Australia will face their sternest test to date when they continue their autumn tour against a "world-class" Scotland team at Murrayfield on Sunday.

That is the view of forward Will Skelton, who believes the Wallabies' victories in England and Wales have brought a new energy and confidence to their camp.

Having crashed out in the pool stage at last year's World Cup in France before finishing last in the Rugby Championship, Australia have looked a team reborn in recent weeks.

A first victory at Twickenham since 2015 and a 52-20 rout of Wales – their biggest-ever away win in matches between the teams – have made it an excellent tour to date for Joe Schmidt's side.

But La Rochelle lock Skelton feels their toughest assignment is to come this week, saying: "We've won two games, we're very aware of that.

"The Test against Scotland is going to be the hardest one yet. We're excited about this weekend and we're looking forward to ripping into it.

"Physically they're up there with the top five in the world. I think set-piece wise they're really strong.

"You've got a guy like Finn Russell who's a maestro at the back there. I think it's going be a close one and we'll be up for it.

"There's some class players in the Scottish team and, when they're at it they're world-class, so we're going to have to be on top of our game."

Warren Gatland has urged Wales to "show real courage and front up" in their final Autumn Nations clash against South Africa.

Gatland's side bring the curtain down on a disappointing year when they welcome the reigning world champions to the Principality Stadium on Saturday. 

Wales have lost an unprecedented 11 straight Tests, and could go an entire calendar year without tasting success for the first time since 1937.

Gatland has made four changes from last weekend's 52-20 defeat to Australia, with Sam Costelow, Rio Dyer, Christ Tshiunza and Taine Plumtree all coming into the starting XV.

Gareth Anscombe, Aaron Wainwright and Cameron Winnett drop out of the squad, while Adam Beard misses out through injury.

And Gatland wants his players to demonstrate fighting spirit against the Springboks.

"Last week's result hurts, and we are just as disappointed by it as the fans," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference.

"Our focus now is on training and preparing well for our final game of this Autumn Nations Series.

"There were good elements that we can definitely build on going into Saturday, but we have to improve our accuracy.

"We know what a quality side South Africa are and the physicality they bring. This week, we need to show real courage and front up against the world champions."

Maro Itoje has reaffirmed his commitment to England amid talks of a proposed global breakaway league.

Steve Borthwick’s side are looking to end their five-match losing run when they face Japan in their final match of the autumn series on Sunday.

But there is fear that Borthwick could lose many of his players to the new league that reportedly are offering 40 £1m-a-season contracts for marquee players and more periods of rests for the players. 

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) only select players for the national team from English clubs, meaning any player joining the breakaway league would jeopardise their Test career. 

But Itoje has insisted that playing for England is the pinnacle for him and his teammates. 

"I don't really know any of the details of it as yet, but wearing this rose is extremely important to me and my teammates," said Itoje.

"Playing for England is the Mecca."

Warren Gatland accepts his future is out of his hands after Wales suffered a record-setting defeat to Australia.

Wales were hammered 52-20 by the Wallabies in Cardiff on Sunday, as Australia scored eight tries in their biggest ever away win over the Welsh.

It marked an 11th straight Test defeat for Wales, who face world champions South Africa in their next outing.

Wales are on their worst ever run of defeats, and Gatland knows there is plenty of negativity around his coaching.

"It's the most challenging time I've ever known as a coach and what will be, will be," Gatland told TNT Sports.

"I will chat to a few people as to what happens from here.

"I am passionate about Welsh rugby but there's a lot of negativity around the game right now and we want to make sure what happens is the best for Welsh rugby, not about me. I will respect the decision."

Gatland is in his second stint in charge of Wales, having led them for 12 years between 2007 and 2019, leading them to four Six Nations titles.

Yet Wales have been abysmal as of late, and were dispatched by an Australia team that were reduced to 14 men for 20 minutes of the second half.

"It hurts. We got ourselves back into the game, but to me, we're a man up and conceded three tries - 21 points - that's really disappointing," he added.

"From our point of view, we had a chance to put them under pressure, we probably just forced things - [conceded] some turnovers, some penalties, so that was disappointing.

"I felt we had the chance to get ourselves back into it and kind of just shot ourselves in the foot.

"We spoke about it at half-time, some momentum, go out there and be accurate, we'll get some opportunities and when we play with tempo and keep the ball we look good.

"[Conceding] 21 points with a man advantage, it's not often that happens."

Wales prop Gareth Thomas told S4C: "We're all very disappointed after that. We came into the game with a lot of energy, everything was in place coming into the game. We had confidence with the coaches.

"Our discipline let us down and we're very disappointed. We've let ourselves down. They were down to 14 men and we couldn't take advantage."

