Bucanero Fuerte will bid to cement his position as one of the season’s leading two-year-olds when he lines up in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes.

The son of Wootton Bassett announced himself back in March when a commanding winner of a Curragh maiden and having gone on to be denied by only a length when third to River Tiber in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, he showed plenty of guts and class to come out on top in the Group Two Railway Stakes most recently.

Adrian Murray’s youngster – who is one of two in the race for the trainer alongside the filly Launch – will now attempt to make his mark at Group One level as he continues his climb to the top of the juvenile pecking order.

“On the back of what he did at Ascot we went to the Railway with confidence,” explained Tom Pennington, racing and operations manager for owners Amo Racing.

“He did progress from Ascot and Adrian and the team at home were really chuffed with the way he had progressed. He was showing all the right signs and then he got the job done.

“We’ve been building ever since Ascot and this has been the target since then, with the Railway in between. He hasn’t missed a day and the team have been very happy with him and it’s exciting.”

Although Bucanero Fuerte’s camp are certain there will be more to come when he steps up to seven furlongs and beyond, this six-furlong event appears the obvious spot to test his ability at the highest level.

He has the chance to become the first horse since Siskin in 2019 to do the Railway Stakes/Phoenix Stakes double which will allow connections to begin to dream about replicating the achievements of Ger Lyons’ Irish 2,000 Guineas winner when stepping up to a mile next term.

Pennington added: “All options are open to him and he’s always been a horse who has shown plenty of ability at home. Robson (Aguiar) is an integral part of the team and he has always been high up on his list.

“We’re taking it one race at a time and he’s come through everything with flying colours so far and hopefully everything goes well on Saturday and we can build again from there.

“He won’t be overraced this year, he will definitely improve from two to three and he’s a horse with lots of size and scope and lots of potential, so we’ll be mindful to look after him.

“His brother (Wooded) was a sprinter, but I would say he needs all of six furlongs and he will get seven standing on his head. He should progress to a mile next year. He looks like a miler and he’s still got a frame to fill, so I would be confident he will get a mile next year.”

Bucanero Fuerte just edged out Unquestionable for his Railway Stakes triumph and Aidan O’Brien’s colt is back for another crack at his course-and-distance conqueror.

Unquestionable will be the mount of Ryan Moore, with His Majesty also representing Ballydoyle looking to bridge his near five-length deficit with the front two from when third in the Railway.

He has since placed in the Prix Robert Papin and will be the mount of Seamie Heffernan, while the O’Brien family also hold leading claims in the form of Donnacha O’Brien’s Royal Ascot scorer Porta Fortuna.

Oisin Murphy comes in for the spare ride on the unbeaten daughter of Caravaggio, with O’Brien confident she can hold her own against the colts.

He said: “Everything has gone well since Ascot and this has been the plan for a good while. We left her in the Lowther as a back-up in case we had any hold-ups, but everything has gone perfect.

“We have no ground concerns as she’s won on the two extremes – heavy and good to firm. It looks like it will be beautiful ground on Saturday, just on the easy side of good, so no concerns that way.”

Also making their first appearance since the Royal meeting is Jessica Harrington’s Givemethebeatboys, who created a stir when changing hands for £1.1million on the eve of Ascot’s summer showpiece and was not disgraced when a place behind Bucanero Fuerte finishing fourth in the Coventry.

“I’m delighted with him, all good,” said Harrington.

“There’s no River Tiber, but it’s still a strong race – there’s no such thing as an easy Group One, we all know that.

“Hopefully he’ll run a good race and we don’t get too much rain between now and then so we have a bit of nice ground on the day. He’s won on soft, but I’d prefer better ground as he’s a good-moving horse.

“He’s a good horse, he really is. We’ll do our best and see what happens.”

Although still a a maiden, Gaenari has finished second in three of her four career appearances and completes the line-up for Curragh-based Brazilian trainer Diego Dias.

Al Aasy bids to continue his resurgence in the Betfred Rose of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock on Saturday.

The William Haggas-trained six-year-old has suffered a few bumps in the roaf since pushing Pyledriver close in the 2021 Coronation Cup, but there is no doubt he is a high-class performer on his day.

He won the Buckhounds Stakes at Ascot on what proved to be his only competitive appearance last season, but was tailed off on his first start of the current campaign at Newmarket.

However, dropping back to a mile and a quarter at Newbury last month, he showed his true colours with an authoritative victory and he sticks to the shorter distance on Merseyside this weekend.

