Warren Gatland has no doubt that Wales are fully conditioned for Bordeaux’s blistering heat as they aim to turn up the temeprature on Rugby World Cup opponents Fiji.

It is due to hit 36 degrees Celsius on Saturday, while not dropping much below 30 a day later despite a kick-off of 9pm local time.

Wales, though, look set to reap the benefits of punishing conditions at training camps in Switzerland and Turkey that formed a central part of their tournament warm-up.

“I think in international rugby you have to go to dark places and you have to be hurting,” Wales head coach Gatland said.

“It’s whether other teams are hurting that little bit more than you.

“Everyone is talking about the heat being an advantage to Fiji, but we’ve had some pretty gruelling sessions in heat so we are conditioned to that.

“We’ve been comfortable with the pace of the game and the intensity of the game. Probably from the warm-up games, where the ball-in-play time against England in the first game was 39 minutes, we looked good.

“In the second game against England, it was 30 minutes and it probably didn’t allow us to use some of the hard work we’ve put in. It has definitely been a focus for us.”

Wales meet Fiji for the fifth successive World Cup in a pool game, and while they have won three in a row after being dumped out of the 2007 tournament, they are expecting a fierce challenge.

Fiji’s quality – and a far stronger set-piece than previously – was highlighted in their historic victory over England at Twickenham last month.

Gatland added: “You’ve just got to defend well for a start. We know they are dangerous.

“At some stage, they will make a break or get an offload away. It’s then how we react to that quickly.

“For us, we’ve spoken about discipline and keeping them out of our 22. They tend to come alive in opposition 22s. We are in a good place for the challenge, physically and mentally.”

It will be Gatland’s fourth World Cup at the Wales helm after masterminding semi-final appearances in 2011 and 2019, while they also reached the quarter-finals in 2013.

There are similarities with that 2011 campaign in New Zealand, when Wales were captained by a 22-year-old Sam Warburton, while this time around 23-year-old Jac Morgan leads them into tournament battle.

As 12 years ago, there is also a sprinkling of exciting young players, with Morgan and his co-captain Dewi Lake leading a crop that includes the likes of Sam Costelow, Rio Dyer and Mason Grady.

“We’ve had some new faces come in, which has been great for the group. A lot of young players have got some experience,” Gatland said.

“We’ve had some issues in Welsh rugby. Hopefully those are behind us now and we can completely focus on this World Cup.

“I get nervous myself. I think nerves are always a positive. When you are nervous about the game or what potentially might happen, it focuses the mind in terms of what is coming.

“There is nothing wrong with that. I see it as a real positive in terms of the players being right on the edge in terms of their preparation before the game.

“Dan Biggar made a good point this morning, saying we were 10-0 down four years ago after Fiji scored early on, but we kept calm, stuck to our processes and got back into it.

“We know Fiji can start well and we need to start well, but it is making sure we are really clear about what we want to achieve and sticking to the processes in place.”

Maro Itoje insists England are ready to show their true selves when they launch the Rugby World Cup with the toughest assignment of their group campaign against Argentina.

For the first time in the fixture’s 42 years England are underdogs on the basis of an alarming run that has produced five defeats in their last six Tests, including a first ever loss to Fiji.

The Pumas, meanwhile, have been acclaimed by Steve Borthwick as the best team to leave Argentinian shores and November’s 30-29 victory at Twickenham is still vivid in the memory.

England are struggling on multiple fronts – attack, defence, discipline, cohesion, confidence – and have plummeted to eighth in the global rankings, two places lower than Saturday’s opponents in Marseille.

Itoje, however, insists they are about to turn the corner and place one foot into the quarter-finals.

“We know who we are. We know the type of players we have. We know the quality of coaches we have,” Itoje said.

“Yes we haven’t in recent times played as well as we can, but we know the potential of this group.

“And when you know the potential of this group and you know the attitude of the players and the coaches, it can only fill you with confidence.

“We know we haven’t played our best rugby, but I guess that may add an element of fuel.

“The real motivation is where this team can go. The real motivation is how we can properly display the best of ourselves and give the very best account of ourselves.

“That’s the exciting opportunity that this brings. It’s an incredible opportunity and that’s the motivation to see where we can go and how good we can be.

“There is a strong feeling and belief within the group now that things can change very quickly and the best is yet to come.

