Jay's blog: "Random thoughts from the edge"

Wales (10) 34 Tries: Popham, S Williams, G Thomas, M Jones, M Williams Cons: Hook, S Jones (2) Pens: S Jones Fiji (25) 38 Tries: Qera, Delasau, Leawere, Dewes Cons: Little (3) Pens: Little (4) A late try from Graham Dewes saw Fiji dump Wales out of the World Cup and get a quarter-final against South Africa. Wales' open style played into Fiji's hands, big hits and strong running leading to tries from Akapusi Qera, Vilimoni Delasau and Kele Leawere. Alix Popham, Shane Williams, Gareth Thomas and Mark Jones brought Wales back, and Martyn Williams' 73rd-minute interception try looked the clincher. But the islanders rallied, Dewes bullying over from short range. It was Fiji's first win in nine games against Wales and sees them advance to their first quarter-final since 1987. With a record of six wins from 20 games in charge of Wales, coach Gareth Jenkins' position will now come under serious question. His side had aimed to banish their slow-starting blues at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, and in the first minute a superb Stephen Jones break deep in his own half should have led to a try. Jones found the supporting Tom Shanklin, but he delayed his pass to a free Mark Jones, allowing the defence to rally. Stephen Jones put Wales ahead with a penalty and Chris Horsman and Gethin Jenkins had Fiji under pressure at the scrum, but Jones missed with a straightforward kick and Wales continued to spurn overlaps. Seru Rabeni had already made his mark on Shanklin and Thomas with trademark hits, and another on James Hook in midfield forced a turnover. The islanders attacked quickly with a flowing move, the ball coming to Gloucester flanker Qera who stormed over from close range. With confidence flying, Nicky Little and Rabeni attacked from their own 22. The ball fell to Delasau, who chipped over the top of the defence, a wicked bounce flying over Mark Jones' head and collected his own kick for the second try. Little added two penalties, before a dynamic Qera break from his own 22 ended with Kele Leawere barging over for the third try from close range. A panicked Wales spurned penalties in front of goal, and were finally rewarded in the 34th minute as a five-metre scrum was walked over for Popham's try. Fiji relished Wales' desperate, expansive style, but their discipline fractured with a late hit from Leawere on Popham. Qera was then yellow-carded for aiming a knee into Stephen Jones' chest on the stroke of half-time, but Hook missed the resultant penalty from in front of the posts. Wales pounced on 14-man Fiji after the break, and after a Martyn Williams turnover in his own 22 Shane Williams danced inside from the wing with a superbly balanced run, beating three defenders and crossing under the posts. A fine three-quarter move from an attacking scrum saw Hook free Mark Jones with an inside pass. The wing found Gareth Thomas, who celebrated becoming the first Welshman to 100 caps by taking his record try tally to 40. Dwayne Peel found acres of space from a line-out to spark the next try, accurate passing along the line sending Mark Jones in at the corner and regaining the lead for Wales, Stephen Jones' conversion making it 29-25. The outsiders found their second wind with some thrilling attacking rugby, two Little penalties putting them back in front going into the final quarter. Wales wheeled on the replacements, but needed a desperate, brave tackle from Thomas on his own line to deny Seremaia Bai a try. As Fiji went for the kill, Little floated out a needless pass - and Martyn Williams plucked the ball out of the air for a 65m run-in. But the islanders regrouped once more and, when Delasau was held out inches short, Dewes picked up to cross for a try awarded by the video referee, sealing the biggest upset of the 2007 World Cup. It was Wales' third south sea island embarrassment in World Cups following defeats to the Samoans in 1991 and 1999. -------------------------------------------------- Wales: G. Thomas, M. Jones, Shanklin, Hook, S. Williams, S. Jones, Peel, Jenkins, Rees, Horsman, A. Jones, Evans, Charvis, M. Williams, Popham. Replacements: Phillips for Peel (57), R. Thomas for Rees (47), D. Jones for Horsman (66), Gough for Evans (66), Owen for Popham (66). Not Used: Robinson, D. James. Fiji: Ratuvou, Delasau, Rabeni, Bai, Neivua, Little, Rauluni, Dewes, Koto, Railomo, Leawere, Rawaqa, Naevo, Qera, Koyamaibole. Replacements: Ligairi for Rabeni (67), Bobo for Neivua (52), Daunivucu for Little (80), Sauturaga for Koto (78), Qiodravu for Railomo (54), Ratuva for Qera (74). Not Used: Lewaravu. Sin Bin: Qera (40). Att: 34,000