“It was great to see him come back and win like that at Newbury and this is the next step,” said Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell.

“He’s been called some names, as Jim (Crowley) alluded to after he won on him at Newbury, but he did it well that day and I see no reason why he shouldn’t run another good race.”

In the immediate aftermath of his most recent triumph Haggas suggested that maybe he had been running Al Aasy over the wrong trip, but Gold is not so sure.

He added: “I thought William was hard on himself as you can’t say that he doesn’t get a mile and a half I don’t think. He was only beaten a neck in a Coronation Cup a couple of years ago, so it would be silly to say he doesn’t stay.

“But there were people who’ve ridden the horse at home who said ‘he’s got plenty of speed this horse, try a mile and a quarter’ and that certainly didn’t stop him.

“He’s a funny old character who gets beaten as often as he wins, but he’s been a very good horse at his best, so hopefully he can continue that on Saturday.”

Charlie Appleby is looking forward to running King Of Conquest, who having struck gold in Bahrain in the winter won his first two starts back in Britain at Newmarket and Goodwood respectively.

He could finish only sixth in the Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot, but Appleby hopes the application of cheekpieces might help him raise his game.

“King Of Conquest keeps progressing and has done very little wrong throughout his career. He carried a penalty at Royal Ascot but still ran a decent race,” the trainer told www.godolphin.com.

“We are applying cheek pieces to help get some more natural pace into him. It looks as though we have Al Aasy to beat but our horse certainly doesn’t look out of place at this level.”

The Sean Woods-trained Savvy Victory is out to follow up a Listed success in the Gala Stakes at Sandown, while Richard Fahey’s talented filly Midnight Mile must be respected following an impressive victory in Listed company at York.

Phantom Flight (James Horton), El Drama (Karl Burke) and American challenger Classic Causeway (Kenneth McPeek) complete the field.

Roberto De Zerbi insists leading Premier League clubs “can’t buy our soul” as Moises Caicedo edges closer to becoming the latest star name to depart Brighton.

Albion have accepted a British record transfer fee in the region of £110million from Liverpool for the Ecuador midfielder, although reports suggest he would prefer to join Chelsea.

The Seagulls, who start the new season at home to newly-promoted Luton on Saturday, have become accustomed to selling key players for hefty fees.

Argentina World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister moved to Anfield earlier this summer, while Arsenal pair Ben White and Leandro Trossard, Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella and Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma also left the Amex Stadium in the past two years.

De Zerbi is resigned to losing 21-year-old Caicedo but had a defiant message as he focused on further strengthening his squad going into a campaign which will include Europa League football.

“I’ve already forgotten Moises,” said the Italian. “I’m really proud for the players we have in the squad. We have to complete the squad.

“We want to improve the squad because we lost Mac Allister, we lost (Levi) Colwill (on loan from Chelsea last season), maybe we lose Caicedo.

“We have to be ready because when the players leave it’s because they played well but the credit is for the club, for the players, for us, the coaches.

“The big clubs can buy the players but they can’t buy our soul and our spirit. That’s not on the market and this is more important than the players when they leave.

“The money is not my work, is not my job. I can answer only about the transfer market in general. Moises is leaving and is not important for me now.”

Dewi Lake will captain Wales for the first time on Saturday after an injury-hit 12 months plunged his Test career into cold storage.

More than a year after his last Wales appearance against South Africa in Cape Town, the Ospreys hooker has a chance to display World Cup leadership credentials.

As the countdown continues to Warren Gatland announcing Wales’ World Cup squad, Lake follows flanker Jac Morgan in being appointed skipper against tournament warm-up opponents England.

A third leadership candidate is likely to take the reins when Wales host South Africa on Saturday week, then Gatland names his 33-player group for France.

Lake missed the whole of Wales’ international schedule last term as a shoulder injury ruled him out of their autumn campaign, then a knee problem put paid to any Six Nations hopes.

“It is always tough with injuries and then they always seem to pile on each other,” Lake said.

“One comes after the next and you think am I going to break this cycle of getting a good run of games and showing that I’m good enough to be selected?

“But no, I am grateful for the work of the people behind the scenes at the Ospreys put in with me to get me back fit. And here we are, I guess.”

Morgan set a high bar with his display when Wales saw off England 20-9 in Cardiff last weekend, delivering a performance that must surely have put him in pole position as potential World Cup captain.

