Steve Borthwick insists England are ready to defy gloomy predictions for their World Cup by delivering a reaction against Argentina in Saturday’s pivotal opener.

The Pumas are in the rare position of being assigned favourites for the main event of Pool D, based on a strong year under the guidance of Michael Cheika and their 30-29 victory at Twickenham in November.

England, meanwhile, have gone into freefall following a run of five defeats in six Tests that no longer makes qualification for the knockout phase appear to be the formality it once was.

Borthwick, who has named Alex Mitchell at scrum-half and Tom Curry at openside for the Marseille showdown, insists the low expectations have sent ripples of indignation through the squad.

“I sense there is a feeling among the players they’ve been written off too early. People have called time on them a bit too early,” England’s head coach said.

“I sense the frustration about what people have been saying about them and right now I have an expectation that they will go and perform with the quality that they have.

“I sense from them that there’s a real determination to go and put their best performances on the park.

“There is a lot of class in this squad. The players have a hell of a lot more to go. They can’t wait to get stuck in on Saturday night.

“Our job is put in a performance that this team is capable of and I know these players are capable of. I know these players are determined to deliver on Saturday night. That’s our job now.”

Borthwick’s theme of an England side ready to exit their slump in time to make an impact at the World Cup was taken up by captain Courtney Lawes, who is leading the team in the absence of the suspended Owen Farrell.

When asked if the players are angry at recent performances, Lawes replied: “There’s definitely a frustration. We feel it as much as anybody.

“We are in the thick of it and we are doing everything we can to make sure, come this weekend, we are firing on all cylinders.

“It’s going to be a hell of a spectacle, so enjoy it. We are going out all guns blazing and we are going to give it everything we have got.

“It’s the first game of the World Cup and we’re going to be well up for it.”

Offering hope to England supporters is the selection of Mitchell ahead of Danny Care and Ben Youngs, with the 26-year-old half-back a more dynamic presence than his veteran rivals for the jersey.

The tempo and energy brought by Mitchell, both through his delivery and with the ball in hand, was one of the few highlights to emerge from a chastening defeat by Fiji last month.

Remarkably he starts in England’s biggest game since the 2019 World Cup final despite being overlooked for their original 33-man squad, with an injury to Jack van Poortvliet offering his route to France.

“Alex was a dangerous running threat against Fiji; everyone knows he is a dangerous running threat,” Borthwick said.

“Immense credit to Mitch in that he was incredibly disappointed not to make the original 33-man squad. An opportunity opened up.

“One of the positives that came out of that Fiji game was his performance. He played well and he’s trained exceptionally well. He’s ready to go.”

Curry’s influence on the team is evident through his promotion to the back row despite having missed the entire build-up campaign because of an ankle injury sustained in training.

“We have got players throughout this 23 who have performed on the biggest of stages and Tom Curry is one of them,” Borthwick said.

“He’s in fantastic physical condition; he missed a period of training but his movement is exceptional.”

Steve Clarke has not sought any kind of guarantees from Elliot Anderson about the midfielder’s Scotland future.

The  Whitley Bay-born Newcastle United player, who has a Scottish grandmother, has played at youth level for both Scotland and England.

The 20-year-old was called up by the Scotland boss for the first time for the Euro 2024 qualifier against Cyprus in Larnaca on Friday and the challenge match against England at Hampden Park next week after deciding against switching allegiance to England following positive discussions with Clarke.

However,  Anderson officially withdrew from the squad on Wednesday night after picking up an injury in training.

Asked at the pre-match media conference in Cyprus if he had sought any assurances from Anderson, the Scotland boss said: “No. He just went home.”

The Scotland boss had already been asked if he had any fears surrounding international allegiances, and had said: “It is not something I can control.

“There’s not a lot I can do about it.

“Obviously (disappointing not to have the chance to work with Elliot), that’s why we brought him into the squad.

“Disappointing to lose Elliot and Liam (Kelly) on the same day but that’s part and parcel of international football, you deal with it.

