Ex-Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has admitted fraud after failing to declare more than £400million held in a trust in Singapore to the Government.

The 92-year-old said “I plead guilty” at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday while standing in the well of the court wearing a dark suit and grey tie.

On July 7, 2015, the billionaire failed to declare a trust in Singapore with a bank account containing around 650 million US dollars, worth about £400million at the time.

The charge stated Ecclestone, who has three grown-up daughters, Deborah, Tamara and Petra, and a young son, Ace, had “established only a single trust, that being one in favour of your daughters, and other than the trust established for your daughters you were not the settlor nor beneficiary of any trust in or outside the UK”.

Before his guilty plea, he had been due to face trial in November on the single fraud charge.

The court heard Ecclestone had said “no” when asked by HMRC officers whether he had any links to any further trusts “in or outside the UK”.

Prosecutor Richard Wright KC said: “That answer was untrue or misleading.

“Mr Ecclestone knew his answer may have been untrue or misleading.

“As of July 7, 2015, Mr Ecclestone did not know the truth of the position, so was not able to give an answer to the question.

“Mr Ecclestone was not entirely clear on how ownership of the accounts in question were structured.

“He therefore did not know whether it was liable for tax, interest or penalties in relation to amounts passing through the accounts.

“Mr Ecclestone recognises it was wrong to answer the questions he did because it ran the risk that HMRC would not continue to investigate his affairs.

“He now accepts that some tax is due in relation to these matters.”

Wales will contest their seventh Rugby World Cup quarter-final when they take on Argentina in Marseille on Saturday.

And their record under head coach Warren Gatland shows four successive appearances in the last eight.

Here, the PA news agency looks back on Wales’ last five quarter-finals.

Wales 9 Australia 24 (Cardiff, 1999)

Wales made Australia work for victory in a rain-swept Cardiff, but three Neil Jenkins penalties proved their only scoreboard rewards as the Wallabies marched on. Two George Gregan tries and a Ben Tune touchdown reflected the attacking quality of Australia’s backs, even in such testing conditions, and the Wallabies went on to be crowned world champions for a second time by demolishing France 35-12 two weeks later.

England 28 Wales 17 (Brisbane, 2003)

England were given a major fright on their way to winning the World Cup as Wales provided fierce opposition in Brisbane. Tries by Stephen Jones – he rounded off a brilliant length-of-the-field move – Colin Charvis and Martyn Williams underpinned Wales’ display, and England had to dig deep before prevailing on the back of 23 points from Jonny Wilkinson and a Will Greenwood touchdown. Having also tested New Zealand in their final pool game, Wales flew home with heads held high.

Wales 22 Ireland 10 (Wellington, 2011)

Wales secured a first World Cup semi-final spot for 24 years after producing a dominant display against Ireland in Wellington. Wales never looked seriously troubled as they triumphed on the back of tries from Shane Williams, Mike Phillips and Jonathan Davies. Although they won their pool, Ireland were no match for a Wales team that went on to lose against semi-final opponents France after skipper Sam Warburton was sent off.

Wales 19 South Africa 23 (Twickenham, 2015)

Wales’ World Cup journey ended at Twickenham, but not before they stood toe to toe with South Africa’s revered pack throughout an enthralling contest. Springboks scrum-half Fourie du Preez’s 75th-minute try finally broke Welsh resistance, halting a campaign that had seen Wales progress from a tough pool that also included England and Australia. Scrum-half Gareth Davies scored a try, with Dan Biggar kicking 14 points.

Wales 20 France 19 (Oita, 2019)

Wales needed a late Ross Moriarty try to subdue France after fighting back from 19-10 adrift at half-time. Les Bleus had lock Sebastien Vahaamahina sent off early in the second period following an elbow on Aaron Wainwright, and it proved decisive as Moriarty’s score followed an earlier Wainwright touchdown, while Biggar kicked two penalties and two conversions. Wales booked a last-four appointment with South Africa in Yokohama.

