England 59 v 13 Italy 12th February 2011 14:30 Twickenham Six Nations OverviewPreviewReportLineupsStatisticsFormationEngland59 - 13(Half Time 31 - 6)Sat 12th Feb 11, 14:30Venue: TwickenhamReferee: Craig JoubertItaly
Match Report
12 February 2011, 4:18 pm ::Match Report by Daniel Schofield, SportsbeatAshton grabs four tries in England romp
Chris Ashton continued his red-hot form with an incredible four tries as England's RBS 6 Nations campaign gathered further momentum with a thumping 59-13 defeat of Italy.
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Share After crossing twice against Wales, Ashton repeated the trick within 24 minutes at Twickenham while Mark Cueto and Mike Tindall ended their long try droughts at international level with a score apiece before halftime.
Ashton equalled the Six Nations Championship record of six tries held by Shane Williams and Will Greenwood with two further scores in the second half with replacement Danny Care and flanker James Haskell joining in on the act.
Both teams had been forced into late changes with England bringing in Alex Corbisiero for Andrew Sheridan but the young debutant passed his scrummaging test with flying colours against the formidable Martin Castrogiovanni.
Italy boss Nick Mallett's bad luck with half backs again struck with scrum-half Pablo Canavosio, himself an injury replacement, had to be replaced by scrum-half Fabio Semenzato who had little impact on the match.
England supporters did not have to wait long to see the opening try which was almost a mirror image of Ashton's first score against Wales.
Flood, fed by half-back partner Ben Youngs, shot through a gap in the Italian defence and drew Luke McLean's tackle before finding Ashton who ignored Martin Johnson's pre-match instructions by repeating his swan-dive over the line.
Fortunately for the rugby league convert, the ball was grounded safely and Flood converted before exchanging penalties with Mirco Bergamasco.
The Italian winger's second penalty reduced the hosts' lead to four points but that was as good as it got for the Azzurri at Twickenham.
On 24 minutes an England rolling maul made ground down the left, Youngs moved the ball to Shontayne Hape who broke the feeble tackle of Luciano Orquera before offloading to Ashton on his shoulder to touch down. Flood converted for a 17-6 lead.
While Ashton has been in phenomenal scoring form since bursting onto the international scene against France in last year's Six Nations, England's other wing Cueto had not crossed in his previous 18 Tests.
But that drought was broken five minutes later with Flood again the provider for Cueto to dive over with glee.
England were rampant at this point and they got their fourth try through Tindall, whose last international try came four years ago, after a wonderful offload from No.8 Nick Easter.
Flood's fourth conversion of the half gave England a 31-6 advantage.Italy's afternoon went from bad to worse just three minutes into the second half after Castrogiovanni was yellow carded for deliberately preventing Youngs from taking a quick tap penalty.
But just as the prop's spell in the sinbin was due to end, the Italians conceded yet again as replacement Matt Banahan made inroads before Ashton showed his poacher's instinct by snaffling the loose ball and burrowing over.
Flood's conversion was his last act before he was replaced by Jonny Wilkinson as England made a raft of replacements.
One of those fresh faces, scrum-half Care spotted to a gap in the tiring Italian defence to dive over for England's sixth try.
Although replacement hooker Fabio Ongaro bagged a consolation try for the visitors at the back of a rolling maul there was still time for flanker Haskell to barge over before Ashton rounded off his afternoon with another breakaway try.
Replacement fly-half Wilkinson added three conversions but the afternoon belonged to cross-codes convert Ashton who became the first person to score four tries in a Six Nations match.
Rugby Union 6 Nations
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Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Scotland 6 v 24 Wales 12th February 2011 17:00 Murrayfield Six Nations OverviewPreviewReportLineupsStatisticsFormationScotland6 - 24(Half Time 3 - 16)Sat 12th Feb 11, 17:00Venue: MurrayfieldReferee: George ClancyWales
Match Report
12 February 2011, 6:45 pm ::Match Report by Steve BondWilliams at the double as Wales down Scotland
Shane Williams ran in a try in each half as Wales got their RBS 6 Nations campaign off the ground with an impressive 24-6 win against Scotland.
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Share Wales, and boss Warren Gatland, had been under pressure heading into the match having failed to win any of their previous eight fixtures but Williams ensured that record was impressively ended at Murrayfield.
Williams' two scores - one early in the first and the other late in the second - and 14 points from the boot of fly-half No. 10 James Hook did the damage as Wales made light work of an off-colour Scottish side.
Dan Parks kicked six points for the home side but they were ultimately made to pay for some sloppy errors and failing to take any advantage when Wales were reduced to 13 men after two sin-binnings in the first half.
Wales succeeded where they had failed a week previously against England by making the most of some early chances to get on the scoreboard.
The stuttering attacking from the England clash was a distant memory as Williams crossed after eight minutes to open the scoring.
Hook - replacing Stephen Jones at No. 10 - made the decisive break and offloaded to the Ospreys wing for the 33-year-old's 52nd try in the Welsh jersey.
Having created the try Hook added the comfortable extras from under the posts and Gatland's men had a 7-0 lead.
Five minutes later the visitors were ten points to the good when Scotland strayed offside and Hook kicked the resulting penalty.
Wales continued to dominate proceedings and earned themselves another three points - to make it 13-0 - when Ross Ford was penalised for coming into the side of a ruck and Hook duly slotted over.
Scotland might have been down to 14 midway through the half when Hugo Southwell tackled Welsh full-back Lee Byrne in the air but the home full-back was spared the sin-bin.
Southwell was forced off the field with blood streaming from his face but Wales felt the he should have been leaving for differing reasons.
On 21 minutes Wales' perfect start continued when Hook kicked his 11th point of a near-flawless first half after yet another Scottish infringement.
The home side were handed a lifeline two minutes later when Bradley Davies was sent to the sin bin for cynically disrupting a flowing Scottish move with his boot.
And on 26 minutes Wales were down to 13 when Jamie Roberts went the same way as Davies - yellow-carded for a high tackle on Max Evans.
However despite their numerical superiority the home side contrived to waste their advantage - showing a criminal lack of composure to rack up just three points in the remainder of the half through a Dan Parks penalty.
Their struggles - which were not helped by some heroic Welsh defending - were summed up right on the half-time whistle when Parks slipped while striking a shot at goal to leave the welsh 13 points to the good at the interval.
Wales - and Hook - had the first chance to trouble the scorers after the interval when the Scottish scrum buckled on 46 minutes but the France-bound utility back's long-distance penalty didn't have the legs.
