Joe Marler has invoked England’s 2003 World Cup heroes in his belief that winning ugly is to be applauded if it results in success.

England have taken a stranglehold on Pool D after delivering comprehensive victories over Argentina and Japan but, for different reasons, neither performance has set the tournament alight.

Against the Brave Blossoms in Nice on Sunday they kicked for 1,175 metres, putting boot to ball 42 times, and while they secured the bonus point in humid conditions that made handling treacherous, the kick-first approach drew boos.

Yet Marler recalls that two decades ago Martin Johnson’s England resorted to conservative tactics to lift the Webb Ellis Cup, including winning the final against Australia through a Jonny Wilkinson drop-goal.

“Finesse – why do you have to finesse it? You’ve just got to win, haven’t you? What did England do 20 years ago? Find a way to win in the World Cup,” the Harlequins prop said.

“A lot of people talk about style of play. In 2003 they went a couple of phases, Jonny slotted some penalties and some drop-goals.

“They won ugly, a lot of that tournament they won ugly but we don’t talk about that now do we? We talk about them winning the World Cup. You forget about how you did it.

“You don’t talk about South Africa getting pumped in the first game against New Zealand in 2019, you talk about them pumping us in the final and then lifting the trophy.

“We’ll keep trying and taking the lessons from each game and we’ll keep trying to finesse. But ultimately it’s about the win. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves at all.”

Marler played a comical role in the 57th-minute try that swung the game away from Japan, with the ball bouncing off his head and over the line for Courtney Lawes to touch down.

The Sussex native joked that he was influenced by Brighton’s 3-1 victory at Manchester United 24 hours earlier.

“Well it’s just what I’ve been practising for – these moments. I’ve been practising with Dan Cole and Jamie George in activation,” Marler said.

“I took great inspiration from Roberto De Zerbi’s mighty Seagulls doing a demolition job on United, which is my son’s team.

“Four Premier League wins in a row over Manchester United. Only three teams in Premier League history have done that – Brighton, Man City, Liverpool.

“But we’ve won nothing yet, which is quite apt because it brings it back to us (England) having won nothing yet.

“We’ve had two good victories, won in different circumstances, and we’re on to the next one.”

England fans turned on the players in the third quarter when Alex Mitchell kicked the ball dead and the groans persisted until the kitchen sink was thrown at Japan in the final half hour.

“We’re here to win games, that’s our job. We’re here to win Test matches. We want to make every fan and every English fan proud,” man of the match George Ford said.

“We understand the sacrifice and commitment they make to come and support us and we value that so highly.

“But we want to be a winning team and we want them to be proud of a winning team as well.”

Scrum-half Conor Murray feels Ireland’s squad are “buzzing” and in “unbelievable nick” ahead of a pivotal Paris appointment with reigning world champions South Africa.

Andy Farrell’s men have underlined their status as Test rugby’s top-ranked nation by beginning the World Cup with emphatic bonus-point successes over Romania and Tonga.

But their credentials will be truly tested on Saturday evening when they face the formidable Springboks at Stade de France in Pool B’s standout fixture.

Ireland will assess hooker Dan Sheehan, back-rower Jack Conan (both foot) and prop Finlay Bealham (head injury assessment) before the visit to the French capital, with Murray excited for the step up in challenge.

“We feel great,” said the Munster player. “Going back to the pre-season we had, it was great. We feel fit. Most of the lads are in unbelievable nick.

“We have a couple of lads with knocks to come back and, when we get them, we will be absolutely buzzing.

“But we are buzzing already. The exciting thing is we want to see where we can take this team when the challenges get tougher and tougher.

“We are playing good rugby and have things to work on as usual. The big tests are to come but we feel good, we are ready to go.

“You have to embrace it. It’s going to be a massive challenge: world champions in a World Cup. It’s something really exciting.”

Murray started against Tonga in Nantes after backing up Jamison Gibson-Park from the bench in the Bordeaux opener against Romania.

The 34-year-old could this weekend come up against provincial team-mate Jean Kleyn, who represented Ireland at the 2019 World Cup before recently switching allegiance to his native country.

Murray insists there are no hard feelings over that decision but will be looking to steer clear of his towering former Test colleague on the field.

“He has been an unbelievable servant to Munster, so you’d wish him all the best,” he said of 30-year-old lock Kleyn.

“Players make decisions when they have opportunities and that’s the way the world is now.

“If I’m playing against him, I’ll just try and avoid him. He is a physical man, he loves that kind of carry on and he is very, very good at it, so, I’ll just try to avoid him and we’ll have a chat after.”

Assistant coach Mike Catt says Ireland are fully aware of the threats posed by South Africa but concedes nullifying them is a different matter.

“They are playing a great brand of rugby at the moment, there is a real good mix of their physicality and their directness to their ability to move the ball,” said the former England World Cup winner, who was born and raised in Port Elizabeth.

