Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier are available for Ireland's test against South Africa but Stuart McCloskey misses out with an injury, the Irish Rugby Football Union said on Monday.

Centre Ringrose and back-row Van der Flier have both recovered from hamstring strains ahead of Saturday's Dublin meeting with the world champions after missing the 46-19 win over Australia at the weekend.

A squad update as we prep for South Africa! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/CYsy0tVrf5

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) November 17, 2025

McCloskey misses out with a recurrence of a groin injury that forced him to retire hurt in the first half against the Wallabies. Bundee Aki was introduced as his replacement in midfield.

Leinster prop Thomas Clarkson has cleared all head injury assessment protocols and is set to train fully.

Ireland lost against New Zealand in Chicago on November 1 before bouncing back to beat Japan and Australia.

Saturday's South Africa match is their final game of the Autumn Nations Series.

Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi was left eyeing the prospect of a first Pumas clean sweep on a UK tour following an astounding comeback win over Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.

Scotland seemingly had the game won at 21-0 ahead approaching the final quarter after Jack Dempsey's try was followed by two from Ewan Ashman.

But a loose pass by Scotland flyhalf Finn Russell, followed by a yellow card for Blair Kinghorn, helped turn the tide as Argentina won at Murrayfield for the first time in 16 years.

Argentina's Murrayfield comeback will go down in history 🇦🇷📚#SSRugby | #QuilterNS pic.twitter.com/Pre9KcTLtg

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) November 16, 2025

The Pumas ran in five tries in an extraordinary closing 23 minutes, captain Julian Montoya, Rodrigo Isgro, Pedro Rubiolo, Pablo Matera and Justo Piccardo all crossing Scotland's line.

Santiago Carreras, on as a replacement, kicked four conversions.

With Argentina having already beaten Wales 52-28 in the Autumn Nations Series, they will now look to end this trip with victory at Twickenham next weekend over an in-form England, on a 10-game winning streak following their 33-19 defeat of New Zealand on Saturday.

"This was a huge challenge for us," said Contepomi. "When we have come to the UK before, there were a few times when we won two games, but not very often. Every now and then we win one, but we have never won three in a row in the UK."

He added: "It will be a different challenge next week against England. The challenge will be huge because they are probably the most on-form team in the world at the moment, bar maybe (world champions) South Africa."

Reflecting on how fortunes had changed for Argentina in Saturday's second half, former Pumas playmaker Contepomi said: "I think when we scored and Scotland had that yellow card, we started playing and suddenly the momentum shifted and the guys accelerated so it was very good for that."

'POUNDING THE ROCK'

Carreras made a major impact in open play and off the kicking tee with Contepomi, whose side beat both New Zealand and Australia in this season's Rugby Championship.

"As a 10 (flyhalf), he's the one who has to pull the strings," said Contepomi.

"But I think it was all the bench, and also the starters, because it's like pounding the rock... We couldn't break it in the first half, but it broke maybe in the last minute."

For Scotland, this loss was arguably even more of a blow than last week's defeat by New Zealand where they levelled the match from 17-0 behind at halftime only to lose 25-17.

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend, whose position will come under fresh scrutiny after such a remarkable reverse, said: "I definitely didn't see that coming."

Scotland were booed off the field by their own fans at fulltime, with stunned captain Sione Tuipulotu saying: "As players we're going to have to take a good hard look at ourselves because it's not a good enough performance from us."

Argentina staged an astonishing rally as they came from 21-0 behind to beat Scotland 33-24 in an Autumn Nations Series rugby international at Murrayfield on Sunday.

Scotland led 14-0 at halftime and that became 21-0 early in the second half when hooker Ewan Ashman scored the second of his two tries.

Argentina responded with five tries in the final 23 minutes as skipper Julian Montoya, Rodrigo Isgro, Pedro Rubiolo, Pablo Matera and Justo Piccardo all crossed Scotland's line.

Santiago Carreras, on as replacement, kicked four conversions and Argentina won in Edinburgh for the first time in 16 years.

"We fell asleep at the wheel," Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu, whose side were booed off the field at fulltime, told TNT Sports.

Argentina's Murrayfield comeback will go down in history 🇦🇷📚#SSRugby | #QuilterNS pic.twitter.com/Pre9KcTLtg

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) November 16, 2025

Defeat followed last week's agonising loss to New Zealand when Scotland fought back from 17-0 down to 17-17 before suffering a 25-17 loss that left them still searching for a first win in 120 years of tests with the All Blacks.

"I don't think I could be as disappointed as I was last week, but I think this is more disappointing," Australia-born centre Tuipulotu told the BBC. "I said to the boys: 'we are going to have to take a really hard look at ourselves'."

'NOT GOOD ENOUGH'

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend added: "We went 21-0 up and were back on their try-line and there's a huge momentum swing in that moment. The last 10 minutes wasn't good enough."

Argentina, fresh from a record 52-28 win over Wales in Cardiff, struggled to impose themselves early on at Murrayfield.

But as the match headed into the final quarter the Pumas capitalised on a loose pass from Scotland playmaker Finn Russell and a yellow card for Blair Kinghorn to turn the tide in spectacular style.

Abrazos tras una histórica remontada. ¡Seguimos! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/KByKu2Zkoj

— Los Pumas (@lospumas) November 16, 2025

Scotland were forced into a late change when scrum-half Ben White dropped out due to illness, with Jamie Dobie taking his place.

The hosts soon found themselves up against 14 men when Argentina full-back Juan Cruz Mallia was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on

Mallia was still in the sin bin when Scotland opened the scoring, Russell sending back-row Jack Dempsey for a try the fly-half converted.

Mallia missed two penalties either side of Scotland doubling their lead when Ashman piled over for a try, again converted by Russell.

Scotland went further ahead in the 44th minute when Ashman scored a close-range try.

The match turned when, with Scotland threatening a fourth try, Russell's ambitious pass was intercepted, with Argentina launching a counter-attack that led to Scotland full-back Kinghorn being sin-binned in the 54th minute for deliberate offside.

