Frankie Dettori teams up with Aidan O’Brien’s Navy Seal as the trainer looks to regain the Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford Stakes at the Curragh.

When Crypto Force beat O’Brien’s Adelaide River in the race 12 months ago, it was the first time the Ballydoyle handler had suffered a defeat in the Group Two since Casamento won for Michael Halford in 2010.

Among his incredible 21 winners of the race are St Nicholas Abbey, Capri, Saxon Warrior and Luxembourg, but perhaps the most famous winner on the recent roll of honour is John Oxx’s brilliant Sea The Stars in 2008.

The trainer has had to look away from usual jockey Ryan Moore this weekend as he is in Australia to partner Shinzo for owners Coolmore in the Golden Rose at Rosehill.

O’Brien has three strong contenders this year in Leopardstown winner Chief Little Rock (Gavin Ryan), Galway debut winner Grosvenor Square (Colin Keane) and Dettori’s mount Navy Seal, who stepped up markedly on his debut fifth at Killarney to win at Galway.

“Chief Little Rock came forward nicely to win at Leopardstown but he only just won, we thought he’d win easier than he did but he won anyway,” said O’Brien.

“He’s in good form and we think he’s a horse who is going to progress more. He’s got a stout pedigree and will be staying well next year.

“Grosvenor Square won nicely at Galway, that was only 11 days ago. He’s a lovely, big horse but he was babyish and green there, so we think the experience will do him well. He’s another with plenty of stamina in his pedigree.

“Frankie is riding Navy Seal for us. He won nicely at Galway the last day but he was a little but green.

“He ended up winning nicely at the end and we think he’s ready to go again. The first day we were a bit disappointed, we expected him to run better but he was very green. He was still green the last day, so we’re just hoping that he keeps coming forward.

“Ryan is in Australia and it’s worked out that Frankie is available.”

It is not all about the Ballydoyle runners, though, as Joseph O’Brien’s Stromberg has won his last two by an aggregate of 17 lengths and Paddy Twomey’s Deepone brings Pattern form to the table.

AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli is keen to see his side return to winning ways when they welcome Verona to San Siro on Saturday.

Pioli’s side were on the wrong end of a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of local rivals Inter Milan last week and failed to convert any of their 25 shots on goal in their goalless draw against Newcastle in the Champions League curtain raiser.

The defeat to Inter ended Milan’s 100 per cent start to the campaign and they now face Verona who have won two already, including victory over Jose Mourinho’s Roma.

Pioli is confident his side can put things right this weekend, saying in quotes reported on the club’s website: “Winning is always important, especially after a defeat.

“Easy matches don’t exist, just the desire to interpret them well. The team are doing well.

“We’re confident about what we’re doing and eager to produce the right performance against Verona.

“Right now, we’re only focused on our match against them.

“They’re an intense and aggressive side, and we need to be prepared and approach the game well to come away with the three points.

“We’ll have to be composed and intelligent and show an ability to understand the situations that develop as we look to find the necessary solutions.”

Following the dip in form, Pioli hinted at making changes but knows his players are eager to put things right.

“I’m focusing on making the right choices to win. It’s only right that the players are champing at the bit,” he said.

“There are 11 starters and then those who are subbed on as the game progresses, who can also provide something different. The maximum availability of players is important, the opportunities will come for everyone.”

Rafael Leao, 24, has made a bright start to the season having contributed two goals and two assists during his four Serie A matches this campaign.

Pioli is pleased with the Portugal international and thinks he is making all the right steps to be a top player.

He added: “Leao is on an important path, to go from the great player he is to being a champion.

“He will have to manage his talent and some phases of the game better. Growing up means more responsibility, but on a mental and character level he is making important steps, also in terms of availability.

“We must not give too much responsibility to a single player: the mistake of one is a mistake of all: we must continue on our path knowing that we all have to improve some things.”

Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom says football is the “worst sport” for racism after goalkeeper Wes Foderingham was abused during last week’s defeat at Tottenham.

Foderingham took to Instagram on Sunday to reveal he had suffered from “racism and family threats” after his side’s 2-1 loss in north London.

