Tom Curry has been pushing himself through a punishing training regime to ensure he is ready to face Samoa in England’s final World Cup group match.

Curry has played less than three minutes of the tournament in France after being sent off in the opener for a dangerous tackle against Argentina, resulting in a two-match suspension.

It continued his challenging start to the Steve Borthwick era, having missed the entire Six Nations and build-up campaign to the World Cup because of injury.

Now poised to make his comeback against Samoa on October 7, the squad’s most influential player in defence has been defying the instructions of England’s fitness guru Aled Walters to perfect his conditioning.

“Tom is a unique player in that I don’t think I’ve ever come across anyone so fit, or so willing to work hard and put himself through pain,” scrum coach Tom Harrison said.

“He just seems to be able to enjoy it and keep going. There was a conditioning session the other day where he finished his reps and Aled Walters was shouting at him, ‘Get out, get out’. And he just carried on running.

“He just stayed in and carried on running. And when he did finally decide it was time for time for him to get out, he left the drill and Ellis Genge started hammering him for leaving the drill! And you just saw him getting so angry about it!

“He is in phenomenal shape. He has been brilliant. Unfortunately he was suspended, but he was brilliant by not going, ‘Oh I’m suspended for these two games’. Instead he went, ‘How can I help England win?’.

“And the work he was doing to help make training hard and difficult for the guys playing, and also the work he was doing with the back rows, to add his experience and his knowledge to our team meetings has been exceptional.”

Ireland fly-half Jack Crowley joked about spending his well-earned days off in Disneyland following the fairytale of sealing his country’s statement Rugby World Cup win against South Africa.

Test rookie Crowley capped a thrilling 13-8 victory over the reigning champions by calmly slotting a crucial late penalty after stepping off the bench to replace captain Johnny Sexton at Stade de France.

The 23-year-old was visiting Paris for the first time and had the chance to remain in the French capital for a brief escape from reality ahead of a turning his attention to a pivotal Pool B finale against Scotland on October 7.

Crowley, who expects the Scots to be “gunning” for Ireland, could not resist a light-hearted quip at the expense of his diminutive team-mate Craig Casey and some of the senior members of Andy Farrell’s squad, including 38-year-old Sexton, as he humorously imagined a group theme park visit.

“We have a few days off to recover because it has been a few intense weeks,” he said.

“(I’m going to) take it easy. Disneyland Paris! We have to get a pass for Craig though. There’s a few old-age pensioners as well. Yeah, maybe Disneyland, we’ll see.

“We go back in on Wednesday and the preparation begins for Scotland.

“I suppose they are going to grow throughout the competition, aren’t they?

“We have come against them in the Six Nations and they have been one the toughest competitors because of the way they play.

“Our eyes are firmly on them. I’m sure they will be gunning for us.”

Ireland led South Africa by just two points for the majority of a tense final quarter of Saturday’s epic encounter.

In front of massive Irish support, Crowley nailed a nerveless 77th-minute kick on the occasion of his eighth cap to alleviate mounting pressure before a heroic defensive effort secured success.

The Munster player revealed team-mate James Lowe was audibly counting down the seconds on the shot clock ahead of the conversion to eat into the time the Springboks would have to hit back.

He described the physicality of a bruising contest as “through the walls”, while playing down his “nice easy penalty” on an evening when the opposition’s wayward goal-kicking proved costly.

Speaking of his key contribution, which came four seconds inside the permitted time, Crowley said: “(It was) pretty special.

“When you’re sitting on the bench looking up at the clock as the time is dwindling away, you see the magnitude grow larger.

“It was a proper Test match. The physicality was through the walls.

“When you’re coming on you’ve got to know the magnitude of the game and the responsibility.

“I got a nice easy penalty in front of the posts. If I’d missed that I think you’d be saying a different story to me. But that’s the gig.”

While Ireland have a weekend off, South Africa face Tonga on Sunday with work to do.

Crowley suggested the world’s top two teams could meet again in the final at the end of next month.

“They’re a World Cup-winning side because they disrupt team’s plans,” he said.

“They play rugby the way they want to play and that’s how they won a World Cup just by doing that.

“We knew since we played them in November last year (a 19-16 win for Ireland) just what a challenge this was going to be.

“You’ve got to trust your plan and as a coaching staff and players we all bought into it and thankfully in the end we got the result but it’s not easy.

“And I’m sure we won’t see the last of them in the competition.”

Kyle Sinckler admits his relief at winning a race against time to be fit for England’s World Cup having succeeded in convincing Steve Borthwick that his body would not let him down.

