New world champion Josh Kerr knew he would break Jakob Ingebrigtsen as he stormed to 1500 metres gold and revealed he played mind games with the Norwegian.

The Scot clocked three minutes and 29.38 seconds to stun Ingebrigtsen, forcing the overwhelming favourite to settle for silver at the World Championships in Budapest.

Kerr emulated Jake Wightman’s win in Eugene last year and, with the injured Wightman missing in Hungary, Ingebrigtsen – second in 2022 – was denied the world crown again.

“I felt him break and I just needed to stay strong,” said Kerr, who adds to his Olympics bronze.

“I was looking up at the screen making sure no one was coming on my outside but with 50m to go I knew I had it.

“I felt there was a slight weakness with 200m to go, I had to be in lane two for a minute but I’m going to fight all the way to the end, regardless whether I broke him or not.

“I’ve been in four major championship finals and come away with only a bronze. I knew it was my turn. When you’re the underdog you have to come and take what’s yours, you’re not handed anything. It was about going there and taking what’s mine.”

Kerr, fifth last year, admitted he tried to psyche Ingebrigtsen out on Wednesday after wearing a similar vest to the one Wightman wore in Eugene.

“I’m not saying I wore the specific one to bring back some nightmares but I needed every single ounce I had. This was the vest I chose,” he added.

Wightman, watching from the BBC studio at the National Athletics Centre, labelled his Edinburgh AC club-mate the Terminator after victory.

“I like it (the Terminator nickname), back-to-back world champions, it’s not something anyone has ever done before,” said Kerr.

“Especially in back-to-back years because it’s not been possible. Great Britain has something in the water. We have to keep producing world champions.”

Ingebrigtsen made his move inside the final lap, only for Kerr to retaliate with around 200m remaining – almost a carbon copy of Wightman’s win in America.

Ingebrigtsen was unable to fight back down the final straight as Kerr held off his challenge to win his first major global title.

The 25-year-old, who trains in Seattle, also revealed he cuts off communication in the build up to the Championships to focus on his goal.

“I don’t have my phone for about two weeks beforehand. Only about eight people or so,” he said. “I’m not a big social media guy when it comes to World Champs.

“You just have to have belief in yourself. My fiancee has my phone if anything big comes up, I have my other phone for the people who are massively important in this process.

“It’s been the same phone since 2021, it’s about making sure I’m focusing on the plan. All I have is the Premier League app, which I’m doing incredibly well on, and Duolingo as I’m trying to learn Spanish.”

Wightman, who has been forced to miss the Championships with a foot problem, saluted Kerr.

“Our little club in Edinburgh has had two back-to-back world champions,” he said.

“That’s hard to believe. Jakob Ingebrigtsen is going to start hating us Brits ain’t he? I think Josh Kerr knew what to do there. You saw when he came on Jakob’s shoulder.

“He showed so much promise for so long, that medal in Tokyo was just the start of this. When Josh Kerr gets it right and when he’s running well, he absolutely flies. I think Ingebrigtsen underestimated how well he was running at the moment.”

Ingebrigtsen said he had a sore throat this week and was feeling “not good”, adding: “I just wasn’t good enough.”

Asked how he views Kerr as a global rival now, he added: “It’s totally different. We have been competitors for a long time, he is a great runner but it is what it is.”

Neil Gourley, who finished ninth in the final, said: “I am really happy for Josh, I could tell this was coming, I knew he would be right up there, the margins are fine at this level.

“I knew he would give Jakob a run for his money this week. The way he has carried himself, the way he has been looking, he has been full of confidence.”

Meanwhile, Great Britain’s Molly Caudery finished fifth in the pole vault, victory shared by Australia’s Nina Kennedy and the USA’s Katie Moon, with a personal best of 4.75m, while Karsten Warholm took the 400m hurdles title.

New world champion Josh Kerr knew he would break Jakob Ingebrigtsen as he stormed to 1500 metres gold and revealed he played mind games with the Norwegian.

The Scot clocked three minutes and 29.38 seconds to stun Ingebrigtsen, forcing the overwhelming favourite to settle for silver at the World Championships in Budapest.

Kerr emulated Jake Wightman’s win in Eugene last year and, with the injured Wightman missing in Hungary, Ingebrigtsen – second in 2022 – was denied the world crown again.

