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• Ireland secure brilliant victory over defending World Cup champions South Africa

  Ireland propelled themselves to the cusp of the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with a gripping 13-8 win over reigning champions South Africa on a raucous evening in Paris.

  Mack Hansen’s try and five points from Johnny Sexton helped settle a thrilling clash between international rugby’s top two teams at a sold-out Stade de France.

  Replacement fly-half Jack Crowley added a late penalty as Ireland stretched their winning run to 16 matches to take control of Pool B.

  Andy Farrell’s men also retained top spot in the global rankings ahead of the defeated Springboks, who now have work to do against Tonga next week to avoid early elimination.

  Cheslin Kolbe’s second-half try and a Manie Libbok penalty kept Jacques Nienaber’s side in contention before they ultimately fell short in a nail-biting finale.

  Pre-match talk was dominated by South Africa’s bold call to name an imposing seven-one split of forwards and backs on their bench – a decision head coach Nienaber called a “calculated risk”.

  Ireland impressively defused the so-called ‘Bomb Squad’ to bring the knock-out rounds within touching distance.

  Both sides arrived in the French capital with back-to-back wins on the board.

  An estimated 30,000 Irish fans were expected among a capacity crowd for one of the most eagerly-anticipated group-stage matches in World Cup history.

  That approximate figure seemed on the low side amid deafening noise in Saint-Denis further fuelled by a frenetic start of big hits and end-to-end action.

  Ireland initially began on the front foot but, following a bold decision to kick for the corner, failed to capitalise on a couple of promising line-outs before falling behind to a Libbok penalty.

  The set-piece struggles persisted and only some dogged defensive work, including Bundee Aki’s crucial tackle on Jesse Kriel, stifled the Springboks.

  Farrell’s men continued to show plenty of attacking enterprise and were rewarded in the 33rd minute when sustained pressure led to Hansen capping a sensational team move by crossing on the right.

  Captain Sexton calmly slotted the extras to ensure the Six Nations champions ended a breathless opening period of ferocious physicality 7-3 ahead.

  Ireland have had the upper hand in this fixture in recent times, including a 19-16 Dublin success in November, but South Africa – tournament winners in 1995, 2007 and 2019 – hold a vastly superior World Cup record.

  The unrelenting pace resumed following the interval and, amid further line-out issues, Ireland’s deficit was almost cut to a single point when Faf de Klerk’s penalty from halfway struck a post.

  Yet South Africa seized on the loose ball from that missed kick and penned back their opponents before Kolbe touched down on the left to put his side 8-7 in front.

  Fly-half Libbok was off target with the conversion and Ireland snatched back the lead going into the final 20 minutes thanks to a Sexton penalty.

  South Africa turned to their stacked bench, including introducing Jean Kleyn, who represented Ireland at the last World Cup, in a bid to make the difference.

  Irish indiscipline was in danger of proving expensive, with those in green relieved to see Libbok and then De Klerk squander further penalties.

  The Springboks enjoyed the better territory and possession in the second period.

  But Ireland, helped over the line by three points from Crowley, doggedly hung on to make a major statement moving towards their Pool B finale against Scotland in a fortnight’s time, while leaving the title holders with plenty to ponder.

• Henry Arundell impresses his captain with five-star show as England rout Chile

  Henry Arundell was praised by captain Owen Farrell for delivering a complete performance after the England wing starred in a 71-0 rout of Chile that offers clear sight of the World Cup quarter-finals.

  Arundell crossed five times at Stade Pierre-Mauroy to equal the record for the number of tries scored in a match by an Englishman and was duly recognised with the man of the match award.

  While the 20-year-old wing starred on his World Cup debut through his clinical finishing, it was the unseen, unglamorous work that caught Farrell’s eye.

  “Everybody knows what talent Henry’s got. He’s shown it before this game,” Farrell said.

  “He’s shown it for London Irish and he showed it when he got his first touch in international rugby against Australia last year.

  “A big thing that Henry showed against Chile was that he got after everything in between. He didn’t just finish tries. He got balls back in the air, he chased hard and worked hard for the team.

  “Ultimately, he got his rewards off the back of that. He does what he does unbelievably well.”

  England amassed 11 tries against the weakest team in Pool D as their attacking game exploded into life, inspired by Marcus Smith’s lively contribution in his first start at full-back.

  Smith scored two tries, including a superb solo effort, and provided a cutting edge to suggest he could be a long-term option in the position.

  “Marcus played really well. The decisions he made, he looked dangerous constantly, as he normally does,” Farrell said.