“Obviously we had to replaced Liam because we couldn’t come with two goalkeepers so we brought in young Robby (McCrorie). who has been part of the squad before, he understands. We didn’t need to replace Elliot because we have enough midfielders.”

Scotland top Group A with four wins from four and have gone eight competitive games without defeat.

An expected victory against Cyprus, who were beaten 3-0 at Hampden Park, could see Scotland qualify for a second successive Euros next Tuesday if results elsewhere go their way.

However, Clarke – whose side is expected to be backed by around 6,000 fans in a stadium which has a capacity of 8,058 – played down the exciting prospect of going to Germany next summer.

He said: “I am not really the excitable kind, am I? Just concentrating on the game coming up.

“The players are in a good place, they are a good place in the group.

“At halfway we have maximum points, you can’t do much better than that.

“Some of the moments within the game we can improve on.

“We don’t think for a minute that we are the finished article, we will look to improve and the players have said that we will.

“We want to keep improving and improving but always respect the opponent.

“It will be difficult. They are a proud team, proud to represent their country, Cyprus.

“They are always difficult opponents for us.

“Two late goals probably put a little gloss on the scoreline (at Hampden) so we expect a tough game.”

Much is being made of the high temperatures in Cyprus but Clarke was relaxed about the 9.45pm local time kick-off.

He said: “When we came off the plane last night at the back of 10 the conditions were OK.

“It was pretty hot in Norway when we went there so we have some experience and it was nice and sunny in Glasgow when we left so you just have to deal with the conditions as they are and make sure we get the result that we want.”

Ben Stokes revealed he has a “plan” to try to resolve a longstanding problem with his left knee and get back to being a fully fledged all-rounder once the Cricket World Cup has finished.

England’s Test captain said at the end of the Ashes “serious conversations” would be had about the issue that restricted him to bowling 29 overs in the drawn series and none in the last three matches.

He has since reversed his ODI retirement for England’s bid to retain their World Cup crown – having been so influential to their 2019 success – and will travel to India next month as a specialist batter.

Once England’s involvement is over in mid-November, Stokes will turn his attention to his ailing limb and attempt to recover in plenty of time for the five-match Test tour of India, starting on January 25.

However, while Stokes is upbeat about his prognosis, he stopped short of divulging whether an operation is required or if the specialists he has seen have recommended an alternative course of action.

“I’ve had some good conversations with specialists in different fields around rehab and a plan going forward after the World Cup,” Stokes said.

“There will be potential of something happening after the World Cup. There will be a time I make clear what’s going on, but I don’t think now is the right time to do that, with everything we have got coming up.”

He added to the BBC: “There’s actually quite a long time off after the World Cup. It’s nice knowing after the World Cup we’ve got something, a really good plan we can do and we can stick to.

“I want to be playing next summer as a genuine all-rounder. This winter is all about playing this World Cup then getting this knee sorted.”

Stokes, who is set for his first ODI in 14 months as England take on New Zealand at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Friday, admitted he was “exhausted, tired (and) had a lot of naps” after a gruelling Ashes.

A schedule of five Tests in six and a half weeks stretched Stokes to the limit but after a trip away with his family, he confessed the pull of the World Cup was the deciding factor in his ODI comeback.

Player of the match in the 2019 final, Stokes, whose unbeaten fifty secured T20 World Cup glory last November, insisted he felt no pressure to return from captain Jos Buttler or head coach Matthew Mott.

“It’s been a conversation that’s been ongoing with Jos and Motty. We kept it pretty internal and just had catch-ups along the road,” Stokes said. “It wasn’t a case of forcing me into coming.

“I said, ‘I’m available if you want to select me’. It was nice having that communication, but no push from Jos or Mott. It was nice to know they wanted to pick me even though I probably won’t bowl a ball.

“Going into this one as world champions, playing a part in that in 2019, that was an unbelievable moment for us as a team and myself. The idea of going in and potentially being able to win back-to-back World Cups was one of the big things.”

