Captain James Ryan admits there is nervousness among Ireland’s returning stars as they bid to generate World Cup momentum by producing a statement display against England.
The bulk of Andy Farrell’s first-choice players are poised for their first Test appearances since clinching a Six Nations Grand Slam against Steve Borthwick’s side in March.
Head coach Farrell has changed his full starting XV for Saturday’s clash after an experimental side stuttered past Italy a fortnight ago to give his main men much-needed action ahead of the upcoming tournament in France.
Leinster lock Ryan, who will skipper his country in the absence of the suspended Johnny Sexton, insists the contest is far from a warm-up match and feels the world’s top-ranked nation must “bring our A-game”.
“I think there’s a bit of nerves heading into this game,” said the 27-year-old.
“It’s the first game for a lot of us of this summer and playing England at home, there’s always a little bit of pressure.
“Lads are keen to make a statement with selection and everything coming up.
“This has never been a warm-up game for us. It’s been very much a Test match, that’s the way we’ve prepared for this game all week.
“It’s obviously a lot of the guys’ first appearance of the summer, so it’s going to be tough but we’re not going to make any excuses.
“We need to make sure that we take a step forward for the group and we put in a performance that will give us confidence with the World Cup coming around the corner quickly. We’ll definitely need to bring our A-game.”
Ryan watched from the sidelines as Ireland overcame Italy 33-17 on August 5.
Farrell described that disjointed display as a “bit clunky” before taking his squad away to Portugal for a week-long training camp.
Ryan believes the Englishman is striking the right balance between hard work and ensuring players “aren’t burning out”.
“He is able to create that environment where people are really switched on but we also get windows where we can relax and chill out for a bit as well,” he said.
“That’s going to be huge coming into France as well, spending a lot of time together, a lot more hopefully than we even would on a summer tour.
“Making sure lads aren’t burning out by being too on all the time is going to be important.”
Savethelastdance and Bluestocking, first and second in the Irish Oaks, could clash again in Thursday’s Yorkshire Oaks on the Knavesmire.
Just half a length separated the pair at the Curragh, with Aidan O’Brien’s Savethelastdance going one place better than her second to Soul Sister in the Oaks at Epsom.
The Ballydoyle handler has three other fillies still in the mix with Warm Heart, who beat the Ralph Beckett-trained Bluestocking in the Ribblesdale but finished only fifth in the Irish Oaks, Lambada and Red Riding Hood.
Soul Sister has not been confirmed by John and Thady Gosden, with the team instead relying on Free Wind, while Roger Varian’s Nassau Stakes winner Al Husn could take the plunge and step up to 12 furlongs for the first time.
Rosscarbery is Paddy Twomey’s contender while Karl Burke has both Newmarket Listed winner Novakai and Lancashire Oaks victor Poptronic to pick from.
Sea Silk Road finished second in that Haydock event and could reoppose with Stay Alert and Via Sistina the other possibles, although the latter is also declared at Deauville on Sunday.
Super Sprint victor Relief Rally tops 12 in the mix for the Group Two Sky Bet Lowther Stakes, with impressive Curragh maiden winner Cherry Blossom a supplementary entry for O’Brien.
Flora Of Bermuda, Beautiful Diamond and Star Of Mystery also feature in the six-furlong contest at this stage.
Connor Beasley is searching for a fourth win since 2016 when he takes the ride on Richard Fahey’s Monsieur Kodi in Ripon’s £100,000 William Hill Great St Wilfrid on Saturday
As well as his three victories, on Nameitwhatyoulike (2016), Dakota Gold (2019) and Intrinsic Bond last year, Beasley has also finished second and fourth in the intervening period so it is no surprise he has ended up on one of the favourites this time around.
Adding to his quirky record in what is one of the most competitive sprint handicaps of the season is that all his victories have been for different trainers in Bryan Smart, Michael Dods and Tracy Waggott respectively so the fact this year he rides for Fahey bodes well for those who like coincidences.
Monsieur Kodi arrives in great form having won the Stewards’ Cup consolation race at Goodwood and with rain forecast overnight his draw in stall two might not be the worst place to be.
“I’ve won it a few times and been placed a couple of times so it’s been a good race to me,” said Beasley.
“Obviously I’ve been fortunate to be on the right horse but I’m looking forward to it again.
“I don’t ride that often for Richard Fahey but I have had a few winners for him and the horse is obviously in good form having won the Stewards’ Cup consolation at Goodwood.
“When I got the phone call to ask if I was available to ride him I was very pleased.
“We’re drawn low and that can sometimes help on soft ground. Obviously it was heavy at Goodwood when he won last time so the more rain the better for him.
“While it might not be ideal being drawn across there, there’s no sort of bias as such. It’s a fairytale if you get drawn on the stands rail but he’s got plenty of pace and if a few come my way hopefully he runs a good race.”
David O’Meara is the most successful trainer in the race in modern times with three victories to his name courtesy of dual winner Pepper Lane (2011 and 2012) and Out Do (2014) and this year he relies on Summerghand.
