Rugby World Cup Results 2015: Wednesday Scores, Latest Group Tables, Fixtures

Tom SunderlandSep 23, 2015

Scotland made a dream start to their Rugby World Cup 2015 campaign on Wednesday after claiming a 45-10 win over Pool B rivals Japan at Kingsholm in Gloucester, England, with a bonus point to boot.

Australia took the upper hand in their efforts to make it out of the Pool of Death later on Wednesday evening, getting their tournament underway with a 28-13 win over Fiji.

Romania also got their competition up and running later in the day but were outclassed by a France team that triumphed 38-11 at the Olympic Stadium and claimed their first bonus-point victory in the process.

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Nation	Score	Nation
Scotland	45-10	Japan
Australia	28-13	Fiji
France	38-11	Romania

France 38-11 Romania

France were in no mood to entertain Nations Cup champions Romania as any sort of viable threat on Wednesday evening but perhaps struggled to enforce themselves more than they might have predicted.

Sofiane Guitoune and Yannick Nyanga touched down for two tries in the first half to set Les Bleus on their path to victory against minnow opposition, but Philippe Saint-Andre's men were frustrated in their hunt for more as the game wore on.

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

Fortunately, Guitoune emerged with his second of the fixture on the 65-minute mark before Wesley Fofana allayed any French fears with a vital fourth, and Gael Fickou capped off a better second half with his side's fifth.

Tensions were at a high prior to Fofana's late break through the Romanian ranks, as shown by ITV Rugby, with fellow Pool D favourites Ireland having been in exemplary form throughout their opener against Canada:

Les Bleus climb to the top of their group as a result of the thrashing, however temporary that positioning might be, while Romania's only consolation was a late push over from flanker Valentin Ursache.

France have another opportunity to bag major points against a Canadian team that shifted 50 against the Irish last Saturday, but attention remains transfixed upon the probably pool decider against Joe Schmidt's men on October 11.

Australia 28-13 Fiji

Fiji's chances of advancing to the 2015 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals look all but dashed following a second successive Pool A defeat on Wednesday, this time falling to heavy tournament contenders Australia.

Just as was the case against England last Friday, John McKee's underdogs were brilliantly spirited throughout the clash, with the Millennium Stadium doing well to entertain Fiji's war chant prior to kick-off, per the Mirror's Kevin Maguire:

It wouldn't work its magic to the extent Fiji desired, though, and two tries from back-row superstar David Pocock gave Michael Cheika's men an 18-3 lead at half-time thanks to some superb driving mauls.

Sekope Kepu added a third just after the break to steer the Wallabies 19 points ahead of their opponents, but Fijian fly-half Ben Volavola rose with a timely score of his own to reduce the deficit to 25-13, per ITV Rugby:

Fiji's breakdown play was once again instrumental to any success they had in open play while the back-row tandem of Pocock and Michael Hooper continued to prove fearsome, just as many pundits predicted it would.

McKee's side gave their southern hemisphere rivals a tough run for their money in the second period, and Australia will be disappointed to miss out on the bonus point, which could come to play a massive role in the Pool A order.

Scotland 45-10 Japan

Clint Hughes/Associated Press

A brace of tries from centre Mark Bennett alongside scores courtesy of Tommy Seymour, John Hardie and Finn Russell meant Scotland hit the ground running on Wednesday, thrashing their Japanese foes by 35 points.

Hope for the Asian representatives was strong prior to the West Country clash, but Planet Rugby's Ben Coles always felt a four-day turnaround following the Springboks triumph was harsh on Eddie Jones' side:

The Scots would have to wait until the second period to open their stride, however, as Japan touched down for the only try of the opening half thanks to Amanaki Mafi, with Cotter's men leading 12-7 at the break.

Stamina clearly played its part, however, and Bennett's first score was perhaps the pick of the bunch, capitalising on a superb Stuart Hogg break in the 55th minute, per ITV Rugby:

It's true that the lingering effects of Saturday's draining victory took its toll on Japan, and as the gaps began to emerge in their defence, the likes of Hardie and Seymour were on hand to take full advantage.

Russell in particular had a 23rd birthday to remember with a concise display at fly-half for Scotland, although the Times' Stephen Jones paid special attention to the work of Bennett and Matt Scott in the centre:

Captain Greig Laidlaw was on hand to add the extras from the tee throughout, and a couple of miscued efforts in the opening 40 minutes would ultimately count for little.

With the first bonus-point win of the Pool B campaign, Scotland shoot to the head of the standings and prepare for Sunday's clash against the United States, while Japan next face Samoa on October 3.