“I think having Manie Libbok at 10, Damian Willemse at 15 and Willie Le Roux, they’re definitely putting the ball through the hands more and causing problems, big problems, for a lot of teams.

“We’re well aware of it, but still got to try and stop it.”

Eddie Jones accepts that Australia are “under the pump” as they prepare for a make-or-break Rugby World Cup clash against Wales.

A first pool stage exit in World Cup history will loom for the Wallabies if they fail to beat Warren Gatland’s team in Lyon on Sunday.

In contrast, Wales are sitting pretty, top of the group with a maximum 10 points from two games and moving towards a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final appearance.

And while the Welsh go about business back at their Versailles training base, Jones and his coaching staff are picking through the pieces of a first loss to Fiji since 1954.

“We are moving on to Wales now,” said Australia head coach Jones, whose side were beaten 22-15 by the Pacific nation in Saint-Etienne on Sunday.

“These are the weeks you remember when you are under the pump quite a lot and you have got to produce a good performance.

“We are starting to set our sights on how we need to play against Wales. The only thing we are worried about is Wales this week.

“We would be happy to play them tomorrow if they wanted to play. We would get the television (coverage) organised. We can’t wait for the challenge.”

Wales have beaten Australia in three of the countries’ last four meetings, and they will tackle a team reeling from a loss that has left them teetering on the brink.

Australia will also be without injured key forwards Taniela Tupou and Will Skelton, increasing their degree of difficulty in a game of inevitably intense pressure.

Jones added: “There are no problems with motivation. This team cares a lot about their performance.

“We are all still searching for answers. None of us has the 100 per cent answer, but we have ideas about where the game came unstuck.

“Wales are a completely different team. They grind away at you, whereas Fiji is power.

“This is one of the biggest challenges for this team and for the coaching staff. We know how we want to play against Wales and we are going to work really hard to get the players back on track.

“When you have a loss like this, it knocks you around a bit. It knocks you emotionally and team-ethics wise. You start seeing shadows in every corner of the room.

“There is noise from outside which you have to handle. That is the challenge for the coaching staff this week, to make sure they have got the right noise.”

Wales are back at their training base, with only flanker Tommy Reffell and prop Henry Thomas among Gatland’s squad likely to need fitness assessments.

Reffell pulled out of Wales’ clash against Portugal just before kick-off in Nice due to a tight calf muscle, while Thomas has played no part in the tournament so far because of a hamstring issue.

Gatland said: “People had an opportunity to put their hand up (against Portugal), so we will review that and see which guys did perform well.

“I thought Rio Dyer looked sharp on the wing, and I was really happy with his aerial stuff. Probably the lineout didn’t function as well as I would have liked, and we were a bit lateral at times.

“But when we were direct and in contact we looked comfortable.”

Scotland are ready to ramp up preparations for Tonga in the coming days after “a good, productive week” of down time and recuperation mixed with intense training sessions since their opening World Cup match against South Africa.

The Scots were idle on the second weekend of the tournament after beginning their campaign with an 18-3 defeat by the defending champions in a gruelling showdown in Marseille on September 10.

The players were given three days off with their families after that match and returned to the training pitch in Nice on Thursday before undertaking further sessions on Friday and Sunday.

The Scots’ regular Test week routine effectively begins on Tuesday ahead of next Sunday’s meeting with Tonga, who lost 59-16 to Ireland in their opening match on Saturday.

“It’s been a good, productive week,” said Scotland’s strength and conditioning coach Stuart Yule. “We had some time off after the game to allow the players to recuperate, recover and spend some time with their families.

“We had time to get reviews done and then we came back into training on Thursday and had three good physical sessions (Thursday, Friday and Sunday) before we came back into the Test match week.

“It’s been a good opportunity to get some more physical work in because it’s a long tournament and it’s important we retain our fitness through this period.”

With a full fortnight between their first two games at the World Cup, Yule explained that the Scots had to find the right balance between down time and keeping the players in prime condition.

“It’s a long tournament, but I think it was an opportunity that we’ve had and we’ve taken to work hard,” he said.

“The way the tournament is, every team will have different situations in terms of where that week is and what it means.

“Recuperation and recovery is vital for every player in this tournament because it’s when you grow and adapt.

“That few days off after South Africa allowed the bodies to recuperate so in the first session back the players were in excellent form, ready to go again, full of enthusiasm and motivation to work hard in the few days prior to the week of the Tonga match.”

The start of the World Cup coincided with France sizzling in a late-summer heatwave, with temperatures across the country in the high 20s and even into the 30s since the tournament began. Yule has been impressed with the way the Scots have acclimatised to working in such intense heat.

