Millie Knight, Great Britain’s most successful Paralympic downhill skier, had not envisioned a trip to the Karate World Championships when she decided to take up the martial art as “just a hobby” while studying for her degree.
Yet that is precisely where the 24-year-old, who on Thursday announced she was hanging up her skis after winning four medals on her sport’s biggest stage, will find herself later this month after her hobby transformed into the next phase of her journey in elite sport.
Knight turned to karate after a leg injury sustained during the Beijing 2022 Paralympics and having suffered four career concussions.
By that summer she had been crowned both British and Commonwealth visually-impaired karate champion.
She told the PA news agency: “I started karate and absolutely loved it, but I never had the opportunity to pursue it further, and when we came back from Beijing last year I decided I would join a proper club and pick it back up again and take it more seriously.
“I didn’t expect to take it this seriously. It was going to be just a hobby, but I love it. It’s the most incredible sport.
“I won the English championships and then was selected for the Commonwealth, and it was kind of at that point that it was like ‘oh, wow, this is more than a hobby’.
“When I won the Commonwealths that was just bizarre, and now I’m off to the world championships.”
At 15, Knight became the youngest British athlete to compete in a winter Paralympics, being named Great Britain’s opening ceremony flag-bearer that year for the 2014 Sochi Games, a memory that still remains a contender for the highlight of her competitive skiing career.
Four years later, at Pyeongchang in 2018, Knight picked up three Paralympic medals – downhill and super-G silver as well as slalom bronze. Her fourth – a downhill bronze – came at the Beijing 2022 Games.
On Thursday, Knight – ranked world number 10 in her karate discipline – announced she was retiring from skiing, a decision she is relieved to be making on her own terms.
She said: “I’m very grateful, and now I’m really happy. It really has taken some time to come to this decision, but (now) I can talk about it with a smile on my face.”
Knight is working towards a degree at the Open University, where she is writing her dissertation on a topic close to both her heart and head: concussions in sport.
The Canterbury native, who lost the majority of her sight due to an infection when she was six, was hospitalised four times for concussions during her skiing career.
She said, “I would never wish (concussions) upon anybody. By far the worst injury that I have ever had.
“The recovery process itself is horrendous. There’s no set time-frame. It’s not something that is spoken about enough.”
The Concussion in Para Sport (CIPS) Group of medical experts and researchers in 2021 released a consensus statement, coming to the conclusion that “there is a paucity of concussion research related to para sport”.
The commonly-used Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 diagnostic test, for instance, includes criteria like assessing whether or not an athlete has double-vision – something someone with total vision loss would not be able to report, while balance tests may not be applicable to those with lower-limb or other disabilities affecting mobility.
The group has developed recommended guidelines intended to help assessors adapt the tool to individual athletes, but Knight, who last year spoke at the International Concussion Consensus, hopes her dissertation will help spark more much-needed progress.
For now, she is enjoying the freedom of her new, non-contact sport where her risk of concussion has significantly lowered.
Knight added: “It’s far safer for your brain. I’m very much safe. It’s really nice that I can step out on the tatami and know that I’m going to be safe.”
Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan plans to ignore the hype and treat Saturday’s blockbuster World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand like any other Test match.
Andy Farrell’s men will make history as the first Irish team to progress to the last four of the tournament by downing the three-time champions in Paris.
Ireland’s previous World Cup failures are well documented but Sheehan is among the younger generation of players unburdened by the baggage.
The self-confident 25-year-old feels there is a stronger mentality among the class of 2023 and will not become distracted by the media fanfare surrounding a titanic Stade de France showdown.
“Our mindset is different,” said Sheehan. “I obviously have no experience of earlier squads but the more experienced lads have shared their thoughts on it.
“I think you just treat it like another game.
“It’s knockout rugby, you can build these games up as much as you want but it can end up affecting you if you give it too much attention.
“We need to stick to our preparation, we’ve been doing that for the last three years pretty consistently at a good level.
“In my head and in most of the squad’s heads, it’s going to be pretty much same old Test rugby, you’re in an Irish jersey and you go out and perform.”
Ireland are seeking a record-equalling 18th successive win and have made little secret of their ambition to become world champions.
Farrell’s side have topped the global rankings for more than a year and go into the New Zealand game as favourites.
Sheehan, who only made his international debut in November 2021, has already beaten the All Blacks twice after helping secure last year’s milestone tour triumph and believes Ireland can go all the way in France.
“Growing up, you want to be in these big games,” he said.
“Ireland hasn’t been past these kind of stages so it’s obviously a big motivation to get one up.
“We said at the start of the competition that we want to go the whole way, we think we have the squad to do it.
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“We can’t look past tomorrow but the pride of being in this squad, it extends further than me, it goes to family and friends.
“It’s great to bring a bit of enjoyment and pride to the Irish people. Something I always think about is how many people it touches back home.
“It’s great but you can’t really get lost in it. I have a job to do, we have to go out and perform. We can think about that after.”
Ylang Ylang stayed on to land the bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained bay was not prominent under Ryan Moore and was handled patiently after starting at odds of 9-2 in the one-mile Group One.
On soft ground the race became more of a test of stamina and in the latter stages of the contest she was able to edge past the 3-1 favourite Shuwari to prevail.