The Pumas, who still had not scored a point, made their man advantage count by scoring twice in three minutes.

Montoya was awarded a 57th-minute try. The hooker was ruled to have grounded the ball over the line following a lengthy television review. Carreras converted.

Pumas wing Rodrigo Isgo then struck from close range for an unconverted try.

Russell's long-range penalty gave Scotland a 24-12 lead with 16 minutes left but the Pumas were far from finished.

Argentina lock Pedro Rubiolo scored a pick-and-go try under the posts in the 70th minute. Carreras's conversion cut Scotland's lead to five points.

In the 75th minute the Pumas had a fourth try when replacement back row Matera was ruled to have grounded the ball on review.

Carreras's conversion nudged Argentina two points ahead and, with a minute left, Piccardo compounded Scotland's woes by running in a try converted by Carreras.

Jamie George was pleased to have played a part in England's defiant reply to the haka but was even happier to beat New Zealand 33-19 at Twickenham in perhaps the team's best performance under coach Steve Borthwick.

George, himself a former England skipper, persuaded Borthwick and current skipper Maro Itoje it was worth revisiting the response to the haka England employed in a 2019 World Cup semifinal win in Japan.

Back then, England formed up in a 'V'.

On Saturday they adopted more of a horseshoe, with a capacity crowd of some      82 00 at Twickenham belting out a chorus of 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' – England's rugby anthem – for good measure.

As was the case six years ago, the response to the traditional Maori challenge was the prelude to a memorable win – just England's ninth in 47 tests against the All Blacks spanning 120 years.

"I had an idea and I thought 'why not?' so put it to Maro and Steve and they got on board with it," said George, who was also England's starting hooker in the 2019 World Cup semifinal.

"Maro said 'yes, as long as we don't have to have too many rehearsals'! We spoke through it on Friday night and you'd be amazed at the amount of questions that I had and how hard it was to form the V."

He added: "We wanted to replicate 2019 because we hadn't done it at the Allianz (Twickenham), which is something that I always thought would be pretty cool because we speak a lot about of connection with the fans."

But George said the pre-match theatrics would have counted for little if England, who were 12-0 down early on, had been unable to achieve a victory that gave them a 10th in a row against all opponents.

"Doing something like that is great, but then backing up it with a performance is the most important thing –- we did that."

England's win over the All Blacks six years ago was followed by the disappointment of a crushing World Cup final loss to South Africa.

The 35-year-old George said while it was important the current England side savoured Saturday's success, they needed to refocus ahead of next weekend's Autumn Nations Series finale against Argentina at Twickenham.

"I learned from the 2019 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand that wins like this take a huge amount of emotion and emotionally drain you," he said.

"A lot of the guys will wake up exhausted with their phones buzzing and everyone telling us how amazing we are. And that's great –- revel in it enjoy it. But keep it in context."

Scotland were forced into a late change ahead of their rugby international against Argentina at Murrayfield on Sunday when scrumhalf Ben White withdrew because of an unspecified illness.

Jamie Dobie, previously on the bench, came into the starting side to partner Finn Russell at half-back, with experienced Glasgow scrum-half George Horne now providing cover among the replacements.

Squad update: Ben White is out of today’s match with an illness. ⁰⁰Jamie Dobie will start the game and George Horne comes onto the bench. ⁰⁰#AsOne pic.twitter.com/CaZMtH7oTJ

— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) November 16, 2025

White's absence was a blow to a Scotland side looking to bounce back from last week's agonising 25-17 Autumn Nations Series loss to New Zealand – a defeat that left the Scots still looking for their first win in 120 years of tests against the All Blacks.

Argentina come into this match on the back of a record 52-28 win over Wales in Cardiff.

Teams (15-1)

Scotland

Blair Kinghorn; Darcy Graham, Rory Hutchinson, Sione Tuipulotu (capt), Kyle Steyn; Finn Russell, Jamie Dobie; Jack Dempsey, Rory Darge, Gregor Brown; Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings; D'Arcy Rae, Ewan Ashman, Pierre Schoeman

Replacements: George Turner, Nathan McBeth, Elliot Millar Mills, Josh Bayliss, Matt Fagerson, George Horne, Tom Jordan, Duhan van der Merwe

Coach: Gregor Townsend (SCO)

Argentina

Juan Cruz Mallia; Rodrigo Isgro, Matias Moroni, Santiago Chocobares, Mateo Carreras; Geronimo Prisciantelli, Simon Benitez Cruz; Joaquin Oviedo, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Santiago Grondona; Pedro Rubiolo, Guido Petti; Pedro Delgado, Julian Montoya (capt), Mayco Vivas

Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Thomas Gallo, Francisco Coria Marchetti, Efrain Elias, Pablo Matera, Agustin Moyano, Santiago Carreras, Justo Piccardo

Coach: Felipe Contepomi (ARG)

A year ago, having lost to South Africa in a miserable autumn to stretch their losing run to five matches, England coach Steve Borthwick kept his chin up and pleaded with disgruntled fans not to panic and to keep the faith.

He pointed out that the five losses had come against top-level opposition - three to New Zealand and once each to Australia and the Springboks - and that they had been mostly narrow defeats during a period of development.

"This year has been one of transitioning a lot of young players into this England team, which I think have an incredibly exciting future and it's also transitioning the way we're trying to play," Borthwick said at the time having overseen seven defeats in 11 games.

"You can see when the team moves the ball, you see the talent and pace that we have... we just have to make all those moments count and I'm very confident about our trajectory."

Seen through the prism of 2025, it is hard to argue that he did not know exactly what he was talking about as Saturday's superb 33-19 victory over the All Blacks took England's winning streak to 10. They will be aiming to stretch that run to 11 against Argentina next Sunday.

South Africa are now the only leading nation they have yet to beat under Borthwick and though the Springboks seem to be ahead of the rest of the world at the moment, England would certainly not fear them.

Borthwick has been true to his word in moving England on from the kick-based team who came so close to reaching the World Cup final in 2023 to a side that now possesses a real all-court game.