“I think it is important to try to lead from the front, lead by example, as Jac did last weekend,” Lake added, ahead of the Twickenham rematch.

“Hopefully, if I can do anything as well as he has, then I will be on to a winner.

“There are boys that don’t need to be told anything. They have got the experience, they know what they are doing.

“Maybe some boys like a pat on the back if they have done something well or an arm around them if they’ve messed up. Some boys need to be shouted at if they’ve messed up because that is what kicks them into the next gear.

“Your (captaincy) style is all about knowing your team and knowing who you’ve got around you and being able to cater to how they are going to react to things.”

Gatland has made 15 changes for the England clash, with wing Josh Adams winning his 50th cap, while centre Joe Roberts makes a Test debut and the likes of fly-half Owen Williams, lock Rhys Davies and number eight Taine Plumtree also gain opportunities.

Roberts’ midfield partner Nick Tompkins said: “We are playing for a spot on that plane. It is something you can’t forget about.

“I would be lying if I said you weren’t a little bit on the edge. No-one really feels safe, no-one feels their position is locked down.

“It brings a lot of intensity and it brings a lot of positive emotions. This game, there is a lot on it. I definitely feel that way.

“A lot of people are talking about England coming back and trying to bounce back from the last performance, but you forget there’s 23 (Wales) players back there who are all fighting for their lives to be in the World Cup.”

Manchester United are no longer planning to announce a decision on Mason Greenwood’s future before their season gets under way, the PA news agency understands.

The 21-year-old has been suspended by the Old Trafford club since January 30, 2022, over allegations relating to a young woman after images and videos were posted online.

Greenwood was facing charges including attempted rape and assault until the Crown Prosecution Service announced six months ago that the case had been discontinued.

The forward has remained suspended by United throughout this period and the club had planned to announce the outcome of their internal investigation before their season starts.

But the PA news agency understands that United will no longer be announcing their decision before Monday’s Premier League clash with Wolves at Old Trafford.

The club are entering into a consultation phase off the back of their investigation process, engaging directly with key stakeholders to explain their decision making and hear feedback.

Partners and fans are among those stakeholders as are the United women’s team, who have a number of players at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

A group of United fans announced on Friday that they planned to protest against the prospect of Greenwood’s return ahead of the Wolves match at Old Trafford.

Academy graduate Greenwood has scored 35 goals in 129 matches for the club, with his last appearance coming on January 22, 2022.

West Ham manager David Moyes hopes to be able to complete deals for both James Ward-Prowse and Harry Maguire – but stressed Manchester City’s bid for midfielder Lucas Paqueta was “not anywhere near” the club’s valuation.

Southampton midfielder Ward-Prowse is having a medical ahead of his transfer to east London, while Maguire remains in discussions with United about the terms of his exit from Old Trafford.

West Ham are understood to have knocked back an initial £60million approach for Paqueta from the Premier League champions.

“We’ve had an offer from Manchester City, but at the moment it’s not anywhere near meeting our valuation,” said Moyes.

Despite initial frustrations in the summer window, the Irons have added Mexico midfielder Edson Alvarez to the squad in a £35million deal from Ajax, with Ward-Prowse set to follow.

“James Ward-Prowse is having a medical just now. We’ve agreed a fee but it’s not right I speak about him as he’s not yet our player,” Moyes told a press conference.

United boss Erik ten Hag was giving little away when questioned on Maguire’s future, stressing the England defender would be available for Monday’s game against Wolves even though the club had accepted a bid from West Ham, understood to be around £30m.

On the situation regarding Maguire’s expected arrival, Moyes said: “We’ve had a bid accepted from Manchester United, but while he’s not our player I’m not in a position to discuss him really.”

After seeing former captain Declan Rice complete a new British transfer record move to Arsenal in a £105m deal, West Ham have been trying to reshape the squad for next season – when they will also compete in the Europa League – if not as quickly as Moyes would have liked.

“It’s not about us having £100million to spend, but the fees being charged by clubs for players,” the West Ham boss said.

“We sold Declan – I actually think Declan was quite cheap, to be honest – and there has nearly not been a player we have gone for under £40million. We have been very active, as you all know, trying to get players in.”

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West Ham have also seen Gianluca Scamacca and Nikola Vlasic depart as Moyes looks to push the group on from last season’s success in winning the Europa Conference League.