Australia's Tom Wright capped off his hat-trick just before full-time, and he was keen to highlight the Wallabies' dominant display.

"That was an awesome 80-minute performance," he told TNT Sports. "Ebbs and flows, we gave a lot of momentum to Wales at stages, we made it difficult for ourselves, but those are games you like to be a part of.

"There was a lot of ball in play, Wales were really up for the content and really made us earn all those points."

Tom Wright and Matt Faessler plundered hat-tricks as Australia cruised to an emphatic 52-20 win over struggling Wales in Cardiff.

Wright capped off a superb individual display in the closing minutes of Sunday's clash to take the Wallabies over 50 points at the Principality Stadium.

It is a defeat that will only increase the pressure on Wales coach Warren Gatland, whose team have now lost 11 straight Tests, their worst-ever run.

Wright and Faessler claimed six of Australia's eight tries, with Nick Frost and Len Ikitau also going over for the visitors, who were 19-0 up early on before Wales responded through Aaron Wainwright's try and Gareth Anscombe's kicks.

Wales were unable to take advantage of Samu Kerevi's second-half 20-minute red card for a high tackle on Jac Morgan, as Australia scored three tries in quick succession, with Faessler getting two and Wright adding his second.

Ben Thomas crossed for the hosts, but Ikitau and Wright had the final say for Australia, who have Scotland and Ireland to come in their next fixtures.

Data Debrief: Record losing run reaches new low

Wales' 11-match losing run is the worst in the nation's Test history, and it is now a long way back for Gatland.

This was Australia's biggest-ever away win over Wales, who now face the daunting prospect of facing two-time reigning world champions South Africa next week. 

Should Wales lose to the Springboks, they will have gone an entire calendar year without a win for the first time since 1937.

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."

Fabien Galthie says it was a "special match" after France edged past New Zealand 30-29 on Saturday.

The All Blacks held the lead at half-time as tries from Peter Lakai and Cam Roigard helped put them 17-10 up, with Romain Buros powering over on his debut to keep France in touching distance.

However, the hosts flipped the script in the second half, coming out strong as Paul Boudehent dotted down after a powerful maul to help level the scoreline.

Louis Bielle-Biarrey then gave them the lead, and though Damien McKenzie's penalties kept the All Blacks on France's heels, Tomas Ramos also stayed perfect with his kicks, doing enough to help them record a third straight win over New Zealand.

Les Bleus had gone 14 games without a win against New Zealand prior to this run, while it is the first time since 1994-95 they have managed three in a row against their opponents.

Galthie was delighted with his players' focus to ensure they overcame the half-time deficit.

"It was a special match; we know the opponent. When you see the scenario of the match, winning by one point, it brings back memories," he told TF1.

"We have six years of experience with this team. For a few years, we have had arguments, we have identified how to play them, we are sticking to this roadmap. We had to keep our heads down.

"At half-time, we found solutions. It's a close call, but a point is a lot. I am very proud, this is the third time we have hosted them. Three times we have beaten them. We have confidence. They have given us weaknesses, cracks."

New Zealand, meanwhile, saw a five-game winning run ended as they suffered their first defeat since early September.

Ardie Savea admitted that they struggled against France's aggressiveness in the second half, and was disappointed they did not deal with the threat better.

"Extremely disappointed with ourselves not to win the game. We made silly mistakes. We turned the ball over to this French squad, which can punish us and they did. I'm pretty gutted," he told TNT Sports.

"Of course, you [have to credit France in the second half]. We felt like we were in control, and we were pretty accurate in the first half, but in the second half, we let them in the game.

"They applied pressure on us, and we couldn't handle it. Towards the end, we just got stuck in our line and we couldn't do it. I'm extremely disappointed but proud of the boys.

"We didn't hit our targets. We want to win everything, but we couldn't, and that's credit to the French squad, they're a quality side. We have to look in the mirror and see where we could've put the nail in the coffin because we didn't do that."

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.

Australia scrum-half Tate McDermott says the Wallabies are still searching for consistency ahead of Sunday's Autumn International versus Wales in Cardiff.

Australia beat England on their travels for the first time since 2015 last week, with Max Jorgensen's last-gasp try sealing a dramatic 42-37 success.

However, Joe Schmidt's team have not won successive Tests since July, losing three in a row before their triumph at Twickenham.

The last time they were on the winning side, against Argentina in the Rugby Championship in August, they were then thumped 67-27 by the Pumas in the return fixture just a week later. 

Speaking ahead of Sunday's game, McDermott called on the visitors to produce a repeat of last week's performance.

