Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend announces his 33-man World Cup squad on Wednesday morning.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how things are shaping up and who is in danger of missing out on the showpiece in France.

Who is already out of contention?

Gregor Townsend named a provisional 41-man training squad on May 9 to negotiate an intense pre-season camp and four warm-up matches prior to the tournament itself. In the intervening three months, the squad has evolved and become more streamlined. Scotland’s record try-scorer Stuart Hogg, who would likely have been a starter, announced his retirement in early July, while back-row Andy Christie dropped out through injury, with his place taken by Josh Bayliss. Ruaridh McConnochie was called in to replace Hogg but the Bath back soon drifted out of the mix due to injury. The weekend before last, stand-off Adam Hastings, lock Cam Henderson, centre Stafford McDowall and wing Kyle Rowe, who was a later addition to the initial squad, were all part of a four-man cull as Townsend trimmed his pool to 37.

Where will the remaining cuts come from?

Townsend said after Saturday’s loss to France in Saint-Etienne that the last four players to leave the squad would be a tighthead prop, a hooker, a back-row and a scrum-half.

Edinburgh hooker set to miss out

George Turner is the most prominent of the four hookers currently in the squad and is certain to go to France. Ewan Ashman, at 23 the youngest and least experienced of the quartet, appears to have a good shout of getting the nod after the new Edinburgh recruit was chosen to start the recent home match against France, when Townsend sent out a near full-strength XV. The places of Edinburgh veterans Dave Cherry, 32, and Stuart McInally, 33, therefore could be in jeopardy. Cherry has featured in only one of the three warm-up matches so far, although he did make a positive impression by scoring the decisive try as a substitute in the home win over France. The following weekend, 2019 World Cup captain McInally, who will retire after this tournament to become an airline pilot, served up a timely reminder of his ability by stepping off the bench to help the Scots stage a rousing fightback in Saint-Etienne.

Prop poser

Zander Fagerson is the first choice and – after dodging a long suspension following his recent red card against France – is assured of a place. Likewise WP Nel, who despite being 37 is still trusted enough by Townsend to start big games, such as last weekend’s match away to France and the Six Nations opener away to England earlier this year. The unlucky one will be either Edinburgh new boy Javan Sebastian or Glasgow’s Murphy Walker. Sebastian’s contribution off the bench on Saturday could help him get the nod over Walker, who has played no part in either of the France matches.

Rowing back on the back-rows

Captain Jamie Ritchie, Jack Dempsey, Rory Darge and Matt Fagerson can all consider themselves safely on the plane on the basis of their form and status within the national team. Veteran flanker Hamish Watson probably also has enough credit in the bank to ensure he is on the plane, although – not helped by injuries – he has not been as prominent for Scotland over the past year or so as he would have liked. The bad news appears likely to be delivered to one of the two least-established internationals in the back-row pool. Luke Crosbie, with five caps to his name, played no part in the double-header against France, while Bayliss – also now on five caps – was not named in the initial 41-man squad.

Warriors scrum-half scrap

Ben White has made the number nine jersey his own since the start of the Six Nations, although Scotland were having his ankle injury – sustained in the France home game – assessed on Monday before finalising the squad. Assuming – as Townsend was expecting – the new Toulon man gets the all-clear, a Glasgow scrum-half will miss out. Ali Price, George Horne and Jamie Dobie have been vying for the nine shirt for the Warriors. Price, with 63 caps, and Horne, who went to the last World Cup in Japan, are significantly more established on the international scene than 22-year-old Dobie, who may have to wait for the following World Cup in Australia.

Owen Farrell will lead England into the World Cup after his red card against Wales was not upheld by a disciplinary panel, making him free to play with immediate effect.

Farrell was sent off at Twickenham on Saturday when his yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Taine Basham was upgraded to a red by the ‘Bunker’ review system.

But the hearing decided that a “late change in dynamics” due to Jamie George’s involvement in the contact area “brought about a sudden and significant change in direction from the ball carrier”.

Using this mitigation it was decided by the all-Australian panel that Farrell – who was expected to face a mid-range sanction of a six-week suspension – should have been hit with a sin-binning only.

Liam Williams has no plans to call time on his Wales career as he prepares for a post-World Cup stint in Japan that will sideline him from the Guinness Six Nations next year.

The Wales full-back is firmly on course to play in a third World Cup, with head coach Warren Gatland naming his 33-player squad next Monday.

After that, though, 32-year-old Williams will feature for Japanese club Kubota Spears in a domestic league that runs from December to May.

Williams won his 85th cap in Wales’ World Cup warm-up defeat against England at Twickenham, delivering a high-class display which was all the more impressive given that he had not played since March.

“I haven’t said I am retiring any time soon,” Williams said, ahead of next Saturday’s appointment with world champions South Africa in Cardiff.

