Ireland prop Finlay Bealham has been cleared to face reigning world champions South Africa after passing his head injury assessments.

The Connacht tighthead was withdrawn 10 minutes after coming on as a half-time replacement in Saturday’s 59-16 victory over Tonga.

All 33 members of Andy Farrell’s squad trained on Tuesday ahead of the World Cup showdown with the Springboks in Paris.

Speaking of Bealham, Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty said: “He was obviously taken off the field at the weekend and failed his (head injury assessment).

“He’s subsequently passed his tests and he’s perfect, he was in a scrum today and he’s good to go, symptom-free.

“Our medics and World Rugby have cleared him fit to play so we’re delighted to have a full (clean) bill of health.”

Jack Conan and Dan Sheehan also took part in the session at Ireland’s base in Tours, potentially boosting head coach Farrell’s options for Saturday evening at Stade de France.

Number eight Conan has been sidelined since August 5 when he sustained a foot injury during his country’s win over Italy.

“Jack is doing bits and pieces today, he didn’t do a full-blooded one but he’s on the field and he’s going to do a little bit more tomorrow,” said Fogarty.

“He’ll be managed as a returning player would be but yeah, we’ve a full bill of health.

“Jack (will) do more tomorrow and it’s then a decision to see how he is. He’s up for selection, we’re on our feet, it’s been brilliant.”

First-choice hooker Sheehan sprained foot ligaments a month ago in the warm-up win over England.

“I saw him in a scrum today, so I was very excited to see him in scrums,” Fogarty said of the 25-year-old.

“We did some timing in our scrums, some drop-ins, and Dan took part.

“It’s great to see him back involved. He’s a player who’s returning so we’ll do a bit more tomorrow and see how he is.”

Ireland lead the way in Pool B following back-to-back bonus-point wins over Romania and Tonga and could seal progression to the quarter-finals by denting the Springboks’ title defence.

“There’s definitely an edge (in the camp),” said Fogarty.

“It’s an incredibly exciting week to be involved in. Everyone wants to be in the starting 15 and make the matchday 23 so competition for places is right up there. To be playing the world champions in Paris is incredibly exciting.

“We are clear in our heads as a group what the plan is and who is going to carry out that plan.”

Mawj will skip the Sun Chariot at Newmarket in favour of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland on October 14.

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor had it between those two races for the comeback of the 1000 Guineas winner, and he has plumped for the $600,000 contest over a mile and a furlong.

Mawj has not been seen since beating Tahiyra at Newmarket in early May and subsequently Dermot Weld’s filly has won the Irish Guineas, the Coronation Stakes and the Matron Stakes.

“She worked on Saturday and she worked well, she’s in good form,” said Bin Suroor.

“The plan is we are going to head to Keeneland for the QEII, that’s what we decided, she’s in good form and she’s working well.

“It was Keeneland or the Sun Chariot, but we thought the Keeneland race was a better prep for the Breeders’ Cup. We’ll bring her back in between.

“I’ve been very pleased with her, her condition is good and I’m pleased with everything I’ve seen.

“American racing should suit her, she’s a tough filly, the flat track will suit her better, I think. She beat Tahiyra in the Guineas and no one else has managed that.”

Harry Kane says Bayern Munich need to use Manchester United’s issues to their advantage as the England skipper looks to shoot down his long-term admirers in the Champions League.

Kane has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford but last month moved to the German giants from boyhood club Tottenham.

He has hit the ground running with four goals in as many domestic games as attention turns to Wednesday’s Champions League opener.

United are the visitors and the England skipper, 30, maintains Bayern always felt like the right choice for his next club.

“To be honest, obviously over the summer I know there were some talks between a few clubs in the background,” Kane said.

“But Bayern was a team I was really excited by so there wasn’t too many other discussions once they came in.

“My focus is on here. Obviously Manchester are a great club, a really big club as well, but I decided to come here and I’m really happy I have.”

Kane joined Bayern in search of silverware that has evaded him for club and country – success that is almost guaranteed with the German behemoths.

