England suffered a fifth consecutive loss as South Africa held on to clinch a thrilling 29-20 win at Twickenham on Saturday.

After an open first half, the Springboks dug deep in the second, with Cheslin Kolbe's try ensuring they got over the line.

It had started so well for England, who took the lead just four minutes in as Marcus Smith's dummied drop-goal gave Ollie Sleightholme the chance to cross.

South Africa took their chances when they came though, and three quickfire tries put them in control.

Grant Williams raced through a gap, leaving Freddie Steward behind, and though Smith's kick edged England in front again, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kolbe kept the momentum with them.

Sam Underhill burrowed through to make it a two-point game at the break, but Kolbe scored the only try of the second half after Handre Pollard's penalty to put them out of sight.

An increasingly desperate England tried to fight back but struggled to find a way through their stubborn opponents as they suffered a third consecutive defeat in their autumn series.

Data Debrief: A worrying sight

England cannot seem to find a win at the moment, as they struggled to come up with ideas to try and get what would have been a first victory since June. 

The good news for them is that their final match of the autumn campaign is against Japan, who they beat in their most recent triumph by 35 points.

As for South Africa, they have now won four of their last five matches against England (L1), including each of their last three.

Wales held firm to earn a goalless draw against Turkiye in the Nations League, with Kerem Akturkoglu striking the post with a last-gasp penalty as the visitors remained unbeaten under Craig Bellamy.

Bellamy's side attempted just four shots throughout the contest and only hit the target once, but a stoic defensive performance – and a hint of good fortune – saw them escape with a point.

Turkiye were limited to long-range efforts for much of the first half despite dominating possession, though they should have gone ahead through Yunus Akgun in the 32nd minute. Akgun raced clear of the Welsh backline but was foiled when one-on-one by Karl Darlow, who was off his line quickly to make the all-important block.

Turkiye lost talisman Hakan Calhanoglu to an apparent injury at half-time and struggled for fluency in the midfielder's absence, as the Wales backline enjoyed a far more comfortable time.

Their hard work was almost undone at the death when Neco Williams was perhaps harshly penalised for an apparent trip on Enes Unal, but Akturkoglu fluffed his lines from the spot, sending Darlow the wrong way but seeing his kick bounce clear off the upright.

The result leaves Turkiye and Wales first and second in Group B4, with 11 and nine points respectively. 

Wales, now unbeaten in five games under Bellamy, could yet overhaul Turkiye to secure automatic promotion, though Iceland's 1-0 victory over Montenegro means they will slip into the relegation playoffs if they lose to Age Hareide's team on Tuesday.

Data Debrief: Turkiye fail to take their chances

Should Turkiye fail to secure promotion to the top tier of the Nations League when they face Montenegro next week, they will look back on this match with more than a few regrets.

The hosts generated 2.77 expected goals (xG) from 25 shots, compared to just 0.24 xG for Wales, but they simply could not find a way through. 

Turkiye have been awarded more penalties in the Nations League overall than any other side (nine), but only Serbia (four) have missed more than their three in the competition.

Romelu Lukaku has joined four other players in withdrawing from the Belgium squad due to injury ahead of Monday's Nations League finale against Israel.

Belgium sit third in Nations League Group A2 following their 1-0 defeat to Italy on Thursday, a result that ended their hopes of reaching next year's quarter-finals.

They are simply playing to avoid automatic relegation when they face Israel behind closed doors in Hungary, with a draw enough to send the Red Devils through to a play-off against a third-placed finisher from League B.

Napoli striker Lukaku – Belgium's all-time leading scorer with 85 goals in 120 caps – has joined Aston Villa's Amadou Onana, Chelsea's Romeo Lavia, Arthur Theate of Eintracht Frankfurt and Brugge's Maxim De Cuyper in dropping out with unspecified issues.

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne had already asked not to be included in Domenico Tedesco's party as he works his way back to full fitness after suffering a thigh injury.

Sebastiaan Bornauw, Koni De Winter, Jeremy Doku and Youri Tielemans were also left out of Tedesco's squad due to fitness concerns, while uncapped Coventry City striker Norman Bassette has now been called up as cover. 

