An informative renewal of the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes looks in prospect at Newmarket on Saturday.

Any number of smart prospects take their chance, including Capulet who ran a tremendous race against well-touted stablemate Diego Velazquez at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Festival weekend.

Only half a length separated them in the Group Two KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes, with Capulet taking plenty of pulling up after the line.

Ryan Moore was on the winner that day but takes charge on the Justify colt for this latest Group Two assignment.

“He did it nicely on his debut at Dundalk last month and he obviously improved a good deal when running Diego Velazquez to half a length at Leopardstown last time,” Moore said in his Betfair blog.

“That form looked strong at the time and it looks even better now with the well-beaten fourth, Deepone, coming out and winning the Beresford next time. All of these have the potential to take a big step forward, most notably Ghostwriter maybe, but he deserves to be the favourite as it stands, as the Leopardstown form is the best on offer going into the race.”

Trainer Aidan O’Brien was pleased with the horse at Leopardstown and felt he served his purpose in giving Diego Velazquez a real run for his money.

He told Sky Sports Racing: “We thought he was very nice when he won first time at Dundalk and we knew he was going to drag Diego Velazquez. We knew he needed to have a race for himself and learn because he’s very lazy at home, Diego, and if he went and won four or five lengths he wasn’t going to learn much.

“That’s why we ran Capulet, we knew he was going to take him and he was going to make him fight and that’s what he did do.

“We were delighted with him that day, we’re looking forward to him on Saturday. He’s in lovely form, we think the mile will suit him and the ground will suit him. We’ve always thought he was a very nice horse.”

Charlie Appleby has not had the headline year he has been accustomed to so far, but hopes are high that Aablan has Classic potential.

The Moulton Paddocks trainer told the Godolphin website: “We felt that Aablan did well to win the Solario Stakes, when seven furlongs looked sharp enough for him, and we are looking forward to seeing him over a mile. He has done well since Sandown and looks a live contender.

“We are hoping that this can propel him onto a bright three-year-old career.”

The aforementioned Ghostwriter is two from two for Clive Cox and, having impressed in both outings so far, his handler is keen to see how he handles the step up in both class and trip.

“His first success at Newmarket on the July course, and the way he was balanced and produced a winning debut, gives me confidence he will handle the track,” said Cox.

“He followed that up with a really impressive success at Ascot and showed a lot of class. He has thrived throughout, he is a wonderful physical, big, strong colt and I’m looking forward to seeing him step up to a mile.

“He is very deserving of running in this sort of grade. He’s a horse we have always loved and he definitely sets the pulse racing.”

Roger Varian is another to saddle an unbeaten contender in Defiance, while the Carlburg Stables handler has another strong string to his bow in Al Musmak, a winner in Listed company at Haydock last time out.

He renews rivalry with Ralph Beckett’s Macduff, who was a length and a half runner-up but lost little in defeat.

Tom Marquand is backing Relief Rally to continue her excellent run of form in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes over six furlongs at Newmarket on Saturday.

The William Haggas-trained two-year-old has proven a real money spinner for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, better known for their National Hunt acquisitions.

After scoring at Windsor and Salisbury, Relief Rally went down by just a nose to Crimson Advocate in the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot before landing a valuable sales race at Newbury in a convincing manner.

Last time out, she took a step up in trip to six furlongs in her stride when beating Aidan O’Brien’s reopposing Cherry Blossom in the Group Two Lowther Stakes at York.

A crack at Group One glory is next up and Marquand is delighted to maintain their ever-present partnership.

“At Windsor, she showed bags of speed and seemed really straightforward and sharp,” said the jockey. “I was a big fan of her that day.

“She has taken big steps forward with each of her runs and she was unfortunate not to win at Ascot, but she has shown a high level of form on those festival meeting cards.

“I was really looking forward to riding her over six furlongs to be honest with you at York. Over five, you had to give her that chance to fill up and then she would really rocket home.

“I was keen to jump on her over six furlongs as I thought it would suit her so well and she proved us right.”