Australia (13) 37 Tries: Baxter, Frier, Smith, Mitchell 2, Latham Cons: Shepherd 2 Pens: Huxley Canada (0) 6 Pens: Pritchard 2 Pool B winners Australia made it four wins out of four as they laboured to a bonus-point victory over lowly Canada in the pouring rain in Bordeaux. Tries from Al Baxter and Adam Frier helped a second-string Wallaby side into a 13-0 half-time lead. Canada got on the board through two James Pritchard penalties either side of a George Smith try for Australia. Winger Drew Mitchell helped himself to two tries before Chris Latham cruised over for Australia's final score. Australia - the only nation to win the Web Ellis Trophy twice - had already sewn up the pool and took the chance to rest a host of big name players ahead of next Saturday's quarter-final against defending champions England. The Wallabies took the lead through an early Julian Huxley penalty but struggled to put their usual free-flowing, multi-phase style of play into practice in the wet conditions. Canada, who failed to win a match at the World Cup for the first time, were typically gutsy in defence and they lasted 23 minutes before Baxter powered over out wide. Hooker Frier then profited as the Australian pack took charge but with Huxley missing both conversions they only led 13-0 at the break. Pritchard's penalties gave Canada, ranked just 14th in the world, something to smile about but, despite being some way short of their best, Australia were always comfortably in control. Smith profited from a poor Canadian line-out throw to score their third try before Mitchell went over for his quickfire brace to become the leading scorer in France with seven. The Wallabies' final try came when Latham finished off a crisp move from first phase to claim his 11th World Cup try, joining former England winger Rory Underwood in third on the all-time list. Cameron Shepherd managed two conversions while the Wallabies suffered a blow when number eight David Lyons was taken away in a wheelchair with what was later revealed to be a broken leg. -------------------------------------------------- Australia: Latham; Shepherd, Tuqiri, Ashley-Cooper, Mitchell; Huxley, Cordingley; Holmes, Freier, Baxter, Sharpe, Chisholm, McMeniman, Smith, Lyons. Replacements: Hardman, Shepherdson, Elsom, Waugh, Hoiles, Gregan, Giteau. Canada: Van der Merwe; Mensah-Coker, Pyke, Daypuck; Pritchard, Monro; Williams, Snow, Riordan, Thiel, Tait, James, Yukes, Biddle, Stephen. Replacements: Carpenter, D Pletch, M Pletch, Burak, Webb, Fairhurst, Trenkel.

England (19) 36 Tries: Sackey 2, Tait, Farrell Cons: Wilkinson 2 Pens: Wilkinson 2 Drop-goals: Wilkinson 2 Tonga (10) 20 Tries: Hufanga, Pole Cons: Hola 2 Pens: Hola 2 Champions England clinched a World Cup quarter-final against Australia with an ultimately convincing win over Tonga. Tonga opened the scoring through Sukanaivalu Hufanga's sparkling try but two Paul Sackey scores helped England into a 19-10 half-time lead. Pierre Hola's second penalty saw Tonga reduce the lead to six points. But Mathew Tait and Andy Farrell went over to secure victory before Hale T Pole's late consolation, while Jonny Wilkinson kicked 16 points in Paris. Interview: England coach Brian Ashton Interview: England captain Martin Corry The England fly-half now has 222 World Cup points and is just five behind Gavin Hastings, who is the competition's all-time leading scorer with 227. No champions had ever failed to reach the knock-out stages at the World Cup, but following their dismal start to the tournament there had been real fears England would crash out before the last eight. They had showed signs of life in the win over Samoa but Tonga had beaten their Pacific Island rivals and then pushed South Africa right to the last whistle. The pre-match script suggested the Sea Eagles' pace and power was likely to trouble England initially before the defending champions' set-piece ability, superior tactical game and greater fitness began to bear fruit, and so it proved. Tonga threatened from the first whistle with Epi Taione and Finau Maka blasting into the England midfield and they took the lead after 10 minutes. There looked to be little danger when Mark Cueto fielded a poor Tonga kick but the Sale winger dithered and Tonga captain Nili Latu wrapped him up. Cueto held on as the ruck formed and Hola stepped up to drill the penalty between the posts, but England were level within three minutes after Tonga handled in a ruck and Wilkinson opened his account for the night. Tonga enjoyed the best of the territory in the opening quarter and they went back in front with a fine try after 17 minutes. Taione handed off former Newcastle team-mate Wilkinson and fed Hufanga, who beat three men before sliding over by the posts despite inside centre Olly Barkley's attempted tackle. Tonga infringed as England drove at the heart of their defence from the re-start and it looked as though Wilkinson would take the shot at goal, but instead he kicked to the right wing. The giant Joseph Vaka had left Sackey unattended and the Wasps flyer just managed to catch the ball and get it down before rolling over the dead ball line. Wilkinson, who had spoken earlier in the week about his trouble timing his kicks with the official World Cup ball, caught his conversion attempt horribly and missed the posts by miles. As the game moved deeper into the half England's upper hand in the set-piece began to pay dividends and Wilkinson knocked over a