International Rugby

South Africa got their three-match home series with France off to an excellent start in Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, on Saturday, as they comfortably beat the visitors 37-14.

Jesse Kriel and Henry Chavancy went over for each side in the first half before France substitute Baptiste Serin picked up a second try for France in the second.

The hosts finished strongly, though, as Courtnall Skosan and Ross Cronje went over in the space of a minute before Jan Serfontein added a fourth try.

The Springboks started brightly on home soil and were soon 6-0 up thanks to two penalties from Elton Jantjies after Djibril Camara was caught offside and Clement Maynadier collapsed a maul.

Sports journalist Neil Collins remarked on their early dominance as they put France under pressure:

France were eventually able to settle into the contest and responded with an attack of their own, but after surviving a brief onslaught, South Africa grabbed the first try of the game through Kriel.

The 23-year-old was picked out by Malcolm Marx, before charging over with a burst of pace to escape the French defence.

Gerald Imray of the Associated Press hailed Marx's performance:

France hit back almost immediately, though, when they worked the ball out to Yoann Huget on the left, and the winger chipped it over South Africa's line before racing on to it. Despite an unfortunate bounce, he was able to offload it to Chavancy to touch down.

A late penalty for the hosts handed them a 16-7 lead at the break, but France reduced that gap to just two points within quarter of an hour of the restart when Serin powered over, with Jules Plisson adding the extras, as he had before.

The hosts responded magnificently, though, hitting back with two quick-fire tries.

As noted by South African Rugby, the first was a penalty try for Skosan:

Just one minute later, Cronje gave the Springboks even more breathing room when Warren Whiteley won a lineout and picked him out in space with a clever pass, allowing him an easy run over the line.

South Africa rounded out the match with a final try on the counter-attack, breaking through Francois Hougaard and Andries Coetzee before Serfontein wriggled through

England continued their fine run in international rugby on Sunday, beating Barbarians 28-14 at Twickenham Stadium in London.

Nathan Earle gave England the lead after a strong spell from Barbarians, and George Ford added to the lead with his boot. Nick Isiekwe scored England's second try after half-time, while Adam Ashley-Cooper got on the board for Barbarians. Joe Tekori added some late excitement, but a score from Danny Care secured the win.

England fielded a weakened team because of the British Lions' tour of New Zealand, with several top stars absent. Barbarians were led by the likes of Alex Goode and Timoci Nagusa, with the latter impressing early.

His surging run after just three minutes nearly broke the deadlock, with Jeremy Thrush preventing major damage after Chris Robshaw was left for dead.

Goode thought he had scored shortly after, but the try was correctly disallowed for a forward pass from Nagusa. BBC London Sports' Jamie Hill loved what he saw from the wing:

Earle attacked out of control and lost possession, as the back-and-forth continued in the early stages. Barbarians dominated possession, but Earle made up for his mistake by giving England the lead, taking a pass from Sam James and scoring after 17 minutes. Ford added the conversion.

Sam Underhill was denied a try shortly after for a knock-on from Earle, with the TMO instead leading to a Barbarians scrum.

The visitors kept playing sensational rugby at times, but England were far more efficient, and Ford missed the chance to add to the lead after Frans Steyn was caught offside.

He had more luck minutes later, kicking a penalty after Robbie Fruean took out Mike Brown away from the ball, with the latter requiring treatment.

Barbarians failed to take advantage of some late possession, and instead, Ford ended the half by adding to the lead with another penalty, per England Rugby:

Ashley-Cooper put Barbarians on the board early in the second half, finishing a lovely move despite a late tackle from Earle.

Ford added another penalty before the TMO was needed for another big call, as Jeremy Thrush had a try disallowed for losing the ball forward.

A yellow card for Mikheil Nariashvili gave England some breathing room, and the English scrum started to really take hold in the second half, wearing down Barbarians.

Isiekwe scored a try with 11 minutes to play, all but ending the match as a contest. Tekori's late try made things more interesting, but to the relief of Twickenham, Care added a late score to end the match.

The Lions will tour New Zealand to start the summer, taking on New Zealand Provincial Barbarians on June 3.

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Ireland defeated England 13-9 in the final match in the 2017 Six Nations on Saturday as the champions failed to land the grand slam in Dublin.

The hosts held a 10-3 advantage at half-time after Iain Henderson's try, with the Red Rose giving their worst first-half performance of this year's competition.

Eddie Jones tasted his first defeat as England's coach, with the Irish deserved winners on the day.

It was an indifferent start from both teams, but England appeared nervous with the task at hand.