Trophies have looked far from certain over the last decade at United, who head to Bavaria in a precarious state after a third defeat in four matches compounded their well-documented off-field issues.

Kane is wary of a potential backlash but acknowledged United have been going through a “bit of a tough spell recently” that they can capitalise on.

“I don’t know about the perfect time (to play them),” he said. “There can be a big response from teams going through a difficult spell but of course we need to use circumstances to our advantage, to go with big confidence at home in front of our fans.

“It is important to start the game on the front foot and really try and put the pressure on the opposition.

“They have some big threats as well, on the counter-attack they have some really quick players, so we need to be wary of that.

“But overall it’s a game we want to try to dominate and try to keep the pressure on and hopefully break them down as the game goes on.”

Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern side are strong favourites to win Wednesday’s match and second only to holders Manchester City in the bookmakers’ odds to lift the trophy, but Kane is focusing on further improvements on a personal and collective level.

“It’s been a good start for me here for sure,” he said. “Whenever there is a big transfer there is a little bit more pressure and expectation.

“Really pleased to score the four goals so far. I still think personally I can play better but I think that will come with getting to know my team-mates more and the system and the way we play.

“There’s definitely room for improvement in my all-round game but it’s always good to score four goals in four games.”

Kane is the all-time top goalscorer of both England and Tottenham, who have started the season well despite their star turn’s exit.

New head coach Ange Postecoglou’s side are unbeaten in the Premier League, with four wins – including one over United – and a draw leaving Spurs second.

“They’ve had a fantastic start,” Kane said. “I’m always keeping an eye on them and I’ll keep an eye on Tottenham for the rest of my life.

“I’m really happy to see the team playing the way they are and to see the fans happy is a great thing.”

Italy head coach Kieran Crowley believes Uruguay “pose a massive threat” ahead of their meeting at Stade de Nice.

The teams meet in Pool A on Wednesday and Gli Azzurri will be looking to build on their dominant opening-game victory against Namibia, which they won 52-8.

However, Crowley knows just what challenges their South American opponents can pose after they gave France a tough test on Thursday, with the hosts eventually emerging victorious.

“Uruguay pose a massive threat. I was in Canada 15 years ago and they were just starting to get their systems right,” Crowley said.

“They have got a centralised programme in Montevideo. Most of their team plays for a club in the Central American championship. Then you add in the players who play in France and you’ve got a pretty formidable team.

“They’ve got 19 players who have been to one or two World Cups. We are expecting that physical battle. You saw in the France game that their breakdown work was outstanding.”

Italy have made four changes for the game, with Niccolo Cannone, Alessandro Garbisi and Lorenzo Pani all coming into the starting XV along with Saracens’ Marco Riccioni, who starts in the front row. Star player Ange Capuozzo has been moved from the wing to full-back.

Uruguay head coach Esteban Meneses has also made two changes to his team following the France defeat, with hooker German Kessler and winger Gaston Mieres starting.

Kerry native Oisin Murphy bagged a first winner in his home county after a thrilling climax to the Kelleher Feeds & Agri Suppliers Ballymullen, Tralee Handicap at Listowel.

Born and raised in nearby Killarney, the three-time British champion jockey had never previously ridden in County Kerry but did not take long to open his account.

Having been narrowly denied on his first ride aboard Zephron, Murphy went one better in the following race as he and Pat O’Donnell’s 100-30 favourite Dragon Of Malta got up in the final stride to win a pulsating three-way finish by a nose and the same from Mercurial and Brave Troop.

Murphy, whose previous competitive rides in Ireland have been at the Curragh, Leopardstown and Dundalk, said: “I have lots of family here today and they’ll be over the moon. The horse is also trained by an old family friend of ours so it is a brilliant day.

“He had won well at Galway and while he didn’t run so well at Roscommon, today he was perfect and I had a willing partner up the straight.

“The O’Donnell family are from County Limerick and not too far from here and I’ve known them for years so it is great to ride a winner for them.”

He added: “It’s great to be here. I spent lots of time as a child hanging around the weighing room, trying to get goggles off Ruby Walsh and Davy Russell and wanting to be a jockey.

