A shot at Queen Elizabeth II Stakes retribution or a trip to the Breeders’ Cup are the options for Inspiral having handled the weight of expectation in supreme style in the Virgin Bet Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.

The John and Thady Gosden-trained four-year-old has always been one of the leading fillies of her generation and arrived at the Rowley Mile at the peak of her powers having dazzled at Deauville in the Prix Jacques le Marois.

Not only was she bidding for a fifth victory at the highest level, but she was also tasked with carrying her regular big-race partner Frankie Dettori to his 500th career victory in the town both Inspiral and her pilot call home.

However, any nerves her Clarehaven training team may have had were soon dispelled as the Cheveley Park Stud standard-bearer delivered a devastating display to turn the Group One feature into a procession.

John Gosden said: “She was in top form today. The ground was quick, and she runs on anything bar the heavy of Goodwood.

“She showed a lot of class today, there is no doubt about it. She travelled well and there was a good pace. Andre Fabre’s dual Group One winner from Deauville (Mqse De Sevigne) was second so it is solid form.

“We missed the Lockinge as she had a muscle spasm problem so by the time we got to Royal Ascot (Queen Anne Stakes) she was only about 80 per cent fit.

“She was only beaten a neck that day and she got a touch tired in the last half a furlong, but she has been faultless since. She had an elaborate piece of work in the Sussex Stakes, but we were clear if she didn’t handle the ground wrap up on her and head to Deauville.

“There was a lot more pressure on today as she is a very good filly, and the ground is quicker than we would expect to find here in the autumn. It is real fast summer ground, but she has run absolutely superbly and I couldn’t be more pleased.”

Attentions now turn to the future with Gosden keen to take stock before nailing his colours to any particular mast.

Possible assignments on Inspiral’s radar include the opportunity to make amends for last year’s British Champions Day disappointment at Ascot in the QEII, a race that takes place on Dettori’s final day in the saddle in Britain.

A visit Stateside for the Breeders’ Cup Mile was also mooted as an option, but the final call will rest with Cheveley Park’s Patricia Thompson.

“Plans, we will see,” continued Gosden. “She is in the QEII and she could be entered at the Breeders’ Cup, but we won’t make a decision for at least a week or two.”

“I always want to see how they are two or three days after the race before making any grandiose plans, let alone plans.

“They would be the two options if she is in good nick. One lady will decide, if she races on, and that is Mrs Thompson. That was only her fourth run this year and she is weighing the heaviest she has ever weighed.”

Leeds kept pace with the Sky Bet Championship play-off pack with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Bristol City at Elland Road.

Daniel Farke’s side opened the scoring in the 37th minute when Dan James was in the right place to fire into the bottom corner after the visitors had failed to clear a flowing move by the home side.

Kal Naismith sent the sides in level at the break as he headed in a corner but Leeds regained the lead early in the second half through Joel Piroe’s neat finish from the edge of the area, which proved enough to earn all three points.

Leeds started on the front foot but from their first attack Ethan Ampadu sliced a volley off target.

City responded with a cross from the left by Nahki Wells but the ball flashed across goal just in front of the diving Rob Dickie.

Leeds should have taken the lead after 10 minutes when Crysencio Summerville found Georginio Rutter unmarked at the far post but he fired over the bar from two yards.

Ampadu then forced Max O’Leary to punch his fierce shot away as Leeds again pressed for the opening goal, before Summerville had a shot deflected for a corner after he latched onto Rutter’s flicked pass before bearing down on goal.

James finally opened the scoring when the ball broke to him six yards out and he found the bottom corner with a left foot shot, after Rutter had squared a recycled ball when goalkeeper O’Leary beat away a shot by Piroe.

But City levelled in the fourth minute of first half stoppage-time as Naismith rose to head in a corner and earn his side a barely deserved equaliser.

Leeds were ahead again seven minutes into the second half when Piroe shot in low from 20 yards after the home side had worked the ball across the Bristol City area.

