Kyle Sinckler admits his relief at winning a race against time to be fit for England’s World Cup having succeeded in convincing Steve Borthwick that his body would not let him down.

Sinckler tore the pectoral muscle in his chest during the build-up to the final warm-up Test against Fiji in August, plunging his participation in France 2023 into doubt.

It resulted in veteran Dan Cole rolling back the years to start the opener against Argentina at tighthead prop and, eight days later, Sinckler’s promise to his head coach was honoured when he was given the all clear to face Japan.

“For me there’s a massive amount of appreciation and gratitude to be back out there because it was kind of touch and go,” the 30-year-old Bristol front row said.

“The scan came back and it didn’t look great but I knew it would be fine. Fair play to the medical staff and Steve for trusting me and to say: ‘I know my body, I am going to be fine’.

“And thank you to my team who work for me off the field. They have really stepped up and helped me and I have been on recovery 24/7 since that game so I am just very grateful to be here and hopefully get to do my thing again.

“I was keen to play against Japan and then to get the start against Chile, that was pretty cool.

“I’m just grateful to be here – my second World Cup and my 13th or 12th year playing professional rugby.”

England’s reliance on Will Stuart early in August’s warm-up fixtures suggested that Sinckler was no longer undisputed first choice for the number three jersey – a position he has held since 2018.

His torn pec exacerbated the situation but, two games into his return, he is expected to start the final Pool D match against Samoa in Lille on October 7. And he will do so knowing the demands on the modern prop are greater than ever.

“The only thing that is not expected from me is to kick and take high balls! The role has changed since I first came on the scene,” Sinckler said.

“The way I played tighthead prop, a lot of people said: ‘You can’t do it that way,’ because of my ball-carrying, tips, chasing. I had to really work hard on my scrummaging because that didn’t come naturally.

“Now it’s: ‘We want you to make 10 carries, we want you to make 10 tackles, we want you to get two or three scrum penalties, we want you to be strong in the kick chase, we want you to hit the rucks’. The standard is high and that is what I expect of myself.”

Stuart McInally declared it “a privilege” to have been able to end his rugby career at the Rugby World Cup with Scotland as he confirmed he has now retired from the game.

The 33-year-old hooker has endured a roller-coaster of emotions since he first announced in April his plan to retire after the global showpiece to pursue a new career as an airline pilot.

McInally, who captained Scotland at the last World Cup, looked on course for a fairytale career swansong in France this autumn when he was named in the provisional 41-man training squad in May but he suffered the anguish of being cut from the group when Gregor Townsend named his final 33 in August.

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McInally then got called out to France as cover for the concussed Ewan Ashman in the first week of September but he returned home when his fellow hooker recovered.

There was another twist in the tale when Dave Cherry fell on the stairs at the team hotel and suffered a tournament-ending concussion a fortnight ago, just after McInally had flown back to Scotland, so the long-serving Edinburgh forward was summoned back out to officially join the squad.

Agonisingly, however, just over a week after being added to the fray – and without playing a match at the tournament – he suffered a neck injury in training on Wednesday and it was revealed on Sunday night that he had been forced to withdraw from the squad and would not be able to win his elusive 50th cap.

McInally, who won the first of his 49 caps in 2015, posted a message on Instagram on Monday evening confirming that his “rugby story is over”.

“When I was at school I had a dream: to play rugby for Scotland,” he wrote. “That dream came true and I’ve had the time of my life.

“As Luke Patience (the British Olympic sailor) once said to me ‘it’s the arena that holds all of your hopes and dreams, but also your worst fears and nightmares’. And he wasn’t joking.

“Like all sportspeople, my story contains a mixture of highs and lows. On reflection, the good times have, overwhelmingly, outweighed the struggles and I wouldn’t change my journey. It has shaped who I am today.

“Thank you to everyone who has contributed to my career. There are far too many to name and I am forever grateful.

“And lastly thank you to the supporters. Without you, my dream of captaining and Scotland singing the national anthem at a sold-out Scottish Gas Murrayfield doesn’t happen.

“It was a privilege to end my career being being part of the 2023 Scotland Rugby World Cup squad and, for now, my rugby story is over.

“It’s time to start the next one.”

McInally’s message concluded with the emojis of an aeroplane and a pilot.

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from September 25.

Former Bolton winger Ricardo Gardner spent his birthday posing in a tunnel with Usain Bolt.

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Joao Cancelo is loving life in Barcelona.

It’s Ryder Cup week.

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A post shared by Ryder Cup USA (@rydercupusa)

Europe celebrated retaining the Solheim Cup.

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Chris Froome has some fun.

