A late penalty from Ross Byrne gave Ireland a 13-10 victory against Australia, as their 12th home win in a row came despite the absence of captain Johnny Sexton.

The fly-half was removed from the starting line-up just minutes before kick-off due to injury, but the hosts emerged triumphant from a low-scoring affair.

An early Nic White try for Australia was disallowed by the TMO for a neck roll, with a Jack Crowley penalty sending Ireland into the break with a 3-0 advantage after Bernard Foley was guilty of missing a kick of his own.

The second half began in similar low-scoring fashion, Jamison Gibson-Park seeing an Irish try disallowed as Mack Hansen's foot was in touch before his pass, with Foley then levelling the scores with a penalty.

A first try finally came in the 67th minute, with Bundee Aki going over on his return from an eight-game suspension, but the visitors responded five minutes later through Jordan Petaia.

Three minutes from the end, Byrne kept his nerve from 45 metres to split the posts and seal the win for the hosts.

England scored three tries in the final eight minutes to fight back from 18 points down and earn a barely believable 25-25 draw against New Zealand on Saturday.

The All Blacks led by 14 points inside 10 minutes and extended that lead further in the second half, yet somehow they missed out on a seventh successive victory.

Beauden Barrett was yellow carded in the 71st minute and that proved a huge moment as replacement Will Stuart crossed over twice either side of Freddie Steward in a remarkable finale.

After England fans attempted to drown out the Haka, Dalton Papali'i got New Zealand off to a flyer as he intercepted Jack van Poortvliet's pass and ran in unchallenged.

Codie Taylor added a quickfire second try when bundling over from a lineout towards the corner, with Jordie Barrett successfully converting for a second time.

Owen Farrell, making his 100th appearance for England, and Marcus Smith registered a penalty apiece for England either side of three more points from the boot of Barrett.

But Caleb Clarke popped the ball to Ioane after a cross-kick caught England cold, and he ran three-quarters the length of the pitch to round off an impressive New Zealand move.

A drop goal from Beauden Barrett put New Zealand 19 ahead, only to then get sin-binned for failing to release Marcus Smith.

Stuart drove over the line in the immediate aftermath and Steward did likewise two minutes later after being fed by Ben Youngs.

England looked like falling just short of a memorable comeback, but Stewart had other ideas as he powered over in the final seconds, allowing Smith to convert and level up.

Eddie Jones says England must "light the crowd" when they do battle with New Zealand in a mouth-watering Test at Twickenham on Saturday.

The All Blacks will be looking for a measure of revenge for a 19-7 defeat to the Red Rose the last time the two heavyweight nations collided in a Rugby World Cup semi-final in Yokohama three years ago.

You have to go back a decade for England's last victory over New Zealand at their headquarters in London.

There was drama before the 2019 semi-final kicked off in Japan, with England crossing the halfway line as they lined up in a V formation while the All Blacks performed the haka.

Owen Farrell, who will win his 100th cap this weekend, was also caught smirking on the big screen as his opponents were laying down the pre-match challenge with their famous ceremonial Maori war dance.

England head coach Eddie Jones expects his players to whip the crowd into a frenzy for their penultimate Test of the year.

"The haka in 2019 had a massive effect on the fans," said the wily Australian.

"On Saturday we've got a responsibility to light the crowd up and we want to, as they can be our 24th player.

"Whether it's during the haka or post the haka I don't really care. We're going to go after them."

Jones is confident England will rise to the challenge of facing the in-form Rugby Championship winners.

"It takes a massive effort to beat New Zealand, our players understand that," said Jones. "It's like if you're a climber going to the top of Mount Everest.

"Traditionally they have bullied teams, so you've got to get on the front foot, be physical. You've got to truly believe you can win; that your strengths are stronger than theirs, that you will expose their weaknesses.

"We believe we've got strength that we can maximise against New Zealand. We believe there are weaknesses we can expose. We're prepared."

France's Antoine Dupont has been handed a four-game ban for his red card against South Africa, while the Springboks' Pieter-Steph du Toit has been suspended for three games for his dismissal.

Dupont was shown red after a dangerous collision with South Africa winger Cheslin Kolbe in France's 30-26 win on Saturday.

Du Toit was also sent off for a clearout of Jonathan Danty in the same game.

Assuming there is no successful appeal, Dupont will miss France's game against Japan on Sunday, as well as three matches for Toulouse, including their Champions Cup opener against Munster next month.

Du Toit will be absent for South Africa's upcoming games against England and Italy, as well as a third match to be confirmed.