Adam Farragher feels Lordship has not stopped improving yet after William Haggas’ inmate landed his fourth success of the year in the £100,000 William Hill Finale Handicap at York.
A winner at Chepstow, Yarmouth and Haydock in the summer, it perhaps looked as if the handicapper had him in his grasp when only fourth in the Melrose at the Ebor meeting and fifth in a valuable event at Haydock.
Racing on soft ground for the first time, Farragher thought it would bring about improvement and it certainly did, as Lordship got the better of a duel with Andrew Balding’s Urban Outlook, who was chasing a hat-trick, by a length and a quarter.
“He’s been a big improver from one run to the next. He ran a super race in the Melrose and that form is red-hot,” said Farragher.
“Coming here today I thought the dig in the ground would bring out a bit more in him, I’ve been saying that since the start. It’s extreme here today, probably heavy, but he stuck it out well.
“I got him rolling early because I could see David (Probert) travelling well and I didn’t want him to get away.
“I wouldn’t know where his ceiling is to be honest, he’s improved with each run.”
The British EBF £100,000 Final went the way of Kevin Ryan’s Apiarist, who broke his maiden at the fourth attempt.
Back in August he had been beaten a head by Richard Fahey’s Sailthisshipalone and on 1lb different terms there was little to separate them again.
The pair pulled clear of the favourite Grey Cuban, with Apiarist (28-1) and Tom Eaves prevailing by a neck.
“He’s a horse we’ve always liked but it’s been slow progression. He went too quick (over a mile) last time so I told Tom to take his time today,” said Ryan.
“He’s a big, raw horse and he’ll make a lovely three-year-old. It was a nice prize to win today. He’ll probably start back at the Dante meeting like most of ours.
“We’ve had a good year. I base it on prize money now, I used to be a numbers man but the big winners give you the appetite for the job.”
David and Nicola Barron’s Pilgrim (15-8 favourite) was not winning out of turn in the William Hill EBF Novice Stakes.
Rated 83 after four good efforts, he was kept honest throughout the final two furlongs by Tim Easterby’s Elegant Call but eventually pulled a length and a half clear with the promising John and Thady Gosden-trained newcomer Gamekeeper in third.
David Barron said: “I was worried about the ground I must admit, at this time of year at the end of the season, it’s very tiring.
“Joe (Fanning) said he wasn’t in love with it but he was good enough. The handicapper can’t go too mad, so we’ll hopefully look at some of the nice sprint handicaps next season.”
Matt Peet insists he never dared to dream of the day he would be leading Wigan out in a Betfred Super League Grand Final.
The home-grown 39-year-old started as a volunteer at the club before clawing his way through the scholarship and academy ranks to assume the prestigious head coach role in 2021.
But the unassuming Peet is at pains to point out that he never aspired to the position that will culminate in him taking charge against Catalans Dragons in his first Super League Grand Final on Saturday.
“I just wanted to do the best job I could at every step,” Peet told the PA news agency. “I took pride in being a volunteer and I didn’t necessarily think I wanted to take the job in order to progress.
“If you do a good job at Wigan there are people who trust you and believe in you and that’s what happened with me, particularly with (chief executive) Kris Radlinski, who saw enough in me to promote me from within.
“It took courage for him to do that, and hopefully it will pay off.”
Emulating his early mentor, the current England coach Shaun Wane, Peet was appointed Wigan’s assistant under-20s coach in 2009, moving on to his first head coaching role in charge of the under-18 side two years later.
As head of youth performance from 2013, Peet enjoyed remarkable success, leading Wigan’s academy side to six Grand Final wins in seven years, leaving him first in line following Adrian Lam’s departure in 2021.
Like 21-year-old hooker Brad O’Neill, whom he elevated to his first-choice number nine over experienced Sam Powell earlier this season, Peet has fond memories of sitting in the Old Trafford stands cheering Sam Tomkins to victory in the cherry-and-white.
By a twist of fate Peet now finds himself plotting to disrupt a fairytale finish for 34-year-old Tomkins, who will play the last match of his illustrious career in Catalans colours.
“I’ve been to Grand Finals before as a fan and as head of youth helping Shaun, and when you look back (it) does seem bizarre, but progression and development just come naturally at this club,” added Peet.
“We’ll try our best to approach it just like any other game. There are obviously things that will be different but the main thing is we are up against a fantastic team.
“The game will be super-intense but as far as emotion goes, it won’t be too different to last week, or the week before that.”
Matilda Picotte made all the running to claim the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes at Newmarket.
Kieran Cotter’s enthusiastic three-year-old has some smart form figures on the Rowley Mile having won a Listed heat late last season at the track before returning to finish third in the 1000 Guineas behind Mawj and Tahiyra earlier in the year.
Returning to Newmarket on the back of an all-the-way success in the Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster, it was a case of more of the same in this Group Two event as Oisin Murphy allowed his willing partner to stride on.
The riders of chief rivals Audience and Chindit were at pains to close the gap as Murphy allowed Matilda Picotte to fill her lungs entering the dip and although the pack did close slightly in the latter stages of the contest, Matilda Picotte had enough in the tank to finish full of running and two and three-quarter lengths clear of fellow Irish raider Lord Massusus.
