Henry Arundell has been urged to “trust his instincts” against Wales as Steve Borthwick backs England’s rising star to become a gamebreaker at the World Cup.

Arundell makes only his second start in eight Tests when Warren Gatland’s men visit Twickenham on Saturday, lining up on the right wing of a team that is close to Borthwick’s strongest.

Owen Farrell is present as captain and is joined by fellow big guns Maro Itoje, Billy Vunipola and Jamie George, while Saracens openside Ben Earl makes his long-awaited full debut and Elliot Daly returns after 18 months in international exile.

A tame defeat 20-9 by Wales launched the World Cup warm-up schedule in disheartening fashion and it is hoped the inclusion of try-scoring Racing 92 sensation Arundell will address some of the finishing deficiencies evident in Cardiff.

The 20-year-old is the most exciting talent in English rugby and has electric running skills, but Borthwick insists he must not overthink his game.

“Henry is in great physical shape and he’s got such incredible natural talents that you want to ensure are always going to be there. We want him to trust his instincts,” Borthwick said.

“We want to give him the ball and I’m sure the opposition will know that and try to shut down the space, which may open up opportunities elsewhere.

“We’re aware of that but everyone is looking forward to seeing him. He’s a young man with a big future in front of him.

“When you look around world rugby right now you see teams who have players that can break the game up in different ways.

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“One of those ways is pace and Henry has pace. If we can get him the ball in space, and he in particular doesn’t need a huge amount of space, then he can make things happen.

“We’ve already seen him do that in an England shirt and we’re looking forward to seeing him do it more.”

Providing firepower on the opposite wing is Daly, the 30-year Saracen whose last England outing came in the 2022 Six Nations, after he which he was frozen out by Eddie Jones.

One of Borthwick’s priorities upon replacing Jones as head coach in December was to re-establish the versatile back with a booming left boot, only for a hamstring injury to rule him out of the entire Six Nations.

“Elliot was one of the first players I rang when I was appointed. He hadn’t been in the environment, hadn’t played an awful lot in recent times,” Borthwick said.

“He has been looking really good in training, he has multiple dimensions to his game and I’m looking forward to seeing that on Saturday.”

A starting XV populated with six Saracens produces a special moment for 2022 Premiership player of the season Earl, who after 15 caps as a replacement is finally thrust on to the main stage.

Earl was unable to convince Jones, despite his dynamic club form, and was even sent back to his club by Borthwick after two appearances off the bench in the most recent Six Nations but he has impressed during the World Cup training camp.

“What Ben Earl has, which I don’t see too many opensides possess, is the ability to link with the backs in attacking play and to keep the ball moving. That’s a rare talent,” Borthwick said.

“He has the pace to operate with the quickest guys. He is up there with the quickest guys in our squad. He is not quite Henry Arundell but not too many people are.”

Veteran prop Cian Healy revealed Ireland’s players were not treated to a motivational speech from former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane during his visit to their training base in Portugal.

Ex-Ireland captain Keane was one of three high-profile visitors to watch Andy Farrell’s men train on Wednesday, alongside One Direction singer Niall Horan and major golf champion Padraig Harrington.

The 52-year-old pundit, who has previously been a guest speaker for his country’s rugby stars, was pictured chatting with Ireland skipper Johnny Sexton in the Algarve.

However, on this occasion, he did not address the full squad.

“I have no idea what he was doing there, to be honest,” said Healy.

“He wasn’t in camp, he was at the side of the pitch watching training. I didn’t get to chat to him, I was training.

“Some of the lads that already had done their part of the session would have said hello or whatever.

“But I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a scheduled thing and he was just on holiday here or whatever and showed up for a look.”

Head coach Farrell is putting his preliminary 42-man World Cup squad, which is missing only the injured Jack Conan, through their paces ahead of cutting it down to a final 33 following warm-up clashes with England and Samoa.

Healy warned peripheral players they will not secure a seat on the plane to France by trying to be “the hero”.

“There’s going to be a lot of players looking to put their hand up,” he said.

“How to do that is to play our game and play how we play to the best of your ability.

“You don’t get picked by being the hero and going out and trying to do something fantastic because the percentage of that coming off is pretty low.