Cherry Blossom has since done the value of that form no harm by picking up over €240,000 for finishing second of 23 in the Goffs Million at the Curragh, albeit beaten six lengths by One Look.

Soprano has performed consistently well in good company without quite adding to a debut success at this course.

George Boughey’s filly has been placed three times at Group Three level, in the Albany at Royal Ascot, the Sweet Solera on the July course here and the Dick Poole at Salisbury, when having to recover from fluffing her start and getting detached early on.

On the decision to run in this contest rather than Friday’s Rockfel Stakes, Boughey said: “I think staying at six furlongs is right. She is a strong stayer over that trip and she loves the track.

“There can be a speed influence in the Rockfel, but it looked like there are some stouter pedigrees in the Rockfel this year and I didn’t want her getting outstayed over seven furlongs by taking on horses that will stay a mile. We wanted to use her stamina over shorter.

“It was a massive effort for her to finish third at Salisbury given how she started the race. I think if the race was 50 yards longer, she would have nearly been in front. She certainly deserves her place in the line-up on Saturday.”

Jasna’s Secret bids to follow in the footsteps of some illustrious past French victors such as Ma Biche, Ravinella, Special Duty, Natagora and most recently Vorda in 2013.

She was snapped up by the shrewd Wathnan Racing recruitment team after completing a Deauville double in a valuable sales race for Carlos and Yann Lerner last month, when comfortably accounting for two-time winner Zorken.

Albany winner Porta Fortuna returns to the UK for Donnacha O’Brien, having since been placed twice in Group One company at the Curragh.

The daughter of Caravaggio was second to Bucanero Fuerte in the Phoenix Stakes and dead-heated for third behind Fallen Angel in the Moyglare on Irish Champions Festival weekend.

Ed Crisford has no fears about Vandeek running on faster ground in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.

The Havana Grey colt, a 625,000 guineas breeze-up buy, already boasts an impressive CV, but all three of his victories have been claimed when there was plenty of cut underfoot.

After opening his account at a rain-hit Nottingham, a smooth success in the Group Two Richmond Stakes at Goodwood was secured on soft going.

The official description was then ‘very soft’ when Vandeek edged out highly-rated French juvenile Ramatuelle at elite level in the Prix Morny at Deauville.

However, Crisford, who trains Vandeek alongside his father Simon, believes switching to a sounder surface this weekend for another Group One assignment will not be an issue.

“He’s in great order,” said the Newmarket handler. “He comes into this on the back of a Prix Morny win and has to have a good chance if repeating that form.

“It’s a good field, as you’d expect for a race of this stature, but I’d say he goes in there with a favourite’s chance.

“It will be the first time he’s encountered ground this fast but he’s a nice-moving colt by Havana Grey, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Aidan O’Brien’s River Tiber reopposes Vandeek after finishing back in third at Deauville, when returning from a two-month absence following his Coventry Stakes win at Royal Ascot.

Stable jockey Ryan Moore told Betfair: “He had a well-publicised setback before the Morny last time, so we were very happy with his third to Vandeek there, beaten just over two lengths.

“He wasn’t at peak fitness and I thought he shaped very well in the circumstances. I would expect him to get a lot closer to the winner here, and I’d say we had a very fair shot at winning this Group One. He’s in good shape.”

Elite Status had landed a Group Three event at Deauville at the end of July but could only manage a distant seventh of nine in the Morny.

Jasour ran too freely early on before fading back to eighth, but had previously shown a nice turn of foot to score by two lengths from Lake Forest in the July Stakes at Newmarket.

After then letting odds-on backers down at HQ, the William Haggas-trained Lake Forest returned to winning ways when beating Johannes Brahms in the Gimcrack at York and appeared to have a bit more in hand than the one-length margin suggested.

His jockey Tom Marquand said: “When I got off him in the July Stakes, I thought it was inexperience that caught us out that day. He went to Newmarket afterwards and things didn’t go right for him in that novice and he got beat.

“I wasn’t on board him in the novice race at Newmarket, but we learnt a bit from that experience and that put us a bit closer to completely working out what he wants.

