Ireland intend to give veteran captain Johnny Sexton as many minutes as he can manage during the Rugby World Cup.
Fly-half Sexton returned from an absence of almost six months due to injury and suspension to lead his country to a crushing 82-8 victory over Romania in their Pool B opener in Bordeaux.
Tougher tests await the world’s top-ranked nation as next weekend’s clash against Tonga in Nantes is followed by pivotal Paris appointments with South Africa and Scotland.
Ireland face a balancing act of wanting the 38-year-old on the pitch as much as possible while ensuring he is in peak condition for the critical moments.
Defence coach Simon Easterby said: “Johnny’s not got potentially many more times wearing the green jersey and – those of you who know him – he wants to play every minute that he can.
“That will be a conversation between him and Faz (head coach Andy Farrell) and making sure that he and Faz are happy with the discussions and how they want to map out the next couple of weeks.
“But certainly from our end, he’s the captain, he’s the talisman in the squad and the more minutes he can play the better.”
Sexton scored two tries as part of a 24-point haul on Saturday afternoon to surpass Ronan O’Gara as Ireland’s leading World Cup points scorer.
The oldest international in Ireland’s history, who will retire after the tournament, was replaced by Jack Crowley in the 65th minute to a standing ovation.
“I think it’s great that he got that many minutes,” said Easterby.
“He looked good, he looked fresh, he was energetic and I guess because of his age and his experience, he doesn’t tend to need a huge amount of rugby to get himself back into the swing of things.
“Training throughout the pre-season has helped that and has given him plenty of opportunities to play the game, as it were, as opposed to just training and running and doing fitness.
“It is different in a game and it’s different against opposition that we don’t know what they’re going to do all the time, that makes it a little bit more unpredictable.
“But certainly if Johnny is fit and available then it’s great for us and it means that he can keep on playing.”
Ireland fielded 10 World Cup newcomers against Romania, with rookie lock Joe McCarthy claiming one of their 12 tries.
“It is great to have so many debutants,” said Easterby. “They all produced some brilliant rugby at times.
“From that perspective, it’s more about us going week to week and having the right blend, the right dynamic in the side.
“Tonga will be a very different proposition to what we faced (on Saturday).”
Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his Achilles tendon in the team's Week 1 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh confirmed Dobbins' injury following his team's 25-9 victory.
Dobbins was injured early in the third quarter after being tackled following a short reception. The fourth-year pro was taken immediately to the locker room with the help of trainers before being ruled out of the game shortly after.
The 24-year-old scored Baltimore's first touchdown earlier in the game and finished with 22 yards on eight rush attempts along with two receptions totalling 15 yards.
"I feel bad for him, this is not the way we expected this to go," Harbaugh said during his post-game press conference. "I'm kind of crestfallen for him. He was playing well. We'll put our arms around him. He'll get into rehab. And he will be back; he's a young guy."
After rushing for 805 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie in 2020, Dobbins has missed much of the past two seasons with injuries. He did not play the entire 2021 season after tearing the ACL in the Ravens' final preseason game, then was limited to just eight games in 2022 due to further problems with his surgically repaired knee.
Dobbins also began this year's preseason on the physically unable to perform list before being activated on Aug. 14. The 2020 second-round pick is in the final year of his rookie contract.
"It's the ugly part of this game," Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said of Dobbins' injury. And these people are your brothers; you [go through] blood, sweat and tears with them. It's a sick feeling that I have over me just to know that that's what happened. So, my prayers go out to him and his family."
Gus Edwards and Justice Hill figure to split snaps at running back in Dobbins' absence. Edwards rushed for 32 yards on eight carries in Sunday's win, while Hill scored a pair of rushing touchdowns.
Novak Djokovic made history with a record-equalling 24th grand slam title at the US Open.
The 36-year-old Serbian tied Margaret Court’s tally with a 6-3 7-6 (5) 6-3 victory over Daniil Medvedev.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at day 14 at the US Open.
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There was guaranteed to be British success in the men’s wheelchair singles with Alfie Hewett facing compatriot, and doubles partner, Gordon Reid.
It was Hewett who triumphed 6-4 6-3 to take his fourth US Open crown and eighth grand slam singles title.
The New York Yankees didn't get their first hit until the 11th inning of Sunday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers, yet still managed to pull out a dramatic 4-3 victory in 13 innings against the National League Central leaders.
New York trailed 1-0 when Oswaldo Cabrera broke up the no-hit bid with an RBI double off Joel Payamps with one out in the bottom of the 11th, and were down 3-1 in the 12th before Giancarlo Stanton connected for a game-tying two-run homer.
After Anthony Misiewicz held the Brewers scoreless in the top of the 13th, Kyle Higashioka drove in automatic runner Everson Pereira with a one-out double off Hoby Milner to allow the Yankees to prevent a three-game series sweep.
Corbin Burnes kept New York hitless through eight innings before being pulled after 109 pitches, and Devin Williams threw a perfect ninth before giving way to Abner Uribe, who gave up a deep drive to the Yankees' Anthony Volpe that right fielder Sal Frelick snared with a leaping catch to keep the no-hit bid intact and the game scoreless.
