International Rugby

New Zealand came out on top in the first Test with the British & Irish Lions on Saturday as they won 30-15 at Eden Park in Auckland.

Codie Taylor and Sean O'Brien went over for each side in the first half, with the All Blacks going in 13-8 up at the break. 

Rieko Ioane grabbed a brace of tries in the second half to extend New Zealand's record to 38 consecutive wins at Eden Park, though Rhys Webb was able to grab a late consolation for the tourists.

The Lions almost scored after three minutes amid a positive start when Elliot Daly went over following a superb break by Jonathan Davies, but the try was disallowed as Israel Dagg was able to force him into touch.

New Zealand quickly established themselves in the contest, though, and Anthony Watson had to make a superb catch to deny Dagg a try after Beauden Barrett chipped the ball into the Lions' 22. Soon after, Barrett drew first blood with a straightforward penalty for offside.

The All Blacks grabbed the first try following a quick tap as they worked the ball across and Taylor went over on the right, per Sky Sports Rugby:

New Zealand star Cory Jane was impressed with his compatriots:

Indeed, the hosts dictated the tempo of the match while the visitors, unable to find a way through, frequently resorted to box kicks, which more often than not just gave possession straight back to the All Blacks.

Another penalty for Barrett restored New Zealand's 10-point lead after Owen Farrell struck, but the Lions came back with a sensational length-of-the-field try. 

Liam Williams led an outstanding break before offloading to Davies. He and Daly exchanged passes down the left before O'Brien got it over the line:

Rugby journalist Murray Kinsella was in awe:

The Lions flew out of the traps early in the second half, with Watson and Williams causing the All Blacks problems as they broke with pace, though Farrell should have gone for the points with a penalty rather than attempting for a try by going for the corner.

New Zealand extended their lead, however, after driving a scrum forward and a magnificent offload from Kieran Read allowed them to work it to Ioane on the left.

Another penalty from Barrett put the hosts 15 points ahead with less than 20 minutes remaining, and they put the contest to bed when Williams dropped a high ball and Ioane put on the afterburners to escape Daly and run the ball home:

Former Lions player Matt Dawson noted how much more clinical the hosts were than the visitors:

Webb grabbed a late consolation in the 81st minute when he drove over from close range.

The Lions have two more opportunities to beat the All Blacks in the remaining three matches of the tour, and there were some positives to take from the contest here, but New Zealand's class and ruthlessness shone through.

It will take a monumental effort to turn the series around.

Sefanaia Naivalu and Israel Folau scored braces as Australia scored six tries in a thrilling win on Saturday, beating a spirited Italy side 40-27 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Naivalu grabbed the first try of the match before Israel Folau went over twice, while Michele Campagnaro hit back late on in the first half as Italy went in 21-13 down.

Edoardo Padovani and Tommaso Benvenuti went over after Naivalu hit back early in the second half, and the two teams were separated by just one point with three minutes remaining, but Reece Hodge and Bernard Foley crashed home two late tries to maintain the Wallabies' perfect record over Italy.

Tommaso Allan gave Italy an early lead with a penalty after Australia knocked on just five metres in front of their own line.

The Wallabies were fortunate not to be even further behind soon after, when a neat move by the Azzurri saw Giovanbattista Venditti offload to Dean Budd on the right for him to go over, but the try was disallowed on the finest of margins as the latter dragged over the touchline, per TEN Sport:

Australia did not create any opportunities of note until almost a quarter of an hour in, but they capitalised fully as Naivalu sprinted down the left flank and over following a quick tap from a free-kick.

Just five minutes later, the hosts had another try when Folau finished off a lovely passing move in the corner.

Allan pulled back another three points with a penalty, but Folau had his second try after Michael Hooper broke through when Australia stole possession from the visitors, and Karmichael Hunt picked out the winger with an excellent pass wide.

Sports Australia's Adam McBride noted Folau's impressive achievement:

The try showcased Italy's defensive struggles, and it was of little surprise they missed a total of 16 tackles in the first half alone. They earned a lifeline at the end of the half when Venditti broke the middle before offloading to Campagnaro. Rugby writer Simon Thomas was impressed:

Australia hit back early in the second half, though, when they took the ball from a scrum close to the Italian line and quickly moved it left, where Naivalu was waiting to go over.

TEN Sport highlighted Foley's sublime offload in the build-up:

The hosts looked to have the contest under control as a result, but they allowed Italy back into the contest when Dane Haylett-Petty dropped a cross-field kick straight into Padovani's hands in the corner.