Wales will contest their seventh Rugby World Cup quarter-final when they take on Argentina in Marseille on Saturday.

And their record under head coach Warren Gatland shows four successive appearances in the last eight.

Here, the PA news agency looks back on Wales’ last five quarter-finals.

Wales 9 Australia 24 (Cardiff, 1999)

Wales made Australia work for victory in a rain-swept Cardiff, but three Neil Jenkins penalties proved their only scoreboard rewards as the Wallabies marched on. Two George Gregan tries and a Ben Tune touchdown reflected the attacking quality of Australia’s backs, even in such testing conditions, and the Wallabies went on to be crowned world champions for a second time by demolishing France 35-12 two weeks later.

England 28 Wales 17 (Brisbane, 2003)

England were given a major fright on their way to winning the World Cup as Wales provided fierce opposition in Brisbane. Tries by Stephen Jones – he rounded off a brilliant length-of-the-field move – Colin Charvis and Martyn Williams underpinned Wales’ display, and England had to dig deep before prevailing on the back of 23 points from Jonny Wilkinson and a Will Greenwood touchdown. Having also tested New Zealand in their final pool game, Wales flew home with heads held high.

Wales 22 Ireland 10 (Wellington, 2011)

Wales secured a first World Cup semi-final spot for 24 years after producing a dominant display against Ireland in Wellington. Wales never looked seriously troubled as they triumphed on the back of tries from Shane Williams, Mike Phillips and Jonathan Davies. Although they won their pool, Ireland were no match for a Wales team that went on to lose against semi-final opponents France after skipper Sam Warburton was sent off.

Wales 19 South Africa 23 (Twickenham, 2015)

Wales’ World Cup journey ended at Twickenham, but not before they stood toe to toe with South Africa’s revered pack throughout an enthralling contest. Springboks scrum-half Fourie du Preez’s 75th-minute try finally broke Welsh resistance, halting a campaign that had seen Wales progress from a tough pool that also included England and Australia. Scrum-half Gareth Davies scored a try, with Dan Biggar kicking 14 points.

Wales 20 France 19 (Oita, 2019)

Wales needed a late Ross Moriarty try to subdue France after fighting back from 19-10 adrift at half-time. Les Bleus had lock Sebastien Vahaamahina sent off early in the second period following an elbow on Aaron Wainwright, and it proved decisive as Moriarty’s score followed an earlier Wainwright touchdown, while Biggar kicked two penalties and two conversions. Wales booked a last-four appointment with South Africa in Yokohama.

Ireland will take on three-time champions New Zealand on Saturday evening in a crunch Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Paris.

The Irish had to wait 111 years for a first Test victory over the All Blacks but have had the upper hand recently by winning four of the last six meetings.

Here, the PA news agency picks out some memorable recent matches between the two nations.

New Zealand 60 Ireland 0 (Hamilton, 2012)

An unforgettable match for all the wrong reasons from an Irish perspective.

A maiden win over the All Blacks seemed a million miles away just over a decade ago following the country’s record defeat on a humiliating evening.

Ruthless New Zealand wrapped up a 3-0 series success with a nine-try demolition of an Ireland team containing current squad members Johnny Sexton, Conor Murray, Keith Earls and Peter O’Mahony.

Present-day Kiwi captain Sam Cane claimed two of the reigning world champions’ scores as Declan Kidney’s men were sent home embarrassed.

Ireland 22 New Zealand 24 (Dublin, 2013)

Aaron Cruden completed a remarkable comeback for record-breaking New Zealand by slotting a retaken conversion with the final act of a heartbreaking afternoon for the hosts.

Ireland were moments away from a milestone win after Rob Kearney’s 80-metre dash helped them lead 19-0 inside 18 minutes.

But, with the clock in the 82nd minute, Ryan Crotty’s try levelled matters.