Scotland got themselves to within ten points when Parks kicked his second penalty on 57 minutes.
And they might have been within touching distance heading into the last 20 minutes but Andy Robinson's men contrived to waste two inviting overlaps.
But it was Wales who grabbed the next points with another Hook penalty - his last action before being replaced by Jones.
Gatland's side could have been celebrating their second score of the game with Jamie Roberts bearing down on the try line after Scotland had contrived to lose possession on the half-way line.
The Blues centre was hauled back Sean Lamont but minutes later Scotland infringed again and Hook made it 19-6.
The game was finished 11 minutes from time when Williams added his second of the day after yet more sloppy Scottish play on the half-way line.
Nikki Walker's pass went astray and Williams dashed onto a Jonathan Davies kick ahead for his 53rd try of his international career.
Jones missed the conversion but it didn't matter as Wales grabbed their first win in nine games to get their Six Nations campaign back on track.
Match Report
12 February 2011, 6:45 pm ::Match Report by Steve BondWilliams at the double as Wales down Scotland
Shane Williams ran in a try in each half as Wales got their RBS 6 Nations campaign off the ground with an impressive 24-6 win against Scotland.
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Share Wales, and boss Warren Gatland, had been under pressure heading into the match having failed to win any of their previous eight fixtures but Williams ensured that record was impressively ended at Murrayfield.
Williams' two scores - one early in the first and the other late in the second - and 14 points from the boot of fly-half No. 10 James Hook did the damage as Wales made light work of an off-colour Scottish side.
Dan Parks kicked six points for the home side but they were ultimately made to pay for some sloppy errors and failing to take any advantage when Wales were reduced to 13 men after two sin-binnings in the first half.
Wales succeeded where they had failed a week previously against England by making the most of some early chances to get on the scoreboard.
The stuttering attacking from the England clash was a distant memory as Williams crossed after eight minutes to open the scoring.
Hook - replacing Stephen Jones at No. 10 - made the decisive break and offloaded to the Ospreys wing for the 33-year-old's 52nd try in the Welsh jersey.
Having created the try Hook added the comfortable extras from under the posts and Gatland's men had a 7-0 lead.
Five minutes later the visitors were ten points to the good when Scotland strayed offside and Hook kicked the resulting penalty.
Wales continued to dominate proceedings and earned themselves another three points - to make it 13-0 - when Ross Ford was penalised for coming into the side of a ruck and Hook duly slotted over.
Scotland might have been down to 14 midway through the half when Hugo Southwell tackled Welsh full-back Lee Byrne in the air but the home full-back was spared the sin-bin.
Southwell was forced off the field with blood streaming from his face but Wales felt the he should have been leaving for differing reasons.
On 21 minutes Wales' perfect start continued when Hook kicked his 11th point of a near-flawless first half after yet another Scottish infringement.
The home side were handed a lifeline two minutes later when Bradley Davies was sent to the sin bin for cynically disrupting a flowing Scottish move with his boot.
And on 26 minutes Wales were down to 13 when Jamie Roberts went the same way as Davies - yellow-carded for a high tackle on Max Evans.
However despite their numerical superiority the home side contrived to waste their advantage - showing a criminal lack of composure to rack up just three points in the remainder of the half through a Dan Parks penalty.
Their struggles - which were not helped by some heroic Welsh defending - were summed up right on the half-time whistle when Parks slipped while striking a shot at goal to leave the welsh 13 points to the good at the interval.
Wales - and Hook - had the first chance to trouble the scorers after the interval when the Scottish scrum buckled on 46 minutes but the France-bound utility back's long-distance penalty didn't have the legs.
Scotland got themselves to within ten points when Parks kicked his second penalty on 57 minutes.
And they might have been within touching distance heading into the last 20 minutes but Andy Robinson's men contrived to waste two inviting overlaps.
But it was Wales who grabbed the next points with another Hook penalty - his last action before being replaced by Jones.
Gatland's side could have been celebrating their second score of the game with Jamie Roberts bearing down on the try line after Scotland had contrived to lose possession on the half-way line.
The Blues centre was hauled back Sean Lamont but minutes later Scotland infringed again and Hook made it 19-6.
The game was finished 11 minutes from time when Williams added his second of the day after yet more sloppy Scottish play on the half-way line.
Nikki Walker's pass went astray and Williams dashed onto a Jonathan Davies kick ahead for his 53rd try of his international career.
Jones missed the conversion but it didn't matter as Wales grabbed their first win in nine games to get their Six Nations campaign back on track.
Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Well there have not really been any bad games yet & this was probably one of the most exciting.IRELAND 22-25 FRANCE
Ireland flew at the French right from the kick off & gave them no time to think. After 5 minutes they were a converted try in front. Then France got themselves back into it & penalties were the only scores till half time when Ireland went in just in front at 15 to 12.
After the break France even it with a penalty & then go in front with a converted try. Another penalty put France to 25 points before Ireland can get their second half show on the road. They do that with a converted try & hammer the French line for a winner. Ireland almost manage it with a try with seconds remaining but the crucial pass is knocked on.
France run out winners of an exciting contest in much the same way that Manchester United have been winning games - without a lot of conviction. Not much passion or brilliance on display but just enough effort to win it.
Ireland will bemoan that they just made too many mistakes when it mattered. Neither did they seem to have a player who had the ability to stamp his authority on the game. A lot of passion & effort but no fluency.
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Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
France claimed a tense 25-22
Related LinksMatchcast: Ireland v France
..Ireland racked up a 15-12 lead at half-time courtesy of a tries from Fergus McFadden and Tomas O'Leary, with Jonathan Sexton adding five points with the boot.
But a further try from Jamie Heaslip was not sufficient as Maxime Medard's score and six penalties from Morgan Parra and Dimitri Yachvili ensured that France clinched a hard-fought victory to join England at the top of the Six Nations table with two wins.
Leinster number eight Heaslip returned to bolster Ireland's back-row having missed the opener with an ankle injury, while a season-ending injury suffered by Maxime Mermoz triggered a reshuffle as Damien Traille assumed the Number 12 shirt.
Ireland full-back Luke Fitzgerald hurtled over for a try in the corner inside three minutes, but the referee spotted a forward pass from Sexton in the build up which saw a scrum awarded.
But the hosts did record the game's first points two minutes later as Clement Poitrenaud spilled the ball forward, and McFadden powered over the line to give his side a quite stunning start to the match with Sexton adding the extras.
