ARGENTINA 43, IRELAND 20: World Cup Quarter Final

18.10.2015

Argentina are into the 2015 Rugby World Cup semi finals after defeating Ireland in Cardiff. All the noise and the colour of the Irish supporters just could not pull the Irish up in this game. Argentina were dominant up front for much of the game and their backs were slick and quick. It was an exciting game to watch. Argentina have come of age.

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Quarter Finalists Confirmed

17.10.2015
South Africa v Wales at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final 1)
New Zealand v France in Cardiff (World Cup, Quarter Final 2)

18.10.2015
Ireland v Argentina in Cardiff (World Cup, Quarter Final 3)
Australia v Scotland at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final 4)

Briefly
Here they are. Now we are down to the real business end of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The eight quarter finalists are listed above.

RUGBY WORLD CUP

11.10.2015
Japan 28, United States 18 in Gloucester (World Cup, Pool B)
Argentina 64, Namibia 19 in Leicester (World Cup, Pool C)
Italy 32, Romania 22 in Exeter (World Cup, Pool D)
Ireland 24, France 9 in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool D)

Reviews
Ireland placed themselves at the top of Pool D after defeating France 24-9 in Cardiff. There concern though is for a trio of injured players who may not be fit enough to play in next weekends quarter final match against Argentina. Coach Schmidt may have to find four replacements for injured players Peter O'Mahony, Paul O'Connell and Jonathan Sexton.

France will rue their lost opportunities on attack and will face a real battle against old foes New Zealand next weekend.

In other results Italy eventually defeated Romania but not without the Eastern Europeans putting up a great fight. Argentina overwhelmed a tired Namibia whilst Japan finished their Rugby World Cup tournament with a win but not enough to secure a quarter final place.

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Sunday’s Fixtures 11 October

United States v Japan in Gloucester (World Cup, Pool B)
Argentina v Namibia in Leicester (World Cup, Pool C)
Italy v Romania in Exeter (World Cup, Pool D)
France v Ireland in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool D)

Briefly
The USA v Japan game is for pride only. Because Scotland defeated Samoa Japan did not reach the quarter finals. But they can be proud of their achievement in gaining automatic qualification to the 2019..hang on! They automatically qualified as they will be the host nation.

Pool C has also been sorted so the Argentina-Namibia game has no bearing.

The action is in Pool D. Ireland and France clash to see who tops this pool and has an easier ride to the semi-finals. Romania and Italy clash for third place. Romania will desperate to win this game, qualify for 2019 and push the claim that Romania and Georgia should be included into the 6 Nations tournament.

There is a lot to play for tomorrow.

Predictions
Japan to win by 14 points. Score 27-13
Argentina to win by 31 points. Score 42-11
Ireland to win by 8 points. Score 21-13
Italy to win by 9 points. Score 24-15

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Results 4 October

04.10.2015
Argentina 45, Tonga 16 in Leicester (World Cup, Pool B)
Ireland 16, Italy 9 in London (World Cup, Pool D)

Briefly
Argentina cruised past Tonga in Pool B whilst a below form Ireland managed a close 16-9 win over a resurgent Italy. The Italians had charismatic leader Sergio Parisse back in the team following injury.

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Sunday 4 October

Argentina v Tonga in Leicester (World Cup, Pool B)

Briefly
Argentina should account for Tonga in their Pool B clash

Prediction: Argentina by 16 points. Score 37-21

TEAMS

Argentina
15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Jeronimo De La Fuente, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Nicolas Sánchez, 9 Martín Landajo, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Agustín Creevy (Capt.), 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements
16 Julian Montoya, 17 Lucas Noguera, 18 Juan Pablo Orlandi, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 21 Tomas Cubelli, 22 Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, 23 Horacio Agulla.
Head Coach: Daniel Hourcade

Tonga
15 Vungakoto Lilo, 14 Telusa Veainu, 13 Siale Piutau, 12 Sione Piukala,
11 Fetu'u Vainikolo, 10 Kurt Morath, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Viliami Ma'afu,
7 Nili Latu (Capt.), 6 Sione Kalamafoni, 5 Joseph Tuineau, 4 Tukulua Lokotui,
3 Halani 'Aulika, 2 Elvis Taione, 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.
Replacements
16 Aleki Lutui, 17 Sona Taumalolo, 18 Sila Puafisi, 19 Sitiveni Mafi, 20 Opeti Fonua, 21 Samisoni Fisilau, 22 Latiume Fosita, 23 David Halaifonua.
Head Coach: Mana Otai

Ireland v Italy in London (World Cup, Pool D)

Briefly
Ireland should have little difficulty against 6 Nations rivals Italy.