Sinckler tore the pectoral muscle in his chest during the build-up to the final warm-up Test against Fiji in August, plunging his participation in France 2023 into doubt.

It resulted in veteran Dan Cole rolling back the years to start the opener against Argentina at tighthead prop and, eight days later, Sinckler’s promise to his head coach was honoured when he was given the all clear to face Japan.

“For me there’s a massive amount of appreciation and gratitude to be back out there because it was kind of touch and go,” the 30-year-old Bristol front row said.

“The scan came back and it didn’t look great but I knew it would be fine. Fair play to the medical staff and Steve for trusting me and to say: ‘I know my body, I am going to be fine’.

“And thank you to my team who work for me off the field. They have really stepped up and helped me and I have been on recovery 24/7 since that game so I am just very grateful to be here and hopefully get to do my thing again.

“I was keen to play against Japan and then to get the start against Chile, that was pretty cool.

“I’m just grateful to be here – my second World Cup and my 13th or 12th year playing professional rugby.”

England’s reliance on Will Stuart early in August’s warm-up fixtures suggested that Sinckler was no longer undisputed first choice for the number three jersey – a position he has held since 2018.

His torn pec exacerbated the situation but, two games into his return, he is expected to start the final Pool D match against Samoa in Lille on October 7. And he will do so knowing the demands on the modern prop are greater than ever.

“The only thing that is not expected from me is to kick and take high balls! The role has changed since I first came on the scene,” Sinckler said.

“The way I played tighthead prop, a lot of people said: ‘You can’t do it that way,’ because of my ball-carrying, tips, chasing. I had to really work hard on my scrummaging because that didn’t come naturally.

“Now it’s: ‘We want you to make 10 carries, we want you to make 10 tackles, we want you to get two or three scrum penalties, we want you to be strong in the kick chase, we want you to hit the rucks’. The standard is high and that is what I expect of myself.”

Stuart McInally declared it “a privilege” to have been able to end his rugby career at the Rugby World Cup with Scotland as he confirmed he has now retired from the game.

The 33-year-old hooker has endured a roller-coaster of emotions since he first announced in April his plan to retire after the global showpiece to pursue a new career as an airline pilot.

McInally, who captained Scotland at the last World Cup, looked on course for a fairytale career swansong in France this autumn when he was named in the provisional 41-man training squad in May but he suffered the anguish of being cut from the group when Gregor Townsend named his final 33 in August.

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McInally then got called out to France as cover for the concussed Ewan Ashman in the first week of September but he returned home when his fellow hooker recovered.

There was another twist in the tale when Dave Cherry fell on the stairs at the team hotel and suffered a tournament-ending concussion a fortnight ago, just after McInally had flown back to Scotland, so the long-serving Edinburgh forward was summoned back out to officially join the squad.

Agonisingly, however, just over a week after being added to the fray – and without playing a match at the tournament – he suffered a neck injury in training on Wednesday and it was revealed on Sunday night that he had been forced to withdraw from the squad and would not be able to win his elusive 50th cap.

McInally, who won the first of his 49 caps in 2015, posted a message on Instagram on Monday evening confirming that his “rugby story is over”.

“When I was at school I had a dream: to play rugby for Scotland,” he wrote. “That dream came true and I’ve had the time of my life.

“As Luke Patience (the British Olympic sailor) once said to me ‘it’s the arena that holds all of your hopes and dreams, but also your worst fears and nightmares’. And he wasn’t joking.

“Like all sportspeople, my story contains a mixture of highs and lows. On reflection, the good times have, overwhelmingly, outweighed the struggles and I wouldn’t change my journey. It has shaped who I am today.

“Thank you to everyone who has contributed to my career. There are far too many to name and I am forever grateful.

“And lastly thank you to the supporters. Without you, my dream of captaining and Scotland singing the national anthem at a sold-out Scottish Gas Murrayfield doesn’t happen.

“It was a privilege to end my career being being part of the 2023 Scotland Rugby World Cup squad and, for now, my rugby story is over.

“It’s time to start the next one.”

McInally’s message concluded with the emojis of an aeroplane and a pilot.

Gareth Anscombe admits there is an element of relief after Wales avoided a fight to the finish in their quest for a Rugby World Cup quarter-final place.

Wales’ record-breaking 40-6 victory over Australia meant they got the job done early in Pool C.

They preserved their 100 per cent record with one game still remaining – against Georgia next week – leaving other teams, led by Fiji, to fret over reaching the knockout phase.

