Doncaster’s Kameko Futurity Trophy meeting will go ahead as planned this afternoon.

While day one of the weekend fixture on Friday fell foul of waterlogging in places, hopes were reasonably high the card featuring the final Group One of the domestic season would survive after the movement of rails to avoid troublesome areas.

A precautionary inspection confirmed that view after a dry but misty night, meaning an intriguing main event will see a highly-anticipated clash between Charlie Appleby’s Arabian Crown and the Aidan O’Brien-trained Diego Velazquez.

No problems are reported over jumps at Cheltenham and Kelso, where Grand National winner Corach Rambler returns to action in the Edinburgh Gin Chase. At Cheltenham, the star attraction could be Flooring Porter, as the dual Stayers’ Hurdle hero goes over fences for the first time in the William Hill Lengthen Your Odds Novices’ Chase.

Luka Doncic reminded the basketball world just how good he is, scoring 49 points as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Brooklyn Nets 125-120.

The Slovenian superstar hit four straight three-point shots in the final quarter, adding 10 rebounds and seven assists to his mammoth scoring effort, while Nets small forward Cam Thomas had 30 points in the losing side.

French rookie Victor Wembanyama secured the first win of his NBA career in style with 21 points and 12 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets 126-122 in overtime.

The 19-year-old proved he is more than ready for the NBA as he hit the game-tying bucket with 20 seconds left in regulation time and added crucial baskets in overtime.

Guard Alex Caruso handed the Chicago Bulls a dramatic victory over the Toronto Raptors, 104-103, with a go-ahead three with just two seconds left of overtime.

Demar DeRozan starred for the Bulls with 18 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter while Scottie Barnes had a triple double for the Raptors with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Steph Curry exploded for the Golden State Warriors with 41 points to get the win over the Sacramento Kings 122-114.

It was the battle of the guards throughout the game with Kings guard De’Aaron Fox trying to keep up with Curry, scoring 39 points.

The Boston Celtics took out last year’s runners up the Miami Heat 119-111, taking revenge on the team who knocked them out in the Eastern Conference finals.

Derrick White starred for the Celtics with 28 points while Tyler Herro matched that for Miami.

Nikola Jokic continued his hot start to the season for the Denver Nuggets with 22 points and 12 rebounds as the NBA champions took down the Memphis Grizzlies 108-104.

The Utah Jazz upset the Los Angeles Clippers 120-118 with forward Lauri Markkanen scoring 35 points with 12 rebounds, while Paul George scored 36 points for the Clippers.

Orlando Magic beat the Portland Trail Blazers, the New York Knicks beat the Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons made easy work of the Charlotte Hornets.

A home run in the 11th inning by Adolis Garcia gave Texas Rangers a 6-5 victory in the opening game of the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Rangers, seeking their first World Series crown, had trailed 5-3 in the ninth inning before Corey Seager hit a two-run home run to send the match into extra innings.

After a scoreless 10th inning, Garcia homered for the fifth straight game to spark rapturous scenes at Arlington.

Texas had taken a two-run lead in the opening inning, but Arizona fought back with three runs off starter Nathan Eovaldi – who had only given up five runs in the play-offs – in the third inning.

The home side immediately drew level, but Tommy Pham fired the Diamondbacks – chasing their second World Series title in their first appearance since 2001 – with a lead-off home run to start the fourth inning.

Ketel Marte stretched the advantage in the fifth, his RBI double equalling the post-season hitting streak of 17 successive games.

Trailing by two, the Rangers were down to their last two outs when Seager took closer Paul Sewald deep and Garcia applied the closing touches.

Game two is in Texas again on Saturday night before the series switches to Arizona.

Adolis Garcia continued his record-setting postseason with an opposite field, walk-off home run in the 11th inning to lift the Texas Rangers to a wild 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday in Game 1 of the World Series.

Garcia sent a 3-1 pitch from Miguel Casto over the wall in right field and beyond the glove of a leaping Corbin Carroll for his second RBI of the game, setting a record for most in one postseason with his 22nd.

He has homered in five straight games – tied for the second-longest streak in playoff history.

Garcia’s heroics were made possible when Corey Seager hit a tying, two-run shot in the ninth inning off Arizona closer Paul Sewald, who had converted his first six save chances this postseason.