“He is a really cool little horse that is not flash at home, but I like him as a character, as he is a bit under the radar.”

Task Force heads into this contest with two wins from two outings, having followed up a Salisbury maiden success by staying on strongly to score in Listed company at Ripon.

Ralph Beckett’s colt is certainly bred for the job, being by Frankel out of English and French 1,000 Guineas winner Special Duty.

Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte, commented: “He’s a horse who ultimately probably wants a little bit further, but Ralph made a good point in that his mother never raced beyond six furlongs at two and she went on to win two Guineas.

“There’s definitely a bit of speed there and he’s maybe still a little bit immature, so maybe another start at six will do him good before he steps up in trip next year.”

Beckett also saddles the battle-hardened Starlust, who made it three wins from seven outings when getting up close home to beat Seven Questions in the Group Three Sirenia Stakes at Kempton recently.

Coventry Stakes fourth Givemethebeatboys travels over from Ireland again after subsequently finishing third behind Bucanero Fuerte in the Phoenix Stakes for Jessica Harrington.

Sketch was tailed off behind Vandeek in the Richmond but was second favourite that day following a wide-margin front-running success at Newbury on debut.

Ireland centre Robbie Henshaw accepts he may have to remain patient for opportunities at his third Rugby World Cup due to the “flying” form of positional rivals Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose.

The experienced 30-year-old has been a Test regular for a decade but his game time in France has so far been restricted to two cameos.

Leinster player Henshaw, who has 67 international caps, admits the peripheral role feels unfamiliar and is fighting to regain a starting spot.

He believes strength in depth is vital to his country’s aspirations in the tournament and praised the “outstanding” displays of Aki, who has already registered four tries, and Ringrose.

“He’s been brilliant, his body’s in great shape,” Henshaw said of the in-form Aki.

“He’s flying fit and he’s had a great pre-season, as has Garry. The lads are flying it, their performances have been consistent and rock solid and Bundee’s been flying in terms of getting tries on the board.

“He’s been letting us know that he’s near the top of the try scorers list, which we’ve been having a laugh about.

“They’ve been outstanding and for me it’s just whenever I get a chance to come in to make sure I put my best foot forward.”

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Henshaw was a late withdrawal from Ireland’s bench for the opening win against Romania as a precaution.

He then bolstered his side as a replacement in the subsequent success over Tonga before twice coming on against South Africa, initially in the first half while Ringrose underwent a head injury assessment.

“You start the week with the mindset of being as competitive as you can and making sure when we know the team that they’re prepared the best they can be,” Henshaw said of team selection.

“That’s definitely a role of the guys who are not in that starting 15, making sure we prepare the lads.

“But then on the flip side, whenever you get your chance, it’s being ready.

“Coming off the bench definitely isn’t something I’ve been used to for a while but it’s about making sure you give it your all when you get on and you positively impact the game.”

Ireland have been relatively injury free during the current campaign.

Head coach Andy Farrell is in the unusual position of having his three leading midfield options available, in addition to Stuart McCloskey and versatile backs Keith Earls and Jimmy O’Brien.

Two-time British and Irish Lion Henshaw acknowledges that has not often been the case in recent times.

“It’s a good point, there’s always in the past – Six Nations, Novembers – been one of us in or out due to injury or whatever,” he said.

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“Hopefully we can keep us all fit.

“But the quality we have, we’ve great strength in depth in those positions, even the likes of Earlsy being able to come in at 13 and Jimmy.

“The depth we have here is key for playing in a World Cup because anything can happen.”

Ireland lead Pool B thanks to their 100 per cent record but are still sweating on a quarter-final place ahead of next weekend’s crunch Paris showdown with rivals Scotland.

“Every time we play Scotland we know they’re going to come for us,” said Henshaw.

“Now we can see what it means to them and what they want to chase and what we want to chase in terms of getting those four wins.

“They’re going to come and have a go like they always do through (fly-half) Finn Russell and getting the ball to the width.

“They’ll have a plan and we’ll need to make sure we’re rock solid and we attack it.”