“I will be in Japan for two years and we will see where that takes us and whether I am still available or not.

“I will speak to ‘Gats’ probably after the World Cup and towards the end of the season out there (in Japan).

“If they (Wales) want to take me to Australia for the summer tour next year, I will be available for that, but that is up to them.”

Gatland has hinted that he will include only four back-three players in the World Cup squad, which undoubtedly intensifies competition during the final week before selection.

It would be a huge surprise if Williams does not make the final cut, though – and start Wales’ opener against Fiji in Bordeaux on September 10.

“I said to myself that I haven’t played since March so I am going to go out and have a decent game and have a bit of fun,” Williams added, reflecting on events at Twickenham.

“I was just happy to stick that shirt on again. It has been a little while.

“You can’t really replicate the game intensity when you are training. You can go as hard as you want, but you can’t get the intensity of a game – especially with the rucks and amount of contact you take.

“I felt pretty good in the game. I was just glad to last 80 minutes.

“I am getting on a bit now, I am 32, and I’m just trying to enjoy my last couple of years.

“It is about going out there with a smile on my face, play hard, try to win and, most importantly, I am playing for my country.”

Whatever happens regarding Williams’ Wales prospects after the World Cup, he is enthused by a crop of young backs that have emerged in recent months.

Players like Tom Rogers, Mason Grady, Max Llewellyn, Joe Roberts and Sam Costelow have been part of Gatland’s training squad and Williams believes the future is bright.

“I think it will be great for Wales for years to come,” he said. “These young boys coming through is great – we definitely needed that.

“Sam Costelow has been great, as has Max (Llewellyn). Mason is like a freak of nature, there’s ‘Tommy Rog’ and I thought Joe Roberts was class on the weekend.”

England scrum-half Jack Van Poortvliet will miss the World Cup to undergo surgery on an ankle injury sustained against Wales on Saturday.

The 22-year-old Leicester back was forced off in the first half of the 19-17 Twickenham win and has been replaced in Steve Borthwick’s 33-man World Cup squad by Northampton’s Alex Mitchell.

England head coach Steve Borthwick said: “It’s really bad luck for Jack and we send him our very best wishes for a swift and successful recovery.”

Mitchell joins Ben Youngs and Danny Care as Borthwick’s scrum-half options for the World Cup in France next month.

The 26-year-old was unfortunate to miss out on the original squad after making four impactful replacement appearances during the 2023 Six Nations Championship, injecting energy and tempo into England’s play.

Borthwick faces another issue at half-back as England wait for the outcome of the disciplinary hearing that will determine the length of Owen Farrell’s ban after his Twickenham red card.

Farrell’s shoulder-led challenge to the head of Taine Basham was upgraded from a yellow card to red by the ‘Bunker’ review system and he could now miss England’s World Cup opener against Argentina.

The England captain must now appear before a video disciplinary hearing that begins on Tuesday morning to find out the length of his suspension.

The mid-range sanction for a dangerous tackle is six games and – given he received a three-match ban for the same offence in January, on top of five matches in 2020 and two in 2016 – it is doubtful he will be treated leniently by the disciplinary process.

England complete their World Cup warm-up with games against Ireland and Fiji before launching their group campaign against Argentina in Marseille on September 9.

Farrell now seems likely to miss out against the toughest opponents in Pool D, while his participation against Japan, Chile and Samoa is also in question.

England continue their World Cup build-up against Ireland at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Alex Mitchell is on standby to replace Jack van Poortvliet in England’s World Cup squad if the Leicester scrum-half’s worst injury fears are confirmed.

Van Poortvliet is to undergo a scan on his right ankle after he was helped from the pitch by medical staff in the 33rd minute of Saturday’s 19-17 victory over Wales at Twickenham.

The 22-year-old rookie, who was in significant pain, is one of three scrum-halves named in Steve Borthwick’s 33-man squad for the tournament alongside Ben Youngs and Danny Care.

A fitness update is expected on Monday at the earliest and if the damage is substantial, then Mitchell will be summoned into camp.

Mitchell was unfortunate to miss out on the original squad after making four impactful replacement appearances during the Six Nations earlier this year, injecting energy and tempo into England’s play.

“We had Alex Mitchell in camp earlier in our preparation period and he played in the Six Nations as well,” Borthwick said.

“He was involved in four of the five games during the Six Nations and I’ve asked all of the standby players to be ready to be the next man in.

“I want to make sure we’ve got depth in those key positions. I need to find out the information on Jack at this stage and I don’t know that.”

Borthwick faces another potential challenge to his thinking at half-back as England wait for the outcome of Tuesday’s disciplinary hearing that will determine the length of Owen Farrell’s ban.

Farrell was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Taine Basham and is in danger of missing the World Cup opener against Argentina on September 9 – and possibly additional group games.

Giving England hope is that George Ford was outstanding as a replacement for the squad’s captain.