Gareth Anscombe admits there is an element of relief after Wales avoided a fight to the finish in their quest for a Rugby World Cup quarter-final place.

Wales’ record-breaking 40-6 victory over Australia meant they got the job done early in Pool C.

They preserved their 100 per cent record with one game still remaining – against Georgia next week – leaving other teams, led by Fiji, to fret over reaching the knockout phase.

Had Wales lost, it would have been a different story and meant them being caught up in a nervous scramble for two available places.

“It is probably relief. I don’t like that saying that, but we knew there was a lot on it,” Wales fly-half Anscombe said.

“We knew if we didn’t win we would go into the last week not quite having control. It is really rewarding because we do so much hard work.

“We’ve got a tricky little number in Georgia to finish off, and we definitely won’t overlook them, but it is nice to be in control of the group.”

Anscombe went on for an injured Dan Biggar after just 12 minutes in Lyon, and he promptly took charge, kicking six penalties, a drop-goal and conversion.

His 23-point haul equalled Biggar’s record for most points by a Wales player in a World Cup match, although the 32-year-old would have set a new mark had he not missed a straightforward conversion following captain Jac Morgan’s late try.

“‘Biggsy’ reminded me that apparently the last kick was to beat his record, so I am hacked off I have only tied that,” Anscombe added.

“Dan is a great man and we get along so well, but he has given me a bit of stick about that!”

Biggar looks likely to miss the Georgia game because of a strained pectoral muscle, but there are no suggestions at this stage that he could be doubtful for a potential World Cup last-eight clash against Argentina in Marseille seven days later.

“We know how important Dan is for the group, particularly on and off the field with the energy he brings,” Anscombe said.

“It was just really important when I went on that I brought some control and steadied the ship like he does so well.

“We always talk about nailing our roles, and all I was thinking about was making sure I was accurate and bringing some control.

“What was great was that we kept the scoreboard ticking. We have to give a lot of credit to our forwards. We squeezed them at set-piece time, took the points on offer and kept the scoreboard ticking off the back of that.

“I felt like I was building quite nicely in the summer (training) camps, and then I broke my hand. I thought at one point it was my World Cup done.

“I owe a lot of thanks to the team behind the scenes here. The medical team did a fantastic job to get me back on the field, and the coaching staff backed me without much game-time.

“There is still so much to work on from a personal perspective, but it was so nice to spend some time in the big arena.”

The Los Angeles Chargers will be without star wide receiver Mike Williams for the remainder of the 2023 season after an MRI confirmed he tore his ACL in Week 3, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday.

Williams went down in the third quarter of the Chargers’ 28-24 road win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday after recording seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown.

Williams entered Monday’s action ranked 12th in the league in receiving yards (249), tied for 12th in targets (26) and tied for 13th in catches (19).

Since being selected seventh overall by the Chargers in the 2017 NFL Draft, Williams has 309 receptions for 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns.

Los Angeles lost its first two games by a combined five points before defeating Minnesota.

The Chargers went 10-7 last season and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2018. They led by 10 points after three quarters in the wild-card round at Jacksonville before the Jaguars rallied for a 31-30 victory.

Hearts head coach Steven Naismith has told his players they have to use the pressure and expectation that comes with playing for the club to spur them on to Hampden.

Naismith faced the wrath of some Hearts fans on Saturday when a 1-0 reverse against St Mirren left them with five defeats in their last six games.

The former Scotland international views Tuesday’s Viaplay Cup quarter-final at Kilmarnock as the perfect opportunity to atone.

“Being at a club like Hearts, when you don’t win on a Saturday, there’s that frustration and that’s something that builds,” the 37-year-old said.

“I’m comfortable and confident that by the end of the week we can look back on it being a good week and that starts on Tuesday night.

“The game at the weekend was small margins, we don’t take our chances and give up a cheap goal.

“This game coming so quickly is good because it gives us a chance to react but the bigger picture is it’s a chance to get to Hampden and one step closer to getting silverware which is something as a squad we are desperate to get. But also that expectation from the club is there, that we should be getting into these positions.

“It’s something you become aware of when you come to the club, it’s not so much any single person letting you know that.

“The crowd that travel to every away game, the crowd that are in the stadium for home games, they are there because they have a right passion for the club and want to see success.

“You could argue that over the last 10-15 years there has probably not been enough silverware.

“In terms of being in the later rounds of competitions, that has been pretty successful over the last five or six years but taking that next step to win something is the most important one and one that us as a squad need to show we are capable of.”

Naismith won six major trophies with Rangers and also played in cup finals with Kilmarnock and Hearts, the latter resulting in defeat by Celtic in one of three Scottish Cup finals Hearts have reached in the past five years.