Charlie Hills’ Ancient Rome will bid for more success overseas in the Qatar Prix Dollar on the first day of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting at ParisLongchamp.

The War Front colt is familiar with the French turf having previously been trained by Andre Fabre before changing hands and stables earlier this season.

His first run in the silks of Fitri Hay was a one-length victory at 33-1 in the Chesterfield Cup at Goodwood in August, after which he returned to the country of his birth to contest the one-mile Mint Millions Stakes at Kentucky and prevail by half a length.

The latter run was a Grade Three event and his return to Paris is therefore a step up in level, but Hills expects him to relish the extended trip of a mile and two furlongs in the Group Two contest.

“I think the trip is going to suit him really well,” he said.

“He seemed to travel over to America really well and enjoyed it and he’s been great since he’s been back.

“He’s obviously got to step up to another level, I think, but he could well be up to it.”

There is further British interest in the race in William Knight’s Checkandchallenge and Paul and Oliver Cole’s Grand Prix de Deauville winner Jack Darcy.

Elsewhere on the card is the Qatar Prix Daniel Wildenstein, a one-mile Group Two that has attracted 10 runners, including Richard Hannon’s Witch Hunter.

The four-year-old has progressed from handicaps to this level in the space of a season, most recently winning the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury by a length.

“I’ve been delighted with him and he’s shown massive improvement all year,” Hannon said.

“I think he’s gone from being rated 80-odd to 115 and it was a very good performance last time at Newbury.

“The owners are very keen to take on a race out there and he is capable of showing up anywhere and running a massive race.

“In fact, the better the race, the better he seems to run. He’s been beaten in handicaps and Listed races, but he’s now won a Royal Ascot handicap and a Group Two.

“He’s been a great horse to have about. He’s a very talented horse.”

Also involved is Brian Meehan’s Isaac Shelby, winner of the Greenham on his seasonal debut and then consistently placed in Group races throughout the season – including a second-placed run over course and distance in the French Guineas.

“I’m really happy with him and he’s travelled over great,” commented Meehan.

“His best run of the year was probably over the distance and on that track. It will only be his sixth run of the year and we’re in good shape.

“I think he has run some superb races, he’s been really consistent and has never let us down.

“Possibly York didn’t suit him (fourth in the City of York), some horses don’t like it there. It’s a bit like Newmarket when he ran in the Dewhurst, some horses just don’t like those places.

“This is a nice place to come with him and he’s really well.”

The Group One Qatar Prix de Royallieu takes top billing, a staying event for fillies run over a mile and six furlongs.

Aidan O’Brien’s Library will step up in trip, a Galileo filly with experience at the grade as she was third in the Irish Oaks in July.

O’Brien said: “We’ll run Library in the fillies’ race on Saturday, she was a filly who was third in the Oaks so we’re hoping she’ll run well.

“This is stepping up in trip again for her, we think that’ll suit her and the better the ground, the better it’ll suit her.”

Library will cross paths with Shamida, an Aga Khan-owned filly who was a half-length winner of the Curragh’s Irish St Leger Trial when last seen, prior to which she took the Group Three Stanerra Stakes at Leopardstown over the same one-mile six-furlong distance.

Trained by Dermot Weld, she will encounter the same trip in France and will be ridden as usual by Chris Hayes.

There is extensive British representation in the race, with William Haggas’ Sea Silk Road, the Coles’ Sumo Sam, John and Thady Gosden’s Mimikyu and Karl Burke’s Poptronic set to run.

Matt Fitzpatrick finally had a reason to enjoy the Ryder Cup as Europe aimed to build on their record-breaking start in Rome.

Captain Luke Donald’s decision to start with foursomes for the first time since 1993, the last US victory on European soil, paid handsome dividends as his side swept an opening session for the first time in the contest’s history.

Roared on by a partisan crowd, the home side never trailed at any point in all four matches and their opponents won just 10 holes all morning to fall 4-0 behind.

Fitzpatrick had failed to win a point in five matches across his previous two Ryder Cups, but both had been on away soil and none had been in his preferred fourball format.

