Iain Henderson has backed Ireland and Ulster team-mate Jacob Stockdale to return to his devastating best as he bids to force his way into Andy Farrell’s World Cup squad.

Stockdale will make his first international appearance in more than two years in Saturday evening’s warm-up clash with Italy following a difficult period in his stalled Test career.

The 27-year-old wing was player of the championship when his seven tries helped Ireland clinch a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2018 and first choice on the left flank under Joe Schmidt at the following year’s World Cup in Japan.

But, in part due to injuries, he has struggled to make an impact during the Farrell era and has work to do to ensure he is on the plane to France having slipped behind James Lowe and Mack Hansen in the pecking order.

Lock Henderson, who will captain his country against the Azzurri, believes Stockdale still possesses the attributes and quality to rediscover top form.

“Jacob’s an incredible athlete, you still see him in training doing phenomenal things,” he said.

“At that time (2018), our team was in a hot run of form and Jacob finished off a lot of very well-created tries from the whole team.

“He still has all of those athletic attributes, he still has the mindset and desire, he still has age on his side.

“For anyone who knows Jacob personally, he’s not one to give up in terms of any sort of argument or fight you get into with him.

“Knowing his personality, knowing what he has, I don’t think there’s any reason why we shouldn’t see another 2018 Jacob Stockdale coming out again. I think that’s exciting for him, exciting for everyone else.

“He knows himself he has to be patient and continue to work away. He won’t throw the head up and I know Jacob will plug away at it.”

Only five men – Brian O’Driscoll, Keith Earls, Tommy Bowe, Denis Hickie and Shane Horgan – have scored more tries for Ireland than Stockdale.

Yet 14 of his 19 Test scores came in the first 17 of his 35 caps and he has become a peripheral figure in recent years, not helped by knee and ankle issues.

Henderson admits Stockdale has been frustrated by his international exile.

“After that ankle injury was the explosion of Mack Hansen, and James Lowe is obviously a phenomenal player too,” said the 31-year-old.

“The two wings are positions that are hotly-contested and there’s incredible depth, thankfully, in our country.

“Jacob fully understood that coming in last autumn, he knew he would have his work cut out, and again through the Six Nations both of those guys were in top form and injury-free.

“I know Jacob found it incredibly frustrating not being able to get an opportunity over the course of those two campaigns but he knew if he kept plugging away that he would eventually get one.

“He has trained incredibly well and he is rightly being rewarded.”

With Johnny Sexton suspended and James Ryan and Peter O’Mahony given the weekend off, Henderson will skipper Ireland for the second time.

The Aviva Stadium was empty due to coronavirus restrictions the last time he led out his country – a 15-13 Six Nations loss to France in 2021 – but around 42,000 fans are expected this weekend.

“Faz (Farrell) said I was going to be captain and I was over the moon,” said Henderson.

“This is going to be incredibly special for me to have my family at this.”

Ewan Ashman is aiming to stake his claim for a World Cup starting berth after being handed the number two jersey for Saturday’s warm-up match at home to France.

The 23-year-old – who will make just his second international start this weekend – is a notable inclusion in an otherwise established XV chosen by Gregor Townsend for the showdown with Les Bleus.

Ashman appears to be vying with the more experienced George Turner for a starting place, while Dave Cherry and Stuart McInally are the other two hookers battling to win a place in the final 33-man squad for the World Cup.

Head coach Townsend said earlier this week that the Canada-born Ashman – who moved to Edinburgh this summer from Sale – “has the attributes to start for us” and that he “absolutely” has a chance to play his way into a starting berth for the World Cup opener against South Africa in Marseille.

“The whole team is preparing for the World Cup but for individuals it’s about trying to put your best foot forward to get into that starting team,” Ashman said following the team run at Murrayfield on Friday.

“I’m just glad to have that opportunity because the competition is fierce for every position now with the depth we have. You have to view every game as an opportunity to try and get on that plane and into the team.

“I’m really excited. This is only my second start in a Scotland jersey and I’m really, really excited to get out there, especially at home.”

Ashman – whose father Jonathan is Scottish – scored a try on his debut as a substitute against Australia in autumn 2021 while he also came on against the might of New Zealand last November.

The hooker’s only start among his seven caps to date came against Argentina last summer, so this weekend’s match against France will be arguably his biggest for the national team so far. With his family in the crowd, he is determined to ensure his emotions do not get the better of him.

