Kevin Sinfield fittingly kicked the winning points to provide a fairytale finish to his magnificent rugby league career as he led Leeds to Grand Final glory on this day in 2015.
The Rhinos twice came from behind in a pulsating tie against Wigan, with Sinfield converting a 64th-minute try from substitute Josh Walters to seal a 22-20 win at a sell-out 73,512 crowd at Old Trafford.
Sinfield’s third goal meant he ended his rugby league career on 4,231 points, making him the third highest scorer in the history of the game, as Leeds celebrated a seventh Grand Final triumph in a year where they also scooped the Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield.
“To top my career off with a treble in my final year is unbelievable. I’m really thankful and really proud,” said Sinfield, who switched codes to rugby union and had a season with the Rhinos’ sister club Yorkshire Carnegie.
“To finish on an ending like that against a great team and for it to be so tough out there, to come through at the end was brilliant.”
Jamie Peacock bowed out with a record 11th appearance at Old Trafford, as well as a ninth success, while fellow front rower Kylie Leuluai maintained his 100 per cent record in Grand Finals in his last game with a sixth triumph.
Leeds’ hero was Danny McGuire, scoring two of their four tries which helped his side to a first win over Wigan in seven major finals and belated revenge for their defeat in the inaugural Grand Final in 1998.
“We were all a bit emotional and felt a little bit drained early on,” McGuire said.
“Three of my best mates are not going to be playing with me next year. Psychologically you try to put that to the back of your mind but it’s always there.
“You want to send them out on the best terms and fortunately we were able to do that through sheer determination and hard work.
“It’ll be weird not having the Sinfield shirt next to mine on a Friday night.”
England’s bid to get their World Cup defence back on track could be hampered by the condition of the outfield in Dharamshala when they face Bangladesh today.
A surprise thumping at the hands of New Zealand in their opener has narrowed England’s margin for error but concerns in the lead-up to their second fixture have centred on the field of play.
Uneven grass coverage and a loose sandy make-up at the HPCA Stadium in the foothills of the Himalayas led England captain Jos Buttler to suggest “the integrity of the game” could be compromised.
Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman came close to a nasty injury on Saturday when his knee lodged in the surface as he slid to stop a boundary, with debris spraying up from the soil as he landed.
The International Cricket Council stressed the outfield was rated ‘average’ by the officials at that game, while match referee Javagal Srinath has declared himself satisfied after a fresh inspection.
But England have had two training days at the venue and are unimpressed by conditions, which appear to fall short of international norms.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Buttler said: “I think it’s poor, in my own opinion. It’s not as good as it could be or should be.
“Certainly if you feel like you’re having to hold yourself back, it’s not a place you want to be as a team, or as a player, or in a World Cup match.
“You want to dive through a row houses to save a run, so it’s obviously not ideal, the way the surface is. We won’t be using it as an excuse, we’ll just have to be a bit smart.”
He subsequently took his misgivings even further, telling the BBC: “The powers that be are comfortable, the only thing I would question is, if you are telling players not to dive and stuff does that question the integrity of the game?
“Worse case scenario is something bad happens, but fingers crossed that doesn’t happen for both teams.”
England are likely to draft left-arm quick Reece Topley into their starting XI as they ponder shifting the balance of the side to include an extra specialist seam option.
While Ben Stokes engaged in another long batting session in the nets, his second in as many days, there is no prospect of him being risked as he continues to recover from a hip injury.
England’s World Cup-winning former captain Eoin Morgan gave a wholehearted endorsement of Stokes’ importance to their title defence, given how essential he was to the cause in 2019.
Morgan believes his presence carries even more weight than it did previously, given the achievements he has racked up along the way as a T20 world champion and inspirational Test captain.
“Is he as influential as he was? Even more so I’d say,” said the Irishman, who is in India as an ICC World Cup ambassador.
“He just continues to deliver when the team needs and creates belief and confidence around that and if you play with a guy that has already crossed the finish line on numerous occasions, and speaks in straight lines and not riddles, it’s genuine.
“I think the thing that we can’t measure when it comes to Ben is how much he contributes in the changing room and how much he makes other players better around him.”