Cotter said: “I was a bit concerned she might falter in the last 100 yards, but she’s so much pace and she’s so genuine and they have to work hard to get to her.
“Her last couple of runs have been outstanding. I’ve been saying to the lads (owners) for a while that you wouldn’t see the best of her until the backend of her three-year-old season and she’s just got better and better.
“Oisin said today he was going too fast and she was aggressive early, but you can’t fight her, he just lets her roll and she’s incredibly tough.
“It’s fantastic as we wouldn’t have 20 horses, but we’re showing that if we have the right one, we can turn up on the day and take the money. It’s fantastic to be able to come to a racecourse like this and compete – we’re privileged to have her.
“I don’t know if she’ll run again this year. There is the Breeders’ Cup, who knows?
“There’ll be a lot of races for her next year, if we have her. I think she has an entry in the sales, but the lads were saying if she won well today they might keep her.
“She’s a horse of a lifetime and it’s been a fairy tale for all the lads.”
Experience and youth will go head to head in Saturday’s Super League Grand Final between Wigan and Catalans Dragons at Old Trafford.
For some players the showpiece will represent their last time on a rugby league pitch while others aim to use the opportunity as a springboard to future success.
Here the PA news agency picks out four of the crucial battles that could decide the destiny of this year’s Super League title:
Full-back: Sam Tomkins v Jai Field
Tomkins’ stunning late try in the play-off semi-final win over St Helens provided ample proof that the 34-year-old’s prodigious rugby brain has not dimmed in the twilight of his career. In contrast, the flying Field’s game is based on speed and spontaneity, capable of cutting through the most resolute of defensive lines. Whoever wins the war on Saturday should be grasping the Super League trophy.
Wing: Tom Johnstone v Abbas Miski
Johnstone and Miski went blow-for-blow in the try-scoring stakes this season and finished the regular campaign locked together at the top of the standings on 27. King of the full-length kick-chase, Johnstone has relished his first season in France but is matched for speed by Miski, the Lebanon international who has seized his unexpected chance to star on the wing for Wigan.
Hooker: Michael McIlorum v Brad O’Neill
Intimidating, combustible and a master of the game’s dark arts, McIlorum will set the tempo for Catalans provided he can resist his former club’s attempts to ruffle his feathers. The 21-year-old O’Neill, meanwhile, brings youthful enthusiasm and an imposing physical presence in defence. Wigan need O’Neill – who seized his slot from veteran Sam Powell earlier this season – to rise to the occasion and match his imposing rival.
Halves: Mitchell Pearce v Bevan French
Australian Pearce, who has seen and done it all during a stellar career in Super League and the NRL, will also retire after the game and his already ferocious will to win will ramp up further as he seeks to bow out in style. French, fresh from snaring this season’s Super League Man of Steel, has revelled in his new role this season and brings the kind of vision and vibrancy that has proved pivotal to his side’s success so far.
Dance Sequence pounced late to land the Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes for William Buick and Charlie Appleby.
The filly came into the race with one run and one victory under her belt and started at 4-1 for the seven-furlong Group Three despite not having run since July.
Travelling in mid division, the daughter of Dubawi joined runner-up and 7-4 favourite Skellet in pulling clear of the field at the half-furlong pole before crossing the line a neck ahead of the latter horse.
The pair pulled three lengths clear of third-placed Star Music, with the winner now a 14-1 shot for next year’s 1000 Guineas with Coral.
Appleby said: “She was very impressive on her debut and today was very similar.
“William had confidence going into both races and said he was going to drop her in today. I said ‘be careful, there’s a tailwind, don’t let them get away free on the front end’, but he has such confidence in this filly, she answers every call and he didn’t have to get hard on her.
“We purposely gave her the gap after Newmarket. She’s a big, scopey filly and people would have been saying you could be going here, there and everywhere, but we’re well aware that we’re in the process of rebuilding our team and fillies like these aren’t easy to come by sometimes, so we purposely wanted to give her the time.
“We wanted to come here, get this assignment done, hopefully put away for the winter and dream about running in some Guineas trials next year.”
By his owns lofty standards the Moulton Paddocks handler has had a quiet year when it comes to top-level success, but he remains philosophical.
He added: “It’s not tough, this is the game we’re in. If you think you’ve cracked it you better go and find another sport.
“We knew ourselves this season was going to be a bit more challenging following the retirement of some of those older horses, as they’re always the pillar of the yard, but we’re confident we have some nice two-year-olds coming through.
“I don’t see a Guineas colt, if I’m being honest, but looking at some of the pedigrees we’ve got and some of the physicals, they were always going to be three-year-olds.
“Hopefully this filly is one of the sharper ones in the fillies’ division. She’s got a bit more daylight to go yet before we look at her as a serious Guineas contender in my opinion, but she’s on the right path.”
Wales fly-half Dan Biggar will banish any thoughts of Test rugby retirement when he lines up in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Argentina.
The 33-year-old wins his 112th cap at Stade Velodrome – and it will be a final Wales appearance if Argentina triumph.
Biggar announced in August that he will step away from the international arena he has graced for the past 15 years, post-World Cup.
But Wales have their sights set on going deep into the tournament and he has no intention of reaching journey’s end just yet.