Youthful players such as Tom Roebuck, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Ollie Lawrence, Guy Pepper and super-sub Henry Pollock have established themselves as real test performers and Borthwick really has built depth in a number of positions.

Alongside that, some of those he inherited, such as Sam Underhill, Tom Curry, George Ford, Ben Earl and captain Maro Itoje, are operating at "World XV" levels, giving the team a tremendous balance of energy and quality.

"I said that at the time (a year ago) that it's a team that needs experience together and that's exactly what they're doing," Borthwick said after Saturday's match.

"They go away each week and train really hard and are focused on what to improve and that's the kind of thing that's showing on the pitch.

"I think the team has a lot of belief in the preparation, a lot of belief in the way of trying to play, and a lot of belief in the ability that's within the team."

Such belief can only grow after claiming a victory that remains for England a real rarity. They have beaten the All Blacks nine times and drawn twice in 47 matches. The last before Saturday was the fantastic 2019 World Cup semifinal while their last at Twickenham was in 2012.

"Every team has a breakthrough win on their journey, and for Borthwick's England this was it, I think we will look back on it as pivotal," former captain and World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio wrote in The Sunday Times.

"They look like a team capable of beating anyone. I think the group have had that belief for a while but now the belief has turned to reality."

Australia face the prospect of a winless tour for the first time in almost 70 years after Saturday’s loss to Ireland made it three in a row and with a tough test against France to come next weekend.

The Wallabies were handed a 46-19 hiding by Ireland in Dublin on Saturday to add to losses earlier in the month against England at Twickenham and Italy in Udine.

They now face four straight northern hemisphere defeats, the first time since 1958 this will have befallen any Wallabies team, when they take on France in Paris next Saturday.

It has been an attritional year for the Wallabies who have lost nine of 14 tests since July, and their performances over the last three tests in Europe have looked to have an element of fatigue, although coach Joe Schmidt was having none of that.

“We are working hard and tiredness isn't an excuse,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“We have to put an 80-minute performance out there. We can't be 22-14 down and collapse like we did. There was some good pressure from Ireland, but at the same time our execution wasn't good enough.

“We know we're going to get more of that from France next week. They tend to kick a lot. I think everyone kicks a lot now with the way the game is set up. It's tough to carry a lot of ball, particularly through the middle of the field so you're tending to go for competitive kicks,” Schmidt added.

Fielding those high balls successfully will be high on Schmidt’s agenda for fixing ahead of the clash with France. The Wallabies lost 16 high-ball contests against Ireland and also six of their own lineouts.

“We put ourselves in some good positions there, and our lineout really let us down there,” captain Harry Wilson said.

“When you don't have the heart of your set piece functioning well, it really does put the team under pressure there. It was quite disappointing because we pride ourselves on being quite good in that area.”

A hat-trick of tries on Saturday against the country of his birth would have settled any doubt about Mack Hansen’s loyalty to Ireland.

Canberra-born Hansen went over for three tries in the first half-hour to set Ireland on their way to a convincing 46-19 victory over the struggling Wallabies as he returned to the team and made a first test start at fullback.

Hansen the Hat-Trick Hero 🏉🏉🏉

📺 Stream #QuilterNS on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNho4A4 pic.twitter.com/QMgPipBdo8

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) November 15, 2025

Hansen, returning from a foot injury suffered on club duty last month, said he was determined to impress against Australia after missing out on Ireland’s loss to New Zealand and then the home win over Japan earlier in the month.

“I've had a pretty bang-average run with injuries really," said Hansen. "My whole thing this week was to go out and do what I can do.

"I missed being in this team. I know there's a lot of chat about me not necessarily being born here and I didn't grow up here, but I love this team and this feels like home.

"Any time I get to play for Ireland it's a privilege. If you don't put in a performance you might not get that privilege again.”

Hansen moved to Ireland in 2021 to play at Connacht, feeling he had little chance of a test place with Australia. His mother is from Cork so he had an Irish passport and within a year he made his test debut in the 2022 Six Nations against Wales, going on to be nominated for the World Rugby Men’s Breakthrough Player of the Year award.

Hansen was modest about his scoring efforts on Saturday. "That's the pleasure of playing in this team, I literally had to grab the ball and run over the line. I didn't have to do much.

TAKING THE FIELD IN DIFFERENT COLOURED BOOTS

"Everybody else is doing their job for me, making it easy for me. We pride ourselves on making each other look good, and the boys did that for me,” he told RTE Sport.

Hansen wore two different coloured boots on Saturday, drawing comment from coach Andy Farrell.

“Well, my first thoughts were, ‘You better play well in those two different coloured boots’. He’s drawn attention to himself before he’s even started," Farrell said.

“I said to him before the game, ‘Good players don’t need excuses; they can get on with it and just be themselves. You can get the man of the match if you want’, and he went, ‘Yeah, I agree’.

“He’s that type of player. He prepares well, he’s got a great attitude ... that’s why he slotted straight back in and he was able to be himself because of that,” Farrell added.

Centre Nicolas Depoortere scored twice as France bounced back from defeat to South Africa by holding off spirited Fiji 34-21 in the Autumn Nations Series in Bordeaux on Saturday.

France had led 21-0 after 20 minutes with youngster Depoortere opening the scoring before Julien Marchand and Charles Ollivon extended France's lead, with Thomas Ramos converting all three tries.

But an upset was on the cards after Fiji came storming back with scores from Kalaveti Ravouvou, Selestino Ravutaumada and Jiuta Wainiqolo, alongside three Simione Kuruvoli conversions, bringing them level just after half-time.

But after two Ramos penalties, Depoortere's second try sealed the victory for France, a week on from a humbling loss to the four-time Rugby World Cup winners which drew criticism for head coach Fabien Galthie.

💪🇫🇷 Au terme d'un gros combat, les Bleus remportent leur 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒆̀𝒓𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒊𝒓𝒆 dans ces @QuilterNations !#XVdeFrance #FRAFID pic.twitter.com/MzXZJm5nhe

— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) November 15, 2025

Les Bleus finish their year by hosting Australia in Paris next weekend while Fiji head to Spain.