“You need to look at the amount of players Chelsea bought – you need a number you can work with and a balance of players in each position, and all those things come into it when you try to sign them,” Moyes said.

“I just walked through the corridor and looked at all the pictures of us winning a European trophy and it was incredible what we did.

“We’re going into this season with a great deal of positivity. We have a great feeling and we want to keep it.”

West Ham open the new Premier League season at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Alvarez, though, will not be available as he continues fitness work since being away at the CONCACAF Gold Cup with Mexico.

“They have always done well and they have a new approach this season under Andoni Iraola,” Moyes said of this weekend’s opponents.

“It is always a hard game at Bournemouth, but we had a good win there last year and we hope we can get another one tomorrow.”

American Ally Ewing set a daunting clubhouse target on day two of the AIG Women’s Open thanks to a brilliant second round at Walton Heath.

Ewing, who held a one-shot lead following an opening 68 completed late on Thursday, was among the early starters on Friday and stormed clear of the field with a birdie on the third and four in a row from the sixth to be out in 30.

The 30-year-old from Mississippi also picked up further shots on the 11th and 16th before dropping her only shot of the day on the last to complete a superb 66.

“I just kept trying to stay in the now, stay in the present, which is one shot at a time for me and fortunately those shots yielded a lot of really good opportunities I was able to capitalise on,” Ewing said.

“That stretch of golf (on the front nine) was really, really good and just a really solid day overall.”

Asked what it would mean to win a maiden major title this weekend, Ewing added: “It would be huge. It’s something I’ve obviously circled as something I want to accomplish in my career.

“I’ve had possible chances to do that, I’ve been in the last group, so for me it’s just going to be (about) leaning on that a little bit as well as leaning on the confidence I have in my game right now.”

At 10 under par Ewing enjoyed a five-shot lead over compatriot Andrea Lee and Japan’s Minami Katsu, with South Korea’s Kim Hyo-Joo and Lilia Vu another stroke back on four under.

Vu won the first major of the year, the Chevron Championship, in April but a tie for 35th in last week’s Scottish Open is her best finish in a strokeplay event since then.

“I feel like post-Chevron Championship I’ve been struggling a little bit and to finally, hopefully, be in contention by the end of today just feels really rewarding,” Vu said.

“I think every time I get in my own way, it’s when I’m too focused on winning.

“But if I just focus on playing my game then I’m in a good position to try and win instead of just getting really upset if I mess up on a hole, and I did that last week.

“I got upset when I was playing well, and then just couldn’t hold it together after because I thought it was just over. And I’m just trying to be in a better mindset this week.”

Erik ten Hag says the Premier League will miss Harry Kane but the Manchester United boss has no regrets about deciding to go for Rasmus Hojlund over the Bayern Munich-bound star.

Having wrapped up deals for midfielder Mason Mount and adventurous goalkeeper Andre Onana, the Old Trafford giants turned their attention to filling the glaring need for a striker.

Tottenham sharpshooter Kane has long been admired by United but the club instead plumped for potential by signing Atalanta talent Hojlund.

“First of all we have chosen a striker and we are really happy with our choice,” Ten Hag said of the Denmark international.

“(Kane) is a great striker. That’s clear, he’s really a goal maker and apart from that he has all the conditions and abilities that you want to see in a striker.

“It’s a miss for the Premier League, absolutely.”

Ten Hag says he will miss the challenge of facing Kane, who Bayern are understood to be forking out an initial £100million for with add-ons able to potentially take it up to £120m.

Quizzed on whether United were ever serious candidates to sign the England captain, he said: “I don’t think that I have to go into that discussion or to give an opinion about that.

“We are professional. The processes we do are really careful, we consider a lot of things.

“But finally we make decisions and we don’t take decisions overnight. There’s a strategy behind every decision and we are happy with the squad we have now.”

While Kane looks set to start a new chapter in Germany, everyone at United will be hoping their move for rough diamond Hojlund pays off.

The 20-year-old arrived for an initial £64m fee that could rise to £72m with add-ons, signing a five-year deal with the option of a further season.

But United fans will have to wait to get a first glimpse of their new frontman as Hojlund is dealing with a back issue that the club are confident is not a long-term issue.

“He had a small issue,” Ten Hag said. “He’s not on the levels where our players are in this moment, so now we have to train him.

“The prognosis is difficult always to say but we are confident and we are positive.”