“For me, I am not thinking about anything, I don’t want this to be my last day as a rugby player for Wales. Hopefully, it will be the case I have another two weeks,” Biggar said.
“For those of us who will be finishing after the World Cup there will be a bit of extra pressure, but it is also a huge motivation.
“I definitely don’t want my last day as a Welsh rugby player to be losing a quarter-final.
“We have worked as hard as we possibly can all week, doing everything we possibly can as a team and individuals to make sure we go out on a high rather than a disappointing end.”
Wales have reached a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final, with Biggar returning to action after recovering from a pectoral muscle strain suffered early in the record 40-6 victory over Australia three weeks ago.
Biggar went off after just 12 minutes, and he added: “Initially, I thought it was going to be really difficult, but we have managed to heal up okay.
“Basically, I have just been with the physios pretty much every day for the last two-and-a-half weeks and getting myself back for this. It was one which I really didn’t want to miss.
“I am just really lucky, I suppose, lucky and grateful to be preparing for a game tomorrow. It was one of those where I thought it would have been such a shame to have ended it that way.
“It is important to say it’s not about myself or anybody else leaving the team tomorrow, it is about making sure that we stay on because the belief and the confidence we’ve got in the group now is really high.”
Biggar’s game management and goalkicking will see him have a key role to play against the Pumas when Wales target a third semi-final in the last four World Cups.
“We have spoken all week about not being ready to go home yet,” he said.
“It is funny how time changes because probably three, four or five months ago if somebody had said we were going to win our pool and be in a really strong position to get to a semi-final, people would have thought you were talking absolute madness.
“So it just shows how much confidence and belief we have had as a group as the weeks have gone by and spent more time together.
“We noticed as the weeks have gone on that the support for us from back home has grown and grown, and the belief has grown.
“We are hoping to have a load of Welsh fans in here (Stade Velodrome) tomorrow. Loads of families and friends are coming to the game – I’ve got 13 people staying in my house in Toulon!
“We know we are playing a very, very tough team tomorrow.
“They have probably got a little bit more to come than what they’ve shown in the pool stages, we probably know that they are going to be right up for this tomorrow and we know how difficult it is going to be.
“I think a lot of people in Wales just think we’ve got to turn up tomorrow to get the job done. We have spoken all week about how that is the absolute opposite of what our mindset is.
“We are going to have to play a lot better than probably what we have done in the pool stages to win. Hopefully we can deliver a really good performance and make this World Cup even more special than it already has been.”
Inquisitively showcased his sprinting potential to claim the Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project Cornwallis Stakes in impressive fashion.
The youngster caught the eye when trained by Ollie Sangster in the early stages of his career, placing in the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot, but has taken his form to the next level since switching to Kevin Philippart De Foy in Newmarket.
An impressive winner of a Listed race at York during the Ebor Festival, he took the step up to Group Three company in his stride and the 100-30 second favourite displayed plenty of speed from the start as he made all in good style in the hands of William Buick.
It is the biggest success of Philippart De Foy’s training career so far and his exciting speedster is now a 16-1 chance from 20s with Coral for next year’s Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
The handler admitted the soft conditions were something of a question mark before the race.
He said: “I wasn’t that confident beforehand (because of the ground), but he’s a very tough horse and very professional. He took the lead and grabbed the race from the get-go.
“I think he’s a five-furlong horse. We’ll probably have to try him over six later down the line, but he’s got bags of speed and jumps so well. He relaxes very well in his races, but to me he is a five-furlong horse.
“We’ve had a couple of Listed winners, but I wanted a Group winner and I was very keen to do it with a two-year-old. It’s job done and the next step is to try to get a Group Two or a Group One winner.”
Inquisitively changed hands before his York win and Philippart De Foy is unsure on future plans.
He added: “For the time being he is staying here. He was sold to go to Hong Kong, but I asked if I could run him at York and we decided to go for one more today. I’ll have to speak to the owner, it’s a question mark, but I would love to keep him.
“We’ve got a question mark on the Breeders’ Cup (Juvenile Turf Sprint), but it’s a long way out and we’ll have to talk about it and see. We’ll discuss it, it’s not off the table.”
Paddy Power offer 8-1 about his chance in America.
William Haggas worked his Qipco Champion Stakes contenders My Prospero and Dubai Honour prior to racing at Newmarket on Friday, although the latter is not yet certain to line up at Ascot on Saturday week.
My Prospero was beaten half a length into third place on British Champions Day last season and will head back to Berkshire off the back of a confidence-boosting Listed success at Goodwood last month.
Dubai Honour, sixth in last year’s Champion Stakes and second in 2021, won successive Group One prizes in Australia earlier this term, but has not been seen in competitive action since finishing last of four in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown in early July.
With Tom Marquand aboard, the five-year-old finished just ahead the Michael Hills-ridden My Prospero in their Rowley Mile gallop and Haggas expressed his satisfaction with both horses – but plans for Dubai Honour remain up in the air.
“I was pleased with that. Dubai Honour may go for the Premio Roma (October 29), we’ll see how he comes out of this. My Prospero will go to Ascot,” he said.
