Farrell Gets Permanent England Role



Former Saracen Andy Farrell



England have today confirmed the permanent signing of Andy Farrell who will join their coaching set up to deal with the backs and defence. The former Saracens first team coach left in June shortly after England's tour departed to South Africa, with many speculating a return to the England coaching set up for the former Rugby League specialist.

Farrell has expressed his delight at signing the contract with the England team untill the 31 January 2016. Meanwhile Staurt Lancaster has said "I am delighted that we have got Andy on board. He is a special coach and an individual and the way this team has developed is a testament to the foundations that we laid in the Six Nations" Lancaster went on to mention reviews of the coaching set up before the Autmumn internationals. One would expect a decision on the future of former London Irish Coach Mike Catt, who may also be handed a full time role extending the coaching team to a 4 man set up.

Meanwhile Saracens, the newly named 'Club of the Year' have posted the story on their website but have not commented on the issue directly.

5 New Faces For South Africa - Debrief

New Full International Tom Johnson

Following two losses and a draw a debrief will soon come for Stuart Lancaster and his England team. Yet, prior to this tour, Rugby Review selected five players who we thought would be worth watching for the tour. Here we run a quick debrief on their performances and their prospects for their England futures.

Joe Launchbury (London Wasps)

Unfortunately Launchbury suffered an injury prior to the test series and was unable to make the trip. Despite this, the young Wasp will prove to be a big name for the upcoming premiership season and will look to make an impact at some point. His replacement Jamie Gibson proved a good performer on tour earning himself a start in England's second tour game.

Tour Rating - N/A

Christian Wade (London Wasps)

Wade was tipped by us and most of the media as 'the hot prospect' for the tour. Wade performed well in the first mid week tour game scoring a hat trick before playing a part in the second tour game. Head Coach Stuart Lancaster saw no reason to put him in the starting XV, most likely due to his size and vulnerability under the high ball, despite this, expect to see him in the Autumn international training squad at the very least.

Tour Rating - 6

Jonathan Joseph (London Irish)

Joseph gained three full international caps on this tour, unfortunately his genuine skill was unable to shine through. After a line break in a two minute cameo in the first test he earned starts in the second and third tests against the Boks. He didn't appear to make much of an impression, yet this was more due to the fact he simply wasn't given enough ball. If England look to improve in the future, Jonathan Joseph must play and get more ball to unlock his true potential. With three caps under his belt, Joseph is slowly getting used to international rugby, and with Manu Tuilagi may make up England's centre partnership for years to come.

Tour Rating - 6

Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)

The older brother of Ben was able to make an impression on this South Africa tour, which may put him in line for future full international England honours. The converted centre appears to be graced with similar pace to his brother, being bulkier he was able to give England's mid week team vital go forward on the pitch when called upon. With Lee Mears performing woefully in England's tests from the bench, Youngs seems destined to claim the bench spot for the coming Autumn internationals.

Tour Rating - 7

Tom Johnson (Exeter Chiefs)

Johnson was one of the stars of the England tour, a man who constantly raises his game and comfortable stepping up to the plate. With James Haskell breathing down his neck, Johnson rightfully retained the 6 shirt for all 3 tests impressing in each, particularly the final test. With Tom Wood seemingly cursed with injury problems, Johnson may benefit from this tour to hold onto the 6 shirt in the Autumn Internationals if he can hold off competition from the returning Tiger Tom Croft.

Tour Rating - 9

Highlights From Amazing Wales v Australia + All Blacks v Ireland Games

First up is the Wales v Australia test match. An absolutely stunning game with new dad Berrick Barnes having an absolute stunner. Notable performances too for David Pocock and Leigh Halfpenny. Watch out for Cooper Vuna's yellow card and an unbelievable Mike Harris kick at the death for Australia.

Check out the full match report here: http://rugby-review.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/australia-captain-david-pocock-looks-on.html

Second we have another stunning match where Ireland were so close to securing a first win against New Zealand in international history. An early Connor Murray try and Jonny Sexton penalty put Ireland 10-0 up before the Kiwis fought back to give Dan Carter a chance to win the game with a last gasp drop goal. Watch out for Sean O'Brien's unbelievable performance as well as an eerily poor performance from Carter and McCaw.

Check out the full match report here: http://rugby-review.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/last-gasp-carter-steals-victory-new.html

Videos come from the brilliant Bradley McNab - http://www.youtube.com/user/BradleyMcNab?feature=watch

England Violated By Boks: South Africa 36-27 England

England Stand Under The Posts Following Another South African Try

England were relentlessly and heavily smashed by the South African forward pack today. Eventually losing 36-27, England saw themselves down by 18 points at one point. The first half in particular was most disappointing with England fans holding their heads in their hands at the atrocious nature of England's performance in which they missed 20 tackles. 

South Africa dominated the early possession with 78% in the first 10 minutes and cracks began appear in the English defence with Bryan Habana finding space on his wing but Ben Morgan was able to cut him down before Bismark du Plessis knocked on. From the scrum the ball came out of the ruck and into the grateful hands of Willem Alberts who walked into England's try line to put South Africa 5-0 ahead with Morne Steyn missing the conversion. England touched the ball twice after the first try before South Africa went over again, once for Toby Flood to kick the restart and second for Ben Foden knocking on a high ball straight into the arms a South African player. From there, the South Africans once again dominated the possession with Bismark du Plessis going over for a second try under the posts, giving an easy for conversion for Morne Steyn and putting South Africa 12-0 ahead after 7 minutes. 

England came back strong with a Ben Foden break before Marcell Coetzee stopped Ben Youngs getting onto the ball giving away a penalty and allowing Toby Flood to score 3 points. Despite the glimmer of hope, Ben Youngs was unable to control a bobbling ball having to put down the ball behind the line leading to a penalty for the South Africans which Morne Steyn duly put over. Only minutes later, South Africa had scored another try, this time Francois Houghaard had gone over following a forward domination of England. 

Out of nothing on the 23rd minute Enland went over with Toby Flood. A Ben Youngs tap penalty on the 10m line was then popped to Chris Ashton who made a break and easily popped around the full back to put Toby Flood in for a try which was converted quickly to bring England somewhat back into the game. 