The home side just failed to grab a third goal as Rutter’s pass set up Summerville but his rising shot from a tight angle was pushed onto the corner of post and bar by O’Leary.

Rutter then led a breakaway from the edge of his own area and after his pass to James had been blocked the Brazilian crossed from the right side of the area but Summerville was unable to apply the final touch.

Leeds thought they had made it 3-1 but Rutter had been offside from Sam Byram’s original shot, before poking home the rebound following O’Leary’s save.

Byram then headed off the line and did well to block an Andreas Weimann shot in the final 10 minutes as the home side held on for the win.

Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy were both on target as Leicester stayed top of the Championship with a 2-0 victory against Stoke at the King Power Stadium.

Iheanacho scored for the third successive game as the dominant Foxes reached the 30-point mark from only 11 games and already have a 10-point cushion to third.

But, once more, Enzo Maresca’s side had to work hard for their victory against stubborn opponents, with injury-hit Stoke providing the league leaders with few chances until the latter stages.

Iheanacho broke the deadlock after 24 minutes but Leicester had to wait until the 79th minute before substitute Vardy netted his fourth league goal of the season from close range.

The result meant the Foxes recorded three home league wins in succession, without conceding, for the first time since April 2017, when Craig Shakespeare was in charge.

Maresca made six changes from Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Preston. That included former Stoke defender Harry Souttar’s first Championship start of the season.

Stoke went into the game missing nine players through injury and their bench contained two goalkeepers and two 16-year-olds.

Stoke made it clear early on that Leicester would have to work hard to break them down.

And the visitors created an early opening of their own when Bae Jun-ho raced to the edge of the area and went down under a challenge from Jannik Vestergaard, but referee Geoff Eltringham dismissed all shouts for a penalty.

Leicester took the lead through Iheanacho’s third goal in as many games.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Ricardo Pereira combined to supply Iheanacho on the left of the Stoke area, and he drove the ball into the far corner before Stoke goalkeeper Mark Travers could react.

Leicester’s command of the game was displayed when the scoreboard showed them having 90 per cent possession at one point.

Stoke had a clear chance to equalise at the start of the second half when Mehdi Leris delivered a cross for Nathan Lowe, but he mistimed his header in front of goal and watched it fly over the bar.

But Leicester almost scored their second goal of the game when Yunus Akgun’s shot from the edge of the area brought an impressive save from Travers.

Leicester eventually extended their lead with substitute Vardy being on the end of an excellent move.

Vardy had only been on the field for three minutes when he was presented with a close-range opportunity after some neat exchanges involving Dewsbury-Hall and Abdul Fatawu before Wilfred Ndidi’s final ball set up the Leicester number nine to score.

Celtic bounced back from their Champions League disappointment by defeating Kilmarnock 3-1 at home in the cinch Premiership.

Brendan Rodgers’ men looked eager to atone for their midweek loss to Lazio and were two goals ahead at half-time through Reo Hatate and Luis Palma.

David Watson got one back for Kilmarnock midway through the second period before Greg Taylor added a third to send Celtic seven points clear at the top of the table after a fifth consecutive league win.

Rodgers made two changes from the Lazio match. In came Cameron-Carter Vickers and Palma, with Nathaniel Phillips and Hyun-jun Yang starting on the bench.

Kilmarnock also made two changes from their draw with St Mirren. There were starting places for Robbie Deas and Watson who replaced Innes Cameron and the injured Kyle Magennis.

Celtic started on top and had the ball in the net within five minutes but Kyogo Furuhashi had strayed into an offside position before finishing well.

Kilmarnock’s response was a curling effort from Danny Armstrong that arced beyond the far post before former Killie defender Taylor came close with a half-volley.

Celtic moved in front after 22 minutes after great play from Hatate. The Japanese fastened on to a quick free-kick from Callum McGregor, burst past Watson before finishing low in the corner.

Hatate almost came close to doubling his tally with an acrobatic volley that was well saved before Palma stretched Celtic’s lead after 33 minutes.