“We were two or three penalty-kicks away from winning the Scottish Cup and never managed to do it,” he said.

“That element of pressure for me is something I have managed throughout my career to some ways enjoy and push you forward. As players that is what you have to do.

“The week to week, day to day of signing a new contract and of playing x amount of games is one achievement but if you want real success then that’s defined by winning trophies.

“As a player fortunately I managed to do it and I know what it takes, so hopefully us as a squad can do it.”

Hearts have failed to score in four of their past five matches but Naismith believes there are encouraging signs.

“The frustration from my side is that we have picked up injuries to more attacking players,” he said.

“One positive is, in the chances we have created, it’s different players that are getting on the end of them.

“It’s not as if we are relying on one player to get on the end of crosses and through-balls. We are getting plenty of men forward. It’s just converting them really.”

Nathaniel Atkinson drops out through injury for Hearts but Andy Halliday is back.

A favourable weather forecast has prompted connections of Fantastic Moon to reconsider supplementing the German Derby winner for Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp.

Despite winning a recognised Arc trial over the course and distance in the Prix Niel, the Sea The Moon colt looked set to sidestep Europe’s premier middle-distance contest in favour of either a trip to the Breeders’ Cup or a tilt at the Japan Cup.

However, with little or no rain forecast in Paris in the run-up to Sunday’s showpiece, his team are now giving serious thought to adding him to the field on Wednesday at a cost of €120,000.

Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten of owners Liberty Racing said: “We discussed it yesterday, because the weather forecast is dry and the sun in shining in Paris, perhaps we will get good ground.

“We will decide as late as possible because every day is important for us. How the horse is, how is he looking and working.

“We have a few opportunities too with the Breeders’ Cup and the Japan Cup and now we have the option of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe again.

“We will see – our vet will check him, he will gallop in Munich and then we will see what’s going on and what the weather forecast will be in Paris.

“We decided two weeks ago that we would not run but the situation is new, the ground is better than we expected and the horse is better than we expected 14 days after the Prix Niel.

“It’s new information and a lot of horses are out of the race, so we will see.”

Hercule Du Seuil extended his winning run over fences to four with a stylish success in the Ballymore Group Irish EBF Kilbegnet Novice Chase at Roscommon.

A winner in Grade Two and Three company over hurdles, Willie Mullins’ charge suffered a shock defeat on his chasing bow at Ballinrobe back in May.

However, he has barely put a foot wrong in three subsequent starts, returning to Ballinrobe to claim a first win over fences before following up at Killarney and then in Grade Three company at Galway.

Kept to that level here, Hercule Du Seuil took up his usual position at the head of affairs under Mark Walsh and the 2-5 favourite barely had to hit top gear as he strolled home by 12 lengths from Calico, with The Banger Doyle beaten just a nose in third.

Hercule Du Seuil was encountering heavy ground for the first time and Frank Berry, racing manager for owner JP McManus, was delighted to see him rise to the challenge.

He said: “That was lovely. He jumped well, settled away and handled the ground.

“We didn’t know how he would handle the ground, but Mark said he handled it quite well. It’s loose and he got through it.

“We’ll see what happens when the better ones come out, but he’s going the right way and he’s had a good season so far. We’ll see what Willie wants to do with him.

“It’s a lovely race to find for him here and a flat track suits him well. You couldn’t have asked for better.”

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald admits his team “have their work cut out” as they seek to wrest the trophy back from the United States.

After a record 19-9 defeat at Whistling Straits in 2021, Donald has the unenviable task of trying to maintain the hosts’ 30-year unbeaten record on home soil.

On paper the Americans have the superior team, with 10 of their 12 players currently in the world’s top 20, and even though Europe have three of the top four, Donald is aware of the challenge which awaits in Italy .

“I know it’s going to be a difficult next few days, it really is. The US are very strong. We know that,” he said at a press conference at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome.

“We are coming off our worst defeat ever in a Ryder Cup. US players are strong, high up in the world rankings and they have some great partnerships and have had a lot of success.

“We have our work cut out but as captain you have to be confident. I certainly have a lot of belief in my team and you have to have belief that you’re going to get them into a place where they are going to be successful.”

Marco Simone is likely to prove a testing layout for both teams due to the weather forecast for the week – temperatures are expected to hit 29 degrees Celsius over the three days – and the undulations and big elevation changes around the course.

Donald has not ruled out some of his players featuring in all five sessions but is more confident that no-one, not even rookies Ludvig Aberg, Robert MacIntyre, Sepp Straka and Nicolai Hojgaard, will be left on the bench until Sunday’s singles.