trademark drop-goal and a regulation penalty to put the defending champions 14-10 up. Undaunted, Tonga went back on the attack, with the likes of Taione battering away at England's thin white line, but when Hola threw a poor pass it fell at the feet of Sackey. He was on England's 22 but the Wasps winger has pace to burn and Hufanga gave up the chase with 30m still to go. Wilkinson once again missed the conversion attempt to the left of the posts but England were 19-0 up and the quarter-finals were in sight. The rain which began to hammer down during the half-time interval benefited England, who had a better kicking game and the advantage in the set-piece. But they missed the chance to extend their lead when Wilkinson missed a kickable penalty - yet again to the left - after the battered and bloodied Lewis Moody fell victim to a high tackle by the otherwise excellent Tonga captain Latu. The let-off boosted Tonga's morale and, after England brought on former Great Britain rugby league captain Farrell for Barkley with just under half an hour to play, they trimmed the gap with a second Hola penalty. England looked a little rattled but within three minutes the scoreline had a very different air. Cueto dummied his way through the Tonga defence and although he failed to find the supporting Farrell, when England switched play to the left Tait sliced over for the try. While Wilkinson was adding the conversion to make it 26-13 England captain Phil Vickery sauntered on with the air of a gunslinger walking into "his" saloon before embracing Matt Stevens, the man who kept him out of the starting line-up. Farrell looked fired up from his first touch and after 66 minutes he made the game safe, cutting back against the grain to score his first try for England after dummying a run-around with Wilkinson. The Newcastle fly-half kicked the conversion and added a late drop-goal and although Pole went over for a last-gasp converted try, the champions ensured their defence of the Webb Ellis trophy will last for another week at least. -------------------------------------------------- England: Lewsey; Sackey, Tait, Barkley, Cueto; Wilkinson, Gomarsall; Sheridan, Chuter, Stevens, Borthwick, Kay, Corry (capt), Moody, Easter Replacements: Mears, Vickery, Dallaglio, Worsley, Richards, Farrell, Hipkiss. Tonga: Lilo; Tu'ifua, Hufanga, Taione, Vaka; Hola, Tu'ipulotu; Tonga'uiha, Lutui, Pulu, Vaki, Fa'aoso, Pole, Latu (capt), Maka Replacements: Taukafa, Taufa'ao Filise, Molitika, Afeaki, Havea, Huson Tonga'uiha, Havili.

Samoa (22) 25 Tries: Fa'atau, A Tuilagi, Thompson Cons: Crichton (2) Pens: Crichton (2) USA (3) 21 Tries: Ngwenya, Stanfill Pens: Hercus (3) Cons: Hercus Samoa ground out a stuttering 25-21 victory against the USA in their final Pool A match in St Etienne. The Samoans went ahead through right wing Lome Fa'atau after five minutes and doubled their tally soon after when left wing Alesana Tuilagi dived over. The Eagles managed to stem the tide until just before the break when Samoa's Kane Thompson scored a third. USA hit back with a try from wing Takudzwa Ngwenya but they fell short despite Louis Stanfill's late score. Samoa lost heavily to South Africa in their first game before losing to Pacific Island rivals Tonga and then England to end their hopes of progressing to the knock-out stages. USA still have to play pool leaders South Africa on 30 September in Montpellier but are likely to go home without a win in their four group matches. Samoa were brisk and bristling from the start and quickly pounced on a free ball under the USA posts, with London Irish centre Seilala Mapusua passing to Fa'atau to slice over. Soon after, fly-half Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu made the first of several useful breaks, and fed giant winger Alesana Tuilagi, who crashed over in the left corner on nine minutes. Loki Crichton kicked the conversion, but the USA clawed some points back when Mike Hercus slotted a penalty. Shortly before the break, Samoa went over again when Fuimaono-Sapolu slipped one tackle and offloaded to Elvis Seveali'i who popped a ball back inside for Thompson to scamper over. It looked like business as usual at the start of the second period as Samoa dominated but Fa'atau and Seveali'i both squandered clear-cut chances to score as they spilled the ball in acres of space. USA nearly made Samoa pay when Eagles full-back Chris Wyles, chasing a kick ahead, almost beat the casual Crichton to the touch down. Eagles' number eight Fifita Mounga gave his side even more of a mountain to climb when he was sin-binned for deliberately slowing down ruck ball on 50 minutes. But almost immediately, the USA launched their renaissance when Harare-born flyer Ngwenya danced past two Samoans to score in the right corner for 22-10. The Eagles enjoyed a real purple patch and Hercus' second penalty gave USA a real target to chase. Crichton's 70th-minute three-pointer looked to have ended the contest but Hercus' third kick gave hope to the Eagles, boosted by the sin-binning of Samoan replacement Silao