Ketel Marte had an RBI double in the fifth inning for the Diamondbacks, extending his hitting streak to 17 games. That ties the record for the longest in a postseason, shared by the Yankees’ Hank Bauer (1956-58), the Yankees’ Derek Jeter (1998-99) and Boston’s Manny Ramirez (2003-04).

Tommy Pham’s solo homer in the fourth gave Arizona a 4-3 lead and Marte’s double made it 5-3.

Texas scored twice in the first off Zac Gallen on Evan Carter’s RBI double and Garcia’s single.

Carroll’s two-run triple in the third erased the Rangers’ two-run lead, and he scored on Marte’s failed fielder’s choice.

Game 2 is Saturday night in Texas.

Anthony Joshua retained his IBF, IBO and WBA heavyweight titles with a 10th-round stoppage of Carlos Takam in Cardiff on this day in 2017.

Returning for the first time since his victory over Wladimir Klitschko, the then 28-year-old Joshua wore down his little-known French opponent – an injury replacement for Kubrat Pulev – with his advantage in size, muscle, speed and power to retain his undefeated record.

In front of a world-record indoor fight crowd of an estimated 76,000 inside the Principality Stadium, many thought Joshua would back up his famous win over Klitschko with another routine victory, but it was far from it as he was tested in one of his toughest fights to date.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @anthonyjoshua

Joshua came into the fight over a stone heavier than Takam, weighing in at a career-heaviest 18st 2lb against his 16st 11lb opponent, and made much of his significant size advantage before he appeared to suffer a broken nose in the second round.

Joshua put Takam to the canvas in the fourth round and the latter was examined by the ringside doctor in the next after a significant cut appeared to open up by his left eye, an injury that would affect Takam throughout the fight.

The wound was looked at once again in the ninth round and the expected stoppage finally arrived after one minute and 34 seconds of round 10, but there were boos from the crowd, as many thought the fight was stopped too early.

Asked about the decision, Joshua said: “It was a good fight. I have no interest with what’s going on with the officials, that’s not my job.

“Unfortunately, the ref stopped it. I think people wanted to see Takam on the floor and I was getting there.”

Joshua went on to add the WBO belt with victory over Joseph Parker and successfully defend his titles against Alexander Povetkin before a shock loss to Andy Ruiz in June 2019 at Madison Square Garden.

Though he beat Ruiz in a rematch and followed up with a knockout of Pulev, back-to-back losses against Oleksandr Usyk left Joshua needing to rebuild his career at the top level.

Steve Borthwick signed off an encouraging World Cup after England edged Argentina 26-23 at the Stade de France to claim third place.

The Pumas paid the price for allowing England to build a 13-0 lead and while they fought back to control the second-half, Borthwick’s men held their nerve to send scrum-half Ben Youngs into Test retirement with a bronze medal.

Their only defeat at France 2023 was the agonising 16-15 loss to South Africa in the semi-final.

“I’m delighted for the players to get the win after they have worked so hard,” Borthwick said.

“We won six games out of seven and lost one game by one point to the current world champions and current world number one, which shows the progress of the team. It shows how the team has built during the tournament.

“Playing finals games at World Cups is important. In the last two World Cups this group of players have played six finals games and won four of them.

“Clearly we want to be in the final and winning the gold medal. That wasn’t to be, but having finals experience has been important for this squad.

“The players should be very proud of their efforts and the challenges they have overcome. While things haven’t been perfect, they find a way to win games.

“Now we didn’t last weekend – we lost by a point, which will hurt for a long time. But when the players have found themselves in tough circumstances they have found a way to win.”

With all neutrals at the Stade de France supporting Argentina and with Red Rose fans making the trip across The Channel in small numbers only, England played in the most hostile atmosphere they have encountered at this World Cup.

Captain Owen Farrell was booed throughout and most noisily when he was lining up penalties and conversions.

“I wasn’t surprised. It’s usually like that here. When you play against France in Six Nations here, they don’t cheer you when you’re having a shot at goal!” Farrell said.

“It’s a bit different here in France to how it is over in England when a kicker’s taking a shot. But that’s what it is – just different. That’s no problem.”

Argentina head coach Michael Cheika felt that his Pumas did not get the rub of the green with referee Nic Berry, especially at the scrum.

“The game could have ended differently especially when you look at the final 15 minutes,” Cheika said.

“We did everything we could and we deserved more, both in terms of result and refereeing.

