World Cup organisers have apologised to fans caught up in the chaotic scenes outside the Stade Velodrome before England’s match against Argentina on Saturday night.
Thousands of ticket holders missed the start of the Pool D opener because of the limited number of entry points and turnstiles, insufficient staffing levels and extensive security checks.
The weight of numbers led to crushes outside the ground and while France 2023 announced there were no incidents and all 63,118 seats were eventually taken, many supporters were concerned for their safety amid the potential for the situation to escalate.
“Fans are the heartbeat of the tournament and we would like to apologise to fans impacted by yesterday’s access challenges,” a statement read.
“We are working hard to enhance the experience for all visiting Marseille for Rugby World Cup 2023.”
Organisers have stated there will now be more service volunteers in place to assist with entry as well as increased announcements on public transport, including in English.
Other measures are also being taken to sure there is not a repeat of the scenes that took place before England beat Argentina 27-10 in the opening match of Pool D, which was staged in a hot and humid Marseille.
Although the crowds were well behaved and the atmosphere respectful, many supporters feared the consequences if the crushes intensified.
“When we got out of the station at the stadium there was an overwhelming number of people as there are just two entry points,” said England supporter Tim Chamberlain, who was attending his fifth World Cup.
“It felt like there were just not enough turnstiles and not enough people working. We stood in the melee for 45 minutes and it was really hot.
“You could see when we got in that it was potentially dangerous and there were occasional crowd surges, which were worrying, but people were generally pretty respectful.”
The Stade Velodrome was due to host Scotland’s Pool B tournament opener against reigning world champions South Africa on Sunday with the match scheduled to kick off at 1645BST.
Max Verstappen can cement his place in the Formula One record books by surpassing Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, so says Jody Scheckter.
Red Bull driver Verstappen broke another record with his victory at the Italian Grand Prix, tallying up a tenth straight race victory, overtaking Sebastian Vettel's previous best of nine.
Verstappen extended his lead in the drivers' championship standings to 145 points and looks on course to win his third title in a row - having triumphed in 2021 and 2022 - and Scheckter sees no reason why the Dutchman's run will end here.
"It really depends on the cars, to a large extent. There's no question he's good enough but has he always got the winning car," he told Stats Perform.
"To think Lewis [Hamilton] had a dominant car for a long period of time, not to take anything away from him. I also think he's brilliant and smart. You can get in a bad car now and then, doesn't matter how good you are, you're not going to be winning.
"Right now, he's got the car to win. Granted, you can't put anything against it. If he has this dominance all the time, it could be maybe eight drivers' championships."
Verstappen became the youngest driver in F1 when he made his debut aged 17 at the 2015 Austrian Grand Prix, but Scheckter believes that the 25-year-old has had to refine his technique and tactics on the track to fulfil his championship-winning potential.
"He's obviously quick as anything, but he's aggressive. But he's also smart and comes out on the top in these different very difficult situations. At the beginning, he was too aggressive. But now he seems to get it all together and real championship material," Scheckter added.
"I think at the beginning, when you get into Formula One, you just want to prove that you're faster than everybody and so that's what you do. And then you realise you don't win championships like that.
"You tune yourself and he's a smart guy. So he's got it together now and obviously got the car at the moment to do it."
With Verstappen closing in on his third successive title, it has reignited debate surrounding the competitiveness of F1.
Prior to Verstappen's win in 2021, Hamilton had won six titles in the space of seven years, with Vettel also winning four in a row between 2010 and 2013.
According to Scheckter, who won the drivers' championship in 1979 during a nine-year career in which no F1 rival successfully defended their title, changes should be made to try and level the playing field during this era of Red Bull dominance.
He said: "One thing that frustrates me about are these penalties that they mean they have to go back on the grid, and if the gearbox goes, it just doesn't make any sense to me at all.
"It spoils the spectacle of the racing, you want to see people racing on the track. If he breaks down in practice or qualifying he can't get back up to race. Why?
"Everybody wants to see them racing side by side. Just doesn't make any sense from a spectator's point of view that I can see."
The Shaquille team remained puzzled on Sunday by their stable star’s uncharacteristic effort in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock.
The Julie Camacho-trained colt has been superb all season, with a four-race winning streak including two Group One titles, in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Newmarket.
He missed the break on the latter two occasions and was schooled through the stalls at home to remedy the issue, with the session seeming to be a success and confidence high as he headed to Haydock as the 11-10 favourite.
