Super Rugby: Morne Steyn stars as Bulls beat Stormers

Six penalties from Morne Steyn and a controversial try by Chiliboy Ralepelle handed the Bulls a 25-17 win over the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.

A man-of-the-match display from Steyn proved the difference between the sides as he landed all seven of his attempts at goal.
Television match official Johan Greeff rubber-stamped Ralepelle's 68th minute try that killed off any hope the trailing Stormers had of getting back into the game.
A scrappy first half came to and end with the Bulls leading 9-0 thanks to three penalties from Steyn, who was pin-point accurate with his kicking both out of hand and from the tee.
The scoreline was flattering to the Stormers, who were looking decidedly rusty and really should have been made to pay for their 10 handling errors in the opening 40 minutes.
Steyn extended the lead to 12-0 shortly after the restart with another long-range effort as the Stormers scrum buckled.

Woeful

The visitors' cause was not helped by woeful place-kicking of Elton Jantjies, who missed all four of his kicks in his first game in the blue and white hoops.
Skipper Jean de Villiers finally put the Stormers on the board when he scored an opportunistic try after Bryan Habana was stopped just inches short. Joe Pietersen took over the kicking duties from Jantjies and landed the conversion and a penalty soon afterward to narrow the gap at 12-10.
Steyn replied with his fifth and sixth successful kicks however to leave the Bulls eight points ahead on the hour mark.
Ralepelle's try would be the killer blow as he collected Francois Hougaard's grubber from an offside position before diving in under the sticks. The TMO ruled that the ball had connected with the leg of Frans Malherbe, putting Ralepelle onside and the try was approved.
A late consolation try from Andries Bekker when the Bulls defence finally cracked proved too little too late for the visitors to salvage a losing bonus point and they head to the Shark Tank next week empty-handed.
http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,,11069_57853_1,00.html

Super Rugby: The Brumbies made to two wins from two games with victory over the Rebels

The Brumbies produced a dominant second-half display to beat the Rebels 30-13 in Melbourne.

Jake White's side, who beat the Waratahs in their opening match of the Super Rugby season, had trailed 13-7 after 34 minutes.
However they racked up 23 unanswered points to wrap up a bonus-point win.
The in-form Jesse Mogg had opened the scoring but it was Clyde Rathbone's 35th-minute try that kick-started their challenge.
Ben Mowen and Robbie Coleman crossed for tries after the interval as the pressure told, while Christian Lealiifano landed 10 points.
The Rebels, who edged out the Reds last week, had looked well set as eight points from James O'Connor and Scott Higginbotham's first try for the franchise had put them into the lead.
However injuries to a number of key players - including O'Connor and Kurtley Beale - hampered their cause, while Jarrod Saffy was sin-binned.

Flying start

The Brumbies had got off to a flying start as Mogg scored his third try in two games after just five minutes. The full-back chipped over the Rebels defence and then outpaced O'Connor and Nic Phipps to get his hands to the ball first. Lealiifano added the extras.
The Rebels, though, were enjoying more of possession and territory and having missed an earlier effort, O'Connor got the Rebels up and running with a penalty after 15 minutes.
Three minutes later and the hosts were in front as Higginbotham scored following an impressive break and offload from O'Connor.
O'Connor converted and added another penalty to put the Rebels clear.
However the Brumbies cut the deficit to just a point, with Rathbone finishing superbly in the corner for his first try since returning to Super Rugby after a three-year absence.
Lealiifano missed the conversion but he was on target after the interval with two penalties to give the visitors the lead.
However the decisive score came when Mowen scooped up a loose ball and galloped clear when Alex Rokobaro failed to gather Matt Toomua's up and under. Lealiifano converted.
Any hopes of the Rebels staging a fightback soon vanished as Saffy was sinbinned with 12 minutes left for deliberately killing the ball.
And the Brumbies rubbed salt in the wounds when replacement Coleman burrowed over after a sustained spell of pressure on the Rebels line.
http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,,11069_57854_1,00.html

Super Rugby: The Chiefs secure bonus-point win over the Highlanders

The Chiefs got their title defence off to an impressive start as they beat the Highlanders 41-27 in Dunedin.

