Full-back Hugo Keenan insists in-form Ireland must lift their performances “up a notch” as they chase glory at the Rugby World Cup.
The 27-year-old Leinster player has been virtually ever-present since his Test debut just under three years ago and has barely tasted defeat in the green jersey.
Ireland have beaten each of their major rivals in that time, including a historic series success in New Zealand last summer.
Yet Keenan concedes previous statement results count for little as the Six Nations champions seek to substantiate their status as the sport’s top-ranked nation over the coming weeks in France.
“You have to respect all the teams in the competition,” he said.
“I suppose you have to gain a bit of confidence from what we’ve built on in the past by beating the top teams around and let that build your confidence and belief going into it.
“But you can’t take anything for granted. A lot of teams will have improved in this big block they’ve had together, so we’ve got to take it up a notch ourselves.”
View this post on InstagramFormer rugby sevens player Keenan has been victorious in 25 of his 31 caps to date, with just two of the losses coming since the end of the 2021 Six Nations.
International team-mate Iain Henderson last month said Ireland’s new cohort of stars, such as Keenan, Caelan Doris and Dan Sheehan, have made pushing the top teams the “norm”.
Andy Farrell’s side arrived at their training base in Tours on the back of a national record 13 consecutive victories, albeit having failed to hit previous heights during warm-up wins over Italy, England and Samoa.
“Every team is going to have improved and going to have added little bits and pieces to their game,” continued Keenan. “We’ve got to do the same to ours.
“I don’t think we’ve shown our best in the Test games leading up to the World Cup so far. There’s been some good bits, but then a lot of work-ons.
“We’re ready to show an improvement on what’s gone before.”
Farrell’s men begin their campaign on Saturday afternoon against Romania in Bordeaux.
Ireland beat their upcoming opponents at the World Cup in 1999, 2003 and 2015 but have not faced them since the last of those matches – a 44-10 success at Wembley.
Keenan, who was present as a fan when Ireland exited the 2015 tournament with a quarter-final loss to Argentina in Cardiff, is braced for the team ranked 19th in the world to “throw the kitchen sink”.
“I wouldn’t have known too much about them but you have to do your homework on them, you have to get up to speed pretty quickly,” he said.
“We’ve known the schedule of games for a while now so we’ve been able to prepare for this for a bit.
“They’re a big powerful pack, they back their set piece, a few physical boys in the back line as well. It’s going to be a tough challenge. They’re going to throw the kitchen sink at us.”
Topsy Ojo has backed under-pressure England head coach Steve Borthwick to turn his side’s poor form around at the World Cup in France.
England have won just two of their nine fixtures in 2023 and will look to ignite their World Cup bid in their crucial opening Pool D fixture against Argentina on Saturday.
Former London Irish and England player Ojo acknowledged Borthwick’s side have not won enough games of late but insists they have the tools to create an upturn in form.
“There’s definitely a lot of pressure on him (Borthwick) at the minute,” Ojo told the PA news agency.
“He’ll know that he’s not won enough games and the pressure comes down to how well this World Cup goes for him.
“If England don’t get out of the group then the pressure will increase tenfold and people will ask questions.
“I do (have faith in Borthwick and England), especially when I look at what he’s done as a coach and the playing group.
“I think the players will turn up and, having watched them every week in the Premiership, I know what they’re capable of.
“You can see what’s starting to gel on the pitch and as a group under Steve and as they get used to playing with each other over a long period of time, they’ll become more efficient, accurate and will start to take more of what they are creating”.
The former winger earmarked the number eight position as pivotal and called for improved defensive performances after England shipped 53 points to France in March and lost 30-22 to Fiji in their final warm-up game last month.
The ITV pundit highlighted the responsibility of Ben Earl and Lewis Ludlam in England’s opener as Steve Borthwick will be without Billy Vunipola, who picked up a suspension in England’s 29-10 defeat to Ireland in August.