Parra and Sexton exchanged penalties, but a flurry of composed kicks from the France scrum-half saw Ireland punished for ill-discipline as France assumed a 12-10 lead on the half hour mark.
Ireland were undeterred, and the hosts restored their advantage going into the break, as a second try set Marc Lievremont's side back on the stroke of half-time.
Desperate defending from France could not repel Ireland sufficiently, and one final push from Tomas O'Leary saw the Ireland scrum-half over the line as Declan Kidney's side enjoyed their reward for incessant pressure.
France came out for the second half with renewed vigour and intensity, and Ireland were caught napping as the impeccable Parra added a fifth penalty, only to be swiftly replaced as Yachvili was introduced.
Further damage was inflicted to the hosts as Maxime Medard scythed through the Ireland midfield with an incredibly powerful run following fine open play from Aurelien Rougerie, and Gordon D'Arcy missed a crucial tackle as the visitors established a seven-point lead on the hour mark.
Another penalty was dispatched by Yachvili, before Heaslip goes over in the corner as the beneficiary of a very fortuitous ricochet off Vincent Clerc's boot out on the right wing, and substitute Ronan O'Gara's conversion reduced the arrears to five three points.
Ireland had a glorious opportunity to clinch a last gasp match-winning try in the final minute, but a desperate counter-attack fizzled out disappointingly as Fitzgerald was held agonisingly short of the line and the hosts could not muster a crucial second wave.
France held on to clinch a slender victory, and in so doing joined England at the top of the Six Nations table with four points from their two opening games, while Ireland suffered a significant setback to their Championship campaign.
Dan Quarrell
Related LinksMatchcast: Ireland v France
..Ireland racked up a 15-12 lead at half-time courtesy of a tries from Fergus McFadden and Tomas O'Leary, with Jonathan Sexton adding five points with the boot.
But a further try from Jamie Heaslip was not sufficient as Maxime Medard's score and six penalties from Morgan Parra and Dimitri Yachvili ensured that France clinched a hard-fought victory to join England at the top of the Six Nations table with two wins.
Leinster number eight Heaslip returned to bolster Ireland's back-row having missed the opener with an ankle injury, while a season-ending injury suffered by Maxime Mermoz triggered a reshuffle as Damien Traille assumed the Number 12 shirt.
Ireland full-back Luke Fitzgerald hurtled over for a try in the corner inside three minutes, but the referee spotted a forward pass from Sexton in the build up which saw a scrum awarded.
But the hosts did record the game's first points two minutes later as Clement Poitrenaud spilled the ball forward, and McFadden powered over the line to give his side a quite stunning start to the match with Sexton adding the extras.
Parra and Sexton exchanged penalties, but a flurry of composed kicks from the France scrum-half saw Ireland punished for ill-discipline as France assumed a 12-10 lead on the half hour mark.
Ireland were undeterred, and the hosts restored their advantage going into the break, as a second try set Marc Lievremont's side back on the stroke of half-time.
Desperate defending from France could not repel Ireland sufficiently, and one final push from Tomas O'Leary saw the Ireland scrum-half over the line as Declan Kidney's side enjoyed their reward for incessant pressure.
France came out for the second half with renewed vigour and intensity, and Ireland were caught napping as the impeccable Parra added a fifth penalty, only to be swiftly replaced as Yachvili was introduced.
Further damage was inflicted to the hosts as Maxime Medard scythed through the Ireland midfield with an incredibly powerful run following fine open play from Aurelien Rougerie, and Gordon D'Arcy missed a crucial tackle as the visitors established a seven-point lead on the hour mark.
Another penalty was dispatched by Yachvili, before Heaslip goes over in the corner as the beneficiary of a very fortuitous ricochet off Vincent Clerc's boot out on the right wing, and substitute Ronan O'Gara's conversion reduced the arrears to five three points.
Ireland had a glorious opportunity to clinch a last gasp match-winning try in the final minute, but a desperate counter-attack fizzled out disappointingly as Fitzgerald was held agonisingly short of the line and the hosts could not muster a crucial second wave.
France held on to clinch a slender victory, and in so doing joined England at the top of the Six Nations table with four points from their two opening games, while Ireland suffered a significant setback to their Championship campaign.
Dan Quarrell
Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
more great rugby starting onthe 18th(super 15's) it's almost like rugby heaven at the moment,and scotland will rise again hopefully against england(well we can hope)
Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
After a weekend free it is back to the fray..
England will feel that they have the right balance (at last) going into this game. France will have to 'up the ante' from their Ireland win. On the current form they cannot expect the England side to make mistakes in the same way as Ireland did to rather cause their own downfall last time out. France can certainly improve on the form they have shown so far, but will need to do so as the England back line has looked rejuvenated this series so far.
Wales will be looking to prove that they have learnt something so far in this competition. If they get drawn into a forwards dominated game with Italy then they will have a very tough afternoon. No one wants to lose, but against Italy it is necessary to take a few chances early on. The longer the home side are in the game the harder it will get for Wales. Run in a few early tries to take the pressure off & it will be an easy afternoon. Go in at half time with only penalties on the board & it will be a real battle..
Ireland will not believe that they can be as poor in another game as they were against the French. However, they do not really seem to have that touch of class that they had in the past to win a game either. Scotland were just poor against Wales last time out though. If Ireland get in front early on this could be a real thrashing if they can turn it on. Scotland need to return to the sort of display they showed against France...
Just possibly the Championship decider as the two unbeaten sides meet at Twickenham in today's late kick off.Saturday, 26 February 2011 RBS Six Nations
England v France, 17:00
Italy v Wales, 14:30
Sunday, 27 February 2011 RBS Six Nations
Scotland v Ireland, 15:00
England will feel that they have the right balance (at last) going into this game. France will have to 'up the ante' from their Ireland win. On the current form they cannot expect the England side to make mistakes in the same way as Ireland did to rather cause their own downfall last time out. France can certainly improve on the form they have shown so far, but will need to do so as the England back line has looked rejuvenated this series so far.
Wales will be looking to prove that they have learnt something so far in this competition. If they get drawn into a forwards dominated game with Italy then they will have a very tough afternoon. No one wants to lose, but against Italy it is necessary to take a few chances early on. The longer the home side are in the game the harder it will get for Wales. Run in a few early tries to take the pressure off & it will be an easy afternoon. Go in at half time with only penalties on the board & it will be a real battle..
Ireland will not believe that they can be as poor in another game as they were against the French. However, they do not really seem to have that touch of class that they had in the past to win a game either. Scotland were just poor against Wales last time out though. If Ireland get in front early on this could be a real thrashing if they can turn it on. Scotland need to return to the sort of display they showed against France...
