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• Chandimal and Karunaratne hand Sri Lanka comfortable advantage

  Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne forged a 147-run partnership to propel hosts Sri Lanka to a lead of 202 on day three of the first Test against New Zealand. 

  Chandimal (61) and Karunaratne (83) notched 12 fours between them, having seen Pathum Nissanka (two) fall inside the first two overs to Will O'Rourke (3-37).

  New Zealand resumed on 255-4 but were restricted to adding just 95 runs to their overnight total, with Prabath Jayasuriya (4-136) starring for the hosts. 

  Nissanka's early dismissal handed the tourists a lifeline, only for Chandimal and Karunaratne to take centre stage and increase Sri Lanka's advantage. 

  Karunaratne's innings came to an end after being bowled out by Ajaz Patel (1-68), with Chandimal following his partner in the following over. 

  However, steadying knocks from both Angelo Mathews (34 not out) and Dhananjaya de Silva (34 not out) saw the Lions inch toward their hard-earned lead at stumps.

  Data Debrief: Double trouble for Sri Lanka

  Chandimal and Karunaratne took the fight to New Zealand, with their respective innings coming to a close with impressive numbers to show for it. 

  Karunaratne ended with a strike rate of 65.35 from the 127 deliveries he faced, while Chandimal finished on 40.67 having batted against 23 more balls than his team-mate.

• Russell Latapy approached for Trinidad and Tobago national team head coaching role

  Former Trinidad and Tobago football star and ex-head coach Russell Latapy has revealed that he has been "indirectly contacted" by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) following the sacking of head coach Angus Eve in July. Latapy, a legendary figure in Trinidad and Tobago football, made the revelation during the launch of Brian Lara’s book Lara: The England Chronicles on September 17.

  Eve, who was appointed Soca Warriors head coach in 2021, was dismissed after Trinidad and Tobago earned four points from their first two FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Grenada and the Bahamas in June. Since then, Derek King has taken over as caretaker coach but has struggled to get positive results. Under King’s guidance, the Soca Warriors were beaten 4-0 by Honduras on September 6 in the Concacaf Nations League A, followed by a 0-0 draw against French Guiana on September 10.

  When asked by Newsday if he had applied for the head coach position, Latapy, fondly known as the "Little Magician" during his playing days, stated that while he had not formally applied, he remains open to helping the national team if needed. "No, I haven’t applied for the Soca Warriors job," Latapy said. However, he confirmed that there had been indirect contact from the TTFA regarding the position.

  Latapy, who represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2006 World Cup and previously coached the national men’s team from 2009-2011, acknowledged the difficulties the TTFA has faced as it transitions under new leadership. "I think a lot has been happening with the TTFA, which has changed hands from the normalisation committee to the new president Kieron Edwards," Latapy explained. "The new president needs a bit of time to settle into the job. I think it’s documented the difficulties the TTFA and football in general has been through."

  Though he has yet to apply for the head coaching role, Latapy made it clear that he is willing to return to the national setup if his expertise is called upon. "I’ve never turned my back on Trinidad and Tobago and football by extension. If the opportunity arises that the TTFA thinks I can support in any way, I would be more than happy to assist," he said.

   

• The Rugby Championship: Springboks target trophy in Santiago

  Not since 2019 have South Africa held the Rugby Championship title, but Saturday could be the day as they head to Argentina knowing victory will seal their fifth crown.

  Rassie Erasmus' Springboks have been perfect in the competition thus far, making it four wins from four games with their 18-12 victory over New Zealand two weeks ago.

  Standing in their way, though, are a Pumas side that have enjoyed a terrific campaign, handing Australia the heaviest defeat in their storied Test history last time out.

  The Wallabies will be desperate to respond in matchweek five's other contest, and a victory over the All Blacks would help them off the bottom of the standings after a difficult campaign.

  Ahead of the penultimate round of fixtures, we dive into the best Opta facts and figures to preview both games. 

