The 2002 end-of-year tests, also known as the 2002 Autumn Internationals, are international rugby union matches that took place during November and December 2002. The matches were contested between touring teams from the southern hemisphere, namely Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, and South Africa and teams from the Six Nations Championship - England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Some matches also featured second-tier European sides Romania, Russia and Georgia, and South Pacific nation Fiji.

The 2002 end-of-year tests featured one of the biggest results in rugby union history, as South Africa suffered their heaviest ever defeat, losing 53–3 to England on 23 November.[1] This result saw England record back-to-back wins against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa in consecutive weeks - the only occasion in rugby history that any nation has achieved this feat.

Fixtures

Week 1

1 November 2002
19:30 GMT
Wales 40–3 Romania
Try: S. Quinnell
M. Jones
Gar. Thomas
Penalty try
Con: Jenkins (4)
Pen: Jenkins (4)		Report[2]Pen: Tofan
Racecourse Ground, Wrexham
Attendance: 9,448
Referee: Joël Jutge (France)
2 November 2002
20:10 ART (UTC-3)
Argentina 6–17 Australia
Pen: Contepomi (2)Report[3]Try: Mortlock
Pen: Burke (3)
Flatley
Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires
Attendance: 65,000
Referee: Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand)

Week 2

9 November 2002
14:30 GMT
England 31–28 New Zealand
Try: Cohen
Moody
Wilkinson
Con: Wilkinson (2/3)
Pen: Wilkinson (3)
Drop: Wilkinson		Report[4]Try: Howlett
Lee
Lomu (2)
Con: Blair (2)
Mehrtens (2)
Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
9 November 2002
14:30 GMT
Ireland 18–9 Australia
Pen: O'Gara (6)Report[5]Pen: Burke (3)
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Attendance: 49,000
Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
9 November 2002
16:30 GMT
Scotland 37–10 Romania
Report[6]
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Attendance: 34,413
Referee: Andy Turner (South Africa)
9 November 2002
16:30 GMT
Wales 58–14 Fiji
Try: R. Williams
M. Jones (2)
Charvis
Parker
Gar. Thomas
Penalty try
Con: S. Jones (5)
Pen: S. Jones (3)
Harris		Report[7]Try: Ligairi
Serevi
Con: Little
Serevi
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 34,103
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
9 November 2002
20:45 CET (UTC+1)
France 30–10 South Africa
Try: Clerc
Heymans
Con: Gelez (1/2)
Pen: Gelez (5)
Drop: Castaignède		Report[8]Try: Van Niekerk
Con: Pretorius
Pen: Pretorius
Stade Velodrome, Marseille
Attendance: 57,203
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)

Week 3

16 November 2002
15:15 CET (UTC+1)
Italy 6–36 Argentina
Pen: Domínguez (2)Report[9]Try: Albanese
Corleto
Durand
Martín
Orengo
Con: Contepomi (2)
Fernández Miranda (2)
Pen: Contepomi
Stadio Flaminio, Rome
Attendance: 23,263
Referee: Andrew Cole (Australia)
16 November 2002
14:30 GMT
England 32–31 Australia
Try: Cohen (2)
Con: Wilkinson (2/2)
Pen: Wilkinson (6)		Report[10]Try: Flatley (2)
Sailor
Con: Burke (2/3)
Pen: Burke (4)
Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)
16 November 2002
14:30 GMT
Scotland 21–6 South Africa
Try: Pountney
Walker
Con: Laney (1/2)
Pen: Laney (3)		Report[11]Pen: James (2)
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Attendance: 58,225
Referee: Nigel Williams (Wales)
16 November 2002
20:45 CET (UTC+1)
France 20–20 New Zealand
Try: Brusque
Magne
Con: Gelez (2/2)
Pen: Gelez (2)		Report[12]Try: Umaga
Meeuws
Con: Mehrtens (2/2)
Pen: Mehrtens (2)
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 78,625
Referee: Scott Young (Australia)
16 November 2002
16:30 GMT
Wales 32–21 Canada
Try: McBryde
J. Robinson
Con: S. Jones (2)
Pen: S. Jones (6)		Report[13]Pen: Barker
Drop: Williams
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 30,586
Referee: Giulio de Santis (Italy)
17 November 2002
15:00 GMT
Ireland 64–17 Fiji
Try: Murphy (2)
Maggs (3)
O'Driscoll
Bishop
Dawson
Foley
Con: Humphreys (4)
Pen: Humphreys (3)		Report[14]Try: Doviverata
Narruhn
Con: Little
Serevi
Pen: Little
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Attendance: 31,482
Referee: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)

Week 4

23 November 2002
14:00 CET (UTC+1)
France 35–3 Canada
Report[15]
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 48,000
Referee: David McHugh (Ireland)
23 November 2002
15:15 CET (UTC+1)
Italy 3–34 Australia
Pen: PezReport[16]Try: Harrison
Kefu
Mortlock
Staniforth (2)
Con: Burke (3/5)
Pen: Burke
Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: Pablo Deluca (Argentina)
23 November 2002
14:30 GMT
Wales 17–43 New Zealand
Try: Robinson 14' c
Penalty try 79' c
Con: S. Jones (1/1) 15'
Harris (1/1) 79'
Pen: S. Jones (1/1) 8'		Report[17]Try: Howlett 19' c, 80+1' c
Meeuws 80+5' c
King 80+8' c
Con: Mehrtens (4/4) 20', 80+2', 80+6', 80+9'
Pen: Mehrtens (5/6) 11', 17', 40+1', 43', 63'
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 68,785
Referee: Tappe Henning (South Africa)
23 November 2002
14:30 GMT
England 53–3 South Africa
Try: Cohen 20' m
Greenwood 30' c, 42' c
Penalty try 60' c
Back 69' c
Hill 74' c
Dallaglio 80+2' c
Con: Wilkinson (1/2) 30'
Dawson (1/1) 43'
Gomarsall (2/2) 61', 70'
Stimpson (2/2) 75', 80+3'
Pen: Wilkinson (1/1) 12'		Report[18]Pen: Pretorius (1/1) 37'
Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 72,000
Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)
23 November 2002
16:30 GMT
Ireland 16–7 Argentina
Try: Dempsey 20'
Con: O'Gara (1/1) 21'
Pen: O'Gara (3/3) 33', 43', 65'		Report[19]Try: Martín 23'
Con: Contepomi (1/1) 25'
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Attendance: 40,000
Referee: Chris White (England)
24 November 2002
15:00 GMT
Scotland 36–22 Fiji
Try: Craig (3) 9' c, 29' m, 73' m
Laney 62' m
Grimes 80+5' m
Con: Laney (1/5) 10'
Pen: Laney (3/3) 22', 25', 58'		Report[20]Try: Naevo 50' m
Ligairi 80' m
Pen: Narruhn (4/4) 14', 19', 32', 36'
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Attendance: 37,351
Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)

See also

References

  1. ^ "England rout sorry Springboks". 23 November 2002. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  2. ^ "Wales v Romania". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Argentina v Australia". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  4. ^ "England v New Zealand". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Ireland v Australia". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  6. ^ "Scotland v Romania". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Wales v Fiji". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  8. ^ "France v South Africa". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  9. ^ "Italy v Argentina". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  10. ^ "England v Australia". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Scotland v South Africa". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  12. ^ "France v New Zealand". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  13. ^ "Wales v Canada". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  14. ^ "Ireland v Fiji". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  15. ^ "France v Canada". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  16. ^ "Italy v Australia". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Wales v New Zealand". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  18. ^ "England v South Africa". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  19. ^ "Ireland v Argentina". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  20. ^ "Scotland v Fiji". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
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