Jac Morgan looks set to be named as Wales captain for the Rugby World Cup.

The 23-year-old Ospreys flanker led Wales in two of their three warm-up Tests, and undoubtedly occupies pole position.

The waiting game for Wales’ World Cup hopefuls will end just after midday on Monday when Warren Gatland’s 33-man squad is unveiled.

If, as expected, Morgan lands the job, he would follow previous Wales skippers like Sam Warburton, Alun Wyn Jones and Gareth Thomas in captaining his country on the sport’s biggest stage.

Memories would also be evoked of Warburton being appointed as a 22-year-old for the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, when Gatland masterminded a run to the semi-finals.

A total of 15 players in the current training squad will not make Gatland’s final cut, but he confirmed that fly-half Gareth Anscombe and number eight Taulupe Faletau would be in contention despite not featuring during the August preparation games due to injuries.

“I think they are in contention because of their experience,” Gatland said.

“If they were a young player it would be very, very difficult to select them, but given their vast amount of experience they will definitely be part of those discussions.”

Reflecting on the build-up period, which has also included intensive training camps in Switzerland and Turkey, Gatland added: “I think the big thing is we wanted to give everyone an opportunity and we wanted to find out about players.

“There is no doubt we are going to pick up injuries during the World Cup as well, and every team will do that.

“Players that have had some game-time, that have been a part of the squad for the last number of weeks, will hopefully come in a little bit better prepared.”

A number of World Cup first-timers can be expected – possibly around half the squad – with players such as fly-half Sam Costelow, centre Mason Grady, prop Corey Domachowski and lock Dafydd Jenkins all seemingly well on course.

And for centre George North, a fourth World Cup beckons, which would put him in an illustrious group alongside the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Brian O’Driscoll.

Centres and back-row appeared the main areas of debate for Gatland and his fellow coaches when they entered final selection meetings after an inexperienced Wales line-up lost 52-16 to world champions South Africa in Cardiff.

Scrum-half Kieran Hardy, meanwhile, is poised to be included in the squad after a difficult week or so for him and his family.

Hardy’s three-month-old daughter Noa was admitted to hospital, where she had precautionary treatment after being diagnosed with a viral infection, but she is now recovering well.

He withdrew from Wales’ warm-up game against England at Twickenham as a result, before returning to action in the Springboks clash.

“Family always comes first, and to be fair to ‘Gats’ and the whole management last week, they were fantastic. They told me I needed to be there, and within half an hour I was gone and on the way home,” Hardy said.

“They have been excellent, and my family and Ellie’s (Hardy’s wife) family have been excellent as well, just to ensure that I come here and do the job.

“I think Ellie actually said to me to try and play for the girls as much as I could, just because of everything that has happened.

“In fairness, it all changed pretty quickly and she is a lot better now, so hopefully I can move forward now.”

Andy Farrell expects World Cup referees to be “red-hot” on foul play and says Ireland are striving to be rugby’s most disciplined team in the wake of another England red card.

Ireland benefited from the dismissal of England number eight Billy Vunipola on Saturday evening to retain their spot at the top of the global rankings by easing to a 29-10 Dublin success.

Vunipola’s second-half sending-off, for a high tackle on Andrew Porter, came a week on from team-mate Owen Farrell’s headline-grabbing red card against Wales.

England also had players sent off in their previous two fixtures with Ireland, with Charlie Ewels departing prematurely at Twickenham last year and Freddie Steward ordered off at the Aviva Stadium during the Six Nations in March, albeit that second decision was later overturned.

Ireland head coach Farrell feels there are “cards everywhere” at the moment and is determined to ensure disciplinary issues do not damage the World Cup ambitions of his Six Nations champions.

“It’s a red card that somebody will have a look at and make the right decision,” he said of the Vunipola incident. “It is what it is.

“We’re seeing more and more of that. It just highlights for us massively that it isn’t just the tackle height, it’s discipline in general.

“There are cards everywhere at the minute, isn’t there?

