Going The Distance could have a bright future having flourished in the mud to claim the British EBF Future Stayers Oath Novice Stakes on a wet afternoon at Nottingham.
Trained by Ralph Beckett, the son of Lope De Vega started his career by finishing third to David Menuisier’s Futurity Trophy-bound Devil’s Point at Ffos Las and then returned to the Welsh venue to open his account with a victory which was much more cosy than the winning distance of a neck would suggest.
Sent off the 11-8 favourite to add to his tally at Colwick Park, the Marc Chan-owned youngster took advantage of the late absence of the well-regarded Midair to hold off Hughie Morrison’s newcomer Surrey Fire at the finish.
“He knew his job today and I thought after Ffos Las (his first start) he would know his job,” said winning jockey Rossa Ryan.
“He was good (last time) when Laura (Pearson) rode him and he impressed me today, he’s just a good, honest horse. When I gave him the option to go, he stuck his head down and galloped and he doesn’t overdo things, he just jumps and travels at whatever momentum you want him at.
“He’s perfect really to ride and he’s done it well and I would say he looks like he has a bit to grow.
“I don’t think heavy ground is essential for him but he’s able to quicken on it. I imagine a trip next year won’t be a problem to him.”
The victory was part two of a double for the jockey who had earlier claimed the opening Trustatrader Apply Today EBF Novice Stakes aboard World Of Darcy for John Ryan.
Second in the National Stakes earlier in the season, the Soldier’s Call colt was in action over seven furlongs in the Tattersalls Stakes only two weeks ago, but thrived for the drop in class to register a confidence boosting success at 7-2.
The winning trainer said: “He’s only a small horse but his heart is in the right place and he can knuckle down in all sorts of ground. I don’t think he liked it really but was good enough to get through it.
“When we ran him over seven, Luke (Morris, jockey) said drop him back to six and get him some confidence because he had had a few hard days at work. Luke was right and Rossa gave him the perfect ride there.”
World Of Darcy holds an entry in York’s Rockingham Stakes on Saturday afternoon and that Listed event is one option connections will consider.
John Ryan added: “We’ve got a big entry at the weekend but we’ll look at that and see what the ground does. I think he won easily enough but the ground does drag it out of him and Rossa said he did empty out quick on that ground. But we’ll see how he recovers and make a decision tomorrow.”
Harry Eustace’s Divine Comedy (4-1) continued her rise through the ranks by picking up her third win of the season in the Trustatrader Fully Vetted Tradespeople Fillies’ Handicap, while there was a first success for the William Muir and Chris Grassick-trained Go Daddy (7-2), who showed plenty of heart to pick up the British Stallion Studs EBF Nursery Handicap.
“That was brilliant and we thought we had deserved a win earlier in the season,” said Grassick.
“William had selected him from the breeze-ups and did a fantastic job of going and securing the horse. He is busy buying new ones at the sales and will be delighted.
“Its a lovely story for the owners. They have been with William a very long time and this means a lot to them. They’ve had a lot of nice horses and lost a horse earlier this year. So to have a horse go and do this for them has really helped keep the dream alive for everybody and it will mean a lot to William. I’m sure he will have a tear in his eye at the sales.”
The ground deteriorating to heavy helped William Stone’s Dashing Roger (7-2 favourite) make all for a five-and-a-half-length triumph in the Trustatrader For Tradespeople You Can Trust Handicap.
“He’s just been waiting for this ground,” said Stone.
“He loves soft or heavy ground and it’s hard to find. If we can find the ground, he will keep running.”
David O’Meara’s Stressfree (100-30 favourite) built on a second at Ayr recently to open his UK account in the Trustatrader Approved And Reviewed Trades People Handicap, while the concluding Trustatrader You Can Trust Our Traders Apprentice Handicap went the way of the Olly Williams-trained Foursome (5-1).
An animal rights activist who ran on to the track at the Epsom Derby has been handed a suspended prison sentence for breaching a High Court injunction.
Ben Newman was filmed running on to the course as the 12-furlong Classic began on June 3.
The Jockey Club, which owns Epsom, had previously been granted an injunction banning the Animal Rising group, of which Newman is a supporter, from intervening in the event.
During contempt of court proceedings in London on Wednesday, the High Court heard Newman had admitted breaching the order and was given a two-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.
Tim James-Matthews, for Newman, said he “reiterates his sincere apologies to the court, the claimant and those affected by his conduct”.
The court heard the “committed animal rights campaigner” had entered the track close to the finish line shortly after the start of the race – with the horses around two minutes away.
Mr James-Matthews said the horses could have been stopped if needed and that Newman’s actions were different from the 1913 suffragette protest in which Emily Davison was fatally injured after she ran in front of the King’s horse.
“This is not that case, this is a considerable distance – literally – from that scenario,” the barrister said.
Mr Justice Miles said he accepted Newman was “motivated by conscientious objectives” but did not rule on whether they were legitimate.