Tyrone Taylor drove in Milwaukee's first run with a single in the 11th and the Brewers scored twice in the 12th, highlighted by Joey Wiemer's RBI double.
Gerrit Cole matched Burnes through the first seven innings, as the Yankees ace yielded just three hits and struck out nine without a walk.
The loss reduced Milwaukee's lead atop the NL Central to three games over second-place Chicago after the Cubs recorded a 5-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Braves rally to become first team to clinch playoff berth
The Atlanta Braves are now officially in the playoffs after scoring four times in the seventh inning to rally for a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Atlanta, which owns the major leagues' best record at 93-49, secured a sixth consecutive postseason berth and moved closer towards a sixth straight NL East title. The Braves lead second-place Philadelphia by 15 games, and will visit the Phillies for a four-game series starting Monday needing to win three of those contests to wrap up the division.
Pirates rookie Luis Ortiz held Atlanta's potent lineup to one run over 5 1/3 innings, but the Braves' bats came alive against the Pittsburgh bullpen while trailing 2-1 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
Orlando Arcia drew a walk off reliever Colin Selby to start the comeback and Michael Harris singled in front of Ronald Acuna Jr.'s base hit, which plated both runners for a 3-2 Atlanta lead.
The Braves then loaded the bases before Matt Olson knocked in two more runs with a single off Thomas Hatch.
Olson finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs, while Braves starter Allan Winans struck out eight while allowing two runs over 6 1/3 innings.
Pittsburgh had taken a 2-0 lead on RBI doubles by Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski in the top of the sixth.
Eflin picks up 14th win, helps Rays take series from Mariners
Zach Eflin moved into a tie for the American League wins lead and the Tampa Bay Rays scored five early runs en route to a 6-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners in the finale of a key four-game series.
Tampa Bay built a 5-0 lead after three innings before holding on for its third straight win over Seattle after the Mariners took Thursday's series opener. The Rays also closed within three games of first-place Baltimore in the AL East after the Orioles had a seven-game winning streak snapped with Sunday's 7-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
Harold Ramirez had a two-run double as the Rays scored three times off Mariners starter Bryce Miller in the first inning, and Luke Raley's two-run double off Miller in the third increased the margin to 5-0.
Eflin (14-8) allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out six to join Toronto's Chris Bassitt and Baltimore's Kyle Gibson for the AL lead in wins.
Four Tampa relievers held the Mariners scoreless the rest of the way, with Pete Fairbanks striking out all three batters he faced in the ninth for his 22nd save.
The Mariners have lost six of eight following a 22-6 stretch from Aug. 2-Sept. 2 that briefly gave them the AL West lead. They now trail first-place Houston by 2 1/2 games in the division after the Astros posted a 12-2 rout of the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
Sam Haggerty went 2 for 3 with an RBI to lead Seattle offensively.
Novak Djokovic secured his 24th grand slam title and became the oldest US Open champion in the Open era after a gruelling victory over Daniil Medvedev.
The 36-year-old Serbian, who is back up to world number one, beat third seed Medvedev 6-3 7-6 (5) 6-3 for a fourth Flushing Meadows crown.
The match hinged on a marathon second set lasting 104 minutes, which was longer than both players’ entire first-round matches.
Djokovic won it after a tie-break to move 2-0 up and finally break Medvedev’s spirit, going on to gain a measure of revenge after the Russian denied him the calendar grand slam in the final here two years ago.
The win also moved him level with Margaret Court’s record of major titles, although really that is a statistical irrelevance given the obvious difference in the level and depth of competition between now and the 1960s.
Of more importance to Djokovic is his record against his peers; he is now two clear of Rafael Nadal’s 22 grand slam crowns and four ahead of Roger Federer, who declared on 20 last year.
Having already won in Australia and Paris, Djokovic has picked up three major titles in a year for the fourth time in his career. Only the five-set defeat by Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final blemished his 2023 record.
Now he has surpassed Ken Rosewall, who was 35 when he won in 1970, and who did not have to contend with any sets lasting almost an hour and a quarter.
A Medvedev double-fault and a blistering backhand winner down the line gave Djokovic the early break point which he converted to love to subsequently take the first set in a relatively speedy 48 minutes.
But Medvedev, returning from about a quarter-of-a-mile behind the baseline, made Djokovic toil in the second set and it began to show with the favourite showing signs of fatigue.
After an hour and three quarters he produced his first break point of the match but Djokovic, with an obvious change of game plan in a bid to shorten the points, expertly snuffed it out with a big serve and an immaculate volley.
Medvedev had set point on the Djokovic serve but another volley at the net dealt with that, and when tie-break slipped away from the 27-year-old, the match soon followed.
Warren Gatland reflected on a “pretty significant” victory for his team after Wales brought the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals within sight by beating Fiji 32-26 at Stade de Bordeaux.