“I’m just looking forward to seeing everyone getting their chance and I suppose how they buy into what we’re doing and what stamp they can put on it themselves.”

Healy moved level with Rory Best as Ireland’s third most capped player during a try-scoring cameo in Saturday’s 33-17 win over Italy in Dublin.

The 35-year-old, who has played 124 Test matches, is preparing for his fourth and potentially final World Cup.

He is almost certain to be in Farrell’s final selection as loosehead back-up to Leinster team-mate Andrew Porter and is enjoying the build up to this year’s tournament, with players not “dying” to escape camp.

“It’s a great buzz, a really good camp to be in,” he said. “A lot of fun, a lot of time together on and off the pitch, especially over here (in Portugal).

“We’ve got nice time in the afternoon to spend a bit of time with the group and break off to spend a bit of time with families as well.

“We have had it before where you do the six-week block and people are dying to get out of camp for a couple of days or dying to go for a pint or something. You’re living in a hotel and that’s how life is.

“This has been managed really well in the sense that no one feels overloaded by time away.”

Hukum appears increasingly likely to head straight for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe following his heroic success in last month’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

The six-year-old edged out Westover in an epic renewal of Ascot’s midsummer showpiece, his second win at Group One level having landed last year’s Coronation Cup at Epsom before suffering an injury.

Having proved his ability remains very much intact, connections are happy to keep their powder dry for Europe’s premier middle-distance contest on October 1.

“Touch wood he’s in good shape and he seemed to come out of it well,” said Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell.

“I haven’t spoken to Owen (Burrows, trainer) particularly about it, but from what I saw quoted I think he’s happy to go straight to the Arc unless something else presented itself.

“He’s a dual Group One winner, so we don’t have to run him just for the sake of it, and I think if we got him to Longchamp in good shape, he’d have a decent chance.

“That’s our job now, to get him there in the best possible shape.”

The Shadwell team enjoyed further Group One success at Goodwood last week, with the Roger Varian-trained Al Husn springing a minor upset in the Nassau Stakes.

She holds entries in the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville and the Yorkshire Oaks at York before the end of this month, while a trip to the Breeders’ Cup could be on her agenda later in the year.

Gold added: “She’s in the Romanet and she’s in the Yorkshire Oaks. I was just speaking to Roger this morning and if we want to go further he’s always said he’d love to end up in America with her, possibly with the Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp as a race before then.

“We’re in the lucky position now where we’re not trying to make a Group One winner, she has achieved that, so we can just wait and see.

“She must have had a relatively hard race last week, although she’s a tough as nails, and now she’s a Group One winner we want to do the right thing by her.

“The options are the Romanet and the Yorkshire Oaks, or neither and just concentrate on the Opera and then maybe go to America.

“I was speaking to Roger this morning and we said Sheikha Hissa might be able to come to York and she might like to see her run. There’s lots of things to work out, so we’ll have a good think about it early next week and see what everyone thinks is the right course of action.”

Deepone will put his unbeaten record on the line when he lines up in the Coolmore Stud Churchill Stakes at Tipperary on Friday.

Paddy Twomey’s youngster has created a deep impression in his two outings so far, excelling at Leopardstown on debut, before further enhancing his reputation with a comfortable success over a mile at Killarney.

The son of Study Of Man will now make his first foray into Pattern company with his handler unable to fault what he has seen from the colt in his short career so far.

“He’s a nice horse and he’s answered every question we’ve asked of him to date,” said Twomey.

“Tomorrow is the next step of his education and hopefully he can continue in the same sort of form.

“He’s been an uncomplicated horse and everything we have asked he has done it. We think he will make a nice three-year-old and we’re just taking the steps and educating him at the minute.”

The O’Brien family is well represented in the Listed contest and Donnacha O’Brien’s Bremen is another to impress when winning over a mile at Killarney, while Joseph O’Brien will rely on Warnie who looked equally as talented when breaking his maiden at Bellewstown.

The Highland Reel colt was beaten only three lengths when making his debut in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Owning Hill handler believes his charge is more than capable of playing a part in this company.

He said: “He won nicely at Bellewstown and the race has worked out well. We think he is a smart enough colt and he can be competitive in this grade.