“I felt him break and I just needed to stay strong,” said Kerr, who adds to his Olympics bronze.

“I was looking up at the screen making sure no one was coming on my outside but with 50m to go I knew I had it.

“I felt there was a slight weakness with 200m to go, I had to be in lane two for a minute but I’m going to fight all the way to the end, regardless whether I broke him or not.

“I’ve been in four major championship finals and come away with only a bronze. I knew it was my turn. When you’re the underdog you have to come and take what’s yours, you’re not handed anything. It was about going there and taking what’s mine.”

Kerr, fifth last year, admitted he tried to psyche Ingebrigtsen out on Wednesday after wearing a similar vest to the one Wightman wore in Eugene.

“I’m not saying I wore the specific one to bring back some nightmares but I needed every single ounce I had. This was the vest I chose,” he added.

Wightman, watching from the BBC studio at the National Athletics Centre, labelled his Edinburgh AC club-mate the Terminator after victory.

“I like it (the Terminator nickname), back-to-back world champions, it’s not something anyone has ever done before,” said Kerr.

“Especially in back-to-back years because it’s not been possible. Great Britain has something in the water. We have to keep producing world champions.”

Ingebrigtsen made his move inside the final lap, only for Kerr to retaliate with around 200m remaining – almost a carbon copy of Wightman’s win in America.

Ingebrigtsen was unable to fight back down the final straight as Kerr held off his challenge to win his first major global title.

The 25-year-old, who trains in Seattle, also revealed he cuts off communication in the build up to the Championships to focus on his goal.

“I don’t have my phone for about two weeks beforehand. Only about eight people or so,” he said. “I’m not a big social media guy when it comes to World Champs.

“You just have to have belief in yourself. My fiancee has my phone if anything big comes up, I have my other phone for the people who are massively important in this process.

“It’s been the same phone since 2021, it’s about making sure I’m focusing on the plan. All I have is the Premier League app, which I’m doing incredibly well on, and Duolingo as I’m trying to learn Spanish.”

Wightman, who has been forced to miss the Championships with a foot problem, saluted Kerr.

“Our little club in Edinburgh has had two back-to-back world champions,” he said.

“That’s hard to believe. Jakob Ingebrigtsen is going to start hating us Brits ain’t he? I think Josh Kerr knew what to do there. You saw when he came on Jakob’s shoulder.

“He showed so much promise for so long, that medal in Tokyo was just the start of this. When Josh Kerr gets it right and when he’s running well, he absolutely flies. I think Ingebrigtsen underestimated how well he was running at the moment.”

Ingebrigtsen said he had a sore throat this week and was feeling “not good”, adding: “I just wasn’t good enough.”

Asked how he views Kerr as a global rival now, he added: “It’s totally different. We have been competitors for a long time, he is a great runner but it is what it is.”

Neil Gourley, who finished ninth in the final, said: “I am really happy for Josh, I could tell this was coming, I knew he would be right up there, the margins are fine at this level.

“I knew he would give Jakob a run for his money this week. The way he has carried himself, the way he has been looking, he has been full of confidence.”

Meanwhile, Great Britain’s Molly Caudery finished fifth in the pole vault, victory shared by Australia’s Nina Kennedy and the USA’s Katie Moon, with a personal best of 4.75m, while Karsten Warholm took the 400m hurdles title.

The No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft is now No. 3 on the San Francisco 49ers' depth chart at quarterback.

Sam Darnold has been named the 49ers' backup QB ahead of Trey Lance in the battle of former third overall draft picks.

Kyle Shanahan's decision to go with Darnold as Brock Purdy's backup was reported by Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Media on Wednesday.

Lance's future in San Francisco is now uncertain, as the 49ers are reportedly exploring various options with the QB they drafted just over two years ago.

San Francisco paid a hefty price to draft Lance, trading three first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Miami Dolphin in 2021 to move up from No. 12 to select Lance after the Jacksonville Jaguars made Trevor Lawrence the top overall selection and the New York Jets picked Zach Wilson.

As Jimmy Garoppolo's backup in 2021, Lance appeared in six games as a rookie before being named the 49ers' starting quarterback for 2022, but he suffered a season-ending fractured right ankle in Week 2.