Harry Kane says his comments on club versus country got more attention than he expected and were "just a reminder" to his team-mates instead of a criticism.

England suffered nine injury withdrawals after Lee Carsley's squad was announced, with Kane seemingly questioning the commitment of those who dropped out, saying "England comes before everything".

Despite their many absences, a young England side recorded a 3-0 win over Greece on Thursday to send them top of their Nations League group.

However, the Three Lions have since seen a 10th withdrawal from the squad, with Ezri Konsa returning to Aston Villa after going off with a hip complaint in that game.

Speaking for the first time since that interview, Kane explained he was keen to preserve the team culture Gareth Southgate fostered by using these international breaks effectively.

"All the players try and give their best whenever they come with England. I know it's a really tough stage of the season," he said in a press conference.

"Whoever is in the squad is the most important thing. Whatever we have here is all we can work with.

"Going forward there are always going to be injuries, it is just whoever is with the squad is ready to make a difference."

On the attention his comments got, Kane added: "I didn't expect it to get as much coverage as it did. The November camp has always been difficult - you're in the heart of a lot of games.

"So, it's just my opinion that it is really important after a major championship, where September, October, November camps are really important in a year ahead to the World Cup.

"These are the camps as well where you build that culture and that togetherness that lead you into a World Cup. It was just a reminder that it's really, really special to play for England."

Kane started the match against Greece on the bench, with Ollie Watkins leading the line in his place. The Villa forward scored seven minutes in, before being replaced by the England captain in the 66th minute.

Interim boss Carsley, who is taking charge of his final game before Thomas Tuchel takes over on January 1, confirmed that Kane would be back in the starting line-up against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.

"Yes, he is definitely playing," Carsley said.

"With Harry Kane, you always think goals, but he brings a lot more to the squad and the team than that. His leadership skills, he's a good guy, which is really important as well.

"The example he sets to the younger players, he's a crucial part of the England team and also moving forward."

England and Greece are both level on 12 points after five games, but the former have a better head-to-head goal difference, so a win over Ireland would see them promoted back to League A. 

Rory McIlroy fancies his chances of ending 2024 on a high after taking a share of the lead at the DP World Tour Championship with one round remaining.

McIlroy shot a four-under 68 through his third round at Jumeirah Golf Estates to sit level with Antoine Rozner and Rasmus Hojgaard at 12-under for the week.

The Northern Irishman has endured a mixed year, memorably missing two close-range putts to miss out on his first major crown in a decade at June's US Open.

However, he could yet end it on a high as he is almost certain to claim the Race to Dubai title and is firmly in contention for a third triumph at the DP World Tour's season finale.

"As I said at the start of the week, my goal tomorrow is to be on that 18th green with two trophies instead of one," he told Sky Sports at the conclusion of his third round.

"I was with one of the Hojgaard brothers on the 18th last year and hopefully I'm not with the other one tomorrow!

"If I was to do it tomorrow, I'd walk away from this year with four worldwide wins, which is still pretty good. 

"I'm excited about tomorrow. It's an opportunity to end the year on a really good note. I'm going to go out there and try to get it done."

Meanwhile, having carded six birdies in a seven-hole stretch to move into contention, Hojgaard is looking for more of the same on Sunday.

"I obviously hit it very close on the front nine, which was a massive confidence boost," the Dane told Sky Sports. 

"I was just trying to ride the wave, see how many birdies I could make and then obviously it got a little bit more quiet on the back nine.

"I will approach tomorrow like I did today, try not to worry too much about what's ahead of me, try and play one hole at a time and get the best score possible."

Gianluigi Donnarumma says Kylian Mbappe's absence will not make Italy underestimate France ahead of their top-of-the-table Nations League clash.

Both teams have already qualified for the quarter-finals, but top spot in Group A2 is still up for grabs.

Italy currently sit top of the pile, three points ahead of France, who they beat 3-1 in early September, but a win for Les Bleus could see them drop to second.

However, for the second international break in a row, France are without their captain, Mbappe, with Didier Deschamps insisting he made the decision to leave the Real Madrid forward out of the squad.