Prediction: Ireland by 28 points. Score 45-17

TEAMS

Ireland
15 Simon Zebo, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Robert Henshaw,
11 David Kearney, 10 Jonathon Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 James Heaslip,
7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell (Capt.), 4 Iain Henderson, 3 Michael Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Jack McGrath
Replacements
16 Sean Cronin, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Nathan White, 19 Devin Toner,
20 Christopher Henry, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Luke Fitzgerald
Head Coach: Joe Schmidt

Italy
15 Luke McLean, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Edoardo Gori,
8 Sergio Parisse (Capt.), 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Francesco Minto, 5 Joshua Furno, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Andrea Manici, 1 Matias Aguero.
Replacements
16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Michele Rizzo, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Alessandro Zanni, 20 Mauro Bergamasco, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Carlo Canna, 23 Tommaso Benvenuti.
Head Coach: Jacques Brunel

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Sunday 27 September

27.09.2015
Australia 65, Uruguay 3 in Birmingham (World Cup, Pool A)
Scotland 39, United States 16 in Leeds (World Cup, Pool B)
Ireland 44, Romania 10 in London (World Cup, Pool D)

Briefly
Australia, Scotland and Ireland all got through their pool matches last night predictably with bonus points.

The next match is on Tuesday, Tonga v Namibia.

My next preview will be on Wednesday as I will be away.

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Today

27.09.2015
Australia v Uruguay in Birmingham (World Cup, Pool A)
Scotland v United States in Leeds (World Cup, Pool B)
Ireland v Romania in London (World Cup, Pool D)

I’m unable to review these games due to other commitments.

Predictions
Australia to defeat Uruguay by 55 points-Score 66-11
Scotland to defeat USA by 21 points-Score 33-12
Ireland to defeat Romania by 33 points-Score 49-16

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015: Other Results Day 2

19.09.2015
Georgia 17, Tonga 10 in Gloucester (World Cup, Pool C)
Ireland 50, Canada 7 in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool D)
France 32, Italy 10 at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool D)

Briefly
Georgia caused a minor surprise by defeating Tonga in Pool C. Tonga’s build up has been impressive but today Georgia, playing with their usual scrum power scored 2 tries to 1.

Ireland and France predictably won their first games in the tournament.

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015

THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT. THE WEBB ELLIS TROPHY

Past winners
1987-New Zealand
1991-Australia
1995-South Africa
1999-Australia
2003-England
2007-South Africa
2011-New Zealand
2015-?

Opening Games This Weekend

18.09.2015
England v Fiji at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool A)

19.09.2015
South Africa v Japan in Brighton (World Cup, Pool B)
Tonga v Georgia in Gloucester (World Cup, Pool C)
Ireland v Canada in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool D)
France v Italy at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool D)

20.09.2015
Wales v Uruguay in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool A)
Samoa v United States at Brighton (World Cup, Pool B)
New Zealand v Argentina in London (World Cup, Pool C)

WORLD CUP WARM UP TEST: Ireland v Wales

08.08.2015

Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)

Preview
Both these teams are fielding experimental sides with fringe players getting the opportunity to stake a claim for inclusion in their national Rugby World Cup squads.

Ireland will take the opportunity to get revenge over Wales after their defeat in Cardiff during the 6 Nations this year. Wales’ win robbed the Irish of a Grand Slam although they did go on to take the 6 Nations title.

Wales’ side is less experimental than Ireland’s and they look stronger in the forwards. This will be a game that won’t be memorable but I’ll give Wales a narrow win.

I still think Ireland will have their best ever Rugby World Cup.