The Irish drew first blood through Johnny Sexton's penalty, but Owen Farrell levelled the match after 17 minutes.

England produced feisty counter-rucking as they defended their territory, but it was Ireland who scored the only try of the encounter.

Henderson was the hero as he stretched over the line, allowing Sexton to find a successful conversion.

ITV Rugby shared the magic moment:

The hosts remained on top until half-time, but England appeared more focused at the start of the second half.

Farrell grabbed the first score of the half, kicking home a penalty to make it 10-6, but Ireland stayed firm and true with their tackling to limit England's passing game.

England Rugby hailed a milestone for their consistent centre:

Ireland remained motivated and mobile as they defended their slender lead, and the crowd responded with vociferous backing throughout.

BBC Sport's Tom Fordyce highlighted the supporters' contribution to the event:

The hosts restored a seven-point lead on the hour mark with a Sexton penalty before the visitors drew within striking distance as the boot of Farrell made it 13-9, and the champions prepared themselves for a grandstand finish.

The English forwards began to exert increased pressure to nullify Ireland's superiority in possession, and the final 10 minutes developed into a war of attrition as the rain fell.

Ireland stole a lineout through Peter O'Mahony late in the game, and the hosts looked after the ball to frustrate the English.

The game unravelled for Jones' men in the final moments, with a final knock-on greeted by a deafening roar from the home crowd as the hosts claimed the win to pop the grand-slam bubble for the champions.

France defeated Wales in the final round of matches in the 2017 Six Nations in Paris, prevailing 20-18 in a controversial end to the contest on Saturday.

In a tight affair at the Stade de France, the hosts held a slender advantage of 10-9 at half-time, but the Welsh drove forward to open an eight-point gap in the second half.

With normal time complete, France were perched on the Welsh try line, and the match continued for another 19 minutes before the hosts crossed the line to steal the victory in the most dramatic fashion.

France dominated the opening moments as they scored 10 unanswered points.

Leigh Halfpenny's positioning was exposed as Camille Lopez's clever chip found Remi Lamerat for the opening try after only seven minutes.

The centre dived over the line for the easiest of scores, as the Welsh appeared dumbfounded at their failure to defend.

Wales attacked back as Rhys Webb drove upfield, but France remained dangerous as they controlled territory and handling.

The visitors strong-arm tactics in midfield were not working, and the French were clearly motivated by their early successes. 

Lopez kicked a penalty to make it 10-0 after 16 minutes, as Thomas Francis was penalised in the scrum.

The Welsh began to get their act together, with George North the spearhead for his side's comeback.

Halfpenny's metronomic kicking was in full effect as he posted nine points to narrow the margin at half-time, but the French would have been the happier of the two parties.

The second half was a different affair, as Wales showed fortitude against a strong home defence.

Both teams made mistakes as they scrapped for possession, but the boot of Halfpenny gave the visitors a two-point advantage as both sides fought a physical battle on the ground.

Halfpenny's fifth penalty widened the gap as the French stood demoralised, and with 15 minutes remaining, the tie had swung away from the hosts.

The Welsh kicker made it 18-13 in the closing stages, triggering a huge effort from France to overturn the result.

The French drove for the line as they required a converted try in the final seconds, and a scrum under the Welsh posts almost produced a spectacular moment—with the Paris crowd in full voice.

The bizarre final play of the game—which saw a further scrummage situation last an astonishing seven minutes on the Welsh try line—allowed the French to keep the ball alive until the 99th minute of the match before they bundled the ball home for the try by Camille Chat.

Sports journalist Kate Gardiner was shocked at the final outcome:

Welsh hearts were broken in a crazy end to proceedings, but the hosts did not give up as they focused on capturing an unlikely win.  

Scotland rounded off an impressive 2017 Six Nations campaign with a 29-0 win over Italy at Murrayfield on Saturday.

The hosts scored 15 unanswered points before the break to take the game away from the Azzurri, with Finn Russell and Matt Scott both touching down. Tim Visser scored Scotland's third try in the second period, while Tommy Seymour clinched the bonus point.

It's a win that moves Scotland up into second ahead of Wales' showdown with France and England's visit to Ireland later in the day.

After a chastening defeat at the hands of champions England last week, Scotland started like a team with something to prove.

As we can see here courtesy of RTE, they did so with the first scrum opportunity:

A penalty was awarded to the hosts, with Stuart Hogg making no mistake to give the Scots an early 3-0 lead.

