Officials in Hungary have described Frankie Dettori’s appearance at Kincsem Park at the weekend as a “dream come true” after the Italian stole the show with a big-race double.
Dettori’s visit to Budapest was a somewhat unexpected stop on his farewell tour, but he proved a hit with his Hungarian fans as a bumper crowd flocked to the capital and were treated to not only the 52-year-old in winning action but his famous flying dismount celebration.
It was the first time British raiders had graced the Hungarian track during one of its feature weekends, and owner Fitri Hay’s support of the Autumn International Meeting was rewarded by winning both of the day’s features thanks to the assistance of the retiring weighing-room great.
After winning a local Group Two aboard Ian Williams’ Silent Film, Dettori then linked up Paul and Oliver Cole’s Splendent in the feature Kincsem Stakes – a result which delighted the hosts.
“It could not have gone any better and was a real success,” said Botond Kovacs, international liaisons officer at Kincsem Park.
“The Hays are absolutely marvellous people and they of course were delighted with the outcome of the races and also with our hospitality. I am trying to sound modest but we really did our best and of course Frankie was happy.
“He did not win on the four Hungarian horses he rode, but this is racing, and I do hope it is not the last time we host English-trained horses in Budapest.
“Of course we are looking forward to hosting Frankie when he has retired, we will welcome him with open arms at any time.
“The Hays and the four trainers from England were absolutely fantastic. Even the veteran trainer Paul Cole showed up and that was a real privilege for us. He is a real great name in racing and his family are wonderful people.”
Not only did Dettori delight his adoring Hungarian supporters by showcasing his famed talent in the saddle, he also got up close and personal with the locals as the queue for souvenir photographs stretched far across the grandstands.
Kovacs added: “People were enjoying it and Frankie was being stopped every single second.
“It’s different for a superstar to appear in a country he has never been rather than France, Ireland and England and everyone wanted their selfie with Frankie.
“He really is a superstar and was great, he was never fed up and smiling all the time – he is a great person and racing needs people like Frankie.
“The next task for racing is to try to come up with a person who equals Frankie. Frankie is the brand of horse racing.”
Officials hope the visit of Dettori and horses from Britain will help boost the profile of horse racing in Hungary and anticipate welcoming further runners from overseas in the future.
“It was a dream come true and I am really over the moon. It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” said Kovacs.
“We will have a meeting soon with the management of Kincsem Park to draw some conclusions and see where we can improve, but it really was a historic day for Hungarian racing.
“Horse racing is owned by the government and the minister of defence is in charge. He is a great man and loves his racing – he is a fanatic.
“In the last decade it is no secret there has been probably more downs than ups in Hungarian racing but now there is good prospects and we are really really happy.
“We would like to do our best to lift Hungarian racing to the standards we once had. Hungarian racing is almost 200 years old and we are still here after two world wars and every other type of hardship.”
Central Coast Mariners head coach Nick Montgomery is on a five-man shortlist to become the next Hibernian manager, the PA news agency understands.
Hibs have received permission from the A-League champions to hold talks with the 42-year-old former Scotland Under-21 international.
But reports in Australia claiming that Montgomery has already been selected as Lee Johnson’s successor are premature.
Hibs have spoken to two candidates and plan talks with three more this week, including Montgomery.
Former Hibs manager Neil Lennon has been among the favourites for the role and had declared himself open to discussions.
Leeds-born Montgomery initially moved to Mariners as a player in 2012 after making almost 400 appearances for Sheffield United.
He has been captain, assistant coach, youth coach and head of football at the club before taking over as head coach in August 2021.
Montgomery led Mariners to their second A-League Grand Final success with the help of a hat-trick from former Hibs striker Jason Cummings in a 6-1 triumph over Melbourne City in June. Recent Aberdeen signing James McGarry was also in the team.
Other players he has coached include Hibs full-back Lewis Miller, Kye Rowles of Hearts and former Tynecastle loan striker Garang Kuol.
Mariners owner Richard Peil last year claimed Motherwell had expressed interest in Montgomery before appointing Steven Hammell as manager.
Peil told Australian media outlet ftbl.com.au in August last year that Montgomery was destined for England’s top flight.
He said: “Monty knows we are on a three-year plan and I was never going to let him go. We were pleased by their approach because it shows what Monty and (assistant) Sergio Raimundo are doing here is something special.