“The owners are Australian-based so it was nice they could be there to watch him make his debut at Ascot which was lovely and he came back and won well next time.”

Aidan O’Brien has a good record in this event and has won it with the likes of St Leger hero Capri in the past.

This time he saddles both Leopardstown scorer Brilliant and Democracy, while Dermot Weld’s Captain Maverick was behind Warnie at Bellewstown on debut before getting off the mark at Galway and is an interesting contender for the Rosewell House handler.

Adrian Murray’s Courageous Strike completes the select group of seven that will head to post.

Wales boss Warren Gatland says he is “pretty confident” that star back-row forward Taulupe Faletau will be available for World Cup selection.

The Cardiff number eight, who has won 100 caps, will play no part in Wales’ tournament warm-up schedule as he continues his recovery from a calf muscle injury.

He is not involved against England at Twickenham on Saturday, and has also been ruled out of contention to face world champions South Africa in Cardiff on Saturday week.

Gatland said: “Taulupe won’t be available next week.

“He trained pretty well today, he is not feeling anything in his calf, so we are pretty confident he is available for selection.”

Centre Johnny Williams and wing Alex Cuthbert, though, are on course to be available for South Africa’s visit, with fly-half Gareth Anscombe ruled out as a precautionary measure after taking a knock to his thumb during Wales’ training camp in Turkey.

Gatland is set to name his final 33-strong World Cup squad within the next fortnight as the clock continues ticking on players’ selection hopes.

“I am expecting a group of players who are desperate to perform. It is a good situation to be in,” Gatland added, ahead of Saturday’s clash.

“England have picked their (World Cup) squad, so they will want to go out there and perform.

“But sometimes, it is almost the relief of being selected in the squad, and whether you are quite there emotionally. That’s the challenge for them to get up.

“I know we have a group of players that are in the right head-space because that team went out last week (Wales beat England 20-9 in Cardiff) they weren’t perfect, but they showed some great signs of what we are looking for as a group.

“There is a lot at stake, and players are well aware of that. We are not highlighting that or trying to put extra pressure on them.”

Asked about players’ World Cup selection prospects who have yet to feature in the summer Tests, Gatland said: “It is going to be tougher for them isn’t?

“If they haven’t trained a lot and they haven’t played, you might get an opportunity next week and you have probably got to have a pretty special game.

“Some of those players might get that chance next week. We will see how Saturday goes. It is always a challenge for players who have had injuries and haven’t taken a full part.”

Gatland was linked with the England head coach’s job following Eddie Jones’ sacking last year, before Steve Borthwick was appointed as the Australian’s successor.

Asked if he looked back and wished he was in the England camp, Gatland added: “Not really. I’m happy that I’m here.”

He was more forthcoming on England fly-half Marcus Smith, though, a player who Gatland believes is a potential world superstar.

“I just think he is an incredibly talented player. I like him as a person, I like him as a rugby player,” he said.

“There has been so much negativity around rugby the last couple of years.

“We need to be positive about the game, and how do we create superstars in the game where kids want to look up to people and wear their jersey and play in their back yard and call themselves Marcus Smith. Potentially, he can be that superstar.”

Wales, meanwhile, will lock horns with Jones’ Australia team at the World Cup, facing them in a potentially pivotal pool clash on September 24.

Australia did not win a game in this summer’s Rugby Championship, while Jones’ World Cup squad announced on Thursday features a solitary recognised fly-half and no place for former captain Michael Hooper.

“He (Jones) seems comfortable with throwing a few curve-balls in there. He has spoken really positively about what they are capable of doing,” Gatland added.

“Eddie talked about smash and grab in the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe (Cup). Maybe part two of that will work, but part one hasn’t come off.”

Purosangue will head to York following his near miss in the Molecomb Stakes, with connections confident they have a high-class two-year-old on their hands.

Owned by Opulence Thoroughbreds and Teme Valley and trained by Andrew Balding, the son of Aclaim made a winning debut at Haydock in June before taking an encouraging step up to Group Two company at Newmarket’s July Festival when fourth to Jasour in the July Stakes.