Vaisola Sefo for a late challenge. The Eagles pushed hard inside the last five minutes and went close again through Ngwenya before blind-side Stanfill muscled over at the death. Mounga was carried off on a stretcher after a heavy tackle in the second half and was immediately taken to hospital, but coach Peter Thorburn played down the extent of the injury. "He's got feeling in both hands and in his neck," he said. "They are taking him away for an MRI scan but it looks pretty positive." -------------------------------------------------- Samoa: Loki Crichton, Lome Fa'atau, Seilala Mapusua, Elvis Seveali'i, Alesana Tuilagi, Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, Junior Polu; Kas Lealamanua, Mahonri Schwalger, Census Johnston, Leo Lafaiali'i, Kane Thompson, Semo Sititi (c), Justin Purdie, Alfie Vaeluaga. Replacements: Silao Vaisola Sefo, Naama Leleimalefaga, Joe Tekori, Ulia Ulia, Steve So'oialo, David Lemi, Lolo Lui. USA: Chris Wyles, Salesi Sika, Philip Eloff, Vahafolau Esikia, Takudzwa Ngwenya, Mike Hercus (c), Chad Erskine; Mike MacDonald, Owen Lentz, Chris Osentowski, Alec Parker, Hayden Mexted, Louis Stanfill, Todd Clever, Fifita Mounga. Replacements: Blake Burdette, Matekitonga Moeakiola, Mark Aylor, Henry Bloomfield, Mike Petri, Valenese Malifa, Albert Tuipulotu.

Georgia (13) 30 Tries: Guiorgadze, Machkhaneli, Kacharava Cons: Kvirikashvili 3 Pens: Kvirikashvili 3 Namibia (0) 0 Georgia claimed their first-ever World Cup victory as they defeated Namibia in wet conditions in Lens. Merab Kvirikashvili landed two penalties and converted Akvsenti Guiorgadze's try to put the Lelos 13-0 up at the break. Kvirikashvili then kicked a third penalty and a conversion after Irakli Machkhaneli engineered a fine solo try. The Georgians added a third converted try when Davit Kacharava intercepted and raced clear at the death. Georgia won the inaugural meeting between the two sides 26-18 in June and they had the upper hand from the first whistle in northern France on Wednesday night. Namibia, in the south west of Africa, is generally hot and dry and their national side had reportedly not played in the rain for over 30 years. Georgia looked more comfortable from the start and they opened the scoring in the seventh minute after inside centre Irakli Giorgadze burst through the Namibian midfield. Namibia infringed at the resulting ruck and fly-half Kvirikashvili, who plays for French second division side Pau, landed the penalty. Namibia were struggling to get into the game and when they failed to find touch Malkhaz Urjukashvili counter attacked and took Georgia deep into Namibia territory. After a couple of phases they moved the ball to Kvirikashvili but his grubber kick between the posts ran dead before any of the Georgian chasers could get to it. The fly-half missed a second penalty after 23 minutes but two minutes later he was on target to give them a 6-0 lead. Georgia rarely looked threatened but right winger Giorgi Shkinin's inability to cope with any ball kicked at him was proving a handicap. When he dropped his third kick in a row it put the Eastern Europeans in deep trouble and they conceded a penalty for holding on at a ruck. We don't even know what to expect of our celebrations. It's our first victory - we're amateurs at winning It was the first time Namibia had had a sniff of any points but fly-half Tertius Losper pushed his kick wide. Georgia were soon back on the attack and they took a decisive grip on the game when hooker Guiorgadze drilled his way over from close range after a pulverising drive by the Lelos pack. Kvirikashvili converted to give Georgia a commanding 13-0 lead at the break and although he missed a penalty early in the second half they continued to dominate both territory and possession. It took Namibia 20 minutes to get out of their half but their brief flurry came to nothing as they become just the fourth team - after England, Romania and Scotland - to fail to trouble the scorers in the tournament. A third penalty from Kvirikashvili put Georgia 16-0 ahead and he added the conversion after Machkhaneli scored a superb solo try. The powerful Georgia left wing hit Namibia full-back Heini Bock with a thunderous tackle before picking up the loose ball and racing clear to score under the posts. Namibia tried to end the match on a high but their adventure played into the hands of outside centre Kacharava, whose interception try ensured they would be dancing in the streets of Tblisi. -------------------------------------------------- Georgia: Urjukashvili, Machkhaneli, Kacharava, I. Guiorgadze, Shkinin, Kvirikashvili, Abusseridze, Shvelidze, A. Guiorgadze, Zirakashvili, Datunashvili, Gorgodze, Labadze, Urushadze, Chkhaidze. Replacements: Khinchagishvili, Kopaliana, Didebulidze, Udesiani, Samkharadze, Gigauri, Khamashuridze. Namibia: Bock, Witbooi, van Zyl, Powell, Langenhoven, Schreuder, van Tonder, Lensing, Horn, Visser, Kazombiaze, Senekal, Nieuwenhuis, Burger, du Plessis. Replacements: Meyer, Redelinghuys, du Toit, Esterhuize, Jantjies, Africa, Kamonga.

