Ireland lived up to their billing as pre-tournament favourites with an emphatic 34-10 bonus-point victory over Wales at the Principality Stadium in the opening game of the 2023 Six Nations.

The visitors, looking to go one better than last year when finishing second to France, led by 24 points at half-time and saw the job through despite dropping off for much of the second period.

Caelan Doris, James Ryan, James Lowe and Josh van der Flier all helped themselves to tries for Ireland, who will face a far sterner test when they host reigning champions France next weekend.

Returning head coach Warren Gatland saw Wales' numerous issues up close in his first game back in charge, with the Dragons now on a four-game losing run in the competition.

Conor Murray's quick pass allowed Doris to cross over inside two minutes and Ireland had a second try soon after when a short tap penalty culminated in Ryan muscling over.

Johnny Sexton's successful conversions had Ireland 14 points up, but Wales elected to take on a penalty – slotted home by Dan Biggar – instead of pushing for a first try. 

Fly-half Sexton wasted no time in restoring Ireland's cushion from the boot, and Ireland were out of sight when Lowe anticipated Biggar's pass and charged 60 metres to score.

Having already kicked over the conversion, Sexton added three more points from another penalty, but Wales did at least show some sort of response early in the second half.

Liam Williams found a gap and dived under the posts soon after the restart, which Biggar converted to see the hosts enjoy a prolonged spell on top for the first time.

But Ireland, who were forced into a late line-up change when Jamison Gibson-Park was replaced by Murray, cruised to victory after Williams was sin-binned for a challenge on Sexton.

Andy Farrell's side put that man advantage to good use as, after wave after wave of attacks, Van der Flier dotted down between the posts to get the bonus points on the board.

Rare Irish win in Cardiff after lightning start

Doris' try with 119 seconds played was the third-quickest in a Six Nations match and set the tone for Ireland, whose 27-point half-time total was their highest ever in this fixture.

Ireland opted for defence over attack in the second half as they became the first away side to prevail in this fixture in 10 attempts, since they last did so in Cardiff in 2013.

Wales woes continue despite return of Warren

Gatland's return to the hot seat did not quite have the instant impact Wales fans would have hoped, with the Dragons having now lost four Six Nations games in a row.

Wales had previously won seven on the spin in the competition under Gatland, who returned to the role to replace Wayne Pivac in December, but already their title hopes are looking slim.

What's next?

Ireland have a huge showdown with France in Dublin next Saturday, with that potentially a showdown for the title. Wales travel to Scotland for their next outing in a week's time.

There was late disruption for Ireland as Jamison Gibson-Park and Cian Healy were ruled out of their Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday.

Scrum-half Gibson-Park and prop Healy missed out due to injury, forcing head coach Andy Farrell to make late changes.

The vastly experienced Conor Murray replaced Gibson-Park in the number nine shirt at the Principality Stadium.

Craig Casey and Dave Kilcoyne were drafted in to take their places on the bench in Cardiff.

Ireland, the top-ranked side in the world, also this week lost key man Tadhg Furlong to injury ahead of their first match of the tournament.

France will begin their quest to become the first side in six years to retain the Six Nations when they travel to perennial wooden spoon winners Italy on Sunday.

Les Blues ended a 12-year wait to get their hands back on the trophy last year, doing so in style as they claimed a Grand Slam with a perfect five wins from five.

Italy also ended last year's tournament on a high as they broke a 36-game losing run with victory in Wales and are now out to avoid finishing bottom for the first time since 2015.

While France may be reigning champions and in good form, Ireland are top of the world rankings and are many people's favourites to go one better than last year by finishing top.

Up first for Andy Farrell's Ireland side is a trip to Wales, who are in action for the first time since Warren Gatland replaced Wayne Pivac on the back of some alarming results last year.

England also have a new head coach in Steve Borthwick, who replaced Eddie Jones in December, with his first test a mouth-watering Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland.

Ahead of the opening round of action, Stats Perform previews each match with help from Opta.