In eight career games, he's completed 54.9 per cent of his passes for 797 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions for an 84.5 QB rating. He has also rushed for 235 yards with a score.

He got the start in the preseason opener, and completed 22-of-33 passes for 285 yards with two touchdowns and a pick while being sacked four times in two exhibition games.

Darnold started the second preseason game, and has completed 16-of-22 passes for 193 yards while being sacked twice in two games.

The 49ers acquired Darnold in March to add depth at quarterback behind Purdy, who famously suffered a torn elbow ligament on the first offensive series for the 49ers in the 2022 NFC championship game.

Purdy, the final pick in last year's draft, won all five of his starts in the 2022 regular season after taking over for an injured Garoppolo in Week 13 to lift the 49ers to a 13-4 record and the second seed in the NFC. He has been cleared to start the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 10.

Darnold was the third overall pick of the 2018 draft by the New York Jets, and hasn't enjoyed much success in his five NFL seasons.

He did put together some encouraging performances last year with the Carolina Panthers, however, throwing for 1,143 yards with seven TDs and three interceptions for a 92.6 passer rating while going 4-2 as a starter.

In 56 career games, he has completed 59.7 per cent of his passes for 11,767 yards with 61 touchdowns and 55 picks.

Since his rookie season, his 78.2 passer rating ranks last among the 42 quarterbacks with a minimum of 750 attempts.

 

After a series of misfortunes on the global stage over the years, British Virgin Islands Kyron McMaster finally secured her first global medal when he claimed silver in the men’s 400 metres hurdles final on Wednesday’s fifth day of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

McMaster a two-time Commonwealth Games champion, was always favoured to right the wrongs on this occasion, and that he did in, making no mistakes at the National Athletic Stadium in the Central European country.

He clocked 47.34s, behind Norway’s stalwart Karsten Warholm (46.89s), who added the World Championships crown to his Olympic title, while American Rai Benjamin (47.56s) was third.

Jamaica’s 19-year-old Roshawn Clarke (48.07s) ran an impressive race to finish fourth behind the proverbial big guns. In fact, he finished ahead of now dethroned champion Alison Dos Santos (48.10s) of Brazil.

Running from lanes five and eight respectively, the 26-year-old McMaster and Clarke went out well, keeping pace with Dos Santos for the first 200m.

However, when Warholm and Benjamin made their move, Clarke had no response to their injection, while McMaster was seemingly fading into bronze, but produced a late rally to get by the American in the closing stages to win the battle for second.

You can catch live action of the 2023 World Athletic Championships by downloading the Sportsmax App.

World players’ union FIFPRO has called for FIFA to investigate Spanish football president Luis Rubiales after he kissed Jenni Hermoso in the aftermath of Sunday’s World Cup final.

Rubiales, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), kissed the forward on the lips during the medal ceremony following the team’s 1-0 win against England in Sydney.

FIFPRO’s call for action followed a statement from the Spanish players’ union on Tuesday that condemned such behaviour as “never appropriate or acceptable”, while United States winger Megan Rapinoe described the event as a “physical assault”.

Rubiales, who has faced calls to resign, issued an apology on Monday, which Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez described as “insufficient”.

And on Wednesday, a FIFPRO statement said: “FIFPRO fully endorses the statement of Spanish player union AFE in calling for immediate action to address the conduct of Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales at the FIFA Women’s World Cup final and is requesting an investigation of his actions under FIFA’s code of ethics.

“We reiterate that it was deeply lamentable that such a special moment for the players of the Spain national team taking place before a global television audience should be stained by the inappropriate conduct of an individual in a role carrying so much responsibility.

“Uninitiated and uninvited physical approaches towards players are not appropriate or acceptable in any context, and especially when they are put in a position of vulnerability by a person who holds a position of power over them in their workplace.”

Hermoso initially said on social media she “didn’t like” the kiss but a statement on her behalf was later released by the RFEF in which she described it as “spontaneous”.

The 33-year-old released a brief statement on Wednesday, which read: “My union FUTPRO, in coordination with my agency TMJ, are taking care of defending my interests and being the interlocutors on this matter.”

Rapinoe, who featured in the World Cup for the United States, also criticised Rubiales for celebrating by grabbing his crotch.