Cruden then silenced a stunned Aviva Stadium by slotting the extras at the second attempt as the All Blacks became the first Test side in the professional era to achieve a 100 per cent record in a calendar year.

Ireland 40 New Zealand 29 (Chicago, 2016)

Ireland’s class of 2016 produced fireworks at Soldier Field on Bonfire Night to stamp their names into the history books with a landmark first triumph over the All Blacks at the 29th attempt.

Tries from Jordi Murphy, CJ Stander and Conor Murray gave Joe Schmidt’s side a commanding half-time advantage.

Simon Zebo’s score stretched the lead to 30-8 before Robbie Henshaw completed the job after the All Blacks, seeking a 19th straight win, threatened another stunning fightback by closing the gap to just four points.

Ireland 16 New Zealand 9 (Dublin, 2018)

Ireland laid down a marker ahead of the 2019 World Cup by beating the All Blacks on home soil for the first time.

Jacob Stockdale’s superb chip-and-gather try decided an absorbing contest between Test rugby’s top two sides.

Fly-half Sexton advanced his claims for the world player of the year award, which he went on to win, with the rest of his nation’s points, while Beauden Barrett’s boot kept the Kiwis in contention.

Steve Hansen’s side may have come off second best but they gained revenge 11 months later on the biggest stage in Tokyo with a thumping 46-14 quarter-final win.

New Zealand 22 Ireland 32 (Wellington, 2022)

A week on from a maiden victory over the All Blacks on New Zealand soil – 23-12 in Dunedin – Ireland made more history by wrapping up a stunning series success to climb to the top of the world rankings.

Andy Farrell’s men raced into a 19-point half-time lead in an epic encounter courtesy of tries from Josh van der Flier, Hugo Keenan and Henshaw.

The All Blacks closed to within three points in a frenetic second period before Rob Herring extinguished a Kiwi fightback to seal arguably Ireland’s finest result.

In-form Ireland face three-time champions New Zealand seeking to improve their wretched quarter-final record at the Rugby World Cup.

The Irish are through to the last eight of the competition for the eighth time but have never progressed beyond it.

Here, the PA news agency looks back on Ireland’s last five quarter-final matches.

France 36 Ireland 12 (Durban, 1995)

Following successive last-eight exits to Australia in the first two editions of the tournament, Ireland suffered a similar fate at the hands of France.

Twenty-six points from the boot of Thierry Lacroix, plus tries from Philippe Saint-Andre and Emile Ntamack, did the damage.

Eric Elwood’s four penalties were insufficient for Gerry Murphy’s men.

France 43 Ireland 21 (Melbourne, 2003)

Ireland lost a quarter-final play-off to Argentina in 1999 before suffering more last-eight frustration against France four years later.

Les Bleus initially claimed four unanswered tries before Kevin Maggs’ score and two from Brian O’Driscoll salvaged some pride.

Frederic Michalak also kicked 23 points for the dominant French, who were beaten by eventual champions England in the semi-finals.

Ireland 10 Wales 22 (Wellington, 2011)

Ireland, who suffered pool-stage elimination in 2007, topped Pool C ahead of Australia before crashing out to their Six Nations rivals.

Declan Kidney’s side were level at 10-10 early in the second period after Keith Earls’ try and five points from Ronan O’Gara wiped out Wales’ lead.

But the Irish were second best and had no answer to decisive scores from Mike Phillips and Jonathan Davies.

Ireland 20 Argentina 43 (Cardiff, 2015)

Injury-ravaged Ireland were savaged by the Pumas.

Without influential performers Paul O’Connell, Johnny Sexton, Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien and Jared Payne, the stunned Irish trailed 17-0 inside 13 minutes.

Tries from Luke Fitzgerald and Jordi Murphy cut the deficit to just three points but four-try Argentina emphatically prevented a fight back to claim a famous win.

New Zealand 46 Ireland 14 (Tokyo, 2019)

Optimism was high ahead of Ireland’s trip to Japan four years ago. Yet head coach Joe Schmidt endured a torrid farewell as his side were ripped apart by the reigning champions.

