to set up an exciting finale which Ireland survived.

Rankings
World Rugby vice-chairman Agustin Pichot has this week branded the rankings system as ridiculous and vowed to change them.

Wales had risen to number one for the first time thanks to their win over England in Cardiff two weeks ago.

Gatland joked he was happy to relinquish the number one ranking and now Wales have. In contrast, Ireland are now second and have gone above England, who inflicted a record defeat against them a week ago.

Wales face Ireland in Dublin next Saturday in the double-header return for both sides's final World Cup warm-up matches, with stronger sides expected to be selected by both coaches.

Teams
Wales: Amos; Lane, S Williams, Watkin, S Evans; J Evans, A Davies; Carre, Elias, Lee, Beard, B Davies, Shingler, J Davies Navidi (c).

Replacements: Dee, R Evans, Brown, Ball, Wainwright, T Williams, Patchell, Holmes.

Ireland: Addison; Conway, Farrell, Aki, Stockdale; Carty, Marmion; Kilcoyne, Scannell, John Ryan, Henderson, James Ryan; Beirne, O'Mahony (c), Conan.

Replacements: Best, Porter, Furlong, Toner, Murphy, L McGrath, Ringrose, D Kearney.

Referee: Romain Poite (France)

Assistant referees: Jerome Garces (France), Karl Dickson (England).

TMO: Rowan Kitt (England).

Swami

 

[Swami]

Georgia 10-44 Scotland: Rory Hutchinson scores twice in World Cup warm-up

By Andy Burke

BBC Scotland in Tbilisi

• 1 hour ago
• From the section Rugby Union

Share this with

• Digg
• Facebook
• Google
• LinkedIn
• Reddit
• StumbleUpon
• Twitter

Copy this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/49537833
Read more about sharing.

Reaction & as it happened
Scots make case for inclusion
This was a big day for Georgian rugby. Their head coach Milton Haig spoke before the game about making a good impression on and off the field in the hope that if - and it's a big if - the Six Nations Championship is ever looking for a new member, Georgia will be the next cab off the rank.

It was slightly disappointing, then, to see the Dinamo Arena only around two thirds full, but those Georgians who did turn out brought more than enough colour and noise.

The Scots, having fallen into a damaging habit of going behind early, took control immediately. Laidlaw kicked two penalties before a superb team try strengthened their grip.

Graham almost broke through, Finn Russell sliced past the scrambling defence, and then some good hands from Matt Fagerson and Laidlaw put Toolis in for his first international try.

Hutchinson seems to be a man timing his run to perfection when it comes to World Cup selection. Russell's clever chip put Georgia on the back foot and the Northampton centre showed great footwork to step through the home defence for his first try in Scotland colours on his first Test start.

Darcy Graham plunged over in the corner for Scotland's fourth try
A 20-point lead at the break was everything Townsend would have wanted, but he resisted the temptation to wrap his key men in cotton wool just yet.

A training-ground move saw Hutchinson coming in on a beautiful line to glide over for his second try - 30-3 and game well and truly over.

Georgia were expected to give Scotland a stern test, especially up front, but this was serving as a reminder the gulf between Tiers One and Two in international rugby remains significant.

With any ideas of a famous upset long since gone, the Tbilisi crowd lowered their sights on simply crossing the try-line.

Georgia hammered at the Scottish line and were repelled by some strong defence until substitute Kakha Asieshvili finally blasted his way through, to the rapturous approval of the home support.

Scotland gathered their thoughts and started probing again. The variety of Russell's game was an unsolvable puzzle for the Georgian defence and his beautifully-weighted stab through was gathered by Graham to dive over.

Cummings came off the bench to batter his way over for try number five to give the scoreline an accurate reflection of Scotland's dominance.

A rare and impressive away win for the Scots, with the likes of Matt Fagerson and Hutchinson doing their cases for inclusion in the final World Cup squad - which Townsend names on Tuesday - no harm at all.