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Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Lievremont lights blue touch paper
21 February 2011, 4:00 pm
France coach Marc Lievremont has turned the heat up on Saturday's potential Grand Slam decider by declaring he dislikes the English.6
Share Already one of rugby’s greatest rivalries, ‘Le Crunch’ takes on added significance this year with both teams winning their opening two games.
But while Lievremont has plenty of respect for England’s recent achievements, he made it clear he will be in no mood for pleasantries when the sides meet for their RBS 6 Nations clash at Twickenham.
And Lievremont added he is not alone in his antipathy towards Martin Johnson’s men.
He said: “We don't like them [the English] and it's better to say that than be hypocritical.
“We respect them - well in my case at least I do. But you couldn't say we have the slightest thing in common.
"We appreciate the Celts and their conviviality and then among all these nations we have one huge thing in common. We all don't like the English.
“We beat Ireland yet left Dublin with the encouragement of all the Irish who said 'for pity's sake, beat the English'.
“With the Scots, it's the same thing. It is also what gives you strength against the English, more than just because of rugby.
"We appreciate our Italian cousins with whom we share the same quality of life.
“This insular country (England), who always drape themselves in the national flag, their hymns, their chants, their traditions. They are people who one regards as a very proud people.
“But we are also very aware, in terms of planning and preparation, that the English are already in 2011 World Cup mode.
“We can feel that all of the English players are physically on a different level."
PS. I will be suppotring England.
21 February 2011, 4:00 pm
France coach Marc Lievremont has turned the heat up on Saturday's potential Grand Slam decider by declaring he dislikes the English.6
Share Already one of rugby’s greatest rivalries, ‘Le Crunch’ takes on added significance this year with both teams winning their opening two games.
But while Lievremont has plenty of respect for England’s recent achievements, he made it clear he will be in no mood for pleasantries when the sides meet for their RBS 6 Nations clash at Twickenham.
And Lievremont added he is not alone in his antipathy towards Martin Johnson’s men.
He said: “We don't like them [the English] and it's better to say that than be hypocritical.
“We respect them - well in my case at least I do. But you couldn't say we have the slightest thing in common.
"We appreciate the Celts and their conviviality and then among all these nations we have one huge thing in common. We all don't like the English.
“We beat Ireland yet left Dublin with the encouragement of all the Irish who said 'for pity's sake, beat the English'.
“With the Scots, it's the same thing. It is also what gives you strength against the English, more than just because of rugby.
"We appreciate our Italian cousins with whom we share the same quality of life.
“This insular country (England), who always drape themselves in the national flag, their hymns, their chants, their traditions. They are people who one regards as a very proud people.
“But we are also very aware, in terms of planning and preparation, that the English are already in 2011 World Cup mode.
“We can feel that all of the English players are physically on a different level."
PS. I will be suppotring England.
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Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Half time score
Italy 11 WALES 21
=D> =D>
Italy 11 WALES 21
=D> =D>-
Welshboy
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Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Final score.
Italy 16 WALES 24
Wales held on to win
=D> =D> =D>
Italy 16 WALES 24
Wales held on to win
=D> =D> =D>
Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Honours about even I think.FULL-TIME: Italy 16-24 Wales
Wales won, but not really the impressive display that they probably wanted.
Italy will feel that with the 'rub of the green' this was a game that they actually could have won.
It is good to see that far from being the easy whipping boys that they were when they joined the 6 nations they are no longer to be taken too lightly. The general fitness & ideas that they lacked are starting to become a thing of the past, while they are managing to maintain a real hard edge in the pack at set pieces. If they can maintain their progress then they are going to become very hard opponents in a few years.
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Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Wales defeat Italy to stay in Six Nations race
Feb 26 2011
Italy 16 Wales 24
Wales kept themselves in the RBS 6 Nations title mix by subduing Italy at Stadio Flaminio – but it was an unconvincing display from Warren Gatland’s team.
First-half tries by wing Morgan Stoddart and flanker Sam Warburton put Wales in charge, yet Italy matched them on touchdowns through scores from centre Gonzalo Canale and skipper Sergio Parisse.
Fly-half Stephen Jones’ 11-point haul ultimately proved crucial as Italy, despite two Mirco Bergamasco penalties, were left to rue four missed shots at goal, before James Hook marked his 50th cap by landing a clinching drop-goal eight minutes from time.
Italy continued to enjoy plenty of possession against a Wales side rattled under pressure, but substitute Luciano Orquera missed a penalty 15 minutes from time that would have brought his team to within two points.
Wales, without threatening to take the game by the scruff of the neck, absorbed the Azzurri’s pressure and looked for a strong finish.
They hauled themselves upfield, and a smart Hook drop-goal eight minutes from time sealed the deal.
It was a case of job done in the end, albeit with en emphasis on hard work, rather than flair or panache.
Captain Matthew Rees believes Wales can still win the RBS 6 Nations despite being made to work hard for a 24-16 victory over Italy in Rome.
Rees admitted he had expected a tough time in Italy but remained upbeat despite being pushed all the way.
Asked if he thought Wales could win the title he said: “Definitely. The last two games have been wins and that’s great for us.”
Rees added on BBC1: “We knew it was going to be tough.
“The scrum wasn’t the best. But we won the game.”
Feb 26 2011
Italy 16 Wales 24
Wales kept themselves in the RBS 6 Nations title mix by subduing Italy at Stadio Flaminio – but it was an unconvincing display from Warren Gatland’s team.
First-half tries by wing Morgan Stoddart and flanker Sam Warburton put Wales in charge, yet Italy matched them on touchdowns through scores from centre Gonzalo Canale and skipper Sergio Parisse.
Fly-half Stephen Jones’ 11-point haul ultimately proved crucial as Italy, despite two Mirco Bergamasco penalties, were left to rue four missed shots at goal, before James Hook marked his 50th cap by landing a clinching drop-goal eight minutes from time.
Italy continued to enjoy plenty of possession against a Wales side rattled under pressure, but substitute Luciano Orquera missed a penalty 15 minutes from time that would have brought his team to within two points.
Wales, without threatening to take the game by the scruff of the neck, absorbed the Azzurri’s pressure and looked for a strong finish.
They hauled themselves upfield, and a smart Hook drop-goal eight minutes from time sealed the deal.
It was a case of job done in the end, albeit with en emphasis on hard work, rather than flair or panache.
Captain Matthew Rees believes Wales can still win the RBS 6 Nations despite being made to work hard for a 24-16 victory over Italy in Rome.