It was a rip-roaring start to their campaign and the match could have gone either way before the Chiefs finally edged clear deep into the second half.
Both sides played with adventure and attacking intent, with seven tries scored in total - and three or four contenders for the try of the season award.
Tim Nanai-Williams scored two absolute crackers for the defending champions - with his second sealing the bonus point and putting the game beyond the hosts - while Patrick Osborne and Asaeli Tikoirotuma also crossed.
Gareth Anscombe weighed in with 21 points on his debut for the Chiefs following his move from the Blues - and looked a class act in attack.
Ben Smith, Hosea Gear and Kade Poke all crossed for the Highlanders, while Lima Sopoaga slotted over 12 points.
However despite leading 27-21 after an hour, they just couldn't hold on - although they will be pleased with plenty of aspects of their play.

Brilliantly

The Chiefs had opened the scoring through the boot of Anscombe before the Highlanders crossed for the first try after 12 minutes.
Smith finished off a sustained spell of pressure brilliantly, with the full-back picking the ball up off his boots from Sopoaga's offload before spinning out the tackle to score. Sopoaga converted.
The Chiefs' response was immediate as Nanai-Williams scored an amazing individual try as he exploited a gap in the midfield, goose-stepped past Smith and sprinted clear.
Anscombe converted and then added two penalties to put the Chiefs into a commanding lead.
The Highlanders hit back before the break, though, with poor defending allowing Gear to score. The winger stepped inside two players before brushing aside Hika Elliot. Sopoaga converted to cut the deficit to two points at the break.
The deficit became a lead two minutes into the second half as Sopoaga added a penalty only for the Chiefs to cross again - with superb hands from Anscombe sending Osborne over for his first Super Rugby try.
The lead was short-lived, though, as more weak defending - this time from Nanai-Williams - allowed Poki to breakaway to score. Sopoaga slotted over the conversion and a penalty to make it 27-21.
The Chiefs were back in front on the hour-mark when Liam Messam and Augustine Pulu combined to send Tikoirotuma over, with Anscombe adding the conversion.
The game was wide open, with both teams throwing the ball about. And it was the Chiefs that profited. John Hardie was guilty of coughing up position just outside the Chiefs 22 and Nanai-Williams scooped the ball up, showed the goose step again before accelerating down the touchline for the decisive try.
Anscombe converted and then added two more penalties to put the game out of sight.
http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,,11069_57852_1,00.html

Super Rugby: Blues claim surprise win over the Hurricanes

The Blues made a superb start to their Super Rugby season as they claimed a 34-20 bonus-point win over the Hurricanes at Westpac Stadium.

Despite winning just four matches last year and being one of the most unfancied sides at the start of the current campaign, the visitors shocked the Hurricanes by scoring four tries in a comfortable win.
Frank Halai grabbed a brace while Charles Piutau and Rene Ranger also crossed, with Piri Weepu kicking the remaining points for the Auckland-based side.
The Hurricanes, who were without the injured Cory Jane, led at half-time but were overrun in the second period by an impressive Blues back-line.
The Blues got off to a good start as Weepu slotted over a penalty for a 3-0 lead, but the Hurricanes responded soon after as Beauden Barrett levelled the scores the kicked another three points to give the hosts the lead.
It was not long until the Blues' backs were firing, however, as George Moala smashed his way through Conrad Smith before Ranger fired a miss pass out to Halai for the opening try.

Passive

But the Blues looked passive in defence and allowed Julian Savea to go over in the corner, with Barrett's conversion giving the home side a 13-8 lead before Weepu narrowed matters with his second penalty.
The Blues started well in the second half, Chris Noakes breaking through before a second-man play out wide saw full-back Charles Piutau crash over the line.
The Hurricanes got their noses back in front when referee Vinny Munro then controversially sin-binned Halai for purposely knocking the ball into the in-goal area and awarded the hosts a penalty try.
The Blues may have been expected to crumble at that point but instead produced a brilliant response, which started when Weepu sent over a penalty to narrow the deficit to just a point with 20 minutes remaining.
Outside centre Ranger then put his side ahead with a brilliant try as he brushed off three defenders to storm over the line.
Moala then grabbed and interception and raced 40 metres downfield, and from the ensuing ruck the ball was spun wide for Halai to crash over for his second try. A penalty on full-time by Weepu put the icing on the cake as the Blues came away with five points.
http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,,11069_57857_1,00.html