Townsend pleased with 'focussed' Scotland
Georgia: Matiashvili; Modebadze, Dzneladze, Kacharava, Todua; Abzhandadze, Lobzhanidze; Nariashvili, Mamukashvili, Gigashvili; Sutiashvili, Mikautadze; Giorgadze, Saghinadze, Gorgadze.

Replacements: Chkoidze, Asieshvili, Chilachava, Nemsadze, Lomidze, Aprasidze, Khmaladze, Mchedlidze.

Scotland: Kinghorn; Graham, Hutchinson, Johnson, Maitland; Russell, Laidlaw; Dell, McInally (capt), Nel; Toolis, Gilchrist; Barclay, Watson, M Fagerson.

Replacements: Stewart, Bhatti, Z Fagerson, Cummings, Strauss, Price, Hastings, Jones.

Swami

 

[Swami]

Japan 7-41 South Africa: Makazole Mapimpi scores hat-trick in World Cup warm-up

• 
  

South Africa winger Makazole Mapimpi scored in the 21st, 30th and 52nd minutes against Japan
World Cup warm-up
Japan (0) 7
Tries: Matsushima Cons: Tamura
South Africa (22) 41
Tries: Kolbe (2), Mapimpi (3), Jantjies Cons: Pollard (2), Steyn (2) Pens: Pollard
Makazole Mapimpi scored a hat-trick as South Africa beat Japan 41-7 in their final World Cup warm-up match.

Japan beat the Springboks in a major World Cup upset four years ago but Cheslin Kolbe's early try settled the visitors in Kumagaya.

Winger Mapimpi added two more scores as the visitors led 22-0 at the interval.


He claimed his third on 52 minutes before tries from Kolbe and Herschel Jantjies, while Kotaro Matsushima scored a consolation.

The Springboks, led by influential captain Siya Kolisi, completed their preparations just north of Tokyo in impressive style.

The two-time winners begin their World Cup campaign against defending champions New Zealand in Pool B on Saturday 21 September, after Japan open the tournament against Russia the night before.

Swami

 

[Swami]

Scotland 36-9 Georgia: Gregor Townsend's side win final World Cup warm-up

By Andy Burke

BBC Scotland at Murrayfield

• 8 hours ago
• From the section Rugby Union
• 60

Share this with

• Digg
• Facebook
• Google
• LinkedIn
• Reddit
• StumbleUpon
• Twitter

Copy this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/49616111
Read more about sharing.

Townsend faces wait after five injuries

• Reaction & as it happened

Comprehensive, but Scots need to be better
The story of Scotland's summer series had been one of steady improvement. A disheartening hammering at the hands of France in Nice followed by a gutsy win over Les Bleus at Murrayfield, and then a comprehensive dismantling of Georgia.

Having named his final 31-man squad for the World Cup on Tuesday, Townsend elected to take many of his big guns - the likes of Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw, Hamish Watson, John Barclay and Stuart McInally - out of the line of fire.

With so many changes, the Scots took some time to get into their stride, but after a frustrating opening 15 minutes they began to cut loose. Kinghorn launched the counter-attack and, after incursions from Graham and Johnson, Price dived over for a brilliant try.

Moments later, Adam Hastings' pinpoint crossfield-kick found Graham, who did superbly to offload to Kinghorn arriving at the right time to glide over.

Three penalties from Abzhandadze meant, despite those two Scotland tries, we had a one-point game and the buoyancy turned to anxiety in the crowd as the visitors ended the half stronger. Fly-half Abzhandadze was growing in influence and his eye for a gap was giving Scotland problems.

The hosts needed a try to take some wind from the Georgia sails, and they got it 10 minutes after the break. Ryan Wilson and Blade Thomson punctured the defence and, for the first time, Scotland showed great patience to continue prodding and probing until Hastings was able to send Johnson through untouched under the sticks.

The try did little to lift the air of frustration inside Murrayfield, with the error count through the roof as the home side struggled to stitch five phases of play together.

This was not the rip-roaring display the supporters came to see for the big send-off to Japan, and at 17-9 going into the final 15 minutes the first priority was simply securing the win.

