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.”
Rory McIlroy overcame a broken club and more drama on the 16th hole to surge into contention for a second Horizon Irish Open title at The K Club.
Eight shots behind at the halfway stage, McIlroy took full advantage of a stuttering display from the leaders to post a third round of 66 to reach 11 under par, two shots behind Germany’s Hurly Long.
Long, who is ranked 252nd in the world and without a top-25 finish this season, recorded a 70 to end the day 13 under, a shot ahead of England’s Jordan Smith.
The final group of Smith, Shubhankar Sharma and Ross Fisher were a combined nine over par for the front nine and six over par at the finish, Sharma and Fisher dropping into a six-way tie for fourth on 10 under.
McIlroy was already five under for the day when he stood over his second shot to the par-five 16th, where he holed out from 116 yards for an eagle on Friday and which he birdied in 2016 to kickstart his victory push.
It was a completely different story on Saturday, however, the four-time major winner pushing his second shot into the water and seeing his fourth from the drop zone hit a rock on the edge of the hazard but luckily bounce on to the putting surface.
McIlroy narrowly missed the long par attempt but responded superbly with birdies on the 17th and 18th, the latter courtesy of a 346-yard drive and nine-iron approach to the 548-yard par-five.
“To bounce back with the two birdies on 17 and 18 after putting the ball in the water on 16 was huge, so overall a great day’s play,” McIlroy said.
“I didn’t feel like I did anything very special, but it added up to a great score and I’ve gotten myself a lot closer to the lead when last night (Friday) I thought I was maybe a little bit too far behind and out of it.
“It’s hard to try to win your national Open and try to get over the line. I’m excited to have another opportunity.
“I was fortunate enough to do it a few years ago here and having those memories is going to be nice, and also having the support of the crowd out there as well is going to be incredibly helpful.”
Asked about the 16th, McIlroy added: “It’s one of those holes – just because of the design of it and with my length being able to go for it, it provides a lot of drama.
“I was frustrated that I made bogey and then walking off the green I thought I should be pretty grateful after the fourth shot from the drop zone.
“I didn’t play for as much wind as I should have and got incredibly fortunate hitting the rock and going on the green.”
McIlroy also revealed he had broken his 3-wood after hitting a poor tee shot on the sixth, admitting: “I went to hit the top of that tee-marker and I caught the corner with the bottom of the shaft.
“It was just a flick. I’ve done it a couple of times before this week and everything went okay, but that one didn’t.”
Wales centre George North will join an elite Rugby World Cup club when he runs out against opening opponents Fiji on Sunday.
It will be North’s fourth tournament, a feat achieved by only four other Welshmen in Gethin Jenkins, Alun Wyn Jones, Gareth Thomas and Stephen Jones.
And, at 31, he is showing no sign of slowing down, remaining a pivotal figure in head coach Warren Gatland’s plans.
With 114 caps, North is the most experienced Wales player on show at France 2023, underlining his consistency, durability and quality.
“I hoped that I would get to one (World Cup), for sure. To represent your country is huge, but to play at a World Cup is wicked,” he said.
“I am still fighting and competing, and find myself at number four.
“I guess it’s just a kudos to myself and shows all the work you put in is worth it to get to a fourth. I am still enjoying it.”
North is enthused by Wales’ current World Cup crop, with the squad featuring 16 tournament debutants, including co-captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake.
He also has three other cap centurions for company in Dan Biggar, Taulupe Faletau and Leigh Halfpenny as Wales look to make an impact in France.
It will be Gatland’s fourth World Cup at the Wales helm, having previously masterminded two semi-final appearances, and North has been there every step of the way.
He also believes Gatland has firmly put his stamp on the squad, nine months back into his second stint as Wales boss and following a difficult Six Nations campaign last season.
“The vibe has been really good,” North added. “For a lot of the boys it is their first World Cup, so they are going into the unknown and they are excited.