  AUSTRALIA V NEW ZEALAND

  Australia were utterly humiliated by Argentina last time out, the game running away from them in the second half as they succumbed to a record-breaking 67-27 defeat, having earlier led by 17 points.

  Joe Schmidt's team are up against it as they bid to bounce back this weekend. The Wallabies have only won one of their last 12 Tests against New Zealand, drawing one and losing 10.

  The All Blacks have won each of the last seven meetings between the teams by an average margin of 17.4 points per game. The last time they enjoyed a longer winning run against their neighbours was a 10-match span between August 2008 and September 2010.

  They also boast a tremendous record in Sydney, where this week's contest takes place. New Zealand have only lost one of their last 10 Tests against Australia in the city, winning the last four while averaging 44.3 points per game. 

  Australia have themselves, however, won their last two Tests in Sydney, as many victories as they managed in their 15 games in the city prior to that span (two wins, one draw, 12 defeats). 

  And New Zealand have not exactly been faultless on their travels lately, losing three of their last four Tests on foreign soil, including their last two – both in South Africa in this year's Rugby Championship.

  If the All Blacks are to halt their miserable run on the road, their ability to create turnovers could be key. 

  Their 23 turnovers won in the 2024 Rugby Championship are more than any other team, while their four tries scored from turnovers won are second only to Argentina's five.

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Australia – Marika Koroibete

  Koroibete has made four line breaks in this year's Rugby Championship tournament, the joint-most of any player this campaign (also Beauden Barrett, with four for New Zealand).

  He has recorded at least one in each of his three games in the tournament, after making only two line breaks across his six Test matches before this year's competition began.

  New Zealand – Damian McKenzie

  McKenzie has made 10 break assists in the Rugby Championship this year, at least four more than any other player in the tournament. 

  In addition, he has been directly involved in a try on each of his last three starting appearances in Tests against Australia (one try, two try assists) – will he haunt the Wallabies again here? 

  ARGENTINA V SOUTH AFRICA 

  South Africa have dominated from the off in this year's edition of the Rugby Championship, scoring 112 points but, most impressively, allowing their opponents just 58 through their four outings to date.

  Another victory on Saturday would take them second in the outright charts for most Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship titles, ahead of Australia but behind New Zealand (20).

  It would also bring up their outright longest winning run in the history of the Rugby Championship, at six games. History is on their side in Santiago, with the Springboks having won their last eight Tests against Argentina by an average margin of 15.4 points per game. 

  They were given a scare when the teams last met in August 2023, though, trailing 10-3 at half-time before rallying to secure a 24-13 victory.

  Los Pumas may need something incredible to overhaul South Africa in the standings from here, but they will be on a real high following their thumping win over Australia.

  Of the last six occasions where Argentina have scored 50 or more points in a Test, they have followed up with a victory four times, including in their last two such matches.

  Felipe Contepomi's team have scored a half-century of points twice in 2024, last doing so on three occasions back in 2015.

  They will not expect a repeat against South Africa's fearsome defence, but they could trouble the visitors with their physicality. 

  Los Pumas have scored three tries when starting their possession from a scrum in this year's Rugby Championship, as many as all the other teams combined (South Africa two, New Zealand one). 

  South Africa, meanwhile, have made a habit of praying on their opponent's mistakes, making 11 kicks in play that resulted in an opposition error, more than twice as many as Argentina, who are second by that metric with five.

  The Springboks have also retained possession from 26 in-play kicks, at least 15 more than any other team in the competition, with Argentina and New Zealand logging 11 apiece and Australia recording eight.

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Argentina – Tomas Albornoz 

  Albornoz has gained 98.4 metres per 80 minutes from his 152 minutes played in the Rugby Championship this year – the most of any player in the campaign.

  South Africa – Ruan Nortje 

  Nortje (26 – including two steals) and team-mate Eben Etzebeth (21, one steal) have won more lineouts (including steals) than any other players in the Rugby Championship this year.