That was rectified when he was sent out in the afternoon’s final match with Rory McIlroy and the 2022 US Open champion immediately made up for lost time.

Fitzpatrick birdied the second, third and fourth and then drove the green on the short fifth to set up an eagle which took the European pair four up on Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele.

Jon Rahm and Nicolai Hojgaard held a narrow lead over Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka in match two, with the other two matches all square.

Rahm had earlier partnered Tyrrell Hatton to a 4&3 win over Scheffler and Sam Burns, with Viktor Hovland and rookie Ludvig Aberg despatching Open champion Brian Harman and Max Homa by the same score.

Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka maintained the momentum with a 2&1 win over Rickie Fowler and Morikawa before McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood completed the rout by inflicting a first foursomes defeat on Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay.

Rahm and Hatton had acquired the nickname of “Team Angry” due to their fiery nature, but they could afford to be all smiles as they gelled superbly to get Europe off to the ideal start.

Rahm holed from 27 feet for birdie on the third and short range on the fifth, before hitting the pin with his tee shot on the par-three seventh to leave Hatton with a tap-in birdie.

The European pair looked set to lose the 10th until Rahm chipped in for an unlikely par and the Masters champion then drove the green on the short 11th and found the putting surface in two on the par-five 12th.

That led to a conceded eagle and the out-of-sorts American pair were soon put of their misery on the 15th.

“Extremely satisfying,” Rahm said. “I had a good feeling about Tyrrell all along. It was good to come out here and see him perform the way he did.

“It was an incredible foursome match and we played as confident as two people could play.”

Lowry admitted he was “losing my mind” standing on the first tee as he watched Hovland chip in for birdie up ahead on the green, but the former Open champion regained his composure in time to help rookie Straka earn a debut point.

“It’s huge,” Lowry said. “Obviously it’s early days but I wanted to give Sepp his moment in the Ryder Cup to hole the winning putt (on 17). We are off to a great start this morning. We need to keep the foot down.

“I would have liked to close out the match earlier because we had good chances, but it was nice to put a point on the board for Europe.”

A miserable morning for Zach Johnson’s side was epitomised in the bottom match, where Schauffele and Cantlay – who had boasted a 5-0 record in foursomes – won the 14th to halve their deficit and looked almost certain to get back to all square on the next following a wayward McIlroy drive.

However, Cantlay charged his birdie putt four feet past, Fleetwood holed from 20 feet to scramble a par and Schauffele then missed his par attempt.

The American duo did win the 16th with a birdie but McIlroy hit a superb tee shot to within three feet on the 17th and Schauffele, knowing he had to make his birdie attempt from 20 feet to have any chance, inexplicably left it short.

Fleetwood was left with the simple task of tapping in to complete a 2&1 victory and round off a barely-believable opening session for the European team.

“It’s been an unbelievable session,” McIlroy said. “We switched the format this year to go foursomes first because statistically that’s our better session.

“And all week all we’ve been talking about is getting off to fast starts. Playing three-hole matches in practise, three holes, go again, three holes, go again, something that Luke’s drilled into us.

“We were ready to go from the first tee shot as obviously as you can see in how everyone played.”

Javan Sebastian admitted to being “a bit overwhelmed” about the prospect of making his first start for Scotland at a World Cup after bouncing back from a “dark” spell working as a butcher when he feared his professional rugby career was over.

After failing to earn a contract in 2016, the Wales-born prop had to drop into the semi-pro ranks and got a job as a butcher in Carmarthen to make ends meet.

At that point, resigned to the likelihood that it was not to be for him at the top end of the game, Sebastian could never have envisaged he go on to represent Scotland – the nation of his father’s birth – at a World Cup in France.

“I was a bit overwhelmed when Gregor told me I was going to be starting tight-head,” said Sebastian, reflecting on the fact that – after six appearances for Scotland as a substitute – he will make his first start in Saturday’s World Cup Pool B match against Romania in Lille.

“I was quite surprised to even be selected in the World Cup squad. It’s a massive achievement to be selected in any squad, so to get a starting place is pretty surreal.”

