Center Joe Ansbro’s late try gave Scotland a pre-World Cup boost as they beat an experimental Ireland 10-6 in a scrappy warm-up game at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on Saturday.
The visitors had looked on course for victory thanks to two Jonathan Sexton penalties as they led 6-3, before a sweeping move straight from the training ground put Ansbro through two minutes from time.
With the sides keen to iron out their problems before the World Cup starts in New Zealand on Sept. 9 and with players desperate to stake their claims for selection for the tournament, the match was less about the result than the performance.
Scotland manager Andy Robinson, whose team have only one more warm-up lined up compared with three more for Ireland, watched his side squander plenty of chances, including Nikki Walker’s spill close to the line early on, a fluffed opportunity by Sean Lamont and a missed kick by Chris Paterson.
Ireland, keen to prove they are better prepared for the World Cup than four years ago when they made a group-stage exit, will have been encouraged by their defensive strength for much of the game in the absence of their big names.
Scotland enjoyed the better possession and made more of the running in the first half, but Ireland stood firm and eventually broke the deadlock with a penalty from Sexton after 33 minutes.
Paterson kicked Scotland level on 50 minutes, before Sexton restored Ireland’s lead.
The Ireland flyhalf then missed a kick as the game became even more disjointed as an influx of substitutes disrupted the rhythm.
Just when they looked to be heading for defeat, Scotland remembered what their coaches had taught them and, after a lineout produced a slick midfield move, Nick De Luca jinked forward from a Ruaridh Jackson pass to release Ansbro, who cut in and touched down.
Jackson converted to give Scotland the win in a game where kickoff had been delayed by 15 minutes because of long lines of fans waiting to get into the stadium.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about £2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from