Stokes anticipates he will slot in at number four in the batting order, one position higher than he is accustomed to and in a spot the now-retired Eoin Morgan occupied for the majority of his tenure.

England are set for their first ODI against the Black Caps since the dramatic 2019 World Cup final at Lord’s – the teams will also contest this year’s tournament opener in Ahmedabad on October 5.

As for their chances this time around, Stokes was in a bullish mood as he added: “It’s not arrogant for us to say that we’re a very good team.

“We like our chances but the thing about World Cups is who can handle the pressure the best on any given day. The teams who can handle the emotional side of the sport is something that should never be overlooked.”

Eve Johnson Houghton’s Juniper Berries pounced late to land the Ire-Incentive, It Pays To Buy Irish Dick Poole Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury.

The two-year-old was sent off at 16-1 in the Group Three affair under Charlie Bishop, despite a consistent campaign thus far this year.

A winner on debut, the daughter of Expert Eye was second to Relief Rally in a novice before coming home a solid fourth in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot.

She was well beaten in the Super Sprint but regained her form to finish second in the Alice Keppel at Goodwood and then fourth when beaten a little over  length in the Listed St Hugh’s Stakes when last seen.

Up in trip to six furlongs and back up in grade at Salisbury, the filly was ridden patiently to best utilise her speed and as the line approached she threw down her challenge to collar the front-running Dorothy Lawrence and prevail by a short head.

Johnson Houghton said: “I thought the step up to six (furlongs) would help, I thought the firm ground would help.

“She’s been running over five in soft ground and she deserved this, every time she ran at Newbury she never got any cover.

“We knew she had an amazing turn of foot, but it was just getting her to use it at the right time.

“We all made a plan, the owners and I, that we’d drop her in and if she didn’t get there on time then she didn’t get there on time.

“The last thing we wanted to do was get there too early and stop, she has a wicked turn of foot but it’s not a very long turn of foot.

“I’m thrilled. Look at the size  of her, she does herself really well and she’s on the grow again I think.

“She’ll be a lovely filly for next year and they’ve (the owners) got the stud, so it’s great for them. What a star. Good old Junie, we love her!”

Ralph Beckett’s Skellet got off the mark with a convincing success in the Bob Mccreery Memorial British EBF Quidhampton Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.

Under Rossa Ryan the Kingman bay was the 5-6 favourite after being beaten just a length when fourth on debut at Sandown in August.

In a field of nine she was this time a straightforward winner, by a length and a quarter ahead of Richard Hannon’s Serene Seraph.

“I was very pleased. She’s a bit raw, she’s a big, tall, gangly filly,” Beckett said.

“Her sister, Skitter Skatter, was the size of a pony and she won a Moyglare for Patrick Prendergast – this filly is completely different.

“She was a bit antsy behind the gates, she’s still looking around.”

On future plans the trainer added: “She’s a nice filly, one for next year. It’s likely we’ll take a more conservative view, I don’t know what trip she’ll end up getting, we hope a mile but we’ll find out next year.”

Frankness (13-2) was a fitting winner of the European Bloodstock News EBF ‘Lochsong’ Fillies’ Handicap for Oisin Murphy and Andrew Balding.

The race is named in honour of the great sprinter, a 15-time winner owned by Jeff Smith who dominated the sprint scene in the early nineties.

Frankess runs in the same silks and as Lochsong was trained by Balding’s father Ian, the victory particularly apt for the owner of both horses.

Veteran Ireland hooker Rob Herring never doubted his ability to play at a Rugby World Cup as he prepares to make up for past disappointments with an overdue tournament debut.

South Africa-born Herring has been selected to start Saturday’s Pool B opener against Romania ahead of the fit-again Ronan Kelleher and in the absence of the injured Dan Sheehan.

The 33-year-old was called up by Joe Schmidt in the build-up to the 2015 and 2019 competitions before being cut from the final squads.

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He subsequently flew to Japan four years ago as an injury replacement for Sean Cronin but was not involved as Ireland crashed out in the quarter-finals to New Zealand and has since been eclipsed by the emergence of Leinster pair Sheehan and Kelleher.

