Will Rowlands played down his defensive heroics in Wales’ thrilling Rugby World Cup victory over Fiji, claiming “I just see it as me doing my job.”
Wales made a World Cup record of 253 tackles in the game, which they won 32-26, and lock Rowlands was at the heart it.
He delivered 27 tackles and missed none as Wales held on amid intense late pressure to claim a bonus-point win in their Pool C opener.
“I always find it a bit weird when the number of tackles becomes the headline because you defend in a system,” Rowlands said.
“Guys run at you and you tackle them. It’s nice people say nice things, but I just see it as me doing my job for the team.
“Five points against the Fijians is fantastic for us.
“We spoke about it today when we reviewed it that we did lots of things we wanted to do, and in the periods we were in control we built a nice little lead on them.
“And then there were parts of the game we need to look at and focus on which allowed them back into the game and set us up for a nervy finish, but game one, five points – very happy.
“We had gone into the World Cup feeling pretty confident, we had done some good work and we are in a good place going into the games physically.
“It was a big first game for us to play Fiji. They are a dangerous team. To get a win is fantastic, and now we focus on the next game with Portugal this weekend.”
Wales head coach Warren Gatland is set to name his starting line-up on Wednesday for the Portugal clash at Stade de Nice on Saturday.
And changes – possibly into double figures – could be made, especially considering the punishing nature of Fiji’s challenge and a six-day turnaround between games.
Wales assistant coach Jonathan Thomas said: “You will have seen for yourselves what a physical game it was and the amount of tackles we made. There are a number of sore bodies, but there are no injury concerns.
“The team gets named tomorrow but I think it is safe to say there will be changes. We’ve got complete and utter faith in our whole squad.
“I think what you will have seen from the Six Nations and then going into the three (World Cup) warm-up games, there have been opportunities for players.
“There were snapshots in those warm-up games where a number of players did particularly well.
“And that gives you the ability to make changes and freshen things up. It is a six-day turnaround, so it makes sense to make a few changes with the nature of the game we’ve just played.”
Players who could make their first starts of the tournament include full-back Leigh Halfpenny, wing Rio Dyer, centre Mason Grady, scrum-half Tomos Williams, lock Dafydd Jenkins and flanker Dan Lydiate.
Thomas added: “Are we satisfied with where we are at? There is always room for improvements for growth in our game. We are certainly not getting ahead of ourselves.
“Fiji are a team that hold possession particularly well, they are big powerful men with good ability, so they have the ability to maintain possession particularly well.
“We’ve got belief in our defensive structures. We are not afraid to play without the ball at times.”
Shane Lowry admits he was not best pleased to hear criticism of his Ryder Cup wild card after taking the chance to “shut a few people up” with his performance in the Irish Open.
Lowry received one of captain Luke Donald’s six picks having finished 11th on the European points list and eighth on the world points list, with only the top three on each qualifying automatically.
The former Open champion won the first qualifying event – and will defend his BMW PGA Championship title this week – but his sole top-10 finish in 2023 prior to The K Club came in February’s Honda Classic.
That led to criticism of Lowry’s selection, with former British Masters
winner Richard Bland among those believing that Adrian Meronk’s consistent form – including May’s Italian Open victory at the Ryder Cup venue – meant the Pole “deserves a pick over an out-of-form Lowry”.
“I know there was a little bit about that last week and…. I need to be careful here,” Lowry said in his pre-tournament press conference at Wentworth.
“Didn’t sit very well with me to be honest. I feel like, yes, my results have not been amazing this year, but I feel if you purely go down to statistics and go down the 12 best players in Europe, I’m one of them. And I feel like I deserve my place on the team.
“I didn’t feel like I had to go out and prove anything to anyone last week. The Irish Open is a huge tournament for me and a tournament I wanted to play well in.
“If it shut a few people up, so be it, but I wasn’t trying to do that last week. I wasn’t trying to finish third last week, I was trying to win the tournament. So last week was disappointing for me.
“This week is the same. I’m trying to win the tournament here this week. I know I deserve to be on that team and I know I’ll be good in Rome in a couple weeks and I’m very excited for it.”
All 12 of Europe’s team are competing at Wentworth after a flying visit to Marco Simone Golf and Country Club on Monday, where the thickness of the rough has proved a major topic of conversation.
Numerous balls were reportedly lost during the practice round and Lowry joked: “I only lost one so I was pretty happy with myself.
“Our group (Robert MacIntyre, Sepp Straka and Justin Rose) was actually pretty good, we didn’t lose that many, but one group had a bad day losing a few.
“It’s pretty brutal in spots but just off the fairways is no different to what you might see at the US Open or something like that. If you go a decent bit off the fairways that’s going to get very interesting.”
Asked if players thought the rough might need to be cut back, Lowry added: “No. If you hit a good drive down the fairway and hit a good second shot you’re on the green, that’s what golf’s about. That’s how I see it.
“If you look at the way the course is set up, Scottie Scheffler is number one tee-to-green in the world. So it should suit him. They have got some of the best players in the world.
“But we also have some of the best players in the world and I honestly think that it all comes down to who gets off to a fast start and who holes the most putts. That’s what Ryder Cups are about.”
Europe will certainly hope home advantage plays its part as seven of the last eight Ryder Cups have been won by the home side, with 2012’s ‘Miracle at Medinah’ the lone exception.
The United States stormed to a record 19-9 victory at Whistling Straits two years ago, but Lowry is confident a new generation of European players will prove a different proposition in Rome.
“If you look at their team, Scottie Scheffler was the worst player and he was 21st in the world, and he was world number one about five months later. That’s kind of what we are up against,” Lowry said.
“I feel like this is almost like maybe the next generation for European golf and I think that’s very exciting to see guys like Nicolai (Hojgaard) and Ludvig (Aberg) on the team and Viktor (Hovland).
“You look at Vincent Norrman winning last week, he’s probably going to be on future European Ryder Cup teams. I think European golf is better than what people have been talking about over the last couple of years.”
Tom Curry will be available for England’s final World Cup group game after receiving a two-match ban for his dangerous tackle against Argentina on Saturday.
Curry was shown a red card that was upgraded from yellow upon review following a clash of heads with Pumas full-back Juan Cruz Mallia in the third minute at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome.
A virtual disciplinary panel gave Curry a three-game suspension that will be reduced to two if he completes World Rugby’s ‘Coaching Intervention Programme’, otherwise known as tackle school.
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It means the Sale openside will be available to face Samoa in Lille on October 7 in England’s final Pool D assignment.
Former Wimbledon champion and world number one Simona Halep has been banned for four years for two doping offences.
The Romanian, who triumphed at the All England Club in 2019, had been provisionally suspended since last October having tested positive for the blood-boosting drug roxadustat at the 2022 US Open.
She was subsequently charged with irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) and both charges have been upheld following an independent tribunal.
Halep, who has taken to social media several times over the past year to voice unhappiness at the time the process was taking, gave evidence at the tribunal in London on June 28 and 29.
She argued roxadustat had got into her system via a contaminated supplement but, while the tribunal accepted she had taken such a substance, it “determined the volume the player ingested could not have resulted in the concentration of roxadustat found in the positive sample”.
The Athlete Biological Passport programme collates various blood parameters over time in an effort to spot any inconsistencies in the data that could indicate a possible doping offence.
The charge was also upheld, with the tribunal deciding “they had no reason to doubt the unanimous ‘strong opinion’ reached by each of the three independent Athlete Passport Management Unit experts that ‘likely doping’ was the explanation for the irregularities in Halep’s profile.”
The 31-year-old, who also won the French Open in 2018 and is the highest-profile tennis player to fail a doping test since Maria Sharapova in 2016, quickly issued a statement confirming she would appeal.
“Today, a tribunal under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme announced a tentative decision in my case,” said Halep.
“The last year has been the hardest match of my life and unfortunately my fight continues. I have devoted my life to the beautiful game of tennis.
“I take the rules that govern our sport very seriously and take pride in the fact I have never knowingly or intentionally used any prohibited substance. I refused to accept their decision of a four-year ban.
“While I am grateful to finally have an outcome following numerous unfounded delays and a feeling of living in purgatory for over a year, I am both shocked and disappointed by their decision.
“I intend to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and pursue all legal remedies against the supplement company in question.”
Halep again criticised the International Tennis Integrity Agency, which oversees the sport’s anti-doping programme, saying: “The ITIA brought an ABP charge only after its expert group learned my identity, causing two out of three to suddenly change their opinion in favour of ITIA’s allegations.
“The ITIA relied solely on the opinions of these experts who looked only at my blood parameters – which I’ve maintained for more than 10 years in the same range.
“This group ignored the fact no prohibited substance has ever been found in my blood or urine samples with the sole exception of one August 29 positive test for roxadustat, which was present at an extremely low level and which, when considering my negative test three days prior, could only have been caused by accidental exposure to roxadustat.
“I am continuing to train and do everything in my power to clear my name of these false allegations and return to the court.”
If her appeal is unsuccessful, Halep will not be eligible to compete again until October 7, 2026, when she will be 35.
Karen Moorhouse, CEO of the ITIA, defended the handling of the case, saying: “After a complex and rigorous hearing process, we welcome the independent tribunal’s decision.
“The volume of evidence for the tribunal to consider in both the roxadustat and ABP proceedings was substantial.
“The ITIA has followed the proper processes as we would with any other individual – in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code – fulfilling our purpose and responsibility to uphold the principle of fair competition, on behalf of the sport.
“The panel recognised that appropriate procedure had been followed within the written decision.”
The New York Jets' worst fears have been confirmed.
Aaron Rodgers will miss the rest of the 2023 NFL season with a torn left Achilles tendon.
An MRI on Tuesday confirmed the severity of the injury one day after the four-time league MVP left the Jets' 22-16 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills after just four snaps.
At 39 years old, it's possible Rodgers' career ended on that fateful play.
The injury occurred when Rodgers was sacked by Buffalo's Leonard Floyd on New York's official third play from scrimmage. The star quarterback briefly remained on the turf holding his lower left leg before being helped to the sideline, then was later taken to the locker room on a cart before having his leg placed in a walking boot.
The Jets initially announced Rodgers was questionable to return before ruling him out midway through the second quarter.
After the game, Jets coach Robert Saleh told reporters that the team feared it was a torn Achilles tendon.
Rodgers final stat line for the 2023 season is 0-for-1 passing while being sacked once.
Rodgers arrived in New York to much fanfare after the 10-time Pro Bowler requested a trade to the Jets. The Green Bay Packers eventually sent him to New York on April 26.
With Rodgers on the roster, the Jets were a trendy preseason pick to end a longstanding playoff drought and contend for an AFC title. New York holds the NFL's longest active streak without a postseason appearance at 12 years, having last reached the playoffs in 2010.
The Jets will now press on with Zach Wilson.
Wilson's quarterback rating of 72.8 last season was the lowest among the 36 quarterbacks with a minimum of 175 pass attempts in 2022.
In Monday's opener, he threw a touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson with under five minutes remaining in regulation to tie the game at 13-13. The Jets eventually won on a 65-yard punt return touchdown from rookie Xavier Gipson with 9:02 left in overtime.
Zach Wilson finished with 140 yards on 14-of-21 passing with one touchdown and one interception.
Nicky Henderson is set to announce next week whether Constitution Hill will remain over hurdles or pursue a fencing career this season.
The undoubted star of National Hunt racing has won each of his seven starts over the smaller obstacles to date, including a brilliant victory in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
With autumn fast approaching, connections must now decide whether to head down the same route this term or change tack – and the eagerly-anticipated news appears imminent.
Speaking to Newbury Today, Henderson said: “We’ll announce what we’re doing next week.
“We’re still to-ing and fro-ing, so many things have to go right so whatever we do is a bit of a risk.
“We won’t send him chasing unless we’re absolutely sure.
“He’s had a great summer and we’re still weighing up our options.”
The key to the decision appears to be whether the Seven Barrows handler feels the Michael Buckley-owned Constitution Hill possesses the required stamina to at some stage have a crack at the Cheltenham Gold Cup over three and a quarter miles.
Legendary mare Dawn Run is the only horse to win the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup, and only a potential repeat of that famous double will tempt Henderson to go over the larger obstacles with his pride and joy.
He added: “There’s no point switching to fences just to win the Champion Chase now, because you might as well win the Champion Hurdle again.”
Meanwhile, Nico de Boinville, who has been ever present in the saddle during Constitution Hill’s career so far, is relishing the opportunity to be reunited with the six-year-old in the coming months.
De Boinville – who will be in action on the Flat on Thursday when he rides the David Simcock-trained Fulfilled in the Everyone’s Booking Fit Show 2025 Jump Jockeys Derby at Epsom – said: “Last season with Constitution Hill was fantastic, everyone really enjoyed it and we have all had a bit of time to reflect on what he did.
“I thought last season’s Cheltenham Festival was great and it was fantastic to play our small part in it in winning the Champion Hurdle.
“Constitution Hill has spent the summer at Charlie Vigors’ (Hillwood Stud) and he has come back in looking well and I can’t wait to get going with him again. ”
On his upcoming mount at the home of the Derby, he added: “I’ve not ridden for David Simcock since my amateur days so I’m very much looking forward to it.
“It is my second ride in the race, but I’ve had a couple of other rides around Epsom as an amateur.
“It will be very competitive for sure, but I will be giving it a good go. As long as I beat David Bass I will be happy!”
Leon Balogun and Kieran Dowell have missed out on Rangers’ Europa League squad.
Kemar Roofe and Tom Lawrence are included after missing out on the squad for the Champions League qualifiers, as they closed in on their comebacks from long-term injury lay-offs.
Dowell has made six appearances since his summer move from Norwich, including three in the Champions League. He has missed recent matches with a minor knee injury.
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Balogun has played twice since returning to Ibrox in the summer following a season with QPR.
Scott Wright is in the squad while Rangers confirmed the likes of Leon King and Adam Devine would be included on the list of young players who can feature outside the 25-man squad.
Rangers open their group campaign at home to Real Betis on September 21 and also take on Aris Limassol and Sparta Prague.
Defenders Maik Nawrocki, Alexandro Bernabei and Yuki Kobayashi have missed out on Celtic’s Champions League squad.
Polish centre-back Nawrocki is out injured with a hamstring problem and faces a continued lay-off of about six weeks along with fellow defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers and Stephen Welsh.
The latter pair have made the 25-man squad with Welsh’s homegrown credentials a potential factor in the decision.
Celtic since signed Nat Phillips on loan from Liverpool to deal with their injury list at the back, with fellow summer signing Gustaf Lagerbielke in the pool too.
Japanese central defender Kobayashi is expected to return to fitness soon following an ankle injury but he is not listed in the squad.
Bernabei has played twice this season but has not made the cut with Liam Scales a potential back-up for left-back Greg Taylor after impressing in central defence in the recent win over Rangers.
There is also no place for goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist, midfielder Kwon Hyeok-kyu and summer signing Marco Tilio, who arrived at Celtic with an injury, along with James McCarthy, who last featured in October last year.
Celtic begin their European campaign in Rotterdam next Tuesday against Feyenoord and also face Lazio and Atletico Madrid in their group.
Billy Vunipola has been beasted in training for the past month in anticipation of his return from suspension for England’s World Cup clash with Japan.
Vunipola was banned for the final warm-up match against Fiji and Saturday’s 27-10 victory over Argentina that opened Pool D after being sent off for a dangerous tackle against Ireland last month.
The powerful Saracens number eight is expected to be involved in Sunday’s next group assignment in Nice, especially with Tom Curry facing a suspension for his red card against the Pumas.
To help prepare one of their most potent carriers after a four-week absence from the field, Vunipola has received special attention from head of strength and conditioning Aled Walters.
“Unfortunately for Billy he was handed over to Aled Walters, which is not a pleasant experience for him,” attack coach Richard Wigglesworth said.
“There’s a group of lads who are given extra conditioning, lads who maybe didn’t get many minutes or didn’t play.
“Unfortunately for Billy that’s been him every time for the last few weeks. Aled has been working him hard and he looks good to go.”
Vunipola could slot straight in at number eight against Japan, with Ben Earl either moving to openside to cover for Curry or being rested altogether.
“Billy has got great physical presence and it’s great to have him back on the training field,” Wigglesworth said.
“But he’s a really smart player as well – he puts himself in great positions and he’s got great hands. He’s got more threat than just being a big ball carrier.
“He’s really smart and knows when to shift the ball and change the point of contact for other players as well. It’s great for us to have him available.”
England are in high spirits following their astonishing rout of Argentina in Marseille that was engineered despite Curry’s third-minute yellow card being upgraded to red on review.
While there is an acceptance they must sharpen up their attack – butchering a four-on-two overlap was the most glaring of several toothless moments against the Pumas – they have a solid platform to build from.
Assisting their forward preparations is line-out expert George Kruis, the former England second row who won 45 caps from 2014-20 and who has linked up with the squad at their Le Touquet base.
“George has lost a lot of weight. He’s had a bit of stick for his weight,” Wigglesworth said of his retired former Saracens team-mate.
“He actually compared his body to mine, which, considering he was 117kg when he played, was not the best compliment for him.
“George helps with the line-out. Him and Steve Borthwick chat for hours behind closed doors and I really don’t want to listen to those conversations. They have a proper line-out nause off.
“He helps the callers and with the line-out menu that they get. All that detail that I don’t need to know.
“It’s great to have him around because he has an affinity with so many of the lads. It’s been really nice having him for a few days.”
John and Thady Gosden’s Arrest is poised to throw down a Classic challenge in the Betfred St Leger, with wet weather in the Yorkshire area helping to put conditions in his favour.
The Frankel colt entered the Leger picture when winning the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury in August, a length-and-half-success that came on good to soft ground and signalled a return to winning ways for a horse who was sent off favourite for the Derby having impressed when the rain was falling in the Chester Vase.
An Indian summer threatened to put his chance of lining up on Town Moor in jeopardy, but the heavens have since opened and Doncaster was good to soft, soft in places on Tuesday afternoon.
Barry Mahon of owners Juddmonte said: “He’s in good shape, I think John and Thady are both happy with how he’s training.
“We’re just keeping an eye on the weather forecast because it looks to be changing a bit, it looked a bit unlikely that we’d be running last week but I think they’ve had a bit more rain than was anticipated and there looks to be more to come.
“At the minute we’re very much on track for Saturday, we’ll just monitor the ground later in the week.”
While the final British Classic of the season was under consideration early for Arrest, his training team now look particularly well-stocked for the race with Gregory the current favourite and Middle Earth a supplementary entry.
Frankie Dettori, who has ridden Arrest in all of his starts this season, is engaged to partner Gregory, the horse he rode to land the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot.
With the race still taking shape and conditions likely to change between now and Saturday, Arrest’s rider remains unconfirmed.
Mahon added: “I asked John that question this morning and he said he’d go away and think about it over the next 24 hours and come up with a plan.
“I suppose the ground could dictate what Frankie will do, if it came up soft then he might change his mind, I don’t know.
“We’ll have to see in the next 24 hours what John and Thady want to do.”
Fallen Angel will either head for the bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket or be roughed off until next season following her Group One breakthrough at the Curragh on Sunday.
Having impressed in the Sweet Solera at Newmarket, the daughter of Too Darn Hot shot to the head of ante-post lists for next year’s 1000 Guineas with a comprehensive success in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, the second leg of an Irish Champions Festival double for trainer Karl Burke.
Fallen Angel could now bid for another top-level success on the Rowley Mile next month, although Burke is not ruling out the possibility of putting his star filly away until the spring.
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“We went over there very hopeful and I thought she beat what looked a very strong field on paper and beat them comprehensively,” said the Spigot Lodge handler.
“The Fillies’ Mile is the obvious next step, if she goes anywhere before the end of the season that’s where she’ll go.
“We’re very excited about next year, obviously. That’s what Steve (Parkin, owner) dreams of is to win a Guineas and she’s one of the favourites for it now.
“It’s a long haul from now until the Guineas, but if all goes well hopefully she’s the type that could take us there.”
At Leopardstown on Saturday Fallen Angel’s stablemate Flight Plan also carried the colours of Clipper Logistics to big-race success, dominating from the front in the Group Two Dullingham Park Stakes to leave Burke considering a possible trip to America next month.
He added: “Danny (Tudhope) gave him a great ride, Leopardstown suits a horse from the front and Danny pulled it off to perfection.
“We’re thinking of going to Keeneland for a $1million race on October 7 (Coolmore Turf Mile). It’s a little bit of a tight turnaround for him, but that’s what we’ve got in our minds at the moment and we’re preparing him for that.
“If he performed really well he could possibly stay out there for the Breeders’ Cup, but we’d be concentrating on Keeneland at the moment. He wouldn’t want the ground to turn up too soft, which you can get at Keeneland in October, but otherwise I think he’d be tailor-made for that type of race.”
Ollie Sangster’s Star Stakes heroine Shuwari is on course for the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Rockfel Stakes having seen the form of her Sandown success franked in Ireland this weekend.
The daughter of New Bay is unbeaten in two starts and following a taking victory at Newbury on debut, advertised her top-class potential by scooping Listed honours at the Esher track.
Having started slowly on that occasion, she made stylish progress throughout the contest before edging out Karl Burke’s Fallen Angel by half a length in the closing stages.
That rival has given the form a boost by winning both the Sweet Solera Stakes and the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes in impressive fashion and having missed out on an intended outing at Goodwood in the Prestige Stakes, Shuwari is now being prepared for Group Two action at Newmarket later this month.
“She’s fine and she is hopefully going to run in the Rockfel in a couple of weeks,” said Sangster.
“It’s always nice to have a nice form boost and that looks a fair filly there.
“Shuwari is all spot on and all on track for September 29.”
Another unbeaten prospect housed at Sangster’s historic Manton base is Per Contra, who has made a real impression in his first two outings.
The Wathnan Racing-owned colt did hold an entry for both Haydock’s Ascendant Stakes and this weekend’s Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, but his handler will wait a bit longer before next unleashing the talented son of Footstepsinthesand, with the Group Three Emirates Autumn Stakes (October 14) a possible option.
“He was in at Haydock, but the ground was a bit fast,” explained Sangster.
“He’s not going to be running in the Champagne Stakes this weekend and I’m going to step him up to a mile next and just take our time with him.
“Probably something like the Autumn Stakes at Newmarket.”
Jofra Archer joined England’s practice session at the Kia Oval on Tuesday, keeping alive prospects of him travelling to next month’s World Cup as a reserve.
Archer, who bowled the super over that made England world champions at Lord’s four years ago, has missed the entire summer with a stress fracture in his right elbow and was not considered fit enough for a place in the provisional 15-man squad.
But with his recovery tracking in the right direction, it is not out of the question that he could be picked as injury cover, joining the squad in India and becoming available if injuries strike during the tournament.
The 28-year-old linked up with the team in south London as they completed preparations for the third one-day international against New Zealand, bowling an extended spell off his long run and following up with a gentler display of left-arm spin.
David Willey, who was cut from England’s preliminary squad in 2019 to make way for the newly-available Archer, admitted the paceman was in good rhythm as he returned to the set-up.
“Yeah, he looks in a good place. I don’t know where he’s at fitness wise but he’s bowling good wheels out there today,” said Willey.
“Everyone knows how good is he is, what he’s capable of and how he can impact games. So to have him close or not far away from being fit is obviously fantastic news.”
Also present at nets was Andrew Flintoff, the former England captain continuing to work with the side after his surprise return to the fold last week.
Flintoff had been out of the public eye since a serious car accident which took place last December during filming for Top Gear, but was encouraged to get involved by his friend and former team-mate Rob Key, who is managing director of men’s cricket at the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Willey has been enthused by the presence of one of the country’s most beloved all-rounders, adding: “It’s been great, to have him with us is fantastic.
“He’s a legend of the game, I grew up watching him play and to have him here with us, just his presence and everything he’s done in the game, is fantastic.
“It’s quite surreal receiving compliments from Freddie. So just to be able to pick his brain and talk to him about the game and have him around the group is fantastic.”
Alex De Minaur has grown fond of Britain through his relationship with girlfriend Katie Boulter but is gunning to lead Australia to victory in Davis Cup on Wednesday.
The likely match-up between world number 12 De Minaur and British number one Cameron Norrie at Manchester’s AO Arena could well be crucial in determining who gets off to the perfect start in this week’s group stage.
Born in Sydney, De Minaur has also spent a lot of his life in his mother’s home country of Spain, but his passion for Australia burns brightly, particularly when Britain are the opponents.
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“There’s years and years of history of rivalry between the two nations,” he told the PA news agency.
“With Katie, I’ve got to spend a little bit more time here in the UK and I’ve been able to get to know a couple of the Brits a little bit better.
“We always give each other a little bit of crap if our nation wins. It’s always a great competitive spirit between us.
“Katie’s shown me around. I’ve found a lot of spots that I quite enjoy so it’s been great, especially when the weather’s good. There’s a lot of similarities with Australia.
“A big thing for me is coffee. They love their coffee here as well, the breakfast places are kind of the same vibe. And one thing that I didn’t have growing up in Australia or Spain is the countryside. I’ve grown really fond of the greenery.”
De Minaur is Australia’s ace in the pack and arrives in Manchester in the best form of his career having reached his first ATP Masters final in Canada before making the fourth round of the US Open to climb to the brink of the top 10.
Among the 24-year-old’s victims in Toronto was Norrie, extending his run of victories against British players to eight from the last nine matches.
De Minaur played down the significance of that result, saying: “I think Davis Cup is completely different. Every time we play it’s been a battle, even when we practise it goes one way or the other.
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“It’s always going to be a toss up but I’m looking forward to the challenge and hopefully I can lift my level and play some good tennis.
“I’ve played some great tennis over the last couple of months and I’m really happy with where my level is at. It’s going to be a very good test this group stage, a lot of very good players. Hopefully I can bring it all together and perform.”
De Minaur is the highest-ranked player in Manchester but there are decisions to be made for both British captain Leon Smith and Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt over who joins him in the tie.
Norrie has struggled for the past few months and has a patchy Davis Cup record but it would be a surprise if he does not play, with Dan Evans, Andy Murray and 21-year-old Jack Draper also in contention.
Evans is favourite to partner Neal Skupski in doubles, where Australia have former Wimbledon champions in Matt Ebden and Max Purcell.
Purcell could well get the nod to play singles after shooting up the rankings this season from outside the top 200 to 43, while Jordan Thompson and Thanasi Kokkinakis are Hewitt’s other options in the absence of the injured Nick Kyrgios.
In Britain’s favour will be the home crowd. The event has been well-promoted and around 8,000 people are expected for Wednesday’s tie and Friday’s meeting with Switzerland, while Sunday’s clash against France has sold out and will be played in a front of more than 13,000 fans.
“It’s great, ultimately that’s what Davis Cup is about,” said De Minaur. “We’re going to play the Brits in front of their home crowd so rightfully they’ll have amazing crowd support and it should be a great environment. I’ll be very happy to be a part of it.”
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Australia certainly have reason to feel they are the favourites given the form of their players and their run last year, when they made it all the way to the final before losing to Canada.
Asked if they can go one further this time, De Minaur said: “That’s the dream. Last year gave us a lot of hunger and fire and desire to really be able to accomplish this as a team.
“I think we showed what a team can do when they have each other’s back because on ranking we weren’t supposed to be a contender. We came together and we showed what it meant to play for Australia.
“We’ll do everything we can to do that but it starts here, we’ve got a very tough group and we’ve got to try and get out of here alive.”
The top two teams from the group will move on to the finals week in Malaga in November.
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