“George is a great thinker about the game. He studies the game, he watches the game – a lot. He’s always coming forward with ideas, thoughts and improvements,” Borthwick said.

“You saw against Wales his game management and the use of his kicking game. George’s distribution skills are very, very good.”

Gregor Townsend is adamant Scotland are equipped to go toe-to-toe with any side they encounter at the upcoming World Cup after giving formidable France another fright on Saturday.

The Scots lost 30-27 to Les Bleus in front of a partisan home support in stifling Saint-Etienne heat, a week after they defeated Fabien Galthie’s side 25-21 at Murrayfield.

Both of those warm-up matches involved rousing fightbacks from Townsend’s team, as was also the case in their Six Nations meeting in Paris in February when the visitors recovered from 19-0 down to close within four points of their hosts before a late French try secured a 32-21 win.

Given France are ranked second in the world and joint-favourites alongside New Zealand to win the tournament on home soil this autumn, the way Scotland have competed against Les Bleus this year has enhanced their head coach’s belief that his team are ready to vie for qualification from a heavyweight World Cup pool that also includes world champions South Africa and the world’s top-ranked side, Ireland.

“We’re fit enough, we’ve got the game and we’ve got the players to take on any team we come up against, and this was a preparation for what is likely to happen in the World Cup: noisy atmospheres, powerful forwards, especially when we play South Africa, and hot conditions,” said Townsend.

“Our players thrived in that environment. There were elements where we can improve and that will come, and it has come because we’ve seen improvement right throughout the season.

“Our belief has been shaken at times in games, but against France the belief was there. Whether it was as individuals or collectively, we knew we were coming back.

“It is a big disappointment that we didn’t get anything out of that game whether it is a draw or a win.

“We know if that was a World Cup match we’d be sitting here absolutely gutted, but it is a build-up to the World Cup so there are lots of positives out of that performance.”

Scotland made a strong start to lead 10-6 at the half-hour mark and then staged a stunning fightback from 27-10 down to level the match at 27-27 before Thomas Ramos – who kicked 15 of France’s points – sealed a narrow win with a late penalty.

On a night when the visitors outscored their hosts by four tries to three, Scotland were effectively left to rue a 29th minute yellow card for Ali Price and a disastrous start to the second half as the French ran in two tries within four minutes of the restart.

“That’s one way to look at it,” said Townsend when asked how he can eliminate such costly phases of drop-off from Scotland. “The other way to look at it is these top teams are going to have their moments and they are going to score points.

“A lot of what happened in that five minutes after half-time was down to our errors, we were unable to gather a pass from the kick off and gave France some dominance in our 22.

“We’ll look at all the game. I think we could have done more in the first 15-20 minutes when we were playing so well.  There was some opportunities there that we could have taken with a bit more ambition and accuracy.

“The period when we were a man down was really good defensively, but I feel we could have done better when we had ball. And the final quarter when we came back, there is maybe not much to improve there because there was some outstanding play, but it would have been nice to have a chance with that line-out at the end and there was that scrum where France won the penalty.

“So there is always areas to improve, but I am so proud of not just the effort but that resilience and collective belief the players have built over the last few weeks and last few months.

“This team will not be beaten. We’ll keep going and we’re a very dangerous team to play against, and we believe the more time we spend together the more accurate we’ll get.”

Townsend feels spoiled for choice as he prepares to trim his 37-man training squad to 33 for the World Cup, with the announcement to be made this Wednesday.

The head coach was encouraged that he was able to make six changes to the starting XV from the Murrayfield victory over the French and still send out a team strong enough to challenge Les Bleus on their own patch.

The strength in depth at Townsend’s disposal was highlighted by the fact Kyle Steyn, who is generally a substitute when fellow wings Darcy Graham and Duhan Van Der Merwe are fit, chipped in with two of the Scots’ tries. The others came from Van Der Merwe and Rory Darge.

“The bench is worth commenting on,” said Townsend. “The depth we have in our squad means we can mix things up at times, rest players or bring players in because of form or because they are suited to a certain game, Kyle Steyn being a good example.

“In the last three games now the bench has made a real change in our energy, helped take the game to the opposition, so it is encouraging that the 23 is being utilised and helping us play better at the end of games, and the final quarter is probably the most important time in a game to play well.

“There will be a difficult selection coming up with the squad, but also when we have to pick our 23-man squad game to game.”

Warren Gatland hinted there may be repercussions for World Cup selection after Wales surrendered a strong position in slumping to a 19-17 defeat by England at Twickenham.

The hosts had been reduced to 12 men after Owen Farrell’s yellow card was upgraded to a red by the ‘Bunker’ review system at a time when Freddie Steward and Ellis Genge were sat in the sin-bin.

Wales led 17-9 but against the odds England scored the next try when Maro Itoje rounded off a maul before George Ford landed a conversion and penalty to seal a come-from-behind victory.