“Dubai Honour is a nice horse, he’s just taken a bit of time to come to himself. It was always the plan to give him a break after the Eclipse – he was in the field the day after.
“He needed that today and it’s only eight days until Ascot, which is not very long. I haven’t got much time to give him another (piece of work) and I’m not going to give him another.
“We’ll see how he comes out of this. The timing is very good for the Premio Roma, but the Champion Stakes is the Champion Stakes.
“Australia is very much the plan for him again next year, all being well.”
The Newmarket handler raised the possibility of My Prospero being fitted with headgear next weekend, adding: “He needs racing and we might put something on him, maybe a tongue-tie or a pair of blinkers – I don’t think he’s giving us everything.
“We’ve found him quite frustrating, but he’s a really good horse and we just need to do something to find that half a length or so.”
Haggas confirmed Sense Of Duty will be part of his Champions Day squad, with the daughter of Showcasing expected to strip fitter for her recent comeback run at Newbury ahead of the Qipco British Champions Sprint.
Following her Group One breakthrough in the Prix de Royallieu at ParisLongchamp on Arc weekend, Sea Silk Road could contest the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, provided conditions are not deemed too testing.
A defence of the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal could be next on the agenda for Envoi Allen following an underwhelming reappearance at Gowran Park last month.
A three-time Cheltenham Festival winner, having won the 2019 Champion Bumper, the 2020 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and last season’s Ryanair Chase, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned gelding is clearly a top-class operator, but has become increasingly difficult to predict over the past couple of years.
The nine-year-old made a successful start to last season at Down Royal, one of eight Grade One victories on his CV, but is set to return to Northern Ireland on another recovery mission having been beaten into third behind Easy Game in the PWC Champion Chase a couple of weeks ago.
“He was a bit rusty (at Gowran) and as we know with Envoi, he can occasionally throw in a disappointing run and then he comes back and shows us how good he is,” said Cheveley Park director Richard Thompson.
“He won two Grade Ones last season and you’d very much hope he’ll come on for that last run. It was a bit disappointing, but he’s given us eight Grade One wins and is a three-time Cheltenham Festival winner, so he’s been a marvellous horse to own and owes us nothing.
“I think that’s where he’ll probably go next (Down Royal), he seemed to enjoy that last year.”
Another Cheveley Park star with a point to prove this term is Envoi Allen’s stablemate A Plus Tard.
The nine-year-old was a sensational winner of the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup for Henry de Bromhead, but a listless display when bidding for back-to-back victories in last season’s Betfair Chase set the tone for a bitterly disappointing campaign.
He was pulled up again in the Gold Cup in March and while a third-placed finish behind Shishkin in the Aintree Bowl was a small step in the right direction, Thompson admits only time will tell whether he can return to his brilliant best.
He added: “He obviously had some issues last season and it didn’t go according to plan. He’s had some work done on him over the summer, I won’t go into specifics as I won’t be able to be technical about it.
“We’ll have to give him a run and see where he’s at, because although we had excuses in the Gold Cup, where he was impeded, and we had the issue before he was due to run in the Savills Chase and his bloods were wrong after the Betfair Chase, he was a tired horse after he ran at Aintree.
“We need to make sure he’s in good shape when he comes out for his first run and take it from there in terms of what sort of campaign he’ll have. We need to see how he runs first time out.”
Allaho, a dual winner of the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham for Willie Mullins, has been sidelined by injury since a dominant success in the 2022 Punchestown Gold Cup – but appears to be on the comeback trail.
“All is good with him, as far as I’m aware,” said Thompson.
“I can’t give you any recent details because we’re waiting for Willie to give his view on the programme and I haven’t heard any word recently.”
Ireland face New Zealand in Paris seeking to reach a maiden semi-final at the Rugby World Cup.
Andy Farrell’s men go into Saturday’s last-eight clash on a remarkable 17-match winning run but face a formidable challenge in the form of the three-time world champions.
Here, the PA news agency highlights some of the major talking points.
Banishing the quarter-final curse
Ireland have topped the world rankings for 15 months and are favourites for the mouth-watering Stade de France showdown. Yet the Irish have never won a World Cup knockout match. Seven times previously they have reached the last eight of the tournament and seven times they have been sent home. The last of those early exits came at the hands of the All Blacks four years ago. Ireland have improved markedly since then and have far greater mental resolve. Farrell’s in-form side will equal the record for consecutive Test wins by a tier one nation (18) by banishing the quarter-final curse. However, standing in their way is one of the toughest challenges in world rugby.
All Blacks out for revenge
Ireland had to wait 111 years for a first Test win over New Zealand. But, having done so in memorable fashion in Chicago seven years ago, the Irish now hold the upper hand in terms of recent meetings. Farrell masterminded a stunning 2-1 tour success over the All Blacks last summer and the stage is set for another unforgettable encounter. New Zealand are not used to losing on home soil and will be out for revenge. Kiwi full-back Beauden Barrett said: “There are a lot of us who are pretty keen to get one up on them and still we’re hurting from what happened last year.” Ireland’s quest will be aided by the backing of tens of thousands of travelling fans.