“To ride a winner here is a big relief.”

There was a huge shock in the feature event on day three of the Harvest Festival as Jessica Harrington’s 80-1 shot Maud Gonne Spirit lunged late to secure Listed honours Edmund & Josie Whelan Memorial Listowel Stakes, with Nathan Crosse the winning rider.

“She loves soft ground, Jessie and all the team have done a great job getting her ready for today as she hasn’t had a whole pile of runs this year. It’s very important for her to get a black-type win today,” Crosse said.

“We went a good gallop, her fitness was good and she is a good, honest filly. Everything worked out perfectly.”

Carlo Ancelotti has conferred the Champions League favourites tag upon Manchester City but the Real Madrid head coach insisted there may be some “surprises at the end”.

The most successful side in Europe’s premier club competition with 14 wins, including lifting the trophy five times in the last decade, Madrid are often tipped to progress into the latter stages at the outset.

But Real, who open their Group C campaign on Wednesday against Union Berlin at the Bernabeu, were eliminated in ruthless fashion at the semi-final stage by Pep Guardiola’s treble-winning City side in May.

It is the Premier League giants that have a target on their backs, according to Ancelotti, who nevertheless intimated no team can ever take anything for granted.

“City are favourites because they have a squad that saw them win it last season and they haven’t changed much,” Ancelotti told a press conference.

“However, in the Champions League, like always, there are surprises at the end.

“Real Madrid are a team that are going to fight until the end. We never think of ourselves as favourites, just as I think City don’t.

“But they won it last year, they can win the Champions League. You could say they are the favourites.”

Luka Modric has started only once in this campaign and Toni Kroos just twice, with Ancelotti favouring younger options such as Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni in the middle of the park.

Ancelotti acknowledged Modric, the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner and widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his era, is adjusting to less playing time but the Croatian will feature on Wednesday.

“He’s fine, I speak to him every day like I do with all the players,” Ancelotti said. “It’s a personal relationship that we have.

“The fact that he is not playing as much as he used to can sometimes affect him a bit. But that doesn’t affect the personal relationship, which is still fantastic and will continue to be fantastic. He’s going to play (against Union).”

Lucas Vazquez will replace the injured Dani Carvajal at full-back for Madrid, who face an unknown quantity having never before played against Union.

The Bundesliga side, who finished fourth in the division last season, are the dark horses in a group also containing Serie A champions Napoli and Portuguese outfit Braga.

A trip to the Spanish capital to take on the Champions League’s most prolific side represents a daunting challenge for Union, who are in the competition for the first time in their history.

“They’re a new team in the Champions League but the fact they’re here means they’ve done very well,” Ancelotti added.

“They’re well-organised defensively, they’re solid and they play with intensity. We’ve studied them carefully and hopefully we can put in a good performance. We will need to play at a high intensity.

“We’re ready, like last year. The Champions League is a special competition for us. We’re going to treat the game as something special. We want to get off to a good start.”

Alan King is keen to see Trueshan bid for a second win in the Qatar Prix du Cadran next week following his return to winning ways in the Doncaster Cup.

The seven-year-old had looked a shadow of his former self after being beaten in his first two starts of the campaign, but a mid-season wind operation appears to have done the trick judged on his resurgent performance under Hollie Doyle last Friday.

King said: “He did quite a lot wrong because he was so fresh. Surprised (by the win) I’m not so sure, but it was a certainly a relief more than anything.

“Obviously the wind op has helped big time. In his previous two races he hadn’t finished off at all so we were hoping it would make a difference, but you always want to see them go and do it on the track.

“We were delighted with him, I don’t know how strong the piece of form was but it certainly was a huge step to getting back towards his best.”

King has the option of waiting for the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot on October 21, a race Trueshan has won each of the past three seasons.

However, the Barbury Castle handler is first aiming to send his seven-year-old back to Paris for a Group One contest in which he memorably defeated Stradivarius in 2021.

He added: “I’m going to try to get him to the Cadran. I’m away this week, but the boys at home seem pretty happy with him. He’s had two or three days on the water treadmill, which he loves.