He continued: “The only issue for the court at this hearing is the appropriate sanction to be imposed on the defendant in respect of his admitted contempt of court.
“He deliberately flouted the order. His actions were planned in advance.
“He was not acting under pressure or compulsion and his actions were his own.”
Mr Justice Miles was told that Newman previously pleaded guilty to causing public nuisance in related criminal proceedings and had spent more than 30 days in custody prior to his sentencing in July.
Handing down the suspended sentence, the judge noted Newman had apologised and “tasted imprisonment”.
Following the sentencing, Nevin Truesdale, the Jockey Club’s chief executive, said: “Ben Newman’s decision to breach security and run on to the track while the Derby was under way was a reckless stunt which could have compromised the safety and security of humans and horses.”
He added: “We were always very clear that if anyone chose to breach the injunction then we would not hesitate to take further action.
“It has always been our intention for that action to be both clear and proportionate and we accept the sanction imposed on Mr Newman by the court today.
“More widely, it is our sincere hope that by pursuing this matter in the High Court it sends a very clear message to anyone who might in future consider disrupting races in such a way, that we will never tolerate illegal and reckless behaviour of this kind.”
The high-powered Miami Dolphins will be without one of their top playmakers for the foreseeable future.
Rookie running back De'Von Achane is being placed on injured reserve and will miss at least four weeks with a knee injury sustained in the Dolphins' 31-16 win over the New York Giants on Sunday.
Miami coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Monday that the team was evaluating the severity of Achane's injury and on Tuesday, NFL Network Insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported he will miss several games. By Wednesday, the decision was made to place him on IR.
The injury, however, is not expected to be season-ending, but will keep him out for games against the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. He will be eligible to return after the team's Week 10 bye for Miami's game against the Las Vegas Raiders on November 19.
It's still not certain when Achane was injured, though he didn't play in Miami's final two series against the Giants. The outcome, however, was also not in doubt with the Dolphins holding a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter, so it was initially believed he was being rested after rushing for 151 yards and Miami on its way to a victory.
The injury puts a damper on what has been a sensational three-game stretch for Achane, who has gone from relatively unknown to offensive sensation.
After being a healthy scratch in the season opener and recording only one carry for five yards the next week, Achane had a breakout game in Miami's historic 70-20 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 3, leading the team with 203 rushing yards while scoring four touchdowns.
He followed that performance with 120 scrimmage yards and two more TDs the following week in a 48-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
With another touchdown against the Giants, Achane became the first player in the Super Bowl era with seven TDs in his first four NFL games.
The 21-year-old leads the NFL with an incredible 12.1 yards per carry and is second in rushing yards with 460. He is 50 yards behind rushing leader Christian McCaffrey despite having 61 fewer rushing attempts.
His injury means Raheem Mostert will handle the bulk of the running back duties for the Dolphins, while Jeff Wilson Jr. could also be activated from injured reserve to add backfield depth.
Mostert has rushed for 314 yards with seven touchdowns and has another 128 receiving yards and a receiving score.
The Dolphins are atop the AFC East, and play the winless Panthers this Sunday followed by a highly anticipated showdown with the undefeated Eagles in Week 7.
Minella Indo proved he is no back number as he produced a superb front-running performance in the Irish Daily Star – Best For Racing Coverage Chase at Punchestown.
Winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2021 and runner-up to stablemate A Plus Tard 12 months later, Henry de Bromhead’s charge was pulled up on his most recent appearance in the blue riband back in March.
But despite the doubts, the 10-year-old was a well supported 15-8 favourite for his seasonal reappearance and the money proved right as he dominated from the front under Rachael Blackmore.
Minella Indo was soon bossing the proceedings, with last season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup third Conflated and his five-time Grade One-winning stablemate Delta Work his nearest pursuers for much of the way.
Blackmore steadily upped the ante and on several occasions outjumped the chasing pair before pulling clear before the home turn.
In the end it was left to Gordon Elliott’s apparent third string Hurricane Georgie to chase down the leader, but while she got within a length and three-quarters, Minella Indo was well on top at the line.
Betfair make the winner a 50-1 shot to regain his Gold Cup crown at Prestbury Park in March.
De Bromhead said: “He’s given us so many great days and I’m delighted to see him start his season like that. His work was really good, but it was also good before the Gold Cup and it just didn’t happen for him there. It was a messy start and it just didn’t happen for him.
“He jumped from fence to fence today, his ears were pricked and Rachael said he really enjoyed it. I’m also delighted that Barry (Maloney, owner) is here as well.
“We entered him in the north (Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal) but that’s only a couple of weeks away, so we’ll see. We can enjoy today and decide in the next couple of weeks what we want to do.
“The Grand National is something we can discuss. Coming here after the Gold Cup, we couldn’t make any big plans but we’re really encouraged now for the rest of the season.”