“I think everyone has just bought into it straight off, and I think that comes from ‘Gats’ when he set the tone with his last message from the Six Nations to the first day in World Cup camp – ‘this is how we are going to do it, this is how I want to do it. You either want to be in, or you don’t’.
“Some of the (training) sessions in Switzerland were brutal, probably some of the hardest I have ever done. The same in Turkey.
“We came off the paddock and we had knocked lumps out of each other for 40-odd minutes in 46 degrees. It’s all about his way of building that resilience, building that robustness into the squad.
“He pretty much said to us after we played France in the last round of the Six Nations that the World Cup was going to be the hardest thing you will ever do. He was not lying.”
Wales find themselves in a World Cup pool alongside three of their opponents from Japan four years ago – Fiji, Australia and Georgia – with North underlining the importance of a strong start.
“We need to start with a win on Sunday, pure and simple,” he said.
“The squad is in a really good place. Everyone understands where we are, everyone is well drilled on how we want to go about our work.
“The training camps we have been on have been brutal, absolutely brutal. The default setting is never give in, keep moving, keep going, keep going, keep going.”
Flight Plan provided Danny Tudhope with another winner on Irish Champions Festival weekend when making all the running in the Dullingham Park Stakes.
Tudhope had won what used to be run as the Boomerang Stakes in 2017 on David O’Meara’s Suedois and prior to that in 2015 on Custom Cut. This time he teamed up with Karl Burke.
Flight Plan (15-2) ran in the Guineas earlier in the season and had been set some stiff tasks, but he dominated throughout in the Group Two and had the race won over a furlong out, easily keeping 2-1 favourite Buckaroo at bay by a length and a quarter.
Tudhope said: “We have finally found the way to ride him.
“We have always loved this horse and it has just taken us a bit of time to figure him out, that’s the way to do it on him.
“I was surprised at that actually (getting a relatively easy lead), I had to get a good start as he didn’t break very well the last day in York. That was my main aim today, just get out and get on with it.
“He’s got a beautiful action on him and he strides out, and he’s a lovely horse with a big engine.”
Adelaide River enjoyed his day in the sun, as Ryan Moore shone from the front in the Paddy Power Stakes.
Second in the Irish Derby to stablemate Auguste Rodin and in the Grand Prix de Paris to Feed The Flame, he was the 11-8 favourite for the Group Three event.
As proved the case all day, being in the front rank was the place to be and Moore dictated it to a nicety.
In contrast, Jim Crowley had to come from the back on Al Aasy and while he made relentless ground in the final furlong, he went down by half a length.
“I’m delighted. Ryan said if he had a choice of 10 or 14 (furlongs) he’d definitely go 10 on him because he relaxes but he does quicken,” said winning trainer Aidan O’Brien.
“He’s a lovely big horse and we’ve always viewed him as a ‘next-year horse’.
“We always thought he was kind of like Duke Of Marmalade, as he’s after competing in big ones and getting very close in them but he’s such a big horse that he’s definitely going to have to be a way better horse next year.”
Or whether he could be a horse for Australia’ he added: “It might be a bit soon for him this year, he could go next year. He’s a big horse and if we had the choice we’d probably wait until next year.
“He’s after having a few tough races in second so it was nice for him to come here, and Ryan was able to dictate his own pace on him.
“He said he did quicken very well but just got a bit lonely in the last half a furlong. He was very happy.”
Kitty Rose (3-1) emerged as a possible contender for next year’s 1000 Guineas with a striking performance in the Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes for Natalia Lupini.
Billy Lee’s mount took over early in the straight and won by two and a half lengths from the favourite Content.
“We always thought we had a nice filly on our hands. Obviously, first time out you hope everything goes well, we were hoping for a nice run but she won impressively at Naas,” said Lupini.
“Today she was very impressive again, when she picks up she just keeps galloping and she’s very honest.
“The lads are looking at the Guineas with her, next year she’ll be a stronger filly. She won’t have any problems over a mile as well.
William Haggas heaped praise on stable jockey Tom Marquand after the pair combined to win both of the major handicaps on Betfair Sprint Cup day at Haydock.
