Paris in November a time when the city of lights is illuminated that little bit longer as the days shorten and the evenings lengthen.
The brightly lit cafés and restaurants give off an enticing warm glow that call you like the sirens in Greek mythology who lured sailors to destruction by the sweetness of their song.
But this is business, the start of France’s Autumn international campaign and the French capital welcomes the rugby men from the land of the rising scrum.
On 25 November 2017 at the U Arena in Paris, with 74 mins on the clock and the scores tied 23-23, Yu Tamara lined up a simple conversion that would have given Japan victory.
Had the kick been successful, it would have given Japan their first ever win over France. The drawn game was a creditable result for the Cherry Blossoms, but a golden opportunity to make history was well and truly blown.
It was a result and a performance that drew an avalanche of jeers on the final whistle from the frustrated home fans. France won just three of their 11 tests in 2017 and this was the final game of their Annus horribilis.
Eight years later and the French phoenix that has risen stratospherically from those ashes is unrecognisable in thought, word, and deed from that depressing night in Nanterre.
Last night at Stade de France in one of those 9pm kick-offs that makes time for one of France’s other great passions-Dinner, the Cherry Blossoms found Autumn defoliation a painful process.
The 80,000 crowd were treated to a demolition job by the boys in blue. Defeat was never on the cards as eight try France blew away a Japanese side that came to life in the second half, but it was never going to be enough against the pace and power of the French.
An astonished fever pitch crowd witnessed the unthinkable after just third four seconds, a mistake from Antoine Dupont and an event seen as infrequently as Halley’s Comet. The number nine had his clearance kick charged down and Japan were inches away from the most amazing start.
But two tries in the opening ten minutes from Bielle-Biarrey and Gailleton set the platform. Despite elements of rustiness, further first half tries from Roumat, Mauvaka, and another from Belle-Biarrey provided the rugby equivalent of WD40 to give France a 31-0 half-time lead.
Les Bleus started the second half brightly with a try from Gros before Paul Boudehent grabbed a brace.
Japan got on the scoreboard in the 50th and 61st minute with tries from Tatekawa and Tatafu.
A 52-12 final score was a fair reflection of the game, and France will be delighted with the run out as a sterner test looms next week against the All Blacks.
The Cherry Blossoms have been scattered by the high-powered French leaf blower now it’s time to sweep away the Black Ferns it’s an exciting time in the French capital.
20 minute red cards, clocks counting down scrums, line outs, penalty kicks and conversions and referees talking to the crowd, welcome to international rugby 2024 style.
Amidst the plethora of law trials, one thing that hasn’t changed is the excitement and anticipation of England and New Zealand going head-to-head in front of a capacity crowd at a place they used to call Twickenham.
The London branch of the Allianz Stadium (as opposed to the Sydney and Turin branches) played host to one of the great rivalries in sport yesterday in a match launched the 2024 Autumn Nations Series.
On a muggy misty day with Joe Marler’s motivational team talk ringing in their ears post Haka the All Blacks indiscipline and England scrum dominance kept them in the hunt in a first half where the All Blacks scored two tries through Mark Tele’a and a gliding seemingly effortless run from Will Jordan, but the beauty was negated by the beastly metronomic boot of Marcus Smith who kicked four out of four penalties to put England within two points of their rivals at half-time.
Four minutes into the second half with the All Blacks attacking, a three to two overlap was intercepted by Marcus Smith who ran the length of the field before feeding Furbank. He passed immediately left to Feyi-Waboso to score a try. The 81,910 present greeted with a defeaning roar. Smith’s conversion gave England the lead. Another penalty on the 59-minute mark extended that lead to 22-14.
The All Blacks were looking very ordinary in the face of England’s suffocating defence. Their attack was littered with one up carries, and it was difficult to see anything other than an England win.
But the raft of substitutions that are part of the modern game had an effect on both teams. For England, they lost momentum and scrum domination and for the All Blacks the introduction of Damian McKenzie and the sharper scrum-half Cam Roigard put a spring in their step.
A McKenzie penalty with thirteen minutes remaining brought the score to 22-17, and even this clunky, inaccurate All Blacks side could smell English blood.
Sure enough with five minutes remaining Mark Tele’a, the man who could side step you in a telephone box, went over in the corner for his second try of the game (22-22). Beauden Barrett’s miraculous touchline conversion made it 24-22 to New Zealand.
