Wales finish their Autumn Nations Series campaign by tackling Australia in Cardiff on Saturday, with both teams desperate for victory in their final game of 2021.

It started with a heavy defeat against New Zealand, before a narrow loss to world champions South Africa and then victory over Fiji.

Australia, under the tutelage of another New Zealander Dave Rennie, will be hoping to avoid a European tour clean sweep of losses, after being narrowly beaten by Scotland and outplayed by England.

Four consecutive wins against South Africa and Argentina in the Rugby Championship seems a distant memory now.

The Wallabies claimed 13 successive wins against Wales between 2009 and 2017, with eight of those victories being in Cardiff, but Wales have won the last two, including a 2019 World Cup pool game.

Some have written the match off as an end-of-year fixture with little to be enthused by. Time will tell but both camps will vehemently disagree with that assessment.

Pivac's half-term report

It is two years this month since Pivac officially succeeded his fellow New Zealander Warren Gatland as Wales head coach, and he has now reached the halfway point of a four-year World Cup cycle.

There have been contrasting fortunes, with Pivac's Test record showing nine wins, one draw and 11 defeats.

After a poor start, he masterminded a Six Nations title triumph last season when Wales were just seconds away from also achieving a Grand Slam.

The countdown to France 2023 is well and truly under way and there is little doubt Pivac has increased Wales' playing strength in depth ahead of next year's schedule.

Australia are once again in Wales' World Cup group, so this will represent a chance to lay down a marker for both sides two years out from the next global tournament.

Team news

Neither side will be at full strength this weekend for the 2021 finale. Pivac has made seven personnel changes this week, with number eight Aaron Wainwright, prop Tomas Francis and wing Josh Adams returning after being ruled out of the Fiji victory.

Scrum-half Tomos Williams, lock Seb Davies, prop Wyn Jones and centre Willis Halaholo also start. There is no room for British and Irish Lions centre Jonathan Davies who captained the team against South Africa, with flanker Ellis Jenkins again leading the side.

Wales have suffered more injury woes this week, with WillGriff John and Will Rowlands ruled out through head injuries to add to a lengthy list.

So the autumn series has been a testing one to say the least, with injuries affecting the squad before and during what was always going to be a punishing programme - with Pivac potentially fielding 39 players in the four games.

The casualty count runs well into double figures, with Lions Alun Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, George North, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau, Josh Navidi, Ross Moriarty, Dan Lydiate and Leigh Halfpenny all sidelined.

Australia are without talisman and 118 times-capped skipper Michael Hooper, missing due to a foot injury, with prop James Slipper taking over the captaincy.

Pete Samu replaces Hooper at openside flanker, with hooker Tolu Latu, tight-head prop Taniela Tupou and left wing Filipo Daugunu all recalled.

Wing wonders

There will be much attention on the two opposing number 14s, with Wales' Louis Rees-Zammit and Andrew Kellaway both nominated this week for World Rugby's breakthrough player of the year award.

Kellaway is one of Australia's main attacking weapons, with fly-half Quade Cooper, centre Samu Kerevi and Marika Koroibete missing the tour.

Rees-Zammit, 20, scored a spectacular try that helped drive Wales over the finishing line against Fiji, outstripping the opposition defence on a 60-metre sprint as he chased his own kick.

Few players in world rugby possess Rees-Zammit's pace and there is an excitement that pumps through the Principality Stadium every time he has the ball in space.

Comparisons with Wales' record try-scorer Shane Williams will inevitably be made, but while Rees-Zammit is still at a fledgling stage of his Test career, there appears no limit to what he could achieve.

What they say

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac: "Australia will be very dangerous. Dave Rennie, like any coach, is a proud man and he'll want to rectify those losses.

"They've come off a long season. They'll be looking at it like us. One more big effort. Knowing Dave, he'll have them wound up and playing right on the edge, just like Dave Rennie sides always are."

Australia head coach Dave Rennie: "I know Wayne well. We've coached against each other in New Zealand and Wales. He's a good man. Stephen Jones, who was with Wayne at the Scarlets - you can see his imprint on the game. I've worked with Jonathan Humphreys (at Glasgow) and he wants to play an open brand of footy too. You can certainly see they're trying to put their stamp on the game."