“And there’s a realisation as well that at the start of a competition, certainly in World Cups, referees are always going to be red-hot on stuff.

“So making sure that we’re the most disciplined side is something that we’re chasing down.”

Farrell welcomed back the bulk of his star names for their first international action since clinching Grand Slam glory against England five months ago.

Tries from Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose in a disjointed first half paved the way for victory before James Lowe, Mack Hansen and Test centurion Keith Earls added further scores following Vunipola’s 53rd-minute exit.

However, Dan Sheehan’s first-half departure due to a foot issue left Ireland with some cause for concern, particularly with fellow Leinster hooker Ronan Kelleher currently sidelined.

Farrell, who brought on Rob Herring in place of Sheehan, concedes the situation may become a worry but believes there is plenty of talent in reserve.

“Possibly, possibly,” he said. “Ronan’s going to be fine. The extent of Dan we don’t know.

“We’ve had Diarmuid Barron in camp as well, Tom Stewart’s been going great guns, so we’ll be fine.”

Stand-in captain Courtney Lawes insists England will “relentlessly” strive for improvement and “won’t give up” following another major jolt in their bumpy road towards the World Cup.

Head coach Steve Borthwick is sweating on the availability of two key players ahead of the tournament in France after Billy Vunipola’s red card in Dublin compounded Owen Farrell’s disciplinary saga.

England struggled to convince with 15 men at the Aviva Stadium before Vunipola’s 53rd-minute dismissal for ploughing into the head of Andrew Porter helped the world’s top-ranked team cruise to a 29-10 success.

Yet flanker Lawes, who skippered his country as Farrell watched on from the stands, believes there were “a lot of positives” to take from a meek display.

“It’s obviously very disappointing,” he said. “The thing is if we just get certain things right in that game, it’s very different, it’s a very different game – and they are all things that we can control.

“But we have to be able to control them. There are obviously a lot of positives, which is great.

“If we tidy up a couple of areas, we’ll be a much different team and we’ve proved we can hang with the best as long as we get them right. But it doesn’t make it any less disappointing that we didn’t get it right.

“We won’t give up. We will relentlessly pursue the betterment of our team and that’s all we can do.”

England rarely offered a try-scoring threat on Saturday evening and were 12-3 behind at the break following scores from Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose.

Matters took a turn for the worse shortly after the restart when Vunipola’s shoulder-led tackle was upgraded from a yellow card to a red on review.

Tries from James Lowe and Mack Hansen stretched Ireland’s lead before Keith Earls added to the misery on the occasion of his 100th cap after Kyle Sinckler crossed for a consolation.

England should discover the fates of Saracens pair Vunipola and Farrell before hosting Fiji at Twickenham next weekend, with their World Cup campaign set to begin against Argentina on September 9.

Borthwick was unsure how much the uncertainty surrounding Farrell, who is awaiting the outcome of World Rugby’s appeal of the decision to overturn his red card against Wales, impacted England’s performance against Ireland.

But he accepts his team need greater cutting edge as they seek to turn winning into “a habit”.

“It’s always difficult to accurately evaluate that because it’s an unknown but it certainly hasn’t helped our preparation this week and we’re going to have to deal with it again this forthcoming week,” he said, referring to Farrell’s situation.

“We’re going to have to ensure we minimise any disruption and distraction of it to get the performance we want.

“We play against Fiji back at Twickenham next week and we want to make sure we get a win, we want to make sure we get an improved performance because winning is a habit and we want to make sure we start building that habit.

“The area we’ve seen we need to see more improvement is that conversion of opportunities in the final third.

“Do we want to see more progress? Absolutely. And that’s what we’ll be focusing our attention on over this coming week and beyond as we build into that first game of the World Cup.”

England head coach Steve Borthwick hopes for swift disciplinary resolutions after Billy Vunipola joined Owen Farrell as a World Cup doubt following his dismissal in a damaging 29-10 defeat to Ireland.