“Moments like this don’t come very often throughout our careers. Top, top players have three chances and that’s a lot. So we want to take this with both hands.”

If they are to topple Argentina, England will need to produce a level of performance that has been beyond them so far in Borthwick’s nine Tests in charge.

Expectations are low, even allowing for their presence in the easier side of the draw, but attack coach Richard Wigglesworth insists the outside noise is being tuned out.

“I don’t know if I’m too interested in expectations outside of the squad, if I’m being honest. That’s been labelled at us a few times,” Wigglesworth said.

“You’ve got to understand that this squad is incredibly tight and determined. Whether that is from the outside or within, that has always been there.

“The expectation that Argentina maybe go in as favourites makes no difference to us. We are incredibly determined to go out there and give the absolute best of ourselves.”

Ireland launch their Rugby World Cup campaign against Pool B minnows Romania in Bordeaux.

Johnny Sexton will captain the world’s top-ranked nation on his return from suspension, with head coach Andy Farrell having named the majority of his star names.

Here, the PA news agency picks out some of the main talking points ahead of Saturday’s clash.

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Sexton’s final year in professional rugby has already been a wild rollercoaster ride. The fly-half sustained a cheekbone injury on New Year’s Day but returned to lead Ireland to a Six Nations Grand Slam. The joy of achieving that feat on home soil for the first time was tempered by him suffering a season-ending groin injury, which denied him a Leinster farewell and was later compounded by a three-match ban for his “confrontational and aggressive” behaviour towards referee Jaco Peyper. Sexton subsequently missed Ireland’s World Cup warm-up fixtures. The 38-year-old is “delighted to be back” and dreaming of going all the way.

Room for improvement

Ireland stretched their winning run to a national-record 13 matches with warm-up victories over Italy, England and Samoa last month. Nevertheless, Farrell’s men were far from their free-flowing best in those outings and, according to the head coach, a little clunky. Players put up for media this week repeatedly spoke of the need for improvement as well as their hopes of laying down a marker. Ireland have won their last nine meetings with Romania. Those triumphs include World Cup victories in 1999, 2003 and 2015 – each by remarkably similar scorelines: 44-14, 45-17 and 44-10 respectively.

The curious case of Mack Hansen

Farrell’s strong selection had one notable absentee: Mack Hansen. The Australia-born wing has been virtually ever-present for Ireland since his debut in last year’s Six Nations. Yet, while the rest of Ireland’s first-choice stars made the matchday squad, he was excluded, despite being fit. Farrell sparked speculation about the situation with cryptic comments in which he said some members of his squad did not handle off-field distractions very well when his team were based in Biarritz for their final warm-up game against Samoa in nearby Bayonne. Assistant coach Mike Catt dismissed suggestions Hansen had been dropped due to an internal disciplinary issue.

Baking hot Bordeaux

Ireland and Romania are poised to run out in front of a capacity-crowd of approximately 42,000 in heat of around 35 degrees Celsius. The blistering conditions will no doubt have an impact on proceedings. Yet Ireland feel primed. Training camps in Portugal and Biarritz last month provided players with exposure to warm weather, while they have trained in similar temperatures this week at their base in Tours. Vice-captain James Ryan said: “I like to think we’ve gotten maybe more used to the heat. But you can’t hide from it. It’s probably going to be the hottest part of the day. But it can’t be an excuse.”

Opportunity knocks for Joe McCarthy

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Farrell’s opening line-up suggests a statement win is very much in his mind. Rookie lock Joe McCarthy is an eye-catching exception. The towering 22-year-old is the least-experienced international in Ireland’s 33-man group but has been handed a chance to impress with only his second Test start. His inclusion in the second row sees Tadhg Beirne drop back to blindside flanker and Peter O’Mahony switch to openside, while world player of the year Josh Van Der Flier begins on the bench. Speaking of McCarthy, Farrell said: “He deserves it with the form that he’s shown, not just in the games that he’s played, but also in his preparation over the last 10, 11 weeks.”

Alex Mitchell is ready to continue riding his World Cup rollercoaster after being entrusted with the scrum-half duties for England’s critical opener against Argentina.

Mitchell starts Saturday’s showdown at the Stade Velodrome despite being overlooked for Steve Borthwick’s 41-man training squad named in late June, an omission that enabled him to take a week’s holiday in Hvar in Croatia.