WALES V IRELAND

FORM

Wales' loss to Italy was their third in a row in the Six Nations – only once since the start of 2008, at the end of their 2020 campaign, have they endured a longer winless run – but Gatland's return has provided fresh hope.

The Dragons won their last seven on the bounce in the championship under Gatland, who landed three Grand Slams in his previous 12-year spell in charge before stepping down in 2019.

Ireland have won seven of their past eight games in the tournament, winning the past three of those by margins of at least 17 points and conceding just one try in total.

However, the away team have not come out on top in any of the past nine Six Nations encounters between these sides, with the nations sharing four wins each over that period and one draw.

ONES TO WATCH

Wales are without the injured Leigh Halfpenny, meaning Liam Williams will start at full-back, but they have plenty of other familiar and experienced faces in their starting line-up – George North among them.

He is one try short of matching Shane Williams' record haul of 23 for Wales in the Six Nations, and behind only Brian O'Driscoll (26) of all players in the tournament's history.

Plenty of eyes will be on Johnny Sexton in what will be his final Six Nations campaign, but Ireland have many other players for Wales to concern themselves with.

James Lowe, returning from a calf injury that ruled him out of the November fixtures, will be looking to push on from last year when he finished level with Damian Penaud and Gabin Villiere as the joint-highest try scorer with three.

ENGLAND V SCOTLAND

FORM

Jones may have bowed out with the best win rate of any England head coach (73 per cent), but the Red Rose won just two of their final five home matches under the now-Australia boss – not since November 2008 have they had a longer winless run at Twickenham.

With former skipper Borthwick now at the helm as head coach, England are aiming to avoid losing their opening fixture in the tournament for a fourth year running, following a streak of five successive round-one wins.

Scotland have a far better recent record on the opening weekend than their opponents, having won four of their past six such matches, including the past two in a row – both against England.

Indeed, Scotland have lost just one of their past five Calcutta Cup clashes, having lost each of the previous seven. A victory on enemy territory this weekend will make it three wins in a row for the first time since 1972.

ONES TO WATCH

Manu Tuilagi's absence will be felt by England, who have handed a debut to wing Ollie Hassell-Collins, but Joe Marchant will add pace alongside exciting Harlequins team-mate Marcus Smith.

Smith was the top points-scorer in last year's Six Nations (71) and also registered over twice as many running metres as any other fly-half in the tournament (412), as well as beating more defenders than anyone other number 10 (10).

Hamish Watson is not ready for a return to the Scotland side this weekend in a blow for coach Gregor Townsend. The 31-year-old was one of just three players to make 50 or more tackles without missing one in the 2022 edition (70), along with team-mate Grant Gilchrist and Ireland's Caelan Doris (both 53).

Gilchrist is available, though, and he resumes a partnership with Richie Gray in the second row that impressed during Scotland's November internationals.

ITALY V FRANCE

FORM

The signs of improvement were clear to see from an Italy perspective in 2022 as they picked up a first win in the tournament since 2015 and then beat Australia for the first time ever in November's Test.

The Azzurri have now won five of their past seven Tests, as many as they had won in their previous 36 combined, but they have not won at home in the Six Nations since 2013 and have won back-to-back games in the championship just twice previously.

France enter the competition boasting a team-record 13-match winning run after winning every game in a calendar year for the first time in 2022. They were not always at their best towards the end of the year, though, with three of their past four wins coming by margins of five points or fewer.

Les Blues have won their opening match in each of their past four campaigns as reigning champions, which does not bode well for an Italy side who have won only two of their 23 Six Nations home matches against this weekend's opponents.

ONES TO WATCH

Italy are without the pace and power of Monty Ioane after he returned to Australia and became unavailable for selection in this championship. No player made more line breaks (seven), beat more defenders (21), completed more offloads (eight) and made more dominant tackles (seven) than Ioane in last year's Six Nations.

The Azzurri still have Pierre Bruno and Ange Capuozzo at their disposal, with the latter impressing on his tournament bow in 2022 en route to winning World Rugby's men's Breakthrough Player of the Year award.