Johnny Sexton is fit enough to captain Ireland for their final Autumn Nations Series Test in Dublin on Saturday against a much-changed Australia, who are looking to hit back from a shock loss to Italy.

Sexton suffered a dead leg in the victory over South Africa earlier this month and did not feature in last weekend's 35-17 triumph over Fiji.

But the fly-half returns to the team for the match against Australia in one of seven alterations from that Fiji win, as the likes of Hugo Keenan, Josh van der Flier and Peter O'Mahony start.

Andrew Porter and Dan Sheehan return to the front row, while James Ryan comes into the second row.

Ireland will be without Joey Carbery and Robbie Henshaw, who both miss out through injury.

Australia are hoping to bounce back from their first ever defeat to Italy last weekend, from which just four starters remain.

Mark Nawaqanitawase and Tom Wright stay on the wings, but James Slipper returns to captain in what will be his 126th Test.

Andrew Kellaway starts at fullback, as Dave Rennie opts to keep the centre pairing of Hunter Paisami and Len Ikitau, while Allan Alaalatoa continues in the front row.

Ireland team: Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, Jimmy O'Brien, Jonny Sexton (captain), Jamison Gibson Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Peter O'Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.

Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Joe McCarthy, Jack Conan, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Bundee Aki.

Australia team: Andrew Kellaway, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Len Ikitau, Hunter Paisami, Tom Wright, Bernard Foley, Nic White; James Slipper (captain), David Porecki, Allan Alaalatoa, Nick Frost, Cadeyrn Neville, Jed Holloway, Michael Hooper, Rob Valentini.

Replacements: Folau Fainga'a, Tom Robertson, Taniela Tupou, Will Skelton, Pete Samu, Jake Gordon, Noah Lolesio, Jordan Petaia.

Owen Farrell and Brodie Retallick will win their 100th caps when England and New Zealand do battle at Twickenham on Saturday.

Retallick returns from a three-week suspension for his red card against Japan last month and will become just the 12th player to hit a century of appearances for the All Blacks.

Farrell will win his 100th cap alongside the returning Manu Tuilagi in England's midfield, while 21-year-old scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet will make his third appearance after an impressive start to his international career.

Vice-captain Jack Nowell will start in England's back three, along with Jonny May and Freddie Steward, after recovering from an injury that forced him out of the comprehensive 52-13 victory over Japan last weekend.

Maro Itoje is moved back into the second row as Sam Simmonds is set to start at blindside flanker, while Billy Vunipola takes the number eight jersey.

For the All Blacks, Retallick's return means he and captain Sam Whitelock will set a new world record of starting 64 Test matches together, previously held by South Africa's Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield.

Mark Telea will hope to follow up his two-try debut as he starts on the wing again, while Retallick's milestone appearance means Scott Barrett will play the blindside flanker role.

 

England team: Freddie Steward, Jack Nowell, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (captain), Jonny May, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Jonny Hill, Sam Simmonds, Tom Curry, Billy Vunipola.

Replacements: Jamie George, Mako Vunipola, Will Stuart, David Ribbans, Jack Willis, Ben Youngs, Guy Porter, Henry Slade.

New Zealand team: Beauden Barrett, Mark Telea, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Richie Mo'unga, Aaron Smith; Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor, Tyrel Lomax, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock (captain), Scott Barrett, Dalton Papali'i, Ardie Savea.

Replacements: Samisoni Taukei'aho, George Bower, Nepo Laulala, Shannon Frizell, Hoskins Sotutu, TJ Perenara, David Havili, Anton Lienert-Brown.

Ireland will be without Robbie Henshaw and Joey Carbery in their final Autumn Nations Series Test against Australia on Saturday.

Centre Henshaw suffered a hamstring injury during a 35-17 win over Fiji last weekend and will continue his rehabilitation at Leinster.

Carbery was replaced early in the second half of that victory at the Aviva Stadium with a head injury and the fly-half will complete the return to play protocols with Munster.

Johnny Sexton, James Ryan, Andrew Porter, Josh van der Flier and Hugo Keenan will be monitored ahead of the clash with the Wallabies in Dublin after sustaining knocks in the win over South Africa.

Jimmy O'Brien will complete the head injury assessment [HIA] process on Monday and is expected to be back in training on Tuesday.

Joe McCarthy has got through the HIA process and is back in the fold along with Bundee Aki, who has completed a suspension.

Meanwhile, Ireland boss Andy Farrell was on Monday shortlisted for the World Rugby Coach of the Year award after guiding the team to the top of the rankings.