The winger attempted a pass to Hatate only for the ball to rebound back to the Honduran who took advantage to smash in an unstoppable shot.

Celtic started the second half again on the offensive and Hatate’s run and shot was deflected narrowly wide of goal by Kilmarnock defender Lewis Mayo.

Hatate then thought he had won a penalty after he and Watson tangled at the edge of the Kilmarnock box. Before it could be taken, however, the VAR, David Dickinson, asked referee Matthew MacDermid to have a second look and the decision was overturned.

Hatate was involved in most of Celtic’s promising attacks and only an alert save from William Dennis prevented him from adding a third goal.

Kilmarnock grabbed an unlikely lifeline after 72 minutes. Vassell and Alistair Johnston clashed as they chased down a long ball but play was allowed to go on and Liam Polworth teed up Watson who finished well.

The visitors passed up a good chance to draw level when Stuart Findlay nodded wide from a free-kick and that proved costly when Taylor tucked in Celtic’s third after Daizen Maeda had flicked on Matt O’Riley’s corner.

Maeda was then denied by Dennis after running the length of the pitch, with James Forrest unable to convert the rebound.

Everton scored more than once at home for the first time in almost a year as Goodison Park finally celebrated a victory after a 3-0 win over a woeful Bournemouth.

October 22, 2022 was the last time Goodison witnessed a game with multiple goals for the hosts when Crystal Palace were dispatched by the same scoreline.

On-loan Leeds winger Jack Harrison, who departed to a standing ovation late on, marked his full home debut with a brilliant lob over goalkeeper Neto to double the advantage given to them by James Garner’s early strike.

Abdoulaye Doucoure, whose goal against the Cherries in May secured the club’s top-flight survival here on the final day of the season, made the game safe on the hour with an altogether more simple close-range finish.

After four successive home defeats, Everton avoided a record worst start to a season at Goodison but were fortunate to come up against Bournemouth.

The visitors extended their own club-record winless run to 12 matches (nine defeats and three draws) and have now equalled their worst start to a season since 1994 in the third tier. The reasons for that were apparent.

Everton have hosted – and lost to – some poor sides in Wolves, Fulham and Luton already this season but none were as accommodating as the Cherries, who aside from an energetic spell 10 minutes after going behind appeared to still be trying to work out what new coach Andoni Iraola wants them to do.

Sean Dyche’s side did not even have to play that well to establish a two-goal cushion but once they did the confidence started to gradually flow back, encouraged by the lack of threat their opponents posed.

Dyche had dropped midfielder Amadou Onana to move Garner inside so he could go with two wingers in Harrison and Dwight McNeil but the Belgium international received a late reprieve when Idrissa Gana Gueye sustained a problem in the warm-up.

The key factor in the victory was probably the early goal, something they had failed to manage in four previous matches.

Illia Zabarnyi slipped bringing the ball out of defence, Philip Billing was unable to recover possession and Garner advanced forward to guide a low shot past Neto’s left hand for his second goal in three games.

The goal prompted Everton’s worst spell of the game and Bournemouth’s best as Dominic Solanke drilled a shot into the side-netting from an acute angle as the momentum appeared to shift.

But Everton seized it back when Dominic Calvert-Lewin latched onto Ashley Young’s pass down the line and set off on a run along the byline to force Neto to block his cross-shot.

A minute later they had doubled their lead when Neto punched clear Vitalii Mykolenko’s hanging cross only as far as Harrison, who perfectly lofted a 20-yard shot over the backtracking goalkeeper and in off the underside of the crossbar.

Calvert-Lewin hit the same crossbar with a header and Onana fired a shot on the turn as Everton finished the half strongly before another mistake by Zabarnyi soon after the interval should have sealed Bournemouth’s fate.

The centre-back’s wayward pass presented the ball to Doucoure but, unlike his blast from the edge of the penalty area in May, he shot weakly at Neto.

He did not make the same mistake from close range when Harrison’s far-post header from McNeil’s cross was parried into his path by the goalkeeper and straight from kick-off he should have volleyed home the fourth from another McNeil cross.