Buoyed by the score, Italy—who had controlled much of the possession in the second half—continued to fight their way back into the contest when Benvenuti intercepted Rory Arnold's sloppy pass before jinking through to bring the score to 28-27.

However, with just three minutes remaining, Foley forced his way way over after racing through a gap in the Italian line four metres out.

Australia dealt a final blow to the Azzurri when Hodge was able to race down the left from his own 22 and touch down.

Despite their success going forward, the performance will be a concern for Australia, who slipped to a shock defeat to Scotland in their previous match.

As for Italy, they will be greatly encouraged having driven the Wallabies so closely.

Australia will be looking to bounce back from their surprise defeat to Scotland last week when they take on Italy in their final June international at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

The Wallabies have a perfect record against the Italians having never lost to them, and in the most recent meeting between the two sides, Australia ran out 50-20 away winners in Turin in 2013.

It would be a huge shock if the Azzurri were to claim victory, especially in Australia, but the hosts will be acutely aware they cannot afford to be complacent.

Read on for a preview of the clash, along with scheduling and viewing details. 

Date: Saturday, June 23

Time: 6 a.m. BST, 1 a.m. ET, 3 p.m. local 

Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), Tenplay (AUS)

Preview

In the wake of the Scotland defeat, it is now vital Australia put in a good performance against Italy and earn a decent win.

The 2017 Rugby Championship begins in early August, and the Wallabies cannot afford to again start the tournament on the back of disappointing midyear results.

Last year England claimed a whitewash summer series victory against the Aussies, and head coach Michael Cheika's side ended up being thrashed by New Zealand in their opening Rugby Championship fixture.

Australia scrum-half Will Genia outlined how significant the Italy game now is, per the Daily Telegraph's Iain Payten: "It's big. We have to make sure we prepare well, but more than anything perform well against Italy on Saturday so we can have some sort of confidence and momentum moving into what it is going to be quite a tough Rugby Championship."

Genia, 29, scored a try in the 24-19 defeat to Scotland but was also partially culpable for two of the tries Australia conceded.

Cheika's side need to show much greater discipline against Italy both in possession and at the breakdown.

In truth, they have the quality to beat head coach Conor O'Shea's side while not playing at their best.

The Italians endured a chastening Six Nations earlier this year as they lost every match, while they have also been downed by Fiji and Scotland already in June.

However, a scrappy victory for Australia will not suffice as they look to build some momentum ahead of the Rugby Championship in August.

And Italy do have the capabilities to cause problems. They beat an admittedly poor South Africa side at home in Florence last November and caused England all kinds of problems in the Six Nations with some novel tactics, per BBC Sport's Tom Fordyce.

Australia have not enjoyed the best form of late, but a defeat to Italy would be a new low.

They have more than enough quality to thrash Italy, especially on home soil, but need to be a lot more clinical in the lead-up to the Rugby Championship. 

The British and Irish Lions face their toughest examination of the 2017 tour of New Zealand so far on Saturday, as they take on the All Blacks in the first of three Test matches.

The Lions are coming off a win over Super Rugby side Chiefs but have already suffered losses against Blues and Highlanders, while the hosts are coming off a huge 78-0 win over Samoa.

Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming Test:

Date: Saturday, June 24

Time: 8:35 a.m. BST/3:35 a.m. ET

Venue: Eden Park, Auckland

TV Info: Sky Sports 1 (UK)

Live Stream: Sky Go

Preview

The Lions haven't faced New Zealand since 2005, when the All Blacks easily swept their opponents aside. After some great showings in 2016, the hosts are again the clear favourites entering this series.

With 14 wins in their last 15 Tests―only Ireland have knocked them off their perch―the All Blacks are in sensational form.

As reported by Patrick McKendry of the New Zealand Herald, Lions head coach Warren Gatland knows his team will have to play at a high level to have any chance of winning: 

"To play the All Blacks you have to be bold, you have to take risks. We've been saying that to the players and encouraging them. ... We know we've got to be courageous coming here. We know we have to be bold and play some positive rugby."

With Billy Vunipola and Ben Youngs no longer in the squad, the Lions have taken some hits during the tour. The visitors still boast tremendous talent―replacing scrum-half Youngs with a star such as Greig Laidlaw is a unique luxury―but the same holds true for the All Blacks.

Ardie Savea will move to the bench to make way for the returning Kieran Read, who will captain the side. Rieko Ioane, the 20-year-old who faced the Lions for the Blues, will also start, per the team's official website.