The UK and Ireland’s bid to host Euro 2028 is set to be officially approved later today.
Turkey’s withdrawal to focus on a joint bid with Italy to host Euro 2032 leaves the five-nation bid unopposed to host the tournament in five years’ time, with former Wales forward Gareth Bale adding a sprinkling of stardust to the presentation that will be made to UEFA’s executive committee alongside six youth ambassadors.
It emerged on Monday that England had requested to go through qualification for Euro 2028.
UEFA has reserved two ‘safety net’ host-nation berths should any of the five UK and Ireland bidders not qualify on merit, but the Football Association is understood to have already told UEFA that England are keen to go through qualification.
The FA is keen to keep the team competitive on the run-up to the finals, with Germany having struggled in friendly action in the build-up to Euro 2024. There are also concerns over the level of opposition they would be able to secure if they were limited to friendlies.
If more than two of the five hosts do not make it, only the two with the best record will secure host places. So there are no guarantees all five will be involved in the finals.
Ten stadia were included in the UK-Ireland’s bid submission in April. Six of the venues are in England, with one each from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The six in England are Wembley, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Etihad Stadium, St James’ Park, Villa Park and Everton’s new home at Bramley-Moore Dock.
A redeveloped Casement Park in Belfast, the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Hampden Park in Glasgow and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff are the other stadia included in the submission.
Even with Turkey in the running, the five-nation bid was the overwhelming favourite to be selected.
Senior UEFA sources have indicated the importance of another Euro in a major football market, following on from next year’s tournament in Germany, as European football’s governing body seeks to further replenish its reserves after the financial shock of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The five nations released a joint statement last week following Turkey’s withdrawal, stating they had a “compelling” and “ground-breaking” proposal for UEFA to consider, which would deliver “lasting legacies” across the whole of Ireland and the UK.
Bid leaders estimate that the 2028 tournament is projected to generate around three billion euros (£2.6 billion) of economic benefit for the five host nations.
Victor Wembanyama scored 20 points in 19 minutes in his much-anticipated NBA preseason debut, a 122-121 loss by the San Antonio Spurs to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
The heralded No. 1 overall pick finished 8 of 13 from the field and made 2 of 5 shots from 3-point range before being removed midway through the third quarter. Wembanyama added five rebounds and two steals, though he did have a game-high four turnovers.
Wembanyama's first regular-season game will take place in a little over two weeks when the Spurs host the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 25.
Monday's contest also saw the return of Thunder center Chet Holmgren, the second overall pick of last year's draft who missed the entire 2022-23 season recovering from a foot injury. Holmgren posted a game-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting along with nine rebounds in just 16 minutes, and made both of his two 3-point attempts.
Luguentz Dort and Isaiah Joe each added 14 points for Oklahoma City, which trailed 81-74 at the half before outscoring the Spurs by a 30-17 margin in the third quarter.
Keith Earls insists in-form Ireland have eradicated habits instilled by Joe Schmidt ahead of a reunion with their former head coach in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand.
Schmidt led the Irish into the previous two World Cups, both of which ended with disappointing last-eight exits, before joining the All Blacks’ coaching team last summer.
The 58-year-old’s largely positive six-year tenure culminated in a 46-14 hammering at the hands of the Kiwis at the 2019 tournament in Japan before he was succeeded by his assistant Andy Farrell.
Schmidt is now plotting the downfall of his former employers after switching sides, with Ireland seeking to make history in Paris by stretching their winning run to 18 matches to reach a maiden semi-final.
New Zealand boss Ian Foster publicly outlined plans to tap into Schmidt’s extensive knowledge of the opposition, but Munster wing Earls dismissed the merits of doing so.
“I don’t think Joe would know anything about this squad,” said the 36-year-old. “We’re a completely different squad.
“He probably knows things about individuals but, again, we’ve all changed our habits under this coaching staff and we genuinely don’t use any of the habits that Joe taught us.
“Look, he might have a thing on a couple of individuals, but we’re certainly not the same team that played under Joe.”
Schmidt was due to join the set-up of his native New Zealand following last summer’s three-match home series against Ireland, but he was rushed in early after Covid-19 sidelined Foster and some of his staff.