“We were fortunate that right at the start of pre-season we had some excellent weather in Scotland and we had a couple of weeks training out here in France (in June and August), so we’ve been exposing the players regularly to the heat,” said Yule.

“There’s a perceptual aspect to the heat as well and once you’ve been exposed to it for a while that perception slowly starts to reduce. It’s something we’ve definitely had to consider, especially in terms of hydration and cooling.

“This group’s resilient, it’s the best group I’ve been with in terms of showing an ability to perform in the heat. They are excellent at getting their heads down and doing the work.

“We’ve had a long period together where we’ve been working hard on our underlying fitness levels and supporting the players with their recovery between training days. The heat’s not affected at all how we’ve prepared.”

Lewis Ludlam has urged booing fans to keep the faith after admitting that England could have shown more enterprise in their 34-12 World Cup victory over Japan.

Head coach Steve Borthwick declared it was job done as England took a stranglehold on Pool D through a bonus-point win, but after the 14-man rout of Argentina it felt like a backwards step had been taken on a messy evening at the Stade de Nice.

Early in the third quarter supporters groaned when Alex Mitchell – a live-wire scrum-half whose instinct is to run – booted the ball dead and the jeering grew in volume when the kicking continued.

England then ignited, defying the humidity-soaked conditions that made handling treacherous, to stage a thrilling all-out assault on Japan that was directed by George Ford and replacement full-back Marcus Smith.

The gameplan was to grind down unorthodox opponents and then take them apart when they were out on their feet. In that sense it worked, but for lengthy periods it was also a hard watch that clearly alienated some fans.

When asked for his message to supporters, Ludlam said: “I just say stick with us.

“We are a team that is learning every week and there are probably opportunities in there when we could have run that ball.

“However, it was hard to see how greasy that ball was. It was humid in that stadium and a couple of times we tried to play and ended up straight back on our tryline.

“George Ford is very good at putting us in the right areas and putting us in behind so that we have better opportunities to attack farther up the pitch. It’s hard to get the fans excited about that and we understand, but we’re building.

“That was probably not the performance we wanted – it was not a complete performance – but we are happy to get the win and the five points.

“We will take more opportunities and we want to be a better team next weekend and play in the right areas of the pitch.”

For the second successive weekend Ford was named man of the match as he single-mindedly executed England’s gameplan, but his stellar form presents Borthwick with a conundrum.

Owen Farrell returns from suspension against Chile on Saturday and while Ford will surely be rested for the showdown with Pool D’s weakest opponents, Borthwick must decide who to start at fly-half in a tricky appointment with Samoa a week later.

As England’s captain and talisman Farrell demands selection, but his return would alter a winning team that has been well led by the indomitable Courtney Lawes.

Borthwick’s likely solution is to reunite Ford and Farrell in a playmaking axis against Samoa on October 7 with the Saracens ringmaster reacclimatising to Test rugby at 10 in Lille on Saturday.

“Owen’s always chomping at the bit to get involved whether he’s banned or not. He’s always there and always leading the team forward,” Ludlam said.

“It is massive that we have got him back. He’s a massive leader for us. It’s just brilliant adding to that competition at 10 which is so fierce at the moment.

“Owen’s a proper competitor. He’s one of the most competitive blokes I have had the pleasure of playing with or against.

“You know he’s going to fight to the end and lead the team in the right way. He’s a massive character around the place and we are happy he’s back from his ban now.”

South Africa-born Ireland hooker Rob Herring insists there will be no split loyalties among his family and friends when his side face the Springboks at the Rugby World Cup in Paris.

Andy Farrell’s men are seeking to secure a quarter-final spot with victory over the defending champions on Saturday evening following bonus-point wins over Romania and Tonga.

Herring’s mother and two of his three sisters have travelled from Cape Town for the tournament, while a number of his friends will be at Stade de France for the standout fixture in Pool B.

The 33-year-old Ulster player has twice before lined up against his native country – Dublin victories in 2017 and last November – but will do so on the biggest stage for the first time.

And he is in no doubt about where his relatives’ allegiances lie.

“They’re all supporting Ireland,” Herring told the PA news agency.

“All of my friends that are coming over and my family, they’re all in Irish jerseys so there will be no divided support. They will be fully behind us.

“It will be great. I’ve played against them a few times now and it’s always a good battle.

“I just want to be a part of the squad, contribute any way I can. It will be a good atmosphere, we’ll have our Irish fans there in full force.

“Every week we think we need to step things up and it’s going to be like that going into the long run of the competition. We’ll keep getting better and it will be another big challenge for us.”

Herring, who qualified for Ireland through a grandfather from Belfast, missed out on selection for the World Cup in 2015 and 2019.

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He is already making up for lost time, having claimed tries in the 82-8 opening-weekend win over Romania and Saturday’s 59-16 success over Tonga.