"They've had a couple of losses and found their way past Fiji on the weekend. We haven't performed as well as we've needed to in the previous two Tests and we're keen to make up for it."

Line ups

Wales: L Williams; Rees-Zammit, Tompkins, Halaholo, Adams; Biggar, T Williams; W Jones, Elias, Francis, Beard, S Davies, Jenkins (capt), Basham, Wainwright.

Replacements: Dee, G Thomas, Lewis, Carter, Tshiunza, G Davies, Priestland, McNicholl.

Australia: Beale; Kellaway, Ikitau, Paisami, Daugunu; O'Connor, White; Slipper (capt), Latu, Tupou, Arnold, Rodda, Leota, Samu, Valetini.

Replacements: Fainga'a, Bell, Alaalatoa, Skelton, Swinton, McDermott, Foketi, Wright.

Match officials

Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)

Assistant referees: Mathieu Raynal (FFR), Nika Amashukeli (GRU)

TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU).

Gloucester maintained their perfect record in the Premiership Rugby Cup with another big victory as they beat Exeter 45-19 at Kingsholm.

Elsewhere, Leicester got their second win from two games with an emphatic 55-7 victory at Wasps.

Worcester began their campaign with an equally impressive win as they beat 14-man Bristol 68-13 at Sixways.

Alex Morgan went over twice in the first half as Gloucester sealed a bonus point before the break against the Chiefs, who pulled a try back shortly before the break through Rus Tuima.

George Barton scored Gloucester's fifth try three minutes after half-time before young Exeter winger Arthur Relton and scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne restored some respectability to the scoreline.

But replacement Jack Reeves got a sixth try for the hosts with three minutes to go to put them on 10 points from two games, while Exeter have yet to win a game in the competition after a bonus-point loss to Bristol last week.

At the Coventry Building Society Arena Kini Murimurivalu's first-half try for Leicester was added to by Calum Green, James Whitcombe, Hosea Saumaki and two for Guy Porter to see the Tigers lead 41-0 with 12 minutes to go.

Oliver Hartley pulled a try back with eight minutes left before Saumaki scored two more for Leicester in the final three minutes of the game.

Worcester had already scored five tries as they led 38-5 at Sixways, before Bristol had Charlie Powell sent off shortly before half-time after taking out Harri Doel in the air.

They scored five more after the break as Gareth Simpson and Tom Howe both scored twice, Billy Searle landing nine conversions to add to a try of his own.

Retiring Ireland captain Ciara Griffin was full of emotion after ending her career with two tries and a win over Japan, but insists she is comfortable with the decision she has made.

However, she claimed "now is the right time [to retire] for me and my family".

"That was a lovely way to go out and I will take a lot of solace from that. I want to relish this moment," she said.

Griffin led the team to victory even though they played for 52 minutes in Dublin with just 14 players after Hannah O'Connor's red card.

The captain, a schoolteacher, was in tears during the pre-match national anthems and was also emotional after her starring role on Saturday, with two second-half tries ensuring that Ireland signed off a difficult 2021 with back-to-back autumn wins over the USA and Japan.

"Everyone knows I wear my heart on my sleeve," Griffin said.

"It was the last time signing the anthem for your country and it is an emotional time and something that stands out. It got me.

"The game itself was a mix of everything, wasn't it?

"We acknowledged at half time the things we needed to work on and it was a complete team performance in the second half.

"There is a group of players in there who keep fighting for each other, they don't drop the heads.

"They are very close and have each other's back and when you have that, it's half the battle."

Departing Griffin and Griggs sign off with one last win

Griffin and outgoing head coach Adam Griggs bowed out with one last win - with a squad in transition facing into an uncertain future after failing to qualify for the World Cup.

The team dearly wanted to conclude a difficult few weeks - dogged by off-field controversies - with a home victory in front of their fans at the RDS but they were comprehensively outplayed by the adventurous visitors in the first half.

Yet the incoming coach Greg McWilliams will have been heartened by the battling qualities shown in the second half by a group of players still emerging and learning in the international arena.

Although Enya Breen gave Ireland the lead through a sixth-minute penalty, Japan were the better team in the first half, playing with a high tempo and plenty of accuracy.

