LONDON: England routed Australia 35-18 in a rare moment of cheer for northern hemisphere rugby while New Zealand and South Africa moved halfway to Grand Slams on their European tours Saturday. The All Blacks racked up their biggest win over Scotland at Murrayfield, 49-3, and the Springboks came from 17-9 down to break Wales hearts 29-25 at Millennium Stadium. Argentina beat Italy on Italian turf for a fifth straight time 22-16, France stayed unbeaten against Fiji 34-12, and Ireland struggled to put away Samoa 20-10. Also, Uruguay and Romania finished 21-21 in Montevideo in their bid for the 20th and last berth in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the United States edged Portugal 22-17 in Lisbon, and Canada beat Spain 60-22 in their first meeting. Chris Ashton touched down twice as England's backs outgunned Australia's vaunted line for a first victory over a Tri-Nations side at Twickenham in four years. While Australia's James O'Connor struggled with the boot, Toby Flood kicked 25 points in a performance in which he, man-of-the-match Ben Youngs and Ben Foden constantly looked to attack. The highlight was Ashton's second try, from a 47th-minute turnover on England's tryline. Courtney Lawes fed Ashton to break from 90 meters out and accelerate past Australia winger Drew Mitchell near halfway to help make it 26-6. England's first home win over a southern hemisphere powerhouse since a 23-21 triumph over South Africa in November 2006 also matched its 17-point wins over Australia in 1973 and ‘76. “I am really happy for everyone,” England manager Martin Johnson said. “A lot of guys played very well today and a lot of our younger guys took a big step forward in their development.” The All Blacks were rampant in a seven-try rout of Scotland, especially in the first half when they ran in four tries at a point-a-minute pace. Inside center Sonny Bill Williams, playing his second cap, offloaded in tackles to set up two tries and featured in a third to extend New Zealand's unbeaten record against the Scots to 105 years. Captain Richie McCaw and Mils Muliaina celebrated their 92nd caps, tying Sean Fitzpatrick's record for New Zealand. The Springboks are chasing their first Grand Slam since 1961, and doing it the hard way. The win followed a 23-21 result against Ireland, and Scotland and England are next.
