Video game try draws Jonah Lomu comparison

Scotland manager Gregor Townsend compared Duhan van der Merwe's wonderment effort to a play from Jonah Lomu's overmuch loved video crippled aft the winger provided the item infinitesimal from a compelling opening circular of the Six Nations.

South Africa-born van der Merwe burst done 2 players successful England's antiaircraft enactment past shrugged disconnected 5 would-be tacklers - including 2 anemic efforts adjacent the tryline - to spell implicit for a sensational effort that mightiness not beryllium bettered successful the tourney (watch the video successful the subordinate above).

"It was incredible, wasn't it?,'' Townsend said aft Scotland's 29-23 triumph to proceed its caller dominance of the Calcutta Cup.

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Duhan van der Merwe of Scotland breaks with the shot earlier touching down. (Getty)

Jonah Lomu beats the tackle of David Campese to people successful a 1995 Test successful Sydney. (Sydney Morning Herald)

"It reminded maine of when, for everybody of a definite age, you played Jonah Lomu Rugby and abruptly 1 idiosyncratic tin spell quicker... I astir saw a antithetic broadside to Duhan determination arsenic helium stepped and past accelerated away."

Van der Merwe besides scored a 75th infinitesimal effort successful the near country to seal a 4th triumph successful Scotland's past six matches against its auld enemy, ruining the archetypal crippled successful complaint of England for caller manager Steve Borthwick.

But it was the 29th infinitesimal effort - aft helium acceptable disconnected from wrong his ain fractional - that volition beryllium replayed for years to come.

The 27-year-old said it was "the champion effort of my life."

"I was perfectly buzzing," van der Merwe said.

"I conscionable got the shot and I saw determination was immoderate abstraction successful beforehand of me, and erstwhile I got done the archetypal enactment of defence determination was heaps of space, and someway I managed to usage footwork, which I ne'er usually do, and I went implicit for the try.

Duhan van der Merwe of Scotland touches down. (Getty)

"Obviously, getting a triumph against England is ever special, and being capable to people 2 tries makes it overmuch much special."

Scotland is unbeaten connected its past 3 trips to Twickenham, a stadium wherever England strolled to a drawstring of unbroken, mostly comfy wins from 1991-2017.

There remains plentifulness to hole for Borthwick, who has taken complaint aft England's 7 years nether present Wallabies manager Eddie Jones and with lone 7 months to spell until the Rugby World Cup successful France.

France survives Italy scare to acceptable up Ireland showdown

France enactment down a daring Italy 29-24 connected Monday (AEDT) and played its portion successful mounting the signifier for the eagerly awaited Six Nations showdown with Ireland adjacent weekend.

The French, ranked No.2 successful the world, volition beryllium defending the rubric against the Irish, ranked No.1, and the nominal rubric favourite.

France hasn't mislaid since 2021 and Ireland hasn't mislaid astatine location since 2021, erstwhile France past visited Dublin.

But to widen its winning streak to 14 Tests, France had to flooded an unexpectedly superior scare from Italy.

Italy fought backmost from 19-6 down to pb for the archetypal clip successful the lucifer astatine 24-22 with little than a 4th to go.

It had been 10 years since Italy had beaten France oregon won astatine location but the immense assemblage astatine Stadio Olimpico weren't the lone ones connected edge.

France was making uncharacteristic errors nether unit - a singular 18 penalties, 13 turnovers and a yellowish paper conceded for the archetypal clip successful much than a year.

Shaun Edwards, considered the world's champion defence coach, believed it was the astir penalties immoderate broadside of his has fixed distant successful 22 years successful rugby.

The quality yet came from a precocious injection of caller reinforcements.

Sekou Macalou earned a turnover and chap replacement Romain Taofifenua gave the past walk for caller flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert to clang implicit for a bonus constituent 4th effort with 13 minutes left.

Italy hammered France to the end, though.

Tommaso Allan missed a agelong scope punishment and a past gasp lineout thrust was breached up by France to extremity the lucifer successful relief.

"We're successful a bully wont astatine the infinitesimal of winning tight, adjacent games," Edwards said.

"It happened (last year) against Australia, South Africa. Hopefully, we'll proceed that wont but we each cognize if we don't up our show adjacent week we'll beryllium connected the extremity of a 15, 20, 30 points hiding."

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Ireland tops Wales, spoils Gatland's return

Ireland justified its presumption arsenic rugby's apical ranked state and the squad to bushed successful the Six Nations by utilizing a beardown commencement to tally implicit Wales with a 34-10 bonus constituent victory, spoiling Warren Gatland's archetypal lucifer since his instrumentality arsenic coach.

The 2023 tournament's archetypal crippled was virtually implicit arsenic a contention wrong 30 minutes, by which clip Ireland had crossed for astir identical tries by forwards Caelan Doris and James Ryan - done close-range carries - and a breakaway people by winger James Lowe aft helium intercepted Dan Biggar's walk retired wide conscionable extracurricular the Irish 22.

It gave the Irish a commanding 27-3 lead, the astir points they'd ever enactment connected Wales earlier halftime successful title history.

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They ne'er looked similar relinquishing the pb nether the extortion astatine Principality Stadium, adjacent arsenic they dropped their strength and a Welsh 2nd fractional rally contained a converted 46th infinitesimal effort from Liam Williams.

Any accidental of a adjacent decorativeness was ended by Williams getting a yellowish paper for an amerciable tackle connected Ireland skipper Jonathan Sexton successful the 65th minute.

It was during the fullback's lack that flanker Josh van der Flier, the world's champion subordinate successful 2022, went implicit for a 4th effort to unafraid a bonus point.

Ireland manager Andy Farrell wanted his players to acquisition - and savour — the achromatic blistery juncture of a Test lucifer successful Cardiff to hole his squad for what is to travel successful a World Cup year.

They passed the trial with flying colours, their archetypal title triumph successful Cardiff successful 10 years.

It befit a conflict hardened squad that won a Test bid successful New Zealand past twelvemonth and followed that up with a cleanable expanse of autumn victories implicit South Africa, Fiji and Australia.

"These are the occasions you privation to beryllium portion of, successful this stadium against a pugnacious side," Ireland fullback Hugo Keenan said.

"They're successful modulation but are ever a superior team, particularly here.

"We're lone taking things 1 crippled astatine a time. We won't get caught up with anything."

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