Wigan clinched the World Club Challenge for a record-equalling fifth time after surviving last-gasp video drama to confirm a 16-12 victory over triple defending NRL champions Penrith Panthers at a sold-out DW Stadium.

Tries from Abbas Miski, Kruise Leeming and Jake Wardle, plus four points from the boot of Harry Smith, ensured Matt Peet’s men emulated Super League rivals St Helens, who edged the same team in Sydney one year ago.

Yet in an absorbing clash in which the lead swung in a different direction five times, Wigan were forced into an agonising wait for confirmation of their victory after Taylan May crashed over on the final hooter – only for replays to determine he had been bundled into touch.

As Wigan celebrated the big-screen verdict, the agony was evident on the face of Penrith’s resident superstar Nathan Cleary, who could not prevent his side, all-but three of whom also started in the golden point loss to Saints, failing in their quest to land the trophy for the first time.

It was a night for Wigan to add to their list of previous title wins – the most recent of which came in 2017 – and all of which were recalled in a pre-match presentation which saw representatives of all four of those illustrious sides parading their silverware.

Yet Wigan’s glory night began in ignominious fashion when Willie Isa spilled the ball on the edge of his own 10 in the opening set, but with inexperienced Penrith half-back Jack Cole still finding his feet, the hosts survived the early onslaught.

In their first foray forward after 10 minutes, Jai Field took advantage of a repeat set to jink inside the visitors’ danger zone and the ball was dispatched out to the right when Bevan French sent Miski over in the corner.

With Cole’s confidence growing in only his second top-level start, the triple NRL champions responded with more pressure, Brian To’o held up inches from the line on the last, and Moses Leota fumbling another fine opportunity.

Penrith’s leveller arrived just before the half-hour mark through Cleary, whose initial kick was flapped at by Miski, allowing Cole to feed the experienced scrum-half to dart over and subsequently convert to give the Australian side a 6-4 lead.

Just as Penrith’s speed and pressure seemed to be making a difference, Wigan dredged up another response, again down the right flank where Adam Keighran found Miski and he sent the ball in-field through Isa for Leeming to touch down.

Smith’s conversion from under the posts gave Wigan a four-point lead but their opponents responded on the stroke of half-time when lively full-back Dylan Edwards flopped over in a repeat set, Cleary having the last say of the first half to boot his side into a two-point interval lead.

Cleary continued to orchestrate Penrith’s assault at the start of the second half, his cleverness almost sending Sunia Turuva in the corner, but again Wigan withstood a tough spell and came back firing as Wardle twisted over to restore Wigan’s slender lead after 55 minutes.

Smith’s second-successful conversion put Wigan back four points in the clear and there were signs of frustration creeping into the Penrith ranks as Cleary, of all people, fumbled an opportunity after Isaah Yeo broke the Wigan line.

The hosts clung on as the clock ticked down, Field racing over for a stunning last-ditch tackle that dumped May into touch after the Penrith centre burst clear and looked a near certainty to level the scores.

French thought he had all-but won it when he raced onto a Smith kick with eight minutes left on the clock, only for Wigan’s celebrations to be cut short by an offside call.

The home side were forced to live on their nerves in the final moments as Cole barged close then May crashed over in the corner as the hooter sounded, forcing Wigan into an agonising wait until their famous victory was secured.

Arsenal doled out another devastating Premier League defeat as they cruised past Newcastle to move two points off the top of the table.

Having thrashed West Ham and Burnley away from home, the Gunners returned to the Emirates Stadium where they easily dispatched of Eddie Howe’s side, winning 4-1 in Saturday’s late kick-off.

A Sven Botman own goal set them on their way before goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior rounded off another fine display from Mikel Arteta’s men, although the returning Joe Willock’s late header ruined another clean sheet.

The win, coming on the back of a galling late loss in their Champions League last-16 clash with Porto on Wednesday, moves them to within two points of leaders Liverpool and just a point shy of Manchester City in second place.

Their recent run of free-scoring performances, winning their last three games at an aggregate of 15-1, also means Arsenal boast the best goal difference in the division.

After a light show and pre-match tifo, Arsenal set the pace from the off with Declan Rice, playing in a higher role in midfield with Jorginho restored to the side, stinging the palms of Loris Karius.

They would hit the front through another set-piece, but this time in fortuitous circumstances as Karius made a great save from Gabriel Magalhaes’ powerful header, only for Tino Livramento to turn the ball home off the prone Botman in his attempts to clear off the line.

The lead was doubled soon afterwards, this time from a free-flowing move as Jorginho – in a man-of-the-match display – picked out an inch-perfect pass to Gabriel Martinelli, who crossed for Havertz to turn home unmarked from six yards out.