Rees admitted he had expected a tough time in Italy but remained upbeat despite being pushed all the way.
Asked if he thought Wales could win the title he said: “Definitely. The last two games have been wins and that’s great for us.”
Rees added on BBC1: “We knew it was going to be tough.
“The scrum wasn’t the best. But we won the game.”
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Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Half time score.
England 9 France 9
England 9 France 9
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Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
England 17 v 9 France 26th February 2011 17:00 (Half Time 9 - 9)
TwickenhamReferee: George ClancyFrance
Match Report
26 February 2011, 6:55 pm ::Match Report by Daniel Schofield, SportsbeatFoden's try helps England see off France
England are in pole position to win their first RBS 6 Nations Championship since 2003 as Ben Foden's try helped put France to the sword in their 17-9 defeat.
Share A tight first half finished 9-9 with Toby Flood and Dimitri Yachvili trading three penalties apiece before England stepped up their performance after the break.
France's failure to deal with the second-half restart resulted in full-back Foden crashing over before replacement Jonny Wilkinson added a fourth penalty to end Les Bleus' run of eight consecutive Six Nations victories.
The Grand Slam is now England's for the taking and Martin Johnson will have undoubtedly been impressed with how his side delivered a mature performance to shut France out in the second half.
Last year, France dominated England up front but the Red Rose front row got a small measure of revenge inside four minutes when they smashed their counterparts backwards.
Referee George Clancy awarded a penalty and Flood continued his immaculate kicking record in the Championship to nudge England in front only for Yachvili - the architect of France's last Six Nations win at Twickenham in 2005 - to level things up shortly afterwards.
England regained the initiative through two Flood penalties after the French were twice caught offside but the advantage was shortlived.
Nick Easter's transgression at a ruck allowed Yachvili to make it 9-6 before it was all even again after France came out on top at a scrum.
Even more encouraging for the Les Bleus front row was the sight of English loosehead Andrew Sheridan being helped from the field to be replaced by the fresh-faced Alex Corbisiero, who was winning just his second cap.
While both sides regularly looked to feed their backline, there was precious little space for any of the flair players on either side to work any real openings.
And ultimately there was nothing to separate the teams at halftime despite Yachvili shaving the post with a penalty in first-half injury time.
But if that was a bad way to end the first half for Yachvili it was nothing compared to how he started the second half.
The scrum-half took a split second too long with his clearing kick and was charged down by Tom Palmer in a move which led to a 5m scrum.
After initially moving the ball right, England came back left where Flood and Mark Cueto combined to feed Foden who powered his way through two French defenders.
Flood ended his run of successful kicks in this year's Championship with a missed conversion but France were on the ropes and nearly conceded a second try in a matter of minutes.
Half-backs Flood and Youngs ripped through the heart of the French defence and gave Chris Ashton the opportunity to execute his trademark swallow dive between the posts only for play to be pulled back for a forward pass.
That though would be one of Flood's last contributions before he was replaced by Wilkinson on 50 minutes and his first act was to nail a 50m penalty - a score that takes him ahead of New Zealand's Dan Carter as the leading international points scorer of all time.
Six years ago, England had squandered a 17-9 advantage to Yachvili's boot but the Biarritz star's radar was slightly off as a second penalty struck the post and stayed out.
France though retained the initiative and centres Yannick Jauzion and Aurelien Rougerie only just failed to reach fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc's clever kick through.
England also had a great opportunity to get a second try to seal the win with ten minutes left when Ashton was clear through but his ambitious pass to fellow wing Cueto was cut out by Yoann Huget.
It wasn't needed however as England held out and now face Andy Robinson's Scotland at Twickenham on March
TwickenhamReferee: George ClancyFrance
Match Report
26 February 2011, 6:55 pm ::Match Report by Daniel Schofield, SportsbeatFoden's try helps England see off France
England are in pole position to win their first RBS 6 Nations Championship since 2003 as Ben Foden's try helped put France to the sword in their 17-9 defeat.
Share A tight first half finished 9-9 with Toby Flood and Dimitri Yachvili trading three penalties apiece before England stepped up their performance after the break.
France's failure to deal with the second-half restart resulted in full-back Foden crashing over before replacement Jonny Wilkinson added a fourth penalty to end Les Bleus' run of eight consecutive Six Nations victories.
The Grand Slam is now England's for the taking and Martin Johnson will have undoubtedly been impressed with how his side delivered a mature performance to shut France out in the second half.
Last year, France dominated England up front but the Red Rose front row got a small measure of revenge inside four minutes when they smashed their counterparts backwards.
Referee George Clancy awarded a penalty and Flood continued his immaculate kicking record in the Championship to nudge England in front only for Yachvili - the architect of France's last Six Nations win at Twickenham in 2005 - to level things up shortly afterwards.
England regained the initiative through two Flood penalties after the French were twice caught offside but the advantage was shortlived.
Nick Easter's transgression at a ruck allowed Yachvili to make it 9-6 before it was all even again after France came out on top at a scrum.
Even more encouraging for the Les Bleus front row was the sight of English loosehead Andrew Sheridan being helped from the field to be replaced by the fresh-faced Alex Corbisiero, who was winning just his second cap.
While both sides regularly looked to feed their backline, there was precious little space for any of the flair players on either side to work any real openings.
And ultimately there was nothing to separate the teams at halftime despite Yachvili shaving the post with a penalty in first-half injury time.
But if that was a bad way to end the first half for Yachvili it was nothing compared to how he started the second half.
The scrum-half took a split second too long with his clearing kick and was charged down by Tom Palmer in a move which led to a 5m scrum.
After initially moving the ball right, England came back left where Flood and Mark Cueto combined to feed Foden who powered his way through two French defenders.
Flood ended his run of successful kicks in this year's Championship with a missed conversion but France were on the ropes and nearly conceded a second try in a matter of minutes.
Half-backs Flood and Youngs ripped through the heart of the French defence and gave Chris Ashton the opportunity to execute his trademark swallow dive between the posts only for play to be pulled back for a forward pass.
That though would be one of Flood's last contributions before he was replaced by Wilkinson on 50 minutes and his first act was to nail a 50m penalty - a score that takes him ahead of New Zealand's Dan Carter as the leading international points scorer of all time.
Six years ago, England had squandered a 17-9 advantage to Yachvili's boot but the Biarritz star's radar was slightly off as a second penalty struck the post and stayed out.
France though retained the initiative and centres Yannick Jauzion and Aurelien Rougerie only just failed to reach fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc's clever kick through.
