It’s All On The Line: All four series deciders. It’s Only Live Once; All Blacks vs Ireland (SS Action 7.30am), Australia vs England (SS Action 10.15am), Springboks vs Wales (SS Action 3.30pm), Argentina vs Scotland (SS Action 7.30pm); all deciding Tests exclusively live on Sky
Thursday 14 July 2022 06:09, UK
We look at the stories so far on each of the summer's four tours, live on Sky Sports, as England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland get ready for series-deciders vs Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina...
A trio of final-quarter tries saw 14-man Australia claim a 30-28 win over England and a 1-0 series lead against the odds in the first Test in Perth, after the hosts lost second-row Darcy Swain to a 34th-minute red card.
Tries by replacements Jordan Petaia, Folau Fainga'a and Pete Samu capped a remarkable turnaround for a hugely-disrupted Wallabies side, who also suffered a number of early injuries.
A tight contest saw England 6-3 up at the time of the most significant moment in the match, as Kiwi referee James Doleman sent Swain off for a headbutt on Jonny Hill, after the England lock had pulled the hair of the Australia player.
Hill was sin-binned for his role in sparking the incident, but the loss of Swain for the remainder of the match gave the Wallabies a handicap from which they looked likely to lose from.
"Well we had enough moments in the game to win it but, at 14-9 with 20 minutes to go, we should have put that game away and we didn't do that so we are very disappointed in that," Jones told Sky Sports.
"But the commitment from the players is that we now need to win the series 2-1. So we will learn from the game and make sure we don't let them off the hook next time.
"We have just got to tidy up our ability to finish in attack and defensively we could have got after them a bit more we feel."
England dug in to force a series-deciding third Test against Australia, as Billy Vunipola's converted try and six Owen Farrell penalties secured a 25-17 second Test win over the Wallabies in Brisbane.
England dominated the first half to get out to a commanding 19-0 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane after Vunipola struck from a rolling maul and Farrell kicked four penalties, with Australia's only points of the opening 40 minutes coming via a late Taniela Tupou try.
Farrell struck again for a 22-7 lead, but momentum turned thereafter as Samu Kerevi crossed for a try and Noah Lolesio kicked a penalty either side of a Marcus Smith sin-binning for a deliberate knock-on.
England dug in to keep the Wallabies out when a man down, however, with Farrell adding another penalty to take the game away from Australia and set up a series decider next week, live on Sky Sports.
"It's 1-1. And the pressure's on the other mob now," Jones told Sky Sports. "So they've got to deal with that pressure. We'll find ways of getting better.
"It was a good effort by the boys. We just tightened our game up a little bit this week. The boys carried out the game-plan really well, and played with a lot intensity, a lot of passion, and we had three new caps. Incredible.
"It's just time together. We're a very young, inexperienced team. It takes time to put things together, and we'll be more cohesive next week.
"The medical situation with Maro is that he will be out next weekend."
A quick three-try blast was crucial as New Zealand took a 1-0 series lead vs Ireland at Eden Park, winning 42-19 against the luckless visitors.
Ireland, who had never won against the All Blacks in New Zealand, made the better start to the Test and dominated the opening half hour as Keith Earls scored early.
Andy Farrell's team failed to add to that score, however, as full-back Jordie Barrett struck, before wing Sevu Reece critically intercepted deep in his 22 as Ireland looked to get over, before sprinting virtually the length of the pitch.
Ireland skipper Johnny Sexton was forced to depart after that score on 30 minutes, before the All Blacks then scored twice in two minutes through centre Quinn Tupaea and No 8 Ardie Savea.
Though Garry Ringrose replied for Ireland early in the second half, they had further Joey Carbery and Josh van der Flier tries ruled out by the TMO after last-gasp interventions by Rieko Ioane on both occasions.
Savea grabbed his second, before replacement Pita Gus Sowakula scored on his Test debut, and Bundee Aki grabbed Ireland's third to complete the scoring.
"It was a good start and then after that we lost a few simple moments, it changed the momentum of the game and they were very clinical in finishing the chances they got," Ringrose told Sky Sports.
"Plenty to improve on for next week.
"I'm never pleased after losing a game so for us it's being tough and honest with each other, taking individual responsibility and then collectively trying to be better for next week. That will be the focus now."
Two tries from Andrew Porter and 13 points from Johnny Sexton saw Ireland record a historic 23-12 win over the All Blacks in New Zealand after Angus Ta'avao's red card, levelling the three-Test series at 1-1.