The merciless All Blacks ran in seven tries on a punishing evening for their error-strewn opponents.

Robbie Henshaw’s score and a penalty try were scant consolation as Ireland suffered their heaviest World Cup loss.

Wales and Argentina will face each other in a first Rugby World Cup clash since 1999 on Saturday.

The opening Marseille quarter-final sees Wales start as favourites after they collected 19 points from a possible 20 in winning their pool.

Here, the PA newes agency looks back on five memorable Test matches between the two countries.

Wales 43 Argentina 30 (Llanelli, 1998)

Graham Henry’s second game in charge as Wales head coach produced a high-scoring spectacle at Stradey Park. Fly-half Neil Jenkins contributed 23 points and there were tries for Colin Charvis (two), Dafydd James and Mark Taylor. Argentina, playing only their second full international match against Wales following a World Cup pool game eight years earlier, trailed 26-25 at the interval before Henry’s team had enough in the tank to see themselves home.

Argentina 16 Wales 23 (Buenos Aires, 1999)

Wales clinched a first Test series triumph against the Pumas in Argentina by ultimately holding their nerve during a game mainly remembered for a mass brawl. The melee spilled over the touchline and into the dug-out area, with English referee Chris White issuing yellow cards to Wales prop Peter Rogers, plus Argentina forwards Mauricio Reggiardo and Pedro Sporleder. Hooker Garin Jenkins’ try and five Neil Jenkins penalties and a drop goal proved enough.

Argentina 20 Wales 35 (Buenos Aires, 2004)

Wales claimed a first away win against any opponent for three years as they recovered impressively from losing the first Test 50-44 in Tucuman seven days earlier. Mike Ruddock’s team led by 25 points at the interval following Shane Williams’ memorable hat-trick of tries and they then had to hold off a fierce Pumas fightback. Gavin Henson, playing at full-back, kicked 15 points and fly-half Nicky Robinson also touched down.

Wales 40 Argentina 6 (Cardiff, 2013)

Wales emphatically ended a run of home defeats in the autumn internationals by posting what remains a record win against Argentina. The tone was set by scrum-half Mike Phillips’ fine solo try after he broke clear from inside his own half and a dominant display also saw George North, Taulupe Faetau and Ken Owens touch down. Leigh Halfpenny booted 20 points on a day that saw prop Gethin Jenkins become the fourth Welshman to win 100 caps.

Argentina 12 Wales 30 (Resistencia, 2018)

Wales’ first series win in Argentina for 19 years was achieved on the back of Rhys Patchell’s outstanding goal-kicking – he landed 20 points – and tries by backs Josh Adams and Hallam Amos. Number eight Ross Moriarty was sent off late in the game, but Wales had already done enough to claim a notable triumph. It concluded a tour that had earlier seen them beat South Africa in Washington DC.

Frankie Dettori has performed an amazing U-turn on his plans to retire from race riding and will instead continue his career in America next year.

The 52-year-old was set to hang up his saddle at the end of 2023, with his final rides in the UK scheduled to be on British Champions Day next Saturday.

However, a successful ‘farewell tour’ has prompted the Italian jockey to carry on, primarily in the United States, but also with mounts in the Middle East.

Dettori, who was in London on Thursday to mark what his final day riding in the UK on Champions Day at Ascot, told the Nick Luck Daily podcast: “I announced my retirement 10 months ago, I thought that would give me plenty of time to say my farewells and then I headed to California.

“I had an amazing four months there, finished second in the standings, it was amazing.

“I then came back to Europe, won the Guineas, had Royal Ascot wins and other big wins and that tickled my emotions.

“Now, as we come to October 21, what will be my final day in England, I had second thoughts, discussed with my wife and my parents that I want to carry on a little bit longer in California, where I had such a lovely winter.”

Josh Magennis is determined to keep proving his worth to Northern Ireland for as long as possible.