England also had a great opportunity to get a second try to seal the win with ten minutes left when Ashton was clear through but his ambitious pass to fellow wing Cueto was cut out by Yoann Huget.
It wasn't needed however as England held out and now face Andy Robinson's Scotland at Twickenham on March
Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Not really the match it should have/could have been.
Both sides in a rather 'not lose' approach to the game rather than a 'win' one made for a pretty turgid affair.
Although to be completely fair, the typical English rain soaked Saturday afternoon was not the most conducive for an expansive rugby match.
England scored the only try so I guess jut about deserved the win in a game that was littered with mistakes & errors rather than great play.
I guess the end justifies the means but I hope that England return to the more aggressive side of play they had shown in their previous two outings this year.
The Young, Flood, Ashton combination though they had got the winger a 7th. try in the competition but the last pass was ruled forward. I hope to see that combination in action again in the next match. Flood did, however, have to go off early - just for that man Wilkinson to come on & create a new points scoring record with a kick that has moved him over Dan Carter to 1190 points.
So not the England display of the opening matches but they kept France completely scoreless in the second half which will certainly please the coaching staff..
Both sides in a rather 'not lose' approach to the game rather than a 'win' one made for a pretty turgid affair.
Although to be completely fair, the typical English rain soaked Saturday afternoon was not the most conducive for an expansive rugby match.
England scored the only try so I guess jut about deserved the win in a game that was littered with mistakes & errors rather than great play.
I guess the end justifies the means but I hope that England return to the more aggressive side of play they had shown in their previous two outings this year.
The Young, Flood, Ashton combination though they had got the winger a 7th. try in the competition but the last pass was ruled forward. I hope to see that combination in action again in the next match. Flood did, however, have to go off early - just for that man Wilkinson to come on & create a new points scoring record with a kick that has moved him over Dan Carter to 1190 points.
So not the England display of the opening matches but they kept France completely scoreless in the second half which will certainly please the coaching staff..
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Welshboy
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Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Scotland 18 v 21 Ireland
Sun 27th Feb 11,15:00Venue: MurrayfieldReferee: Nigel OwensIreland
Match Report
27 February 2011, 5:00 pm ::Match Report by Ben Baker,
O'Gara leads Ireland to victory
Ronan O'Gara proved Declan Kidney was right to recall him to the Irish starting XV as the veteran fly-half inspired the men in green to a 21-18 RBS 6 Nations victory over Scotland.
Share First-half tries from Jamie Heaslip and Eoin Reddan should have had Ireland out of sight in the first 40 minutes but were made to pay for a high penalty count and were pegged back by three Chris Paterson penalties.
But O'Gara crossed himself after the restart and despite some late Scotland pressure, Ireland held on to keep their hopes of a Six Nations title alive.
For Scotland they have now lost three from three but can take heart from this Murrayfield performance, but will be disappointed not to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat at the death.
Andy Robinson's men are making a bad habit of conceding early in this year's Six Nations and they were at it again after just six minutes.
Tommy Bowe, the 2010 player of the tournament making his first appearance in this year's competition, chased down an O'Gara kick and forced Paterson to knock the ball out for an Irish line-out just five metres out.
And after some patient drives Rory Best drew the attention of the Scottish centres and was able to slip the ball to Heaslip who ran the final metre to touch down, O'Gara with the easy conversion.
But if the Murrayfield crowd feared the floodgates would open then they were in luck as indiscipline from the men in green got Scotland back into the game with two Paterson penalties.
O'Gara missed a kick of his own on 20 minutes but made up for it five minutes later as his superb kick pushed Scotland back towards their own tryline.
And after Paterson was forced to touch the ball down behind the tryline, the recalled Reddan was the one to benefit as he followed up good work from Heaslip to touch down under the posts, O'Gara with the extras.
Best then failed to move away after making a tackle to give Paterson his third penalty kick as the Ireland penalty count ticked over to seven after the first half-hour.
But Ireland held on to go into the interval 14-9 ahead, although it could have been so much better had Sean Lamont's last-ditch tackle not stopped the flying Keith Earls seconds before the whistle.
As the second-half begun it was Scotland's turn to show ill discipline with referee Nigel Owens showing yellow to prop Allan Jacobsen for his behaviour in the scrum on 44 minutes.
And despite constant pressure it took Ireland until the last minute of Jacobsen's enforced ten minutes off the pitch to make their extra man count.
Cian Healy got the move going and the ball eventually found its way to O'Gara who bustled his way over, converting his own try to put Ireland 12 points ahead.
Paterson added his fourth penalty on 58 minutes before the destroyer of Ireland from a year ago at Croke Park, Dan Parks, entered the fray.
Parks got 18 points in Scotland's 23-20 victory in 2010 and made things nervy for the hosts as a penalty and a drop-goal brought the score to within three points.
But despite nearly throwing the win away through their poor discipline Kidney's men managed to see the game out and now turn their attentions to a trip to Wales on March
Sun 27th Feb 11,15:00Venue: MurrayfieldReferee: Nigel OwensIreland
Match Report
27 February 2011, 5:00 pm ::Match Report by Ben Baker,
O'Gara leads Ireland to victory
Ronan O'Gara proved Declan Kidney was right to recall him to the Irish starting XV as the veteran fly-half inspired the men in green to a 21-18 RBS 6 Nations victory over Scotland.
Share First-half tries from Jamie Heaslip and Eoin Reddan should have had Ireland out of sight in the first 40 minutes but were made to pay for a high penalty count and were pegged back by three Chris Paterson penalties.
But O'Gara crossed himself after the restart and despite some late Scotland pressure, Ireland held on to keep their hopes of a Six Nations title alive.
For Scotland they have now lost three from three but can take heart from this Murrayfield performance, but will be disappointed not to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat at the death.
Andy Robinson's men are making a bad habit of conceding early in this year's Six Nations and they were at it again after just six minutes.
Tommy Bowe, the 2010 player of the tournament making his first appearance in this year's competition, chased down an O'Gara kick and forced Paterson to knock the ball out for an Irish line-out just five metres out.
And after some patient drives Rory Best drew the attention of the Scottish centres and was able to slip the ball to Heaslip who ran the final metre to touch down, O'Gara with the easy conversion.
But if the Murrayfield crowd feared the floodgates would open then they were in luck as indiscipline from the men in green got Scotland back into the game with two Paterson penalties.
O'Gara missed a kick of his own on 20 minutes but made up for it five minutes later as his superb kick pushed Scotland back towards their own tryline.