Shaquille was taken to post early by James Doyle, who then had to dismount before the market leader entered the stalls.
This time he did not miss the break and led in the early stages, but as the race unfolded he faded abruptly two furlongs from home before he was eased up by Doyle, coming home last of the 16 starters.
He pulled up sound, with no obvious issues, leaving connections still looking for the cause of an inexplicably heavy defeat.
“Nothing has come to light immediately, he was fine post-race – he was sound and his heart rate was normal,” said Camacho’s assistant and husband, Steve Brown.
“He seems bright and breezy this morning, he’s his normal self, he’s pretty fresh and well if anything.
“It’s all a bit of a puzzle at this moment in time, we’ll take some more tests this week and see if we can find what was amiss.
“He obviously wasn’t himself, he didn’t run any sort of a race and James did the right thing and looked after him thankfully.”
“I’m sure something will come to the surface at some point, but at the minute it’s in the mystery column, I’m afraid.”
Ireland expect Robbie Henshaw to be available for next weekend’s Rugby World Cup clash with Tonga as part of a potentially fully-fit squad.
Andy Farrell’s side launched their Pool B campaign in commanding fashion on Saturday afternoon by dispatching Romania 82-8 in a 12-try rout.
Centre Henshaw was a late withdrawal from the bench due to a hamstring issue, resulting in a recall to the match day 23 for the initially overlooked Mack Hansen.
Prop Dave Kilcoyne (hamstring), hooker Dan Sheehan, and back-rower Jack Conan (both foot) were also sidelined at Stade de Bordeaux.
Ireland appear to have come through their tournament curtain-raiser, which was played in sweltering heat, without any further fitness issues and are optimistic about their ranks being bolstered ahead of their next fixture.
Defence coach Simon Easterby said: “I’d say we haven’t ruled anyone out for next week. We’ll certainly assess more people today and tomorrow.
“It’s usually the case that things are maybe flagged 24, 48 hours sometimes after a game as opposed to straight after the night of the game.
“So as far as we are aware everyone came through pretty unscathed, so it was great in that respect in terms of getting players game time in the heat, the conditions.
“We’re hopeful that Robbie and others who haven’t taken part for whatever reason are available to us next week and that’s credit to the guys conditioning the boys and also the medics, the way that they’ve worked over the last few weeks in particular.
“At the moment we’re in pretty good shape.”
Farrell’s men were forced to come from behind against Romania following the shock of conceding an early score to scrum-half Gabriel Rupanu.
Johnny Sexton, Peter O’Mahony, Bundee Aki and Tadhg Beirne claimed two tries apiece in Ireland’s biggest World Cup win, while tournament debutants Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan, Rob Herring and Joe McCarthy were also on the scoresheet.
“It was a good start I guess, in terms of the 80 minutes,” said Easterby. “First up, any World Cup match you want to get off to a good start.
“We obviously didn’t quite get that start we wanted considering the early try but certainly as the game went on we grew into the game and I think the second-half performance was right up there.
“We have to take into account what we were up against and the conditions but we’re really pleased with the way we finished the game. Not quite as much the way we started.”
Following temperatures of 36 degrees Celsius on a baking-hot Bordeaux afternoon, Ireland’s other three group-stage fixtures will kick-off at 9pm local time.
The Six Nations champions travel to Nantes to take on Tonga before Paris appointments with South Africa and Scotland.
George Ford had Jannie de Beer and England team-mate Danny Care in his sights as he masterminded a stunning 27-10 victory over Argentina in their World Cup clash at the Stade Velodrome.
Steve Borthwick’s men entered the Pool D opener as underdogs for the first time in the history of the fixture yet emerged conclusive winners despite seeing Tom Curry sent off in the third minute for a dangerous tackle.
Confronted by crisis yet again – Curry was their fourth red card in six Tests – they responded defiantly by matching spirited defence with smart, on-the-hoof game management.
Ford took command of an ugly spectacle by kicking the shambolic Pumas into oblivion, landing six penalties and three drop goals while intelligently steering his team around the field.
It was the drop goals – all landed in the second quarter – that infused England with belief and in the process evoked memories of when South Africa’s De Beer slotted a record five to boot them out of the 1999 World Cup.
But Ford joked that an internal rivalry also drove him on in a win that offers clear sight of the knockout phase.
“Jannie de Beer is the guy who got five in a game? I thought I was on track at one point. Five is incredible!” the Sale fly-half said.