The veteran nine-year-old was second to Dakota Gold in 2019 and finished fourth last season off a mark of 98 before going on to win at York’s Ebor meeting and the Ayr Gold Cup. He is rated 1lb lower this year.
He was due to run in the Stewards’ Cup, which took place in a deluge, but was withdrawn at the start.
“He obviously played up in the stalls at Goodwood and he’s had a stalls test since. He’s in good form and we’re looking forward to running him. He’s been a brilliant horse,” said O’Meara.
Live In The Moment sports a visor for the first time and has the assistance of promising apprentice Mia Nicholls for Alice Haynes.
“There’s a big one in him one day and he’s in great order,” said Haynes.
“Confidence-wise, the apprentice (Shariq Mohd) did exactly what I asked him to do at Goodwood (behind Monsieur Kodi, fourth) and went up that left-hand side, and maybe in the horse’s head he might think he has won, if that makes sense.
“He’s relatively well drawn (13) and we’re claiming off him again. I think he runs well for apprentices as he can half ride a race himself without a jockey interfering.
“He’s in good order and I look forward to going there on Saturday.”
Lakota Blue is drawn next to Monsieur Kodi in stall one but his trainer Nigel Tinkler explained the famous Ripon ridges are not as severe on that side of the track.
“Ripon has undulations but he’s drawn on the far side in one and the undulations aren’t actually quite as bad over there as they are on the stands side,” he told Sky Sports Racing.
“He got a bit checked in running at Goodwood otherwise he might nearly have won. He must have a good chance, he’s got the three-year-old allowance so we’re hoping for a good run.”
Chindit sets the standard as he leads a three-pronged assault from Richard Hannon in the BetVictor Hungerford Stakes on Saturday.
The five-year-old has been a regular visitor to Newbury throughout his career, winning the Greenham over track and trip as a three-year-old and producing arguably a career best when chasing home Modern Games in the Lockinge Stakes earlier in the campaign.
Not disgraced at Royal Ascot when last seen, he now drops back to seven furlongs as he joins stablemates Mammas Girl and Royal meeting scorer Witch Hunter in the line-up for the Group Two contest.
“He’s in very good form and only had three races this year,” said Hannon.
“He probably ran the race of his life in the Lockinge in May and we left the Sussex Stakes alone because of the ground.
“He’s won Group races at two, three and four and is a pleasure to have around. He’s in super order and we’re looking forward to Saturday.”
Chindit was beaten four and a half lengths when well held behind Jumby in this last season and following some encouraging recent performances, trainer Eve Johnson Houghton is hoping the rain stays away for her defending champion.
She said: “Jumby is in fine form at home ahead of his bid to win back-to-back Hungerford Stakes.
“He needs quick ground so we will be keeping an eye on the weather forecast.”
Charlie Fellowes’ Marbaan bounced back to something near his best when third in the Lennox Stakes and is another who will prefer conditions to remain dry, while similar applies to Mostabshir who has campaigned exclusively at a mile but now steps back in distance.
John and Thady Gosden’s three-year-old was an impressive winner at York earlier in the season, but has found life tough when handed stiff assignments since and blinkers are now reached for in an attempt to see him replicate the form he shows at home on the racecourse.
“He’s an interesting horse and a horse who works very well at home and shows plenty of ability there,” explained Angus Gold, racing manager for owners Shadwell.
“I’m not quite sure he has fulfilled his potential so far on the racecourse. He won very well at York obviously earlier in the year and on his day he’s capable of putting up a good performance, but he really needs to step up to the plate now.
“He’s been a bit immature, but like everything out of his mare, hopefully he is only going to get better as he gets older.
“I would just like to see him run well on Saturday. He’s capable and has certainly got the ability, so hopefully he can start to put it together now and fulfil his potential.”
Britannia Stakes second New Endeavour (Roger Varian) has some smart form at this distance and was not disgraced behind Nostrum at Newmarket at Newmarket most recently, while Charlie Hills’ Pogo arrives on the pack of a third in the Criterion and has often showed his best form at this distance.
Tom Dascombe’s Misty Grey and Spanish raider Rodaballo complete the field.
Ireland and England step up preparations for the World Cup when they clash in a warm-up fixture in Dublin.
The rivals are at very different stages of their development.
Here the PA news agency examines five talking points ahead of their 141st meeting on Saturday.
Absent Farrell takes centre stage
Both teams are at close to full strength yet for all the stars on parade at the Aviva Stadium, the spotlight shines on a notable absentee. Owen Farrell was due to lead England in their penultimate fixture before facing Argentina in a pivotal Pool D fixture but instead Steve Borthwick’s captain and talisman is preparing for his second appearance before rugby’s judiciary in a week. The outcry at the decision to rescind his red card against Wales has seen World Rugby lodge an appeal, extending the controversy into a second week and disrupting England’s preparations both for Ireland and the World Cup.
