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International Rugby

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England’s back-to-back last minute tries just wasn’t enough to derail the Wallabies’ brilliant night with the close loss in Perth

by Sports Benches

It was a really close game to watch that began our new International Rugby season from last night with the first of three Wallabies v England test matches at Optus Stadium in Perth. Both sides went up and down on the pitch through a series of three-point goals between the sticks at 6-6 in the first half. Although England fought back on occasions including two last-minute tries, but it’s the Wallabies who dominated the entire 2nd-half thanks to a few new faces off the bench with a 30-28 win.

So unlucky for England where they fell just short in the end but great game & effort though – especially in the last two minutes of this 1st Test. They fired off really well off the back through a couple of early penalties where England nailed two three-point penalty goals in the 1st half. The fightback is shown there when England later opened their scoring account in the 2nd half. However, a couple of lost penalties and also limited opportunities against the ball isolated the English defense with loads of pressure before it was too late to catch up towards a very small chance of winning v Wallabies.

Speaking of the Wallabies, what a way to go 1-0 up with two Test matches left in a bid to wrap up the Cook Cup series early next Saturday at Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane). Their first half run was all over the place when we saw a messy passage of play going forward off the back of winning penalties/opportunities with the ball, as well as Tom Banks’s forearm injury & Darcy Swain’s red card. Luckily, they fought back right before the break at 6-6 before a few changes off the bench & an improved attacking setup with patience oversaw three straight tries in the 2nd half that changed everything on the up for Australia. Yes, they may have conceded two late tries in the last minute or two by England but it’s still a win nonetheless.

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Wales v Wallabies Game at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

by Sports Benches

Tomos Williams had a great game today as the starting half-back for Wales when he oversaw the Wallabies mistakes in the 1st half, from there he made quick and wise decisions with the ball including that short pass assist to Ryan Elias thanks to the five meter penalty line-out towards the touch zone.

And he’s such a great communicator that allows him to build ample time on how he wanted his Welsh side to attack which helped them accrue the maximum points possible when they invade the Wallabies half.

Next up is Ellis Jenkins who put a great shift as starter on the Welsh blindside where he knows how to keep the Wallabies quiet, this is reflected when he possesses great vision & physicality in defensive which is the same thing he found during the maul that saw him help Tomos Williams assist Ryan Elias with Wales’s opening TRY.

He went on to have a well-earned rest with 20 minutes left having utilised that time during the Wallabies’ lowest ebb via their ill-discipline & build some momentum when Wales leapfrogged the Wallabies for the lead under his watch.

Folau Faingaa made a instant impact off the bench not long after half-time when he came on for Tolu Latu at hooker, he was a brilliant support player in the Wallabies attack including that short ball assist to Filipo Daugunu who scored a TRY in the 70th minute plus he’s a handy tackler in defense based on his vision & physicality at the same time.

All of the skill sets he demonstrated help the Wallabies be on the same page was Wales until the very end, his side were just unlucky to hold off even though they played with 14 men for the majority off the back of ill-discipline.

#WALvAUS #Wallabies #Wales #MillenniumStadium #Rugby #RugbyUnion #AutumnNationsSeries #InternationalRugby #TomosWilliams #EllisJenkins #FolauFaingaa

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Wallabies finish their three week 2021 European tour without a win in a close loss v Wales at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

by Sports Benches

Well it’s gutting to see the Wallabies finish their three-week 2021 European Tour without a win even though they were so close v Scotland & Wales, they fired off well & always kept themselves in contention which is a good effort 100% but there’s plenty of ill-discipline especially when Rob Valetini received a red carded in the 1st half that hit them the most & it allowed Wales to fight back before it became difficult to stop in the end.

