Preview: Springboks tackle Ireland bogey, red-hot England meet Pumas, All Blacks in Wales

LONDON (AP) — If South Africa received a first-half red card against Ireland in Dublin this Saturday, could it win?

The Springboks have been incredibly resilient to soak up first-half reds and still beat France 32-17 in Paris and Italy 32-14 in Turin over the last two weekends.

The chance of a red card for the Boks in a third straight test can't be underestimated while test rugby is in a card-rich environment.

The Irish have also been a bogey team for the Springboks. The Irish beat them 13-8 at the 2023 World Cup in Paris, where Irish fans serenaded their team with “Zombie” by the Cranberries. South Africa fans recast the title lyric to “Rassie” in tribute to coach Erasmus but Ireland won 25-24 in Durban last year to square their gripping series.

None of the current Springboks have won in Dublin; South Africa's last win there was in 2012. The last visit in 2022 was lost 19-16.

“When we received the calendar at the beginning of the year, this fixture was definitely one that stood out, so we're excited,” Boks record caps holder Eben Etzebeth said.

The Irish dismantled Australia by a record 46-19 last weekend, getting up to speed and restoring confidence after disjointed performances against New Zealand (loss) and Japan (win).

Another victory for Ireland would dampen talk that the home side is too old and living on reputations.

For the Springboks, their last big match of 2025 — no disservice to Wales next week but it won't be the same intensity — would underline their status as the undisputed No. 1 test side for a third straight year.

England's Matthew Carley has the whistle and Andrew Jackson is the TMO. They were in charge of Wales-Japan last weekend when Wales wing Josh Adams and Japan lock Harry Hockings were red-carded. Following disciplinary hearings, Adams' was upheld and Hockings' was rescinded.

England and Argentina meet for the third time this year on Sunday. An England depleted of British and Irish Lions won the series in Argentina 2-0 in July. England is fresh off beating New Zealand 33-19 while the Pumas are coming off an historic 33-24 comeback victory over Scotland from 21-0 down. They can't afford to give England a similar start.

England blowing up New Zealand's Grand Slam hopes also flipped the All Blacks' thinking into giving their young guns a shot at Wales, among 12 changes.

France is struggling but not as much as visiting Australia, which is one loss away from a first winless European tour since 1958 and a record 10th defeat this year. The Wallabies have been on the go since June and coach Joe Schmidt said, “You cannot flog a dead horse. It's mental, emotional fatigue as much as it is physical."

Italy and Chile meet for the first time ever on Saturday in Genoa, and Scotland on Sunday plays Tonga, which hasn't had a match in two months.

Scotland was booed at home after the Argentina collapse and winger Kyle Steyn understood. “At some point we're going to have to ask ourselves the question, ‘Do we have the marbles in the big moments?’" Steyn said. “Until we show it, then fair enough to the Scottish people for doubting that.”

South Africa has restored most of the team which beat France, after resting a dozen front-liners from the Italy win. The recalls include world player of the year nominees Pieter-Steph du Toit and Malcolm Marx, and halves Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Sam Prendergast won the Ireland 10 hot seat from Jack Crowley. Crowley started against New Zealand and Japan and Prendergast against Australia last weekend. Fit-again Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier complete a near full strength side.

England lost Jamie George, Ollie Lawrence and Tom Roebuck to injuries and made six changes, including starts for prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour, center Henry Slade and wing Elliot Daly, who hasn't played since July when he broke his arm playing for the British and Irish Lions.

Argentina has welcomed back flyhalf Tomás Albornoz, sidelined by a hand injury and concussion since the Rugby Championship, and flanker Marcos Kremer among five changes. Regular fullback Santiago Carreras, who inspired the comeback against Scotland, was on the bench again.

New Zealand gave out Christmas gifts early by making 13 changes and playing its second- and third-stringers and dropping the likes of centurions Ardie Savea, Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor.

Wales is debuting Ospreys openside Harri Deaves and reserve Dragons hooker Brodie Coghlan. Scarlets inside center Joe Hawkins features for the first time since the 2023 Six Nations. Deaves, covering for injured star Jac Morgan, has been doubted for being 5-foot-11 (180 cm) and 212 lbs (96 kilos) but coach Steve Tandy loves his scrappy attitude: "He ain’t going to die wondering."

France will debut 20-year-old Toulouse center Kalvin Gourgues off the bench. Gael Fickou returns along with first-choice locks Thibaut Flament and Emmanuel Meafou.

Australia had late withdrawals from flyhalf Carter Gordon and hooker Billy Pollard and brought back Tane Edmed and Matt Faessler. Front-rowers Taniela Tupou and Billy Pollard and wing Dylan Pietsch have been plugged in.

Captain Michele Lamaro returns for Italy's first ever matchup with World Cup-bound Chile in a team with 10 changes after the South Africa loss, including uncapped England-based 19-year-olds Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi and Edoardo Todaro on the bench.

Scotland tighthead prop Zander Fagerson has recovered from calf and knee issues to play his first rugby since April. Only captain Sione Tuipulotu has been retained amid 14 changes.