When manager Michael O’Neill said after last month’s defeat to Kazakhstan he needed to evaluate some of the older players in his squad and whether they could still deliver for the team, the 33-year-old Magennis recognised he was among those under the spotlight.

But a player who has 73 caps for Northern Ireland, having made his debut against Turkey in May 2010, still savours every opportunity to represent his country.

“It’s up to me to stay fit, perform at club level and when I get a chance in matches here or in training show I’m still worth having around,” Magennis told the PA news agency.

“I know I’m getting on but to me that’s just an excuse, whether people say it for you or you say it yourself. If you still play with intent, with the sports science that’s available now you can play endlessly. It’s up to you to prove you are worth your place in the squad.”

Magennis went as far as telling fans at a meet-and-greet event in Belfast this week that he would fancy playing at Euro 2028 when it is hosted by the UK and Ireland in four and a half years’ time, when he would be just shy of 37.

“Playing for your country is the biggest accolade you’ve ever had,” Magennis said. “I’m never going to retire and nor will I ever say I’ve retired.

“If Michael decides, or anyone else decides, they don’t want me to come any more that’s up to them but I can never retire on my country. That’s not how I will be going out.”

His love of playing shines through as he discusses his season so far with League One Wigan and “riding the wave” of being back after an injury lay-off.

Magennis saw his 2022-23 campaign cut short by a bad knee injury in April, forcing him to miss Northern Ireland’s June fixtures as he went through a lengthy rehabilitation process.

Although Magennis got himself back to fitness by August, the early season form of Charlie Wyke, who has scored six in 11 for Wigan, has meant all but two of his 10 club appearances have been from the bench, but one of them saw him score a hat-trick in an EFL Trophy win over Leicester Under-21s.

“Charlie has been on fire and I’ve just had to wait for my chance,” Magennis said. “At any level scoring goals is massive. The goals don’t move. I’m just feeling good to be back and ready.”

Goals would certainly not go amiss for a Northern Ireland side who have only scored four in their six Euro 2024 qualifiers to date, suffering four 1-0 defeats along the way.

Qualification is beyond them but there is a clear opportunity to end a five-game losing streak when San Marino, the only team O’Neill’s side have beaten so far, visit Windsor Park on Saturday.

But while they can change the mood with victory, Magennis said the team does not need a reset.

“It’s not about trying to change our mentality,” he said. “Michael is working towards something.

“I don’t want to say we’re rebuilding but there’s been an influx of new players, a lot of players Michael’s not been around before and a lot of players who are experiencing international football for the first time.

“It’s just about trying to keep going, keep grafting and trying to implement what Michael wants us to do. It’s been tough not winning. This is a results-based business and everyone wants to win but there’s a process and Michael has proved this process has worked before. We’ve got to trust in it.”

What the papers say

Barcelona are considering making a move for Arsenal midfielder Jorginho, 31, according to the Mirror. Jorginho, who joined the Gunners from Chelsea in January, has featured in six Premier League games so far this season.

The Mirror also reports Spain goalkeeper David De Gea, 32, has caused an online stir after posting a picture in England with on-loan Manchester United defender Sergio Reguilon, with calls for the club to bring the out-of-contract player back to Old Trafford. Current United stopper Andre Onana has made a number of errors since joining the Manchester giants in the summer.

The Daily Mail says Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has a clause in his contract which allows him to become the boss of any of the clubs he played for as early as next summer. These clubs include Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Victor Osimhen: Chelsea have added the 24-year-old striker to their transfer list for January, ESPN reports. Osimhen has scored six goals in eight games for Napoli so far in Serie A this season.

Serhou Guirassy: The leading scorer in the Bundesliga this season for Stuttgart has attracted interest from Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Brighton. The 27-year-old has scored 13 goals in just seven games for the German club this campaign.

