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**dudeabides** · 02-23-2010, 01:53 AM

England v Ireland:

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Ireland travel to face England at Twickenham on Saturday following their narrow victory at Croke Park last season. Danny Care and Phil Vickery saw yellow as Brian O'Driscoll inspired the home side to the third leg of their Grand Slam.

There have been 122 matches since 1875 in the second-oldest fixture on the international calendar. England lead by 70 wins to 44. The last of the eight drawn games was in 1968.

England's highest score to date is 50-18 at Twickenham in 2000. Their 46-6 win in Dublin in 1997 is the biggest winning margin of the matches. Ireland's best result is 43-13 at Croke Park in 2007.

England scored a record seven tries at a windy Lansdowne Road in their 36-14 victory in 1938. Their skipper that day, Peter Cranmer, was however relieved of the captaincy for the rest of the season. Ireland's best try total is five: in 1905 at Cork, and in freezing conditions in Dublin in 1947, when they won 22-0.

England's Paul Grayson set the record for most points in a match, scoring 23 at Twickenham in 1996. Ollie Campbell established the points record for Ireland by scoring 21 in Dublin in 1983 and Ronan O'Gara matched that achievement at Croke Park in 2007.

The only try hat-tricks scored in the series were by Henry Taylor for England at Manchester in 1881 and Chris Oti at Twickenham in 1988. A dozen Irishmen have scored two tries in a match - Shane Horgan's brace at Twickenham in 2006 being the most recent instance.

The overall record for scoring most tries in the fixture belongs to Rory Underwood, who scored seven for England between 1984 and 1996. Six Irishmen have scored three for Ireland.

Jonny Wilkinson is the leading overall scorer in the fixture with 86 for England in eight games between 1998 (when he made his test debut as an eighteen-year-old) and 2008. Ronan O'Gara holds the Irish record for the series with 84 points.

Mike Gibson, who played in 15 successive matches for Ireland (1964-78), set the record for most appearances in the games. Rory Underwood appeared 14 times for England.

Ireland-England Six Nations results:
2000 England 50-18 (Twickenham)
2001 Ireland 20-14 (Dublin)
2002 England 45-11 (Twickenham)
2003 England 42-6 (Dublin)
2004 Ireland 19-13 (Twickenham)
2005 Ireland 19-13 (Dublin)
2006 Ireland 28-24 (Twickenham)
2007 Ireland 43-13 (Dublin)
2008 England 33-10 (Twickenham)
2009 Ireland 14-13 (Dublin)

Ireland out for back-to-back victories | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Head to Head | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 02-23-2010, 01:53 AM

Wales v France:

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Wales host France in the Six Nations' second Friday night game on February 26, with Les Bleus holding happy memories of last season's thrilling Stade de France victory.

Last year's meeting between the sides was the first-ever Five/Six Nations match staged on a Friday. The Championship, which admitted France in 1910 and Italy in 2000, has also seen matches played on every other day of the week.

There have been 85 official matches involving Wales and France since 1908. Wales have won 43, France 40 and the last of the three draws was in 1974. Wales lead by three wins to two in the five matches staged at the Stade de France since 1999.

France gave caps for two additional "Victory" Internationals staged in 1945-46. France won one of these and the Welsh XV the other.

France set the records for the highest score and biggest winning margin in the series in their 51-0 Wembley Stadium win in 1998. The French ran in seven tries that afternoon, their best return for this fixture.

The best Welsh victories to date are 49-14 (highest score) in 1910 at St Helen's, Swansea and 47-5 (best margin) in Paris in 1909 when they created the record for most tries in a match in the series (eleven).

The highest individual haul in a match is 29 points by Neil Jenkins in the Cardiff friendly in August 1999. He also scored 28 in Paris in 2001, chalking up a full-house of scoring actions with a try, four conversions, three penalty goals and two drops.

Guy Camberabero performed that feat for France in Paris in 1967, scoring a try, conversion, two drop goals and a penalty goal in a 20-14 win. But it is Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, with 24 at Cardiff in 2004, who holds the French points record for a match.

Reggie Gibbs set the record for most tries in a match, crossing four times in Wales's 36-4 win at Cardiff on a Monday afternoon in March 1908. Emile Ntamack is the only French player to score a hat-trick of tries in a match in this series, in Paris in 1999.

Gibbs also heads the list for most overall tries in the matches. His seven were scored in only three appearances between 1908 and 1911. For France, Serge Blanco crossed six times in eleven matches between 1981 and 1991 and Emile Ntamack also scored six tries in the series.

Neil Jenkins is the leading overall scorer with 152 points for Wales in 13 appearances between 1991 and 2001. Christophe Lamaison holds the French record with 53 points in his five matches between 1997 and 2001.

Philippe Sella, who appeared 14 times for France between 1983 and 1995, created the record for most appearances in this fixture. Neil Jenkins played 13 times for Wales between 1991 and 2001.

France-Wales Six Nations results:
2000 France 36-3 (Cardiff)
2001 Wales 43-35 (Paris)
2002 France 37-33 (Cardiff)
2003 France 33-5 (Paris)
2004 France 29-22 (Cardiff)
2005 Wales 24-18 (Paris)
2006 France 21-16 (Cardiff)
2007 France 32-21 (Paris)
2008 Wales 29-12 (Cardiff)
2009 France 21-16 (Paris)

France hoping for second Friday feast | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Head to Head | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 02-26-2010, 07:49 PM

Wales v France:

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France kept their Grand Slam dream alive with a 26-20 victory over Wales in Cardiff but were run close in the second-half by a Welsh side intent on repeating their improbable comeback against Scotland.