The All Blacks won the first Test but lost the next two as Ireland launched their current winning streak with a historic tour triumph.
Veteran Earls believes that landmark achievement gave Ireland greater belief, which was enhanced further by this year’s Six Nations Grand Slam success.
Yet he concedes they would be foolish to underestimate the three-time world champions, who have scored 240 points and 36 tries across thrashings of Namibia, Italy and Uruguay following an opening-night defeat to hosts France.
“This tournament is a different animal,” said Earls.
“I know we have beaten New Zealand a few times in the last few years, but they have obviously taught us one or two lessons in between that and beaten us by more than one score.
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“We’re under no illusion as to what is coming at the weekend.
“People speak about New Zealand the last year or two that they’ve dipped in performances, but what we’ve seen in this World Cup, they’re starting to come back with a roar.
“After the French game it’s obviously ignited some spark in them. They’re starting to hit their stride again.
“We’re certainly not undermining New Zealand, you would be very silly to do that.
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“I have no doubt they will be highly emotional and looking for revenge and bring everything they have.”
Earls hopes to be available to add to his 101 caps after sitting out last weekend’s victory over Scotland due to a hamstring niggle.
He also missed Ireland’s landmark first win over the All Blacks in 2016 in Chicago through suspension, a result, masterminded by Schmidt, which he credits for helping to improve Ireland’s self-image.
“As Irish people, we can lack a lot of confidence and be a small bit too humble at times,” he said.
“We’ve done an awful lot of work on ourselves to believe that we can play a certain brand of rugby that can make us compete with anyone in the world.”
Burton boss Dino Maamria is remaining level-headed after his side recorded back-to-back victories with a 2-1 win over Cambridge.
Albion extended their unbeaten run to five games in Sky Bet League One thanks to first-half goals from Josh Walker and Deji Oshilaja.
“We are a level-headed group. I always said when we had that tough start to the season, I kept belief in the group,” said Maamria.
“We deal with the highs and the lows the same way and we have to stay focused and doing the fundamentals which is working hard, playing on the front foot.”
Watford loanee Kwadwo Baah was man of the match with a hand in both goals after switching to play as a right winger, a tweak that Maamria prepared pre-match.
“There are always one or two tweaks,” Maaria said. “We realised that KB could cause problems on the right hand side tonight and we thought Muzzy would do well against their right-back and both of them, the front three really did well in that first half.”
Cambridge hit back in the second half with Fejiri Okenabirhie halving the deficit to set up a tense finish but Maamria always felt his side were in control.
He added: “Second half was always going to be difficult, 2-0 is a difficult scoreline and overall we were comfortable. They had their fair share of possession in the second half but didn’t really test us.
“To win games you have to score when you are on top and then show some resilience and I thought we did that well tonight.”
Cambridge boss Mark Bonner was frustrated with his side’s first-half performance and his team are now winless in five in the league after a good start.
“You can’t come here and not see out the early pressure that they inevitably have,” said Bonner.
“They are very good at it. We didn’t stop crosses well enough and we didn’t defend the box well at all or with enough aggression to see out those situations.
“Both goals are preventable and then it is a mountain to climb from there. We have put ourselves in that position two weeks running now and that makes it a really difficult situation for us.”
Bonner was disappointed that his side could not do more with the long spells of possession that they had and knows United need to start games better.
He added: “First half we had a lot of the ball but didn’t penetrate or create and then we come out second half and I am almost angry that we did all that.
“That all needs to be there from the start. It is ridiculous isn’t it.”
Ollie Chessum has warned Fiji that they did not face the true England in their historic victory at Twickenham in August.
England’s build-up to the World Cup reached its lowest ebb when they lost to the Islanders for the first time in eight meetings, at the same time registering a fifth defeat in six Tests.
They have since regrouped by stitching together four wins to finish top of Pool D and their next obstacle is the rematch when the rivals clash in the quarter-finals in Marseille on Sunday.
“Fiji bring a lot of free-flowing rugby and a lot of offloading. They’re big, powerful men that come off the back fence and they’re a physical team,” Leicester lock Chessum said.
