Category News

World Cup qualifier: Wales v North Macedonia

Venue: Cardiff City Stadium Date: Tuesday 18 November Kick-off: 19:45 GMT

Ethan Ampadu says he is “gutted” to have received a second yellow card of Wales’ World Cup qualifying campaign which means he will be suspended for Tuesday’s decisive final group game against North Macedonia.

Ampadu was booked in the 86th minute of Wales’ 1-0 win in Liechtenstein on Saturday, a game in which he captained his country in the absence of Ben Davies and Aaron Ramsey.

It was a costly evening for Wales, whose goalscorer Jordan James also picked up a second-half yellow card two minutes after scoring, meaning he will be banned for North Macedonia as well.

Wales need to win that match at Cardiff City Stadium to finish second in Group J and secure a home play-off semi-final in March.

“I am very gutted,” Ampadu told BBC Match of the Day Wales. “It’s annoying because I don’t think I touched the guy and I won the ball.

Former Wales captain Ashley Williams sympathised with Ampadu, telling BBC Match of the Day Wales: “I didn’t think Ethan Ampadu’s was a yellow.

“He has every right to go for the ball. His foot’s high, so is the other player’s foot, and [Ampadu] gets to the ball first. I don’t even think it’s a foul.”

As head coach Craig Bellamy has previously explained, Wales are not blessed with many central midfielders even when everyone is available.

It is a major blow, therefore, to be without both members of their first-choice pairing against North Macedonia.

“It’s disappointing to get booked,” said James. “You don’t think about it on the pitch, they were on the counter-attack and I had to stop it.

“I think we have enough in the squad to win it on Tuesday. I am disappointed, but I’ll be supporting the lads from the sidelines.”

Bellamy had to watch from the stands in Liechtenstein because he was suspended after receiving a second yellow card of the campaign for dissent during last month’s defeat by Belgium, meaning assistant boss Piet Cremers led the team in his absence.

“We will adapt [without James and Ampadu]. We have a big group. They have all played before,” said Cremers.

Autumn international: Scotland v Argentina

Venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh Date: Sunday, 16 November Kick-off: 15:10 GMT

Darcy Graham, set for his 50th cap on Sunday, is beloved by Scottish rugby fans for his brilliance, but also his honesty.

Honesty shown by his work-rate and willingness to put his body in places many would not, despite his diminutive frame, and honesty in what he says.

“I’m going to have nightmares about that disallowed try for the rest of my life,” he admitted of his spurned score against New Zealand, when he spilled the ball in sight of the line under pressure from Cameron Roigard.

Graham epitomises everything good about Scottish rugby. Punching above one’s weight, dazzling attacking ability, and bags of heart.

But in that moment, in the 56th minute against the All Blacks, Scotland’s most lethal finisher was not so lethal anymore.

It was only one moment, but reflecting on it Graham said something interesting.

As he prepares to mark a half century of appearances against Argentina he was asked if it will be an emotional experience for him at Murrayfield.

“I don’t think I’ll be emotional this weekend – last weekend I was really emotional before the game,” he said.

“I looked up at the stands at the anthem and saw my whole family there.

“It brought back a lot of memories. Sometimes I’m not sure if it’s a good thing. You can let it get to you too much.

“This weekend my mind is on the game. It’s just another game – go out there and do what I do.”

Graham was only speaking for himself, but it was a reminder what a rare game against New Zealand means.

And, more broadly, did Scotland’s sheer desperation to be the side to topple the All Blacks for the first time overcome them in key moments?

Did the charged atmosphere cloud their composure? These are questions which will linger.

With only Tonga to come this month the result against Argentina will set the narrative from this Autumn and heading into the Six Nations.

Are Scotland a team on the cusp of finally contending? Or have this group of players under Gregor Townsend hit their ceiling?

The evidence for either argument is there.

Scotland have lost all 18 Tests in the Townsend era against the top three in the world – South Africa, New Zealand, and Ireland. Teams Scotland would not expect to beat.