Galthie recalled experienced No.8 Gregory Alldritt as captain and Ollivon at lock as he looked to avoid a fifth straight Test loss after the defeat to the Springboks and three losses to New Zealand in July.

Fiji's Mick Byrne kept faith with the same starting lineup from last weekend's defeat to England, including Racing 92's Ravumautada and Lyon's Wainiqolo amongst seven France-based players in his matchday squad.

Galthie's Six Nations champions started in dominant fashion with 22-year-old Depoortere, who grew up in the Bordeaux suburb of Pessac, hooker Marchand and Ollivon crossing.

By the interval, the visitors were right back in it, trailing by just seven points thanks to efforts from Bristol centre Ravouvou and Ravumautada.

Les Bleus finished the half with flanker Oscar Jegou playing centre with starting midfielders Pierre-Louis Barassi and his replacement Emilien Gailleton off with head injuries.

Byrne's side maintained their control of things after the break as Wainiqolo battled over through two France defenders after 43 minutes and Kuruvoli's third  conversion of the game brought the sides level.

With a quarter of the game left, Galthie's side regained the lead, 27-21, as fullback Ramos slotted two penalties following poor discipline from Fiji.

Local boy Depoortere then gave the hosts some breathing space with nine minutes to go, making sure of victory with a charging run.

Australia-born Mack Hansen's hat-trick of tries inside half an hour of the first half inspired Ireland to a 46-19 victory over Australia at Lansdowne Road on Saturday in their Autumn Nations Series test.

The Irish set themselves up perfectly for the daunting test with world champions South Africa next Saturday by posting a record win for them over the Wallabies.

It was the second successive week that Joe Schmidt's side had been undone by one of their own as Monty Ioane and Louis Lynagh had scored tries for Italy in their win over the Wallabies.

The Irish bolted out of the blocks.

Hansen, playing at fullback for the first time at test level, touched down under the posts twice inside the first quarter of an hour.

Return of the Mack 😏

Ireland's Australian-born fullback scores under the posts against the Wallabies 🏉🔥

📺 Stream #QuilterNS on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/W9SPeyhnHB

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) November 15, 2025

Sam Prendergast, who delivered the killer pass for the second try, converted both for 14-0.

However, Prendergast came off second best shortly afterwards as Len Ikitau got the better of him in going over to score a try.

James O'Connor, who broke off a holiday in Morocco after being called up by Schmidt, converted for 14-7.

Prendergast's ability to do the unexpected is what head coach Andy Farrell likes about him and the 22-year-old delivered as the clock ticked towards 30 minutes.

His crossfield kick to Tommy O'Brien was perfect and although the wing was brought to ground, 27-year-old Hansen, who has only recently returned from a foot injury, was in the right place to pick the ball up and cross the line.

Hansen the Hat-Trick Hero 🏉🏉🏉

📺 Stream #QuilterNS on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNho4A4 pic.twitter.com/QMgPipBdo8

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) November 15, 2025

The Aussies, showing the same dogged spirit that Schmidt instilled in Ireland during his time in charge, kept snapping away at the hosts' heels and struck on the stroke of half-time.

Flanker Fraser McReight bundled over after a period of persistent pressure -- O'Connor added the extras to leave them just 19-14 down at the break.

HARRY POTTER MAGI

Australian wing Harry Potter produced some magic in defence when he held up Irish hooker Dan Sheahan on the tryline as the hosts pressed in the early part of the second-half.

Prendergast gave the Irish breathing space with a fabulous long range drop goal for 22-14 with 25 minutes remaining.

Prendergast looked to have set up a decisive match-winning try for O'Brien with a delightful crossfield kick but it was ruled out for a knock-on by James Lowe.

Prendergast threw the kicking tee away in frustration and departed after an outstanding performance.

His replacement, Jack Crowley made an instant impact, converting a penalty for 25-14 with under 20 minutes remaining.

The hosts dashed any outside hopes the Wallabies had of coming back when the irrepressible Hansen's catch inside the Aussie 22 led eventually to captain Caelan Doris touching down.

Though the visitors were reduced to 14 men with Nick Frost sin-binned, they showed great spirit as Billy Pollard went over for 32-19.

However, the Irish were to have the last laugh as Ryan Baird and then Robbie Henshaw went over -- Crowley converting both -- to round off a hugely satisfying night for the hosts.

A big W under Saturday night lights! 😍 pic.twitter.com/E2x77gHqbi

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) November 15, 2025

Jarrod Evans's penalty with the last kick of the match gave Wales a 24-23 victory in their Autumn Nations Series test over Japan on Saturday, denying the valiant visitors their first ever win in Cardiff.

For Wales, it ended a run of 10 successive home defeats stretching back to 2023 and ensured that they stay above Japan in the world rankings, which means they remain in the second pot of seeds for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

Wales head coach Steve Tandy was more relieved than happy with the outcome.

"Credit to Japan, I thought the way they played was really impressive, but I was disappointed with some of our performance," he told Welsh TV channel S4C.

"I said before, I wanted a better performance than we did last week, I don't think we got that."

Welsh captain Dewi Lake said it was a "huge relief".

"To be honest, I wasn't watching the game when I was on the bench, my head was down, I couldn't watch," said Lake, who had gone off shortly before the decisive moment.

The manner in which the Welsh celebrated at the final whistle reflected how much the victory meant to them.

The Japanese will be kicking themselves as they had the better of the match – even outplaying the Welsh when the hosts had a two-man advantage in the first-half – but poor handling and decision-making cost them dearly.

How important will this win be? 👀

Wales snatch victory after the hooter in Cardiff 👇#SSRugby | #QuilterNS pic.twitter.com/0ClcNmLRZJ

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) November 15, 2025

LOW NOTE

Flyhalf Dan Edwards had given the hosts the ideal start, breaking two Japanese tackles to go over in the sixth minute, converting the score for a 7-0 lead.