“I’ve not kicked three in a game before. We were actually laughing in the changing room afterwards because Danny Care out of the squad was the guy with the most drop-goals for England (three).
“So I thought that’s not right, I need to put an end to that! Maybe that was the meaning behind this win!
“The crucial one was the third one that took us more than seven points ahead. That’s the life of a kicker sometimes. Some days you can’t hit a barn door, some days you can’t miss.
“In a game like this where it was dead greasy, it wasn’t going to be easy to hold the ball, move the ball and score tries. To get more than seven ahead was critical for us.”
Along with his fellow fly-halves Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith, Ford has been drilling drop-goals in training in the knowledge they could prove decisive in tight games at the World Cup.
“Marcus, Owen and myself, after every session we are doing drop goals. It’s part of what we do, it is part of our plan,” Ford said.
“We get the nines to pass us the ball and we get some guys to come over and put pressure on us. So we try and make it as realistic as possible.
“The thing with drop goals is when the opposition least expect it. It is to try and disguise it a little bit then you give yourself a little more time and space and hopefully try and kick it.”
“It’s such a crucial and critical weapon at times, especially when you see how influential they have been at World Cups.
“It’s something we have spoken about a tiny bit more, but the whole plan wasn’t about drop goals, it was just about imposing pressure and trying to come away with points in any way we can.”
Sir Mo Farah has announced his retirement after a final race in the Great North Run.
The 40-year-old’s glittering career included four Olympic gold medals.
Here, the PA news agency charts his career timeline.
2006 – Farah claims his first major medal when he wins 5,000m silver at the European Championships in Gothenburg.
2007 – At the World Championships in Osaka, Farah finished sixth in the 5,000m in 13 minutes and 47.54 seconds.
2008 – Farah steps up to the 10,000m but failed to reach the final of the 5,000m at the Beijing Olympics.
2009 – He wins gold in the 3,000m at the European Indoor Championships in Turin. At the World Championships he faded to finish seventh in the 5,000m but it was still the best by a European finisher.
2010 – Farah wins his first major title in the 10,000m at the European Championships before taking the 5,000m crown. In August, at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich, Farah ran 12 mins and 57.94 secs in the 5,000m to break David Moorcroft’s long-standing British record and become the first ever British athlete to run under 13 minutes.
2011 – He relocates to Portland, Oregon, to work with new coach Alberto Salazar in February before winning gold in the 5,000m at the World Championships in Daegu along with 10,000m silver.
2012 – Farah was part of Super Saturday for Team GB when he won 10,000m gold at London 2012. A week later he made it a double with the 5,000m title. Earlier in the summer he won the 5,000m at the European Championships.
2013 – He was awarded a CBE in the New Year’s honours list and more global titles followed with 10,000m and 5,000m victories in Moscow.
2014 – Farah runs his first London Marathon and finishes eighth but pulls out of the Commonwealth Games after having a tooth removed. He recovers to win 5,000m and 10,000m at the European Championships in Zurich.
2015 – He became the oldest 10,000m world champion when taking the title in Beijing and also defended his 5,000m crown.
2016 – Farah became the first Briton to win three athletic Olympic gold medals when he defended the 10,000m title in Rio. He then completed the double double to retain the 5,000m gold.
2017 – He was awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours list. After winning the 10,000m at the World Championships in London, Farah retired from the track to focus on the marathon and split from Salazar.
2018 – Farah finishes third in the London Marathon and goes on to win in Chicago and set a new European record of two hours, five minutes and 11 seconds.
2019 – Farah announces he planned to return to the track to defend his 10,000m Olympic title at the Tokyo Games.
2021 – With Tokyo postponed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Farah tries to hit the qualifying time but, in Birmingham in June, he missed out. A race was arranged for him at the British Championships in Manchester but he was 19 seconds off the qualifying time.
2023 – In his final race, Farah finishes fourth in the Great North Run.
Sir Mo Farah has announced his retirement after a glittering career which included four Olympic titles.
Farah, 40, signed off with one last race in the Great North Run.
Here, the PA news agency looks at his best wins.
London 2012No wrap up of Farah’s achievements would be complete without his London 2012 victories. Part of Super Saturday on August 4 he won the 10,000m minutes after Jessica Ennis-Hill and Greg Rutherford won the heptathlon and long jump. A week later he became a sporting great by winning the 5,000m in 13 minutes and 41.66 seconds.