Hercule Du Seuil clung on to complete his five-timer in the BetVictor Proud Sponsors Of Irish Racing Novice Chase at Punchestown.
The six-year-old has not looked back since suffering an odds-on reverse on his fencing debut in early May, winning at Ballinrobe, Killarney, Galway and Roscommon in the space of four months.
Carrying the colours of JP McManus, Hercule Du Seuil was the 4-11 favourite to notch a third successive Grade Three success for trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Mark Walsh – and while he did ultimately get the job done, his supporters were made to sweat before collecting their winnings.
For much of two-and-a-quarter-mile contest it looked like a straight duel, with the market leader and Lucid Dreams engaging in a nip-and-tuck tussle before Hercule Du Seuil went clear from the third-last.
However, just when it looked like he was home for all money, Senecia came from the clouds to throw down a late but serious challenge and there was only a neck between the pair at the line.
Mullins said: “Lucid Dreams kept him honest the whole way and Mark had to change to plan B and drop him in behind. He jumped well when Mark needed him and it’s a great performance to win five in a row.
“If the weather stays dry we might get another run into him and we could then give him a mid-season break and come back in the spring.
“I’d rather keep him to the minimum trip if I could but he can go out to two and a half. Mark felt maybe he didn’t want the ground as soft as it was today.”
With last season’s Champion Bumper hero A Dream To Share a significant non-runner, Fascile Mode the most of what looked a gilt-edged opportunity to make a successful start to his jumping career in the BetVictor Predictor Maiden Hurdle.
The Tom Mullins-trained five-year-old looked a potential bumper star himself after winning on his Leopardstown debut last Christmas, but was well beaten at the Dublin Racing Festival and the Cheltenham Festival and disappointed again at Fairyhouse in the spring.
Michael O’Sullivan’s mount was the 1-2 favourite for his return in a race that has been won by three subsequent Cheltenham winners in the past seven years in Labaik (2016), Samcro (2017) and Marine Nationale (2022).
While he made a couple of minor errors in the jumping department, he showed his class by pulling 12 lengths clear of his rivals from the final flight.
“It’s great to get that job done and I was expecting a good run. I was disappointed he made that mistake at the third-last but it was his first day at school,” said Mullins.
“Since he got here today he was gawking everywhere and was on his toes for some reason. He settled well in the race which was great, but he was having a good look at everything and I’d say he would have learned a lot. I’m very happy with him.
“There is a novice in Cheltenham at the November meeting or the Royal Bond (at Fairyhouse) but his jumping will have to sharpen up. He’s brilliant at home and has done a lot of schooling.”
Jamie George says England will call upon all their big-game experience to overcome Fiji in Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final.
England have appeared in the last eight of the tournament in all but one of its editions – on home soil in 2015 – and reached the final four years ago when they lost 32-12 to South Africa in Yokohama.
Of that matchday 23, there are 15 survivors currently in Steve Borthwick’s squad who are continuing preparations for the Stade Velodrome showdown.
Fiji, meanwhile, are appearing in the knockout phase for only the third time and their first since 2007, placing a question mark over their ability to deliver when the pressure is on.
“We can’t shy away from the fact this is probably one of the biggest games we are ever going to play in,” Saracens hooker George said.
“We’ve got a lot of players who have been there and done that on some big stages. We’ve got players who have experience of a World Cup final and the latter stages of World Cups and some players who are playing in their fourth World Cup.
“We’ve got a great group of senior players who are very open and honest with the younger players who this could be intimidating for.
“But this is why we’re here. We want to play on the biggest stage, the quarter-final of a World Cup is exactly where we want to be. Next week want we to be in the semi-final and so on.
“These are exciting times and the more experienced players need to draw on their experiences and make sure everyone is in the right spirit going into the weekend.”
Simon Raiwalui’s men are regarded as the most complete Fiji team to have emerged from a nation of 925,000, even if their group campaign ended with a seismic upset by Portugal.
They have become less reliant on their historical strengths such as outrageous running skills and athletic offloads to become a force at the breakdown and the scrum.
Their line-out remains a recurring weakness, however, and this vulnerability will be targeted relentlessly by England with head coach Steve Borthwick and consultant coach George Kruis plotting their downfall.
“Fiji’s set piece as a whole has got better. Portugal targeted their line-out in particular and that was very interesting, particularly in how they went about it,” George said.
“We’ve got some complete line-out pigs in our team. George Kruis coming in, who is a complete nause and obviously Steve Borthwick – his father! – doing a lot.
“Their conversations together are not necessarily fascinating, but they are going to be coming up with a very good plan.
“We trust in that plan and we are going to try and put Fiji under a huge amount of pressure in that area. We trust the line-out pigs to be coming up with a good plan.”
Donnacha O’Brien has confirmed his Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Porta Fortuna to be firmly on course for a trip to the Breeders’ Cup next month.
