Pierre Schoeman is hellbent on extending his “miracle” World Cup beyond this weekend as he gears up for Saturday’s critical Paris showdown with Pool B rivals Ireland.

Just under two years after winning the first of his 25 caps, the South Africa-born prop is enjoying the time of his life in France as Gregor Townsend’s first-choice loosehead.

But Schoeman knows he would likely have missed out on playing for Scotland at the tournament if not for the fact the Covid-19 pandemic led to a delay in World Rugby changing the three-year residency rule to five years.

That meant the 29-year-old – who left Bulls in his homeland to join Edinburgh in 2018 – was able to make his debut in October 2021 as opposed to having to wait until this summer to become eligible, by which time it would probably have been too late for him to force his way into the World Cup squad.

“I can only say with gratitude that it is a miracle, to be honest,” he said. “It would have actually been five years but because of Covid, it was three years, so two years less.

“I would have only made my debut for Scotland now (this summer) if it wasn’t for Covid so there is always a blessing in disguise somewhere.”

Schoeman is savouring every moment of a tournament he described as the highlight of his career.

“It has been massive,” he said. “Representing Scotland at the World Cup is the best thing I have experienced in my rugby journey.

“I have been honoured and privileged to do it. And with the team we have, the management and the players are a really good group.

“It has been amazing. I have to give credit to our partners and our families for the sacrifices they have made but in the south of France, the passion they have for their rugby and having all the Scottish fans here as well, that’s massive.

“The amount of fans that came over makes you realise that you have to play a bit harder for them as well.

“It’s not just about you and the team, it’s about playing for the fans and the country you represent.

“Putting on the jersey for Scotland in a World Cup in the south of France gives you that extra fuel to prep. You want to do it 100 times.”

Schoeman and his Scotland colleagues know their World Cup adventure will end if they are not able to get a bonus-point win over Ireland on Saturday or deny their opponents a losing bonus.

The prop is unable to countenance the prospect of leaving France this weekend.

“I haven’t even thought about making plans for a holiday or time off or going back to play with my club,” he said. “It’s all this now, this week, this test, to get another three weeks or however long it is.

“We are confident, we are going to go for the win and we believe we can get the win. As a group, we are ready to go.”

Schoeman is braced for the biggest game of his career in Paris.

“There have been some big Six Nations games but this is a World Cup and we’re against the world’s best in Ireland,” he said.

“These are the games you want to play in. They are the games you want to measure yourself against, especially the set-piece battles.

“Being a prop, you want to go against the best. As a pack and as a team, we can’t wait.”

Brian Ellison has three options for Tashkhan having seen his stable star get back to winning ways at Chester last weekend.

The mud-lover defied a big weight to win a valuable handicap, his first success since claiming a big pot at Haydock in July 2021.

In the interim he has performed with great credit in staying races like the Long Distance Cup at Ascot, the Yorkshire Cup and the Gold Cup at Ascot.

However, Ellison always has the problem of knowing the five-year-old is simply not the same horse unless he gets to race on soft ground.

He could now shoulder top-weight of 10st 2lb in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket, with the Long Distance Cup or the Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp alternate options, with conditions crucial to the decision.

“It all depends on the ground where next, we won’t run him anywhere unless it rains as we know what a different horse he is,” said Ellison.

“He’s in the Cesarewitch, he’s in at Ascot and he could go to France, so wherever the ground comes right he could run in any.

“When he runs on fast ground it takes him a while to get over it but I’ve got him back right again now – thankfully the rain came at Chester. That was a good performance against in-form horses and he was giving them a lot of weight.

“He’s come out of it great which is the main thing. I know he’d have a lot of weight in the Cesarewitch but if it went heavy I’d still think about.

“I’ve stopped looking at weather forecasts, the rain wasn’t forecast for Chester and it poured down.

“You’d think the ground would be soft in France, but it wasn’t last weekend and we went at the beginning of the season when they told us it was heavy, but it was good jumping ground to me.

“If I had to pick one it would be Ascot, if it’s soft there he’d run. We’ll just go where the soft ground is.”

Ben Stokes has emerged as an injury doubt for England’s World Cup curtain-raiser against New Zealand on Thursday, with a sore hip placing question marks over his place.