A George Ford penalty hit the post and his attempted drop goal drifted wide during a fever pitch final few minutes, as the All Blacks clung on to a victory, but for England it was a case of déjà vu and another narrow defeat to add to the back catalogue.
According to Elton John, ‘sorry seems to be the hardest word’ but I have to take the legendary musician and composer to task on this occasion.
For me, without doubt the word that seems to be the hardest is Goodbye.
Whichever way you try to take the sting out of it, whether that be with a farewell, a see you soon, or any other platitude, it doesn’t take away from the fact that something is coming to an end. In this rugby case, something, and someone very special indeed.
This afternoon Leanne Infante, the artist formerly known as Riley, called time on her professional rugby career in what was her 100th game for Saracens with a resounding victory against reigning Women’s Premiership champions Gloucester-Hartbury.
Even when the difficult decision is made on your own terms, as is the case with Leanne, it doesn’t necessarily make it any easier.
But over a wonderful career at the top, she always did things on her own terms, and her decision to retire was no different.
Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming, and Leanne worked tirelessly to achieve that, whilst also helping those around her to achieve their best. Any fly half she has ever played with will testify.
I don’t think Leanne will ever realise just how good a player she was, or indeed how popular she was with team mates, fans, and journalists alike, only because that does not fit in with the humble way in which she operates.
As a Red Rose, she was often the pick of the bunch, a hardy perennial that bloomed season after season and never failed to brighten up the green fields she inhabited.
It has been my pleasure and privilege to follow Leanne’s career at close quarters. I’ve seen her mature and develop on and off the field, both as a player and person, the results have been pretty impressive.
As in the words of Rudyard Kiplings famous poem ‘If’ she has met with Triumph and Disaster and treated those two impostors just the same.
She has kept close council when things have not gone her way, frequently through no fault of her own, and chosen instead to do her talking on the field.
We are all in this wonderful game for a relatively short time. And to be able to have a career where you have maintained and upheld the values and the spirit of rugby is as big an achievement as all the trophies, titles and championships won, Leanne can be justifiably proud.
Rugby, and in particular the women’s game, will be all the better for her legacy, those following in her wake will find their paths that little bit smoother, thanks to her and her generation.
Leanne did everything on her own terms during a long club and international career, so it comes as no surprise that when it came to the agonising moment of dealing with sporting retirement, she had the strength of character. She also had the wisdom to make that difficult decision.
Having achieved the CIl Level 4 Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning, Leanne is a fully qualified Financial Adviser authorised by the FCA. She is also a qualified member of the Personal Finance Society, working with the prestigious Quilter group. So whilst our rugby days may not shine quite so brightly, our pension pots will almost certainly be booming.
Thank you, Leanne, for all the memories, you will be missed.
The number 10 in Numerology represents fresh new beginnings, leadership and innovation, self-discovery and independence, almost the perfect definition of a certain fly half now residing in the south of France.
Dan Biggar having exchanged Hymns and Arias for the Pilou pilou, a chant which describes the Toulon players as warriors coming down from the mountains towards the sea, has just released his autobiography “The Biggar Picture”.
When ‘Number 10’ is mentioned, the first thought that comes to mind is Downing Street and the individual who has the unenviable task of running the country, unless of course you happen to be Welsh.
In our case the number 10 only represents one thing that magical red jersey worn by the individual who has the unenviable task of running our country on the rugby field and as is the case with the Prime Minister he gets the blame for anything that goes wrong whether or not it is his fault.
I always felt that a lot of people would never appreciate how good Dan was until he finished playing for Wales, and this has already proved to be the case.
Memories get shorter as the M4 extends westwards the much loved Neil Jenkins had a torrid time for having the temerity to not be Barry John or Phil Bennett but once he stopped playing became a national treasure.
It is also worth remembering that Phil Bennett was dropped by Wales and also had his critics, although mostly in the Eastern areas of Wales.
Dan though had to prove himself time and time again his book unlike a lot of autobiographies draws you in, and you can feel the highs and lows with him.
This collaboration with Ross Harries is a brilliant red and a wonderful record of the career of a likeable, charming and friendly young man.
Honest and self-critical, Dan offers a rare insight into his personal and professional life. He talks candidly of his place within rugby, from the Premiership through to the Lions, and of the power dynamics within Wales’ most successful squad ever. He also opens the changing room doors and explores his relationships with past team mates, coaches and managers, from Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards to Alun Wyn Jones and Wayne Pivac.
