Both Southern giants still perfect, France ahead in the North.
Nine tries for the Springboks in Rome
South Africa beat Italy 66-7 with nine tries, five of them before the 25th minute, from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Morné van den Berg, Malcolm Marx, Siya Kolisi and Damian Willemse. Marx scored a double. Federico Ruzza saved some Italian pride in the 61st minute. Four games, four bonus-point wins: the Springboks have scored 29 tries and conceded only eight.
All Blacks win despite Ashman’s hat-trick
At Murrayfield, New Zealand beat Scotland 43-21 with seven tries, including a double from Beauden Barrett. Scotland hooker Ewan Ashman scored all three of his side’s tries in the first half (7th, 25th, 37th minutes), two of them during yellow cards for Peter Lakai and Wallace Sititi. The All Blacks remain unbeaten, level on points with South Africa at the top of the South conference.
Keenan’s hat-trick, Pollock’s double
Ireland opened the round on Friday with a 42-12 win over Argentina, scoring six tries, three of them from Hugo Keenan. Mateo Carreras scored both of the Pumas’ tries, who received two yellow cards, for Justo Piccardo and Efrain Elias.
On Sunday, England beat Australia 45-22 with seven tries. Henry Pollock scored two in two minutes (54th and 56th). The Wallabies, with three tries, leave with no points.
Wales hold off Japan
Wales beat Japan 28-21 in Cardiff with a double from Josh Adams, the second in the 69th minute. Kenta Fukuda brought Japan back into it in the 75th, but it was not enough. Wales take the attacking bonus point, Japan the defensive one.
In Lyon, Les Bleus beat Fiji 54-17 with eight tries, but lost Romain Ntamack, who is out for the rest of the competition. They stay top of the North conference with a two-point lead.
Jordan, Keenan and Pollock lead the way
Will Jordan is the competition’s top try scorer with six tries. Hugo Keenan, thanks to his hat-trick against Argentina, and Henry Pollock both have five. Maxime Lucu is the top points scorer with 47, ahead of Fin Smith (40).
The Springboks have the best attack with 29 tries, ahead of England (26) and New Zealand (25). Les Bleus have scored 24. Fiji (9) and Italy (6) prop up the table.
Round 4 results
| Match | Score |
|---|---|
| Ireland – Argentina | 42-12 |
| Italy – South Africa | 7-66 |
| Scotland – New Zealand | 21-43 |
| Wales – Japan | 28-21 |
| France – Fiji | 54-17 |
| England – Australia | 45-22 |
Standings after four rounds
North conference
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | Diff. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | +78 | 17 |
| 2 | England | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | +71 | 15 |
| 3 | Ireland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | +29 | 15 |
| 4 | Scotland | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -11 | 11 |
| 5 | Wales | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -35 | 10 |
| 6 | Italy | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -153 | 0 |
South conference
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | Diff. | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | +140 | 20 |
| 1 | New Zealand | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | +73 | 20 |
| 3 | Australia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | +6 | 8 |
| 4 | Argentina | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -32 | 7 |
| 5 | Japan | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -33 | 5 |
| 6 | Fiji | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -133 | 0 |
Round 5 of the Nations Championship begins on Friday with France – South Africa at the Stade de France, followed by England – Japan, Ireland – Fiji, Wales – New Zealand and Italy – Argentina on Saturday, and Scotland – Australia on Sunday. The finals will pair teams of the same rank from the two conferences from 27 to 29 November.
Key numbers
9 tries for South Africa in Italy
3 tries for Ewan Ashman against the All Blacks, in vain
4 from 4 bonus-point wins for the Boks and the All Blacks
47 points for Maxime Lucu, the top points scorer
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