Italy recovered well afterwards, although they were lacking a clinical edge when they got into good attacking areas. Carlo Canna had the chance to equalise with a penalty of his own, although he could only skew his effort; he’d miss two more before the half was out.

By contrast, Scotland were patient and composed with the ball in hand. That was epitomised by Alex Dunbar just before the half-hour mark, as some sharp work freed Russell, who scored in the corner before converting.

After getting their first, the Scots started to turn the screw before the break, and another try was inevitable as they piled forward. Russell was involved again, as his kick turned Italy around. Hogg worked it back to Scott, who bundled over.

Per the Rugby World Twitter account, the last action of a miserable half summed things up for Italy and Canna in particular:

In the early stages of the second period, it was Italy on the front foot, although once again their final pass was so often lacking in crucial moments. But to be fair to the Azzurri, they were up against a rock solid Scottish defence and an unbending scrum.

It meant the match was one of attrition rather than aesthetics for much of the first period. And there was some angst in the stands as a result of Scotland’s defensive approach, with two more tries needed for a bonus point and a chance at second place.

ESPN’s Tom Hamilton summed up what was a forgettable second period:

Eventually, Scotland did wake up. A kick of real quality from Hogg cut open the Italy defence, with Visser rushing on to the ball and touching down; after a review from the video referee, the try was awarded.

With the bonus point now within touching distance, there was a renewed vigour about Scotland in the latter stages, as they chased down a fourth try. And it was a fitting score to cap off a brilliant Six Nations for the Scots.

Hogg and Russell moved the ball slickly through midfield, with a brilliant pass giving Seymour space to burst into on the right. He left the Italy defenders trailing to wrap up a comprehensive win for the hosts.

Although Scotland will have to wait to see where they finish in the overall standings in this year’s tournament, Vern Cotter, in his last game as coach, can be proud of the way his team have acquitted themselves.

While the loss to England shows they have some way to go, victories over Wales and Ireland will live long in the memory. This professional performance was another emphatic indication that this is a team moving in the right direction once again.  

England will have the chance to make history during Round 5 of the 2017 Six Nations tournament, as a win over Ireland would give the Red Rose a second consecutive Grand Slam and a record winning streak of 19 matches.

The team share the honours with New Zealand at 18 and are the favourites to win Saturday's match, having already locked up this year's Six Nations title.

Italy will try to win their first points of the tournament at Scotland, while France and Wales do battle in Paris.

Here's a look at the schedule for Round 5, complete with TV info and live-stream options:

To access the BBC iPlayer, click here. For the ITV Hub, click here. 

Preview

Ireland will have history on their side when they try to play spoilers at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

As reported by ESPN Rugby's John Griffiths, England have failed to win their final match during a Grand Slam bid on four occasions since the start of the Six Nations tournament in 2000. Twice, the defeat came in Dublin against the Irish.

Coach Eddie Jones knows his team will be in for a challenge, as he told BBC Radio 5 live:

Ireland came out flat against Wales in Round 4, losing 22-9 in Cardiff, and on paper, England couldn't be happier with the timing of this match. Once regarded as the Red Rose's top rivals for this year's title, Ireland appear to be trending downwards and don't carry any momentum into Saturday's match.

The hosts did receive an injury boost in midweek, as shared by RTE Rugby:

Johnny Sexton remains a key player for Ireland, and it wasn't a coincidence Wales took control of their Round 4 matchup when the fly-half was sin-binned. He also spent time on the sidelines with a head injury but appears to be on track to face England.

Winning the battle with the boot will be key for Ireland, who tend to hold their own in the set pieces but lack the raw athleticism to keep up with England's pace out wide. In the open field, the visitors are close to unbeatable, and slowing down the play may be a smart tactic.

Scotland's Six Nations campaign started promisingly but quickly fell apart with a defeat in Paris, and the hosts will hope to say goodbye to coach Vern Cotter with a win over lowly Italy in his final Six Nations match.

As shared by RTE Rugby, Cotter has already found his next project before he takes charge of Montpellier:

Scotland coach Vern Cotter will coach the Barbarians for the upcoming tour that will see them take on Ulster and England pic.twitter.com/kVudqfa0en

— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) March 15, 2017

The Azzurri once again enter Round 5 in last place and are in real danger of repeating last year's winless tournament. Italy have shown life at times this campaign but have yet to put together 80 uninterrupted minutes of solid rugby, and that isn't likely to change against Scotland.

Wales and France will battle it out in Paris, where Les Bleus tend to be capable of so much more than on the road. A win would give either side second place if England complete their Grand Slam over Ireland.