View this post on Instagram“They picked us apart, really, at Twickenham. We weren’t really ourselves – we weren’t anywhere near good enough.“A few weeks have gone by since then and we’ve learned from our mistakes. We feel like we’ve been building nicely. We know what to expect from Fiji.”
England’s preparations for the last-eight showdown begin in earnest on Tuesday and they are in the enviable position of operating with a clean bill of health.
Sam Underhill has joined up with the squad after Jack Willis was ruled out of the tournament by a neck injury and the Bath flanker is in contention for a place in the matchday 23 named by Steve Borthwick on Friday.
The prize on offer is a semi-final against France or South Africa and defence coach Kevin Sinfield has urged England’s players to seize the moment.
“I think these are the best weeks. There’s certainly an added pressure. If you don’t get it right you are going home,” rugby league great Sinfield said.
“I know everyone has missed home throughout this period but when you get to this point you are not ready for the competition to finish.
“You want to squeeze as much as you can out of it and you want to be in it for as long as you can. We look forward to the game.
“We understand the consequences of getting it right and we also understand the consequences of getting it wrong, so we will be doing everything we can to make sure we get it right.”
The FIA has begun a review into Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix after drivers complained of racing in dangerously high temperatures.
George Russell branded the race “beyond the limit of what is acceptable” as temperatures in the drivers’ cockpits exceeded 50 degrees for a contest which lasted one hour and 28 minutes.
Canadian driver Lance Stroll said he faded in and out of consciousness because of the extreme heat and humidity during the 57-lap race in Lusail and was also seen stumbling towards an ambulance moments after he emerged from his Aston Martin.
London-born driver Alex Albon was treated for acute heat exposure at the on-track medical centre, while his rookie Williams team-mate Logan Sargeant was forced to park his car through illness. Alpine’s French driver Esteban Ocon also vomited during the race.
This was only the second staging of the Qatar race and the first of a 10-year deal which, in the region of £45million each season, is among the most lucrative for the sport’s American owners Liberty Media.
Next year’s edition will be held two months later in December when it is expected to be cooler, but governing body the FIA acknowledged action must be taken now to avoid a repeat of the scenes.
It said in a statement: “The FIA notes with concern that the extreme temperature and humidity during the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix had an impact on the well-being of the drivers.
“While being elite athletes, they should not be expected to compete under conditions that could jeopardise their health or safety.
“The safe operation of the cars is, at all times, the responsibility of the competitors, however as with other matters relating to safety such as circuit infrastructure and car safety requirements, the FIA will take all reasonable measures to establish and communicate acceptable parameters in which competitions are held.
“As such, the FIA has begun an analysis into the situation in Qatar to provide recommendations for future situations of extreme weather conditions.
“It should be noted that while next year’s edition of the Qatar Grand Prix is scheduled later in the year, when temperatures are expected to be lower, the FIA prefers to take material action now to avoid a repeat of this scenario.”
The FIA said measures would be discussed at the upcoming medical commission meeting in Paris, which could include guidance for competitors, research into modifications for more efficient airflow in the cockpit and recommendations for changes to the calendar to fit with acceptable climate conditions.
Research from cross-country events in extreme climates will also be examined for potential applications to track races.
Russell, 25, who is director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, revealed he came close to blacking out after driving back from last to fourth following his first-corner crash with Lewis Hamilton.
He said: “(Sunday) was beyond the limit of what is acceptable.
“Over 50 per cent of the grid said they were feeling sick, couldn’t drive and were close to passing out.
“You don’t want to be passing out at the wheel when you are driving at 200mph, and that is how I felt at times.
“If it got any hotter I would have retired because my body was ready to give up.”
McLaren driver Lando Norris, 23, who finished third, said: “We found the limit (on Sunday) and it is sad we had to find it this way.
“It is never a nice situation to be in when people are ending up in the medical centre or passing out.
“It is not a point where you can just say, ‘the drivers need to train more’. We are in a closed car and it gets extremely hot.
“Clearly, when you have people who end up retiring or in such a bad state it is too much. It is too dangerous.