Gatland, a native Kiwi, has hinted at a more adventurous tactical plan as opposed to the team's reliance on the breakdown and kicking game, but given the All Blacks' incredible ability on the counter and strength out wide, that may not be such a great idea.

New Zealand haven't lost a Test at Eden Park since 1994. The All Blacks have no real weaknesses and shouldn't be troubled too much by a good Lions squad that has been too inconsistent so far during their tour.

Jack Nowell scored a brace for the British & Irish Lions on Tuesday as they comfortably beat the Chiefs 34-6 at the Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand. 

Nowell scored the only try of the first half with the Lions going in 13-6 up as two Stephen Donald penalties provided the Chiefs' only reply. He added another in the second after the Lions were awarded a penalty try, and Jared Payne also got in on the act.

The Lions have now picked up their fourth win from six matches on their tour of New Zealand and will play the All Blacks on Saturday in the first Test match.

The Lions started on the front foot and Courtney Lawes set the tone with a steal from a lineout, per Planet Rugby's Ben Coles: 

The visitors put the first points on the board through Dan Biggar after 10 minutes. Liam Williams had dropped a pass from Biggar as the Lions advanced in search of a try, but the Chiefs were penalised and the Welshman made no mistake from between the posts.

Another poor lineout handed the Lions a second penalty eight minutes later, with Biggar doubling their lead.

Chiefs captain Donald pulled back three points with a kick of his own as the hosts tried to fight their way back to level terms, but they struggled to get going in the face of the Lions' tenacious defending.

The lineout proved the Chiefs' undoing once more when a knock on gifted their opponents a scrum, after which they advanced on the right before working the ball through Williams and Biggar.

The latter was stopped just short of the line, but Nowell reacted quickly to pick it up from the ruck and drive over from close range. ESPN's Tom Hamilton hailed Biggar's contribution as he added the extras:

Donald's penalty on the stroke of half-time was the only source of frustration for the Lions in an otherwise excellent first half, as it ensured they would only go in seven points ahead despite their dominant performance.

The hosts lasted 15 minutes in the second half without conceding as they looked to put in a better defensive showing, but in the space of 10 minutes the visitors sealed the result with three devastating blows.

First came the penalty try when the Lions powerfully drove a maul over the line, and Nowell scored his second by finishing off a superb counter-attack led by Elliot Daly:

An outstanding run and offload from Williams to Payne completed the rout:

The Lions have now strung back-to-back wins together for the first time on this year's Tour.

It bodes well ahead of taking on New Zealand on Saturday in what will undoubtedly be their toughest test yet.

While there were a number of excellent performances from the likes of Nowell, Biggar and Williams, it may not be enough to force their way into Gatland's plans for the first All Blacks clash.

The British & Irish Lions face the Chiefs in the sixth match of their 2017 tour of New Zealand on Tuesday.

The Lions will be aiming for their fourth win from the tour and back-to-back victories ahead of their first clash with the All Blacks on June 24.

Read on for a full preview of the match, but first, here are the schedule details for the contest at the Waikato Stadium in Hamilton:

Date: Tuesday, June 20

Time: 8:35 a.m. BST, 7:35 p.m. local

TV: Sky Sports 1 (UK)

Live Stream: Sky Go (UK)

The Lions enjoyed perhaps their most impressive result yet on this year's tour in their last match as they beat the Maori All Blacks 32-10 on Saturday.

ESPN's Tom Hamilton hailed their performance:

However, it will be difficult to gauge if they can put in a repeat showing against the Chiefs. Per the Lions' official Twitter account, coach Warren Gatland has named an entirely changed starting lineup for the upcoming clash:

Per Charlie Talbot-Smith of the Lions' website, Gatland said: "The players can put themselves in the frame for potential selection for Saturday, we will need players to double up, and for later in the Tour."

He added: 

"We won’t sit down as a coaching team to pick the team until Wednesday and I think that’s only fair to the players taking the field on Tuesday night.

"They’ve got to go out there and perform and know that a good performance will count for a lot towards the end of the Tour.

"If someone has a great performance there’s always an opportunity and if it’s not for this weekend, a great performance may come into consideration for Test two or three."

Rory Best will captain the side, and he has been met with nothing but positivity from his team-mates:

The six players Gatland called up this week—Tomas Francis, Allan Dell, Kristian Dacey, Cory Hill, Gareth Davies and Finn Russell—will all be on the bench for the match.

The Chiefs will be a tough prospect for the Lions. Not only have they won the Super Rugby twice in the last five years, but they also demolished Wales 40-7 last year.