“Yeah, it’s been a long run for me,” said Herring. “I was involved in the two previous World Cup pre-seasons and missed out on selection so I think all the work over the last year, it’s paid off to be here now.

“I always believed I was good enough to be here. The selection calls were tight in the last World Cup.

“I’ve been heavily involved in the squad since the last World Cup and I’m really enjoying my time under Faz (Andy Farrell) and the leadership of the coaches.

“It has been a great four years, and I’m just raring to go now.

“There’s obviously a bit more hype around the World Cup and a bit more pressure on games but that’s what we’ve been building for. Personally, I think I’m in a good place.”

Herring, who qualifies for Ireland through a grandparent, made his international debut as a replacement flanker during the 2014 tour of Argentina.

He had won just eight caps when head coach Farrell succeeded Schmidt after the 2019 World Cup but started all five matches of the 2020 Guinness Six Nations following the retirement of Rory Best.

Despite remaining a squad regular, Herring, who is set for his 38th Test outing this weekend, has become more peripheral since the breakthrough of dynamic duo Kelleher and Sheehan.

“My mindset going into it is this is just the start,” said the Ulster player.

“It’s a massive honour to be selected for the squad but this is just the start of it. I want to put my best foot forward and contribute to the team as well as I can.

“I think if I nail my role and everyone else does theirs, we will put in a strong performance.”

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Ireland will be led by Johnny Sexton in Bordeaux on his return from suspension and injury.

Herring believes fly-half Sexton is the type of captain team-mates “want to follow into battle”.

“Johnny is one of the most competitive guys I’ve ever played under,” he said.

“I think that’s his massive point of difference. He’s unbelievably driven, he drives the standards at training, off the pitch, everything.

“He’s got an incredible winning mindset so he’s the kind of guy you really want to follow into battle. You know he’s going to be right up there at his best and giving it his all. It’s been great having him back.”

Warren Gatland says that Wales are “in a good place” as they prepare to launch their Rugby World Cup challenge against Fiji.

Gatland, taking charge of his fourth World Cup as Wales head coach, has been boosted by the return to fitness of 100-cap number eight Taulupe Faletau.

He will make his first Wales appearance since last season’s Six Nations after recovering from a calf muscle problem that sidelined him for Wales’ three-Test warm-up schedule.

Faletau goes straight into the starting line-up, packing down alongside back-row colleagues Aaron Wainwright and skipper Jac Morgan.

“We’ve had some good clarity about what we want to achieve and the way we want to play on the weekend,” Gatland said.

“The boys are looking sharp, there is a great environment in this group – players working for each other, enjoying each other’s company.

“We are in a good place and can’t wait to get out there and get our Rugby World Cup campaign under way.”

While Faletau returns, though, hooker and Morgan’s co-captain Dewi Lake does not make the matchday 23.

The Ospreys hooker suffered a knee injury during Wales’ encounter against England at Twickenham last month, and Gatland added: “The medical team has done a fantastic job getting Dewi back to full fitness.

“He has not had as much training under his belt as the other hookers since he picked up that knock to his knee, so Ryan Elias and Elliot Dee are selected for us for this game.”

Elias starts, and there are also opportunities for the likes of centre Nick Tompkins and scrum-half Gareth Davies.

Flanker Tommy Reffell, meanwhile, has been named among the replacements, being passed fit after missing training on Wednesday due to a knock.

There are five World Cup debutants in Gatland’s starting line-up and it will be the fifth successive World Cup where Wales and Fiji meet.

Centre George North joins a select group of Welsh players to feature in four World Cups, emulating Alun Wyn Jones, Stephen Jones and Gethin Jenkins.

Scarlets number nine Davies has won Gatland’s starting vote ahead of Tomos Williams as he clocks up World Cup number three.

“Twelve months ago I probably wouldn’t have thought I would be involved in the first game of a World Cup, but anything can happen in rugby, as we all know.” Davies said.

“I have worked extremely hard over the last year to work myself into contention, and hopefully I can show that on Sunday.