However, the Japanese were level on the quarter of an hour mark – an excellent passage of ball handling by the Japanese cut the dire Welsh defence to ribbons and led to Kippei Ishida going over in the right hand corner.

Lee Seung-sin converted brilliantly from the touchline.

Japan, though, were down to 13 men just before the half hour mark – lock Epineri Uluiviti sin-binned for taking out Alex Mann off the ball and a few minutes later, No 8 Faulua Makisi yellow-carded for making contact with Edwards's head.

The hosts were unable to score a point with them off the pitch and finished a poor first half on a suitably low note as experienced wing Josh Adams was sin-binned for an illegal clear out.

Adams's yellow card was upgraded to a 20-minute red card and the Japanese edged ahead as Lee kicked a penalty in the 48th minute.

The Welsh, though, had more of a cutting edge when one man down then when they were two men up – Louis Rees-Zammit scoring his 15th try for his country after going over in the corner, with Edwards converting for 14-10.

Lee punished Welsh indiscipline with another penalty with 25 minutes remaining and they went ahead as Makisi went over just as the clock ran down on the 20-minute red card.

Lee converted to give the visitors a six point lead with just under 20 minutes remaining.

However, the hosts got their noses in front as Adams's replacement Nick Tompkins touched down barely a minute after coming on, and Edwards converted for 21-20.

Lee added another penalty to push Japan back in front 23-21, but it would not be enough thanks to Evans's cool head on the buzzer.

A win in Cardiff ❤️🏟

Next up... the @AllBlacks 👊

🎟 https://t.co/NsWB4wy9oD#CymruAmByth pic.twitter.com/1RV4VvWTVm

— Welsh Rugby Union 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@WelshRugbyUnion) November 15, 2025

Maro Itoje said England had achieved something "special" after a 33-19 win over New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday secured a rare Red Rose defeat of the All Blacks.

Victory looked anything but certain when England fell 12-0 behind early on following tries from Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor.

But England then scored an impressive 25 unanswered points including two drop-goals and a penalty from veteran fly-half George Ford.

This was just England's ninth win in 47 tests against rugby superpower New Zealand spanning 120 years and their first since a dramatic 2019 World Cup semifinal success in Japan.

"Whenever we play them, there's always a fight, there's always a huge challenge and you have to be at the top of your game to get results," said Saracens lock Itoje.

"To be part of this side, to win a game like this here at the Allianz (Twickenham) in front of our home fans, it's special."

The match was a personal triumph for veteran stand-off Ford, who in last year's corresponding fixture saw a late penalty hit the post before skewing a drop-goal wide as the All Blacks won 24-22 – one of three narrow defeats England suffered against New Zealand in 2024.

'BRILLIANT FORD'

But on Saturday he not only scored 13 points but expertly pulled the strings of England's attack in open play.

"George is a brilliant player, an outstanding leader and an even better person," said England coach Steve Borthwick.

"I have been privileged to work with him for a period of time.

"I know you like to talk about 12 months ago and the ball hitting a post, but he came on 12 months ago and played really well as he always does for England.

"When he pulls on the England shirt he is just such a consistent performer."

Borthwick, whose team conclude their November campaign against Argentina next weekend, added: "The most exciting thing I find for this team right now is that we left a load of points out there... That tells me there's a huge amount of growth in this team because we were playing the number-two side in the world."

That winning feeling ❤️

Thank you for a great game, @AllBlacks 🤝@O2 | #WearTheRose pic.twitter.com/ewwT22HLRA

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 15, 2025

Defeat ended New Zealand's bid for a tour grand slam of wins against the 'Home Nations' ahead of their clash with Wales, who edged Japan 24-23 on Saturday.

"They (England) just finished a bit more than us," said All Blacks coach Scott Robertson.

"We had some really good opportunities which we didn't take, you know 12-0, missed a couple of kicks for the corner and then trying to be brave and put them in there and keep the points and momentum going, didn't cut them, missed them... we just needed to finish more."

New Zealand coach Scott Robertson rued his side's lack of cutting edge as their Grand Slam hopes were dashed by England in a 33-19 defeat on Saturday, with a poor start to the second half costing the All Blacks dearly.

The visitors took an early 12-0 lead before conceding 25 unanswered points either side of halftime, with England taking advantage of Codie Taylor's yellow card shortly after the restart.

A Will Jordan try with just over 15 minutes to play got New Zealand back within touching distance, but England closed out a deserved victory, their first over New Zealand since 2019.

Robertson was magnanimous in defeat, telling reporters that England "just finished a bit more than us".

"I think we created a lot," he added. "There's so much good stuff that we did out there, we just didn't take advantage of it."

The loss ends New Zealand's chance of a Grand Slam after victories over Ireland and Scotland and Robertson said the missed opportunity was a bitter blow.

"It hurts, you know, because we wanted to put our name on the history board like the others have done and make them all proud," Robertson said.

Barrett had said before the game that New Zealand's loss to England in the 2019 World Cup semifinal had left a "scar", which England added to on Saturday.

"It is a goal we set out to achieve a few weeks ago and England sort of pulled the rug out from under us," he said. "We'll quickly put our focus towards Wales (next Saturday) and finishing strong."

Much was made in the build-up of England's improved ability to close out the last 20 minutes of games and the depth of their squad, in particular their so-called Pom Squad from the bench.

But it was the preceding 20 minutes that ultimately decided the contest as New Zealand conceded 14 points, their margin of defeat, between the 41st and 60th minutes.

Having conceded 17 points without scoring in that period against Scotland last Saturday, New Zealand's record in the third quarter of their 12 tests in 2025 is now -64.

Asked if he knew the reason for New Zealand's poor performances in the third quarter, Robertson replied with a rueful laugh: "No, because if I did that wouldn't happen."

He added: "We've tried a lot, training and to educate ourselves as much as we possibly can around what it takes to keep that momentum, keep pressure on teams.