“He will be back cantering at the end of the week, we’ll be doing a bit of work early next week and if everyone is happy, he’ll head to France.

“We did do the Cadran and Ascot a couple of years ago when there was only a fortnight between them and there’s three weeks this time, which gives me a bit more of a chance.

“We’ll go one stage at a time, but if I’m happy with him he’ll head to Longchamp.”

King raised the intriguing possibility of Trueshan pursuing a career over hurdles following his defeats at Nottingham and Ascot in the spring, but those plans have been shelved for the time being.

He said: “I would hope that if he runs well at Longchamp or Ascot or both then he won’t be going jumping.”

Harry Kane defended Harry Maguire as the England captain hit out at the way the defender has been “scapegoated” amid “really unnecessary scrutiny”.

Little more than two years on from being named in the European Championship team of the tournament, the 30-year-old is now the butt of jokes to many.

Maguire’s struggle for form and game-time at Manchester United have increased the spotlight on a player that has remained an integral part of the England squad.

Boss Gareth Southgate said the treatment of the centre-back was “ridiculous”, “a joke” and “beyond anything I’ve ever seen” after he was mocked mercilessly against Scotland at Hampden Park.

Kane wrapped up that 3-1 friendly win following an own goal by half-time introduction Maguire, who the England skipper believes faces unwarranted attention and ridicule.

“I think H has come under some really unnecessary scrutiny,” the Bayern Munich striker said.

“Probably been scapegoated a little bit in terms of the way the team has gone over recent times.

“He is a really good friend of mine, he’s a great guy, a really hard working professional.

“From an England point of view, he has been one of our best defenders and one of the best defenders in the history of our country in an England shirt.

“It’s part of our game now, it’s part of football. You get scrutinised all over social media but knowing him, all he will want to do is work harder and improve and stay focused.

“We’re fully behind him in the national team. I know the coach has come out and backed him fully.

“There’s always going to be noise around players but the most important thing is that we have a really strong core with England and that’s the most important thing going into big games and big tournaments.”

Kane and Maguire go from team-mates to opponents as Bayern host out-of-sorts United in Wednesday’s Champions League Group A opener.

Put to sharpshooter Kane he could make matters worse for the defender, he said: “Yeah, but this is football. I’ve come up against friends or England team-mates before.

“Once you get on to the pitch, your competitiveness comes out and you want to do your best for your team and nothing else really enters your mind. That’s not something I think about.

“But Harry is a great guy, a great professional. A lot of young players can look at him and his journey to hopefully motivate them to be footballers as well.

“But, yeah, if he plays (on Wednesday night) that friendship goes away for 90 minutes and I do my best for Bayern Munich.”

Mister Sketch will be sporting the colours of Wathnan Racing when he returns to Newbury for the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes.

The Eve Johnson Houghton-trained youngster – who is one of 14 confirmed for the Group Two event – was narrowly beaten at the Berkshire track on debut in July before setting the record straight in style at Salisbury last month.

There the strapping son of Territories romped to an emphatic nine-and-a-half-length success which alerted his new ownership team to his potential and they are excited to see him take the leap into deeper waters when he wears their silks for the first time on Saturday afternoon.

“The team is very excited to have one with Eve,” said Richard Brown, racing adviser to the owners.

“He’s a lovely, big horse and I was really taken with him when I went to see him and we’re looking forward to seeing him run in the Mill Reef.

“He’s a big lad and whatever he does this year, I’ll be really surprised if he doesn’t do better next year.”

The Qatar-based ownership enterprise have another smart two-year-old on their hands in Richard Fahey’s Native American, who has impressed in two unbeaten performances so far, and was last seen scooping a valuable sales race at the Curragh earlier this month.

He has a plethora of big-race options both at home and abroad for the autumn with connections keen to test the son of Sioux Nation in Pattern company in his next start.

But with the feedback from jockey Colin Keane indicating Native American would prefer a sounder surface, all options remain on the table for now, with his next outing set to be determined by the weather forecast.

