Rory Best has tipped rookie lineout caller James Ryan to come of age for Ireland against the 'world's best lock' Alun Wyn Jones in Cardiff for their Six Nations clash.

Best suffered the damage to his left foot in Ulster's Champions Cup quarter-final defeat by Leinster on Saturday and following a scan on Monday it was confirmed he will be fit to lead Ireland in Japan

Ireland and Ulster captain Rory Best has announced he will retire from professional rugby after the World Cup in Japan. Hooker Best has been capped 116 times by his country.

Johnny Sexton has missed out on Ireland's World Cup warm-up clash with England at Twickenham on Saturday. The fly-half sat out of training at the start of the week in Portugal.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: It is exactly the team I would have picked for a must-win game at the tournament. This is the first time he has put his full strength side out in these warm-up games.

CHRIS FOY AT TWICKENHAM: The match tickets proclaimed 'this is no warm-up' and on a scorching, record-breaking day here, Manu Tuilagi and England proved too hot to handle.

World Rugby bosses have hit back at claims 31-man World Cup squads threaten player welfare by insisting top coaches left their objections too late to have any effect for the 2019 tournament in Japan.

Over a long and distinguished career, Brian O'Driscoll became adept at dealing with everything and anything thrown his way.

RORY KEANE IN YOKOHAMA: Iain Henderson hailed the performance of Rory Best after Ireland trounced Scotland, claiming the captain had 'silenced a lot of his critics'.

RORY KEANE IN SHIZUOKA: Carty starts only his second Test in place of conductor-in-chief Johnny Sexton, who is out with a groin injury. Schmidt reckons Carty has the right stuff.

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt admitted Japan had raised their game to 'furious' levels after stunning them 19-12 in Shizuoka.

RORY KEANE IN SHIZUOKA: Johnny Sexton has challenged Ireland to channel the hurt of the loss to Japan into their final pool games with Russia and Samoa. 

Ireland coach Joe Schmidt has revealed World Rugby admitted there were three incorrect offside calls given against his side during their shock 19-12 World Cup Pool A defeat by Japan.

Tadhg Furlong has warned that to switch off even for a second against New Zealand will cost Ireland the chance of a maiden World Cup semi-final.

WORLD CUP DIARY: Uruguay's legacy at this World Cup has been tainted after a drunken bar fracas the weekend before they flew home.

The Rugby World Cup kicked off four weeks ago today and now, via 50 pool stage matches, we are down to eight teams. Sportsmail tells you all need to know about the quarter-finals.

Johnny Sexton has predicted that New Zealand will be cleaner in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Ireland following a bruising encounter in Dublin three years ago.

RORY KEANE AT TOKYO STADIUM: Dear, oh dear. Ireland's abysmal record in World Cup quarter finals continued in Tokyo as a rampant All Blacks outfit romped to a seven-try victory.

Siya Kolisi succeeds Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton as holder of the Pat Marshall Memorial Award after being recognised at the RUWC's annual dinner in central London.

WILL KELLEHER AT THE AVIVA STADIUM: Johnny Sexton cannot wait to exact revenge on England after two recent thrashings when unbeaten Ireland travel to Twickenham next.

Ireland are desperate to show green shoots of recovery after a harrowing World Cup under Joe Schmidt. Sportsmail analyses their threats, and what has changed under new coach Andy Farrell.

DYLAN HARTLEY: A lot of people have been chucking stones at Eddie Jones but my message for the RFU is clear: give him a new contract. Dave at the pub might disagree.

Sportsmail runs the rule over every player from the two sides after a brutal Six Nations encounter at Twickenham that gives England a chance of glory thanks to their 24-12 victory.

EXCLUSIVE BY OLIVER HOLT: There is a picture on the walls of the Lord Bagenal Inn that shows a group of men and women standing proudly in the main street beside a horse called Different Pace. 

More than two dozen people, including the trainer of champion Maximum Security, have been charged in a widespread international scheme to drug horses to make them race faster.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY MIKE DICKSON: The BBC's voice of racing is in the final furlong of his career with the corporation, and admits it will hurt when he crosses the finish line.

Sire Du Berlais led home a Gordon Elliott one-two as he recorded back-to-back victories in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Some of Britain's biggest Flat meetings, headed by the June jewels of Royal Ascot and the Epsom Derby, are shrouded in uncertainty after racing was shut down until the end of April.

Writing on the GoFundMe page, Dettori said: 'Being here in the UK, it's difficult not to feel helpless as I see the impact the pandemic is having on the people of Italy.'

There had been plans to stage the meeting behind closed doors, but despite participants taking part in routine exercise on Sunday morning, the announcement was made by the afternoon.

Former jockey Mark Dwyer has paid tribute to Cheltenham Gold Cup winning trainer Peter Beaumont, who has died at the age of 85.

Last year Newmarket-based trainer Haggas hatched a plan to target the Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes with Addeybb and the Group One Schweppes Sydney Cup with Young Rascal.

William Haggas' runner struck Group One gold under Tom Marquand in the Ranvet Stakes last month and he added another top-level success as he saw off Verry Elleegant in some style.

Taking a serious view on the ante-post Classic markets is often a perilous enough exercise as it is without the current uncertainty on whether racing may or may not resume in the short term.

SAM TURNER (Robin Goodfellow) runs the rule over half a dozen of the more interesting British-trained fillies which may possibly take their chance in the 1,000 Guineas.

Britain's No 1 tipster, SAM TURNER (Robin Goodfellow) discusses half a dozen of the home contingent which could line up for the Derby that could be run some time during July.

A series of explosive emails from trainers calling for Nick Rust's resignation over the handling of the sport's response to the COVID-19 outbreak were published in a Sunday newspaper.

Powell was found to have engaged in conduct considered to be prejudicial to the integrity, proper conduct or good reputation of horse racing in Great Britain.

Blaise Matuidi is reportedly set for a contract extension after playing an important role in a Juventus side which sits top of Serie A. The Frenchman has been with the club since August 2017.

Reports suggest that the players are to be fined between one quarter and one half of this month' wages by the club for refusing to stay in a training retreat earlier this month.

Darts sensation Fallon Sherrock is set to face former Italian striker Luca Toni in a celebrity darts tournament this month. Toni is one of six celebrities taking part in the event.

JUVENTUS 4-0 UDINESE: Juventus, missing Cristiano Ronaldo with sinusitis, went ahead with a delightful goal after 16 minutes that had all the hallmarks of their coach Maurizio Sarri.

Italy is the worst affected country outside of China and the decision was made earlier in the week to suspend all sporting activity across the country until April 3.

The Serie A club confirmed their centre back Rugani has been infected by Covid-19 on Wednesday night and will undergo a period of isolation.

Juventus defender Daniele Rugani was the first Serie A player to test positive for Covid-19, just days after he was in the matchday squad for the club's win over Inter behind closed doors.

BAZ BAMIGBOYE: Kenneth Lonergan said he would love Elaine May, the great comic actress, writer and film-maker, to star in a West End production of his bittersweet masterpiece The Waverly Gallery.

The Gone Girl actress, 28, put her assets on display in the cleavage-baring gown as she arrived at the star-studded bash held in New York City's iconic Radio City Music Hall.

Abigail Breslin arrived on the red carpet with her boyfriend Ira Kunyansky before heading inside for the ceremony.She also presented an early award of the evening with fellow actress Samira Wiley.

In 2016, she was nominated for Best Play for Eclipsed, a play she wrote. It made history as the first play with an all-black and all-female creative cast and team to premiere on Broadway.

The high-octane performance began with James singing as if he was in his dressing room before performers from various nominated shows joined him on stage.