“It’s a big game but they’re all big games at Murrayfield,” he said. “My first start was over in Argentina which at the time felt like a big game but I’m a lot more experienced now.

“For me personally, it’s easy at Murrayfield to get quite emotional, like when you walk off the bus, and at the anthems, when the adrenalin is going and you’ve got butterflies in your stomach, so I try to play it down a bit more,” he said.

“I try not to treat games too differently. Obviously this is a big game but I try and play it down and relax and treat it as another game of rugby and perform my role for the team. I try not to get too up for it because that’s when I can make mistakes.”

Scotland play France away next weekend and Ashman believes back-to-back fixtures against the world’s second-highest ranked team will stand them in good stead for pool-stage matches against the heavyweights of South Africa and Ireland.

“Yeah, it’s perfect,” he said. “France are an all-star team. They’re going to be hugely physical and that should prepare us for Ireland and South Africa.

“They’re coming to Murrayfield and that gives us a real opportunity to set out our stall for the World Cup.

“It is going to be confrontational and physical. They pride themselves on their maul and they’re a huge team, just like South Africa, so it’s going to be a hugely challenging game. It’s the perfect opportunity to prepare for the World Cup.”

Charlie Hills has few qualms about either the ground or the draw for lightly-raced sprinter Orazio, who is a warm order for the ultra-competitive Coral Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood on Saturday.

The four-year-old, who came home sixth in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot, is the sponsors’ favourite for the six-furlong cavalry charge.

Jockey Jim Crowley will ride the Caravaggio colt for the first time, as he bids for another big-race victory, following successes with Hukum in last weekend’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot and Al Husn in the Nassau Stakes on Thursday.

Crowley partnered Khaadem to win the race in 2019 for Hills, who also landed the prize four years earlier with Magical Memory.

Drawn in stall six and proven on easy ground, Hills is confident of Orazio’s chance.

He said: “Orazio will like the ground, which was too firm at Ascot. He’s nicely drawn and though a short-priced favourite, the trip and ground should be perfect for him.”

The Lambourn handler also fields Tanmawwy, drawn in stall eight of the maximum 28-runner field.

The mount of Connor Planas, the five-year-old has won five of his 12 starts and bids to follow up a Windsor handicap success under a 6lb penalty.

Hills added: “Tanmawwy won nicely at Windsor and will like the ground. I think he’s entitled to go well and is no slouch. You can’t rule him out.”

Peter Charalambous, who owns and bred Apollo One, is happy enough with a draw near the stands rail in stall 27.

The five-year-old has won four and been placed on eight other occasions in 23 starts and has thrice gone close to picking up a big handicap prize this term, finishing runner-up on his last two, in the in the JRA Tokyo Trophy at Epsom and in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot.

Charalambous, who holds a joint training licence with James Clutterbuck, said: “I’m happy with the draw. We’d probably like to have some rain on Saturday to loosen up the sticky ground.

“He ran well at Ascot, but probably just did a bit too much in front and could have done with a little bit of a lead, but he ran a great race.

“The ground is the only slight concern. I wouldn’t put anyone off having a bet and I wouldn’t tell anyone to have a bet!”

Badri, drawn in stall 18, beat Apollo One by a neck at Epsom and was runner-up over five furlongs at Ascot last month.

“It is one of those lottery races, unless you happen to have a Group horse lurking there – which obviously we don’t!” said trainer Ruth Carr.

“You never know. He’s in good form and has held his form well. Hopefully the ground will dry out a bit. It had dried out at Ascot from what it was given as (good to soft).

“That six furlongs should suit and we go there on the back of a good run. We’d be hopeful that he could sneak a bit of prize money.

“I don’t think going up in trip will be a problem. There’s a lot of downhill and we won over a stiff six at Newcastle, albeit off a lower mark.

“He’s been consistent – the sort of horse you dream about owning and training, and even better he’s taking us to the bigger meetings.

“At the beginning of this year we thought we had an all-weather horse, and we wouldn’t be thinking he’d be a Stewards’ Cup horse.”

Mr Wagyu is 5lb below his previous winning mark, having had 13 races since taking a valuable handicap at the Curragh last July.

Beaten under three lengths in the Wokingham, Jason Hart’s mount, who is drawn in stall 14, will be one who will handle softer conditions.

Trainer John Quinn said: “He’s had three very good runs and ran very well in the Wokingham, where he had a hard race. I ran him back too quick (at Thirsk) – it was my fault.