Arsenal should have struck again moments later as Martin Odegaard pressed and won the ball off Fabian Schar inside the Newcastle box, only for his pass into Havertz to be cleared behind for a corner.

Still Arsenal pressed and Newcastle strained, Saka coming close only for Karius to make another smart stop as the hosts went in comfortably ahead at the break.

Havertz should have grabbed his second of the night having been slipped in by Martinelli early in the second half, but he rolled his finish wide of the post.

Newcastle had failed to have a shot on target in the first half of a Premier League game for the first time in nearly a decade.

Anthony Gordon finally tested David Raya in the 49th minute before Alekander Isak fired just over the bar on another rare foray forward for the visitors.

Any hopes of a rousing comeback were soon shattered, however, as Arsenal’s third goal duly came just after the hour.

Saka was played in on the right and hit a curling shot that somehow evaded two attempts at clearances from the Newcastle defence to nestle into the corner of the net.

Things got even better for Arsenal as Kiwior’s header from a Rice corner deflected in off the unfortunate Lewis Miley.

Both sides made a host of changes but it was Newcastle who got on the scoresheet with five minutes remaining, former Arsenal youngster Willock brilliantly heading home a Dan Burn cross.

Emile Smith Rowe almost added a fifth for Arsenal late on, but Burn was in the right place to clear off the line with Karius beaten.

It was of little consequence, however, as the home side eased through the remainder of stoppage time to seal an impressive victory.

Frustrated Steve Borthwick felt his work-in-progress England team were taught “a real painful lesson” by a Duhan Van Der Merwe-inspired Scotland after the Red Rose crashed to a fourth consecutive Calcutta Cup defeat at Murrayfield.

The visitors arrived in Edinburgh hoping to make it three Guinness Six Nations victories in a row, but after a bright start in which a George Furbank try helped them carve a 10-0 lead in the opening quarter of an hour.

However, they lost their way and were put to the sword by their clinical hosts who ran out 30-21 winners.

Van Der Merwe – who scored a double in the Scots’ win at Twickenham last year – was again England’s tormentor-in-chief as he became the first man in a dark blue jersey to score a Calcutta Cup hat-trick.

“After a defeat and performance when you don’t think you’ve maximised your potential, it’s always disappointment,” said head coach Borthwick.

“I don’t think the team maximised their potential today.

“When you make that number of handling errors at this level, it’s very difficult to win, especially against a team of Scotland’s quality.

“Ultimately we made it too easy for Scotland to score, but they were very clinical.

“It’s a huge lesson for our team as we develop. The number of turnovers made it very difficult to win.”

England arrived in Edinburgh on the back of one defeat in nine matches, but they received something of a reality check at the hands of a Scotland side who are more established as a team under Gregor Townsend.

“We’d all love progression to be a nice linear path but ultimately it’s not, especially when you are trying to do it at this level,” said Borthwick.

“What you saw is a team that is trying to develop, a team that is trying to add layers to their game.

“We made errors today and got punished – sometimes you get away with it, sometimes you don’t. Against a team like Scotland, you don’t.

“It’s a big learning experience, it’s a real painful lesson against a Scotland team that’s been together a long time. They had a lot of experience.

“I think that’s the first time our 10, 12 and 13 had started together and it looked like that, didn’t it? There was a lack of cohesion and too many fundamental errors.”

Van Der Merwe’s match-winning treble – including a stunning burst from his own half to edge the Scots ahead – took him to 26 tries for Scotland, within one of the national team’s all-time record try-scorer Stuart Hogg.

Co-captain Rory Darge admitted it was a huge advantage to his side to have a powerful, jet-heeled outlet like the Edinburgh wing to get them up the pitch in such barnstorming fashion.

“It’s game-changing when he has a half-opportunity, takes it and scores,” said the back-rower. “That (second try while trailing 10-7) is a massive momentum-swinger.

“As a forward, it’s definitely nice when you’re working hard in the rucks and you see Duhan run the length. It’s such a good feeling.”

A fortnight after their agonising home defeat by France, Darge was delighted that Scotland got their championship back on track as they made it two wins from three, with trips to Italy and Ireland to come next month.

“It’s a very different feeling in the changing room compared to two weeks ago,” he said. “Even though there were bits we didn’t do well, to win with a nine-point margin, we’re delighted.

“It was scrappy to start with for sure, but we weathered that. We made a few mistakes and part of that was the pressure England put us under.

“But Finn (Russell) and Benny (White) controlled the game and put us in the right places, and the forwards went to work on the back of that.

“We had spoken about momentum through the week and when it was with us, we really leaned into it.”