Winner of the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot earlier in the year, the daughter of Caravaggio was subsequently placed in the Phoenix Stakes and the Moyglare Stud Stakes before making it third time lucky at Group One level at Newmarket late last month.
Each of Porta Fortuna’s four wins to date have come over six furlongs and she has not yet raced beyond seven, but O’Brien is happy to roll the dice over a mile in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita on November 3.
“She’s back in good form and the plan is to go to America with her, all being well,” he said.
“We’ll find out on the day about the trip. If she’s going to get the mile anywhere, it will be at the Breeders’ Cup.
“She handles fast ground and she’s plenty of experience so we’re looking forward to it.”
Ireland full-back Hugo Keenan is delighted to have “X-factor” wings Mack Hansen and James Lowe fit and ready to join him for a blockbuster World Cup quarter-final with the All Blacks.
Hansen appeared to be a major doubt for Saturday’s Stade de France clash after sitting out training on Tuesday and Wednesday due to a calf problem sustained in last weekend’s 36-14 win over Scotland.
Lowe has also overcome injury – an eye issue suffered against the Scots – to retain his starting role for the crunch meeting with his native New Zealand.
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Ireland ended their final Pool B fixture in unfamiliar fashion with a scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park on the left flank and centre Garry Ringrose on the right.
Head coach Andy Farrell has been able to name an unchanged starting XV for a titanic last-eight encounter, including a first-choice backline.
“Its brilliant,” said Keenan. “We finished the game with an interesting back three.
“Jamo did a brilliant job, didn’t he? He is such a creative player, so exciting, so he slotted in well on the wing.
“To have the two lads back again brings a bit of X-factor to the back three. I always enjoy playing with them so great news.”
Hansen on Tuesday watched from the stands at Ireland’s training base of Stade des Fauvettes in the northern outskirts of Paris and was again absent on Wednesday, while Lowe took part in both sessions.
Veteran Keith Earls was thought to be pushing for a first appearance since the opening weekend of the tournament before Farrell sprung a surprise with his team announcement.
Referring to Australia-born Hansen, the coach said: “Everyone is very confident that he’s going to be fine for the game.”
Ireland propelled themselves to the top of the world rankings courtesy of last summer’s landmark 2-1 tour success in New Zealand, in addition to launching their current run of 17 consecutive victories.
Farrell’s in-form side have enjoyed a growing rivalry with the All Blacks, winning three of four meetings during his tenure and four of six overall.
“We haven’t played them for over a year now,” said Keenan. “They will have improved massively.
“They will have taken the learnings from those games and they’ll come out gunning for us as well.”
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Lock Tadhg Beirne, who started all three Tests against New Zealand in 2022, feels there is a healthy respect between the two nations.
“Rugby is one of those games where, when you go on to the field, you go to beat the crap out of each other for 80 minutes and when you step off it, you’re very happy to grab a beer with your opposition number and enjoy the moments afterwards,” he said. “It’s no different with New Zealand.
“One thing I will remember from New Zealand is after the last Test, we had beaten them and we ran out of beer pretty quickly.
“The New Zealand squad were pretty quick to bring in their beer and leave us celebrating. That’s respect too, off-field respect.
“It will be no different on Saturday, we’re both going to go at it for 80 minutes and we’ll be very happy to walk in and have a beer in the changing room with them, for sure.”
The president of World Netball has said the relaunch of the Netball Super League in the UK from 2025 is “the right step”, after receiving a damehood at Windsor Castle.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Dame Liz Nicholl said the move to professionalise the league will provide a platform for future England players “to be able to develop their skills”.
She added the league will offer English netball players “the opportunity to play with and against the world’s best”.
Dame Liz said that England Netball is “on a journey” and that the England team’s historic run to the Netball World Cup final in South Africa over the summer will have “inspired more youngsters” to take up the sport.
“England Netball is doing a great job in terms of providing opportunities for participation, but also performance through their super league structure,” she added.
The former international netballer, who represented Wales at two world cups in the 1970s, said receiving the damehood from the Princess Royal was “incredible”.
“Nobody ever thinks in their life that they’re going to receive an honour such as this,” she said.
Dame Liz was appointed as the first chief executive of England Netball in 1980 and she also served as chief executive of UK Sport from 2010 to 2019 – overseeing medal success for the Olympic and Paralympic Great Britain teams during this period.
“When I became the CEO of England Netball, there was only me – I was the first full-time member of staff and I had to learn how to be a leader. But I learned that in a very supportive netball community, who encouraged and advised me – and that’s why I stayed there so long.”
She said that netball has “come on leaps and bounds” since the early 1980s – the sport was first included in the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and Dame Liz said that all of World Netball’s members “would really love to be in the Olympic Games”.
However, she added that it was a “tough challenge to actually gain inclusion” as there are international federations for other sports with more members.
“We’re on a journey and it is an ultimate ambition, but we’re going to do whatever’s good for netball in the first instance.”