Super Rugby: Reds beat Watarahs at Suncorp Stadium

The Reds notched their first Super Rugby win of the campaign, surviving a fightback from the Waratahs to record a 25-17 success at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

The Reds were poor when losing their opener 24-6 against the Brumbies last weekend but bounced back 25-17 in this interstate derby.
Brendan McKibbon booted the visitors into an early lead but the Reds quickly responded via a Dom Shipperley try, converted by Mike Harris.
Centre Ben Tapuai then intercepted and raced 40 metres to notch the Reds' second touchdown, again converted by Harris.
Harris kept his 100 per cent record at goal with a penalty as the Reds went into the interval 17-3 ahead against the rusty Waratahs, who had a bye last week.
But after the break the visitors looked a lot more lively and hit back with a try from Israel Folau, converted by Bernard Foley to reduce the deficit to seven points.
Ben Volavola then notched a try on debut, concerted by Foley to level the match.
But the Reds were not to be denied and Harris kicked a monster penalty from halfway to put the hosts three points ahead.
And Tapuai ran in his second try of the game to make sure of the win that sees the Reds climb off the foot of the early table.
http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,,11069_57858_1,00.html

Super Rugby: Sharks hold off Cheetahs' late burst

The Sharks survived a dramatic comeback to begin their Super Rugby campaign with a 29-22 victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

The visitors dominated the first half but if Pat Lambie had not steadily kicked 19 points then Sharks might have come undone after the break.
John Plumtree's Cheetahs scored one try more than their opponents with Philip van der Walt, Lappies Labuschagne and Johann Sadie going over in response to efforts from Lwazi Mvovo and Marcell Coetzee, with Johan Goosen kicking seven points.
Cheetahs did open the scoring, though, with Van der Walt dotting down under a mass of bodies after his team had launched a driving maul five metres from Sharks' try-line.
They would not score again in the first half and Sharks slowly pulled away with a succession of penalties before Mvovo's try on the half-hour mark.
Lambie had already kicked the visitors into a 9-5 lead thanks to three penalties awarded for ruck infringements, with Frans Viljoen culpable for the first.
Cheetahs were under the cosh and Mvovo soon capitalised on a loose ball tapped from a line-out by Ryan Kankowski to race past Cheetahs defenders before going over.

Pressed on

Sharks pressed on after the interval, with Coetzee diving over with the ball after Jacques Botes unloaded having been stopped just short of the try-line.
Lambie converted to make it 23-5 and the 22-year-old put three more points on the board when Lourens Adriaanse was penalised for a scrum infringement.
With 59 minutes played Cheetahs got back among the tries, Labuschagne getting over for his first Super Rugby try after Van der Walt had surged through the Sharks defence.
Goosen's first accurate kick of the match sailed through the posts and Cheetahs made it 17-26 when Sadie took the kicker's pass to beat Tendai Mtawarira and dot down in the corner. The extras came through Goosen and all of a sudden Cheetahs were back in the game.
A Sharks infringement allowed Goosen to narrow the gap to four points with 12 minutes remaining but Lambie confirmed the away victory when he completed a personal haul of 19 points with a late penalty after Boom Prinsloo had infringed at a ruck.
http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,,11069_57856_1,00.html

Six Nations Championship: Wales conquer Italy in Rome romp

Wales kept alive their hopes of retaining the Six Nations title with an impressive 26-9 victory over Italy in Rome.

Their success was built on a dominant scrum which forced a succession of penalties, the reliable boot of Leigh Halfpenny and opportunist second-half tries from Jonathan Davies and Alex Cuthbert.
It is back to the drawing board for Italy, who have followed up their victory over France on opening day with two poor displays and disappointing defeats first to Scotland and now to Wales.
An early offside as Wales pressed in the Italian 22 gave Halfpenny the chance to put the visitors ahead, before Italy won a scrum penalty shortly afterwards and Kris Burton levelled the scores.
But from that point the Wales scrum took charge, driving the Italian eight back and winning successive penalties, the second of which Halfpenny knocked over.
A third penalty at the scrum quickly followed and Halfpenny duly kicked his third three-pointer.
Italy finally forced some pressure in the second quarter but failed to create anything and after a series of phases, Burton screwed a drop-goal attempt wide.
He had better luck from the tee shortly afterwards, although Wales went closest to scoring a try as a poor first half drew to a close, Gonzalo Canale's tap tackle on Cuthbert in full flight saving an almost certain try.