“I keep saying to myself, I’ve got to enjoy these moments,” he said.

“I’ve missed out before and I’ve worked so hard to be here over the last four years so I’m going to put in big performances when I get the opportunity and other than that I’m ready to take it all in and enjoy it.

“This group of boys, we love playing for each other so it’s a great team to be a part of and hopefully we’re going to go into the deep end of the comp.”

Herring’s rival hooker Dan Sheehan could return to contention for the South Africa showdown.

The 25-year-old has been sidelined since sustaining a foot injury in last month’s warm-up win over England but Ireland’s coaching staff are confident he will be available.

Back-rower Jack Conan (foot) and prop Finlay Bealham, who was forced off by a head knock against Tonga, will also be assessed ahead of the visit to the French capital.

Courtney Lawes insisted England are beginning to show their teeth in attack after they posted a bonus-point victory over Japan in their World Cup clash at the Stade de Nice.

England defied greasy conditions caused by the high humidity to emerge 34-12 winners, a messy and occasionally bewildering victory placing them in full control of Pool D.

A barrage of kicking in the first-half gave way to three tries being added when the match opened up, including Lawes’ comical try which he touched down after the ball had struck Joe Marler’s head.

“It was quite a lucky try but I’ll take them how they come. It was a good bit of luck for us and in these conditions, you take what you’re given,” Lawes said.

“I saw it ricochet off Joe’s head so I went to score the try just in case, but I was pretty sure that it had gone backwards and then come off his head. I had a good idea that it was going to be given.

“The conditions were tough. Even when you’ve got a good grasp of the ball you’d go into contact and you could feel it almost spinning out of your hands, sometimes even before you’ve made contact.

“It’s actually really challenging at the moment because it’s just so greasy. It’s hot and humid and you’re already really sweaty. It pretty much makes it like a wet weather game out there.

“We showed glimpses of how good our attack can be and we’ll continue to work on it.

“We’re getting better every day and that’s the main thing – that we’re taking steps forward.

“Come later on in the competition we’ll hope that we’re firing on all cylinders.”

England were booed by their own fans during the early stages of the second-half in response to the sheer volume of their kicking, which was eventually replaced by all out assault on the Japan line.

“The players did tremendously well,” said head coach Steve Borthwick, who revealed that Ben Earl suffered a dead leg.

“That was a really tough Test against a really well coached Japanese side who clearly came with a tactical plan and who play the game differently to anyone else in the world.”

Japan head coach Jamie Joseph admitted the Brave Blossoms paid the price for failing to show more ruthlessness in attack.

“We put them under a lot of pressure and we created opportunities but we didn’t take them because we made too many mistakes. That’s Test rugby,” Joseph said.

“England are an experienced Test side and over time they wore us down. That’s the nature of the game at the highest level.

“It’s disappointing for us because we put a lot of emotion into this week, but we’ll take the learnings from it.

“I was happy with the intensity but we just made too many mistakes when we were under the pump. The players are hurting but that’s footy.”

England continued their advance towards the World Cup quarter-finals by toppling Japan 34-12 but a messy performance that came alive in the the second half will have done little to worry the tournament’s heavyweights.

Lewis Ludlam, Courtney Lawes, Freddie Steward and Joe Marchant touched down and it was only when their full-back had collected a George Ford chip and stormed over in the 67th minute that they looked comfortable.

Lawes’ try came after the ball had taken a comical bounce off Joe Marler’s head and while England celebrated their first World Cup tries since their 2019 semi-final victory over New Zealand, a madcap evening in Nice posed fresh questions.

Early in the second half they were booed by their own fans as they continued to kick the ball away at every opportunity, only to then throw the kitchen sink at enterprising opponents ranked 14th in the world.

The ambition paid off and with Ben Earl and Steward propelling them forward as well as impetus coming from Marcus Smith’s arrival off the bench, they stormed out of sight.

After routing Argentina 27-14 with 14 men in their Pool D opener, they at least avoided a potential banana skin and with fixtures against Chile and Samoa to come, they are destined to reach the last eight.

The ball squirted around unpredictably because of the humidity and while Japan produced the more glaring mistakes in the first half – including one costly line-out blunder – they also adapted better in attack.

It took England half an hour to fire their first shots, launching Manu Tuilagi in midfield and Earl into the wall of red and white shirts, but until then they had displayed little endeavour.

Half-backs Ford, who booted 14 points, and Alex Mitchell seemed content to continuously kick the ball away, perhaps convinced that the greasy conditions meant it was wiser to wait for Japan to make a mistake.

That is exactly what happened in the 25th minute when Ford steered a clever chip into the left corner and the underdogs botched the line-out, enabling Ludlam to pounce from short range.

All the ambition was being shown by Japan as they strung phases together, mixing up a handful of kicks with slick passing and cute running lines, although at times they were guilty of playing too much.