England under siege
Borthwick knew he was leaping into the deep end when he took over a side that had lost its way under Eddie Jones, but even the resilient and thick skinned Cumbrian must be reeling from the controversy that has erupted around Farrell, who he claims is the victim of “personal attacks” on his character. On the field England have yet to provide any meaningful evidence of progress under Borthwick, who is fighting multiple fires including a disciplinary implosion against Wales with the World Cup starting in three weeks’ time.
Ford’s chance to shine
Into the fly-half breach steps George Ford, who makes his first Test start since 2021. The Sale ringmaster was outstanding as a replacement against Wales last Saturday and with Farrell likely to miss the start of the World Cup if the appeal succeeds, he has the opportunity to step out of his captain’s shadow and direct an attack that has yet to take shape under Borthwick. Assisting England’s smartest player is a well balanced centre partnership of Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant in what could be the first choice backline.
On the comeback trail
Ollie Chessum will make his long-awaited return from the serious ankle injury sustained during the Six Nations when he steps off the bench in Dublin. The 22-year-old Leicester second row was England’s breakout star of the Championship, bringing athleticism and energy to the engine room. With the World Cup fast approaching his return is well timed for England, although Tom Curry’s ongoing absence with his own ankle issue remains a concern.
Andy Farrell’s top dogs
Ireland will concede their place at the top of the world rankings to New Zealand if they lose to England and could fall as low as fourth should other results go against them, but the prospect of that happening is remote. Andy Farrell’s Six Nations champions have won the last three Tests against their rivals and are poised to make an impact at the World Cup, even if they are positioned on the savage side of the draw. Connacht back row Cian Prendergast is the latest talent to roll off the green production line with Farrell describing the full debutant as a “warrior”, while Keith Earls is poised to win his 100th cap off the bench.
Wales play their final World Cup warm-up Test on Saturday when they tackle South Africa at the Principality Stadium.
It is a last opportunity for players to impress before Wales head coach Warren Gatland announces his 33-player World Cup squad.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the talking points heading into the game.
Last-chance saloon?
Wales’ World Cup hopefuls will know within 48 hours of the final whistle against South Africa whether they have made Gatland’s squad. A tough preparation period has included training camps in Switzerland and Turkey, plus home and away appointments with England, and decision day is now looming. Wales currently have a 48-strong group while only two players – injured pair Gareth Anscombe and Taulupe Faletau – will not have been involved in the warm-ups, although they are widely expected to make the World Cup squad. Saturday’s game sees some players entering the last-chance saloon.
Captain Morgan in the driving seat
With Ospreys flanker Jac Morgan leading Wales in two of their three preparation Tests, he is now an odds-on favourite to be the World Cup captain. The 23-year-old set a high bar during Wales’ 20-9 victory over England on August 5, and he has been handed the reins against South Africa. Gatland appointed a 22-year-old Sam Warburton as his World Cup skipper in 2011, and Morgan is out of a similar mould as an outstanding performer who has huge respect from playing peers and coaches alike. No-one can seriously question his credentials for the job.
Wales in decent shape
When Gatland returned for a second stint as Wales boss seven months ago, off-field issues abounded and spilled over into the Guinness Six Nations. Welsh rugby was gripped by financial strife and contractual uncertainty, with a threatened players’ strike only averted three days before England arrived in Cardiff. Wales finished fifth in the tournament, winning a solitary game, but Gatland has now stamped his mark during a priceless three-month period with the players, and the whole environment feels and looks a better place. Wales were World Cup semi-finalists twice during Gatland’s previous reign. Enough said.
The future looks bright
There will inevitably be a sense of crushing disappointment for those players not selected in Wales’ World Cup squad, but the seeds of Wales’ 2027 campaign in Australia are already being sown. Gatland’s preliminary training squad announced in May contained 10 uncapped players, and he has not been afraid to give them a chance. Centres Max Llewellyn and Joe Roberts and prop Corey Domachowski are among those who have impressed, while the further progression of players such as fly-half Sam Costelow, centre Mason Grady and lock Dafydd Jenkins has been met with considerable excitement. Whatever happens on Monday, Wales’ player pool is rippling nicely.
Siya Kolisi’s timely return
When South Africa’s 2019 World Cup-winning captain suffered a knee injury in April and subsequently underwent knee surgery, doubts surfaced about whether he would be fit in time for the Springboks’ title defence. It has been a long road back, but Kolisi will make his first appearance of the year in Cardiff after missing the Rugby Championship. South Africa face New Zealand at Twickenham next Friday, then it is full steam ahead for a World Cup opener against Scotland on September 10. With their figurehead back, it should feel like business as usual for the Springboks.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul in a three-set thriller to reach the quarter-finals of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Wimbledon champion Alcaraz outlasted the American 7-6 (6) 6-7(0) 6-3 in a gruelling contest that lasted more than three hours.
The Spaniard suffered a three-set defeat against the American in the quarter-finals at the Toronto Masters last week.
Paul got the first break to lead 4-2, before Alcaraz rallied to bring up the tie-break, which he eventually claimed 8-6.