“I think it will be Ben Earl initially or maybe Lewis Ludlam but whoever plays as eight has a huge responsibility in this team,” Ojo added.
“The power and physicality game in rugby is huge and you need your ball carriers to carry 10-15 times a game and make three to five metres every time to put your team on the front foot and gain momentum.
“If England can do that then they have the players and capability to run away with things but if they don’t get parity or dominance in that area then it could be a long day for them.”
“Defensively they need to be doing way better, they’re shipping far too many points and they’ll know that.
“If they are able to defend well and efficiently by ideally turning the ball over early then the momentum they’ll get from that will mean they can go and score points.”
The 38-year-old hailed England’s travelling supporters who will be eager to see them lift their first World Cup since 2003.
“It’s going to be great to see them,” he said.
“We’ll see support in numbers as the energy builds and I think England are very well supported and they are lucky in that regard.”
Argentina’s scrum may lack of the potency of old but Dan Cole insists it remains a significant threat to England’s goal of making a triumphant start to their World Cup.
Two sides who take pride in their forward dominance collide in Pool D’s highest-profile fixture in Marseille on Saturday, with the winners placing one foot into the quarter-finals.
Argentina’s last great scrum was 2015 when feared props Marcos Ayerza and Ramiro Herrera helped them reach the World Cup semi-finals, but more strings have now been added to the Pumas’ bow.
But tighthead prop Cole insists that with his Leicester-mate Julian Montoya present in their front row at hooker, they are still a formidable set-piece unit.
“It’s a force. Whether it’s the force of your (Martin) Scelzos, (Rodrigo) Ronceros and (Mario) Ledesmas….. But you still have Montoya, who I know brilliantly well,” Cole said.
“You look at their team in the Rugby Championship, they’re dangerous. If you have one scrummage where you are not fully focused they will do you damage and get stuck into you.
“They’re a dangerous team and they’ve grown their game in other areas. We know what’s coming up front.
“They love the physical contest. You speak to some of their front five – Tomas Lavanini when he was at Leicester and Montoya – and they relish the physical part of the game.
“Marcos Ayerza could talk for days about the scrum, both the physical and mental aspect of it.
“That’s the tradition of their game, we respect that and we look forward to playing them because that’s the game.”
Cole will be in the front line of resistance to Argentina’s forward assault at the Stade Velodrome as he prepares to take part in his fourth World Cup, either in the number three jersey or as a replacement.
The 36-year-old’s Test career appeared to be over until Steve Borthwick’s arrival as head coach offered a route back and he made his first appearance since the 2019 final in the recent Six Nations.
England’s scrum was overwhelmed by South Africa in Yokohama four years ago and Cole appeared to have paid the price.
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“I didn’t think this would happen but now I’m here and I’m very happy and grateful to be part of it,” Cole said.
“It was a surprise to get the call from Steve because I hadn’t played for England for three years. I’d worked with him at Leicester but he didn’t give anything away.
“After 2019 and what happened in the final, I wouldn’t say it would have been easy to have packed it in, but it would have been easy to just drift.”
Borthwick names his starting XV on Thursday afternoon, with either Will Stuart or Kyle Sinckler joining Cole in the 23.
England’s head coach faces a difficult decision at scrum-half with no clear pick emerging from the trio of Ben Youngs, Danny Care and Alex Mitchell.
Manu Tuilagi is expected to be joined in the centres by either Ollie Lawrence or Joe Marchant, while two of Elliot Daly, Jonny May, Max Malins and Henry Arundell will fill the wing slots.
Jonathan Humphreys wants the Wales forwards to be remembered for accuracy and a relentless approach at the Rugby World Cup.
The Wales pack can expect an immediate test of its capability against opening Pool C opponents Fiji in Bordeaux on Sunday.
While Fiji are renowned for players with dazzling skills, their set-piece game has improved considerably under head coach Simon Raiwalui.
Georgia’s revered forward power awaits Wales in their final group game, with Australia also likely to pose plenty of questions during what will be a fiercely-contested pool.