But the stars aligned for England’s most dangerous running nine when Jack van Poortvliet went down with a tournament-ending ankle injury against Wales at Twickenham last month.

Van Poortvliet’s misfortune offered his route back into the squad and when asked to start against Fiji, Mitchell seized the opportunity by emerging as one of the few bright sparks on an otherwise gloomy afternoon.

The 26-year-old now starts England’s biggest game since the 2019 World Cup final ahead of veterans Danny Care and Ben Youngs with the aim of bringing a misfiring attack to life.

“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster – out of the squad, then back in and now getting a shot against Argentina,” Mitchell said.

“I stayed fit and stayed ready and then got called to come in. I trained hard and tried to put my hand up again.

“I had one week off in Croatia, which was nice, just to reset the batteries. That was a couple of months ago now, so it was nice to get away and relax.

“I’m massively excited to be getting an opportunity to play and putting my hand up. It’s all been a bit weird but I’m excited.

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“As a kid it’s a thing you dream of, playing at the top of the game, and the World Cup is that.

“To start the first World Cup game is a massive honour – my family are massively proud of me. I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully we can get a result.”

Mitchell was a regular fixture in England training squads under Eddie Jones before being used as a dynamic replacement by Borthwick during the recent Six Nations, so it came as a shock when he was deemed surplus to requirements for the World Cup.

The Saints half-back had to wait until the Fiji match a fortnight ago to make his first start in six caps as his patience finally paid off.

“You appreciate you’re in a really good position. You’re still getting paid to play the sport you love and you are not far off,” he said.

“The whole time you’re not far off, you’re in and out of camp so you’re getting opportunities. You have just got to keep your head up and that’s what I focused on.”

Mitchell’s elevation to a central role in the main event of Pool D has come at a difficult time for England, who are reeling from five defeats in six Tests.

“I’ve got to try and control the game, get the team to tick and when I can imprint some tempo into the side. I’ll try and do that, but stick to the game-plan,” he said.

“We know we’re a good side when we play well and stick to our style of play. The main thing is to do that and try to bring our X-Factor alive after that, if you can.”

Darcy Graham has been passed fit to start Scotland’s Rugby World Cup opener against South Africa on Sunday after his pre-tournament injury scare.

The 26-year-old Edinburgh wing – seventh on the national team’s all-time scoring list – missed the last warm-up match with a quad strain but, after coming through training in Nice this week, he has now been cleared to play.

Prop Zander Fagerson is also back in the team after being suspended for the last two summer Tests following his red card in the victory at home to France five weeks ago. The Glasgow front-rower goes into the match having played less than an hour of rugby since the end of last season.

In a selection featuring no real surprises, Jack Dempsey has got the nod over Matt Fagerson to start at eight, with the latter on the bench. Captain Jamie Ritchie and the burgeoning Rory Darge complete the back row, with the experienced Hamish Watson missing out on the 23.

The Scots have gone for a five-to-three split on the bench, with Ali Price, Cam Redpath and Ollie Smith the three backs selected, meaning there is no place in the squad for in-form wing Kyle Steyn.

In a notable development, Stuart McInally – who was cut from the squad at the end of last month – has travelled to France as injury cover for Ewan Ashman, who is recovering from an injury picked up in training this week which ruled him out of the match against South Africa.

McInally, who had already announced his intention to retire from rugby after the World Cup, has not joined the 33-player squad. Dave Cherry is the replacement hooker this weekend.

Assistant coach Mike Catt categorically denied Mack Hansen’s shock omission for Ireland’s Rugby World Cup opener against Romania is down to an internal disciplinary issue.

Australia-born wing Hansen has been among Ireland’s standout players amid their current 13-match winning run but was the only first-team regular left out of Saturday’s Pool B clash in Bordeaux.

Head coach Andy Farrell confirmed the 25-year-old is not injured when announcing his team on Thursday.

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The Englishman then volunteered information about some members of his squad succumbing to off-field distractions when the team were based in Biarritz for their final warm-up game against Samoa in nearby Bayonne.

“The reason we went there is that there’s a lot of distraction that goes on, certainly when you’re in a hotel that’s on the beach,” Farrell said in answering a routine question about newer members of his squad not having World Cup baggage.