The second set proved another tight affair, with both players losing three service games at 5-5.
Paul saved three match points in a marathon 12th game which lasted more than 15 minutes to go into another tie-break.
This time, though, the American took control after an early mini-break to race into a 3-0 lead before then sweeping it to love.
Alcaraz broke in the first game of the deciding set, which he was leading 4-3 when rain forced play to be suspended after three hours and two minutes of a pulsating contest.
Following a delay of around an hour, the players headed out on court – but the match was soon paused again as the drizzle returned along with strong winds before the pair went off back inside.
When they were finally able to return to the court, Alcaraz picked up where he left off, clinching the next two games and sealing a trip to the quarter-finals.
Earlier on Thursday, Alexander Zverev battled past world number three Daniil Medvedev 6-4 5-7 6-4 to end a four-match losing streak against the Russian.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, the fourth seed, is out after he was beaten 6-3 6-4 by Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who recorded a first win over a top-10 ranked player in six matches.
Hurkacz goes on to play lucky loser Alexei Popyrin after the Australian earlier defeated Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2 1-6 6-3 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.
Zverev will face Adrian Mannarino in the last eight. The Frenchman progressed after American wildcard Mackenzie McDonald retired during the second set of their third-round match, with Mannarino ahead 6-4 3-0.
The run of veteran Swiss Stan Wawrinka – who had been given a wildcard entry and knocked out 10th seed Frances Tiafoe in the last round – was ended with a 6-4 6-2 defeat by qualifier Max Purcell.
The Australian, who upset world number seven Casper Ruud on Wednesday, will next face Alcaraz.
Tyson Fury defeated Francesco Pianeta to secure a bout with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, on this day in 2018.
It was Fury’s second fight following a self-inflicted absence in the 10-round contest against the German opponent, while Wilder was sat ringside at Belfast’s Windsor Park to watch the then 30-year-old ease to victory.
Time in the ring was important for Fury as ring-rust was to blame for a few momentary lapses in concentration. He sealed his 27th success from 27 bouts, winning 100-90 on the scorecard of all three judges.
Fury had already secured a fourth-round TKO win over Sefer Seferi in his first fight in nearly three years in June 2018, but he needed more rounds in the ring before agreeing to risky contest with Wilder.
Despite winning both bouts, those were the only fights Fury had with inexperienced trainer Ben Davison before his preparation for the world’s most dangerous heavyweight at the time.
In the first round, Fury showed his skills after being hit by a combination while trapped in the corner, but he remarkably manoeuvred his way out of it before finishing that particular exchange on top.
Fury promised to take Pianeta more seriously than his bout with Seferi, but that still contributed to him switching off and occasionally getting caught by the German.
In the fourth round, Pianeta connected with a left hook which Fury acknowledged with a nod of the head before he was again caught in the sixth with a right uppercut and further left hooks.
Fury continued to break Pianeta down, but he never really looked in danger of being knocked down in the bout. His lack of power was visible in the eighth round when a left hook, his best punch of the fight, did not trouble Pianeta.
The 25,000-strong crowd recognised the lack of drama by booing at the final bell, but their boos then turned to cheers when Wilder joined Fury in the ring to confirm their future fight.
Austin Barnes provided the game’s only run with an eighth-inning home run and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 for their 11th straight win on Thursday.
After Corbin Burnes and counterpart Lance Lynn each put up zeroes for seven innings, Barnes lined an 0-1 pitch from Joel Payamps into the lower seats in left for his first home run of the season with one out in the eighth.
The Dodgers improved to 15-1 in August, outscoring opponents 93-38.
Lynn allowed four hits with one walk and three strikeouts in his fourth start since joining the Dodgers in a trade with the White Sox.
Caleb Ferguson worked the eighth and Evan Phillips pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 20 opportunities.
Burnes limited the red-hot Dodgers to two hits while walking two and striking out nine but remained winless in his last five starts.
Milwaukee totalled just three runs in the series and had its NL Central lead trimmed to two games over the Cubs and Cincinnati.
Rodriguez leads Mariners past Royals
Julio Rodriguez capped his first career five-hit game with a two-run homer and the Seattle Mariners continued their playoff push with a 6-4 win over the Kansas City Royals.
Rodriguez went 5 for 5 with a career high-tying five RBIs and finished the four-game series with 12 hits, setting a franchise record for any series.
He is the fourth Mariners player with at least four hits in consecutive games, the fifth player in team history with a five-hit, five-RBI game, and the first Seattle player with at least 20 homers in each of his first two seasons.
Cal Raleigh also homered as the Mariners pulled within one-half game of idle Toronto for the third and final AL wild-card spot.
Gallen shuts down Padres as Diamondbacks win
Zach Gallen pitched six strong innings and was backed by home runs from Tommy Pham and Gabriel Moreno in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 3-1 win over the San Diego Padres in the opener of a four-game series.
Gallen limited the Padres to one run and three hits with one walk and three strikeouts to beat the Padres for the second straight start. He became the fourth 13-game winner in the majors.