South Africa went 3 more points ahead by the 30th minute with Morne Steyn scoring a drop goal before missing a penalty. England were looking tired and unorganised at this point having been physically battered by the far superior South African pack. The stroke of half time saw Manu Tuilagi make a break before a shocking offload to Chris Robshaw where the captain couldn't deal with it seeing both him and Toby Flood dropping the ball before South Africa gained possession. That capped the first half which showed pure uncensored South African agression next to a clueless, amateurish England side who had nothing to counter with and that missed one tackle every 32 seconds or 1 tackle in every 4 an unbelievable fact. 

The second showed a more spirited and resurgent England, yet, South Africa started the second half in the same vain, battering England's line, only stopping to see England through a forward pass straight from the lineout allowing South Africa more possession. The attack led to Morne Steyn scoring another penalty following a Chris Robshaw offence which could have easily been a yellow card. 

England were able to show some fight, following a botched lineout move Ben Youngs was able to capitalise on a South African lineout mistake to go over for a try despite a perilously high tackle from Marcell Coetzee. Toby Flood converted making the score 28-17 with half an hour left to play. England showed some fight but the physical battering from South Africa was sustained and ruthless with Morne Steyn scoring another drop goal. 

England once again bravely fought back, a 20 metre drive from a lineout led to Ben Youngs going over for a try, Toby Flood converted putting England in an impossible position 7 points behind with 20 minutes left, one which they did not deserve. The try represented a momentum shift, Thomas Waldrom had previously stormed all over Bismark du Plessis leading to him leaving the field. Morne Steyn then put the restart straight into touch giving England a scrum where they won the lineout with Toby Flood kicking a penalty putting England 4 points behind with 15 minutes to go. 

Thomas Waldrom dropped the restart but England battled well to force a scrum in their own 22. From that point South Africa will have rued taking Jannie du Plessis off and seeing his brother Bismark leave the field as without the Natal brothers, England forced a penalty and were able to go into South Africa's half. Despite this, poor kicking from England led to J.P Pietersen making a break from his own half before a few phases later going over in the corner to put the game out of sight for the Bokke by 11 points. 

Some spirited English attack in the last ten minutes was littered with errors, Jonathan Joseph throwing a forward pass,Lee Dickson knocking on and England losing a lineout on South Africa's 5 metre line. Ben Foden and Chris Ashton combined well to push England into South Africa's 22 but more mistakes led to a lineout, a knock on and then the end of the game. 

Despite England's performance, they were second best in every area. Ben Youngs managed to poach a try with the positives coming from England following the removal of the du Plessis brothers. At points England looked completely clueless with little phase play and game strategy. Moreover, there seemed to be little cohesion between forwards and backs with Ben Youngs' trundles along the pitch resulting in little other than dropped balls. 

Key Battle Reports

Joseph v De Villiers

The match was not won in this area of the field bu De Villiers clearly came out on top. Joseph suffered from a lack of ball and his small stature was exploited by Bismark Du Plessis. In contrast De Villiers was classy in attack and defence the figurative head of a bullying South African team, he was close to being man of the match.

Botha v Etzebeth

The forwards won this game and Etzebeth was one of the class performers. He carried and smashed and tackled like a veteran personifying the try South African nature. Whilst Botha put his body on the line, he missed tackles, lineouts and simply wasn't the same standard as the outstanding Etzebeth.

Foden v Lambie

Nobody really came out on top in this battle. Foden was probably England's best back, but dropped a high ball which led to South Africa's second try. In contrast Lambie was injured just after half time but what he did do was exploit England's backs running direct lines and returning kicks well.

Man of The Match - Bismark du Plessis

Unreal match today. Scored a try and smashed everything in sight, everybody was at the mercy of du Plessis. When he got injured South Africa conceded two tries and lost three scrums. He was the focal point of everything good for South Africa, their next captain and their best player. 

Last Minute Harris Steals The Show: Australia 25-23 Wales

Australia Captain David Pocock Looks On During His Sides Victory

For the second time in one day, a Northern Hemisphere side scored with the last kick off the game to snatch victory. This time Rob Harris of Australia hit a superb kick to tie up the series for Australia against the Welsh in what was somewhat of a bi-polar test match, which Australia took 25-23 against a spirited Welsh side.

It was a game in which the lead changed ten times and Wales gained the early advantage winning their own kick off and exerting pressure on the Australians. Following a kick straight out on the full Wales exploited a lineout from the Wallabies 22 with George North barreling over for a try after only 4 minutes. Halfpenny converted giving Wales an early lead with Australia having hardly touched the ball. Wales' high tempo continued with Rhys Priestland kicking a penalty in his own 22 to touch in the Wallabies 22 before the Australian's could turn following its awarding. 

The majority of the rest of the half, statistically belonged to Australia with the Wallabies dominating possession and territory. In reality it was a defensive battle focusing on the breakdown with little to no quick ball with either side to work with. The half quickly became somewhat of a damp squib with neither side particularly exerting any real dominance, despite a fantastic break from Mike Phillips and Rhys Priestland the match offered very little in attacking play. Berrick Barnes was able to score two penalties though, making the score 7-6 but other than that the only man to stand out was David Pocock for his work around the breakdown. In the final play of the half , the match exploded into life with Berrick Barnes making a break straight from a lineout and easily exploiting a 2on1 with Leigh Halfpenny putting Rob Horne in for a try. Barnes converted putting the Australians up by 13 points to 7 at half time. 

The second half started slowly before a mix up at the lineout for Australia. The ball began to bobble around before Ashley Beck hacked up field, Beck was pulled over but Jonathan Davies continued with the chase hacking on again before collecting the ball and scoring an opportunistic try. Leigh Halfpenny made the try a seven pointer putting them up by a point at 14-13. Berrick Barnes and Leigh Halfpenny then traded long range penalties drawing the score to 17-16 after 50 minutes.

Approaching the 60 minute mark, Wales found themselves under a heap of Australian pressure. Barnes had made a glorious chip to Digby Ioane putting Australia into the Welsh 22. However, feverish Welsh defence kept the Wallabies out who had to settle for a Berrick Barnes penalty as reward for their pressure. Again Halfpenny responded with a massive penalty, this time given away by Cooper Vuna who took Halfpenny's legs away in the air leading to a dangerous fall onto the floor. Vuna received a yellow with commentator Ieuan Evans suggesting a red may have been more appropriate. Despite the penalty, the fall appeared to affect Halfpenny's head who dropped a high ball and kicked a ball directly into touch shortly after his fall. Indeed, both kickers appeared to have some form of niggle as Berrick Barnes momentarily pulled up after kicking the restart. Despite this injury Barnes again was able to equal Halfpenny by comfortably kicking a penalty to make the score 22-20.