New boy Hojlund will be sidelined for Monday’s Premier League opener against Wolves, with Amad Diallo, Tyrell Malacia and Kobbie Mainoo also out.

Anthony Martial did not play a minute in pre-season as he recovers from a hamstring injury, while back-up goalkeepers Tom Heaton and Dean Henderson remain absent for the curtain raiser.

Ten Hag is confident in the shape of his squad ahead of the new season and suggested Harry Maguire could be involved against Wolves despite United accepting a £30m bid from West Ham for their former captain.

“Of course (he is available),” the Dutchman said.

The frantic final few weeks of the transfer window are likely to dominate the start to a campaign that United get under way with some large clouds hanging over them.

A decision has yet to be made on suspended Mason Greenwood’s future and a group of United fans are planning to protest against the prospect of his return ahead of facing Wolves.

There is also a planned protest by the 1958 group against the Glazer family as the interminable potential takeover process rolls into the new campaign.

Asked about the fan protest and how frustrating it was for him that the ownership issue has not been resolved, Ten Hag said: “I’m sure that the fans will support the team.

“I think we construct that last season, the connection between fans and team.

“I think we only made it stronger in the pre-season, we’ve seen that in the tour but also now back in the UK I think there’s a really strong support and there’s a really good vibe around the team and between the fans and the team.”

Jodie Cunningham has marvelled at the significant strides women’s rugby league has taken as St Helens and Leeds continue their rivalry with a historic visit to Wembley.

The famous stadium stages the Women’s Challenge Cup final for the first time on Saturday, where Saints will be bidding for a third successive title and a second win in a row over Leeds in the showpiece.

Both Saints captain Cunningham and her Leeds counterpart Hanna Butcher started their careers in fields that had to be cleared of litter beforehand and where they were cheered on by only their nearest and dearest.

Professional status is yet to materialise – Cunningham juggles her playing duties with being the national women and girls’ development manager for the Rugby Football League while Butcher is a surveyor for Kirklees Council – but this weekend represents another important step for the women’s game.

Cunningham told the PA news agency: “Playing at Wembley Stadium just feels like this weird dream I never thought I’d actually get to experience. I don’t think it was even a pipe dream when I first started.

“To play a final in somewhere that had a stand was something that would have been a dream back then. To have a game where it wasn’t just your family members in the crowd cheering you on, that was a dream.

“Most people didn’t even know that women played. If it came up in conversation and you said you played rugby league, you’d get asked, ‘is it touch?’ They had no concept of what that could even look like.

“Now, to think there are genuinely fans of the game or people who are just aware of it is just a mega step for us. It’s only building our fanbase and I think Wembley will give us an even bigger platform.”

Cunningham, who was part of the Thatto Heath Crusaders side that won four consecutive Challenge Cups from 2013 to 2016, admitted getting more attention brings much greater pressure.

Saints beat Leeds in the 2021 semi-final and then prevailed in a seesaw final last year although the Rhinos gained a measure of revenge 11 months ago en route to Super League Grand Final glory.

Cunningham added: “The stuff that the men have managed to do, the history of this club for winning many, many trophies, there’s a level of expectation that you’re going to bring in trophies.

“That’s what the club wants, thrives off and expects. We expect that of ourselves as well and retaining the Challenge Cup was a big, big target we put on ourselves.

“The first trophy available, the opportunity to retain it, there’s always pressure once you’ve won a trophy to keep hold of it, we’re definitely putting that pressure on ourselves.

“We’re going to be holding on to that trophy really tightly to make sure we don’t give Leeds the opportunity to take it back.”

Butcher – part of the Leeds sides who won the Challenge Cup in 2018 and 2019, beating Castleford in the final on both occasions – is confident Leeds can end Saints’ stranglehold on the competition.

She told PA: “It’s going to be really, really special walking a team out at Wembley, I wouldn’t want to do it with any other group of people. We’re a really close-knit team.

“We’ve just had a weekend away, it’s united us even more. We spoke about why do we dedicate so much time and why do we juggle our work and family life. The answer is we just want to be with each other and we know we can do something special.”

Australia will make a late call on captain Sam Kerr’s fitness for their Women’s World Cup showdown with France.

Chelsea striker Kerr missed the group stage with a calf injury but came off the bench for the final 10 minutes in the round-of-16 victory over Denmark.

Australia boss Tony Gustavsson must now decide whether Kerr is fit to start Saturday’s quarter-final date with Les Bleues at Brisbane Stadium.