Kyle Nelson fanned three in 1 1/3 scoreless innings and rookie Justin Martinez got the final four outs for his first career save.
Pham followed Corbin Carroll’s one-out walk in the fourth inning with his 12th home run and Moreno added his fourth of the season an inning later.
Arizona has won five of six following a nine-game losing streak to get within one game of the third and final NL wild-card spot.
Rory McIlroy carded a flawless 65 to share a one-stroke lead with American Brian Harman after the first round of the BMW Championship in Chicago.
The Northern Irishman picked up five birdies without dropping a shot, while Harman split six birdies with a bogey on the par four 12th.
The pair lead by one from a six-strong chasing pack which includes England’s Matt Fitzpatrick.
The 28-year-old dropped shots at the start and end of his opening round, but birdied six of nine holes around the turn.
Meanwhile, Patrick Cantlay has some improving to do if he is to be successful in his bid for a third-straight victory in the BMW Championship.
The American carded a two under 68 on Thursday to sit equal-12th.
Chicago Blackhawks center and longtime captain Jonathan Toews will take next season off for health reasons but is not ready to retire from the NHL.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion announced his future plans on social media Thursday.
Toews, a free agent after spending 16 years with the Blackhawks, missed the entire 2020-21 season with long COVID symptoms and chronic immune response syndrome.
“I’d like to announce that I am not fully retiring, but I am taking time away from the game again this season,” Toews posted on Instagram. “I cannot deny my love for the game of hockey and still feel the passion for competing at my highest level.
“However, these last few seasons have been very difficult considering my health challenges. My focus is to give myself the time and space to fully heal and enjoy life to the fullest once again.”
Toews played 53 games last season, totaling 15 goals and 16 assists, but has largely kept his medical struggles out of the public eye.
“Along the way I have met several people who have struggled with health issues pertaining to long COVID, chronic immune response syndrome, and other similar cases that are quite complex,” Toews’ post read. “I now recognize the importance of one day sharing the details of my health journey with you all.
“Thank you to all of you who have supported me and respected my privacy in the process.”
Toews captained Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks teams in 2010, 2013 and 2015, winning the Conn Smyth trophy as the playoffs MVP in 2010.
In 1,067 career games, all with Chicago, Toews has tallied 372 goals and 511 assists, in addition to 119 points (45 goals, 74 assists) in 137 career playoff games.
Toews won the Selke Trophy in 2013 as league’s best defensive forward and was twice given the Messier Leadership Award.
Toews is a free agent after completing an eight-year, $84million contract but has previously expressed a desire to play his entire career with the Blackhawks.
“The thought of playing for another team right now is so far in the back of my mind right now, especially after that moment,” Toews said after receiving an emotional ovation from the team’s fans after the season finale. “I always thought I’d retire a Blackhawk and part of me still believes in that, so we’ll see.”
After months of hard work and training, a number of the Caribbean’s young swimming sensations will put their preparation to the test when they dive into action at the 27th staging of the much-anticipated Goodwill Swimming Championships, which gets under way on Friday.
In fact, Jamaica’s Head coach Gillian Millwood believes the highly competitive three-day meet represents an opportunity for swimmers to not only improve, but also to learn valuable lessons to take with them as they prepare to transition to next level competition.
Over 200 swimmers from Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, St Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks and Caicos are expected to join their Jamaican counterparts in action at the National Aquatic Centre.
“I’m excited for our athletes and I anticipate that they will go into each race with enthusiasm and more importantly, purpose. They are filled with incredible abilities and have worked extremely hard to get where they are today and we expect to see that on display across the three days,” Millwood told Sportsmax.tv.
“Goodwill this weekend provides an opportunity for them to rise to the occasion and put forward their best race together and also to make memories with their teammates and the new friends they’ll make from the other countries, as they prepare to move to a next level,” she added.
Friday’s schedule will be highlighted by the 100m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, 4x50m mixed freestyle relay and 4x100m freestyle relay, all after an opening ceremony at 4:30pm.
Action for Saturday and Sunday is scheduled to begin at 9:00am and end at 1:00pm.
The Jamaicans will be seeking to surpass last year’s massive haul of 92 medals (33 gold, 37 silver, 22 bronze), which bettered their previous best tally of 65 medals from the 2019 staging in Suriname.
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago, though missing some of their better swimmers to CCCAN duties in El Salvador, are favoured to once again top the points standing, as they topped last year’s event with 1,442 points. Jamaica (1,002 points), with Barbados (723 points), third.
Each National Federation has a maximum of 40 swimmers - four boys and four girls in the age groups eight and under, 9 to 10, 11 to 12, 13 to 14 and 15 to 17.
The member countries of the Goodwill Swimming Championship host the meet on an annual rotation basis. Trinidad and Tobago were last year’s hosts.
World number one Iga Swiatek fought back from a set down to beat Qinwen Zheng 3-6 6-1 6-1 and reach the quarter-finals of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, where she will face Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.