Everton’s former Burnley winger was having a decent game himself and, after hacking Zabarnyi’s header off the line defending a corner, he managed to get on the end of the subsequent counter-attack to shoot at Neto.

The under-employed Jordan Pickford’s late saves from Kieffer Moore and Marcus Tavernier at least kept him tuned up for the forthcoming England internationals.

Arnor Sigurdsson scored twice as Blackburn thrashed QPR 4-0 to increase the pressure on R’s boss Gareth Ainsworth.

Tyrhys Dolan and Sammie Szmodics also netted in a thumping away victory for Rovers, who had lost their previous four league matches.

Ainsworth’s future as Rangers boss is in doubt after another diabolical performance at Loftus Road, where the west London side have won just once since last October and have lost five of their six home matches so far this season.

The R’s are in the bottom three, have gone six games without a win, and look both defensively vulnerable and devoid of attacking ideas.

They almost went down under Ainsworth last season and have so far fully justified being among the favourites for relegation this term.

Blackburn took control of the game by punishing woeful QPR defending to score twice in the space of four minutes midway through the first half.

The opener came on 19 minutes, when Joe Rankin-Costello drifted away from Jack Colback to collect Dilan Markanday’s pass and pull the ball back from the right for Dolan to score his first goal of the season.

Rangers were carved open again soon afterwards, with Markanday once more involved in the build-up on the right-hand side.

This time Szmodics was found by Markanday and laid the ball across to Sigurdsson, who got in front of Ziyad Larkeche to apply the finish.

Rangers had made a decent start, with Sinclair Armstrong bringing a near-post save from keeper Leopold Wahlstedt after combining with Ilias Chair, before Wahlstedt gathered Lyndon Dykes’ header from Larkeche’s right-wing corner.

After finding themselves two down, the hosts tried in vain to reduce the deficit before the interval, with Andre Dozzell seeing a shot saved by Wahlstedt shortly before crossing for Dykes, who headed wide.

Any realistic chance of a Rangers comeback evaporated when Sigurdsson struck again after 59 minutes, collecting Dolan’s pass near the left of the penalty area and curling a low shot beyond keeper Asmir Begovic and into the far corner of the net.

Andy Moran should have made it four but missed the target from close range after Begovic had parried Szmodics’ shot.

But Szmodics added the fourth in the 66th minute following an error by Larkeche.

Left-back Larkeche, operating as a makeshift right-back in place of the dropped Osman Kakay, made a mess of an attempted clearance and presented the ball straight to Szmodics, who calmly slotted past Begovic.

Scottish Championship strugglers Inverness held Partick Thistle to a goalless draw at the Caledonian Stadium.

Partick Thistle hit the woodwork just after half-time as Aidan Fitzpatrick’s ball across the box clipped the post.

Brian Graham forced Inverness goalkeeper Mark Ridgers into a save following a swift counter-attack as the visitors continued to carry the greater threat.

Inverness, who picked up their first win of the season against Arbroath last weekend, came close on 73 minutes as Charlie Gilmour whistled an effort past the post.

Partick Thistle had a great chance to win it three minutes from time but Tomi Adeloye fired over from close range.

Dundee United remained top of the Scottish Championship after hitting back to draw 1-1 at second-placed Raith Rovers.

Louis Moult cancelled out Lewis Vaughan’s opener to keep United a point clear of their closest challengers.

Home goalkeeper Kevin Dabrowski kept out Kai Fotheringham’s effort in a cagey start between two in-form sides.

Rovers went ahead in the 24th minute when Vaughan poked home on the rebound after his own header came back off a post.

But the visitors maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign thanks to substitute Moult’s 67th-minute header from a Declan Glass corner.

Scott Tanser revealed it took only hours to agree a two-year contract extension that keeps him at St Mirren until the summer of 2026.

The 28-year-old wing-back joined Saints in June 2021 and has made 85 appearances for Stephen Robinson’s outfit.

