Your rugby evening headlines for Sunday, July 10.
Boks fire warning
Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber has warned the time for experimenting is over and his sole focus is winning the series in Cape Town next weekend.
Nienaber drew criticism in some quarters this week for making wholesale changes and experimenting with his wider squad for the second Test in Bloemfontein and Wales drew level in the series with a last minute try from Josh Adams and conversion from Gareth Anscombe.
The South Africa boss has regularly spoken of his 'plan' throughout this series, hinting that exposing new players to the Test arena is an important objective. But that will go out the window this weekend as he looks to avoid losing the series in the Mother City.
Read next: You can see how we rated each Wales players and mark them yourself here.
When the question was put to him, he laughed: “No, no. It (the plan) will be to win the series.
“You never want to lose. We’re playing for something much bigger than simply to win Test matches. I think the whole team feels that we let this phenomenal crowd down by not getting the victory. Going into the last game, it’s going to be a final.
“From the start we said that Wales aren’t coming here to compete, they’re coming to win a series. We tried to bag the series tonight and also get answers but we couldn’t.”
The hosts are expected to recall the likes of skipper Siya Kolisi, Faf de Klerk, Lukhanyo Am and Cheslin Kolbe to name a few.
North: Wales have big performance coming
Wales star George North insists his side have another gear in them as they head into a decider against the Springboks next weekend.
The three-Test tour is locked at 1-1 after another dramatic encounter in Bloemfontein, which the visitors won 13-12 thanks to a last minute try from Josh Adams and touchline conversion from Gareth Anscombe.
Cape Town is the final destination for Wayne Pivac’s side and, after creating history by becoming the first Welsh team to beat the Springboks in their own backyard, a series victory is now in their sights.
“It’s huge for the boys,” said North, who drew level with Stephen Jones as Wales’ most-capped back in history on Saturday night. “We have put in a lot of work, not just in this campaign but in campaigns before this.
“We came out here in 2014, we didn’t do a job then. We fully appreciate coming up against the world champions on their stomping ground and it’s a tough place to come.
“If you look at the first Test it set the standard of the challenge. Both sides knew what they were going to receive. No backwards steps would be taken and on Saturday night it felt a bit more on edge, as it should.
“We were playing a clean sweep of a whole different South Africa squad. It was always going to be a mixture of edgy rugby and that ability to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
He added: “The squad now is in a really good place. We know there is a performance coming, we feel it in the preparation and the way we are showing some elements of it.
“The character to dig in defensively was good from us. We can tidy stuff up from the discipline side of things but from the first Test until now it’s a big step from us and another gear to go.”
England to push through fatigue
Jonny Hill insists the prize on offer against Australia on Saturday rules out fatigue as a threat to England's attempt to complete a series victory at Sydney Cricket Ground.
An engrossing 25-17 triumph in the second Test has set up a decider in the final outing of a 12-month stretch that for many of Eddie Jones' squad included the Lions tour to South Africa.
Hill was part of Warren Gatland's quest to topple the Springboks but he insists the prospect of emulating the 3-0 whitewash delivered Down Under in 2016 will induce one last lung-busting effort.
"When you have an opportunity to play in the final game of a series, I don't think any fatigue will come into it," said the Exeter lock, who missed the Six Nations because of a foot injury.
"The lads look forward to these tours all season. We're here now and are in for a shout for the series, so the boys will be flying into it. We've got five weeks off after.
"It's not something that happens very often, winning in Australia. If we went on to win it would be really special to me personally."
Scots promise more
Rory Darge insists there is "a lot more" to come from Scotland after they levelled their three-match Test series with a comprehensive 29-6 win over Argentina in Salta on Saturday.
The Scots had lost 26-18 against the Pumas last week but in a reverse of fortunes they ran in four tries through Hamish Watson, Mark Bennett, Matt Fagerson and Sam Johnson and scored 21 unanswered second-half points.
The series will be decided in Santiago del Estero next Saturday and 22-year-old Glasgow flanker Darge told Scottish Rugby's official Twitter account that Gregor Townsend's men are focused on winning the series.
He said: "It was a tight game in the first half. We came out in the second half really well and I was delighted with it.
"There was a lot of questions asked last week and it was just a good response.
"A word we talk about a lot as a squad is hustle and I have a feeling that if we look back at that game we will see lots of it.
"We had so many efforts on that goalline and we just didn't let them get that try and we are delighted with that aspect of the game.
"But we know that there is a lot more (to come) from us and next week is massive now.
"We didn't come here to win one game, we want to win the next game, we want to win the series, so all focus on next week."
Ben White claims Scotland played with "courage" and "pride" against their hosts.
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