“Three or four scrums we were dominating and despite that we got no reward for it. For me that was very surprising.

“To be here on October 27 is very positive for the fans and for us. What is missing for us is excellence. It’s hard to accept losing this game and draw any positives from it.

“I believe that our trajectory over this World Cup will make Argentinians proud. We will come back stronger.”

Max Verstappen completed a practice double for Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix by edging out Lando Norris.

After leading the way in the first running at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Verstappen – who has won 15 of the 18 rounds so far – set the fastest time in the day’s concluding running.

The Red Bull driver finished 0.119 seconds clear of McLaren’s Norris, with Charles Leclerc a quarter of a second back in his Ferrari.

Home favourite Sergio Perez finished fifth, three tenths behind Red Bull team-mate Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton took seventh for Mercedes, a third of a second down.

Verstappen has dominated this year, and wrapped up his third successive world championship in Qatar earlier this month.

And the Dutchman will head into the remainder of the weekend in the breathless Mexico City air as the man to beat.

The high-altitude venue, which sits 2,200 metres above sea level, can often throw up anomalies, and Valtteri Bottas was a surprised fourth for Alfa Romeo, with Daniel Ricciardo sixth in his AlphaTauri, just three tenths off the top.

Hamilton finished a close second to Verstappen in the United States a week ago before he was disqualified for running an illegal floor on his Mercedes.

But despite his post-race exclusion, Hamilton hoped his speed in Austin would enable him to challenge Verstappen here.

However, the seven-time world champion failed to challenge the top of the leaderboard on Friday, finishing 11th and seventh respectively in the two sessions.

George Russell, who sat out the opening running as Mercedes blooded academy driver Frederik Vesti, finished 10th, half-a-second behind Verstappen.

Earlier on Friday, Ollie Bearman made history by becoming the youngest British driver to take part in a Formula One weekend.

Bearman, 18, competing for American outfit Haas, ended his F1 debut in 15th, only 1.6 sec slower than Verstappen and three tenths adrift of Nico Hulkenberg – a veteran of 200 grands prix – in the other Haas.

Bearman also finished one place ahead of double world champion Fernando Alonso.

F1 teams must run a rookie driver at least twice during the season and Chelmsford-born Bearman was handed his chance to impress, breaking the British record previously held by Norris.

Norris was three months shy of his 19th birthday when he took part in practice for McLaren in Belgium in 2018 before he was promoted to a race seat the following season. Bearman turned 18 in May.

The teenager, a member of the Ferrari academy, has taken four victories in F1’s feeder series Formula Two and is sixth in the standings ahead of next month’s season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Ange Postecoglou was pleased Premier League leaders Tottenham passed their latest exam with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Crystal Palace and was in no mood to stop fans dreaming of a title challenge.

Spurs moved five points clear at the summit after they recovered from a sluggish first half at Selhurst Park to score twice in 13 second-half minutes.

An own-goal from Joel Ward broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute when he deflected James Maddison’s cross beyond Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and it was 2-0 soon after when Tottenham captain Son Heung-min steered home after Brennan Johnson’s assist.

Jordan Ayew reduced the deficit for Palace in the fourth minute of stoppage-time, but Spurs held on to extend their unbeaten top-flight run to 10 matches and move five clear of Manchester City and Arsenal, who play Manchester United and Sheffield United respectively across the weekend.

“Let them dream. That’s what being a football supporter is all about. It’s fair to say this lot have suffered a fair bit, so I’m certainly not going to dampen that,” Postecoglou said.

“Top of the table is great and the results are great but it’s more in the manner we’re doing it. Pretty much from the first game we’ve had all sorts of different challenges we’ve had to overcome.

“Every time there has been a real focus and clear-headedness about the group collectively to deal with that.

“That has been a really pleasing thing and because they’re getting rewards from that, then that gives us the opportunity to accelerate the growth of giving them more tools out there to help them for whatever we need to overcome.

“I thought tonight was going to be a real difficult game for us. Coming here, Palace’s result last week, it’s a tight ground, they’d only conceded three goals in the four games so far and how were the lads going to cope with the fact we weren’t going to create as many chances as we had been?

“I really liked the way we worked through that as a group.”

After returning to the Premier League summit with a 2-0 win over Fulham on Monday, Spurs struggled in the first half at Selhurst Park and were indebted to fine early saves from Guglielmo Vicario to deny Ayew and Odsonne Edouard.