Fabien Galthie, the France head coach, New Zealand women's head coach Wayne Smith and England Women's head coach Simon Middleton are the other contenders for the gong.

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend says his side missed "the best opportunity in our history" to defeat New Zealand for the first time on Sunday.

A Stuart Hogg penalty try and Darcy Graham crossing over, coupled with a trio of penalties for Finn Russell, helped Scotland into a 23-14 second-half lead at Murrayfield.

But points from the boot of Jordie Barrett and a Jack Dempsey sin-bin allowed the All Blacks to fight back before Scott Barrett and Mark Telea bundled over to maintain New Zealand's streak in Scotland.

The All Blacks have not lost in 32 Tests against Scotland, stretching back 117 years, and Townsend acknowledged his team squandered a glorious opportunity after a 31-23 defeat.

"We're disappointed. There was so much to be proud of but we didn't see it through," he told Amazon Prime.

"It was a show of resilience after going 14-0 down to one of the best teams in the world, but we didn't get the win.

"You don't get to play New Zealand very often and that's the best opportunity in our history we've had to beat them."

The manner of defeat added greater frustration for Scotland, given they led 17-14 against New Zealand at half-time for just a third time in history, with the other two occurrences coming in 1905 and 1990.

Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie acknowledged the missed opportunity after the match, though he dedicated the performance to Doddie Weir, who was in attendance to mark five years since the launch of his charity that raises awareness of motor neurone disease.

"It's tough to be on the wrong side of the result. We were there or thereabouts for 70 minutes," Ritchie said. "It's some of the best rugby we've played over the last three weeks and I'm so proud of the players.

"We're glad we could put on a decent show for Doddie [Weir], just a shame we couldn't get the win. We spoke about being brave today and nothing defines brave more than Doddie."

Ian Foster had come under scrutiny for an underwhelming 2022 for the All Blacks, though praised New Zealand's fightback after they collected their sixth straight Test win.

"It was a tough game. I thought Scotland were tremendous, they put us under a lot of pressure," the All Blacks coach said. "Our bench was strong and that strength and composure was important.

"It was a high penalty count game and that allowed Scotland to get into our half too often, so we need to work on that.

"It would have been easy for us to panic in the last 15 minutes and [captain] Sam Whitelock deserves a lot of credit for keeping the boys calm."

Mark Telea scored two tries on debut as New Zealand mounted a second-half comeback to maintain their unbeaten streak over Scotland after a 31-23 victory at Murrayfield.

Late tries for Scott Barrett and Telea saw the All Blacks defend their perfect record against Scotland, who squandered a 23-14 lead as they failed to defeat the All Blacks for a 32nd straight Test.

The All Blacks raced into a two-try advantage as debutant Telea's driving run teed up Samisoni Taukei'aho before the winger crossed over himself four minutes later on Sunday.

But Scotland fought back amid a frenetic start as Anton Lienert-Brown was sin-binned for a Stuart Hogg penalty try, with Darcy Graham capitalising on the one-man advantage to dive over in the 14th minute.

Finn Russell's penalty ensured Scotland led New Zealand at half-time in a Test for just a third time in history, before the fly-half added another six points with his boot from range after the interval.

However, a Jordie Barrett penalty and Jack Dempsey sin-bin saw the All Blacks battle back before Scott Barrett and Telea bundled over to keep their 117-year unbeaten run against Scotland going.

Dave Rennie admits his Australia team were "not good enough" as they were beaten by Italy for the first time ever on Saturday.

Full-back Ange Capuozzo scored two tries as Italy claimed a 28-27 victory over the Wallabies in Florence.

Australia's debutant fly-half Ben Donaldson missed a late conversion to win the game as his team fell to a historic defeat.

Rennie was frustrated with his side's performance, telling reporters: "We didn't play well enough.

"We gave them a head start at 17-3, gave them hope and enthusiasm and brought the crowd into the game.

"We didn't dominate up front as we would have hoped. We gave them field position through penalties and turnovers

"It is hugely disappointing and not good enough. All I can say is the boys are hurt; they know we are better than that."

Rennie refused to blame Donaldson for the loss, despite his late miss.

"It's tough. He's hurting but we have an arm around him," Rennie added.

"You can always look at the last few seconds of the game, but there was lots we did wrong earlier to put Ben in that position.

"We feel for him but it is not the reason we lost today."

Italy had previously lost all 18 meetings with Australia, stretching all the way back to 1973.

Hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi spoke of his delight at the win, saying: "I have so many amazing emotions – it's an incredible victory.

"We felt we could do it from the first minute. We went out on the field with the right spirit, and attacked and defended really well."

England head coach Eddie Jones secured a 59th win in charge against former side Japan to equal Clive Woodward's record.

After a shock defeat to Argentina last time out, England responded on Saturday with a dominant 52-13 victory against Japan at Twickenham, where Guy Porter scored his first two international tries and Marcus Smith also went over twice.

The record-equalling win left Jones pleased with his side's performance, stating that his team "looked like England".

"We played more like ourselves. Last week we were too long term in our view, which was my fault and today we were focused. We left 20 points out there and played some really good rugby," he told Prime Video.

"It's about playing to our strengths. You want people to recognise an England team playing, and we need to adopt a new style. But today we looked like England. We were in white shirts which might have made a difference."

Woodward, who managed England to Rugby World Cup glory in 2003, had criticised Jones after England's loss to Argentina, writing in the Daily Mail: "It was more than a bad day at the office and I had the feeling that few really cared.

"The RFU kept playing naff music throughout the match and I spent half the afternoon standing up because people were back and forth buying beers.

"The atmosphere felt artificial and contrived and, to top it off, England's performance was so bad. Everyone was bored out of their brains."

England are back in action next Saturday against New Zealand, then conclude their Autumn Nations Series against South Africa the following week.

Mark Telea will make his New Zealand debut when Ian Foster's side go in search of a sixth consecutive win in Sunday's clash with Scotland at Murrayfield.

The All Blacks maintained their remarkable 69-year unbeaten run against Wales by racking up a dominant 55-23 success in Cardiff last Saturday, but Foster has opted to ring the changes for Sunday's Test.

Blues wing Telea is one of the chief beneficiaries of Foster's decision to make seven changes, and the 25-year-old is thrilled by the prospect of making his international debut.

"I was just chilling, waiting for someone else's name to get called out, and I was kind of surprised. It's straight into homework after this," Telea said.

"It's more special for my family, for all the work they've seen me putting through and the outcome of it all – that's why it's special.

"I told my mum, my dad and my sister and they were overjoyed – tears through their eyes. The old man was happy, he's been there from the beginning and seen all the hard work."

Caleb Clarke is the only man to retain his place in the All Blacks' backline following the win over Wales, allowing David Havili and Anton Lienert-Brown – whose last Test start came against Ireland in November 2021 – to slot in.

With Richie Mo'unga rested, Beauden Barrett moves from full-back to first-five, with Scottish-born half-back Finlay Christie also being handed a start against his country of birth.

With New Zealand posting a strong run of form since suffering a shock Rugby Championship defeat to Argentina in August, Foster is intrigued to see how his much-changed team will fare. 

"We've selected a team that excites us this week," Foster said. "In many ways, this Test is crucial for our tour as a whole, and it's a chance to show how we're building as a group."

Scotland have made three changes on the back of last week's 28-12 win over Fiji, meanwhile, with Finn Russell earning his 64th cap after being recalled to the starting XV.

Russell, who has not been involved since the Six Nations in March, is drafted into the side along with hooker Fraser Brown and centre Sione Tuipulotu.

Scotland: Hogg; Graham, Harris, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe; Russell, Price; Schoeman, Brown, Z Fagerson, R Gray, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Watson, M Fagerson.

Replacements: Ashman, Sutherland, Nel, J Gray, Dempsey, White, Kinghorn, Bennett.

New Zealand: Barrett, Telea, Lienert-Brown, Havili, Clarke, Barrett, Christie; De Groot, Taukei'aho, Laulala, Whitelock, Barrett, Akira Ioane, Papali'i, Savea. 

Replacements: Taylor, Bower, Newell, Vaa'i, Frizell, Perenara, Perofeta, Rieko Ioane.

The Jamaica Under-18 Crocs and the Senior Crocs, both men and women, are set to compete at the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Sevens competitions from November 11-13 in Mexico City, Mexico.

The championship should have been held in February but the RAN Medical Committee and the Mexican Rugby Federation) decided to postpone because of a surge in the COVID-19 omicron variant.

Jamaica’s senior men’s team are fresh out of World Cup competition while the boys recently topped an Under-19 tournament involving RAN teams in July.

This will be the RAN first Super Sevens' week in which Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands' juniors will be competing in and Bruce Martin, the technical director of the Crocs' Rugby Sevens programme, extended gratitude to the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), which played "a vital and integral role" in the team being able to attend.

