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• Borthwick concedes 'these are painful days' after Springboks defeat

  Steve Borthwick was left "incredibly disappointed and frustrated" following England's defeat by South Africa, conceding "these are painful days".

  England suffered their fifth successive Test loss after going down 29-20 at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

  The hosts were quick out of the blocks with Ollie Sleightholme crossing on his first international start, and led 20-19 in the second half.

  However, a Handre Pollard penalty and Cheslin Kolbe's second try of the game settled the contest in favour of South Africa, who then stubbornly defended their lead during a late England surge. 

  Borthwick's side have now lost three consecutive home games for the first time since 2006, but he hopes these experiences will benefit his players further down the line.

  "I am incredibly disappointed and frustrated," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "You see so much good' the way the team came out of the blocks at the start and came at South Africa.

  "Then, for a long time, the game was toe-to-toe, but in the last period, we failed to take our opportunities. How many times did we fail to take our chances in their 22?

  "These are painful days. At times, we are putting ourselves in positions to win games, and we are not converting them. Whilst these are painful, we will use them in a positive way to help with our development.

  "We have a lot of young players that have come into this team, and we have accelerated their transition.

  "As you look towards the future, these players are going to be brilliant international players. But, right now, these days of development are tough. We will persevere and be better because of these experiences."

  Borthwick is adamant England are "going in the right direction", and believes he still has the backing of the RFU.

  "I'm not going to be talking about private conversations here, but what’s actually more important is the feeling I get," he added. 

  "The feeling I get from the RFU is one of absolute support and absolute belief that this team is going in the right direction."

• Crystal clear: Sunshine Girl Plummer sets sights on series, future success after stalemate with England in Horizon Series opener

  Sunshine Girl Crystal Plummer is no stranger to high-pressure situations, but Jamaica’s dramatic 49-49 draw against England in the opening game of the four-match Horizon Netball Series was an experience that even she found exhilarating.

  Still, as the Sunshine Girls look to improve in the second match on Sunday, Plummer is focused on channeling the lessons from Saturday’s thrilling contest into consistent success for the remainder of the series and, by extension, her career.

  “It was a rollercoaster of emotions,” Plummer told SportsMax.Tv as she reflected on the match played at the AO Arena in Manchester.

  “There were moments when we should have had the upper hand and allowed England to slip. But that’s what makes netball so exciting—it’s a constant test of resilience and focus. All in all, I’m super excited to be back on the international stage, and I am just looking to build on the lessons as they come,” she added.

  Plummer, who started at centre before being substituted at the beginning of the second quarter, acknowledged the intense pace of the match. Both teams traded turnovers early on, but it was England who managed to pull away in the second quarter to establish a 26-20 halftime lead. 

  

  Despite sitting out portions of the game, Plummer remained a vocal presence on the sidelines, urging her teammates to push through their challenges.

  Though they eventually rallied in the last two quarters, it was the comeback from two goals down in the closing seconds of the final quarter to level the game that really took the prize.

  “Our team showed so much heart. We made some errors, but we also demonstrated how capable we are of bouncing back, so basically it is a case of all the hard work we put in that paid off. The way we rallied in the third and fourth quarters was truly inspiring,” Plummer opined.

  “Those last few minutes were nerve-wracking. Again, we had chances in which we could have opened up big leads, but we let it slip. That’s something we’ll address as a team because we know we have what it takes to win these tight games,” she noted.

  That said, Plummer believes consistency will be the key to victory as the Sunshine Girls look to gain the upper hand in the second game of the series on Sunday.

  “We’ve shown that we can match England in every aspect, but it’s about sustaining that level of play for all four quarters. If we can clean up our errors and stay composed under pressure, I’m confident we’ll come out on top. We just have to take things one quarter at a time,” Plummer stated.

  

  The talented 22-year-old, who has been a pivotal player for Jamaica since her debut at the Americas qualifiers on home soil in 2022, is also eager to step up her individual performance.

  “As a midcourt player, my role is to connect the defence and attack seamlessly, so I want to be sharper in my decision-making and ensure that I’m providing the best support to my teammates on court,” said Plummer, who was a part of the bronze medal-winning Netball World Cup team.

  “I always tell myself that I am a hard cookie who will battle to the very end, and I am very confident in my abilities, which is why I consistently set goals and then put in the mental and physical work to ensure I fulfil them. So my goals for this series have already been locked in, and so I just want to put my best foot forward for myself and the team,” she declared.

  While her immediate focus is on helping Jamaica secure a series win, Plummer also has her eyes set on long-term goals. With the next Netball World Cup scheduled for 2027, she is determined to elevate her game and contribute to Jamaica’s quest for global dominance.

  “This series is a great opportunity to test ourselves against one of the top teams in the world, but it’s also a stepping stone for bigger things. We want to keep building and ensure that when the World Cup comes around, we’re ready to challenge for the title. For now, it’s about putting it all together because I believe our best is yet to come, and I’m excited to be part of this journey,” the jovial Plummer ended.

• England 20-29 South Africa: Sprinboks hold on to edge thriller

  England suffered a fifth consecutive loss as South Africa held on to clinch a thrilling 29-20 win at Twickenham on Saturday.

  After an open first half, the Springboks dug deep in the second, with Cheslin Kolbe's try ensuring they got over the line.

  It had started so well for England, who took the lead just four minutes in as Marcus Smith's dummied drop-goal gave Ollie Sleightholme the chance to cross.

  South Africa took their chances when they came though, and three quickfire tries put them in control.

  Grant Williams raced through a gap, leaving Freddie Steward behind, and though Smith's kick edged England in front again, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kolbe kept the momentum with them.

  Sam Underhill burrowed through to make it a two-point game at the break, but Kolbe scored the only try of the second half after Handre Pollard's penalty to put them out of sight.

  An increasingly desperate England tried to fight back but struggled to find a way through their stubborn opponents as they suffered a third consecutive defeat in their autumn series.

  Data Debrief: A worrying sight

  England cannot seem to find a win at the moment, as they struggled to come up with ideas to try and get what would have been a first victory since June. 

  The good news for them is that their final match of the autumn campaign is against Japan, who they beat in their most recent triumph by 35 points.

  As for South Africa, they have now won four of their last five matches against England (L1), including each of their last three.