"Obviously, it hasn't happened. It's a little bit frustrating because you put so much work into it. Definitely an area of growth."

Not our night. Congratulations England 🤝 pic.twitter.com/hZIEyDYm3D

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) November 15, 2025

 

When England famously beat New Zealand in 2003 with 13 men and won in Australia for the first time it gave the squad an unswerving belief that they could beat anybody, and months later they won the World Cup for the first time.

Now, having beaten New Zealand 33-19 on Saturday after three narrow defeats last year and taking their winning run to 10, there is growing belief that they are equipped to make a serious assault on a second World Cup title back in Australia in 2027.

It was England's first victory over the All Blacks since the 2019 World Cup semifinal, arguably their greatest-ever performance, and their first at home since Manu Tuilagi ran riot in 2012.

That winning feeling ❤️

Thank you for a great game, @AllBlacks 🤝@O2 | #WearTheRose pic.twitter.com/ewwT22HLRA

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 15, 2025

They lost in the 2019 final to South Africa and, against all odds, new coach Borthwick took his team to within minutes of a return before losing by a point to the Springboks in the 2023 semis.

There was then a fair amount of pain, and criticism, as he tried to find ways to win in different styles, while building squad depth.

The project took a considerable step forward on Saturday when he was able to bring Six British and Irish Lions off the bench to finish off a match in a situation that last year was routinely getting away from them.

"There were a lot of positives from that, a lot of things that the players can be rightly proud of," Borthwick told reporters.

"You knew there were going to be tough times playing against a top-quality team in New Zealand but they were so composed.

"It's a team that's developing, a team that's growing. I said that at the time (last year) that it's a team that needs experience together and that's exactly what they're doing each time - go away each week and train really hard and being focused on what to improve and that's showing on the pitch.

"The team has a lot of belief - in our preparation, in the way we are trying to play and in the ability we have within the team."

Asked about the relevance of the victory for England's World Cup prospects and next month's draw, Borthwick played it down, describing how captain Maro Itoje had addressed the squad before the game.

ITOJE SPOKE ABOUT SPECIAL MOMENTS

"He talked about when the team were 14, 15-years-old, dreaming of playing for England against teams like New Zealand, dreaming of beating teams like New Zealand," he said.

"He asked the players to go out and play with that intent and the boys took those dreams on to the pitch today, and I thought they were outstanding.

"About the World Cup draw, it helps, but this isn't about that. This is about trying to achieve special moments, special memories. Today is one of them."

Borthwick had high praise for man-of-the-match flyhalf George Ford, whose two drop goals late in the first half helped England recover from 12-0 down to 12-11 and he landed a late penalty to take them two scores ahead.

"George Ford is a brilliant player. I think he's an outstanding leader and an even better person," Borthwick said.

"I know you like to talk about, 12 months ago, a ball hitting a post (when his penalty missed enabled New Zealand to hang on to a two-point win) but when he pulls on the England shirt, he's just such a consistent performer.

"I'm delighted for him and all the players and they should enjoy themselves tonight and then recover well because we've got Argentina a week on Sunday."

WHAT A FEELING! 🤩

A famous win over the All Blacks.#ENGvNZL pic.twitter.com/DfgHXRC9w7

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 15, 2025

George Ford inspired an England revival as they came from 12 points down to beat New Zealand 33-19 at Twickenham on Saturday for just their ninth win in 120 years of tests against the All Blacks.

New Zealand led early on through tries from Leicester Fainga'anuku and Codie Taylor but reached half-time just a point ahead at 12-11 after England centre Ollie Lawrence's try was followed by two drop-goals from recalled fly-half Ford.

Their comeback continued early in the second half as tries from Sam Underhill and Fraser Dingwall, both converted by Ford, propelled England into a 25-12 lead.

The prolific Will Jordan's 44th try in 53 Tests brought New Zealand back into the game in the 66th minute.

But Ford, in his 104th Test for England, put the result beyond doubt with a 76th-minute penalty.

And there was still time for England wing Tom Roebuck to score a try in the corner as the All Blacks were denied a grand slam after their Autumn Nations Series wins over Ireland and Scotland earlier this month.

WHAT A FEELING! 🤩

A famous win over the All Blacks.#ENGvNZL pic.twitter.com/DfgHXRC9w7

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 15, 2025

This was just England's ninth win in 47 tests against New Zealand dating back to 1905 and their first since a memorable 2019 World Cup semifinal triumph in Japan.

It was also the first time England had defeated New Zealand at Twickenham in 13 years and extended their winning streak against all opponents to 10 matches.

England dominated possession and territory in the opening 10 minutes at a rainswept Twickenham, although they did lose fullback Freddie Steward to a head injury assessment that saw him permanently replaced by Marcus Smith.

But England failed to turn their pressure into points before New Zealand scored with their opening two visits to the 22.

New Zealand spoilt England's line-out throw and from the ensuing All Blacks scrum, the ball was worked across field, with left wing Fainga'anuku powering over in the 14th minute.

Beauden Barrett's conversion went wide but four minutes later, New Zealand had their second try when, following Jordan's break, hooker Taylor beat England scrumhalf Alex Mitchell and dived over, with Barrett converting.

BORTHWICK TURNS TO 'BOMB SQUAD'

England, however, hit back in the 25th minute when, from a blindside break off a scrum, outside centre Lawrence bounced off Leroy Carter and stepped Barrett for a well-taken try.

One man wrecking ball! 🤯

Watch the match live on @tntsports and @discoveryplusUK 📺#ENGvNZL pic.twitter.com/sSMA99uXNO

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 15, 2025

Ford could not convert but England were back in the game and two minutes before half-time, he landed a drop-goal from some 25 metres out.

And with the forwards retaining possession following a break by Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, there was still time for Ford, from further out, to land another drop-goal as England turned around just a point behind.

And England went ahead for the first time in the 43rd minute when openside flanker Underhill forced his way over from a close-range ruck.