“This is a great deal for the Jamaica Under 18 Junior Crocs that acts as a catalyst to so many more major events for us in rugby,” said Martin. “The JOA recognizes that this (U18 RAN Sevens) is a result of many years of hard work and strict dedication from our players on the pathway to dynamic moves in Jamaica Rugby and the JOA equally shares our excitement.”

The junior competition gets going on Friday with Jamaica facing to Mexico B in the morning opener. Afternoon matches will follow against the British Virgin Islands and Trinidad and Tobago.

The senior competition gets going on Saturday with Jamaica's men tackling Curacao in the day's opening match while the women will take on the Dominican Republic near midday. The women will follow up with a game against Bermuda before going up against hosts Mexico.

The focus of the Under-18 Crocs will be to secure a spot at the Youth Commonwealth Games Summer 2023 tournament in Trinidad & Tobago. The longer-term goal will be to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles, United States.

"This is an exciting time for the Jamaica Under 18 junior Crocs rugby team and it is an added bonus to have the financial support of the JOA all the while understating the budget constraints that they are faced with," Martin said.

He pointed out that the sporting body has "sacrificed with the knowledge that they understand the vision in seeing what this platform allows," while noting his appreciation that Jamaica's players will be able to display their talents and earn their spot as one of the best Under 18 rugby teams not only in the Caribbean, but also in the world.

Sam Simmonds and Jack van Poortvliet will start for England against Japan at Twickenham on Sunday.

Eddie Jones has named five changes from the shock 30-29 defeat to Argentina last weekend as they prepare to face Japan, who he coached between 2012 and 2015.

Number eight Simmonds has not featured for England since the Six Nations in March but comes in for Billy Vunipola, who drops to the bench.

Alex Coles is replaced by debutant David Ribbans at lock while Van Poortvliet, who scored within 30 seconds of coming on the pitch against Argentina, will start at scrum-half.

Jonny May also comes in for Joe Cokanasiga and Guy Porter is the final introduction as he is chosen to start over Manu Tuilagi at outside centre.

Owen Farrell will captain England and earn his 99th international cap, while hooker Jamie George is on the bench after recovering from a foot injury.

England team to face Japan: 15. Freddie Steward, 14. Jack Nowell, 13. Guy Porter, 12. Owen Farrell (c), 11. Jonny May, 10. Marcus Smith, 9. Jack van Poortvliet; 1. Ellis Genge, 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3. Kyle Sinckler, 4. David Ribbans, 5. Jonny Hill, 6. Maro Itoje, 7. Tom Curry, 8. Sam Simmonds.

Replacements: 16. Jamie George, 17. Mako Vunipola, 18. Joe Heyes, 19. Alex Coles, 20. Billy Vunipola, 21. Ben Youngs, 22. Henry Slade, 23. Manu Tuilagi.

Eddie Jones believes England's loss to Argentina was partly down to being too focused on next year's Rugby World Cup as he accepted full responsibility for the defeat.

England were on the end of a surprise 30-29 reverse at a packed Twickenham on Sunday – only their second ever home defeat to Argentina.

The sides will meet again in their opening match of the 2023 World Cup next September, which Jones already had one eye on heading into last weekend's battle in London.

"When your team doesn't play to the potential you want, there is always something in the message that you're giving the team that's not quite clear," he said.

"We've been looking at a number of long-term strategies to get ourselves set for the World Cup. Maybe our focus wasn't tight enough on the Argentina game. 

"Maybe we were over-thinking a bit, and that's entirely my fault."

England reached the final in 2019 and are among the favourites to lift the trophy next year, alongside New Zealand, Ireland, hosts France and reigning champions South Africa.

The Red Rose endured another disappointing Six Nations campaign earlier this year, but they recovered with a battling 2-1 series win in Australia prior to losing to Argentina.

With less than a year to go before the World Cup begins, Jones is hoping to further develop his squad in time for the tournament.

"There are a cluster of teams at the top of world rugby," he said. "We want to break that cluster. To do that we have to have a number of different ways to play the game.

"This next 11 months is to get enough equipment in our armoury to play any way. 

"England rugby is traditionally about power rugby, winning the set-piece, smashing down the gain-line, but we have to learn from the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

"In the final, we came up against a side that had more power than us, and we were unable to beat them at that game."

England have made three changes to their 36-man squad for Saturday's showdown with Japan at Twickenham, which is followed by Tests against New Zealand and South Africa.

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