England head coach Steve Borthwick hailed his players’ composure and resilience after they repelled a thrilling Fiji fightback to book a place in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals.

Fiji tied the game after scoring two converted tries in four second-half minutes, but skipper Owen Farrell kicked a late drop-goal and penalty to see England home 30-24.

“For large parts of the game we controlled it,” Borthwick said.

“There was a spell when Fiji scored back-to-back tries which Fiji can do well, probably better than anyone else in the world, but we stayed composed and got back ahead on the scoreboard.

“The players were written off. A lot of people said we wouldn’t get out of the pool. We got out of the pool, now we got out of the quarter-final.

“Now these players have an opportunity in Paris in the semi-final. I am sure we will be written off again, but these players rise to the occasion.”

Farrell scored 20 points and led from the front on his return as starting fly-half, and Borthwick added: “I think he is a fantastic leader. He is the kind of leader I know I would want to follow on to the pitch.

“I think he is a brilliant player who thrives in the contest, and especially in these big occasions he just gets even better.”

England find themselves one win away from a second successive World Cup final appearance, and while they will start as clear outsiders to progress further next Saturday, Borthwick’s team made it five successive victories in the tournament.

“Today, for large parts we controlled the game and then had a couple of thunderbolts that hit the team in quick succession,” he added.

“I think you’ve seen in a (recent) period of time the England team weren’t coming back to win that game, and this team did.

“We talked about scenarios and how you handle different situations. I think the players are drawing on all of those experiences now.”

England controlled the closing minutes of an enthralling encounter in exemplary fashion as Fiji threatened to complete a recovery act they almost pulled off against Wales last month.

Farrell said: “I thought the team was brilliant in those moments. We managed to wrestle our way back into the game and we got in the right parts of the field.

“We managed to take our chances. Not just that, but we backed it up with a big defensive performance on the back of that.

“There are a lot of good teams left in this competition.

“We have got to have a massive amount of respect for what other teams can do – that is what this stage is like. You saw from Fiji today how much power and skill they had, and they could turn it on in the blink of eye.

“We will prepare the way we have been doing over the past five-six weeks we have been here. We will enjoy getting to a big occasion and a big week, and we will attack it.”

Fiji bowed out, but not before producing further evidence of their game-breaking and try-scoring brilliance that troubled Wales and pushed England – who they beat for the first time ever at Twickenham in August – to the limit in Marseille.

“I think it is just the start of something special,” Fiji head coach Simon Raiwalui said. “They wanted to create a new identity, and I think they have done that.

“I am a bit speechless at the moment. I couldn’t be prouder of the boys.

“We’ve worked so hard from week one – 15 weeks now – and they have shown where we belong on the world stage.”

Footage emerged on social media of fans fighting in the stands at Stade Velodrome after England scored their opening try in the first half.

World Rugby has confirmed that a small number of fans were ejected from the stadium as a result.

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh praised his players’ fighting spirit, the London crowd and Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou after beating the Tennessee Titans.

The curtain came down on the 2023 London Games on Sunday, when rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers’ first NFL touchdown was complemented by six field goals from the trusted boot of Justin Tucker.

The scoreline should have been far greater than 24-16 but the Ravens’ first ever victory in London and a return to winning ways was all that mattered at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“A heck of a week capped off by a really great football game,” Harbaugh said. “Appreciate the Titans – that’s a tough, hard-nosed, competitive team, well coached and they played that way today.

“It was an exciting game and we’re very, very pleased to come away with a win and proud of our guys.

“I thought our guys fought through a lot of adversity in that game – some controllable, some not. They managed to find a way to close it at the end.

“I think Lamar Jackson played one of the most courageous games I’ve ever seen. He just continues to do that.

“So many areas that we continue to improve but so many individual efforts.

“We’re glad to be here, the fans were great. I mean, the fans are loud. I love the singing.

“I love that it was a loud stadium, like a home game was. It was like an NFL game there as far as the fans.

“I thought they were very knowledgeable, they know the game over here and that was impressive to see. Just a very impressive crowd.”