Wales held their nerve in a frantic and pulsating Pool C clash. It was tense throughout, especially when Fiji scored twice in the last seven minutes and centre Semi Radradra knocked on close to the line in the game’s last play.
At 32-14 ahead deep inside the final quarter, Wales looked home and dry, but Fiji had other ideas.
Asked if he had his heart in his mouth during the closing stages, Gatland said: “Absolutely. With seven minutes to go I wondered about just going down to the changing rooms and waiting until the final whistle.
“I am absolutely delighted with the result. I think it is pretty significant for us.
“With 65 minutes on the clock we were comfortable, and we needed to control that. We gave away some unnecessary penalties, lost a little bit of composure.
“We’ve always been a team that builds on confidence and get better in tournaments. So that is exciting.
“I was pretty frustrated and angry about the last period of the game, but it’s about being honest and making sure we learn from it.
“I am delighted with the win, but we made it a lot harder for ourselves than we needed to, made some dumb decisions in the last 15 minutes.
“We changed a few things at half-time. We really wanted to go for them up front in terms of taking it out of their legs.
“A few of their players looked a bit tired and we looked in control, but typical Fiji – they never say die, get a couple of sniffs of a try and come back at you.”
Wales ultimately prevailed through tries from Josh Adams, George North, Louis Rees-Zammit and Elliot Dee, with fly-half Dan Biggar adding two penalties and three conversions in a bonus-point success.
Fiji claimed tries through captain Waisea Nayacalevu, flanker Lekima Tagitagivalu and replacements Josua Tuisova and Mesake Doge – Frank Lomani converted two and Teti Tela also added a conversion – yet Wales gained the victory they craved ahead of remaining Pool C appointments with Portugal, Australia and Georgia.
Wales were close to a staggering 250 tackles in the game, and Biggar said: “It was absolutely exhausting. The last 10 minutes felt like the clock never moved.
“We put everything into it, Fiji came strong at the end, but I am really thrilled for this group of players that we managed to see it through because the work we’ve put in over the past few months has just been incredible.
“It puts us in such a good position in the group. I am just absolutely drained.”
Captain Jac Morgan said: “We have that mentality of never giving up, always working hard for each other.
“We’ve been through a couple of camps with some tough training over the past couple of weeks, and it has really brought the boys close as you saw.”
Fiji took two losing bonus points from the game, which might prove critical in terms of the group’s finishing places and race for a last-eight spot.
Head coach Simon Raiwalui said: “We had our opportunities. We weren’t clinical enough. There were a couple of disallowed tries, and we had a chance at the end.
“We weren’t clinical enough to finish off, and we move on to Australia next week.
“We made mistakes at critical moments, and we had to chase it at the end. It was a very good Welsh team.”
Wales held their nerve in a frantic and pulsating Rugby World Cup clash to beat Fiji 32-26 and put themselves on course for the quarter-finals.
Fiji were expected to provide ferocious opposition in Bordeaux, and they did not disappoint, but Wales ultimately claimed a fourth successive World Cup win against them in nerve-shredding fashion.
It was tense throughout, especially when Fiji scored twice in the last seven minutes and Wales had to dig deep during a frenzied finale when Fiji centre Semi Radradra knocked on close to the line in the game’s last play.
Warren Gatland’s team ultimately prevailed through tries from Josh Adams, George North, Louis Rees-Zammit and Elliot Dee, with fly-half Dan Biggar adding two penalties and three conversions in a bonus-point success watched by Welsh Rugby Union patron the Prince of Wales.
Fiji claimed tries by captain Waisea Nayacalevu, flanker Lekima Tagitagivalu, plus replacements Josua Tuisova and Mesake Doge – Frank Lomani converted two and Teti Tela also added a conversion – yet Wales gained the victory they craved ahead of remaining Pool C appointments with Portugal, Australia and Georgia.
Gatland masterminded two semi-final appearances during his previous reign as Wales head coach, and his players produced easily their best performance this year.
Biggar steered the ship impressively, while Wales’ defence often came up trumps at key moments, even somehow withholding Fiji late on after they were matched blow for blow.
Taulupe Faletau returned to Wales’ starting line-up after a calf muscle injury that sidelined him for the entire tournament warm-up schedule.
Fiji, meanwhile, showed one enforced change from the side that beat England at Twickenham last month with fly-half Tela replacing an injured Caleb Muntz.
Wales made an outstanding start, taking an 8-0 lead in as many minutes through a Biggar penalty and Adams try.
Biggar, playing in his final World Cup before retiring from Test rugby, kicked a long-range penalty before Wales carved open the Fiji defence.
North’s powerful midfield surge was taken on by scrum-half Gareth Davies before possession quickly went wide and Adams – top try-scorer at the 2019 World Cup in Japan – finished in style.
Fiji responded strongly, though, and Nayacalevu scored a 13th-minute try that Lomani converted.
It was a breathless contest in stamina-sapping heat, and Wales fell behind just four minutes later after Radradra broke clear and his pass to Tagitagivalu gave him an easy run-in.
Lomani’s conversion took Fiji 14-8 ahead, ringing alarm bells for Wales, before Biggar cut the gap by landing a second penalty.