That was in contrast to a transitional Ireland side, who conceded eight penalties in the opening half hour and struggled for rhythm and cohesion with so many knock-ons and poor execution.

The Japanese thoroughly deserved their 12-3 interval lead with Mana Furuta capitalising on a fast break by Ria Anoku to score the opening try after 17 minutes.

Ireland suffered a blow when number eight O'Connor received a straight red card for leading with the head on Nijiho Nagata in the 28th minute.

The visitors bossed the closing minutes of the first half with an extra player, and Seina Saito finished off a brilliant team try, with Japan's forwards taking on and beating a physically stronger Irish pack.

Ireland transformed in second half

Whatever was said by Griggs in his final team talk at half-time, or by Griffin, the players certainly responded.

Griffin led by example, charging down Japan's clearance kick for Ireland's first try four minutes after the restart.

Their line-out problems and handling errors of the first half melted away when Griffin crashed over off a pick and go under the posts. Breen's conversion put Ireland 15-12 in front with one quarter of the game still to play.

A bad penalty miss by Breen kept Japan in the game and they had some late pressure, but a huge tackle by Griffin helped Ireland turn the ball over, one final little cameo to give the fans a glimpse of what they will miss in 2022 and beyond.

Ireland: Delany; Doyle; Considine, Naoupu; Sheehan; Breen, Dane; Feely, Jones, Djougang; McDermott, Monaghan; Griffin (captain), McMahon, O'Connor.

Replacements: Moloney, O'Dwyer, Healy, Caplice, O'Leary, Hughes, Touhey, Roberts.

Japan: Anoku; Nagura, Futura, Kobayashi, Imakugi, Otsuka, Tsukui; Kato, Nagata, Lavemai; Tamai, Yoshimura; Saito, Suzuki, Nagai.

Replacements: Komaki, Kokaji, Kitano, Minami, Nagata, Ito, Abe, Yamamoto.

Referee: Clara Munarini (Italy).

Stuart Hogg became Scotland's leading try scorer as they earned a third Autumn Nations Series win in four by edging past Japan at Murrayfield.

Darcy Graham gave the hosts an interval cushion and, although Rikiya Matsuda's boot and a Tevita Tatafu effort kept Japan in touch, Stuart McInally's try ultimately proved enough for Scotland.

The victory added to successes over Tonga and Australia, as Gregor Townsend's side followed up defeat by world champions South Africa with this unconvincing win over their troublesome visitors.

Every Scotland fan will suffer some kind of anxiety attack whenever Japan are the opposition, those World Cup memories from Yokohama in 2019 still vivid enough even though so much has changed for both sides in the meantime.

The Scots have advanced, the Japanese, starved of meaningful games and proper vision among those running the game, have regressed, though they made life uncomfortable here.

Scotland put in a mundane show, littered with errors and the kind of things that will have brought on a quiet seethe in Townsend.

Big players step up amid patchy performance

Scotland were accurate only in patches and one came early. They had a penalty in front of the posts but went for touch instead. Eventually, Van der Merwe forced his way for his ninth try in 13 Tests.

This was a struggle at times, though. Once again Scotland's discipline was awfully poor - they conceded 15 penalties against the Boks last week and another six in the first 25 minutes here - and the line-out was not exactly pin sharp either. They coughed up two early throws.

Matsuda put some deserved points on the board for Japan and added another three soon after when Scotland were done again at the breakdown.

Their 6-5 lead was warranted, but it was short-lived. When Scotland desperately needed somebody to put a fire under them - and the hushed crowd - it was Hogg, not for the first time, who did it.

His break, a skipping and stepping thing of beauty, put Scotland on the front foot in the first place. As Japan scrambled, the hosts capitalised.

They needed a few recycles to find the space but when they did it was Russell who fed Hogg to gallop over for his record-busting score. A 25th try for his country - what a haul, what a player. Russell's conversion was good.

Scotland's third score came before the break. Russell put in a poor kick, which was fumbled ridiculously, and the home side had a scrum. The fly-half then came on a screaming left to right run.

Graham got it and cut in off his wing to beat a Japanese defence who were not wise to his footwork. That is 10 tries in 22 Tests for him. The conversion made it 19-6 at the break.