Cyathia Medullaris and Rosales have cross-pollinated on many occasions over recent years, at or to give them their non-scientific names, Black Ferns and Red Roses.
And there are startling similarities between the rugby and flora aspects of both.
The Black Fern can grow quite large, block out Roses and will take advantage of any open space regardless of sun and shade.
Red Roses are extremely versatile, hardy and can be placed in a variety of locations where they will flourish.
They have blossomed over recent weeks in the mixture of rain and warm sunshine that has visited these shores, with the hope of reaching full bloom yesterday.
In New Zealand it was 1.30am on a Sunday morning back here at Twickenham or the Allianz stadium as it is now called. It was a much more sociable 2.30pm on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Such are the vagaries of the global time differences across the hemispheres.
Whichever day of the week you were watching, this was one of the most eagerly awaited international fixtures, a contest carrying more baggage than my wife on a weekend break.
Five Rugby World Cup finals have seen victories for the women from the land of the long white cloud over their English counterparts yet outside the world crown the Red Roses have had their fair share of success.
The Black Ferns buoyed by a Collective hug from King Charles on Wednesday evening started brightly, but it was the power of England that produced three first half tries for Marlie Packer, Abbie Dow, and Ellie Kildunne. With a 17-0 half-time lead, the Red Roses were looking comfortable.
After the interval, the 41,523 crowd did not have to wait long for another try. Mo Hunt stretched out for a touchdown just two minutes after the restart, and Hollie Aitchison’s conversion gave England a 24-0 lead that looked unassailable.
Katelyn Vahaakolo however had other ideas and the Black Ferns wing grabbed a brace of tries in the 51st and 60th minute to bring the score back to 24-12. All of a sudden, the match was beginning to look like a contest once again.
England saw the game out fairly comfortably, but there are injury concerns ahead of WXV 1 in Canada, with Amy Cokayne leaving the field in pain.
As the departing crowd headed across the A316 into the blinding sunlight, fanciful thoughts of a return here in twelve months time for a Rugby World Cup final between the two sides were not a million miles away. But if a week is a long time in politics then a year in rugby is a lifetime.
The Red Roses will undoubtedly flourish once again, so now it is important that any required pruning takes place. They should be tended, cared for, and nurtured to enable them to bloom again in a packed twelve months that includes a WXV tournament in Canada, the Women’s Six Nations, and of course the Holy Grail of a home Rugby World Cup next Autumn.
Vannes is the poster boy of Brittany, the medieval port town is normally the strolling arena for late season tourists this time of year .
The crumbling ramparts and fortified bridges look out over waterfront gardens; cobbled lanes snake through a maze of half-timbered buildings in the old town; and café-lined squares line the modern marina.
But last night there was a new kid in town. The Top 14 had arrived in this French outpost for the first time and if that wasn’t exciting enough then having arguably the best rugby team in the world as visitors made the heady experience almost unbearable.
RC Vannes with a twenty-one million euro budget, one of the poorest financially in the Top 14 (what we wouldn’t give for that kind of poverty this side of the channel) faced Toulouse, the team with the biggest budget who have a staggering forty-nine million Euros at their disposal.
The 12,000 tickets for this match were sold ages ago, Vannes could not have wished for a more illustrious opponent to start their new adventure than the current Top 14 and European Champions.
There are 699 Kilometers between Toulouse and Vannes and light years between the two in rugby terms, but these are the fixtures that gladden the heart, feed the soul and show the game of rugby in its finest light.
Stade de la Rabine in Place Théodore Decker has never known a night like last night. The eleven-minute walk from Crêperie Les Joséphine on Rue des Orfèvres to the stadium took on the air of a pilgrimage, admittedly one that did not involve carbohydrate abstinence.
The teams being led on to the field by bagpipes was a delightful new experience for the Top 14 and their distinctive sound added a backing track to the game, their drone echoing into the night sky during breaks in play.
It took Toulouse just three minutes to score their first try after a delightful disguised pass from Kinghorn sent Tomas Ramos over the whitewash.
Alexandre Roumat scored Toulouse second try on 29 minutes, Ramos’ conversion gave the visitors a 23-6 half-time lead.