Brock Boeser became the first Vancouver Canuck to score four goals in nearly two decades as part of an 8-1 season-opening rout of the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

J.T. Miller had a goal and four assists, Elias Pettersson added a goal and three assists and Quinn Hughes set up three scores for Vancouver.

Boeser’s first goal of the game midway through the opening period gave the Canucks a 2-0 lead. He scored twice 3 ½ minutes apart in the second period and tallied his fourth of the night at 5:43 of the third.

The last Canucks player to score four goals was Daniel Sedin against Detroit on Feb. 24, 2004.

Bedard scores first NHL goal but Bruins win

Connor Bedard scored his first NHL goal, but David Pastrnak snapped a second-period tie to lift the Boston Bruins to a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Trent Frederic also scored and Pastrnak added an empty-net goal to give the Bruins a win in their season opener a year after setting NHL records for wins and points.

Reigning Vezina Trophy-winner Linus Ullmark stopped 20 shots and counterpart Arvid Soderblom made 32 saves for Chicago, which opened its season with a win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Bedard, who had an assist in his NHL debut, scored at 5:37 of the first period on a wraparound.

Matthews has trick in Maple Leafs’ shootout win

Auston Matthews completed a hat trick with two late goals and Mitch Marner had the lone tally in the shootout as the Toronto Maple Leafs rallied for a season-opening 6-5 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

Toronto fell behind 2-0 and 5-3 but Matthews scored the 300th, 301st and 302nd goals of his career for his eighth hat trick.

John Tavares had three assists, setting up power-play goals by Matthews and William Nylander in the second period before drawing another on Matthews’ second tally with 4:32 left in regulation.

Matthews netted the equaliser with 67 seconds left in the third period.

Alex Newhook scored twice in his Canadiens debut.

Manchester City confirmed Carlos Tevez would face disciplinary proceedings, after apparently refusing to come on as a substitute in a Champions League match, on this day in 2011.

Manager Roberto Mancini claimed Tevez refused to come off the bench during the 2-0 defeat at Bayern Munich. An internal investigation was launched and Tevez was informed he would be punished.

“The club has been conducting an investigation into the events of 27 September at the Allianz Arena,” a club statement read.

“The club has now reached a stage in its investigation where it has concluded that there is a case for Carlos Tevez to answer of alleged breaches of contract.

“Accordingly, the club has informed him that he will face disciplinary proceedings and the hearing will be convened shortly.”

Tevez claimed the incident was a misunderstanding as he had only refused to warm up.

Nevertheless, he was suspended for two weeks and hit with a substantial fine.

The Argentina forward did not play for City again until the following March, but stayed with the club until joining Juventus in 2013.

The Arizona Diamondbacks became the first team to hit four home runs in a postseason inning and held on for a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers to finish a stunning sweep and reach the NL Championship Series on Wednesday.

Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno went deep off Dodgers starter Lance Lynn in the third inning for a 4-0 lead.

That would be all the offense Arizona would need to eliminate the NL West champion and 100-win Dodgers and move into the NLCS for the first time since losing to Colorado in 2007.

The sixth-seeded Diamondbacks improved to 5-0 in these playoffs.

Rookie Brandon Pfaadt worked the first 4 1/3 innings without allowing a run before Joe Mantiply got the next four outs.

Ryan Thompson gave up a pair of runs in the seventh, but Andrew Saalfrank quelled the rally and Kevin Ginkel fanned two in the eighth.

Paul Sewald pitched the ninth for his fourth postseason save in as many opportunities.

Los Angeles scored two runs in every game of the series and hit one home run to Arizona’s nine.

Former MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman combined to go 1 for 21 without an RBI in the series.

Astros oust Twins for another trip to ALCS

Jose Abreu and Michael Brantley homered, and the Houston Astros topped the Minnesota Twins 3-2 to reach the AL Championship Series for a seventh consecutive season.

Abreu’s two-run blast in the fourth off reliever Caleb Thielbar scored Yordan Alvarez and gave the Astros a 3-1 lead they would not relinquish.