It's an excellent opportunity for the players to earn more game time later in the tour, though, as Gatland pointed out. With the three tests against New Zealand looming, there will be none lacking for motivation here.

England won their second summer international test match in a row against Argentina, beating the Pumas 35-25 one week after securing a 38-34 win. Substitute Will Collier scored a late try to break a 25-25 deadlock as England eventually eased into a healthy winning margin.

Earlier, the visitors relied on a strong game from fly-half George Ford, who scored 15 points, while Piers Francis scored his maiden try on his England debut.

Ford's performance helped take England into an early lead, but the visitors were soon pegged back by the Pumas. Argentina were helped by the prolific form of their own gifted No. 10, Nicolas Sanchez.

The skipper's boot kicked the hosts into a slender advantage after Joaquin Tuculet had put Argentina's first try on the board.

At this point, BBC Sport was already anticipating another close-fought and narrow finish between these two:

England appeared on the ropes, but Ford's smart kicking positioned them to regain the lead. They were back in front when first-time international Francis powered over.

Francis was congratulated on his maiden international try by his new club, the Northampton Saints:

The swift fly-half had impressed from the start, catching the eye of Neil Fissler of the Sunday Express:

Argentina tied the score when Pablo Matera went over, but Sanchez missed the conversion. The home side were level for just four minutes as Danny Care powered England back in front.

Three minutes later, the scores were level again when Emiliano Boffelli scored Argentina's third try.

England's fightback was keyed by typical power in the scrum. The visitors forced the issue until sub Collier crossed the line.

Ford soon chipped in with another penalty conversion to seal the victory.

Another dramatic win kept the excitement high on this summer tour, with Fissler highlighting the difference in intensity and entertainment between these friendlies and the British Lions Tour:

This has been more than just a warm-up for some of England's key players. It's also been a chance to gain vital test experience for new players such as Francis.

The domestic international rugby setup should be stronger for the lessons learned during these matches.

England's rugby union side play their second and final test of the tour against hosts Argentina in Santa Fe on Saturday after their epic 38-34 victory in San Juan last weekend.

Eddie Jones's team contained 10 debutants and had looked destined for defeat until a brilliant late solo try from Denny Solomona gave the Red Rose victory.

There could be more new faces for the upcoming fixture, with Jones expected to make changes for the second test.

The head coach has warned his players the game represents a great chance to impress and seal a World Cup spot, per Daniel Schofield at The Telegraph.

Another youngster in Alex Lozowski will be hoping to retain his place after winning his first cap on Sunday, and he'll surpass the international record of his father, Rob, if he does.

Scum-half Danny Care has also given his backing to the younger players, per BBC Sport, as the youthful squad prepare for the second test.

"People are right to be excited—the young lads coming through are a different breed these days," he said.

Jones, meanwhile, is wary of a backlash in the second test and has warned his team against complacency, as per Michael Aylwin of The Guardian.

"We know Argentina are going to respond. It's always the case when one side win and one side lose," he said. "We have got to treat this like a loss and make sure we have the same intent to improve from the last game."

Team News

Chris Robshaw is expected to feature after returning to training after an ankle injury, per Sky Sports, which should mean either Mark Wilson or 18-year-old Tom Curry making way.

Both players shone on Saturday and certainly did enough to impress BT Sport's Nick Mullins:

Solomona will also be pushing for a start after his heroics last time out, where he emerged as a second-half substitute to score a late, match-winning try.

It was a rollercoaster debut, though, with Solomona also missing several key tackles before his key contribution, and Jones could therefore hand debuts to either Nathan Earle or Harry Mallinder.

Prediction

If the two sides can get anywhere near the excitement of the first test, then a thriller is in prospect, with even match referee Nigel Owens taking time out to congratulate the teams after Saturday's game:

England could well introduce more debutants in Santa Fe, but their inexperienced side will have gained huge confidence over the last week, particularly given the nature of their late win.

Argentina will be expected to respond and were superior to England at times during Saturday's game, although their mistakes were ruthlessly punished.

The returning Robshaw should boost England, and while it could be another close game, the momentum is with Jones' men.

England to win tight game       

Ireland cruised to a 55-19 win over the USA Eagles during Saturday's summer international, powered by a great performance from Keith Earls.

The European giants were expected to beat the Stars and Stripes and lived up to the expectations, although the hosts also impressed in a high-scoring match.

The visitors scored no less than nine tries, with Earls (2), Jacob Stockdale, Kieran Marmion, Niall Scannell, Jack Conan, James Ryan, Luke McGrath and Simon Zebo all touching down. Joe Carberry and Rory Scannell each added two conversions.