Darcy Graham scored his fifth try in seven Tests to clinch the victory
The game was safe when Duncan Taylor whipped a long pass out to Chris Harris, who drew two defenders and slipped in Graham to race up the touchline for his fifth try in seven Tests.

The visitors' resistance was now disintegrating and substitute George Horne darted through some ropey fringe defence to touch down for try number five, before brother Peter came off the bench to get in on the act, capitalising on some crazy Georgian play deep in their own territory.

Ultimately a comprehensive victory for the Scots before the serious stuff starts in Japan. They will be better when their key men return, and they will have to be when they take on the Irish first up.

Scotland: B Kinghorn; T Seymour; D Taylor, S Johnson; D Graham; A Hastings, A Price; G Reid, G Turner, Z Fagerson; S Cummings, J Gray; R Wilson (capt), J Ritchie, B Thomson.

Replacements: G Stewart, A Dell, S Berghan, B Toolis, M Bradbury, G Horne, P Horne, C Harris.

Georgia: S Matiashvili; Z Dzneladze; D Katcharava, L Malaghuradze; M Modebadze; T Abzhandadze, V Lobzhanidze; M Nariashvili (capt), S Mamukashvili, B Gigashvili; K Mikautadze, G Nemsadze; S Sutiashvili, G Tkhilaishvili, B Gorgadze.

Replacements: G Kveseladze, T Mtchhedlidze, G Aprasidze, V Karkadze, G Gogichashvili, G Melkidze, L Lomidze, B Saghinadze.

Swami

 

[Swami]

Rugby World Cup: England grind out warm-up win over Italy
By Becky Grey

BBC Sport at St James' Park

• 8 hours ago
• From the section Rugby Union
• 146

Share this with

• Digg
• Facebook
• Google
• LinkedIn
• Reddit
• StumbleUpon
• Twitter

Copy this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/49615882
Read more about sharing.

Injured prop Vunipola to miss most of England's World Cup pool games

• It will take a good team to stop England - O'Shea

• Relive England's win over Italy in Newcastle

Eddie Jones' side travel to Japan on Sunday and begin their World Cup campaign against Tonga on 22 September.

England have won all but one of their warm-up games, recording their biggest winning margin against Ireland and beating Wales at Twickenham before losing to the same opponents in Cardiff the following week.

International rugby travels north

St James Park hosted the Champions Cup final in May
A Friday night in Newcastle is not a standard backdrop for Test rugby and many fans at St James' Park, where England had never played before, were experiencing a live international for the first time.

Initially, it looked as if Eddie Jones' side would treat the crowd to a high-scoring game as Italy made a sloppy start and Youngs capitalised with a kick that almost saw Jonny May score in the first few minutes.

Farrell took the hosts ahead with a penalty but the Azzurri soon turned the tables and found themselves a few metres out from the try-line. Tommaso Benvenuti found space on the right and looked to have beaten May in a one-on-one, but dropped the ball forward on the line.

From there play became more subdued, perhaps because both sides are flying to Japan over the weekend and were wary of last-minute injuries.

England seemed to be experimenting in attack, with both Youngs and Farrell testing May with more kicks over the top of Italy's defence.

But the innovation did not always work in England's favour and on a number of occasions Farrell's passes went awry as he missed the next runner coming through.

In any case, victory was clearly more important than experimentation as the England captain chose to go for goal whenever penalties were within range.

This tactic did not go down well with the Northern fans, though. Farrell's decision to kick at the posts again with a minute left in the first half was met with boos from a Newcastle crowd thirsty for tries.

England supporters will also not have enjoyed the sight of lock Joe Launchbury on the floor receiving treatment in the first half.

The 28-year-old looked to be suffering from back pain and was soon replaced by Charlie Ewels, while props Joe Marler and Dan Cole also came off earlier than expected, although neither seemed to be injured.

But there was concern for England's front row later as replacement hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie limped off the field and substitute prop Kyle Sinckler left the pitch gingerly before full-time too.

What the Newcastle fans came for

Marchant beat 10 defenders, more than any other England player
Farrell continued in the same vein after the break, but missed the penalty that England had won after just a minute of play.