Scotland have lost only one of their last seven meetings with England, although this was Darge’s first taste of the fixture.

The 23-year-old dismissed any notion that victories over the Auld Enemy can now be taken for granted by the Scots.

“We’re definitely delighted to get the win – it’s the Calcutta Cup,” he said. “It’s my first one so I’m delighted personally.

“I thought the atmosphere was outstanding and I’m going to enjoy it. You have to enjoy it then put it to bed so we can come back and really get after the Italy game.”

Pep Guardiola hailed his Manchester City “supermen” after they closed the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to one point with an unconvincing 1-0 win at Bournemouth.

The champions had to contend with local fireworks, a misfiring Erling Haaland and a second-half onslaught from the hosts before they left the south coast with a 15th victory from their last 17 matches.

Phil Foden’s first-half tap-in proved enough for City, who took advantage of Liverpool being in Carabao Cup final action this weekend, but were again not at their fluent best after a narrow 1-0 win over Brentford in midweek.

“They are supermen,” Guardiola insisted.

“What can I say? The demands for the calendar, for everything, for the expectations, they are so high. What they have done many, many years with a lot of games, many things and always you believe they will fall down, not continue to do it and they surprise me every time.

“I tell them so that is not normal. For many, many years every three days and Bournemouth have seven days to prepare for one game.

“Seven days dreaming every second of their one week to beat the best team in the world and we have three days to prepare for that.

“It is a lot of competitions, but still we are there and I love it, I love it, I like it. Still we are there.

“I don’t know how much longer we arrive in all competitions but still, we are there. Knowing where we come from, it’s unbelievable.”

City started brightly at Vitality Stadium and Haaland fired wide in the ninth minute, the first of a succession of squandered opportunities from the division’s current leading marksmen.

Haaland’s next opportunity was saved by Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto after Mateo Kovacic’s lofted pass, but Foden was on hand to stroke home from close range for his 16th goal of the season.

The visitors failed to kick on afterwards and it was the Cherries who finished the half strongly with Ryan Christie’s stinging effort parried by Ederson.

Andoni Iraola’s men remained in the ascendancy and should have levelled with 55 minutes played when Antoine Semenyo’s cross picked out Marcus Tavernier, but he scuffed his effort into the ground and Ruben Dias headed the ball away for good measure.

Taverner screwed another shot off target minutes later before Ederson clawed away Dominic Solanke’s close-range header with 23 minutes left.

Bournemouth continued to push for a leveller and – after Dango Ouattara arrowed a shot wide – their final opportunity went to January recruit Enes Unal in stoppage-time, but he headed Semenyo’s cross past the post to extend their winless league run to seven matches.

Iraola praised his own players and also doffed his hat to champions City, who remain firmly in the hunt to clinch a sixth Premier League title in seven seasons.

“I am happy because we showed today we are able to compete with one of the best teams in the world, if not the best,” Iraola admitted.

“Obviously you cannot ask much more of the players, effort wise.

“I think it is really difficult what they (City) do. It is really difficult. It is really demanding for the players to play every three games, very competitive games but they are used (to it) and have the experience.

“They can use different players and the level is more or less the same. They also, I think, have learned when to peak during the season.

“You know they know when they have some level and then when they need the top level, they will be there. They will be at the top level because they have learned during the seasons, learned when winning.”

Stanley Bowles raised his arms into the air and took the acclaim of the Loftus Road crowd.

It was a familiar sight throughout the 1970s, but this was August 2015 and was to be the last time Bowles graced the pitch he once ruled.

Bowles, the former QPR, Brentford and England inside-forward, has died aged 75 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

He looked in good physical shape as he was presented to the crowd on ‘Stan Bowles Day’, QPR’s home fixture against Rotherham, but his condition had already taken its toll.

Nevertheless Don Shanks, Bowles’ best friend and former Rangers team-mate who accompanied him out on to the pitch, told the Guardian: “When Stan walked out at Loftus Road he knew exactly where he was, for some reason. A moment of knowing who he was.”

The epitome of the 1970’s football maverick, there was a time when pretty much everyone knew who Bowles was.

Born in Collyhurst, Manchester, on Christmas Eve 1948, Bowles began his career as an apprentice at Manchester City.

A brief stint at Bury followed before Bowles joined Fourth Division Crewe, whose manager Ernie Tagg came up with the immortal line: “If Stan could pass a betting shop like he can pass a football, he’d be a rich man.” Without the benefit of hindsight, it would go on to sum up an entire career.

Bowles moved up two divisions to join Carlise and then, in September 1972, signed for QPR for a fee of £110,000.

Over the next seven years, Bowles made 315 league appearances for Rangers and scored 97 goals.