Wales dominated a scrum to allow Halfpenny once again to slot a penalty appearing to have shake off the effects of Vuna's offence and effectively knock the ball back into Berrick Barnes' court with just over 10 minutes left in the game. Barnes had the chance to put Australia but missed before being subbed straight off the pitch due to his injury, a chance that the Australians lived to regret, especially when they managed to knock on twice, once after a sustained period of pressure in Wales' 22, giving Wales possession and a chance to kill off the game.

However, Australia gained a penalty in the 79th minute kicking into the Wales half and setting up and intense last minute. Australia set up a driving maul on the hooter and proceeded to drive towards the 22, the Welsh forwards doing everything to prevent a penalty, but failing. Far out to the left just outside the 22 Mike Harris was given the chance to win the game and the series with a tough kick. Harris had previously kicked 24 out of 24 kicks for the Reds and showed his worth by cooly slotting the kick and like Daniel Carter for New Zealand earlier in the day, he cruelly stole victory from the hands of the Welsh.

Harris' kick represented a victory in a see-saw match where Leigh Halfpenny and Berrick Barnes had traded kicks with each sides ill discipline being fully exploited. Wales could have won the game if they had held their nerve and composure around the maul perhaps it could have been won. Wales captain described his emotions as 'gutted and demoralised' following what was an intense battle.

Key Battle Verdicts


Kepu v Jenkins - Draw


Both scrums were as awkward as each other today, both players carried good ball and put in their all.

Pocock v Warburton - Pocock


Another monumental battle but one that Pocock won again. In the first half both stole ball and slowed down play. In the second half Pocock was perhaps more effective as well as being the more effective ball carrier.,

Genia v Phillips - Genia


Really not the battle at the heart of the game today. The scrum halves today really were playing second fiddle to the kickers, despite this Genia played the better game. His sniping around the ruck led to quick ball and he was better at controlling the game than Phillips whose passing again tended to put Wales on the back foot.

Man of The Match - Berrick Barnes


New father Barnes played a glorious game today, not void of mistakes but a glorious chip over the top of the defence in the second half showed his class. He set up Rob Horne's try and his kicking was glorious, unfortunately an injury meant he missed one kick and had to be subbed but his subsititute Rob Harris performed to Barnes' fantastic standard.

Last Gasp Carter Snatches Victory: New Zealand 22-19 Ireland

Kieran Read Surveys The Field During The All Blacks Last Gasp Win

Dan Carter stole the show with a last gasp drop goal in Christchurch to cruelly snatch defeat from Ireland in an outstanding test match. Below is the match report from what was a thrilling and gutsy performance from the Irish, led by talismanic captain Brian O'Driscoll.

Early pressure was put on by the All Blacks, however, it was pressure Ireland weathered with Sexton able to clear his lines following a 5m lineout. From there Ireland were able to put on a period of pressure resulting in a 5m lineout of their own where Connor Murray managed to bundle a try over following a rolling maul in the 11th minute with Jonathan Sexton converting the try. Some good defence following their try led to Ireland again winning penalties in New Zealand's half with Julian Savea holding on and Owen Franks blocking on a box kick. Leinster fly half Jonny Sexton was able to take advantage of the second of the offences putting Ireland 10 points ahead after 20 minutes.

Quickly after the kick off though Ireland broke the golden rule of scoring, giving away a penalty and allowing the metronomic Dan Carter to get New Zealand on the scoreboard. Carter was able to knock over two more penalties by the 33rd minute, putting the hosts only one point behind at half time.

New Zealand started the second half with intent, Aaron Smith forcing his way over after two minutes, Dan Carter predictably scoring the conversion also. Sexton, however, was able to respond quickly afterwards scoring a penalty and closing the gap to only three points. What followed was 20 minutes of pure attrition, Dan Carter threw poor passes and Richie McCaw began to drop balls as Ireland's rush defence along with the superb Sean O'Brien began to produce results. Despite this Dan Carter was able to kick a goal on the hour mark putting New Zealand 6 points ahead with only a quarter of the match left to play.

A massive Irish scrum gave Sexton a chance to claw back points on 63 minutes which he duly converted leading to an exceedingly hard fought and tense 15 minutes. Ireland began to put their foot on their gas with Jonny Sexton making a break down field before calmly putting through a grubber kick to force a line out in New Zealand's 22. Ireland's pressure continued to push New Zealand and Sexton kicked another penalty drawing the game level with 10 minutes to go. 

With 8 minutes to go Israel Dagg deliberately blocked Rob Kearney after a high ball giving away a penalty just inside the Kiwis half as well as getting a yellow card giving Ireland a man advantage for the rest of the game. Sexton was unable to kick the penalty but the clearing kick from Weepu was poor allowing an Ireland lineout from just outside the All Blacks 22. Despite the position Ireland knocked on giving away a scrum which produced a penalty for New Zealand allowing Dan Carter to clear the ball downfield. 

From the lineout New Zealand forced a position for Dan Carter to drop goal, he missed but the ball was touched leading to a hugely tense 5m scrum. Read drove a no more than a metre from the scrum, Weepu threw a perfect pass to Carter sitting in the pocked who then slotted a drop goal in the cruelest of circumstances. 

Following the game Richie McCaw expressed 'relief' but their was no denial he was in an old fashioned dog fight. The Irish came so close to a fantastic win and probably deserved it. They were perhaps on the wrong end of a Nigel Owens scrum decision allowing Carter to kick downfield but if Sexton had perhaps taken his 50 metre penalty then Ireland could have won the game. Either way Ireland were the better team and can hold their head high this weekend. 

Key Battles

Ross v Woodock 

Despite winning the first scrum against the head Woodcock was beaten by Ross today. Big scrums allowed Ireland to get in touching distance of a win with Ross performing better in the loose all day. 

Verdict - Ross

O'Brien v McCaw 

Only one winner here, Sean O'Brien had an absolute stormer of a game. The man with no number manifested the dogged Irish spirit stealing ball and disrupting the ruck as well as smashing Dan Carter in the first half just to prove who was on top for the game. McCaw on the other hand was off the boil dropping two balls and not being himself at the breakdown. Either way it was an epic battle that we look forward to next week for part 3. 

Verdict - O'Brien

Sexton v Carter

Jonny Sexton scored 5 from 6 last night but missed the crucial kick from 50 metres. Despite this he was far and away the better of the two fly halves. Carter did prove his weight in gold with a drop goal but that really was the highlight of an unconvincing game from the fly half. Sexton finally brought Leinster form to the world stage and deserves his plaudits.