And Wales regained the lead after relentless pressure reaped its reward as Nick Tompkins sent North over between the posts, with Biggar’s conversion securing an 18-14 advantage midway through the second quarter.
Fiji thought they had gone back in front just before the break, but Saracens prop Eroni Mawi was denied a try following a lengthy review of his dive for the line.
Davies was then on the receiving end of a high tackle by Selestino Ravutaumada and departed for a head injury assessment to be replaced by Tomos Williams. Wing Ravutaumada conceded a penalty but escaped further punishment from referee Matthew Carley as Wales held a four-point interval advantage.
Davies returned for the second period, and Biggar missed a 30-metre penalty chance before they conjured a third try in an unlikely fashion.
Sharp work by Tompkins unlocked Fiji’s defence, and skipper and flanker Jac Morgan provided the assist by kicking into space and Rees-Zammit finished off, with Biggar’s conversion making it 25-14.
Fiji camped deep inside Wales’ 22 entering the final quarter, and it took sustained last-ditch defending to keep them out.
But the game looked to have drifted away from Fiji when Tagitagivalu was yellow-carded and Wales scored before he had barely left the pitch.
The forwards drove a short-range lineout, and Dee claimed a touchdown that Biggar converted.
However, Wales then lost replacement prop Corey Domachowski to the sin-bin for a technical infringement and Fiji had the final say through tries from Tuisova and Doge, but Gatland’s men held on.
Manu Tuilagi insists England will continue to laugh in the face of adversity after reacting to their latest disciplinary crisis by delivering one of the nation’s great acts of defiance on a rugby field.
Argentina were routed 27-10 in a pivotal World Cup opener despite England playing all but three minutes of the Stade Velodrome clash with 14 men because of Tom Curry’s red card for a dangerous tackle.
Curry’s disciplinary hearing takes place on Tuesday night when he will learn how much of the group campaign he is to miss, with fixtures against Japan, Chile and Samoa to come.
England have now had four players sent off in six Tests – each of them for dangerous tackles – and an indicator of their regularity was seen in Tuilagi’s response when his Sale team-mate was given his marching orders.
“To be honest I was sort of smiling and laughing because we’ve had a tough preparation,” said centre Tuilagi, who packed down in the scrum in Curry’s absence.
“We’ve had a lot of challenges that life has thrown towards us. But just because we’ve had a lot of challenges it doesn’t mean they are going to stop. That’s life and you’ve just got to find a way to deal with it.
“Tomorrow’s going to be different – a new day, a new challenge. So we’ve talked about the belief and the trust that you’ve got to have in each other.
“Our preparation wasn’t the best, but we worked so hard to get here so it’s time to just go out there and enjoy our rugby, not think about the past and the future.”
At the heart of a victory that places England in control of Pool D was George Ford, the fly-half who wielded the knife as the abject Pumas were subjected to death by a thousand cuts.
Ford landed three drop-goals and six penalties, as well as delivering a tactical masterclass, while around him the likes of Courtney Lawes, Ben Earl and Maro Itoje outfought Argentina even while Curry watched from the stands.
Tuilagi marvels at “our kid” Ford, another Sale colleague who is helping put Manchester back on the rugby map.
“George is unbelievable. He’s a player who has been there and done it all. We look to him in tough times and he stepped up against Argentina,” Tuilagi said.
“He deserves everything he’s got because he’s worked so hard to get back and play well.
“He’s a mastermind. He lives and breathes rugby. And he loves it. Having the love of what you do means you enjoy it. It wasn’t perfect but that’s life, it can never be perfect.”
England are mindful of remaining clear-eyed about a stirring win founded on resilience and smart rugby, but also notable for the impotency of the attack.
The humidity made the ball slippery but that failed to account for the failure to convert a five-on-two overlap in the second half.
For now, however, England will celebrate an important win secured despite an abysmal warm-up campaign and which builds momentum ahead of Sunday’s clash with Japan in Lille.
“This definitely makes working on things a bit better. When we go back to the drawing board on Monday, it’s better to learn on a win than from losing,” Tuilagi said.
Gregor Townsend lamented Scotland’s inability to lay a glove on South Africa after a deflating 18-3 defeat in their World Cup opener in Marseille.
The Scots went into the match with genuine belief that they could get the better of the world champions, but they struggled to get their much-vaunted attack going.
The Springboks led 6-3 at the break and then pulled away with tries from Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kurt-Lee Arendse in the the third quarter, and Townsend’s team were unable to summon a response.
It was the first time since losing to Ireland at the 2019 World Cup that the Scots – renowned for their potency – had scored as few as three points.
“I’m really disappointed,” said Townsend. “We were slow to get going in the first half. There was a bit of inaccuracy in our play, but then we built into the game and I felt physically we were more than up for the challenge that South Africa bring.
“We started to win penalties at scrum-time, which was a real bonus. There were opportunities but not many in our attacking game, but there were a couple in the first half. We spoke at half-time about the need to build on the way we finished that second quarter.