Last Five Encounters Wales 3, Ireland 2
14.03.2015 Wales 23-16 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
08.02.2014 Ireland 26-3 in Dublin (6 Nations)
02.02.2013 Ireland 30-22 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
05.02.2012 Wales 23-21 in Dublin (6 Nations)
08.10.2011 Wales 22-10 in Wellington (World Cup QF)

Ireland Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1
21.03.2015 v Scotland W 40-10 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
14.03.2015 v Wales L 16-23 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
01.03.2015 v England W 19-9 in Dublin (6 Nations)
14.02.2015 v France W 18-11 in Dublin (6 Nations)
07.02.2015 v Italy W 26-3 in Rome (6 Nations)

Wales Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1
21.03.2015 v Italy W 61-20 in Rome (6 Nations)
14.03.2015 v Ireland W 23-16 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
28.02.2015 v France W 20-13 in Paris (6 Nations)
14.02.2015 v Scotland W 26-23 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
07.02.2015 v England L 16-21 in Cardiff (6 Nations)

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: Wales 1st, Ireland 2nd 
Europe Table: Wales 1st, Ireland 2nd

World Rugby Ranking Points
Ireland 85.76, Wales 84.07

Prediction: Wales by 3 points Score: 24-21

TEAMS

Wales
15 Hallam Amos, 14 Alexander Cuthbert, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 Scott Williams (Capt.), 11 Eli Walker, 10 James Hook, 9 Michael Phillips, 8 Daniel Baker,
7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Ross Moriarty, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Aaron Jarvis,
2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Nicholas Smith.

Replacements
16 Robert Evans, 17 Kristian Dacey, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 James King,
20 Taulupe Faletau, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Gareth Anscombe, 23 Matthew Morgan.

Head Coach: Warren Gatland

Ireland
15 Felix Jones, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Darren Cave, 11 Fergus McFadden, 10 Patrick Jackson, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 James Heaslip (Capt),
7 Thomas O'Donnell, 6 Jordi Murphy, 5 Donnacha Ryan, 4 Iain Henderson,
3 Michael Ross, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Jack McGrath

Replacements
16 Rory Best, 17 David Kilcoyne, 18 Michael Bent, 19 Daniel Tuohy, 20 Chris Henry, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Simon Zebo

Head Coach: Joe Schmidt

Team lists adapted from http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_68344,00.html

Milestones

• Test debuts: Wales. Dominic Day, Ross Moriarty, Hallam Amos and Tyler Morgan.
• Donnacha Ryan, Andrew Trimble and Keith Earls return to test rugby after lengthy spells.
• Mike Ross will play his 50th test for Ireland.
  

TEST RUGBY THIS WEEKEND

08.08.2015
New Zealand v Australia in Sydney (Bledisloe Cup, Rugby Championship)
South Africa v Argentina in Durban (Rugby Championship)
Ireland v Wales in Cardiff (World Cup Warm Up)
Kenya v Namibia in Windhoek (Africa Cup 1A)

Briefly
The warm up fixtures will be well and truly underway this weekend with the first 6 Nations side hitting out. Ireland and Wales clash in Cardiff.

The Africa Cup 1A competition continues with Namibia at home against up-and-coming Kenya. It will be a big test for both sides. Kenya has impressed this season whilst Namibia will be keen to add the Africa Cup to the silverware cabinet before they land in England for the World Cup. They have another game in Windhoek next weekend. This will be the last Africa Cup 1A game and it will be against Zimbabwe.

The final round of the 2015 Rugby Championship (shortened because of the Rugby World Cup) will see a final between New Zealand and Australia in Sydney. Both teams go into this test match undefeated. Australia, as hosts, will be eager to defeat New Zealand for the first time in four years. New Zealand captain will equal Brian O’Driscoll’s world record 141st test caps. This game will be a cracker. Can’t wait!

In the other game South Africa meets Argentina in Durban to sort out the minor placings. The Rugby Championship though is not really the top prize for 2015. These games are really just curtain raisers.