“He won the Stewards’ Cup consolation race a couple of years ago here on soft ground, so soft ground won’t bother him. He’s pretty consistent and he bolted up off 91 and he is 95 on Saturday – he has a squeak.”

Ed Walker is delighted Came From The Dark, drawn in stall 10, gets into the race at the foot of the handicap.

David Egan’s mount has been dropping down the handicap despite a string of decent efforts in defeat this term and the Newmarket handler feels he will be one sprinter who will benefit from the recent rain.

“He’ll love the ground,” said Walker. “Now he is getting a bit older, he needs that step back up to six (furlongs). I’m excited.

“He is a horse who has plenty of problems and to be honest, he is a horse who has not got many runs left in him.

“But if he can recapture some of his earlier form this year, I reckon he will go close, because he has been tumbling down the weights. I think he’ll run a big race, I really do.”

Makanah, a close-up seventh last year for Julie Camacho, is 4lb lower this time and her husband and assistant Steve Brown, feels he could figure in the finish again.

“He ran really well last year and with the benefit of hindsight Paul (Mulrennan) might have done one or two things differently, as we were prominent throughout. We just got caught close home,” said Brown.

“Soft ground should be fine, he’s won on soft ground. My main concern it looks like being a real ‘draw’ race, with a bias up the stands side.

“He is in really good form and we’ve had this in mind since Newcastle. He’s been trained for the day. We hope he runs well. We were really proud of him last year and off a lower mark, you’d like to think he’d be a little bit closer this year on ground he doesn’t mind.”

England are confident that Tom Curry will play a role in their build-up to the World Cup as he recovers from a twisted ankle.

Curry sustained the injury in training this week and will be sidelined for up to a fortnight, potentially ruling him out of the opening two matches of the Summer Nations Series which begins against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

The Sale flanker is a certainty to be picked in Steve Borthwick’s World Cup squad when it is announced on Monday, but England will take no risks with the fitness of one of their most influential players.

“We’re very hopeful (he’ll play this month). We don’t think it will be too long, but we’ll be smart with him as well,” defence coach Kevin Sinfield said.

Any concern over Henry Arundell’s hamstring injury has lifted after the explosive wing made a return to full training on Thursday.

England play the first of two Tests against Wales at the Principality Stadium fielding a line-up populated with players who are on the fringe of World Cup selection.

Only Freddie Steward, Marcus Smith, Danny Care, Ellis Genge and Will Stuart are assured of their places in the 33-man squad, while the others are hoping to make a final impression on Borthwick.

Sinfield, however, has downplayed the trial element of the visit to Cardiff as England look to build winning momentum.

“First and foremost, it’s a Test match. I’m sure some players will have selection in the back of their minds, but we want to show how we’ve improved,” Sinfield said.

“It would be unfair to say it’s all on this game because it’s not. We’ve got to take into account the last eight weeks, how players have performed throughout the season and exactly what we need going forward.

“There are some wonderful players who will miss out, sadly, because we can’t take everybody. We’ll try to get to the right place with the right balance within the squad.”

One player who has been making waves this summer is Northampton’s all action back row Tom Pearson, who Genge insists trains in the same we he plays – “like a man possessed”.

Pearson makes his debut on Saturday with a real chance of securing a place at the World Cup despite his inexperience.

“Tom’s been outstanding. We’ve all seen his physicality and how he plays the game and his explosive nature with London Irish last season. We’re all looking forward to seeing him play and he’s been excellent in camp,” Sinfield said.

World number two Peter Wright crashed out of the NZ Darts Masters after a 6-3 defeat to truck driver Jonny Tata in Hamilton.

Wright – who suffered an early exit at the recent World Matchplay in Blackpool – had edged 2-1 in front with a break of throw.

However, Tata, making his debut at a televised event, then produced a run of four straight legs before missing match darts in the eighth.

The 30-year-old qualifier, though, did not spurn a second opportunity, landing a fine 84 checkout to secure his place in the quarter-finals.

“It’s an unreal feeling,” said Tata, who is based in Lower Hutt on the North Island near Wellington.

“Even to compete against Peter Wright I was happy, so coming out with the win on top is something magical.”

Dimitri Van den Bergh also slumped to a first-round defeat as he was beaten 6-2 by Haupai Puha to the delight of the home crowd.

Puha landed a trio of 180s and three ton-plus finishes to knock out the Belgian world number 13.

World number one Michael Smith, though, did progress after coming from behind to edge past former PDC tour card holder Darren Penhall 6-5 in a last-leg decider at the GLOBOX Arena.