Heckingbottom said the police are now involved and could not hide his contempt that racism is still so prevalent in the game.

He said: “You can say it’s all social media and people are tough on there and they can say what they want. You can take it away, but it is deeper than that because it’s inside people.

“It’s sad, I think we are the worst sport for it. I don’t know if it’s the profile but we are the ones who get the most.

“There have been big improvements, in society and our game, so we have to just continue being harder and stronger and every time we get a prosecution let’s make those punishments harder.

“I knew I’d get asked about that and when I speak to you guys I don’t want to say what I really think about it. It is something that reflects really badly on football. It’s not Spurs’ problem, how can a game of football make someone speak like that?

“We’ve gone through the correct channels and we have had the police in to speak to him. It’s not right, it’s sad, the fact he says he is alright to deal with it shows how much of a problem it is.”

The Blades take on Newcastle on Sunday aiming for their first win of the season.

They were minutes away from winning at Tottenham last week, before succumbing to the latest ever Premier League comeback by the hosts, and have shown they can be competitive this season.

However, reports surfaced last week that the Blades have sounded out former boss Chris Wilder about a possible return to the club.

Heckingbottom laughed off questions about his future.

“You are asking the wrong person, you can ask me about a player, is he going to play, what’s he going to do,” he said.

“But you can’t ask me about me, you need to speak to other people about that.

“I have no reaction at all. The amount of things that get into the media that are rubbish, am I worried about it? No. Even if there is any truth in it, am I worried? No, because it is not going to affect me one little bit.

“You are asking the wrong person. You need to ask board level about that. I have spoken to Steve (Betts, chief executive), he says it is nonsense and just carry on. It is always there as a manager.”

Mauricio Pochettino has spoken with Nicolas Jackson to try to address the striker’s discipline on the pitch after he was booked for dissent for the fourth time in five games against Bournemouth last weekend.

The summer signing from Villarreal has cut an increasingly frustrated figure during Chelsea’s early-season struggles, scoring just once in last month’s 3-0 win over Luton.

Chelsea are 14th in the Premier League after Pochettino’s first five games in charge and have not found the net in their last two outings.

Jackson, who was signed for £31million in part as a response to the team’s woeful goal return of 38 last season in the league, has shown flashes of promise.

But he was a peripheral figure for much of Chelsea’s dour stalemate at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday, when the home side coped comfortably with what little threat Pochettino’s side posed.

The manager reiterated his call for Jackson and the rest of the club’s young new recruits to be afforded time, and pointed to the example of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior – one of the most effective forwards in Europe last season.

After joining the La Liga giants in 2018 from Brazilian side Flamengo he scored just seven league goals in his first two and half seasons, but has since taken his total for the club to 60.

“I had a meeting today (Friday) with Nicolas and Enzo (Fernandez),” said Pochettino. “I said ‘come on, a striker with four yellows cards for protesting?’ You need to get yellow cards but in different actions, not for that. Not so easy, so cheap. It’s going to put him in a very difficult situation with the team.

“He understood. But Jackson is 21, he’s young. He needs to learn, needs to improve, needs to settle. He’s going to be a fantastic player. But he needs time.

“I like to make similarities with players at other clubs. Jackson is a fantastic player but he needs to be calm and relaxed in front of goal. I said remember Vinicius, he took three seasons, or two and a half seasons, to perform (at Real).

“We’re talking about young players. You can blame us, blame me. We can talk about tactics. But they need time. It’s no doubt we have amazing talent on the team, but now they need time to settle.

“But he needs to be clever not to protest to the referees in this way.

“Maybe it’s his normal behaviour on the pitch, it’s something maybe he can improve. Maybe this season they change the rules, he came from Spain where it’s different the relationship with the referees.”

Pochettino said there was a good chance Armando Broja would be available for Sunday’s meeting with Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge after he recovered from the ACL injury that has kept him out since December.

“Broja will maybe be involved at the weekend,” he said. “But it’s after nine months that he’s not competing.

“We cannot expect Broja to arrive to score every single touch, he needs time to feel the competition and start to perform in the way we expect he can.”