“Richard was keen to take him over there for the experience – travelling overnight and all those things that go with it,” continued Brown, reflecting on Native American’s successful raid to Ireland.

“We were delighted he won and hopefully we can build from here, but Colin said he did not enjoy the ground and I think we’ll be avoiding soft and/or tacky ground, from now on.

“I suppose we just we have to be on weather watch now for the autumn targets and we would be keen to avoid soft ground.

“He’s a big horse and he’s got all the scope to be a better horse next year. We’re obviously keen to run him again, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he didn’t run until next year.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to find somewhere with decent ground before the end of the season to drop him in at stakes level.”

Chris Billam-Smith believes broadcasters would struggle to sell a rematch against “not the most entertaining” Lawrence Okolie but insisted he would stop his rival inside 12 rounds if the pair were to meet again.

Billam-Smith won the WBO cruiserweight title after beating reigning champion Okolie by majority decision during their May showdown at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium, taking the 33-year-old’s record to 18 wins in 19 fights.

Okolie has activated the rematch clause in his contract but Billam-Smith believes the Londoner’s clinch-heavy fighting style which saw him deducted two points in their first meeting may put off television companies.

Billam-Smith, who also has experienced Pole Mateusz Masternak in his sights for his first title defence, told the PA news agency: “Lawrence has activated his rematch clause so we’re trying to sort that fight out, so it would be Lawrence or Mateusz Masternak next.

“It comes down to the broadcasters because they might not want to show Lawrence because he’s not the most entertaining.

“It’s hard for the broadcasters to sell that fight because it’s an entertainment business.

“People pay their hard earned money for TV subscriptions and unfortunately he (Okolie) has not had the most entertaining fights even though the majority of the time he gets the win.

“He’s had criticism his whole career and gets a lot of complaints online so that’s why we knew he’d hold and clinch during the fight so I think the criticism is fair and I think he knows that as well.

“I think I would stop him second time round. It’s been well documented that I was ill on fight week and there were so many things I could of done better.”

The 30-year-old Okolie, who had won all 19 of his fights before the defeat in May, used to train at Shane McGuigan’s gym alongside Billam-Smith before he left to join new coach SugarHill Steward.

And Bournemouth fighter Billam-Smith credited his experience of sparring against Okolie alongside McGuigan’s tactics as to why he knocked his former stablemate down three times before being crowned champion.

“Any other cruiserweight in the world has not got the experience of sparring him and that’s what gave me the edge and that’s why he never got beat before,” he added.

“We knew Lawrence would hold, we knew he’d tire and fall apart at times so it was about staying safe for the first three rounds. I knocked him down in the fourth and from then on I was very much in control of the fight. It felt like he was fighting out of himself and getting desperate to land a big shot.

“We were in the gym together for a few years and I think that gave me an edge because his other opponents haven’t had to deal with him in sparring.

“My coach (Shane McGuigan) knows him very well and that was a determining factor in the fight and that massively helped me to overcome him.

“With mine and Shane’s experience we can figure him out.”

Asked whether the previously-undefeated Okolie had underestimated him, Billam-Smith said: “Possibly, yes, he might have done. I think he thought he was going to catch me in the 10 ounce gloves.

“He lost his way in there because he’s used to hitting people and them going down so when that didn’t happen he reverted back to type which is a lot of clinching and holding.”

The lifelong Bournemouth fan admitted it was a dream to fight at the Vitality Stadium in front of his supporters.

He said: “It was phenomenal and fighting there one day is something I’ve dreamt of since I turned professional.”

Eydon is out to prove the fire still burns brightly when he returns from a long absence in the Chasemore Farm Fortune Stakes at Sandown.

The one-time Derby hope created a real impression when winning the Feilden Stakes in the spring of 2022, but has not been seen on a racecourse since finishing fourth in last year’s 2000 Guineas, with a series of injury setbacks keeping him on the sidelines.

Switched from Roger Varian to Andrew Balding prior to the 2023 season, another issue arose in the spring to extend his layoff, but the son of Olden Times is finally ready to make his eagerly-awaited reappearance after 508 days out of action.