Had Wales lost, it would have been a different story and meant them being caught up in a nervous scramble for two available places.

“It is probably relief. I don’t like that saying that, but we knew there was a lot on it,” Wales fly-half Anscombe said.

“We knew if we didn’t win we would go into the last week not quite having control. It is really rewarding because we do so much hard work.

“We’ve got a tricky little number in Georgia to finish off, and we definitely won’t overlook them, but it is nice to be in control of the group.”

Anscombe went on for an injured Dan Biggar after just 12 minutes in Lyon, and he promptly took charge, kicking six penalties, a drop-goal and conversion.

His 23-point haul equalled Biggar’s record for most points by a Wales player in a World Cup match, although the 32-year-old would have set a new mark had he not missed a straightforward conversion following captain Jac Morgan’s late try.

“‘Biggsy’ reminded me that apparently the last kick was to beat his record, so I am hacked off I have only tied that,” Anscombe added.

“Dan is a great man and we get along so well, but he has given me a bit of stick about that!”

Biggar looks likely to miss the Georgia game because of a strained pectoral muscle, but there are no suggestions at this stage that he could be doubtful for a potential World Cup last-eight clash against Argentina in Marseille seven days later.

“We know how important Dan is for the group, particularly on and off the field with the energy he brings,” Anscombe said.

“It was just really important when I went on that I brought some control and steadied the ship like he does so well.

“We always talk about nailing our roles, and all I was thinking about was making sure I was accurate and bringing some control.

“What was great was that we kept the scoreboard ticking. We have to give a lot of credit to our forwards. We squeezed them at set-piece time, took the points on offer and kept the scoreboard ticking off the back of that.

“I felt like I was building quite nicely in the summer (training) camps, and then I broke my hand. I thought at one point it was my World Cup done.

“I owe a lot of thanks to the team behind the scenes here. The medical team did a fantastic job to get me back on the field, and the coaching staff backed me without much game-time.

“There is still so much to work on from a personal perspective, but it was so nice to spend some time in the big arena.”

John Dalziel is adamant new recruit Johnny Matthews will prove a perfectly able deputy after Scotland’s World Cup hooker curse continued with the departure of Stuart McInally from the squad.

It was announced on Sunday night – after the bonus-point 45-17 win over Tonga in Nice – that the 33-year-old Edinburgh forward was heading home from the tournament with a neck problem less than a fortnight after being called up when Dave Cherry departed the camp due to a concussion sustained when falling on stairs at the team hotel.

In addition to the travails of McInally and Cherry, Ewan Ashman was unable to be involved against South Africa after getting concussed in the build-up, while Fraser Brown – who was on the bench for four of the Six Nations games earlier this year – would almost certainly have come into contention if not for the ACL injury he suffered at the end of last season.

First-choice George Turner is the only hooker who has stayed injury-free throughout the World Cup training camp and tournament itself, meaning coaches have had to draw on their depth of options for the specialised position.

“When we were picking the hookers initially, there were a lot of names in consideration,” said forwards coach Dalziel on Monday afternoon. “We were unlucky to lose Fraser Brown to injury prior to the tournament.

“We’ve never really had a campaign where we don’t use four hookers plus, it’s a position that’s right in the firing line, there’s a lot of injuries that come with it because of the scrummage and set-piece requirements.

“There’s been a bit of change there, with Rambo (McInally) disappointed to miss out (on the initial 33-man squad) and then he got a lifeline and thought it was going to happen for him.

“He added a huge amount while he was with us but it’s unfortunate that he’s got to go home again.

“It’s been a bit of a merry-go-round for Rambo and we’re disappointed to see him go.”

Matthews’ only previous outing with the national team came for Scotland A against Chile in June 2022. The Liverpool-born 30-year-old – whose mother was born in Glasgow – would effectively have been sixth in the pecking order if all other options were fit.

But after flying in to join up with the squad in Nice over the weekend, he now finds himself up to third behind Turner and Ashman and in contention to win his first full cap in Saturday’s World Cup pool match against Romania in Lille.

“It’s a huge opportunity for Johnny, who was another one in great form for Glasgow last season and was unfortunate to miss out on selection,” said Dalziel.

“We all know the speed and physicality Johnny brings, it’s probably his point of difference. Glasgow had an extended off-season but they were working hard away from it and they’ve been back in for pre-season.

“By all accounts, he’s been training really well. As a hooker, a specialised position, he’s always working on his craft anyway so he’s arrived in good condition and he’ll be a good addition to the group.”