Harbaugh is looking forward to getting back to Baltimore and preparing to face the Detroit Lions after spending a beneficial week in London.

The Ravens arrived in the UK on Monday and trained at Tottenham’s base, where the head coach was impressed by Spurs boss Postecoglou.

“I really enjoyed Tottenham when we practiced over there, having a chance to talk with their various staff members,” Harbaugh said.

“The head coach was amazing. I really liked that guy. He’s really good with people, he really understands just how to motivate a team and how to build an organisation.

“He’s done it in different places and I was just to trying to pick his brain as much as I could.

“All the people around him, the performance people were pretty special.

“We got to see the young players. It’s kind of cool seeing the academy.

“That’s different from us. We have the high school and the college. You guys have the academies with the clubs.

“Talking to those kids – they’re kids, yet they’re very talented – so I learned a lot about how small our sporting world really is.”

England captain Jos Buttler told his side to “let it hurt” after their World Cup campaign hit the skids with a shock defeat to Afghanistan.

The defending champions were thrashed by 69 runs in Delhi, dismissed for 215 with almost 10 overs to spare by a team who walked into the contest with a record of 16 defeats from the previous 17 World Cup matches.

That their only previous success came against associates Scotland in 2015 makes the result, and the comfortable margin, even more remarkable.

And while it will go down in Afghan sporting history, England may end up reflecting on the day their title defence ended.

They are not down and out yet, with six group games still to play, but two losses from their first three games mean they must put together a near-perfect run to reach the semi-finals.

Buttler looked drained and drawn by events at the Arun Jaitley Stadium and accepted his side would need to feel some pain before plotting their response.

“It’s really disappointing. We came here today wanting to put in a really good performance and we got outplayed,” he said.

“You’ve got to let these defeats hurt. Let it hurt; then try to figure out where we need to get better.

“It never feels good; you never like losing games of cricket or not performing to the level you want to.

“As a whole, we were not at the level we would like to be in a World Cup. On the field and off it, we will be trying to put it right.

“It’s a big setback. Before the tournament started it’s not how you would have looked at the first three results.

“We’ve got to show a lot of character, a lot of resilience within the team and most of all a lot of belief.”

England have plenty of issues to ponder when they relocate to Mumbai for what now seems a must-win clash against in-form South Africa.

Chris Woakes continued an underwhelming start to the tournament and was awarded just four of his allotted 10 overs after being flogged for 41.

For a player who has so often set England up with new ball discipline, his struggles appear emblematic of a team struggling to reach their own high bar.

Woakes sent down a wide from the first ball of the match, with Buttler nutmegging himself behind the stumps as the ball tricked away to the boundary rope. As a portent of what was to come, it felt apt.

It was also telling that England ended up relying on 24 overs of spin having overlooked Moeen Ali – including a full 10 from Liam Livingstone for the first time in ODI cricket and four from the part-time Joe Root.

“Maybe the conditions didn’t play quite as we thought they would. Obviously throughout our bowling innings, spin was the main threat,” he said.

“Maybe there wasn’t quite as much dew as we thought there was and maybe the pitch didn’t quite play how we thought it would having watched a few games here so far in the tournament.

“But first ball of the day I missed one and it sort of set the tone.”

Former England batter Jonathan Trott, forging a new path now as the Afghanistan head coach, was beaming after landing the biggest scalps of his career.

“It’s always nice. I think I’ll take any victory. I’m very proud of the performance, whether it’s against England or not,” he said.

“I know that the players and the coaching staff deserve it. I’m very keen not to put a dampener on things.

“I never soaked up enough or enjoyed moments like this. I’m certainly going to say to the guys, enjoy tonight and, spend the time together, whatever you want to do.

“If this can bring a smile to people’s faces anywhere in the world, but also encourage boys and girls to pick up a cricket bat or a cricket ball and get playing cricket in Afghanistan, then that’s the sort of the goal that’s been achieved.”