And after Paterson was forced to touch the ball down behind the tryline, the recalled Reddan was the one to benefit as he followed up good work from Heaslip to touch down under the posts, O'Gara with the extras.
Best then failed to move away after making a tackle to give Paterson his third penalty kick as the Ireland penalty count ticked over to seven after the first half-hour.
But Ireland held on to go into the interval 14-9 ahead, although it could have been so much better had Sean Lamont's last-ditch tackle not stopped the flying Keith Earls seconds before the whistle.
As the second-half begun it was Scotland's turn to show ill discipline with referee Nigel Owens showing yellow to prop Allan Jacobsen for his behaviour in the scrum on 44 minutes.
And despite constant pressure it took Ireland until the last minute of Jacobsen's enforced ten minutes off the pitch to make their extra man count.
Cian Healy got the move going and the ball eventually found its way to O'Gara who bustled his way over, converting his own try to put Ireland 12 points ahead.
Paterson added his fourth penalty on 58 minutes before the destroyer of Ireland from a year ago at Croke Park, Dan Parks, entered the fray.
Parks got 18 points in Scotland's 23-20 victory in 2010 and made things nervy for the hosts as a penalty and a drop-goal brought the score to within three points.
But despite nearly throwing the win away through their poor discipline Kidney's men managed to see the game out and now turn their attentions to a trip to Wales on March
Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
France should have too much for Italy, even given that they are away from home. The Italians continue to improve & any team going there now & thinking they can cruise through 80 minutes are in for a real shock.Saturday, 12 March 2011 RBS Six Nations
Italy v France, 14:30
Wales v Ireland, 17:00
Sunday, 13 March 2011
England v Scotland, 15:00
The Wales v Ireland match should be the game of thee weekend. Difficult to predict as both sides have rather blown hot & cold this year.
Scotland really should be a formality to England tomorrow. They do not exactly have a sparking set of results at Twickenham & have not really looked like winning a game so far. England have been a revelation from the side who played last year. However if Scotland can keep the score down then anything can happen. It it goes to a free flowing game then you have to suspect England will run out easy winners..
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Welshboy
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Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Welsh rugby's 25 hardest men
Forged in steelworks, hewn from the coal-face, Welsh rugby’s hard men have always shown their mettle on and off the field. But who was the toughest? Who inspired their team-mates and terrified opponents….
1. Bobby Windsor (Pontypool)
Who else? A steelworker by trade, The Duke was as fiery as the furnaces he used to tend. The commander of the Viet Gwent, he was a larger-than-life figure who used to dispense summary justice with a grin and a quip, but could walk the walk as well as talk the talk.
A central figure as hooker in the invincible Lions pack on the tour of South Africa in 1974, when the Springboks forwards had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the scrums such was the tattering they were taking in the tight fron Bobby & Co. One of the great characters in the game, with an endless supply of stories,
2. JPR Williams (London Welsh & Bridgend)
Not many backs would run 50 yards to join in a forwards dust-up, as JPR did with the Lions in South Africa in 1974 , but he was no ordinary back. His clenched-fist salute following his try-saving hit on France’s Gourdon in the 1976 Grand Slam game said it all.
3. Scott Gibbs (Neath & Swansea)
No soft centre here. One of the most destructive tacklers to pull on a Welsh jersey, he was also a wrecking ball in attack. His thundering run that smashed South African prop Os du Randt to the deck in Durban in 1997 will forever be part of Lions folklore
4-25. The next 22 hard men will be on the field in RED playing for WALES against ireland at 5PM
We are going to win because GOD is WELSH.
Forged in steelworks, hewn from the coal-face, Welsh rugby’s hard men have always shown their mettle on and off the field. But who was the toughest? Who inspired their team-mates and terrified opponents….
1. Bobby Windsor (Pontypool)
Who else? A steelworker by trade, The Duke was as fiery as the furnaces he used to tend. The commander of the Viet Gwent, he was a larger-than-life figure who used to dispense summary justice with a grin and a quip, but could walk the walk as well as talk the talk.
A central figure as hooker in the invincible Lions pack on the tour of South Africa in 1974, when the Springboks forwards had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the scrums such was the tattering they were taking in the tight fron Bobby & Co. One of the great characters in the game, with an endless supply of stories,
2. JPR Williams (London Welsh & Bridgend)
Not many backs would run 50 yards to join in a forwards dust-up, as JPR did with the Lions in South Africa in 1974 , but he was no ordinary back. His clenched-fist salute following his try-saving hit on France’s Gourdon in the 1976 Grand Slam game said it all.
3. Scott Gibbs (Neath & Swansea)
No soft centre here. One of the most destructive tacklers to pull on a Welsh jersey, he was also a wrecking ball in attack. His thundering run that smashed South African prop Os du Randt to the deck in Durban in 1997 will forever be part of Lions folklore
4-25. The next 22 hard men will be on the field in RED playing for WALES against ireland at 5PM
We are going to win because GOD is WELSH.
Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Well it certainly was not the most fluent game of rugby to watch, but I doubt if any Italian fan will worry about that.FULL-TIME: Italy 22-21 France
First victory over France ever....Although it was tight & nail biting at the end the result was not a fluke.
With a bit more composure they could have won it easier.
In defence they were brilliant but time & time again they fought their way into the French 22, only to make a bad decision & end up back defending again in their own 22.
But this is being petty. They played their hearts out & thoroughly deserved it.
What of France?? Well, sadly they rather went through the motions. They were effective without any enthusiasm for much of the game. Rather had the feeling that after the England defeat they felt that they could no longer win the Championship & so were really not very interested & turned up for the money.
It is great for the 6 Nations that Italy are now really competing. While France may have rather caused their own downfall I also think the Italian attitude has been exemplary. No points after 3 games before this but it did not matter, they played their hearts out from the start. A true example of what the game is suppose to be about...
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Welshboy
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Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Bergamasco puts the boot into France
Mirco Bergamasco was Italy's hero as the Azzurri secured an historic first RBS 6 Nations defeat of France in a nailbiting 22-21 victory at the Stadio Flaminio.
35
Share Morgan Parra's 50th minute try put France 18-6 ahead but Nick Mallett's men mounted a stunning comeback thanks to Andrea Masi's try and three second-half penalties from Bergamasco.
There was little sign of the drama to come in a turgid first half in which Vincent Clerc's try put France 8-6 ahead.
But just when France seemed to be home and hosed early in the second half, Italy showed tremendous fighting spirit to edge ahead with just four minutes to go.
