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Kaieteur News
Sunday October 27, 2019
England 19-7 New Zealand
Eddie Jones’ side beat All Blacks to reach World Cup final BBCsport - England are into their first Rugby World Cup final in 12 years after a brilliant demolition of threetime world champions New Zealand. England had stormed into a 10-0 lead, Manu Tuilagi’s secondminute try and a long-range penalty from George Ford fitting reward for a blistering first half. The 2003 winners could have been out of sight had tries for Sam Underhill and Ben Youngs not been ruled out by the video referee, but when Ardie Savea pounced on a wayward line-out throw to reduce the deficit to 13-7 the three-time world champions were on the charge. Yet the superb Ford landed a trio of nerveless penalties and with the young dynamos Underhill and Tom Curry outstanding in the back row England held on in style to pull off one of their greatest victories. The All Blacks had not lost a World Cup game in 12 years and had won 15 of the past 16 games between the two nations. But four years after crashing out at the group stage England tore the crown from their head with a performance of unremitting energy and excellence on a
Manu Tuilagi pushes through a crowd of New Zealand bodies and touches down for England’s first try after a fast start. night for the ages in Yokohama. It was a start Eddie Jones’ men would have dreamed of. Anthony Watson escaped down the right, England came in white-shirted waves and after Kyle Sinckler and Courtney Lawes crashed on, Tuilagi dived over from two metres out. Farrell landed the conversion for 7-0 with only two minutes on the clock - and when Tuilagi picked off a stray pass from Beauden Barrett and found Jonny May accelerating up on his outside shoulder it looked for all the world like a second try, only for flanker Scott Barrett to get across and force the winger
inside and into heavy traffic. The pace was ferocious, England playing with a glorious tempo and precision, New Zealand using full-back Barrett as playmaker as they struggled to exert their usual control. England went close again before Owen Farrell spilt the ball deep in the opposition 22, and then a possible try for Underhill was correctly ruled out because Curry’s run had blocked off two defenders. But Jones’ men were dominating the set-piece and the breakdown, Ford sending a long-range drop goal just to the right of the posts as England searched for the points to match their
endeavour. The points finally came right on the half-time gong after Underhill won a breakdown penalty, and Ford - with Farrell struggling with a leg injury - landed a precious three points from 45 metres out. If 10-0 was the least England’s dominance merited, it was a remarkable enough half-time scoreline. Only once before have the All Blacks failed to score a point in the first half of a World Cup game, and not in 28 years. Steve Hansen threw on Sam Cane for Scott Barrett in the second period but it was England who appeared to have struck the killer blow when Youngs darted over off a driving maul.
With the most kickable of conversions to come it looked like 17-0 and the game - but as Ford stood over his tee the big screens in the stadium showed a knock-on in the maul, and referee Nigel Owens, in consultation with the TMO, chalked it off to choruses of boos from the vast English support. But Henry Slade came on for the struggling May and Dan Cole for a spent Sinckler and the white tide came again. This time it was Billy Vunipola digging for the turnover, and with New Zealand infringing again in front of the posts Ford made it 13-0. England were dreaming, until with 24 minutes still to go disaster struck. Jamie George over-threw his line-
out jumpers five metres from his own try-line, and Savea ran on to the ball and gratefully flopped over. With Richie Mo’unga sliding over the conversion it was suddenly 13-7 and the outcome right back in the balance. In a battle of heavyweights it was England who landed the next jab through Ford’s third penalty after another tenderising tackle by the indefatigable Underhill. And with tournament favourites New Zealand running out of ideas as the game entered its dying moments and English tacklers pummelling their ball-carriers, Jones had pulled off yet another underdog triumph.
NBA roundup: Doncic’s tripledouble leads Mavs over Pels Luka Doncic had a tripledouble, and the Dallas Mavericks held off host the New Orleans Pelicans 123-116 on Friday night to improve to 2-0 on the season. Doncic, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year who had 34 points to lead the Mavericks to a seasonopening win against Washington two nights earlier, finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Kristaps Porzingis added 24 points, Delon Wright scored 20 off the bench and Jalen Brunson had 14. Brandon Ingram scored 25 as the Pelicans fell to 0-2 in a season that began with the news that top draft choice Zion Williamson will miss six to eight weeks because of arthroscopic knee surgery. Derrick Favors and Josh Hart scored 16 each, Lonzo Ball added 15 and Frank Jackson 10. Nuggets 108, Suns 107 (OT) - Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists, Jamal Murray added 27 points and seven rebounds, and host Denver hung on to beat Phoenix in overtime. Murray scored the gamewinning points from the freethrow line with fewer than 20 seconds to play. Malik Beasley tallied 17 points, and Gary Harris and Jerami Grant had 13 points each for the Nuggets, who had the league’s best record (34-7) at home a season ago. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 23 points and eight rebounds before fouling out, Frank Kaminsky had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Devin Booker scored 18 for the Suns, but his game-tying
attempt was blocked in the final seconds. Aron Baynes had 15 points and seven rebounds before fouling out. Lakers 95, Jazz 86 LeBron James had 32 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds as host Los Angeles rolled over Utah in its home opener. Anthony Davis added 21 points, five blocks and seven rebounds, while guard Troy Daniels came off the bench to score 15 points for the Lakers, who bounced back following their season-opening loss to the L.A. Clippers on Tuesday. Donovan Mitchell led the Jazz with 24 points. Mike Conley chipped in 13 points but missed eight of his 11 attempts from the floor and four of his five 3-pointers. It was the second consecutive game Conley struggled offensively. He shot just 1 of 16 in the Jazz’s victory over the Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Timberwolves 121, Hornets 99 - Karl-Anthony Towns poured in 37 points as Minnesota posted its second road victory to begin the season by defeating Charlotte. Towns, who had a game-high 15 rebounds and eight assists, made 13 of 18 shots from the field, but he left some points out there with his 7-for-13 shooting on free throws. Andrew Wiggins’ 16 points and Josh Okogie’s 14 points gave a boost to the Timberwolves, who won their first game in overtime at Brooklyn. Devonte Graham had his second big game off the bench for Charlotte, scoring 24 points. Celtics 112, Raptors 106
Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Doncic. Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports - Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum each scored 25 points, and Kemba Walker had 11 of his 22 in the fourth quarter as Boston rallied past visiting Toronto in its home opener. Pascal Siakam led all scorers with 33 points, and Kyle Lowry had 29 for the Raptors, who lost their first after a win in their opener Tuesday. A Hayward 3pointer put Boston up for good with 3:27 to go. A pair of Siakam free throws got Toronto within one, but the Raptors would not score again. Boston took 31 more shots than Toronto in the contest, though the Celtics shot 38.5 percent (42 of 109). Results from elsewhere: Nets 113, Knicks 109, Trail Blazers 122, Kings 112, Bulls 110, Grizzlies 102, Wizards 97, Thunder 85. (Field Level Media)