The manager added that despite the team’s run of one win in five league games this season he has been pleased with the emotional reaction shown by his players to the team’s indifferent start.

“I’m so happy the way they felt after Bournemouth and (the 1-0 defeat to) Nottingham Forest. They really care about performing better.

“This week was good to work really hard and create a good atmosphere to try to translate to the competition.”

Warren Gatland believes there will be degrees of desperation on both sides when Wales tackle Rugby World Cup rivals Australia on Sunday.

Victory for Wales would send them into a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final with one group game to spare.

Australia, meanwhile, know that defeat realistically condemns them to a pool-stage exit for the first time in World Cup history.

“It will be one hell of a game, and that will be down to not just them being desperate, but us being desperate to progress through this pool,” Wales head coach Gatland said.

“There is definitely desperation for us because a loss or no points and the group could potentially come down to points difference.

“That is the last position we want to be in. I think that, when you’ve worked so hard and made as many sacrifices as the coaches and players have made in the past four months, that creates its own desperation.

“Why give yourself a get out of jail card when you don’t need to do that? We are desperate for the right reasons.”

Wales co-captain and hooker Dewi Lake has missed out on a place in Wales’ matchday 23 for the Lyon showdown.

Gatland has named the same team that defeated Fiji 12 days ago, with Ryan Elias starting at hooker in a side skippered by flanker Jac Morgan.

Elliot Dee provides cover for Elias on the bench, while lock Adam Beard will win his 50th cap. There is also a spot among the replacements for former England prop Henry Thomas, who is on course to make his Wales World Cup debut.

Flanker Tommy Reffell, a late withdrawal due to a tight calf muscle before Wales faced Portugal last weekend, also misses out, with Taine Basham providing back-row bench cover.

“He (Lake) was disappointed. He hasn’t had a lot of rugby, he has been carrying an injury and that was probably the decision we made for that one,” Gatland added.

“I have always been a fan of Elliot Dee in terms of his lineout throwing and how he brings energy off the bench. I know Dewi was disappointed, but it doesn’t mean that he is not going to feature in further games.”

Gatland is relishing another coaching encounter with Australia head coach and former England boss Eddie Jones, who has come in for considerable criticism following the Wallabies’ 22-15 defeat against Fiji last weekend.

That result has left Australia in the last-chance saloon as they look to navigate their way out of Pool C and onwards in the competition.

“You have come to realise what to expect from an Eddie team,” Gatland said.

“With regards to the way they are going to play on Sunday, we have prepared for a couple of scenarios.

“I was surprised at their tactics against Fiji. There were 11 less minutes ball-in-play time to us (Wales against Fiji), so I am not 100 per cent sure tactically how they will come at us.

“As coaches, we all come under pressure at times – it is part of the job.

“In fairness to Eddie, he is trying to take as much pressure off the players as he can, saying he is responsible for the results and that things aren’t good enough.

“Our relationship has always been good. We have been out on a number of occasions and had meals together. I find his company good – he is engaging.

“If you look at the recent record of games between Wales and Australia, there is never much in it. They won’t lie down and roll over for us.

“What I am happy about at the moment is putting some pride back in that Welsh jersey. It doesn’t take long to lose it.

“I don’t think we had the respect of the rugby world in terms of performance and results. That has been an objective of ours over the last few months, and players have made a lot of sacrifices.”

Julie Camacho’s Significantly will bid bounce back from a narrow Doncaster defeat last week as he heads further north for the Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup Handicap.

The five-year-old was a 12-1 shot for the five-and-a-half-furlong Portland Handicap at the St Leger meeting and very nearly made light of those odds when just missing out on first place by a short head.

Connections report he is ready to go again and he will return to six furlongs for the valuable Gold Cup, a big field handicap worth over £90,000 to the winner.

“When you come as close as Significantly did last week, you always have the disappointment that the result didn’t go your way but pride in the performance,” said Steve Brown, Camacho’s husband and assistant.

“We’ve seen no reason at home not to run him again and going back up to six furlongs should suit.”