A chaotic first half saw Porter score just three minutes in, All Blacks wing Leicester Fainga'anuku yellow carded - and fortunate not to be sent off for a leading shoulder to the face of Ireland wing Mack Hansen - and then tighthead Ofa Tu'ungafasi also sin-binned for a tackle off the ball on Garry Ringrose, an incident which should have seen Ireland awarded a penalty try.
That all proceeded Ta'avao's red card after a TMO review, due to a sickening head-on-head clash with Ringrose, leaving South African referee Jaco Peyper little option but to dismiss the replacement prop on 31 minutes.
Despite facing 14 men for the majority of a first half they dominated, 13 for some time, and what should have been 12 for a play when uncontested scrums came as a result of the red card - it later turned out New Zealand kept 13 on at this point - Ireland failed to add to their score before the break.
It appeared significant when Beauden Barrett got over for an All Blacks try in the final play of the first half in virtually their first attack, after Ireland second row James Ryan was sin-binned for repeated infringements.
Despite the opening nine minutes of the second half starting 14 vs 14, it was Ireland who began to dictate play again, as Porter powered over for his second try, before skipper Sexton added two further penalties to seal success.
"I'm just so pleased for the players, because they are desperate to inspire people back home you know?
"And they keep turning up time and time again and doing special things for Irish rugby, for the Irish people.
"I'm so glad that they were were able to get over the line, because it had a bit of everything didn't it?
"It was courageous effort. I'm so proud of them."
Damian Willemse broke Welsh hearts with the final kick of a pulsating Test match as world champions South Africa triumphed 32-29 at Loftus Versfeld.
Willemse's penalty - awarded following a deliberate knock-on by Wales captain Dan Biggar - denied Wales a draw and for large parts of a breath-taking contest, Wayne Pivac's team looked destined to end 58 years of hurt by claiming a first victory over the Springboks in South Africa.
Wales, though, were briefly reduced to 12 men during the frantic closing stages after Rees-Zammit, Alun Wyn Jones and Rhys Carre received yellow cards.
"It was a huge effort but when you are down 12 men against the world champions it is very, very difficult. Discipline, we were on the wrong side of the referee today.
"The effort was there. It was more under pressure and fatigue. It's such a shame we lost it at the end, I would have taken a draw. I'm disappointed for the players as they have worked so hard this week.
"I'm proud but it's one that got away, world champions in their back yard. We will roll our sleeves for next week."
Gareth Anscombe's late conversion sealed victory for Wales over South Africa to win the second Test 13-12 and send the series to a decider.
Anscombe entered the field midway through the second half after Wales' captain Dan Biggar sustained a shoulder injury. He then kept his cool to direct the late conversion from the far left touchline between the posts.
Josh Adams had charged over at pace with a try to stun South Africa, who were leading 12-6 with four minutes left to play.
It is Wales' first victory on South African soil and means they will head to Cape Town with everything on the line.
"There was a lot of passion in the changing room before the game and at half-time. The boys were still keen to get the job done, they were very frustrated after last week.
"I'm just pleased that we got there, the South African team came out as they knew we would and played very well.
"We're a little bit disappointed that we're not two-nil up. We are in the race to win the series next week. It is going to be a huge challenge and it will be a different South African side, we know.
"It just makes for a good series. It is going to be a big week for us, and we will look forward to it."
Scotland's second-half rally was in vain as Argentina sealed a hard-fought victory in the opening match of the Test series in Jujuy.
Tries from Jeronimo De La Fuente, Santiago Carreras and Gonzalo Bertranou were enough to give the hosts victory against Gregor Townsend's team in the first match in charge for their new head coach Michael Cheika.
Townsend elected to leave British and Irish Lions Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell and Chris Harris at home as the coach looks to build depth in his squad ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup.
They certainly missed the trio, as the visitors failed to muster a single entry into Argentina's 22 in the first half, and although they put that right somewhat with a spirited fightback at the start of the second, it was Los Pumas who prevailed.
Scotland blew Argentina away in Salta with a strong second-half performance to level the Test Series with the Pumas.
Tries from Hamish Watson, Mark Bennett, Matt Fagerson and Sam Johnson saw Scotland comfortably win the game 29-6 to silence a raucous home crowd, and to complete an amazing quartet of victories for the home nations in the Southern Hemisphere - the first time Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland had all won on tour in the same day.
It was a morale-boosting win for a Scotland team without British and Irish Lions Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell and Chris Harris - the trio are being rested at home for this series - but fellow Lion Watson, returning after injury last week, scored a try to mark his landmark 50th cap in style.
Blair Kinghorn and Ross Thompson contributed nine points with the boot as a home crowd that had celebrated Independence Day in Argentina before kick-off and were in party mood, fell silent.