Stokes reversed his year-long retirement from ODI cricket in order to help defend the title he helped secure in 2019, despite concerns over his long-term fitness.

The 32-year-old has been struggling with a chronic knee condition in recent years and was selected as a specialist batter for the tournament after deciding to spare his body the rigours of bowling.

But on the eve of the opening match at the cavernous Narendra Modi Stadium, the biggest cricket venue on the planet with a capacity of more than 130,000, he was still being assessed.

Stokes has not played since smashing 182 against the Black Caps on September 13 and was the only squad member to play no part in this week’s warm-up victory over Bangladesh.

Captain Jos Buttler, speaking ahead of his side’s final training session, said: “He’s got a slight niggle with his hip, but fingers crossed that it’ll be good news for us. We’ll see.

“He’s working hard with the physios and we’ll know more when the guys arrive for training.

“We’ll make the right call. If he’s not fit to play, he’s not fit to play. If he is, we can make that decision.

“It’s not the time to take big risks on someone at the start of the tournament. Nearer the end, maybe you do take more of a risk with people’s injuries but it’s going to be a long tournament.”

Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill has recalled Jamal Lewis and Callum Marshall to his squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against San Marino and Slovenia.

O’Neill’s side play San Marino and Slovenia in a Group H double-header on October 14 and 17 respectively, with both games at Windsor Park.

Newcastle defender Lewis, on loan at Watford, missed last month’s defeats in Slovenia and Kazakhstan through injury.

Striker Marshall has forced his way back into O’Neill’s plans after scoring nine goals in 12 appearances for West Ham Under-21s.

Midfielders Brad Lyons (Kilmarnock) and Paddy Lane (Portsmouth), defenders Eoin Toal (Bolton) and Brodie Spencer (Motherwell) and QPR winger Paul Smyth have all retained their places in the squad.

Oxford defender Ciaron Brown has not been included after sustaining injury against Slovenia last month, while Blackpool striker Shayne Lavery and Portsmouth winger Gavin Whyte have also been left out despite recently returning from injury for their clubs.

O’Neill will be without defender Craig Cathcart, who announced his retirement last month, while experienced midfielders Steven Davis (Rangers), Corry Evans (Sunderland), Stuart Dallas (Leeds) and Shane Ferguson (Rotherham) are still recovering from long-term injuries.

Liverpool wing-back Conor Bradley and Nottingham Forest defender Aaron Donnelly are also unavailable through injury.

Northern Ireland’s qualification hopes are over after O’Neill’s injury-hit squad slipped to five straight group defeats and the former Stoke boss is now building for the future.

Gareth Thomas knows from painful experience the misery that Georgia’s forwards can inflict on opponents.

Wales need one point from Saturday’s Pool C finale against Georgia in Nantes to guarantee topping their group.

With a quarter-final place having already been secured for the fourth successive World Cup under head coach Warren Gatland, they are building towards an expected last-eight appointment with Argentina or Japan.

But before that there is unfinished business for Wales, even though Georgia are already out of the tournament following losses to Australia and Fiji either side of a draw with Portugal.

Ospreys prop Thomas will line up at Stade de la Beaujoire as the solitary survivor from Wales’ starting pack against Georgia in Cardiff 326 days ago.

He played just over an hour of what became one of Welsh rugby’s darkest days – a 13-12 defeat that effectively signalled the end for Gatland’s predecessor Wayne Pivac.

Two Jac Morgan tries helped Wales build a nine-point lead, but they were overhauled when Luka Matkava kicked a penalty two minutes from time that put Georgia in dreamland.

Asked about Georgia’s scrum threat, Thomas said: “Yes, 100 per cent. That is what won them the game against us in the autumn last year.

“They are just such a physical side. Set-piece stuff we have to be on top of our game, as we know they are going to come strong.

“We have come a long way since the start of the summer, but we know this week will be a big test for us.”

Only an eternal optimist would have predicted Wales’ status as World Cup quarter-finalists just over a year after that Principality Stadium debacle.

A poor Six Nations followed, when victory over Italy in Rome staved off the wooden spoon, but Gatland has once again weaved his magic.