Romania 14-10 Portugal Tincu had a big impact for Romania after coming on at half-time Romania (0) 14 Tries: Tincu, Corodeanu Cons: Calafeteanu, Dumbrava Portugal (7) 10 Try: Ferreira Con: Pinto Pen: Malheiro Portugal were denied their first World Cup win as Romania came from behind to edge a keenly fought Pool C match. Romania made a host of mistakes in the opening half and Joaquim Ferreira went over to put Portugal ahead in Toulouse. Portugal were strong in defence but their resistance was broken when Marius Tincu barged over with 16 minutes left. Goncalo Malheiro put Portugal back in front with a penalty but Romania sealed the win through Florin Corodeanu's close-range try late on. Portugal, playing in their first World Cup, had suffered heavy defeats in their opening three games but fancied their chances of victory following an error-strewn display by their opponents. The Romanians dominated possession and territory but they could not get any momentum in the opening exchanges and had to rely on a succession of aimless punts forward. And Ferreira made them pay with a try on 20 minutes as Romania threw long and wayward at a line-out. Romania continued to try to get back into the game in the second half and the video referee turned down appeals for a try when Sorin Socol lost the ball as he was bundled over. The gameplans for both sides were pretty much the same and with the backs seeing little of the ball, it was up to the forwards to make ground. And abrasive hooker Tincu got Romania on the board with a try before Portugal's Malheiro made the score 7-10 with a penalty on 68 minutes. With the Toulouse crowd roaring them on, Portugal battled to retain their advantage but Corodeanu's late score was just enough for his side to deny Portugal an historic victory. -------------------------------------------------- Romania: Dumitras; Nicolae, Dimofte, Gontineac, Fercu; Dumbrava, Calafeteanu; Popescu, Mavrodin, B Balan, Ratiu, Petre, Tudori, Manta, Tonita. Replacements: Tincu, Ion, Socol, Corodeanu, Sirbu, Vlaicu, Brezoianu. Portugal: Leal; Mateus, Sousa, Mateus, Portela; Cardoso Pinto, Jose Pinto; Cordeiro, Ferreira (capt), Spachuck, Goncalo Uva, Penalva, Coutinho, Joao Uva, Girao. Replacements: Mure, Correia, Palha, Murinello, Pissarra, Malheiro, Carvalho.

