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• Springboks aiming to have 'two best teams in the world', says Esterhuizen

  South Africa centre Andre Esterhuizen said that the Springboks are aiming to have "the two best teams in the world" ahead of their Autumn Nations Series clash against England.

  The world champions were pushed all the way by Scotland in their narrow victory at Murrayfield on Sunday, though head coach Rassie Erasmus opted to rotate some key starting positions. 

  South Africa captain Siya Kolisi and flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit started on the bench, with the changes a common theme during Erasmus' seven-year tenure. 

  Their opening Autumn Nations Series victory also put them back on top of the world rankings after Ireland's first defeat in 19 home games by New Zealand on Friday.

  "One of the good things is that everyone is getting game time now," Esterhuizen told the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

  "It is also about looking forward, you've got to be able to spare all the guys for the next World Cup and build experience into it.

  "The aim is to have the two best teams in the world, all in one squad.

  "We want to make it second nature for people slotting in, so if someone steps in, they can just slot in and play the same if not better than the other player."

  South Africa next face England, who are yet to pick up a win this autumn, at Twickenham on Saturday.

  Steve Borthwick's side suffered a narrow two-point defeat by New Zealand, before conceding an injury-time winning try to Australia on Saturday.

  England have now lost each of their last four Test matches, their longest such run since losing five straight games in 2018, but Esterhuizen's former Harlequins team-mate Marcus Smith has been impressive for the Red Roses. 

  "It's a great space, I obviously love to play there," Esterhuizen added. "It will be great to be running at Marcus, not run off him.

  "It's going to be a great match, England have played well in the last few games, it's unfortunate that it hasn't been the results that they want. I think it's going to be a big one."

  The Springboks have won three of their last four matches against England (L1), including each of their last two. Three of the last five games between England and South Africa have been decided by single-point margins.

• Upamecano: Mbappe shown 'lack of gratitude' in latest France omission

  Dayot Upamecano believes a "lack of gratitude" has been shown towards France team-mate Kylian Mbappe after his latest omission from Les Blues' Nations League squad. 

  Mbappe was not included for France's upcoming fixtures against Israel and Italy as a "one off", according to Didier Deschamps. 

  The France captain also missed Les Bleus' last two matches, being rested despite his return to fitness in time for the October international break, with Mbappe coming under scrutiny for his absence.

  The 25-year-old played the duration of Real Madrid's 4-0 win over Osasuna at the weekend, but was unable to find the target for the fourth game in a row. 

  Mbappe has netted six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances since his move from Paris Saint-Germain, but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.

  He has also scored 48 goals in 86 outings for his nation, along with helping them claim the 2018 World Cup and 2020-21 Nations League title. 

  Despite the recent speculation about Mbappe's absence from the side, Upamecano leapt to the defence of his team-mate and is hopeful for a swift return to the France set-up.

  “Am I worried [about Mbappe]? No. You can’t forget what he’s done for the France national team. We lack a bit of gratitude towards him," Upamecano said. 

  "I hope to see him again quickly. You can’t forget that he is our captain."

  When asked if Mbappé’s absence could be due to physical or mental fatigue, Upamecano expressed understanding for his team-mate’s situation.

  “There are many games, and I mentioned this at the start of the season. We’re human, and mental well-being is a big factor for us.

  "I won’t go into details, but as I said, he’s our captain, and I hope he’ll be back with us soon. He’s very important to us.”

• Armstrong returns to Scotland squad, Morgan and Adams withdraw

  Scotland have confirmed that Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Stuart Armstrong has been recalled to Steve Clarke's ranks ahead of their upcoming Nations League fixtures. 

  The Scots face Croatia at Hampden Park on Friday before taking on Poland in Warsaw three days later in the hope of picking up points in their bid for League A survival. 

  This will be Armstrong's first appearance for his country since Euro 2024. He played for just 14 minutes in Scotland's loss to Hungary in their final group game of the tournament.

  The 32-year-old's inclusion comes after the New York Red Bulls' Lewis Morgan and Torino's Che Adams pulled out, though Clarke confirmed he was happy with his forward options. 

  Morgan has impressed in the MLS this season, registering 20 goal involvements (13 goals, seven assists) in the regular season for Sandro Schwarz's side. 

  His 49 chances created is a total only bettered by John Tolkin (59) for the Red Bulls, while he also helped his side in their recent playoff series win over the Columbus Crew. 

  Adams missed Torino's 2-0 defeat to Juventus last Saturday with a thigh injury, but upon further assessment from the Serie A side, has been ruled out of international duty. 

  Scotland sit bottom of Group A1 after picking up one point from their first four games, which came in their last Nations League encounter with Portugal. 

  Clarke's side, however, are both on their longest ever winless run at home (six games – D3 L3) and longest run without a victory in competitive fixtures (10 games - D4 L6).

  They could also level their longest overall streak without a win, set in 1998 (nine games – D3 L5 currently), if they fall to defeat on Friday. 

  Croatia, however, have never won away in Scotland (D2 L1), with this their first trip to Hampden Park since October 2013, losing 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier.