Jessica Harrington is eyeing a second straight Group Three prize with Ocean Quest in the Westgrove Hotel Renaissance Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday before plotting a return to Ascot.

The three-year-old filly heads into the Westgrove Hotel Renaissance Stakes on the back of an impressive strike in the Ballyogan Stakes at Naas.

Before that, Ocean Quest had performed with great credit at big odds when finishing fourth to Shaquille in the Commonwealth Cup.

Another tilt at Ascot Group One glory in next month’s Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes is on the agenda if all goes well this weekend.

“We were really pleased with her last time out at Naas and everything has gone well with her since then,” said Harrington.

“She’s in great form and we’re looking forward to running her. This was always the plan to use as the next stepping stone before going to Ascot on British Champions Day.

“It’s already been a great season for her and the good news is that she stays in training next year.

“She’s gone well on all types of ground this year. I was quite surprised that she did so well on fast ground at Ascot in the summer, but conditions should be perfect on Sunday.”

It was good to firm when Ocean Quest was in contention two furlongs out at the Royal meeting.

However, the daughter of Sioux Nation also handled heavy ground when romping home by six lengths in a Navan Listed race back in April, when the reopposing Aesop’s Fables was runner-up.

French import Go Athletico has proved another shrewd purchase for Ado McGuinness since being snapped up after a Listed win at Deauville in April.

He scored at a similar level at Cork in June before twice finishing second in Group-class company.

The son of former high-class sprinter Goken, who had his last run in the 2016 renewal of this race, chased home Art Power in the Sapphire Stakes here.

He was then runner-up to Moss Tucker when returning to the Curragh for the Phoenix Sprint.

Big Gossey earned this step up in class by seeing off 21 rivals in the valuable Bold Lad Sprint Handicap over course and distance for Charles O’Brien.

Michael O’Callaghan’s Twilight Jet was also a winner last time out in a Tipperary Listed event, but Shartash is still trying to recapture the sparkle of a smart juvenile campaign which brought course and distance success in the Railway Stakes.

Clever And Cool, a winner at Naas, Cork and Tipperary this term, drops down in class and distance after taking on Tahiyra in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown.

Tower Of London is back out again quickly in the Friends Of The Curragh Irish Cesarewitch having finished fourth in the St Leger at Doncaster last week.

The three-year-old features in a maximum field of 30 and he will be ridden by Ryan Moore, who jets back from Australia overnight to take the ride.

Tower Of London, a brother to Irish Derby and St Leger winner Capri, already has one big handicap win on his record in the Ulster Derby before he stepped up in class to be second in the Bahrain Trophy.

While no match for stablemate Continuous on Town Moor, he finished only a length behind the runner-up Arrest.

O’Brien won the race with a three-year-old last season when Waterville came from last to first to win in devastating style.

O’Brien said: “It’s a little bit quick for him to be coming back, but it is an important race and we thought it was worth taking the chance with him.

“This horse is rated much higher than Waterville when he won (last year), so that means he’s obviously got a lot more weight than Waterville had.

“He ran a good race in the St Leger, he ran well in it and he wasn’t beaten too far.”

Numerically the race is dominated by National Hunt trainers – principally the champion Willie Mullins who runs six.

Top weight Jackfinbar, the mare Echoes In Rain, Stratum, Mt Leinster – who is the mount of Rachael Blackmore – Lot Of Joy and M C Muldoon.

James Fanshawe sends over recent Goodwood winner Novel Legend, while Adrian Keatley runs Legendary Day, who won the Mallard at Doncaster last week.

Emmet Mullins holds a strong hand with Teed Up and Cheltenham Festival winner The Shunter, with Galway Hurdle third My Mate Mozzie representing Gavin Cromwell.

Swedish rookies Linn Grant and Maja Stark secured a vital win as Europe remained two points behind the United States at 7-5 after the third session of the Solheim Cup.

Home favourite Carlota Ciganda had led from the front as she partnered Emily Pedersen to victory over Lilia Vu and Jennifer Kupcho in the opening foursomes at Finca Cortesin.

However, defeats for Anna Nordqvist and Leona Maguire, and Georgia Hall and Celine Boutier gave the visitors a 7-4 lead until Grant and Stark closed out their match with Danielle Kang and Andrea Lee in brilliant fashion.

Stark holed from 25 feet for birdie on the 17th to move one up and, with their opponents in close on the par-five 18th, Grant holed from 10 feet for birdie to seal the win.

Grant told Sky Sports: “It’s amazing. The last two holes gives us so much momentum. We’re on such a high right now, it feels great.”

The close friends had lost the opening foursomes on Friday and were split up for the afternoon fourballs, but repaid the faith of Europe captain Suzann Pettersen on Saturday.

“It’s so much fun, especially getting that confidence from Suzann putting us together,” Stark said. “Two rookies has got to be a little hard for her to put out in the first group yesterday.

“I think there were a lot of nerves involved on the first few holes yesterday and getting to play with her (Grant) again is just amazing and I knew that we could do it. It was just about letting loose and just doing it.”

Nordqvist and Maguire had been two up after eight holes against Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang, but bogeyed the ninth, 10th and 11th to fall behind.

A birdie on the 15th got the European pair back on level terms, only for them to bogey the 17th as Nordqvist appeared to choose the wrong club and fired her tee shot into a bunker at the back of the green.

Hall and Boutier, who had surrendered their unbeaten record on day one, never recovered from losing the first two holes to Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz and were unsurprisingly left out of the afternoon fourballs, with Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall making her first appearance alongside Nordqvist.

A fortnight on from their defeat by South Africa, Scotland play their second match of the World Cup against Tonga in Nice on Sunday.

Here, the PA news agency assesses some of the key talking points ahead of a crucial Pool B fixture for Gregor Townsend’s side.

No margin for error

After losing the opener to the Springboks, Scotland will almost certainly have to win all three of their remaining pool fixtures against Tonga, Romania and Ireland if they are to progress to the quarter-finals. Depending on results elsewhere in the section, bonus-point victories are also likely to be required. Scotland are red-hot favourites to get the result they need on Sunday, and have generally been very good at dealing with lower-ranked opponents, but there is an extra degree of pressure attached.

Return of the two Lions

Of the eight Scotland players who toured South Africa with the British and Irish Lions in 2021, only Zander Fagerson, Finn Russell and Duhan van der Merwe can still be considered regular starters for the national team. Stuart Hogg retired earlier this summer while Rory Sutherland, Chris Harris, Ali Price and Hamish Watson – although still in the squad – have become less prominent. Prop Sutherland and centre Harris, however, have been given a rare chance to start this weekend and remind everyone of their qualities.

Scots’ attack must spark

The defeat by South Africa was the first time Scotland had failed to score a try for almost three years and their lowest-scoring outing since the first game of the 2019 World Cup. Townsend’s team have become renowned for their swashbuckling attacking play so it was unusual to see them look so blunt. With softer opposition this weekend, they should get themselves back over the try-line but, with tougher tests ahead and the need to atone for falling flat against the Springboks, there is a sense that the Scots – with Kyle Steyn replacing Darcy Graham on the wing – could do with delivering an exuberant attacking performance.

Have the Boks dented Scots’ morale?

Scotland came into the tournament with genuine belief they could win their opener against South Africa so there was an air of deflation among the squad in the immediate aftermath. The fact they had no game last weekend means there is unlikely to be any physical or mental hangover. The players had three days of downtime with their families to get the Boks defeat out of their systems, and have been in good spirits when facing the media, seeming desperate to get back on the horse and show their opening-day flop was a mere blip.

Scots relishing base city outing

Scotland’s World Cup base is just west of Nice and they have been training at Stade Nicois’ ground, which is a short hop from Stade de Nice. The squad’s capping ceremony the day after they arrived at the tournament was held just off the Promenade des Anglais, where they were given a warm welcome by the Mayor of Nice, and there are posters and billboards dotted around the city referring to their presence. The team have become acclimatised to life on the Cote d’Azur and with a huge number of Scottish supporters having descended on Nice, the players are relishing their only opportunity at the tournament to play in their base city.

France captain Antoine Dupont has undergone surgery after suffering a facial fracture during Les Bleus’ Rugby World Cup victory over Namibia.

Namibia captain Johan Deysel apologised to Dupont following a head-on-head collision that has left the France star’s tournament in doubt.

Deysel’s yellow card for the collision, with France leading 54-0, was upgraded to red following a review by the television match official and he now faces a disciplinary hearing.

In a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Dupont said: “Show must go on. Looking forward to seeing the group again. Thank you for your messages.”

The French Rugby Federation said: “Following his injury contracted during the France-Namibia match, Antoine Dupont underwent surgery on September 22 around 11pm at the Purpan University Hospital in Toulouse.

“In a few days, he will be able to return to the French team in a process of gradual return to sport under medical supervision.”

Dupont’s fitness setback is headline news in France, and there is a real possibility of Les Bleus losing their star player for the rest of the tournament.

France’s final pool game is against Italy in Lyon on October 6, before a quarter-final – probably against Ireland or South Africa – the following weekend.

If Les Bleus reach the semi-finals, they take place in Paris on October 20 and 21.

Dupont has been inundated with messages from well-wishers as the former world player of the year battles to keep alive hopes of playing again in France’s home World Cup.

England defence coach Kevin Sinfield said: “I am disappointed for the competition, but we have no doubt he will be back.

“World-class players like that get themselves right very, very quickly, and I am sure he is doing everything he can.

“It will be a period of time, but you’ve seen players before play with facial fractures. So I suspect he will be back on his feet and back available very, very soon. We wish him all the best.”

Lewis Hamilton admits he is staggered by how far Mercedes are still behind the Red Bulls after Max Verstappen blew away the field to take pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen hit back in style after seeing his record 10-race winning run and Red Bull’s unbeaten season ended in Singapore a week ago by finishing a massive 0.581 seconds clear of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Lando Norris was third in the second McLaren ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez.

But Mercedes struggled again, with Hamilton qualifying seventh and George Russell eighth – the seven-time world champion over a second adrift of Verstappen’s pole lap.

The Dutchman and Red Bull have dominated the sport over the last two seasons and Hamilton admits the gap that still exists between the two teams is a major concern.

“We as a team really need to when we go back and do the debrief – I hope the team already realise – but a second gap is huge. And it is real,” Hamilton said.

“To be two years in and still be a second down to the Red Bulls is not a good showing and we need to make sure we work hard over the winter to get back at least half that gap before next year.

“We have a very peaky car. It is like trying to balance a knife on its tip.

“It is never perfectly balanced, it is one way or the other. You try and get it as close as you can to the middle but it is very hard to do each weekend.”

Verstappen topped every practice session but Norris and Piastri had closed the gap in P3 to hint at a fight for pole at Suzuka.

But it never materialised thanks to Verstappen’s incredible pace on new tyres in the final session.

McLaren impressed again – especially Piastri who had never even been to Japan before this week.

“It’s been a very good day for us. A P2 and a P3 – a great job by Oscar today and as usual, by Max – but a good day,” Norris said.

“I was pretty happy with my laps. It’s a tricky circuit; not easy to put everything together but it’s so quick around here and the smallest mistake can take a big amount of lap time.

“I’m happy. It’s been a good day and good positions for tomorrow.”

Mercedes are unlikely to be in the fight with Red Bull or McLaren but are set for a scrap with Ferrari as they tussle over second position in the Constructors’ Championship – which Red Bull are almost certain to clinch on Sunday.

Leclerc delivered a strong lap for the Scuderia to line up on the second row – although he does face an investigation for exceeding the maximum lap time – while Singapore-winner Carlos Sainz starts sixth.

“I hope we can have a good battle with Ferrari tomorrow,” Hamilton said.

“They had an upgrade this weekend so they are a little bit ahead of us and it is not an easy track to overtake.

“But I am still going to give it everything and hope I can give them a run for their money tomorrow.”

Yuki Tsunoda, who was confirmed to be driving for AlphaTauri next season alongside Daniel Ricciardo, delighted his home fans by qualifying ninth.

Wales will book a place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals if they beat Australia in Lyon on Sunday.

They are guaranteed to progress with a third successive Pool C win, but the Wallabies will be on the brink of elimination if they lose.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some key talking points heading into the game.

Bonus-point victories over Fiji and Portugal mean that Wales are in charge of their pool. If they defeat Australia it will be a case of mission accomplished in terms of reaching the quarter-finals for a fourth World Cup on the bounce under head coach Warren Gatland. Wales have not hit top gear yet, but a return of 10 points is a record matched only by Ireland across all four groups. Gatland’s team can get the job done with a game to spare – they face Georgia in Nantes on October 7 – by beating the Wallabies and setting up a potential last-eight appointment with England or Argentina.

Australia have an outstanding World Cup record. In nine previous stagings of the competition they can reflect on two world titles, two runners-up finishes, a third and fourth-place return, plus three quarter-final appearances. A first pool-stage exit now looms, though, unless they can recover from losing to Fiji last weekend and topple Wales. Head coach and former England boss Eddie Jones has received some fierce criticism from ex-internationals, but the storm will really rage if Wales leave them teetering on the brink of elimination. Australia have effectively reached a point of no return.

The Wales pack had some strong moments against Fiji and Portugal, yet there were also inconsistencies, especially at lineouts. Wales must iron out the flaws, and if they can manage that then strong foundations for victory should be laid. Australia’s cause up-front is not helped by the absence of powerhouse prop Taniela Tupou and equally-influential lock Will Skelton through injuries. Their experience will be missed. The old adage of ‘forwards win matches, backs decide by how much’ rings true for an eagerly-awaited encounter.

Sunday’s clash is made for Wales fly-half Dan Biggar. Time and time again throughout his 110-cap Test career, Biggar has delivered the goods. He relishes the big occasion, and they do not come with much more importance attached than this weekend, when stakes are high and pressure at its most intense. Wales will require a calming influence, an unruffled tactical operator, pinpoint goal-kicker and world-class leadership in the heat of battle, and Biggar ticks all of those boxes. Expect him to be a dominant figure.

If Biggar can guide the team effectively and purposefully around the pitch, then Wales have outstanding finishers to punish Australia. George North, Josh Adams and Louis Rees-Zammit boast 78 Test tries between them, and they all scored during Wales’ opening two games against Fiji and Portugal. Rees-Zammit touched down in both, with his finish – and Cristiano Ronaldo-style celebration – during the Portugal win underlining a player whose confidence levels are brimful. Australia will know all about the danger he poses, but stopping him is another matter.

Max Verstappen set a blistering pace to blow away the challenge of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris and take pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s record 10-race winning run and Red Bull’s unbeaten season came to an end in Singapore last weekend.

The Dutchman topped all three practice sessions at Suzuka to suggest the Milton Keynes-based team had banished the issues that they experienced in the city-state.

And Verstappen was imperious around the high-speed corner circuit – where Lewis Hamilton warned the Red Bull would be “phenomenal” – taking pole by a massive 0.581 seconds ahead of Piastri.

Norris had narrowed the gap to Verstappen, who is closing in on a hat-trick of world titles, in final practice to raise hope of a challenge for pole.

But Verstappen was dominant in the final qualifying session on brand new tyres, blowing away the competition from the two McLarens.

“Incredible weekend so far, especially in qualifying when you can push it to the limit. It felt really nice,” Verstappen said on track.

“We had a bad weekend in Singapore. I felt this was going to be a good track. From lap one it has been really nice.”

Piastri, in his debut season in Formula One, had never even been to Japan before this week but got the edge on his McLaren team-mate to line up on the front row.

Red Bull will almost certainly clinch the Constructors’ Championship on Sunday at the home race of their engine supplier Honda.

Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez finished fifth, over seven tenths adrift of the pace-setter.

Hamilton and George Russell were well off the pace for Mercedes, who are battling with Ferrari to finish second in the Constructors’ Championship, and will line up seventh and eighth on the grid.

Ferrari, who are running a new floor at Suzuka, took fourth via Charles Leclerc, while Singapore-winner Carlos Sainz finished sixth.

Yuki Tsunoda was confirmed by AlphaTauri to be driving alongside Daniel Ricciardo in 2024 and delighted his home crowd by making the top-10 shootout, finishing ninth.

Q1 was red-flagged with just over nine minutes remaining when Williams’ Logan Sargeant oversteered out of the final corner and slid heavily into the barriers.

The American, who is yet to be confirmed by Williams for 2024, quickly jumped out of the car and made his way across the track and back to the pit lane.

Williams Team Principal James Vowles told Sky Sports: “It is heartbreaking for Logan.”

James Horton will return to Newmarket to train next term after “parting ways” with owner John Dance.

Horton, who spent seven years as assistant trainer to Sir Michael Stoute, was recruited by Dance and his wife Jess to be their private trainer, saddling his first winner from his new Middleham outfit in April 2022.

However, Dance was blocked from having runners by the British Horseracing Authority earlier this year after an intervention from the Financial Conduct Authority.

Dance founded Vertem Asset Management, a prominent sponsor within racing, but that firm was one of three trading names of WealthTek LLP, which was ordered to cease trading by the FCA in April due to “serious regulatory and operational issues coming to light”.

Leading chaser Bravemansgame, who was co-owned by Dance, was subsequently barred from running at Aintree’s Grand National meeting, but was later allowed to resume his career as Bryan Drew took sole ownership.

Dance’s other horses, most of which resided with Horton, were cleared to run under either the Coverdale Stud or Titanium Racing Club names in May, but it was announced on Monday that “further concerns have since come to light” and another interim stop had been put on runners by the BHA.

Horton has now decided to move back to Newmarket to continue his career on his own.

A statement issued to the PA news agency said: “In light of the ongoing uncertainty for James Horton and his team, he is to part ways with owners John and Jess Dance in North Yorkshire and relocate to Newmarket to train independently from there next season.

“He is very grateful for the opportunities which have been given, where he has trained some wonderful horses and looks forward to the future ahead.”

Sam Maximus recorded Horton’s biggest success to date when winning the Listed Hopeful Stakes last term, with Phantom Flight arguably the stable’s star performer in winning three times, including a handicap contest at last year’s Ebor meeting.

Ronald Acuna Jr. joined an exclusive club with his 40th homer of the season and the Atlanta Braves defeated the Washington Nationals 9-6 on Friday.

Acuna’s 40th home run came off starter Patrick Corbin in the first inning for the 34th leadoff homer of his career and eighth this season.

He joins Alphonso Soriano (2006), Alex Rodriguez (1998), Barry Bonds (1996) and Jose Canseco (1988) as the only players with 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in a single season.

The Atlanta superstar has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games, with eight homers and 15 RBIs during that span.

Braves starter Charlie Morton walked the two batters in the first inning and left due to right index finger discomfort after throwing 24 pitches.

He will have an MRI on Saturday but hopes to be ready for the postseason.

Austin Riley hit a two-run homer and Marcell Ozuna added a three-run shot to increase the Braves’ major league-leading home run total to 296.

Twins hold off Angels to clinch AL Central

The Minnesota Twins clinched their third AL Central title in five seasons with an 8-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Alex Kirillof homered and Pablo Lopez pitched six strong innings as Minnesota held on in the ninth for their 82nd win, assuring it of being a division champion with an over .500 record.

The Twins locked up their 15th trip to the postseason since the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961 and became the Twins.

The Twins have lost 18 straight playoff games since their last win in 2004.

Judge hits 3 home runs in Yankees’ win

Aaron Judge became the first Yankees player to hit three home runs in a game twice in one season in a 7-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Judge hit a three-run homer in the third, a two-run shot in the fifth inning off starter Brandon Pfaadt and went deep again in the seventh off Slade Cecconi.

Judge, who had his first career three-homer game against Washington on August 23, is the sixth player in franchise history with multiple three-home run games.

The others are Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Alex Rodriguez, Tony Lazzeri and Bobby Murcer.

Lando Norris raised hopes that he could challenge Max Verstappen for pole at the Japanese Grand Prix by finishing final practice within three tenths of the Red Bull driver.

Verstappen’s record 10-race winning run and Red Bull’s unbeaten season came to an end in Singapore last weekend.

He had set a blistering pace on Friday to suggest the team have put their struggles in the city-state behind them.

The Dutchman’s margin in opening practice was a huge 0.626 seconds over Ferrari’s Singapore-winner Carlos Sainz before beating Charles Leclerc by 0.320sec in P2.

That raised fears that Verstappen, who is closing in on a hat-trick of world titles, could dominate the weekend in a Red Bull car which Lewis Hamilton predicted would be “phenomenal” around the high-speed corner track at Suzuka.

But Norris finished just 0.240 seconds adrift of the 25-year-old and just 0.048 ahead of his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri as the British team continued to show strong pace.

Mercedes pair Hamilton and George Russell enjoyed a more promising session but remained off the pace of Red Bull and McLaren.

Hamilton in particular struggled badly in Friday’s two practice sessions, finishing 16th and 14th, with the seven-time world champion admitting Mercedes had work to do before qualifying.

The 38-year-old finished seventh in P3, albeit 0.892sec behind pace-setter Verstappen, with Russell eighth.

Mercedes are battling with Ferrari to finish second in the Constructors’ Championship.

Ferrari, who are running a new floor at Suzuka, claimed the edge by finishing fifth and sixth but were over half-a-second adrift of the two McLarens.

Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull claimed fourth, 0.737sec behind his team-mate.

A large number of the teams are struggling with tyre degradation due to the higher-than-usual heat at Suzuka, with a track temperature of over 48 degrees Celsius recorded during P3, raising the possibility of a three-stop race on Sunday.

Qualifying gets under way at 1500 local time (0700 BST).

Wigan coach Matt Peet paid tribute to the whole club after they lifted the Super League Leaders Shield following a tough 10-6 win at near neighbours Leigh.

Wigan looked to be on course for a routine victory when they scored two tries midway through the first half, Jai Field and Jake Wardle crossing in quick succession with Harry Smith converting the first to give the Warriors a 10-0 lead.