Japan (5) 12 Tries: Endo, Taira Cons: Onishi Canada (0) 12 Tries: Riordan, Van der Merwe Cons: Pritchard Japan scored a last-gasp try to draw a dramatic match with Canada in Bordeaux. The Brave Blossoms took the lead through Kosuke Endo's superb early try to lead 5-0 at the break before Canada hit back through hooker Pat Riordan. It looked like the Canucks had wrapped up victory when DTH van der Merwe collected a cross-kick for their second score, with James Pritchard converting. But Koji Taira scored an injury-time try for Japan and Shotaro Onishi's conversion levelled the scores. Japan produced a typically committed performance, flying into tackles and refusing to give an inch as they edged the first half. They took the lead after 12 minutes with a brilliant individual effort from winger Endo, whose sparkling length of the field score against Wales was already a try of the tournament contender. Japan won quick ball off the top of a line-out and fed Endo, who burst through Canadian number 10 Ryan Smith and then stood up Van der Merwe before rounding the winger to score. Onishi missed the conversion but Canada had been slow out of the blocks and Japan kept them at arm's length until the final stages of the half. With five minutes to go to the break the Canucks launched a sustained assault on the Japan line but the attack petered out when they could not get quick ball from a ruck. And their irritation increased when hooker Riordan's frustration got the better of him and he was sin-binned for careless use of the boot. Canada seemed spurred by a sense of injustice and they enjoyed their best spell of the game so far, but still could not cross the line. After Pyke had just been denied in the corner from a grubber kick the Japanese won their line-out, but the clearance kick was charged down. Canada launched a series of attacks before Pyke burst onto the ball wide on the left, but it was knocked from his grasp as he tried to power over the line. Canada opted to keep the ball closer to their pack in the second half and it paid off almost immediately as Riordan, back after his spell in the sin bin, ploughed over to finish off a powerful drive by the forwards. Pritchard missed the conversion but just when it looked as though Canada were going to stretch clear, Japan produced a series of forward drives of their own. They eventually kicked a penalty into the corner and tried to batter their way over once again from the resulting line-out, but Luatangi Samurai Vatuvei was driven back by ferocious Canadian defence and the Canucks escaped. The North Americans finally took the lead when livewire scrum-half Morgan Williams took a quick penalty and his cross-kick enabled Van der Merwe to slither over. Pritchard converted but Japan refused to accept defeat and launched a series of late attacks. Canada conceded penalty after penalty, including a debatable decision in the 82nd minute after they had batted the ball dead, and Japan finally scored through Taira down the left to send the Bordeaux crowd into raptures. That left Onishi with a hugely pressurised kick from near the touchline to level the match and he drilled the ball nervelessly between the posts to record only the second draw in World Cup history. -------------------------------------------------- Canada: Mike Pyke; DTH Van der Merwe, Craig Culpan, David Spicer, James Pritchard; Ryan Smith, Morgan Williams (capt); Rod Snow, Pat Riordan, Jon Thiel; Mike Burak, Mike James; Colin Yukes, Adam Kleeberger, Aaron Carpenter. Replacements: Mike Pletch, Dan Pletch, Scott Franklin, Josh Jackson, Mike Webb, Ed Fairhurst, Justin Mensah-Coker. Japan: Go Aruga, Kosuke Endo, Yuta Imamura, Shotaro Onishi, Christian Loamanu, Bryce Robins, Tomoki Yoshida; Tatsukichi Nishiura, Yuji Matsubara, Tomokazu Soma; Hitoshi Ono, Luke Thompson; Hare Makiri, Philip O'Reilly, Takuro Miuchi (capt). Replacements: Taku Inokuchi, Ryo Yamamura, Luatangi Samurai Vatuvei, Hajime Kiso, Chulwon Kim, Koji Taira, Hirotoki Onozawa.

Scotland (0) 0 New Zealand (20) 40 Tries: McCaw, Howlett (2), Kelleher, Williams, Carter Cons: Carter (2) Pens: Carter (2) Scotland failed to score against a dominant New Zealand in a one-sided World Cup encounter at Murrayfield. The All Blacks ran in tries from Richie McCaw, Doug Howlett - his two making a new All Black career record 48 - Byron Kelleher, Ali Williams and Dan Carter. The tournament favourites eased off after the break and did not fully capitalise on their superiority. A Scotland side featuring 13 changes to the side which defeated Romania failed to create anything of note. Scotland had failed to beat the All Blacks in their previous 25 attempts. But they placed a higher priority on beating Italy next Saturday - a result which is vital if they are to come second in their group - and named a second-string side with new caps. Only Chris Paterson, who moved to fly-half, and Simon Webster on the wing, were retained from that game. The All Blacks welcomed back captain Richie McCaw and fly-half Dan Carter. Centre Conrad Smith, Chris Masoe and lock Williams were the only survivors from the Portugal game. New Zealand, wearing silver and black instead of their famous black shirts, looked razor sharp from kick-off. McCaw touched down in the fifth minute after collecting a clever inside pass from Rodney So'oialo at the back of the scrum. Carter kicked his first conversion of the day, as the Scots looked set for a long afternoon. Paterson looked to reply immediately for the Scots, but his drop-kick missed right of the posts. Doug Howlett touches down for his 47th try for the All Blacks The Scots were unable to make any headway into New Zealand territory in the opening quarter. Howlett had