After struggling to break through at Scarlets and then having an unfulfilling loan stint at Glasgow, Sebastian dropped out of the professional game aged 22 to become a butcher while playing part-time for Carmarthen Quins.

“That was a dark time,” he recalled, speaking from the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille on the eve of his World Cup bow. “It was after I left Glasgow, having been there for a year. I went back home (to Wales) to have my first-born.

“I took a year out of rugby and didn’t really end up having a job so I applied to be a butcher and play semi-pro.

“I worked in the butcher’s for about two months. I couldn’t hack it any longer than that. It was dark, not a nice place.

“I thought my professional rugby career was pretty much over, so I took a year out to reflect and get back to normal life.

“It made me open my eyes to what I could potentially do. Being a butcher or any other normal job is quite tough. I’m not saying that being a rugby player isn’t tough, but the real world is scary.

“I discovered normal life wasn’t for me, so I thought I would try to play rugby again.”

Sebastian was cajoled in that regard by his coaches at Carmarthen who felt he was too good to be playing at such a lowly level and helped him earn a second chance with Scarlets in 2017. He became a prominent figure at the Parc y Scarlets until joining Edinburgh this summer on a two-year deal.

“Playing semi-pro in Wales was pretty dark,” he said. “You go to places like Neath, Cross Keys away, when it’s raining and it’s seven o’clock at night and the pitches are deep in mud. It’s not a nice place to play.

“The coaches at the time were Craig Evans and Richard Kelly. They really pushed me on to try and go for more than what I was doing at that time. Richard was also a coach at Scarlets, so he really pushed me to get back in.”

Sebastian – effectively Scotland’s third-choice tighthead – feels his move to Edinburgh can help him progress further.

“It’s just another step on the journey where I want to project on to the next level,” he said.

“Edinburgh have a strong pack, so trying to play some expansive rugby within that pack will benefit me.”

Scotland srum coach Pieter de Villiers was full of praise for the way Sebastian has forced his way into contention for his first international start in a match Scotland must win with a bonus point to keep alive their hopes of reaching the quarter-final.

“It is a well-deserved start,” he said. “He’s had a great preparation period and is very well respected within the group.

“In terms of the set-piece, I think he’s one of the best scrummaging tightheads out there. You can ask any front-row player, they’ll always back Javan to pack down in a scrum.

“Playing at Edinburgh next season, it’ll be good for him to develop alongside his international team-mates. It’ll be good to have him closer to home and to see him grow.”

Cachet will take her chance in the Qatar Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.

Last year’s 1000 Guineas heroine was returning from 457 days on the sidelines when fourth in the Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting.

The Highclere Thoroughbred Racing-owned filly did have the option of waiting for next weekend’s Sun Chariot Stakes, but the promise of favourable ground conditions means George Boughey’s charge will be in the Bois de Boulogne this weekend.

“We’ve decided we’re going to run Cachet on Sunday in the Foret,” said Highclere’s Harry Herbert.

“George is delighted with her since her comeback run at Doncaster and she worked well on the Rowley Mile earlier in the week.

“The key to her is getting good or fast ground, so hopefully she’ll get that in Paris this weekend and if she does we hope she’ll be competitive.

“This could be her last run for Highclere before she is sold at the mares’ sale in December.”

Scotland play their third match of the World Cup against Pool B minnows Romania in Lille on Saturday night.

Here, the PA news agency assesses some of the key talking points ahead of a must-win fixture for Gregor Townsend’s side.

Scots need big win ahead of Ireland

Nothing less than a comprehensive victory will do for Scotland as they bid to stay on course for qualification for the quarter-finals ahead of what is shaping up to be a critical showdown with Ireland in Paris next Saturday. The Scots need to win with four tries this weekend to get the bonus point they require, which is something they should do with little trouble given that they touched down seven times against Tonga last weekend, while Ireland and South Africa put 82 and 76 points respectively on the Romanians. In addition to getting the bonus point, a swashbuckling attacking performance and a heavy scoreline would be desirable to ensure a degree of buoyancy is maintained ahead of the Ireland match.