Breakthrough

Burton missed another drop-goal try two minutes into the second half, before Wales finally forced a breakthrough, almost from nowhere.
Mike Phillips' chip over the top from the back of a ruck hardly looked threatening but it took two wicked bounces away from the Italian defenders and into the arms of Davies, who was able to dive in unopposed.
Halfpeny kicked the conversion and suddenly there was daylight between the sides, although Burton did cut the deficit moments later.
Another scrum penalty yielded Halfpenny three more points, before the key moment in the match arrived just before the hour.
The referee finally lost patience with the Italian scrum and prop and skipper Martin Castrogiovanni was sin-binned.
Two minutes later Cuthbert hit a perfect line, took a pass from Dan Biggar and slid in on the diagonal at the corner. Halfpenny converted and with Italy offering next to no attacking threat, Wales were able to cruise through the final quarter.
http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,,11069_56275_1,00.html

Six Nations: England stay on course for grand slam with win over France at Twickenham

England maintained their 100 per cent record in the Six Nations with a 23-13 victory over France at Twickenham.

Manu Tuilagi's try and six penalties - four from Owen Farrell and two to clinch the result by his replacement Toby Flood late on - was enough to move England two points clear at the top of the standings and send France to a third defeat in this year's competition.
It was a hard-fought contest and France - who had lost to Italy and Wales in their opening two matches - produced a much-improved display, including a solo try from Wesley Fofana.
But Farrell's efficiency with the boot ensured England were able to stay in touch during the first half and Stuart Lancaster's men took charge after the break to move within two wins of a first grand slam since 2003.

Aggression

Farrell and Morgan Parra exchanged penalties during the first six minutes as both packs tore into each other with obvious relish.
With Parra controlling things from scrum-half, France immediately looked a better organised unit than in previous rounds and their aggression at the breakdown ensured England were denied quick ball.
England's best try-scoring chance of the first half came in the 26th minute when Farrell overhit his chip towards Chris Ashton on the right wing, albeit safe in the knowledge the referee was playing advantage for an earlier penalty.
Farrell duly added those three points but France responded immediately with the opening try, Fofana - from inside his own half - evading four potential tacklers with some delightful footwork to go over in the corner.
Parra added the conversion before Farrell reduced England's deficit to 10-9 on 33 minutes with his third penalty.

Scuffed

France had the chance to pad their advantage but Parra scuffed penalty chances either side of half-time.
England were back in front when Thierry Dusautoir pulled down a rolling maul and Farrell landed his fourth successful kick, quickly followed by Tuilagi's try.
A loose ball was hacked out of a French ruck and dropped straight to the recalled Leicester centre, who was able to cruise over in the left corner.
Farrell failed with the conversion attempt, then appeared to hurt his groin while sending up a high kick. He limped on, missing a penalty making way for Flood.
Parra handed over kicking duties to Frederic Michalak, on for Francois Trinh-Duc at stand-off, and he was able to land a penalty in the 58th-minute to trim England's lead to 17-13.
But France, despite a raft of replacements, were fading fast and Flood was able to add a couple of late penalties to seal England's victory.
http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,20244,11069_56276_1,00.html

Craig Clarke delighted as the Chiefs claim victory over the Highlanders

Chiefs captain Craig Clarke praised his "exciting team" after they opened up the new Super Rugby season with a 41-27 victory over the Highlanders.

The defending champions scored tries through Tim Nanai-Williams, Patrick Osborne and Asaeli Tikoirotuma, while Gareth Anscomble slotted over 21 points during an all-action encounter in Dunedin.
And despite admitting there were areas to improve on, Clarke was pleased to leave Dunedin with a bonus-point win.

"Across the board, we'll be a little disappointed to have let in a few tries but we've got a hell of an exciting team hence we scored a few points," he said.
"You can't win a championship by giving points away, though, so we will have to address that."

