South Africa had the chance to clinch their first Rugby Championship title since 2019 last Saturday, only to be edged out by Argentina, setting up a grandstand finish.
Rassie Erasmus' side had a perfect record to that point, but that narrow 29-28 defeat now means the Pumas have a slim chance of getting their hands on the trophy for the first time.
Argentina will be backing themselves for another upset after impressing in the tournament, and they will look to overturn the odds with one more big win.
Meanwhile, Australia will be aiming to finish their underwhelming tournament on a high, though they face another stern test against the All Blacks.
Ahead of the final round of fixtures, we look at the best Opta facts and figures to preview both games.
NEW ZEALAND V AUSTRALIA
After succumbing to the record-breaking 67-27 defeat against Argentina in the fourth round, Australia failed to turn their luck around despite a spirited fightback against New Zealand last time out.
Joe Schmidt will endeavour to finish the tournament on a high after seeing his side struggle for much of it, though they face an uphill task having won only one of their last 13 Tests against the All Blacks (D1 L11).
The Wallabies have also won only one of their last five Test matches (L4), and have lost their last two, though they have scored more points in those defeats (55) than they managed in the three Tests prior (39 – W1 D2).
New Zealand will still feel fairly confident though, having won their last eight matches against Australia, although their last two victories in that run have come by a three-point margin.
In Wellington, the All Blacks are undefeated in five Tests against their hosts (W4 D1), conceding only 10.8 points per game in that streak.
However, overall, they have won just one of their last seven trips to the city (D2 L4), beating France 26-13 in June 2018, going winless in their last five Tests since in Wellington (D2 L3).
It is likely that Australia will need to take advantage of any opportunity they get, with their success of stealing opposition line-outs an obvious strength.
They have won the joint-most of any team in the tournament so far (nine, level with New Zealand), though they will need to improve on the one they managed against Scott Robertson's side in the last match.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New Zealand – Rieko Ioane
Rieko Ioane has made dominant contact on 64% of his 35 carries (18/35) in the Rugby Championship – the best rate of any player in the tournament (min. 10 carries).
He has made three line breaks across his last three Test matches, more than he logged in his seven games prior for the All Blacks (two).
Australia – Hunter Paisami
Hunter Paisami has scored three tries in his last four Test matches, including one against New Zealand last time out.
He had not crossed the try line in his 26 career appearances for the Wallabies prior to that run.
SOUTH AFRICA V ARGENTINA
South Africa had one hand on the trophy last weekend, and though they have opened the door for Argentina, they still have a great chance of winning the trophy.
The Springboks will be confident they can bounce back from that loss, having won 17 of their 18 Test matches against Argentina on home soil (L1), with their only such defeat coming back in August 2015 in Durban.
Their record in Nelspruit is even stronger, winning all four of their Tests in the city, overcoming half-time deficits in three of those victories. South Africa defeated New Zealand 26-10 in their last match there, which is their largest margin of victory at Mbombela Stadium.
However, Argentina's confidence will be sky-high after snapping an eight-match losing streak against South Africa – they have never won back-to-back games against them before.
The Pumas have also won their last two Tests against Tier One opposition, as many as they managed in their seven such fixtures before that (W2 L5). If they can beat South Africa again, they will register their longest such winning streak since the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
And Felipe Contepomi will be urging his side to maintain their high discipline level as they aim to overturn the odds.
Argentina are the only team yet to receive a red or yellow card in the tournament and have conceded the fewest penalties (50) of any team in the campaign. In fact, they have not received a red or yellow card across their last 12 Test matches.
Only a win by a bonus point, without South Africa picking up one of their own, will be enough to hand Argentina their first title, but they have scored 96 points in their last two outings, so they cannot be overlooked.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
South Africa – Ruan Nortje
Ruan Nortje has won 31 lineouts (including two steals) in the Rugby Championship – seven more than any other in the tournament.
In addition, he has been the first to arrive at 63 of the Springboks' rucks, the second most of any player for a team in the campaign (Carlo Tizzano – 64 for Australia).
Argentina – Mateo Carreras
Mateo Carreras has been directly involved in six tries in his last six Test matches (five tries, one try assist), including two tries and a try assist in his last two Tests.
He has scored a try in each of his two career appearances against South Africa, as well as a try assist in his most recent meeting against the Springboks.