“We have been working for 16 weeks towards a goal, which is this game,” Wales assistant coach and forwards specialist Humphreys said.
“We’ve tried lots of combinations out and a few different things. Those three (warm-up) games allowed us to do that.
“We are well aware this is the judgement time for us. We feel we are pretty well-prepared and we know what’s coming.
“Two words would be accurate and relentless in everything you do, on the field and off the field.”
Humphreys and his fellow Wales coaches were at Twickenham last month when Fiji claimed a famous 30-22 victory over England.
He added: “I was really impressed with them. They went behind early, came back at them (England) and they have got some incredibly powerful runners who are tough to stop.
“Physically, they are in incredible shape and they are going to be a tough, tough challenge for us.
“They have had five or six warm-up games, and the set-piece is a strength of theirs at the moment.
“We are well aware of what’s coming, we know hopefully what they are about and we have prepared for it.”
Wales boss Warren Gatland has reported a clean bill of health among the 33-strong World Cup squad after a number of players had been sidelined due to knocks.
That list included hookers Dewi Lake (knee) and Ryan Elias (hamstring), while star number eight Taulupe Faletau took no part in the warm-up schedule because of a calf muscle issue.
“In fairness to our medical staff, when they did pick up the injuries the return dates were spot-on really,” Humphreys said. “It has been good to have everyone available for selection.
“We are pretty confident in our ability and what we can achieve. It’s about going out there and doing it, and that is the point we are at right now.
“We are in a good spot. Everybody is a bit on edge, but in a good way, and training this morning was like that. It has been a long time getting here.”
The hot weather in France continues to be a major talking point, with tournament bosses understood to be considering implementing player drinks breaks during games.
Temperatures at Wales’ training base in Versailles have not dipped below 32 degrees this week, while Bordeaux is set to be even warmer.
Wales, though, feel ready for any eventuality, having prepared at punishing training camps in Switzerland and Turkey for the competition.
Prop Dillon Lewis said: “We spent a bit of time in Turkey where it was a fair bit warmer than here.
“It was quite good we got that in the bank early and it allows us to adapt to this a bit quicker, and not affect us as much as it could have done.”
Ireland star Josh van der Flier feels his team-mates have “long forgotten” about his status as World Player of the Year.
The Leinster flanker goes into the Rugby World Cup as the holder of the sport’s ultimate individual prize following a string of stellar performances across 2022.
Van der Flier was on the receiving end of some good-natured jibes in the aftermath of claiming the award ahead of Ireland captain Johnny Sexton, France skipper Antoine Dupont and South Africa’s Lukhanyo Am.
View this post on InstagramThe unassuming 30-year-old admits the recognition gives him further confidence to perform on the biggest stage but says the in-house references and ribbing have ceased.
“It’s long forgotten about now,” he said. “It’s kind of back to normal, I think.
“It was funny for the first while because I couldn’t do anything wrong because I’d just be slated for it.
“It’s normal enough now.
“I suppose if anything it (the award) gives you a bit of confidence, for me anyway, that I can play well at this level. That’s all I get from it now at this stage, I suppose.
“It was a great honour but it feels like a long time ago now.”
Van der Flier was only the third Irishman to receive the award following Keith Wood (2001) and Sexton (2018).
He backed it up by helping Ireland win the Guinness Six Nations grand slam and retain their spot at the top of the world rankings.
View this post on Instagram“It’s a team sport and looking back it’s the success of the team that makes the individuals in a team look good or better,” he said.
“But it’s obviously nice to be in that position coming into a World Cup. You want to be playing your best rugby and hopefully I can try and do that now over the next few weeks.
“I am definitely incredibly excited to get going.”
Ireland begin their campaign on Saturday afternoon against Romania in Bordeaux ahead of further Pool B clashes with Tonga, reigning champions South Africa and Scotland.
Kevin Sinfield has revealed Marcus Smith is still an option at full-back as England look to ignite their attack.