Pretty good

Although an 'electric' back division stole the show, Clarke was delighted with the way a new-look pack coped.
"It was a fairly big battle in the forwards and we had a couple of young guys in our front row that did well," he added. "It was a pretty good debut for those guys."
The Highlanders had led 27-21 following tries from Ben Smith, Hosea Gear and Kade Poki but they just couldn't hold on.
And skipper Gear admitted: "It just got away from us in the end there and all credit to the Chiefs, I think they played really well.
"We probably let ourselves down by trying to force the 50:50 pass when we perhaps should have held on. But those are the lessons that we will learn and will try to move on."
http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12562/8515907/Craig-Clarke-delighted-as-the-Chiefs-claim-victory-over-the-Highlanders

Super Rugby: The Brumbies made to two wins from two games with victory over the Rebels

The Brumbies produced a dominant second-half display to beat the Rebels 30-13 in Melbourne.

Jake White's side, who beat the Waratahs in their opening match of the Super Rugby season, had trailed 13-7 after 34 minutes.
However they racked up 23 unanswered points to wrap up a bonus-point win.
The in-form Jesse Mogg had opened the scoring but it was Clyde Rathbone's 35th-minute try that kick-started their challenge.
Ben Mowen and Robbie Coleman crossed for tries after the interval as the pressure told, while Christian Lealiifano landed 10 points.
The Rebels, who edged out the Reds last week, had looked well set as eight points from James O'Connor and Scott Higginbotham's first try for the franchise had put them into the lead.
However injuries to a number of key players - including O'Connor and Kurtley Beale - hampered their cause, while Jarrod Saffy was sin-binned.

Flying start

The Brumbies had got off to a flying start as Mogg scored his third try in two games after just five minutes. The full-back chipped over the Rebels defence and then outpaced O'Connor and Nic Phipps to get his hands to the ball first. Lealiifano added the extras.
The Rebels, though, were enjoying more of possession and territory and having missed an earlier effort, O'Connor got the Rebels up and running with a penalty after 15 minutes.
Three minutes later and the hosts were in front as Higginbotham scored following an impressive break and offload from O'Connor.
O'Connor converted and added another penalty to put the Rebels clear.
However the Brumbies cut the deficit to just a point, with Rathbone finishing superbly in the corner for his first try since returning to Super Rugby after a three-year absence.
Lealiifano missed the conversion but he was on target after the interval with two penalties to give the visitors the lead.
However the decisive score came when Mowen scooped up a loose ball and galloped clear when Alex Rokobaro failed to gather Matt Toomua's up and under. Lealiifano converted.
Any hopes of the Rebels staging a fightback soon vanished as Saffy was sinbinned with 12 minutes left for deliberately killing the ball.
And the Brumbies rubbed salt in the wounds when replacement Coleman burrowed over after a sustained spell of pressure on the Rebels line.
http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,,11069_57854_1,00.html

Super Rugby: Jesse Mogg scores two tries as Brumbies see off Reds

An inspired performance from Jesse Mogg helped the Brumbies begin their Super Rugby campaign with a 24-6 win over the Reds at Canberra Stadium.

Full-back Mogg scored both tries for his side and also kicked two second-half penalties as the 2011 champions were dispatched with ease.
Mike Harris kicked two early penalties for the Queensland-based side, who were still in contention at the end of a scrappy first half.
But the hosts dominated the contest after the break and despite experiencing some kicking troubles - a total of four players made attempts from the tee - they eventually eased to a comfortable win.
Things had started well for the visitors as Harris booted a long range penalty to put the Reds 3-0 up in the third minute, although the full-back then missed two more attempts in the next three minutes.
The Brumbies made him pay soon after as Mogg raced onto a grubber kick from Nic White to touch down in the corner. Christian Lealiifano missed the conversion.
The Reds moved back in front in the 25th minute as Harris slotted over his second penalty, with the contest then descending into a messy affair which saw several skirmishes.
Scrum-half White then assumed kicking duties for the Brumbies, sending over a penalty to make it 8-6 before missing out on a chance to extend the lead on the stroke of half-time.
As well as being off target with his conversion Lealiifano also missed two penalties, prompting the responsibility to be shifted to Mogg, who held his nerve to nail two three-pointers after the break.
The hosts were now in complete control and long-range specialist White added another penalty to make it 17-6 with five minutes remaining.
Mogg put the icing on the cake in the dying stages as he intercepted a pass from Quade Cooper to trot in for his second score, with Robbie Coleman converting.
http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,,11069_57850_1,00.html

Six Nations: Leigh Halfpenny demands Wales response ahead of trip to France

Fullback Leigh Halfpenny has urged Wales to play like champions when they face France on Saturday.