But Leigh fought back with a try just before half-time from Lachlan Lam, taking the final pass from Kai O’Donnell to score under the posts. Ben Reynolds added the conversion to make it 6-10 at the break.

There were no points scored in the second half – both sides having tries disallowed contentiously in a frantic spell midway through the half. Field was unlucky to see his effort chalked off while Oliver Gildart was denied a try against his former club by the video referee.

“It’s a great achievement,” said Peet. “It’s a fantastic honour and nobody can take that away from us.

“It’s a great pat on the back for the whole club, from the academy to the first team and all the backroom staff. It was a great effort tonight.”

The League Leaders Shield could have ended up with Wigan, Catalans or St Helens on a dramatic night but Peet said he was trying not to pay too much attention to everything going on elsewhere.

He said: “I wasn’t that concerned about the other games. I was just pleased with the performance from our team – it was a game which helps give us some momentum into the play-offs.

“It was a very intense game – the kind of intensity we haven’t had in games recently. So it’s perfect we got one like that under our belt.

“We had to go for 80 minutes and the game highlighted a few areas where we can improve. All in all it was a great night for us. I don’t think it was a fluent performance but games at this time of year are about guts and determination. It was a team effort.”

Defeat for Leigh means they dropped from fourth place to fifth – sending them to Hull KR in the play-offs, the team they beat in the Challenge Cup Final.

Leigh coach Adrian Lam said: “It was a great night for rugby league. It was a great game and a sell-out crowd. Congratulations to Wigan in picking up the League Leaders Shield.”

Despite the defeat, Lam was proud of his team’s effort on the night and also through the season.

He said: “I was very proud of them given the players we had missing. It was tough and physical, very close but we didn’t get the two points we needed.

“There were a couple of massive calls which went against us and they had a massive impact on us missing out on a home play-off game. By not having that game it will hurt us.

“Hull KR, we’ve played them four times this year, we have a fair feel of what they are. Like the rest of the year, there have been ups and downs and turns everywhere.

“We would have taken that at the start of the year. We have missed John Asiata for the last few games and will have a scan on him, whether he can play, but it doesn’t look good.

“I think the try which was disallowed, every rugby league supporter in the world would have given that try. I can’t put into words how much that hurt us.

“We didn’t build pressure but we found a way to hang in there. We didn’t have as much ball but we defended as well as any other team.”

Wigan Warriors claimed the League Leaders Shield on points difference from Catalans Dragons and St Helens with a hard-earned victory over near neighbours Leigh Leopards.

Tries from Jai Field and Jake Wardle plus a conversion from Harry Smith looked to have put Matt Peet’s side on course for a routine victory.

But Leigh hit back just before half-time with a try from Lachlan Lam, added to by Ben Reynolds which cut the deficit to 10-6.

No points were scored in a titanic second half as Wigan were forced to hang on for their eighth straight win, which secured top spot in Super League and the shield which they were presented with on the pitch after the game.

Leigh started the night in fourth but dropped to fifth after Hull KR’s big win at Wakefield. It means Leigh will face Hull KR – the team they beat in the Challenge Cup Final – at Craven Park in the play-offs.

The home side were without influential skipper John Asiata for the third game running through a shoulder injury. Former Wigan centre Zak Hardaker was also missing with a hand problem.

It was an explosive start in front of a sold-out crowd at the Leigh Sports Village with both sides coming up with some big hits to make it a crackling atmosphere.

The home side had looked the more likely to open the scoring but it was the visitors who struck first in the 18th minute. Field showed great footwork after taking Smith’s pass to beat three Leigh defenders and score in the corner. Smith – making his 100th appearance for Wigan – added the conversion to make it 6-0.

Wigan had beaten Leigh three times already this season and scored a second try 10 minutes later – Smith and Field combining on the left edge to send Wardle in at the corner. Smith could not add the goal but the Warriors looked in control at 10-0.

The introduction of Joe Mellor from the bench gave the Challenge Cup winners some impetus and they finished the half strongly. Reynolds combined with Kai O’Donnell on the left edge and Lam hit the pass at pace to cut through and score. Reynolds kicked the conversion to cut the deficit to just four.

Both sides felt aggrieved to see potential tries disallowed in quick succession early in the second half. Field was pulled back after an earlier obstruction before Oliver Gildart’s effort for Leigh was sent to the video referee and ruled out after lengthy deliberation.

Leigh continued to press in the closing stages but they were thwarted by some determined Wigan defence.