“I’m furious we didn’t win the game, but it answered a few questions for us about certain individuals,” head coach Gatland said.

“The game management in that final quarter wasn’t good enough. We should have been comfortable.

“It was a big moment not taking the kick-off and giving England back a bit of momentum by not clearing our line, allowing them to score from that and get back into the game. That was disappointing.

“We capitulated in terms of our accuracy and with some guys not knowing their roles. For me that was disappointing because we’ve spent a lot of time ensuring there is clarity and everyone knows their roles.

“We gave away some soft penalties where we piggy-backed them up the field and gave them those chances. We’ll have learnt a lot from that.”

Wales’ inability to close out their first victory at Twickenham since 2015 completed a largely promising double-header against England that began with a solid 20-9 win in Cardiff.

Gatland has one last warm-up game to finalise selection for the World Cup, with South Africa visiting the Principality Stadium two days before he unveils his 33-man squad.

Dangerous Fiji are their opening opponents in France next month and Wales’ boss believes his players are being sufficiently battle-hardened.

“There are still some players we need to find out about and potentially give an opportunity to,” Gatland said.

“You couldn’t ask for better warm-up matches in terms of the physicality we are looking for, with England home and away and then South Africa.

“It’s going to be the same sort of test up-front against South Africa and we need to take the learnings from Twickenham.”

Wales are waiting for fitness updates on Dewi Lake and Taine Plumtree who suffered respective knee and shoulder injuries.

Taine Basham failed an HIA after being struck by a dangerous tackle by England captain Owen Farrell.

Adrian Lam is convinced the sky is the limit for Leigh’s leopardskin-clad heroes after he watched his son Lachlan kick the golden-point decider to sink Hull KR and end their 52-year-old wait for a Challenge Cup win at Wembley.

Leigh’s 17-16 win sustained an astonishing success story for a club whose announcement last October of a surprise rebrand was met with scorn in some quarters and the expectation of a top-flight return spotted with struggle.

With the world’s oldest rugby trophy in the cabinet and a top-four place in Super League seemingly secure, the Leopards head coach has warned the game had better start getting used to its garish newcomers.

“I had a conversation with (owner) Derek (Beaumont) about it (the rebrand) and how people were going to take it, and it’s snowballed to a point where I was having a coffee this morning and saw men wearing leopardskin tops and shirts,” recalled Lam.

“It helps because we’re winning but it’s just gone viral across the whole town and maybe across the UK. It’s caught on and I think it can go to so many different levels – where does it end?”

Lachlan Lam held his nerve to settle an enthralling if error-strewn affair in the fourth minute of the extra period, after both team-mate Gareth O’Brien and Rovers’ Brad Schneider missed opportunities to seal the victory.

Steeled by the influence of Lam and the constant prompting of Edwin Ipape, Leigh were the better team for long periods and would have been aggrieved to finish the first period only two points to the good as Rovers somehow clung on.

Jez Litten’s converted try cancelled out Ben Reynolds’ early penalty before Lam burst clear to put Leigh in control. Elliot Minchella’s yellow card for going high on Reynolds on the half-hour made Rovers’ task harder but they not only survived, but reduced the deficit through a Schneider penalty.

Schneider levelled at the start of the second half and valiant Rovers defence held Leigh at bay until Mikey Lewis coughed up an error too far on 65 minutes, Leigh capitalising when Tom Briscoe – the scourge of Rovers in their last final appearance in 2015 when he scored five tries in a 50-0 win for Leeds – touched down.

Matt Parcell gave his side hope on the hooter after the video referee took more than five minutes to deem Kane Linnett had not knocked on a crash ball before the Rovers hooker squeezed over, but Schneider’s conversion to drag the game into the extra period for the first time in the tournament’s history proved in vain.

No sooner had Lam’s kick soared between the posts, confirmation of the Leopards’ victory was greeted by a leopard-suited Beaumont leading a victory charge and Lam being engulfed by his team-mates, many of whom had faced uncertain futures before committing to the owner’s unlikely revolution.

“Some of the players we’ve recruited over the last 18 months were down and out in some areas and I’m just so grateful for what they’ve done,” added Adrian Lam.

“Edwin Ipape wasn’t in a team anywhere, no-one knew who Kai O’Donnell was, Josh Charnley couldn’t get in the Warrington team. The way that group has got together has been incredible. This is a magic moment for the club but we feel there is so much more to come.”

While few if any would dare mock Leigh’s pretensions to repeat the feat and go all the way to the season-ending Grand Final, Rovers face the difficult task of recovering and embarking on a run that will secure their own place in the end-of-season play-offs.

Such an eventuality would provide hope of a fitting send-off for captain Shaun Kenny-Dowall, whose hopes of marking his final season as a player by becoming the first KR player to lift the Challenge Cup since 1980 were cruelly dashed.