The fly-half soon made amends, kicking to Marchant, who had space on the right wing. The centre could not get over himself and sent the ball back inside, where Youngs grabbed it at the base of a ruck and dotted down across the line.

Marchant then got his chance to shine as he stepped through Italian defenders to break away on his own and go over under the posts for his first international try.

With Henry Slade and Jonathan Joseph not back to full fitness in time for the match, the 23-year-old has made it clear that he is ready to step in if needed.

Farrell eventually gave the fans what they wanted and kicked a penalty to the corner. His side surged forward at the line-out, with Genge at the bottom of the pile as they went over.

The England skipper was pivotal to Watson's score, too. The Saracens back timed his pass perfectly to allow Watson to race through a tired Italian line.

Italy's half-backs also combined well. Former England Under-20s captain Callum Braley, who qualifies through an Italian grandfather, and Zebre fly-half Carlo Canna put in solid performances but could not convert their efforts into points.

Man of the match - Jonny May

May made 79m and beat six defenders during the game
Leicester wing Jonny May looks more than ready for Japan. The 29-year-old was everywhere, repeatedly coming off his wing to try to find a way through the Italian defence.


Swami

 

[Swami]

All Blacks amass 92 points in final World Cup warm-up game

• 
  

Winger George Bridge scored four tries and now has seven tries from five internationals since making his debut in November 2018
Rugby World Cup warm-up
New Zealand: (54) 92
Tries: Reece, B Smith (2), Taylor, Bridge (4), Read, Perenara, Crotty (2), Todd, Savea Cons: B Barrett (7), Ioane (4)
Tonga: (0) 7
Tries: Piutau Cons: Takulua
World Cup favourites New Zealand hammered Tonga 92-7 in their final warm-up game before the tournament begins in Japan.

The All Blacks were in awesome form as they ran in 14 tries in Hamilton with nine different try scorers.

They were relentless from the off and had already scored eight tries by half-time as they led 54-0.


New Zealand begin their quest for a third successive title against South Africa in Yokohama on 21 September.

They will later play Canada, Namibia and Italy in Pool B and could play either Ireland or Scotland in the quarter-finals.

Tonga, known for their physicality, could not match New Zealand's intensity and were blown away as winger George Bridge led the way with four tries. Ben Smith and Ryan Crotty each scored two and Sevu Reece, Codie Taylor, captain Kieran Read, TJ Perenara, Matt Todd and Ardie Savea all crossed the tryline.

Just as important for the hosts, there were no fresh injury concerns from the match.

The All Blacks only eased up in the last 15 minutes when coach Steve Hansen deliberately reduced them to 14 men as practice and the South Sea islanders scored a consolation try.

Tonga will be England's first opponents at the World Cup, with the two countries meeting in Sapporo on 22 September.

Australia rounded off their preparations for the tournament by scoring six tries as they defeated Samoa 34-15 in Parramatta.

The Wallabies were 22-3 up at half-time but faced a second half fight-back as replacement scrum-half Dwayne Polataivao twice went over to reduce the deficit to 22-15 before late scores from Dane Haylett-Petty and centre Matt To'omua secured the win.

One positive was a first appearance since March for flanker David Pocock after a calf injury, but there will be concerns over fly-half Bernard Foley only landing two of his six kicks.

Australia, who are in Pool C with Wales, start against Fiji on 21 September in Sapporo whereas Samoa face World Cup debutants Russia in Pool A three days later in Kumagaya.

Swami

 

[Swami]

Rugby World Cup: Ireland beat Wales 19-10 in final warm-up game

Welsh defenders try to halt the progress of Josh van der Flier in Dublin
Rugby World Cup warm-up
Ireland (7) 19
Tries: Kearney, Furlong, Ryan Cons: Sexton 2
Wales (10) 10
Tries: Parkes Con: Halfpenny Pen: Halfpenny
Ireland will travel to Japan for the World Cup on the back of two wins over Wales after defeating Warren Gatland's side 19-10 in Dublin.

Rob Kearney and Hadleigh Parkes traded first-half tries before scores from Tadhg Furlong and James Ryan put the hosts in control after the break.