"We've had a couple of good wins this year – flashback to Argentina where we knocked them off in the first game, but a week later, we're a completely different team," said McDermott.

 "The group in general has a feeling that repeatability is the biggest thing for us to move forward, and we've got to make sure of that.

"Backing up our performance against the English is crucial for us. 

"It's a fresh page and while last week was a great moment, it's irrelevant because we've got a fierce Welsh team in our face, and we've got to make sure we're ready for them."

Schmidt has made six changes to Australia's XV for the game, with centre Joseph Suaalii among those to make way after impressing against England last time out.

Samu Kerevi returns to the lineup, with Jorgensen, Nic White, Allan Alaalatoa, Seru Uru and Will Skelton also introduced. 

Wales, meanwhile, have made four alterations to the team that started last week's 24-19 loss to Fiji, with James Botham, Jac Morgan, Ellis Bevan and Tom Rogers the players introduced.

Coach Warren Gatland said: "We haven't thrown in the towel. We can only continue to work as hard as we've been doing and, hopefully, we'll get across the line.

"Do I believe in what we're doing? 100%. The conviction is there and if the conviction is there, it probably takes away a little bit of some of the noise that's coming towards us."

Wales team: Cameron Winnett, Tom Rogers, Max Llewellyn, Ben Thomas, Blair Murray, Gareth Anscombe, Ellis Bevan; Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake (c), Archie Griffin, Will Rowlands, Adam Beard, James Botham, Jac Morgan, Aaron Wainwright.

Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Keiron Assiratti, Christ Tshiunza, Tommy Reffell, Rhodri Williams, Sam Costelow, Eddie James.

Australia team: ⁠Tom Wright, Andrew Kellaway, Len Ikitau, Samu Kerevi, Max Jorgensen, Noah Lolesio, Nic White, Angus Bell,⁠ ⁠Matt Faessler, ⁠Allan Alaalatoa (c), Nick Frost, ⁠Will Skelton, ⁠Seru Uru,⁠ ⁠Fraser McReight, ⁠Rob Valetini.

Replacements:⁠ ⁠Brandon Paenga-Amosa, James Slipper, ⁠Zane Nonggorr,⁠ ⁠Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, ⁠Langi Gleeson,⁠ ⁠Tate McDermott, ⁠Ben Donaldson, ⁠Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. 

Ireland captain Caelan Doris said the team made a clear step up in Friday's thrilling victory over Argentina, but he knows further improvements are needed for future games.

Ireland edged out Argentina by a 22-19 scoreline in Dublin, bouncing back after suffering their first home defeat in more than three years versus New Zealand last week.

The hosts made a flying start with two tries in the opening five minutes, though Argentina threatened to fight back by scoring all 10 points in a second half punctuated by penalties.

The Pumas spent the closing minutes camped in Ireland's 22 but were unable to make the pressure count, and Doris' primary feeling at the full-time whistle was one of relief.

"It went right down to the wire there. We were happy with how it started. There was a good feeling through the warm-up and that carried over to the start," he told TNT Sports.

"I felt we were in a pretty good position at half-time and their quality showed in the second half.

"It was back and forth and our discipline was probably a factor again. We got the result, which was the most pleasing thing after last week."

Ireland were into double figures for penalties as early as the 54th minute and received two yellow cards, prompting Doris to demand greater discipline in their remaining Autumn internationals versus Fiji and Australia.  

"We want a better performance. Discipline is one thing that needs to improve, but we are continuing to grow as a group," he said.

"I think today was a bit of a step up from last week but we feel like there is definitely more in us.

"A more complete performance is what we are asking for over the next couple of weeks, and we're going to need it."

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi insists the world champions will not be lacking in motivation for Saturday's clash with England at Twickenham, saying the teams' meetings are "always personal".

The Springboks are aiming to inflict a fifth straight defeat on Steve Borthwick's troubled hosts, who suffered a dramatic 42-37 defeat to Australia last week.

England's most recent meeting with South Africa – in the semi-finals of last year's World Cup – was overshadowed by Tom Curry accusing Bongi Mbonambi of directing a racist slur towards him, an allegation the Springboks hooker denied.

South Africa won that match 16-15 thanks to a late Handre Pollard penalty before beating New Zealand in the final, and Kolisi knows they now have a target on their backs.

"It's always personal. That's just how we prepare ourselves for games," Kolisi said on Friday.

"It's got to be personal. It's another man trying to run through you in-game, it doesn't get more personal than that. So every game for us is personal.

"This one, in Twickenham, is a big game and we know what England have been going through. We've been in their position before.

"We know we've got a target on our back at all times. Every single team that plays against us... we've got to make it as personal as possible because we want to stay where we are." 