England captured the 2017 Six Nations title with a display of ferocious scoring against Scotland at Twickenham, winning 61-21 to be declared champions on Saturday.

The Scots' defence was inadequate as coach Eddie Jones sent his men out to blitz their opponents, and the hosts' aggressive style paid dividends as they took the Calcutta Cup.

France overran Italy on a sunny day in Rome, collecting a 40-18 victory on their travels as they penetrated the try line.

Here are Saturday's results:

Here are the latest standings, confirming England retain the championship as they continue to hunt the Grand Slam, per ITV Rugby:

Here are the forthcoming matches for Round 5:

Saturday Recap

Jones has taken a young and hungry England squad and turned them into the biggest force in northern-hemisphere rugby in the space of 12 months.

The Red Rose smashed the Thistle with a fine attacking display as the visitors wilted against the challenge.

England were clearly motivated in the opening moments, slicing through their opponents with aggressive and direct rugby with the ball in hand.

A flood of scoring followed kick-off, as Jonathan Joseph set the home side on their way with two well-executed tries before setting up Anthony Watson as England led 30-7 at the interval.

Joseph completed his hat-trick, as Billy Vunipola claimed England's fifth try of the match.

Gordon Reid's effort and two tries from Huw Jones gave Scotland slim hope, but Danny Care had the last word as England finished in style.

BBC Breaking News highlighted a milestone for the winners:

France conceded the fastest try of the competition this term, after just 150 seconds, but fought back to win in style in Italy.

The French hit back with four tries to overwhelm the hosts, as Virimi Vakatawa, Gael Fickou, Louis Picamoles and recalled full-back Brice Dulin responded.

The Italians attempted to resurrect their controversial “no-ruck” tactic, but the French were a cut above as they played with freedom and typical panache.

England will win the Grand Slam if they defeat Ireland in the final round of games, but with a British and Irish Lions tour ahead, the hosts will want to impress against the back-to-back Six Nations champions.

England won their second straight Six Nations title and tied New Zealand's 18-match unbeaten streak on Saturday, as the Three Lions marched to a 61-21 rout of rivals Scotland.

Jonathan Joseph scored a hat-trick of tries, while Anthony Watson, Billy Vunipola and Danny Care (twice) added tries of their own, with Owen Farrell nearly flawless from the tee. Gordon Reid and Huw Jones (twice) crossed the line for the Scots, with Finn Russell adding the extras. 

With Ireland losing to Wales on Friday, England have already won the Six Nations ahead of the final round of fixtures.

The match started in disastrous fashion for the visitors, who lost Fraser Brown to the sin bin after just two minutes.

The Scot went into Elliot Daly late, and he was lucky to walk away with just a yellow card, per Mick Cleary of the Daily Telegraph:

Should have been red for Fraser Brown

— Mick Cleary (@MickClearyTel) March 11, 2017

Facing the in-form English squad down a man was the last thing the Scots needed, and just two minutes after Brown's yellow card, Joseph crossed the line to give his side the lead.

Alex Dunbar couldn't bring his man down, and a short sprint later, Joseph was in. Farrell added the extras to make it 7-0.

Just a few minutes later, England had a double-digit lead. Farrell took the three points after a Scottish penalty, and BigSport were already anticipating a blowout loss for the visitors:

And things got worse for Scotland. Russell couldn't find touch with his kick, setting England up with great field position once again. A penalty at the ruck gave Farrell another look at the posts, and he converted with ease, making the score 13-0.

Stuart Hogg trotted to the sideline for a head injury assessment, and his replacement, Mark Bennett, needed a stretcher to leave the pitch just four minutes later.

Famous author J.K. Rowling summed up Scotland's first half:

Joseph added a second try after 25 minutes, but Reid got his side on the board just minutes later, as the Scots opted to forego an easy penalty for the lineout.

Momentum stayed with the hosts, however, and a silly mistake from Jonny Gray allowed Farrell to add to the lead from the tee. And just three minutes later, England scored again, as Watson took a great pass from Joseph and exploited Scotland's weak midfield defence.

The half ended with Farrell's first miss from the tee, a wide strike from a long way out that normally would have been kicked by Daly, who was on the sidelines.

Despite the miss, BBC Sport's Dan Walker noted the hosts were making mincemeat of their rivals:

England's absurd pace continued in the second half, and Russell only just managed to intercept a pass from Ben Youngs. 

Scotland's resistance lasted exactly three minutes, before Joseph completed his hat-trick with a strong run close to the ruck.