Dalziel also reported that Jamie Ritchie suffered no ill effects overnight following the dangerous high tackle he was on the receiving end of from Tonga wing Afusipa Taumoepeau.

The Scotland captain was forced off in the first half off after taking a bang to the head and is now in his 12-day concussion stand-down period, meaning he will miss the Romania game and only be allowed to return to training on the eve of the potentially-critical match against Ireland in Paris on Saturday week.

“It was pretty nasty in terms of the head collision but in terms of after that and post-game, he’s been OK,” said Dalziel. “He’s not had any dramatic extra symptoms with it.

“You’ve got to take full care with anything to do with the head so he’ll just be managed along with the protocols. He’s up and about and his family are here so he’ll get a day off to chill.”

Dalziel was pleased to see the rest of the squad come through a bruising encounter intact.

“There are a couple of sore bodies this morning, it was a pretty physical game – as we knew it would be – but it’s miraculous how everybody rocks up and looks fine today and gets food into them,” he said.

“Credit to the conditioners as well, the boys were all in the pool nice and early doing their recovery. Apart from a couple of bumps and bruises, the majority of the group are OK and good to go.”

Sunday’s match was Scotland’s first for a full fortnight after their opener against the Springboks and Dalziel was delighted to see them return to action with a seven-try victory to get their tournament up and running.

“It’s been a really weird World Cup for us,” he said. “That first week seemed very busy and hectic. We felt a huge part of it building up to the first game against South Africa and then there was a real lull after that.

“Two weeks of just training and having the appropriate time off so we didn’t feel we were really part of the tournament, to be honest.

“You have to sit on those bad memories (against South Africa) and you’re just desperate to get back out there again so it was brilliant to get back out there and score some points and get that bonus point and get back on track.”

Captain Johnny Sexton insists Ireland are not thinking about anything beyond Scotland as they seek to avoid complacency following previous World Cup failures.

Andy Farrell’s men are within touching distance of the quarter-finals and a likely clash with either hosts France or three-time winners New Zealand.

Yet, despite defeating defending champions South Africa in Paris to register a third consecutive Pool B victory, rugby’s top-ranked nation could still be denied a spot in the knock-out stages by the Scots.

Experienced fly-half Sexton, who has suffered last-eight exits at his previous three World Cups, admits his side cannot get ahead of themselves.

“We are not talking about being champions, we are talking about the next game,” he said on the back of the 13-8 win over the Springboks.

“Now it’s all about Scotland. We’re not thinking about anything beyond that.

“Scotland are an excellent team. I think that they would be frustrated about how they played against South Africa (an 18-3 loss on September 10).

“It’s all geared up towards that game now and making sure that we do what’s required to try and win the pool.

“But we can’t look beyond the next game. This competition will hurt you, that’s the biggest lesson we can take from the last few World Cups.”

Ireland return to Stade de France on October 7 to take on Gregor Townsend’s side after upsetting South Africa.

Head coach Farrell believes the narrow win from a bruising encounter with the reigning champions is ideal preparation for future challenges.

“Let’s be honest, it’s wonderful to win, but there was not much in it between two good sides,” said Farrell.

“I think the best thing about it for us is we get to feel the intensity of a big game within this World Cup and know what that feels like for further down the line.

“How we are able to be a little bit more composed, be a little bit more accurate and play our game a little bit more. It’s invaluable to be able to learn those lessons with a win.

“But what I would say is when you love defending as much as we did within that game, it stands us in good stead as far as our want and our fight for the rest of competition.”

Warren Gatland has hailed Wales’ ability to keep “punching above our weight” after clinching a place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

It maintains Gatland’s 100 per record of reaching the last-eight in four World Cup campaigns as Wales head coach.

And the achievement is further underlined by where Wales were just six months ago on and off the pitch.

They finished fifth in the Six Nations, with a solitary win being against Italy, while Welsh professional rugby was engulfed by financial issues and contractual uncertainty for many players.

That scenario almost led to Gatland’s squad going on strike in protest over the situation just days before Wales faced England in Cardiff.

Now, though, they find themselves at the business end of a World Cup, having progressed from Pool C with one game to spare and seemingly on course for a quarter-final clash against Argentina in Marseille on October 14.

“There were a lot of things going on before the Six Nations,” Gatland said, following a record 40-6 victory over Australia that confirmed Wales’ progression to the knockout phase.

“Contract issues and the players getting offered them, and then just understanding the frustrations from them in terms of security, future, families and stuff.