“But we started with a bit of inaccuracy and then South Africa dominated possession for a period and put on points, and it then became difficult in those conditions. The defence had to play from deep and it became risky, and we never had the accuracy to trouble them on the scoreboard.”
Townsend was frustrated that the TMO did not intervene after Boks centre Jesse Kriel appeared to clash head-on-head with Scotland back-rower Jack Dempsey in the first minute. Replays indicated it could have been a red card.
“I saw it from two screens away and it did look like it was a head-on-head collision and I was expecting the TMO to come in to make the referee aware of that,” said Townsend.
“Who knows (if it could have been a game-changer)? There was a red card (for England against Argentina) on Saturday and it didn’t help or change the game much in terms of Argentina’s favour so who knows?
“There are still inconsistencies in seeing these things so we are obviously frustrated by that, but we are more frustrated by our own performance.”
Scotland must now win all three of their remaining matches against Tonga, Romania and Ireland to have a chance of getting through to the knock-out phase and Townsend admits they must tighten up their game if they are to do that.
“Accuracy in attack (needs to improve) and in defence we would be relatively satisfied with the effort which went in but I still think there is more in us with that,” he said.
“Our attack in general starts from our set-piece, winning possession and what we did when we had that possession has got to improve. We only scored three points and that is unusual for us.”
Stand-off Finn Russell received treatment after taking a bang to his midriff late in the first half, but he soldiered on for the remainder of the match.
“It looked like he was coming off initially,” said Townsend. “He had a rib injury which seemed like it was going to stop him from continuing, but he dug deep and fought really hard.
“I thought some of his defensive work in the second half was outstanding and it shows how much he cares for his team-mates and playing for Scotland.”
Sweden’s Vincent Norrman surged through the field to win the Horizon Irish Open as Rory McIlroy’s bid for a second victory in the event came to a shambolic end.
Norrman carded a flawless closing 65 at The K Club to finish 14 under par and a shot ahead of 54-hole leader Hurly Long, with former champion Shane Lowry part of a four-way tie for third on 12 under.
McIlroy began the final round two behind Long and birdied the first and fourth either side of a 90-minute weather delay to share the lead, but found water on the seventh, 11th and twice on the 16th as he stumbled to a 74.
Norrman started the day six behind Long but made six birdies in the space of eight holes from the seventh and then two-putted the par-five 18th for another to set the clubhouse target on 14 under.
Long was briefly on the same score thanks to a birdie on the 12th, but bogeyed the next two holes and was unable to make an eagle on the last to force a play-off.
“It means everything,” Norrman said after his second DP World Tour title in two months, the first coming in the co-sanctioned Barbasol Championship in July.
“It’s such a cool event to play, the fans have been incredible and I really had a fun week out there. It was a long wait (for everyone to finish) but I’m super happy. I can’t believe this happened. I’m over the moon.
“I was starting off a little so-so and I made two birdies and got a rain delay, had a coffee and then went out and flushed it.
“I knew there were a few chances out there. I didn’t really have a number in my head. I just tried to press on with some birdie looks and saved a few great pars too to keep the momentum going.”
McIlroy, who lifted the trophy the last time The K Club hosted the event in 2016, followed his early birdies with a double bogey on the seventh and a bogey on the 11th before reviving his chances with a birdie on the 13th.
However, the world number two then hit his second shot on the 16th into the water for the second day running and amazingly flew his fourth shot from the drop zone over the green and into the same hazard, eventually getting up and down from a greenside bunker for a triple-bogey eight.
Lowry, who began the week facing questions about his Ryder Cup wild card after recording just one top-10 finish in 2023, carded a third 68 of the week which featured a tap-in eagle on the fourth and four birdies.
“It’s obviously a tournament that I would love to win again,” Lowry, who was still an amateur when he won in 2009, said.
“I’m a little disappointed now because to be honest I didn’t see a scoreboard for a long time out there. There was not many out there and 13 under was still leading when I got to the 16th green.
“I did my best and it’s been a great week. The crowds were incredible. It’s one of the best Irish Opens I can remember.
“All in all it’s been a good week for me and a step in the right direction and I’ll be back to defend my (BMW PGA Championship) title at Wentworth next week, which is exciting as well.”
Scotland suffered a demoralising start to their World Cup campaign as world champions South Africa squeezed the life out of them in Marseille.
The Boks kicked off their defence of the Webb Ellis Cup with an 18-3 victory on Sunday evening after two tries from Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kurt-Lee Arendse in the third quarter took the game away from the Scots following a tightly-contested first half.
The defeat leaves Gregor Townsend’s side with no margin for error in their remaining three matches against Tonga, Romania and Ireland if they are to qualify for the quarter-finals.
The two sides went into the tournament in confident mood following encouraging summer campaigns which left the Boks ranked second and the Scots fifth in the world, but with Ireland – the top-ranked team – also in Pool B, the pressure was on both nations to start with a victory.
The Springboks started in more assured fashion and had a chance to get the scoreboard up and running in the 11th minute when the Scots were deemed to have collapsed the scrum, but Manie Libbok hooked his penalty wide from 40 metres.