Yet those figures barely scratch the surface of Bowles’ talent – think Lionel Messi playing with a cigarette in one hand, a lager top in the other and a copy of the Racing Post sticking out of his back pocket.

A snake-hipped bag of bones, often wearing a kit that seemed to look two sizes too big, Bowles jinked, feinted, dribbled and darted past the poor, unsuspecting full-backs of the day.

A trademark goal would see Bowles drop his shoulder, cut inside on to his right foot and effortlessly accelerate, leaving a right-back floundering in a blur of quick feet and long hair, before driving the ball in at the near post.

The trouble was – as Tagg alluded to – that Bowles knew his way around the watering holes and betting shops around Loftus Road almost as well as he knew his way around the pitch.

So naturally talented was Bowles that he felt he did not have to try, an attitude which ultimately limited him to only five England caps, his one international goal coming against Wales at Ninian Park in 1974.

In 1979, a move to Nottingham Forest and a relationship made in hell with Brian Clough was predictably unsuccessful and a year later Bowles joined Second Division Leyton Orient.

He wound down his playing career back in west London with Brentford, enjoying an Indian summer which saw him named the club’s player of the year in 1982. Bowles is fondly remembered for his time at Griffin Park and in a recent poll was voted the best player in their history by fans of both QPR and Brentford.

Less auspicious was an appearance on TV’s Superstars, where athletes competed against each other at different sports. A hungover Bowles scored seven points, the lowest in the show’s history.

A chaotic lifestyle was characterised by Bowles agreeing sponsorship deals with two different boot companies for the same match and wearing one of each.

Upon his retirement, in 1984, Bowles moved into after-dinner speaking, worked as a pundit for Sky Sports and had his own betting column. His 1996 autobiography revealed the extent of his drinking, womanising and gambling during his playing days.

In his later years, Bowles could be spotted flitting between the pubs and the bookies of Shepherd’s Bush, now without the inconvenience of having to fit a football match in between.

Upon being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Bowles moved back to Manchester to be cared for by his eldest daughter, Andria. He is survived by Andria, his second daughter, Tracy, and son Carl.

Harry Kane struck a stoppage-time winner as Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig 2-1 to lift the gloom around the Allianz Arena.

It looked as though Benjamin Sesko’s deflected 70th-minute strike, cancelling out Kane’s first goal of the evening, would be enough to earn the visitors a point but the England captain popped up in the first minute of time added on to earn a much-needed victory.

The gap to Bayer Leverkusen remains a daunting eight points but, in the first match since Thomas Tuchel announced he would step down at the end of the season and coming off three straight defeats, Bayern needed this one, as was apparent by the relief shown in their celebrations.

Bayern could and perhaps should have been ahead in only the fifth minute. Raphael Guerrero dinked a cross in for Kane, but Janis Blaswich was down smartly, pushing his header against a post before gathering at the second attempt.

Bayern would come to rue that missed opportunity as creating others against a well-organised Leipzig side, defending in numbers and relying solely on counters to provide their own threat, proved difficult.

Just before the break, Thomas Muller headed down a free-kick for Kane, but his ambitious overhead kick lacked the power to worry Blaswich.

The contest improved in the second half as both sides stepped up their attacking intent.

Leipzig were the first to seriously threaten in the 53rd minute when Xavi Simons’ corner found Mohamed Simakan in space near the edge of the box, but his shot across goal went just the wrong side of the post.

Three minutes later, Bayern were ahead. Jamal Musiala slipped the ball through for Kane just inside the area and his first-time shot had the power to beat Blaswich.

Sesko soon had a chance to level as he broke into the box, but Manuel Neuer was quickly off his line to deny him.

However, there was nothing the Bayern goalkeeper could do soon after as the young Slovenia striker got the equaliser.

Neuer may well have had his shot from the edge of the box covered, but Leon Goretzka lunged in to try to block the ball, and a nick off the end of his boot sent it beyond the goalkeeper.

But there was a final twist to come in stoppage time as Eric Choupo-Moting lifted the ball into the box and Kane fired in his 27th goal of the season to earn the win.

Phil Foden’s 16th goal of the season helped Manchester City close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to one point with an unconvincing 1-0 win at Bournemouth.

Pep Guardiola’s side had to contend with local fireworks, a misfiring Erling Haaland and a second-half onslaught from the hosts before they left the south coast with a 15th victory from their last 17 matches.

This latest triumph was thanks to Foden’s 24th-minute tap-in, but it was the Cherries who did most of the running from there afterwards and were unlucky to lose with Marcus Tavernier squandering two fine chances.