A 12-year first stint in the job produced Six Nations titles, Grand Slams, two World Cup semi-finals and a brief spell as world number one team.

And three games into their World Cup campaign, Wales have a 100 per cent record and are strongly fancied to make the last four.

Thomas added: “We want to keep the momentum going that we’ve had over the last few weeks here, trying to hold onto that and push and grow as a team as we go forward to the quarter-finals.

“We are a completely different team to what we were last year.

“There has been a massive improvement in the squad, but we know that they are a very good side and we have to be on top of our game to be successful this weekend.

“It is the time we have spent together and the amount of work we have put in together. You cannot fault the amount of effort that has gone in this summer.

“The confidence within the team at the minute is something I haven’t felt before. We are in a good place.”

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard believes Bukayo Saka would be a miss for any team in the world as the England winger faces an anxious wait to see if he will be fit to face Manchester City.

Saka limped out of Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League defeat in Lens, with manager Mikel Arteta admitting afterwards that it “didn’t look good” for the 22-year-old.

It was the third game in a row that Saka had started and failed to finish having also been forced off against Tottenham and in Saturday’s 4-0 win at Bournemouth.

He recovered from those two knocks to start at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, where he teed up Gabriel Jesus to put the visitors ahead early on.

However, an error from David Raya led to Adrien Thomasson equalising before Saka’s night came to a premature end when he hobbled off with just 34 minutes on the clock.

Elye Wahi went on to hit the winner for the home side, who were hosting their first Champions League game in over two decades.

Meanwhile, Saka – who has featured in Arsenal’s last 87 Premier League games – now faces a race against time to be fit for the visit of reigning champions City on Sunday.

“We still have some great players, but I think every team in the world would miss Bukayo,” Odegaard said in the aftermath of the surprise loss.

“But we have to see what happens in the next few days. Hopefully it’s not too bad and he’s going to be ready.

“It’s a big game coming up and everyone is excited for the game. It will be a good game to play in. We have to look forward, make sure we’re ready and show up on the Sunday.”

This is Arsenal’s first season back in the Champions League in six years and – after thrashing PSV Eindhoven 4-0 in the opening Group B clash – their largely-inexperienced squad was given a reminder of how tough Europe’s top-tier club competition can be.

Asked if having to juggle Premier League and Champions League football could become a challenge, Odegaard replied: “I don’t think it’s an issue.

“Of course it’s tough to play in Europe. We played a good team, they were strong. They made it very difficult for us.

“We have to look at ourselves, learn, move on. I’m sure we’re going to get better and better so we take the lessons and move on.

“We want to win every game we play. Of course we’re disappointed now, but I think we got some good lessons today so we have to look at it in that way and make sure we learn.”

A review of how VAR is used in the English game is under way after miscommunication between officials led to a Liverpool goal being wrongly disallowed on Saturday.

Here, the PA news agency provides an update on where we are.

What happened?

On-field referee Simon Hooper and his assistants flagged Luis Diaz offside after he fired in what would have been the opening goal in the Reds’ Premier League match at Tottenham on Saturday.

Crucially, VAR Darren England thought the on-field decision had been onside. So although he followed the correct procedure in drawing lines and identifying that Diaz was onside, by telling the on-field officials “check complete” they thought their decision to give offside had been upheld by the check.

Only in the seconds which followed did the VAR operators realise their error, by which time play had restarted. Current protocols do not permit a decision to be revisited once that has happened.

How did Liverpool react?

The club issued a statement on Sunday night saying that sporting integrity had been undermined by the error and that they would “explore the range of options available given the clear need for escalation and resolution”. The club requested – and were sent – the audio of the incident before it was released publicly on Tuesday evening.

What happens next?

The first thing to say is that Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) admitted on Saturday evening that a “significant error” had occurred. As well as standing down England and the assistant VAR Daniel Cook for duties on Sunday and Monday, plus the weekend to come, it has identified some “key learnings” from the incident.

These include the development of a new communications protocol to enhance clarity between referees and VARs. Phil Bentham has been brought into PGMOL from rugby league to improve communication between officials and will no doubt be key to this work.