a simple run-in for New Zealand's second try when he took Leon McDonald's pass, moving clear of Christian Cullen's previous record of 46 tries for New Zealand. Scotland's frantic defending was struggling to keep the relentless New Zealand attacks at bay. Hugo Southwell's kick was then charged down as the home fans in the stands groaned. Carter added a penalty after 24 minutes to make it 15 for the All Blacks as the Scots prayed for some respite. But the All Blacks were showing no mercy and Kelleher got the third try of the first half after Masoe tenaciously broke through a couple of tackles. Carter was uncharacteristically poor with the boot as he missed another conversion but the number 10 added another penalty minutes after the re-start. Carter then saw a penalty rebound off the upright and Howlett failed to capitalise when he looked set to score his second try of the game. There was controversy after 55 minutes when McCaw passed to Carter for a kick at goal - a decision which did not go down well with the Murrayfield crowd. Williams raised the try count when he held off three spirited challenges on the right before touching down. Carter's miserable day with the boot continued, but he offered some cheer when he pounced on Nikki Walker's handling error and sprinted under the posts. He made no mistake with the conversion as the Scots must have longed for full-time. The All Blacks offered a glimpse of their best when Howlett raced away from the leg-weary Scots for his second try of the day and 48th for his country. Carter missed the conversion to ensure the margin of victory did not creep nearer the half century. -------------------------------------------------- Scotland: Southwell, Walker, Di Rollo, Henderson, Webster, Paterson, Cusiter, Dickinson, Lawson, Smith, MacLeod, Murray (capt), Brown, Callam, Barclay. Replacements: Thomson, Kerr, Hamilton, Hogg, Lawson, Parks, Dewey. New Zealand; MacDonald; Howlett, Smith, McAlister, Sivivatu; Carter, Kelleher; Woodcock, Oliver, Hayman, Thorne, Williams, Masoe, McCaw (capt), So'oialo. Replacements: Hore, Tialata, Jack, Lauaki, Leonard, Evans, Toeava.

Australia (22) 55 Tries: Giteau (2), Mitchell (3), Ashley-Cooper, Hoiles Cons: Giteau (4) Pens: Giteau (3) Drops: Barnes Fiji (5) 12 Tries: Neivua, Ratuva Cons: Bai Cons: Lemi Australia romped to a comfortable 55-12 victory over a second-string Fiji in the Pool B clash in Montpellier. The Wallabies ran in seven tries to secure top spot in the group, setting up a likely quarter-final against either England or Tonga in Marseille. Drew Mitchell scored a hat-trick, while Matt Giteau (2), Adam Ashley-Cooper and Stephen Hoiles also crossed. Fiji scored tries from Isoa Neivua and Aca Ratuva but the Wallabies were in training mode ahead of bigger tests. "It was a little bit scrappy in the first half, but we showed we are able to defend well at times," said man-of-the-match Giteau, who also kicked 17 points and won his 50th cap. "Fiji defended well and put us under pressure. Hopefully we will have a good performance against Canada and get ready for the quarter-finals." The Fijians, who were resting a host of top players, can still qualify for the knock-out stages if they beat Wales in the crunch match Nantes on 29 September. "We thought we had a few chances at end of first half to chase the score and I was pleased with the younger players coming through, knowing that we've got a tougher game against Wales next week," said Fiji coach Ilie Tabua. Australia took their time to unlock the Fiji defence and had to wait until 16 minutes for the first try after Wycliff Palu and Lote Tuqiri combined to put in Giteau. The Wallabies went close soon after when George Gregan, equalling Will Carling's record of 59 caps as captain, was foiled yards from the line after Rocky Elsom's break, but Fiji, to their credit, held off the next Australia score until the half hour mark. Full-back Chris Latham slipped a cute grubber kick through for winger Mitchell to gather and five minutes later Giteau added a second when he sneaked through following sustained Australian pressure. The Wallabies were cruising but right on the whistle, a textbook Fijian passing move down the three-quarters picked out left wing Neiuva, who outmuscled five Australian defenders to crash over. After the break, the hard-headed Australians spurned the chance to probe the corner with a penalty and took three more points through Giteau before Berrick Barnes added a drop-goal for good measure. Fiji, though, were not prepared to go through the motions as understudies and a dazzling break from replacement Mosese Raulini fed open-side Ratuva for his side's second try. The clinical Wallabies edged ahead again when Giteau slotted another penalty before conjuring a pass for Ashley-Cooper to slice over from close range. But the game lost its shape for a while following a host of substitutes until Fiji went close with a promising break, only for Australia to surge upfield and score at the other end through Mitchell. A male streaker 10 minutes from the end drew the biggest cheer of the day but Australia were not ready to start partying and ran in further scores from Hoiles and Mitchell. -------------------------------------------------- Australia: Latham, Mitchell, Ashley-Cooper, Giteau, Tuqiri, Barnes, Gregan (captain); Dunning, Moore, Shepherdson, Chisholm, Vickerman, Elsom, Waugh, Palu. Replacements: Freier, Holmes, McMeniman, Hoiles, Cordingley, Staniforth, Huxley. Fiji: Ligairi; Delasau, Kunavore, Bai (capt), Neivua; Luveniyali, Daunivucu; Yalayalatabua, Sauturaga, Qiodravu, Domolailai, Rawaqa, Talei, Ratuva, Qovu. Replacements: Gadolo, Railomo, Lewaravu, Koyamaibole, Rauluni, Lovobalavu, Rabeni.