6 NATIONS INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: Final Round

21.03.2015
Wales 61, Italy 20 in Rome (6 Nations)
Ireland 40, Scotland 10 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
England 55, France 35 at Twickenham (6 Nations)

Briefly
A rush of point scoring saw some amazing results in the final round. In the end England just couldn’t gather enough points to overhaul Ireland who take the title for the second year in a row. Earlier Wales set the pace with a huge win over Italy scoring 47 points in the second half.

IRELAND v SCOTLAND: 6 Nations

21.03.2015

Venue: Murrayfield

Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)

Preview
Ireland’s task is to score as many points as they can against Scotland and prevent Scotland from as scoring as little points as possible. It’s only in this way that Ireland have a chance of taking the 6 Nations Championship.

Last Five Encounters
02.02.2014 Ireland 28-6 in Dublin (6 Nations)
24.02.2013 Scotland 12-8 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
10.03.2012 Ireland 32-14 in Dublin (6 Nations)
06.08.2011 Scotland 10-6 at Murrayfield (World Cup Warm-up)
27.02.2011 Ireland 21-18 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)

Ireland Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1 
14.03.2015 v Wales L 16-23 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
01.03.2015 v England W 19-9 in Dublin (6 Nations)
14.02.2015 v France W 18-11 in Dublin (6 Nations)
07.02.2015 v Italy W 26-3 in Rome (6 Nations)
22.11.2014 v Australia W 26-23 in Dublin

Scotland Last Five P 5, W 1, L 4
14.03.2015 v England L 13-25 at Twickenham (6 Nations; Calcutta Cup)28.02.2015 v Italy L 19-22 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
14.02.2015 v Wales L 23-26 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
07.02.2015 v France L 8-15 in Paris (6 Nations)
22.11.2014 v Tonga W 37-12 at Kilmarnock

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: Ireland 1st, Scotland 6th
Europe Table: Ireland 2nd, Scotland 6th

World Rugby Ranking Points
Ireland 85.32, Scotland 75.22

Prediction: Ireland by 10 points: Score: 19-9

TEAMS

Scotland
15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Thomas Seymour, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Matthew Scott,
11 Douglas Fife, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (Capt.), 8 David Denton,
7 Blair Cowan, 6 Adam Ashe, 5 Jonathon Gray, 4 James Hamilton, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Ryan Grant.
Replacements
16 Fraser Brown, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Geoffrey Cross, 19 Timothy Swinson, 20 Robert Harley, 21 Samuel Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Greig Tonks,
23 Timothy Visser

Head Coach: Vern Cotter

Ireland
15 Robert Kearney, 14 Thomas Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robert Henshaw,
11 Luke Fitzgerald, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 James Heaslip,
7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell (Capt.), 4 Devin Toner,
3 Michael Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements
16 Sean Cronin, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Martin Moore, 19 Iain Henderson,
20 Jordi Murphy, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Felix Jones

Head Coach:Joe Schmidt

6 NATIONS INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

14.03.2015
Wales 23, Ireland 16 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
England 25, Scotland 13 at Twickenham (6 Nations; Calcutta Cup)

Reviews
Wales ended Irelands hopes of a ‘Grand Slam’ when they defeated the visitors in Cardiff. The Welsh defence was huge and kept a desperate Ireland out in the closing stages. It was an exciting match and now sets up a big final weekend next weekend.

England stumbled and bumbled their way past a very determined Scottish side at Twickenham. This win sets up a huge final round next weekend with possibly four teams in a position to take the championship.

21.03.2015
Wales v Italy in Rome (6 Nations)
Ireland v Scotland at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
France v England at Twickenham (6 Nations)

Today Sunday sees Italy take on the French in Rome. Expect fireworks!

TEST RUGBY THIS WEEKEND; 14-15 March

14.03.2015
Ireland v Wales in Cardiff (6 Nations)
Scotland v England at Twickenham (6 Nations; Calcutta Cup)
Russia v Georgia in Tbilisi (REC 1A)
Spain v Portugal in Lisbon (REC 1A)
Romania v Germany in Heidelberg (REC 1A)
Moldova v Belgium in Brussels (REC 1B)
Ivory Coast v Senegal in Toulouse (Friendly)

15.03.2015
France v Italy in Rome (6 Nations; Garibaldi Cup)

Briefly
The 6 Nations International Championship heads into the fourth round this weekend. Ireland head to Wales in what could decide the competition winner. Ireland needs to win to keep their ‘Grand Slam’ intentions alive.