Zheng, who beat Venus Williams in the last round, threatened an upset as she opened up a 3-0 lead before taking the first set as Swiatek paid the price for 23 unforced errors.
After taking a bathroom break between sets, during which she also changed her match kit, the French Open champion rallied to force two early breaks against the Chinese 20-year-old and then again in the fifth game.
Although Zheng did finally get a game on the board with a break of her own, it was only delaying the inevitable as Swiatek closed out the set with yet another break.
The decider swiftly went the way of the Pole as she moved 3-0 up before serving out for what was – in the end – a comfortable victory.
“My coach had said to me, ‘if you lose the set it might be a good idea to change your outfit, so you can kind of reset and go in the second set with a different vibe’ – I tried this time and it worked,” Swiatek said during her courtside interview, broadcast by Amazon Prime Video.
Vondrousova, the 10th seed, had earlier coasted past American Sloane Stephens 7-5 6-3 to reach the last eight and a showdown with the world number one.
Fourth seed Elena Rybakina, though, retired through injury during the second set of her third-round match against Italian qualifier Jasmine Paolini, who progressed with the score at 4-6 5-2.
Karolina Muchova also made it through to the quarter-finals with a hard-fought 6-3 2-6 6-3 victory over number eight seed Maria Sakkari.
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets will receive their championship rings and raise their title banner when the NBA tips off the regular season on October 24.
One night later, No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama will introduce himself to the league.
The NBA revealed an 80-game schedule for the 2023-24 season on Thursday. The final two games will be determined later based on how teams fare in the new In-Season Tournament.
The season begins with a doubleheader, with the Nuggets opening things up against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in a rematch from last season's Western Conference finals.
Opening night's second game features the Phoenix Suns visiting Golden State, a matchup that pits new Warrior Chris Paul against his former team.
The NBA debut of Wembanyama comes one night later, with the San Antonio Spurs hosting the Dallas Mavericks.
The NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament begins on November 3, and concludes with the final four teams playing the semifinals and championship games in Las Vegas on December 7 and 9, respectively.
The traditional Christmas quintupleheader begins with the New York Knicks playing on December 25 for the 56th time, and they'll host the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Warriors then visit the Nuggets, followed by the Boston Celtics visiting the Lakers, the Philadelphia 76ers visiting the Miami Heat and concluding with the Mavericks at Phoenix.
In an effort to maximise player rest and have the league's brightest stars play in high-profile games, teams will not play back-to-backs on Christmas or during the In-Season Tournament.
While teams play on consecutive nights slightly more this season - up to 14.0 such instances from last year's rate of 13.3 per team - back-to-backs involving travel are down to 9.0 on average after being at 9.6 per team last season.
The league takes a break from February 16-21, except for the All-Star Game and its festivities, which will take place in Indianapolis.
All 30 teams will play on April 12 and again two days later on the final day of the regular season.
The play-in tournament is then set to start April 16, with the 2024 NBA playoffs beginning April 20.
Steve Borthwick believes Owen Farrell has been the target of “personal attacks” as England’s captain once again confronts the possibility of missing the start of the World Cup.
Borthwick has joined Andy Farrell in defending the 31-year-old, who must face rugby’s judiciary for the second time in a week after World Rugby appealed against the decision to rescind his red card for a dangerous tackle on Wales’ Taine Basham.
Andy Farrell, the head coach of Saturday’s opponents Ireland, offered impassioned support of his son by declaring that “the circus that’s gone on in and around all of this is absolutely disgusting”.
Borthwick had intended to select Farrell for the Dublin clash but revised that plan amid the furious outcry over the original disciplinary hearing’s failure to impose a suspension.
Instead, George Ford lines-up as chief playmaker against the sport’s number-one ranked side with Marcus Smith providing cover off the bench.
Farrell has travelled to Ireland with the squad but will be a spectator only as Borthwick anticipates the additional turmoil that will now affect England’s World Cup preparations when the saga enters a second week.
“Unfortunately, given the disruption to his week and the intrusion in terms of his preparation, I made the decision to pull him out of the team that he would otherwise have led this weekend,” Borthwick said.
“The situation is one I find really disappointing. We thought we had reached a conclusion in this matter on Tuesday.
“It had an impact in terms of the disruption for this week and now it’s going to be ongoing into the next Test week.
“The situation with the England team – and Owen in particular – seems to be amplified.
“The commentary around it seems to move from issues around the tackle to personal attacks on the character of the man, which I think is just wrong.
“We all feel for him and we all feel it when one of our group is on the receiving end of such personal attacks – we all feel it.
“Owen has handled himself through this process in a really respectful manner. We will continue to respect the process and the decision that is reached.
“One of the most experienced and senior panels that deal with these matters dealt with it on Tuesday. We thought it was the conclusion.
“Now, another panel is being convened to try and find some holes in what was done on Tuesday. Again, we will conduct ourselves in a manner that respects the process.
“The final two weeks of our World Cup preparation are going to be disrupted by this matter.”
