AFP, PARIS
Wales on Sunday became the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup as they produced a record-breaking performance to hammer Australia 40-6 in Lyon.
Scotland also remained in contention for the quarter-finals with a 45-17 bonus point win over Tonga, although they would likely need to beat Ireland in their final Pool B match to progress.
Photo: Reuters
Wales, who had labored to victory in their previous matches against Fiji and Portugal, looked to be in trouble when they lost influential flyhalf Dan Biggar after just 12 minutes.
However, tries from Gareth Davies, Nick Tompkins and skipper Jac Morgan, and an exemplary kicking display from replacement flyhalf Gareth Anscombe, who mustered 23 points in total, saw them into the last eight.
It was the most points they have ever scored against the Wallabies and the 34-point gap eclipsed their 28-3 win in Cardiff back in 1975.
“We’ve played well in the last two games, but there were a few things we could improve on and today the discipline was better and we were great,” Morgan said. “I’m very proud of the boys, we’re prepared to go to the well for each other and everyone’s prepared so well.”
With Australia’s hopes of qualifying now depending on Fiji losing to Georgia or Portugal, the pressure is mounting on coach Eddie Jones. It was his side’s seventh defeat in eight Tests since he took over the reins for the second time in January.
Australia’s only victory since then was over Tier II Georgia.
“I would like to apologize to all Australia supporters,” Jones said. “Our performances was not up to the standards required. I take full responsibility for it. It is very disappointing.”
Wales got off to a dream start with a line-out move straight off the training ground as Morgan hit a beautiful line onto Tompkins’s inside pass to break through the defensive line and tee up Davies to score by the posts.
Two Ben Donaldson penalties brought it back to 7-6 and with Biggar leaving the field with a shoulder problem, suffered tackling Richie Arnold, the Australians appeared to be in a good position.
However, Anscombe proved a more than able replacement for Biggar, despite missing his first kick at the sticks, punishing a series of Australian infringements.
Three penalties took it to 16-6 at the break, after which Wales ran away with it, Anscombe adding another three penalties, a drop goal and converting Tompkins’ try in the 49th minute, which he had set up with a delightful chip over the Australian defense.
Australian heads had dropped by the time Morgan had the last say with a try off a driving maul.
The Scots, who lost 18-3 to defending champions South Africa in their opening game, went into their match in Nice knowing they needed all five points to stay in contention in Pool B.
That was achieved by halftime as George Turner, Duhan van der Merwe, Kyle Steyn and Rory Darge all crossed the paint to give Scotland a 24-10 lead at the break. George Horne, Blair Kinghorn and Darcy Graham added further tries in the second half to round off the win.
Solomone Kata gave the Tongans some hope in the first half with a fine try and 150kg prop Ben Tameifuna barreled over early in the second half, but they never got close enough to worry the Scots.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
The San Francisco Giants signed 18-year-old Taiwanese pitcher Yang Nien-hsi (陽念希) to a contract worth a total of US$500,000 (NT $16.39 million). At a press event in Taipei on Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Giants’ Pacific Rim Area scout Evan Hsueh (薛奕煌) presented Yang with a Giants jersey to celebrate the signing. The deal consisted of a contract worth US$450,000 plus a US$50,000 scholarship bonus. Yang, who stands at 188 centimeters tall and weighs 85 kilograms, is of Indigenous Amis descent. With his fastest pitch clocking in at 150 kilometers per hour, Yang had been on Hsueh’s radar since playing in the HuaNan Cup
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
RSS