In that last year they have won three of their eight Tests against Tier One opposition. Wins against Italy, Wales, and Australia at Murrayfield have been offset by losses to the Springboks, All Blacks, France, England, and Ireland.

On the other hand they have busted hoodoos against England, France, Wales and established themselves as one of the world’s best attacking sides.

For some, last week’s narrow loss was further evidence Scotland are caught in rugby purgatory between the very best and the game’s middle class.

For others it showed Scotland are on the verge of something special, if they can just overcome the final hurdle in their minds.

It is the perennial angst Scottish rugby has wrestled with for much of the last few years.

A win against Argentina will not necessarily shift opinions, perhaps unfairly, as despite their considerable recent achievments they are likely to be underestimated by many fans.

But defeat, even against a side ranked above them in the world, would sap Scotland of momentum and confidence heading into 2026 and set tongues wagging.

Argentina will be gunning for Scotland after a record win against Wales last week, as they pursue a first ever clean sweep of the home nations in November.

They have the players, experience, and steel to win in Edinburgh for the first time since 2009. It will be a ferocious test of Scotland’s ability and mentality.

When Graham leads Scotland out it will be a moment cheered to the rafters at Murrayfield as one of the stadium’s favourite sons take a well-deserved bow for reaching a half century – while scoring and a joint-record 34 tries.

Autumn Nations Series

Wales (7) 24

Tries: Edwards, Rees-Zammit, Tompkins Cons: Edwards (3) Pens: Evans

Japan (7) 23

Replacement fly-half Jarrod Evans secured a last-gasp victory for Wales against Japan with the final kick of the game in Cardiff.

After only being on the Principality Stadium field for four minutes, Evans slotted over the penalty to complete a second half in which the lead changed hands six times.

The successful kick ended a 10-match losing home streak for Wales that had lasted more than two years and gave new head coach Steve Tandy his first win in charge.

Wales overcame wing Josh Adams being shown a 20-minute red card for a dangerous clearout on Kippei Ishida just before half-time.

Wales’ tries came from wing Louis Rees-Zammit, centre Nick Tompkins and Dan Edwards, who finished with 11 points.

Ishida and number eight Faulua Makisi scored tries for Japan with 13 points from the boot of fly-half Seungsin Lee.

It had been 833 days since Wales previously won a Test match at Principality Stadium, when Warren Gatland’s side defeated England in a World Cup warm-up game in August 2023.

Wales’ list of defeats in Cardiff came against South Africa (twice), Scotland, France, Italy, Fiji, Australia, Ireland, England and Argentina, with Eddie Jones remarking pre-match that Japan needed to ensure it was a burden for their hosts. It almost was.

For Japan and Jones it was a famous day that got away. Jones led the Brave Blossoms’ only victories over Wales – in 2013 and 2025 – both at home.

However, Japan had never won in Wales, losing each of their previous five visits by an average margin of 51 points.

Their only previous away victory against a top nation in the professional era was the famous shock win over South Africa in Brighton at the 2015 World Cup, again masterminded by Jones.

Wales and Japan had played out a 1-1 series draw in the summer with Jones’ side winning in Kitakyushu before the tourists ended a record 18-match international losing streak by winning in Cardiff.

In the 2025 unofficial decider, Rees-Zammit was given his first start in 25 months as he replaced Tom Rogers, while props Nicky Smith and Archie Griffin also came into the side.

Wales were without injured inspirational skipper Jac Morgan who dislocated his shoulder against Argentina. This forced a back-row reshuffle with Leicester number eight Olly Cracknell starting and producing a player-of-the-match performance with Aaron Wainwright switching to blind-side flanker.

Alex Mann was in the unfamiliar open-side role and was prominent in the opening exchanges with crunching tackles and turnovers.

Wales opened the scoring with an opportunistic effort by Edwards who capitalised on some weak Japan tackling,

Ishida then crossed after Japan won an aerial battle and strong carrying from centre Dylan Riley and hooker Kenji Sato.