Les Bleus surged into a 20-0 half-time lead thanks to intercept tries from wing Alexis Palisson and fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc, but were reeled in by a rejuvenated home side after the break. Leigh Halfpenny began the comeback with a try early in the second-half but they crucially failed to capitalise on a sin-binning for French scrum-half Morgan Parra. Parra and Freddie Michalak put France out of sight from the kicking tee, with Shane Williams' wonderful last minute try bringing up his half-century in Wales Tests but, crucially, not the victory.

A moment of silence was reserved before the game for lock Bradley Davies' mother, who died last week aged 46, and the Blues youngster responded with a bullish display. The home side welcomed back British & Irish Lions scrum-half Mike Phillips on the bench but he was unused by coach Warren Gatland with Richie Rees enjoying an excellent outing on his full debut.

Wales looked to replicate the French blitz in the opening stages, with either Jamie Roberts or James Hook flying out of the line, but the visitors were wise to the tactic and quickly spread the ball to the wings. Rees conducted the early possession well at the base, quickly changing the point of attack, but their good work was undone by a terrible pass from Hook. The centre looped the ball into the waiting arms of Palisson, who was waiting in the line and cantered clear for the easiest of scores under the posts.

The Welsh scrum faltered soon after, with Paul James penalised, and France opted for the corner. Despite having created space, Trinh-Duc elected for a drop-goal and saw it fall harmlessly wide of the posts. Wales profited from the next scrum with a penalty, but were driven back by the French defence after securing quick lineout ball. Stephen Jones was left lacking options either side as France soaked up the pressure and the Scarlets veteran could only knock on in the tackle.

Wales heaped more unneeded stress on their defence by losing the next lineout, with Mathieu Bastareaud rampaging forward and drawing a second penalty from Williams. Parra needed no second invitation to extend the lead to 10, France counter-punching like the finest of middleweights. Wales produced their first meaningful attack immediately after, with Jones carving a path through the French line following some neat interplay in midfield. The fly-half put boot to ball as the chasers converged, Poitrenaud beating Hook to the ball after scampering across from out wide.

A second Parra penalty followed a devastating scrum and Welsh hopes were fading fast as the clock ticked towards the half-hour mark. The game was taken away from Wales in the final minute of the half, when Trinh-Duc picked off a terrible offload from Williams and coasted in for a second try. With seconds left on the clock Wales were guilty of twice failing to clear their lines and paid a heavy price.

Wales blew a gilt-edged opportunity immediately after the break. Some quick hands on their own 22 had France on the back-foot and Hook was able to collect an intelligent kick from Williams, only to have lock Luke Charteris as his only support. He could not gather the pass and knocked on. From the scrum Wales notched their first points as an offside call handed three to Jones, who broke Neil Jenkins' Welsh Championship scoring record.

Wales were increasingly direct in their approach and set up position in the French 22, garnering a second penalty as Thierry Dusautoir went in at the side. Jones again was on target but immediately after his forwards wasted an excellent attacking position by coughing up yet another lineout.

There was no such mistake on their next opportunity, as the pack tore into the French with a maul, Davies cajoling them forward. Jonathan Kaplan signalled a penalty but just as the crowd found their voice, Byrne kicked the penalty dead in a mindless piece of play that released the pressure valve. Wales had the bit between their teeth, though, and continued to press. Rees injected some pace into the game with a quick tap and as France scrambled in defence gaps appeared.

Williams collected the ball and threw an arching pass to the wing, where Halfpenny flew in to score in the corner. Jones curled in the conversion as the crowd grew in voice. As the players lined up for the restart, Parra saw yellow for a deliberate knock on in the build up to the try. With France down to 14 men Wales continued to press, but two terrible mistakes undermined their efforts. First Byrne missed another kick to touch before Roberts ignored his support after bursting clear and claiming a Jones chip.

France grappled and heaved their way back onto an even keel and replacement Michalak bashed over a long-range penalty to draw the sting of the Welsh comeback. As Wales' confidence deserted them Parra stroked over the final penalty of the evening following an offside in midfield, securing a deserved, if shaky, victory.

There was time left for one more play and it fell to Williams to seal another magic moment, the wing collecting the ball out wide and dancing through three French tackles to break Gareth Edwards' Championship try record. Michalak took the ball for the restart and in a moment that will have pained Scotland fans, chopped the ball into touch to end the game.

France survive Welsh scare | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Match Pack | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 02-27-2010, 11:25 AM

Italy v Scotland:

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Italy scored their first Six Nations victory for two years with a hard-fought 16-12 result over Scotland at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome.

A second-half try from replacement scrum-half Pablo Canavosio proved the match-winning score in a closely fought contest with the Scots left to rue a series of missed opportunities. Two penalties apiece for Italy's Mirco Bergamasco and Scotland's Dan Parks saw the sides enter the break all-square and their kicking duel continued into the second half before the hosts struck the killer blow to notch their first Championship success since the corresponding fixture two years ago.

Both sides entered the clash without a win in this year's Championship and desperate to open their account in what many had predicted would be the Wooden Spoon decider. Italy were unchanged from the side that made England work for their victory a fortnight ago while Scotland had been stripped of the services of Chris Paterson, Thom Evans and Rory Lamont through injury with fullback Hugo Southwell, Ulster wing Simon Danielli and Glasgow's Max Evans drafted into the starting XV.

Mistakes from both sides peppered a lively opening during which Italy offered invention and brute force in equal measure. The home side broke the deadlock on ten minutes with Bergamasco putting them ahead with a penalty when Scottish pack buckled under pressure in the shadow of their own posts.