“I know that next year this race is later on in the season, and it will be cooler, but it is still something that needs to be addressed. I am sure we will speak about it because it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”
The Indianapolis Colts will be without Anthony Richardson for Sunday's visit to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And it sounds like the rookie quarterback could miss a few more games.
Colts coach Shane Steichen confirmed on Monday that Richardson "will miss some time" with a sprained AC joint in his right throwing shoulder.
Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew will start Sunday against his former team, as the Colts face the Jaguars in a matchup of teams tied atop the AFC South with 3-2 records.
Steichen was unsure how many games Richardson would miss, and he may end up needing surgery. It's possible the team could end up placing him on injured reserve, which would keep him out at least four games.
Richardson has made four starts since the Colts drafted him fourth overall in this year's draft, but the dual-threat QB has only been able to finish one game as injuries have forced him out of the other three.
In Sunday's 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans, Richardson was hurt with just over 4 1/2 minutes to go in the second quarter when he was tackled by two Titans on a 4-yard run. He took a hit to the left shoulder but appeared to land awkwardly on the right one.
Minshew then replaced Richardson and completed 11-of-14 passes for 155 yards, leading Indianapolis to three scoring drives.
In the Colts' 31-20 victory over the Houston Texans in Week 2 on September 17, Richardson suffered a concussion when he took a hard hit to the head at the end of a 15-yard touchdown run. Minshew came in and threw for 171 yards and a touchdown.
Richardson was unable to clear the NFL's concussion protocol and Minshew led Indianapolis to a 22-19 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3. Richardson returned for last Sunday's overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams - the first game of his young career he was able to complete.
Richardson also suffered a knee bruise on a hard hit near the goal line in the final minutes of a 31-21 season-opening loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Steichen said he could have returned, however, and he was taken out as a precaution.
On the season, he has completed 59.5 per cent of his throws for 577 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for an 87.3 passer rating. He has also rushed for 136 yards with four TDs on the ground.
Minshew has completed 68.7 per cent of his passes for 553 yards with two TDs and no picks for a 95.1 rating.
Roberto De Zerbi praised Jurgen Klopp after the Liverpool manager intervened to try and calm him as he protested against a refereeing decision during the Reds’ 2-2 draw with Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
The Italian was shown a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor for remonstrating with the fourth official when his team were denied a penalty for a possible handball against Virgil van Dijk.
The ball struck the defender on the leg and bounced up onto his arm, with the manager insistent his side should have been given a spot-kick as they sought a way back from 2-1 down.
Klopp went into Brighton’s technical area to try and sooth the situation, putting his arms around De Zerbi in what he described as “using his age” to try and assuage the situation.
De Zerbi, who saw his side come back to draw for the second time in three days after Thursday’s Europa League meeting with Marseille, said that whilst he felt his team were hard done by over the decision, he believed the foul by Trent Alexander-Arnold on Solly March from which Brighton later equalised through Lewis Dunk should not have been a free-kick.
“I love Klopp,” he said. “He can do what he wants because I have a big respect and I consider him one of the best coaches in the world. I like his behaviour, and when he says something, 99 per cent I agree with him.
“In that situation, I think there was a clear penalty and I told the referee, I think in a good way, what I thought in the moment.
“I think there was a penalty, but there wasn’t a foul when we scored the second goal. I’m honest, and I told Jurgen my opinion.”
Brighton are sixth going into the international break having won five of their first eight Premier League games.
De Zerbi has made an average of seven changes between matches this season as he seeks to navigate the demands made by a first season in Europe for the club.
Despite recording a fourth winless game in a row in all competitions the manager praised his players’ character, particularly in the context of bouncing back from the 6-1 defeat against Aston Villa to register two comeback draws.
“The most important thing for me has been the reaction after Villa Park,” he said. “We started the game in Marseille, one of the best stadiums in Europe, and we started losing 2-0. After that moment, there was only one team on the pitch – Brighton.
“To do it, you have to show character, to show the right attitude, the right behaviour and passion. The most important thing in my idea of football is passion, is the character.