The Indianapolis Colts have placed Anthony Richardson on injured reserve with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder, keeping the rookie quarterback out for at least four games.
In Sunday's 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans, Richardson was hurt with just over 4 1/2 minutes to go in the second quarter when he was tackled on a 4-yard run. He took a hit to the left shoulder but appeared to land awkwardly on the right one.
Gardner Minshew will start Sunday against his former team as the Colts visit the Jacksonville Jaguars in a matchup of teams tied atop the AFC South with 3-2 records.
Richardson has made four starts since the Colts drafted him fourth overall in this year's draft, but the dual-threat QB has only been able to finish one game as injuries have forced him out of the other three.
In the Colts' 31-20 victory over the Houston Texans in Week 2, Richardson suffered a concussion when he took a hard hit to the head at the end of a 15-yard touchdown run. He was unable to clear the NFL's concussion protocol and Minshew led Indianapolis to a 22-19 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.
Richardson returned for Week 4's overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams - the first game of his young career he was able to complete.
Richardson also suffered a knee bruise on a hard hit near the goal line in the final minutes of a 31-21 season-opening loss to the Jaguars. Colts coach Shane Steichen said Richardson could have returned, however, and he was taken out as a precaution.
On the season, Richardson has completed 59.5 per cent of his throws for 577 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for an 87.3 passer rating. He has also rushed for 136 yards and four TDs.
Minshew has completed 68.7 per cent of his passes for 553 yards with two TDs and no picks for a 95.1 rating.
Connections are relishing returning Triple Time to the scene of his finest hour for a tilt at the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day.
The Kevin Ryan-trained four-year-old looked a useful prospect when scoring twice as a juvenile and again gave a glimpse of his potential when landing Haydock’s Superior Mile during an interrupted three-year-old campaign.
However, it was on his seasonal return at Royal Ascot where he registered his breakthrough Group One triumph when edging out Inspiral to claim the Queen Anne Stakes on his very first start at the highest level.
He has since finished fifth behind that rival in the Prix Jacques le Marois, but the son of Frankel has been freshened up since being unable to land a blow in Deauville and will now attempt to secure another notable victory in Berkshire on October 21.
“He’s in great order and is obviously heading back to a track where he won his Group One – it is always a nice bonus to go back to somewhere like that,” said Adam Ryan, assistant trainer to his father.
“It could be one of the races of the season on paper, but he deserves to take his chance and we’re very happy with him.
“Over the summer, not just us but most of Europe had in-and-out weather, so we thought the best course of action was to go back to Ascot. He likes Ascot, he proved that at the Royal meeting and we thought we would go there as a nice, fresh horse and hopefully he can run a big race again.”
Andy Murray will withdraw from next week’s Japan Open in Tokyo through injury.
The Scot is ending his Asian swing early after winning just one of his four matches and suffering a 6-3 6-2 first-round loss to Roman Safiullin in Shanghai last week.
The PA news agency understands Murray plans to be back in time to play at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, beginning on October 23.
Murray will then compete at the Paris Masters and he is likely to play at the Moselle Open in Metz in November.
The two-time Wimbledon champion could also be involved at the Davis Cup finals in late November if selected by Great Britain captain Leon Smith.
Murray is bidding to improve his world ranking – currently 39 – in order to be seeded at the Australian Open next year.
Johnny Sexton says Ireland are braced for the “toughest game we’ve ever faced” ahead of a mouthwatering Rugby World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand in Paris.
The world’s top-ranked nation are seeking an 18th consecutive win to reach the last four of the tournament for the first time.
Captain Sexton has faced the formidable All Blacks many times across his distinguished career, including leading his country to an historic tour success last summer.
The 38-year-old, who will retire after the tournament, said: “I haven’t thought once about what personally the game means.
“It’s all about the team and progressing in the competition, that’s all we’re thinking about.
“I’ve had some great battles with New Zealand over the years with Ireland and the (British and Irish) Lions and what you learn is that every game is as tough as the last, no matter what the result.
“And that’s what we’re preparing for: the toughest game we’ve ever faced and we’re trying to put ourselves in the frame of mind that we’re going to be ready for it.”
Ireland have the upper hand in recent meetings with the three-time world champions, winning three of four during the Andy Farrell era and four of the last six.
Sexton believes his side have put themselves in position to go and win the World Cup – an achievement he feels would have been unthinkable during his childhood.
And the veteran fly-half does not feel unduly burdened by the importance of the occasion.
“Trying to win a World Cup, it’s something to go and get, it’s not something that puts pressure on me,” said Sexton.
“It’s something you dream of, probably not as a kid because when we were kids we didn’t dream of Ireland winning the World Cup.
“I suppose we’ve put ourselves in a position now to go and do that.
“But it’s something to go and get, it’s not something to be pressured about.
“It’s all geared up towards a massive game on Saturday, a massive challenge for this team, the biggest we’ve faced, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Ireland’s string of previous quarter-final failures is well documented.