Tanser, whose original deal was due to expire at the end of the season, told stmirren.com of how the new contract was quickly concluded.

He said: “It was very easy. When I say it was done within hours I’m not exaggerating. I had a chat with the manager and Jim Gillespie (vice chairman) in the morning and the deal was done by the afternoon. I’m happy here.

“The team is good, the staff are good and the whole club is together as a whole. It’s been amazing and the club has been amazing for me as well so extending my deal is great for me and my family.

“I’m really enjoying it and playing well so hopefully that continues.”

Robinson described Tanser’s new contract as “very good business” for the Paisley club.

Ahead of the visit of Rangers on Sunday, he said: “I think Scott has arguably been the best left-back in the league this season.

“It’s important that we do our business early and we recognise when people are doing well. I’m delighted that Scott has committed himself to the club for another two seasons.

“The amount of confidence he’s playing with when fans have really got behind him is a lesson for all of us. Sometimes people need an arm round them.

“His ability is undeniable. He’s a brilliant athlete and he’s been terrific for us this season.

“The board appreciate that we are trying to keep building and we’re not making 10-plus signings each season. That’s the way we are trying to do our business.

“I believe it’s very good business and hopefully there’s more to come in the coming weeks.”

Woodhay Wonder picked up her second valuable prize of the season with a stylish display in the £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes at Newmarket.

Tom Ward’s youngster had already bagged over £50,000 when landing a similar event on the July course in August and having been kept fresh for this competitive six-furlong heat, struck gold once again in the hands of PJ McDonald.

Despite Woodhay Wonder’s proven prowess in these contests and also having Group-race form in the book, it was Heather Main’s Zoulu Chief who was sent off the even-money favourite in search of a hat-trick on the Rowley Mile and in typical fashion was soon blazing a trail in the hands of Gina Mangan.

The duo had shot clear with two furlongs to run, but the petrol tank was soon to flash red as Woodhay Wonder and McDonald made stylish headway to creep into the contest.

The daughter of Tamayuz was ridden to lead inside the final furlong and as Zoulu Chief ultimately faded into fifth, the 5-1 second-favourite skipped clear to record an impressive four-length success.

“After her last start we were quite keen to give her a bit more time and come here,” said Ward.

“With the money on offer you can’t turn your nose up in it at all.

“She has been so well at home, and I was coming here more confident than I was last time. She is definitely coming together much better as the season is going on.”

It is the second successive year that a horse has completed the Newmarket sales race double and Ward was delighted to land another big pot for his father Toby, who owns the horse alongside Matthew Webber.

He added: “Dad will be buying a few yearlings and I’ve already got a few lined up for him.

“He is delighted, as is Matt. They are both lucky owners for me and I’m delighted what this filly has done today.

“She just gets a bit fresh behind the stalls and we will have to work on that, but as long as that is the only thing we have to do that is not a problem. She is a nice filly going forward.”

She will now be put away to return with 1000 Guineas aspirations next spring, with Ward earmarking Newbury’s Fred Darling as the place to put her Classic credentials to the test.

“She looks to me like she will go seven (furlongs) and possibly a mile a next year which is quite an exciting prospect,” continued Ward. “She has got enough size and scope about her that she is not just a two-year-old.

“I don’t think we will come out again at this stage. I think she is definitely a filly for next season. We could go to Newbury for the Fred Darling. If she does strengthen as I hope over the winter then it would be great race to go for.

“It is huge for us as we are only a small team in Lambourn that is trying to get bigger.”

Inter Milan blew a two-goal to drop points at the top of Serie A as Bologna earned a 2-2 draw at the San Siro.

Inter looked set to move clear at the summit of the table after they burst into a 2-0 lead after just 13 minutes as Francesco Acerbi and Lautaro Martinez scored.

But mid-table Bologna hit back, with Bendetta Orsolini scoring from the penalty spot before the break and Joshua Zirkzee earned a point after the break.

The result was a big boost for Inter’s city rivals AC Milan, who play at Genoa later on Saturday and go three points ahead with a win.