“Playing in a World Cup is the pinnacle. We have a few young guys in the squad – they are really excited about it – and plenty of experience.

“Fiji are going to be a very tough team to beat, but it is a challenge we are looking forward to.”

Since being dumped out of the World Cup by Fiji 16 years ago in Nantes, Wales have reeled off three successive wins.

Sunday’s encounter is huge in the context of a group where Australia and ever-improving Georgia will also be vying for qualification.

Mick Easterby has paid a heartfelt tribute to Derby-winning jockey Edward Hide, who has died at the age of 86.

Hide had a long and distinguished association with the Easterby stable, but his crowning glory came when winning the 1973 Derby with Morston for Arthur Budgett, pipping Lester Piggott on Cayo Doro.

Three-times champion apprentice in the 1950s, Hide won the prestigious ‘Cock of the North’ accolade 16 times.

Writing on his website Easterby said: “It is with great sadness today that I heard of the passing of my great buddy Eddie Hide.

“Eddie Hide was quite simply one of the best Flat jockeys I have seen seen. He was wonderful.

“In my career I have been fortunate to put up two of the finest jockeys. Sadly 2023 has seen the passing of both Eddie and my former stable jockey Terry Lucas.

“In the 1970s I’d put Eddie up whenever I had a runner in any of the big races and he never let me down once. Eddie had it all. He was an intelligent man and he knew the formbook inside out.

“You could get rich quite quickly backing Eddie on my horses, because he only rode them when he knew they were going to win.”

Hide won the 1000 Guineas for Easterby on Mrs McArdy in 1977 and was associated with the champion sprinter of 1976, Lochnager, winning the Temple, the King’s Stand, the July Cup and the William Hill Sprint Trophy (now Nunthorpe).

Easterby went on: “I owe a great deal to Eddie Hide. He rode the biggest winners of my career and he helped put the stable on the map in the 1970s.”

Sione Tuipulotu was overcome with emotion as he revealed his mother’s trip across the world to watch him play for Scotland for the first time will give him all the motivation he needs for Sunday’s World Cup showdown with South Africa.

The Australia-born centre is qualified to represent the Scots through his grandmother, Jacqueline, from Greenock and he has become one of Gregor Townsend’s main men since making his debut in autumn 2021, shortly after he joined Glasgow.

While Tuipulotu’s Tongan father Fohe has been over to watch him play for Scotland, his mother Angelina – who is from south-east Melbourne after her Scottish and Italian parents moved there – has not been able to attend any of his matches in person since he left Melbourne Rebels in 2019.

The 26-year-old apologised to journalists as he welled up with tears and briefly paused to compose himself while outlining the journey his mother had undertaken to get herself to France to see her son play on the biggest stage in rugby.

“My mum got here yesterday and it will be the first time she’ll have watched me play rugby for quite a while,” said Tuipoluto, speaking at the team’s base in the south of France on Thursday. “I had a chat with her yesterday when she got to Paris.

“It was quite an emotional phone call, she just said how proud she was. Obviously it’s her mum that is part of my Scottish heritage and she said she is really proud when she sees me during the anthem and hears the background in terms of Murrayfield, the noise and stuff like that (while watching on television).

“I can’t really imagine how she is going to feel this weekend with the noise in Marseille when I’m playing the world champions. That is part of my motivation this week, I don’t need any extra motivation because my mum is over and she hasn’t seen me play for a while.

“She travelled all the way from Australia. She explained the route to me and she had quite a hard time with admin. She is terrible with admin just like me and she made a few mistakes along the way but she’s here, she made it.”

Asked if it was thinking about the length of journey his mother had undertaken from Australia that caused him to choke back the tears, Tuipulotu said: “Not just that journey but her journey in general.

“Everyone has their rugby journey in terms of where they’ve come from. When it’s your own mum, only you know what she has been through to get you to this point. Her story is something I have always thought about as a motivation for me in my rugby and I suppose it’s all just climaxed towards this weekend.