“I probably didn’t realise at the time the impact that had on the coaching staff and probably even myself.

“I had to sit back and let things unfold until after the Six Nations, when you can get a squad together.

“We have been together for four months now. You know you can put the detail, preparation and hard work in that we always pride ourselves on.

“We are such a small nation as a tier one nation in terms of playing numbers, and we are proud that our success has been based on hard work and punching above our weight.

“Everyone has made a lot of sacrifices in the last four months, and the message from me beforehand was ‘you get what you deserve in life’ from putting that hard work and effort in.

“We have been through some pain and tough times. We have pushed some players right to the edge, and they have fronted up.

“We have got a brilliant balance in this group in terms of taking the mickey out of each other and some real banter, which is brilliant.

“But when they are asked to front up and perform at training, they get their heads on and they knuckle down.”

Wales were World Cup semi-finalists in 2011 – the first time for 24 years – and 2019, with that achievement now having an outstanding chance of being repeated.

Among Wales’ many successes in the tournament so far has been co-captain Jac Morgan’s form and leadership, which he highlighted through an immense display against Australia.

It evokes memories of New Zealand in 2011 when a 22-year-old Sam Warburton was handed the captaincy reins and delivered magnificently. At 23, flanker Morgan is so far ticking every box.

Gatland added: “He is still a young man, and I threw him in at the deep end. He has been absolutely outstanding.

“I have a huge amount of admiration for him. He is definitely a player who leads from the front, and he did exactly that (against Australia). It was a brilliant performance from him.”

Gregor Townsend admitted Scotland will have to “do it the hard way” if they are to reach the World Cup quarter-finals but the head coach is hoping the renewed clarity of their situation in Pool B can help his team in their quest to progress.

After Ireland’s narrow victory over South Africa on Saturday and the Scots’ bonus-point 45-17 win over Tonga on Sunday, the picture has become slightly clearer for everyone in a lop-sided section containing three of the top five teams in the world rankings.

From Scotland’s perspective, they now know they will have to get a bonus-point win over Romania in Lille on Saturday and then ensure they defeat Ireland in Paris the following weekend with a bonus point or win by more than seven points to deny the Irish a losing bonus.

Townsend is pleased that his team emerged from the past weekend with five points and still with a fighting chance of qualifying.

“It keeps us on track,” he said. “The South Africa-Ireland game could have gone either way, it was a close Test match.

“But the fact South Africa picked up a bonus point means now it’s a straight shoot-out between us and Ireland.

“If South Africa pick five points up against Tonga – which they might do, they might not – that would mean they will likely get to 15 points.

“So we are competing with Ireland to get to 14 points, unless either of us pick up bonus points in our game against them.

“Ireland are already on 14 points, so we have to get to 10 points (by beating Romania on Saturday) to make sure it becomes a straight shoot-out between us and them, and if we were to win that game by more than seven points we get through to the quarter-final. It’s as straightforward as that.

“We know it’s going to be a difficult challenge against the number one team in the world. We’re going to have to do it the hard way to get out of this group but we believe in our players.”

Finn Russell admitted Ireland’s win over the Boks has made things slightly more difficult for Scotland because they will have to beat the Irish by more than seven points – as opposed to simply beating them by any score – but the stand-off does not feel it has changed things significantly for his side.

“Ideally for us South Africa would have won but we know what we need to do now,” he said. “We knew what we had to do against Tonga, and going into the Romania game we know what we need to get to have that final game against Ireland in Paris.

“I don’t think it’s changed too much for us because after (losing to) South Africa, we were always going to have to go and beat Ireland. We knew at the start this was potentially a situation we could be in.”

The Scots scored seven tries against Tonga – all from different players – but Russell feels they will have to be far more clinical going forward, particularly against the Irish.

“Seven different try-scorers is great but I think we left five or six chances out there potentially,” he said.

“It’s great we’re getting balls out wide, the backs scored a few tries, we got a driving maul try which is really pleasing as well but there were times when we got to five metres from the line and we’ve got to do a lot better there.

“It’s good the boys are scoring but I think we need to be a lot better and a lot harder on ourselves in training and in games.

“It doesn’t matter if there’s one guy that scores seven tries or seven individuals, it’s a team effort. But we need to up it. If we want to progress in this tournament we need to be a lot better than that.”

Jonathan Humphreys says Wales are looking no further ahead than next opponents Georgia as their Rugby World Cup campaign continues to gather impressive momentum.