Although the hosts made a fast start, it was Bologna that almost drew first blood as former Aberdeen midfielder Lewis Ferguson hit the post in an open start to the match.

But it was the hosts that soon took control as Acerbi headed home from Hakan Calhanoglu’s corner in the 11th minute.

Two minutes later it was 2-0 as Martinez doubled the lead in style, rocketing a 25-yard shot into the top corner for his 10th goal of the season, becoming just the third Inter player in history to reach double figures in the opening eight matches.

Bologna were shell-shocked, but they responded well and were awarded an 18th-minute penalty when VAR spotted an infringement at a corner, with Martinez ruled to have fouled Ferguson.

Orsolini converted from 12 yards, though Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer may be disappointed after he got a hand to it.

Inter should have restored their two-goal lead eight minutes before the break as both Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Calhanoglu found space in the area but could not get a shot away.

Bologna responded well after the break and levelled seven minutes after the restart.

Zirkzee got the ball on the edge of the area and wrong-footed Sommer, shooting into the near post to make it 2-2.

Inter thought they had regained the lead on the hour when Sanchez converted Carlos Augusto’s cross, but it was ruled out for offside.

Boss Simone Inzhagi’s frustration boiled over and he received a yellow card in protestations at refereeing decisions.

His mood did not improve as Martinez then flashed a header just wide from a corner as they pushed to regain the lead.

The pressure mounted in the final 10 minutes with Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski beating away Augusto’s shot before the same player headed over at the death.

Ange Postecoglou hailed 10-man Tottenham after their 1-0 win at Luton but insisted they have achieved nothing by going top of the Premier League in October.

Spurs produced a gritty display to claim all three points at Kenilworth Road after Micky van de Ven scored his first goal for the club in the 52nd minute following James Maddison’s cut-back.

Tottenham’s task was made a whole lot harder when Yves Bissouma was sent off for two bookable offences towards the end of the first half, the second yellow card for simulation, but Postecoglou’s team held firm in the face of late Luton pressure.

“Two different halves, I thought we played some great football in the first half. I thought it was as good as we’ve played and we probably should have been two or three up,” Postecoglou said.

“Obviously the red card changes the game but again I thought the lads handled it really well. They stayed calm and composed.

“In the end just the sheer will and effort of them to make sure we won, not just the starters but the guys coming on, it was a great collective effort.

“Biss made a mistake. He has been brilliant for us this year. He made a mistake and the good thing is how he reacts to these things.

“His team-mates made sure that mistake didn’t cost us and I’m sure when Biss gets back in the team he will reciprocate and make sure that whatever else happens he can get us over the line.

“With all these things I always look at reactions. What are we doing about it? I thought the reaction was outstanding.”

Victory helped Spurs take over from Manchester City at the Premier League summit with the champions in action on Sunday away to last season’s runners-up Arsenal.

A draw at the Emirates Stadium would keep Tottenham top for the international break, but Postecoglou played down their league position – despite this being their best start to a top-flight season since the club’s 1960-61 double-winning campaign.

He added: “I don’t think you read too much. They’re not silly, they know it’s only October and being top of the league now doesn’t really mean anything tangible apart from the fact that we’ve started the season well.

“It’s not like they’re sitting in there thinking we’ve achieved anything. We haven’t achieved anything. All we’ve done is lay some really good foundations.

“Our goals and ambitions lay in improvement. Can we play better? Can we become a better team? And if we do that then we’ll see where that takes us.”

Luton boss Rob Edwards was frustrated that another strong display failed to produce any points.

Spurs started impressively and could have been 3-0 up inside 10 minutes but Richarlison sliced over from close range before Thomas Kaminski saved another effort by the Brazilian and Pedro Porro rolled wide when one-on-one.

Tottenham remained on top until Bissouma’s red card when he went down under close proximity to Marvelous Nakamba, but there had been no contact and referee John Brooks showed the visiting midfielder a second yellow card.