Postecoglou, who had lambasted his side for their second-half showing earlier in the week, introduced Emerson Royal for Ben Davies at the break and watched Ward put into his own net from Maddison’s cross to open the scoring.

It was 2-0 when Son fired home for his eighth goal of the campaign following Johnson’s smart pass, his first assist since a £45million deadline-day transfer from Nottingham Forest.

While Ayew managed to reduce the deficit – in the fourth minute of stoppage time after a lengthy VAR check – Tottenham stood firm to claim a fourth-straight win and show another side with a dogged defensively display, despite enjoying more than 70 per cent possession.

Postecoglou added: “I have always felt that matchdays are about the players. What we try to do on a daily basis is give them the tools to find the solutions.

“We prep them for their exam at the weekend, but we don’t know what the questions are going to be. They’ve got to work them out themselves.

“In an exam you are not asking anybody for help. You have to work it out yourself and hopefully what we’ve given them is the tools.”

Palace boss Roy Hodgson was disappointed to suffer a second-consecutive defeat and admitted his substitutes weakened his team.

“I thought it was an aggressive and quite-controlled first half from our side, but of course the first goal then produces a second,” he said.

“That is when we start putting players on the field, players who have not really played with the first team, Jes (Rak-Sakyi), (Naouirou) Ahamada, (Matheus) Franca and we lost the intensity we were able to do in the first half.

“In the end it became easy for them (Tottenham) to see the game through.”

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has warned that his England team-mate Marcus Rashford remains an opponent to be feared.

The Manchester United striker has been in poor form this season and has scored just one goal for the club heading into Sunday’s derby against City at Old Trafford.

It is a far cry from last term when the 25-year-old netted 30 goals in all competitions, including the winner in the corresponding Premier League fixture against City.

Walker said: “I think Marcus has shown over the years that he’s the sort of player who can create problems for any side if they don’t match him.

“He’s been important for both United and England since he was a teenager because of the threat he offers to any team he’s in. He’s got a lot of different qualities and we know he can be dangerous at the weekend.”

Rashford’s decisive 82nd-minute strike on City’s last trip across town in January capped a controversial fightback by the home side.

United had cancelled out Jack Grealish’s opener just four minutes earlier through Bruno Fernandes despite Rashford having been in an offside position during the build-up.

After bouncing back spectacularly by winning the treble – and beating United in the FA Cup final – Walker insists City are not motivated by revenge.

“I don’t think we think like that,” said the right-back. “Last season is done, we lost at Old Trafford and went on to win the treble. Ultimately that’s what matters.

“Of course this game means a lot but it’s part of a bigger picture and, OK we lost last season and the luck didn’t go in our favour, but we bounced back from that and did what we did.

“We want to win the game because of what it means and because ultimately it will help us in trying to win the Premier League again. We don’t need to think beyond that.

“We’ve had some great games against them in recent years and our focus is on giving the fans something to enjoy again on Sunday.”

City are in a strong position despite a blip before the recent international break, when they lost to Wolves and Arsenal, and lacking the intensity they showed at the end of last season.

Walker said: “People keep saying how hard it must be to get motivated because of what we achieved last season but we’re all competitors who want to win. We’ve shown that year after year.

“If it was hard to get motivated then we wouldn’t have won three Premier Leagues in a row.

“We go into every game wanting to win, for ourselves, for this club and it’s the reason we’ve been so successful. That doesn’t go away just because we did something special last season.”

Mauricio Pochettino empathises with supporters angry about the Premier League’s decision to move Chelsea’s trip to Wolves to Christmas Eve, admitting it has thrown his festive plans and anniversary celebrations with his wife into chaos.

The league confirmed on Thursday that the fixture, which has been pushed back 24 hours to accommodate TV coverage, will be the first played on December 24 since Manchester United played Leeds in 1995, a move that has drawn a backlash from fans.

Scheduled for a 1pm kick-off, it could leave supporters struggling to make travel arrangements with train timetables typically amended or curtailed the day before Christmas, while there are also concerns it will impact time supporters traditionally spend with family.

Pochettino is set to be doubly affected by the move, as not only is it Argentinian custom to begin Christmas celebrations late on December 24, the previous day also marks his and his wife’s 31st wedding anniversary – which he will now spend travelling to Wolverhampton.