World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall made it into the last eight with a 6-2 victory over New Zealand youngster Kayden Milne.

Aspinall will take on Puha for a place in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Welshman Gerwyn Price, who won the tournament last year, beat Australia’s Simon Whitlock 6-1 and Dutchman Danny Noppert saw off Ben Robb 6-2 to also reach finals day of the PDC World Series of Darts event.

In the opening matches, former world champion Rob Cross defeated Warren Parry 6-3 and will play Tata in the last eight while Australian Damon Heta won 6-2 against Wellington’s Darren Herewini.

Treble winners Manchester City meet Arsenal in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.

The Gunners topped the Premier League for most of last season before being usurped by Pep Guardiola’s men en route to their fifth title in six years.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the talking points ahead of the clash.

City to pick up where they left off?

City finished last season in unstoppable form as they powered to the treble, winning 11 successive games after February’s 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest to pip Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

They also saw off Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup final and beat Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Inter Milan to claim Champions League glory.

Sunday brings a chance to see how Guardiola’s side appear to be shaping up as they prepare to hunt down further silverware, with Erling Haaland no doubt eager to open his account for 2023-24 after his astonishing 52-goal haul last season.

The Rice is right for Gunners

Arsenal reacted to their most sustained title challenge in years by getting their transfer business done early in the summer.

Kai Havertz joined from Chelsea and Jurrien Timber came in from Ajax but it was the club-record signing of West Ham captain Declan Rice for £105million that caught the eye – not least because City were also interested in landing the 24-year-old.

Rice will be seen as pivotal in taking Mikel Arteta’s side from nearly-men to trophy winners and what better way to prove your credentials than starring against the might of City’s midfield.

Gundgo-gone

An interesting alteration at City over the summer has been the departure to Barcelona of experienced midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, a key man in the closing stages last term.

The new recruit in that position is Mateo Kovacic, brought in from Chelsea, with City having opted to end their interest in signing Rice after bids reached a certain point.

Kevin De Bruyne proved last season he is one of the best players in Europe while John Stones has also been operating in a midfield role and Rodri – who hit the winner in the Champions League final win – is also a class act.

Eddie ready to go?

While the Community Shield is often referred to as the ‘curtain-raiser’ for the new league season – for Arsenal this is more of a dress rehearsal of their title ambitions.

They will have to perform, however, without first-choice striker and former City man Gabriel Jesus, who underwent minor surgery to address irritation from a more serious knee operation earlier in the year.

It means Arteta has a decision to make as to who leads the line at Wembley, with Eddie Nketiah the likely favourite – although he is without a competitive goal in 14 games, a run that stretches back to January and almost 10 hours of football.

Supporting the Jeff Astle Foundation

The funds raised by the Community Shield have been used to support plenty of causes in the past and this year the Football Association has announced the Jeff Astle Foundation will be one of the main beneficiaries.

Astle, who played for England and won the FA Cup with West Brom, died in 2002 and had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia.

The Jeff Astle Foundation was created in his memory and raises awareness of the impact caused by concussion in football, while also providing support to former players who suffer with dementia.

World Cup preparations will move up a gear for Wales and England when they meet in Cardiff on Saturday.

Their first tournament warm-up fixture comes five weeks before World Cup openers that see England face Argentina and Wales tackle Fiji.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some key talking points ahead of the game.

Last chance saloon

England’s line-up is littered with fringe contenders who have the opportunity to mount a compelling final argument for selection in Steve Borthwick’s World Cup squad, which is named on Monday. The identity of the 33 who will travel to France has mostly been decided, but a small handful of spots still have a question mark hanging over them. Debutant flanker Tom Pearson, wing Joe Cokanasiga and centre Joe Marchant are among those hoping to give Borthwick a nudge before the final selection meeting on Saturday evening.

Wales need a performance

Wales, to put it bluntly, lost their way after the spectacular high of a first away victory over South Africa 14 months ago. In 10 subsequent Tests, just two wins were recorded – against Argentina and Italy – while a miserable home defeat to Georgia effectively cost head coach Wayne Pivac his job. Warren Gatland was then appointed for a second stint as Wales boss, but an underwhelming fifth-placed finish in the Six Nations generated more questions than answers. Saturday’s Principality Stadium encounter might effectively be a ‘friendly’, yet the importance of a Wales win cannot be overstated in terms of restoring some confidence and optimism for suffering supporters.