Scotland see it out, but work to do

Scotland had only been fleetingly impressive. They had taken their tries well but had been average at best and their woes returned early in the new half when their inability to stay on the right side of the referee cost them points and a man in the bin.

Jamie Bhatti walked for another breakdown infringement and Matsuda put over the penalty that came with it. Then he put over another as Scotland lost their way once more. A comfortable 19-6 lead had turned into a ropey 19-12 advantage.

As soon as they were restored to 15, Scotland scored again, though. McInally got on the end of a line-out maul and nobody was stopping him.

Russell's conversion made it a 14-point game but Scotland's vulnerability was exposed again when, off a line3-out, Tatafu blasted through Hamish Watson and Javan Sebastian - on for his debut - to narrow the gap to nine.

Matsuda messed up the extras, but the try gave Japan momentum and hope. And yet another Scotland penalty - the count was sky high by now - gave Matsuda a chance to make amends, which he did.

With eight minutes to go it was now a six-point game, but Scotland saw it out from there.

They put it beyond Japan's reach with a late Russell penalty that secured their third win from four this autumn. A good return but on this evidence they have serious amounts of work to do if they want to get in the shake-up in the Six Nations.

These Tests were just the warm-up act. The big show is on its way.

'You can see how much it meant' - reaction

Scotland captain Stuart Hogg: "I think you can see by my reaction how much it [the new record] meant to me. The main thing, though, is we got a good win.

"We've managed to win three out of four Test matches in the autumn and the exciting thing for me is that we're not quite satisfied with everything that happened.

"We're yet to find that complete 80-minute performance but I think part of that was because we were put under a lot of pressure by Japan who managed to hold on to the ball for large periods."

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend: "It was a real Test match. Japan showed the level of play we saw from them in 2019. They're the only team I can think of in world rugby who keep the ball in their own half and go through the phases.

"I've got to commend our defensive effort. We had to come through adversity too, with penalties against us and the yellow card. I felt our contact work in attack was the best it's been in the whole campaign."

Scotland: Hogg, Graham, Harris, Johnson, Van der Merwe, Russell, Price; Bhatti, Turner, Z Fagerson, Cummings, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Watson, Bayliss.

Replacements: McInally, Schoeman, Sebastian, Skinner, Richardson, M Fagerson, Horne, Kinghorn.

Japan: Yamanaka, Matsushima, Nakono, Nakamura, Fifita, Matsuda, Nagare; Millar, Sakate, Ai Valu, Cornelsen, Moore, Leitch, Labuschagne, Himeno.

Replacements: Horikoshi, Inagaki, Kakinaga, Gunter, Tatafu, Saito, Tamura, Reily.

Referee: Brendan Pickerill (NZ)

England signed off on 2021 in style as they outfoxed and outfought 2019 Rugby World Cup final conquerors South Africa in front of a rapturous Twickenham crowd.

But Handre Pollard's boot kept the Boks in the fight as they turned the screw after the break.

Raffi Quirke finished off an incisive attack for England, but the world champions' mix of rock-solid mentality and physicality seemed to have won it when Makazole Mapimpi went over out wide on 69 minutes.

However, England fought to the death, as head coach Eddie Jones predicted they would have to, and fly-half Marcus Smith held his nerve to slot the decisive penalty in the 79th minute.

After a miserable fifth-place finish in the Six Nations earlier this year, the scalp of the world number ones and world champions is the biggest validation yet of the head coach's tactical reboot.

As Smith finally booted the ball dead after a nerve-jangling wait for referee Andrew Brace to rule on an aerial contest in the shadow of England's posts in the final passage of play, it felt like a landmark win.

One that points the way away from 2019's defeat in Yokohama and towards the promise of what might be in France in 2023.

England beat the best

England tore into their opponents in the first half, with a performance that buzzed with energy, invention and no little confrontation.

The eagerly awaited first scrum skirmish ended with England tight-head prop Kyle Sinckler grinning widely at opposite number Ox Nche and referee Brace's arm aloft to indicate a penalty to the hosts.

Jamie Blamire's first line-out as England's starting hooker was a clever trick play, bulleted to a grounded Maro Itoje inside the Springbok 22m.