The more efficient Italian forward effort brought reward shortly after with Parks forced to scramble the ball into touch inside his own 22. From the resulting lineout John Barclay was penalised for a blatant infringement at the ruck and Bergamasco had no trouble in doubling the home side's lead. Italy continued to have the better of the opening exchanges with impressive centre Gonzalo Garcia proving a thorn in Scotland's side.

Parks' boot was used well to keep the Italians at bay and a rare lineout steal saw Barclay drive deep into the Italy 22 before centre Graeme Morrison added a bit more grunt. But they were unable to breach the home side's defence and had to settle for a penalty courtesy of Parks.

Scotland took heart from that foray but poor execution and some costly errors continued to let them down with Italy forced to live off the scraps.

A careless foot in touch from Southwell gifted Italy great field position but they failed to capitalise with an attempted chip and chase from prop Martin Castrogiovanni a symbol of their lack of ideas with the ball in hand. Scotland were not so short of ideas but still struggled for continuity and had to rely on the boot of Parks to pull them level just past the half hour.

Scotland continued to pepper the Italian defence with Barclay pouncing on a loose lineout throw before surging into the 22 but again they could not find the finishing touch with a forward pass their undoing on this occasion.

An ill-advised grubber from Tito Tebaldi handed Scotland the ball once more and Johnnie Beattie led the charge towards the Italian line but they were thwarted by flanker Josh Sole who was lucky to escape a yellow card for his desperate attempt to snuff out the danger. And Parks also failed to make Italy pay with the penalty - pushing his attempt wide of the posts.

Italy showed a willingness to give the ball some air early in the second half and when Alastair Kellock strayed off-side at a ruck Bergamasco was able to restore his side's lead with his third penalty.

Back came the Scots with Beattie and Barclay again making a big impression in the Italian defence. Max Evans was unable to unlock the Azzurri with a grubber but the visitors were soon back on the front foot with Allan Jacobsen driven over the line but he was denied by some excellent defensive work from Mirco Bergamasco and the Television Match Official. The Scottish pack were rewarded with a penalty at the following scrum and they bravely opted for another. Cusiter then looked to inject some urgency with a three kick but the Scots were repeatedly foiled by the Italians with Parks eventually slotting a simple drop goal to level the scores.

Italy rallied with a crowd-pleasing series of phases as the game continued to spark into life but they too lacked the cutting edge to put the finishing touches to a promising passage of play.

A Bergamasco kick and chase had the crowd on their feet on the hour but this time it was Scotland's turn to scramble in defence. And moments later Italy fly-half Craig Gower was penalised for going off his feet allowing Parks to put his side into the lead for the first time in the game.

But their lead was short-lived with Canale conjuring a superb break in midfield before cutting a great line into the heart of the Scotland 22. The centre was eventually hauled down but produced a superb off-load to Canavosio who darted through to score under the posts. Bergamasco slotted the easy conversion to cement his side's lead.

Parks' boot led Scotland's riposte and his forwards took them to the Italy line with Jacobsen going close but again he was denied by some desperate defence and the TMO. An injury ended the Scottish prop's game forcing a re-shuffle up front that included the return of Euan Murray who had previously been replaced. The ball was won against the head at the scrum and Italy cleared the immediate danger to the delight of the home crowd.

Gower narrowly failed with a long range penalty when handed a chance to close the game out but his miss was not as costly as it could have been with errors returning to Scotland's play as the game drew to a close. With a rare victory in sight, the Italians kept the ball tight but successive penalties offered the Scots hope of a late turnaround. However, it was a familiar story for the Scots with a lack of a cutting edge proving their downfall.

Wounded Scots out for redemption | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Match Pack | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 02-27-2010, 01:24 PM

England v Ireland:

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Ireland got their Six Nations campaign back-on-track with a 20-16 victory over England at Twickenham, ending the home side's hopes of a Grand Slam for another season.

Ospreys wing Tommy Bowe scored a brace of excellent tries for the visitors and was joined on the scoresheet by Munster's Keith Earls. England scrapped in terrible conditions but lacked Ireland's cutting edge, scoring a try through prop Dan Cole and stealing a second-half lead thanks to the boot of fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, who finished with 11 points.

Ireland were under pressure to produce after a humbling defeat to France in Paris two weeks ago, while England had also been forced to ask some tough questions following a laboured an unimaginative victory over Italy. Few questions will have been answered by their one-dimensional attacking play on this occasion, but there was plenty of determination on show as they twice bit back following Irish scores.

A mistake from Wilkinson at the kick-off led to Irish pressure but the early cut and thrust came from the English back-three. Ugo Monye and Mark Cueto looked to run from deep but Irish aggression brought the first score of the game after only four minutes.

A powerful turnover in centre field was ruthlessly exploited as Jamie Heaslip charged forward to straighten the line. Recalled fly-half Jonathan Sexton continued the movement and slid an inch-perfect grubber in behind Lewis Moody, who was powerless to stop Bowe racing through and scoring in the corner.

England then probed around the fringes and created further space for Monye, who was well marshalled by the defence. Wilkinson missed his opening shot at goal and was guilty of squandering another attacking opportunity by chipping the ball away as England pressed on the Irish line.

Wilkinson atoned for his earlier errors by slotting his next kick and Ireland missed out on another scoring chance when Bowe challenged Monye early for a towering Sexton kick. England dominated possession as the rain cascaded down, but slow delivery from Danny Care left them stifled.