“Some people handled that brilliantly, some people didn’t.”

Farrell’s cryptic admission fuelled speculation in the wake of Hansen’s surprise non-selection.

Yet Catt insisted the Connacht player has not breached team rules.

“Good question really, it’s a long tournament first and foremost and it’s making sure that we look after everybody,” Catt replied when asked why Hansen has been left out.

“In the same breath there is good competition in that area too. There is nothing that Mack has done wrong. It’s not that he’s performed badly at all.

“He’s done exceptionally well in his pre-season games and like we say, it’s a long competition and we need to keep people fresh too.”

Ireland’s strong selection is missing just three of arguably Farrell’s preferred starting XV: injured hooker Dan Sheehan, flanker Josh van der Flier, who is on the bench, and Hansen.

Hansen, who recently had Farrell’s face tattooed on his leg as part of a pact with captain Johnny Sexton, has only sat out three Test matches since his debut in the 2022 Six Nations.

One of those fixtures was the first Test against New Zealand last year when he had Covid-19, while another was last month’s warm-up match with Italy, when most of Ireland’s star names were given the weekend off.

Questioned directly on whether the selection decision was due to a disciplinary matter, Catt replied: “Not at all, no.”

Centre Bundee Aki, who was sitting next to Catt, joked that Hansen’s absence was performance-related, saying: “He was useless.”

Head coach Andy Farrell expects Ireland to be “a hell of a lot slicker” in their Rugby World Cup opener following some disjointed warm-up displays.

The world’s top-ranked nation are among the pre-tournament favourites and launch their campaign on Saturday afternoon against Pool B minnows Romania in Bordeaux.

In-form Ireland arrived in France on a 13-match winning run but having failed to fully convince during last month’s disjointed victories over Italy, England and Samoa.

Farrell is untroubled by those patchy performances – produced by largely experimental line-ups – and has backed his players to deliver when it really matters.

“It’s certainly not a concern because obviously (they were) three warm-up games with different personnel and everyone is at different stages in the pre-season,” he said.

“It’s all galvanised to one point and this is it: the start of the competition.

“The performance should be one that’s a hell of a lot slicker, let’s put it that way.

“Understanding what it’s all about and getting down to business is where we’re at at this stage. We’re looking forward to getting going.”

Farrell has named a strong starting XV for the curtain raiser, albeit world player of the year Josh van der Flier begins on the bench, while wing Mack Hansen has the weekend off, despite being available.

Fly-half Johnny Sexton is back from a three-match ban to captain Ireland, while rookie lock Joe McCarthy is among the six starting World Cup debutants.

Farrell’s 33-man squad contains a total of 18 players who have never played on the biggest stage.

The Englishman feels there are benefits to that scenario but also suggested some of the newcomers need to avoid distractions better than they did around the recent Samoa game in Bayonne, when Ireland were based in nearby Biarritz.

“It’s an advantage because of the youthfulness and the quality of those players is top drawer,” he said.

“But they also need to understand what it is that they’re coming into.

“The reason we went there (to Biarritz) is that there’s a lot of distraction that goes on, certainly when you’re in a hotel that’s on the beach.

“Some people handled that brilliantly, some people didn’t. Learning from those experiences is pretty important because you don’t get second chances after this in World Cups.

“You have to wait four more years – if you’re lucky enough.”

Unfancied Romania are ranked 19th in the world. Farrell is braced for a physical assignment amid temperatures forecast to reach around 35 degrees Celsius.

“For anyone that’s watched them, it’s pretty clear and obvious that they’re a determined group,” said Farrell.

“I think by their own recollection they would say that their point of difference is their power, their aggression, their set-piece.

“They love mauling, they love the scrummaging part of the game. They’re very direct in the forwards and pretty nippy and dangerous within the backs as well.

“We’ve scouted them well but, at the same time, more of the concentration this week has been on ourselves.”

Corey Domachowski believes that Wales can reap the rewards from “15 weeks of hell” in their Rugby World Cup campaign.

The Cardiff prop is a Test rugby newcomer, making his debut against warm-up opponents England last month.

His impact was sufficient for Wales head coach Warren Gatland to select him not only in the final World Cup squad, but also hand him a place among the matchday 23 to face opening World Cup opponents Fiji on Sunday.