Nevertheless, this win for the champions keeps them firmly in the hunt for another title ahead of a bumper month of March with league clashes to come with Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

City had edged past Brentford on Tuesday night thanks to a goal from Haaland, but his shooting boots deserted him after nine minutes at Vitality Stadium.

Sent through after Foden had flicked on Bernardo Silva’s lofted pass, current Premier League top goalscorer Haaland curled the ball wide from 20 yards to spark big cheers from the home faithful.

The Bournemouth fans were almost on their feet celebrating 60 seconds later when Andoni Iraola watched his team create an opening for left-back Milos Kerkez, who tested Ederson with a dipping effort.

Chances remained at a premium with the main first-half flashpoint Adam Smith’s forceful tackle on Matheus Nunes until Foden continued his outstanding month with a 24th-minute opener.

It was more akin to route one than excellent football with Kovacic able to chip the ball into the path of Haaland, who brilliantly rolled Marcos Senesi before Neto saved his effort but Foden stroked home from close range for his sixth goal involvement of February.

Guardiola was on his haunches moments later when Silva failed to play through Haaland as City started to get into their stride with a Rodri effort also bravely blocked by Ryan Christie.

Bournemouth had spent most of the first half allowing their frustration with referee Jarred Gillett to get the better of them, but eventually posed City problems with Ederson called upon to parry Christie’s low effort in stoppage-time.

Whether Iraola’s team could keep it up was another question, but they fashioned a decent opening which was wasted by Kerkez early into the second period.

Justin Kluivert tried his luck soon after and, while Ederson saved his 25-yard strike – not for the first time – the City goalkeeper looked unconvincing.

The champions nearly highlighted their overwhelming power minutes later when Haaland bundled his way into the area, but Illia Zabarnyi got back well to block with his backside.

It failed to halt Bournemouth’s momentum and they should have levelled in the 55th minute.

Antoine Semenyo again got the better of Nathan Ake and his cross found Marcus Tavernier, but the Cherries attacker fired his effort into the ground and Ruben Dias headed the wayward shot clear for good measure.

Bournemouth were in the ascendancy now and another guilt-edged chance was squandered when in-form Dominic Solanke twisted away from Dias and set up Taverner, who dragged his 14-yard shot wide.

Guardiola had seen enough and Jeremy Doku was the first to get the call from a star-studded bench but it did not have the desired effect.

The latest chance for the hosts came and went with 67 minutes played when Taverner’s inswinging corner found Solanke, but his header was clawed away on the goaline by Ederson and Kerkez’s follow-up shot was blocked by Rodri.

Fireworks were let off close by to the stadium moments later before Haaland was substituted by an increasingly-agitated Guardiola, with 15 minutes left straight after Neto had denied the Norway international from close range.

Iraola’s team carried on taking the fight to the visitors and after Dango Ouattara arrowed an effort wide, the final opportunity of the night went to Bournemouth’s January recruit Enes Unal, but he headed Semenyo’s cross off target to ensure City claimed the points.

Senor Buscador grasped victory in the final strides to land the Saudi Cup for American trainer Todd Fincher.

The six-year-old was ridden by Junior Alvarado and started in stall four for the Group One, which is worth nearly £8million to the winning connections.

Saudi Crown made the running around the one-mile-one-furlong trip and as the field of 14 rounded the home turn, Senor Buscador had only fading horses behind him and a significant amount of ground to make up.

The bay, who was second to National Treasure in the Pegasus World Cup last time out, then began to accelerate and pass horses in the home straight.

He made his way to the front of the race and fell into stride with Japanese raider Ushba Tesoro as Saudi Crown slipped into third place.

The former two horses both lunged for the line and it was Senor Buscador who just came out on top to take the Saudi Cup back to America.

Joe Peacock jnr, who bred the horse with his late father and owns him alongside Sharaf Mohammed S Al Hariri, said after the victory: “Todd said early on that this race was set up perfectly for him.

“It’s the perfect distance, it’s just the one turn which is beneficial given his running style as we know he is going to come from way back and with two turns, he just gives up too much ground.

“I couldn’t be happier with the result. He knows where he needs to be and he got there on the day.

“I always worry about him because he gets so far back but we have a lot of confidence, a lot of faith in the horse.

“He has a big heart, he doesn’t always get there but we knew that given time, he would put it all together and win a big one. We didn’t really think it would be the Saudi Cup but we’ll take it.

“He’s the last horse my dad and I bred together so it’s very, very special.”

Fincher had expected the race to suit Senor Buscador and was delighted to see him show his ability despite his late-finishing style.

He said: “The set up was perfect, there was plenty of speed in there. It’s a track that plays fair, we’ve been on some really speed-biased tracks but we felt this one plays fair and it did.

