Six Nations 2013: Italy 9-26 Wales

 

 

Six Nations 2013: Italy 9-26 Wales

 

Wales maintained hope of retaining their Six Nations title with a clinical victory over Italy in rain-sodden Rome.

 

Three Leigh Halfpenny penalties, to two from Kris Burton, gave the visitors a 9-6 interval lead.

 

Converted tries from Jonathan Davies and Alex Cuthbert and a further Halfpenny kick put Wales in command at 26-9 on the hour.

 

They kept the hosts at bay with some comfort in a scrappy final quarter to record a sixth consecutive win over the Azzurri.

 

It was also a fourth successive away victory for Wales in the Championship - a feat they last achieved in 1979.

 

A fifth - against Scotland at Murrayfield in a fortnight - would see them welcome England to Cardiff on the final day with a possible title still in their sights.

 

But for now they can reflect on a satisfying afternoon in Rome where their scrummaging prowess and efficient finishing from limited opportunities paved the way for victory.

 

With rain falling incessantly all morning, any hopes of an attractive spectacle had disappeared before kick-off.

 

A slow-paced game full of scrums and territorial kicking should have suited the hosts, but it was Wales who prospered in the set-piece battle.

 

The visitors' dominant scrum earned three successive penalties in the 13th, 15th and 18th minutes as veteran Italian prop Andrea Lo Cicero, equalling Alessandro Troncon's Italian record of 101 caps, endured a torrid time.

 

Halfpenny punished the second and third offences by kicking Wales into a 9-3 lead after 20 minutes.

 

His opening penalty, after Italy had fallen offside in midfield trying to repel a Wales attack, was swiftly cancelled out by Burton in the 10th minute before Wales took command.

 

But their dominance failed to yield further reward as Italy - without talismanic number eight Sergio Parisse - ended the first half only three points adrift.

 

Burton, under pressure from Dan Biggar, was off target with a drop-goal attempt after Cuthbert had spilled a catch forward to give Italy a scrum five metres out.

 

But with the rain hammering down, the hosts' scrum recovered sufficiently to win a penalty, allowing Burton to reducing the deficit to 6-9.

 

Attacking rugby and try-scoring opportunities were at a premium in the treacherous conditions. Italy's one chance came after Halfpenny had a clearing kick charged down, but the full-back recovered to make a crucial tackle on Giovanbattista Venditti as the Azzurri wing threatened.

 

Wales might have fashioned a score after 31 minutes when Biggar caught a high kick on the right touchline and released Cuthbert. The giant wing appeared to be clear of the cover, only for a superb tap tackle from Gonzalo Canale to snag him.

 

Wales maintained the pressure as Italy struggled to get out of their own 22 and won another penalty, only for Halfpenny's radar to fail him for the first time.

 

The opening exchanges of the second half effectively decided the contest, with Wales enjoying a touch of fortune at two pivotal moments.

 

First, as Italy rampaged their way to within metres of the Welsh line, Biggar appeared to tackle Tommaso Benvenuti without the ball as the centre tried to scoop it up and touch down.

 

It was a marginal call that went in Wales' favour, and they were also slightly fortunate with their opening try after 44 minutes.

 

Mike Phillips, picking up at the base of a ruck, launched a chip over the defence, and the bounce flummoxed both Burton and Edoardo Gori as a grateful Davies - who had barely touched the ball until that moment - gobbled it up to score.

 

Halfpenny's conversion gave Wales a 10-point cushion, but Paul James - on as a replacement for the injured Gethin Jenkins - infringed to allow Burton to cut the deficit to 9-16.

 

But the 10-point margin was quickly restored as Wales won a fourth penalty at the scrum, and Halfpenny stroked over a superb kick from the left touchline.

 

Wales' cause was boosted further when referee Romain Poite lost patience with the Italian scrum and dispatched captain Martin Castrogiovanni to the sin-bin just before the hour.

 

The visitors took immediate advantage, Cuthbert hitting a superb line onto Biggar's pass - with Canale fooled by Davies's dummy run - to sprint over in the left corner for his seventh Test try.