BenchWarmers weighed in on the massacre at Twickenham:

Best Scotland team in years?? #ENGVSCO pic.twitter.com/WGMTjtSTPB

— BenchWarmers (@BeWarmers) March 11, 2017

A penalty goal after a mistake at the breakdown made it 40-7, but England seemed to lose their concentration in the rout a bit, and Jones beat Joseph for the first time all match, diving over at the corner to reduce the deficit.

The Scots' hopes of ending England's unbeaten run had long vanished at that point, however, and substitute Vunipola needed just seven minutes to add his name to the scoresheet, scoring after a lineout.

England finally took their foot off the gas, with most of the bench getting the chance to play in front of the home fans on this historic occasion. 

Ryan Wilson and Jamie George had a massive collision, leaving the former in need of HIA.

Jones added a second try with 10 minutes left to play, but the fans at Twickenham barely cared. Two minutes later, Vunipola found Care from the lineout, and the scoring fest continued. 

With the opportunity to hang 60 points on their rivals, England pushed for another late try, earning a scrum from five metres out. George Ford tried to pick out a team-mate with a kick, but the Scots finally got a stop.

The Three Lions attacked well past the 80-minute mark and finished the match with a bang, as Care got his second try and Farrell put the final score on the board with his boot.

Pet the Six Nations' official Twitter account, coach Eddie Jones believes there's more success in England's future:

 Eddie Jones: “The players have worked hard and deserve it. We’re only just starting - we’re going to get better and better.”#ENGvSCO pic.twitter.com/c225gRjg4P

— RBS 6 Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 11, 2017

England's final Six Nations match will be at Ireland, while Scotland host Italy.  

France cruised to a 40-18 win over Italy in Rome during Saturday's 2017 Six Nations action.

Gael Fickou, Virimi Vakatawa, Louis Picamoles and Brice Dulin scored the tries for the visitors, while Camille Lopez was his usual, efficient self with the boot. Sergio Parisse opened the scoring and Carlo Canna did some damage from the tee, but Italy crumbled in the second half. Angelo Esposito put the final score on the board.

With both teams out of the running to win the Six Nations, fans came into the match expecting an exciting, attacking display.

The Azzurri didn't disappoint, scoring the first try after just two minutes. France collapsed the maul, giving the Italians a penalty advantage, and Canna beautifully played in veteran star Parisse, who touched down.

RTE Rugby shared this highlight of the try:

Italy's kicking game continued to lag behind, however, as the hosts missed the conversion.

France patiently worked their scrum into Italian territory and gained plenty of ground on their way to their first points, a penalty goal from Lopez after nine minutes.

A smart kick from Lopez cleared the pressure that started after an uncontested lineout, and Parisse couldn't find a way through the defence from the maul. France were disciplined, but an error creeped in eventually, and Canna easily converted the penalty from in front of the posts.

Meanwhile, Yahoo Sport France picked up this beauty:

Fickou set up a superb reaction on the restart, allowing Lopez to reclaim three points just two minutes after Canna kicked his penalty. And Les Bleus continued their momentum, once again bursting forward after a poor kick on their way to a first try.

Some beautiful passing saw Fickou beat his man after a dummy before going over the line. Per Telegraph Rugby, it was easy:

Lopez's conversion gave the visitors a 13-8 lead, but Canna kicked another penalty just a few minutes later after the French failed to release.

The French scrum kept doing damage, and another breakdown allowed Lopez to score the final points of the half from the tee. Just three minutes into the second half, he was at it again, taking France's lead up to 19-11.

Italy's lack of stamina has been an issue throughout the tournament, and things were no different on Saturday. The Azzurri kept the first half close, but a good run from France early in the second all but doomed the hosts.

The French maul set up Lopez, who played in Vakatawa for the visitors' second try and a 15-point lead after the conversion.

Some substitutes were sorely needed, but France remained in control even with fresh legs on the pitch. A huge break from Fickou gave his team great positioning, but Edoardo Padovani saved the day with a superb reovery.

Italy nearly scored a try from the lineout, but Dulin cleverly got his ball under the hand, something the TMO picked up on. 

The Azzurri kept pushing, but France proved deadly efficient with their chances after the break. Picamoles all but ended the match with 13 minutes left on the clock, scoring from the back of the scrum. 

Eddy Ben Arous was the next man to go over, but TMO confirmed his foot was in touch as he did, erasing the points. It didn't matter much, as the Italians didn't even try to stop Dulin on his way to another try.

The home fans got a final reason to celebrate, as Esposito scored a second Italian try with time running out.

Italy will finish their Six Nations campaign in Scotland, while France host Wales.