Even with the likes of regular starters Jonathan Danty and Cameron Woki ruled out, France still boast a number of top-class talents in their squad.

Gregory Alldritt, who will combine with Charles Ollivon and Anthony Jelonch in the back row, made more carries than any other player in last year's tournament (65) and was one of two players, along with team-mate Julien Marchand (50), to hit 50 or more defensive rucks with 59.

France coach Fabien Galthie has handed a debut to winger Ethan Dumortier for Sunday's Six Nations opener against Italy.

Les Bleus head to Rome for the first game of their title defence, after they completed the Grand Slam last year.

Dumortier, 22, is Lyon's top try scorer in the Top 14 this season and his fine form has seen him make Galthie's selection in the place of Gabin Villiere, who sustained a fractured fibula.

With Jonathan Danty also injured, Gael Fickou and Yoram Moefana have been named as centres. Damian Penaud will play on the right wing, with Dumortier on the opposite flank.

Romain Ntamack and captain Antoine Dupont will be paired together in the halves, while Nolann Le Garrec could make his debut from the bench.

"We finished second twice in a row before winning it with a Grand Slam but our journey is not finished," Galthie said in a press conference on Friday.

"We are going to get better because our team has not yet reached the age of maturity."

Italy have also confirmed their starting XV. They won five Tests across 2022 – a 45 per cent win ratio, their highest in a calendar year since 2007, and their best in a non-Rugby World Cup year since 1998. That included their first ever victory over Australia.

The Azzurri took the wooden spoon in last year's Six Nations, though did end a run of 36 straight defeats in the tournament by defeating Wales.

Full-back Ange Capuozzo impressed on his Six Nations bow last year, going over twice against Scotland. 

Capuozzo went on to be named World Rugby's men's Breakthrough Player of the Year, and he gets a start against Les Bleus.

Monty Ioane's injury is a blow for coach Kieran Crowley, who has named Tommaso Menoncello and Pierre Bruno on the flanks.

Michele Lamaro will captain the side – he made 86 tackles in last year's Six Nations, 16 more than second-best Hamish Watson. 

Italy team: Ange Capuozzo, Pierre Bruno, Juan Ignacio Brex, Luca Morisi, Tommaso Menoncello, Tommaso Allan, Stephen Varney; Lorenzo Cannon, Michele Lamaro, Sebastian Negri, Federico Ruzza, Niccolo Cannon, Simone Ferrari, Giacomo Nicotera, Danilo Fischetti.

Italy replacements: Luca Bigi, Federico Zani, Pietro Ceccarelli, Edoardo Iachizzi, Giovanni Pettinelli, Manuel Zuliani, Alessandro Fusco, Edoardo Padovani.

France team: Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Yoram Moefana, Ethan Dumortier, Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont; Gregory Alldritt, Charles Ollivon, Anthony Jelonch, Paul Willemse, Thibaud Flament, Uini Atonio, Julien Marchand, Cyril Baille.

France replacements: Gaetan Barlot, Reda Wardi, Sipili Falatea, Romain Taofifenua, Thomas Lavault, Sekou Macalou, Nolan Le Garrec, Matthieu Jalibert.

Steve Borthwick has left Manu Tuilagi out of his first team as England coach for the Six Nations opener against Scotland on Saturday.

Borthwick has made eight changes to the team from Eddie Jones' final game in charge against South Africa in November.

Joe Marchant has been selected at outside centre, while Marcus Smith and captain Owen Farrell are also named for the game at Twickenham.

Jamie George has come through return to play protocols to be selected at hooker.

Uncapped Ollie Hassell-Collins is one of the more surprising inclusions, while Dan Cole is named on the bench, having not played for England since the 2019 World Cup final.

After announcing the team, Borthwick detailed Tuilagi's reaction to the news, telling reporters: "Manu was the incredible professional that he is.

"We spoke, I told him what I decided selection wise... and we shook hands, and then he went and trained really hard and that reaction is testimony to him and his character and not just him but of several players in that way and ultimately what we want to build here.