Connections had been weighing up a run at Sandown with a trip to Ayr for the four-year-old’s comeback outing, but it is the Esher track that will be graced with the presence of Prince Faisal’s colt on Wednesday afternoon.

“I think Andrew felt that, on reflection, going up to Ayr after such a long lay-off, it was easier to go just down the road to Sandown,” said Ted Voute, racing adviser to Eydon’s owner.

“Andrew seems quite optimistic, Oisin (Murphy, jockey) has ridden him at home and in his work he seems to have stayed in one piece this time.

“I think everyone feels he might be a little bit ring rusty and he is running over a mile rather than a little bit further, but it is a great place to start and it will give us a good indication of whether he progresses to something major this year or stays in training and we tackle it next year.”

Eydon holds an entry for the Qipco Champion Stakes on October 21 with the Ascot contest seen as the perfect spot for the colt to return to Group One competition if passing his Fortune Stakes test.

However, connections are well aware it would take a mammoth effort following such a long layoff and they will simply be satisfied with a run full of encouragement at Sandown.

“Ascot would be the dream, but in reality it is one step at a time and let’s see what happens in the aftermath of this race,” continued Voute.

“We are hopeful, but we are all well aware it is a big ask following the amount of time he has had off.

“While we have that target (Ascot) sitting there, it is not the be-all and end-all, and as long as he came back in one piece and showed he had that brilliance of the Feilden and fourth in the Guineas, then he can build on that in the forthcoming year.

“It’s a credit to Prince Faisal who has kept faith and it means quite a bit to him that he is by Olden Times, who he also raced. It’s a lot of his own breeding on both the female side and the sire which is rare nowadays and I think it is a credit to him as an owner to keep persevering.”

Also on the comeback trail is William Knight’s Sir Busker, who has been off the track since finishing down the field in the Dubai Turf in March.

The evergreen seven-year-old suffered an eye infection while in Dubai and his owners Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds are delighted to see him return in a race which could determine future aspirations.

“We are thrilled to see him back, that will be great and we’re really looking forward to it,” said Sam Hoskins, racing manager for the owners.

“He got an eye infection in Dubai, but he is ready to resume which is brilliant.

“I think Sandown should suit him well, but he’ll improve for the run whatever he does. It’s not all about winning on Wednesday, we just hope he runs a nice race and shapes well for the future.

“If all goes well then he will be kept on the go. There’s races for him at Newmarket and we could consider the all-weather or the Middle East as well, depending on how he gets on.

“We don’t have any grand future entries, but there are plenty of options and it will just be great to see him back and he owes his syndicate members nothing.”

Richard Hannon’s Chindit makes a swift return to action having claimed a Group Three at Haydock recently, while Simon and Ed Crisford’s Celebration Mile runner-up Knight will sport first-time cheekpieces when he lines up at the Esher track.

Roger Varian claimed the Listed event with subsequent Queen Elizabeth II Stakes scorer Bayside Boy 12 months ago and it is somewhat interesting he saddles the half-brother Lord Of Biscay in a bid to do the double.

A total of 10 will go to post including Dylan Cunha’s improving Silver Sword who will compete in Pattern company for the first time.

Crystal Palace have announced manager Roy Hodgson will be back in the dugout this weekend after missing the 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa because of illness.

Hodgson was feeling unwell on Saturday morning and, as a result, he did not travel to Villa Park, where his side led through Odsonne Edouard before conceding three times late on, twice in added-on time.

Palace said the 76-year-old former England boss oversaw the club’s training session on Tuesday and he is now expected to be at Selhurst Park on Saturday as the Eagles take on Fulham.

“We are delighted to confirm Roy Hodgson led Crystal Palace training today,” said a brief statement on the club’s website on Tuesday.

“The manager was absent from Saturday’s match at Villa Park but will return to the dugout for Saturday’s match against Fulham at Selhurst Park.”

Palace did not say how poorly their manager was ahead of the Villa fixture but did confirm he was in touch with first-team coaches Paddy McCarthy and Ray Lewington throughout the encounter.