Big guns preserved

Head coach Gregor Townsend clearly has a big eye on next weekend given his team selection, with 13 changes to the XV that started last Sunday’s win over Tonga. Darcy Graham and Grant Gilchrist – who captains the side in the absence of the injured Jamie Ritchie – are the only two players in the line-up who started the opening game against South Africa, when arguably the first-choice XV was sent out. Big-hitters like Finn Russell, Duhan van der Merwe, Sione Tuipulotu, Zander Fagerson and Jack Dempsey have been left out of the 23, while regular starters Blair Kinghorn, Huw Jones and Rory Darge will provide a reassuring presence on the bench.

Opportunities for fringe men

The starting quartet of Hamish Watson, Luke Crosbie, Javan Sebastian and Ben Healy are getting their first action of this World Cup after being idle for the first two games, while six others – Ali Price, Cam Redpath, Ollie Smith, Jamie Bhatti, Ewan Ashman and Sam Skinner – have been handed their first start of the tournament. With Scotland boasting a relatively established starting XV these days, this is an opportunity for several players on the periphery of the squad to showcase their abilities and try to push themselves further up the pecking order, possibly even playing their way into contention for the Ireland game.

The Vern Cotter factor

A familiar face will be attempting to put a spanner in the works for Scotland this weekend. Vern Cotter, the head coach who led the Scots to within a whisker of the World Cup semi-finals in 2015, is working as a consultant for the Romanian team at the current tournament. The 61-year-old New Zealander is sure to have plenty of insight on the Scots, having had three years in charge before being succeeded by Townsend in 2017. “I have been overseeing their preparation since this year’s Rugby Europe Championship and I will be involved as an advisor for the RWC, hoping the Oaks will evolve, play some good games and exceed everyone’s expectations,” said Cotter last month.

Scotland get first taste of northern France

After spending the past month sizzling in the heat of the south of France at their base in Nice and in Marseille – where they played their opener against South Africa – the Scots have encountered grey skies and a much cooler temperature since flying to the other end of France for this weekend’s match in Lille. The players have relished the change of scenery and a reprieve from the heat that ensures they will kick off on Saturday night in conditions far more like what they are accustomed to at home in Scotland.

Cachet will take her chance in the Qatar Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.

Last year’s 1000 Guineas heroine was returning from 457 days on the sidelines when fourth in the Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting.

The Highclere Thoroughbred Racing-owned filly did have the option of waiting for next weekend’s Sun Chariot Stakes, but the promise of favourable ground conditions means George Boughey’s charge will be in the Bois de Boulogne this weekend.

“We’ve decided we’re going to run Cachet on Sunday in the Foret,” said Highclere’s Harry Herbert.

“George is delighted with her since her comeback run at Doncaster and she worked well on the Rowley Mile earlier in the week.

“The key to her is getting good or fast ground, so hopefully she’ll get that in Paris this weekend and if she does we hope she’ll be competitive.

“This could be her last run for Highclere before she is sold at the mares’ sale in December.”

Maro Itoje has emerged from a difficult period of his career confident that he can reach new levels of performance as England progress deeper into the World Cup.

Itoje revealed during this year’s Six Nations that he had been suffering from an underlying health issue – the details of which are undisclosed – that had impacted his conditioning.

It explained the below-par displays being delivered by one of England’s world-class operators as, although he held his own on the field, he was not the dominant force that had taken the game by storm.

But having benefited from the fitness work completed during squad’s World Cup training camp, there was evidence in his starts against Argentina and Japan that the 28-year-old second row is on the rise once more.

“I don’t think one is ever fully happy, no-one is every fully content with anything, but it’s definitely better being able to express myself physically,” Itoje said.

“During that period where it was a little bit more difficult to do that, it was a little bit more challenging.

“I had issues going on in the background which affected my ability to exercise and perform.

“And once we were able to get all those things aligned, I was able to naturally have a response from the training that I was doing.

“Having a beneficial response from the rigorous activity has allowed me to perform and play better.