Farrell is in fresh danger of missing the pivotal World Cup opener against Argentina on September 9 with the potential for a six-week ban – the mid-range sanction for dangerous tackle offences – back on the horizon.
The Saracens fly-half received a yellow card in the 63rd minute of Saturday’s 19-17 victory over Wales but this was upgraded to red by the bunker review system, which is being trialled in the Summer Nations Series.
At Tuesday’s hearing the Saracens fly-half accepted that he had made contact with Basham’s head, that it was a dangerous tackle and that the degree of danger involved warranted a red card.
However, he successfully argued there was mitigation that made the offence worthy of a sin-binning only when Jamie’s George’s attempted tackle on Basham caused the Wales flanker into a sudden change in movement and drop in head height.
The PA news agency understands that World Rugby will look to prove that on the balance of probabilities the tackle was never legal and therefore no mitigation should have applied.
It is stated in World Rugby’s guidelines state mitigation does not apply for “always-illegal acts of foul play”.
Farrell’s absence means that Courtney Lawes leads a starting XV that is close to full strength, bolstered by the presence of wing Anthony Watson and centre Manu Tuilagi, who are making their first appearances of the warm-up fixtures.
Second row Ollie Chessum will make his comeback from the serious ankle injury sustained during the Six Nations when he appears off the bench.
Saffie Osborne was once again on the Racing League scoresheet at Windsor, as Wales & The West continue to top the charts in the team competition.
Jamie Osborne’s team headed into the night with a 77-point advantage and remain the ones to beat at the halfway stage of the six-week event following a double on week three that left them on 471 points.
Rhys Clutterbuck steered Clive Cox’s Just Bring It (9-1) to victory in the William Hill sponsored one-mile handicap, before last year’s Racing League top jockey made her customary Thursday night trip to the the winner’s enclosure when Tony Carroll’s 9-4 favourite Gallant Lion ran out a gutsy winner of the penultimate race of the evening.
“He’s got loads of ability and I was was really happy with him early on, I got some nice cover from Jack Mitchell and he settled nicely,” Osborne told Sky Sports Racing.
“When Jack went to make the running, he was left without cover and he just latched on a little bit and there was no point arguing with him, he’s obviously got a lot of ability and a high cruising speed and once I let him stride on he did everything within himself. I was able to get a nice breather into him and he saw it out well.
“He’s obviously got tons of ability and he is still lightly raced and learning and you’d like to think there is more to come.”
The most valuable event on the card went the way of Richard Fahey for the second week in a row as Spirit Dancer scooped the £51,540 first prize in the hands of Oisin Orr.
The 9-2 winner was representing the North and was the second half of a double on the night for Fahey and Orr who also enjoyed success with Show Me Show Me (10-1) in the five-furlong handicap.
“We love £100,000 races,” said team manager Mick Quinn.
“We won the £100,000 pot last week at Chepstow and we’ve won it again this week.
“The owners wanted to come here, Richard wanted to come here and it’s paid off.”
Earlier on, Zoulu Chief (28-1) showed who was boss to land a decisive win in the nursery handicap which kicked off proceedings, providing Scotland with a welcome victory in their quest to climb off the bottom of the table.
London and The South (in second on 378 points) were on the scoresheet on home turf when Tom Ward’s 9-2 joint-favourite Capote’s Dream led home a one-two for the region in the six-furlong handicap, with an all-Irish finish to the three-year-olds only one-mile event as Richard Spencer’s Pjanoo (22-1) held off 100-30 favourite Hat Toss.
It was third-placed Ireland’s second win of the competition and team manager Kevin Blake was delighted to see winning Irish jockey Danny Sheehy make his trip to Windsor worthwhile.
He said: “I’m particularly happy for Danny. He hit the crossbar at Chepstow last week, so for him to now get a winner, I’m particularly happy.
“He’s a very good rider and so strong for a light fella and a natural lightweight, so it’s been fantastic to get him over here and put him in the spotlight and who knows what could come from it.”
Lord Massusus notched the biggest success of his career when scorching to victory in the Bahrain Turf Club Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown.
Joseph Murphy’s three-year-old had looked a progressive operator earlier in the year, but had failed to make his mark in two recent outings in Pattern company.
Sent off 11-2 when returned to a mile for this Group Three event, rider Gary Carroll was in no rush aboard the gelded son of Markaz.
In fact it looked as if the race was 11-4 favourite Alfred Munnings’s to lose when Ryan Moore hit the front in the home straight, but Lord Massusus was making stealthy progress and quickly inching his way into contention.
Carroll asked his mount for maximum effort approaching the final furlong and he had a willing partner as they hunted down Alfred Munnings with the post looming to register a one-and-a-half-length success.
“We were disappointed the last day but things didn’t go right for him, he pulled too hard,” said Murphy.
“We got him switched off today, he came home well and a fast pace suited him. He won like a good horse, I thought it was a good performance.
“That’s what he was showing us when we supplemented him for the Minstrel Stakes.