The veteran New Zealander had been the prime instigator in keeping his side’s feet on the ground after their golden point semi-final win over Wigan, and he will spend this week imparting a message of a different kind ahead of their Super League resumption at St Helens next weekend.

“I’m obviously very disappointed and I really feel for our fans who showed up in numbers like they always do,” said Kenny-Dowall. “But we will dust ourselves off and get back to what we always do, and that is the messaging for this week.

“We will take the learnings as a group and our full focus is on what is ahead. We are sitting nicely and we know if we rally round and put our full energy into the next few games, we will give ourselves the best chance to be playing in another game like that at the end of the year.”

Owen Farrell will learn on Tuesday if he is to miss England’s critical World Cup opener against Argentina after he was sent off for a dangerous tackle against Wales.

Farrell’s shoulder-led challenge to the head of Taine Basham in Saturday’s 19-17 victory at Twickenham was upgraded from a yellow card to red by the ‘Bunker’ review system.

England’s captain must now appear before a video disciplinary hearing that begins on Tuesday morning to find out the length of his suspension.

The mid-range sanction for a dangerous tackle is six games and given he received a three-match ban for the same offence in January, on top of five matches in 2020 and two in 2016, it is doubtful he will be treated leniently by the disciplinary process.

Fixtures against Ireland and Fiji complete England’s warm-up schedule for the World Cup before their group campaign is launched with a pivotal group clash with Argentina in Marseille on September 9.

Steve Borthwick now faces the likely prospect of being without his skipper and talisman for the toughest opponents in Pool D, while his participation against Japan, Chile and Samoa are also in question.

Henry Arundell, Freddie Steward and Ellis Genge were shown yellow cards too and at one point England were reduced to 12 men, although that merely inspired an audacious comeback expertly directed by Farrell’s replacement George Ford.

Courtney Lawes, the frontrunner to become captain if Farrell is unavailable, admits that despite an escape act that showed remarkable resilience, the disciplinary implosion must be addressed.

“There aren’t many teams who would win that game, so we can take a lot of positives from it,” Lawes said.

“At the same time it’s not good enough going down to 12 men. If we keep putting ourselves in situations like that, we’re not likely to do as well as we did.

“We’ve got a lot to learn but it’s great to show everyone our strength in character so early and it gives us confidence to push on and get things right so that the next time we’re out there we get one step better.

“Sometimes you’ve got to find a way to win and we certainly did that against Wales. We will do our very best to take it forward and keep on improving.”

Farrell’s looming absence justifies Borthwick’s decision to pick three fly-halves in his World Cup squad and it was Ford who took centre stage in an unlikely comeback, his match-winning penalty only one element of a masterclass in game management.

“This win is going to be big for us. You can’t put a value on stuff like that,” Ford said.

“However you train and whatever scenarios you train, it’s not like it is in the heat of the moment when you have three men in the sin-bin, are points down and under the sticks.

“You can never replicate that and this gives us unbelievable belief, a real solid platform to know what we can do.

“Traditional English rugby is set-piece orientated, so getting on top there to be able to play the game we want to play and we’ll take some real belief from that.”

Ford insists England, who are sweating on the fitness of ankle-injury victim Jack van Poortvliet, will rally around Farrell.

“Owen’s not a player who would intentionally want to do that. We’ll get behind him, he’s our captain and our leader and he’ll be back,” Ford said.

Gregor Townsend was proud of his Scotland side after they went agonisingly close to pulling off a second comeback win over France in the space of a week.

The Scots – who beat Les Bleus from 21-3 behind at Murrayfield last weekend – roared back from 27-10 down in balmy Saint-Etienne on Saturday night to level the match at 27-27 before a 78th-minute penalty from Thomas Ramos secured a 30-27 victory for the World Cup hosts.

The visitors outscored the French by four tries to three and Townsend was buoyed by the way his team stood up to their formidable opponents in front of a partisan home crowd just four weeks before their opening match of the tournament against world champions South Africa in Marseille.

“It showed a lot for the character and the competitiveness of the group,” he said. “They wanted to win that one, they did all they could to win it. Obviously we’re a bit disappointed that we didn’t do that.

“Even a draw would have been something that we could have taken a lot more positives out of, because we’re here to win. But there’s so much more to come from this team.

“We showed in the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes that we can win ball, our set-piece can be strong, and also we can attack and score great tries. So our job is to put that together for more than 20-30 minutes when we’re playing at our best, but also to do that for much longer.”

The Scots made a strong start and led 10-6 at the half-hour mark, with Ali Price’s 29th-minute yellow card paving the way for the French to seize command in the game’s mid-section.

Townsend rued the concession of two tries in the first four minutes of the second half, but was encouraged by the way his players rallied in the final 20 minutes to give themselves a real chance of only a second away win over France this century.