She told American magazine the Atlantic: “There was another picture that signals such a deep level of misogyny and sexism in that federation and in that man at the final whistle, just grabbing his crotch.

“What kind of upside-down world are we in? On the biggest stage, where you should be celebrating, Jenni has to be physically assaulted by this guy.”

The women’s football union FUTPRO has also condemned Rubiales’ actions and called on the RFEF to act for the protection of female footballers’ rights.

“From FUTPRO we express our firm and resounding condemnation of conduct that violates the dignity of women,” read a statement.

“From our association we ask the Royal Spanish Football Federation to implement the necessary protocols, ensure the rights of our players and adopt exemplary measures.

“It is essential that our national team, current world champion, is always represented by figures that project values of equality and respect in all areas.”

The RFEF will hold an extraordinary meeting of its general assembly on Friday and said “internal proceedings” were open in relation to integrity issues arising from the trophy ceremony.

Marileidy Paulino created history on Wednesday when she stormed to victory in the final of Women’s 400m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

After winning silver medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and again at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, the 26–year-old from Don Gregorio Village in the Dominican Republic blew away the field down the home stretch to clock a massive lifetime best of 48.77 for victory and become the first woman from her country to win a gold medal in that event at the championships that began in 1983.

Poland’s Natalia Kaczmarek won silver running 49.57, just managing to hold off Barbados Sada Williams, who ran 49.60 for her second bronze medal in as medal championships.

Williams created some history of her own as no athlete from Barbados had ever won medals in back-to-back championships.

Candice McLeod of Jamaica ran 51.08 for seventh.

Paulino, a two-time silver medalist in the event, took advantage of the absence of Shauna Miller-Uibo and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone to cop the first global gold medal of her international career.

 



 

Great Britain’s Josh Kerr stunned Jakob Ingebrigtsen to take the 1500m title in style at the World Championships.

The Scot clocked three minutes 29.38 seconds to win a massive battle with Ingebrigtsen, who came second, over the final 300m.

He emulated Jake Wightman’s win in Eugene last year, with Wightman missing through injury this year, to deny Norway’s Ingebrigtsen – who also had to settle for silver in 2022 – the world crown again.

Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent and Danielle Williams, as well as Bahamian Devynne Charlton secured their spot in the women’s 100 metres hurdles final, after safely navigating their respective semi-finals on Wednesday’s fifth day of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

While it was unbridled joy for those three, it was heartbreak for another Jamaican Megan Tapper, as the Olympic medallist placed fourth and her time was not good enough to see her through to tomorrow’s final scheduled for 2:25pm Jamaica time.

Charlton and Tapper both ran from semi-final one, where they placed second and fourth respectively. Charlton, 27, secured the second automatic qualifying spot in 12.49s, behind American Kendra Harrison, who won in 12.33s.

Despite running her heart out, Tapper (12.55s) was out dipped by Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji (12.50s), who progressed to tomorrow’s final as one of the two fastest qualifiers on time ahead of the Jamaican.

The second semi-final was just an exciting with Ackera Nugent leading for most of the way but was pipped on the line by Nigeria’s World Record holder Tobi Amusan. Nugent stopped the clock in 12.60s, behind Amusan’s 12.56s.

The last of the three semi-finals saw Jamaica’s former World Champion Danielle Williams off to a blistering start, but she lost her composure close to the end and had to settle for third in a season’s best 12.50s. Fortunately, for her the time was good enough to progress to the final.

Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn produced a late burst to win in 21.41s, with American Nia Ali (12.49s), just bettering Williams on the line.

 

You can catch live action of the 2023 World Athletic Championships by downloading the Sportsmax App.

Shanieka Ricketts and Kimberly Williams advanced to the finals of the Women’s Triple Jump during the evening session of the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Wednesday. However, Jamaica’s third entrant Ackelia Smith fell short of the qualification standard and did not make it into the final.

Meanwhile, Dominica’s Thea LaFond also advanced with a record-setting performance as well as three-time world champion Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela.

Ricketts, the two-time World Championships silver medalist produced a season’s best effort of 14.67m, which is the best mark heading into the finals. LaFond was not far behind with her mark of 14.62, a new national record. Williams, who has been struggling for form this season, also produced a season’s best 14.30m to make it into the finals.