Rio 2016Farah completed the double double in Brazil as he defended his 5,000m and 10,000m titles from London four years previously. He became the first British track and field athlete to win three Olympic gold medals as he first retained the 10,000m title after overcoming a fall mid-race and the 5,000m followed in Rio.
London 2017Five years after his Olympic triumphs in Stratford, Farah returned to London for the World Championships. He took gold in the 10,000m in 26 mins and 49.51 secs ahead of rival Joshua Cheptegei having been put under serious pressure by the collective pack who were aiming to dethrone him.
Daegu 2011Farah won his first world title in Daegu when he claimed 5,000m gold at the World Championships. The then 28-year-old became the first British world champion over the distance after holding off American Bernard Lagat to win in 13 mins and 23.36 secs, seven days after being pipped to victory in the 10,000m.
Beijing 2015He repeated his long-distance gold medal double at the World Championships but it was his win in the 10,000m which made him the oldest world champion in that event, at 32. He still managed a trademark surge in a 54-second final lap and crossed the line in 27 mins and 1.13 secs.
It would be no surprise if Chiefman masters his rivals to become top dog in Newcastle’s AGMA EBF Restricted Maiden Stakes.
Archie Watson’s Cracksman colt was well held on his first start at Wolverhampton but it is his next outing at Ffos Las that provides plenty of encouragement ahead of his trip to Gosforth Park.
On that occasion he gave away lengths at the start when second to Ollie Sangster’s highly-promising youngster Per Contra. and although he had no answer to the Wathnan Racing-owned colt when it mattered, he gave a solid account and could have lots more improvement to come.
This looks a winnable assignment and Chiefman is fancied to make it third-time-lucky in the north east.
Latin Five’s consistency makes him a solid proposition in the Wl Distillery Handicap.
He has only been running off basement ratings for Pail Midgley, but he has not been out of the first four in his last six outings.
That counts for a lot at this level and it is hard to see him being out of the frame.
Down at Brighton Jack Channon’s Miguel can make it third time lucky in the At The Races App Form Study EBF Restricted Maiden Stakes.
The Phoenix Of Spain colt finished second on his debut at Chepstow and returned to the Monmouthshire venue to finish third, beaten just a length, on his most recent outing.
Obviously, the ability of the newcomers is an unknown but he sets a fair standard.
Oisin Murphy has been booked for Ed Dunlop’s Lucidity in an attempt to go one better than last time out in the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 “Confined” Handicap.
Over the obstacles at Newton Abbot, Syd Hosie’s Way Out can continue his winning streak in the Britbet “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.
The six-year-old was deemed good enough to run in a Grade Two at Cheltenham earlier this year when beaten a long way by stablemate Rock My Way, but has somewhat found his real level of late, claiming a Fakenham maiden hurdle by an emphatic 15 lengths before following up in handicap company at Warwick.
He has to concede weight all-round here, but is heading in the right direction, and can continue his handler’s profitable summer.
Similar sentiments also apply to Investment Manager, who has racked up back-to-back course victories this summer and now bids for a hat-rick in the Ben Oliver Memorial Novices’ Handicap Chase.
Joe Tizzard’s seven-year-old is up to a career-high rating but is hard to oppose while in this sort of form at a venue he knows like the back of his hand.
Also looking to continue on a winning thread is Emmet Mullins’ Slate Lane who has made successful raids to Cartmel and Bangor in recent months.
Unbeaten since joining Mullins, the five-year-old now attempts to bring up the three-timer in the Talk Tidy Marketing Handicap Hurdle.
Irish raiders could also enjoy a successful afternoon north of the border at Perth and Gordon Elliot’s Doctor Nightingale looks the class angle in the opening Bet In Running On Racing At BetVictor Juvenile Hurdle.
SELECTIONS:
BRIGHTON: 2.20 Uncle Dick, 2.55 Miguel, 3.30 Line Of Fire, 4.05 Dee’s Dream, 4.40 Lucidity, 5.15 Imperiousity, 5.45 Moondial.
GALWAY: 3.20 Alvaniy, 3.55 The Vegas Raider, 4.30 Seddon, 5.05 Father Jed, 5.40 Sittingonthefence, 6.15 Calico, 6.45 Iridescent, 7.15 Just For Love.
NEWCASTLE: 4.55 Krona, 5.30 Irv, 6.00 CHIEFMAN (NAP), 6.30 Desert Raider, 7.00 Dream Final, 7.30 Blackcurrent, 8.00 Lupset Flossy Pop, 8.30 Latin Five.