Harlequins fly-half Smith injected energy and creativity into England’s game when appearing as a second-half replacement in the World Cup warm-up fixtures against Ireland and Fiji.
Head coach Steve Borthwick on Thursday names his team to face Argentina in their crucial Pool D opener, with Smith under consideration as support for starting 15 Freddie Steward.
“Marcus is a magician with the ball – step off both feet, quick, can beat the opposition for fun,” defence coach Sinfield said.
“So why not try to give him a bit more time and space than he would typically get at 10, try to get him a little bit wider?
“We have been working on it for some weeks now with him in training. He’s been incredible at the back.
“He embraced it straight away. It was a question that was posed to him. Have you ever played 15? His first answer was ‘No, but I would love to’.
“It would be crazy of us to put Marcus in the team and not try to put the ball in his hands, and give him space to attack. He’s a different attacking threat to Fred.
“Fred is 6ft 4in and 105kg, so he brings a different threat to Marcus when he carries the ball.”
Jonny May has revealed that he confronted Steve Borthwick after his initial omission from England’s World Cup squad drew his “monkey out”.
May was told he would not be part of the 33 travelling to France in advance of the opening warm-up match against Wales in Cardiff yet would need to stay in camp for the three remaining fixtures.
The Gloucester wing was eventually offered his ticket over The Channel when Anthony Watson was ruled out of the tournament by a calf injury and he celebrated his return by touching down against Fiji.
It ended a rollercoaster month for England’s second highest try-scorer that began with him taking refuge in the gym when he had been given the bad news.
“The truth is that on the Monday before Wales, Steve spoke to me and said ‘as it currently stands you’re not playing at the weekend and aren’t in the 33’,” said the 33-year-old, whose son Jaxon was born in May.
“That got my monkey out, I’ll be honest. I was like ‘well what the hell am I doing here this week’. I felt like that in that moment. I’m not going and I’m not playing at the weekend, so why the hell am I here?
“I went to the gym for 10 minutes and then stomped back to him and said I need another chat.
“I said ‘I’m running this by you because maybe I don’t want to be here this week because why am I here? I’ve got my son at home’.
“He said he didn’t want me to go home because I’m next in and it doesn’t look good if you quit now and then have to be called back in.
“So I was like ‘fair enough, that was a good point’. And I’d done this much time now, just calm down and plough on with it. But that was my initial response.
“I was disappointed because I expressed in week one I wanted a game and an opportunity to play.
“It looked like I wasn’t going to get that and I felt like I’d worked hard and played well and trained well. I really wanted it.
“There’s no right or wrong way to tell somebody they’re not in the team and I understand that from Steve’s part. I reacted angrily but rationally.
“I didn’t scream and shout at him, but I’m glad I stayed and then the opportunity came to stay and train and then I calmed down.
“Then I looked at the bigger picture – I’ve done eight weeks away from home, what’s the harm in three more, trying to get a game and hang on in there?
“Then I’d have felt better than if I hadn’t, knowing I’d given it every possible chance.”
May has returned at a troubled time for England as they enter their pivotal World Cup opener against Argentina on the back of a dismal run of form that has produced five defeats in six Tests.
It means the Pumas are rated marginal favourites to triumph in Marseille on Saturday – a position May insists is being embraced by Borthwick’s squad.
“This time, we’re definitely underdogs. We’re still finding our way, we’re still finding our team, we’re still discovering ourselves,” May said.
“People would think Argentina are favourites for the game. People look at us as underdogs and I think people have written us off a little bit.
“We’re embracing that within this group and paying it as much attention as each person wants to, but ultimately focussing on what we’ve got to do, getting tighter as a group and believing a bit more each day.”
Ireland scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park is determined to make the most of his maiden World Cup following his unconventional late rise to Test-level rugby.
New Zealand-born star Gibson-Park was barely on the international radar at the time of the 2019 tournament in Japan, having only just qualified for his adopted nation on residency grounds.