For Wales, love the way they respond when the ball was given to them which bossed the field of play having gone from a slow start to a narrow 1st half lead at half-time (16-13). Although the momentum began to be eaten up by the Wallabies later on but the home team never slipped out of contention when another TRY plus a few penalty goals including the 80th minute was enough to derail the Wallabies day at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The final score is a one point difference (29-28) with Wales gone wild in front of their home supporters as the 2021 Autumn Internationals have came to an end, Domestic rugby will resume next week in Europe & South Africa while we get watch Cricket & Tennis back home before Super Rugby returns in February next year.

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Rugby News, Australia continue their 2021 European Tour with another defeat against England at Twickenham Stadium

by Sports Benches

The Wallabies lost yet again in Europe having fell short last week v Scotland in Murrayfield by 12 points at 15-13, however, they were beaten so easily by England especially in the 2nd half thanks to messy discipline that wasted a lot more time until its too late.

Yes, they have built some three-point penalty goals in a way to keep themselves in contention, but the execution such as the long throws through the wide areas is appalling and needs to regroup going into Wales next Saturday.

And England are on fire today at Twickenham where they responded well from the Wallabies early three-pointer thanks to full-back Freddie Steward, having taken advantage of their poor discipline with a four-point lead at half-time (16-12) before England continued to be blessed by more Wallaby mistakes left, right & centre that accrued two more penalty goals followed by a sensational finish to the game (Final Score: 32-15) by sub hooker Jamie Blamire, who scored six tries from his first four International games.

Next up the Wallabies will finish their 2021 European tour when they will meet Wales next Saturday at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, while England face off the Springboks from South Africa at the same time.

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Rugby News Australia, Top 3 players from England v Australia in the 2021 Autumn Nations Series at Twickenham Stadium

by Sports Benches

Like the way how Tom Curry smashed a couple of dummies into the Wallabies zone for England at Number 8 with has a lot of physicalities to knock them down like a bulldozer when building phases which also allowed him to make his best use defensively, and he never stops thanks to the opportunities being given with the ball from a series of Wallabies’ mistakes that allowed England ample time to crack through the channels whether it’s through a winning penalty kick for goal or a TRY.

Next up is Marcus Smith who is another key contributor for England at first five-eighth with excellent communication/playmaking ability especially when his side were patient that built some pressure back to the opposition, although England scored just two tries today but it allowed him to be flexible on how he wanted to execute thanks to the Wallabies missed chances that gave his side plenty of extended time in the final third which help extend their lead after half-time.

Nice to see him complete the kicking duties where Owen Farrell left off in the last ten minutes.

And Michael Hooper did well to stand in England’s way with some support from his fellow forwards which allowed him to make up extreme physical prowess, his contribution as skipper on the openside handed him a few winning penalties that saw James O’Connor punt four three-point goals but just not the night he wanted thanks to the Wallabies’ disjointed discipline and finishing.

#ENGvAUS #Wallabies #England #RedRoses #Twickenham #MichaelHooper #TomCurry #MarcusSmith #Rugby #RugbyUnion #InternationalRugby #AutumnNationsSeries

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Rugby News, Scotland vs Australia match report

by Admin

Australia came into the game with high hopes, they were favourites and having beaten World Champions South Africa twice this year, they had every right to be.

It was a slow first 20 minutes before Scotland’s Hamish Watson lunged in from a driving maul to put the first points on the board. Finn Russell made it 7 as he added the extras.

Another quiet 20 minutes went by before Australia were given a penalty in the Scottish half which James O’Connor converted for their 3 first points of the game.

The big talking point of the first half, however, was the controversy surrounding Australia’s number 3 Allan Alaalatoa for his questionable clear-out of Matt Fagerson at a ruck which resulted in a try being overturned and a yellow card for the Aussie.

Scotland’s first try also wasn’t without controversy as many claim that there was obstruction during the maul, however, the Television Match Official deemed it legal and the try stood.

Second Half

Australia started the second half as well as they ended the first with constant pressure in the Scottish 22 meant that Blindside Flanker Rob Leota was able to cross for an easy try and conversion by O’Connor to put the Southern Hemisphere side in front for the first time in the match.