Sexton saw a long-range penalty fall under the crossbar and hacked the ball out on the full in a promising position as conditions worsened. He extended the Irish lead soon after when Dylan Hartley was penalised for playing the ball off his feet. O'Leary immediately handed possession to England though by hacking the ball out on the full, making it an unhappy hat-trick of errors, but was rescued by a poor England lineout. Earls stretched the English defence to breaking point soon after, skipping through a Steve Borthwick tackle and chipping ahead. An excellent Wilkinson tackle stopped the Munster utility and Care safely beat Heaslip to the ball in-goal.

Wilkinson banged over a penalty to make it a two point game and Monye was able to collect a difficult kick over the top to close out the opening period.

Easter was offside from the second-half kick-off but Sexton was unable to covert a difficult kick from out wide, Wilkinson also failing when presented with an opportunity after Ireland returned the offside favour.

Heaslip challenged Monye in the air and allowed Wilkinson to clear deep into Irish territory, but a strong Irish counter-maul forced the fly-half into a poorly executed cross kick, which was easily mopped up by Murphy.

Ireland profited from a questionable refereeing decision to score their second try. O'Leary was guilty of preventing a quick tap for the second time and Care duly reacted, prompting a flurry of pushes. The penalty was reversed, allowing Sexton to clear long. From the lineout Sexton exploited some lazy English defence and put Earls over in the corner. The fly-half again missed the touchline conversion.

England turned to the grubber kick for their next attacking opportunity and it paid off, with Earls forced to carry the ball back across his try-line. England packed down for the five-metre scrum and put Ireland under plenty of pressure, drawing a penalty before spinning the ball into midfield. Mathew Tait was driven close to the line before the forwards piled in close to the posts. The TMO was called for and he took his time to award a first Test try to Cole, who had scrapped through a last-ditch tackle from Donncha O'Callaghan.

Wilkinson lined up the easiest of conversions to draw the scores level and Ireland received a further blow when Brian O'Driscoll was forced from the field after catching a knee to the head from Paul O'Connell. The visitors almost spiralled further adrift, but Wilkinson's radar again failed him after Ireland were needlessly offside.

The fly-half was on hand to stroke over a drop-goal for the lead moments later, rounding off an excellent break from Care. Ireland showed their class from limited opportunities to steal the lead back soon after. O'Leary claimed off the top lineout ball and as he toyed with the English defence, Bowe appeared on his inside shoulder to collect a pop pass and fly through to score untouched past a flailing Wilkinson.

Replacement Ronan O'Gara added the extras but Ireland conceded massive ground to Wilkinson's boot after failing to roll away. A series of English mauls followed but Ireland's defence was resolute, with Heaslip and Cian Healy fighting for all they are worth to ensure a turnover. Ireland secured the ball but were guilty of a poor clearance which allowed England to come back again, but their limited attack was again evident as they kept it tight. Ireland soaked up the pressure and produced another turnover, allowing Heaslip to put the ball out for a welcome victory.

Bowe brace fires Irish victory | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Match Pack | Scrum.com

Six Nations Table:

France...(3-0) 6 pts.
Ireland...(2-1) 4 pts.
England...(2-1) 4 pts.
Wales...(1-2) 2 pts.
Italy...(1-2) 2 pts.
Scotland...(0-3) 0 pts.

**dudeabides** · 03-08-2010, 03:59 PM

Previews of the upcoming weekends' tests...

Ireland v Wales:

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Ireland secured their first Grand Slam since 1948 against Wales in Cardiff last season and will be keen for a repeat performance as they go in search of another Triple Crown at Croke Park on Saturday.

There have been 114 encounters between the countries since the first match, staged at Lansdowne Road, in 1882. Wales have won 62, Ireland 46 and the last of the six draws was 21-all at Cardiff in 1991.

Ireland set the records for the highest score and biggest winning margin of the series in their 54-10 victory in Dublin in 2002. Wales's 34-9 Lansdowne Road win in 1976 is their highest score and the 29-0 victory at Cardiff in 1907 their biggest winning margin of the series.

The most tries scored by a team is six. Wales did so in the matches of 1903, 1907 and 1920; Ireland in 2002 and 2004.

David Humphreys created the individual record for a match by scoring 22 points for Ireland in Dublin in 2002. Neil Jenkins set the corresponding record for Wales when he collected 20 points there in the 30-21 win in 1998.

The first of the four try hat-tricks recorded in the series was scored for Ireland by Robert Montgomery in the 1887 match staged at Birkenhead RFC (to save the then impoverished Irish Union travelling expenses). Johnnie Williams crossed three times for Wales in both 1907 and 1910, and the last player to perform the feat, also for Wales, was Bryn Williams in 1920.

Mike Gibson did not miss a match between 1964 and 1978, turning out a record 14 times for Ireland against Wales. Owing to political problems, the fixture was cancelled in 1972. Ieuan Evans played a dozen times for Wales between 1987 and 1997.

Johnnie Williams set the record for most tries in the rubber. During the early 1900s he crossed eight times in five matches for Wales (1907 to 1911). Brian O'Driscoll heads the Irish try-scorers on five to date.

Neil Jenkins is the leading overall scorer in the series. He scored 113 points for Wales in ten appearances between 1991 and 2000. Ronan O'Gara overtook David Humphreys as the leading Irish scorer in last years game and Stephen Jones took his total to 95 to date.

Wales-Ireland Six Nations results:
2000 Wales 23-19 (Dublin)
2001 Ireland 36-6 (Cardiff)
2002 Ireland 54-10 (Dublin)
2003 Ireland 25-24 (Cardiff)
2004 Ireland 36-15 (Dublin)
2005 Wales 32-20 (Cardiff)
2006 Ireland 31-5 (Dublin)
2007 Ireland 19-9 (Cardiff)
2008 Wales 16-12 (Dublin)
2009 Ireland 17-15 (Cardiff)

Scotland v England:

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England v Scotland is the oldest fixture on the international calendar. There have been 126 matches between the nations since 1871, when Scotland beat England by a goal and a try to a try at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh in the days before scoring by points was introduced.