Argentina (23) 63 Tries: Albacete, Leguizamon (2), M Contepomi, F Contepomi, Tiesi, Corleto, Penalty, Todeschini Cons: F Contepomi (4), Todeschini Pens: F Contepomi (2) Namibia (3) 3 Pens: Schreuder Argentina powered to a bonus-point win over Namibia in Marseille to keep alive their hopes of topping Pool D. The Pumas started slowly but Patricio Albacete, Juan Manuel Leguizamon and Manuel Contepomi scored in the first half to quell the eager Namibians. Felipe Contepomi added a fourth soon after the break and the floodgates opened as Argentina's flowing 15-man rugby proved too much for Namibia. The Pumas will win the group with a bonus point against Ireland on Sunday. Ireland, meanwhile, must beat Argentina by more than seven points and score a bonus point to progress, a result which would also see France top the group if they score a bonus-point victory over Georgia. "It was important to get a bonus. We're still out there and next week against Ireland will be tough," said Pumas skipper Agustin Pichot. "Namibia were always going to give their best - that's rugby, that's good. We worked hard and we kept our composure and we finished well." The winners of Pool D will meet the runners-up from Pool C - likely to be Scotland or Italy - in Paris on 7 October, with the runners-up playing the likely group C winners New Zealand in Cardiff on 6 October. Amid a carnival atmosphere in the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, the spirited Namibians took an early lead with a Morne Schreuder penalty but Argentina drew level through Felipe Contepomi after nine minutes. The attritional opening stalemate, in which Namibia more than held their own, looked to have been punctured after a period of mounting Argentine dominance. The Pumas recycled from a close-range maul and Felipe Contepomi slid through a grubber kick for his brother Manuel to chase, but his sibling was unable to control the ball in the grounding and Namibia were let off the hook. Felipe Contepomi slotted another three-pointer shortly after and then Argentina's pressure paid off when lock Albacete claimed the try from a pile-up on the Namibia line. Ten minutes later, Namibia's resistance showed the first signs of terminal decline when Argentine number eight Leguizamon picked up from the base of a scrum and muscled his way over on the blind-side. Argentina were swaying to their building rhythm and Manuel Contepomi got on the scoresheet when he capped a sweeping move into the left corner for a convincing lead at the interval. The Pumas should have claimed their bonus point for four tries not long after the break but full-back Ignacio Corleto flung a wild pass into the stands with the touchline gaping. But Felipe Contepomi made amends when he slipped through a hole in the Namibian defence minutes later to score under the posts. That was that as a contest, and Argentina ran in five more tries through Leguizamon, Gonzalo Tiesi, Corleto, substitute Federico Todeschini and a penalty try to serve further notice that they are a growing force at this World Cup. Nambibian coach Hakkies Husselman admitted it was a step too far for his mainly part-time side. "They played very professionally against us, but it was too far for us," said Husselman, who at 34 is the youngest coach at the World Cup. Husselman, who played at the last World Cup for Namibia, said that beating Georgia in their final group match is their goal. "We really want to win that game," he added. -------------------------------------------------- Argentina: Corleto; Senillosa, Tiesi, M Contepomi, Agulla; F Contepomi, Pichot (capt); Leguizamon, JM Fernandez Lobbe, Ostiglia, Albacete, CI Fernandez Lobbe, Hasan, Alberto Basualdo, Rodrigo Roncero. Replacements: Ledesma, Scelzo, Kairelis, Longo, Miranda, Todeschini, Miras. Namibia: Bock; Mouton, Grobler, Powell (capt), Africa; Losper, Jantjies; Redelinghuys, Meyer, Visser, Kazombiaze, Esterhuize, MacKenzie, Burger, Du Plessis. Replacements: Horn, Lensing, Lindvelt, Senekal, van Tonder, Schreuder, Van Zyl