Full-back Semisi Masirewa had been lost to an innocuous injury in the eighth minute but with Rikiya Matsuda kicking three penalties, they trailed just 13-9 at the interval.

The second half started at a ferocious pace, but the ball continued to slip out of the hands of players from both sides.

England’s first instinct remained to kick, with Mitchell drawing boos when he booted the ball dead, but they were at least pinning Japan back in their own half and showing signs of building momentum.

Tension mounted as the Brave Blossoms escaped their own territory and claimed three more points from Matsuda, but when Earl went tearing down the right wing and the ball was recycled for Lawes to collect and score, their chances seemed to be fading.

Play swung from end to end and suddenly England were scrambling furiously, but Japan missed their chance and were made to pay when Steward caught Ford’s kick and strolled over. Marchant delivered the final blow in the closing moments.

Wales star Louis Rees-Zammit kept his promise to friends and fellow Manchester United fans with a Cristiano Ronaldo-style celebration against Portugal.

Rees-Zammit’s second try at the Rugby World Cup was followed by him impersonating Portugal international and former United player Ronaldo’s so-called ‘Siuuu’ move where he jumps and turns in the air, his back to the crowd when landing.

“Ronaldo is my favourite player,” Rees-Zammit said.

“I wear his boxers and I dress like him. And I thought ‘why not do his celebration as well’?

“A few of my mates back home wanted me to do it. They are massive football fans, and obviously we don’t play Portugal very often.

“So I said if I scored I would do it for them. But I don’t want to talk about the Man United result (a 3-1 home defeat to Brighton).”

Wales’ attention now turns to a pivotal Pool C clash against Australia in Lyon next weekend.

They headed back to their Versailles training base from the French Riviera on Sunday following successive bonus-point victories over Fiji and Portugal.

Those results have put them in sight of a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final appearance, with the Wallabies game being followed by Georgia in Nantes 13 days later.

Rees-Zammit added: “That is 10 points, and we are absolutely buzzing about that.

“It wasn’t our greatest game again, but we know we have got a lot to learn. Going up against Australia we’ve got to step up a gear again.

“When you don’t get perfect wins there is always a lot to improve on. That’s great.

“We need that progress, and we have eight days until the next game, so we will have a good training week and hopefully be ready for Australia.”

Matt Fagerson revealed how he and brother Zander got to spend a “special” day with their devoted parents last week as they savoured the first time they had both played for Scotland in the same match at a World Cup.

The siblings featured in last Sunday’s 18-3 defeat by South Africa in Marseille.

Prop Zander, who had played at the previous World Cup, was on for the first 55 minutes at Stade Velodrome and back-rower Matt, who missed out on selection for the 2019 showpiece in Japan, was introduced from the bench in the 64th minute.

Although the result did not go as planned, the match held obvious sentimental value for the Fagerson family, and the brothers – two of five siblings – got to reflect on it with their parents Gwendolyn and Jonathan as the team were given some down time at the start of last week following the Boks showdown.

“It was amazing, our parents came through to Antibes (near the team’s World Cup base in the south of France) and me and Zander spent the day with them,” Matt told the PA news agency.

“It was really nice. We went for ice cream, had some food, went to the beach. They’re a huge part of why we do what we do and it was really special to have them out here and spend that time with them.

“We’re a very sporty family. Our little sister is in the Scotland hockey squad, one of our brothers ran a marathon the other day and our other brother is a DJ so everybody’s pretty busy at the moment.

“Our parents are incredibly proud of us and to be able to spend a couple of days with them out here was really special.”

At this time four years ago, Matt was at home, effectively on standby, after agonisingly missing out on selection for the squad.

The Glasgow back-rower has a good idea, therefore, of the range of emotions hooker Stuart McInally will have gone through after finding himself in a similar position over the past month before getting the call to join the squad on Wednesday after Dave Cherry withdrew with concussion after he banged his head when slipping on the stairs at the team hotel last Monday.

“We’re all gutted for Dave,” said Fagerson. “It was a terrible accident that happened and we’re all behind him but Rambo (McInally) was unfortunate not to make the squad in the first place. We have some quality hookers but Rambo’s a quality player and we’re stoked to have him back in the squad.

“In 2019, I had about a week to get over it and then I was back in with the Glasgow boys doing pre-season.

“The message to all the boys in that situation is to keep fit because things like this happen, injuries happen.

“It needs the whole squad buy-in. Injuries happen in our sport so everyone should try to stay fit because if you get the call to come out you have to make the most of it and integrate back into the team.

“Rambo has come back in great shape, he’s ready to hit the ground running.

“It’s definitely a weird old time for him. It was obviously really tough for him when he didn’t make the squad and he had to get over that but it’s a fairytale that he gets to come out here and hopefully get that 50th cap (he is currently on 49).”

