England head coach Eddie Jones conceded he had not "done a good enough job" after his side suffered a 25-13 loss to France, who secured a long-awaited Six Nations title and Grand Slam on Saturday.
A second-half try from Freddie Steward gave England hope, but Antoine Dupont went over on the hour to secure victory for Les Bleus at the Parc des Princes.
It was England's third defeat of the tournament, and the third time they have lost as many under the Australian, having done so just twice in 16 editions before his appointment in 2015.
Questions have been asked about Jones' position, but following the defeat, the 62-year-old said they were "for other people".
"That is not a question I need to answer," he said. "I just do my job, it is a question for other people to answer. I am not even thinking about that."
"I'm disappointed, disappointed for the fans, for the players, I obviously haven't done a good enough job, I accept that, but we're moving in the right direction. The results aren't good enough. When you rebuild a team it takes time.
"France are deserved champions of the Six Nations, they are the best team, but we had enough chances to win that game, we just didn't put them away, we were not quite clinical enough in doing that.
"That has been a little bit of the story of us in the Six Nations, we have put ourselves in position to win the three games we have lost but not been clinical enough, not been good enough, particularly in some of our clean out work to win those games.
"So that is disappointing, but the spirit we showed is going to make sure this team keeps moving in the right direction."
England finished in third-place after Wales' shock loss to Italy and Ireland's win over Scotland in the final round of matches in the 2022 tournament.
Livingstone lights up Lord's as England level ODI series
England showed their power with the bat and ball as they levelled their ODI series with a 186-run thumping of Australia in a rain-delayed match at Lord's.
Harry Brook, Ben Duckett and a blistering batting display from Liam Livingstone sent England on their way before Matthew Potts starred with the ball in hand.
After a relatively quiet start to the top order that saw Phil Salt (22) and Will Jacks (10) fall early, Brook quickly found his rhythm, cruising to a 37-ball half-century.
Duckett's 63 runs from 62 deliveries, coupled with Brook (87), saw England take control, but the pair were dismissed within eight overs of each other.
However, a late onslaught ensued when Livingstone was welcomed to the crease, notching an unbeaten 62 runs from 27 deliveries, a knock that included seven sixes, four of which came as he took 28 off the last over of the innings from Mitchell Starc.
With England ending on 312-5, Australia started their chase strongly, but the wickets of Mitchell Marsh (28), Travis Head (34) and Steve Smith (five) within four overs started the tourists' collapse.
Australia crumbled from 68-0 to 126 all out in 24.4 overs, with Potts (4-38) doing most of the damage, with Adil Rashid (1-11) sealing the win with the wicket of Josh Hazlewood to force a decider in Bristol on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Livingstone leads comeback
In a game that saw a number of standout performers, Livingstone's display with the bat broke ODI records for matches at Lord's.
The Lancashire spin bowler's 25-ball half-century was the fastest seen at Lord's, while England's 12 sixes is a new record in an ODI encounter at the home of cricket.
The triumph also saw England produce their second-highest winning margin against Australia when batting first in the ODI's, with their 242-run victory at Trent Bridge in 2018 the only game they have won by a larger gap.
Potter ready to return and 'hasn't ruled out' England job
Graham Potter says he is ready to return to management and "hasn't ruled out" the possibility of managing England.
Potter has been out of work after being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, leaving the club with the joint-lowest points-per-game return of any manager to take charge of 20+ Premier League games for the club (1.27).
He took charge of 31 games in all competitions in his seven-month spell with the Blues, losing 11 of those, and leaving when they were 11th in the top-flight.
Despite taking a break from the public eye following his dismissal, Potter has still been linked with high-profile jobs, including the England position following Gareth Southgate's decision to step down after Euro 2024.
The 49-year-old was reported to be among the favourites, along with Eddie Howe and Pep Guardiola, and he admitted that he would be open to the position if it came along.
"I've felt ready to return for a little while," Potter told The Telegraph. "But it still has to be the right thing.
"I'm excited to hear what the opportunities are, and I'll take each one and judge it on its merits."
When asked how he would feel about the England job, he added: "I like the day-to-day and the building process of club management. International management is a different rhythm, and there are pluses for that. It's more intense when it's on, but you've got a bit more breathing space in between.
"It's nothing that I've ruled out, but at the same time, I do like the day-to-day bit of working with the players and being in at the club and trying to build and make a difference.
"Making a difference to people is why you do this. When you look back at the players you've helped in some way. That's the most rewarding part."
The Rugby Championship: Springboks targeting revenge with glory on the line
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.
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