 

Halfpenny's conversion made it 26-9, allowing Wales to relax somewhat as the strains of "Hymns and Arias" briefly floated around the Stadio Olimpico.

 

With one eye on the final table, and the possibility of a title won on points difference, the visitors emptied their bench in search of further scores, but the match merely petered out.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21560475

Six Nations 2013: England 23-13 France

 

 

Six Nations 2013: England 23-13 France

 

England's dreams of a first Grand Slam in a decade live on after they survived a bruising, breathless battle at a freezing Twickenham.

 

A brilliant breakaway try from Wesley Fofana and the boot of Morgan Parra had given France a 10-9 half-time advantage as England struggled for possession and fluency.

 

But a fourth successful penalty from Owen Farrell stole back the lead before an opportunistic try from the indomitable Manu Tuilagi and two late penalties from replacement Toby Flood snuffed out the tiring visitors.

 

England's replacements made a huge impact in the nervous final quarter, the team once again showing a maturity beyond their experience to stay strong as their opponents crumbled.

 

France have now lost their last five matches in this competition for the first time since 1958, a much-improved first-half display undermined by indiscipline.

 

England's victory means they have now won six of the last seven Six Nations clashes against their great cross-Channel rivals.

 

And with a struggling Italy next up at Twickenham in a fortnight's time, there is every chance they will travel to Cardiff on 16 March knowing a win would give them both the championship and Grand Slam.

 

Farrell had given England the lead with barely a minute gone before Parra levelled it with his own first penalty.

 

Initially, the contest struggled for momentum, the scrum messy and both sides guilty of handling errors as the big tackles came in.

 

On a rare foray deep into the French 22, Farrell's inside pass found Tuilagi thundering and stepping, and only a last-gasp tackle from Parra prevented the try.

 

The French forwards had already transgressed, Farrell making it 6-3 on 27 minutes, but a devastating run from the gifted Fofana seized the initiative back for the under-fire visitors.

 

There looked to be little danger when the centre took midfield partner Mathieu Bastareaud's flat pass but he accelerated through poor tackles from Courtney Lawes and Chris Ashton to burst clear down the left wing, hand off Ben Youngs and race under the posts.

 

It was no less than France deserved, their loose forwards impressive and their set-piece more solid than England's.

 

Farrell's third successful penalty narrowed the deficit to a single point at half-time, but it was England with work to do - their tackling too often sub-par, their decision-making sometimes questionable.

 

They were shoved off their own scrum as the second half began, only for the left-footed Parra to pull his penalty to the right of the posts. When they did have possession, Ashton was turned over as he looked to escape down the right, and then a line-out 10 metres from the French try-line was stolen by Christophe Samson.

 

Farrell's boot was the constant. He made it 12-10 when Parra was penalised, and coach Stuart Lancaster looked to capitalise by bringing on James Haskell, Tom Youngs and Mako Vunipola for Lawes, Dylan Hartley and Joe Marler.

 

The scrum immediately tightened, and when a penalty was sent skywards by Farrell the ball was spilled under pressure.

 

It appeared to come off Vunipola in an offside position, but Tuilagi was the first to react, scooping up the loose ball and rumbling away into the open spaces behind the French line to make it 17-10 with 25 minutes left.

 

The capacity crowd celebrated what they hoped might be the pivotal play, only for Farrell to miss a difficult conversion and Joe Launchbury then wander offside to allow replacement fly-half Frederic Michalak to cut the lead to just four points.

 

It was sloppy from England, and Farrell then scuffed a long-range penalty - albeit though he was clearly injured - and was replaced by Toby Flood a moment later.

 

England's replacements were making their presence felt, Danny Care on for Youngs and speeding up the delivery, France throwing the ball around with increasing abandon.

 

Twice, little kick-throughs from Flood almost put his wingers in, the forwards punching holes, Tuilagi dominating the much-anticipated clash with his huge opposite number Bastareaud.

 

The pressure began to tell. Another infringement at the breakdown allowed Flood to stretch the lead to 20-13 with eight minutes left, and when French players again failed to roll away at the breakdown Flood added three more.

 

There was no way back for Les Bleus, and Twickenham could celebrate another fine win for this impressive young squad.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21507603

FT Scotland 12-8 Ireland

 

best game of the 6N so far, Ireland adept at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory once again.

Poor Ireland

 

Looks like the wooden spoon isn't heading to Scotland this year

 

Six Nations 2013: Wales battle past Scotland at Murrayfield

 

Wales racked up their record fifth consecutive Six Nations away win to set up a potential title showdown with England in Cardiff next Saturday.

 

In a scrappy, stop-start encounter dominated by kicking, Leigh Halfpenny's 23-point haul via seven penalties and a conversion of the only try from Richard Hibbard proved decisive.

 

Greig Laidlaw's six penalties - in a match where a Six Nations record of 18 were attempted - kept the hosts in touch until well into the final quarter.

 

But Halfpenny's final kick eight minutes from time gave the visitors a 10-point cushion, and despite a late Scottish rally, Wales' superb defence ensured a sixth consecutive win in the fixture.

 

It was the third game in a row in which the defending champions have not conceded a try, and maintaining that record in the face of a frantic late Scottish assault may yet prove crucial.

 

England, who are likely to extend their points difference (currently +36) advantage over Wales (+29) with victory over Italy on Sunday, remain strong favourites to win the championship.

 

But the defending champions have at least closed the gap to give themselves an outside shot at retaining their title with victory next Saturday.

 

Scotland, meanwhile, will travel to France in their final fixture hoping to finish a relatively successful campaign - they have won two matches for the first time since 2006 - on a high.

 

With a biting wind swirling around Murrayfield, both sides opted to put boot to ball, trying to force the opposition into mistakes.

 

Wales went in 13-12 ahead at half-time, though it could have been more. Halfpenny, with an 87% success rate after the first three rounds, missed three penalties in quick succession between the 15th and 21st minutes, before rediscovering his radar to nudge the visitors ahead with the last kick of the opening period.

 

The full-back had opened the scoring in the fourth minute after a series of scrums inside the Scottish 22. Referee Craig Joubert awarded Wales free-kicks at the first two, before Scotland were penalised for collapsing the third, giving Halfpenny an easy three-pointer in front of the posts.

 

But Laidlaw, who had landed 13 out of 14 in the championship so far, maintained his own superb kicking form.

 

The scrum-half levelled immediately when Ryan Jones infringed at a ruck from the restart, and put his side ahead after Wales strayed offside in midfield.

 

The visitors looked the more dangerous in attack, but with Halfpenny missing three kicks in a row, the breakthrough came via a welcome bit of enterprise instead.

 

George North stepped inside Richie Gray and made 40m up the right touchline in a rare break-out. Stuart Hogg made the initial tackle to bring down the Wales wing, but charges from Ryan Jones, Jamie Roberts and Mike Phillips took Wales up to the Scottish line, and Hibbard was bundled over.

 

Halfpenny nailed the conversion from wide out, but Laidlaw brought the hosts back to within a point with his third sweet strike after Wales were adjudged to have taken down another scrum.

 

Penetrative kicks from Matt Scott, Laidlaw and Duncan Weir pinned Wales back on their heels.

 

But the hosts suffered a major blow when lock Gray was taken off with a hamstring injury after half an hour, Al Kellock coming on to replace him.

 

Undaunted, the Scots produced the most memorable moment of an otherwise forgettable first half.

 

Weir, starting his first Test, chipped over the top of the onrushing Welsh defence, beat Halfpenny to the bouncing ball and kicked ahead to the line.

 

The fly-half then scragged Dan Biggar, forcing his opposite number to take the ball over his own line. But with the home crowd expectant, Scotland were penalised for an early engagement at the resultant scrum.

 

Perhaps by way of evening things up, referee Joubert then penalised Wales for collapsing the next scrum, on their own put-in.

 

Laidlaw's fourth penalty nudged Scotland ahead, only for lock Jim Hamilton to give away a needless penalty coming around the side of a ruck, allowing Halfpenny to send Wales in front.

 

The pattern continued on the resumption, with the blast of Joubert's whistle continuing to dominate proceedings.