Stephen Kenny will not allow speculation over his future to become a distraction as the Republic of Ireland attempt to end a dismal Euro 2024 qualifying campaign on a positive note.

Ireland face Group B minnows Gibraltar in Faro on Monday evening in their penultimate fixture, having won only one of the six which have preceded it with automatic qualification now beyond them and retaining only a slim chance of reaching the play-offs after Friday night’s 2-0 defeat by Greece.

That has inevitably led to calls for the manager’s head, with the Republic having missed out on the finals of every major tournament since Euro 2016.

However, asked if that noise might prove a distraction, Kenny, who last week received assurances from Football Association of Ireland chief executive Jonathan Hill, said: “No.

“I have to be realistic. Jonathan Hill perfectly clarified it when he said that ‘Stephen would be the manager until the games in November’, and they’ll have a review and assess that.

“At the moment, that’s out of my control. In this camp, it was important to try and win against Greece. We haven’t managed to do that, I understand that, that it’s not a good result for us.

“But from my point of view, I am contracted to the end of the campaign so I just want to finish the campaign strong. If there is a play-off, we can assess that, but finish the campaign strong and take it from there.”

Ireland’s only win so far came against Gibraltar in June, when goals from Mikey Johnston, Evan Ferguson and Adam Idah secured a 3-0 victory which was less comfortable than the scoreline suggests.

Anything other than a repeat against a team which has lost all of its 43 European and World Cup qualifiers to date would represent fresh humiliation for an Ireland side which went down 1-0 at home to Luxembourg in a World Cup qualifier in March 2021.

However for Kenny, even that would do little to quell the tide of discontent which has swamped the positivity he had managed to establish after a shaky start in the job by convincing Ireland fans his new-look team would both excite them and get results.

While they have at times done the former – but sadly, not recently – the have been largely unable to achieve the latter and have the Netherlands awaiting in next month’s final qualifier.

He said: “We all have to get results, we understand that. I came into this camp thinking if we can get six points, we possibly have a chance to take it to Amsterdam, going into the last game.

“We are hugely disappointed – we are, no doubt – to lose the game. What we have to do now is to perform tomorrow and win the game, and take that into November.”

For Ireland’s players, the game represents an opportunity to take out their frustration on one of European football’s smaller nations.

Midfielder Josh Cullen said: “Obviously the campaign hasn’t gone how we wanted it to. As players, the motivation is the same in every game.

“The chance to play for your country is something that should never be taken for granted. Whether that’s against France or Gibraltar, you approach it with the same mindset, and we are itching to get back out there tomorrow night and get a win for our country.”

The Republic of Ireland embark upon a face-saving mission in Faro on Monday evening when they attempt to secure just a second Euro 2024 qualifier victory at the seventh time of asking.

Anything but a comfortable win over Group B minnows Gibraltar, the only team Stephen Kenny’s men have beaten to date during a desperately disappointing campaign, would invite derision with automatic qualification gone and a play-off place an unlikely source of salvation.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the talking points surrounding the game at the Estadio Algarve.

The end is nigh

Stephen Kenny launched his reign as Ireland manager on twin promises to overhaul an ageing squad and play a more exciting brand of football. He has delivered the former and achieved only partial success with the latter. Unfortunately for him, any progress has not been translated into results and as he heads into what seems certain to be his penultimate competitive game, he has won only five of the 27 which have preceded it.

So near, so Faro

While the Republic of Ireland’s last away game against Gibraltar – a 1-0 Euro 2020 qualifier win at the Victoria Stadium in March 2019 – was played on the rock itself, the sides have met previously at the Estadio Algarve. Robbie Keane’s double and goals from Cyrus Christie and Shane Long secured a 4-0 Euro 2016 qualifier victory in September 2015. However, their most recent visit to the stadium in September 2021 had a nasty twist in the tail when Cristiano Ronaldo’s last-gasp double overhauled John Egan’s header to hand Portugal a 2-1 World Cup qualifier win.

Fergie time?