VARs will now also confirm the outcome of their check with their assistants in the booth, before relaying the final decision to on-field officials.

PGMOL and the Football Association will also review the policy allowing officials to be involved in domestic league matches overseas, after England and Cook were part of a team which oversaw a game in the United Arab Emirates last Thursday, arriving back in the UK on Friday morning.

What has the Premier League said?

The league issued a statement saying that the Diaz incident highlighted “systemic weaknesses” in the VAR process and said a wider review to seek consistently-higher standards would now take place.

Besides improving communication between officials, what else could change?

The incident has led to renewed calls from fans and pundits to allow the conversations between VARs and referees to be broadcast live. Eighty per cent of fans supported this being introduced in a Football Supporters’ Association survey published in the summer and the boss of TNT Sports – one of the league’s key broadcast partners – said in July it was a “huge missed opportunity” not to have such a system in place.

While the Premier League has never publicly given its view on live audio, it was part of a World Leagues Forum poll published in June which found 25 out of the 41 leagues surveyed supported its introduction.

Crucially though, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which sets the game’s laws, is understood not to have received any requests so far in the current cycle to trial a live audio system.

What about in-stadium announcements like we had at the Women’s World Cup?

To date this has been a FIFA-only trial, but IFAB is prepared to open it up to allow other competitions to take part. However, the announcements are limited to decisions where an on-field review is conducted by a referee at a pitchside monitor. Offside decisions such as the Diaz incident are not checked in this way.

What about semi-automated offside?

This is in operation in a number of major competitions, having first been trialled at the men’s World Cup in Qatar. However, the Premier League has so far opted not to introduce it. It can also be argued that it would not have helped in a situation like Diaz – the existing technology was used to identify that Diaz was onside, the mistake was human error, pure and simple.

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey and Brennan Johnson will miss next week’s vital Euro 2024 qualifier against Croatia.

Both players have been omitted from Rob Page’s squad for their friendly against Gibraltar on October 11 and Group D qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium on October 15.

Ramsey damaged his right knee in training last month and there are fears the 32-year-old midfielder may need surgery after missing Cardiff’s last five games.

Tottenham midfielder Johnson sustained a hamstring injury in his side’s recent 2-2 draw at Arsenal and sat out Saturday’s win against Liverpool.

The pair’s absence is a huge blow to under-pressure Page, whose side sit fourth in their group after winning only two of their first five matches.

Johnson had been expected to be included after Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou said before the Liverpool game that his injury was “nothing too serious”.

Wales are also without QPR defender Morgan Fox and Rangers winger Rabbi Matondo (both knee), while Reading midfielder Charlie Savage and Liverpool defender Owen Beck have received their first senior team call-ups.

Leeds winger Daniel James returns to the squad after missing last month’s Euro 2024 qualifying victory in Latvia.

Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore is available for the Croatia game after missing the last two Euro qualifiers due to the red card he received against Armenia in June.

Page eased some of the pressure on him last month with Wales’ 2-0 victory in Latvia.

But his side still face an uphill battle to secure automatic qualification for next summer’s finals in Germany through a top-two finish.

Wales realistically need to avoid defeat against 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Croatia and win their final two games in Armenia and at home to Turkey in November to do so.

Rob Page has described the loss of “big players” Aaron Ramsey and Brennan Johnson for Wales’ vital Euro 2024 qualifier with Croatia as a “blow”, but is confident the pair will be fit for final group games in November.

Skipper Ramsey misses out with a knee tendon problem that has forced him to miss Cardiff’s last five games, while Tottenham’s new £47.5million forward Johnson is sidelined by a hamstring injury sustained in the north London derby draw at Arsenal.

“I don’t think the injuries are too serious but unfortunately it has put both players out of this camp,” Wales manager Page said.

“It is a blow for us because they are big players for us. Aaron has probably been playing his most relaxed football, so that is an added blow.

“Brennan has picked up an injury. To what level we still don’t know yet, but it rules him out of this camp.

“In spite of the injuries, we’ve still got enough in the team from a forward perspective to create chances against Croatia.

“We are quite strong in those positions with David Brooks, Harry Wilson and Kieffer Moore.”

