Ireland maintained its march toward winning its first-ever Rugby World Cup pool with a comfortable 62-12 win over Russia at International Stadium on Sunday.

It wasn't the free-flowing Pacific islands rugby as promised, but Samoa's quest to reach the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals is still possible after beating Fiji 27-7 in an error-strewn encounter on Sunday.

Introspection grew within England's Rugby World Cup camp on Monday, with attack coach Brian Smith joining the criticism of the team's latest penalty-strewn performance.

Wales beat Samoa 17-10 on Sunday for the first time in World Cup history to take a major step toward the quarterfinals while making the route far more difficult for the Pacific Islanders.

Australia's surprise loss to Ireland at the Rugby World Cup has made life more difficult for the Wallabies in many ways, not least raising the ambition of their next Pool C opponents, the United States.

Argentina scored four tries in the first 30 minutes to overwhelm Romania 43-8 on Saturday, showing plenty of the attacking flair it lacked in its opening loss to England.

Adam Kleeberger has evolved from average-looking flanker to bearded backrow star at the Rugby World Cup in the space of seven months.

Canada coach Kieran Crowley has rewarded the players who combined to beat Tonga in their opening match with a chance to cause a Rugby World Cup upset against France on Sunday.

Winger Phil MacKenzie scooted over in the 73rd minute as Canada opened its campaign with a seesawing 25-20 win over Tonga on Wednesday, extending its unbeaten run against the Pacific islanders at the Rugby World Cup.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key apologized Monday for public transport failures that caused thousands of Rugby World Cup fans to miss the tournament's gala opener in Auckland.