“After that we can speak about tactical disposition, the quality of the players, recruitment. But without that part of football, in my opinion, you can’t play or work in football.”
Johan Lange has been appointed as Tottenham’s new technical director.
Lange has performed a similar role at Premier League rivals Aston Villa since the summer of 2020, but will begin work at Spurs from November 1.
The arrival of ex-Sevilla director of football Monchi at Villa Park in June changed the position of Lange, who will replace Fabio Paratici as Tottenham’s key figure in recruitment.
Spurs’ chief football officer Scott Munn said: “Johan has demonstrated an excellent track record of scouting and signing many talented and successful youth and senior players.
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“He is a welcome addition as we strengthen our football operations.”
Spurs have been searching for Paratici’s replacement since his resignation in April from his role as the club’s managing director of football.
Paratici was hit with a two-and-a-half-year ban from working in Italy in January as part of sanctions dished out after his former club Juventus were found guilty of false accounting, with his suspension extended worldwide by FIFA in March.
After leaving his Tottenham role following a failed appeal, it was confirmed that the Italian could work in football on a consultancy basis, which the PA news agency understands he has continued to do at Spurs in recent months.
The arrival of Lange on November 1 is the latest restructure by the club after Munn officially joined from the City Group last month, while Leonardo Gabbanini, previously chief scout, departed days later.
Lange will be responsible for Spurs’ recruitment and talent identification across both their senior and academy teams.
Tottenham have also shifted towards using analytics and data more during the past 12 months and Lange, who was previously assistant at Wolves, will play a key role in trying to improve the club’s work in that area.
The Dane began his coaching career at Copenhagen in 2008 before moving to England in 2012 to work with then Wolves boss Stale Solbakken.
He returned to Copenhagen in 2014 and took on the role of technical director, with Lange credited with overseeing a successful period at the Superliga outfit.
A move to Villa followed and Lange has been involved in the transfers of Emi Martinez, Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins during the past three years.
It has helped take Villa from relegation candidates to a Europa Conference League side under the management of Unai Emery.
Lange saw his role at the midlands club switch to global director of football development and international academies this summer.
“The club can confirm Johan is leaving his role and departs with the best wishes and gratitude of everyone here for his commitment and service during his time,” a Villa statement read.
Matthew Kitson will become Villa’s new director of global development, working alongside academy boss Mark Harrison and Monchi at Villa Park.
Cricket is on the verge of returning to the Olympics for the first time in 128 years after the sport was put forward for inclusion at the 2028 Games.
There has only been one cricket match played at an Olympics, when Great Britain defeated hosts France in a low-scoring Test match to win gold at the 1900 Games.
But a men’s and women’s T20 competition joins baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse and squash in being endorsed by the organisers of the Los Angeles Games as additional sports for five years’ time.
LA28 said in a statement its proposal will be “reviewed” by the International Olympic Committee executive board for “ratification” at the 141st IOC session in Mumbai on October 16.
International Cricket Council chairman Greg Barclay was cautiously optimistic about the news, two years on from the governing body announcing it would bid to have the sport included at the Olympics.
He said: “We are delighted that LA28 have recommended cricket for inclusion in the Olympics.
“Whilst this is not the final decision, it is a very significant landmark towards seeing cricket at the Olympics for the first time in more than a century.
“I’d like to thank LA28 for their support during the new sport evaluation process over the last two years and we look forward to the final decision being taken at the IOC Session, in India, during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup next week.”
Bukayo Saka will miss England’s upcoming internationals with Australia and Italy, the Football Association has confirmed.
The Arsenal attacker was called up to Gareth Southgate’s squad on Thursday, despite concerns over his fitness after being substituted in recent matches at Bournemouth and Lens.
Saka subsequently sat out Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday with a hamstring issue and club boss Mikel Arteta said afterwards the 22-year-old would have to pull out of the England squad.
Saka met up with England’s medical staff at St George’s Park on Monday and it has now been confirmed he will return to Arsenal for further treatment.
“The forward reported to St George’s Park on Monday alongside the rest of the Three Lions’ squad,” an FA statement read.
“Having missed Arsenal’s Premier League win against Manchester City on Sunday through injury, Saka was assessed by the England medical team and it was decided the player would continue his rehabilitation at his club.