Verdict - Sexton

Man of The Match - Sean O'Brien

South Africa vs England: 2nd Test - Preview

Jonathan Joseph Earns His First Start

Teams:

England                             South Africa

Foden               15          Lambie

Ashton              14          Pietersen

Joseph              13          De Villiers

Tuilagi               12          F.Steyn

Strettle              11          Habana

Flood                10          M.Steyn

Youngs              9          Hougaard 

Morgan              8          Spies

Robshaw            7          Alberts

Johnson             6          Coetzee

Botha                5          Etzebeth

Parling               4          J Kruger

Cole                   3          J.Du Plessis

Hartley               2          B.Du Plessis

Marler                1          Mtawarira 

Replacements

Corbisiero                      Strauss

Mears                            W Kruger

Palmer                           van der Merwe

Dowson                         Daniel

Dickson                         Piaenaar

Flood                            Basson

Goode                           Olivier

Key Battles

Joseph vs De Villiers

The exceptionally talented Jonathan Joseph gets a well deserved test start, however he is up against one of the best outside centres in the world. De Villiers will be reliant on it being a tight game in which case his extra 10cm and 13kg will help him, however, if the game opens up, expect young Jonathan to leave De Villiers in his wake, he has the pace of a winger and the feet to match. I believe that whilst Joseph might have some success with ball in hand, the overall advantage must go to the Springbok captain who rarely sets a foot wrong. 

Verdict - De Villiers

Botha v Etzebeth

This is unchanged from last week, it's still a key battle. We predicted Mouritz would have the upper hand and he most certainly did with not only 10 out of 10 own lineouts won but also 3 steals on South African ball. Whilst Etzebeth will have his day, he is an exceptionally talented giant of a man, I believe the most experienced and strong Botha will hold the advantage once again. Etzebeth, despite weighing 123kg, sometimes looked like a lost lanky teenager on the pitch- a talented player but not up to the Matfield/Botha standard yet.

Verdict  - Botha

Foden V Lambie

If this game breaks down into a battle of the 15s, South Africa certainly have something to worry about. Whist Lambie might be able to out-kick Foden, due to the fact he is essentially a fly half, when it comes to running, Foden has a big edge. I see Foden as the 3rd best fullback in the world (Dagg and Kearney ahead) and if I was a South African, I'd certainly hope Houghaard, Steyn and co judge their kicks well- which in fairness, they usually do. 

Verdict - Foden

Prediction

What we were reminded of in the first game is just how physical the South Africans can be and I believe they'll batter England down. I expect this game to produce more tries and J Joseph and Foden are certainly the players to watch, they can both beat their opposite number with ease if they use their pace. Flood has been brought in to match the South African kicking game and I believe he will give his opposite number trouble. Some England players must play well to hold their place; Youngs has two number 9s behind him in better form, Morgan didn't cut it in the first game whereas both Waldrom and Haskell impressed midweek and Marler despite playing well will do well to hold onto his place ahead of Corbisiero. For the South Africans, their side is as conservative as ever but their strong ball carriers of Alberts and Spies give them a physical edge. 

Verdict - The match is going to be very close. I believe England will lose narrowly (less than 5 points) despite a higher scoring game that the neutral will enjoy. England will neutralise the South African set piece but once again loose out to physicality, experience and a superior kicking game. 


by Chris Sumner-Smith (@csumnersmith) 

New Zealand v Ireland : Test 2 - Preview

Ireland Will Face The Haka Once Again This Saturday

Teams

Ireland: 

15) Rob Kearney 14) Fergus McFadden 13) Brian O'Driscoll (C) 12) Gordon D'Arcy 11) Andrew Trimble 10) Jonathan Sexton 9) Connor Murray 1) Cian Healy 2) Rory Best 3) Mike Ross 4) Dan Tuohy 5) Donnacha Ryan 6) Kevin McLaughlin 7) Sean O'Brien 8) Jamie Heaslip.

Subs Cronin, Fitzpatrick, O'Callaghan, O'Mahony, Reddan, O'Gara, Zebo

New Zealand: 

15) Israel Dagg 14) Zac Guildford 13) Conrad Smith 12) Sonny-Bill Williams 11) Julian Savea 10) Dan Carter 9)  Aaron Smith 1) Tony Woodcock 2) Andrew Hore 3) Owen Franks 4) Brodie Retallick 5) Sam Whitelock 6) Adam Thomson 7) Richie McCaw 8) Keiran Read

Subs Elliot, B. Franks, A. Williams, Cane, Weepu, Cruden, B. Smith

Key Battles

Ross v Woodcock

Mike Ross returns from injury to face perhaps the best performing prop in word rugby. Ross' last performance in an Ireland shirt was at Twickenham before being scrummaged off the park and into the injury room. On Saturday the signs are ominous that Ross will again be smashed in the scrum. If Ireland want to maintain any dignity Ross will need to put the Irish on the front foot and try to build a base for the Irish to play off.

Verdict - Woodcock

O'Brien v McCaw

New Zealand thrive off quick ball, Sean O'Brien must be on his game to slow this down not only at the base but also to slow down the magnificent Daniel Carter. O'Brien struggled with the Sotuhern Hemisphere interperatation of the breakdown law on Saturday giving away a number of penalties and just allowing New Zealand to keep ticking the score away to put the Kiwis out in front. Equally, McCaw will always slow down any teams play and the Irish need to nullify his prowess in order to build a platform for Johnny Sexton to play off. 

Verdict - McCaw

Sexton v Carter

For periods in the first test, Ireland played some lovely rugby with Sexton pushing the gain line and throwing passes which led to line breaks. Despite this Carter was able to gain the upper hand and a sublime kicking game putting the All Blacks in the right place before kicking his goals. For Ireland to hold a chance of winning on Saturday Ireland need to unlock Sexton's range of passing while putting pressure on the unflappable Carter in some form. 

Verdict - Carter

Prediction

Last week represented the gulf in class between the Kiwis and Irish, this week will be much the same. Whilst the ever impressive Brian O'Driscoll has been moved back to his favoured outside centre role, Gordon D'Arcy has been moved to the inside centre, a move which  represents the backwards nature of Irish rugby. Simply put D'Arcy is too old, too slow and not skillful enough, to make it worse, he will be facing the brutish natural talent of Sonny-Bill Williams who will run over, around and throw D'Arcy all day. This will personify the whole game, New Zealand have too much class, power and skill, whilst Ireland may show fighting spirit they just are not in the same league as the World Cup champions. 