About Schmidt
An intriguing sub-plot is the presence of former Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt in the Kiwi camp. The 58-year-old led Ireland into the last two World Cups before joining his native country’s coaching team last summer after his six-year tenure was emphatically ended by the All Blacks in Tokyo in 2019. New Zealand coach Ian Foster outlined plans to tap into Schmidt’s extensive knowledge of the Irish. Yet veteran Ireland wing Keith Earls played down the merits of doing so, saying: “We genuinely don’t use any of the habits that Joe taught us.”
Return of the Mack
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Ireland were nursing a few concerning injury issues following a bruising Pool B finale against Scotland. Yet head coach Farrell has been able to name an unchanged starting XV. Mack Hansen looked to be a major doubt after sitting out training early in the week but took part in Friday’s captain’s run with a heavily-strapped right calf. Fellow wing James Lowe (eye) has also been passed fit. Only lock James Ryan, who sustained a wrist issue against the Scots, is missing from arguably Ireland’s strongest line-up. Lowe, meanwhile, is one of three New Zealand-born players in Ireland’s team, in addition to centre Bundee Aki and scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park.
Disciplinary disruption
New Zealand’s preparations have been disrupted by a disciplinary storm in the build-up to the clash. Star wing Mark Telea misses out after being dropped due to a breach of team protocol. Foster insisted the issue was “nothing major” but still felt compelled to punish a player whose emergence on the international scene has been central to the All Blacks’ improvement since their series defeat to Ireland last July. Telea, who is believed to have broken a curfew, has three tries in the tournament, including a double in the opening-night defeat to hosts France. Leicester Fainga’anuku is the man to benefit after claiming a hat-trick in the Pool A thrashing of Uruguay.
A rabbi working on a Football Association faith group has resigned over the governing body’s response to the Hamas attacks on Israeli citizens last weekend.
Alex Goldberg wrote to the FA to say he was “profoundly disappointed” that there were no plans for a specific tribute to the victims of those attacks.
He said the decision not to light up the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli flag ahead of the friendly between England and Australia on Friday night had been “received badly” and also questioned the decision not to permit the flags of any nation to be brought into Wembley besides those of England and Australia.
“Many see the statement only to permit flags and representations of the competing nations as eradicating Jewish symbols and it has compounded grievances with the gravity of the recent events, but also inadvertently neglects the security and emotional well-being of Jewish fans who may be in attendance,” he wrote in a letter published by the Jewish News.
The FA responded to Rabbi Goldberg’s letter by saying: “We are sorry to hear of Rabbi Alex’s decision to resign from his role in our Faith in Football group.
“Although this is an informal group that is not part of the FA’s governance structure, we are grateful for the support he has provided over the years. It is also important to clarify that our decision not to allow Israeli or Palestine flags into Wembley Stadium was made at the direct request of senior members of the Jewish community.”
The FA announced plans on Thursday for players to wear black armbands and for those inside the stadium to observe a period of silence “to remember the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine”.
The decision not to light up the arch in Israeli colours was even criticised by the Cabinet minister responsible for sport, Lucy Frazer, in a social media post on Thursday.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism has called on the FA and the Premier League to also specifically condemn the Hamas attacks.
In a letter from the CAA’s chief executive Gideon Falter to his counterparts at the FA and the Premier League on Friday, he wrote: “To decline to illuminate the stadium for fear of backlash is cowardly.
“It broadcasts to terrorists that their objective – to stoke terror – has succeeded.
“To prohibit the flying of Israeli flags by fans in solidarity with the victims is an abomination. To put out a pitiful statement, as the FA has done, lamenting the ‘devastating events’ without having the integrity to name the cause – as if the deaths came about from a tragic natural disaster – is insulting.
“As if in some dramatic restatement of its values, the FA says that it ‘stands for humanity and an end to the death, violence, fear and suffering’. Prove it.
“From our vantage point, it does not appear that the FA is standing at all: it is sitting on its hands.
“It is time for the FA and the Premier League to condemn the Hamas terrorist attacks explicitly and without reservation, and light up the stadium to broadcast that Jewish victims deserve the same treatment as others.
“I do not need a response to this letter. I will simply observe Wembley Stadium tonight and I will know whether you stand with Jews or not.”
Caelan Doris says attempting to send Johnny Sexton into retirement as a world champion is adding to Ireland’s motivation ahead of a mouthwatering quarter-final against New Zealand.
Influential captain Sexton is due to call time on his distinguished career following the Rugby World Cup in France, meaning any match now could be his last.
The 38-year-old fly-half used his personal situation to help fire up his team ahead of last weekend’s pivotal Pool B win over Scotland in Paris.
Ireland are back at Stade de France for a quarter-final showdown with the All Blacks on Saturday evening and number eight Doris acknowledges ‘doing it for Johnny’ is part of the squad’s thinking.
“Yeah, it is,” said the 25-year-old, who was sitting alongside Leinster team-mate Dan Sheehan.
“Even last week, building into Scotland, there was a chance that could be his last ever game, he said that to us as a group. And what an unbelievable player and leader he’s been for Ireland for so many years.
“I think all the players will agree that the standards he sets raise everyone else’s game and he’s almost like having another coach on the pitch.
“He seems to have a bird’s-eye view, he seems to see everything regardless of where you were and catches any mistake.
“You can’t get away with anything with him around, which is obviously a good thing for the most part, except when he’s shouting at you for those few seconds.