Captain Farrell watched from the stands in Dublin as England slipped to a meek loss compounded by the second-half red card of Saracens team-mate Vunipola for ploughing into the head of Andrew Porter.

Influential fly-half Farrell was free to feature in the warm-up game but was ultimately left out following World Rugby’s appeal against the decision to overturn the red card he received in last weekend’s win over Wales.

With England’s World Cup opener against Argentina on September 9 fast approaching, Borthwick faces potentially being without two of his key men through suspension for the start of the tournament in France.

He was tight-lipped on Vunipola’s tackle, but is eager for matters to be concluded quickly on the back of the disruption already caused by the ongoing Farrell saga.

“I’m not going to comment upon the incident specifically because it goes into a disciplinary process this coming week,” said Borthwick.

“Probably as every England fan, I feel disappointment in the game today and I said beforehand we want 15 players on the pitch for 80 minutes of every game.

“You’re playing the number one ranked side in the world in their stadium and to go to 14 men it becomes a very difficult task at that point in time

“Hopefully we will find a conclusion on both matters this week and it won’t go into another week. Once I have all the facts, I will deal with them.

“We talked about the way this Test week was disrupted (by the Farrell situation) and I need to adapt throughout the week. It’s another challenge that’s been thrown at us.”

England offered little at the Aviva Stadium, even before falling a man down when Vunipola’s 53rd-minute sin-binning was upgraded to a red on review.

Tries from centres Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose gave Ireland control at the break, before scores from James Lowe, Mack Hansen and Keith Earls sealed a comprehensive victory.

Replacement prop Kyle Sinckler crossed for England, but it was scant consolation on a difficult evening when stuttering World Cup preparations were thrown into further disarray.

“Whilst I’m incredibly disappointed with the result, the players kept fighting,” said Borthwick.

“I thought the players that came off the bench added on the pitch.

“Just before half-time at 7-3, we missed some opportunities and turned over ball in the final third, so we weren’t able to put enough pressure on them.

“When it was 15 against 15 it was a tight battle, unfortunately it didn’t stay 15 on 15.”

Ireland retained their place at the top of the world rankings courtesy of a 12th successive win.

Earls stepped off the bench to mark his 100th cap in style with his 36th international try as the hosts overcame a disjointed opening period.

Head coach Andy Farrell said: “It had a bit of everything: good, bad and ugly.

“I wasn’t too happy at half-time. We had them in a place where we could push a little bit harder and make it a little bit easier for ourselves but we didn’t kick on.

“I was really pleased that we found or rhythm back into the game. I thought we scored some great tries.

“Obviously the story of the day is it’s very fitting that Keith gets his 100th cap and we made sure he does that with a W and also him scoring a try in Keith Earls style in the corner just made the day for everyone really.”

Hooker Dan Sheehan limped off shortly before half-time, with Farrell waiting to discover the extent of that issue.

“Dan’s lost a bit of power in his foot,” he said. “We won’t know until we get it scanned. We’ll probably know more in the morning.”

Warren Gatland said Wales’ record defeat to South Africa in Cardiff had made his World Cup selection task easier.

Gatland names his 33-man World Cup squad on Monday on the back of a chastening 52-16 thumping to the Springboks.

After two warm-up games against England, in which Wales won once and lost once and generally saw the reputation of their young team enhanced, Gatland’s side were dismantled by opponents boasting 659 Test caps to their 235.

South Africa’s victory – the first time Wales have conceded 50 points under Gatland – comfortably eclipsed their previous biggest win in Cardiff – a 34-12 in 2007.

Asked if the game had answered a lot of questions on his World Cup selection before next month’s tournament in France, head coach Gatland said: “I think so. We’ll go back to the hotel, sit down as coaches and hopefully finalise it.

“If we need to have more discussion hopefully we can do that on Sunday. Possibly some of those questions that we’ve got would have made it a little bit easier for our discussions.

“It was disappointing. I thought we were dominated physically on both sides of the ball.