After losing to South Africa, Scotland know they must win all three of their remaining pool matches against Tonga, Romania and Ireland. They will probably require bonus points from their next two outings to give themselves an opportunity to qualify for the quarter-finals when they go into their October showdown with the Irish in Paris.

“We’ve got an uphill battle now but we’ve got a lot of belief in the squad so we’re looking forward to it,” said Fagerson.

“We’re going to have to put our best foot forward against Tonga on Sunday and then hopefully get a big finish against Ireland.

“If you start looking for bonus points too early in a game you can sometimes miss the beat in the first half but I think we will probably need bonus points so we’ll be looking to up the scoreline.

“We’re just focusing on Tonga just now and trying to start the game really well.”

Matt Fagerson revealed how he and brother Zander got to spend a “special” day with their devoted parents last week as they savoured the first time they had both played for Scotland in the same match at a World Cup.

The siblings featured in last Sunday’s 18-3 defeat by South Africa in Marseille.

Prop Zander, who had played at the previous World Cup, was on for the first 55 minutes at Stade Velodrome and back-rower Matt, who missed out on selection for the 2019 showpiece in Japan, was introduced from the bench in the 64th minute.

Although the result did not go as planned, the match held obvious sentimental value for the Fagerson family, and the brothers – two of five siblings – got to savour it with their parents Gwendolyn and Jonathan as the team were given some down time at the start of last week.

“It was amazing, our parents came through to Antibes (near the team’s World Cup base in the south of France) and me and Zander spent the day with them,” Matt told the PA news agency.

“It was really nice. We went for ice cream, had some food, went to the beach. They’re a huge part of why we do what we do and it was really special to have them out here and spend that time with them.

“We’re a very sporty family. Our little sister is in the Scotland hockey squad, one of our brothers ran a marathon the other day and our other brother is a DJ so everybody’s pretty busy at the moment.

“Our parents are incredibly proud of us and to be able to spend a couple of days with them out here was really special.”

At this time four years ago, Matt was at home, effectively on standby, after agonisingly missing out on selection for the squad.

The Glasgow back-rower has a good idea, therefore, of the range of emotions hooker Stuart McInally will have gone through after finding himself in a similar position over the past month before getting the call to join the squad on Wednesday after Dave Cherry withdrew with concussion after he banged his head when slipping on the stairs at the team hotel last Monday.

“We’re all gutted for Dave,” said Fagerson. “It was a terrible accident that happened and we’re all behind him but Rambo (McInally) was unfortunate not to make the squad in the first place. We have some quality hookers but Rambo’s a quality player and we’re stoked to have him back in the squad.

“In 2019, I had about a week to get over it and then I was back in with the Glasgow boys doing pre-season.

“The message to all the boys in that situation is to keep fit because things like this happen, injuries happen.

“It needs the whole squad buy-in. Injuries happen in our sport so everyone should try to stay fit because if you get the call to come out you have to make the most of it and integrate back into the team.

“Rambo has come back in great shape, he’s ready to hit the ground running.

“It’s definitely a weird old time for him. It was obviously really tough for him when he didn’t make the squad and he had to get over that but it’s a fairytale that he gets to come out here and hopefully get that 50th cap (he is currently on 49).”

After losing to South Africa, Scotland know they must win all three of their remaining pool matches against Tonga, Romania and Ireland. They will probably require bonus points from their next two outings to give themselves an opportunity to qualify for the quarter-finals when they go into their October showdown with the Irish in Paris.

“We’ve got an uphill battle now but we’ve got a lot of belief in the squad so we’re looking forward to it,” said Fagerson.

“We’re going to have to put our best foot forward against Tonga on Sunday and then hopefully get a big finish against Ireland.

“If you start looking for bonus points too early in a game you can sometimes miss the beat in the first half but I think we will probably need bonus points so we’ll be looking to up the scoreline.

“We’re just focusing on Tonga just now and trying to start the game really well.”

Warren Gatland believes that a 24-nation Rugby World Cup would help to grow the game.

An expansion from the current 20 countries for Australia 2027 or the United States four years later has been mooted in some quarters.

The current tournament in France has already been highlighted by outstanding performances from lower-ranked teams.

Uruguay pushed France for large parts of a gripping Pool A encounter before losing 27-12, while Portugal gave Gatland’s Wales plenty to ponder and Chile had their moments in games against Japan and Samoa.

“I thought Uruguay were outstanding – it is brilliant for the game,” Wales head coach Gatland said, following a 28-8 victory over Portugal.

“Portugal were fantastic and showed a lot of enterprise, and you could argue that Uruguay were pretty unlucky in a few situations (against France).

“I think it is important that we continue to develop from a rugby perspective to help develop these tier two nations.

“There might be a situation where we can increase the number of teams in the World Cup to 24, and that would continue to help grow the game.