The visitors were playing the more expansive attacking rugby with full-back Yoshitaka Yazaki making a scything break only for Japan to knock on.

Ill-discipline then affected them, Lock Epineri Uluiviti was shown a yellow card for an off-the-ball tackle on Mann before a thunderous legal tackle from Makisi on Aaron Wainwright.

Makisi was then punished for an illegal high challenge on Edwards as Japan were reduced to 13 men for five minutes.

The insipid Wales attack could not exploit the extra men before Adams was shown a yellow card for a dangerous clearout on Ishida.

That was upgraded to red at half-time with a high degree of danger cited and Adams’ arm not wrapped.

Lee missed two first-half penalties, but succeeded early in the second half to give Japan the lead.

Despite being down to 14 men, Wales responded with a well-worked try as Rees-Zammit dived over for his 15th try in his 34th game.

Centre Ben Thomas was penalised for not rolling away with Lee reducing the deficit to one point with his second penalty.

More Wales ill-discipline allowed Makisi to dive over just before the hosts were restored to 15 men.

Tompkins was the player introduced and the centre made an immediate impression by scoring with his second touch with Edwards converting.

Lee restored the lead with a penalty before the frantic finale. Japan replacement lock Harry Hockings was given a yellow card on his debut for a dangerous tackle on Mann.

Wales initially decided the penalty was too far out to kick at goal and went for the try.

A long-overdue rare home win is not enough to lift Welsh rugby out of its ongoing crisis.

For long periods, Wales were poor and Japan were the better side while the tourists missed two penalties and had three yellow cards.

The fact the Japan game was identified as the crucial contest this autumn in the battle to stay in the world’s top 12 demonstrates how far the Welsh game has sunk.

Wales still have lost 19 out of their past 21 matches with the only two victories coming against Japan and no win against a major nation since the 2023 World Cup.

They still have to face New Zealand next Saturday before a game against South Africa that has been organised on 29 November outside the international window. by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).

Wales will be without their non-Welsh based players against the Springboks – more than half the squad selected against Japan – and taking place on the same weekend the four Welsh professional sides play league fixtures in the United Rugby Championship (URC).

Off the field, uncertainty remains. The number of sides will become three after the WRU decided to cut one of the men’s professional teams, though no realistic timetable or strategy has been outlined about how and when that will occur.

Players, coaches and fans still do not know which teams they will turn out for or have the option to support next season.

Wales: Murray; Rees-Zammit, Llewellyn, B Thomas, Adams; Edwards, T Williams; Smith, Lake (capt), Griffin, D Jenkins, Beard, Wainwright, Mann, Cracknell.

Replacements: Belcher, Carre, Assiratti, F Thomas, Plumtree, Hardy, J Evans, Tompkins.

Red card (20 minutes): Adams 40

Japan: Yazaki; Ishida, Riley, Lawrence, Osadal; Lee, Saito; Kobayashi, Sato, Tamefusa, Uluiviti, Dearns (capt), Cornelsen, Shimokawa, Makisi.

Replacements: Hirao, Furuhata, Takeuchi, Hockings, Paul, Fukuda, Komura, Ueda.

Sin-bin: Uluiviti 25, Makisi 30, Hockings 80

Referee: Matthew Carley (England)

Assistant referees: Anthony Woodthorpe (England), Nic Berry (Australia)

TMO: Andrew Jackson (England)

Two kicks, at opposite ends of the ground, at opposite ends of the match, summed up England’s superb 33-19 win over New Zealand.

The first came after four minutes.

With England attacking in midfield, George Ford cranked back his foot and launched a steepling, wobbling spiral bomb deep into the New Zealand 22m, the 32-year-old’s pilates-loosened hamstrings stretched near vertical by the effort.

The second kick came three minutes from time.

An All Black pass went to ground and Henry Pollock, a whirl of peroxide energy, got his toe to the ball first and grubbered into space.