Ireland hope they have found a new talisman for years to come in the shape of 18-year-old Brighton striker Evan Ferguson. The teenager was left painfully isolated for long periods against Greece after hitting the post early on, and he will hope for better service as he attempts to add to his two senior international goals – the last of them against Gibraltar – in seven appearances to date against a significantly more porous defence.

Winging it

Celtic winger Mikey Johnston has not kicked a ball in anger for his club yet this season after being laid low by a back injury during the summer. Kenny threw him on for the last 20 minutes against the Greeks in an effort to add creativity to his labouring side and, while he remains short of match fitness, Monday’s game could be the perfect opportunity for him to launch his season. The Republic lacked inspiration on Friday evening and Johnston provided just that in a second-half cameo in the reverse fixture, in which he scored the opening goal in a 3-0 win.

No points, no goals

In many respects, Ireland could not have chosen a better opponent for a game they simply have to win. Gibraltar have lost their last seven – a run culminating in Wednesday night’s 4-0 friendly defeat in Wales – without scoring and have conceded a total of 17 goals and collected no points in their five Group B fixtures to date. They last found the back of the net in a 1-0 friendly victory over Andorra in November.

Owen Farrell steered England into the semi-finals of the World Cup after Steve Borthwick’s side faced down a Fiji fightback in a dramatic 30-24 victory in Marseille.

England appeared to be cruising into the next round when they led 24-10 heading into the final quarter thanks to tries by Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant and Farrell’s pinpoint kicking at Stade Velodrome.

But their foundations shook when Peni Ravai went over in the 65th minute and a nerve-jangling finish beckoned as Vilimoni Botitu crossed to level the score soon after.

Farrell landed a drop-goal to usher in the unbearably tense closing minutes and with Fiji throwing the kitchen sink at them, they picked off a loose pass and sped downfield through Joe Marchant.

Farrell landed his fifth penalty and despite one final assault from the Islanders, the white wall held firm to secure a semi-final against either France or South Africa.

England are the only home union side to reach the last four following the demise of Wales and Ireland in this weekend’s quarter-finals but they rode their luck at times during a frenzied second half having played smart rugby before the interval.

The result avenged their first ever loss to Fiji in August and by reaching the penultimate stage of the World Cup they have surpassed expectations given they entered the tournament on the back of five defeats in six Tests.

There was no sign of the fireworks to come as England surged ahead, capitalising on their opponents’ indiscipline to score three points through Farrell before a second penalty produced a line-out drive that ended with Tuilagi diving over in the left corner.

Roared on by fans, Marcus Smith ran from deep but was swallowed up by the Islanders and the drama continued with Maro Itoje intercepting and racing into space before Tom Curry made a dangerously low tackle on Josua Tuisova.

Curry’s offence allowed Frank Lomani to kick three points but England replied with waves of attacks and their tempo stretched Fiji’s defence, allowing Marchant to jink over.

Fiji wing Vinaya Habosi was sent to the sin-bin for a high hit on Smith, who departed for an HIA, but his side were the next over in a breathless first half when Viliame Mata scooped up a loose ball, dummied and strolled over.

Itoje and Courtney Lawes were battered as the Islanders made their presence felt in defence but England continued to force penalties that allowed Farrell to land six more points.

Fiji infringed freely as their opponents racked up time in possession, but two wayward Farrell kicks after he had fired a smart chip into space provided a route out of difficulty and they started moving the ball with menace until Lawes turned them over.

The second half was more ragged and England’s play was frantic at times, lacking the control evident earlier, but the scoreboard kept ticking over as Farrell extended their lead to14 points.

Fiji lost the ball time and again, preventing them from building any momentum, but they faced a muscular defence.

Finally they broke through, Ravai concluding a sustained assault and when the conversion was added, the deficit was down to a converted try.

The tide had turned and when a Simione Kuruvoli penalty struck the upright, it fell to Fiji and they pounded away at the favourites until Isoa Nasilasila forced a gap and Botitu touched down.