Captain Morgan in charge

Ospreys flanker Jac Morgan will captain Wales for the first time in what is effectively the first of three World Cup leadership auditions. Gatland has said that he anticipates appointing a different skipper for each warm-up Test – England home and away, followed by South Africa in Cardiff – before announcing his final 33-player squad and leader later this month. Others in the captaincy frame include Dewi Lake, Dan Biggar, Will Rowlands and Adam Beard, but 23-year-old Morgan has been handed a golden opportunity to stake his claim. If Wales get it right, he could prove difficult to dislodge.

Smith calls the shots

Marcus Smith is not among those on trial at the Principality Stadium after Borthwick confirmed he will take three fly-halves to the World Cup. Unburdened by the need to pull a rabbit out of the hat to secure his place at the tournament, the instinctive Harlequins playmaker can focus on providing England with the generalship his position demands. Smith stands apart as an attacking fly-half, but his game management and organisational skills will have benefited from having worked alongside veteran ringmasters Owen Farrell and George Ford throughout the summer.

Century for Halfpenny

Full-back Leigh Halfpenny will become the ninth player to win 100 Wales caps when he runs out against England. It is a red-letter day for the 34-year-old, who has overcome major injury setbacks during recent seasons and now looks firmly on course to make Wales’ World Cup squad. He is just the fifth Welsh back to reach three figures after Stephen Jones, Gareth Thomas, George North and Biggar, while only Jones and Neil Jenkins have more amassed more points for Wales than Halfpenny’s current figure of 785. Almost 15 years after he made his Test debut, he now joins an exclusive club and can be guaranteed a rapturous reception for such an impressive achievement.

Ireland begin their World Cup warm-up matches by hosting Italy at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Head coach Andy Farrell has named an experimental matchday squad for his side’s first fixture since clinching the Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam in March.

Here, the PA news agency picks out some of the main talking points ahead of Saturday evening’s match.

“Silver lining” of Sexton’s ban

Johnny Sexton’s three-match suspension has opened the door for his rival fly-halves to gain some much-needed international experience this month. Jack Crowley is the first to be handed an opportunity to impress. The 23-year-old’s selection is reward for his fine form for Munster, which included United Rugby Championship glory in May. Uncapped Ciaran Frawley awaits his chance on the bench, with fellow Leinster player Ross Byrne – Sexton’s main understudy during the Six Nations – hoping for involvement against England and Samoa in the coming weeks. Forwards coach Paul O’Connell described game time for the rookie trio as a “real good silver lining” to Sexton’s undesirable situation.

Staking a claim

Ireland’s World Cup hopefuls have just three games to secure places on the plane to France, with Farrell due to cut his 42-man squad down to 33 on August 28. Only three men – Robbie Henshaw, Caelan Doris and Ryan Baird – have retained starting roles from Ireland’s Six Nations success over England in March in a much-changed matchday 23. Many of the others are on the periphery and fighting for a spot. Lock Joe McCarthy and prop Tom O’Toole will make their first and second Test starts respectively, while potential debutants Frawley, Calvin Nash and Tom Stewart are joined on the bench by Connacht rookies Cian Prendergast and Caolin Blade.

Rare start for Stockdale

Jacob Stockdale was player of the championship during Ireland’s 2018 Six Nations Grand Slam win and a guaranteed starter at the last World Cup. But his international career has very much hit the buffers. The 27-year-old is set to make his first Test appearance for more than two years and just his sixth start of the Farrell era. James Lowe has emerged as Ireland’s first choice on the left wing, yet Keith Earls, who wins his 99th cap this weekend, is the only current squad member to have scored more Ireland tries than Stockdale (19). Farrell believes the Ulster player is still capable of being a “tremendous asset”.

Maintaining momentum

Tadhg Beirne, who is among the replacements, this week pointed to poor warm-up performances contributing to Ireland’s underwhelming World Cup campaign in Japan four years ago. Farrell and members of his squad have repeatedly stressed the Italy fixture is far from a friendly as, in addition to individuals competing for places, they attempt to maintain collective momentum going into the tournament in France. Ireland are bidding for an 11th successive win and a 15th on the bounce at home to protect their number one world ranking. They have lost just one of 21 Aviva Stadium fixtures under Farrell – to France in 2021.