“He definitely brings us to another level.
“The way he prepares for a game, he absolutely loves the game and puts everything into it, he’s the utmost professional and he’s been a great role model for the two of us.”
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Ireland have won three of four meetings with New Zealand during the reign of head coach Andy Farrell, including last summer’s historic 2-1 tour success.
However, the Irish were thrashed 46-14 by the All Blacks at the same stage of the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
With plenty on the line this weekend, suggestions of a spying scandal were downplayed after a photographer, who has been working on behalf of the Irish Rugby Football Union, attended a New Zealand training session open to members of the media.
Ireland assistant coach Mike Catt was unaware of the incident on Thursday when questioned, before World Rugby’s media operations manager Greg Thomas cut in.
“The rules say yes (it is allowed), as long as they’re standing with the rest of the photographers, they can,” said Thomas, who was chairing the press conference.
Mack Hansen took part in Ireland’s captain’s run in the French capital on Friday morning after sitting out training earlier in the week due to a calf issue sustained against the Scots.
Catt insists the Australia-born wing, whose right leg was heavily strapped, is fit and ready to start, while James Ryan (wrist) and Robbie Henshaw (hamstring) could return to contention at the semi-final stage.
Ireland are favourites for what is expected to be a tight and tense affair against the All Blacks.
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Catt says the team have contemplated the prospect of extra-time, which could be followed by 10 minutes of sudden death, and joked that a handful of forwards would be selected in the unlikely event of a kicking competition.
“We have spoken about it,” he said. “The players know who they are: Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Beirne! They’ve definitely put in an extra couple hours of kicking!
“It’s one of those that players are aware of it. It’s a long way to get to that situation.
“You’d like to think in the golden point (sudden death) in 10 minutes one side would take their opportunity and take points.
“The players who are on the pitch know who they are and fingers crossed we put them through the middle.”
Despite being waived from the Charlotte Hornets' roster, Bahamian player Kai Jones seems unperturbed by the move, as he broke his silence following the announcement by the team’s President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Mitch Kupchak on Wednesday.
Jones, in a X, formerly Twitter, post stated that: “I used to pray for times like dis #GOATLIFE.”
The player had a series of bizarre videos and postings on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram Live, where he was critical of teammates and declared himself the GOAT (Greatest Of All-Time). All of that led to a non-invitation to the Hornets training camp prior to the start of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) preseason.
By all indications, leaving the Hornets was what the young center seemingly wanted, as he requested a trade from the team following the suspension, and Charlotte took it seriously with their latest decision.
However, the public request for a trade could cost Jones up to US$150,000.
According to the NBA’s and National Basketball Players Association’s (NBPA) Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), with respect to trades, any player who publicly expresses a desire to be traded to another team shall be subject to a fine and/or a suspension. Section 18 of the CBA further states that the maximum fine that may be imposed by the NBA on a player pursuant to the foregoing shall be $150,000.
Jones, who was the Hornets' 19th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, signed a four-year deal worth over $13 million, and was in the third year of that deal up to his release on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old Jones, according to reports, will still earn just over $3 million this season.
Jones was unable to get a consistent role with the Hornets and averaged just 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in two seasons and 67 games he with the team. He also averaged just 9.1 minutes per outing, though his playing time went up from three minutes in his rookie season to 12 in his sophomore year.
On the international scene, Jones was instrumental for Bahamas in the second round of the FIBA World Cup Americas Qualifiers last summer. In two games against Venezuela and Argentina, Jones averaged 18 points and added eight rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals per game.
But uncertainty now surrounds his career, as it is left to be seen if he will be picked up by another team in the league.
Warren Gatland says it would be “a huge achievement” if Wales reach their third Rugby World Cup semi-final in the last four tournaments by beating Argentina on Saturday.
Gatland’s team face the Pumas in Marseille after dominating a pool that some thought they might not qualify from following a dismal Six Nations campaign last season.
Four successive wins and 19 points collected saw them leave sides like Fiji and Australia in their slipstream to set up the Pumas clash at Stade Velodrome.
“It would be our third semi-final, and then in 2015 we were leading South Africa for 75 minutes (in the quarter-finals) and conceded at the end,” Gatland said. “Reflecting on that, we would be pretty proud.
“I have always spoken about how much I have enjoyed the World Cup preparations.
“It is the only time you get to feel like you are a club side in getting that detail done. You feel like you have made a huge amount of progress.
“After all the challenges during the Six Nations, with the potential (player) strike and the contracts and the money with the Union (Welsh Rugby Union) and regions, as coaches we would joke about what would happen next, what would be the next thing thrown at us?.
“I definitely think there has been a line in the sand drawn under that. If we can make the semi-final it would be a huge achievement for this group of players and coaches, who have done a great job, and the back-room staff have been outstanding.
“I know there are some people and some teams out there who won’t want to face a Wales team when they start playing with confidence and when we start having momentum.
“That is when we are at our most dangerous. We are starting to look that way at the moment.”
Wales have not met Argentina in the World Cup for 24 years, but their recent form against them is impressive, having lost just two of the last 11 Tests.