Wales travel to Paris after both teams lost their opening games in the Six Nations last weekend.
The home side have history on their side, as Wales have only won away in France on three occasions since 1975.
Halfpenny said: "We still believe in ourselves, we still believe in our ability and the work we put in throughout the week.
"We are not in a crisis. There is one game down and the tournament is still wide open.
"At the end of the day, we are defending champions and that means something. We have to go out and play like champions."
"It is the players on the pitch who have the job of winning the game for Wales."
Scarlets centre Scott Williams, could be in line to start against France.
Williams has reiterated Halfpenny's strong words by adding: "No-one really remembers how you win games. It's if you win or not really.
"We just need to get a win. It doesn't matter how we get it. The boys have put a lot of effort in over the last couple of months. It is a bit frustrating we haven't had anything to show for it.
"I am sure they (France) will be fired up but, saying that we will be as well.
"We've got a lot of things to put right, and I'm sure they have as well."
http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12507/8475870/Six-Nations-Leigh-Halfpenny-demands-Wales-response-ahead-of-trip-to-France

Brian O'Driscoll not worrying about retirement talk ahead of Ireland's clash with England

Brian O'Driscoll says his physical condition will decide whether this will be his final Six Nations campaign.

The Ireland and Leinster great's contract expires in the summer and his future has been a source of ongoing speculation.
O'Driscoll put in a man-of-the-match performance during Ireland's win over Wales last weekend, setting up one try, scoring another and displaying trademark steel in defence.
And the 34-year-old says his sole focus is on Sunday's mouth-watering clash with England in Dublin.
"I haven't been wondering if Sunday will be the last time I'll play England in the Aviva Stadium, far from it," he said.

"Winning man of the match against Wales doesn't have a bearing. It's a nice reminder that it's still there.
"But with regards to the decision-making process, because I'm not thinking about it, it hasn't altered my thinking.
"Maybe when the time comes I'll look back in previous performances, but a huge amount of it is about listening to your body.

Recover

"Games like last weekend take a long time to recover from when you're a little bit older.
"It's the cumulative effect as well. If you're lucky enough to play five Six Nations games in seven weeks that has a huge knock-on effect. I'm at game two, feeling okay and looking forward to England."
After missing the autumn internationals due to ankle surgery, Jamie Heaslip given the Ireland captaincy and he was retained by Declan Kidney for the Six Nations.
The move polarised opinion with some claiming it would enable O'Driscoll to concentrate on himself in a Lions year, but the Leinster centre disagrees.
"I've read a little bit of stuff over the last while that taking the burden of captaincy away from me has allowed me to think about my game," he said.
"I'd like think that in the 10 years I was captain I played a few all right games as well. It hasn't changed the way I go about my business or the way I carry on around camp."
England visit Dublin in a potential Six Nations decider and O'Driscoll, who has won his last seven games against the Red Rose, is relishing the prospect.
"They're great games against England. The country's non-rugby fans probably pay more attention to England matches because of the history between the countries," he said.
"They're great occasions, largely because invariably England are one of the best sides in the world.
"You have to bring your 'A' game. It's England in Dublin and that's an exciting prospect no matter how many times you've had it."
http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12506/8476115/Brian-O-Driscoll-not-worrying-about-retirement-talk-ahead-of-Ireland-s-clash-with-England

RBS Six Nations: Defending champions Wales beaten by Ireland

Wales slumped to an eighth straight defeat as Ireland opened their RBS Six Nations campaign with a 30-22 win at the Millennium Stadium.