What a start to the second half! 🙌

Watch the match live on @tntsports and @discoveryplusUK 📺@QuilterNations | #ENGvNZL pic.twitter.com/4MNiXXpJP0

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 15, 2025

Ford converted and England now led 18-12, and it looked as if he had extended their lead still further when scything through for a 50th-minute try, but his score was disallowed on review for offside at a line-out.

Ford's superb raking cross-kick then set up an England line-out and from the set-piece, quick hands from Lawrence sent in fellow centre Dingwall for a 55th-minute try between the posts.

Ford, the player of the match, converted and England were now 23-12 ahead to the delight of a crowd of nearly 82,000.

That was the cue for England coach Steve Borthwick to send on a raft of forward replacements in a bid to see out the game, with the 'bomb squad' having proved their worth in his side's preceding wins over Fiji and Australia this month.

England, however, lost Ben Earl to a yellow card for a maul offence and the All Blacks made their man advantage count soon afterwards when full-back Jordan skated in for New Zealand's first points since the 18th minute.

Damian McKenzie, on as a replacement for Barrett, converted and England's lead had been cut to six points at 25-19.

But Ford's 36-metre penalty gave England breathing space and, after the ball went loose, Roebuck got on the end of replacement Henry Pollock's kick ahead for an opportunist try.

Not our night. Congratulations England 🤝 pic.twitter.com/hZIEyDYm3D

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) November 15, 2025

New Zealand were forced into a late change ahead of their Autumn Nations Series clash with England at Twickenham on Saturday when lock Fabian Holland withdrew because of illness.

Josh Lord was promoted from the bench to take Holland's place in the second row, with Sam Darry now providing cover among the replacements.

Victory for New Zealand would leave them one win away from completing a grand slam tour against the Home Nations ahead of next week's match against Wales in Cardiff following wins over Ireland and Scotland.

England are bidding for a 10th win in a row but just their ninth in 47 tests against New Zealand dating back 120 years.

📰 Team Update | Fabian Holland has been withdrawn from the match with illness. Josh Lord will start in the 5 jersey and Sam Darry comes onto the bench. pic.twitter.com/FIB9yhR2Ce

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) November 15, 2025

Teams (15-1)

England

Freddie Steward; Tom Roebuck, Ollie Lawrence, Fraser Dingwall, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso; George Ford, Alex Mitchell; Ben Earl, Sam Underhill, Guy Pepper; Alex Coles, Maro Itoje (capt); Joe Heyes, Jamie George, Fin Baxter

Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Chandler Cunningham-South, Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Ben Spencer, Marcus Smith

Coach: Steve Borthwick (ENG)

New Zealand

Will Jordan; Leroy Carter, Billy Proctor,  Quinn Tupaea, Leicester Fainga'anuku; Beauden Barrett,  Cam Roigard; Peter Lakai, Ardie Savea, Simon Parker; Josh Lord, Scott Barrett (capt); Fletcher Newell, Codie Taylor, Ethan de Groot

Replacements: Samisoni Taukei'aho, Tamaiti Williams, Pasilio Tosi, Sam Tarry, Wallace Sititi, Cortez Ratima, Anton Lienert-Brown, Damian McKenzie

Coach: Scott Robertson (NZL)

Referee: Andrea Piardi (ITA)

Wing Duhan van der Merwe is back in the Scotland matchday squad but will start on the bench as coach Gregor Townsend keeps faith with Kyle Steyn and Darcy Graham against Argentina at Murrayfield on Sunday, the latter winning his 50th cap.

Van der Merwe was not selected for the 25-17 loss to New Zealand last weekend but is back in the mix and will likely get a run at some point against the Argentines, who are buoyed by their 52-28 defeat of Wales in Cardiff in their previous game.

Townsend has made a single change to his starting team with Rory Darge at flanker and Matt Fagerson dropping to the bench.

The squad to face Argentina this weekend 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Darcy Graham is set to earn his 50th Scotland cap 🙌#AsOne pic.twitter.com/X2Buq7OVgn

— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) November 14, 2025

Gregor Brown is the other flanker with Jack Dempsey at No 8, while Scott Cummings and Grant Gilchrist make up the second row.

Hooker Ewan Ashman has props Pierre Schoeman and D’arcy Rae either side of him.

Finn Russell will run the backline from flyhalf with Ben White in the No 9 jersey, while captain Sione Tuipulotu and Rory Hutchinson maintain their centre-pairing.

"He's amazing to play alongside. He'd be one of the fans' favourites I think."

Vice captain Finn Russell was full of praise for Darcy Graham ahead of Darcy's 50th cap this weekend! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿#AsOne pic.twitter.com/9nx7Dw8aSm

— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) November 14, 2025

Fullback Blair Kinghorn makes the back three with Steyn and Graham, who is Scotland's joint record try-scorer with Van der Merwe with 34 scores.

Van der Merwe has got his from 50 appearances and Graham from 49 before this weekend.

Scotland have not lost to Argentina at Murrayfield since a 9-6 defeat in 2009, but overall there have been 11 wins each in 22 previous meetings.

SCOTLAND TEAM

15-Blair Kinghorn, 14-Darcy Graham, 13-Rory Hutchinson, 12-Sione Tuipulotu (Captain), 11-Kyle Steyn, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ben White, 8-Jack Dempsey, 7-Rory Darge, 6-Gregor Brown, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Scott Cummings, 3-D’arcy Rae, 2-Ewan Ashman, 1-Pierre Schoeman

Replacements: 16-George Turner, 17-Nathan McBeth, 18-Elliot Millar Mills, 19-Josh Bayliss, 20-Matt Fagerson, 21-Jamie Dobie, 22-Tom Jordan, 23-Duhan van der Merwe.

New Zealand coach Allan Bunting has stepped down following the nation's failed title defence at the Women's Rugby World Cup.

The six-time world champions were knocked out of the semifinals by Canada in a major shock in England, their earliest exit since the 2014 tournament in France.

New Zealand Rugby said Bunting had declined to reapply for the position and would now seek a replacement.

Bunting said he looked forward to new opportunities in high performance sport.