And while Wales sailed through their group, Argentina lost to 14-man England, unconvincingly beat Samoa and then defeated Japan in what was a quarter-final eliminator.
Gatland added: “We are expecting them to come really hard at us. I don’t think anything changes, and the players are well aware of that.
“We talk about being on the edge mentally and you can’t be there at the top of that every single week, so it is how close you can get to it.
“We’ve had a couple of games already where we feel we have been really on the edge in a positive way, and a couple of games where we have been off two or three per cent, so it is how close you can get to that 100 per cent mental peak.
“I am expecting that will be right up there from that physical challenge that will come at us.”
Wales show one change from the side that beat Fiji and Australia, with Tommy Reffell called up to the back-row and Aaron Wainwright switching from blindside flanker to number eight instead of broken arm victim Taulupe Faletau.
Centre George North, meanwhile, will become the first Wales player to feature in four World Cup quarter-finals.
“It is an unbelievable achievement, especially when you realise it after how much hard work all of the boys in every team have to do for a World Cup – it is years in the undertaking,” North’s midfield partner, Nick Tompkins, said.
“So, for him to do it four times is pretty impressive. I am not sure I would be able to do that.
“It speaks volumes for the determination and kind of bloke he is. He is on the best form he has been on for a long, long time.”
Captain Antoine Dupont has declared himself “fully ready” to lead France in Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against South Africa as he prepares to return to the starting XV just over three weeks after a broken cheekbone had him fearing his involvement in the tournament was over.
The 2021 world player of the year underwent surgery after going off injured following a head-on-head tackle from Namibia captain Johan Deysel in Les Bleus’ third pool match in Marseille on September 21, leaving the host nation fretting about their talisman’s availability for the remainder of the competition.
After resuming full training this week, Dupont has satisfied medics and coaching staff that he is ready to start Sunday’s box-office Stade de France showdown with the world champions.
“I feel very well,” said the 26-year-old scrum-half, speaking at Les Bleus’ team announcement press conference at Roland Garros on Friday.
“At the time, I didn’t know how serious the injury was so I thought the competition was over for me.
“I had to wait to get my hope back. I was lucky enough to have several weeks to rejuvenate and repair and have a full training week with the group.
“Today I am fully capable to be ready for this game on Sunday.”
Dupont admitted coming through training unscathed this week was a big thing for his mindset as he dismissed any suggestion that he has been rushed back into action ahead of schedule.
“It was quite progressive,” he said of his return to play. “I started low-intensity running and went up and up – and the same with contact. I started in the middle of last week.
“This week I was able to train fully and get back into game and contact situations which enabled me to get my confidence back.
“I’m fully ready and fit and had no pains. It was important to validate each stage of my recovery.
“I didn’t feel any pressure from the staff. It all happened quite naturally.
“I have the surgeon’s approval. Nothing was forced. We have all been working for four years to get to this stage so not to play with the handbrake on is the main thing.
“I knew if I wasn’t able to play, I would be replaced.”
Dupont has been experimenting with various forms of facial protection since his injury and he confirmed on Friday that he would wear a scrum cap against South Africa.
“It’s the surgeon’s wish, he suggested it,” said the captain. “Actually, he more than suggested it! I tested a scrum cap this week and it doesn’t bother my vision so I will be wearing it.”
Dupont has no concerns about returning to action against arguably the most physical nation on the planet.
“In these games there will always be a little bit of pain either physically or mentally,” he said. “Every time we play against big nations and when the stakes are high, they are always hard and physical.
“We need to be ready to suffer. We have high goals. We know it will be very hard and if we’re not ready for that, then I don’t think we’re ready for where we want to get to.”
Head coach Fabien Galthie was content that Dupont was fit enough to play.
“We treated the subject in a very relaxed way,” he said. “We were comfortable because we had some time and never pushed things. We took things step by step. Antoine has had time to recuperate.”
France have not lost on home soil since Scotland defeated them in a Six Nations match behind closed doors two-and-a-half years ago. Galthie is relishing the challenge of trying to prolong that run by ending the Springboks’ defence of the Webb Ellis Cup.
“To play such an opponent, who are world champions and beat the (British and Irish) Lions, they’re a team that’s all conquering and a team that inspired us a lot,” said the head coach.
“For us, what’s at stake is to simply play rugby with pleasure as a team and with ambition. We want to meet this challenge as we always have done.”
England have rolled the dice for Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against Fiji by naming Marcus Smith at full-back in place of the jettisoned Freddie Steward.
Steward has been an automatic pick since making his Test debut in July 2021 but the high-ball master is omitted from the 23 entirely as Steve Borthwick instead opts for the greater attacking threat supplied by Smith.
It will be the converted fly-half’s second start in the number 15 jersey having starred against Chile during the group phase, but Fiji are a significant step up in opposition even if they lack a top-class kicking game.
Among Smith’s duties will be acting as a second playmaker to captain Owen Farrell, who has been picked at fly-half ahead of George Ford for England’s biggest game since the 2019 World Cup final.
It is another seismic selection call from Borthwick given that Ford was man of the match in the Pool D victories over Argentina and Japan and is the form player in the position.
The Sale ringmaster is confined to a supporting role from the bench as Borthwick delivers a show of faith in his skipper, who will be making his third appearance at the World Cup.
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