"We want to build a team that is not simply about selection. It's a team that is building and going forward to try and get wins for England, which means you've got to train hard every day."

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend will hand Luke Crosbie his third cap as the Edinburgh flanker was named alongside Matt Fagerson and captain Jamie Ritchie in the back row.

Ben White will feature at scrum-half, while Kyle Steyn has been given the nod to replace the injured Darcy Graham at right wing.

Stuart Hogg has recovered from a heel injury to start at full-back, while Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones are named in midfield.

England team: Freddie Steward, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Owen Farrell, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt.

Replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Ben Earl, Ben Youngs, Ollie Lawrence, Anthony Watson.

Scotland team: Stuart Hogg, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, WP Nel, Richie Gray, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie, Luke Crosbie, Matt Fagerson.

Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, Simon Berghan, Jonny Gray, Jack Dempsey, George Horne, Blair Kinghorn, Chris Harris.

Andy Farrell has been able to call on Johnny Sexton to captain Ireland in their Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday.

Sexton, who is set to participate in his final Six Nations ahead of retirement later this year, was a doubt for the tournament after undergoing surgery on a cheek injury last month.

But the 37-year-old has recovered and was named skipper for the clash at the Principality Stadium, where the roof will be closed at Ireland's request.

Jamison Gibson-Park will partner Sexton in the backs.

Prop Tadhg Furlong is not fit to play due to a calf injury, with Finlay Bealham starting in his place, while Robbie Henshaw is also absent.

Stuart McCloskey has been picked ahead of Bundee Aki in Henshaw's position and is set for his first Six Nations appearance since 2016.

There was bad news for Wales on the injury front on Wednesday, with Leigh Halfpenny – who had been given the nod at full-back by Warren Gatland – withdrawing after suffering a back spasm.

Liam Williams will start in Halfpenny's stead, despite concerns over his own fitness after a string of injuries.

Ireland team: Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, James Lowe, Johnny Sexton, Jamison Gibson Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Peter O'Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.

Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Tom O'Toole, Iain Henderson, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Ross Byrne, Bundee Aki.

Vern Cotter has resigned as Fiji head coach seven months ahead of the Rugby World Cup, saying he was "disappointed to be leaving".

Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) announced it had accepted Cotter's resignation, saying the former Scotland coach had chosen to go "with immediate effect due to personal reasons".

Fiji are due to face Wales, Australia, Portugal and Georgia in World Cup Pool C at the September-October tournament in France.

An FRU statement added: "FRU takes this opportunity to thank Vern Cotter for his services to Fiji Rugby and the Flying Fijians. FRU has begun the process to recruit a new Flying Fijians coach that will take the Team 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. FRU wishes Vern Cotter all the best in his future career."

In a press conference, team officials said a successor to 61-year-old Cotter would be brought in by the end of February.

New Zealander Cotter joined Fiji in January 2020, with a view to leading the team into the World Cup.

He said: "I feel the team has made some significant improvements over the last few years both on and off the field. I believe we built a great culture, which was testament to some good people working hard and enjoying each other's company and I'm disappointed to be leaving at this time."

The 2022 Six Nations may have proved to be a battle between the haves (France and Ireland) and the have-nots (England, Scotland, Wales and Italy), but this year's tournament is expected to be a far tighter affair.

France ended a 12-year wait for the title last time around, while claiming a record-equalling fourth Grand Slam, and they will fancy their chances of coming out on top again this year ahead of hosting the Rugby World Cup in September.

Ireland, who narrowly missed out to Les Blues 11 months ago, will have plenty to say about that as they look to continue building the momentum that saw them record a famous series win over New Zealand and climb to the top of the world rankings.

Both nations, ranked as they are as the world's top two as we edge closer to the World Cup, will very much have a target on their backs as the other contenders look to lay down a marker.

It is a time of change for England and Wales, who have brought in Steve Borthwick and Warren Gatland respectively on the back of disappointing campaigns last time out, with this year's Six Nations representing a first opportunity to see their sides in action.