Farrell replied with his drop-goal and when Marchant broke clear to relieve the pressure of a Fiji attack, sprinting 60 metres downfield, a penalty was forced that Farrell rifled over.

The Islander fell short with one final attack and when the final whistle sounded they collapsed to the floor in disappointment.

Dan Biggar feels that the future is bright for Wales after his Test career drew to a close following an agonising Rugby World Cup exit.

Wales fly-half Biggar bowed out at Stade Velodrome as hopes of reaching a third World Cup semi-final in the last four tournaments were ended by Argentina.

Biggar, who turns 34 on Monday, won 112 caps during a 15-year career at the top.

He also scored more than 600 points for Wales and was the team’s tactical controller, but Argentina ensured no fairy-tale finish for him, posting a 29-17 victory that took them to Paris and a semi-final appointment with New Zealand on Friday.

Biggar, though, is enthused by the squad he leaves behind, with head coach Warren Gatland having already started an impressive transformation process following last season’s Six Nations misery.

Wales only avoided the wooden spoon by beating Italy in Rome as their campaign played out against a back-drop of contractual and financial uncertainty in Welsh professional rugby that almost led to a players’ strike prior to facing England in Cardiff.

But an unbeaten march through their World Cup pool – it included a record 40-6 win against Australia – and 19 points collected from a possible 20 highlighted an impressive revival.

The tournament also saw further progression for players like Biggar’s expected fly-half successor Sam Costelow, squad co-captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake and Exeter forwards Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza.

And there were those who did not make the final 33-strong World Cup group – centre Max Llewellyn, wing Tom Rogers, prop Keiron Assiratti, plus locks Ben Carter and Teddy Williams, among others – that give further cause for optimism.

“If you had offered this five months ago, we would have snapped your hand off,” Biggar said.

“This young group have driven standards and pushed us to keep going.

“I have got no doubt they will achieve some really good things if they keep the squad together and allow boys like Sam Costelow some time in that 10 seat and allow him to drive it and make it his team.

“I sat Sam down and told him to make this team his own going forward. I told him ‘my time is over – this is your time, so make it count’.

“I am sure he will because he is a huge talent with a bit of genuine X-factor about him. He can develop into a real leader.

“A strong core of young players will have learned so much from this experience, and they will know that they have got the talent to rub shoulders with the best of the best. I really think the future is bright for Welsh rugby.

“Hopefully people will remember me for being passionate and caring about every moment.

“I am going to miss it. I didn’t think I would be particularly emotional – I almost thought I would be relieved – but there is definitely a bit of sadness.

“I am definitely going to miss it in the months and years to come.

“I think it will be raw for a couple of days, maybe a couple of weeks, but when I reflect back on my career hopefully I will be fairly pleased with what I have done.”

With Gatland in the early phase of a five-year contract during a second stint as Wales boss, attention will soon turn to this season’s Six Nations, while Wales also have a fixture against the Barbarians on November 4.

Japan-bound backs Liam Williams and Gareth Anscombe will not be available for the Six Nations, and it remains to be seen if any players follow Biggar into international retirement.

Gatland added: “You have got to take learnings. How do we develop and improve as a squad?

“I am incredibly proud of the work these players and the whole staff have put in. We have made some really good strides.

“We need to continue on that path. We don’t want to be going backwards, and that is a good challenge for us to accept and make sure we continue to keep improving.”

Matt Peet will aim to emulate his coaching heroes by ushering in a new era of domination after Wigan claimed their first Super League Grand Final win since 2018 with a hard-fought 10-2 victory over Catalans Dragons at Old Trafford.

The 39-year-old Warriors chief capped a remarkable personal journey that started as an unpaid volunteer with the club’s academy in 2008 by master-minding their return to the sport’s summit, but maintained his job is far from done.

Instead, Manchester United fan Peet will seek inspiration from heroes such as Sir Alex Ferguson to build a sustained legacy of success at the club, and perhaps emulate the four back-to-back titles won by rivals St Helens whose reign ended in this year’s semi-finals.