The 31-year-old Leinster player, who represented the Maori All Blacks eight times between 2012 and 2015, had to wait a further year to be handed his debut by head coach Andy Farrell.
He immediately set his sights on a World Cup spot and quickly surpassed Conor Murray as Ireland’s first-choice number nine.
“It will be pretty awesome to get out there and have a run,” said Gibson-Park.
“Obviously a bit of a late bloomer – 31 at my first World Cup. It’s the pinnacle of rugby and you like to test yourself in the toughest environments. I’m looking forward to it.
“As soon as I was in the squad (I was thinking about the World Cup). As a player it’s always something you’re going to target.”
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Gibson-Park gained traction on social media this week by landing an audacious basketball shot from the roof of the team hotel, which was recorded and posted by team-mate Mack Hansen.
Asked how many takes it took, he replied: “The first one, obviously!
“We were there for a while, to be fair. Just messing on Sunday, trying to come up with stuff to do in the hotel and stay out of the heat. A bit of craic.”
Ireland begin their Pool B campaign on Saturday afternoon against Romania in Bordeaux, where Gibson-Park is expected to partner returning captain Johnny Sexton.
Veteran fly-half Sexton is poised for his first competitive appearance in almost six months, having missed Ireland’s three warm-up games through suspension on the back of a groin injury.
“He’s buzzing as you can imagine,” Gibson-Park said of his provincial team-mate.
“He’s been great. Seamlessly back into training like he always does. It will be good to see him back out there.”
Wales boss Warren Gatland has reported a clean bill of health among his World Cup squad heading into the crunch tournament opener against Fiji.
Co-captain Dewi Lake and number eight Taulupe Faletau were among a handful of players who nursed injuries during Wales’ World Cup warm-up Tests.
Number eight Faletau played no part in those fixtures due to a calf muscle problem, while hooker Lake went off after suffering a knee injury during Wales’ defeat against England at Twickenham.
Ryan Elias, Dafydd Jenkins and Gareth Anscombe have also recovered to be available for Sunday’s Pool C clash in Bordeaux.
“The last couple of weeks we’ve had a few niggles – we had eight or 10 players not taking a full part in training,” Gatland said.
“Nothing serious, but just a few bumps. They’ve all been rehabbed and everyone is now fit, which is a positive place for us to be in.
“He (Faletau) has been taking a full part in training for the past three weeks.
“There is no doubt in the first week he was blowing pretty hard in terms of some of the set-piece stuff the boys have been doing for a number of weeks.
“That has taken a little bit of time, but we’ve kept a close eye on his GPS figures and they have been excellent for him.
“Even though he hasn’t been running around, he has done a lot of off-feet conditioning. Some of the work on the side of the pitch is harder than being on the pitch, and he is definitely in contention for the weekend.”
Lake departed during the first half at Twickenham, and the hooker added: “It always plays on your mind when you come off injured 20 minutes into a game.
“I am very grateful to be sat here, to the medical staff who got me through the three weeks at home and the coaching staff for selecting me post-injury.
“A lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to get me ready for this weekend.”
Wales trained amid temperatures of more than 30 degrees on Tuesday, while the forecast for Sunday’s encounter is for 28 degrees at kick-off, even though the game does not start until 9pm local time.
It is understood that World Cup organisers are considering water breaks during the opening round of pool fixtures.
“We would like the ball on the park as often as we could. We think we’re in pretty good shape physically,” Gatland said.
“In terms of that, we are not going to push back on water breaks if that’s what is decided. We won’t be arguing with World Rugby on that decision.”
It will be a fifth successive World Cup for Wales and Fiji to meet in the pool stage, and Sunday’s victors will take a significant step towards the quarter-finals.
Fiji are fresh from an outstanding away victory over England, and they are fancied by many to defeat a Wales side with just three wins from 13 Tests.
“I thought they were excellent at Twickenham,” Gatland added. “They have got some great athletes, we are aware of that.
“They are a lot more structured now as a team than they would traditionally have been in the past.