Dropped back both in trip to five furlongs and slightly in grade to Group Three level at Goodwood, he produced a fine display to be beaten only a neck by Mick Appleby’s Windsor Castle scorer Big Evs and his owners now believe they have a top sprinting prospect to enjoy.

“He’s a proper horse definitely and he’s just going to go and get better and better as well,” said George Gill, director of Opulence Thoroughbreds.

“He’s not your typical breeze-up horse who can regress mentally after their first run, he’s actually mentally and physically improved from Haydock to Newmarket and then to Goodwood.

“I definitely think he’s a five-furlong horse for now. He’s sort of one you can imagine in the King’s Stand next year at Royal Ascot and I think if we come up against Big Evs again, I reckon we can beat him.”

Purosangue will continue campaigning in Pattern company, with Gill outlining an ambitious programme for the second half of the season.

The next stop for the talented youngster will be the Julia Graves Roses Stakes at York on the Saturday of the Ebor meeting, while there is the prospect Purosangue will end his season in Paris with a tilt at the Prix de l’Abbaye.

“It’s exciting and we’ll now head to York on August 26 for the Listed race which is valuable and is worth £100,000, and then there is the Flying Childers over five furlongs at Doncaster in September,” added Gill.

“There’s also a nice race at Newmarket in October but depending on how much he progresses, you also have the option of going for the Prix de l’Abbaye on Arc weekend.

“There’s plenty of options and he’s one of the soundest horses I’ve ever seen and bought at the breeze-up sales. His vetting was impeccable. He’s all speed in his dam line and has the speed from Aclaim and he’s a gorgeous looking horse as well.

“It’s very exciting and he’s with the right man to take him to the top as well.”

Jockeys who use their whip nine times or more in races in France will face immediate disqualification from September 1.

France Galop announced on Thursday that regulations would be revised with the stated aim “to further strengthen deterrence against whip abuse”.

Riders in France already face stringent limits on use of the whip, with four strokes the permitted maximum introduced in May this year.

From next month, if a jockey goes five strikes over that limit, their mount will be disqualified by the raceday stewards, before any bets on the race concerned are paid out.

The British Horseracing Authority amended its rules earlier in 2023, with seven strikes allowed over the jumps and six on the Flat. Any rider who exceeds those limits by four or more is disqualified, although that sanction is not imposed on raceday, instead being passed along to the Whip Review Committee, which meets on Tuesdays and Fridays.

There have been a limited number of disqualifications since the British rules were changed, while Jim Crowley came within one strike of the sanction when riding Hukum to victory in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

His nine uses of the whip resulted in a 20-day ban and a £10,000 fine.

Saturday’s improbable Betfred Challenge Cup final at Wembley pits Willie Peters’ exciting and expansive Hull KR against a Leigh side led by Adrian Lam who have taken this season by storm.

For Rovers it means a chance to erase the memories of their last final appearance in 2015 when they were hammered 50-0 by Leeds – whilst Leigh’s last involvement in the sport’s showpiece event came way back in 1971.

Here, the PA news agency picks out the four key areas which could determine whether Peters’ men or Lam’s in-form Leopards emerge with the trophy.

A revelation in Leigh’s promotion-winning 2022 campaign, Ipape has extended his explosive brand of running and tackling into the top-flight, relishing his role in a settled spine and proceeding to cement his place as one of the best number nines in the business. Litten’s role at Rovers – which he often splits with the more experienced Matt Parcell – may be more understated but is deceptively effective. Litten’s ability to speed up the ruck in the later stages of gruelling games could prove a pivotal factor against Leigh’s bulky pack.

The 22-year-old Schneider has reignited Rovers’ season since his arrival on a short-term deal from Canberra. The Australian kicked two consecutive golden point winners in his first two games, including last month’s semi-final win over Wigan, when his his kicking accuracy and strong running game was plain to see. Alongside Ipape, Lam has effectively orchestrated his side’s surge towards the summit this season, a cool-headed distributor whose 20 assists so far are testament to his status as one of 2023’s stand-out performers.