“When coaches can win repeatedly and build different teams and sustain a culture, then you know they have got something special about them,” said Peet. “They are the kind of coaches that I admire and look to learn little bits from.

“I am a Manchester United fan and sitting back watching that team evolve through the late 80s and right through to the 2000s, what you saw from Sir Alex was him rebuild that team, make tough decisions when it was required, trust young players and manage players. That all comes down to leadership and culture.”

Peet was at pains to pay tribute to the players who successfully concluded a re-emergent season, a sturdy defensive display giving way to second-half dominance with the help of their opponents who saw both Adam Keighran and Tom Davies sin-binned.

Liam Marshall’s solitary try 12 minutes into the second half made the difference while the increasingly trusted boot of Harry Smith kicked a conversion and two penalties to see his side home and deny the French side a first Grand Final crown.

“You always want to build on success,” added Peet. “When people look ahead to next year, they are under-estimating some of the quality they’ve seen on the field tonight.

“Some of them will be moving on, but I want to reflect on this group of people, men, players and staff. I think we will look back on this year’s team as a special team regardless. What happens next, who knows.”

Toby King and Kai Pearce-Paul played their last games for the club in the Grand Final but Wigan’s recruitment for 2024 has raised eyebrows with Luke Thompson, Kruise Leeming, Sam Walters and the vanquished Keighran all inked in to bolster an already-impressive squad.

The first challenge for the impressive array of new faces could be a trip Down Under with Peet anxious to emulate Saints in kicking off the season with a daunting test against NRL champions Penrith Panthers.

“We want to go there,” added Peet. “I’m looking forward to it, and it will be an honour. I know the club would like to go there. This club has a great history of playing in that competition and it’s where we should be.”

Peet’s players lined up to pay tribute to their unassuming coach, with veteran captain Liam Farrell ensuring he did not escape the plaudits in the victorious dressing room after the match.

Farrell, who first tasted Grand Final success with his home-town club in 2010, revealed: “I just singled him out in the dressing room.

“He was praising everyone around him – the owner, the players, his staff members. But well and truly, he leads by example. He is a leader at the top and everyone follows him.

“He makes tough calls when they’re needed, he puts the game plan into place. He does all those one per-centers, all those extra efforts, and it is the reason we are where we are.

“It is the reason we won the Challenge Cup (last season), it’s the reason we won the League Leaders’ Shield and it’s the reason now we’re sitting here as Super League champions. He is a leader in every sense.”

England slumped to a shock World Cup defeat against Afghanistan in Delhi.

The defending champions were dismissed for 215 as they failed to chase down their target of 285.

Here, the PA news agency recalls five other World Cup humiliations for England.

Bangladesh, Adelaide, March 2015

Eoin Morgan’s men were consigned to a group-stage exit from the World Cup, alongside the likes of the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan, after failing to chase down Bangladesh’s 275 for seven.

Netherlands, Chattogram, March 2014

England bowed out of the T20 World Cup with a shambolic 45-run defeat. In pursuit of 133 for five, Stuart Broad’s side – who had won the toss and opted to chase – mustered a risible 88 all out, just eight more than their worst-ever score in the format.

Ireland, Bangalore, March 2011

Kevin O’Brien hit the fastest-ever World Cup century to lead Ireland to a three-wicket win. O’Brien made 113 off 63 balls as Ireland recovered from 111 for five to chase down 328 and claim a stunning victory.

Netherlands, Lord’s, June 2009

The Netherlands beat England by four wickets from the last ball of their T20 World Cup group match match at Lord’s. The hosts, without the injured Kevin Pietersen, were still expected to prevail with ease. Instead, despite a century opening stand between Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright, their 162 for five proved insufficient.

Zimbabwe, Albury, March 1992

Zimbabwe recorded just their second World Cup win by skittling out England for 125 in Australia. The underdogs only posted 134 themselves but Graham Gooch fell to the first ball in the reply and the rest of the order quickly followed with Eddo Brandes taking four wickets.

