England begin their campaign against Argentina in Marseille on Saturday with expectations at an all-time low after losing three of their four warm-up matches and five of their past six outings. 

Opening weekend talking points: A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since Johnny Sexton was forced off the field in Ireland’s Grand Slam decider

In short, there is nothing that points to anything but a 14th consecutive Test victory for the world's number one side.

A second round 71 left the Kilkenny 22-year-old on five under at the K Club

Keith Earls starts instead of the Conancht man against Romania.

It was reported that one top rugby nation had asked World Rugby for clarification about sanctions for any teams found to be spying.

The Rugby World Cup is kicking off and Ireland will face Romania in their first game - here is all you need to know about the game.

The skipper continued the fine form he is showing in Miami by scoring the winner from a free kick.

As much as the Pacific Nations have shown signs of improvement, there is still a galactic distance between potential and performance

The Pumas have risen to their rightful place on the global stage through their strong sense of each other, through their shared purpose and well-defined identity

The Boys in Green battled gamely but couldn't trouble the hosts. 

Ronan O'Gara and Donal Lenihan join co-hosts Simon Lewis and Brendan O'Brien. 

Starting hooker Rob Herring referenced McCarthy’s strength and physique in assessing the lock’s contribution to the Ireland set-piece.

The 26-year old centre spoke with her shortly after she reached the French capital and he came close to tears as he explained to the media how much it will mean to him to have her at the stadium at the weekend.

The Ireland manager praised Ireland's refusal to concede a glut of goals in Paris

Familiar failings let Ireland down in Paris on Thursday night. 

Experience has also taught Johnny Sexton not to look beyond tomorrow’s opening challenge, let alone talk about Ireland’s prospects of breaking their glass ceiling and reaching a first World Cup semi-final in 10 attempts.

The intention is certainly to put in a tournament tone-setting performance for the 2023 Grand Slam winners regardless of the status of the Romanians.

Ireland and Andy Farrell have gone all in on Johnny Sexton. Past form does not count - you need current form very quickly at the World Cup. Being out of the competitive sphere for such a long time, all his automatics are gone

The scenes on McIlroy’s final hole and a second birdie in a row were astonishing