England-born pair switch allegiances

Azzurri head coach Kieran Crowley has made nine personnel changes from last weekend’s 25-13 Murrayfield loss to Scotland, including naming two debutants of interest to English rugby fans: Paolo Odogwu and Dino Lamb. Coventry-born Odogwu, a former Sale and Wasps player, trained with England during Eddie Jones’ tenure. The 26-year-old will line up on Italy’s right wing, while Harlequins’ ex-England Under-20 international Lamb has been picked in the second row having also switched allegiances. Crowley’s selection is strong as Italy go in search of a first success on Irish soil since 1997 to add to their recent scalps of Wales and Australia.

England goalkeeper Mary Earps hailed “mastermind” Sarina Wiegman whose system switch-up stirred the Lionesses to life and ensured they launched themselves into the World Cup’s knockout phase with a perfect record.

Wiegman’s move from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 formation in the absence of injured midfielder Keira Walsh inspired a 6-1 victory over China to conclude the group stage and set up a last-16 meeting with Nigeria in Brisbane.

And there was more hopeful news for Lionesses fans on Friday morning after it was revealed Walsh stepped up her recovery from the knee injury she sustained against Denmark, and was following an individual programme whilst her 22 team-mates trained together at the Central Coast Stadium.

Asked if the new system had been in the works for a while, Earps replied: “No, not really, I mean obviously Sarina is the mastermind behind all the tactics and the formations, so yes, we just do as we’re told, we get in formation, do our job to the best of our ability and it paid off for us.”

The European champions, ranked fourth in the world, got off to a much nervier campaign than most expected after eking out a 1-0 win against Haiti, 49 places below them, while Lauren James’ first goal in a World Cup was the only scored by either side as England beat Denmark.

Tuesday’s China encounter saw the Lionesses turn over a new leaf as the attack came alive with five different goalscorers, including a brace for Chelsea’s James.

Earps agreed England were growing into the tournament, saying: “The proof is in the pudding. The proof is what happens come game day, and the most important thing is that we’ve won three out of three.

“I know that maybe the results haven’t been as maybe people would have wanted, but we’re playing at a World Cup at the end of the day.

“This is the creme de la creme, this is the top, so I think that we know what we’re capable of, we’re just focused on one game at a time and getting the job done. So yes, that’s what we did.”

Whether Walsh will feature again in this World Cup is still up in the air, but in her absence, England and Wiegman have added unpredictability to their arsenal of weapons, unlocking the ability not just to dominate but also discombobulate their future opponents.

Should the Lionesses get the job done against 40th-ranked Nigeria on Monday it will be one of Colombia or Jamaica in a Sydney quarter-final, a test England at least on paper look perfectly primed to pass.

A place in the final four could see them face debutants Morocco, defying the odds ranked 72nd in the world, tournament co-hosts Australia or a formidable French side who sit only one place below them in FIFA’s rankings.

Earps feels England are capable of beating them all.

She added: “I don’t think we fear anyone in general anyway. I think our qualities have shown through in however many months and years we’ve been playing together, so I think we’re in a good spot.

“As long as we’re keeping the wins on the board, then no complaints here.”

Little Big Bear will miss out on a planned appearance in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville on Sunday after suffering a stone bruise.

The No Nay Never colt was brilliant in winning four of his five starts as as a juvenile, but his three-year-old campaign has so far not quite gone according to plan.

Aidan O’Brien’s charge returned lame after contesting the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket – and while he bounced back to winning ways in the Sandy Lane at Haydock under Frankie Dettori, he had to make do with the runner-up spot behind Shaquille in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

Having subsequently endured a nightmare passage in the July Cup, Little Big Bear was on Thursday supplemented for the Deauville feature at a cost of almost €30,000. However, he was not declared on Friday morning and O’Brien revealed why he we will not be making the trip to France this weekend.

“He just has a stone bruise so he doesn’t run,” said the Ballydoyle handler.

In Little Big Bear’s absence a field of 10 are set to go to post for the six-and-a-half-furlong Group One, including a seven-strong British contingent.

The raiding party is headed Tim Easterby’s Art Power, who a fortnight ago won the Group Two Sapphire Stakes to maintain his unbeaten record at the Curragh.

Karl Burke saddles Hackwood Stakes third Cold Case as well as Spycatcher, who heads back across the Channel following a Group Three success at Deauville four weeks ago.

Archie Watson’s Saint Lawrence, the David Evans-trained Rohaan, Andrew Balding’s Sandrine and Brad The Brief from Hugo Palmer’s yard are also in the mix.

Alberta has given the Commonwealth Games its latest setback after the Canadian province pulled the plug on a possible bid to stage the 2030 event.

Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the key issues in this story.

What has happened?