“We’d spoken to the players about the physicality they’d bring and playing against the world champions. They’d just come out of a Rugby Championship.

“The only positive I can take is hopefully there’s a lot of learning that some of those players will have got from it.”

Experienced trio Alex Cuthbert Dan Biggar and Liam Williams all dropped out of the original team with minor injuries.

Wales have more pressing concerns on the injury front with hookers Dewi Lake and Ryan Elias, second row forward Dafydd Jenkins and back-rower Taine Plumtree all picking up knocks during the August matches.

Gatland also has to make calls on number eight Taulupe Faletau and outside-half Gareth Anscombe, who did not feature in the three games.

On Faletau and Anscombe, Gatland said: “I think they are in contention because of their experience.

“If they were a young player it would be very, very difficult to select them, but given their vast amount of experience they will definitely be part of those discussions.

“Part of the thing we wanted to do was everyone take part in training this week to build confidence.

“When you have a defeat like that, it’s about how do you look at the positives when you are reviewing it as a group.

“There’s some easy fixes in terms of probably four or five of those tries are easy enough to stop and then all of a sudden there’s a different complexion on the game.”

Gatland was critical of the 34th-minute yellow card given to Rio Dyer when Wales trailed 12-9.

Dyer batted a loose ball away from Canan Moodie as he closed in on a try, but replays appeared to show that it had hit the hand of the Springboks wing first. A penalty try was awarded and South Africa scored 12 points with the wing off the field.

“I thought Rio Dyer was really unlucky to have a yellow card and a penalty try because the angles we’ve looked at we are 100 per cent certain it’s touched the green player,” said Gatland.

“For me that’s a pretty tough call and we’ve conceded straight away from the kick-off. It was an important moment in terms of the way the game went.”

South Africa find themselves in arguably the toughest World Cup pool with Ireland, Scotland and Tonga for company.

The Springboks start the defence of the trophy they won in Japan four years ago against Scotland in Marseille on September 10.

“We have to get better in France,” said South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber after his side’s eight-try show in Cardiff.

“We are on the side of the draw that is knock-out from game one. Just to get out of pool we have to be on form.”

Billy Vunipola was sent off as England’s stuttering World Cup preparations were thrown into further disarray by a costly 29-10 defeat to Ireland amid Owen Farrell’s ongoing disciplinary saga.

The number eight is likely to miss the start of the tournament in France after his 53rd-minute yellow card for making contact with the head of Andrew Porter was upgraded to red.

Steve Borthwick’s men were comfortably dispatched in a disjointed Dublin affair, which influential captain Farrell sat out following the fallout of his dismissal against Wales last weekend.

Vunipola’s premature departure compounded a meek display and he will now join Saracens team-mate Farrell in facing a disciplinary panel with England’s World Cup opener against Argentina on September 9 fast approaching.

Keith Earls marked his 100th cap by claiming the fifth of Ireland’s tries, adding to scores from Bundee Aki, Garry Ringrose, James Lowe and Mack Hansen, as the hosts retained their place at the top of the world rankings courtesy of a 12th successive win.

Andy Farrell’s dominant side were far from their free-flowing best but still had too much for their depleted rivals, although the first-half departure of hooker Dan Sheehan is a concern.

Replacement prop Kyle Sinckler claimed a late try shortly before Earls stylishly celebrated his milestone appearance but it was little consolation for the visitors.

England crossed the Irish Sea seeking the greatest win of the Borthwick era so far to ignite their World Cup build-up but they were in unconvincing form especially with the situation surrounding skipper Farrell dominating headlines.

Replacement fly-half Ford slotted an early penalty before the away team were swiftly put on the back foot as a superb break from Peter O’Mahony allowed Aki to charge beyond Ben Youngs and touch down under the posts, leaving Ross Byrne with a simple conversion.

While England have endured a tumultuous time since finishing runners-up at the 2019 World Cup in Japan, Six Nations champions Ireland have enjoyed an impressive period of progression masterminded by head coach Farrell.