France are unbeaten in their last three games without Mbappe, winning two and drawing one, and though they struggled in front of goal against Israel in a 0-0 stalemate last time out, Donnarumma believes they will still pose a threat to the Azzurri.

"Yes, I don't know about the choices that are made in other squads. I don't know what happened, it's [Mbappe] certainly an important absence," Donnarumma told a press conference.

"I know Kylian, he is one of the strongest in the world and if he was here, he could have troubled us a lot, but there will be other players.

"I know all of them well, they have great quality, strong strikers like [Bradley] Barcola, [Randal] Kolo Muani and [Warren] Zaire-Emery, who play with me. Barcola is an incredible talent, so they have very strong substitutes who can bother us."

Italy are unbeaten in the Nations League, only dropping points in a 2-2 draw with Belgium in October after going down to 10 men.

It comes on the back of a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign in which they were knocked out in the round of 16 by Switzerland, winning just one game in their title defence.

However, Donnarumma believes Italy have found their rhythm again and have more in common with the Euro 2020 winning team.

"It's a healthy group, I'm starting to see the spirit of the old European Championship," he added. "They're all young guys who want to show what they can do, who want to wear this jersey.

"The difficult part is to continue these performances. Our goal now is to continue to improve, work and enjoy ourselves and entertain the fans."

Taylor Fritz dumped Alexander Zverev out of the ATP Finals with an entertaining 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-3) semi-final win, teeing up a final meeting with Jannik Sinner or Casper Ruud.

Fritz became the first American to reach the final of the season-ending event since James Blake in 2006, standing firm in the face of Zverev's monstrous serve to earn a hard-fought win.

Zverev had not seen his serve broken in straight-sets wins over Andrey Rublev, Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz in the group stage, but Fritz achieved that feat in the sixth game to inch ahead in the opener, then only dropped one point in his subsequent two service games.

Zverev came battling back in the second set, breaking at the second attempt then coming through a tough seventh game to hold as he levelled the contest.

However, Fritz would come on strong again in the decider, which required a tie-break after an excellent display of serving from both players. Fritz capped the contest in style on his second match point, sending a fine forehand whizzing across the court and beyond Zverev.

The American, who began the tournament as the fifth seed among eight players, will now have a chance to win the biggest title of his career on Sunday.

Data Debrief: Second time lucky?

This has truly been a breakout season for Fritz, who is the first United States-born player to reach the finals of the US Open and ATP Finals in a single calendar year since Andre Agassi in 1999.

He was beaten in straight sets by Sinner at Flushing Meadows, but he could get a chance for revenge if the Italian overcomes Ruud later on Saturday. Sinner leads the all-time head-to-head with Fritz 3-1.

Rafael Nadal says he "couldn't ask for anything more" from his career as he prepares for the start of the Davis Cup, the final tournament before he retires.

The Spaniard announced last month he would end his remarkable playing career after the tournament, which begins on November 20, having struggled with injuries in the last two years.

He will retire as a four-time US Open champion and a two-time winner at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Along with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, Nadal is one of only three players in the Open Era to have played and won over 300 men's singles Grand Slam matches. Nadal bows out with a major record of 314 wins from 358 matches. 

It is not yet clear if Nadal will play singles, doubles, or be a substitute at the Davis Cup, but he is determined to enjoy the event where he first played 20 years ago.

"My first great joy as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup in 2004. Circumstances have given me the opportunity to be here," he told RFET media.

"I can't ask for anything more. I am more than grateful and satisfied with everything that has happened to me over the years.

"What I would like is obviously that the team works well and have options to win one more Davis Cup, either playing or cheering from the stands, sincerely. I'm here to live this week with enthusiasm, and then we'll see what happens."

Nadal last played at the 6 Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, and has limited the events that he has featured in this year. After playing in just seven ATP Tour events in 2024, he will take the time to decide what he is capable of in Malaga.

"First, we have to see how I'm feeling these days in training and if I really do not see myself ready to have options to win the singles, I'm the first one who will not want to play," he said.