There have been fears that 32-year-old Ramsey may require surgery after making such a promising start to the season upon returning to hometown club Cardiff.

But Page is hopeful Ramsey and Johnson will both be available for the November double-header against Armenia and Turkey, which will decide if Wales secure automatic Euro 2024 qualification or are forced to rely on the play-offs.

“To be mentioning surgery suggests it is a significant injury,” Page said. “I had injuries as a player and you can let it heal naturally or go down the surgery route.

“I would always take the option for it to heal naturally, so I get it why he’s gone down that route.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a spell of games going beyond November that he’s going to miss.

“So we’re confident that we can get him back for November’s camp providing how well he heals. But we’ll have to wait and see.”

On Johnson, Page added: “It’s not a serious one but the timing dictates it (his omission). If he’s not going to be right for Spurs, then it’s not fair for us to pick him and try and play him.”

Page has handed first senior call-ups to midfielder Charlie Savage – son of former Wales international Robbie – and full-back Owen Beck, the great nephew of Ian Rush.

Uncapped Fulham teenager Luke Harris also returns to the squad, with Wales hosting Gibraltar in a Wrexham friendly, four days before the Croatia clash in Cardiff.

Asked if Savage senior, his former teammate, had been in touch, Page said: “Numerous times, I can’t get him off the phone. I’ve had to tell him: ‘Stop texting me, I know he’s doing OK.’

“You know what Rob’s like, he’s very enthusiastic, but Charlie can take care of himself.

“Look at what Rob went through when he left Man United years ago to get a career for himself going at Crewe. No different to Charlie, who has gone out to Reading where he has been playing and scoring goals.”

Wrexham striker Paul Mullin has been put on the standby list after scoring nearly 80 goals in just over two seasons for the Red Dragons, now in Sky Bet League Two after last season’s promotion from the National League.

Mullin, 28, who qualifies through his Welsh-born grandmother, has only just returned to action after puncturing a lung and fracturing four ribs on Wrexham’s pre-season tour to the United States.

Page said: “He’s on standby for the squad and one step away.

“We monitor Welsh players up and down the country, and if they are scoring goals at whatever level we’ll take note.”

England must face down a Samoa side that has been reinforced by rugby’s updated eligibility rule but Kyle Sinckler still views the change as an improvement to the game.

Tighthead prop Sinckler is poised to start England’s final World Cup group match in Lille on Saturday when he could go toe to toe with fellow Bristol forwards Steven Luatua and Chris Vui.

Luatua won 15 caps for New Zealand from 2013 to 2016 but his Test career was revived when in 2022, World Rugby allowed players to transfer national allegiance upon completing a three-year stand down period.

Former All Blacks Lima Sopoaga and Charlie Faumuina are also in Samoa’s World Cup squad, while their fly-half Christian Leali’ifano represented Australia at Japan 2019.

Tonga have benefited as well from a rule that extends the international careers of talented Islanders through the availability of another of Sinckler’s Bristol team-mates in Charles Piutau, amongst others.

“Knowing Stevie personally, I know that playing for Samoa means a huge amount to him. Charles, because he made the decision to go back and play for Tonga,” Sinckler said.

“They’re massively appreciative to have played for the All Blacks but the sense that I got from them was that they wanted to give something back to their community and where they’re from.

“Look at the Tonga game against South Africa and how competitive they were and look at Samoa in the World Cup and how competitive they have been.

“It’s nothing but good for rugby in my opinion, those guys going back and strengthening those so-called tier two nations. It doesn’t feel like that when you play against these teams!

“The likes of Charles, Steven Luatua, Charlie Faumuina and Christian Leali’ifano are all world-class players. It’s good to see them playing and it’s good for rugby.”

Sinckler was welcomed with open arms by Luatua and Vui when he joined Bristol from Harlequins in 2020 but the all-action front row knows the friendship will be put on ice at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

“They are pretty chilled out to be honest, they don’t say too much,” Sinckler said.

“But don’t be fooled by their nice and chilled-out demeanour – they can definitely flick the switch. And when it’s time to go, those guys can definitely really go.

“Both have leadership roles at Bristol. They don’t tend to say too much, they lead by example. They are two massively physical players and great line-out options.