The Englishman fielded the bulk of his star names for the first time since clinching the Grand Slam against Borthwick’s men in March, which perhaps explained frustrating levels of rustiness in a fragmented opening period littered with stoppages.

Ford missed the chance to reduce England’s deficit with a second penalty before Ireland’s Sheehan hobbled off due to an apparent injury.

There looked like being no further inroads on the scoreboard before the break until Hansen’s clever cross-field kick exposed the opposition’s defence, with Ringrose inadvertently propelled over the try-line by a combination of Elliot Daly and Freddie Steward.

England, who are expected to learn the fate of Farrell in midweek, offered very little from an attacking perspective in a fairly forgettable first half which they ended 12-3 behind.

Their evening quickly took a turn for the worse when Vunipola ploughed into Porter.

Referee Paul Williams initially deemed the sin-bin to be sufficient punishment but the England back-rower, whose trudge from the field coincided with Farrell flashing up the big screen to a chorus of boos, would not return.

Ireland wasted little time in capitalising on their numerical advantage as Lowe was afforded yards of space to catch Byrne’s pass and cross wide on the left, before Hansen added to their misery by diving over on the other flank.

England’s attempts to avoid a drubbing were helped by Sinckler bulldozing over.

But they were powerless to prevent Ireland registering a fourth consecutive win in this fixture, with veteran wing Earls raising the roof thanks to a spectacular diving finish on his landmark outing.

World champions South Africa delivered a ruthless display that bristled with pace and power to demolish Wales 52-16 at the Principality Stadium.

An inexperienced Wales line-up contained a total of only 235 caps and the Springboks showed no mercy as they cruised to a record victory over their opponents in Cardiff.

Wales’ final World Cup warm-up Test – head coach Warren Gatland will name his 33-strong squad for the tournament on Monday – proved a horribly one-sided affair.

It was the first time in either of Gatland’s reigns as head coach that Wales had conceded 50 or more points.

Centre Jesse Kriel and wing Canan Moodie each scored two tries, while hooker Malcolm Marx, flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit and replacement Damian Willemse also touched down, with South Africa’s tally completed by a penalty try and five Manie Libbok conversions.

Wales managed three Sam Costelow penalties, a Sam Parry try and Cai Evans conversion in reply, yet they predictably had no answer to a South African side that will complete World Cup preparations by tackling fellow southern hemisphere heavyweights New Zealand at Twickenham next Friday.

For Wales’ players, though, the focus is on selection events on Monday and a World Cup opener against Fiji in Bordeaux on September 10.

South Africa were quickly into their stride and went ahead after just four minutes through an outstanding team try.

Patient build-up play saw them gradually make ground and when full-back Willie Le Roux went wide, he found captain Siya Kolisi in support whose pass sent Marx over in the corner.

Wales responded through a 35-metre Costelow penalty, but there were immediate signs of set-piece authority from South Africa as their scrum initially dominated through powerful work from props Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe.

A second Costelow penalty nudged Wales ahead, yet the lead lasted barely two minutes as South Africa created another impressive try.

Lock RG Snyman was the creator, surging clear in midfield before support from scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse and Marx carved open Wales’ defence and Le Roux’s long floated pass found Moodie, who finished impressively.

Costelow completed a penalty hat-trick 15 minutes before the interval, only for South Africa to stretch away with a 12-point burst inside two minutes.

There was a huge element of fortune about them being awarded a 34th-minute penalty try when Wales wing Rio Dyer was adjudged to have deliberately knocked the ball out of play from behind his own line under pressure from Moodie.

Le Roux’s chip into the corner was directed towards Moodie and batted away by Dyer. Referee Andrew Brace felt that Moodie had run past the ball, but after prolonged video review with television match official Joy Neville, Dyer was yellow carded and a penalty try awarded.

And before Wales could recover, South Africa struck again when centre Damian de Allende kicked deep into the opposition 22, home centre Mason Grady chased back, but under pressure from Springboks wing Cheslin Kolbe he threw the ball into the air behind his own line and Kriel touched down.