Kamindu Mendis ton helps Sri Lanka to 600 against struggling New Zealand
Kamindu Mendis' century helped Sri Lanka cruise past 600 in their first innings, strengthening their already iron grip on their second Test against New Zealand on day two.
The hosts picked up where they left off on Thursday, with New Zealand offering little resistance as the run count continued to tick over.
Dinesh Chandimal's ton propelled them to 306-3 on day one, and Kamindu carried on their momentum, claiming his fifth Test century in the second session.
His 117-run partnership with Kusal Mendis in that session piled the misery on the tourists, as Kamindu plundered an unbeaten 182, and his partner 106, to help the hosts put 602-5 on the board.
New Zealand's bowling left a lot to be desired, and they struggled to get going with the bat too when they eventually stepped up to the crease.
In just 14 overs, Tom Latham (2) and Devon Conway (9) were dismissed, with Kane Williamson set to continue on Saturday having got six from 42 balls.
With just 22-2 under their belt, they trail by 580 runs and will need a huge performance on day three to chase it down.
Data Debrief: Kamindu steals the show
There was some exceptional batting from Sri Lanka's new star Kamindu, with his unbeaten 182 on Friday his highest-ever score.
He also became the fastest batter to 1,000 Test runs in 75 years (1,004), getting there in 13 innings to equal Don Bradman's pace.
He averages 91.27 a match, maintaining a strike rate of 65.02, and has crossed 50 in nine of those innings, reaching a century in five.
Marsh: Australia have 'moved on' from Ashes drama ahead of Lord's return
Mitchell Marsh insists Australia have moved on from the "drama" that marred last year's Ashes Test with England, ahead of their return to Lord's.
The Baggy Greens lead England 2-1 in the ongoing ODI series heading into the fourth instalment on Friday.
It will be Australia's first visit to Lord's since unsavoury scenes involving their players and spectators ensued during the notorious Ashes Test, following Alex Carey's controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow.
The incident culminated in an MCC member receiving a lifetime ban, while two others were suspended for directing "abusive, offensive or inappropriate behaviour or language" towards Australia's players.
Carey has enjoyed an impressive series, hitting 74 in the second ODI at Headingley and 77 in the third in Durham, and Marsh insists his team-mates are motivated by last year's events.
When asked if there had been any discussions ahead of their return, he told reporters: "No, there hasn't. We've really moved on from that.
"I think there's always excitement playing at Lord's. It's the greatest ground in the world, bar the WACA, of course - the history and the tradition here, it's always a fantastic place to play.
"Obviously, these things happen in Ashes Test matches. There's not a series that goes by that doesn't have some sort of drama."
On Carey, he added: "I don't think [being motivated by last year's events is] in his character. But Alex certainly loves playing in England. We all do.
"The fans are always incredible, and it's always a tough challenge playing against England, so I think he's just wrapped to be back here playing for Australia."
Chandimal century sets the stage for big Sri Lanka score
Sri Lanka are well placed to mount a huge first-innings score after Dinesh Chandimal's century propelled them to 306-3 on day one against New Zealand.
After claiming a convincing win in the first Test, hosts Sri Lanka picked up where they left off in Galle.
Chandimal was the star of the show, trundling his way along to 116 from 208 deliveries before he was bowled by Glenn Phillips (1-33).
New Zealand's day started well, with Tim Southee dismissing Pathum Nissanka in the first over, yet Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne (46) put on a second-wicket partnership of 122.
But it was not just that duo who did the damage for Sri Lanka, with Angelo Mathews clipping his way to 78 not-out and Kamindu Mendis helping himself to an unbeaten half-century before stumps, which brought up a record of eight successive fifties since he made his Test debut.
Sri Lanka got lucky at times, with Daryl Mitchell putting down two catches in the slips while Tom Blundell squandered a great chance to stump Karunaratne, but the Black Caps must now look to recover with a better showing in the field on day two.
Data Debrief: Blundell's century a rare bright spot
While Blundell was left red-faced when he failed to stump Karunaratne, the New Zealand wicketkeeper did have something to smile about on Thursday.
When he caught out Nissanka early on, Blundell became the fifth wicketkeeper to record 100 dismissals for the Black Caps in the longest format (86 catches, 14 stumpings).
Indeed, his tally of stumpings is the most in Test history for New Zealand, which is why his blunder later on was such a bad miss.
For Sri Lanka, meanwhile, Mendis ticked over 900 Test runs across 2024, the second-most of any player this year, behind England's Joe Root (986).
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