“But I was always going to fight tooth and nail to keep him in Australia. I never had any intention of supporting him going to the SPL.
“He’ll coach in the EPL at some point. It’s just a matter of time. He’s a young coach, and like he tells all our players, you have to be patient and go through the process.
“I’m sure this will be the first of many approaches for him over the next few years.”
Johnson lost his job after Hibs lost their opening three cinch Premiership games and suffered a 5-0 home defeat against Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League play-offs.
Former skipper David Gray led the club to a 2-0 league win at Aberdeen on Sunday in his third spell as caretaker manager.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes his side’s victory at Ibrox can be a big moment in their development as a team.
The Scottish champions had not scored in their previous two matches and were without four injured centre-backs against Rangers, while their starting full-backs could not complete the game.
But, after dominating the first half and leading through Kyogo Furuhashi, Celtic shut out Rangers in the second half as they came under sustained pressure for long spells.
A back four of Anthony Ralston, Alexandro Bernabei, Liam Scales and recent signing Gustaf Lagerbielke finished the game with a clean sheet along with the help of two good saves from Joe Hart.
Rodgers, whose side moved four points ahead of their city rivals in the cinch Premiership, told Celtic TV: “In football, you can’t play perfectly all the time.
“We want to create opportunities and we want to score, but when you have those days where maybe you are away from home and you’re under pressure, you have to show that resilience. And they had that in bucketloads.
“So I’m so happy for the players. I think they have been on death watch by the media for the last week or so, coming into this game.
“But for me, as a coach, it was about staying calm, working the players and knowing that they’re going to grow and develop and this is a big part of the development – to come and win away at Ibrox.
“When you consider what this group is missing in terms of players, but not just players, influential players, to come here and show that desire and drive to get a result is really impressive.
“So it’s a big moment for the squad – they can feel what it’s like to get this win and I’m really happy for them.”
Believing and Mill Stream have been supplemented to take on Shaquille in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock on Saturday.
A total of 23 speedsters are in contention for the six-furlong Group One, with the Julie Camacho-trained Shaquille very much the star attraction as he looks to add to his previous top-level wins this summer in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Newmarket.
The George Boughey-trained Believing and Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Mill Stream are two interesting contenders after their respective connections paid the £20,000 required to add them to the field.
Believing has won two Listed races and a Group Three this season and is one of two potential runners for the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing team along with Karl Burke’s Spycatcher, who was beaten a short head by King Gold in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville last month.
However, the latter appears unlikely to make the trip to Merseyside.
Harry Herbert, Highclere’s managing director, said: “Believing was impressive winning last time and the way she has been since leads George to think she’s improving rapidly.
“Certainly looking at her physically that is exactly what she’s doing, so we looked at all the options for her and felt this was an opportunity to have a crack at a Group One race.
“With ground conditions quickening up it’s possible the field will reduce, but it’s more the way she’s coming into the race and the opinion the trainer has of her.
“She’s very smart and with a filly like this that’s improving, the shareholders were keen to give it a go and it’s very exciting.”
Of Spycatcher, Herbert added: “He’s in great form the horse, but we definitely wouldn’t risk him on quick ground.
“This has been the target for a while now, but it’s highly unlikely that he’ll run looking at the forecast. You never know, if a thunderstorm hits or something happens before declaration time then we may reconsider, but we need to protect him.
“He’s in at Ascot on Champions Day and we’ve got to be patient. He’s a wonderful horse who is improving all the time, but at this stage I’d say we’d struggle to run him on Saturday unless something out of the ordinary happened with regards to the weather forecast.”
Mill Stream won a Listed race and a Group Three at the French track in August and fully merits his place in Group One company.
“Mill Stream has come out of his Deauville race in good order, so we have decided to take the opportunity to run him again while he is good form as there are no other options for him until Champions Day,” said Chapple-Hyam.
Ralph Beckett has left in both Kinross and Lezoo after on Sunday suggesting he is likely to rely upon the latter, while Aidan O’Brien could saddle one or both of Aesop’s Fables and The Antarctic.
Other hopefuls include Ed Bethell’s Regional, the William Haggas-trained Sacred and July Cup runner-up Run To Freedom from Henry Candy’s yard.