A record 40-6 victory over Eddie Jones’ Australia confirmed a quarter-final place one game inside the distance.

Wales will top the pool if they defeat Georgia in Nantes next week, before a last-eight clash potentially against Argentina in Marseille.

But while Wales have reached the tournament’s business end for a fourth successive World Cup, assistant coach Humphreys underlined that there are no thoughts beyond Georgia.

“We need to fully concentrate on Georgia. We know we are in the quarter-finals, but Georgia is a massive game for us,” Humphreys said.

“We want to keep momentum going and we don’t want to fall off the standards we are setting. We will just focus on them.

“We want to finish top of our group. It was only a few short months ago that Georgia beat us at the (Principality) stadium.

“We will be treating them with massive respect. Like we said in the changing rooms afterwards, our focus after a couple of days off will turn directly to Georgia.

“For us, the next thing is to finish top of our group, and then the quarter-final becomes the massive part for us. Literally, that’s it – I think it is dangerous to be thinking anything other than that.”

Georgia beat Wales 13-12 during last year’s autumn Tests, and Humphreys added: “They deserved it, they were excellent on the day.

“It is not about revenge or anything like that. It’s about making sure we’re at our best to win the game and top our group.”

Wales are a team transformed from the Six Nations earlier this year, when only Italy finished below them.

Significant momentum has been generated, a Welsh rugby nation believes again and there is every chance that a semi-final appearance will be Wales’ minimum World Cup return.

“He (Wales head coach Warren Gatland) has just taken us back to the DNA of this team – be fit, work hard.

“We believe that we work harder than anybody else, and that is a powerful tool. We are becoming a very tough team to beat.

“You see the team spirit here, you see everyone walking around with their families and kids. We are a very united group.

“In our meeting room yesterday where we have food, there was a big family event going on with all our kids, families and wives.

“You could hear them all laughing and joking and having a good time. We reiterate we do this for them – that’s what it is about. Right down to the bones, it is incorporated in everything we do.

“It was definitely a memory to cherish yesterday. Leaving the hotel with all the families clapping you on the bus, and then just seeing the excitement and seas of red as you are going in on the bus.

“It has been like that everywhere we’ve been. When you see a (fans) village in the middle of the city just full of people in red singing the national anthem, it is awesome, a great feeling.”

Ireland believe they are capable of significant improvement moving towards a pivotal Paris showdown with Scotland.

Andy Farrell’s side underlined their Rugby World Cup credentials by scalping defending champions South Africa to register a third successive Pool B victory.

Saturday evening’s thrilling 13-8 success at Stade de France put Ireland on the brink of the quarter-finals but they will likely need to avoid defeat against the Scots at the same venue on October 7 to complete the job.

Players are currently enjoying a few days off following a stirring display against the Springboks and departed camp feeling they can and must perform better.

Defence coach Simon Easterby said: “There’s so much belief in what the players are doing. They pitch up time and time again.

“We got the reward (against South Africa) but there’s lots we could be better at and that’s the feeling in the changing room.

“(We’re) really pleased with a lot of aspects of the performance but we know we have to be better.

“The games will get tougher.

“There’s a few things that have gone on over the last couple of seasons that give the guys confidence and trust in what we’re doing.

“This is another stepping stone I guess towards what we all want to try to achieve over the next couple of weeks.

“We’re genuinely feeling that we can get better and we need to get better as the competition goes on. There’s more in us and we have to get better.”

Ireland lead their group on 14 points after backing up bonus-point victories over Romania and Tonga in style in front of tens of thousands of Irish fans in the French capital.

Yet the Springboks and upcoming opponents Scotland can still deny Test rugby’s top-ranked nation a place in the knockout rounds.

Easterby says Six Nations champions Ireland have proven they are a team for big occasions, having defeated each of their major rivals during the past two years, including last summer’s historic tour success over the All Blacks.

“That’s not a one-off,” he said of the weekend result. “We’ve done it in New Zealand, we’ve done it in the autumn series last year against South Africa so that doesn’t surprise us.

“I guess the level of physicality and the brutality of the game these days, that’s something that the players have got to get their heads around and to a man they did that.

“You’ve got to make sure you enjoy these occasions.

“The support was incredible and those of us who were lucky enough to be at the stadium will remember that type of support for a long time.”

Warren Gatland says Wales will not start looking further down the track than necessary after they cruised into the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with a record 40-6 win against hapless Australia.

Wales made it three successive victories in Pool C, leaving Eddie Jones’ team close to group-stage elimination.