  “All I can say is I enjoyed it and I thought he played really well. George Ford added when he came on as well.”

  Smith’s performance was acclaimed by head coach Steve Borthwick, who brought on Ford for the last half hour as England closed out the game with three fly-halves on the field.

  Once the 24-year-old Smith had recovered from butchering two early chances, he dazzled Chile with his speed, footwork and creativity.

  “Marcus did a lot of very good things. Playing at 15, there is a different amount of space there compared to playing at 10,” Borthwick said.

  “The way Marcus took those opportunities, found the space and linked with Henry in particular was a positive. It shows there is a lot of hard work from everybody on the training field.

  “There was a lot of exciting talent on the pitch. This squad is packed full of talent and packed full of options. The starting configuration did a really good job after working through a challenging spell.

  “To be able to change that during the game and have Owen, George and Marcus on the pitch brought another dimension and certainly gives options for the future.”

  Chile captain Martin Sigren admitted his World Cup newcomers are a work in progress.

  “It’s a tough lesson. Four years ago we were getting the same result against Canada and the USA,” Sigren said.

  “We were losing games against Brazil. Four years later look at us – we’re here, so I have to hold on to that.

  “We will keep on working. Maybe four years later the results will be different.”

• Will Jacks pleased to take his chance to impress in England success

  Will Jacks is primed to be among England’s reserve options at the World Cup after advancing his claims for a spot in a shadow side’s win over Ireland in the second one-day international.

  England going to India next week ahead of the defence of their 50-over crown, which starts in less than a fortnight, means a completely separate squad was chosen for the Metro Bank series against Ireland.

  Jacks did not make the cut for the World Cup but, with England yet to announce who will be on standby to travel in case injury strikes, he boosted his chances with a dazzling 94 off 88 balls on Saturday.

  Asked if he feels like he has given the selectors a nudge, the 24-year-old said after England’s 48-run win at Trent Bridge: “I don’t know – that’s up to them, I’ve just got to do what I can on the pitch.

  “This was a good start. It’s my first ODI game of the summer, since Bangladesh (in March), and I’m happy with how I’ve started.

  “Hopefully I’ll have another opportunity (in the third and final ODI) on Tuesday and put in another good show.

  “But the World Cup squad has been selected, I’m hoping to score runs in the meantime and if anything comes up then I’ll be ready.”

  A changing of the guard is expected at the end of the World Cup as a number of first-choice, established players are expected to retire from the 50-over format and usher in the next generation.

  Jacks gave a demonstration of what England fans could expect in the next few years as he opened for the first time in ODIs, finding some fluency with some crisp drives and punishing anything short.

  He thumped four sixes but seeking his fifth to bring up a maiden international ton, Jacks instead top-edged George Dockrell to Andy Balbirnie, who settled under a skier a few feet in from the boundary.

  Jacks, though, was unrepentant and signalled his unwavering commitment to the approach to batting that has served England so well in recent years.

  He said: “I would have been more frustrated if I’d have tapped it around, got to 99 and then nicked off, that would have really p****d me off. I’m really happy with how I went about it.

  “You’ve got to keep pushing forward – the state of the game, you can’t just knock it around and think about yourself.

  “Obviously I’m going to think about those six runs and so will some other people watching but the 94 is what counts and the team win is what matters most at the end of the day.”

  Sam Hain took top billing among England’s four debutants with 89 from 82 balls to lift England to 334 for eight but George Scrimshaw had mixed fortunes on his international bow as Ireland subsided to 286, with teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed the pick of the attack with four for 54 in a classy 10 overs.

  Scrimshaw bowled four no-balls in his first over and two in his second, plus a wide, as he leaked 35 in 11 legal deliveries but the seamer showed plenty of character to finish with figures of 8.4-0-66-3.

  Jacks said: “Everyone could see he was pretty down about it. I bowled two no-balls myself. It’s a pretty bad feeling. Especially when you’re on debut, the adrenaline, the emotion.

  “Everyone’s felt it in some way, just for him to be on TV, a global stage, it was a horrible feeling. He came back really well, got three wickets and bowled nicely, which he deserved.”

  England had a combined 38 ODI appearances ahead of this fixture – compared to Ireland’s 720 – but they may find themselves flung together more often so this was a promising glimpse into a potential future.

  After England moved 1-0 up in a three-match series that will conclude in Bristol, Jacks added: “We’ve just come together but we’ve all played together a lot and against each other numerous times, we know how each other plays, we know each other as people so it’s almost like you gel straightaway.

  “We’re just guys who are really relishing playing for England and getting these opportunities while the World Cup squad is away. We’re just loving it.”