Wales have moved south from their Versailles training base to the first match venue of Bordeaux.

They were greeted by temperatures of 35 degrees as the heat in France shows no sign of relenting, and even though Sunday’s encounter does not start until 9pm local time, it is set to be only eight degrees cooler.

Wales, though, are fully prepared, with the players being put through their paces at punishing pre-World Cup camps in Switzerland and Turkey during a training phase that began in late May.

“We’ve trained hard for this,” Domachowski said.

“We had 15 weeks of hell, to be honest. It has been absolutely savage.

“And I genuinely think if we put what we’ve done on the training field on to the playing field, then we are going to be a tough team to beat.

“That’s something ‘Gats’ and the other coaches have drilled into us. We are not going to worry about any opposition. We know we have got quality in the squad.

“There is a lot of competition in that squad, and whoever goes on the field will give everything they’ve got for that jersey.”

Domachowski has already made a World Cup impression, leading the Wales players in a rendition of the Welsh hymn Calon Lan during the squad’s World Cup welcome ceremony in Versailles.

“As you can tell, I am a bit of a character, so ‘Nugget’ (team manager Martyn Williams) came up to me and asked me if I would lead it,” Domachowski added.

“So I said yes, and the boys were winding me up saying I could go on my own at first, but to be fair to ‘Gats’ he said we would all do it together.

“So I had to just lead it up, we had a couple of lessons and it went well.”

Steve Borthwick insists England are ready to defy gloomy predictions for their World Cup by delivering a reaction against Argentina in Saturday’s pivotal opener.

The Pumas are in the rare position of being assigned favourites for the main event of Pool D, based on a strong year under the guidance of Michael Cheika and their 30-29 victory at Twickenham in November.

England, meanwhile, have gone into freefall following a run of five defeats in six Tests that no longer makes qualification for the knockout phase appear to be the formality it once was.

Borthwick, who has named Alex Mitchell at scrum-half and Tom Curry at openside for the Marseille showdown, insists the low expectations have sent ripples of indignation through the squad.

“I sense there is a feeling among the players they’ve been written off too early. People have called time on them a bit too early,” England’s head coach said.

“I sense the frustration about what people have been saying about them and right now I have an expectation that they will go and perform with the quality that they have.

“I sense from them that there’s a real determination to go and put their best performances on the park.

“There is a lot of class in this squad. The players have a hell of a lot more to go. They can’t wait to get stuck in on Saturday night.

“Our job is put in a performance that this team is capable of and I know these players are capable of. I know these players are determined to deliver on Saturday night. That’s our job now.”

Borthwick’s theme of an England side ready to exit their slump in time to make an impact at the World Cup was taken up by captain Courtney Lawes, who is leading the team in the absence of the suspended Owen Farrell.

When asked if the players are angry at recent performances, Lawes replied: “There’s definitely a frustration. We feel it as much as anybody.

“We are in the thick of it and we are doing everything we can to make sure, come this weekend, we are firing on all cylinders.

“It’s going to be a hell of a spectacle, so enjoy it. We are going out all guns blazing and we are going to give it everything we have got.

“It’s the first game of the World Cup and we’re going to be well up for it.”

Offering hope to England supporters is the selection of Mitchell ahead of Danny Care and Ben Youngs, with the 26-year-old half-back a more dynamic presence than his veteran rivals for the jersey.

The tempo and energy brought by Mitchell, both through his delivery and with the ball in hand, was one of the few highlights to emerge from a chastening defeat by Fiji last month.

Remarkably he starts in England’s biggest game since the 2019 World Cup final despite being overlooked for their original 33-man squad, with an injury to Jack van Poortvliet offering his route to France.

“Alex was a dangerous running threat against Fiji; everyone knows he is a dangerous running threat,” Borthwick said.

“Immense credit to Mitch in that he was incredibly disappointed not to make the original 33-man squad. An opportunity opened up.

“One of the positives that came out of that Fiji game was his performance. He played well and he’s trained exceptionally well. He’s ready to go.”

Curry’s influence on the team is evident through his promotion to the back row despite having missed the entire build-up campaign because of an ankle injury sustained in training.

“We have got players throughout this 23 who have performed on the biggest of stages and Tom Curry is one of them,” Borthwick said.