It has not always been this way. The relationship between Steve Borthwick’s England and their public has not always been smooth.

England’s kick-heavy tactics when the coach took charge in December 2022 were a product of where he had come from, and where he was going.

Borthwick had won the Premiership with Leicester on the back of a powerful, low-percentage, risk-averse style. With the Rugby World Cup looming, he decided a similar approach was the best use of limited time and the players he had.

Nine months later, when England led deep into a World Cup semi-final against South Africa in the Paris rain, it was hard to argue.

Two years on though, after a few false dawns, fears that Borthwick would not – or could not – expand his style into something able to take down the game’s biggest beasts seem to be settled.

England kicked plenty in their win over New Zealand. They put boot to ball 35 times, compared to the All Blacks’ 29.

But it always felt like a weapon, rather than a reflex.

With last year’s law tweak making the battle for the skies more fiercely contested than ever, England have bomb retrieval experts in Tom Roebuck, Freddie Steward and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.

The crowd saw the ball go up and relished the aerial fight to come. They learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.

That is made easier because there is much more to England’s game now.

George Ford, stubbornly flat in the defence’s faces, was superb at picking the options. His two drop-goals, deflating New Zealand’s lead just before half-time, changed the complexion of the contest.

Ben Earl, who made a huge 20 carries despite spending 10 minutes in the sin-bin, crashed around like a bull in an All Black shop.

Ollie Lawrence and Fraser Dingwall combined delightfully for the latter’s try and Marcus Smith brought playmaking cunning and plenty of bravery when he replaced injured full-back Steward in the backfield.

The depth that has been nurtured in Argentina over the summer has created a squad of many strengths and high competition.

Borthwick has been adept at picking when to stick and twist with his team.

His faith in Dingwall, whose strengths are more subtle than some of his midfield rivals, paid off. His call to usher Ford, third choice fly-half in the Six Nations, back to the forefront has also been vindicated.

The effect of his much-vaunted bench in the second half was less noticeable.

When he pulled the pin on the ‘Pom Squad’, there was not the immediate momentum swing we expected.

But that was partly because the starters had performed so well.

Ultimately England had too many attacking dimensions, too many options to be contained by New Zealand.

When Pollock poked through that final kick and Roebuck picked up and went in, it brought up an almost surreal ’33-19′ on the Twickenham scoreboard.

Only three short of England’s famous 2012 win over the same opposition, but in excess of all but England fans’ wildest expectations.

Three years later of course, that 2012 team flamed out of their home Rugby World Cup, failing to get out of the pool stage.

As the rafters rocked, the pints spilled and a joyful giddiness filled the Allianz Stadium bowl, it felt impossible that this team would follow the same trajectory.

Like a George Ford bomb, they are surely still rising.

Borthwick, as ever, was keeping a lid on emotions and expectations afterwards.

“It’s a team that’s developing, a team that’s growing,” he said.

“It’s a team that needs experience together and that’s exactly what they’re doing each time – go away each week and train really hard and being focused on what to improve, and that’s showing on the pitch.

“The team has a lot of belief – in our preparation, in the way we are trying to play and in the ability we have within the team.

“This is about trying to achieve special moments, special memories. Today is one of them.”

If they can subdue a dangerous, if tired, Argentina side next weekend, that would be 11 successive wins for England and only one defeat in 2025.

Great Britain’s women fell to a 85-81 defeat by Austria in EuroBasket 2027 qualifying in Vienna.

In the second of six group D games, Temi Fagbenle scored 22 points for GB, one shy of Austria’s game leader Sina Elke Hollerl, while Holly Warburton posted 18 in a tight encounter which had 16 lead changes.

The visitors trailed 16-14 at the end of the first quarter but, by half-time, had stolen the advantage and led by one point.

Britain will complete this round of qualifiers against Norway in Bergen on Tuesday, before return legs are contested in March.

After all teams have played each other twice, the top two of each group will progress to the second qualifying round, along with the three best-performing third-placed teams from the seven groups.