For the Stars and Stripes, Ryan Matyas, Nick Civetta and John Quill scored tries, and Alan MacGinty had two conversions.

The USA started the match with plenty of attacking intentions but quickly ran into a first setback, as Earls cleverly slid over after a brilliant attack. Carbery missed the conversion, but the visitors still had the early lead.

Balls.ie were impressed with Earls' recent form―and he was only just getting started:

While the Stars and Stripes impressed with plenty of offloads and exotic attacking moves, the more experienced Irish team was ruthlessly efficient early, and Stockdale scored a try on his debut from a great set-piece. Carbery was on point this time around, making the score 12-0.

Earles continued his monstrous showing by going close to scoring a second try before playing a clever one-two with Kieran Marmion that resulted in another score.

But just as the USA's efforts seemed hopeless, Carbery made a silly mistake that gave the Eagles some space, and they duly capitalised via Civetta. USA Rugby were ecstatic:

Ireland took control of the ball after the mistake and eventually restored the big advantage through an excellent maul, with Scannell going over. Marmion put the half-time score on the board after yet another good effort from Earls, who easily stole the headlines in that half.

Three Red Kings thought the Stars and Stripes' limitations showed:

The high scoring volume didn't stop after the break, with Conan pushing on for Ireland's sixth before another poor kick from Carbery gave the hosts their second score, this time via Quill.

Irish Times Sport were not impressed:

Numerous substitutions pulled the momentum from the match, although the USA didn't seem to mind, and Ireland were happy to give some of their fringe players a run out. The hosts dealt with the changes best, and Matyas deservedly added to their tally.

Ryan got in on the scoring fun, with Earls once again playing a big role in the buildup. Not to be outdone, McGrath also showed his strength on his way to another score.

And the visitors weren't done yet, as Zebo scored their ninth try to complete the one-sided affair.

Argentina and England served up an epic encounter on Saturday, with the visitors narrowly beating the Pumas 38-34 in a summer international.

Juan Martin Hernandez had given the hosts the lead with a drop-goal with minutes left to play, but Denny Solomona answered in the dying seconds with a huge try.

George Ford scored a try and added four penalties and three conversions, while Marland Yarde and Jonny May also went over. For the Pumas, Nicolas Sanchez made one penalty and four conversions, and Joaquin Tuculet, Jeronimo De La Fuente, Emiliano Boffelli and Tomas Lavanini scored tries.

England's squad featured four debutants, including the 18-year-old Tom Curry. Per OptaJonny, he was the youngest to do so in a long time:

The more experienced Pumas made a fast start and earned a penalty on Nathan Hughes at a scrum after two minutes. Sanchez hooked his effort wide, but the hosts kept up the pressure, and Sanchez more than made up for his miss with a great kick through the English line for Boffelli, who scored the first try.

Per BBC Sport's live blog of the match, former England coach Andy Robinson was impressed: "That's a really smart bit of play from Argentina. The chip from Sanchez is perfect for Boffelli to get in and score. Argentina look to move the ball to the right side and move Brown away from the sweeper role, which gave them space to score."

Ford sent his first kick from the tee booming down the middle, putting England on the board inside of 20 minutes. A second kick made it a 7-6 match, with Argentina failing to capitalise on the many turnovers of their opponents.

Just past the half-hour mark, Yarde was matched up against a prop and made quick work of his opponent, handing England their first lead. O2 Sports enjoyed the score:

But the lead was short-lived, as the Pumas hit back through the powerful Lavanini, with Sanchez scoring the extras.

With the last kick of the half, the 28-year-old added to his side's lead, passing 500 international points in the process.

Ultimate Rugby enjoyed the action:

Ford reduced the deficit to a single point with another penalty early in the second half, and May reclaimed the lead for the visitors with a stunning try, courtesy of a great kick through from Henry Slade.

Former international Jason Robinson was impressed:

The back-and-forth continued with two Argentinian tries in quick succession, from De la Fuente and Tuculet, but minutes after Sanchez missed a penalty, Ford added a try of his own before missing the conversion, leaving the match tied.

The Loose Head urged fans to tune in to watch the thriller:

The final minutes were cagey, but Hernandez gave the home fans reason to celebrate with a well-executed drop-goal just before the final whistle.

Argentina thought they had won it, but substitute Solomona scored a try at the death to win it for the visitors. Ford kicked the extras and cleared after a scrum past the hooter to cap off a memorable night for England.