“We’ve got to impose our game on them as well. We know they are a good side at the moment, and a lot of their side play in Super Rugby and in France as well. It’s going to be an exciting challenge.
“They have always had incredibly world-class individual athletes who could open up a game. But bringing that organisation and structure makes them more dangerous.
“I think from a coaching perspective, the ultimate pinnacle is the World Cup. It’s the one time in international windows that you get full preparation.
“It feels like you’re working with a club side in having a pre-season. We’ve been able to work on a lot of things in the last few months in terms of the detail and putting together a strategy.”
England are ready to start Tom Curry in Saturday’s seismic World Cup opener against Argentina if there are no setbacks in his recovery from an ankle injury.
Curry missed all four warm-up Tests after spraining the joint during training in early August, but is now poised to make his first appearance since the Gallagher Premiership final in May.
The influential 25-year-old is so valuable to England – especially in defence – that they are willing to slot him straight into the back row, most likely at openside flanker.
“It’s great to see Tom out there training, he’s been really good. He’s been excellent,” said defence coach Kevin Sinfield, who revealed the squad has a clean bill of health.
When asked if Curry could be recalled immediately, Sinfield replied: “We’ve got no doubt about that.
“He’s got a number of caps under his belt now and he’s been doing it for years. He can play a number of positions across the back row for us too. We’re delighted he’s available.”
England will need to be armed with every possible string to their bow when they clash with Argentina in Marseille having complied a record of five defeats in six Tests.
Defence has been an alarming area of vulnerability with 30 tries conceded in the nine games since Sinfield took charge as part of Steve Borthwick’s coaching team.
Sinfield pinpoints the recent high injury count, plus the bans issued to Billy Vunipola and Owen Farrell for dangerous tackles last month, as two of the reasons for the malaise.
“It really helps having Tom Curry back available. Some of the suspensions that we’ve had over the last couple of weeks haven’t helped. The back row changes we’ve had to make probably haven’t helped too,” Sinfield said.
“I do see a team here that are improving and getting better. I also understand and I’m very realistic that we’ve not been good enough so far.
“We are working incredibly hard to be better this week and I have complete confidence and belief in the group over where we’re going.
“I’ve seen a very slight change in how we’ve gone about our business this week. We needed to have that change and make that adjustment.
“I have to say I’ve really enjoyed my time with the guys. I’ve not been happy with the results and I’ve not been happy with the tries we’ve conceded, but I understand where we are going.
“We’ve just got to better across the board. I won’t hide or shy away from that. We need to be better across the board in our defence. We missed too many tackles last time out and that’s something we’ve got to rectify.
“I’m firmly in there with the players. I’m accountable, I’m responsible.”
Ireland trio Jack Conan, Dan Sheehan and Dave Kilcoyne have been ruled out of Saturday’s Rugby World Cup opener against Romania in Bordeaux.
Back-rower Conan, who suffered a foot problem against Italy a month ago, was the only member of Andy Farrell’s 33-man squad to sit out training on Tuesday morning.
Hooker Sheehan took part in the session at the team’s training base in Tours but will not be rushed back into action following the foot injury he sustained against England on August 19.
Prop Kilcoyne is returning to fitness following a hamstring issue.
Ireland forwards coach Paul O’Connell said: “Everyone’s going well, there are a few guys still finishing their rehab and they won’t be involved at the weekend.
“But by and large we’re close to a full bill of health.
“Dan and Jack Conan (will not be involved). David Kilcoyne as well is struggling a little bit but should be OK next week.”
England are ready to start Tom Curry in Saturday’s seismic World Cup opener against Argentina if there are no setbacks in his recovery from an ankle injury.
Curry missed all four warm-up Tests after spraining the joint during training in early August, but is now poised to make his first appearance since the Gallagher Premiership final in May.
The influential 25-year-old is so valuable to England – especially in defence – that they are willing to slot him straight into the back row, most likely at openside flanker.