While Italy would often be a side note heading into the competition – justifiably given they have finished bottom in each of the past seven editions – they ended a long-running winless streak with victory over Wales last year, which they followed up with a win against Australia three months ago.

And don't forget Scotland, who themselves came close to a historic win against New Zealand in November and finished level on points with fierce rivals England in last year's Six Nations.

Unfavourable fixtures for France

France are looking to do something not achieved since England in 2017 in retaining the Six Nations title, while not since 1998 – prior to Italy joining to make it a six-team tournament – has a nation won successive Grand Slam crowns, with Les Blues themselves the last to do so.

Despite being reigning champions and in great form with 13 wins in a row, even those with strong French ties are wary of the threat a strong Ireland side pose.

"I don't want to downplay it at all, but we're not the best team in the world – Ireland are, and that's just a fact," 47-cap former France international Ben Keyser told Stats Perform.

"We are title holders, but we've fallen on our faces previously when we've entered the tournament as favourites. This year we've got to go to Ireland and England, so it's going to be a really tough year for France."

That trip to Irish capital Dublin in the second round may yet prove to be a showdown for the championship, as it was last year when the only blemish for Andy Farrell's men was a defeat in Paris.

It must be remembered, however, that Ireland were also top of the world rankings heading into the 2019 World Cup, when they suffered defeat to Japan in the pool phase before being knocked out by New Zealand in the quarter-finals.

'Wales way behind'

Before thoughts can turn to that huge match with France, and indeed the World Cup even further down the line, Ireland first have an away trip to Wales in what will present a chance to lay down a marker in their bid to land a first Six Nations title since 2018.

On the back of Gatland's shock return as Wales boss following the sacking of Wayne Pivac, though, all of a sudden Saturday's curtain-raising clash at the Principality Stadium looks nowhere near as clear-cut to predict.

"A month or two ago I'd have said that's going to be a tough one because it's Cardiff, but Wales are in a bit of disarray and it's hard to see how they're going to beat this Ireland," former Ireland and British and Irish Lions hooker Rory Best told Stats Perform.

"But all of a sudden there's a change at the helm and all of a sudden you're a lot more worried about this game in Cardiff. You know their style of play and you know Gatland will make them hard to beat. That makes this a potential banana skin for Ireland."

Former Ireland boss Gatland needs no introducing, having won the Six Nations four times during his previous 12-year stint in charge of Wales, three of those as Grand Slam winners.

Indeed, he has been involved in 60 Six Nations games during his time with Ireland and Wales, which is the same tally as the other five head coaches in this year's championship combined.

That experience and ability to get the best out of a squad will come in handy for Wales as they attempt to recover from a terrible 2022 that saw them lose at home to Italy and Georgia.

Making the leap from fifth to first is likely to be out of the question, but exactly what would represent a positive campaign for Wales with one eye on the upcoming World Cup?

"Third. Coming third would be good," Wales great and former skipper Sam Warburton told Stats Perform. "That sounds really defeatist because normally you'd always aim to win it, or finish second, but I'm being realistic.

"Ireland and France are putting on displays which have had four or five years of groundwork. Wales are coming into the tournament not entirely fresh, but pretty close to that. So naturally they're way behind where those teams are in their cycle."

Borthwick to get the best out of England?

Finishing third would be a case of 'best of the rest' when up against the world's top two sides, but recently appointed England head coach Borthwick will quietly be hoping to challenge for the title.

Unlike Gatland, this will be Borthwick's first taste of Six Nations action as a head coach, though he did play 25 times in the championship as a player, 10 of those as captain of his country.

While Eddie Jones' tenure turned sour, his sacking on the back of a tough autumn campaign still came as somewhat of a surprise, but the now-Australia boss still departed with the best record of any England head coach.

Indeed, Jones won the Grand Slam in his first Six Nations campaign in charge in 2016, so there is recent precedent there for Borthwick – who previously worked as Jones' right-hand man – to follow.

In the view of former captain Chris Robshaw, the Red Rose have plenty to be optimistic about with Borthwick at the helm.