 

Laidlaw fell short - his first miss of the day - from 45m, before Halfpenny nudged Wales out to a 16-12 lead after Scotland number eight Johnnie Beattie was harshly penalised.

 

Wales were enjoying territorial dominance, but on a rare incursion into the visitors' half, Scotland's powerful maul was brought down illegally and Laidlaw brought his side to within a point again.

 

Wales lost captain Ryan Jones to injury, Justin Tipuric coming on in his place, but two further Halfpenny penalties gave the defending champions a seven-point cushion.

 

Laidlaw's sixth penalty on the hour made it four, but after Wales managed to generate some forward momentum with Toby Faletau to the fore, Halfpenny restored the margin.

 

Belatedly, Scotland managed to get their dangerous back three into the game, two quick offloads taking Tim Visser to within striking range, only for a thumping tackle from replacement Scott Williams to halt the first decent Scottish move of the half.

 

But Wales' defence remained resolute, and despite losing prop Paul James to the sin-bin, they resisted the hosts' advances.

 

When Scotland were penalised for holding on with two minutes left, Wales' third consecutive "clean sheet" was assured, and thought could turn to spoiling England's party.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21692234

Six Nations 2013: France recover to draw with Ireland

 

 

Six Nations 2013: France recover to draw with Ireland

 

France staged a second-half comeback to snatch a draw against Ireland in grim conditions in Dublin and break a run of five straight Six Nations defeats.

 

The visitors were on the back foot from the first whistle and Ireland captain Jamie Heaslip scored his side's only try following a couple of devastating driving mauls.

 

Ulster fly-half Paddy Jackson, so wasteful with the boot against Scotland, showed he is a fast learner, landing some crucial long-range kicks.

 

But Ireland tired badly as the second half wore on, Louis Picamoles scoring a try for France with six minutes remaining and Frederic Michalak landing the crucial conversion.

 

A late injury to substitute scrum-half Eoin Reddan, who was administered oxygen and then carried off, and a possible end to Brian O'Driscoll's international career lent a sombre tone to the end of the match.

 

It is the second year in a row these two sides have drawn a Six Nations encounter - the score was 17-17 in Paris last March - and it was another absorbing, if at times desperate, contest this time around.

 

France, whose final game of the tournament is against Scotland in Paris next weekend, had been in danger of being whitewashed in the tournament for the first time in 56 years.

 

However, despite managing to grab a draw, head coach Philippe Saint-Andre will struggle to keep his job, whether his side beat Scotland or not.

 

For Ireland head coach Declan Kidney, victory over France would have provided welcome respite following a fortnight of speculation over his future - his contract is up after this year's tournament after almost five years in the job.

 

But his side having failed to beat Scotland in Murrayfield a fortnight ago, despite huge advantages in terms of territory and possession, and now failed to finish off an insipid France team, the writing may now be on the wall.

 

With the wind billowing around Aviva Stadium and a blanket of rain enveloping players and spectators alike, the game was always going to be characterised more by mistakes than free-flowing rugby.

 

Indeed, a couple of handling errors under the high ball set the tone before Ireland's forwards began to make large dents with their driving maul, a tactic the French had little answer to.

 

One drive, with Sean O'Brien at its rear, travelled fully 15 metres into French territory and the hosts scored their first try from a second shortly after, Heaslip burrowing over from short range.

 

Jackson, in the side ahead of the injured Jonathan Sexton and discarded Ronan O'Gara, added the extras.

 

France fly-half Michalak, back in the starting line-up after losing his place to Francois Trinh-Duc for the game against England, missed a makeable penalty chance after 15 minutes and the visiting team did little to warm the cockles of their large travelling contingent of fans in the opening quarter.

 

Ireland should have extended their lead when France went over the top at a ruck but Jackson missed a penalty from centre-field, before Michalak got his side on the scoreboard with a three-pointer after the host's scrum disintegrated.

 

Ulster's Jackson, playing in only his second full international, steadied the nerves with a long-range penalty 11 minutes before half-time and added another from almost the identical spot three minutes later as errors continued to flow from the French.