“It’s great to see Tom out there training, he’s been really good. He’s been excellent,” said defence coach Kevin Sinfield, who revealed the squad has a clean bill of health.
When asked if Curry could be recalled immediately, Sinfield replied: “We’ve got no doubt about that.
“He’s got a number of caps under his belt now and he’s been doing it for years. He can play a number of positions across the back row for us too. We’re delighted he’s available.”
England will need to be armed with every possible string to their bow when they clash with Argentina in Marseille having complied a record of five defeats in six Tests.
Defence has been an alarming area of vulnerability with 30 tries conceded in the nine games since Sinfield took charge as part of Steve Borthwick’s coaching team.
Sinfield pinpoints the recent high injury count, plus the bans issued to Billy Vunipola and Owen Farrell for dangerous tackles last month, as two of the reasons for the malaise.
“It really helps having Tom Curry back available. Some of the suspensions that we’ve had over the last couple of weeks haven’t helped. The back row changes we’ve had to make probably haven’t helped too,” Sinfield said.
“I do see a team here that are improving and getting better. I also understand and I’m very realistic that we’ve not been good enough so far.
“We are working incredibly hard to be better this week and I have complete confidence and belief in the group over where we’re going.
“I’ve seen a very slight change in how we’ve gone about our business this week. We needed to have that change and make that adjustment.
“I have to say I’ve really enjoyed my time with the guys. I’ve not been happy with the results and I’ve not been happy with the tries we’ve conceded, but I understand where we are going.
“We’ve just got to better across the board. I won’t hide or shy away from that. We need to be better across the board in our defence. We missed too many tackles last time out and that’s something we’ve got to rectify.
“I’m firmly in there with the players. I’m accountable, I’m responsible.”
Gregor Townsend has called on his Rugby World Cup hopefuls to play their part in ramping up the feelgood factor of a nation in what promises to be a passion-stirring autumn for Scottish sport.
The Scots, who arrived in France on Sunday night, harbour genuine ambitions of going deep into the global showpiece after elevating themselves to fifth in the world rankings. They have never previously gone into a World Cup in a loftier position.
In addition, the buoyant Scottish football team are on the brink of qualifying for only their second major tournament since 1998, with Steve Clarke’s team able to set one foot in Germany for Euro 2024 if they defeat Cyprus this Friday, while Oban’s Bob MacIntyre will become the first Scottish golfer since Stephen Gallacher in 2014 to represent Europe at the Ryder Cup at the end of September.
Townsend knows his team, on the biggest stage in their sport, have a chance to rouse the public back home.
“It’s an exciting few weeks for Scottish sport,” the head coach told the PA news agency. “The football this week, rugby right through September and October, and Bob MacIntyre getting in the Ryder Cup team so we’ve got someone to cheer for.
“There are some massive events, the biggest tournament in our game, one of the biggest ones in golf just round the corner, and you’ve got the football team doing really well.
“It makes everybody who is interested in sport feel better when the team they support are doing well.
“We get a boost when we watch the football team do well and we’re another sporting organisation so I would imagine people that are big supporters of us, it gives them real hope and inspiration and lifts their mood for a day or a week and they can’t wait to get behind the team in the future. That’s certainly the feeling we get from our supporters.”
Townsend, who feels “very privileged” to be leading Scotland to a second consecutive World Cup, is thrilled with the way supporters have rallied behind his team in recent seasons. The head coach hopes his “humble” group of players can strengthen that bond and engage other more casual rugby observers by flourishing in France over the next two months.
“A lot of people say to me, ‘I don’t tend to watch rugby but I watch the Six Nations or the World Cup’,” he said. “I think there’s something about the national team, whether it’s football or rugby, that makes you go, ‘right, I don’t have to be a big supporter of it but I’ll switch it on because I know they’re representing us’.
“We’ve seen it with the crowds we’ve been getting at Murrayfield over the last few years but if we just take the last three home games over the summer, the crowd numbers there before the game were huge.