“He’s in fantastic physical condition; he missed a period of training but his movement is exceptional.”

Veteran Ireland hooker Rob Herring never doubted his ability to play at a Rugby World Cup as he prepares to make up for past disappointments with an overdue tournament debut.

South Africa-born Herring has been selected to start Saturday’s Pool B opener against Romania ahead of the fit-again Ronan Kelleher and in the absence of the injured Dan Sheehan.

The 33-year-old was called up by Joe Schmidt in the build-up to the 2015 and 2019 competitions before being cut from the final squads.

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He subsequently flew to Japan four years ago as an injury replacement for Sean Cronin but was not involved as Ireland crashed out in the quarter-finals to New Zealand and has since been eclipsed by the emergence of Leinster pair Sheehan and Kelleher.

“Yeah, it’s been a long run for me,” said Herring. “I was involved in the two previous World Cup pre-seasons and missed out on selection so I think all the work over the last year, it’s paid off to be here now.

“I always believed I was good enough to be here. The selection calls were tight in the last World Cup.

“I’ve been heavily involved in the squad since the last World Cup and I’m really enjoying my time under Faz (Andy Farrell) and the leadership of the coaches.

“It has been a great four years, and I’m just raring to go now.

“There’s obviously a bit more hype around the World Cup and a bit more pressure on games but that’s what we’ve been building for. Personally, I think I’m in a good place.”

Herring, who qualifies for Ireland through a grandparent, made his international debut as a replacement flanker during the 2014 tour of Argentina.

He had won just eight caps when head coach Farrell succeeded Schmidt after the 2019 World Cup but started all five matches of the 2020 Guinness Six Nations following the retirement of Rory Best.

Despite remaining a squad regular, Herring, who is set for his 38th Test outing this weekend, has become more peripheral since the breakthrough of dynamic duo Kelleher and Sheehan.

“My mindset going into it is this is just the start,” said the Ulster player.

“It’s a massive honour to be selected for the squad but this is just the start of it. I want to put my best foot forward and contribute to the team as well as I can.

“I think if I nail my role and everyone else does theirs, we will put in a strong performance.”

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Ireland will be led by Johnny Sexton in Bordeaux on his return from suspension and injury.

Herring believes fly-half Sexton is the type of captain team-mates “want to follow into battle”.

“Johnny is one of the most competitive guys I’ve ever played under,” he said.

“I think that’s his massive point of difference. He’s unbelievably driven, he drives the standards at training, off the pitch, everything.

“He’s got an incredible winning mindset so he’s the kind of guy you really want to follow into battle. You know he’s going to be right up there at his best and giving it his all. It’s been great having him back.”

Warren Gatland says that Wales are “in a good place” as they prepare to launch their Rugby World Cup challenge against Fiji.

Gatland, taking charge of his fourth World Cup as Wales head coach, has been boosted by the return to fitness of 100-cap number eight Taulupe Faletau.

He will make his first Wales appearance since last season’s Six Nations after recovering from a calf muscle problem that sidelined him for Wales’ three-Test warm-up schedule.

Faletau goes straight into the starting line-up, packing down alongside back-row colleagues Aaron Wainwright and skipper Jac Morgan.

“We’ve had some good clarity about what we want to achieve and the way we want to play on the weekend,” Gatland said.

“The boys are looking sharp, there is a great environment in this group – players working for each other, enjoying each other’s company.

“We are in a good place and can’t wait to get out there and get our Rugby World Cup campaign under way.”

While Faletau returns, though, hooker and Morgan’s co-captain Dewi Lake does not make the matchday 23.

The Ospreys hooker suffered a knee injury during Wales’ encounter against England at Twickenham last month, and Gatland added: “The medical team has done a fantastic job getting Dewi back to full fitness.

“He has not had as much training under his belt as the other hookers since he picked up that knock to his knee, so Ryan Elias and Elliot Dee are selected for us for this game.”

Elias starts, and there are also opportunities for the likes of centre Nick Tompkins and scrum-half Gareth Davies.

Flanker Tommy Reffell, meanwhile, has been named among the replacements, being passed fit after missing training on Wednesday due to a knock.

There are five World Cup debutants in Gatland’s starting line-up and it will be the fifth successive World Cup where Wales and Fiji meet.