The defending Grand Slam champions, who have now lost five consecutive home games for the first time, dominated for much of the second half but could not recover from a disastrous start.
Simon Zebo, Cian Healy and Brian O'Driscoll all crossed for the visitors, while Alex Cuthbert, Leigh Halfpenny and Craig Mitchell grabbed the home side's tries.
While then result boosts Ireland's hopes of regaining the title they last won in 2009, it leaves Wales interim head coach Rob Howley still searching for his first win against a Test-playing nation.
Ireland looked the more dangerous of the two sides early on and broke the deadlock just after the 10-minute mark as a brilliant pass from O'Driscoll allowed Zebo to cross the try-line.
Jonathan Sexton added the conversion and, with Ireland continuing to camp inside the hosts' 22, the fly-half slotted over a penalty to increase the lead to 10 points in the 21st minute.
Ireland were in again soon after when Rory Best charged down a kick from Dan Biggar, with Healy then finishing things off from close range after a superb piece of footballing skill from Zebo had kept the move alive.
Sexton once again added the extras before extending the lead with his second penalty. Halfpenny did manage to belatedly get Wales on the board with three points of his own in the 34th minute.
A penalty from Sexton made it 23-3 to the visitors at half-time and shortly after the break the Leinster player was stepping up to the kicking tee for another successful conversion after O'Driscoll had burrowed over the line.
Wales responded with a period of heavy pressure which ended with Cuthbert slicing through the defence for the home side's first try. Halfpenny added the extras.
The home side continued to pile forward and, after Best had been sin-binned for killing the ball close to the try-line, the ball was spun out for Halfpenny to ground in the corner and spark hopes of an improbable comeback.
Conor Murray became the second Ireland player to be shown the yellow card as the pressure continued to mount, but a late score from Mitchell served only to make the final score more respectable.
http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,,11069_56269_1,00.html

RBS Six Nations: England score four tries as Scotland are humbled

England got their Six Nations campaign off to a flying start with a comprehensive 38-18 victory over Scotland in the Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham.

This was not the record-breaking, world-shaking victory over the All Blacks Twickenham witnessed last autumn, but in its way it was equally impressive, as England first tamed Scotland, then controlled them, and finally went on to completely dominate them.
The victory was based around superiority at the breakdown, good discipline and patient play with ball-in-hand, all held together by the almost unerring boot of Owen Farrell, who knocked over seven kicks from eight attempts.
There were also tries for Chris Ashton - his 17th in an England shirt, Billy Twelvetrees on his debut, Geoff Parling and Danny Care with a sniping burst as time expired.
But after Farrell had kicked an early penalty, it was the Scots who grabbed the lead with their first attack on 10 minutes. Stuart Hogg's burst took Scotland deep into the England 22 and although he wasted the chance to put Sean Maitland in at the corner, the ball was quickly recycled for the winger to touch down on his debut.
Greig Laidlaw missed the conversion and Scotland quickly came up with two errors, enabling Farrell to put England 9-5 ahead, before Laidlaw made a kick after Tom Youngs was penalised coming in at the side
On the half hour England's pressure finally told as Joe Launchbury almost reached the line and with the Scotland defence stretched, Chris Ashton finished well under pressure from two defenders.
Farrell converted and a high tackle by Jonnie Beattie gifted the England fly-half another three points, although Beattie made amends with a powerful burst from midfield which earned a penalty for Laidlaw in the last minute of the half.
England were quickly on the front foot after the re-start and after a patient and controlled build-up, Farrell's flat pass was met by Twelvetrees at pace and the centre crashed over.
Farrell also had a key hand in the next try as after Ben Youngs outpaced the Scotland defence, the ball was shipped out wide and a fine cut-out pass from the Saracens half put Parling in.
Scotland hit back with a long-range try with nine minutes left after Denton broke from his own 22 and Maitland hacked on, before Stuart Hogg was able to touch down.
But there was never really any hint of a comeback and Care's close-range score after a five-metre lineout gave the final scoreline a more realistic look.
http://www.skysports.com/rugbyunion/match_report/0,,11069_56270_1,00.html