From being three points adrift and very much in contention, Wales trooped off 24-9 adrift at half-time and with a mountain to climb.

And any realistic hopes of a fightback were extinguished 12 minutes after the restart when South Africa claimed a breakaway try.

It looked promising for Wales deep inside South Africa’s 22, but scrum-half Kieran Hardy saw his pass intercepted by Du Toit and a supporting Kriel sprinted 60 metres to score, with Libbok converting.

Du Toit then got in on the scoring act, touching down from close range, before Moodie intercepted Wales centre Johnny Williams’ pass to claim try number seven.

Willemse then pounced before he received a yellow card for a high tackle on Dyer then Wales claimed a consolation try nine minutes from time through Parry.

Aaron Wainwright admits Wales will face a team that sets the bar in terms of physicality when they meet World Cup warm-up opponents South Africa on Saturday.

Wales’ final preparation Test promises to be a full-on spectacle at the Principality Stadium, with reigning world champions South Africa parading many of their star names.

Fit-again captain Siya Kolisi returns to the starting line-up after recovering from a serious knee injury, while 390 caps worth of experience up front also includes players such as Steven Kitshoff, Malcolm Marx and Pieter-Steph du Toit.

“We have spoken about physicality all week,” Wales number eight Wainwright said.

“If there is a team you are going to come up against at international level that is going to set the bar physicality-wise it is going to be South Africa.

“We have spoken about what we can bring to them in the physical test.

“Let’s not wait for them to bring the challenge to us. Let’s get off the line and meet them and show what we can do physically.

“I think the past two games we have played against England we have set our mark physicality-wise and it’s about building on that now, taking it into Saturday and then the World Cup.

“It is going to be a big test for us, but we have spoken about that and we know that is coming.”

Wainwright looks like being a key part of Wales’ back-row armoury at the World Cup.

He made his Test debut in 2018 and featured during the following year’s global showpiece tournament in Japan, but he has also experienced time in the wilderness, not being involved for 14 successive Tests before Wales faced France in last season’s Six Nations.

“Going to Japan quite young and experiencing that World Cup, I look back with fond memories, but I probably did not capture it as well as I would have liked to,” he added.

“The training camps I have gone on this time in Switzerland and Turkey I have been able to experience things a lot more, enjoy working hard and being around the boys.

“I played the final game of the Six Nations and loved my opportunity to get back on the pitch and put the red jersey on again.

“You can see the depth we are developing across the back row. Taulupe (Faletau) is out for now, but he is pretty close to returning, which is great for the team and for him.

“For me, it is another chance to put my hand up on the weekend and show what I can do.

“I enjoy my rugby more when I get my hands on the ball and carry. If I can keep doing that, I can keep putting my hands up.”

Wales head coach Warren Gatland’s final 33-strong World Cup squad will be announced on Monday, but a formidable Springboks challenge means that minds cannot be allowed to wander.

“It is going to be in the back of people’s minds, naturally, because it is a World Cup selection,” Wainwright said.

“But is about getting on the pitch and playing as well as you can and letting the rest take care of itself.”

Courtney Lawes insists England must avoid drawing too heavily on their fury at the treatment of Owen Farrell when they face Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

Steve Borthwick railed against the “personal attacks” on Farrell following a disciplinary panel’s decision to downgrade his red card against Wales to a yellow, thereby sparing him a suspension.

England have nonetheless withdrawn their captain from the spotlight ahead of his appeal hearing early next week by revising their plans to pick him in midfield for the Aviva Stadium showdown.

Instead, Lawes leads the underdogs into their penultimate match before the World Cup begins mindful that, while the squad are angry at the attacks on Farrell, the main event has yet to begin.

“This is an interesting adversity because it’s an individual player and we’re not in the World Cup yet, so we can’t peak too early,” Lawes said.

“You’ve got to be careful of that – checks and balances and all that kind of stuff. But we can certainly tap into it a bit because it’s a big game and is important to us.