In a nerve-shredding finale, Italy held off a series of French scrums to spark wild scenes at the Stadio Flaminio as they recorded only their second ever win over Les Bleus and their first in Rome.
Italy did actually take an early lead when an offside offence by France captain Thierry Dusautoir allowed Bergamasco to kick Italy ahead.
With Italy gaining the early ascendancy at the scrums and showing ferocious intent in the tackle, the visitors struggled to establish any sort of rhythm.
Yet after winger Yoann Huget came close to winning the footrace to reach Francois Trinh-Duc's kick behind the Italy defence, France did make the through breakthrough on 15 minutes.
This time play was switched to the left wing where Clerc chipped over Gonazalo Canale before turning on the gas to touch down his first Six Nations try since running in a hat-trick against Ireland in 2008. Parra though missed the conversion.
Les Bleus so nearly grabbed a second try soon after but Aurelien Rougerie's outstretched arm fell just short of the tryline.
From the resulting 5m scrum, referee Bryce Lawrence penalised the Azzurri allowing Parra to stroke over a penalty to make it 8-3.
After spending the majority of the opening quarter on the backfoot, centre Canale brought the home crowd to its feet with a surging run into the heart of the France 22.
Although they could not spread play quickly enough to force a try they had the consolation of a penalty that Bergamasco kicked to keep Italy firmly in the game.
A combination of committed Italian defence and a high error count continued to frustrate France's attacking ambitions but early in the second half Martin Castrogiovanni was pinged for holding on which gave Parra the opportunity to put the visitors 11-6 ahead.
The scrum-half then lit up the match with a superb try on 50 minutes when Trinh-Duc sliced through the Italian defence before offloading to his half-back partner to go under the posts. Parra converted his own score.
Italy's hopes of forcing their way back into the match appeared to fade as Bergamasco missed two penalty attempts that would have brought them to within four points.
But they did haul themselves into the contest when flanker Robert Barbieri hammered his way into the French 22. The chance seemed to have gone as Tommaso Benvenuti failed to offload in the tackle but scrum-half Fabio Semenzato switched play to the blindside for the veteran Masi to smash his way over in the corner.
From 5m on the touchline, Bergamasco held his nerve to slot the conversion to reduce the deficit to 18-13 and then raised the roof at the Stadio Flaminio with a 64th minute penalty.
After Trinh-Duc's attempted drop goal whistled just wide, Parra exchanged penalties with Bergamasco to keep the deficit at just two points.
And having so often cost his team with his poor kicking, Bergamasco was his team's saviour with a brilliant touchline penalty with four minutes to go and, unlike against Ireland, they maintained their narrow advantage.
Mirco Bergamasco was Italy's hero as the Azzurri secured an historic first RBS 6 Nations defeat of France in a nailbiting 22-21 victory at the Stadio Flaminio.
35
Share Morgan Parra's 50th minute try put France 18-6 ahead but Nick Mallett's men mounted a stunning comeback thanks to Andrea Masi's try and three second-half penalties from Bergamasco.
There was little sign of the drama to come in a turgid first half in which Vincent Clerc's try put France 8-6 ahead.
But just when France seemed to be home and hosed early in the second half, Italy showed tremendous fighting spirit to edge ahead with just four minutes to go.
In a nerve-shredding finale, Italy held off a series of French scrums to spark wild scenes at the Stadio Flaminio as they recorded only their second ever win over Les Bleus and their first in Rome.
Italy did actually take an early lead when an offside offence by France captain Thierry Dusautoir allowed Bergamasco to kick Italy ahead.
With Italy gaining the early ascendancy at the scrums and showing ferocious intent in the tackle, the visitors struggled to establish any sort of rhythm.
Yet after winger Yoann Huget came close to winning the footrace to reach Francois Trinh-Duc's kick behind the Italy defence, France did make the through breakthrough on 15 minutes.
This time play was switched to the left wing where Clerc chipped over Gonazalo Canale before turning on the gas to touch down his first Six Nations try since running in a hat-trick against Ireland in 2008. Parra though missed the conversion.
Les Bleus so nearly grabbed a second try soon after but Aurelien Rougerie's outstretched arm fell just short of the tryline.
From the resulting 5m scrum, referee Bryce Lawrence penalised the Azzurri allowing Parra to stroke over a penalty to make it 8-3.
After spending the majority of the opening quarter on the backfoot, centre Canale brought the home crowd to its feet with a surging run into the heart of the France 22.
Although they could not spread play quickly enough to force a try they had the consolation of a penalty that Bergamasco kicked to keep Italy firmly in the game.
A combination of committed Italian defence and a high error count continued to frustrate France's attacking ambitions but early in the second half Martin Castrogiovanni was pinged for holding on which gave Parra the opportunity to put the visitors 11-6 ahead.
The scrum-half then lit up the match with a superb try on 50 minutes when Trinh-Duc sliced through the Italian defence before offloading to his half-back partner to go under the posts. Parra converted his own score.
Italy's hopes of forcing their way back into the match appeared to fade as Bergamasco missed two penalty attempts that would have brought them to within four points.
But they did haul themselves into the contest when flanker Robert Barbieri hammered his way into the French 22. The chance seemed to have gone as Tommaso Benvenuti failed to offload in the tackle but scrum-half Fabio Semenzato switched play to the blindside for the veteran Masi to smash his way over in the corner.
From 5m on the touchline, Bergamasco held his nerve to slot the conversion to reduce the deficit to 18-13 and then raised the roof at the Stadio Flaminio with a 64th minute penalty.
After Trinh-Duc's attempted drop goal whistled just wide, Parra exchanged penalties with Bergamasco to keep the deficit at just two points.
And having so often cost his team with his poor kicking, Bergamasco was his team's saviour with a brilliant touchline penalty with four minutes to go and, unlike against Ireland, they maintained their narrow advantage.
Re: Rugby Union 6 Nations
Well 19 - 13 Wales win it.
It was really a night of errors for Ireland who should have won it if they could have kept their act together.
If GOD is Welsh, welshboy then I guess he has his head in his hands tonight.
A win is a win, but hardly impressive - especially when reliant on the opposition shooting themselves in the foot...
Not a good display by Ireland who must be concerned that the new stars are just not coming through...
It was really a night of errors for Ireland who should have won it if they could have kept their act together.
If GOD is Welsh, welshboy then I guess he has his head in his hands tonight.
A win is a win, but hardly impressive - especially when reliant on the opposition shooting themselves in the foot...
Not a good display by Ireland who must be concerned that the new stars are just not coming through...