Ancient Rome could be set for further adventures overseas having scooped almost £1million when victorious at Kentucky Downs on Saturday.
A four-time winner and fourth behind Modern Games in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains when trained in France by Andre Fabre, the son of War Front is two from two since switched to Charlie Hills for new owner Fitri Hay.
His class came to the fore when landing the Chesterfield Cup at the Qatar Goodwood Festival and he further advertised his qualities when making a successful raid on the Grade Three Mint Millions Stakes.
“It was fantastic and he’s done very little wrong since he has joined us,” said Hills.
“He’s got his good form back again and he had such good form as a two-and three-year-old. He seems to be enjoying himself and travelled over there great.
“It’s great when you have a horse who you know can travel well and it hopefully gives us a few nice races to go for in the future.”
Ancient Rome could now go in search of further riches Stateside, with international outings in both France and Bahrain also possibly on the agenda.
Hills continued: “You have to give full credit to Fitri Hay and her team for finding that race over there and he’s Kentucky-bred so it made sense with that amount of prize-money for a Grade Three to go for it.
“We’ve had a brief chat this morning and we really need to get him home first, but there should be some nice races to go for.
“We could look at the Coolmore Turf Mile at Keeneland or we could go to France for the Prix Dollar and maybe the Bahrain Trophy a little bit later on.
“I’m sure he will get a bit further as well. I don’t see a mile and a quarter being a problem and he’s a really exciting horse to have in the yard, it’s great.”
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis says his club are on a path to becoming a “dominant force in English football”.
After securing survival in their first Premier League season in 23 years last term, Forest are looking to kick on and have made a decent start, winning two of their four opening games, including a 1-0 win at Chelsea on Saturday.
Marinakis has again invested heavily, with a splurge of signings on transfer deadline day as seven players arrived at the City Ground.
Divock Origi, Ibrahim Sangare, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Nicolas Dominguez were among those and Forest now look to have a much stronger squad than last year.
And Marinakis, who has also made a significant investment in the club’s infrastructure, wants to see his club back at the top table of English football.
“Our vision for the club is clear and unwavering: we are on a path to re-establish Nottingham Forest as a dominant force in English football,” he said in a letter to fans.
“This journey is not just about the short-term, it’s about building a sustainable future. We are investing in youth development, nurturing young talent, and building a squad that can compete at the highest level for years to come.
“The players we have brought in are fighters and winners who understand and believe in our vision for the future of this great club.
“When players of the talents of those we have brought in this summer choose Nottingham Forest over the other dominant European clubs chasing their signatures, you should know that they choose us because we have shared with them our vision and they have fully invested in what it is we want to achieve.”
Forest were able to recoup over £45million on Brennan Johnson, who was sold to Tottenham, and Marinakis paid tribute to a player who came through the City Ground ranks.
“He is the ultimate young professional and his contributions to the club he loves have been enormous – helping us achieve promotion back to the Premier League and instrumental in helping us retain that status on the final home game of last season,” the owner added.
“In moving to Tottenham Hotspur he has also provided his boyhood club with the financial means to reinvest and continue to grow.
“We thank him for being part of our family and giving so much of himself to us. Go well, Brennan, be strong and healthy and we wish you every success.”
Only near perfection between now and Christmas can rescue Michael Beale’s Rangers project, according to former Ibrox captain Craig Moore.
Beale incurred the wrath of many Rangers fans inside Ibrox on Sunday after they watched their team follow a 5-1 Champions League play-off thrashing by PSV Eindhoven with a 1-0 defeat by Celtic.
Beale only took charge in November last year but his summer recruitment has come under scrutiny after the European disappointment and a slow start to the cinch Premiership season, which has seen Rangers lose two of their first four matches.
Beale’s only win in six games against Celtic came after the Hoops clinched the title last season and Moore believes it could take a major effort for him to get another derby chance.
The former Australia defender felt Rangers did not create enough chances or use the energy of the home crowd as Celtic dominated the first half before defending the lead that Kyogo Furuhashi gave them just before the interval.
Moore told Sky Sports: “The concerning thing was Celtic were nowhere near full strength and Rangers were virtually at full strength at home. It wasn’t good enough.
“What the supporters want to see is when you see sign nine new players and talk about improving the starting 11, and only three start this particular match, there’s concerns in terms of the mixed messaging.