“They have great hands and good offloading skills, but they honestly couldn’t be any more different from how they are off the field because they are literally the most chilled out personalities you’ll ever meet.”

Stuart Williams’ winning machine Quinault is taking aim at the Howden Challenge Cup in a bid for a remarkable eighth success of the season.

The three-year-old has been a hero for connections this year, being beaten only once in his last eight starts in a superb campaign that has seen him climb through the ranks from a class six event to heritage handicaps.

His rating has risen with him as he started the year on a mark of 59 and now runs off a rating of 102, with 5lb-claimer Luke Catton set to ride again as Quinault tackles the same course and distance he encountered when taking the bet365 handicap last time out.

On that occasion he defeated a good horse in Ed Walker’s Popmaster, a subsequent Listed winner in the Dubai Duty Free Cup at Newbury and therefore a favourable addition to the Quinault form line.

Williams said of the gelding: “He’s in great form, he’s got an entry at Ascot on Saturday and the plan is at the moment is that he’ll take up that entry.

“I was over the moon with him last time, he’s been a superstar for us this year.

“Whatever he does now from here on out this year is just a bonus, he’s been absolutely brilliant.”

Mark Cavendish will postpone his retirement plans to race on in 2024 and target a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win.

The Manxman confirmed the long-rumoured news in a short video on Wednesday morning, saying, “Just one more year, hey?”

The 38-year-old had announced during the Giro d’Italia in May that he intended to end his glittering career this winter, and went into this summer’s Tour seeking the stage win that would move him clear of Eddy Merckx after he equalled the Belgian on 34 stage wins in 2021.

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But a day after coming just a few metres short of victory in Bordeaux, hampered by a mechanical issue in the finale, Cavendish crashed on stage eight and suffered a broken collarbone, ending his race.

Speculation that he might race on has swirled ever since, fuelled by his Astana-Qazaqstan team boss Alexander Vinokourov saying he was eager to retain the Manxman’s services for another season.

On Wednesday the team issued a social media post showing video clips of Cavendish at the Tour and saying “It’s not over yet”.

Cavendish then followed it with a short video in which he said he had been persuaded to race on by his family.

“I was ready, I was at peace but the more I’ve ridden this summer, I just love riding my bike,” Cavendish said. “I’ve spoken to the kids, ‘What should Dad do?’ And it was, ‘Carry on, it’s not a question’, so here we are. Just one more year, hey?”

Cavendish said the support of his team had also helped him make the decision.

“I’d guessed that was me done this year, I’d announced my retirement and I was looking forward to not having to get up and train in any weather conditions and not be away from home, spend time with the kids,” he said.

“Ultimately I’d miss racing, I love racing but I was happy, I was in a happy place and I knew I could go out on top. Obviously it wasn’t the finish I was hoping for, crashing at the Tour but it is what it is.

“We’d grown incredibly as a team, Astana-Qazaqstan this year and it felt like a family, so much so that the first thing Vino (Vinokourov) said to me when I crashed in France was, ‘Why don’t you do one more year?'”

Cavendish has not raced since his crash at the Tour as he recovered from surgery to repair his collarbone, but is expected to line up at the Tour of Turkey which starts on October 8.

Cavendish joined the Astana team in 2023 after a planned move to B&B Hotels collapsed, and took victory on the final stage of the Giro d’Italia in May, days after announcing his retirement plans.

Although he had previously stayed quiet on his future plans, the Astana team had continued to build a lead-out train to support his sprinting ambitions, signing Max Kanter and Davide Ballerini. They have also been linked with Michael Morkov, who helped Cavendish win four stages of the Tour in 2021.

That was the year that Cavendish defied the odds to move level with Merckx’s record, having only joined what was then the Deceuninck-QuickStep team on a short-term minimum salary deal after being left without a contract going into the season, fearing his career was over.

But when an injury to Sam Bennett ruled the Irishman out of the Tour, Cavendish seized the chance to roll back the years with a remarkable sporting comeback, winning stages four, six, 10 and 13.

They were his first stage wins at the Tour since 2016, and completed a long comeback from a battle with the Epstein-Barr virus and a subsequent diagnosis of clinical depression.