Abreu had three homers and eight RBIs in the four-game series, while Alvarez had four home runs and six RBIs.

Houston will host in-state rival Texas in Game 1 of the ALCS on Sunday, with three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander likely on the mound for the Astros.

Jose Urquidy limited the Twins to two runs – both on homers - and three hits over 5 2/3 innings with one walk and six strikeouts.

Hector Neris and Bryan Abreu combined for five strikeouts over 2 1/3 hitless innings and former Twin Ryan Pressly struck out the side in the ninth.

Royce Lewis hit his fourth home run of this postseason and Edouard Julien also went deep for the Twins, who managed just three runs and six hits in two home games in this series.

Harper hits 2 of Phillies’ 6 home runs in win

Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos each homered twice, and the Philadelphia Phillies rolled to a 10-2 rout of the Atlanta Braves for a 2-1 lead in their NL Division Series.

Brandon Marsh and Trea Turner also went deep for the Phillies, who can advance to the NL Championship Series for the second consecutive season with a win at home Thursday.

Aaron Nola allowed two runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings and four relievers held Atlanta scoreless the rest of the way.

The Phillies scored six runs in the third to knock out Bryce Elder, with Castellanos leading off with a home run.

After Marsh and Turner singled, Harper launched a 2-1 pitch deep into the seats in right for a 4-1 lead.

J.T. Realmuto capped the uprising with a two-run double against Michael Tonkin.

Harper added a solo homer off Brad Hand in the fifth and Turner’s blast an inning later made it 8-1.

Harper has nine playoff home runs in 22 games over the past two seasons, with five coming against Atlanta.

Andy Farrell believes in-form World Cup hopefuls Ireland were previously plagued by an “inferiority complex”.

Test rugby’s top-ranked nation will bid to make history against New Zealand in Paris on Saturday evening by becoming the first Irish team to progress to the semi-finals of the competition.

Head coach Farrell was assistant to Joe Schmidt when Ireland went into the 2019 tournament as the sport’s number one country only to suffer a humiliating last-eight stuffing at the hands of the formidable All Blacks.

The Englishman, who has masterminded 17 successive wins, feels Ireland are becoming better at handling the pressure of having a target on their back and must continue to do so in order to emulate the sustained success of the Kiwis.

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“I suppose an inferiority complex is what’s happened in the past as far as getting to world number one and thinking that we’re going to fall off a cliff because this shouldn’t be happening to Ireland,” said Farrell.

“But what we’ve learnt to do is throw ourselves into big challenges and try to meet them head on and embrace that.

“We don’t want to be second best, we want to be first best. But we also realise what comes with that, that people are always chasing you hard down.

“You’ve seen with the All Blacks over the last 20 years – that’s why they’re so respected because it’s very hard to stay at the top.

“The guys that are the favourites are the ones I’ve always looked at throughout my career and envied really because of how hard it is to do that.

“That’s the place we want to be because if you’re serious about getting better and being the team that you want to be, that’s the world that you’ve got to live in.”

While New Zealand are three-time world champions, Ireland have repeatedly fallen at the quarter-final hurdle.

The Six Nations champions were full of optimism going into the same stage four years ago before crashing out 46-14 to the All Blacks in Tokyo.

Farrell has committed time and effort to improving the mental resilience of his players and says they must remember Ireland are a “bloody good team” if they suffer performance anxiety this weekend at Stade de France.

“It’s another big game in front of us,” said the 48-year-old, who led his side to a historic tour success in New Zealand last summer.

“At this stage, it’s all about preparation and recovery and making sure there’s an ownership of the plan that you’re going to try and apply on the opposition at the weekend.

“We immerse ourselves with that and that’s the only way it should be. Of course things start to creep in, but we’ve tools and experience to combat all that.

“The main part is to remember that we’re a bloody good team that play together and, when we do that, you’re not on your own, so you can get away from those type of thoughts.”