“I’m really proud of the effort and also how we started the game,” he said. “We were ambitious, accurate and very physical in our contacts. We had to soak up a lot of pressure in that first half when we were a man down.

“But we just missed the first five minutes of the second half. A couple of uncharacteristic mistakes and France got opportunities. I was so proud of the togetherness, the effort, the skill that was on show, and we’re gutted we didn’t get anything out of that. Really disappointed.”

Townsend names his final 33-man World Cup squad on Wednesday, meaning four players will be cut from his current pool. Asked if anything from the gallant defeat at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard had changed his thinking with regard to selection, the head coach said: “No. I’ve not had much time to think about it. I was really proud of the 23 tonight and how they went about taking on a top side. Their focus was on winning the game, not on the World Cup.

“They put their bodies on the line. The effort that the players have put in over the last two months was transferred on to the field. We’re fit enough to have a real crack at this World Cup and we’ll have a lot of players that will be putting their hands up for selection over the next few days.”

Scotland staged another stirring fightback against France before being edged out by a late penalty from Thomas Ramos on an intoxicating Saturday night in the Saint-Etienne heat.

Gregor Townsend’s side – who overturned a 21-3 deficit to beat Les Bleus at Murrayfield a week previously – trailed 27-10 going into the final quarter inside the raucous Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

The Scots roared back to level the match at 27-27 and would have gone ahead if Finn Russell had managed to convert Kyle Steyn’s second try of the match in the 72nd minute.

However, their hopes of only a second victory on French soil this century were dashed when Ramos’s reliable boot made it 30-27 with just two minutes remaining.

Scotland made six changes to the side that started last weekend’s 25-21 win over France at Murrayfield, two of which were enforced with the suspended Zander Fagerson and the injured Ben White dropping out. Captain Jamie Ritchie returned after being troubled by a minor calf issue in recent weeks.

After fielding a shadow side in Edinburgh last weekend, Les Bleus made 13 changes, restoring big-hitters like captain Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Gael Fickou and Jonathan Danty.

In addition to facing the side ranked second in the world, the Scots also had to contend with 26 degree heat as they emerged from the tunnel to a buoyant home support clearly revelling in the prospect of hosting the World Cup, which gets under way in less than four weeks.

The Scots – who were 19-0 down after 20 minutes on their last trip to France in February – could easily have wilted in the cauldron but they set about taking the sting out of the atmosphere by getting themselves into French territory from kick-off.

Following a sustained period of pressure, the visitors took the lead after four minutes when the ball was worked from left to right and Steyn ran on to a perfectly-weighted pass from Blair Kinghorn before evading a challenge from Gabin Villiere and touching down. Russell executed the conversion impressively from wide on the right.

France got themselves off the mark in the eighth minute with a penalty from Ramos, but Russell restored the Scots’ seven-point lead with a penalty of his own three minutes later. Ramos reduced the hosts’ deficit once more with another penalty in the 22nd minute.

The French momentarily thought they had gone ahead in the 29th minute when Dupont raced clear to touch down behind the posts but the celebrations were cut short as play was pulled back with Ali Price having failed to retreat the necessary 10 yards when Les Bleus took a quick penalty. There was some consolation for the frustrated home support, however, as the Scotland scrum-half was sin-binned for his infringement.

France, who had been building up a head of steam, soon capitalised on their extra-man advantage as Ntamack cut through the Scottish defence to plant the ball down left of the posts, and Ramos was once again on point with his kick to edge them three ahead.

The visitors desperately needed a strong start to the second half but their hopes were dented when they conceded two tries – scored by Damien Penaud and Charles Ollivon – within four minutes of the restart. The unflappable Ramos converted both times.

However, the Scots managed to reduce their arrears in the 62nd minute when Duhan van der Merwe bounded over on the left after a breakthrough attempt from Huw Jones was thwarted just before the line. Russell was off target with his kick.

The visitors – having appeared well-beaten – suddenly had some impetus and they closed to within five points in the 68th minute when Rory Darge forced his way over from close range after a slick build-up, with Russell adding the extras.

Remarkably, Scotland drew level four minutes later when Steyn ran on to a kick-through from George Horne to touch down on the right. Russell – with the chance to edge his team in front – was just wide with his conversion attempt.

Ramos made no mistake when presented with the opportunity to win a pulsating match for the French in the 78th minute.

England captain Owen Farrell is set to miss the start of the World Cup after being sent off in Saturday’s 19-17 victory over Wales at Twickenham.

Farrell’s yellow card for a shoulder-led tackle to the head of Taine Basham was upgraded to a red by the bunker review system, reducing the home side to 12 men because of the yellow cards shown to Freddie Steward and Ellis Genge.

England now face the prospect losing their captain for the critical opener against Argentina on September 9, with his availability for the remainder of the group stage to be determined by a disciplinary hearing next week.