Karl Burke has a pair of runners in Fast Response and Lethal Levi, with the first-named contender likely to relish the conditions as autumn rain has left the ground on the easy side.

The trainer said: “Fast Response loves soft ground, she’s a Listed winner and a good quality filly. She should run very well.”

Of Lethal Levi, who was fourth at Doncaster last week, Burke added: “Lethal Levi probably wouldn’t want too much more rain and wears a visor for the first time.

“He hasn’t really gone on as I hoped he would this year, but he’s a fair horse and ran pretty well at Doncaster last week, so we’re hoping for another big run.”

Kevin Ryan has a superb record with six past successes in the race and will saddle a trio of contenders in Aleezdancer, Bielsa and Magical Spirit.

Bielsa won the contest in 2021 and Magical Spirit is well proven over course and distance after winning the Ayr Silver Cup in 2020 and finishing fourth in the same race the following year.

The chestnut is owned by Hambleton Racing, whose director of racing Simon Turner said: “He’s in great form at home, he worked well earlier in the week and the ground should be ideal for him, so we’re hoping for a big run.”

Magical Spirit has a wide draw in stall 18, something Turner is fairly neutral about as handicaps with large fields can gravitate to either rail or into several groups.

“I have an open mind on the draw until we see how some of the big-field races pan out before then,” he added.

“We’ve had instances in the past where we thought we were on the wrong side at Royal Ascot but we stuck to our guns and had the winner.

“You convince yourself that one place is the place to be, but we’ll go in a straight line from where we are and hope we’re on a fair part of the track.

“He’s been in great form through the year, he’s run some smashing races and he’s run twice in the Silver Cup at Ayr and won it and finished fourth.

“He’s got solid form over course and distance in this type of race and he’s been targeted at this for some time. He’ll be one of the outsiders but we know he’s well capable of winning a big race.”

Charlie Hills’ Orazio is among the leading fancies, with David O’Meara’s Summerghand the returning champion after a one-length victory last season.

The line up also features other O’Meara-trained sprint handicap regulars such as Aberama Gold and Escobar, with further familiar names including David Evans’ Rohaan and John Quinn’s Mr Waygu.

Ange Postecoglou insists Tottenham’s performance at Arsenal and not the result will be the biggest measure of their progress under him.

Spurs have enjoyed a flying start to life under the Australian and optimism is rife following last weekend’s dramatic victory over Sheffield United, which puts them joint-second alongside Liverpool and Sunday’s opponents Arsenal in the Premier League.

Tottenham have not won in the league at the Emirates since 2010 and while Postecoglou understands the significance of the fixture, his yardstick for progress will be if his team produce his front-foot philosophy in a white hot atmosphere.

Postecoglou said: “The supporters, irrespective of your past record, always see the next derby as the one they want to win and that doesn’t change.

“From our perspective, it’s a great challenge for us as a football team that’s beginning on a journey and trying to have an identity on the way we play.

“There’s no greater test than playing one of the top teams in the comp away from home, who also happens to be your biggest rival.

“It’s a great test for us, a great challenge for us. We’ve got to go out there and see how we cope with all of that.

“We’re five games in. I understand that for many people, they will see this as our first real test and I get that. It is pretty easy, you could almost write two stories now: if we are successful, great we’re on the right track. If we’re not, we’ve still got a long way to go.

“For me, what is going to be more important is how much of our football I see in a big game like this. How much of us can I see against a top opponent?

“That will give me the biggest indicator of where we’re at, but ultimately we’ll still be six games into a new cycle, a new group of players, a very young group of players.

“Either way, irrespective of the outcome, I’d say the performance will be my biggest measure but knowing we have still got a long way to go.”

Similarities can be drawn between the rebuilding job Postecoglou has been tasked with at Tottenham and the work achieved by Mikel Arteta during the past four years at Arsenal.

There has been plenty of change on and off the pitch since Postecoglou was appointed by Spurs in June and this week saw Scott Munn finally begin his role as chief football officer.

Chief scout Leonardo Gabbanini has also left the club, with Tottenham set to appoint a new technical director to run transfers following Fabio Paratici’s resignation as director of football in April.