NEWTON ABBBOT: 2.40 Sharp Note, 3.15 Way Out, 3.50 Investment Manager, 4.25 Slate Lane, 5.00 Saddlers Quest, 5.35 Johnnie River.
PERTH: 2.30 Doctor Nightingale, 3.05 A Different Kind, 3.40 Beauty To Behold, 4.15 Inca Prince, 4.47 Themanintheboots 5.22 Headscarf Lil.
DOUBLE: Chiefman and Way Out.
World Cup debutant Jack Crowley believes fellow Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton showed “the type of man he is” with his seamless return from almost six months on the sidelines.
Captain Sexton starred on his first competitive appearance since celebrating Six Nations Grand Slam success in March with a 24-point haul, including two tries, in Saturday’s 82-8 demolition of Romania.
The 38-year-old received a standing ovation from tens of thousands of Irish fans when replaced 15 minutes from time before understudy Crowley came on to land four successful conversions on his tournament bow.
Munster playmaker Crowley, who only made his Test debut in November, has been inspired by Sexton’s resilience and dedication to overcoming setbacks.
The 23-year-old is also ready when required to step in for his influential skipper looking ahead to Pool B fixtures against Tonga, South Africa and Scotland.
“It just shows the type of man he is, the preparation he puts into his training and the mindset he has,” Crowley said of Sexton’s comeback.
“That’s the type of leader he is: through actions. You could see that it doesn’t matter if he’s out for nine months, 10 months, he’s always going to perform because of the way he prepares. He’s a true leader.
“Of course, you’ve always got to be prepared (to fill in). You can’t be presuming or assuming anything.
“His level of preparation to get his performance is something that I learn from and I will try and do and put into action. You always have to be ready.”
Ireland’s thumping 12-try triumph in the blistering heat of Bordeaux was their biggest World Cup win.
Record-breaking Sexton shrugged off his lengthy absence through injury and suspension to surpass Ronan O’Gara as his country’s highest points scorer at the tournament (102) and John Hayes as Ireland’s oldest international.
Crowley feels he and fellow back-up number 10 Ross Byrne enjoy a “special, special relationship” with the 2018 world player of the year.
“Being in camp over the last 10, 12 months has been massive to be able to learn from him,” he continued.
“To see the way that he’s been out for the last couple of months, the way he’s applied himself to training and the way that he applies himself to preparation and everything like that is massive.
“You saw that it wasn’t just by fluke that he performs the way he does, the way that he can do certain things.
“To be able to come on for someone like him, for myself and Ross to learn from him, and the three of us to be able to bounce ideas off each other is a special, special relationship.”
Crowley has leapfrogged provincial team-mate Joey Carbery and, seemingly, Byrne to become Sexton’s first-choice replacement.
The Test rookie, who helped his province win the United Rugby Championship last season, admits the prospect of playing at the World Cup initially felt like a distant dream.
“As a young fella, you’re always looking at World Cups and Six Nations and wanting to be involved in it but you never really think that it’s possible because you’re so far back with where you are,” he said, following his seventh cap.
“But just staying in it and going through the levels and earning your rankings is massive.
“I’m very grateful where I am right now but I think it’s more that I’m in a special group of players and staff that are providing me with the opportunities to be the player that I can be.”
James McCann hit two of the Orioles’ five home runs and Baltimore held on for its seventh straight win, topping the Boston Red Sox 13-12 in a wild slugfest on Saturday.
Baltimore had leads of 7-2 in the fourth inning, 12-6 in the seventh and 13-9 in the ninth before Yennier Cano retired Emmanuel Valdez on a game-ending flyout to strand the tying run at third and give the Orioles their AL-best 90th win.
The Red Sox, who outhit the Orioles 23-14, got a two-run, two-out double from Trevor Story and an RBI single from rookie Wilyer Abreu before left fielder Austin Hays caught Valdez’s flyball to end a three-hour, 40-minute contest.
Baltimore became the first team to win when allowing at least 23 hits since the Seattle Mariners on September 3, 1981, at Boston in a 20-inning game.
No team had done that in a nine-inning game since the St. Louis Cardinals on June 3, 1930.
Aaron Hicks and Gunnar Henderson hit three-run homers, McCann had a two-run shot and a solo blast and Jordan Westburg also went deep for Baltimore, which has won 13 of 16 to maintain a four-game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Justin Turner hit a two-run homer in the first and Abreu went 5 for 5 with three RBIs, but Boston dropped its fourth straight.