“That is an important aspect. You don’t want top tier nations dominating, you want upsets – as long as I am not a part of it!

“I think it’s a real positive going forward to see teams competing and pushing other teams close.”

Portugal returned to the World Cup stage following a 16-year absence when they tackled Wales at Stade de Nice.

They qualified for the tournament by winning a repechage competition in Dubai, and full-back Nuno Sousa Guedes has no doubt that regular exposure against leading nations is what Portugal require.

Guedes and company made life tough for Wales, trailing by just four points approaching half-time, while they did not concede a bonus-point try until the game’s closing seconds.

“If we could keep playing games like this, it is the main thing,” Guedes said.

“For the kids back home who are starting out, it would be a very good step.

“In Portugal, it is always soccer. We want to show the world that it is not only soccer.

“We have the numbers in terms of rugby and some good kids coming up. I think we have the capacity.”

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton will continue to let his performances do the talking after warming up for world champions South Africa with another record-breaking display.

The 38-year-old surpassed former fly-half rival Ronan O’Gara as his country’s all-time leading scorer by moving on to 1,090 career points during Saturday’s emphatic 59-16 win over Tonga.

Sexton last week returned with a bang from almost six months on the sidelines to leapfrog O’Gara as Ireland’s top points scorer at the Rugby World Cup, in addition to becoming the oldest international to wear the green jersey.

His greatest challenge following his long-awaited comeback from injury and suspension undoubtedly lies ahead, with the tantalising Paris showdown against the Springboks likely to decide who tops Pool B.

“The proof of whether I’m in good form will be next Saturday,” said Sexton, who will retire after the tournament. “You’ve got to go and do it in the games.

“There’s no point in saying you’re feeling good or whatever. I just take it day by day, make sure I recover well, turn up to training on Monday and Tuesday and try and put the plan in place to take on the reigning world champions.

“They’ve hit a great vein of form and it’s going to be a huge challenge for us but one that we are really excited about and we feel we’re ready for it.”

Sexton claimed the fourth of Ireland’s eight tries on a history-making evening in Nantes.

He also kicked four conversions and a penalty to add to the 24-point haul he managed in the curtain-raiser against Romania before being withdrawn at half-time.

Bundee Aki’s second-half double, in between scores from James Lowe and Rob Herring, helped seal Ireland’s 15th successive win after Tadhg Beirne, Caelan Doris and Mack Hansen laid the foundations.

While Scotland will still hope to have a say, Ireland and South Africa lead the way in the group, with the eventual table-toppers likely to avoid hosts France and play New Zealand in the quarter-finals.

“Obviously we want to win the group,” said Sexton. “We want to win every game. That’s pretty clear.

“If you get through the group, it doesn’t matter if you finish first or second, you won’t have an easy game.

“But we’ll be going for the win next week and hopefully the game after (against Scotland) as well.”

Andy Farrell’s decision to name a strong starting XV at Stade de la Beaujoire was vindicated by a second successive bonus-point triumph from which his team emerged relatively unscathed.

The head coach, who was upbeat about replacement prop Finlay Bealham’s head injury assessment, hopes his players can move up gear in the capital in six days’ time.

“I would hope we will be better because we’ll certainly need to be when it gets to playing against a fantastic side in South Africa,” he said.

“But two games under the belt is good for us. Hopefully that rolls on to to another level on the third week.

“This is what World Cups are all about, weeks that are coming against the reigning world champions.

“It doesn’t get any better and one thing’s for sure, you know that the Irish (fans) are going to turn up and enjoy it as well. It’s a fantastic week to look forward to.”

Jonathan Humphreys has predicted “a hell of a game” when Rugby World Cup rivals Wales and Australia go head-to-head in Lyon.

Top spot in Pool C could be on the line next Sunday and Wales know that objective will move closer into view if they topple the Wallabies.

Australia have beaten them in five of their seven previous World Cup meetings, but bonus-point victories over Fiji and Portugal mean that Wales are in decent shape.

“It is going to be a hell of a game – there is going to be a lot riding on that,” Wales assistant coach and forwards specialist Humphreys said.

“We have got an eight-day turnaround, so hopefully we will have a full squad to choose from. A few boys have rested up after a tough Fiji game.

“It will be interesting to see how they come out. He (Australia head coach Eddie Jones) has always got something different in his game.

“The players he has available to him right now are a hell of a squad, and we are looking forward to what will be an incredibly tough match.”

Wales, showing 12 changes from the side that defeated Fiji, struggled to impose themselves at times against a Portugal team relishing their first World Cup appearance since 2007.

But ultimately, a 28-8 success – and a bonus point collected in the dying seconds when Taulupe Faletau scored Wales’ fourth try – meant it was a case of job done.