“It’s a tough situation because, once you get the swell of support against you here, then it could be very, very difficult to come back from.
“I was at the game and coming out of the stadium there was a lot of supporters who were really unhappy with the performance, his selection, the situation.
“He needs a near-perfect run to be able to turn this around.
“Look, Michael Beale is a smart enough man, he’s a good man, but he knows the expectation and what he needs to achieve
“That’s also on the manager, not the players. It’s something that has to be rectified.
“His run now between now and Christmas will have to be near perfect.”
A 42-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault after football pundit Roy Keane was reportedly headbutted at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.
Footage was posted on social media of fellow Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards pinning a man against a wall in the moments after the alleged assault on Sunday.
The Metropolitan Police refused to identify anyone involved in the incident, but issued a statement that said: “Police are investigating an incident at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, September 3, during which a man was assaulted.
“On Monday, September 4, a 42-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault (ABH). The man has been taken into police custody.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”
Sky confirmed that Richards had attempted to “defuse” the situation after the alleged assault following Arsenal’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United.
A spokeswoman said: “We understand the police are investigating an alleged assault by a member of the public immediately preceding the footage circulating on social media.
“In the footage seen, Micah Richards was acting to defuse a situation.”
Any witnesses or those with information can contact the Metropolitan Police on 101 quoting the reference CAD 6961/3 Sept.
England go into the season’s first international break with cause to worry once more about the lack of homegrown players in the Premier League.
Less than 30 per cent of playing time in the early stages of the campaign has gone to players eligible for England, continuing a running concern for national team boss Gareth Southgate.
Here, the PA news agency looks at what the data can tell us.
Struggle for playing time
Of 86,710 minutes played by Premier League players this season, 25,399 have gone to players eligible for England.
That equates to 29.3 per cent of the available playing time, a slight decline on recent seasons as a peak to nearly 40 per cent in the 2020-21 season was not sustained.
Southgate said during March’s international window: “It has been around 32 per cent (in 2022-23) but that’s down from 35 per cent when I took over and 38 per cent in the years before, so the graph is clear.”
The issue has been part of the ongoing ‘New Deal For Football’ discussions between the FA, Premier League and EFL, which covers the post-Brexit system of Governing Body Endorsements (GBEs) for overseas players, as well as financial distribution, cost controls and the domestic calendar.
There have been 161 England-qualified players (EQPs) used in the 39 games so far, with 20 of those playing over 400 minutes including stoppage time. Eight of those 20 made Southgate’s squad for the upcoming games against Ukraine and Scotland, including Chelsea defender Levi Colwill, who joined Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah in earning a first senior call-up.
Leading clubs
Six clubs have so far given over 40 per cent of playing time to EQPs, a list headed by Everton at 49.4 per cent.
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been ever-present for the Toffees along with veteran compatriot Ashley Young, with James Tarkowski just seven minutes behind. James Garner has been a mainstay in midfield, while defender Michael Keane was replaced after two games by fellow Englishman Jarrad Branthwaite.
Newcastle have three English ever-presents in Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn. Trippier is in this month’s England squad though Pope was surprisingly left out.
Anthony Gordon is another regular, with significant playing time too for Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes and Sean Longstaff. Newcastle’s total includes just under 90 minutes for Elliot Anderson, the midfielder selected by Scotland for this window but who remains eligible for England until he makes a competitive debut – potentially against the Three Lions next Tuesday.
Crystal Palace have three players in Southgate’s latest squad – Pope’s replacement Sam Johnstone, Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze – after giving over 45 per cent of playing time to EQPs. Arsenal are at 43 per cent, Luton 42 and Chelsea 40.
Fulham lagging behind
At the other end of the scale, Fulham have used only two EQPs so far this season and one of those, Tosin Adarabioyo, has played only 12 minutes.
That leaves Harrison Reed carrying the load in a paltry total of just over seven per cent, the only single-figure mark in the top flight.
Tottenham have fared little better at 11 per cent following the departure of Southgate’s captain Harry Kane for German side Bayern Munich – one of four members of the England squad playing his football overseas, along with Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, Fikayo Tomori of AC Milan and Jordan Henderson following his controversial move to Al-Ettifaq.
Brentford are at 13 per cent without suspended England striker Ivan Toney, with the ever-present Rico Henry instead leading the way.