Despite not being consulted by the league he conceded that the club has little choice but to go along, but backed objections by supporters who have spoken out.

“It’s a little bit strange but we need to accept the rules of the Premier League, that we need to go there and to play,” said Pochettino.

“(In Argentina) we celebrate on the night of the 24th. At 12 o’clock on the night we start to celebrate Christmas. More than the 25th because you’re asleep nearly all day. Here it’s different because you celebrate on the 25th with the family.

“I need to see things in a different way. For sure our fans are not happy but we need to accept this new era in football.

“(The Premier League) didn’t ask us. They wanted some meeting with me and all the coaches one week before the season. I said I’m more than happy to share time with you, but it’s better if you prepare the meeting before the end of the season to prepare the next season.

“If they ask me I will give my opinion, but at the moment we are not involved in the decisions.”

He added: “I don’t know what to do (with my wife). I need to find some ideas to compensate. (Search online for) ‘unhappy wife’.”

The Wolves game is the first of three in seven days for Chelsea over the Christmas period, with Crystal Palace due at Stamford Bridge on the evening of December 27 before visiting Luton on December 30.

The Palace game has been moved from Boxing Day in order to accommodate the controversial Christmas Eve fixture.

Pochettino reiterated that supporters’ concerns must be paramount in scheduling decisions.

“We play and we work and all that we are doing is for our fans,” he said. “Without fans, football (is nothing). We need to protect, and to care, and to look after our fans.

“Of course I agree with them, that I am not happy if they are not happy. It’s common sense. I can understand.

“I don’t know what is behind it. I don’t know why. No one explained. I cannot tell. I hope it’s one time and never again, but we’ll see what happens.

“People love football in England and they are going to be there. Our fans are going to be there supporting the team. But I don’t know if it’s going to be a regular situation.”

Asked whether the club would offer a new contract to Conor Gallagher – who has captained the side in the absence of injured pair Reece James and Ben Chilwell – Pochettino likened the situation to the balancing act he now faces on the home front.

“It’s like how we were talking about my wife,” he said. “It’s about to match and to feel good being together. It’s like a marriage with the club. They both need to feel good, then you can drive at a good deal.

“He is a player that is doing fantastic. He’s an amazing player and we’re so happy with the way he is doing things.”

Premier League leaders Tottenham recovered from a sluggish first half to win 2-1 at Crystal Palace and extend their lead at the summit to five points.

Ange Postecoglou’s side found life tough at Selhurst Park initially, but moved through the gears in the second period and went ahead when Joel Ward put through his own net in the 53rd minute following James Maddison’s centre.

Captain Son Heung-min made the points safe 13 minutes later with a close-range finish for his eighth goal this season to ensure high-flying Spurs extended their unbeaten top-flight start to 10 matches.

Jordan Ayew struck late on for Palace, but victory moved Tottenham five points clear of Manchester City, who visit rivals Manchester United on Sunday, and while that gap is unlikely to remain come the end of the weekend, this latest test passed by Postecoglou’s new-look team will only increase the optimism growing in N17.

The Australian made two changes from Monday night with left-back Destiny Udogie unavailable due to muscle tightness, which resulted in Ben Davies making his first league start this term, while Yves Bissouma returned to the starting line-up following his one-match ban.

Spurs were poor during the opening exchanges against a Palace side eager to respond to their 4-0 thrashing at Newcastle with Guglielmo Vicario twice called into action early on.

Vicario first denied Ayew’s low effort in the sixth-minute before he produced a smart save to thwart the snapshot of Odsonne Edouard, who was leading the line for the hosts.

Hodgson would have been pleased with the response to Palace’s thrashing in the North East after Will Hughes and Joel Ward snapped into tackles with Micky van de Ven and Maddison.

Maddison’s influence had been limited, but he sliced a tough half-volley chance into the Holmesdale Stand before Richarlison dragged wide from outside the area.

The opening half an hour in south London had been stop-start, which suited Palace who forced four corners in a row towards the end of the first 45, but Tottenham survived to walk off at half-time level.

Postecoglou had lambasted the second half showing against Fulham and would have been equally frustrated with this display after Spurs failed to have a shot on target despite more than 70 per cent possession.

He reacted with Emerson Royal introduced for Davies and while the visitors’ wait for a first shot on target continued, they still managed to break the deadlock in the 53rd minute.