“He ran with the best horses in the world and he showed what he can do.

“I can make excuses for him but he puts himself in that position a lot of the time, he gets behind 10 or 11 horses and has to weave his way through.

“He doesn’t get a clean trip and always gets dirt kicked in his face but he does it to himself, he sure tries to overcome it every time!

“It’s a big purse and the best horses in the world. This horse, he has never got the credit he deserves and I was just so adamant that I wanted him to prove how good he is and he finally proved it.”

Alvarado added: “I always knew he was a very good horse, we just needed to have a fair track where he can have a better chance to win and he proved that today,” he said.

“He is a horse that when he’s ready he lets you know and starts picking up horses late on, you just ride along with him.

“It’s just a matter of time to get there, you try to measure it perfectly.”

Magnificent Duhan Van Der Merwe became the first player to score a Calcutta Cup hat-trick for Scotland as they soared to their fourth consecutive victory over England in an intoxicating Guinness Six Nations showdown in Edinburgh.

The jet-heeled wing – who scored a stunning double at Twickenham just over 12 months ago – had the home crowd in raptures as he produced a Murrayfield masterclass to inspire his team to a 30-21 victory and move to within one of Scotland’s all-time record try-scorer Stuart Hogg.

England started brightly and opened up an early 10-0 lead, with George Furbank scoring his first international try, but Steve Borthwick’s men offered little thereafter as their unbeaten start to the championship shuddered to a halt.

Remarkably, the Red Rose have now won only one of the last seven meetings with Scotland.

Led into battle by courageous captain Jamie George just over a week after he lost his mother to cancer, England made a strong start.

Having forced the Scots back from the outset, the Red Rose got themselves ahead in the fifth minute when Northampton full-back Furbank – making his first start in almost two years – bounded over gleefully from close range after being played in by Elliot Daly at the end of a brilliant move.

Scotland suffered a further setback moments later when Zander Fagerson had to go off for an HIA, although the influential prop was able to return to the fray in the 18th minute.

By that point, England had opened up a 10-0 lead, with Ford kicking a penalty in the 15th minute.

Scotland had been in a state of disarray for most of the opening quarter, but they suddenly sparked into life and got themselves back into the game in the 20th minute.

Huw Jones made a dash for the line on the right and after being dragged to the ground, the centre flipped the ball up into the path of Van Der Merwe, who produced a superb piece of skill to find a gap and bolt over.

The early wind had been removed from England’s sails and Van Der Merwe edged the Scots in front on the half-hour mark with a breathtaking score from his own half.

As the visitors mounted an attack, Ford’s heavy pass bounced off the face of Furbank and into the hands of Jones, who instantly offloaded to Van der Merwe 60 metres out.

The wing put on the after-burners and raced clear up the left, leaving a trail of white jerseys in his slipstream. Finn Russell added the extras before stretching the hosts’ advantage to 17-10 with a penalty shortly afterwards.

England were wobbling, but Ford kept his cool to reduce their interval deficit to four points with an opportunist drop goal from 35 yards out.

Scotland suffered what appeared to be a blow within seconds of the second half kicking off when Sione Tuipulotu limped off to be replaced by Cam Redpath.

However, the substitute centre was instrumental in the hosts going further ahead in the 45th minute when he burst through a gap on the halfway line.

A ruck ensued as Redpath was halted in his tracks, and Russell produced one of his trademark cross-field kicks out to the left for Van Der Merwe, who burst over for his hat-trick and his 26th try for Scotland.

Ford reduced the deficit to 24-16 with a penalty in the 50th minute, but Russell put the home side firmly back in command with a couple of penalties either side of the hour mark.

England – having offered little since the opening quarter – gave themselves a glimmer of hope in the 67th minute when replacement wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso bolted over on the left.

Fin Smith – with the chance to bring his side within a converted try of victory – hit the post with the conversion, leaving the Scots nine points ahead and able to see out the remainder of the match in relatively comfortable fashion.

Not even a yellow card in the closing moments for a tip tackle could take the shine off Van Der Merwe’s day.

Wales boss Warren Gatland backed Ireland to clinch back-to-back Grand Slam titles after his side suffered a 31-7 Guinness Six Nations defeat in Dublin.

Tries from Dan Sheehan, James Lowe, Ciaran Frawley and Tadhg Beirne kept Andy Farrell’s reigning champions on course to become the first team to achieve the feat in the Six Nations era.

Ireland travel to Twickenham to take on England on March 9 before hosting Scotland on the final weekend of the tournament.

Gatland, who led Wales to three Grand Slams during his first spell in charge, believes Ireland’s ominous march towards another clean sweep will be difficult to stop.