"Steve coming in is a brilliant appointment," Robshaw told Stats Perform. "You just look at the team he's created around him, such as Kevin Sinfield in defence, and the change in mindset. 

"I think they've got a fantastic team and a group that's in a nice age bracket, with a couple of younger players who can add some spark and bring some life back into the side. What I'm seeing and hearing are good messages with a lot of excitement."

'Toughest Six Nations yet'

Not for the first time, Scotland head into the Six Nations with a rather big question mark over their head. As ever, consistency will be the key if they are to better last year's fourth-place finish.

The additions of Ben Healy and Ruaridh McConnochie, who previously represented Ireland and England respectively, will provide some welcome depth for Gregor Townsend to choose from in possibly his final campaign in charge.

Both men may feature in a blockbuster opener for Scotland at Twickenham, where they picked up a first win since 1983 on their most recent visit, albeit with that game held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Saturday's Calcutta Cup contest may well provide a better indication of exactly what the aim is for Scotland this time around.

"You never really know what to expect from them and that's exciting," Robshaw added. "That's why the Six Nations is brilliant, because anyone can beat anyone. It's why every day you have to be on it; if you're not you lose a game by the bounce of a ball and all of a sudden you're playing catch up.

"I think this year is going to be the toughest Six Nations yet. I don't think it'll be a Grand Slam year."

Robshaw will certainly not be alone in predicting a non-Grand Slam year, with teams expected to take points off each other, but what about at the other end of the table?

Perennial Wooden Spoon 'winners' Italy have finished bottom in every edition since 2016, but their aforementioned wins over Wales – ending a 36-game losing run in the competition – and Australia last year sent out quite the message.

Having avoided losing all five games for the first time in seven years last time around, the aim for the Azzurri now is to finish above one of the other five nations.

It all paves the way for what could be the best Six Nations in a number of years – certainly since the most recent World Cup – as new eras begin and some perhaps edge towards their pinnacle ahead of the Rugby World Cup in seven months' time.

A good Six Nations run is not imperative for England and Steve Borthwick, with Chris Robshaw suggesting it will have no bearing on their World Cup fortunes.

Former Leicester boss Borthwick will take charge of the national team for the first time since succeeding Eddie Jones in this weekend's opener with Scotland.

It marks the start of a five-match run that will serve as England's only competitive preparation ahead of September's showpiece tournament in France.

But former captain Robshaw does not feel the team need to ace their Six Nations campaign in order to bolster their prospects later this year.

"It is important, but it is not the be all and end all," Robshaw told Stats Perform. "The World Cup is a separate tournament.

"Of course you want to win, and you want to play well now, but you've still got another four or five months before that.

"I think when South Africa won it back in 2007, they were pretty awful in their build-up.

"You want to be confident going in, but it's not everything."

England head into the Six Nations as underdogs, with France and Ireland the leading favourites to take the title in March.

Robshaw feels there is still a successful campaign to be had, however, pointing to the growth and experience they will develop alongside Borthwick.

"They need to hit the ground running against Scotland," he added. "First and foremost, they need to do that.

"From an output point of view, if they could win [against] Scotland and Italy, and then nick one of the Ireland or France games, I think that will be viewed as a very successful campaign.

"This is a growing squad. It is a new group, but I think it's a great combination of a team [with] huge excitement, experience and a well-balanced coaching staff."

Leigh Halfpenny is set to start for Wales in the Six Nations opener against Ireland on Saturday as Liam Williams missed out.

Halfpenny has been given the nod at full-back for the first match of Warren Gatland's second spell as Wales head coach at the Principality Stadium.

The 35-year-old will be monitored after sitting out training on Tuesday morning due to a hip issue, but is in line to make his first international start since 2021.

Williams will play no part in Cardiff this weekend as he builds up his fitness after being sidelined by injuries.

Centre Joe Hawkins will make his Six Nations debut at inside centre partnering George North in midfield after making his Test bow against Australia last year.

Dan Biggar returns at fly-half, with Tomos Williams starting at scrum-half against the top-ranked side in the world. 

