International rugby returned to the Northern Hemisphere this weekend and the stars of the British and Irish Lions were at the heart of the action. Rugby enthusiasts can book British lions 2021 tickets on our website at exclusively discounted prices.
The star attraction was the return of the Six Nations, as
Round 4 concluded more than seven months after it began. However, Ireland
wasted no time in shedding any signs of rust as they racked up 50 points in a
complete win over Italy, leaving them a clear point at the top heading into
Super Saturday next weekend.
Leinster winger Hugo Keenan took an international bow to
remember, crossing two of Ireland's seven attempts, while fellow rookie Will
Connors also landed in a man of the match display. CJ Stander, who scored
against the Blues on the 2017 Tour and participated in the third round, and
two-time Lions tourist Johnny Sexton added their names to the roster while
Sexton contributed 13 points off the tee.
The victory came at a cost for Ireland, who saw Garry
Ringrose leave the field with a broken jaw that will likely keep him out for
about six weeks. Ringrose was replaced on Saturday by 2017 tourist Robbie
Henshaw, while fellow center Bundee Aki scored as he looks to pressure home
with his own Lions credentials.
Of the other Lions on display in Dublin, Conor Murray had a
steady play in the scrum-half after an early sin fall and Peter O’Mahony came
off the bench to set up Aki's score with a good volley.
Andy Farrell's men now have their fate in their own hands
heading into next weekend's grand final and they know that an extra point’s
victory against France will win them the Championship. If Ireland wins without
a bonus point, their fate would depend on England's result in Italy, although
the men in green enter Round 5 with a point difference higher by a margin of
24.
AWJ
equals McCaw
Wales kicked off Super Saturday next weekend and prepared
for their clash against Scotland with a trip to Paris, where they found a
French team in top form.
Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones equaled Richie McCaw's record
of 148 test matches, nine of which have occurred throughout three Lions Tours,
and his team got off to a dream start when tourist Leigh Halfpenny of 2017
crossed in the second minute.
Teammate Leon Dan Biggar converted before adding a penalty
to put Wales 10-0 up, but an Antoine Dupont-inspired France responded in style.
The scrum-half scored twice and helped prepare two more attempts for the hosts,
who were left with 38-21 winners.
Jones made no excuses and urged his team to improve next
weekend when the 35-year-old will become the most capped international player
in rugby history. The Wales captain was one of eight Lions in the starting XV
in Paris, where Jonathan Davies made his first international appearance since
the 2019 World Cup bronze medal match.
Russell
returns
Visitors to Wales next weekend, Scotland, were in action on
Friday night and made eight attempts throughout a 48-7 win over Georgia at BT
Murrayfield. Duhan van der Merwe scored on his debut for Gregor Townsend's team
and there were twos for acting Captain Fraser Brown and Darcy Graham.
The match was also notable for Finn Russell's return to
international rugby, with the talented fly-half coming off the bench to win his
50th call-up for Scotland without having played since last year's World Cup. Russell
was called up as a cover on the 2017 Tour, making a brief appearance off the
bench against Hurricanes, and is looking forward to a chance to shine in South
Africa next summer.
Another Lion on his way back is Liam Williams, who played
for the second time this year when the Scarlets beat Benetton 10-3 in a
cautious Guinness PRO14 affair on Friday night. The 29-year-old, who helped set
up one of the best attempts in Lions history for Sean O'Brien in Test 1 in
2017, played the first 66 minutes at Treviso and hopes to play for Wales throughout
busy autumn.
Chiefs
at the double
Elsewhere on the home front, Exeter Chiefs added the
Premiership title to the European Challenge Cup they won last weekend to
complete a memorable double. The Chiefs beat the Wasps 19-13 in torrential rain
at Twickenham, with England star Henry Slade scoring a good individual try in
the first half.
Jacob Umaga responded with a score for the Wasps, but Joe Simmonds' dependable boot took Exeter out after the break and the Chiefs became the fourth English club to score a national and European double.
Stuart Hogg, a member of the Lions' touring group in 2013 and 2017, started as a winger for the new English champions, while Jack Nowell, who participated in two 2017 events, lined up on the wing and assisted in Slade's attempt. Nowell will now undergo the upcoming Miss England Fall Internationals to undergo surgery on a toe injury, having played through the pain barrier to participate in the Exeter final.
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