“We’re looking to win but the main thing for us is that we actually put our talent, effort and hard work on to the pitch.

“The last 10 weeks of pre-season have been pretty gruelling and we want to show what we’ve been working on.

“That’s been the frustrating thing for us in the last two games – we just haven’t performed as well as we know we can.

“We lost a game and went close to losing another. At some point it will click for us and that’s when people will see the amount of hard work we’ve put in.”

An area of England’s game that needs urgent addressing is the collapse in discipline that almost cost them victory against Wales last Saturday.

Henry Arundell, Freddie Steward, Ellis Genge and Farrell were sin-binned for a variety of offences, with the Saracens fly-half’s yellow card then upgraded to a red by the bunker review system.

At one point England were reduced to 12 men and, while they managed to guts out a 19-17 victory the hard way, Lawes does not want to see a repeat.

“We had a few silly cards that you really don’t want to get in Test-match rugby,” Lawes said.

“We’ve really been on the discipline from day one in camp, talking about how important it is at the World Cup.

“It was disappointing to get so many cards and give away so many penalties last week. It’s something we’re constantly working on and hammering down.

“We can’t afford those kinds of mistakes against Ireland. You’re not going to go a season without a card, but to the best of your ability you’ve got to be smart and streetwise with your actions.

“Even in those split seconds you’ve got to have a cool head and hopefully make the right decisions at the right time.”

Former referee Nigel Owens insists rugby is in “big trouble” if Owen Farrell’s dangerous tackle against Wales is not viewed as a sending off offence.

Farrell faces an independent disciplinary panel early next week after World Rugby appealed against the decision to downgrade his red card for a high shoulder-led challenge on Taine Basham to yellow.

England’s captain has received impassioned support from his head coach Steve Borthwick and Ireland boss Andy Farrell, his father, amid an outcry over the original hearing’s failure to issue a ban.

Owens, who oversaw 100 Tests from 2003 to 2020, believes Farrell should be punished for the tackle while warning the game of the repercussions if he is cleared once again.

“Owen Farrell is a great player who I have a huge amount of respect for,” the Welshman told Wales Online.

“But he has a history of making this kind of tackle, he’s been punished before and perhaps got away with a couple too.

“The referee and everybody at home watching the game would have been looking at that incident and going through their checklist.

“Do we have foul play? Yes, we do. Do we have contact with the head? Yes, we do. Do we have a high degree of danger? Yes, we certainly do. Do we have mitigation? In my view, no we don’t.

“I don’t think there was any late change from Basham which Farrell could not adjust to, he was the only player contributing to the action of the tackle.

“The key thing about mitigation here is that Farrell’s actions were always illegal. No matter what happened, he was always leading with the shoulder and not making an attempt to wrap for a legal tackle – so mitigation does not and should not play a part in the decision.

“For me, it’s a red card and whatever the judicial outcome may be, it still has to be a red card.

“We must stay strong and deal with acts of foul play. This is foul play, it’s an illegal charge, it’s not an accident. He’s always leading with the shoulder, he’s made contact with the head and, sorry, he’s got to take the consequences.

“The important message here to everybody involved in the game is, despite whatever reasons that the judicial officers had for their decision, this was a red card and should continue to be a red card for the good of player safety and the future of the game as well.

“Quite simply, if we don’t deal with actions like this as a red card offence, then the game is going to be in big trouble moving forward.”

Ireland wing Mack Hansen has marked the occasion of Keith Earls’ 100th Test cap by having his team-mate’s initials shaved into an eye-catching green haircut.

The Connacht player sported ‘KE’ on his left temple in training ahead of Saturday’s World Cup warm-up clash with England.

Earls is poised to become only the ninth Irishman to reach a century of international appearances, having been included among Andy Farrell’s replacements for the game.

Players and members of Ireland’s coaching staff have paid tribute to the popular 35-year-old all week.

Yet the eccentric Australia-born Hansen, who had long flowing locks during the Guinness Six Nations, has taken things a step further.