The moment the whole of Vannes had been waiting for arrived in the 53rd minute, when new signing Mako Vunilpola crashed over for their first ever try in the Top 14.
Toulouse scored a further three tries through Théo Ntamack, Pita Akhi, and David Ainu’u interspersed with one from Vannes lock Christian Van der Merwe.
The 43-18 final score earned Toulouse a bonus point win. For Vannes the realisation has probably sunk in how difficult a season this will be in the top flight.
But for now the memory of such a memorable and historical occasion in this rugby outpost should be savoured. Thoughts will quickly turn to next week’s visit to face Stade Francais in Paris, before entertaining Racing 92 back at the Stade de la Rabine the following weekend.
“These two teams have met on 8 previous occasions Wales have won all 8 but the last one was very tight indeed 11-10 it was a couple of years ago in Cardiff, and here’s another chance Fiji really on the ramapage Delasau there looked like a knock on but he’s got another crack at it Delasau it’s a foot race does he get the bounce he does”.
I think I should explain the title.
Firstly declaring October as mid summer is stretching artistic license to its limits, also, sadly this was not a dream but more like a nightmare and one that occurs fairly regularly for us masochists that follow Welsh rugby.
The title came to me over an early morning coffee and I was so ridiculously pleased with myself that I couldn’t bear to change it.
There are two certainties in life, death and taxes, actually make that three, Wales drawing Fiji in any Rugby World Cup tournament pool is another cast-iron certainty.
If you are Welsh or of a nervous disposition, or even both, please look away now.
There are people in Llanelli still receiving counselling as a result of the affects of the match that took place on French Atlantic coast.
This game in Nantes was a riot of rampant rugby and the flying Fijian winger set it alight
In the final pool game, already having an early try under their belt, Fiji chose to attack from a scrum inside their own twenty-two.
Seru Rabeni produced a magical offload behind his back to midfield partner Seremaia Bai who in turn passed out of the tackle to Vilimoni Delasau, with the winger hacking on despite the ball going to ground.
Seemingly overcrowded out on the touchline, Delasau chipped forward before towering above the covering defenders to collect an impossibly high bounce and touch down to complete a remarkable solo effort.
Fiji would eventually go on to win a thrilling game 38-34 thanks to a last-minute pick and drive by second row Graham Dewes and earn a first quarter-final appearance since 1987.
However, it was Delasau’s sensational score for which one of the most entertaining games the World Cup has ever seen will always be remembered.
As Fiji headed to Marseille for a semi final showdown with South Africa Wales headed to the airport but not before sacking coach Gareth Jenkins in the hotel car park.
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, VilimoniDelasau 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
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.
Williams thought he had sealed the win for Wales
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 SeremaiaBai 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 65mrun-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 (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)
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.
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
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Delasau went on to score a try in Fiji’s semi final defeat to South Africa, he was regarded by many as the best right winger in the tournament. He played 17 times for Fiji between 1998 and 2005 and also scored 85 tries for Fiji sevens, but that sunny day in Nantes he lit up the Rugby World Cup.
King Midas famously requested that anything he touched would turn to gold, although when he discovered the peril of his wish, he begged Dionysusto to reverse the spell.
The god relented and told Midas to plunge his hands into the river Pactolus.
Antoine Dupont will not be repeating the same act in the River Seine this morning. The man with the Midas touch caresses his Olympic medal after France beat Fiji in the Rugby Sevens Final at Stade de France last night.
There are no unused superlative remaining to describe the talents of this wonderful rugby player.
Everything he touches turns to rugby gold. He had played rugby in one form or another virtually non-stop for the last two years and yet his standards have not dropped for a single moment, in fact he just appears to get better and better.
He entered the field at half-time in a damp, grey final and turned the game on its head.
Dupont grabbed hold of the match with both hands both feet and every other available part of his anatomy, Fiji didn’t get a look in throughout the whole of the second period.
75,000 serenaded the home team to victory against a Fiji side that had never lost an Olympic Sevens match in the history of their participation in the games.
Cliff Morgan once said of another pretty good scrum-half after he scored a try – ‘If the greatest writer of the written word would have written that story, no one would have believed it’. That player was Gareth Edwards.
Dupont’s impact and his two tries would have tested the literary skills of Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac, Émile Zola, Marcel Proust, George Sand, and even Voltaire.