England have recalled full-back Freddie Steward for the match, after he lost his place to George Furbank during the Six Nations earlier this year.

The 23-year-old is delighted to be back in the fold and is determined to make the most of his opportunity.

"It was one of the hardest things I've had to deal with," Steward told BBC Radio 5 Live. "When you have something for a while and then you lose it, it puts into perspective how important that thing is to you.

"Not having that over the last couple of months has been really challenging. Emotionally, it has been tough, but I've had to use that as fuel to keep pushing and wanting to get better and win that place back.

"It can be a kick in the teeth but you have to use those experiences, and I'm sat here now as a better rugby player and a stronger person."

Freddie Steward and Jack van Poortvliet will return for England on Saturday, with Steve Borthwick making four changes against South Africa.

England were unchanged for their narrow defeats against New Zealand and Australia, but the Leicester pair, who were not included in the squad for either of those matches, come straight in to replace George Furbank and Ben Spencer.

Ollie Sleightholme scored his first international tries in the defeat to Australia and is rewarded with a maiden Test start in place of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, while Sam Underhill comes in for Tom Curry, with both players missing due to head injuries.

England have lost each of their last four Test matches, their longest such run since losing five straight games in 2018.

"We're excited to challenge ourselves against the world's top-ranked team and back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions," Borthwick said.

"Test matches against South Africa are always thrilling contests, and I'm sure Saturday will be no exception."

Meanwhile, South Africa have made 12 changes to their starting XV from their 32-15 win over Scotland on Sunday.

Captain Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit return in the back row, while Cheslin Kobe is also named in the side.

The world champions have got a more balanced look to their bench this time around though, with coach Rassie Erasmus opting not to name seven forwards among the replacements this time around.

England squad in full:

Freddie Steward, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Lawrence, Henry Slade, Ollie Sleightholme, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet, Ellis Genge, Jamie George (captain), Will Stuart, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Chandler Cunningham-South, Sam Underhill, Ben Earl.

Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall, George Ford, Tom Roebuck.

South Africa squad in full:

Alphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Damian De Allende, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Maine Libbok, Grant Williams, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Wilco Loux, Eben Etzebeth, RG Snyman, Siya Kolisi (captain), Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Jasper Wiese.

Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith, Cobus Reinach, Handre Pollard, Lukhanyo Am.

Cian Healy is set to equal Brian O'Driscoll's Ireland cap record when they face New Zealand in Friday's autumn international in Dublin.

The 37-year-old prop has represented his country on 132 occasions and, after being named on the bench, will equal O'Driscoll's mark if introduced versus the Pumas.

Ireland suffered their first home defeat since 2021 last time out, going down by a 23-13 scoreline against New Zealand.

Despite that loss, head coach Andy Farrell has only made one change to Ireland's starting lineup, bringing Robbie Henshaw in at inside centre in place of Bundee Aki.

Argentina also named their team on Wednesday, with vice-captain Pablo Matera, Guido Petti and Matias Moroni replacing Santiago Grondona, Franco Molina and Matias Orlando.

Ireland team: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.

Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Peter O'Mahony, Craig Casey, Sam Prendergast, Jamie Osborne.

Argentina team: Juan Cruz Mallia; Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Matias Moroni, Bautista Delguy; Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Bertranou; Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya, Joel Sclavi; Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo.

Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Franco Molina, Santiago Grondona, Gonzalo Garcia, Santiago Carreras, Justo Piccardo.

Senior England coach Richard Wigglesworth believes that the pressure to win matches is part of the privilege of playing for the national team.

England face world champions South Africa at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday with displeasure growing after four straight defeats.

Included in that run were narrow losses in their first two Autumn Nations Series games against New Zealand and Australia. 

Though England have won three of their last four games against South Africa at Allianz Stadium, Wigglesworth insisted everyone within the squad wants to improve. 

"This job of being part of the England team is such a privilege, because so many people care, which makes your feeling on the matter really big," Wigglesworth told BBC Sport.

"Our job is to step back from that and see what was right, what was wrong, and what can we fix.

"We need to see the game for what it is, make the decisions for what they are, and get better every week.

"It is our job to make sure the players understand as much as they can that they can’t get affected by that as well.

"We know the attention the team gets is result-dependent, and rightly so."

The last time England and South Africa faced one another was in the Rugby World Cup semi-final in 2023, in which the Springboks came back from 15-6 down to win 16-15.

England will have to be wise to how the visitors have evolved since that game according to Wigglesworth.

"They have a squad and a plan they have done for a while, and when you are successful you tend to stick to things," he said.

"I have really enjoyed watching what they do, and how they do it. It is our job to meet that and rise to it."

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.