Humphreys added: “We are delighted to get 10 points from the first two games. If you had offered that to us before we came out here we would have taken your hand off.

“There were a lot of boys who hadn’t played for a while – we made a lot of changes. It was great that we got a bonus point, and they’ve also got a fair bit of game-time.

“The first game (against Fiji) was obviously massive for us. As a squad we really came together after that game, saying ‘it’s a good start’.

“The support the team that played against Portugal had from the rest (of the squad) tells us the spirit is there.

“We are in a pretty good place, but we know we need to improve and get better if we are to do the job against Australia.”

Fitness-wise, Wales will need to run the rule over flanker Tommy Reffell and prop Henry Thomas when they arrive back at their training base in Versailles.

Thomas, who has a hamstring issue, is the only player in Wales’ 33-strong World Cup squad not to have been involved against Fiji or Portugal.

Reffell, meanwhile, was due to face Portugal but a tight calf muscle meant he withdrew during final pre-match preparations and Jac Morgan replaced him.

“Tommy is an incredibly tough bloke, but it was the right decision,” Humphreys said.

“He was in agreement with that. If he pulled his calf, he is probably gone for the tournament. It was done as a precaution to make sure that he is not too long out.

“Jac is incredible. He wasn’t due to be involved, and the non-(matchday) 23 (including Morgan) did weights and extra-conditioning in the morning. He is an incredible player.”

Humphreys also highlighted Faletau’s major contribution in only his second start since a calf injury meant he took no part during Wales’ three World Cup warm-up Tests.

“He is a massive player for us,” Humphreys added. “To see him chasing back, make that (try-saving) tackle and get to his feet to go for the ball, he is a huge player and he will get better and better.

“That’s the thing about world-class players, on big moments like that they step up and do something. We are looking forward to seeing what more he can do.”

Johnny Sexton joked his young son will chase down his record after he became Ireland’s all-time leading points scorer in a crushing Rugby World Cup win over Tonga.

Captain Sexton stylishly surpassed former fly-half rival Ronan O’Gara with the fourth of his side’s eight tries in a thumping 59-16 Pool B success in Nantes.

The 38-year-old also kicked a penalty and four conversions en route to moving on to a career total of 1,090 Test points in the green jersey – seven clear of O’Gara’s tally of 1,083 and in 13 fewer appearances.

He gleefully celebrated his landmark score under the posts before suggesting nine-year-old Luca will one day look to eclipse the achievement.

“It’s something when you retire and finish, you can look back and be proud,” said Sexton.

“I think my little boy will be over the moon, he was talking about it during the week and it probably means more to him. He’ll chase it down now! And so will the other 10s.

“It’s there to be broken now and I’m sure some young guys will be eyeing it up.

“Look, I’m very proud to do it, but tonight was more about getting the win and moving on to what’s such a massive game now this week.”

Ireland edged a step closer to the quarter-finals with a second successive bonus-point win on the back of last weekend’s 82-8 demolition of Romania.

Tries from Tadhg Beirne, Caelan Doris and Mack Hansen paved the way to victory, with Bundee Aki’s double and second-half scores from James Lowe and Rob Herring capping Sexton’s landmark moment.

Sexton was withdrawn at half-time with next weekend’s pivotal Paris showdown against champions South Africa in mind.

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The world’s top-ranked nation emerged relatively unscathed from a bruising encounter at Stade de la Beaujoire, albeit replacement prop Finlay Bealham was forced off for a head injury assessment.

Head coach Andy Farrell made a dressing room speech to congratulate Sexton and says his skipper is far more than a “points-scoring machine”.

“It’s so fitting that he broke the record with a try like that,” said Farrell

“But what I would say, and I’ve said to Johnny in front of the lads in there, he can talk for himself, but the record is fantastic.

“He’d say that’s his job but it takes some doing.

“To us, as a leader, as a player, he’s a lot more than a points-scoring machine for Ireland, how he prepares his team and gets them up for every single game is more important to him and certainly to us.”

Speaking of the withdrawn Bealham, Farrell said: “Finlay’s in great spirits so he’ll go through the protocols tomorrow.

“But looking at him and speaking to the medics, they’re pretty happy with where he’s at, obviously with all the protocols, probably.”

Vaea Fifita crossed just before half-time to give Tonga brief hope in the aftermath of Peter O’Mahony’s yellow card, while William Havili kicked 11 points.

Tonga head coach Toutai Kefu conceded his team were ultimately outclassed.

“I don’t think they’re a 60-point team better than us,” he said.

“We were our worst enemy, we made some poor execution mistakes and some poor decisions, which probably inflated the score more than we would have liked.

“But you lose by 10, you lose by 50, you still lose.

“They pressured us in the air, on the ground. They’re a really complete team, a high-quality team, it’s why they’re number one in the world, so tonight too good for us.”