Out wide most eyes will be on Rovers winger Ryan Hall, who looks set to start for the first time since limping off in the semi-final warm-up. But Rovers’ fate may rest with talismanic skipper Kenny-Dowall, not only for his swashbuckling forward forays but the inspiration he is giving team-mates who wish to send him into retirement on a high. Leigh are a little lighter in the threequarters department but boast a potentially match-winning card in arrow-like winger Charnley, second only in tries scored (22) and metres gained to Catalans’ Tom Johnstone so far this season.

Leigh captain Asiata may be best known for his uncompromising tackle technique but it is his leadership qualities and skills with the ball – he has made more carries than any other forward this season – that might provide the crucial components at Wembley. Rovers’ key forward threat arrives in the shape of their free-ranging 13 Minchella, the Bradford man whose constant driving of his side’s line speed is key.

Donnacha O’Brien is confident his Royal Ascot heroine Porta Fortuna can give the colts a run for their money in Saturday’s Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.

Having won a Curragh maiden and a Group Three at Naas in the spring, the daughter of Caravaggio completed her hat-trick in the Albany Stakes at the Royal meeting under Frankie Dettori.

Connections had the option of keeping Porta Fortuna against her own sex in the Lowther at York later this month, but O’Brien is happy to roll the dice against the boys in a bid for Group One glory.

He said: “She’s won two Group races now, two Group Threes, so I suppose the next step now is to let her have a go at a Group One.

“The Lowther is a Group Two and we said we’d let her take her chance in a Group One.

“She’s in good form and working well, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Oisin Murphy takes over in the saddle aboard Porta Fortuna, who is one of seven juveniles declared for the six-furlong contest.

Aidan O’Brien, Donnacha’s father, will rely on Railway Stakes second and third Unquestionable and His Majesty in his bid for a remarkable 18th Phoenix Stakes success, having decided against running his unbeaten Coventry Stakes winner River Tiber.

Other leading contenders include Adrian Murray’s Coventry third and Railway winner Bucanero Fuerte and Jessica Harrington’s Coventry fourth Givemethebeatboys.

“It looks like he (River Tiber) is going to go for the Prix Morny, but it’s still a very competitive field,” Donnacha O’Brien added.

“There’s three or four there that are very close on ratings, there’s a few that could win it. It’s a very open race and it should be good.”

Zak Hardaker will strain every sinew to win the Betfred Challenge Cup this weekend for Adrian Lam after thriving under the care and attention of the Leigh head coach.

The Leopards defied pre-season predictions that they would struggle on their Super League comeback and, with just half a dozen matches of the regular campaign left, Lam’s side are currently joint second.

Leigh could cap a remarkable return to the big time by beating Hull KR at Wembley on Saturday and Hardaker has attributed the club being the breakout story of the year to former Wigan boss Lam.

Hardaker, who worked under the Papua New Guinean at the Warriors, has had a string of disciplinary issues throughout his career but believes he has matured under Lam at Leigh.

“I’ve just settled,” he told the PA news agency. “When I signed at Leigh, the big factor was Lammy wanting me, wanting to settle me down and get the old head switched on.

“I think he knows me better than me, to be fair. He just makes sure that I’m happy, not that I want that much. He makes sure everyone’s home life is pretty good and wants that to be in order first.

“As a coach, if everyone’s happy outside of rugby then the on-the-field stuff takes care of itself. He makes sure I’m alright and it’s lovely that he’s so caring and looks out for me like that.

“I try to repay him by training hard and playing well for him on the pitch. If I can do that on Saturday and get him a win, it would be pretty special.”

Leigh won 28 of their 29 fixtures in last year’s Championship, including brushing aside Batley in the Million Pound Game, but their three past promotions to the top table ended with immediate relegation.

They bolstered their ranks by bringing in players with proven Super League pedigree, with Hardaker joined by former Leeds team-mate Tom Briscoe and experienced forwards Oliver Holmes and Jack Hughes.

“We knew we had a chance to do something,” Hardaker said. “Bringing in many people from different clubs and trying to get them to gel so quickly might have been the biggest issue but everyone’s so close.

“It’s weird in a way because friendships and bonds sometimes take a couple of years and you get that bond over a long period of time, but we’ve got it in a short period of time.

“We enjoy coming to training, we all have a laugh and a joke but when it’s time to get serious, we train hard. Every game’s been great. Even when we’ve lost, we’ve had big learning curves.”