Gatland’s men are guaranteed to top the group if they defeat Georgia next month, setting up a likely quarter-final clash against Argentina in Marseille.

But Gatland said: “We haven’t looked past anything yet, it has been one game at a time.

“Australia came into this game feeling confident about winning. We felt confident to produce a performance today. I thought we were clinical.

“Our focus will be on Georgia, a team we lost against in the autumn (last year).

“We need to rectify that and we need to make sure we don’t drop our standards. I think these players are well aware of that – they have worked incredibly hard.

“We have put a lot of work in the last four months as a team together. We are a momentum team, we build on confidence in terms of performances.

“Today was an outstanding performance in terms of what we wanted to achieve. We were blowing a bit at half-time, but I thought we went out and controlled the second half fantastically well.”

Wales overcame the early loss of injured fly-half Dan Biggar to boss Australia in every key department and coast home through tries from scrum-half Gareth Davies, centre Nick Tompkins and captain Jac Morgan, while Biggar, who kicked an early conversion, saw his replacement Gareth Anscombe boot 23 points.

It was Wales’ record win against Australia, overtaking a 25-point margin in 1975, and former England boss Jones will be left to face the music as the Wallabies lurch towards World Cup oblivion.

On Biggar, Gatland added: “Dan has stretched his pec. I haven’t spoken to the medics, but I spoke to Dan and they are saying it is probably a couple of weeks.

“We have got 13 days’ break before we take on Georgia, so that potentially rules him out of that match, just to recover. It’s not a significant injury, just a pec strain.”

Anscombe, who landed six penalties, a drop-goal and conversion after going on for Biggar in the 12th minute, said: “We talked a lot this week about family and the people we care about.

“We talk about the red wall, and to concede only six points against Australia is just remarkable.

“Dan Biggar means so much to this team, and I knew I had to just come on and do my role, and that was all I was focused on.

“The boys were really calm and we got off to a really good start. Our boys up-front were outstanding, they dominated the set-piece and I was just able to keep rolling forward.”

Eddie Jones believes he is still the right person for the job after his Australia side capitulated against Wales to leave their Rugby World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.

Jones had said before the crucial Pool C clash he had no doubt his team would win the game.

But Wales rammed those words down his throat with a dominant 40-6 success in Lyon, with two Ben Donaldson penalties Australia’s only scoring acts.

The defeat, following last week’s setback against Fiji, left the Wallabies facing a humiliating pool stage exit.

Jones apologised for his side’s performance but is confident he can turn things around.

“Firstly, I would just like to apologise to all the Australian supporters. Our performance was not up to the standard that was required,” the former England boss said.

“I came back to Australia trying to help. At the moment I am not giving much help, am I? But that doesn’t mean my commitment to helping has changed.

“I am a proud Australian. I hate to see Australian rugby do as poorly as we have been doing, particularly under my reign.

“I think I have got the ability to turn things around. I was hoping we would be able to do it by now, but we haven’t been able to.

“I take full responsibility, I haven’t done a good enough job and I disappointed about that.

“A process unfortunately takes times, takes some pain. Sometimes it takes more pain than it does pleasure.

“While it looks at the moment like it’s a shambles, I can guarantee it is not.”

Warren Gatland says Wales will not start looking further down the track than necessary after they cruised into the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with a record 40-6 win against hapless Australia.

Wales made it three successive victories in Pool C, leaving Eddie Jones’ team close to group-stage elimination.

Gatland’s men are guaranteed to top the group if they defeat Georgia next month, setting up a likely quarter-final clash against Argentina in Marseille.

But Gatland said: “We haven’t looked past anything yet, it has been one game at a time.

“Australia came into this game feeling confident about winning. We felt confident to produce a performance today. I thought we were clinical.

“Our focus will be on Georgia, a team we lost against in the autumn (last year).

“We need to rectify that and we need to make sure we don’t drop our standards. I think these players are well aware of that – they have worked incredibly hard.

“We have put a lot of work in the last four months as a team together. We are a momentum team, we build on confidence in terms of performances.

“Today was an outstanding performance in terms of what we wanted to achieve. We were blowing a bit at half-time, but I thought we went out and controlled the second half fantastically well.”

Wales overcame the early loss of injured fly-half Dan Biggar to boss Australia in every key department and coast home through tries from scrum-half Gareth Davies, centre Nick Tompkins and captain Jac Morgan, while Biggar, who kicked an early conversion, saw his replacement Gareth Anscombe boot 23 points.