"If I don't feel ready, I'll be the first to talk to the captain. I've already told David [Ferrer, Spain's captain] on many occasions not to make any decision based on what is my last week as a professional tennis player. More or less, I've been able to do a good preparation. That's why I'm here.

"You have to see day by day, I haven't competed for a long time and the reality is that I want to live this week in whatever way I can, with the illusion of closing a very beautiful and long stage of my life, living these last moments with illusion, also with normality and from the acceptance of what is all a beginning and an end".

Cristiano Ronaldo says it will be one or two years before he retires from football as he aims to enjoy the end of his career.

The 39-year-old scored twice on Friday, including a stunning overhead kick, as Portugal cruised past Poland 5-1 in the Nations League, to clinch top spot of Group A1.

Overall, Ronaldo has now netted 910 times in his career, with 135 of those coming for Portugal, including five goals in five Nations League appearances this campaign.

Ronaldo has dropped hints in recent months though that his retirement is drawing closer, with his 40th birthday coming up in February, and he says his main goal is to enjoy playing football while he still can.

"Planning the retirement of football... It will happen in a year, two years, I don't know," Ronaldo said.

"I say honestly, it's not a joke, it's enjoying the moment, feeling that I'm enjoying football. Get up and go to training and to the game motivated.

"When I don't feel that, I'll step forward and say, 'I can't do it anymore.' It's an excellent career, I haven't felt it yet."

He was a standout once again for Portugal as he finished the match against Poland with a game-high 2.06 expected goals (xG), generated from five shots, the most of any player on the pitch.

Ronaldo hit the 900-goal mark in September, with many believing he would next be targeting 1,000 as another goal in his storied career.

The forward has scored 10 more goals since then but insisted he was not actively thinking about making it to four figures.

"If you ask me if I want to reach a thousand goals... It's normal to want it. But I don't think about it," he added.

"Think game by game. In three months, I will be 40 years old. It's about taking it easy and enjoying.

"That's what I've been doing, especially in the national team, which is where I like to play the most. I like to play for the national team, and I really enjoy coming here. Scoring goals and good performances helps too.

"Day by day. Enjoy goal after goal. Enjoy the moment. The thousand goals don't matter to me at all, honestly."

The Cleveland Cavaliers celebrated the longest winning streak in franchise history with their new frog mascot on Friday, leaving the defeated Chicago Bulls hopping mad.

Donovan Mitchell scored 18 of his season-high 37 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavs pulled away for a 144-126 victory at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, their 14th in as many games this season.

That result ensured they went one better than the previous team record of 13 successive wins, which they managed on three occasions during the LeBron James era.

They are just the sixth team in NBA history to go 14-0 from the start of a season and the first since 2015-16, when the Golden State Warriors did so en route to the Western Conference title.

After the victory, Mitchell – as well as team-mates Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen – celebrated by dancing with a man in a frog costume, which had gone viral as an impromptu mascot during the team's historic start to the campaign. 

"That was fun," Mitchell said. "It shocked the hell out of me when I saw the frog. It was pretty dope. It was like just a vibe."

"It's Cleveland," Allen said when asked about the frog's arrival. "It's just a vibe in the city, and I hope it doesn't change.

"I've been wanting to dance with that frog since I first saw him!"

After scoring 49 first-quarter points in a blistering start, the Cavs found themselves just five points up at half-time, prompting coach Kenny Atkinson to angrily throw a sandal in the locker room.

"That's what we want," Mitchell said when asked about the incident after the game. "We all prefer that. We hear how good we are. 

"For us, that's how we get better. We haven't lost, but how do you continue to find ways to build habits? It's continuing to coach hard and not let any lapses. That's what you want in a coach."

Cleveland have some way to go to record the best start to a campaign in NBA history, with the Warriors going 24-0 to begin the 2015-16 season.

However, a victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday would make their start the joint-second best in league history, along with the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and the 1993-94 Houston Rockets. 

Rory McIlroy will take a share of the lead into the final round of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, as he took a major step towards a Dubai double on Saturday.

McIlroy is already on the verge of securing his sixth Race to Dubai crown to match Seve Ballesteros' record, only requiring a top-11 finish even if closest rival Thriston Lawrence was to win the final event on the 2024 calendar.