Just a couple of weeks on from the Australian state of Victoria abruptly withdrawing as hosts for the 2026 Commonwealth Games citing rising costs, the government of Alberta announced a halt to its attempt to bring the 2030 event to cities Calgary and Edmonton.

Alberta’s Tourism and Sport Minister Joseph Schow has baulked at an estimated price tag of up to £1.57billion, a bill which he says would have been landed largely at the feet of the taxpayers.

How bad is this latest news?

Alberta had not been awarded the Games, merely mulling over whether to submit an offer, whereas the Commonwealth Games Federation is scrambling to find a replacement for Victoria in three years’ time.

But Alberta stepping away comes a few months after Hamilton, Ontario – which hosted the inaugural Games in 1930 – suspended its effort for a centenary event because of a lack of government support.

Right now, the Commonwealth Games has no host for 2026, one fewer suitor in a shallow pool of choices for 2030, while its overall viability and relevance in the modern world is coming under increasing scrutiny.

What can be done to entice bidders?

Organisers have attempted to provide hosts with flexibility to keep costs down, while the CGF is keen to work with international sports federations on providing a global showcase for their new innovations.

Birmingham 2022 broke new ground with the introduction of 3×3 basketball, with T20 women’s cricket also making its debut at a multi-sport event and setting world attendance records.

Is staging the Commonwealth Games too costly?

The costs set out by Victoria of up to £3.6bn, if correct, are eye-watering and way above the cost of staging Birmingham 2022 – put at £778million by the British Government, which is just over half of what put Alberta off.

However, the CGF argues Victoria’s approach to hosting was a factor in some of those costs. It chose, for example, not to use existing sports facilities in Melbourne in favour of developing temporary sites in the regional state hubs it planned to use for the Games.

Victoria was the first Games host that was able to benefit from a new CGF hosting ‘roadmap’ which, among other things, reduced the number of compulsory sports from 16 to two and removed the requirement to provide a bespoke athletes’ village.

The British Government and Birmingham City Council would disagree that staging a Games has to be a money pit.

An independent report published in January this year said Birmingham 2022 had contributed £870.7m to the UK economy, with over half the economic impact generated (£453.7million) benefiting businesses and communities across the West Midlands.

Who could host in 2026?

CGF chief executive Katie Sadleir said last month all options will be considered, including the UK.

“The UK are fantastic hosts and we would be very open to having a conversation with them about it, if that’s something they would be interested in doing,” she told the PA news agency.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said he hoped a “viable solution” could be found for Australia to host the Games. Asked if the British Government would encourage a UK bid, the spokesman said: “We are getting slightly ahead of ourselves.”

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf told PA: “Let’s see what’s possible, but I think it will be quite challenging.”

Gold Coast, which staged the Games in 2018, seems readier to step in. Tom Tate, the city’s mayor, said in quotes reported by ABC in Australia recently: “The premier of Victoria’s lemon, the Gold Coast can turn that into lemonade because that’s how we roll.”

Julie Camacho’s July Cup winner Shaquille will begin fast work this weekend as he gears up for the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock.

Winner of the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, the Charm Spirit three-year-old followed up with a second Group One success at Newmarket to take his record to seven wins from eight starts.

Steve Brown, Camacho’s husband and assistant, says there has been plenty of big-money interest from potential suitors for the champion sprinter-elect, although any decision will be left to co-owner and joint-breeder Martin Hughes.

“There has been lots of interest in him,” he admitted. “We have directed that down to Martin. He’s waded through it and I think he’s keen to do something more towards the end of the year, really.

“He said pretty early on it was something we’d discuss at the end of the year and we should just get on and enjoy the racing for now in the short term.

“There are lots of scenarios, but he’s been wonderful whatever happens.”

Shaquille has taken his length-and-a-half defeat of Run To Freedom in his stride and the team at Malton in North Yorkshire are now eyeing a Group One treble on September 9.

“Shaquille is in really good form. We purposely gave him a quiet couple of weeks after Newmarket which was always the plan,” added Brown.

“He has been grateful of that I think. He looks well and it has freshened him up. He was pretty quiet for a week there and gradually you could see he was getting over things. He has regrouped nicely and is back cantering.

“We are very pleased with him. He is a very straightforward horse at home and he will do his first bit of fast work on Saturday.

“We are all systems go to Haydock and we’re looking forward to it.

“He unfortunately gives himself a little bit of a tougher time than he might have if he was a little bit more conventional in his use of energy, but he doesn’t.