“They’re there two hours before the game and they stay there afterwards. It’s brilliant. I think there’s a different group of people coming to games.
“Maybe these games were different because they were in the summer but I saw so many families at our last game against Georgia and it was great to see.
“We had three generations of families coming to watch the team. A lot of that is from the way the team is playing but it’s also because of the players as people.
“They are the most humble, open and engaging guys you could coach. I see how much time they spend with supporters and that rubs off.
“If you have a group that is closed, won’t stay for autographs and ignore people who want to chat them, that is going to have an effect on what people think of you, whereas this group are brilliant. I believe that’s a big part of why the people in the country are behind them.”
Steve Borthwick insists England will persist with their current tactics despite entering the World Cup with a losing run that has seen them installed as underdogs for their opener against Argentina.
Five defeats in six Tests have reduced expectations from outside the camp that they will make an impact in the tournament.
Argentina are positioned two places higher in the world rankings and England knows that if they fall again to the side that stormed Twickenham in November, they will have no room for manoeuvre in their remaining Pool D fixtures.
Borthwick’s team have been criticised for their statistics-based gameplan that places a high emphasis on kicking but the head coach insists there is no time to change the approach.
“We always study the tactical elements of what we do. I said when I came in, we need to build a way of playing and to have a consistent base,” Borthwick said.
“You can’t change everything from one week to another week. You need to have a way of playing you can build upon.
“Ideally you start building that post the last World Cup, as most other teams have. You have seen the growth of Ireland and France – these teams who have started building since then. We’re not one of them.
“We’ve been trying to build it over the past six months and in many ways, because the coaching team only came together 10 or 11 weeks ago, we’ve been trying to do this for 10 or 11 weeks.
“What I’ve been trying to do is strengthen the direction we’re going in and trying to get better at it. For us it’s continuing the growth and making the foundations stronger.”
Borthwick is convinced England have the firepower to make an impact at the World Cup.
“I look at this team and see the likes of Ellis Genge, Joe Marler, Owen Farrell, Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje…the list could go on,” Borthwick said.
“We’ve got players who know how to perform on the biggest occasions and that’s one of the central things we need to do this Saturday – perform together.”
“We’re going against a really good Argentina side, potentially the best Argentinian side in their history.
“So we know that’s a challenge but it’s one the boys can’t wait to get involved in.
“I can’t stress enough, coming to Le Touquet, being here – the World Cup’s really now begun. This is it. We are in it.”
France lock Bastien Chalureau has denied accusations he is racist following his controversial call-up for the Rugby World Cup.
The 31-year-old Montpellier player is appealing against a suspended six-month prison sentence for a racially-motivated attack in 2020.
Chalureau, who has six Test caps, was added to Les Bleus’ 33-man squad by head coach Fabien Galthie following the injury withdrawal of Paul Willemse.
“I am not a racist, I do not have those values,” he told a press conference on Monday.
“What I want to say to you is that I confessed to my mistakes, that I paid my debts and I deny all claims about racist remarks.”
While visiting the squad on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron was recorded telling head coach Galthie: “We don’t want the controversy getting out of hand.”
Chalureau, who at times was tearful during his press conference, said France’s coaching staff and management were fully aware of the assault, which led to him leaving former club Toulouse.
“We discussed the matter with the French team staff,” he said.
“They knew from the start, it is an old case and known by a lot of people.
“I wanted to come out in public and address all my team-mates, my family as it does not just affect me.
“I am not a racist, I bring people together. The beauty of rugby is it brings together people from all communities.”
Chalureau made his international debut in November as a late replacement in a 30-26 win over reigning world champions South Africa in Marseille.
Former national team captain Thierry Dusautoir, a friend of one of the victims of the attack, said he has never supported the second-row forward playing for France.
“I’ve always had a problem with him being in the French national team,” Dusautoir told Canal Plus. “I’m aware that I’m not objective in this.”
France begin their home World Cup on Friday evening by hosting New Zealand in Paris.
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