Fixtures against Ireland and Fiji complete the warm-up schedule and, while those games would be included in a suspension, his outlook will be affected by being sanctioned for dangerous tackles in the past..

As recently as January he received a ban that was reduced to three games for attending tackle school.

“I’ll wait and see what comes of the disciplinary process,” head coach Steve Borthwick said.

“Right now it would be wrong for me to comment on an individual incident that would likely go through a disciplinary procedure. I’ll deal with the facts of the situation.”

England trailed 17-9 when Farrell departed yet remarkably they recovered to snatch victory through a Maro Itoje try and George Ford penalty.

“I am incredibly proud of the character that the players showed,” said Borthwick, who confirmed Jack Van Poortvliet suffered an ankle injury.

“To go down to 12 men and be resilient and fight your way through that situation is immense credit to them. They just keep going.

“And that’s something they’ve worked hard to instil in this group, which is not something you’d potentially have said in the past.”

Wales boss Warren Gatland felt it was the right call to upgrade Farrell’s yellow card to a red after seeing his replacement flanker Basham fail an HIA as a result of the tackle.

“It was the right decision on the day. Hopefully for Owen’s sake he doesn’t get too long a ban, you need someone like him in the game,” Gatland said.

“He’d be a big loss to England if he does have a lengthy ban. Given his previous I’m not too sure what’s going to happen with that, fingers crossed it’s not long for him.”

Steward was sent to the sin-bin for taking Josh Adams out in mid-air with a clumsy tackle and referee Nika Amashukeli awarded a penalty try after the England full-back tackled Liam Williams over the line.

“It was probably on the threshold of a yellow to a red. He’s taken him out high in the air,” Gatland said.

“Sometimes that decision, if it had been made by another official, might have been a red card. It was pretty close. It will be interesting to see what they come back with when they review it.”

Gatland revealed that Dewi Lake (knee) and Taine Plumtree (shoulder) are being assessed for the injuries they sustained in the first half.

The Wales boss admitted his disappointment at how Wales managed the final quarter when they let a 17-9 lead slip from their fingertips.

England’s preparations for the World Cup continued to unravel after captain Owen Farrell was sent off in a 19-17 victory secured through a late George Ford penalty.

At one point during the final quarter Steve Borthwick’s men were reduced to 12 men when Farrell – whose yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Taine Basham was upgraded to a red by the bunker – followed the sin-binned Freddie Steward and Ellis Genge into the stands.

England’s brainless final quarter saw a 9-3 lead overtaken by a penalty try and swashbuckling Tomos Williams touch-down as an otherwise lifeless encounter exploded into life the moment Steward took Josh Adams out in the air in the 60th minute.

A fourth successive defeat and slump to ninth in the world rankings beckoned, but they rallied bravely and even with three players off the pitch they claimed a maul try scored by Maro Itoje before Ford landed the winning penalty with three minutes left.

Farrell now faces a ban that could see him miss the World Cup opener against Argentina on September 9, with his recent three-match suspension for the same offence in January sure to count against him.

Jack Van Poortvliet sustained an ankle injury to leave England sweating on his fitness, while Dewi Lake, Taine Plumtree and Basham emerged concerns for Wales, who ultimately ran out of steam.

There was little to signpost the action to come in a dull first half that saw Farrell reward England’s solid start with a penalty.

The one-way traffic was eventually broken up by a 50-22 that gave the visitors a short-range line-out, but England defended the ensuing maul well and a rare chance was gone.

Two returning stars making their first appearances under Borthwick made pleasing starts, with Billy Vunipola barrelling into Wales up-front and Elliot Daly showing his athleticism in attack.

Slowly, Wales were clawing their way into the game but time and again were hampered by unforced errors as the match meandered along a stop-start path, unable to shake off its training ground feel.

Lake hobbled off to add to Gatland’s injury concerns at hooker but England were reeling soon after Van Poortvliet departed following an accidental collision and Henry Arundell was sent to the sin-bin for not retreating 10 yards.

The half finished with a red rose assault on the whitewash but in all-too familiar scenes they were unable to break through and had to settle for a second Farrell penalty.

Tommy Reffell was sin-binned for not releasing an opponent and over went another Farrell penalty, but Wales were finally off the mark when Owen Williams landed three points.

Plumtree was the next to exit nursing an injury as play continued to be marred by error after error, another promising spell of England pressure petering out.

Genge came on to win his 50th cap and was then shown a yellow card for collapsing a scrum, but worse was to come when Steward followed him into the sin-bin for taking Adams out in the air.

Adams was close to the line and Steward’s subsequent tackle on Liam Williams prevented a certain score, so a penalty try was awarded.

Somehow England were the the next to cross through a maul and when Ford landed a late penalty their against-the-odds escape act was complete.

