New Zealand 36-13 England
The All Blacks equalled the world record of 17 consecutive victories when they beat England 36-13 in the Hamilton on Saturday and immediately targeted Australia to get the record outright.
Their winning streak started when they beat France 23-13 in Auckland last year on the way to becoming the first team in the professional era to go through a calendar year unbeaten.
They are now equal with the 17-Test winning runs of the 1965-69 All Blacks and 1997-98 Springboks, and will claim the record as their own if they beat Australia in their next Test in Sydney on August 16.
“It will be quite nice to hold it outright,” captain Richie McCaw said, noting that he’s been in All Blacks sides that have twice won 16 in a row but failed to go on.
“We’ve been in this situation a couple of times before but you acknowledge it and you work out what’s the way of achieving these things and it’s about every week going back, getting your feet on the ground, and preparing well.
“When we get the next chance that’s what we’ve got to do.”
England coach Stuart Lancaster praised the calibre of the All Blacks winning run which includes four wins over both France and England, three over Australia, two against South Africa and Argentina, as well as wins over Japan and Ireland.
“Their record demonstrates they are, in rugby terms, obviously the best but also in sporting terms to have won that number of international games against not just teams that are ranked sixth, seventh, and eight in the world they have done it consistently against second, third and fourth.
“They have a great blend of athletic talent and ability, skill-set, experience and continuity and consistency.”
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen took time to reflect that it was “pleasing” to say “we’ve done something that two other great sides have done” before looking at what was next on his bucket list.
He wants the All Blacks to be the first team to go unbeaten two years in a row and the first team to win back-to-back World Cups.
The last time the All Blacks nudged the record number of wins was in 2012, also under Hansen, when they went unbeaten for 16 matches before being held to an 18-18 draw by Australia in Brisbane.
The All Blacks have twice compiled 15 consecutive wins before losing to Australia 26-24 in 2010 and 21-20 to South Africa in 2006.
Australia 39-13 France
Giant Will Skelton made his presence felt on debut as the Wallabies won their seventh straight match 39-13 to sweep their three-Test series against France in Sydney.
Skelton – all 6ft 8ins (203 centimetres) of him – scored a try and laid on one for Israel Folau with a deft pass as the Wallabies cleaned up Les Bleus five tries to one.
The towering 22-year-old lock received a standing ovation from the home crowd as he was replaced by James Horwill midway through the second half.
The Wallabies were always in command and played with more verve from the kick-off after last week’s dour 6-0 win in Melbourne to clinch the series after winning 50-23 in Brisbane.
It was the first time since 2000 that the Wallabies have won seven consecutive Tests, while France are still searching for their first win in Australia since 1990.
While Skelton grabbed the headlines, Folau’s two tries took his tally to 13 tries in 18 Tests and fly-half Bernard Foley kicked four conversions and two penalties.
The Wallabies showed their attacking intent from the outset and dominated possession and territory.
Foley kicked a third-minute penalty before Skelton monstered his way through Fulgence Ouedraogo’s tackle to score a try on debut five minutes later.
Les Bleus got their first points off a Brice Dulin long-range penalty after a great French scrum to trail 10-3 after 15 minutes.
Quick thinking by skipper Michael Hooper from the kick-off forced France to concede a penalty for Foley to retrieve a 10-point advantage.
The French went a man down when tighthead prop Rabah Slimani received a yellow card for tackling Hooper without the ball as the Wallabies went on the attack.
A quick tap kick from scrum-half Nic White led to Folau scoring in the corner in Dulin’s tackle.
Maxime Machenaud, who replaced regular scrum-half Morgan Parra (ankle injury) before the match, kicked a penalty for the French to trail 20-6 at half-time.
Skelton demonstrated his great hands for such a big man to deliver a defence-splitting pass for Folau to race away and score his second try two minutes after the resumption for a commanding 27-6 lead.
France lost left winger Hugo Bonneval with a left knee injury as the Australians cranked up a gear before the record 43,188 Wallaby Test crowd at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.
Foley and replacement Kurtley Beale combined to send Hooper racing away to score his team’s fourth try midway through the second half.
The French scored their only try by hooker Guilhem Guirado from a push-over scrum 15 minutes from fulltime.