“She last watched me when I was in Melbourne playing for the Rebels. She was always there every game, the same as my dad who has been over to Scotland to watch me play a couple of times which has been cool. But this one is a little bit more special just because it is my mum and I am very emotional about it.”

Since joining Glasgow from Japanese club Yamaha Jubilo in 2021, Tuipulotu has become a first-choice pick for Scotland and one of the most highly-regarded centres in the world.

“I would be lying if I said to you I didn’t think it was going to be achievable because I have always backed myself through my whole career,” he said of his impressive rise to prominence.

“I have always been a confident player and when I moved over to Scotland, I had the goal that if I was going to move that far away from my family, I was going to make it happen.

“You need some things to go your way in order to make it happen and I got lucky with the coaches I had as soon as I came over here, but it’s also about my hard work as soon as I came over to try to keep improving as a player.

“It has been an awesome journey over the past couple of years and I am super-excited for the tournament to kick off. As a kid I wanted to be one of the best players in my position in the world and this is the tournament you get to prove that.”

Aidan O’Brien’s Cambridge was victorious as the trainer sent his first runner to Salisbury for 18 years.

The Dubawi colt was contesting the one-mile Byerley Stud Novice Stakes under Ryan Moore and started as the 11-10 favourite at the Wiltshire track.

The run was the bay’s second, his debut being a third-placed effort in a Roscommon maiden last month.

This time he looked like the winner from two furlongs from home, before facing a late challenge from Richard Hannon’s Houstonn, who got at least level in the final strides but was passed again as a short head split them on the line.

Moore said of the success: “I’m happy with him, travelling over would have done him the world of good.

“Hopefully he’ll build on this and be a good horse next year.”

Cambridge was watched by Coolmore’s UK representative Kevin Buckley, who last witnessed a Ballydoyle horse run at Salisbury when Dylan Thomas was beaten in the 2005 Autumn Stakes.

He said: “I’m pleased with that and it’s nice to be here, Salisbury have looked after us really well. We thought he’d improve from his run in Roscommon, the stewards’ report said he dwelt at the start, but Seamie (Heffernan) then subsequently said the stall was slow to open.

“He ran very green, he was much more professional there, he put his head down and got it done. I know the winning margin wasn’t much, but it’s about winning and that’s what he did there.

“(It’s been) 18 years. It was the Autumn Stakes, Dylan Thomas was second with Johnny Murtagh on board and Jamie Spencer was third on Arabian Prince.

“He’s a nicely-bred horse, by a partner, Peter Brant, by Dubawi out of a Galileo mare. Half-brother to Maqsad, who won a Pretty Polly at Newmarket, beating Shambolic who is the dam of Ylang Ylang who is running for us in the Moyglare.

“We’ll get him home now and see what we think, he’s been over the extended seven at Roscommon, we knew he’d get that, his dam won over 12 furlongs and was Listed-placed twice in France.

“He’s got the Royal Lodge entry and that wouldn’t be beyond the realms (of possibility).”

Born and raised in Castleford and experiencing the high of lifting the League Leaders’ Shield as recently as 2017, Tigers full-back Greg Eden appreciates more than most the importance of his club preserving their Betfred Super League status.

But less than 10 miles across west Yorkshire’s rhubarb triangle, passions are running equally high as Wakefield-born Mark Applegarth plots a potential great escape for Trinity, seemingly doomed after losing their first 14 games of the campaign, at the expense of their near neighbours.

The only certainties heading into the final three weeks of the regular season are that one of Castleford and Wakefield will be playing their rugby in the second-tier Championship next season – and that the pain of demotion will reverberate around their respective towns.

“It’s all on these last three games,” admitted Eden, whose hat-trick of tries in Castleford’s 28-12 win at Belle Vue last month helped put his side in pole position, two points clear heading into Friday’s pair of home games, which see Wakefield face title-chasing Catalans Dragons while Cas take on Hull FC.