“No replacements are planned with Gareth Southgate having a squad of 25 players to work with.”
Southgate’s side host Australia in a friendly at Wembley on Friday night before they take on Italy in London next Tuesday.
Scotland suffered a demoralising pool-stage exit from the World Cup after being unable to get the big win they needed against Ireland.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at how the tournament unfolded for Gregor Townsend’s side.
Hype and expectation
Everything seemed possible for the Scots when they first touched down in sun-drenched Nice just over five weeks ago, fresh from an encouraging summer in which they had produced two rousing displays against France and beaten Italy and Georgia to cement their status as the fifth-ranked team in the world. At their welcome ceremony their former player John Jeffrey – in his guise as World Rugby’s vice-chair – told everyone in attendance “this is without doubt the best ever Scotland team to take the field”.
False start against the Springboks
After all the anticipation and pre-tournament optimism, Scotland fell flat in their opener in Marseille, failing to land a meaningful blow as defending champions South Africa stifled the life out of them. Losing 18-3, it was the Scots’ lowest-scoring outing since the opening game of the previous World Cup.
The long, idle fortnight
The Scots had a full two weeks to lick their wounds following their demoralising start. With no game on the second weekend of the tournament, the players were given a few days’ downtime with family immediately after the South Africa loss. Even when not in action, however, the Scots’ qualification hopes suffered a further blow as Ireland defeated the Springboks.
Cherry bows out
One of the most notable stories of that week was hooker Dave Cherry’s withdrawal from the squad after suffering concussion when falling on stairs on the way to his bedroom following a team day off. Cherry, 32, had made his World Cup debut as a substitute against South Africa the previous day. The Edinburgh forward at least had the consolation of going home to welcome his baby daughter into the world later in the month.
McInally’s emotional roller-coaster
Stuart McInally became one of the big stories of Scotland’s World Cup without actually getting to see a minute’s action. The 33-year-old hooker announced in April he would be retiring after the tournament. He was named in the provisional 41-man squad in May, then cut from the final 33 in August, called out to France as cover when Ewan Ashman suffered concussion before the Boks game and then flew home when his fellow hooker recovered. It looked like the fairytale career swansong was on when McInally – on 49 caps – got the call to officially join the squad after Cherry’s withdrawal, but cruelly he had to pull out himself just over a week later after suffering a neck injury.
Back on track
Scotland needed bonus-point wins over Tonga and Romania to keep their slim qualification hopes alive and they duly obliged with comfortable 45-17 and 84-0 victories. The two wins featured 19 tries for the Scots, with five of them scored by Darcy Graham, who climbed to joint second on the national team’s all-time try-scoring list with 24, just three shy of record-holder Stuart Hogg.
Matthews’ big moment
After the misfortune of his fellow hookers Cherry and McInally, 30-year-old Johnny Matthews – effectively the sixth-choice in his position – was called up after the Tonga game, having never previously won a full cap. Just over 10 minutes after entering the fray for his debut against Romania in Lille, the Glasgow forward bolted over to mark his unlikely international bow by scoring the Scots’ 10th try of the match.
Outclassed by Ireland
Those triumphs over Tonga and Romania helped revive Scottish morale and sparked hope of pulling off a shock win over Ireland to qualify for the quarter-finals. The Scots needed to beat the world’s number one team – whom they had not defeated since 2017 – either with a bonus point or by denying their opponents a losing bonus. All the pre-match talk of permutations was rendered pointless, however, as the Irish raced into a 36-0 lead. Scotland rallied to make the scoreline a more respectable 36-14, but the damage was done.
Killed in the group of death
Ultimately – as a result of the pool draw being made almost three years ago – Scotland were undone by sharing a group with the two nations who began this tournament as the top-ranked pair in the world, Ireland and South Africa. Over the past year the Scots have beaten each of the four sides who reached the quarter-finals in the opposite side of a lop-sided draw – England, Fiji, Wales and Argentina – but, despite the undoubted progress they have made in recent years, they remain a considerable way short of the level of the game’s four current heavyweights.
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