England have held the lead in the series since 1939 and is now ahead by 67 wins to 42. There have been 17 draws - the record for any international fixture.

Jason Leonard set the record for most appearances in the series. He played in 14 successive matches from 1991 to 2003, including the 1991 Rugby World Cup semi-final at Murrayfield. Scotland's Sandy Carmichael, Scott Hastings and Alastair McHarg played in 11 games.

England set the highest score and best margin for the matches in the 43-3 Twickenham win in 2001. They scored a record seven tries in another high-scoring win (43-22) at Twickenham in 2005.

Scotland's record victory was 33-6 at Murrayfield in 1986. Their best try-return is six at Murrayfield in a 28-19 victory in 1931.

Jonny Wilkinson set the individual record for most points in a match. He went through the card of scoring actions collecting 27 when England won at Twickenham in 2007. Paul Grayson is the only other player with a full-house of scoring actions in a match in the series: he collected a try, landed four conversions, dropped a goal and kicked a penalty in England's 34-20 win at Murrayfield in 1998.

The best individual scoring performance for Scotland is 21 points by Gavin Hastings at Murrayfield in 1986.

There have been three try hat-tricks in the series, each scored by England threequarters. Cyril Lowe's at Inverleith in 1914 helped England lift the Triple Crown while John Carleton's tries at Murrayfield in 1980 carried his side to the Grand Slam. Jamie Noon also scored three at Twickenham in 2005.

The famous Flying Scot, Ian Smith, scored the most tries in the matches. During his eight appearances (1924 to 1933) he crossed for nine tries. Cyril Lowe ran in six tries for England between 1913 and 1923 and Jason Robinson did so in five appearances between 2001 and 2007.

The leading overall scorer in the series is Jonny Wilkinson. He scored 91 points for England in seven games between 1999 and 2008.

Chris Paterson holds the corresponding record for Scotland. He scored 70 in ten matches between 2000 and 2009.

England-Scotland Six Nations results:
2000 Scotland 19-13 (Murrayfield)
2001 England 43-3 (Twickenham)
2002 England 29-3 (Murrayfield)
2003 England 40-9 (Twickenham)
2004 England 35-13 (Murrayfield)
2005 England 43-22 (Twickenham)
2006 Scotland 18-12 (Murrayfield)
2007 England 42-20 (Twickenham)
2008 Scotland 15-9 (Murrayfield)
2009 England 26-12 (Twickenham)

France v Italy:

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France take on Italy in Paris on Sunday as they go in search of another win to keep alive their hopes of a first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2004.

France prevailed last season following a battering by England, ending their Championship on a high by racking up a half-century in Rome.

The Azzurri are on a high after a narrow loss to England and a vital victory over Scotland, their first in the Six Nations since 2008. They lost all of their Championship matches in 2001, 2002 and 2005.

The nations meet for the 31st time since 1937 in a major Test. The first game was staged as part of a Paris exhibition tournament that also featured Belgium and Germany.

The sides did not meet again at full cap level until 1952, when the French engaged on a 15-year exchange of spring fixtures with the Italians. After 1967, the match was downgraded by the French to a B-fixture. Full official hostilities resumed at the beginning of the professional era, in 1995.

This will be the 11th time the countries have met in the International Championship since 2000. France head the series by 29 wins to one. Italy's only win to date was in a friendly played in Grenoble a week after France had won the 1997 Five Nations Grand Slam.

France hold the records for the highest score, the biggest winning margin and most tries scored in a match. They won 60-13 in Toulon in 1967, scoring eleven tries.

Italy's highest score is their 40-32 win in Grenoble in 1997. They scored four tries that day, a feat they later achieved in their matches of 2000 and 2003.

Guy Camberabero, with 27 points for France in Toulon in 1967, holds the series record for most points scored in a match. Diego Dominguez scored 20 for Italy in 1997.

Maurice Celhay set the record for most tries in a match, scoring four for France when the sides first met, at the original Parc des Princes in 1937. Alessandro Troncon crossed twice for Italy in Paris in 2000.

Christian Darrouy heads the list of try scorers for the overall series, crossing seven times between 1957 and 1967.

Italians hold the other major records for the matches: Diego Dominguez scored 71 points (compared with 54 for France by Dimitri Yachvili), and Sergio Lanfranchi, a versatile forward who was capped as a prop, lock, flanker and No 8, played 11 times in this fixture between 1953 and 1964.

Italy-France Six Nations results:
2000 France 42-31 (Paris)
2001 France 30-19 (Rome)
2002 France 33-12 (Paris)
2003 France 53-27 (Rome)
2004 France 25-0 (Paris)
2005 France 56-13 (Rome)
2006 France 37-12 (Paris)
2007 France 39-3 (Rome)
2008 France 25-13 (Paris)
2009 France 50-8 (Rome)

France eye penultimate hurdle | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Head to Head | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 03-13-2010, 12:14 PM

Ireland v Wales:

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Ireland remain on course for a fifth Triple Crown since 2004 after clinically dispatching a dismal Wales 27-12 at Croke Park.

Having shown their finishing prowess with a razor-sharp attacking display against England two weeks ago Ireland ruthlessly exploited Wales' latest bout of yellow fever, scoring a brace of first-half tries while Lee Byrne kicked his heels in the sin-bin. Keith Earls and Tomas O'Leary breached the Welsh defence and were the tormentors in chief, Earls finishing with a brace thanks to his winning try in the second-half.