Ben Earl believes England are ready to turn a corner but are determined to let their rugby do the talking amid low expectations of what can be achieved at the World Cup.

England have lost their last three Tests and will sink to their lowest position of ninth in the 20-year history of the global rankings should they fall to Wales in Saturday’s clash at Twickenham.

Their most recent home appearance was a traumatising 53-10 rout by France in the Six Nations and there has been little evidence of an uplift since Steve Borthwick replaced Eddie Jones in December.

With a key World Cup opener against Argentina fast approaching on September 9, they need to reverse their fortunes – and Earl senses that moment is coming.

“We didn’t have a great Six Nations, which came off an average autumn, and there’s been a change of regime between the two,” Earl said.

“Steve talks about not talking but doing – and we’re right on the precipice of trying to show what we can do.

“There’s been a big challenge laid down by the coaching team and the players that it has to start transferring on to the pitch. We know that. There’s an onus on us and it’s the privilege we’ve got to show that this weekend.

“We’re training really well. We’re competing really hard. It’s one of the best environments we’ve all been in.

“We’re really enjoying each other’s company and it just feels like we’re on the edge of something.

“It might just take one game, it might take three games. It might take us to try and scrap our way out of the group and see what happens, but we’re trying really hard.”

The second of four warm-up Tests will be a special moment for Earl, whose 15 caps to date have all been won as a replacement since making his debut in 2020.

Unable to truly convince Jones of his talents – even while lighting up the Premiership as an all-action openside with a flair for attack – and then being sent back to Saracens during the Six Nations, he was in danger of being marooned on the margins.

But selection in England’s final 33-man World Cup squad has been followed by a place in the back row against Wales, giving him the platform to press his case for selection against Argentina.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ben Earl (@benearl7)

Only Saracens and England team-mate Jamie George is disappointed that the stars might finally be aligning for the 25-year-old.

“There was a bit of an ongoing joke between us because Jamie has got the record of the most Test appearances off the bench without a start. I was two away,” Earl said.

“He’s a good mate of mine and he wasn’t the most proud to have that record. When he heard I was starting this weekend, I think he was quietly gutted.

“Not starting was something that was playing on my mind for sure. It’s no secret that my history with England has been a bit bizarre. It’s not just been one clear, upward curve.

“There have been times when you think it’s not going to happen, but you just crack on.”

Dewi Lake will captain Wales for the first time on Saturday after an injury-hit 12 months plunged his Test career into cold storage.

More than a year after his last Wales appearance against South Africa in Cape Town, the Ospreys hooker has a chance to display World Cup leadership credentials.

As the countdown continues to Warren Gatland announcing Wales’ World Cup squad, Lake follows flanker Jac Morgan in being appointed skipper against tournament warm-up opponents England.

A third leadership candidate is likely to take the reins when Wales host South Africa on Saturday week, then Gatland names his 33-player group for France.

Lake missed the whole of Wales’ international schedule last term as a shoulder injury ruled him out of their autumn campaign, then a knee problem put paid to any Six Nations hopes.

“It is always tough with injuries and then they always seem to pile on each other,” Lake said.

“One comes after the next and you think am I going to break this cycle of getting a good run of games and showing that I’m good enough to be selected?

“But no, I am grateful for the work of the people behind the scenes at the Ospreys put in with me to get me back fit. And here we are, I guess.”

Morgan set a high bar with his display when Wales saw off England 20-9 in Cardiff last weekend, delivering a performance that must surely have put him in pole position as potential World Cup captain.

“I think it is important to try to lead from the front, lead by example, as Jac did last weekend,” Lake added, ahead of the Twickenham rematch.

“Hopefully, if I can do anything as well as he has, then I will be on to a winner.

“There are boys that don’t need to be told anything. They have got the experience, they know what they are doing.

“Maybe some boys like a pat on the back if they have done something well or an arm around them if they’ve messed up. Some boys need to be shouted at if they’ve messed up because that is what kicks them into the next gear.

“Your (captaincy) style is all about knowing your team and knowing who you’ve got around you and being able to cater to how they are going to react to things.”

Gatland has made 15 changes for the England clash, with wing Josh Adams winning his 50th cap, while centre Joe Roberts makes a Test debut and the likes of fly-half Owen Williams, lock Rhys Davies and number eight Taine Plumtree also gain opportunities.

Roberts’ midfield partner Nick Tompkins said: “We are playing for a spot on that plane. It is something you can’t forget about.

“I would be lying if I said you weren’t a little bit on the edge. No-one really feels safe, no-one feels their position is locked down.

“It brings a lot of intensity and it brings a lot of positive emotions. This game, there is a lot on it. I definitely feel that way.

“A lot of people are talking about England coming back and trying to bounce back from the last performance, but you forget there’s 23 (Wales) players back there who are all fighting for their lives to be in the World Cup.”