Sexton, who is playing at his fourth World Cup, dismissed the significance of those past disappointments.
“We’ve worked on our mental game for the last four years,” he said.
“We’ve put ourselves in different scenarios over the last four years to prepare for this.
“But each quarter-final that we haven’t got through, or when we haven’t got through our pool, they’ve all been different and it’s a different group again.
“Each of those groups lost once, it wasn’t the same group losing quarter-finals year after year.
“If it was club rugby, it would probably be a bigger hurdle, but it’s a different group. I don’t think we’re carrying much baggage. It’s a one-off game and we’ve got to prepare for it now.”
Head coach Farrell has named an unchanged starting XV for the crunch clash in the French capital after securing top spot in Pool B with last weekend’s 36-14 success over Scotland.
Wing Mack Hansen sustained a calf issue in that match but, despite sitting out training on Tuesday and Wednesday, has been deemed ready to play.
Farrell insists the Australia-born Connacht wing is fully fit.
“He is, yeah,” said the Englishman.
“He obviously had a few things to do at the beginning of the week but he’s coming good and everyone is very confident that he’s going to be fine for the game – no problems.”
Injured lock James Ryan has dropped out of the matchday 23 but is expected to be available for the semi-final stage.
Test rookies Joe McCarthy and Jimmy O’Brien are among the replacements.
“James Ryan is out with a wrist injury that has been sorted,” said Farrell.
“We expect him to be fit for next week, if we’re able to get that far.”
Jac Morgan has received a ringing endorsement of his all-round quality as he prepares for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final appointment with Argentina.
Wales co-captain Morgan is expected to skipper the side, as he did for critical pool-stage victories over Fiji and Australia, against the Pumas in Marseille.
The Ospreys forward has arguably been Wales’ outstanding player of the tournament and it has earned him acclaim after displaying similar attributes to former back-row stars Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric.
Warburton was 22 – a year younger than Morgan – when he captained Wales to the 2011 World Cup semi-finals and similarities have often been made between the two.
Morgan, though, has also shown the attacking skills and footballing ability that Tipuric, who announced his retirement from Test rugby earlier this year, was renowned for.
“There is a work ethic there, a hunger to be the best, all those similarities,” Wales assistant coach and former international back-row forward Jonathan Thomas said.
“It is really interesting, because you had quite contrasting players in Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric.
“Both world-class players, but quite contrasting in their styles. Jac is probably a bit of a hybrid of both, if that makes sense.
“Jac is pretty physical, hard-working – characteristics that Sam had. But he has also got a good skill-set, a bit like Tips, with some of those nice kicks he has done.
“He is obviously young and he will be learning and growing through his experience as well.
“He is a really humble kid and he will know he is not the finished article at this stage, but he has got a really good balance to his game.”
Morgan will feature in a reshaped Wales back-row following a tournament-ending injury suffered by number eight Taulupe Faletau against Georgia last weekend.
Faletau broke his arm during that game, with Aaron Wainwight widely expected to be switched from blindside flanker and handed the number eight shirt.
That could mean Morgan moving from openside to blindside, with Tommy Reffell completing the back-row trio, while Dan Lydiate and Christ Tshiunza also provide options.
“Gats (Wales head coach Warren Gatland) from the outset wanted people to express their individuality and focus on what their super-strength is,” Thomas added.
“We’ve had a bit of a theme about relating your individual ability to a superhero.
“It wouldn’t work if you went into a game trying to be Toby (Faletau). You’ve got to be yourself and show your particular super-strength.
“Toby is an obvious loss to the team, but I think where this team is at at the moment and what we are about is that we are a team.
“We have a way that we want to play and whoever slots in is really clear on the team objective and then he has to bring his own individual super-strength to the team. You can’t try to say to a player that you need to play like Toby.
“A game of rugby is each individual expressing themselves, but also doing their job for the team. Whoever gets selected will hone into whatever the team objective is and how we want to play.”
Gatland will name his side on Thursday, with fly-half Dan Biggar expected to return following a pectoral muscle injury that forced him off early against Australia.
Gareth Anscombe looks likely to provide bench cover for Biggar if he recovers in time from a groin problem, and full-back Liam Williams took a blow to his knee during the Georgia match.
Thomas on Tuesday described the situation as “pretty positive” regarding Anscombe and Williams in their quest to be available for selection.
Mack Hansen has been included in an unchanged Ireland starting XV for Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand in Paris.
Connacht wing Hansen sat out training this week but has seemingly overcome the calf issue suffered in last weekend’s 36-14 victory over Scotland.
Lock James Ryan, who sustained a hand injury against the Scots following his introduction as a replacement, and centre Stuart McCloskey drop out of Andy Farrell’s matchday 23.
Second-row Joe McCarthy – the youngest member of Ireland’s 33-man squad at 22 – and versatile back Jimmy O’Brien, the only player yet to feature in France, have been added to the bench.