Ireland skipper Brian O'Driscoll won his 100th cap in green but it was the British & Irish Lions skipper, Paul O'Connell, who celebrated his best performance for a number of Tests by dismantling a pitiful Welsh lineout marshalled by his one-time Lions team-mate Matthew Rees.

Shorn of skipper Ryan Jones due to a calf injury, Gareth Delve stepped in at No.8 for the visitors and openside Martyn Williams took the leadership reins on the occasion of his record-breaking 95th cap, the most ever for a Welsh forward. Stephen Jones kicked all of Wales' points while Irish pivot Jonathan Sexton chipped in with 12 despite an error-riddled display.

Rees' first lineout predictably went astray to the delight of the home crowd, wasting a clever chip and strong tackle by Jones. Ireland countered from deep through David Wallace, the openside darting past three featherweight Welsh tackles and winning a penalty. Sexton pulled his effort wide of the mark from just inside the opposition half.

Ireland attacked immediately from the restart and again punched holes in the Wales defence at will, O'Driscoll knocking on when put into a half-gap by a surge from Tommy Bowe. Wales' scrum functioned well to allow Byrne to pin a kick deep into Irish territory but they piled further pressure on themselves with some loose play on the half-way line, Shane Williams rescued by a penalty having put Leigh Halfpenny under pressure with a looping pass.

Jones opened the scores with a penalty as Ireland failed to roll away following a powerful burst from Bradley Davies but Wales' inefficiency at the lineout conceded good field position when Geordan Murphy put the ball out on the full after the restart.

Jones missed his second shot at goal and Sexton levelled the scores when awarded a simple shot at the posts due to a ruck infringement by Jonathan Thomas. Considering Wales' staggering lack of cohesion at the lineout Ireland were content to use the touchline as their friend and it was from another lost Rees lineout that they notched their second penalty. Bowe carved a path into open space off a deft inside ball from Sexton and when the wing was chopped down by Byrne the referee swiftly signalled for a shot at the posts.

Wales produced their most effective attack from the restart but rather than supply points, it garnered only a spell in the bin for Byrne. The fullback had latched on to a pass from James Hook and broken clear only to be scragged and turned over, killing the Irish defensive ball and earning the ire of referee Craig Joubert.

Ireland reacted immediately, Sexton collecting a kick inside the Welsh 22 following an unkind bounce. Williams conceded the penalty for not releasing and off a quick tap Ireland expertly worked space with solid handling, Earls cutting an excellent angle to score just to the right of the posts off an O'Driscoll pass.

To compound Wales' disciplinary lapse, O'Leary pounced for a second score soon after. Wales scrum-half Richie Rees went missing at a defensive lineout, allowing his opposite number all the time in the world to collect an offload from O'Connell and break through a yawning chasm between the back-row and fly-half. O'Leary expertly stood up Halfpenny and crashed over, but Sexton again missed his conversion.

With Byrne restored, Wales came within inches of scoring a try of their own, Jamie Roberts barrelling through a gap generated by patient phase play deep in Irish territory only to be stopped illegally. Jones slotted the kick but Wales again had their hearts in their mouths as Earls and Sexton combined to tear a hole in their defence only for the ball to beat the chasing duo into touch and bring the half-time whistle.

The second-half began with an extended bout of kicking, Wales clearly petrified of subjecting their lineout to further examination, but the large travelling contingent in the crowd was brought to life as Roberts smashed through an O'Driscoll tackle to set up a prolonged period of pressure in the Irish 22. Wales' backline was alternately bunched together or hopelessly spread out but their ball retention was good and their patience drew a brace of attacking scrums.

The Irish eight went backwards at a rate of knots but Wales' composure deserted them at a vital moment, the ball skittling out of the side for Ireland to clear with the full backing of the Croke Park faithful. Moments later, Byrne conceded his second foolish penalty by throwing the ball away after a hack ahead by Earls, with Sexton slotting the points.

Jones snaffled three points back with his third penalty but Wales were unable to convert any further chances against a well-drilled Irish line despite complete dominance of possession and territory. In stark contrast, Ireland maintained their admirable ability to strike when the opportunity arrived.

Earls' second try was a delight for fans of economy of effort. With their first meaningful territory of the second-half O'Leary ripped through the Welsh defence from yet more clean lineout ball, arching through the midfield cordon and finding his Munster team-mate on another devastating angle to the line.

Wales plodded and probed but were stopped dead by the Irish defence, who were frequently offside but escaped heavy sanction, and it fell to Sexton to round off the scoring with a well-struck drop-goal.

Clinical Ireland carve Wales apart | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Match Pack | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 03-13-2010, 05:45 PM

Scotland v England:

Quote:

England have retained the Calcutta Cup following a dour 15-15 draw with Scotland at Murrayfield, a record 18th in the long history of the fixture.

In a game played out between two sides low on confidence there was precious little running rugby to celebrate, with both relying heavily on the boot and being plagued by handling errors.

Scotland dominated possession in the first-half and showed far more endeavour than the visitors but could not find a telling blow, settling for a narrow lead at the break thanks to two penalties and a drop-goal from Dan Parks, who added a further brace of kicks in the second-half.

Jonny Wilkinson kicked three penalties for the visitors before leaving the field with a head knock, his replacement Toby Flood kicking two but missing out on a drop-goal with the final play of the game. England now travel to France with their Championship dream in tatters while Scotland boss Andy Robinson will need to move on from another disappointment as his men seek to avoid the wooden spoon against Triple Crown hopefuls Ireland in Dublin.