The Newmarket handler is a rare visitor to the Merseyside venue, so the fact he decided to make the journey north for the biggest day of the track’s Flat season was noteworthy.
His representative in the first of two £100,000 contests on the card was the impeccably-bred Naqeeb (5-2), who produced a battling display in the Get Daily Rewards With Betfair Handicap.
The son of Nathaniel is a half-brother to the trainer’s former stable star Baaeed and the top-class middle-distance performer Hukum, last seen winning the King George at Ascot in July.
Naqeeb will have to go some to scale those heights, but having opened his account with a wide-margin novice win at Kempton last month, he dug deep on his first start over a mile and three-quarters to score by a length and a quarter from Blindedbythelights.
“I thought a mark of 100 was steep for him, but I think he’s improved a bit for going up in trip and I think he’ll be a good stayer next year,” said Haggas.
“He took a while to win. He got mugged by Middle Earth I thought at Newmarket and now look at Middle Earth, who looks to have a likely chance in the St Leger.
“He’s not as quick as Baaeed – I think he wants another mile! How far he’ll go I don’t know, but he’s a big, raw horse whose still got lots to learn and if he can can end up half as good as those two (Baaeed and Hukum) that’ll do me.”
Haggas and Marquand were soon on the mark again, with Post Impressionist (10-1) coming from the clouds to lift the Betfair Exchange Old Borough Cup.
Caius Chorister looked home for all money after moving smoothly to the lead, but Post Impressionist – who had hinted at a return to form when not beaten far in the Ebor at York last month – flew home from the rear to land the spoils.
Haggas added: “Tom said he didn’t want to go early and I was hoping if that was the case they’d go fast and they seemed to do just that. It’s a long way up the straight when they go hard and thankfully he managed to pick them off.
“The first race of any description he’s run properly this year was in the Ebor last time. There was just a glimpse there and we’re delighted he’s come good today.”
Of Marquand, he said: “I’m really sick of saying it, but he’s a top-class rider and a great fellow. He is really hungry, really keen and really strong.
“I don’t know why he doesn’t have six favourites a day like (William) Buick and (Oisin) Murphy have, but Tom will get there eventually – he’s a young guy.
“He rode his 1,000th winner (in Britain) the other day and all I can guarantee you is it won’t take him that long to ride another 1,000.”
The high-class Chindit (5-2) dominated his rivals in the Group Three Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Superior Mile.
Runner-up to Modern Games in the Lockinge at Newbury, Richard Hannon’s charge was upstaged by stablemate The Witch Hunter when favourite for last month’s Hungerford Stakes but showed his true colours this time, passing the post just over two lengths ahead of Light Infantry.
“He didn’t run his race last time at Newbury and he was a bit disappointing, but he was right back to his best and he looked like the Group One horse that I think he is,” said Hannon.
“Mr Poonawalla purchased him to see his mares once he retires from racing and he has now won a Group race at two, three, four and five. He looks right back to his very best form.
“We will certainly look at some nice pots abroad now where there is fast ground. There are a couple of races in Australia and races around two bends over a mile in America and he might even be the sort of horse that gets an invite to Hong Kong.”
Chindit’s rider James Doyle doubled up aboard Mick Appleby’s 4-1 shot Raasel in the Betfair Be Friendly Handicap, while the Listed Betfair Daily Tips On Betting.Betfair Ascendant Stakes went to the Roger Varian-trained Al Musmak.
Successful on his Ascot debut before finding only the exciting Rosallion too strong in a Listed contest on King George day, the 11-4 chance got back on the winning trail with a clear-cut victory over 6-4 favourite Macduff.
Winning jockey Ben Curtis said: “He relaxed lovely down the back and I was just keen not to give them too much rope as they can get away from you here.
“He travelled into it nice and when I gave him one flick he responded and went to the front and saw out the mile well, so I’m very pleased with him.
“He floated across the ground and hopefully he’ll take another step forward after that.”
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