The breakthrough try arrived shortly after as Smith and centre Henry Slade's quicksilver hands beat the Boks' blitz and gave Tuilagi a run into the corner that the covering Pollard was never going to stop.

South Africa arrived at Twickenham with the summer's Lions series victory still fresh in the memory. However, they have looked vulnerable at times in 2021 to a backline that can outflank their defence.

Australia beat them twice in a week back in September with the canny Quade Cooper at the wheel, while Finn Russell's eye for space frequently opened them up against Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend.

Even when England's front row were crumpled at a scrum on halfway, Blamire's hook and Ben Youngs' smart pass moved the ball away fast to create the hosts' second try, with Smith, Slade and Steward freeing Max Malins, on in place of the injured Tuilagi, to scamper down the left wing.

South Africa covered back without fully recovering and Steward made the most of his 6ft 5in frame to punch over from short range.

When Smith kicked a penalty for a 17-6 lead after 24 minutes, England's brave new world seemed almost surreal. Swing Low rang round the stands, the opposition were on the ropes and the hosts were crowing.

But it was never going to be so easy for long.

Pollard's boot, although far from perfect, chipped away at the lead, and the introduction of Vincent Koch, Malcolm Marx and Steven Kitschoff - the fabled 'Bomb Squad' front row replacements - seemed to sap England's belief.

Pollard slotted another penalty to sneak South Africa to 17-15 - just two points behind - with 25 minutes remaining.

England's scrum was suddenly stuck in reverse and South Africa, who have trailed in their past seven Tests, came on strong.

But such situations are the crucibles in which teams are bonded and names made.

England's young stars stood up. Malins threw himself under the wheels of a driven maul to hold up South Africa over the line before Quirke's superb supporting line took him under the posts from Joe Marchant's break.

Mapimpi's score and Frans Steyn's penalty seemed to have finally squeezed England out of the contest, but, as tempers frayed and lactic burned, the hosts landed the final punch.

South Africa infringed on the floor at the end of a scrappy passage of play and, with 15 seconds left on the stadium clock, Smith kept his cool from straight in front to bisect the sticks.

Man of the match - Freddie Steward

'A special occasion and a famous win' - analysis

BBC rugby union correspondent Chris Jones:

"This was a special occasion at Twickenham, with the muted indifference of the Australia match last weekend replaced by a crackling atmosphere as England thrilled the crowd with three great tries on the way to pulling off a famous win.

"In the second half England looked broken; they were leaking penalties at an alarming rate, bossed at the breakdown and in the scrum, and couldn't win a line-out, so will all that in mind this was a significant victory for Eddie Jones' men.

"Although Jones constantly refers to the World Cup in 2023, there is loads of rugby to play before then. The Six Nations is shaping up to be another fascinating tournament - with Jones facing a number of intriguing selection dilemmas as he looks to blend the old guard with the new."

Line-ups

England: Steward; Marchant, Slade, Tuilagi, May; Smith, Youngs; Rodd, Blamire, Sinckler, Itoje, Hill, Lawes (capt), Underhill, Curry.

Replacements: Dolly, Marler, Stuart, Ewels, Simmonds, Dombrandt, Quirke, Malins.

South Africa: Le Roux; Kriel, Am, De Allende, Mapimpi; Pollard, Reinach; Nche, Mbonambi, Nyakane, Etzebeth, De Jager, Kolisi, Smith, Vermeulen.

Replacements: Marx, Kitshoff, Koch, Mostert, Wiese, H Jantjies, E Jantjies, Steyn.

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)

Lionel Messi scored his first Ligue 1 goal as Paris Saint-Germain opened a 13-point lead at the top of the table despite playing almost half an hour with 10 men in a 3-1 home win against Nantes on Saturday.

Messi found the back of the net with a curled left-footed effort from outside the box three minutes from time, adding to Dennis Appiah's own goal after Randal Kolo Muani had cancelled out Kylian Mbappe's first-half opener.

The result left PSG with 37 points from 14 games ahead of a Champions League trip to Manchester City on Wednesday, while Nantes are 11th on 18 points.