RBS Six Nations preview - Overview

his season's RBS Nations promises to be one of the most exciting yet, with little to choose between the sides.
Defending champions Wales face a fight to retain their crown following a run of seven successive Tests defeats since they won the grand slam. A run of injuries and the absence of head coach Warren Gatland - who is now working with the British and Irish Lions - will not help their cause.
England will fancy their chances of winning a first grand slam in 10 years after significant improvements under Stuart Lancaster. They finished runners-up last year, while they went on to beat the All Blacks in the autumn - and with three home games, they will look to take full advantage.
France, though, are confident that they can put their Six Nations horrors from 2012 behind them. Les Bleus responded to their fourth-placed finish by recording wins over Argentina (twice), Samoa and Australia and Philippe Saint-Andre will want to carry that from into this season's competition.
Ireland have plenty to prove after a controversial defeat to Wales and a heavy loss to England last time out. The absence of key men through injury could hurt them, however that has opened the door to some talented young players.
Scotland are hoping that interim coach Scott Johnson can inspire the side to recreate the same form that saw them beat Australia in the summer. That win was a rare highlight for the Scots in 2012, though, after they finished with the wooden spoon while defeat in the autumn to Tonga saw Andy Robinson step down.
Italy have the potential to be the dark horses this season as they continue to improve under Jacques Brunel. The Azzurri toppled Scotland last year and then asked plenty of questions of both New Zealand and Australia in the autumn. With three home games in the championship they have a chance of causing a few upsets.
The Six Nations title is not the only prize on offer, though, with a number of players looking to impress Lions head coach Gatland ahead of this summer's tour.
http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12333/8447684/RBS-Six-Nations-preview-Overview

Alex Cuthbert hits back at Jim Telfer over 'lazy Welsh' jibe

Wing Alex Cuthbert has angrily hit back at Jim Telfer's jibe that Wales' players are "lazy".

Former Scotland and British and Irish Lions coach Telfer caused a stir with his comments in a national newspaper.
But wing Cuthbert, who scored the decisive try when Wales beat France to be crowned Six Nations Grand Slam champions last season, said: "It's his opinion, but I know how hard the boys work.
"We have shown in a lot of games where we come out on top as the fittest team, especially in last year's Six Nations, and hopefully we can show it again.
"Everything we do (in preparation) is at a really high intensity to make sure we get as close as possible to that game standard.
"I've worked so hard since coming into professional rugby.
"From where I started, and being in this environment, my game has really progressed. I'm still developing and have a lot more to learn, but each game I will get more experienced."
Wales' Six Nations attack coach Mark Jones added: "There is absolutely nothing lazy about the work ethic of the coaches or certainly the playing staff.
"Three Grand Slams in the last few years suggests being lazy isn't something that goes on here."
http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12507/8454695/Alex-Cuthbert-hits-back-at-Jim-Telfer-over-lazy-Welsh-jibe

Coach Declan Kidney believes Ireland have an exciting blend of youth and experience in their back division

Ireland supremo Declan Kidney believes Ireland have an exciting blend of youth and experience in their back division as they prepare to take on Wales in their RBS Six Nations opener.

Young, fleet-footed wingers Craig Gilroy and Simon Zebo - who have only four caps between them - are very much the new kids on the block when compared to the centre partnership of Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy who boast nearly 200 international appearances between them.
Kidney feels the injection of youth has lifted spirits in the camp and is hoping his side can build on their last performance - a convincing 46-24 triumph over Argentina in November.
"The younger guys were buzzing around the camp in November and that has carried on into this month," stated the Ireland coach.
"A couple of the more senior players are starting to feel their age with the younger fellas around them.

Mix

"Look at the back line and the numbers - it's like the lotto. You've got one, 120, 71 and three in terms of the number of caps. There's a mix of experience."
One of Kidney's toughest calls was the make-up of his back-row to face Wales with fit-again former European player of the year Sean O'Brien significantly strengthening his hand.
Ultimately O'Brien got the nod to return alongside number eight, and new skipper, Jamie Heaslip, while Munster's Peter O'Mahony edged out Ulster's Chris Henry for the blindside spot.
"It was bit of a call. In terms of a mix as a starting back row, we felt Peter, Jamie (Heaslip) and Sean would be good for us. Chris' performances did make it a topic of conversation," Kidney said.
http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12506/8454179/Coach-Declan-Kidney-believes-Ireland-have-an-exciting-blend-of-youth-and-experience-in-their-back-division