It was Wales’ record win against Australia, overtaking a 25-point margin in 1975, and former England boss Jones will be left to face the music as the Wallabies lurch towards World Cup oblivion.

On Biggar, Gatland added: “Dan has stretched his pec. I haven’t spoken to the medics, but I spoke to Dan and they are saying it is probably a couple of weeks.

“We have got 13 days’ break before we take on Georgia, so that potentially rules him out of that match, just to recover. It’s not a significant injury, just a pec strain.”

Anscombe, who landed six penalties, a drop-goal and conversion after going on for Biggar in the 12th minute, said: “We talked a lot this week about family and the people we care about.

“We talk about the red wall, and to concede only six points against Australia is just remarkable.

“Dan Biggar means so much to this team, and I knew I had to just come on and do my role, and that was all I was focused on.

“The boys were really calm and we got off to a really good start. Our boys up-front were outstanding, they dominated the set-piece and I was just able to keep rolling forward.”

Dominant Wales booked a place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals after crushing Australia 40-6 and leaving Eddie Jones’ team close to pool-stage elimination.

A third successive Pool C victory sent Wales into the last-eight for a fourth successive World Cup under head coach Warren Gatland.

They are guaranteed to top the group if they defeat Georgia next month, setting up a likely quarter-final clash against Argentina in Marseille.

Wales overcame the early loss of injured fly-half Dan Biggar to boss Australia in every key department and coast home through tries from scrum-half Gareth Davies, centre Nick Tompkins and captain Jac Morgan, while Biggar, who kicked an early conversion, saw his replacement Gareth Anscombe boot 23 points.

It was Wales’ record win against Australia, overtaking a 25-point margin in 1975, and former England boss Jones will be left to face the music as the Wallabies lurch towards World Cup oblivion.

The Wallabies boss said on Friday he had no doubt Australia would win the game, yet Wales rammed those words down his throat, with two Ben Donaldson penalties Australia’s only scoring acts.

It was an outstanding display by Gatland’s team as they delivered the goods through a performance that bristled with confidence, power and accuracy.

Gatland named the team that accounted for Fiji in their World Cup opener, with lock Adam Beard winning his 50th cap in a line-up skippered by flanker Morgan.

Australia showed three changes from the side beaten by Fiji last weekend as full-back Andrew Kellaway, scrum-half Tate McDermott and flanker Robert Leota were all handed starts.

Wales blasted out of the blocks and were ahead after just three minutes when Morgan broke through in midfield and Davies ran a brilliant supporting line before gathering the pass and diving over.

Biggar converted, with Wales asking immediate questions of Australia’s confidence.

The Wallabies then responded through a concerted spell of pressure inside Wales’ 22, before Biggar took a blow and required treatment and Donaldson kicked a short-range penalty that made it 7-3.

Biggar could not shake off what appeared to be a shoulder problem, being forced to leave the pitch after just 12 minutes and replaced by Anscombe.

A second Donaldson penalty cut the gap to a point as the Wallabies fought for their World Cup lives.

Anscombe hit the post with a 19th-minute penalty, but he made no mistake off the tee just two minutes later as Wales moved 10-6 ahead.

It was a fast and furious contest, and Wales had to defend resiliently at times as Australia utilised powerful back-row runners Leota and Rob Valetini.

Anscombe’s second successful penalty 12 minutes before half-time opened up a seven-point gap, and then he completed a hat-trick before Wales attacked from halfway and almost breached Australia’s defence through wing Louis Rees-Zammit.

Wales took a 10-point lead into the interval, and they were good value as the prize of a quarter-final place drew closer.

Wales extended their advantage just two minutes into the second period when Australia conceded a scrum penalty and Anscombe duly obliged with three points.

The Wallabies’ lineout also started to go astray, and Wales were turning the screw through a dominant pack superbly marshalled by Morgan and lock Will Rowlands.

And they claimed a second try after 48 minutes when Anscombe’s pinpoint chip over the top of Australia’s defensive line led to Tompkins touching down, with Anscombe converting to leave the Wallabies 26-6 adrift.

Two more Anscombe penalties took Wales past 30 points, and they were now almost toying with their hapless opponents.

Australia had no answer in the set-piece area, with Jones being loudly booed each time he appeared on the stadium’s giant screens.

Gatland was able to ring the changes with his team in so much control, and Anscombe dropped a goal 10 minutes from time that rubbed salt into gaping Australian wounds.

Wales fans were jubilant, and Morgan scored try number three from a driven lineout as Gatland’s men cruised to a remarkable landslide triumph.

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