Welsh fly-half Rhys Patchell was replaced in the first half after failing a Head Injury Assessment.


Injury also forced off Ireland's Cian Healy and Keith Earls.

The game also gave the Aviva Stadium crowd the chance to say farewell to the departing duo of captain Rory Best and head coach Joe Schmidt.

With warm-ups now complete, both sides will travel to Japan next week with Ireland beginning their campaign against Scotland on 22 September and Wales facing Georgia a day later.

Ferocious Welsh start amid faltering Irish line-out
Having fielded a weakened team for last week's meeting in Cardiff, Gatland returned to near full-strength for the final warm-up match as Wales started at a ferocious pace.

The visitors could have led by double scores only for Leigh Halfpenny to uncharacteristically miss a regulation penalty before Kearney's timely interception denied George North from latching onto Halfpenny's kick through.

Meanwhile, the hosts continued to struggle at the set-piece as Best, in his final home appearance before retiring, misfired from his first two line-outs.

Ireland's third line-out came as they entered the Wales 22 for the first time after 20 minutes, with James Ryan collecting the throw before the ball was moved left through the phases as Kearney crossed.

Dan Biggar, Josh Navidi and Hadleigh Parkes combine to halt the progress of Bundee Aki
Henshaw marks return in style
With Ireland's crucial World Cup opener against Scotland just two weeks away, all eyes were on Johnny Sexton as the 2018 World Rugby player of the year made his first appearance of the warm-up games.

After his first involvement saw the veteran fly-half send his restart directly into touch, Sexton settled well to conduct Ireland's attack with typical efficiency.

However it was Sexton's Leinster team-mate Henshaw, playing his first international game since Ireland's opening Six Nations defeat by England in February, who made the biggest impact upon his return.

With questions hanging over the Irish defence following their 42-point thrashing against England, Henshaw's return inspired a vastly improved display in that regard, and further underpinned his importance to Schmidt's gameplan.

It was Henshaw's outstanding try-line tackle that denied Dan Biggar a certain score after the replacement fly-half had picked off Sexton's pass on halfway.

However, Henshaw was powerless to stop Parkes from bulldozing his way over just moments later, after the Scarlets centre picked a brilliant line to rip through Ireland's defence.

Johnny Sexton with Rory Best after the Ireland skipper leaves the Aviva Stadium pitch for the final time
Second half belongs to Ireland
Where in the first half it was Wales who controlled the pace of the game, Ireland were the dominant force after the restart, setting up camp inside the Welsh 22.

Prop Furlong drove over from short range after a sustained spell of pressure before Ryan did the same eight minutes later to give the hosts a two-score lead.

Wales, by contrast, struggled to keep hold of the ball and could not keep their penalty count down enough to release the pressure valve.

Indeed referee Mathieu Raynal eventually lost patience, sending replacement lock Adam Beard to the bin with two minutes remaining.

Test match intensity comes at a cost
Although the benefits of a warm-up game played with Test match intensity are clear to see, both sides will bemoan losing players to injury before the tournament in Japan has began.

Patchell, who edged out Jarrod Evans for Wales' back-up fly-half spot following an inspired performance off the bench last week, did not return from a first half Head Injury Assessment having taken several heavy hits.

Ireland too lost out after prop Healy was removed at half-time following a HIA, before Earls limped off midway through the second half.

Ireland: Kearney; Larmour, Henshaw, Aki, Earls; Sexton, Murray; Healy, Best (c), Furlong, Ryan, Kleyn, Stander, van der Flier, Conan.

Replacements: Cronin, Kilcoyne, Porter, Henderson, Ruddock, McGrath, Carty, Ringrose

Wales: Halfpenny; North, Davies, Parkes, Adams; Patchell, Williams; Jones, Dee, Tomas Francis, Ball, Jones (c), Wainwright, Tipuric, Moriarty.

Replacements: Ken Owens, Nicky Smith, Dillon Lewis, Adam Beard, Josh Navidi, Gareth Davies, Dan Biggar, Liam Williams.

Swami