The South African stand-off made no such mistake, however, when presented with another opportunity two minutes later after Finn Russell was penalised for a deliberate knock-on as he sent his kick soaring between the posts from a central position 35 metres out.
Tempers flared on the side of the pitch just after the midway point in the first half after Damian de Allende was slammed into touch but referee Angus Gardner – after reviewing the skirmish – spoke to four players, but decided no further action was required.
Libbok doubled the Boks’ lead to six points shortly afterwards with another penalty after Sione Tuipulotu failed to release.
After South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth limped off to be replaced by RG Snyman, Scotland, who had been struggling to get their attacking game going, carved out a brilliant chance to score, but Darcy Graham opted to go himself and ran into trouble when fellow wing Duhan van der Merwe, on his outside, was crying out for a pass and appeared to have a free run to the line.
Despite being unable to impose their game on the Boks, the Scots were generally standing up well to the physical challenge of their opponents and they cut their deficit to three points in the last action of the first half when Finn Russell – who had earlier needed treatment following a bang to the ribs – kicked a penalty from 45 metres right on half-time.
Two minutes after the restart Libbok attempted to kick a penalty from almost five metres inside his own half, but he failed to get enough distance on it and the Scots were able to gather.
South Africa got their first try of the match in the 47th minute when Du Toit pushed over on the left after a sustained spell of pressure. Libbok was off target with his conversion attempt.
Thing got worse for the Scots four minutes later when Arendse ran in to touch down in the right corner after a lovely cross-field kick from Libbok set him free. With the stand-off having missed three of his five attempts at goal, scrum-half Faf De Klerk took over kicking duties and duly pinged the conversion between the posts.
Scotland have made a habit in recent times of mounting impressive fightbacks, but this time they were unable to find a way of breaching the obdurate Boks.
A trip to the Breeders’ Cup looks to be on the agenda for Auguste Rodin following his thrilling return to form in the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes.
On the weekend Aidan O’Brien became just the third Irish trainer to reach the 4,000 career winners landmark, the dual Derby winner provided the Ballydoyle handler his fifth straight victory in the 10-furlong Group One contest, denying stablemate Luxembourg back-to-back wins in the Leopardstown feature.
The success was made all the remarkable as it was the second time this season O’Brien and his team had conjured up a piece of magic on the training grounds as the son of Deep Impact once again proved his doubters wrong to bounce back from a bitterly disappointing display in Ascot’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
With a preference for a sound surface, the high-class colt could now have booked his ticket to Santa Anita in early November, with O’Brien believing that could be the perfect spot for the apple of his eye.
He said: The lads love the Breeders’ Cup and he’s a lovely horse for it. They will decide, but he’d love that ground.
“He’s a beautiful mover. He won in Doncaster on heavy and we couldn’t believe that he did it, but it was probably just sheer ability.
“We’ll take our time and see how he is, but I’d imagine it will be something like that (Breeders’ Cup).”
Luxembourg, meanwhile, could bid to better last year’s seventh in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
O’Brien added: “He could go to the Arc. He wouldn’t mind as long as the ground is not heavy, and over a mile and a half we know to ride him like a horse that just gets a mile and a half.
“He doesn’t want to go any further, but we are learning about him all the time. It was a massive run yesterday.”
Coco Gauff says Serena and Venus Williams are the reason she has won the US Open.
American teenager Gauff picked up her first grand slam title at her home major, coming from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-3 6-2.
Gauff’s father Corey used to take his young daughter to Flushing Meadows to watch the Williams sisters in action.
And the gilded duo, with eight US Open titles between them, inspired an eight-year-old Gauff, filmed dancing in the stands inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, to follow in their footsteps.
“It’s crazy. I mean, they’re the reason why I have this trophy, to be honest,” said Gauff.
“They have allowed me to believe in this dream, you know, growing up. You know, there wasn’t too many black tennis players dominating the sport.
“It was literally, at that time when I was younger, it was just them that I can remember.
“Obviously more came because of their legacy. So it made the dream more believable. But all the things that they had to go through, they made it easier for someone like me to do this.
“I mean, you look back at the history with Indian Wells with Serena (when she was booed in 2001), all she had to go through, Venus fighting for equal pay.
“Yeah, it’s just, like, it’s crazy and it’s an honour to be in that same kind of line-up as them.”
Gauff’s day of destiny saw her became the first American teenager to triumph at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.
The latter’s final farewell to tennis at the same championships last year left a colossal void in tennis in the US.
So it felt entirely appropriate that Gauff, the heir apparent to the 23-time grand slam winner, stepped into her shoes 12 months later.
Gauff used her acceptance speech to thank “the people who didn’t believe in me”.
The 19-year-old was at a low ebb after losing in the first round at Wimbledon, but she has since won 18 of her past 19 matches and picked up three titles, including the big one in the Big Apple.
“I would say for sure a little bit after the Wimbledon loss, honestly I just felt people were like, ‘oh, she’s hit her peak and she’s done’. It was all hype,” she added.