"It’s been an absolute honour to lead the Black Ferns in this position," Bunting said in a New Zealand Rugby statement.

"To have played a role in the growth of the women's game during this time has been a privilege."

Maro Itoje believes England can emulate one of their best performances when they face New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.

In 2019, England beat the All Blacks 19-7 in a Rugby World Cup semifinal to end the then two-time defending champions reign as the global kings of the sport.

But in four meetings with New Zealand since that memorable game in Yokohama they have come up short, albeit they have lost their last three tests against the All Blacks – all in 2024 – by a combined margin of just 10 points.

England, however, are now on a nine-match winning streak against all opponents.

Yet in 46 tests with New Zealand dating back to 1905, England have won just eight, lost 36, and drawn the other two.

Itoje, now the England captain and a survivor, along with veteran fly-half George Ford, from that memorable success in Japan six years ago, said: "At that stage of the journey of the team in 2019, we were ready for that sort of challenge.

"We felt that if we were aggressive and accurate in what we do, we would be able to get them.

"It was one of those weird games where they had periods on top, but it felt like there was only one outcome of that game. Hopefully we can do something similar this weekend."

The 31-year-old Saracens lock added: "New Zealand are a good team, no doubt about that. They possess talent and accuracy and power that's good enough to hurt any team, but we're ready to take that next step. We have a clearer understanding of how we want to play.

"We have more belief in what we do and how we do it."

England suffered seven defeats in 11 games in 2024, including five in a row and three in succession at Twickenham as they failed to close out several tight games.

'MENTALLY SHARP'

Head coach Steve Borthwick has sought to address that problem by filling his bench with six British and Irish Lions forwards, with those replacements making key contributions late on to England's wins this month over Australia and Fiji in their opening two Autumn Series internationals.

"Pretty much every match of the last 18 months bar one or two has gone down to those periods in the last 15 minutes," Itoje said.

"Playing against the All Blacks, you need to be sharp mentally and you need to execute when you get your opportunities because you don't get many of them."

Victory at Twickenham would leave New Zealand just one game away from a grand slam of tour victories over the Home Nations – England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

 

Ready to go 🌹

Steve Borthwick has named his 23-player squad for our next clash with the All Blacks at @allianz_stad.@O2 | #WearTheRose

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 11, 2025

 

The All Blacks defeated Ireland 26-13 in Chicago on November 1 but lacked their famed ruthlessness against Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend, with a 17-0 halftime lead was transformed into a 17-17 scoreline before Damian McKenzie's try-scoring heroics off the bench helped seal a 25-17 win.

New Zealand will, however, be bolstered by the return of captain Scott Barrett after the lock was sidelined in Edinburgh following a cut to his leg during the Ireland match.

Beauden Barrett, Scott's brother, remains at fly-half, with McKenzie still among the replacements.

And given New Zealand finish their tour in Cardiff against a Wales side who haven't beaten them since 1953, it is now England who provide the greatest threat to their bid for a clean sweep.

"It's at the so-called 'home of rugby' (Twickenham), with a full house and an expectant English team," New Zealand coach Scott Robertson told the BBC.

"We want a grand slam. They want to take our scalp. How good is footy (rugby)?"

Fabien Galthie's wounded Six Nations champions France host Fiji in the Autumn Nations Series on Saturday looking to get over last weekend's humbling loss to four-time Rugby World Cup winners South Africa.

Last Saturday, Galthie was outsmarted by Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus as Les Bleus began their campaign with a humbling loss in Paris, in a repeat outcome of the World Cup quarterfinal two years ago in the same stadium.

Galthie has now lost four straight games on the bounce, the former captain's worst run of results since he took over in December 2019.

"We have to be able to come through difficult moments," Galthie told reporters on Thursday.

"We have experienced a lot together.

"They are moments that have made us stronger.

"From Monday, the coaching staff and the players were back to work," the 56-year-old added before the game in Bordeaux.

Fiji head to the Stade Atlantique also having suffered a loss last weekend, when they were beaten by England at Twickenham.

"I think any international team that loses at home are going to be fired up the following week," head coach Mick Byrne told reporters on Thursday.

"They've had a loss at home and they're going to be really fired up.

"South Africa didn't do us any favours, that's for sure," the Australian added.

'IDEAL GAME'

Galthie has recalled two experienced heads in No 8 Gregory Alldritt and lock Charles Ollivon after the loss to the Boks, as he made six changes to his side.

Alldritt, 28, is named captain with centre Gael Fickou out of the side completely while 32-year-old Ollivon makes his first France appearance since last November.

"They've been exemplary, for the youngsters who are coming through," Galthie said.

"They've shown how to behave in a squad.

"The team matters more than the individual," he added.

 

🇫🇷🇫🇯 La 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 de votre équipe du #XVdeFrance pour affronter les Fidji !

Rendez-vous samedi au Stade Atlantique pour pousser derrière les Bleus !

On compte sur vous 💪#FRAFID pic.twitter.com/azdexq79JX

— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) November 13, 2025

 

Byrne keeps exactly the same starting outfit from the defeat in London, and includes seven France-based players in the team.

Racing 92's Josua Tuisova and Selestino Ravutaumada, Bordeaux-Begles full-back Salesi Rayasi, winger Jiuta Wainiqolo, fly-half Caleb Muntz, Bayonne centre Sireli Maqala and Clermont back-rower Pita Gus Sowakula start for their clubs in the Top 14 and second-tier ProD2.

"I think it's always exciting when you represent your country against your mates you play with week to week," Byrne said.

"I think Josua said it well earlier in the week that they'll be doing everything they can to beat their mates up so we'll see how that goes on Saturday," the 66-year-old added.

The weekend's game offers a chance to see two of the world's most threatening backlines face off.

"I think both teams play great. That's the ideal game of football (rugby), isn't it?" Byrne said.

"Whoever can look after the ball the most and hang on to the ball will be the ones that come out on top.

"If you're not doing anything on Saturday, you can do a lot worse things to come and watch France play against Fiji," he added.