 

Much was said before the game about the need for Ireland to put France on the back foot from the opening whistle and break them psychologically and so it panned out in the first half, with France, who were clueless in attack, never able to recover their composure after those early Irish mauls.

 

Michalak missed a difficult penalty attempt on the stroke of half-time and France, for whom skipper Thierry Dusautoir had been tireless in defence in a losing cause, were booed off by their fans.

 

When Louis Picamoles dropped the ball from Jackson's restart it was apparent it would be more of the same from a beleaguered French outfit in the second half.

 

Ireland should have added points after several waves of attack but desperate French defence and an ill-judged Rob Kearney drop-goal attempt let the visitors off the hook.

 

Morgan Parra took over kicking duties in the second half and slotted a three-pointer after 52 minutes to keep France alive but scuffed his second attempt at goal after Ireland went off-side.

 

Ireland began to lose their way as the second half went on, forgetting the pragmatic tactics that won them the first half, namely tight forward play and clever territorial kicking.

 

But while France were beginning to dominate in the scrum, Michalak, who had another poor day at the office in open play, was unable to spring anything worthwhile in attack.

 

When France did finally create some space, full-back Yoann Huget butchered the opportunity, ignoring the overlap and going into contact instead.

 

But France did cross soon afterwards, Picamoles reaching over for the try after a sustained period of pressure on the Irish line. Michalak levelled the scores with a difficult kick from just inside the left touch-line.

 

Ireland nearly nicked the win with four minutes remaining, Picamoles, who put in a monumental shift for France, just beating Keith Earls to the touch-down after a kick ahead. And the hosts were unlucky not to have won a penalty as it appeared Vincent Debaty had taken Earls out without the ball.

 

France had one last throw of the dice but with Ireland defenders out on their feet and no time left on the clock, Michalak decided to kick ahead, a move that rather typified French decision making.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21706934

FT England 18-11 Italy

 

If England play like that this time next week, Wales will be crowned 6N champions.

not a single try in the last two matches, England flunk their finals.

 

Six Nations 2013: Wales 30-3 England

 

Wales stormed to the Six Nations title as they secured a record win over England and crushed the visitors' Grand Slam hopes in the process.

 

Two second-half tries from winger Alex Cuthbert, four penalties from Leigh Halfpenny and eight points from Dan Biggar's boot were a fitting reflection of what became a romp.

 

Wales needed a winning margin of at least seven points to snatch the title from their visitors' grasp, and led by only six at the interval.

 

But they steamrollered an overwhelmed England side in the second half and ran away with the match as the capacity crowd celebrated wildly.

 

England seldom benefited from the decisions of referee Steve Walsh but were second best from the first minute as they fell to a first away defeat in the Six Nations under coach Stuart Lancaster.

 

It represents a remarkable turnaround for Wales, who had lost their last five matches in Cardiff and been dismantled by Ireland in the first half of their last fixture here.

 

But four successive victories - this last one the best of the lot - mean they top the table for a second season in succession.

 

In an atmosphere so ferocious it could have re-started a stopped heart, Halfpenny gave the home side the lead with his first three points after Joe Marler was penalised for not rolling away.

 

Wales were more composed in the initial storm, with England spilling the possession they had and giving away a flurry of penalties in defence.

 

The relentlessly reliable Halfpenny made it 6-0 before Farrell's first attempt hit the right-hand upright and fell over the crossbar, but when Walsh ruled against England at a messy scrum the Wales full-back stroked over another penalty from 30m to restore the six-point margin.

 

When England finally got to work deep in Welsh territory, Ben Youngs' reckless pass was picked off by Biggar, and only a brilliant tap-tackle from England left winger Brown stopped George North from racing away into the vast empty spaces for a certain try.

 

Brown ran onto a nicely judged grubber from Farrell on the left only for his attempted inside pass to be intercepted, and Farrell then opted to kick deep when a turnover offered a tantalising glimpse of an overlap on the right.

 

With Biggar pulling a drop-goal wide on the stroke of half-time, Stuart Lancaster's men were closer on the scoreboard than they had been on the pitch.