Centre George North joins a select group of Welsh players to feature in four World Cups, emulating Alun Wyn Jones, Stephen Jones and Gethin Jenkins.

Scarlets number nine Davies has won Gatland’s starting vote ahead of Tomos Williams as he clocks up World Cup number three.

“Twelve months ago I probably wouldn’t have thought I would be involved in the first game of a World Cup, but anything can happen in rugby, as we all know.” Davies said.

“I have worked extremely hard over the last year to work myself into contention, and hopefully I can show that on Sunday.

“Playing in a World Cup is the pinnacle. We have a few young guys in the squad – they are really excited about it – and plenty of experience.

“Fiji are going to be a very tough team to beat, but it is a challenge we are looking forward to.”

Since being dumped out of the World Cup by Fiji 16 years ago in Nantes, Wales have reeled off three successive wins.

Sunday’s encounter is huge in the context of a group where Australia and ever-improving Georgia will also be vying for qualification.

Sione Tuipulotu was overcome with emotion as he revealed his mother’s trip across the world to watch him play for Scotland for the first time will give him all the motivation he needs for Sunday’s World Cup showdown with South Africa.

The Australia-born centre is qualified to represent the Scots through his grandmother, Jacqueline, from Greenock and he has become one of Gregor Townsend’s main men since making his debut in autumn 2021, shortly after he joined Glasgow.

While Tuipulotu’s Tongan father Fohe has been over to watch him play for Scotland, his mother Angelina – who is from south-east Melbourne after her Scottish and Italian parents moved there – has not been able to attend any of his matches in person since he left Melbourne Rebels in 2019.

The 26-year-old apologised to journalists as he welled up with tears and briefly paused to compose himself while outlining the journey his mother had undertaken to get herself to France to see her son play on the biggest stage in rugby.

“My mum got here yesterday and it will be the first time she’ll have watched me play rugby for quite a while,” said Tuipoluto, speaking at the team’s base in the south of France on Thursday. “I had a chat with her yesterday when she got to Paris.

“It was quite an emotional phone call, she just said how proud she was. Obviously it’s her mum that is part of my Scottish heritage and she said she is really proud when she sees me during the anthem and hears the background in terms of Murrayfield, the noise and stuff like that (while watching on television).

“I can’t really imagine how she is going to feel this weekend with the noise in Marseille when I’m playing the world champions. That is part of my motivation this week, I don’t need any extra motivation because my mum is over and she hasn’t seen me play for a while.

“She travelled all the way from Australia. She explained the route to me and she had quite a hard time with admin. She is terrible with admin just like me and she made a few mistakes along the way but she’s here, she made it.”

Asked if it was thinking about the length of journey his mother had undertaken from Australia that caused him to choke back the tears, Tuipulotu said: “Not just that journey but her journey in general.

“Everyone has their rugby journey in terms of where they’ve come from. When it’s your own mum, only you know what she has been through to get you to this point. Her story is something I have always thought about as a motivation for me in my rugby and I suppose it’s all just climaxed towards this weekend.

“She last watched me when I was in Melbourne playing for the Rebels. She was always there every game, the same as my dad who has been over to Scotland to watch me play a couple of times which has been cool. But this one is a little bit more special just because it is my mum and I am very emotional about it.”

Since joining Glasgow from Japanese club Yamaha Jubilo in 2021, Tuipulotu has become a first-choice pick for Scotland and one of the most highly-regarded centres in the world.

“I would be lying if I said to you I didn’t think it was going to be achievable because I have always backed myself through my whole career,” he said of his impressive rise to prominence.

“I have always been a confident player and when I moved over to Scotland, I had the goal that if I was going to move that far away from my family, I was going to make it happen.

“You need some things to go your way in order to make it happen and I got lucky with the coaches I had as soon as I came over here, but it’s also about my hard work as soon as I came over to try to keep improving as a player.

“It has been an awesome journey over the past couple of years and I am super-excited for the tournament to kick off. As a kid I wanted to be one of the best players in my position in the world and this is the tournament you get to prove that.”

England have taken a step towards igniting their attack by picking Alex Mitchell at scrum-half for their crucial World Cup opener against Argentina in Marseille on Saturday.

Mitchell was omitted from the original 33-man squad named by Steve Borthwick only to be given a reprieve when Jack van Poortvliet suffered a tournament-ending ankle injury.