Replacement scrum-half Nick Phipps pounced for the Wallabies’ fifth try off a quick tap penalty in the final minutes to round off a handsome victory.
Japan 26-13 Italy
Japan’s forward line put in a dynamic performance as the Asian champions extended their record winning streak to 10 games with a nail-biting 26-23 victory over Italy.
Male Sau’s bulldozing try on the hour mark ultimately proved the difference for Japan but the home side had to survive a nervous finish before recording their first win in six meetings with the Azzurri.
“The great thing today was we won,” Japan coach Eddie Jones told reporters. “We didn’t play well but it’s a testament to the guys that we’re beginning to win when things are not going well for us.”
Japan struggled in the lineout but they punched above their weight in the scrum, while Italy coach Jacques Brunel slammed his butter-fingered players as the Six Nations side lost their ninth game in a row.
“We made way too many mistakes,” fumed the Frenchman. “We gave away too many penalties and committed 12 turnovers – you can’t beat a team like Japan if you play like that.”
Japan are now set to break into the world’s top-10 for the first time, but Jones insisted all that mattered was next year’s World Cup.
“That’s all I’m worried about,” said the former Australia coach. “We’ve got to keep winning but we’ve got to win at the World Cup.
“It’s no use winning up to the World Cup and not winning once you get there – like the (Japan) soccer team,” added Jones, acutely aware that Japan have won just once at rugby’s showcase tournament, against Zimbabwe in 1991.
“I want to make the quarter-finals of the World Cup and become the most popular sports team in Japan. There’s no reason why we can’t.”
Japan are drawn in Pool B at the World Cup in England, alongside South Africa, Scotland, Samoa and the United States.
They disappointed at the 2011 World Cup under former All Black John Kirwan, beaten by hosts New Zealand, France and Tonga before drawing 23-23 with Canada.
Full-back Ayumu Goromaru kicked 16 points for the Japanese, who came into the game boosted by a 37-29 away victory over World Cup opponents the United States last weekend.
Akihito Yamada’s fifth-minute try gave Japan the early initiative until a penalty try awarded after the winger’s knock-on gave Italy a foothold, the first half ending 13-13.
Italy’s resistance appeared to crack when Sau crashed over following sustained Japanese pressure in the 60th minute, but a breakaway try from Robert Barbieri made for a cliff-hanging final five minutes.
“It was a hard day at the office,” said Jones. “But the scrum held up very well. To beat them today was a wonderful step for the team but we’re a long way from where we want to be.
“But we don’t have to be at our best until the World Cup. Test rugby is never perfect rugby. It’s just about winning.”
Italy captain Quintin Geldenhuys paid tribute to Japan.
“All credit to them,” said the hulking lock. “They are a completely different team from the one we played three years ago. They’ve improved a lot in all phases. Now they’re playing in the men’s league.”
Fiji 13-18 Samoa
Samoa finished top of the Pacific conference in the Pacific Nations Cup tournament when six Tusi Pisi penalties produced an 18-13 win against Fiji in Suva in the final regulation match.
Fiji scored the only tries, but were let down by their own ill-discipline as they lost at home to their Pacific neighbours for the first time in 16 years.
The result was a setback for Fiji ahead of their must-win World Cup qualifier against the Cook Islands next week.
Their star had been rising in recent weeks as they moved up to 10th in the world rankings following wins over Italy (25-14) and Tonga (45-17).
Samoa, ranked one place higher than Fiji and having already qualified for the World Cup, drew with Tonga 18-18 and beat Italy 15-0.
In a match billed as the “Battle of the Pacific”, Samoa led Fiji 15-5 at half-time from five Pisi penalties, the last in the 40th minute when Leone Nakarawa was yellow-carded.
Despite starting the second half a man down, Fiji’s Napolioni Nalaga scored a try immediately after the break. Nemani Nadolo, who scored in the first half, landed a penalty soon after to narrow the gap to 13-15.
Samoa were twice reduced to 14 men in the second half with Fautua Otto and then captain David Lemi both sent to the sin bin, but in a brief period in the middle of the half, with all players on the field, Pisi landed his sixth penalty.
Fiji had four kickable penalties in the last 10 minutes, but opted to go for line-outs where they were held out by the Samoa defence.
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