Scotland’s debutant off the bench Ewan Ashman had a moment of glory in the 59th minute with an acrobatic lunge for the line to put the Scots back into the lead, however, Russell was unable to add the extras meaning we were in for a tight last 20 minutes at 12-10.

5 Minutes later, another James O’Connor penalty put Australia back into the lead before Russell had a penalty of his own just 3 minutes later.

Scotland were able to hang on with a driving maul in midfield helped the clock tick down before George Horne booted the ball into touch as Romain Poite blew the final whistle.

On the day Scotland were the far superior side. Their scrum was dominant and nearly won a penalty each time they packed down as their set pieces functioned well all around the field.

They made more clean breaks by playing better attacking rugby with more runs, more passes and lots of offloads to keep the game flowing which resulted in more meters made on the day.

Australia’s defending let them down as did their discipline with their 14 penalties conceded and a yellow card which could have resulted in a red card on a different day.

Players of the Match

Official man of the match Hamish Watson was by far the best player on the field on Sunday as he was a nuisance at every defensive ruck. The stats also back up his incredible performance with 1 try, 1 defender beaten, 11 tackles made with 0 missed tackles to cap off an all round impressive display.

Fullback Stuart Hogg was also instrumental for Scotland as he swept up well at the back, securing every high ball that Australia threw at him. His attacking potency was also on show as he was always a danger to the Australian defensive line whenever he was given an inch of space. He beat 3 defenders, made 1 clean break and made 61 meters from 9 runs.

Australia’s best player on the day was Fly-Half James O’Connor. He kicked a conversion and 2 penalties along with some impressive defensive figures making 6 tackles without missing a single one. He also made 31 meters by beating 1 defender and having 1 clean break to his name.

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Japan v Wallabies Game in Oita

by Sports Benches

Great to see Folau Faingaa perform well in all areas for the Wallabies this afternoon who usually provides the throw-ins at hooker, he has a lot of physical presence on offer especially during the 2nd half where he contributed a lot that safeguarded the team’s win v Japan on their turf.

Not only he sought some help from Taniela Tupou with a brilliant finish but he also assisted again via on the far left & opened some space to Robert Leota, he deserves an early mark through hard work as a starter in the green and gold with plenty of rest & training ahead of November’s three-week European tour.

Next up is Faingaa’s provincial Brumbies team-mate Nic White down at half-back, he too controlled the game with patience who knows where to find someone that can process through the channels & contribute in there with some mobility.

It’s the same thing when he was given responsibilities with the scrum feed & maul, all he had to do is keep them square moving forward while the hooker keeps the ball intact before voila that job is done & he’s such an important part of the green and gold at age 31 having gained experience in Europe before White returned to Canberra last year.

And Ryoto Nakamura stood out for the Brave Blossoms in the inside midfield position who has lots of pace to burn even though they didn’t have enough time to strike an upset, Like how he read well earlier on when Nakamura stepped in to shove Andrew Kellaway having read it well with his lack of numbers which led to a winning penalty + three points via the goal.

Then we fast forward into the 2nd half as Quade Cooper mistimed that offload so wide with gaps in between support players, it’s Nakamara once again who read the situation well via the incercept before he bagged an unbelievable TRY that no one couldn’t stop him & he was a huge part of holding the Wallabies accountable at times today.

#JAPvAUS #Rugby #RugbyUnion #InternationalRugby #Wallabies #BraveBlossoms #RyotoNakamura #FolauFaingaa #NicWhite

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Australian Rugby News, Wallabies continue their winning hoodoo at six consecutive games following their win v Japan in Oita

by Sports Benches

Great day out for the Wallabies in Japan with a brilliant fire off in the first half (14-17) via successful big scores off Tom Wright & Jordan Petaia, now their attacking line wasn’t perfect especially when they lacked numbers & long passes at times which is why Japan was still in the hunt until the very end.

