Dominant wins mark Nations Championship round three
France secures decisive victory over Japan
The third round of the inaugural Nations Championship saw several teams achieve significant winning margins. France initiated this trend with a 42-15 victory against Japan in Tokyo. The Six Nations champions scored six tries, with hooker Maxime Lamothe and fullback Matthieu Jalibert each contributing a brace. Number 8 Alexandre Roumat and scrumhalf Maxime Lucu also scored tries for France, with Lucu and Romain Ntamack successfully converting all the scores.
This result was particularly important for France, following a narrow loss to New Zealand and a subsequent win against Australia. Captain Lucu commented on the high-level play, noting the significant ball-in-play time and intensity of the matches. The French performance was described as resolute, with the combination of Lucu, Ntamack, and Jalibert proving effective in setting the team on a winning path. Lamothe, Emmanuel Meafou, and Lenni Nouchi were noted for their command of the pack.
Maxime Lamothe had a strong outing, managing the French lineout and driving maul effectively, scoring two tries, and making seven tackles before being substituted. Regis Montagne also had a positive evening, securing two scrum penalties and showing commitment to France’s attacking momentum, alongside making ten successful tackles. Emmanuel Meafou, the Toulouse lock, made several carries, gaining ground and proving a formidable presence against Japanese defenders. Lenni Nouchi, the blindside flanker, was instrumental in disrupting Japanese plays and narrowing their attacking options from set-pieces. Alexandre Roumat was a vigorous driving force, challenging Japan’s defence with his physicality and scoring a try. Maxime Lucu delivered another strong performance, converting five scores and directing the team, also scoring a try from a ruck play. Matthieu Jalibert, despite receiving a yellow card, was effective in attacking the Japanese line, scoring two tries.
Australia and South Africa secure commanding wins
In Perth, Australia ended a streak of six consecutive defeats with a 57-10 victory over Italy. Lock Josh Canham scored a hat-trick of tries, contributing to a total of nine tries for the Australian side. Other try-scorers included Tom Wright, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Angus Bell, Len Ikitau, Billy Pollard, and Ben Donaldson. Ryan Lonergan added five conversions, and Donaldson contributed one. For Italy, captain Michele Lamaro and Australia-born Monty Ioane scored tries. This win served as a farewell for retiring coach Joe Schmidt, who concluded his tenure with a record of 12 wins and 19 defeats.
The Springboks continued their strong start to the competition by defeating Wales 43-0 in Durban, scoring seven tries. Number 8 Jasper Wiese, scrumhalves Cobus Reinach and Herschel Jantjies, centre Jesse Kriel, flanker Paul de Villiers, and wingers Jaco Williams and Kurt-Lee Arendse all crossed for tries. Despite the dominant scoreline, the performance was not without missed opportunities for the home side. Wales, on the other hand, were held scoreless for the second consecutive game and did not manage to get into the contest.
Scotland and England also claim victories
In another match, Scotland overcame an early deficit against Fiji, eventually outscoring them by five tries to three. Fiji had led 17-7 at halftime. Scotland secured an important bonus point, with Jamie Dobie scoring two tries, and forwards Jonny Gray, Pierre Schoeman, and Scott Cummings each scoring one. Fergus Burke converted three of the tries, and George Horne added one conversion. This victory highlighted the inconsistency that has been a point of frustration for Scottish fans, as the team had previously beaten Argentina away and nearly upset South Africa in Pretoria.
England secured back-to-back wins, defeating Argentina 31-24 in the weekend’s closest encounter. Ben Earl scored two tries for England in a match characterised by yellow cards, penalties, and altercations. Other try-scorers for England included Tommy Freeman, Marcus Smith, and man-of-the-match Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Fin Smith kicked three conversions. Argentina’s scores came from Mateo Carreras and Justin Piccardo, along with a penalty try in the second half, and Tomas Albornoz contributed a penalty and two conversions.
The Nations Championship will now pause for four months, with matches scheduled to resume in November in the northern hemisphere.
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Source: rnz.co.nz