Tottenham’s goal came from their right side with Pedro Porro playing in Pape Sarr, who cut back for Maddison and his smashed effort across goal bounced off Ward and into the Palace net.

It was tough on Palace but Hodgson’s side immediately searched for an equaliser and Edouard had a shot deflected over by Cristian Romero.

Marc Guehi headed wide from the resulting corner before Postecoglou made further changes with Brennan Johnson and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg brought on.

Johnson needed barely two minutes to make his mark with a first assist for the club since a £45million deadline day move from Nottingham Forest.

The substitute started the move with a cushioned header into Maddison, who passed back into Johnson and he smartly recycled the ball to Son and the Spurs captain rifled home from close-range in the 66th minute.

After Tottenham switched off at 2-0 up against Fulham, there was little chance of a repeat and Postecoglou sent on Rodrigo Bentancur for his first appearance since he suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage to his left knee in February.

Bentancur’s arrival on the pitch was met with big cheers by the away fans, but the travelling support endured a nervy finale.

Ayew reduced the deficit four minutes into stoppage time when he controlled Joachim Anderson’s cross and fired beyond Vicario, which was eventually awarded after a lengthy VAR check.

Palace pushed for a last-gasp leveller and forced several set-pieces before substitute Matheus Franca sliced wide under pressure from Porro to confirm a fourth consecutive win for leaders Spurs.

England held their nerve to overcome Argentina’s determined fightback and finish the World Cup in third place with a tense 26-23 victory at the Stade de France.

Ben Earl and Theo Dan touched down but England will rue allowing a 13-0 lead to slip away, the Pumas clearly out to avenge their rout when the teams met in the pool stage seven weeks ago.

The remaining points for England in an arm-wrestle of a contest in which ‘Kamikaze Kids’ Tom Curry and Sam Underhill excelled were supplied by Owen Farrell’s flawless kicking, which ultimately proved the difference between the sides.

England have now finished in the World Cup’s top three on five occasions, with only Saturday’s finalists New Zealand and South Africa managing more podium appearances.

Argentina were roared on by the neutrals in a 77,674 crowd and with only pockets of Red Rose supporters present, it was the most partisan atmosphere Steve Borthwick’s side have faced at the World Cup.

Farrell was booed repeatedly and Ben Youngs drew the same reaction when he jogged off with half an hour left, even though the nation’s most capped player was making his 127th and final appearance.

The evening was not much fun for Henry Arundell, who ran in five tries against Chile yet was passed the ball only once here, reducing one of England’s most dangerous runners to the role of bystander until he was withdrawn with 15 minutes left.

Having produced among the worst semi-final appearances in World Cup history against New Zealand, Argentina were far hungrier as they looked to emulate their previous best tournament performance of third place in 2007.

It was the Pumas side who edged Wales in the last eight that ultimately turned up at the Stade de France, although it took them time to get going

England initially picked up where they had left off in Marseille by scoring freely, a short pass from Marcus Smith slipping Earl through a gap and there was no stopping the number eight from 15 metres out.

It was part of a bright start by England, who kicked intelligently and were accurate in everything they did, enabling them to build a 13-0 lead when Farrell added two penalties.

Argentina were already on the ropes but they took heart from making headway through the white defence until they were sent hurtling backwards at a scrum in front of the posts.

Emiliano Boffelli got the Pumas off the mark with a penalty but it was all they had to show for period of ascendency, their prospects not helped by two knock-ons at key times.

England’s own play had become more ragged and when Farrell kicked away possession and a penalty was conceded, Argentina went on the rampage with a sweeping attack that ended when Tomas Cubelli went over.

The officials declined to check for an obvious forward pass during the move but there was nothing controversial about the Pumas’ second try when Dan missed a tackle that allowed Santiago Carreras to glide into space and finish with class.

Dan’s redemption was instant as from the restart he changed down Carreras’ clearance, gathered the ball and scored.

As chants of “Argentina, Argentina” sounded around the Stade de France and the Pumas vigorously celebrated winning a penalty, there was a sense of occasion of the match even if play was stop-start and often ugly.

Farrell and Nicolas Sanchez traded penalties and with neither side able to seize control of the game, an edgy climax approached.

Sanchez missed what should have been a routine penalty and England were not troubled again, closing out the match in the right half of the pitch.