The clash played in front of a partisan Kenilworth Road crowd hinged on a crucial five minutes after half-time when Elijah Adebayo could not convert Chiedozie Ogbene’s dangerous cross from the right in the 47th minute.

Soon after Van de Ven tapped home when Maddison spun away from Alfie Doughty and picked out the Dutch defender in the six-yard box.

“We had a huge opportunity, a massive chance we didn’t take and we’ve been punished for it because we switched off for the short corner. Those two moments are big in the game,” Edwards reflected.

“They are top of the Premier League, they will have chances and we are new to it. I was really pleased with a lot of what I saw, but I am really disappointed and flat as well.”

Wales won their Rugby World Cup group and maintained an unbeaten march to the quarter-finals after beating Georgia 43-19 at Stade de la Beaujoire.

Warren Gatland’s team needed one point to finish top of Pool C after securing a last-eight place almost two weeks ago by defeating Australia in record-breaking fashion.

And they accomplished it on the same ground that 16 years ago Fiji condemned them to a World Cup pool-stage exit.

Wing Louis Rees-Zammit scored three tries, while there were also touchdowns for prop Tomas Francis, full-back Liam Williams and centre George North.

Wales ensured there would be no repeat of Georgia’s shock 13-12 success in Cardiff during the 2022 autumn Tests as they overcame fly-half Gareth Anscombe’s withdrawal just 45 minutes before kick-off due to a groin injury.

Anscombe’s late replacement Sam Costelow kicked five conversions and a penalty, although Georgia fought back to 24-19 adrift at one point through tries from Merab Sharikadze, Vano Karkadze and Davit Niniashvili, with Luka Matkava kicking two conversions.

A protracted mass brawl late in the game that spilled over the touchline and involved replacements from both sides saw Niniashvili and Wales substitute Taine Basham yellow-carded.

Wales were home and dry by this stage, although there was more injury concern when number eight Taulupe Faletau went off nursing what appeared to be a wrist problem.

Costelow mixed his running and kicking game well in the early stages, but Wales could get no change out of a well-organised Georgia defence.

There were plenty of errors in perfect playing conditions from both sides, but Wales broke the deadlock after 16 minutes.

A powerful lineout drive put Georgia on the back-foot, before Tomos Williams’ short inside pass resulted in Francis going over for a try that Costelow converted.

Wales had settled into a rhythm, and they struck from another attacking lineout just seven minutes later.

Lock Will Rowlands secured quality possession and, when the ball was moved wide Liam Williams finished impressively. Costelow’s conversion made it 14-0.

A Costelow penalty then opened up a 17-point advantage, and Wales appeared to be well on their way to a fourth successive pool victory.

Georgia regrouped as the first-half drew to a close, and Sharikadze claimed a try that Matkava converted following a sustained spell of pressure.

It was a warning for Wales that they could not switch off as they took a 17-7 lead into the interval.

Georgia began the second period on the front foot, but a midfield fumble saw North find Rees-Zammit, and the Gloucester speedster cruised clear from 60 metres out to claim his third try of the tournament.

Costelow converted, and it was exactly what Wales required after Georgia had threatened a fightback before the break.

Gatland changed the entire front row after 50 minutes, with Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee and Henry Thomas all joining the action.

And while Wales were comfortably ahead, Georgia kept searching for attacking opportunities in their final game of the competition after defeats against Australia and Fiji and a draw with Portugal.

Their resilience was then rewarded with 20 minutes left when replacement hooker Karkadze went over and Matkava converted.

And Georgia immediately conjured a third try, this time from Niniashvili, making it 24-18 and giving Wales plenty to be concerned about.

Gatland’s team were in danger of unravelling, but just when they needed it, Rees-Zammit applied a brilliant finish for his second try which Costelow converted, making it 31-19.

Biggar joined the action deep into the final quarter, and when Rees-Zammit claimed his hat-trick try, Wales were home before North’s try – and Wales’ sixth – completed the scoring, with Japan or Argentina now awaiting as their quarter-final opponents.