“In terms of playing five, I think there’s some guys that certainly could do that, and we have done that in the past. This is a very tiring, taxing golf course,” he added.

“It’s a long build-up so I’m wary of some of that. I’ll certainly be considering that but it’s not out of the question that some people might play five.

“I very much doubt that someone wouldn’t play until the Sunday singles.”

Unusually Donald has opted to begin the first two days with the foursomes format and leave the fourballs until the afternoon.

While the Americans traditionally pick that option when it is their honour, it is the first time since 1993, the last time Europe lost on home soil, that it will be played that way on this side of the Atlantic.

“It’s pretty simple really. We feel like as a team, statistically we are stronger in foursomes within our team than we would be in fourballs,” said Donald.

“Why not get off to a fast start? That’s it.”

USA captain Zach Johnson was asked whether he had second thoughts about his captain’s picks after the overlooked Bryson DeChambeau won his second LIV event in successive months on Sunday.

Brooks Koepka is the only player from the Saudi breakaway league to feature in the team having qualified by virtue of his performances in majors after winning the US PGA Championship and finishing second in the Masters.

On Sunday DeChambeau said it would have been “nice to have a call” but Johnson has freely admitted he paid no attention to the LIV Golf tour and so the 30-year-old was never on his radar, finishing 54th on USA’s qualifying list.

“We have a points system within the PGA of America, within the Ryder Cup USA. It’s pretty evident how you garner points and which tournaments can accumulate points,” said Johnson.

“When it got down towards the end of the process, it was the top 20, the top 25 guys in that point system that I felt like had the merit and should have my full attention.”

Johnson also confirmed there would be no morale-boosting last-minute visit from Tiger Woods, who is still recovering from ankle surgery, despite him being part of the process this year and the 15-time major winner would be relegated to the role of cheerleader from back home.

“No, Tiger will not be joining us in Italy. He’s got a lot on his plate. As far as communicating with him, we have up to this point but he understands that now that our feet are on the ground, it’s probably kind of best that we navigate this ourselves,” said the USA captain.

“At this point it’s more encouragement on his side, whether he’s texting the guys or texting the vice-captains and captains, he’s there to encourage because he’s very invested in what we do year-in and year-out with Team USA.

“We are going to utilise his knowledge and his wisdom, his candour and his passion the best we can but when it comes to the week of the tournament, if you’re not in on it and inside the team room, inside the ropes, shoulder-to-shoulder with these guys, it’s not fair to ask him questions.

“At the same time, I don’t know if that’s proper and I think he would understand completely.”

Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea’s owners must look past their disappointment and back him to implement the plan he was hired to draw up in order to lift the club out of their slump.

Defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday means the team have taken an average of 0.85 points per game over the last 35 matches, three short of a full league season.

Over a single campaign they would have won 32 points, a tally that would have seen them relegated in every Premier League season since the league became 38 games in 1995, and would have left them bottom of the table in five of them.

That run goes back to October 19 last year when the team, then managed by Graham Potter, drew 0-0 away at Brentford.

Pochettino is the fourth manager to have led the side in that period, with Potter having been removed on April 2 and Frank Lampard taking over until the end of the campaign, with a single game in charge for caretaker boss Bruno Saltor.

Despite the turnover of coaches, the Blues have won only six times in the league in the 11 months since, drawing 12, giving them a return of 30 points from 35 games.

The squad assembled by co-owner Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium at a cost of more than £1billion over the last 16 months are currently 14th in the table after six games and have not scored in 285 minutes of play.

Pochettino encouraged supporters to keep faith and focus on the quality of recent performances rather than the club’s relegation form over the last year.

“It’s about learning, it’s about the process,” he said after Ollie Watkins’ second-half goal for Villa condemned his side to their third loss of the season.

“We are a young team (in) a process that they need to learn all together. It’s difficult to talk about positives because when you lose it’s difficult, but we need to talk about positive things.

“No doubt that with time the team is going to perform, but of course now we cannot hide the situation. It’s a situation that disappoints all the fans, the club, us and the players.

“They (the owners) are disappointed, they arrive to the club and (were) so excited to build some project. Of course they feel disappointed, but at the same time they need to support the plan.”

If there was a bright spot for Chelsea it was the return of striker Armando Broja after nine months out with an ACL injury.

The Albania international came off the bench in the second half and headed wide in the closing minutes as the team sought an equaliser.

“It was good to see Broja after nine, 10 months,” said Pochettino. “Again I think to have the possibility to have different options is good for the team. But he needs to build his confidence also.”