He ended Saturday's penultimate round eight shots clear of Lawrence and tied for the lead with Antoine Rozner and Rasmus Hojgaard, having carded a four-under 68.

The Northern Irishman scored six birdies and two bogeys in his third round, while Hojgaard made six birdies in a seven-hole stretch to ultimately make up two shots on McIlroy.

Rozner, meanwhile, surrendered the solo lead with a three-under 69, though a final-hole eagle ensured he will start Sunday's decisive final round among the frontrunners.

Things could have been even better for McIlroy had he not missed a birdie putt on the par-five 18th hole, which would have seen him enter Sunday a shot clear of the pack.

Nevertheless, he remains among the favourites to seal a third DP World Tour Championship crown, having previously won the event in 2012 and 2015.

Sweden's Jesper Svensson and Chile's Joaquin Niemann are two shots back of the leaders at 10-under for the tournament, with England's Tyrrell Hatton another shot back in sixth.

Spencer Johnson's first five-for in T20Is led Australia to a hard-fought victory over Pakistan in Sydney, clinching a series success with a match to spare.

Johnson took the wickets of Mohammad Rizwan (16), Sahibzada Farhan (5), Usman Khan (52), Salman Agha (0) and Abbas Afridi (4) as Australia followed up their 29-run win in Thursday's rain-affected opener.

The momentum swung back and forth as both teams' batters struggled on a difficult surface, with Haris Rauf finishing with figures of 4-22 for Pakistan.

No Australia batter managed more than the 32 runs of opener Matthew Short, and they found themselves bundled out for 149, losing their last five wickets for just 53 runs.

However, Pakistan were dropped to 44-4 by the middle of their ninth over, with Johnson clearing up the tourists' captain Rizwan and vice-captain Salman with successive deliveries.

Usman's fine knock of 52 off 38 balls – including four fours and one maximum – dragged Pakistan back into contention, but he was beaten by the pace of another Johnson delivery with four overs remaining. 

Pakistan ultimately needed 16 runs off the final over to level up the series, but their hopes were ended when Rauf was run out following a calamitous mix-up with Irfan Khan (37 not out), which saw both batters almost finish at the bowler's end.

Data Debrief: Australia on a roll

Australia entered this series having won just one of their last four bilateral T20I series against Pakistan, triumphing 2-0 in 2019 but losing the other three.

Regardless of the outcome of Monday's third match in Tasmania, the hosts have backed up that triumph, extending their unbeaten run across all men's T20I series to five (four wins, one draw). 

They last enjoyed a streak of this length between November 2018 and February 2020 (also four wins, one draw).

LeBron James made it four straight games with a triple-double, the best run of his illustrious career, as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs 120-115.

Having won the inaugural NBA in-season tournament last year, the Lakers began their defence of the crown with a group-stage win over Victor Wembanyama and company.

James scored the Lakers' last four points to make sure of the victory, finishing with 15 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists for the 117th triple-double of his NBA career – the fifth-most of all time.

As well as going four consecutive games with a triple-double for the very first time, the league's all-time leading scorer also matched the Lakers' franchise record for consecutive triple-doubles.

Russell Westbrook recorded four in a row for Los Angeles from December 25 to December 31, 2021, while Magic Johnson did so on two occasions (March 28 to November 3, 1981 and March 31 to April 5, 1987).

"The best thing about my game is I can have no rhythm offensively and still have an impact on the game," James said after the win. "I was able to do that tonight."

Asked what made him most proud of his achievement, James added: "Probably that I did it in Season 22.

"To still have the energy to do that and the effort, it takes a lot. But also, it takes great team-mates along the way, too. 

"Those assists only happen when guys are making shots, and I just try to put the ball on time, on target and then defensively, rebound and try to help on the glass with Anthony [Davis] and the rest of the guys. 

"And I try to sprinkle in a little points from time to time... but waiting 22 years to do something is wild, so, that's a good question right there."

Davis led the Lakers with 40 points and 12 rebounds, while Wembanyama had a team-high 28 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for San Antonio.