Burnley are next lowest at 15 per cent with Wolves, Aston Villa and Henderson’s former club Liverpool all giving between 17.5 and 18.5 per cent of playing time to EQPs.
Michael Dods will target Qipco British Champions Day with his star filly Azure Blue after ruling her out of a potential outing this weekend.
The four-year-old made a flying start to her campaign, with a comeback victory in Listed company at Newmarket followed by a narrow defeat of Highfield Princess in the Duke of York Stakes.
She was sixth when stepped up to Group One level for the July Cup and subsequently missed an intended tilt at the Nunthorpe at York after suffering a minor foot problem.
Azure Blue could have returned this weekend in either Saturday’s Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock or the Flying Five at the Curragh on Sunday, but Dods has again had to put plans on hold.
“We’ve had a bit of an issue. She seems all right now, but we just didn’t think she’d be ready,” said the Darlington-based trainer.
“She had the foot problem before York and then she had a bit of an ulcer problem and we just had to deal with it.
“We’re happy enough with her, she just wouldn’t have been ready to run this weekend.”
Azure Blue will now either contest the British Champions Sprint on October 21 or be roughed off until next season.
Dods added: “If we didn’t have her for Ascot we probably wouldn’t be bothering, I’d probably leave her and have her ready for the start of next season. That would be the plan.
“It’s disappointing, but there’s always another day and we’ll just have to wait until we see her at 100 per cent.”
Europe captain Luke Donald admitted he had been “blown away” by the ability of Ludvig Aberg after handing the rising star one of his six wild cards for the 44th Ryder Cup in Rome.
Former world number one amateur Aberg only turned professional in June, but won the final qualifying event in Switzerland on Sunday with a final round of 64 at Crans-sur-Sierre.
The 23-year-old Swede has made the quickest transition from the amateur ranks to the Ryder Cup in the contest’s history, eclipsing the previous record set by Sergio Garcia, who made his debut in 1999 after turning professional following April’s Masters.
Aberg was selected along with Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Nicolai Hojgaard, with Poland’s Adrian Meronk missing out despite winning the Italian Open at the host venue in May.
The six wild cards join automatic qualifiers Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Tyrrell Hatton and Robert MacIntyre in Donald’s team, which will attempt to regain the trophy at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club from September 29 to October 1.
Speaking about Aberg, Donald said: “We obviously knew what he was doing in the college scene. You look at what he did in those four years and the only comparables really were Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm. He is that good.
“I played with him in Detroit and was blown away by his game. He continued to impress and I challenged him to come over to Europe and play a couple (of events).
“He was fifth (tied fourth) in the Czech Masters and you know what he did yesterday. It was like a walk in the park for him and for someone that is so inexperienced it was just so, so impressive.”
Hooker Ronan Kelleher insisted his “body feels unbelievably healthy” as he declared himself fit for Ireland’s Rugby World Cup opener.
The 25-year-old has endured a series of injury setbacks during the past 18 months and missed each of his country’s warm-up matches amid a hamstring issue.
Ireland flew to France on Thursday with potential problems in the middle of their front row as first-choice number two Dan Sheehan sustained a foot injury in last month’s win over England.
Scrum coach John Fogarty said on Monday that none of Ireland’s 33-man squad have been ruled out of Saturday’s Pool B clash with Romania in Bordeaux, while Kelleher was extremely positive about his own condition.
“I’m fighting fit and ready to go,” he said. “I’ve been training fully and I’m just raring to get going now. I had a few little niggles there over the last couple of weeks.
“There’s obviously two ways of looking at it. You’d be thinking ‘maybe I haven’t got a couple of games under the belt, which I would have liked’, but at the same time my body feels unbelievably healthy, so it’s great.
“You very rarely go into matches feeling 100 per cent healthy. For me personally, first World Cup, really looking forward to it.
“It’s been unfortunate really, just unlucky, but the medics have done some job getting us all back fit and it’s just about staying on top of it now that we’re out here.”
In addition to Kelleher and Sheehan, prop Dave Kilcoyne and back-rower Jack Conan were sidelined during the build-up to the tournament.
Ireland boss Andy Farrell, who also has Ulster hooker Rob Herring at his disposal, has remained upbeat amid the fitness doubts, an assessment echoed by coach Fogarty.