Wing James Lowe has been selected to face the country of his birth after overcoming the eye problem he sustained in Ireland’s final Pool B fixture.
Fellow native Kiwis Jamison Gibson-Park and Bundee Aki will also take on the All Blacks at Stade de France.
But centre Robbie Henshaw and wing Keith Earls, who have been troubled by hamstring issues, will once again be absent.
Ireland are seeking to secure a maiden World Cup semi-final by stretching their winning run to 18 Tests, which would equal the tier one record shared by New Zealand and England.
Captain Johnny Sexton will once again partner scrum-half Gibson-Park, who shifted to the left wing following Lowe’s departure last weekend, while Aki continues alongside Garry Ringrose in midfield.
Hansen and Lowe are joined in a familiar backline by full-back Hugo Keenan.
Leinster trio Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong continue in the front row, ahead of locks Tadhg Beirne and Iain Henderson.
Flankers Peter O’Mahony and Josh Van Der Flier line up either side of number eight Caelan Doris.
Test rookies McCarthy and O’Brien are joined on the bench by hooker Ronan Kelleher, props Dave Kilcoyne and Finlay Bealham, back-rower Jack Conan, scrum-half Conor Murray and fly-half Jack Crowley.
Ireland team: H Keenan (Leinster); M Hansen (Connacht), G Ringrose (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), J Lowe (Leinster); J Sexton (Leinster, capt), J Gibson-Park (Leinster); A Porter (Leinster), D Sheehan (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster), I Henderson (Ulster), P O’Mahony (Munster), J Van Der Flier (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster).
Replacements: R Kelleher (Leinster), D Kilcoyne (Munster), F Bealham (Connacht), J McCarthy (Leinster), J Conan (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), J Crowley (Munster), J O’Brien (Leinster).
Eight-year-old Brad O’Neill perched behind the posts at Old Trafford among over 70,000 others and roared on his hero Sam Tomkins as Wigan beat St Helens to win the 2010 Super League Grand Final.
Thirteen years later, having swapped his junior replica shirt for a dream place in the Warriors first team, O’Neill is preparing to head back to the same stadium tasked with denying Tomkins a fairy-tale ending to his playing career.
Former Wigan great Tomkins will take to the field for the last time on Saturday as he looks to inspire a first French Grand Final win – but lifelong Wigan fan O’Neill has long since shed any loyalty to the Catalans Dragons man.
“I went to all those finals and Sam was one of my favourite players,” said O’Neill, a product of Wigan’s scholarship and academy programmes who has edged long-established number nine Sam Powell off the starting teamsheet in a breakthrough 2023 campaign.
“I remember my first Grand Final in 2010, sitting behind the posts with my dad, a sell-out, and how it was bouncing in the Wigan end after we won.
“Sam and Sean O’Loughlin were the two players I most admired and I always hoped that one day I’d be part of the big games like them. Sam was always scoring tries and at the centre of things. It will be a bit surreal facing him in the Grand Final now.”
Born in Leigh, O’Neill started playing rugby at the age of five, rising steadily through the Wigan ranks to make his first-team debut against Wakefield in June 2021.
He starred in last season’s Challenge Cup final win over Huddersfield at Wembley and seized another opportunity earlier this season following an injury to Powell, going on to make the hooker position his own.
In June, he was rewarded with a new four-year contract, an indication of the potential seen in him by Wigan head coach Matt Peet, especially given the club’s capture of fellow number nine Kruise Leeming for the 2024 campaign.
O’Neill credits much of his emergence to the influence of Peet, who was head of youth when he first signed scholarship terms in 2017, and current assistant coach Sean O’Loughlin, another club great who was integral to those final wins that O’Neill cheered on from the sidelines.
“Matty has always been a part of my journey at Wigan and he’s always steered me down the right path,” added O’Neill. “Being able to pick the brains of someone like Sean, who has so much knowledge and played in so many Grand Finals, also helps.
“Culture is always a big thing at Wigan and it goes right down to the bottom, to academy and scholarship. You learn it straight away and it becomes natural to carry it through to the first team. It’s a massive part of the success of the club.”
Having won this season’s League Leaders’ Shield, Wigan will start as narrow favourites to beat the French side and win their first Grand Final since 2018 – which marked Tomkins’ swansong in a cherry and white shirt.
But there will be no room for sentiment for O’Neill, who is looking to take the opportunity to inspire a new generation of young Wigan fans who will be sitting behind the posts with his name emblazoned on their backs.
“I meet young fans all the time and it always reminds me that I was there at one time, so it’s all about doing everything you can to give something back,” added O’Neill. “My own story is proof that their own dreams are reachable.”
Dragon Leader thrilled connections when winning his second big prize of the season at Redcar on Saturday – but future plans are somewhat up in the air.
The bargain buy took his earnings to over £300,000 for the season in winning the Two Year Old Trophy at the seaside track, adding to his victory at York’s Ebor meeting.