 

But the problems at the scrum continued as the minutes ticked on, the red majority in the 74,104-strong crowd roaring their approval as Walsh repeatedly found against the men in white.

 

Doughty defence from England somehow kept Wales at bay as they went through 23 phases right on the try line, and Halfpenny made it 12-3 after another transgression.

 

Lancaster threw on the replacements, with Mako Vunipola coming on for Joe Marler, Courtney Lawes for Joe Launchbury and Dylan Hartley for Tom Youngs.

 

It added to the effort but did little to hone a cutting edge.

 

With 25 minutes left, the roof almost came off the Millennium Stadium. England were turned over again on half-way, the ball was spread quickly to Cuthbert and the right winger dashed clear of Brown to dive over in the corner.

 

Halfpenny just missed the conversion from the touchline but Wales were in control, their back-row forwards in the ascendancy and their backs starting to fly.

 

The impressive Sam Warburton accelerated off the base of a ruck, brushed through Danny Care's tackle and found the galloping Justin Tipuric, who drew the last man before putting Cuthbert over in the corner again.

 

Biggar drilled over the conversion to make it 27-3 and, as the crowd bellowed "Easy! Easy!", popped over another penalty to complete what was a thrashing.

 

It was a chastening finale for an England team who had begun knowing a win would give them the Triple Crown, Championship and a first Grand Slam in a decade.

 

Far less experienced - 10 of their starting line-up had never before played at this great stadium - and out-fought both physically and mentally, they looked shell-shocked by the end as Wales and their capital city kicked off a huge night of celebrations.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21778425

 

Six Nations 2013: Italy 22-15 Ireland

 

Italy beat Ireland for the first time in Six Nations history in what may prove to be iconic centre Brian O'Driscoll's last game for the Irish.

 

O'Driscoll, 34, was also yellow carded for a stamp in the first half.

 

Italy led 9-6 at the break and extended their advantage through Gio Venditti's converted try.

 

Paddy Jackson landed three quick penalties but Luciano Orquera's brace of penalties gave Italy two wins in the Championship for only the second time.

 

Their only previous win double came in 2007, while Ireland's fourth Six Nations game without a win is their worst run in the Championship since it increased from five to six teams in 2000.

 

Ireland also lost three men to injury in the first half and had three men sent to the sin bin, and they will end up with the Wooden Spoon if France beat Scotland by 17 points in the final match of the Championship.

 

Italy were the better team throughout, with their pack dominating at the line-out and around the park, and if they had more of a cutting edge would have ensured their fans would have been able to relax far earlier than the final 10 seconds of the match.

 

Captain Sergio Parisse, back-row colleague Alessandro Zanni and hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini were all outstanding as the Azzurri backed up their fine win over France on the opening weekend.

 

Ireland fly-half Jackson, who went into the game with a kicking accuracy of only 42%, drilled over an early penalty to settle his nerves and get the scoreboard ticking over.

 

But Italy, with Parisse once again a real threat with ball in hand, won three quick penalties of their own.

 

Fly-half Orquera clipped over two from three - hitting the post with the middle attempt - to give Italy a 6-3 lead after 21 minutes, and things soon went from bad to worse for Ireland.

 

The visitors, who had gone into the game missing 13 players through injury, lost Keith Earls and Luke Marshall to injury in quick succession.

 

They also saw Jackson miss a penalty before the moment of madness from O'Driscoll.

 

The Irish great, normally so controlled in his play, stamped on Italy flanker Simone Favaro at a ruck and was sent to the sin bin.

 

With the Championship's all-time leading try-scorer off the pitch, Italy tried to hammer their advantage home but could only manage a third penalty, banged over from distance by long-range kicker Gonzalo Garcia.

 

Astonishingly, Ireland then lost a third man to injury as Luke Fitzgerald was forced off, with 21-year-old Iain Henderson coming on at blind-side flanker and Peter O'Mahony moving to the wing.

 

But they were given a glimmer of hope as Jackson landed his second penalty in the last action of the half to make it 9-6 at the break.

 

The visitors were lucky to be within three points and Italy finally made their dominance count as winger Venditti capped his fine tournament with a powerful drive from short-range.