Diaz’s home run lifts Rays over Mariners
Yandy Diaz hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 7-5 win over the Seattle Mariners.
After Taylor Walls drew a two-out walk from Taylor Saucedo, Diaz drilled an opposite-field shot to right.
The win kept Tampa Bay four games behind Baltimore in the AL East and moved it 7 ½ games ahead of Seattle and Toronto in the race for the top wild card.
Julio Rodriguez went deep for his 29th home run and is one short of joining Alex Rodriguez as the only Mariners to have 30 homers and 30 steals in a single season.
Seattle blew a lead for a second straight day to drop 1 ½ games behind AL West-leading Houston.
Diamondbacks beat Cubs again
Tommy Pham delivered an RBI single to cap a two-run 10th inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks made it four straight wins, 3-2 over the Chicago Cubs.
Gabriel Moreno scored on a wild pitch in the 10th to snap a 1-1 tie before Pham drove home Jordan Lawlar with a liner to left.
Paul Seward gave up Cody Bellinger’s run-scoring single with two outs in the 10th but got Dansby Swanson to foul out for his 32nd save.
Arizona pulled within one game of Chicago for the No. 2 spot in the wild-card race.
The Cubs have just four runs through the first three games of the four-game series and have fallen four games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee.
Coco Gauff said she was “burning so bright” after coming from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka and win the US Open.
The 19-year-old became the first American teenager to triumph at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at day 13 at the US Open:
Pic of the dayShot of the dayQuote of the dayNumbers gameSabalenka will be world number one on Monday, while Gauff climbs to a career high third.
No doubles delightThere was disappointment for the US crowd earlier when Jessica Pegula and Austin Krajicek took on Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara in the mixed doubles.
The top seeds could not claim the title as Danilina and Heliovaara won in straight sets, 6-3 6-4.
Who’s up next?Daniil Medvedev stands in the way of Novak Djokovic and his 24th grand slam title.
Steve Borthwick insists England are determined to deliver more triumphant nights at the World Cup after George Ford kicked them to a stunning 27-10 victory over Argentina in Marseille.
England defied the third minute red card shown to Tom Curry for a dangerous challenge to put one foot in the knockout phase at the expense of their closest rivals in Pool D.
Ford emerged as the architect of the Pumas’ death by a thousand cuts by kicking six penalties and three drop-goals, as well as providing the generalship needed to overcome Curry’s absence.
“I’m really pleased for the supporters around that stadium too – they were absolutely magnificent,” head coach Borthwick said.
“There are tens of thousands of England supporters in France and they are going to follow us around and spend a lot of money to do that.
“We want to make sure they have nights to remember and I think they’ll remember this one.
“All the people back home in their living rooms on their sofas and in the pubs, I hope they had a good night. We hope they’ll have another good night against Japan next Sunday.”
There were heroes across the field and none more so than Ford, who provided the leadership as England threatened to be engulfed by the crisis presented by a fourth red card in six Tests.
The fightback was given impetus through Ford’s early drop-goals and the Sale fly-half believes they can make a difference over the coming weeks.
“It’s a great weapon for us. We know how important and big drop-goals can be at World Cups,” Ford said.
“Just the way the game unfolded, we went a man down quite early but it was greasy, it was difficult to hold the ball for many phases.
“In our heads we wanted to be clinical in terms of coming away with points when we had good field position. But it’s incredibly hard to attack when they’ve got a lot of numbers in the line.”
Argentina boss Michael Cheika admitted it was a frustrating evening for his Pumas, who were shambolic for most of the match.
“Pretty much everything that could go wrong did go wrong. We let the play get too stop-start. England played the circumstances very well and full credit to them,” Cheika said.
“There was almost no play. There were so many stoppages. The play we did get we didn’t master very well. That was by design by the other team. They did it very well.
“They put us in that corner. We’ll take what we need from it and get on with the next game.”
“The World Cup is not over. We still have work to do to qualify. Our players will take a lot from this experience.”
Coco Gauff’s day of destiny arrived as she came from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka and win the US Open.
The 19-year-old became the first American teenager to triumph at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.
Williams’ final farewell to tennis at the same championships last year left a colossal void in tennis in the US.
So it felt only natural that Gauff, the heir apparent to the 23-time grand slam winner, stepped into her shoes 12 months later.