Watkins’ goal was his first in the league this season and the striker admitted it was a weight off his shoulders.

“The first one is always hard to get,” Watkins told VillaTV.

“I’m delighted to get off the mark now.

“It’s a bit of a relief, really, because the more the games go by, there’s a lot of talk and pressure.

“But I just try and block that out and I back myself in front of goal no matter what anyone says.

“I’m looking forward to the games coming up now and plenty more goals for the season.”

John Dalziel is adamant new recruit Johnny Matthews will prove a perfectly able deputy after Scotland’s World Cup hooker curse continued with the departure of Stuart McInally from the squad.

It was announced on Sunday night – after the bonus-point 45-17 win over Tonga in Nice – that the 33-year-old Edinburgh forward was heading home from the tournament with a neck problem less than a fortnight after being called up when Dave Cherry departed the camp due to a concussion sustained when falling on stairs at the team hotel.

In addition to the travails of McInally and Cherry, Ewan Ashman was unable to be involved against South Africa after getting concussed in the build-up, while Fraser Brown – who was on the bench for four of the Six Nations games earlier this year – would almost certainly have come into contention if not for the ACL injury he suffered at the end of last season.

First-choice George Turner is the only hooker who has stayed injury-free throughout the World Cup training camp and tournament itself, meaning coaches have had to draw on their depth of options for the specialised position.

“When we were picking the hookers initially, there were a lot of names in consideration,” said forwards coach Dalziel on Monday afternoon. “We were unlucky to lose Fraser Brown to injury prior to the tournament.

“We’ve never really had a campaign where we don’t use four hookers plus, it’s a position that’s right in the firing line, there’s a lot of injuries that come with it because of the scrummage and set-piece requirements.

“There’s been a bit of change there, with Rambo (McInally) disappointed to miss out (on the initial 33-man squad) and then he got a lifeline and thought it was going to happen for him.

“He added a huge amount while he was with us but it’s unfortunate that he’s got to go home again.

“It’s been a bit of a merry-go-round for Rambo and we’re disappointed to see him go.”

Matthews’ only previous outing with the national team came for Scotland A against Chile in June 2022. The Liverpool-born 30-year-old – whose mother was born in Glasgow – would effectively have been sixth in the pecking order if all other options were fit.

But after flying in to join up with the squad in Nice over the weekend, he now finds himself up to third behind Turner and Ashman and in contention to win his first full cap in Saturday’s World Cup pool match against Romania in Lille.

“It’s a huge opportunity for Johnny, who was another one in great form for Glasgow last season and was unfortunate to miss out on selection,” said Dalziel.

“We all know the speed and physicality Johnny brings, it’s probably his point of difference. Glasgow had an extended off-season but they were working hard away from it and they’ve been back in for pre-season.

“By all accounts, he’s been training really well. As a hooker, a specialised position, he’s always working on his craft anyway so he’s arrived in good condition and he’ll be a good addition to the group.”

Dalziel also reported that Jamie Ritchie suffered no ill effects overnight following the dangerous high tackle he was on the receiving end of from Tonga wing Afusipa Taumoepeau.

The Scotland captain was forced off in the first half off after taking a bang to the head and is now in his 12-day concussion stand-down period, meaning he will miss the Romania game and only be allowed to return to training on the eve of the potentially-critical match against Ireland in Paris on Saturday week.

“It was pretty nasty in terms of the head collision but in terms of after that and post-game, he’s been OK,” said Dalziel. “He’s not had any dramatic extra symptoms with it.

“You’ve got to take full care with anything to do with the head so he’ll just be managed along with the protocols. He’s up and about and his family are here so he’ll get a day off to chill.”

Dalziel was pleased to see the rest of the squad come through a bruising encounter intact.

“There are a couple of sore bodies this morning, it was a pretty physical game – as we knew it would be – but it’s miraculous how everybody rocks up and looks fine today and gets food into them,” he said.

“Credit to the conditioners as well, the boys were all in the pool nice and early doing their recovery. Apart from a couple of bumps and bruises, the majority of the group are OK and good to go.”

Sunday’s match was Scotland’s first for a full fortnight after their opener against the Springboks and Dalziel was delighted to see them return to action with a seven-try victory to get their tournament up and running.

“It’s been a really weird World Cup for us,” he said. “That first week seemed very busy and hectic. We felt a huge part of it building up to the first game against South Africa and then there was a real lull after that.

“Two weeks of just training and having the appropriate time off so we didn’t feel we were really part of the tournament, to be honest.

“You have to sit on those bad memories (against South Africa) and you’re just desperate to get back out there again so it was brilliant to get back out there and score some points and get that bonus point and get back on track.”