Here are the latest rugby evening headlines on Saturday, July 9.
Wales injury updates
Wales captain Dan Biggar says he is "desperate" to be involved in the series decider despite a shoulder injury, while Alex Cuthbert faces a nervous wait over his own fitness.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Biggar said: "I’m alright. I’m a bit sore. The last two minutes made it a bit easier. I’m desperate to be involved next week. Shoulder took a bit of a bang and hopefully it’s nothing more. Fingers crossed."
As for Cuthbert, who departed early on in the game to make way for try-scorer Josh Adams, Wales head coach Wayne Pivac said: "Something troubled Alex in the air. It was unfortunate. All the players coming on did well." Cuthbert was seen with his arm in a sling after coming off and is now a major doubt.
As for scrum-half Kieran Hardy, Pivac added: "Hardy is fine. That was a substitution."
Biggar added: "I said before being captain of this group made it an easier job as there’s lot of good lads in there. The bench made a huge impact. I couldn’t be prouder as a Welshman."
Eddie Jones enjoys silencing Aussie fans
Eddie Jones relished silencing the taunts of Australia fans and his own critics after England took their three-Test series to a decider with a 25-17 victory in Brisbane. The visitors established a 17-0 lead before showing resilience to withstand a Wallabies fightback which was undermined by a high error count.
"I love coaching at Suncorp Stadium, it's a good experience," said Jones, who coached Australia from 2001 to 2005. "You have got 48,000 people all full of drink and all they want to see is their team win. When you turn them away, it's a great experience. A great feeling.
"I was coming out from the coaches' box and they all have their scarves on. When did Australians start wearing scarves? It's all the rage isn't it? They are not so smart now. "Before the game they are coming up saying to me 'you are going to get belted tonight'. Now they are a little bit more quiet. So that's good. I enjoy that."
It came after Jones arrived in Brisbane under heavy fire from critics in the wake of a 30-28 defeat in the first Test which formed part of a four-game losing run, but he insisted he enjoyed the noise around his future.
"I like it. I think it is fantastic. I love my mother ringing me up in the morning saying 'are you going to get sacked? When do you have to move? Are you going to come back to Australia? Come back and live in Randwick'," Jones said. "I love that. My poor mother. But I don't mind it because I have made the choice to take the job and that's always going to happen because there's infatuation with sacking coaches now isn't there?"
Maro Itoje ruled out of England series decider
England must play the climax to their tour in Sydney without Maro Itoje after the Lions second row was concussed following a heavy collision with Hunter Paisami shortly before half-time.
Jones confirmed that Itoje, who appeared to have been knocked out, will not take part on Saturday but Sam Underhill could yet feature after he also suffered a head injury in a full-blooded second Test which took a heavy toll on both squads.
Australia hit by more injuries
Australia's extraordinary run of injuries which began during the warm-up for the first Test when Quade Cooper went down with a calf injury continued unabated. Scott Sio, Jordan Petaia, Izaia Perese and Cadeyrn Neville have all been ruled out of the third Test with knocks sustained in Brisbane, adding to their crippling injury toll from the series opener.
"We lost the collisions early, they chocked us in our half for the first 30 minutes and we fell 17-0 behind," head coach Dave Rennie said. "When we played territory and got them down the right area of the field we could apply heat.
"We got to 22-17 and we had all the momentum, but you have to give them the credit. We have to look at our discipline and start better. Next Saturday is a decider and guys are playing for their country. We've got depth and that will be tested."
Call for New Zealand coaching set-up to change
A section of the New Zealand media has called for change in the All Blacks set-up after the "disaster in Dunedin".
Lacking physicality and imagination, the Kiwis are described by New Zealand Herald writer Gregor Paul as being "passive and insipid, saved from humiliation only by their miraculous scrambling defence which was brilliant".
He adds: "It is now increasingly difficult to see how the coaching team can survive. And it's not the mounting losses per se that is reducing faith in the coaching team, it's the definitive sense the team is not growing or building towards a defined game plan. Good one week, bad the next - that's not the narrative on which the legend has been built.
"In Dunedin, there was nothing in the way of tactical innovation. Something needs to change in the set-up, a fresh voice or a new face to inject something new and radical to rejuvenate a side that has world class players and can be world class on occasion, but a side that isn't consistent enough or dynamic enough to instil confidence."
Johnny Sexton hails 'very special day'
Captain Johnny Sexton hailed a "very, very special day" for the whole of Ireland following a historic victory over New Zealand in Dunedin. The impressive Irish set up a tantalising deciding Test in Wellington by levelling the series at 1-1 with a first away win over the formidable All Blacks.
Andrew Porter's pair of tries paved the way for the landmark 23-12 triumph, with influential fly-half Sexton kicking 13 points to prevent a Kiwi fightback. Out-of-sorts New Zealand, who coasted to a 42-19 opening win last weekend in Auckland, paid a heavy price for a disjointed and undisciplined display.
"Any time you create a little bit of history it means a lot," said Sexton. "It's a very, very special day for everyone in the country. We talk a lot about making people at home feel very proud of us and it's right at the top of our lists.
"I'm unbelievably happy with the win. No Irish team has ever done it before and it's all on the line next week."
Ireland's momentous victory at Forsyth Barr Stadium followed 12 previous defeats on New Zealand soil.
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