“I was a Cas fan growing up and I know what it means,” added Eden. “Going into games you do carry that with you. I know what it means inside and out – Cas is a small town and everybody is talking about it, and that spurs me on personally to try to work that little bit harder.”

The Tigers’ mini-revival under new head coach Danny Ward came to crashing end in last weekend’s 66-12 defeat at Warrington, which all but erased their slender points difference advantage as well as yielding an untimely one-match ban for half-back Jacob Miller for Friday’s clash.

“It was a really tough one to take last week but we haven’t had time to mope about,” said Ward. “As you’d expect the mood in the dressing room was terrible, probably one of the worst I’ve been in.

“The lads spoke well and said the right things. But they’ve probably been in intense situations many times this year and said the right things, and it’s about backing that up and walking that walk now. We can’t be talking in the sheds after games any more.”

Trinity’s loss to Cas stalled their dramatic revival and last week’s home defeat to St Helens means Applegarth’s men remain favourites for the drop as they face a Catalans side who seemed to be headed for the League Leaders’ Shield before losing their last two games.

For the 38-year-old Applegarth, who played four seasons for his hometown club between 2004 and 2007, there is an obvious desire to steer them to the kind of escape that will eclipse all others.

“Ultimately if things stay the same and we don’t get another win we’re going down,” said Applegarth. “We’ve got to be the most desperate team out there on the field but we’ve got to embrace that challenge.

“We’re under no illusions and we’re looking forward to it. We’ve got three games now where it’s do or die and we’ll be going out there to put the things we learned from the Saints and Salford games into practice. It’s about cutting out those errors and not being the first team to crack.”

One-time Derby fancy Eydon is creeping towards an eagerly-awaited return to the racecourse later this month, with connections dreaming of teeing-up a shot at Ascot’s Qipco Champion Stakes later in the autumn.

The lightly-raced colt’s progress has been curtailed by injury and having advertised his talent with a taking success at Newmarket in the Feilden Stakes, he returned to the Rowley Mile to finish an honourable fourth behind Coroebus when getting a first taste of Classic action in the 2000 Guineas.

He was on course for a second bite of the Classic cherry in the Derby when a setback ruled him out of the race, and his 2000 Guineas appearance remains Eydon’s last sighting on a racecourse.

Switched to Andrew Balding from Roger Varian over the winter, it was anticipated he would return to the track in the early stages of the 2023 season, but a further issue in the spring ruled him out of the key summer months.

An outing at Listed level in either the Chasemore Farm Fortune Stakes at Sandown (September 20) or Ayr’s Virgin Bet Doonside Cup Stakes (September 23) is on the radar, before a possible big-race tilt on British Champions Day (October 21), providing Eydon shows he retains all of his old ability.

“Oisin Murphy was on him at Andrew’s and seemed happy and we’re going to either the Doonside Cup or the Fortune Stakes,” said Ted Voute, owner Prince Faisal’s racing adviser.

“He’s probably going to be a bit ring-rusty, but the aim is to see if we can get him to the Champion Stakes.

“It’s a big ask and he’s had lots of little niggly things along the way, but from what Andrew has seen, he has seen sparks of good things on the gallops and touch wood he’s still in one piece and that will be the plan.

“We’ll see how we go and we thought it was a good idea to have a target, because if he came out and was as good as he was in the Feilden Stakes then we would have a bash. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

England have taken a step towards igniting their attack by picking Alex Mitchell at scrum-half for their crucial World Cup opener against Argentina in Marseille on Saturday.

Mitchell was omitted from the original 33-man squad named by Steve Borthwick only to be given a reprieve when Jack van Poortvliet suffered a tournament-ending ankle injury.

Having impressed on his first Test start against Fiji, the 26-year-old has retained half-back duties with the aim of adding zip to England’s game, while Danny Care provides support from the bench.

Tom Curry makes his first appearance under Borthwick and his maiden outing at any level since Sale lost to Saracens in the Gallagher Premiership final in May after being given the nod at openside.

Curry has been struggling with an ankle injury sustained during training in early August but in an indication of his influence on England, he has been thrust straight into the back row.