Earls led out Ireland’s players for Friday’s captain’s run at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin and is in contention to travel to the fourth World Cup of a distinguished international career which began in 2008.

Speaking of the Munster wing, team-mate Conor Murray, who reached 100 caps in the autumn, told the IRFU: “What a man!

“Going into school, looking up to him, he was a superstar of schools’ rugby and I’m blessed to be able to call him a really good friend and share part of his journey with him.

“Rooming with him for the last 10 odd years, I’ve seen the crazy sides to Keith Earls.

“This is a really popular landmark and everyone in the squad is absolutely delighted for him.”

Earls is set to move alongside Ireland greats Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara, Rory Best, Paul O’Connell and John Hayes in reaching three figures, in addition to current team-mates Cian Healy, Johnny Sexton and Murray.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland believes that “depth and competition” has increased in his squad as World Cup selection looms large.

Reigning world champions South Africa provide Wales’ final warm-up opposition at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.

The race for World Cup places in Gatland’s 33-strong group is then due to conclude on Monday when he names those players who will head to France next month.

Only fly-half Gareth Anscombe, wing Alex Cuthbert and number eight Taulupe Faletau, who are recovering from injuries, have not featured competitively among a 48-man training squad during the August schedule.

And when punishing preparation camps in Switzerland and Turkey are added to the mix, Gatland is in a strong position to make considered choices.

“We have been so impressed with this group of players,” he said.

“And as it has turned out there was an opportunity for us to give everyone a chance to put their hand up. We feel that the time we have had together, we’ve increased the depth and competition within the squad.

“A number of teams have picked up one or two injuries, so you have got to have players who have been with you for that period, hopefully had some game time and been training with the squad.”

Gatland said a discussion would be had on how many players he takes to France who are currently nursing knocks.

Cuthbert, who was due to make his first appearance of the summer Test schedule, misses out because of calf muscle tightness, with Tom Rogers promoted from the bench to start and Gloucester wing Louis Rees-Zammit joining the replacements.

Elsewhere, hookers Dewi Lake and Ryan Elias, lock Dafydd Jenkins and back-row forward Taine Plumtree all suffered injuries during Wales’ home and away appointments with England.

And, although British and Irish Lions Liam Williams (tight hamstring) and Dan Biggar (back) have been sidelined from facing the Springboks, their absence was described as precautionary.

Asked how many injured players could be carried in the final squad, Gatland added: “Maybe one or two. That is probably the number you talk about.

“I think the important thing is when you can get back to training.

“If you look at the (World Cup) draw, you have obviously got to go fully loaded for the first game (against Fiji), then looking at Portugal with a six-day turnaround there will be changes.

“Then you’ve got eight days to Australia where you will be a strong side again, and then a 13-day turnaround where hopefully everyone gets an opportunity to recover from any bangs and bruises before you play Georgia.

“I think there is less pressure in this tournament than there has been in the past where you’ve had four-day turnarounds when that has had quite a significant impact on the squad.

“That is a discussion we will have in terms of risk and how many (players) we can carry.

“We have in the past gone to World Cups carrying players with niggles that are going to take two or three weeks to come right. That may be the case, but it is just depending on what sort of risk do you potentially take.”

Wales have beaten South Africa four times in the last five meetings on home soil, but a powerful Springboks side featuring the likes of Cheslin Kolbe, Damian de Allende, Malcolm Marx, fit-again captain Siya Kolisi and his fellow flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit will be a considerable step up from England.

There are a total of 659 caps in South Africa’s line-up, compared with Wales’ 235, and Wales forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys is relishing the challenge, particularly up front.

“I think what we have this week is a team that wants to come and scrum. There are no games,” he said.

“They want to scrummage and that is what we’ve been after. They are coming through the front door – there are no guessing games.

“We have played them a fair few times over the last four years and we’ve always enjoyed the physical confrontation that we know is going to come. It is a great test for a pretty inexperienced team.”

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.”

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.