Postecoglou is used to sweeping changes upon arriving at a new club, and he insisted: “Normal for me. Wherever I have gone.

“I’ve constantly said that if you want to change, you need to change. All these things happen, sometimes not sequential or all at the same time, but over the course of time you find we are heading off in a new direction and some people make their own decisions about whether they’re involved in that and other times we look for, or the club look to bring new people in.

That’s the kind of position we’re in as a club. As I said, it wasn’t going to take one window for us to build the squad we wanted and it wasn’t going to take a couple of months to have the structure we wanted.

“It will evolve over the next 12 months, couple of years I think you’ll find, and we will have a constant evolution of people and the way we play, the way we train and the environment itself.

“All these kind of things are a natural consequence of the club deciding to change direction from last year.”

Spurs will be without Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), Giovani Lo Celso (quad), Bryan Gil (groin) and Ivan Perisic (knee) for Sunday’s derby.

Ben Duckett has switched focus to his next duel with India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin after England’s axing of Jason Roy provided some solace for his own World Cup omission.

While established as an opening batter in Tests, Duckett is on the fringes of the ODI set-up and was unsurprised at being snubbed for England’s defence of their crown, starting in India in a fortnight.

Any disappointment was thrown into sharp relief by England discarding Roy, so crucial to their 2019 title win, and speculation is mounting that the opener could now end his international career.

Roy could be a reserve if injury strikes the main group and although Duckett has not been extended the same courtesy, he recognises the tournament might be a one-day international swansong for a number of England stars.

“I’m used to missing out in the white-ball squad,” he said. “It’s so hard to break into. You look at one of England’s best white-ball batters ever, Jason Roy, missing out. If he’s missing out then I don’t feel too bad.

“It’s really tough on Jason. But what he’s achieved in an England shirt has been incredible. I used to watch him and love seeing him bat. I’m sure he’ll score so many runs in whatever shirt he’s wearing.

“It just shows where England cricket’s at and it’s amazing at the minute but what that looks like in six months’ time, it might be completely different.

“I’ve learned not to think far ahead. These things will happen. They might not. All I can control is myself. That’s what I’ve done the last three or four years and it’s potentially got me to where I am.”

Duckett is vice-captain of a second-string England side facing Ireland in an ODI series, after which he will turn his attention to his next Test assignment in India early next year and a reunion with Ashwin.

The spinner terrorised Duckett when he was a budding international in late 2016, dismissing him in all three innings and leading to the left-hander spending the next six years in the wilderness in Tests.

Even if he is expecting another stern examination by Ashwin across a five-match Test series, Duckett argued both he and Ben Stokes’ England are a different proposition to what they were then.

“I’m certainly not going to get out playing as many forward defensives if I’m there,” he said. “It’s a chance to go and play a different brand of cricket, which I don’t think anyone’s done over there, which will be exciting.

“I will be working at it for the next couple of months but the obvious one is Ashwin. He’s going to get me out – he’s one of the best bowlers ever, especially to left-handers.

“I’ve got an opportunity potentially for the next couple of months to work on things. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now and trying to tweak little things.”

For now, Duckett is concentrating on the next two ODIs against Ireland after the series opener at Headingley was rained off. That means Duckett is set for his first home appearance in the format at his home ground of Trent Bridge on Saturday, when England could hand debuts to up to five players.

Duckett is set for a middle-order role alongside stand-in England captain Zak Crawley, with the pair increasingly flourishing alongside each other as openers in the longest format.

They are highly likely to be offered full central contracts, which would be a first for Duckett, who welcomes the prospect of multi-year deals that have been mooted by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

“It’s certainly not negative, it kind of gives you a bit of security,” he said. “I think it’s great that they’re offering these contracts.

“The security of players wanting to keep playing for England is perfect. For me the main thing is walking out and representing my country, it’s not really a contract but that’s a bonus.”

Namibia captain Johan Deysel has apologised to Antoine Dupont following a head-on-head collision that has left the France star’s Rugby World Cup campaign in doubt.