Hardaker bagged a try as Leigh toppled St Helens – the winners of the past four Grand Finals who triumphed in the World Club Challenge earlier this year – last month to reach the Wembley showpiece.

Leigh’s last visit to the famous stadium was 52 years ago while this latest trip will just be their second overall, so the magnitude of the occasion is not lost on Hardaker.

He said: “We’ve seen pictures from then – what they did and the parade they had and all the fans in the street. It gives you that buzz of what it means and we’re going to try our hardest to recreate that.”

Hardaker has only had to wait eight years for another crack at cup-final glory. Back then, his Leeds side demolished Hull KR 50-0 and he ended the season as the Super League’s Man of Steel.

But in that same year, he was arrested for assault while in 2018 he was sacked by Castleford for failing a drugs test for cocaine before serving a driving ban shortly after being signed by Wigan.

Last year, he was released by the Warriors just days after coach Matt Peet said Hardaker had “dipped below the standards” expected of a Wigan player, but the 31-year-old has redeemed himself at Leigh.

“Winning the cup this weekend would mean everything,” he added. “It would definitely be up there with one of the best achievements I’ve got so far.”

England have selected a host of big guns led by Owen Farrell for Saturday’s clash with Wales as they look to ignite their World Cup preparations in the wake of a tame defeat in Cardiff.

Farrell captains a side that sees Billy Vunipola make his first Test appearance since the autumn, having missed out on the Six Nations on form grounds and then undergone successive knee operations.

Vunipola is the only specialist number eight to have been picked in England’s World Cup squad, making the Twickenham showdown a key moment in his comeback having been sidelined since April.

Following a 20-9 loss in the first of four warm-up matches, head coach Steve Borthwick has picked a team close to his strongest XV that also features Jamie George, Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes.

One of England’s shortcomings at the Principality Stadium was their inability to capitalise on the chances created in the first half but in Elliot Daly and Henry Arundell there will be two quality finishers present on Saturday.

Daly is making his first England appearance since the 2022 Six Nations, having fallen out of favour under Eddie Jones and then seen his recall for this year’s Championship scuppered by a torn hamstring.

Blue Rose Cen will head to the Prix Vermeille in a bid for further Group One success after her Nassau Stakes outing ultimately ended in disappointment.

The Churchill filly has been the star of Christopher Head’s stable this season, winning three of her four runs and backing up a successful juvenile campaign in which she was a Group One winner in the Prix Marcel Boussac.

Her three-year-old season started in the Prix de la Grotte, a Group Three she won comfortably before landing the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, over the same ParisLongchamp mile the following month.

A further start at Group One level ended in a four-length victory in the Prix de Diane, a performance that paved the way to Goodwood’s flagship summer meeting.

She started as the 10-11 favourite under Aurelien Lemaitre, but the race did not go as planned when the partnership found themselves boxed in two furlongs from home and could not throw down a challenge until it was too late.

Blue Rose Cen had to settle for fourth behind Al Husn, Above The Curve and Nashwa, but was only beaten a length and a quarter in a tight finish.

The Prix Vermeille, over a mile and a half on Arc trials day back at ParisLongchamp, is next on the agenda as she steps up in trip again.

“She is very well, she had a good journey back from France and everything is all right,” Head said.

“Everything has gone smoothly with her since Goodwood and she worked well (on Wednesday morning).

“We’re still hoping to go through with the schedule we had in mind for her and the Vermeille is the plan – everything is good.”

Head has a another top-quality filly in the two-year-old Ramatuelle, a chestnut daughter of Justify who is partly owned by the NBA hall of famer Tony Parker.

Ramatuelle has won three of her four starts so far, with the last two successes coming at Group level as she landed the Prix du Bois by five lengths and the Prix Robert Papin by four.

The Prix Morny, a six-furlong Group One run at Deauville, is now the target.

“She’s doing fine, she’s really good,” Head said.

“She’s just full of speed and I have entered her in the Morny, that is going to be the plan for her.

“I’m very happy with her. She runs over that distance and at that pace really fluently, we are delighted to see her win her races and we just can’t wait to see her run again.”