Messi has scored three goals in the Champions League since joining from Barcelona during the close season but the Argentine forward had not found the back of the net in his five previous appearances in Ligue 1.

Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea tore into his teammates after suffering an "embarrassing" 4-1 defeat away to Watford on Saturday as the side's poor form continued.

United slumped to their worst top-flight loss to a newly-promoted side since 1989 in Saturday's defeat as captain Harry Maguire was sent off late on in a result that heaps more pressure onto boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

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De Gea, who saved two penalties in the opening stages of the game, heaped responsibility for the side's poor onto his teammates, who have now lost four of their last five Premier League games.

"There's not much to say -- it was embarrassing to see Man United play like we did today," De Gea told Sky Sports in a postmatch interview.

"It's not acceptable the way we were playing and doing things. It is easy to blame the manager or the staff, but sometimes it is the players. We need to show much more than we are doing.

"Embarrassing first half -- we could've conceded four goals in 45 minutes. It was hard to watch the team playing today. It was nightmare after nightmare. It's not acceptable.

"We are trying to give our best and fight for the team but for sure something is very wrong. You can see in the games -- it's very low level, very poor. Sorry to the fans, once again.

"I've been in difficult moments and always believe in myself but there are difficult moments we have to be strong in mind and body. We are paid to play for United and to do better than that.

"This is not Manchester United or the way we ought to play. It is difficult to say more than that.

"It's been very bad for a long time -- a club like Man United we have to be fighting for trophies and fighting for big things and to be honest we are far from that. Let's see - we have to keep working hard and stick together. We always say the same things but it's the truth, we have to look at ourselves and see where we can improve."

Goals from striker Joshua King and forward Ismaila Sarr meant Watford entered the half-time break with a well-earned lead. United midfielder Donny van de Beek came off the bench and gave his side a glimmer of hope when he nodded home into an empty net on 50 minutes.

However, Van de Beek's goal became merely a consolation as Watford strikers Joao Pedro and Emmanuel Dennis added two more in stoppage time to end all doubt.

"I always have belief in myself," Solskjaer said in a postmatch news conference. "At the moment, it's a difficult time for us. I believe we can turn this around.

"I understand fans who follow the club through thick and thin, they've been fantastic the last few years. It's a difficult period. We've had a hard time since Sir Alex [Ferguson] left and fans who've been with us have been unbelievable.

"Being second [last season] we hoped to kick on and at the moment we can't seem to find our form. I understand [fan frustration] that's their right to show their opinion.

"I need to get the players to perform better, that's my responsibility, that's the biggest thing now."

United are next in action when they face Villarreal in a crucial Champions League clash on Tuesday before taking on Premier League leaders Chelsea next Sunday.

Manchester United slumped to a 4-1 defeat against Watford on Saturday as pressure grows on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following the side's fourth defeat in their last five Premier League games.

Harry Maguire was sent off in the second half as United slumped to another loss, with David De Gea also saving two penalties in a chaotic match at Vicarage Road. Ismaila Sarr was twice denied by De Gea but made amends with a 44th-minute strike to extend his side's lead. Donny van de Beek came on in the second half but his goal was mere consolation as Watford added two more in stoppage time.

Midfielder Scott McTominay handed Watford an early chance to take the lead as he brought down opposing striker Joshua King in the 18-yard box on eight minutes. Forward Sarr missed the ensuing penalty, but defender Kiko Femenia was quickest off the mark to fire home the rebound, although the goal was ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee for encroaching in the penalty area.

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De Gea turned hero again as he saved Sarr's re-taken spot kick to keep the sides level.

Watford, who dominated for much of the first half, got a well-deserved lead on 28 minutes as King slotted home after a swift piece of play from striker Emmanuel Dennis. United lumped even further as the hosts doubled their lead just before half-time with a deflected strike from Sarr.

Midfielder Van de Beek came off the bench at the break and got his side back in the game, nodding the ball into an empty net after a nice link up with forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

Things then went from bad to worse for United as captain Maguire was sent off on 69 minutes, receiving a second yellow card for a mistimed challenge on opposing midfielder Tom Cleverley.

Watford striker Joao Pedro put paid to any doubt in the final moments of the game with stoppage-time goal before Dennis added a fourth shortly after.