Scotland travels to Twickenham to face England in the traditional Calcutta match. Both sides lost two weekends ago but Scotland’s performance against Italy was woeful. Expect a big lift from the Scots for this one.

Sunday’s France v Italy clash in Rome has a mouth watering prospect of a possible Italian win. Playing at home lifts the Italians and after defeating Scotland two weeks ago they are on a high. France has lost to Ireland and Wales and are struggling.

The Rugby Europe Championship continues with the Russia-Georgia clash being top of the bill. Georgia hasn’t set the world on fire in their last two encounters whilst Russia has defeated Germany and Romania to lift their performances. These two nations actually fought a war only a few years ago. The Russians can expect a ‘warm’ reception in Tbilisi.

The Spain-Portugal clash looks even but Spain has been playing the better rugby lately but Portugal has got the home advantage.

Romania should have too much strength for a struggling Germany.

Moldova travelled to Amsterdam two weeks ago with a weakened squad and lost. They do not travel well. If they lose to Belgium this weekend their hopes for promotion to the elite level of European rugby will take a dive yet again.

In a friendly encounter in France Senegal faces their African cousins the Ivory Coast. I’d expect all players to be France-based. Both these African nations will contest the African Cup Division 1B in early July.

ENGLAND v IRELAND: 6 Nations Championship

01.03.2015

Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)

Preview
The game we have all been waiting for. Standing 2nd and 3rd on the world rankings behind New Zealand this could well be the 6 Nations Championship title fight. Both teams

England has a dominant record against Ireland since March 2011. The last two encounters have been very close with England just edging ahead at the end.

Ireland are on a run. In their nine consecutive test wins since March 2014 South Africa and Australia are included in their scalps.

England’s injury worries continue but this line up emphasises the great depth they have. Today’s locks are relatively inexperienced but their success so far in this competition has meant they stay. The main injury concern has been Mike Brown’s concussion. His absence will be noticed. Apart from that no real weaknesses appear in England’s line up.

Ireland has Sean O’Brien back following his first game for nearly two years against France two weeks ago. He will be a major presence in the loose. Sexton is Ireland’s key player. How he dictates play could well be the edge.

And don’t forget the passionate Irish crowd in Dublin. There will be more noise than ever and watch the stadium lift if Ireland gets a win. Can’t wait!

Previous Encounters
22.03.2014 England 13-10 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
10.02.2013 England 12-6 in Dublin (6 Nations)
17.03.2012 England 30-9 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
27.08.2011 England 20-9 in Dublin (World Cup warm-up)
19.03.2011 Ireland 24-8 in Dublin (6 Nations)

England Last Five P 5, W 3, L 2
14.02.2015 v Italy W 47-17 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
06.02.2015 v Wales W 21-16 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
22.11.2014 v Samoa W 28-9 at Twickenham
15.11.2014 v South Africa L 28-31 at Twickenham
08.11.2014 v New Zealand L 21-24 at Twickenham

Ireland Last Five P 5, W 5
14.02.2015 v France W 18-11 in Dublin (6 Nations)
07.02.2015 v Italy W 26-3 in Rome (6 Nations)
22.11.2014 v Australia W 26-23 in Dublin
16.11.2014 v Georgia W 49-7 in Dublin
08.11.2014 v South Africa W 29-15 in Dublin

Ireland’s run of consecutive wins now stands at nine.

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: Ireland 1st, England 2nd
Europe Table: England 1st, Ireland 2nd

World Rugby Rankings
England 85.83, Ireland 85.66

Prediction: Ireland by 3 points

Teams

Ireland
15 Robert Kearney, 14 Thomas Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robert Henshaw,
11 Simon Zebo, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jordi Murphy, 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell (Capt.), 4 Devin Toner, 3 Michael Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Jack McGrath
Replacements
16 Sean Cronin, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Martin Moore, 19 Iain Henderson,
20 Thomas O'Donnell, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Felix Jones
Head Coach: Joe Schmidt