Verdict - New Zealand win by at least 20 points. 

Australia v Wales: Test 2 - Preview

 Wales Recall Former Captain Matthew Rees

Teams


Australia: 
15) Adam Ashley-Cooper 14) Cooper Vuna 13) Rob Horne 12) Pat McCabe 11) Digby Ioane 10) Berrick Barnes 9) Will Genia 1) Benn Robinson 2) Tatufa Polota-Nau 3) Sekupe Kepu 4) Rob Simmons 5) Nathan Sharpe 6) Scott Higginbotham 7) David Pocock (C) 8) Wycliff Palu


Subs- Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander, Dave Dennis, Michael Hooper, Nic White, Anthony Fainga'a, Mike Harris


Wales:
15) Leigh Halfpenny 14) Alex Cuthbert 13) Jonathan Davies 12) Ashley Beck 11) George North 10) Rhys Priestland 9) Mike Phillips 1) Gethin Jenkins 2) Matthew Rees 3) Adam Jones 4) Bradley Davies 5) Alun Wyn-Jones 6) Dan Lydiate 7) Sam Warburton 8) Ryan Jones


Subs - Richard Hibbard, Paul James, Luke Charteris, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb, James Hook, Scott Williams


Key Battles


Kepu vs Jenkins 


Kepu is able to shake off an injuty for this weeks match but much like last week the match must be won up front first. The experienced Jenkins and Welsh front row will need to dominate this area from the start in order to give their backs a platform to perform from. With Kepu recovering from a week forearm, it is up to Jenkins to really push Kepu and force the penalties and a solid scrum.


Verdict - Jenkins


Pocock v Warburton


Last week saw arguably the two best opensides in the world pit against each other. Pocock was able to get the better of Warburton slowing ball down and not allowing the Welsh to properly release their backs. In Saturday's test Warburton has to show the form which made him stand out in the Rugby World Cup and to slow down Australian ball. At the same time Warburton must strike a balance between a nuisance and a penalty count not allowing Barnes to slowly tick over the scores allowing Wales to fall behind.


Verdict - Pocock


Genia v Phillips


Genia was undoubtedly the hearbeat of Australia's victory at the weekend, single handedly running the game and scoring a try in the process. In contrast Phillips was the manifestation of the Welsh failure, repeated inacurate plagued the Welsh with Phillips throwing such a poor pass to Rhys Priestland in the 60th minute butchering a try which could have put Wales ahead. Phillips must improve to secure a Welsh game whilst the likes of Lydiate and Warburton must get to and slow the outstanding Genia.


Verdict - Genia 


Prediction


Wales need to step up from last week, inaccuracy plagued their play and they were punished by the Australians. With the George North shaking off an injury Wales will gain an attacking threat, however, the accuaracy most exist to release their most outstanding threat. Clearly by recalling Matthew Rees and naming a huge second row of Wyn-Jones and Davies Wales will look to slow down the play of Australia and knock lumps out of their opponents. Despite this the class of Austrlia is likely to show through. Saturday was a much improved performance from the Scotland game, with the pressure Deans is under he will demand another victory and a closed book on the series. 


Verdict -Australia to pull through by 5.

2012/13 Heineken Cup Pools Announced

Despite the ever changing future of European Rugby, today the pools for the 2012/13 competition have been announced. New boys Exeter have been drawn in the 'group of death' along with defending champions Leinster, last years semi finalists Clermont Auvergne and the ever impressive Welsh province the Scarlets.

Elsewhere Itlalian new boys Zebre join English champions Harlequins whilst in Pool 1 last years semi finalists Edinburgh join the experienced Munster as well as Saracens and Racing Metro.

All Pools and Predictions


Pool 1 - Munster (Q), Edinburgh, Saracens, Racing Metro
Pool 2 - Touluse (Q), Leicester (q), Ospreys, Treviso
Pool 3 - Biarritz (q), Harlequins (Q), Connacht, Zebre
Pool 4 - Northampton, Ulster (Q), Glasgow, Castres
Pool 5 - Leinster (Q), Clermont, Scarlets, Exeter
Pool 6 - Cardiff, Toulon (Q), Sale, Montpellier

Q = Group Winners
q = Best Placed Runners Up

South Africa vs England - Highlights

Some fantastic highlights of England vs South Africa from Saturday covering all of the main turning points of the match.

See what turned out to be a physical battle where South Africa came out on top.

Video courtesy of Bradley McNab

Premiership Confirms Heineken Cup Exit

Today the Aviva Premiership has announced that they plan to leave the Heineken Cup competition. It is the belief that the termination of the contract will be due to issues relating to the cutting of competition size and issues relating to 'qualification, competition formats and marketing'

Despite the decision we do expect the European Cup to exist in some format following the 2013/14 season with a similar make up to how it exists currently with a deal to be met between the ERC and governing bodies of both French and English rugby in the coming weeks and months.

Full Statement 

' Following recent media interest, Premiership Rugby confirms that it has given notice, effective 1stJune 2012, under the terms of the European Rugby Cup (ERC) Accord and understands that notice has also been served by other parties to the Accord. Such notice period expires at the end of the 2013/2014 tournament at which time, therefore, the Accord will terminate.

"We hope that there will now be an urgent dialogue about the future of European cup rugby, including qualification, competition formats and ambition to expand into new markets," said Premiership Rugby Chief Executive Mark McCafferty.'' ' 

England Back's Selection Dilemma

Mike Brown's Thumb Injury Being Treated

England not only lost the first test against South Africa on Saturday but also two of their starting backline. The impressive Mike Brown suffered a thumb injury leading to him having to be flown home whilst centre Brad Barritt suffered a horrific lacerated eye ball and a 'minor' operation meaning he will miss at least the second test. Hence Staurt Lancaster is left with a selection dilemma and below I will attempt to hypothesise and put forward a number of options for him to consider.

It would be hard after to Saturday to legitimately drop any player, and so it would be fair to keep the remaining 5 of the backline (Youngs, Farrell, Tuilagi Ashton and Foden) in the squad. Lancaster's first option would be to bring Jonathan Joseph in as well as Toby Flood. Reportedly England had been playing Flood at 12 in training with Farrell at 10 before the first test. With Flood at 12 Tuilagi would remain at 13 with Jonathan Joesph moving to the wing and Ben Foden moving to full back. The advantages would be the creativity of Joseph as well as the ball distribution of Flood and the extra kicking option. The disadvantage would be having a smaller Jonathan Joseph on the wing who would be vulnerable to Morne Steyn's beloved high ball. As well as this Flood is historically not the most accomplished defender and it could lead to a defensive weakness in the centre partnership.