Dupont suffered a facial fracture during France’s record 96-0 win against Namibia in Marseille.

Deysel’s yellow card for the collision, with France leading 54-0, was upgraded to red following a review by the television match official.

The French Rugby Federation confirmed the extent of Dupont’s injury on Friday, but said it was uncertain how long the scrum-half will be unavailable for.

Deysel said: “I would like to extend my best wishes to Antoine Dupont. Clearly, I meant no harm.

“Everything happened very quickly and I couldn’t get my head out of the way quick enough, resulting in a head clash. I know the rules and immediately knew that I was at fault.

“I spoke with Fabien Galthie (France head coach) immediately after the match and sent my best wishes and apologies to Antoine, both personally and via the France team doctor.

“He is a great player and person, and I wish him a speedy recovery.”

A tearful Dupont went to hospital in nearby Aix-en-Provence, and the Federation said: “Specialised surgical advice was requested to assess how long he will be unavailable for.”

France’s final pool game is against Italy in Lyon on October 6, before a quarter-final – probably against Ireland or South Africa – the following weekend.

If Les Bleus reach the semi-finals, they take place in Paris on October 20 and 21.

Dupont’s fitness setback is headline news in France, and there is a real possibility of Les Bleus losing their star player for the tournament remainder.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland and England scrum-half Danny Care, meanwhile, have been among the well-wishers to Dupont.

Gatland said: “Hopefully, he will be OK.

“The World Cup needs a player like him to be fit and be there past the group stage, in the quarter-finals, semi-finals or if France get to the final. He is absolutely world class.”

And Care said: “In the World Cup, you want to see the best players. Antoine is the best player in the world, so we want to see him back there in a French shirt.

“One thing we know about him is he is tough. If he is able, he will be back in a French shirt.

“I saw the way they played last night with him fizzing around, and he is pretty special, so for the tournament I want to see the best players playing. We wish him a speedy recovery.”

Former world player of the year Dupont has been the star performer in a resurgent French team under Galthie’s direction.

And while it is hoped he can return before the end of the tournament, there must also be doubts about his future participation as France target a first world title.

France attack coach Laurent Labit said on Friday: “We always have a hope that Antoine will continue the adventure with us.

“We will leave the time for two-three days to have the opinion of a specialist. It’s Antoine and the surgeon who will make the decision.

“For us, Antoine hasn’t finished the competition. We have three days in front of us. We hope to have good news after the three days.

“Antoine certainly imagined the worst before the first examinations. After the initial tests, Fabien (Galthie) went to see him.

“Antoine stays with us. Everyone will be together. We will do as we have always done with short-term injuries in hoping that the opinion of the surgeon is positive for Antoine and us.

“The specialist knows who Antoine Dupont is, what competition he is currently playing. It is not an average subject.”

Ireland take on world champions South Africa in a pivotal Rugby World Cup clash in Paris.

Andy Farrell’s men top Pool B following bonus-point wins over Romania and Tonga, while the Springboks have also begun with back-to-back victories.

Here, the PA news agency picks out some of the main talking points.

World number one versus world number two

Test rugby’s top-ranked teams collide in one of the most eagerly anticipated pool stage matches in World Cup history.

Ireland have led the way since last summer’s historic tour success in New Zealand but face a heavyweight clash against the reigning champions early in the competition courtesy of the draw being made based on the rankings at the start of 2020.

Bookmakers have South Africa as marginal favourites, while Ireland head coach Farrell feels the rest of the world expects his side to lose. The Englishman is well aware of the fixture’s importance but insists it is not “do or die”.

Defusing the ‘Bomb Squad’

Much has been made of South Africa’s bold decision to stack their bench with a seven-one split of forwards and backs. The Springboks successfully deployed the unusual strategy in last month’s crushing 35-7 warm-up win over the All Blacks.

South Africa boss Jacques Nienaber has divided opinion by using it in a World Cup fixture for the first time, while a mocked-up image circulating on social media depicting rival coach Farrell in a blast suit has provided some amusement in the Ireland camp.

The former dual-code international talked down the significance of South Africa’s tactical statement of intent and urged his players to stick to their own strengths.