“He has a great will and a great way of getting the job done. He’s a determined sort of horse, but it is not always as conventional as it might be.”

Options remain open for the colt after the Sprint Cup, although the Qipco British Champions Sprint at Ascot is a more likely option than heading to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup.

“I would think the obvious route would be to go to Champions Day,” said Brown. “We’ve obviously had a little bit of interest in the possibility of going abroad this year, but I think we will be staying at home and probably go to Ascot.

“We’ll go a step at a time, but it will have been a long year by then and he’s still three-year-old and we have to be mindful of that.

“The Breeders’ Cup has been mentioned, but the thing you’d be slightly guarded about at the minute is he’s slow-starting.

“The gate-speed of the Americans, they are so quickly away that I think we’d be at a real disadvantage there.

“The Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint is five (furlongs) and the dirt is six – we’d probably want it the other way round.

“But we’ll take a step at a time and we’ll know more after Haydock and go from there. You have to keep an open mind.”

Double World Cup-winning coach Jill Ellis confesses even she is blown away by the utter unpredictability of the 2023 tournament, which has already seen six top-20 sides bow out at the group stage.

The most shocking of those upsets came on Thursday night, when world number two Germany were dumped from Group H after never failing to reach the quarter-finals in eight previous tournaments.

Counter to the disappointed faces of the two-time champions were those of group rivals and debutants Morocco who, in a viral clip, huddled around a phone on the pitch before erupting in elation after learning their world number 72 side had made it to the knockouts.

“It’s been a doozy so far,” said Ellis, who guided the USA to back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2019 and now heads the tournament’s technical study group.

“I think we all feel this. Gone are the days of total predictability. Progress sits very clearly at the core, and certainly the competitiveness can be felt [with] giants in the game getting knocked out, we see debutants advance to the next round, which I think lends itself to this being just one of the most unpredictable and arguably exciting World Cups we’ve seen to date.

“If I’m candid, I really am surprised. I think when you suddenly see a Germany or a Brazil get knocked out of a World Cup in group stage.

“I don’t think any of us could have predicted that. I’m excited by the development, of course, for sure. But I think I was thinking that one more iteration of the World Cup before we started to see even more parity that we’re starting to see right now.”

Olympic champions Canada (seventh) and Brazil (eighth) were the other two top-10 sides to be sent packing after the group stage, joining China (14th), Italy (16th) and South Korea (17th) amongst some of the world’s top-ranked teams eliminated.

For the first time, three African nations – Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa – all advanced to the knockouts, while Jamaica made history by reaching the last-16 for the first time, despite an ongoing dispute with their federation over pay, resources and conditions that resulted in players airing their grievances in an open letter on social media before the World Cup.

Nigeria and South Africa are among other qualifying nations who were involved in pre-tournament disputes with their respective federations – a group that also includes England, who have vowed to fully focus on winning a first World Cup before resuming discussions with the Football Association over bonus payments and commercial structures.

Each nation competing at this World Cup also received US $960,000 (£753,830) to exclusively cover preparation costs.

While some sides seem to be defying the odds, Ellis and her expert panel have pointed overall to a clear correlation between investment and resourcing and performance.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation, for example, has significantly invested in girls’ and women’s football since a system overhaul in 2009, and six years ago created a women’s football academy where players have access to the same facilities as the men’s national team.

Ellis said: “I was blown away by the facility. It’s one of the nicest I’ve ever seen, and it just kind of made me realise that yes, there are federations that are taking this very seriously.”

FIFA’s data after the group stage also reflect an increasingly competitive pool. The proportion of goals scored in the first half of matches has increased by nine per cent since the 2019 tournament, while the proportion scored in the first half by teams who did not advance increased by 18 per cent, from 5 per cent in 2019 to 23 per cent in 2023.

At the same time, Ellis’ team also observed a rise in the quality of goalkeeping, which saw the average save percentage increase from 70 per cent four years ago in France to 77 per cent in 2023, while the percentage of matches ending in a draw has increased from eight per cent to 21 per cent.

Add in more players signing with clubs in increasingly well-resourced leagues and national teams developing clearer tactical identities shaped to their individual strengths and weaknesses, and this becomes perhaps the most open Women’s World Cup yet.

Ellis added: “We hear this constant comment about gaps and where are the gaps. We can arguably say that there aren’t gaps. That on any given day, a team can come out here and be competitive against another team.

“And so it’s going to be incredibly exciting to see how this plays out.”