“I see the comments. People don’t think I see it but I see it. I’m very aware of tennis Twitter.
“Honestly after that, I was like, OK, I have a lot of work to do. So I think this means a lot to me. I wish I could give this trophy to my past self so she can be, like, all those tears are for this moment.”
Richard Fahey’s Native American demonstrated a great deal of promise when coming out on top in the Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sale Stakes at the Curragh.
The juvenile had not been seen since his debut at York in May, a novice race he won by a facile five and a half lengths over six furlongs.
Partnered by Colin Keane this time around, the colt was the 4-5 favourite and made light work of the task in hand, streaking away from 11 rivals to cross the line two and a half lengths ahead of the runner-up.
Fahey said of his Wathnan Racing-owned youngster: “He was workmanlike, I thought, but he did it well in the end to be fair.
“He grew and just wasn’t scoping great so I couldn’t get stuck into him, but he’s done plenty of cantering and we were pleased with him. I’m sure he will improve again.
“He’s quite a nice horse, we do like him but he’s a work in progress.
“We won some sales races with Wootton Bassett and he ended up winning the Lagardere. That was in my mind before the race so we’ll see how he is and decide whether he goes or not.
“The jockey felt the ground was just dead enough for him and felt he wanted better ground.”
Charles O’Brien’s Big Gossey won for the first time this season when taking the Irish Stallion Farms EBF “Bold Lad” Sprint Handicap under teenage apprentice Robert Whearty.
The six-year-old, who claimed the same race in 2021, is a regular over sprint trips at the Curragh and was third over the same course and distance under Whearty last time out.
With a slicker exit from the stalls this time the pair were victorious, striking at 16-1 to land a valuable prize for owners the Allegro Syndicate.
Whearty said: “He was a bit unlucky the last day. He went up in the gates a small bit and I missed the break. I had a bit of ground to make up and probably used him up at the wrong time.
“I had a lovely position today and he travelled into it lovely. He had a bit of a look when he got there but thankfully he stayed going.
“It’s brilliant to be riding (this weekend), never mind have a winner.”
The final race of the meeting, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF “Northfields” Handicap, was claimed by the Irish Cambridgeshire third Crystal Black.
Ridden by Colin Keane for his father, Gerard, the gelding came home the winner having started as the 5-1 joint-favourite.
Fantastic Moon entered the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe picture as he flew the flag for German trainer Sarah Steinberg when a decisive winner of the Qatar Prix Niel at ParisLongchamp.
The son of Sea The Moon emulated his sire when taking the German Derby earlier in the year, after which he was second to Nations Pride in the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis at Munich – another Group One.
He was an intended runner in the Grosser Preis von Baden last weekend, a race that led the German-trained Torquator Tasso to Arc success in 2021.
The going scuppered that Baden-Baden entry and Plan B was deployed when Fantastic Moon rerouted to Paris for the Group Two Prix Niel, a long-time pointer to the Arc.
The decision proved a wise one as Fantastic Moon carried Arc-winning rider Rene Piechulek to a convincing two-and-a-half-length victory, cruising around the final bend to reel in the front-running King Of Records and hold off his well-regarded stablemate Feed The Flame.
Fantastic Moon is not among the Arc entries at present and would therefore need to be supplemented, with the ground a key factor in the decision as the Breeders’ Cup and the Japan Cup are on the table also.
“He is fantastic, what a horse, what a day,” said Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten of owners Liberty Racing.
“Arc, yes or no? We are not sure, we will decide. The Arc is an option, the Breeders’ Cup is an option and the Japan Cup is an option.
“We will discuss when the horse is back in Munich, he is a wonderful horse.
“Everybody saw that today and he is untapped at the moment, nobody knows how good he is.
“We will decide in the next days what we do but we need good ground, that’s important for him – no soft ground.
“That is the question for the Arc, what will the weather be in Paris for the next two weeks?”
Pascal Bary was not too downhearted at defeat for Grand Prix de Paris winner Feed The Flame, saying: “He wasn’t quite as ready as I thought. With the heat, Feed The Flame asked for a breather during the race. He picked up well, even if the last 100 metres perhaps seemed a bit of an eternity for him.
“Christophe Soumillon made sure of the fact that the colt was given a lesson when it came to racing between horses, which is a good form of preparation. Furthermore, he wasn’t hard on him. Of course, it’s always better to win than to be second.
“That said, the winner, Fantastic Moon, has every right to be considered a good colt. Feed The Flame will line up in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. If the ground were to ease that would be even better.”
Andre Fabre’s Place Du Carrousel may also have earned herself a spot in the Arc after landing the Qatar Prix Foy, again over course and distance.
The Lope De Vega filly, who is owned by Al Shaqab Racing and Ballylinch Stud, was partnered by Mickael Barzalona for the Group Two that Waldgeist won for Fabre in 2019 before flooring Enable in her bid to win the Arc for the third time.
Place Du Carrousel now looks likely to follow the same path after a neck success over a worthy opponent in Iresine – twice a Group One winner himself.