“There’s no top player across any sport – whether that’s rugby, football, basketball, whatever – who has a plain sailing career, or a career that goes exactly how they wanted it.

“You can speak of any of the greats and they will probably say ‘I wish I didn’t do that’, or ‘I wish I’d done that differently’.

“I guess that whole period for me was my version of that, where I had something structurally wrong and I didn’t know it was structurally wrong until I was quite deep into it.

“To be able to persevere through that period and finally get a fix for that was great. But I personally still feel there’s a lot more to go and a lot more that I can contribute in a positive manner for this team and in this tournament.”

England have reached the quarter-finals as Pool D winners with a match to spare after Japan toppled Samoa on Thursday night.

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It continues encouraging progress through the World Cup that began with victory over Argentina despite all but three minutes of the match being played with 14 men because of Tom Curry’s red card.

Itoje excelled amid England’s act of defiance against their closest group rivals, who were routed 27-10 in Marseille, but the two-time Lions tourist insists there is more to come.

“It’s funny because people after the game thought I’d played well. I thought I played alright, I don’t think I played as well as what people were telling me,” he said.

“And that’s probably because I know where I can be if I’m properly firing on all cylinders.

“The games have been a step in the right direction for me but I’m not satisfied with that, I think there’s another level for me to get to.

“So hopefully Samoa and by God’s grace the rest of the tournament will be an opportunity for me to express that.”

Europe’s bid to regain the Ryder Cup got off to a dream start as they stormed into a 4-0 lead over a shellshocked United States in Rome.

Captain Luke Donald’s decision to start with foursomes for the first time since 1993, the last US victory on European soil, paid handsome dividends as his side swept an opening session for the first time in the contest’s history.

Roared on by a partisan crowd, the home side never trailed at any point in all four matches and their opponents won just 10 holes all morning.

Luke Crosbie revealed his pride at bucking the trend to emerge from a public school background and represent Scotland at a Rugby World Cup – but the flanker’s friends will ensure he never lets his success go to his head.

The 26-year-old Edinburgh back-rower grew up in the West Lothian town of West Calder, which is far from a traditional rugby heartland.

Crosbie’s love for the game, which he first got into while at primary school, has taken him to a level whereby – after winning five caps for his country – he is preparing to make his first appearance at a World Cup after being selected to start Saturday’s must-win match against Romania in Lille on Saturday.

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“Looking at my journey to get here, it’s obviously special for me and my family that I’ve come right through,” he said.

“At school, I don’t think there was anyone who played rugby, we didn’t have a rugby team or anything like that.

“To reflect on that and be sitting here at a World Cup is special for me and obviously my family have seen me go through all the stages. I’m just really excited and proud to be here.”

Crosbie knows it is more difficult to make it in professional rugby in Scotland if not educated at a private school. His relatively humble beginnings in the sport, and those close to him, ensure he will always keep his feet on the ground.

“If you want something you have to go for it,” he said, reflecting on his rise. “At school this is what I wanted to do. But not everybody knew you could do this as a job.

“When I went back to school, they said, ‘what do you do for work, though, what’s your job?’ Which is fine, I quite like that.

“None of my friends know much about rugby at all so when I chat to them they don’t know what is going on.

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“It could be the biggest game for Edinburgh or Scotland and they’ll be asking for a night out! And I’m like ‘you’re not following it at all, are you?’ Which is great. But it’s special for me and I’m just proud to be here.”

Crosbie was unavailable for the opening match against South Africa after suffering a rib injury in the build-up. Nonetheless, he has enjoyed his World Cup experience so far and is looking forward to his first outing on Saturday.

“Picking up an injury wasn’t great, but I’m totally fine now and I’m looking forward to the opportunity this weekend,” he said.

“I’m feeling really confident, the performances I have put in at Edinburgh throughout the season have been great. To get in the World Cup squad was great for me and my family.

“The support I get from my family is the same wherever I play. I could be playing a game for Currie at Malleny Park and they would be there.

“I played an Under-20 game in France for Scotland and my dad and uncle drove all the way down to watch my play. It doesn’t matter who I’m playing for, they’re always there supporting me.”