Sam Prendergast. Led Ireland's attack against Australia impressively but his defensive weakness was exposed again. Coach Andy Farrell defended him, however: “Sam's ability as a flyhalf far outweighs a work-on (tackling) within his game.”

Eben Etzebeth and Ruan Nortje. Springboks locks aren't being targeted but two red cards against their second-rowers in the last two games mean the starters against Ireland better watch where they put their shoulders.

Ruben Love. The clamor by New Zealand media and fans for the dynamic Love to play grew louder after the England loss. He's bumped Will Jordan to the wing to play fullback against Wales but he's also seen as a flyhalf. This is Love's fifth cap and second start in 18 months. He said: “You're in behind two or three future hall of famers in Beauden (Barrett), D Mac (McKenzie) and Will, you have to be patient."

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Ireland's players celebrate following the rugby union Nations Series match between Ireland and Australia in Dublin, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

South Africa's Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, left, is tackled by France's Damian Penaud during the rugby union Nations Series match between France and South Africa in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025 . (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Las Vegas Review-Journal announced Friday that it will no longer print its rival the Las Vegas Sun for the first time in decades, amid an ongoing legal dispute over the nation's last joint operating agreement stemming from a 1970 law designed to preserve newspapers.

Readers “will not find a printed Las Vegas Sun insert inside,” the Review-Journal said in an editorial, noting the Sun maintains a website, has a few hundred thousand followers across social media platforms, and is free to produce its own newspaper.

“We encourage them to do so. The Review-Journal competes with countless sources of news and entertainment, but we would welcome one more. We just don’t want to foot the bill. It is time the Sun stood up on its own two feet,” the editorial said, without specifying the cost.

The two publications will be in court Friday and the Sun hopes a judge will order printing to immediately resume, attorney Leif Reid said in an email. It will be the first day in 76 years that the Sun hasn’t been printed, he said.

“This does irreparable harm to our community, as no one benefits when a local newspaper is prevented from being published,” he said.

The now-rare joint operating agreement required the Sun to be printed as a daily insert in the Review-Journal, while both companies remained editorially independent with separate newsrooms and websites.

A lower court had found the agreement was unenforceable because a 2005 update was never signed by the U.S. attorney general, and in February the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by the Sun.

The Review-Journal editorial called the Supreme Court decision a decisive victory, saying that halting publication of the Sun on Friday was “a result of 6½ years of litigation between the newspapers, precipitated by the Sun.”

Such agreements between rival publications have dwindled as part of a "long, slow goodbye of newspapers as we knew them,” said Ken Doctor, a news business analyst. The Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News ended a 40-year agreement last year. USA Today Co., which owns the Detroit Free Press, recently announced its plans to purchase the Detroit News.

In 1950, the Sun was founded in response to the Review-Journal’s refusal to negotiate with typesetters from the International Typographical Union. The union started its own newspaper and reached out to businessman Hank Greenspun for financial backing. The Greenspuns still own the paper.

The Review-Journal has been publishing since 1909, first as the Clark County Review. It is owned by the Adelson family, casino magnates and mega GOP donors, and remains the state’s largest newspaper.

The Review-Journal’s editorials lean more conservative, while the Sun’s lean liberal. The 1970 law signed by then President Richard Nixon, called the Newspaper Preservation Act, was designed to save newspapers costs while maintaining competition and editorial variety in cities as newspapers began to financially struggle.

The papers first entered into a joint operating agreement in 1989 when the Sun was struggling to stay afloat financially. The agreement made the Sun an afternoon newspaper during weekdays and a section within the Review-Journal on weekend mornings, while the Review-Journal handled production, distribution and advertising. The Review-Journal also collected all revenue and was required to pay the Sun monthly to cover the Sun’s news and editorial expenses.

In 2005 the agreement was amended to make the Sun an insert in the Review-Journal every morning.

Review-Journal owners sought to end the agreement in 2019, and in response the Sun’s owners filed a lawsuit alleging that ending the agreement violated anti-trust laws.

The 1970 law allowing such agreements was signed at a time when news options weren't as prevalent and there was more concern over news monopolies.

Las Vegas — and Nevada as a whole — today have more strong, independent news organizations compared to other places, said Stephen Bates, a journalism and media professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The Sun also publishes online. But it has argued in court that losing its print product could make it harder to recruit staff, cause a loss in readers, and even force it to close.

Genelle Belmas, a journalism professor at the University of Kansas who specializes in media law, said it would be disappointing if the last joint operating agreement in the country ends. During visits to Vegas, she's enjoyed being able to pick up the Review-Journal and see the Sun folded inside, offering two differing points of view in one place. Online news outlets make it easier for consumers to stay in their echo chambers, she said.

“Every local news outlet we lose — and that includes big towns, small towns, whatever — is a loss of perspective and a loss of a potential alternative view,” Belmas said.

FILE - This Dec. 17, 2015 file photo shows a sign outside the building housing the Las Vegas Review-Journal in Las Vegas. AP Photo/John Locher, File)