“If Sam is fit to play 90 minutes, she is starting,” Gustavsson said at his pre-match press conference.

“That’s not even a question, and the team knows it.

“I definitely would never, ever see Sam as a disturbance to the team. We’re talking about Sam Kerr.

“Whether she is ready to play 90 minutes plus extra time, that’s to be decided tonight.”

Australia have coped well without all-time top scorer Kerr, scoring six goals in their past two matches – following up a 4-0 win over Canada in their final group game with a 2-0 success against Denmark.

It has been an impressive response to the shock 3-2 defeat by Nigeria that threatened their participation in the knockout stages of a home tournament.

“I look at all the preparation we’ve done over the last few weeks but being ready doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy,” said former United States assistant coach Gustavsson.

“I had the privilege to be in five quarter-finals before this one in three Olympics and two World Cups and you get unhealthily addicted to these types of games.

“This is what you love, this is what you want. I am so happy that the players will get this experience and we will embrace every second of it.”

France, ranked fifth in the world and five places above Australia, have scored 12 goals in three games since opening with a goalless draw against Jamaica.

Brazil (2-1) and Panama (6-3) were beaten in the group stage before Morocco were brushed aside 4-0 in the last 16.

Gustavsson said: “They have proved over this tournament that they have extreme attacking threats: central, left and right.

“They attack with numbers and are brave, technical and fast.

“The one thing they have instilled in this tournament is the work ethic when they lose the ball.

“They are extremely aggressive when they lose the ball, so you get very little time when you win it.

“That’s probably the extra they have over us and that’s going to be the number one challenge to sort.

“But what we have proven is that our defensive structure and defensive work rate has been enormous – we have kept five clean sheets in our last six games – and we have also been very composed in front of goal.

“Once we do break that pressure we know how fast we can attack and one moment can decide the game.”

Luke Morris makes his first appearance in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup as he heads up the home team at Ascot on Saturday.

The 34-year-old – who took his career to new heights last year, winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Sir Mark Prescott’s Alpinista – has never before taken part in the team event, which was first run in 1999 and now includes four teams competing for points over six races.

The Great Britain and Ireland squad is made up of Morris, Tom Marquand and Declan McDonogh, and the trio will aim to defeat a European team, a Ladies team and a team representing the Rest of the World.

Morris said: “When I was asked to participate, I was hugely grateful. It looks a great, fun day with a real buzz about the place.

“The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup is something that I have grown up watching.

“The prize-money is great and it is real competitive racing.”

Morris has some well-fancied mounts at the weekend, including Clive Cox’s Tis Marvellous in the Dash and Stuart Williams’ Quinault in the sprint race – the latter a horse who has won his previous six races.

“From a participant’s perspective, everyone is really behind the Shergar Cup,” said Morris, who is favourite to win the Silver Saddle award for top rider, ahead of Rest of the World captain Frankie Dettori and Saffie Osborne.

“I know lots of jockeys would like to ride in it, plus lots of owners and trainers like running horses here,”

“To be honest, there is not much to dislike. I think it is a great initiative and the fact it is still going strong after so many years proves that it does work.

“I know my teammates Declan and Tom very well. Tom is flying at the moment and Declan is a former Irish champion.

“Throughout all the teams, there is real talent on show and hopefully it will be a great day.

“Riding winners at the highest level is always the aim. I am fiercely competitive and enjoy winning. I want to ride as many winners as I can each year, in the hope that it unlocks the door to ride nice horses.”

Lingering pain from lost decades will make it all the sweeter for Hull KR and Leigh Leopards when they converge on Wembley on Saturday for one of the most unlikely Betfred Challenge Cup finals in recent memory.

Forty-three years have passed since Rovers beat their city rivals Hull FC to claim their solitary crown and the intervening years have seen relegation heartbreak and three further final appearances – most recently a 50-0 humiliation by Leeds in 2015 – they would rather forget.

Leigh’s long wait for a trip to Wembley ticked over half a century two years ago, and their return sustains an astounding revival for a club who changed their spots last summer, shortly after providing the appetiser for last year’s showpiece when, as the Centurions, they sunk Featherstone to win the 1985 Cup final for second and third-tier sides.

Bank-rolled by leopardskin-clad local businessman Derek Beaumont and welded by a brilliant spine including Edwin Ipape and Lachlan Lam, Leigh have made a mockery of pre-season expectations of struggle by catapulting into the thick of the Super League play-off picture, and the cusp of adding a third Cup win to previous successes in 1921 and 1971.