The game began with a little kicking tennis, which England won thanks to a well-directed chip from Mark Cueto, but the first volley from the backs soon arrived as Wilkinson was able to put Ugo Monye into a hole only for the Harlequins wing to knock-on.

Both teams retreated to the kicking option soon after and Scotland profited with the first points after Dan Cole failed to release under instruction from South African referee Marius Jonker. Having converted the penalty Parks kicked the ball away needlessly from the restart, wasting the efforts of Johnnie Beattie and Jim Hamilton, who had run hard from deep to set up position.

Nevertheless Scotland continued to make the early running, Beattie straightening the line well and showing good pace in another surge, Parks failing to reward his efforts by missing touch from a penalty awarded for offside. England sparked briefly into life through Mathew Tait and James Haskell, whose offload split the Scottish line. The momentum was wasted by a dire, looping pass from Wilkinson that was knocked on by hooker Dylan Hartley on the wing.

Wilkinson atoned by slotting England's first points from the kicking tee but the visitors were soon under huge pressure on their own line. Scotland attacked the gain-line with pace and precision, using Nick de Luca well in the wide channels, and stretched England's resolve before Parks opted for the cross-field kick.

Max Evans claimed and Riki Flutey was forced into conceding a penalty for not releasing, the same penalty conceded by Haskell seconds later following clean lineout ball for Scotland. The Stade Francais flanker was lucky to escape a yellow card but Parks chipped over his second penalty to the delight of the home fans.

Scotland continued to press and dominated possession and territory. England wasted a prime attacking opportunity when Hartley lobbed in a skewed lineout following an excellent touch-finder from Wilkinson but the Toulon fly-half levelled the scores with a penalty and collected the mantle of record points scorer in the Six Nations.

The crowd grew restless as the game was broken up by a seemingly endless series of scrums, with both packs taking an age to settle in. As half-time approached Scotland continued their aggressive running and set up field position for Parks to chip over a drop-goal and secure a narrow lead.

Hamilton conceded a mindless penalty from the second-half restart and Wilkinson levelled the scores with his third penalty. England continued to miss their first-up tackles though and only poor decision making from Al Kellock spared them following a pacy break from Evans.

Wilkinson was carried groggily from the field after a heavy fall, allowing Flood a long-awaited shot at the playmaking duties. A tough call for offside against John Barclay allowed the Leicester fly-half to snatch the lead for the visitors for the first time in the game but it was short-lived as more Scottish endeavour yielded a penalty for Parks.

Parks sent his next effort cannoning off the post and the fans were left wanting for a more clinical edge to accompany Scotland's ambition. A sliced clearance by Danny Care allowed Scotland to maintain their field position but a sickening clash of heads between Kelly Brown and Monye stopped play for a lengthy period. Brown left the field under his own steam but Monye was less fortunate and required a stretcher before being replaced by Leicester scrum-half Ben Youngs on the wing, for a Test debut.

Flood pushed a long-range penalty wide following excellent work at the breakdown by Hartley and England elected to go for the jugular with their next opportunity. Allan Jacobsen was forced to infringe following some well worked phases by England and the ball went into the corner. Scotland pinched the lineout but conceded a free-kick, from which England signalled a scrum.

Nick Easter controlled at the base but was forced back, England bereft of options out wide and grateful to the referee for another penalty. Flood this time took the three points but England again failed to release, surviving a yellow card only on the second thoughts of the referee, leaving Parks to smash another penalty off the upright.

Alan MacDonald, on as a replacement for Brown, followed up and beat the lazy England response to the ball, setting up a series of frantic drives metres from the English line. Parks chipped the ball away with men over but was called back for a penalty under the posts, which he duly dispatched.

With time rapidly running out both teams retreated into their shells in fear of conceding the losing score, with England able to establish enough possession to work their way towards the posts. Flood dropped back for the drop-goal but Scotland's rush defence smothered his effort to end the game on a fitting note, an error and a kick to boot.

Scotland and England draw a blank | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Match Pack | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 03-14-2010, 05:26 PM

France v Italy

Quote:

France closed in on a Six Nations Grand Slam with an emphatic 46-20 victory over Italy at the Stade de France in Paris.

David Marty notched two tries with Imanol Harinordoquy, Marc Andreu, Yannick Jauzion and Alexandre Lapandry also crossing as the hosts delivered their most thrilling display of the year. As a result only England stand in the way of their first clean sweep 2004 with their eagerly anticipated clash set to bring the curtain down on the Championship next Saturday. Morgan Parra weighed in with five conversions and two penalties against a lacklustre Italy who were made to pay for a woeful defensive performance. Late tries from Pablo Canavosio and Carlo del Fava added some respectability to the scoreboard but were no more than a consolation.

France made two changes to the side that accounted for Wales last time out with winger Andreu handed his first start at the expense of Julien Malzieu while Marty got the nod ahead of Mathieu Bastareaud after the Stade centre was hampered by injury during the week. Meanwhile, Italy were able to name the same side that upset Scotland in Rome after prop Martin Castrogiovanni recovered from a muscle strain.

The home side began with real purpose as William Servat and Thierry Dusautoir got involved in a thrilling short side break that caught the Italians napping, but Francois Trinh-Duc's drop goal attempt sailed wide of the posts. However, the tone of the game had been set with the French determined to run the ball whenever possible.

The hosts were soon pressing again with Parra exploiting a gaping hole in the Italian defence and as he surged into the 22 the ever-impressive Harinordoquy arrived on his shoulder to take the pass before powering over. Parra's conversion cemented France's deserved lead.