Sabalenka will be the new world number one on Monday after a remarkably consistent year in which she won the Australian Open and reached the semi-finals in Paris and at Wimbledon.
But that will be scant consolation for the 25-year-old from Belarus after she put herself in position to win her second grand slam title, only to fold as Gauff claimed her first, thrilling a raucous crowd with a memorable 2-6 6-3 6-2 victory.
The Los Angeles Rams placed Cooper Kupp on injured reserve Saturday, keeping their star wide receiver out at least through the first four games of the season.
Kupp, who missed the final eight games of last season with an ankle injury, injured his hamstring during training camp in early August. He then suffered a setback with his hamstring late last month and travelled to Minnesota to see a specialist last weekend.
“(Kupp) wants to be out there with his teammates, and he puts so much into it,” Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters. “It’s so unfortunate. It’s been frustrating.
“Really not much more information,” McVay said. “Just dealing with some soft-tissue stuff, just trying to get him to feel back to normal. When that ends up occurring, we'll have him back, but in the meantime, he will not be playing for us.”
Kupp, 30, has been a productive player since his rookie season, but his numbers exploded when he was paired with quarterback Matthew Stafford two years ago.
Kupp made 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2021, then added six scores during the Rams’ playoff run that ended with a title and Kupp being named Super Bowl 56 MVP.
Kupp began last season on a torrid pace again, catching 75 passes in the Rams’ first nine games before his campaign ended abruptly.
“I know he's going to do everything he can to be as good as he possibly can, as quick as he can,” Stafford said. “He's as good of a professional as I've ever been around when it comes to taking care of his body and trying to get himself right, so I know it's disappointing for him to not be out there.”
A third-round pick out of Eastern Washington in 2017, Kupp has 508 career receptions for 6,329 yards and 46 touchdowns.
The Rams open their 2023 season on the road Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
George Ford masterminded a remarkable England victory forged in adversity after Argentina were toppled 27-10 in their World Cup opener despite Tom Curry being sent off in the third minute.
Ford led England out of a crisis created by Curry’s dangerous challenge on Juan Cruz Mallia that resulted in the Sale flanker’s yellow card being upgraded to red by the bunker review system.
Taking command, Ford landed three drop-goals and six penalties as Argentina were kicked into oblivion on a warm night at the Stade Velodrome in what was one of the nation’s greatest acts of defiance on a rugby field.
While the outstanding Sale fly-half was busy steering England around the pitch and keeping the scoreboard ticking over, his team-mates fought themselves to a standstill with Ben Earl and Courtney Lawes magnificent.
It was an ugly spectacle with neither side functioning in attack, but Steve Borthwick’s men showed the character needed to place one foot in the quarter-finals by taking control of Pool D at the expense of their greatest rivals.
A giant stride forward was taken in plugging their leaky defence, but discipline remains a major concern, with Curry set to join Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola in being banned for periods of the World Cup.
England will argue that Curry was unfortunate to become the country’s first red card at a World Cup – and the fastest in the tournament’s history – despite the clash of heads that came as a result of his tackle.
And when Santiago Carreras was punished with only a sin-binning for clattering late into Ford early on, they had additional cause for grievance.
Once the initial drama of Curry’s dismissal had subsided, England rolled up their sleeves to withstand a battering on their line by Argentina’s pack, winning a penalty that enabled them to clear their lines.
They have often delivered a spirited response when down on numbers and so it was proving in Marseille as a methodical drive downfield ended with Ford landing a drop-goal.
Ford repeated the trick but this time from the halfway line as a monster kick sailed between the uprights with distance to spare.
The glaring deficiencies in England’s attack were apparent as they butchered a four-on-two overlap, but with Ford landing drop-goals at will – he coolly added a third from short range – it did not seem to matter.
Even with Curry sat watching in the stand they built a 12-3 lead, helped by rattled opponents who were also struggling with the ball in hand.
The intensity was cranked up for the second half, forcing a breakdown penalty that Ford inevitably steered between the uprights, while in reply the Pumas squirted the ball forward to end a rare attack.
Manu Tuilagi cut Santiago Chocobares in half with a wince-inducing tackle and with Ford on target from the kicking tee twice in quick succession, it was starting to look bleak for Argentina.
Over went the fifth and then sixth penalties and although the shambolic Pumas finally crossed through Rodrigo Bruni in the closing moments, their fate was already sealed.