Connections have touched base with the Breeders’ Cup committee to see if he would qualify for a run there, but if not, he is likely to be finished for this season.
With potential buyers showing interest in the Clive Cox-trained colt, there could be a decision to be made by his owners, Kennet Valley Syndicates.
“It was decent ground at Redcar and that was perfect for him. At halfway, he didn’t look like an odds-on shot, but he won going away in the end – he probably wants seven furlongs now,” said syndicate manager Sam Hoskins.
“Obviously, he was getting lots of weight off the others, but he did race on the near side of the track and you usually want to be far side at Redcar, so I do think you can mark him up.
“We were just over the moon, he’s won over £300,000 this year for the syndicate, which is incredible, and for a syndicate like ours it really makes a difference. People don’t go into it to make money but obviously winning a pot like that is great fun. We’re very lucky to have him.
“We have nominated him for the Breeders’ Cup but we’ve heard nothing back and I’m not sure he’ll get in the Juvenile Turf – there’s nothing else domestically, so that will probably be it.”
Regarding next season, Hoskins said: “I don’t know what next season holds, Clive does think he’ll get seven furlongs – but at least we can look at the fixture list now!
“The race which would really have suited him was the old Free Handicap but unfortunately that doesn’t exist anymore. Selfishly, we’ll really miss it next year.
“We have had offers for him, we’ve turned down some big ones. He’s a horse that likes decent ground and has lots of scope, so we’ll just see. No one is immune, but at the same time we’re a syndicate who like our sport and we’ve raced on a lot of older horses like Sir Busker, Magical Memory and Tulius.
“We’ve been digging for oil with Kennet Valley and we haven’t found much recently, we’re not immune but it would take a big offer to sell.
“He might be an interesting one to take to Dubai as a four-year-old, but we haven’t really discussed the future yet and we’ll just enjoy it for now.”
Ante-post favourite Shuwari is one of eight runners declared for the Group One bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket on Friday.
Ollie Sangster’s juvenile impressed when making a winning debut at Newbury before getting the better of subsequent Moyglare Stud Stakes heroine Fallen Angel in the Listed Star Stakes at Sandown.
On the strength of that form, Shuwari was a hot favourite for the Rockfel Stakes a fortnight ago – and while she was no match for the dominant winner Carla’s Way, she was comfortably best of the rest.
She is reopposed by the third from that race, Ylang Ylang, who is one of two runners for Aidan O’Brien alongside rank outsider Brilliant.
Irish hopes are also carried by the Noel Meade-trained Caught U Looking, who supplemented a striking maiden win at Leopardstown with victory in the Group Three Weld Park Stakes at the Curragh last month.
Ralph Beckett steps Sandown scorer Classical Song up in class and also saddles Ascot victor Seaward, while Frankie Dettori is booked to partner Michael Bell’s dual Lingfield winner Ambiente Amigo.
The small but select field is completed by Andrew Balding’s See The Fire, last seen chasing home Darnation in the May Hill Stakes at Doncaster.
Kevin Philippart de Foy’s Inquisitively, Balding’s Flora Of Bermuda and Midnight Affair from Richard Fahey’s yard are among 15 juveniles in contention for the Group Three Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes.
Group Three honours are also up for grabs in an intriguing renewal of the Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes, which sees Beckett’s Skellet lock horns with Charlie Appleby’s Dance Sequence and the George Boughey-trained Chic Colombine, who bids for a fifth successive win.
The Group Two Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes has attracted a six-strong field, with John and Thady Gosden’s Audience taken on by Richard Hannon’s high-class pair of Chindit and Shouldvebeenaring, Kieran Cotter’s Matilda Picotte, the Charlie Hills-trained Pogo and Joe Murphy’s Lord Massusus.
Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham wants to see six three-point attempts per game from Anthony Davis this season.
The Lakers reached the Western Conference finals last season, only to be swept 4-0 by the Denver Nuggets.
Davis averaged 1.3 three-point attempts per game last season, with his career-high (3.5) coming in his first year with the Lakers in 2019-20.
And Ham now wants to see Davis – who has gone three-for-six on three-pointers in preseason – stack up numbers that compare to the likes of Devin Booker and Darius Garland, who averaged 6.0 attempts per game in 2022-23.
"I want him to. I know he won't do it, but maybe he'll shock me, but I've requested to see six three-point attempts a game," Ham said.
"Three per half, at least. I wouldn't put that on him if I didn't think he was capable."
Ham has no plans to discourage Davis from shooting from beyond the arc.
"That's something that he's worked on, being a more consistent shooter and not just more consistent in his [normal] areas but consistent from deep range," he added.
"And not hesitating. Not overthinking it. So if he's got a good look, we've all encouraged him to put it up."
The Lakers, who face the Sacramento Kings in their third preseason game on Wednesday, tip off the new season on the road against the Nuggets on October 24.
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