England’s hopes of defending the World Cup suffered an almighty blow in Delhi, where underdogs Afghanistan pulled off a stunning upset to floor the 2019 champions.

Jos Buttler’s side were roundly outplayed on their way to a shock 69-run defeat and have now lost two of their first three games in India to leave their chances of emerging from the group stage hanging by a thread.

Set 285 to win after putting their opponents in, England imploded for 215 in front of a frenzied crowd who roared on Afghanistan’s triumph as if it were glorious home win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

In terms of English stumbles on the biggest stage in one-day cricket this was a result to rank alongside the 2011 loss to Ireland in Bengaluru – a game that current Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott played in.

Afghanistan are a more talented side but two thumping losses against India and Bangladesh, allied with England’s hard-won reputation in white-ball cricket, still render this a seismic result.

The heavy margin, and the 9.3 unused overs, only increase the magnitude. Harry Brook, the youngest and least experienced member of the England side, fought a lone hand with 66 but with precious little support and a lethargic bowling display it was nowhere near enough.

Harvey Elliott has defended Jordan Henderson and believes his former Liverpool captain deserves better treatment.

Al Ettifaq midfielder Henderson was jeered during England’s 1-0 win over Australia at Wembley on Friday.

Henderson captained England, with Harry Kane rested, but was booed when he was replaced by Kalvin Phillips in the second half.

He completed a controversial switch to Al Ettifaq from Liverpool in the summer having been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, with homosexuality illegal in Saudi Arabia, but former Anfield team-mate Elliott has backed the 33-year-old.

“It’s upsetting, Hendo is a massive inspiration, not just to myself but to many around the world,” said the Liverpool midfielder. “For what he has done for England and English football it’s not nice to see.

“It’s his decision, it’s his career. As a nation we need to get behind these players and support them. It wasn’t nice, but knowing Hendo I’m sure it hasn’t fazed him.

Henderson and Elliott played together at Liverpool (Andrew Milligan/PA)

“He’s a positive-minded player and person. He just wants to do the best for himself in his career. Everyone is behind him.”

On Friday, England boss Gareth Southgate called Henderson a role model and insisted he could not understand the negative reception.

Elliott will contact his former skipper once England duty is over, with the 20-year-old travelling to Slovakia to face Ukraine with the under-21s on Monday and Henderson preparing for the visit of Italy on Tuesday.

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“I didn’t want to make too much of a fuss about it – no-one should. It’s a few individuals who have different points of views, which is fine. I don’t think he would take it to heart too much,” said Elliott, who scored twice in the Young Lions’ 9-1 Euro 2025 qualification rout of Serbia on Thursday.

“He has been through a lot in his career and it’s just another barrier he is going to run through, I’m sure.

“We always keep in touch, when we’re here (St George’s Park) and see those guys we are always having conversations and it’s nice to have that togetherness with the seniors.

“Some of the lads, playing for the big teams here, brings everyone together. It’s nice to be around them and it gives us all a target and goal.”

Hughie Morrison’s One For Bobby is set for an outing on Qipco British Champions Day – but conditions will dictate if Stay Alert joins her stablemate in the line-up for the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot.

The Berkshire track will be a fitting place for the four-year-old to end a successful season as it is the place her breeder Frank Dunne saddled the great Stanerra to register a Royal Ascot double in 1983.

She has won twice in four starts since joining Morrison ahead of the 2023 campaign and having secured Listed honours at Nottingham on her stable bow, she added a Group Three at Vichy in the summer.

One For Bobby was last seen finishing well held in the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville but her handler is now prepared to give the daughter of Frankel another opportunity at Group One level.

“She didn’t run her race the other day at Deauville and had a sore foot,” said Morrison.

“If we got her back to form, she might surprise a few people. I think she will get the one-mile-four, whether she is over the top or not we will find out on the day.

“She has got a Group and Listed win and that was what we were asked to do. She won at Nottingham and then won in France.”

On the potential participation of Stay Alert, Morrison added: “She’s a possible, but you wouldn’t want too much more rain.”