Asked about Halfpenny's selection and the absence of Liam Williams, Gatland said: "He [Williams] trained today.

"Leigh Halfpenny has a little bit of a tight hip, so we kept him out of this morning's session. He'll train this afternoon so just making sure he didn't double up on that.

"Liam hasn't had a lot of rugby. He had the knock and then the finger injury, so he didn't take part in training last week. We just want to give him some more training time with the team.

"Obviously, if something does happen to Leigh, we'll make a decision with what happens to that. We had everyone fit and available for selection, but we had some players with bumps and knocks who didn't take part in training last week.

"That was some of our thinking there. We just want some more training time under his belt. There's no doubt Liam will feature at some point."

Wales team: Leigh Halfpenny, Josh Adams, George North, Joe Hawkins, Rio Dyer, Dan Biggar, Tomos Williams; Gareth Thomas, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones, Jac Morgan, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau.

Replacements: Scott Baldwin, Rhys Carre, Dillon Lewis, Dafydd Jenkins, Tommy Reffell, Rhys Webb, Owen Williams, Alex Cuthbert.

Eddie Jones warned "I'm not the messiah" after starting his second spell as Australia head coach but believes they can win the Rugby World Cup.

Jones was sensationally appointed as Wallabies boss in early January after being sacked as England head coach.

He replaced Dave Rennie eight months before the World Cup starts in France, taking up a role he previously held between 2001 and 2005.

Jones signed a deal until 2027 and started work on Sunday, a day before his 63rd birthday.

The vastly experienced Jones is aiming high, but says he has no magic wand to wave as he strives to make Australia a force again.

He said during a press conference on Tuesday: "I'm thrilled to be back home in Australia and couldn't think of a better place to come back to than here in the heart of Sydney's grassroots.

"It's imperative we win the hearts and minds of young Australians and to get them playing rugby and supporting their national teams.

"I think I made the point that I'm not the messiah, everyone's in this together. Sometimes you just need someone to beat the drum.

"And that gets everyone walking a bit faster. And maybe that's the role at the moment. But as we go forward, it's going to be about everyone working together."

Jones expects his side to show "traditional Australian digger spirit" as they will require more than talent alone to win the World Cup.

"I reckon we've got to draw a line in the sand and where we've been and work out where we want to go ... then everyone needs to roll their sleeves up," the former Japan head coach said.

"We can't do it by ourselves. We need everyone in the rugby community to find a bit more, and they can. There's plenty of people who love rugby when the Wallabies win, so we're going to win, but we need them to maybe help start it."

He added: "There's plenty of talented players, but talent doesn't win World Cups.

"What wins World Cups and wins hearts of people are teams that play with that same spirit the Ellas [Mark, Glen and Gary Ella] had, being aggressive and playing with a certain panache.

"We want to play tough. You want to win those tight games by one or two points, and that's the traditional Australian digger spirit. We want that in the team."

Uncapped hooker Tom Stewart has been called up to the Ireland squad ahead of their Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday.

Stewart has joined up with the squad in Portugal after Ronan Kelleher sustained a hamstring injury.

Ulster forward Stewart will provide cover while Kelleher is assessed as the top-ranked team in the world prepare to face Wales at the Principality Stadium this weekend.

Former Under-20 international Stewart played for Emerging Ireland in wins over the Griquas and the Cheetahs last year.

He was also involved in preparations for a clash between Ireland 'A' and an All Blacks XV two months ago.

Andy Farrell's side will continue to train in the in Quinta do Lago before flying to Cardiff two days before locking horns with Warren Gatland's men in the first match of the tournament.

Campbell Johnstone hopes that coming out as gay will help others within New Zealand's sporting community.

Johnstone, who played three times for the All Blacks, including in a Test series against the British and Irish Lions in 2005, confirmed he was gay on a current affairs television programme on Monday.

He is the first openly gay player to have been involved within the All Blacks set-up. 

"If I open up that door and magically make that closet disappear, then we're going to help a lot of people," said Johnstone.

"I pushed that side of me down deeper and deeper. I went to some interesting places."

