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• Kolisi 'had to prove himself' in landmark South Africa triumph

  South Africa captain Siya Kolisi said he had to prove himself after being given the chance to lead the Springboks out in their Rugby Championship win over New Zealand.

  Kolisi's early try after the break sparked the hosts' revival after they went in at half-time 9-3 down before roaring to an 18-12 victory in Cape Town. 

  It was the fourth successive win by the Springboks over the All Blacks, as they maintained their perfect record in this year's Rugby Championship.

  Kolisi described the encounter as South Africa's most important game since they won the World Cup final against the same opponents in Paris last year.

  "The coach gave me the chance when I said I was okay so I couldn’t go half-hearted. Nobody is going to celebrate you if you don’t go flat out," said Kolisi.

  "We didn’t start the way we wanted to and the coach was quite honest with us [at half-time]. At the start of the second half we did what we wanted.

  "This game was really big for us."

  The triumph marked the first time since 1949 that South Africa have won four straight Tests against New Zealand.

  However, head coach Rassie Erasmus was muted despite achieving the most successful streak against South Africa's arch-rivals in the professional era.

  "It was nice, but they have had big scores against us and six times in a row they have beaten us," he said.

  "It's nothing to brag about because they have done worse to us. But it was special."

• Carsley casts the credit to England's players after debut win

  Lee Carsley insisted his England players "have to take all of the credit" after winning his debut match as England manager.

  Interim boss Carsley oversaw a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in their Nations League fixture at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

  It marked the first time Ireland have lost a home match against England since May 1964.

  The former England Under-21s manager, however, was keen to credit his players after first-half goals from Jack Grealish and Declan Rice saw England over the line.

  "The lads have to take a lot of credit, all of the credit. I think we've showed we've got some real talent and we can be really pleased with the clean sheet as well," he told ITV.

  "I thought it was good in parts. You've seen some of the things we've tried to do."

  Carsley, who represented Ireland as a player, was vindicated in recalling Grealish after his omission from the Euros squad in the summer as the Manchester City playmaker doubled the lead in the 26th minute.

  "I thought they [Rice and Grealish] took their goals really well. Really well-worked moves and brilliant finishes. I think, moving forward, they can both add a lot more goals to their game," he said.

  "Jack definitely doesn't have anything to prove to us, we can see his quality, but today will have done him the world of good, getting another goal for England and hopefully he can continue that form."

  The new England manager also opted to start Anthony Gordon on the left wing after the Newcastle United winger had struggled for minutes on the pitch under Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024.

  "On a really dry sticky pitch, it's not ideal for dribblers but I thought Anthony was a real threat. He's carried on his form from last season and he looks a really dangerous player," enthused Carsley of Gordon, who got all three of his shots on target and played two key passes.

  The manager played his part in ending Ireland's four-game unbeaten run against the Three Lions on home soil (W1 D3), though England could have made their dominance pay more.

  "I think you've got to give Ireland credit as well, they are very resilient, they closed the gaps and our space maybe became a bit wider [in the second half]," reflected Carsley.

  "We found it a little bit more difficult to get through them but at 2-0 we were quite comfortable."

• Complacency not an issue in England display, insists Stone

  Olly Stone denied complacency played a part in England's performance on day two of their final Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval.

  England were bowled out for 325 after 69 overs, as Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis helped the tourists reach 211-5 at stumps. 

  Stone was the pick of the hosts' bowling attack, taking the wickets of Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal while also running out Dimuth Karunaratne. 

  De Silva, however, was crucially dropped by debutant Josh Hull, as he ended the day on 64 runs from 106 deliveries alongside Mendis (54). 

  And while England handed Sri Lanka a potential route back into the final Test, Stone was confident that on another day, they could have been out of sight.

  "I wouldn't say we were complacent. We've always said about taking the positive option, sometimes you can sit there and take a few blows," Stone said.

  "If you put a few chances away it can come out differently. On another day it goes another way, and we get a few on the board."

  As it had done on the first day, bad light was a constant threat, resulting in fast bowler Chris Woakes delivering four balls of off-spin.

  England had started brightly with the ball in hand, working through Sri Lanka's top order before being stopped in their tracks by De Silva and Mendis. 

  But the bad light inside The Oval played its part, with the tourists able to chip away at their target after tea.

  Stone acknowledged the difficulty of the conditions but had words of praise for Hull after taking his first wicket on his debut. 

  "It was too dark for our seamers but we tried to take the positive option. We thought we could take wickets with our spinners," Stone said.

  "We feel we have the bowlers in any conditions but Sri Lanka played well.

  "Hull has been brilliant. He hasn't looked nervous - he has been smiley, he has enjoyed it.

  "I know he will be better for taking that wicket and hopefully he can take more in the morning.

  "There is no greater job in the world. Going out there with a smile on our face, enjoying it.

  "It doesn't feel like international cricket, you are nice and relaxed and out there with your mates."