“The town’s not had much to cheer about in the Challenge Cup and that’s why it’s an incredible story that we’re there,” said Leigh head coach Adrian Lam, the instigator of his side’s stunning campaign, who played for Wigan in their 2004 final loss to St Helens at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

“It’s always important to acknowledge the past successes and we’ve only won it twice. But we’re not there just to make up the numbers.

“There is a real opportunity to have an 80-minute performance and to give the town something else to cheer about.”

Rovers’ recent revival has been considerably more under-stated but under head coach Willie Peters they appear to have re-discovered an identity that harks back to their halcyon days of the mid-1980s – when they won two successive league titles – and promises much for their future prospects.

That fervent desire to re-emerge as one of the sport’s acknowledged powerhouses perhaps made their 2015 final thrashing even harder to bear, and ironically Rovers’ path towards Wembley redemption has involved two of the architects of their demise at the hands of the Rhinos.

Rovers favourite Ryan Hall, who has won his fitness battle ahead of the final, played on the wing for Leeds that day while Danny McGuire, who will stand alongside Peters at Wembley as Rovers’ assistant coach, crossed for the second of the Rhinos’ nine tries.

McGuire is adamant that Rovers have learned the tough lessons from that 2015 loss, pointing out the relatively muted celebrations that accompanied their uproarious golden point semi-final win over Wigan at Headingley last month that sealed their return trip to London.

“Arguably in 2015 Rovers were still living off the emotions of their semi-final win against Warrington ,” McGuire told the PA news agency. “I’ve had instances like that where you celebrate a semi-final win a bit too much, and it’s only through experience that you learn to handle those situations.

“That’s what happened in the dressing room after Wigan. The players know the magnitude of what they could achieve.

“The 1980 final is still revered in Hull and it is a constant reminder of all the great players who achieved things for this club and how they’re still held in high regard.

“It’s important that you learn how to handle your chance to make history. Willie has brought a real passion and no-nonsense approach and there’s a real feeling we’ve come out of the other side.

“It’s time for someone else to write a new chapter and this is their chance.”

If any further incentive was required, Rovers are determined to give 35-year-old captain Shaun Kenny-Dowall a rousing send-off in his last season for the club, with Peters also set to revert Mikey Lewis to full-back in light of the positive news about Hall, who limped out of the warm-up prior to their semi-final win with a calf strain.

For their own part a much-settled Leigh side with a ramming front row led by captain John Asiata will start as narrow favourites, which McGuire acknowledges is testament to the incredible progress made by a club that seemed for so long to remain one of the sport’s bit-part players.

“I’m really please with what Leigh have achieved,” said McGuire, who was joined by current Leigh pair Zak Hardaker and Tom Briscoe in the Rhinos’ 2015 line-up.

“They’ve been great to watch this season and their confidence will be sky-high. Like us they have overcome big odds to reach this final and one of us is going to make history.”

England want to develop their scrum into a “ruthless” weapon in time for the World Cup as Wales provide another important test of its progress at Twickenham on Saturday.

A major improvement in the scrum was evident during the Six Nations, when it emerged as the most effective in the tournament just months after being statistically the worst among tier one sides.

It wobbled in the opening Summer Nations match in Cardiff, however, and England are looking to bounce back in the second instalment of the double header.

Adding to the stakes for Saturday’s showdown between the old rivals is that should England fall to a defeat of any description, they will slump to ninth in the global rankings – their lowest position since the standings were introduced in 2003.

“We want to have a ruthless scrum. England want to scrummage,” scrum coach Tom Harrison said.

“Joe Marler and Dan Cole are in the squad and those two players want to scrummage.

“What we’re working on is if it doesn’t go right or there is a problem, how can we solve it quickly?

“How can we be so ruthless that if a team tries to do something against us, we can solve the problem?

“Against Wales I thought there were some good bits with our scrum and some bits to improve.

“I hope you’ll see a pack that’s going to work and one that will show physicality.

“Everything we’re doing is building towards the World Cup and we want to have a good performance against Wales.”

England are fielding a team that is close to their strongest XV as preparations for their opener against Argentina on September 9 ratchet up.

Owen Farrell leads the side and is joined by fellow big guns Maro Itoje, Jamie George and Billy Vunipola, with Elliot Daly and Henry Arundell adding finishing ability on the wings.