Having impressed on his first Test start against Fiji, the 26-year-old has retained half-back duties with the aim of adding zip to England’s game, while Danny Care provides support from the bench.

Tom Curry makes his first appearance under Borthwick and his maiden outing at any level since Sale lost to Saracens in the Gallagher Premiership final in May after being given the nod at openside.

Curry has been struggling with an ankle injury sustained during training in early August but in an indication of his influence on England, he has been thrust straight into the back row.

Captain Johnny Sexton insists there will be “no excuses” if he fails to perform in Ireland’s World Cup opener against Romania as he prepares to make his first competitive appearance in almost six months.

Fly-half Sexton missed his country’s three warm-up matches through suspension, having not played since injuring a groin in helping clinch the Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam against England on March 18.

The 38-year-old will make his long-awaited comeback as a starter on Saturday afternoon in Bordeaux and has been targeting the fixture since being hit with his ban in mid-July.

“I’m delighted to be back,” said Sexton.

“Playing for Ireland is always special, it’s extra special when it comes to the World Cup, so I’m very, very happy to be back in the team and really looking forward to it.

“Hopefully I can go out and play well and have a good performance. I expect that of myself. There are no excuses in that regard.

“Once I got over the injury obviously came the three games off and once I knew that was there I’ve just been focused on this game for the last couple of months. Looking forward to it now and finally getting back out on the pitch.”

Sexton will partner Leinster team-mate Jamison Gibson-Park in a strong XV packed with first-choice stars.

Rookie lock Joe McCarthy, who will make only his second Test start, is a notable exception, while Rob Herring has been given the nod at hooker ahead of Ronan Kelleher in the absence of the injured Dan Sheehan.

Sexton, who is at the fourth World Cup of his distinguished career ahead of retirement, admits there is a mix of nerves and excitement in the Ireland camp.

“I’m sure the Irish will travel like they always do and it’s a very different atmosphere to what you normally get at rugby matches,” he said.

“It’s very much like a soccer World Cup atmosphere, the ones I’ve been involved in to date, and we’re looking forward to that. But also with that comes a bit of nerves.

“We’ve built to this moment for the last four years so now it’s finally here the nerves come in, but it’s about embracing them and going out and trying to play our best.”

Ireland begin the tournament at the top of the world rankings amid a record 13-match winning run.

Wing Mack Hansen has been given the weekend off, while reigning world player of the year Josh van der Flier is the other significant absentee from the starting line-up, having been named among the replacements.

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Head coach Andy Farrell says it is “full steam ahead” as his Six Nations champions seek to begin with a bang.

“We’ve got a squad of 33 that we totally believe in and whatever side we put out is going to be a good side,” he said.

“No matter what side we pick, it’s going to be one that’s threatening and a determined one at that.

“Our mindset at this stage is full steam ahead. We expect a fantastic performance at the weekend to kick us off in the right manner.”

Van der Flier’s demotion to the bench results in Peter O’Mahony shuffling across to openside flanker and Tadhg Beirne moving into the back row at blindside to accommodate McCarthy in the second row.

The 22-year-old McCarthy, one of 10 World Cup debutants in Ireland’s matchday squad, only made his international debut last autumn and has just 129 minutes of Test experience across three caps.

“He deserves it with the form that he’s shown, not just in the games that he’s played, but also in his preparation over the last 10, 11 weeks,” said Farrell.

“He’s really progressed his game and he gets an opportunity to start in the first game of the World Cup.”

Taulupe Faletau will make his first Wales appearance since last season’s Six Nations after recovering from injury to feature against opening World Cup opponents Fiji.

The 100 times-capped number eight missed Wales’ entire World Cup warm-up schedule because of a calf muscle problem, but he goes straight into the starting line-up for Sunday’s Pool C clash in Bordeaux.

Skipper Jac Morgan and Aaron Wainwright join Faletau in the back-row, but Morgan’s co-captain Dewi Lake does not feature in the matchday 23.

Lake suffered a knee injury during Wales’ encounter against England at Twickenham last month.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland said: “The medical team has done a fantastic job getting Dewi back to full fitness.

“He has not had as much training under his belt as the other hookers since he picked up that knock to his knee, so Ryan Elias and Elliot Dee are selected for us for this game.”