Andy Farrell was delighted to have Johnny Sexton back “firing on all cylinders” following the Ireland captain’s record-breaking return in a 12-try demolition of Romania.
Influential fly-half Sexton shrugged off an absence of almost six months by registering two tries and seven conversions as his side launched their Rugby World Cup campaign with a thumping 82-8 win.
The 38-year-old’s impressive 24-point haul in the blistering heat of Bordeaux moved him on to a total of 102 in the competition, surpassing the 93 registered by former team-mate Ronan O’Gara.
Sexton, who is playing at his fourth World Cup, is now only nine points shy of O’Gara’s national record tally of 1,083, while he also took the title of Ireland’s oldest international from retired prop John Hayes.
Head coach Farrell could not resist poking fun at his veteran skipper as he backed him to make more history in the coming weeks against Tonga, South Africa and Scotland.
“I heard he broke a few records today,” said Farrell. “What was the record, Johnny? The oldest player to play at the tournament, that’s the first one.
“And what was the other one, points scored? Twenty-four points, puts him nine points behind the record for the most points scored for any Irish player.
“So you would think if selected that he’d be able to get that record.
“But the most pleasing point for us was definitely 60-odd minutes under the belt and firing on all cylinders and fit and healthy and ready to go for the rest of the competition.”
An expectant sea of green flooded the stands of Stade de Bordeaux in sweltering conditions before the world’s top-ranked nation delivered in emphatic fashion.
Ireland’s 74-point victory was their biggest in a World Cup fixture and their second greatest in a Test match, behind a 83-3 success over the United States in 2000.
Peter O’Mahony, Bundee Aki and Tadhg Beirne also claimed doubles in a clinical Pool B opener, with further scores coming from Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan, Rob Herring and Joe McCarthy.
Sexton was available for the first time since sustaining a groin issue in helping Ireland clinch the Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam against England on March 18.
He missed his country’s three warm-up matches through suspension following “confrontational and aggressive” behaviour towards referee Jaco Peyper.
“(I had) six months thinking about it, obviously part of that was self-inflicted with my mistake,” Sexton, who received a standing ovation when he was replaced 15 minutes from time, said of his long-awaited comeback.
“I’m obviously delighted to be back. I didn’t expect conditions to be like that, it was incredibly hot, in the warm-up in particular.
“I’m delighted to get through some minutes, we got through some good stuff.
“But there’s lots to improve on, both individually and as a team, and we know the challenge next week (Tonga in Nantes) is going to be up a couple of levels.
“We’re very, very happy with five points and a good points difference as well, which could matter at the end of the pool.”
Daniil Medvedev knows he will have to be the “best-ever version” of himself if he is to win a second US Open title.
Medvedev rated himself a 12 out of 10 for his surprise semi-final victory over world number one and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Presumably the Russian third seed will have to crank that up to at least 13 if he is to deny Novak Djokovic a 24th grand-slam title.
“Against Novak, it’s always the same. He is always better than the previous time he plays,” said Medvedev.
“For example, I beat him in the US Open final, then he beat me in Bercy in a great match. Carlos beat him at Wimbledon, he beat him in Cincinnati.
“Novak is going to be his best version on Sunday, and I have to be the best-ever version of myself if I want to try to beat him.”
Medvedev’s only grand-slam title to date came in that 2021 Flushing Meadows final, a straight-sets win over Djokovic.
He said: “I think the only way I can do that is, as I say, thinking that Novak, when he loses, he’s never the same after. So he’s different. It’s just a different mentality.
“That’s why he has 23 grand slams, (however many) Masters 1000s, weeks at number one. So I have to use it knowing that he’s going to be 10 times better than he was that day.
“And I have to be, if I want to still beat him, 10 times better than I was that day. That’s what I’m going to try to do.”
Djokovic is bidding to become the oldest New York champion in the Open era, surpassing 35-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1970.
“The fact is that at 36, every grand-slam final could be the last one,” he said.
“So I think that I probably value these occasions and opportunities to win another slam more than maybe 10 years ago, because 10 years ago I felt like I still have quite a few years ahead of me.
“I don’t know how many I have ahead of me now, or I don’t know how many of the years where I play four slams in the whole season I have in front of me.
“So of course I am aware of the occasion. But I try to approach Sunday’s match as basically any other match with intention to win, and I’ll play my opponent.
“Knowing that it’s going to be the toughest challenge, without a doubt, not just because it’s a final but also because of who I’m playing, the last time I faced him in a grand-slam final I lost.”
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