“That’s his fifth win now. There is a little bit of ease in the ground today, the day he ran in the Listed race and was running on well (fourth in the Celebration Stakes) it was good, so he’s versatile.
“He has a low action so good ground makes no difference.”
On future plans, Murphy said: “We’ll look forward to the big meeting now, he’ll go for the Dullingham Park Stakes on Irish Champions Weekend.”
There may have been no joy for Aidan O’Brien in the feature, but the Ballydoyle handler saw Chief Little Rock go one better than his debut course and distance second to get off the mark in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF (C & G) Maiden.
The son of Galileo needed every yard of the one-mile contest to assert his dominance, but the odds-on scorer appears a colt heading in the right direction and could have booked his ticket to bigger and better things.
“Ryan said he was very babyish still, that he came out and he didn’t really know what to do even after having a run,” said O’Brien.
“He said he always felt that he was going to win, but that he was very green with him and he said he felt like a horse that was going to improve a lot, so we won’t rush him.
“The first day he ran around and was green so we rode him up there today and he probably found all that new too.
“It was satisfactory, but he needs to come on and he thinks he will.”
He added: “We could look at something like the Beresford, but we won’t have to rush him and he’ll stay at a mile. He’ll handle an ease in the ground too, and he’s a middle-distance horse for next year.”
Also opening his account was Joseph O’Brien’s Up And Under, who put his experience to good use in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.
Twice runner-up in Derby trials at the Dublin track before heading to the Curragh for the Irish Derby itself, the Lope De Vega colt took real advantage of this drop in class to get on the scoresheet as the 4-9 favourite.
Warren Gatland has been backed to turn around Wales’ fortunes and lead them towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Nigel Walker, the Welsh Rugby Union’s interim chief executive, hailed Gatland during a press conference unveiling of Abi Tierney as the organisation’s new chief executive – a post she will commence by the end of this year.
New Zealander Gatland is eight months into his second stint as Wales head coach after replacing Wayne Pivac and he is preparing for a fourth World Cup at the helm during September and October, having masterminded semi-final appearances in 2011 and 2019.
Wales finished fifth in the Guinness Six Nations last season, while Gatland inherited a squad that lost nine out of 12 Tests last year.
“The contract was a five-year contract. There is a clause (believed to be after the World Cup in France), but I cannot see any circumstances whereby we would invoke that clause,” Walker said.
“We feel we have one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best. I am confident Wales will do well in the World Cup.
“It’s a long-term project, and from what I’ve seen, Warren is quite capable of turning around the fortunes of Wales.”
Asked for his reaction to Walker’s comments, Gatland said: “I am just focusing on the short term.
“I have never been a person who thinks long-term too much in terms of my own personal situation. I am a great believer in what will be, will be.
“I have already said that the work this group has done and strides we have made, I think we can do something pretty special at this World Cup, and I honestly believe that.
“If that happens, then those other things take care of themselves.”
Wales complete their World Cup warm-up schedule on Saturday by tackling South Africa, and they will be without British and Irish Lions Liam Williams and Dan Biggar.
Both players had been selected to start the game in Cardiff, but have been withdrawn as a precautionary measure.
The WRU said that full-back Williams has a tight hamstring, with Biggar suffering from back irritation.
Cai Evans is promoted from the replacements’ bench to make his Test debut as Williams’ replacement, while Sam Costelow takes over from fly-half Biggar.
Gatland added: “Both of them, if we pushed them hard, could play on Saturday, but the decision was made there is no point taking a risk at this stage.
“If this was a World Cup semi-final, Dan Biggar would have been fine for the weekend.”
Forwards Dewi Lake and Taine Plumtree, who were injured during Wales’ narrow defeat against England at Twickenham last weekend, are on course to be available for the World Cup opener against Fiji in Bordeaux on September 10.
Saturday’s clash in Cardiff is a last chance for players to impress Gatland, who will announce his 33-strong World Cup squad within 48 hours of the final whistle.
“There is an opportunity for players on Saturday. We will come back as a coaching group after the game and finalise the squad,” Gatland said.
“We are confident that those players carrying injuries are going to be available for the first game against Fiji.
“We will get a pretty detailed injury update in terms of all the players in the squad, the ones carrying knocks and when they can return to full-time training and when they are available.
“Potentially, there may be one or two decisions, which has happened in the past, where we are still undecided and we might sleep on it and make a final decision potentially on the Sunday.
“Then it’s a matter of notifying the players and announcing the squad on Monday.”
Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from August 17.
FootballThe celebrations of England reaching the Women’s World Cup final continued.
Man City got their hands on another trophy.
Harry Kane x boot.
Birthdays.
Rolling back the years.
Blackburn remembered.
CricketTributes were paid to Sir Michael Parkinson.
Stuart Broad was glad to be back at Trent Bridge.
Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope and Sir Alastair Cook made a late bid for a place on Europe’s Ryder Cup team.
View this post on InstagramFormula OneAnother tribute for Parkinson.
Valtteri Bottas was on an adventure.
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