Rojas, who is going for her fourth title, just did enough to qualify. The world record holder bounded to a mark of 14.59m with medal contender Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk also through with her qualifying effort of 14.55m.

The in-form Leyanis Perez Fernandez of Cuba, whose mark of 14.98m is the second best in the world this year, soared out to 14.50m to book her spot. Jasmine Moore (14.13m) and Tori Franklin (14.13m) are also through.

Ackelia Smith’s best jump of 13.95m was 17th best overall and so she misses out on the finals set for Friday.

Defensive tackle Chris Jones remains absent from Kansas City Chiefs training camp with the defending Super Bowl champions' season opener approaching two weeks away.

Based on comments from the All-Pro and head coach Andy Reid on Wednesday, Jones' holdout doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon.

Jones told a fan on social media he's contemplating sitting out until midseason over a dispute regarding his contract, while Reid told reporters Wednesday the team has had no recent conversations with the standout pass rusher as it continues preparation for the Sept. 7 opener against the Detroit Lions.

After posting a photo of a sign that read, "If it's out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind also," Jones hinted he may not rejoin the Chiefs until Week 8 in response to a question asking when he plans to end his holdout.

Jones would need to report by Week 8 to accrue a full season and become an unrestricted free agent in 2024.

The four-time Pro Bowl selection is due a $19.5 million base salary in 2023 in the final season of a four-year, $80 million extension he signed in 2020. Jones' deal was the second largest for an interior defensive lineman at the time of the signing, but now ranks eighth in average annual value after four defensive tackles - Quinnen Williams of the New York Jets, Tennessee's Jeffery Simmons, Washington's Daron Payne and the New York Giants' Dexter Lawrence - all signed extensions this offseason.

Jones has been accruing daily fines of $50,000 for missing camp, and implied he's willing to forfeit game checks as well if an agreement can't be reached.

"I can afford it," he answered when a social media user commented on the large amount of money Jones would give up by missing games.

Reid said following Wednesday's practise he has not been involved in any negotiations between Jones and the team and remains unsure of how long the stalemate will go on.

“There's been no communication so I don't know what's going to happen there,” Reid said. “The game goes on. That's how it works.”

Jones finished third in voting for NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season while playing a major role in the Chiefs' second Super Bowl title in four years. The 29-year-old tied a career high with 15.5 sacks in 17 regular-season games and registered two more sacks in Kansas City's win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC championship game.

The seven-year veteran has been named to the Pro Bowl in four consecutive seasons, while his 56.5 sacks since 2018 are the fourth most in the NFL over that five-year stretch. 

Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte has announced his departure from the club in a video on social media.

Laporte has reportedly agreed to join Al-Nassr after five-and-a-half-years in England.

The Spain international will become the latest high-profile player to sign for a Saudi Pro League club, with ex-City team-mate Riyad Mahrez among them after making the move to Al-Ahli last month.

“Dear Cityzens, today I wanted to share a story with you,” Laporte said in a video on Twitter that went on to show a highlights reel of his time at Man City.

“This is now our history. Thank you and see you really soon.”

Centre-back Laporte added in his social-media post: “It has lasted for five-and-a-half unforgettable years.

“Plenty of memories that I will keep forever close to my heart.”

Laporte will leave the Etihad after making 180 appearances for City, with his last outing for the club off the bench during their opening-day Premier League win at Burnley.

 

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After being restricted to a place among the substitutes for the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and the UEFA Super Cup triumph over Sevilla, he was absent from the matchday squad for last weekend’s win over Newcastle.

The arrival of Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig has further pushed Laporte down the pecking order at City.

A powerful recruitment drive by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has seen Saudi Pro League teams – all PIF-owned – sign a plethora of the world’s best players this summer.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson have all swapped the Premier League for the division in the Middle East during the past 12 months.

Laporte will now do the same after winning 13 trophies during his time at City, including five Premier League titles and last season’s Champions League.

Bernardo Silva has committed his future to Manchester City after he signed a new contract with the club until 2026.

Silva has again been linked with a summer switch away from the Etihad Stadium, with Barcelona reportedly chasing his signature for a number of years.

The Portugal international has ended speculation over his future for now by signing a new deal after his previous terms were due to expire in 2025.