 

Orqeura drilled the conversion from wide on the right and it looked as though Italy were sitting pretty, but with just under half an hour to play, home captain Parisse was yellow-carded for a trip on Ian Madigan.

 

During the number eight's absence Jackson landed three penalties - including one that came after a 20-phase attack that was finally halted two yards from the Italy line - to cut the lead to one point and set up a nerve-wracking finale.

 

Garcia missed a long-range penalty that would have given the hosts a little more breathing space but Donnacha Ryan was sin-binned for a late tackle and Orquera made no mistake with the penalty.

 

The visitors then lost a third man to the sin-bin, scrum-half Conor Murray yellow-carded for a trip, and Orquera's last-gasp penalty wrapped up a historic win for the hosts.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21789586

 

Six Nations 2013: France 23-16 Scotland

 

France overcame gutsy Scotland resistance to pick up their first win of the tournament but could not avoid finishing last in the Six Nations.

 

Greig Laidlaw kicked the visitors into a 6-0 half-time lead as the Scots defended like lions.

 

But French pressure continued to build and Wesley Fofana and Maxime Medard scored tries as tackles were missed.

 

Tim Visser responded with a late breakaway touchdown but Scotland could not manage a third campaign victory.

 

A third place finish is Scotland's best effort since 2006 and the competition will be judged positively, although many of the same failings remain.

 

On a cold, wet night in Paris, Scott Johnson's men were rarely seen as an attacking force.

 

In difficult conditions, both teams made several handling errors, while scrummaging was rendered close to farcical on a pitch that cut up badly under the studs.

 

Without a win in their last seven Six Nations games, the hosts were in a hurry to engage the crowd but found themselves trailing to two Laidlaw penalties after 18 minutes.

 

There followed a 10-minute period of intense attacking play from France, with recalled centre Mathieu Bastareaud regularly bulldozing his way forward.

 

However, Louis Picamoles, Sebastien Vahaamahina and Fofana were all stopped within inches of scoring as the Scots scrambled with great tenacity and a discipline that was missing in last weekend's loss to Wales.

 

Scotland managed one glimpse of a score when winger Max Evans, on for the injured Sean Maitland, broke two tackles in midfield and chipped into the French 22 but French full-back Yoann Huget beat him to the chase.

 

The half-time whistle brought loud jeers from the Stade de France audience as the battered visitors left the field gulping for air.

 

French playmaker Frederic Michalak made more mistakes than most in the first 40 minutes only to atone with three straightforward penalties in the first 13 minutes of the second period.

 

However, the moody fly-half can consider himself lucky to have still been involved as the match officials missed his cowardly off-the-ball punch on the back of Stuart Hogg's head.

 

The Scotland full-back immediately confronted his assailant and the pair were engaged in an ugly spot of grappling while play raged on.

 

The visitors looked weary but got back on level terms shortly before the hour mark, Laidlaw kicking another penalty following an offside decision.

 

French replacement prop Vincent Debaty then thundered down the left flank after crashing through a couple of challenges but he failed to run over the top of Hogg and the home crowd wailed in horror as he failed to release the wide open Vincent Clerc.

 

The home attacks kept coming and Hogg did well to block Clerc as the stylish winger burst through the gain-line but the home breakthrough was not long in coming.

 

Fofana broke free on the right and brushed off a weak Hogg tackle to touch down under the posts, with Michalak converting.

 

The French added a second try soon afterwards following a great break by Bastareaud. Sean Lamont did well to down the powerful centre but the ball was quickly worked to Medard to slip through.

 

Replacement Maxime Machenaud converted as Michalak lay prone on the ground with a shoulder problem.

 

Evans and Visser broke tackles as the Scots rallied bravely and a promising attack broke down with a dreadful knock-on from Ruaridh Jackson, who had started the move with a quicksilver pass.

 

Scottish bravery was rewarded when Scott darted forward before playing in Visser who galloped away to score under the posts, with Jackson adding the extras.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21792779

Well done Wales, you couldn't have done it without the help of Mr Walsh, a man whom hates England more than the Scottish