The second option is more conservative but potentially a safer bet. Anthony Allen is on tour and part of a well functioning Leicester back line along with Manu Tuilagi, Toby Flood and Ben Youngs. Given Farrell's under par performance Lancaster may be tempted to move Flood to fly half and use the Leicester midfield before putting Jonathan Joseph on the wing. Personally, it was one of my favourite options with defensive strength and an understanding between each of the midfield players. Despite this, Lancaster has chosen Allen at outside centre for England's mid week game, making it unlikely Allen will feature on Saturday.

Another option for Lancaster would to play either Flood or Joesph in the centres with Alex Goode at full back, however, again Goode has been picked at full back for England's mid week game. The same issue applies to a number of players including the impressive Christian Wade who could have made an impact on the wing for England.

England's final option would be to play Ugo Monye on the wing or at full back retaining Ben Foden and putting Jonathan Joseph in the centres with Manu Tuilagi and Owen Farrell at fly half. Monye though has never traditionally been a fantastic high ball catcher but he has played in South Africa before with the Lions. His experience potentially puts him in a good position to start despite not playing for England since the 2010 six nations.

Ultimately there are a number of permutations that can be discussed, too many to be mentioned on this article. The article itself is mixed up and I understand hard to follow, but hopefully it gives an impression of what is going on inside Stuart Lancaster and Mike Catt's head. What I expect  to happen given the training and bench selections for both of England's matches is to see a backline of:

9) Youngs 10) Farrell 11) Ashton 12) Flood 13) Tuilagi 14) Joseph 15) Foden

Bench: Dickson, Strettle, Monye

Like it or not it will probably be a better kicking back line with more pace but lacking a bit of defensive nouse. Come Thursday the side will be kicked and this article is likely to be prooven wrong. If anybody has a backline they would like to see, comment here or tweet us @RugbyReview

by Sam Hall

South Africa 21-17 England - English Player Ratings

England Captain Chris Robshaw Following His Sides Defeat

South Africa’s physical advantage and superior kicking game was enough to give them a 1-0 lead in the 3 test series. Despite this, no English fans should be disheartened by a narrow loss to one of rugby’s super powers and there was glimpses of a very good English side.

Player Ratings:

Joe Marler-6.5- Marler had a decent debut performance, holding his own against a very physical front row. In open play, he brought dynamism which we would normally associate with a flanker shown by a couple of crucial turn overs. He also seems to have ridden himself of his immaturity and anger issues. A promising start.

Dylan Hartley-5.5- An exceptional line out game where he hit all of his jumpers, however, he didn’t show his talent in ball carrying that we’ve come to expect and he was also guilty of a few missed tackles, be that they were on much faster men.

Dan Cole-5.5- Had a few strong carries but appeared to be beaten back in the scrum several times. His legs seemed to fade and we barely saw him in the second half. Not an eye catching game in any sense.

Mouritz Botha-7- He proved to be effective both in the tight with the line out and also in the loose. Made countless tackles and was never afraid to front up. Very decent game against his country of birth.

Geoff Parling-6- He ran a very efficient line out unit (10 from 10 on their own throw and 3 steals on South African throws). However, he is not a very effective ball carrier and was often seen to go in too high. But those line out stats mean any rating lower than a 6 can’t be justified.

Tom Johnson-7- Despite being England’s only real option as a true blind side, he justified his selection any way. He showed that he had gas in the open field whilst also proving effective at the break down. Perhaps overworked himself in the first half as he appeared to fade away- strong game nonetheless.

Chris Robshaw-8.5- Captain Fantastic. We all knew he was a world class player but we finally saw he could be a world class open side flanker too. An absolute menace over the ball and was a leading hand (along with Johnson) in an England side forcing 17 turnovers. Only criticism could be that he decided to pick and go when sometimes it wasn’t the best option available. His stats say it all however, 21 tackles, 31 rucks hit and 4 turnovers, all of which were highest on the pitch.

Ben Morgan-5- He was virtually anonymous for large patches of the game and could perhaps be seen to be lacking fitness levels due to his large build. Missed a few tackles too. However, we did still see glimpses of why he was picked in the first place with a couple of very strong runs.

Ben Youngs-6- It seems that Ben has finally realised how to force the tempo by taking the ball as soon as it becomes available. However, this came at the price of a strong kicking game. His box kicks were often too long and did not give his chasers a chance.

Owen Farrell-5- Solid goal kicking but that’s about the only positive thing I can say. His kicking from hand was poor and he often wasted turnover ball by kicking. His passing was temperamental and he didn’t really give his outside backs much opportunity to have a run.

Ben Foden-7.5- I was unsure about his selection on the wing but he certainly justified it in this game. He had one very strong run after recovering a restart and finished off a try brilliantly. Can’t fault him and his rating would’ve been higher if he had actually received more ball, he can blame his 10 and 12 for that.

Brad Barritt-5- Despite being his usual brave self in defence, he just didn’t offer enough on the ball. He is a blunt ball carrier but lacks pace and a kicking game and thus this game didn’t suit him. England looked a lot more exciting when Toby Flood came on.

Manu Tuilagi-8.5- England’s best player alongside Robshaw. He was England’s most effective attacking threat and achieved the mean feat of bouncing off John De Villiers, not just once, but twice. Also was very decent in defence with one outstanding hit on Pierre Spies saving a probable try. Finally showing he’s more than just a raw talent.

Chris Ashton-8- In my eyes, this is the best we have seen Ashton play since the 2011 Six Nations games against Wales and Italy. Whilst it was not his normal game of tracking lines, we finally saw him able to step defenders when one on one. He made several line breaks and was very solid in defence too.

Mike Brown-6.5- A missed tackle for South Africa’s second try and a sliced kick into touch means that Brown’s performance doesn’t receive a top rating. However, he was a rock under the high ball and showed glimpses of attacking talent too. Finally ready to be an international 15.

Subs-6- I would’ve liked to see J Joseph get more game time as in the 4 minutes he had, he made one line break. Toby Flood had a decent game at 12 but didn’t look entirely comfortable in defence- I would start him next test. Doran-Jones looked frankly useless. Palmer and Dickson both added something too.