Rupert Pritchard-Gordon of Al Shaqab Racing said: “The filly showed that she’s in good form. She’s still fresh because she hasn’t run much this year, due to a slight setback in the spring.
“The weather conditions are exceptional today, and Monsieur Fabre preferred to go for the Qatar Prix Foy rather than the Qatar Prix Vermeille, anticipating that there would be less pace in the Foy.
“When we decided to keep her in training at four, after her success in the Prix de l’Opera Longines last year, the idea was to aim her at the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
“If all goes well between now and then, we’ll be heading to the race of dreams!”
Eldar Eldarov made a successful raid on the Comer Group International Irish St Leger at the Curragh, as Kyprios finished a brave second in his eagerly-awaited return to the track.
Aidan O’Brien’s five-year-old dominated the staying scene last season, but had been off since his staggering 20-length success in last year’s Prix du Cadran.
But despite Kyprios being sent off the 4-6 favourite in his quest for back-to-back Irish St Leger victories, the afternoon belonged to Eldar Eldarov as Roger Varian’s charge served a reminder of his own class.
David Egan’s mount was bidding to add the Irish equivalent to the Doncaster Classic he secured 12 months ago and having travelled powerfully throughout, he ran on strongly for a three-and-a-half-length triumph.
It was a welcome upturn in fortunes for Varian who saddled King Of Steel to finish fourth in Saturday’s Irish Champion Stakes, while Eldar Eldarov was back in front for the first time since his finest hour on Town Moor.
Betfair shortened Eldar Eldarov to 7-1 from 14s for the Long Distance Cup on Qipco British Champions Day, with Kyprios unchanged at 6-1.
Henry Longfellow brushed aside his rivals to give trainer Aidan O’Brien his 4,000th career winner with an imperious display in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh.
The master of Ballydoyle was on the brink of the milestone following a fantastic four-timer on the opening day of the Irish Champions Festival, but was made to wait until the two-year-old showpiece on day two of the showpiece weekend to reach the landmark figure.
The race had looked like being a surprise showdown between Henry Longfellow and stablemate City Of Troy – who not only dominated the ante-post lists for this Group One event, but also next year’s Classics.
However, Henry Longfellow is also a talented operator in his own right and after the late defection of City Of Troy on account of the ground, Ryan Moore wasted little time switching mounts as the son of Dubawi demonstrated his class with a bloodless demolition.
Sent off the 10-11 favourite, the Futurity Stakes scorer travelled with supreme ease as outsider Cuban Thunder led along his Adrian Murray-trained stablemate Bucanero Fuerte on the front end.
As the field approached the two-furlong pole, Kevin Stott was already asking the Phoenix Stakes winner for maximum effort, whereas Moore and his high-class partner were only just warming up and with Bucanero Fuerte soon left in his wake, Henry Longfellow was allowed to give a glimpse of what is lurking under the bonnet as he sailed home to a five-length success over a running-on Islandsinthestream.
Paddy Power and Betfair make the winner 7-2 from 5s for next year’s 2000 Guineas, with both also going 6-1 from 8s for the Derby.
Fallen Angel stayed on strongly to land the Moyglare Stud Stakes in impressive fashion at the Curragh, as Aidan O’Brien’s Ylang Ylang folded tamely to give up her unbeaten record.
Ylang Ylang went into the race as the ante-post favourite for next year’s Classics following two impressive displays and was sent off the 6-5 market leader in a bid to give the master of Ballydoyle his 10th success in the Group One event.
Ryan Moore sent the daughter of Frankel to the front where she was joined by Danny Tudhope aboard the eventual 9-2 winner and the duo matched strides until Ylang Ylang began to falter approaching the final furlong.
Despite Ylang Ylang falling quickly to the back of the field, the race was far from over and Willie McCreary’s Vespertilio was soon alongside Fallen Angel launching her challenge, with the duo embroiled in a real tussle to the line.
It was Karl Burke’s filly who pulled out extra when it mattered most to provide both the North Yorkshire trainer and owners Clipper Logistics with their second winner of the Irish Champions Festival following Flight Plan’s Dullingham Park Stakes success at Leopardstown on Saturday.
The winner now enters the equation for next year’s 1000 Guineas, with Coral going 8-1 and Betfair 7-1 from 25s.
Moss Tucker stayed on strongly to land a decisive blow for the home team in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five Stakes.
The Curragh Group One was stacked with British talent, but it was Ken Condon’s unheralded five-year-old who scooped the €236,000 first prize at odds of 16-1.
Although now an eight-time winner, it was just the second time Moss Tucker was appearing at the highest level and while all eyes were on the near-side group where Art Power was being closely attended by Bradsell and Highfield Princess, Moss Tucker was getting the ideal tow through the race by Charlie Hills’ Equality.
The two groups merged with two furlongs to run, but whereas distress signals were being displayed by the fancied runners, the Billy Lee-ridden Moss Tucker still had plenty in the tank and he proved his stamina to deny Clive Cox’s Get Ahead in the closing stages with the front-running Equality going down bravely in third.
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