“I think they’re definitely capable of doing it,” he said. “They’ve got the experience and the composure and players who can carry and get them on the front foot.

“I think they will be a hard team to knock over.”

Wales finished the opening period scoreless for the third match on the bounce at 17-0 down.

An improved second-half showing, which brought the consolation of a penalty try followed by a yellow card for Ireland lock Beirne, sparked brief hope of a fightback before the visitors slipped to a third successive loss following narrow defeats to Scotland and England.

Gatland felt his inexperienced team showed “huge heart and character” at the Aviva Stadium and thought the margin of victory flattered the hosts.

“The scoreline at the end probably didn’t reflect the effort we put in,” he said.

“At 17-7, attacking their 22, we didn’t come away with anything.

“We just didn’t get a foothold in the game in the first half. I thought there were a couple of tough calls against us so it was difficult to get momentum.

“I can’t question the effort of the players and how hard they worked.

“We showed some huge heart and character today.

“The scoreline’s probably not right. But it does reflect the difference between the two sides at the moment, where we are and where they are in terms of experience.”

Mick Appleby pulled off another lucrative overseas raid as Annaf landed the Saudi National Bank 1351 Turf Sprint.

The five-year-old was drawn in stall 12 as Rossa Ryan took up the reins in Riyadh, but under a clever ride he was able to take cover on the inside rail when switched across at the rear of the field.

From there he allowed other horses to fold ahead of him and after the home turn, he accelerated away to to cross the line comfortably ahead of Takashi Saito’s La La Christine.

“He gave him a great ride – it’s all down to Rossa, not my training!” Appleby said.

“He keeps improving and keeps surprising us. Where we go next, god knows. He’s got an invite to Japan so we’ll maybe go there next.

“We’ve always thought he was a good horse and that he would get better with age, there’s more to come still.”

Of his recent successes in big oversea events, Appleby, who trained Big Evs to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in November, added: “It’s becoming a habit, sky’s the limit!”

Ryan, who has struck up a good bond with the horse, said: “I’ve always ridden him for luck and it’s always just seemed to work.

“He lets the hard hitters make the running early and just picks up the pieces. Obviously today the trip was a massive concern after he’d won a Portland over five and a half (furlongs), a Group Three over six and was third in a Group One over five.

“He’d shown plenty of speed but he got six furlongs on the grass at Ascot in heavy ground, so it was probably going to weigh up the same.

“We went a right good gallop and when I got out the gates and into stride and in on the rail, I was where I wanted to be.

“Luckily the gaps came and he’s very good. I know he has the pace to get me out of trouble, which is a great thing to have up your sleeve, and he can travel into gaps like good horses can.

“I didn’t have a lot of room but he stuck his head through it and away he went.”

Tower Of London had to pass nearly the whole field but still managed to prevail in the Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap.

Aidan O’Brien’s four-year-old was partnered by Ryan Moore for the Group Three handicap, carrying 9st 5lb on his first run of the year after finishing fourth in the St Leger last season.

Drawn wide in stall 12, the bay tracked across to the inner rail and settled at the rear of the field where he stayed until rounding the final bend.

In the home straight he had all but one or two trailers ahead of him, picking off each rival one by one and eventually drawing level with the race leaders, fellow Europeans Enemy and Giavellotto, before just getting his head in front on the line.

“He’s a lightly-raced horse and the only time he’s really disappointed was on bad ground in the Irish Cesarewitch,” Moore said.

“He’s been working very nicely, he’s a brother to Capri and it’s a family that has done very well for the yard.

“We always held him in high regard, he was drawn a bit awkward and they didn’t have any pace in the race.

“He was able to slide over to the rail and he had to be patient when it didn’t quite pan out as there were a few horses dropping back.

“We eventually got out and put his head down at the right moment and got us out of trouble.”

Forever Young has the Kentucky Derby as his ultimate aim after winning the Boutique Group Saudi Derby for Yoshito Yahagi.

The Japanese runner finished with a flourish to edge out Book’em Danno by a head in a flying finish.

Yahagi said: “He didn’t have a good start. He was wide out and it was a tough race, but he ended up winning, so we are very satisfied. He didn’t like the kickback, so the jockey kept him wide out. Still, he had a very good performance, so I’m very happy about that.

“We will first head to the UAE Derby before hopefully the Kentucky Derby.”

Graeme McDowell was happy to concede defeat to his hero Sir Alex Ferguson, as sporting worlds collided in the Coral Adonis Juvenile Hurdle.

The 2010 US Open champion was represented at Kempton by Harry Derham’s Givemefive, a horse he was obliged to purchase after losing a bet on the golf course to the young handler, and one who McDowell has also persuaded five-time major champion Brooks Koepka to become involved in.

