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| England’s Chris Ashton (centre) is tackled by Wales’ Jonathan Davies (left) during their international Six Nations match at Twickenham in London yesterday. (Reuters |
Wales snatched a dramatic 19-12 win over England to win the Triple Crown and keep their hopes of a Six Nations Grand Slam alive at Twickenham here yesterday.
The match was all square at 12-12 with five minutes left when Wales replacement Scott Williams stole the ball in the tackle from Courtney Lawes from some 50 metres out and hacked downfield before regathering for the only try of the game.
Leigh Halfpenny converted and Wales, who had been down to 14 men after fly-half Rhys Priestland was sin-binned, were seven points clear.
England though hit back with virtually the last move of the match as wing David Strettle went over in the corner. But he was held up in the tackle by Wales centre Jonathan Davies.
Scottish video referee Iain Ramage prolonged the agony of a crowd of more than 81,000 with several minutes study before deciding no try had been scored and Wales had just their second win at Twickenham since 1988.
And it meant England, who like Wales came into this match on the back of two wins, had suffered their first defeat under acting coach Stuart Lancaster.
“It’s unbelievable,” gasped man of the match and Welsh captain Sam Warburton.
“We knew it would be the toughest game and it was so tough. We are over the moon to get the Triple Crown here.
“I am not going to say what the last team who won here in 2008 went on to do (they won the Grand Slam) but people invloved with that team say we have a really strong squad this time round. However, we will set aside thoughts of that and the Italy game in a fortnight and enjoy this for the moment.”
They had been six points in front early in the second half on the back of four penalties from Owen Farrell but Wales kept pace with four of their own from full-back Halfpenny.
Lancaster made the bold decision to start 20-year-old Farrell, playing only his third Test, at No 10 in an international for the first time after Charlie Hodgson was ruled out with a finger injury.
Wales nearly had a try as early as the second minute when, after winning clean line-out ball, scrum-half Mike Phillips’s inside pass sent George North clear.
Ireland finish strongly to see off Italy
Ireland recorded the first victory of their interrupted Six Nations campaign yesterday, finishing strongly to beat Italy 42-10 in the Aviva Stadium at the beginning of a daunting run of four games in successive weekends.
Two tries from Tommy Bowe and one each for Keith Earls, Tom Court and Andrew Trimble helped Ireland pull away from an Italian side who faded as the game went on, although the hosts were far from convincing and lucky to go into the second half ahead.
“It wasn’t perfect but we’ll take the win and move on to France next week,” man-of-the-match Jonathan Sexton said in a pitchside interview.
Declan Kidney’s side, playing for the first time in almost three weeks after their last game against France was postponed, fell behind on eight minutes when Tobias Botes, making his first start for Italy, slotted over his second attempt at goal.
That minor scare stirred Ireland briefly into action with Sexton first tying the scores from distance before Earls, replacing injured captain Brian O’Driscoll, made a period of sustained forward pressure count with the first try of the game.
As has become their wont of late, Ireland failed to press ahead but looked to have got away with it when Botes hit the top of the crossbar with a penalty, put a drop goal attempt well wide and fullback Andrea Massi was held up short of the line.
However, further scrappy play from Kidney’s side, culminating in the loss of a lineout inside their own 22 metres line, led to Italian captain Sergio Parisse crossing over under the posts and Botes levelling the scores at 10-10 with the conversion.
The visitors were unable to hold on until halftime and, just as he had done for the first try, Sexton opted to send a penalty into the corner rather than towards the posts and this time it was Ospreys wing Bowe who was the beneficiary of Irish forward pressure, grabbing his 21st international try.
Sexton again added the conversion from a tricky angle on the halftime whistle and gave Ireland some breathing space nine minutes into the second half with another penalty after flyhalf Botes, more accustomed to playing at scrumhalf, missed a good chance to reduce the deficit.