By Chris Sumner-Smith (@csumnersmith) 

South Africa v England - Preview

Teams:

England                             South Africa

Brown              15          Kirchner

Ashton              14          Peietersen

Tuilagi               13          De Villiers

Barritt               12          F.Steyn

Foden               11          Habana

Farrell               10          M.Steyn

Youngs               9          Houghaard 

Morgan               8          Spies

Robshaw             7          Alberts

Johnson               6          Coeetzee

Botha                  5          Etzebeth

Parling                 4          Kurger

Cole                    3          J.Du Plessis

Hartley                2          B.Du Plessis

Marler                 1          Mtawarira 

Replacements

Doran-Jones                   Strauss

Mears                            Oosthuizen

Palmer                           van der Merwe

Downson                       Daniel

Dickson                         Pieenar

Flood                            Lambie

Joseph                          Oliver

Key Battles

Cole v Mtawarira

This game will be won in the forwards, but the backs will need the platform to attack. If Cole is able to replicate his form against Ireland he has a fighting chance. If Mtawarira is able to repeat the form he showed in the first test against the Lions then he will easily outscrum Cole. Whatever Graham Rowntree may say, the aim is for parity.

Verdict - Mtawarira

Botha v Etzebeth

Both South Africans, both work horses, but on different side. The 6'8 Etzebeth is a mammoth of a man and will sure be a regular in the South African side for years to come. However, the man is only 20 and will be getting his first taste of international rugby. Botha is the English work horse, willing to put his body in dangerous positions. His ball carrying, tenacity at the breakdown and tackle count will be crucial in England stopping the South African style of game. If England are to win the likes of Botha, Robshaw and Marler will have to be on top of their game.

Verdict  - Botha

Farrell v Steyn

Both sides bring a kicking game to the fore when playing. Morne Steyn has been in outstanding form and is needed to exploit the new backline combination. If the battle is won in the forwards, Steyn will be crucial in ticking the scores over and pinning England back into their own half. Likewise Farrell will play the same role, if not a more expansive game releasing the likes of Tuilagi and Ashton. This battle decides very much in what is to happen in the forwards.

Verdict - Farrell

Prediction

To stop the South Africans there are two things England would have to do. Win the set piece and win the physcial battle. With weeks together, there will be parity in the scrum and England will have the better lineout. In terms of physicality it is something we will only see on the day, but with two South African born players in the side, and under the guidance of Lancaster and Rowntree we should not underestimate the physicality of the England side picked to play. The choice of Marler gives England a more mobile prop who can make the tackles and Tom Johnson will certainly bring an Exeter fighting spirit with him into the England set up. Equally, if South Africa want to win, they will just need to physically batter the English and last longer than them. A physical battering along with the kicking of Morne Steyn may be good enough to defeat the English. Elsewhere, Mike Brown and Ben Foden have been chosen to nullify the effect of Steyn's kicking and if the decision works it could be enough to stop the kicking game and draw the match into a physical beasting.

Verdict - The match is going to be very close. It will be within 7 points each way and Rugby Review predicts an England win after having acheived scrum parity, lineout domination and a victory in the physical and kicking game. There will most likely be a try for an outside back and a back row forward. 

England Name Side For South Africa

New Cap Tom Johnson

Stuart Lancaster has named new cap Joe Marler to start in the front row for Saturday's test against South Africa. The Halrequins player has had an outstanding season and benefits from Alex Corbisiero's injury to earn a call up for the first a full England debut. Elsewhere in the forwards Tom Johnson earns a first full international cap following an impressive display against the Barbarians. The Exeter Chief fills in for the missing Tom Croft and Tom Wood. James Haskell has been left out of the squad due to little training time giving the 29 year old chief a chance to prove himself in South Africa. Dylan Hartley returns to the England front row after an eight week ban for biting, with Dan Cole making up the rest of the front row. Elsewhere Chris Robshaw will start at openside as captain with Ben Morgan continuing from the end of the six nations at number 8. Geoff Parling starts at second row with the South African born Mouritz Botha making up the forward pack to partner Parling in the second row.

In the backs there is recall for Ben Youngs. Youngs had begun to show the form which made him an England regular under Martin Johnson at the end of the season and has earned a recall pushing Lee Dickson down to the bench. The only other change from England's team who faced Ireland at Twickenham in the last match of the 6 Nations, sees Ben Foden replacing David Strettle on the wing with another Harlequin Mike Brown moving to full back.

On the bench, Jonathan Joseph sits ready to gain his first full international cap. Alongside him sit the axed Lee Dickson in the number 2 fly half Toby Flood. England have also named Paul Doran-Jones on the bench and there is no place for James Haskell, Christian Wade or Alex Corbisiero.

The team selection indicates a more mobile pack with the selection of Marler and Johnson instead of the likes of Dowson and Corbisiero. Choosing Brown at full back opens England's counter attack game more and by picking Foden on the wing, it is a clear move from Lancaster to deal with the high balls and have a structured attacking game. Brad Barritt and Manu Tuilagi in the centres will do a lot of ball carrying and tackling in order to stop the South African pack moving forward and potentially could stop the South African forwards game.

15) Brown 14) Foden 13) Tuilagi 12) Barritt 11) Ashton 10) Farrell 9) Youngs
8) Morgan 7) Robshaw 6) Johnson 5) Botha 4) Parling 3) Marler 2) Hartley 1) Cole

Replacements - Mears, Doran-Jones, Palmer, Dowson, Dickson, Flood, Joseph

Meyer Names South African Side

Springbok Captain Jean De Villiers With New Head Coach Heynke Meyer

Heynke Meyer has named an inexperienced side for South Africa's first of a three match test series against England on Saturday. Jean De Villiers starts as captain in the centres with Racing Metro star Francois Steyn who starts at inside centre. The ever impressive Morne Steyn will start at fly half next to Francois Houghaard, the rapid Blue Bull, who starts at scrum half. Elsewhere in the backs Bryan Habana starts on the wing with Zane Kirchner the Blue Bulls star, starting at full back with JP Pietersen on the other wing. Suprisingly the highly impressive wings of Lwazi Mvovo and Bjorn Basson have been left out of the squad for Saturdays game, both have arguably been in more form and played more on the wings than both Pietersen and Habana who have both been playing at 13 this year.