However, they held off Japan to the finish line first where Taniela Tupou & Rob Leota scored their respective tries after half-time before Connal McInerney scored a consolation TRY on debut off the bench with two mins left towards full-time which sealed their win (23-32).

Then we look at the Brave Blossoms who started off slowly but found their ground via the penalty goal followed by a big score where Lomano Lomeki caught well up high from a wonder cross-kick on the wide right before he touched down as they were a few points away (14-17) from the Wallabies at half-time.

Although Japan did their best to stay in contention especially with that lovely intercept TRY from Ryoto Nakamura even though they were 14 men at the time, but they just couldn’t find the time to strike an upset towards the end (23-32) as wholesale changes off the bench didn’t help much either.

Final Score: Japan 23-32 Wallabies

The Wallabies now jet to Europe ahead of their three-week UK tour starting next month beginning with Scotland before they head to England & cap it off in Wales, while Japan will also be in the continent at the same time but will face Ireland, Portgual & Scotland.

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Australian Rugby News, Wallabies continue their winning streak after an easy win v Los Pumas in Townsville

by Sports Benches

Easy start from the Wallabies in the first half with two early tries on the board from Reece Hodge & Samu Kerevi as well as a successful three-point penalty, they dominated the pitch whenever with the ball on hand mightily which gave plenty of chances to execute as reflected so far tonight.

Meanwhile, Los Pumas won a few penalties where they successfully converted one of their three-point goals thanks to their brilliant defensive shape, but they haven’t had the opportunity to kick on especially when trying to get out of their own territory which lacked possession.

HALF-TIME: Wallabies 17-3 Los Pumas

In the end, Wallabies continued to dominate the Los Pumas half with more opportunities with the ball especially when they had a few fresh faces off the bench which saw Andrew Kellaway touch down for another big score & safeguarded another straight win.

And the Pumas may have used the resets well where skipper Julian Montoya orchestrated the maul that converted into a TRY himself just after half-time, but apart from that they haven’t improved much unfortunately with little to no support numbers to build pressure back to the Wallabies & it prevented them from catching up the scoreboard.

FULL-TIME: Wallabies 27-8 Los Pumas

The All Blacks have already clinched the Rugby Championship title holders for 2021 with one round to spare v Springboks next Saturday in the reverse meeting, but Wallabies have now moved up to 2nd ahead of the reigning World Champions (Boks) on 13 points.

What the Wallabies can do now is end this year’s tournament on a high note when they take on the Pumas once again next Saturday on the Gold Coast before they go north through the rest of October and November:

  • Japan, 23rd October
  • Scotland, 7th November
  • England, 13th November
  • Wales, 20th November
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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Wallabies v Los Pumas Game

by Sports Benches

Samu Kerevi as always has been immense in the Wallabies midfield at No.12 having gone strength to strength as an all-action player since he returned from Olympics duty in Rugby 7s.

He has the physicality & vision to rip apart the opposition territory whenever with the ball in hand that gave time to complete these executions, thanks to the support runners around him the communication & close passing was key to the Wallabies’ big score contributions tonight.

Next up is another Wallaby in Andrew Kellaway who was excellent in the wide right position & he too hasn’t put a foot wrong after accruing a few caps at International level.

He made so much running into the Los Pumas territory especially when his side were patient going forward which afforded the possession given to him so they know what’s best for Kellaway to help smash this game which is reflected in the 2nd half.

And Lucio Cinti Luna performed not bad for Los Pumas at outside centre (No.13) where not only he can hold back the Wallabies with his defending but can be a real threat going forward thanks to the tall & physical build which is huge to read that vision at 6 ft 3 in (1.9 m).

Unfortunately, it’s not his night when his Pumas side lacked support numbers to build pressure back to the Wallabies, even though they were good at times with the reset penalties like the Julian Montoya TRY just after half-time with very little change to turn around later on.

#RugbyChampionship #InternationalRugby #Rugby #RugbyUnion #Wallabies #LosPumas #LucioCintiLuna #AndrewKellaway #SamuKerevi

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