CHRIS FOY: Never mind the World Cup connotations. For now, the bigger picture can remain out of focus, in the background. Friday night it is all about Wales versus England.

England head coach Stuart Lancaster believes the 'fantastic potential' of Henry Slade will drive his challenge for a place in the 2015 rugby World Cup squad.

WORLD OF RUGBY: Brilliance is not enough in these days of forensic professionalism. In another era, Nick Abendanon would have lit up Test rugby, but he no longer fits the mould.

RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie believes the sport is in a better place to capitalise on a Rugby World Cup boom than it was in 2003 when Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal created a surge in interest.

Martin Johnson has waded into the debate about England’s refusal to pick players based overseas with an emphatic endorsement of the RFU policy which has divided opinion.

Dolly Parton, 74, is threatening to pose for the cover of Playboy Magazine - more than four decades since she last graced its pages. Sex and the older woman is officially a phenomenon.

SARAH VINE: Prime Minister or pauper, there can be no difference in value between humans. When Boris Johnson was admitted to a London hospital on Monday the situation changed.

England's James Graham has become the first active player to pledge his brain to science upon his death to aid research into concussion.

The Rugby Football League made a loss of £327,000 in 2018, which it says was largely due to the low crowd for the Challenge Cup final.

INTERVIEW BY MIKE KEEGAN: With his chiselled jaw, bulging biceps and St Helens polo shirt, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook looks every inch the rugby league player.

MIKE KEEGAN AT WEMBLEY: Warrington Wolves have won the Challenge Cup after overcoming the odds to defeat favourites St Helens in a competitive final at Wembley Stadium.

South Sydney Rabbitohs said on Wednesday that their captain Sam Burgess has been forced to quit the sport due to a chronic left shoulder injury, ending one of rugby league's greatest careers.

Toronto Wolfpack are closing in on the signing of the dual-code international, who played his last match for the All Blacks in the World Cup bronze medal win over Wales in Tokyo last Friday.

Chris Hill was shown a red card and Sam Powell was taken off on a stretcher as Wigan won a bruising opener to the Super League campaign on Thursday night.

Super League clubs have voted to tighten up the rules to prevent further controversial additions to the competition following the Catalans Dragons' signing of Israel Folau.

Tributes have been paid to Widnes legend and former Great Britain captain Frank Myler, who has died aged 81.

Jinkee Pacquiao, 40, is a socialite, politician and wife of record-breaking Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. FEMAIL looks at their remarkable love story and the lavish life they lead today.

The 41-year-old revealed he is 'not afraid to die' during his efforts to help citizens cope with the ongoing pandemic, but fears that looting will increase in his homeland as the crisis worsens.

The Aquaman star's sleeveless frock was tied at the waist with a large sash. She wore tan sandals and styled her blonde hair in a chignon.

Nicolas Cage told the New York Times Magazine that he's responsible for getting Johnny Depp to focus on acting over music by talking him into doing the audition that made him a star.

Amber Heard looked carefree and relaxed as she caught a plain at LAX airport near Los Angeles. The Aquaman actress cut a stylish figure in a minimalist black dress and boots.

SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Model and actress Lily-Rose, 20, turned heads this week wearing a pink strapless Chanel dress and matching scarf at the Venice Film Festival.

Lily-Rose Depp, 20, has revealed the details of her innocent and nerve-wracking first kiss. The extremely-private star remains tight-lipped about her rumored romance with Timothée Chalamet.

She's in the midst of a bitter court spat with her ex, actor Johnny Depp, that took a dramatic turn on Saturday. But Amber Heard appeared unbothered as she did some weekend shopping.

Depp filed a subpoena on Tuesday asking Musk to submit all of his communications with Heard relating to her allegations of physical abuse or domestic violence against the actor.

Johnny Depp has been ordered to submit his drug and alcohol medical records by the judge presiding over his £50m defamation case against ex wife Amber Heard.

Online beauty retailer Escentual has analysed sales figures to reveal the top ten male scents for Christmas 2019, and retro fragrances released in the '90s and noughties dominate the list.

Johnny Depp's libel trial in London against The Sun, which accused him of beating his ex-wife Amber Heard, has been adjourned due to the coronavirus (pictured, Depp in February).

Depp is suing Heard in Virginia over a Washington Post op-ed in which she said she was a domestic abuse survivor. He denies abuse and says the article cost him his role as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Johnny Depp jokes as he reveals how he nicknamed his permanently-damaged digit 'Little Richard' after a fight with ex Amber Heard, in exclusive footage obtained by DailyMail.com.

Johnny Depp and his then-wife Amber Heard had an explosive argument at Depp's rented home in Queensland, Australia, in March 2015.

The One Pound Warriors Facebook page was launched by Lillie Cotgrove, 13, from Benfleet, Essex, to raise money for her best friend Lily Wythe, 14, who is suffering with brain cancer.

Netflix is singing its own praises about its new Henry Cavill-starring, Game Of Thrones-esque fantasy series The Witcher.

Days after co-starring in the Jonas Brothers' new music video, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner shared a sweet kiss in Sherman Oaks.

While Game of Thrones was a huge hit for HBO, legions of vocal fans have spoken out against the final season, and now author George R.R. Martin has hinted his books will have a different ending.

The Game Of Thrones star, 33, looked relaxed as he got to work on set of the hotly-anticipated superhero film, and strolled through Camden, London, on Thursday.

Peter Dinklage and wife Erica Schmidt oozed laid back cool on the red carpet for opening night of Medea in New York City on Thursday.

Richard Madden posted a shirtless selfie from a gorgeous mountainside and proceeded to get roasted by some celebrity friends and praised for his hunky physique by fan followers.

The Game Of Thrones star, 38, wore a three-piece skirt suit with a white blouse and a pair of ill-fitting tan tights with heeled brogues as she headed towards the set.

GAME OF THRONES: In  real life she's happily married to comedian Gerry Howell and has a two-year-old daughter, so why do the parts played by Gemma Whelan always involve lesbian passion?

The first Penny Dreadful series was a supernatural horror on Showtime that aired from 2014 to 2016, but this new show is actually not connected to it at all.

Stars of the silver screen have today paid tribute to the actor Max Von Sydow, who passed away at his home in France, at the age of 90.

TOM LEONARD: Among tributes from across the industry, the British comedy film director Edgar Wright called Max von Sydow a 'god' who 'changed the face of international cinema'.

Game Of Thrones star Sophie Turner had harsh words for Evangeline Lilly on Friday as she urged her fans to socially distance and self-quarantine to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

The former Lost star stated that last week's comments had been insensitive 'to the very real suffering and fear that has gripped the world through COVID19.'

Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke and The Crown's Claire Foy are just some of the names to have appeared on the programme since its launch on 26 March 2000.

Travel website Scenic found 14 old images of various historical landmarks and  says those who can get 11 to 14 right are 'professional grade' in their knowledge of geography.

In a sweet video, shared by the playhouse on its YouTube, the Game of Thrones star, 24, read Judith Kerr's The Tiger Who Came to Tea.

Tributes have been paid to Game Of Thrones actor BJ Hogg following his death aged 65.

The Republican senator boasted about getting his hair cut at Salon A la Mode as he vocalized his staunch support of owner Shelley Luther and others wanting to make a living during the pandemic.