A bright start from Italy centre Gonzalo Garcia was then ended by a blood injury and there was more trouble with Parra slotting a penalty to take his side out to a 10-point lead. France's desire to play with width was insatiable and the dancing feet of fullback Clement Poitrenaud laid the foundation for the next scything break. He passed to winger Andreu, who launched a kick and chase only to be taken out by Garcia, who having only just returned to the game was sent to the sin-bin for his troubles.

France turned the screw from the penalty and a smart miss-pass from Trinh-Duc found Marty, who strolled through another huge defensive hole before speeding away for the second try of the game.

The capacity crowd did not have to wait long for the next try with Poitrenaud, oozing confidence, sparking the attack from deep before feeding Parra who shaped to kick before offloading to Harinordoquy, who opened his legs before putting Marty in for his second score - this time in the corner. Parra was unable to hit the target with the conversion from out wide.

Italy coach Nick Mallett opted to haul scrum-half Tito Tebaldi off on the half hour and replace him with Pablo Canavosio in a tactical ploy. It did little to stem the French onslaught but an infringement at the breakdown at least allowed Mirco Bergamasco to put his side on the board with a penalty.

France wasted little time in inflicting more misery on Italy after the restart with Parra landing his second penalty after just two minutes, but Bergamasco hit back almost immediately with a successful kick of his own.

Italy fly-half Craig Gower and his No.8 Alessandro Zanni then combined well in midfield to conjure a rare attack and Canavosio took up the cause with a kick and chase but the French defence were alert to the threat.

Usual service was soon resumed with the movement of the French backline dumbfounding the Italians with Andreu the beneficiary on this occasion. The Castres wing celebrated only his second Test appearance by powering over for his first international try with Parra slotting the easy conversion.

Andreu then turned provider with an electric burst carrying him through the lacklustre defence, where he found Jauzion who used all his experience and strength to stretch for his side's fifth try. Again the conversion was no trouble for Parra who then switched to fly-half with Trinh-Duc making way for scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili.

Pressure on Gower then forced another penalty with France this time opting for a shot at the posts - which Parra pushed well wide of the mark.

Some more half-hearted tackling from Italy gifted France their next try with Malzieu skipping through before feeding fellow replacement Alexandre Lapandry who had the legs on a tiring defence for try number six.

It was Italy who grabbed the next score. As he was for most of the game, Gower was the key player for the Italians, creating the opening before Paul Derbyshire added some pace. He then found replacement del Fava who outpaced the defence to get over for the try.

France were guilty of switching off again soon after and Canavosio pounced on their lapse with a superb break off the base of the scrum. An injection of pace took him away from the defence and a step did for winger Alexis Palisson before he touched down for his second try in as many games. Bergamasco added the extras to restore some credibility to the scoreboard. But that would be as close as they would get with France closing out the game for an emphatic victory.

France hit Italy for six | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Match Pack | Scrum.com

The Six Nations Table
France (4-0)
Ireland (3-1)
England (2-1-1)
Wales (1-3)
Italy (1-3)
Scotland (0-1-3)

**dudeabides** · 03-15-2010, 07:12 PM

These are previews of this weekend's last remaining Six Nations tests of 2010.

France v England:

Quote:

England and France will clash for the 93rd time when they go head-to-head in the 2010 Six Nations at the Stade de France this weekend.

Les Bleus are in search of a first Grand Slam since 2004 and also have the added carrot of avenging their humiliating 34-10 Twickenham defeat from last season. If they win Les Bleus will secure their ninth clean sweep, taking them closer to Wales' 10 and England's 12.

England lead the all-time series, that began in 1906, by 50 wins to 35 and the last of the seven draws was in 1985. The highest score in the matches is England's 48-19 win at Twickenham in 2001, though their best winning margin was 37-0 (also at Twickenham) in 1911.

The corresponding French records were set in their 37-12 win in 1972 in the last international staged at the Stade Colombes in Paris and they equalled their best margin in the 31-6 win at Stade de France in 2006.

England scored nine tries in the 1906, 1907 and 1914 matches. France's best return is six: in 1970, 1972 and 1976.

Jonny Wilkinson set the record for most points in a match scoring all of England's in the 24-7 World Cup semi-final win in Sydney in 2003 and overtaking Douglas (nicknamed "Daniel") Lambert, who scored 22 at Twickenham in 1911. Lambert still holds the record for most tries in a match and in the series. He scored five at Richmond in 1907 and eight in three appearances.

The best individual performance for France is 19 points by Dimitri Yachvili at Stade de France in 2004. Michel Crauste, a flanker, scored the only try hat-trick of tries for France in the series, in Paris in 1962. Altogether Crauste scored four tries against England, a French record for the series that he shares with Philippe Sella.

Wilkinson is the leading overall scorer in the series with 153 points for England in eleven appearances between 1999 and 2008. The corresponding record for France belongs to Yachvili who notched up 65 in his six matches from 2003 to 2008.

Jason Leonard holds the appearance record for this fixture: 18 matches between 1991 and 2003. Fabien Pelous played 17 times between 1996 and 2007.

England v France Six Nations results:
2000 England 15-9 (Paris)
2001 England 48-19 (Twickenham)
2002 France 20-15 (Paris)
2003 England 25-17 (Twickenham)
2004 France 24-21 (Paris)
2005 France 18-17 (Twickenham)
2006 France 31-6 (Paris)
2007 England 26-18 (Twickenham)
2008 England 24-13 (Paris)
2009 England 34-10 (Twickenham)

France eye Grand Slam revenge | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Head to Head | Scrum.com