“No one is ruled out and we’ll see how things go over the next couple of days,” he said.
“We’ve got some brilliant people assisting the fellas through their programmes and we’ve got a healthy group.
“We’re so lucky to have such talented hookers. They’re aware that they’re in a competition with each other. It’s always been that way.”
Kelleher initially stole a march in the quest to become Rory Best’s long-term successor courtesy of some standout displays across 2021, which led to training with the British and Irish Lions.
However, he concedes he is now playing catch-up in the battle to be Ireland’s preferred starter after a shoulder injury sustained during defeat to France in last year’s Six Nations opened the door for Leinster team-mate Sheehan.
“Maybe a little bit, yes,” said Kelleher.
“But we know it’s an 80-minute game. You’re going to have to do a job. You know there’s plenty of game time to go around.
“It’s about making sure you’re ready no matter if you’re selected to start or if you’re selected to come off the bench to finish strong. Everyone has a role to do in those 80 minutes.
“It can only be a positive thing for Irish rugby and us two as well that we’re constantly driving each other on and competing for that number two jersey.”
Owen Farrell admits the tackle that resulted in his suspension for Saturday’s World Cup opener against Argentina was a mistake.
England’s captain is “gutted” to be unavailable for the pivotal Marseille showdown after his dangerous hit on Wales’ Taine Basham last month resulted in a four-match suspension that ends after the Pool D clash with Japan.
Farrell initially had his red card downgraded to a yellow by a disciplinary hearing, only for World Rugby to appeal the decision, which was upheld.
“Obviously you don’t want to go back too far and I don’t want to be sat here talking about this now. I want to be talking about the weekend,” said Farrell, speaking about the incident for the first time.
“I made a mistake and I got banned for it in the end. I’m not going to sit here and moan about it now.
“I’m excited for this World Cup to start. I’m excited to see what this team can do and I look forward to being available again.
“I’m gutted not to be playing and I’m gutted not to be available. Especially a big game like this at the weekend.
“I’ve even always wanted to play at Stade Velodrome, ever since watching the quarter-final in 2007.
“I’m excited for the team now. There’s a real good feeling about the World Cup starting in France now. I’m excited to play my role in that.”
When asked if he immediately realised his shoulder-led challenge on Basham at Twickenham on September was a red card offence, Farrell replied: “I didn’t know at the time. I knew when it came on the big screen.
“It is what it is. I’ve been banned, I accept that I’ve been banned. I’m gutted not to be playing but I’m trying to do everything I can for this team.”
World Rugby vice-chairman John Jeffrey believes Scotland have arrived at the Rugby World Cup with their strongest team of all time and are now operating at a level that will strike fear into the top nations on the planet.
The 64-year-old, who won 40 caps in dark blue and was a star of the 1990 Grand Slam-winning team, was at the Scots’ lavish welcome ceremony just off the waterfront in Nice where he addressed the squad and told them he views them as the best group of players the nation has ever assembled.
“I think this is the best Scotland team ever,” he told the PA news agency afterwards. “If you look at where we’re ranked, fifth in the world, that’s the highest we’ve ever been ranked.
“And also if you look at the way we play, we’ve got back to the way that is traditionally Scottish. We play a game that suits us.
“And there’s no reason why, despite being in the supposed group of death, we can’t qualify from the group.”
Scotland share a World Cup pool with Ireland and South Africa, the two highest-ranked teams in the world, but Jeffrey believes Gregor Townsend’s side will be viewed with some trepidation by anyone they come up against.
“Gregor’s been there seven years and implemented the style of play and taken it on to a different level,” he said. “Everybody you speak to compliments the style of rugby we’re trying to play. It’s just a matter of executing it when you play the number one and number two teams in the world in your group.
“It’s a great challenge but historically Scotland play better when they’re underdogs.
“On our day, every one of the top teams in the world will be scared of us. Speaking to people 12 months ago, everyone would say Ireland and South Africa are going to qualify. Speak to people now and they’ll say it’s between three teams. The chance is there, let’s take it.”
Scotland lock Scott Cummings admitted it was an honour to hear his team described in such glowing terms by such a highly-regarded former player.
“Comments like that obviously mean a lot,” said Cummings. “To be involved in a squad that’s getting talked about like that from a legend of the game like John Jeffrey is a huge deal to all of us.”
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