England
15 Alexander Goode, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Jack Nowell, 10 George Ford, 9 Benjamin Youngs, 8 William Vunipola, 7 Christopher Robshaw (Capt., 6 James Haskell, 5 George Kruis,
4 David Attwood, 3 Daniel Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joseph Marler.
Replacements
16 Thomas Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Nicholas Easter, 20 Thomas Croft, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Daniel Cipriani, 23 William Twelvetrees.
Head Coach: Stuart Lancaster

6 NATIONS INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

14.02.2015
England 47,Italy 17 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
Ireland 18, France 11 in Dublin (6 Nations)

Briefly
England were too strong for Italy at Twickenham. Italy were competitive early on and throughout the first half. England dominated the second half and preyed upon mistakes made under pressure by Italy.

Ireland had to battle against a fierce French side intent on preserving their good record in Dublin and to show a big improvement from last weekend. This result paves the way for a mouth-watering class between England and Ireland on 1 March.

The next round of Six Nations matches are..
28.02.2015
Italy v Scotland at Murrayfield
Wales v France in Paris

01.03.2015
England v Ireland in Dublin

Wales and Scotland clash tomorrow at Murrayfield.

FRANCE v IRELAND: 6 Nations

14.02.2015

Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

Preview
The return of Ireland’s leading players will make Ireland an even stronger side than the one that comfortably put Italy away last weekend. France has not lost to Ireland at Dublin since 2009 but that record will be under threat come Saturday.

For Ireland Sexton, O'Brien and Heaslip return to the starting line up whilst Healy comes onto the bench.

France has made only one change from the side that struggled against Scotland.

Last Five Encounters
15.03.2014 Ireland 22-20 in Paris (6 Nations)
09.03.2013 Drawn 13-13 in Dublin (6 Nations)
04.03.2012 Drawn 17-17 in Paris (6 Nations)
20.08.2011 France 26-22 in Dublin (WC Warm up)
13.08.2011 France 19-12 in Bordeaux (WC Warm up)

France Last Five P 5, W 3, L 2
07.02.2015 v Scotland W 15-8 in Paris (6 Nations)
22.11.2014 v Argentina L 13-18 in Paris
15.11.2014 v Australia W 29-26 in Paris
08.11.2014 v Fiji W 40-15 in Marseille
21.06.2014 v Australia L 13-39 in Sydney

Ireland Last Five P 5, W 5
07.02.2015 v Italy W 26-3 in Rome (6 Nations)
22.11.2014 v Australia W 26-23 in Dublin
16.11.2014 v Georgia W 49-7 in Dublin
08.11.2014 v South Africa W 29-15 in Dublin
14.06.2014 v Argentina W 23-17 in Tucuman

Ireland have won their last eight test matches in a row. Their record is ten consecutive wins September 2002 to March 2003.

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table- Ireland 1st, France 11th
Europe Table- Ireland 2nd, France 4th

IRB Ranking Points
Ireland 85.48, France 80.27

Prediction: Ireland by 12 points

Teams

France
15 Scott Spedding, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Teddy Thomas, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Papé, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Eddy Ben Arous.
Replacements
16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Uini Atonio, 18 Vincent Debaty, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Loann Goujon, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Rémi Talès, 23 Rémi Lamerat.

Ireland
15 Robert Kearney, 14 Thomas Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robert Henshaw,
11 Simon Zebo, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 James Heaslip,
7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell, (Capt.) 4 Devin Toner,
3 Michael Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Jack McGrath
Replacements
16 Sean Cronin, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Martin Moore, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Jordi Murphy, 21 Isaac Boss, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Felix Jones

TEST RUGBY RESULTS: 6 Nations

07.02.2015
Ireland 24, Italy 3 in Rome (6 Nations)
France 15, Scotland 8 in Paris (6 Nations)

Briefly
These two games did not live up to expectations as spectacles, the England-Wales game Friday night being a class above.

Ireland did enough to defeat Italy in Rome in an error-ridden game. France needed 5 penalty goals to defeat Scotland in Paris in another scratchy game

Next Weekend
14.02.2015
Italy v England at Twickenham
France v Ireland in Dublin

15.02.2015
Wales v Scotland at Murrayfield