Up front there is an all Natal front row with the De Plesis brothers accompanying Tendai 'The Beast' Mtawarira. At second row, the experienced pairing of Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield have been replaced by the huge 6'8 20 year old Eben Etzebeth and Blue Bulls Juandré Kruger who makes up a partnership with no caps. The line up is completed in the back row with new cap Marcell Coetzee
starting atopenside with Willem Alberts at 6 and the experienced Pierre Spies at number 8.

The side named by Meyer will face England on Saturday in what we will expect to be a bruising test series. Dan Cole has already said how Meyer brought a 'tough bullying style' to Leicester, this uncompromising stance is expected in his South Africa side. It has long been style of South African rugby to throw forwards round the corner before using the kicking game of Morne Steyn. With Meyer the same style is expected with more ruthless agression and organisation than the Peter De Villers regime.

15) Kirchner 14) Pietersen 13) De Villiers (C) 12) F.Steyn 11) Habana 10) M.Steyn 9) Hougaard                 1) Mtawarira 2) B.du Plessis 3) J.du Plessis 4) Etzebeth 5) Kruger 6) Coetzee 7) Alberts 8) Spies

16) Adriann Strauss, 17) Coenie Oosthuizen, 18) Flip Van Der Merwe, 19) Keegan Daniel, 20) Ruan Pienaar, 21) Pat Lambie, 22) Wynand Olivier

Scotland Drown Aussies 9-6

Scotland's Back Row in Awful Conditions 

Scotland have won in Australia for the first time in 30 years. The 9-6 win was in absolutely torrid storm conditions with both sides falling fowl to some handling errors. The night was in no way designed for running rugby with head down forward play the order of the day.

Greg Laidlaw the dimunitive Scottish fly half put two penalties over in the first half only for Rob Harris on his debut start for the Wallabies to respond to make it 6-3 at halftime. The shocking conditions meant there were no line breaks in the first half, with Scotland coming closest to a try with a fantastic up and under from Stuart Hogg and a good chase for Joe Ansbro following a drop from Will Genia, Austrlia's scrum half.

Australia started the second half quickly with Harris knocking over a penalty to level the games in the first ten minutes. Then followed a 30 minute barrage on the Scottish line with successive five metre scrums as well as an Australian attack held up over the line. 

However, following unbelievable defence for 30 minutes, Scotland were able to win a scrum just outside the Wallabies 22. After a big heave, and a reset, Euan Murray won a penalty for Scottish fly half Greg Laidlaw. One minute after the hooter, Laidlaw kicked the penalty out to the left just on the 22 to win the game. Wild celebrations were sparked with Ross Rennie flying into Joe Ansbro splitting his eyebrow. A fantastic performance in horrible conditions, Andy Robinson may have saved his job with a wonderfully committed performance from the Scots despite the best efforts of Daivd Pocock and Will Genia. 

Man of The Match - Ross Rennie.
The Scottish openside made 24 tackles today missing none. His physical battering of the Aussies epitomised the Scottish spirit and led them to their first win down under for 30 years.

Also just a quick comparison. This is a direct copy and paste from the prediction the Rugby Review made in the preview, which people can view, its easier just to put it here.


''Prediction- This is Scotland's best opportunity to win down under for a number of years against an inexperienced Australia side and an out of form fly half. They will dominate against a weak Australian scrum and with their extra weeks of training as a side will be able to dominate the set piece. However, they have a problem with try scoring and if they struggle to do so, could be punished by the Australian back line. If the conditions are dry expect an Australian win by 8, if they are wet, Scotland can nick it by 3.''


Rugby Review- Perfect Prediction  ✔

Australia v Scotland - Preview

Scotland Coach Andy Robinson

Andy Robinson's Scotland face Australia on Tuesday at the Hunter Stadium in Newcastle, harboring ambitions of a first win 'down under' since 1982. Both teams have named relatively inexperienced back lines with Scotland naming Matthew Scott at inside centre for his first start at full international level. Robinson has also named four cap exciting full back Stuart Hogg as well as the 80kg fly half Greg Laidlaw who himself only has seven caps. Australia have named the Brumbies Joe Tomane to start his first test at full back with Reds Luke Morahan and Rob Harris gaining starts on the wing and in the centres.

Despite the relative inexperience of the backs divisions, they both boast significant excitement for Tuesdays match, if Stuart Hogg can replicate a try of the same standard as this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XHHp5lEulY against England Saxons, then we are in for an exciting game of rugby.

Elsewhere Berrick Barnes has been named as Austrlia fly half following injuries to Quade Cooper, James O'Connor and Kurtley Beale. There is also though a place for the increasingly in form Will Genia and his Reds teammate Digby Ioane.

Up front both sides have debuting props with Dan Palmer of Australia and Ryan Grant of Scotland both starting their first international games. Dave Dennis also starts his first game at six alongside stand in captain David Pocock following the injury to regular captain James Horwill. Scotland are also missing their standout number 8 David Denton due to inury and replace him with experienced international John Barclay.

Scotland can go into this game confident, Australia have a very inexperienced side who will have had almost no time to prepare following matches this weekend between the Brumbies and Rebels. If ever there was a time to end the 30 year losing streak in Australia, this is the opportunity. Scotland have beaten Australia in recent years with a 9-8 win in the two sides last meeting in November 2009.

Prediction- This is Scotland's best opportunity to win down under for a number of years against an inexperienced Australia side and an out of form fly half. They will dominate against a weak Australian scrum and with their extra weeks of training as a side will be able to dominate the set piece. However, they have a problem with try scoring and if they struggle to do so, could be punished by the Australian back line. If the conditions are dry expect an Australian win by 8, if they are wet, Scotland can nick it by 3.

Australia: 15 Luke Morahan, 14 Joe Tomane, 13 Anthony Fainga'a, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Will Genia, 1 James Slipper, 2 Stephen Moore, 3 Dan Palmer, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 6 Dave Dennis, 7 David Pocock (C), 8 Scott Higginbotham
Replacements: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Rob Simmons, 19 Michael Hooper, 20 Nick Phipps, 21 Pat McCabe, 22 Adam Ashley Cooper


Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Joe Ansbro, 13 Nick De Luca, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Greig Laidlaw, 9 Mike Blair; 1 Ryan Grant, 2 Ross Ford (C), 3 Euan Murray, 4 Alastair Kellock, 5 Richie Gray, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 7 Ross Rennie, 8 John Barclay
Replacements:16 Scott Lawson, 17 Jon Welsh, 18 Tom Ryder, 19 Richie Vernon, 20 Chris Cusiter, 21 Duncan Weir, 22 Tom Brown