In an interview credited to TVNZ, Johnstone expressed his hope that him becoming the first All Black to come out might help others feel more comfortable in their own skin.

"If I can be the first All Black that comes out as gay and take away the pressure and the stigma that comes with that issue then it can actually help other people.

"Yes, it is [a big thing], to be able to do that could possibly be one of the final pieces of the puzzle for New Zealand sports."

The ex-Crusaders player also said he had been "living a lie".

New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson, who played alongside Johnstone at Canterbury, commended his old team-mate's strength and courage.

"On behalf of the New Zealand rugby community and as a former team-mate, I want to acknowledge and support Campbell for sharing his authentic story. Your strength and visibility will pave the way for the others in our game," said Robinson.

"Rugby is a sport that is welcoming to everyone and a place where people should feel safe to be who they are.

"We know that there are people who have not always been comfortable to be who they are in rugby. We want to be clear, no matter who you love, rugby has your back."

Henry Slade has withdrawn from the England squad for their Six Nations opener against Scotland on February 4.

New head coach Steve Borthwick confirmed his 36-man selection for the Calcutta Cup on Sunday, with Slade left out after suffering a hip injury in Exeter Chief's European Champions Cup game against Castres last week.

Jamie George has overcome a head injury to make the squad, as has Anthony Watson (leg) after he featured for Leicester Tigers against Northampton Saints on Saturday.

After confirming the squad, Borthwick said: "This is a very important week for us as we prepare for our first game against Scotland.

"We know that Scotland are an excellent side with a great coaching team led by Gregor Townsend. They're a settled squad who have been together a long time and have dominated this fixture in recent seasons.

"They will be coming to Twickenham full of confidence.

"We know we have a lot of work to do. The team trained very hard last week and are ready to go again this week. We can't wait to run out at Twickenham again in front of our incredible supporters."

It was also confirmed that Slade and vice-captain Courtney Lawes will continue rehab work within the camp during the week.

England squad to face Scotland

Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Tom Dunn, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Jonny Hill, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Sam Simmonds, Kyle Sinckler, Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis

Backs: Owen Farrell, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Dan Kelly, Ollie Lawrence, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Jack van Poortvliet, Anthony Watson, Ben Youngs

Bernard Laporte resigned as president of the French Rugby Federation on Friday as his hopes of returning to power in time for the Rugby World Cup crumbled.

The former France head coach stepped back from his latest position with the federation (FFR) in December after being given a two-year suspended prison sentence and a €75,000 fine for corruption.

He denied wrongdoing and intends to appeal against his court punishments, which meant the FFR did not immediately oust Laporte and instead decided to render him effectively powerless pending the attempt to clear his name.

Sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera called for Laporte to go in December, however, and he chose to permanently step down in the wake of clubs this week voting against his choice of president-delegate, Patrick Buisson.

Around 2,000 clubs took part in the vote, with 51.06 per cent saying they did not approve of Laporte proposing Buisson for the interim role.

The Rugby World Cup gets under way in France in September, and Laporte, president since 2016, had appeared eager to be back in charge of the FFR by then.

Les Bleus won the Grand Slam last year, and Laporte departs just eight days before the 2023 Six Nations begins.

Reports said Laporte delivered news of his resignation to the FFR executive committee on Friday morning at a meeting in Marcoussis, on the outskirts of Paris.

Oudea-Castera later told reporters: "I can give you confirmation of the resignation of Bernard Laporte. I welcome this decision, it was necessary at the end of this consultation in which the clubs were massively mobilised.

"The ethics committee played its role of supervision in this time of consultation which went well with dignified debates. Bernard Laporte drew the conclusions, which is a good thing for French rugby, its values ​​and the future."

Laporte stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of World Rugby within hours of his conviction in December, which also saw him banned from rugby involvement for two years pending the outcome of any appeal.

Laporte was released without charge on Tuesday of this week after being detained as part of a tax fraud investigation.

His lawyer, Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi, told the AFP news agency that Laporte had "neither been accused of having defrauded nor of having received any money".