“I’ve had six incredible years at Manchester City and I’m delighted to extend my time here,” Silva said.

“I am going into my seventh season at City. Since I arrived, I can only remember one season where we weren’t successful, so to be here until now meant trophies, meant winning a lot and I like to win. It is good to win.

“It is not easy to be a winning team. It is a very good feeling and I wanted to keep it that way.

“It has been a dream in terms of what we have achieved, the prospects of what we can still do. In six years, we have won five Premier Leagues, one Champions League and all of the cups. I couldn’t have it much better to be honest.

“What we achieved last season is something unique and we are going to try and grab that opportunity again this season.

“We heard that four in a row was never done in the Premier League before, so we want to try that because it is so tough.”

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from August 23.

Football

Burnley continued to be the kings of the signing announcement.

The FA remembered a magical Glen Johnson moment on his birthday.

Cricket

Kevin Pietersen was predicting a late change to England’s World Cup squad after Harry Brook’s stunning Hundred ton.

Golf

Open champion Brian Harman swapped sports in an American sporting tradition.

Tommy Fleetwood was also in attendance ahead of the Tour Championship.

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Snooker

After initially losing his cue in transit, things didn’t get much better for Neil Robertson. He lost his match 5-3.

Gregor Townsend has called on Scotland to take their game “up to another level” in their final World Cup warm-up match against Georgia on Saturday as he dismissed any notion of wrapping his key men in cotton wool ahead of the looming global showpiece.

The head coach has made six changes to the XV that started the narrow defeat away to France last time out.

Blair Kinghorn, George Turner, Richie Gray, Pierre Schoeman and the suspended Zander Fagerson are the only players not involved this weekend who are expected to start Scotland’s pool opener against South Africa in Marseille on September 10.

“We certainly want to give players another chance to build on the performances so far,” Townsend said.

“As a team, we have to take our game up to another level as we move towards the World Cup, so playing as many of those combinations that we believe will play against South Africa in two weeks’ time is really important.

“Not only do you get to play the game, you get to train in the build-up to the game – the starting team trains together – so another week of that to build cohesion is crucial for us so that we play close to our best rugby in that game against South Africa.”

Asked if there was any temptation to keep his key players on the sidelines this weekend in order to avoid pre-tournament injury or suspension, Townsend said: “No. Getting players to the World Cup is just one thing, getting players in their best form and the team playing its best rugby is what is important here.

“We’re hoping to beat the world champions – the number three team in the world – in our first game, so we’re not going to do that if players haven’t had match experience and, as a team, we haven’t had another opportunity to improve.

“Yeah, there are some changes to the team from the last France game, and that’s us either looking at more minutes for other players or looking at other combinations, as we finalise in our minds what that final 23 will be come September 10th.”

The most notable inclusion in the starting XV is scrum-half Ben White who admitted recently that he feared his World Cup dream was in jeopardy when he limped off with a “really concerning” ankle injury in the home victory over France two and a half weeks ago and missed the rematch in Saint-Etienne the following Saturday.

“He’s recovered really well,” said Townsend. “It’s great that he gets an opportunity to play minutes. He didn’t play that long against France and obviously missed the second game against them.

“Just to have him playing again will give him confidence as we go to the World Cup. He’s trained fully this week and looks back to where he was going into that home game against France.

“He’s even said that his ankle feels better than it did back then so it’s a real positive sign.”

Townsend reported that full-back Kinghorn is now fully fit despite being excluded from this weekend’s 23-man squad due to a minor injury.

“Blair had a niggle after the game in Saint-Etienne, so he didn’t train last week with the group. He didn’t train this Monday either but is now fully fit,” he explained.

“We had two days of training last week with a team in mind to start against Georgia. If we had left the decision a bit later, he would have been in the mix for this weekend.”

Townsend, whose side have beaten Italy and France in their two previous home Tests this summer, is hoping this weekend’s match serves as a rousing send-off for the Scots ahead of the World Cup.

“Playing in France two weeks ago was fantastic, the atmosphere was amazing, but to play here when the players will have their families and we will have a big support behind us, that’s a great way to end three months of training and hard work,” he said.

“It will be nice at the end of the game, if we have played well and get the win, for the players to get that time with their families and the support, to really connect again before we head off.”

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