Having impressed his owners watching on from Florida with impressive victories at Market Rasen and Warwick, there was no way the Northern Irishman was missing his biggest assignment to date, calling in at Sunbury on his way to play in the Middle East to get his first ‘in person’ taste of the ownership experience.

While green jackets and Claret Jugs were not up for grabs at Kempton, Givemefive showed all the guts and determination that has always impressed those close to the four-year-old, producing an above-par performance to claim a silver medal.

He went down by the barest of margins to Kalif Du Berlais, with not only Derham’s uncle Paul Nicholls spoiling the party but also the former Manchester United manager Ferguson, who was in Saudi Arabia to watch his Spirit Dancer land a very valuable prize.

“It’s my first experience as an owner live and Harry has made this an unbelievably cool experience,” said McDowell.

“We were gutted but Sir Alex is one of my heroes, so I’m happy to let him have that one there – he looks a hell of a horse as well.

“They think very highly of Kalif Du Berlais and I thought we had it for a second, but it was a lot of fun, it was a great race. I couldn’t have asked for anything more and if he popped his head in front there that would have been dream stuff, but it was a lot of fun.

“There are a lot of parallels to golf and you could get a horse with all the talent in the world, but the wrong attitude and it’s not a champion horse. Givemefive is not the biggest horse in the world, but we love his attitude and his work ethic and the team at Harry’s keep calling him a little dude. That was a hell of an effort.”

The three-quarter-length defeat did little to diminish the enthusiasm of McDowell who admitted to being bitten by the racing drug after this first visit to watch his charge.

He went on: “There’s nothing quite like doing it in the flesh, it’s a first time for me and it’s really cool. It’s a bit of a drug and I can see how people get hooked.

“Brooks was supposed to come, we’re on our way to the Middle East right now and on the road for three weeks, so it was tough to get away for an extra day away from the kids, but I really wanted to come and see this race and it was sort of on the way.

“I flew in this morning and I got a little red eye going, but a few beers and I’ll be OK.”

McDowell revealed Koepka has also been fully engrossed in Givemefive’s progress from his Stateside base and was immediately on the phone in the aftermath of his Kempton appearance.

“I think Brooks wants a stable full of the things and he wants to know if Givemefive is running in the Kentucky Derby this year!” quipped McDowell.

“It’s been a fun experience and Brooks has enjoyed it, he’s texting through and obviously we’re disappointed but we love the effort from Givemefive.

“I think Brooks was wondering what I was dragging him into. The story is Brooks had won his fifth major last year and we had just got Givemefive and we’d spoken about it and I said to him ‘I think we’ve got a horse here you need to get involved with’.

“We have a WhatsApp group and it’s lighting up all the time and Brooks is texting away.”

McDowell and Koepka are far from the first members of the golf fraternity to flirt with horse racing, with the legendary Gary Player, Justin Rose and Lee Westwood just a few who have a keen interest in the sport.

Following Givemefive’s progress has proven far from straightforward due to the busy nature of the golfing calendar, but the latest duo to swap their golf clubs for the racecourse have been extremely impressed by the way Derham has made them feel part of his close-knit community of owners.

McDowell added: “There is a big crossover with golf and horse racing and I have spent a lot of time around guys like JP McManus. I think for the guys growing up in the UK and Ireland like myself, then racing is kind of in the blood.

“I got to know Harry through AP McCoy actually and when he was talking about getting his own yard, I said ‘hey when you do, let’s do something together’. I’m so happy for him and he’s such a nice guy with a great team. It’s been great to see his success and also to be a small part of it.

“I was walking behind Harry coming out from the stables into the paddock and I was thinking ‘this is kind of cool, what you have to do’. You see these guys training at home and getting to see them grow into the athletes they are and then coming out of here and competing.

“We’ve had so much fun so far and Harry and his team have really made it fun and exciting and interactive, living in Florida and still feeling very connected to the yard and the training and everything that is going on.”

In Givemefive, both Koepka and McDowell now have a high-class performer to take them on the next stage of their ownership journey.

Having provided one half of the golfing duo with a day to remember at Kempton, exciting plans for the future will now be formed over a celebratory drink at the 19th hole.

“I’m going to spend some time with Harry because I’ve not seen him since I lost the bet with him in London last year about Givemefive,” said McDowell.

“It was a decent bet to lose and if you are going to lose a bet, it may as well be that one!

“My heart was racing harder than it’s raced for a long time there and with what they think of Kalif Du Berlais and what he could go on to achieve, for Givemefive to hold his own as a smaller horse and to hang in there the way he did shows his work ethic.

“He’s a cool horse and I think we’re going to have some fun with him.”