Quarter-finals calling

Ireland have the opportunity to secure a quarter-final spot with a game to spare, while South Africa could also take a significant step towards the last eight. The Six Nations champions have won seven of the last 11 meetings between the sides, including a 19-16 success in November.

Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus this week referenced the head-to-head results while also highlighting Ireland’s record of never having won a World Cup knockout match.

“A few of my friends said that Ireland is our bogey team, but the World Cup is Ireland’s bogey competition,” he said. The victors will almost certainly top Pool B and probably avoid hosts France in the next round.

Home away from home

Following sojourns in Bordeaux and Nantes, Ireland will hope to make Paris a permanent home for the five next weeks. All of their remaining fixtures – up to five in total – will be staged at Stade de France.

The stadium has not been a particularly happy hunting ground in recent times. Two of the seven losses suffered in the 40 matches of Farrell’s reign have come in Saint-Denis: costly Six Nations defeats to France in 2020 and 2022.

Yet there will be a different complexion to this weekend’s game. Instead of enduring a partisan crowd, Ireland will be backed by around 30,000 travelling fans, giving a neutral venue the feel of a home fixture.

Farrell a big fan of “world-class” Dan

Ireland have been relatively fortunate with injuries so far. But the facial fracture which has cast doubt on France captain Antoine Dupont’s future participation in the tournament is a reminder to all teams of the potential risk of losing key players.

In a major boost, first-choice hooker Dan Sheehan is back on the bench this weekend, awaiting his first outing since sustaining a foot problem in last month’s warm-up win over England.

Sheehan has shone since making his Test debut less than two years ago. Farrell hailed the Leinster man as “world class” and his availability could make a major difference moving forward.

Borna Barisic revealed Rangers’ Europa League victory over Real Betis had helped raise the spirits of a demoralised dressing room.

Abdallah Sima’s second-half goal ensured Michael Beale’s men got off to a winning start in their group campaign and built on the league victory secured at St Johnstone the previous weekend.

Barisic admitted the mood had been somewhat darker after the derby defeat to Celtic prior to the international break but hoped success in Europe could provide a springboard for better times ahead.

The Croatian defender said: “These two wins are very big, very important. I felt like we were old Rangers I would say. We were in a good way.

“I am very happy, people are happy and the dressing room is happy. It’s a very big victory. We deserved the three points, a very huge three points. Betis are a very good team but we played a good game. The crowd was with us during the game. They gave us energy. It’s a very good start to the group.”

Asked what the mood in the Rangers squad had been like prior to this week, Barisic added: “We have not been happy. We have been very disappointed.

“We felt that we did not play well in some games. We lost the derby game and it was a hard two weeks to be here to train (after that). I wasn’t there but people said to me and I know what that feeling is like.

“Then we went to St Johnstone and won the game and now this game. So that’s why we feel much better now. But this is only one game. We need to continue like this, be positive and try to win all our games.”

Rangers welcome Motherwell to Ibrox on Sunday and Barisic acknowledged the need to keep building momentum.

He added: “This can be a turning point but it always depends on us. It’s an important win but it’s only one game. We just need to continue like this. There are games every three or four days so the schedule is very busy.

“It gives us confidence. This game shows we can compete with very good teams. Betis is a good team who finished sixth last season in the Spanish league and that shows they have quality. They came here as the most expensive team in our group – I cannot say the best – and we took the three points. So it’s the perfect start for the Europa League.”

Rabbi Matondo revealed it was Beale’s half-time team talk that had inspired Rangers’ stirring second-half performance after a flat opening period.

The forward said: “The manager got us going (at half-time). He wasn’t too pleased with certain aspects of our game and we had to up it in the second half and I felt that we did that. We had to dig in at times but ultimately I believe we deserved the win.”

The Welsh international conceded he should have given the team an early lead after he fastened on to Kemar Roofe’s long ball only to shoot straight at Betis goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

He added: “One hundred per cent I should have scored. I think I snatched at it a bit and on another day it would have been a goal. That’s something I’ll look at again and see what I could have done better at the time.”