Nine months ago, the Toulouse scrum left the Stade de France distraught and in tears following Les Bleus defeat to South Africa in the quarter-final of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
This time, for the man with the Midas touch, it was tears of joy that mingled with the Parisian drizzle.
In the old days my summer sport consisted of afternoons that lengthened with the Sun’s shadows, sat in a deck chair listening to the sound of seagulls and willow on leather on the south coast.
I’ve never bought the definition that cricket is just baseball on Valium, and as for watching it, well laziness is not just a physical phenomenon there is a huge mental side to it.
Many youthful summer afternoons were spent at Dean Park, Bournemouth, watching Hampshire play whilst drifting in and out of a relaxing snooze before a Gordon Greenidge Six would land in the tea tent, shattering the cups and saucers, and turning a county championship match in to the soundtrack of a Greek wedding.
You didn’t snooze for long with that Hampshire team, the West Indies star and South African genius Barry Richards opened the batting and there were no safe zones beyond the boundary.
Snoozes were equally limited when Hants were fielding, with the great Malcolm Marshall reigning down, his run up seemed to start somewhere near the pier and any wides or bouncers were likely to do more damage than anything Barnes-Wallace could have invented, they were a heck of a team.
These days the rugby and cricket seasons merge, there was a time when sportsman could play both games and at the top level.
The rugby season ended on May 1 and a new one started on September, and that was the natural order of things.
Keith Jarrett The Welsh wonder kid who beat England single handedly in 1967 as a teenager, also played cricket for Glamorgan.
Wilf Wooler, Vivian Jenkins and Jack and Billy Bancroft all played rugby for Wales and cricket for Glamorgan.
Dusty Hare the England full back played first class cricket for Notts, whilst another England full back, Alistair Hignell was an accomplished cricketer with Gloucestershire.
In the Southern Hempishere the legendary All Black Don Clarke turned out for Auckland, and Sir Graham Henry, yes that one, played cricket for Canterbury.
Brian McKechnie the full back who kicked Andy Haden’s line out dive penalty to beat Wales in 1978, played international cricket for New Zealand,
Heading to the land of Springbok, former captain Morne du Plessis wore the whites of Western Province with distinction.
Other notable names who have excelled at rugby and Cricket are Rob Andrew and Simon Halliday, who played rugby for England and first class cricket for Cambridge and Oxford university respectively.
The names of those that played top class rugby in the winter and cricket in the summer, are too numerous to mention, but sadly there will be no new ones to add to the list, I’m afraid that is the price of professionalism when seasons collide.
The real tragedy is that Malcolm Marshall was taken from us at such a ridiculously young age, those of us who had the privilege to see him play will never forget him.
Friday dawned to a beautiful hot sunny summer morning yet amidst the calm tranquillity a global event occurred that caused panic, consternation, chaos, and disbelief right across the world.
Despite the assurances of experts, the unthinkable actually happened, Wales won a rugby match.
Sky Sports gave in to demands from Amnesty International and pulled the plug on television coverage of the match between Queensland Reds v Wales.
The Red Cross has already been concerned about the welfare of Welsh rugby fans globally since the start of 2024.
There were fears that a loss to a club side would have catastrophic consequences and put an end to an even greater strain on a beleaguered NHS.
With Wales leading 24-14 at half-time, Sky took the courageous step of plugging in the broadcast with the away side having established a healthy lead.
Given Wales recent record, this an extremely brave call, which looked to be bordering on the edge of foolishness when Queensland Reds clawed back the deficit to take the lead 35-31 with just six minutes remaining.
A 79th minute try from replacement scrum-half Kieran Hardy saved the day for Wales, the Red Cross and Amnesty International to give the tourists their first win of 2024.
Four first half tries from Archie Griffin, Regan Grace, Rio Dyer and Chris Tshiunza to two from Reds hooker Richie Asiata put Wales in front at the interval.
A try from Nick Tompkins seven minutes into the second half gave Wales a surely unassailable 31-14 lead, sadly in Wales we don’t do surely these days.
But just as Amnesty International were about to put on their out-of-office reply, Asiata completed his hat-trick with a try on 53 mins. A try by Mac Grealy seven minutes later narrowed Wales lead to a slender 31-28.
Grealy’s second score came on 70 mins and was the try of the match, an outstanding coast-to-coast effort converted by James O’Connor’s gave Queensland a 35-31 lead, before Hardy earned Wales the victory laurels.
Mike Pearce Rugby 