ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- On the face of it, a pitching matchup between Charlie Morton and Zack Greinke is more than tune-in-worthy. Both are outstanding pitchers, among the best in baseball. This season, Greinke tied for fourth in the majors with 18 wins; Morton won 16. Greinke was ninth in ERA (2.93); Morton was 11th (3.04). Greinke ranked sixth in innings pitched (208 2/3); Morton was ninth in strikeouts (240).

That, in itself, is enough reason to watch Morton's Tampa Bay Rays take the field for Game 3 of their American League Division Series against Greinke and the mighty Houston Astros. Houston won the first two games of the MLB postseason matchup, both at Minute Maid Park, largely due to the dominance of starters Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. With the Rays trying to keep their season alive, starting pitching has become the dominant theme of the series. This, too, is a good reason to watch Morton and Greinke go toe-to-toe.

Of course, you will have to take our word on all this. "It's nice," Greinke said during his pre-start news conference on Sunday, when asked his thoughts on the series thus far. The entire affair was a 43-word classic by Greinke that was belligerently dull, even by his standards. Oh well.

That old-school starting pitching narrative is fairly ironic as it applies to the Rays, a tech-savvy franchise with an organizational approach so innovative -- even disruptive -- that if the chronically under-supported franchise ever decides to relocate, maybe it should consider moving to Silicon Valley. But the narrative is a rich one, not just because of the respective statuses of Morton and Greinke, but because of a treasure trove of subplots that will be trotted out Monday.

Let's start with Greinke, one of three active 200-game winners in baseball, whom the Astros acquired at the trade deadline in a blockbuster deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Houston already had arguably the AL's best roster, but it did seem as though a midrotation starter would bolster the Astros' outlook. Well, when you've got Verlander and Cole heading up the rotation, the bar for a third starter can be held pretty high. Thus it falls to Greinke to follow the big footprints left before him by Houston's co-aces in Games 1 and 2. And he'll do so with a very different style, or so we think.

"I'm not sure about that," Greinke said. "I haven't thought about it too much."

OK, then.

How big were those aforementioned footprints? Verlander held Tampa Bay to one hit over seven scoreless innings on Friday, striking out eight and walking three, a pitching line that translated to a game score of 80. Cole one-upped the guy known to his teammates as -- ironically -- "JV" by striking out 15 in Game 2, falling just two shy of Bob Gibson's postseason record. The Rays went scoreless against Cole, too, as he went 7⅔ innings, allowing four hits and one walk. His game score was 85. During each of the previous two years, there were only two game scores of 80 or better during the entire postseason -- the Astros have matched that by themselves in two games.

For all his regular-season excellence, Greinke's postseason record is spotty. He's 3-4 with a 4.03 ERA over 11 playoff starts, with a game score log that tops out at 78. In other words, Greinke has never done in the postseason what he just watched teammates Verlander and Cole do during the first two games against Tampa Bay.

Greinke has been outstanding since joining the Astros, though he's had plenty of support. He's 8-1 over 10 starts with a 3.02 ERA. The Astros have averaged 6.9 runs per game with Greinke on the mound, which doesn't hurt. And as much attention as Houston's starters have drawn the last few days, it almost overshadows an Astros offense that has scored more runs than any team except the Yankees over the last three seasons.

That means Greinke may have a buffer that Morton doesn't. The Rays may almost be looking forward to facing Greinke after watching two games of blistering heat from Verlander and Cole, but they've also got to tamp down an offense that has scored nearly seven runs per game with Greinke starting. And if the Astros get their offense churning, they'll be doing it against a pitcher they know a heck of a lot better than the recently acquired Greinke.

"For me, there's really no mystery with the Astros," Morton said. "It's just kind of they are who they are to me. I mean, I know those guys pretty well, on and off the field. I'm well aware of the challenges that they present. And I know what they're made of."

Morton went 29-10 with a 3.36 ERA for the Astros during the 2017 and 2018 seasons before departing for the Rays last winter for a two-year, $30 million free-agent deal (plus a vesting option for a third season), a contract that has been a bargain during his first season with the Rays. Morton's innings total (194 2/3) might look modest by traditional standards, but he threw 53 more frames than any other member of Tampa Bay's staff. The Rays have talent, depth and a preponderance of stuff, but they also battled a landslide of pitching injuries all season. It's not a stretch to say that without the modicum of stability Morton provided, the Rays would not be playing the Astros in the playoffs.

"What we've seen the last two games against Houston, they had it on their side with Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "They've kind of been there, done that, both of them. Now we've got a guy that the irony is that he was a part of that group, but he's doing it in a Rays uniform now. So that helps.

"As far as Charlie on the mound, I would say I think it's a similar feeling as to how clubs feel about when Verlander takes the mound or Gerrit Cole takes the mound."

None of this comes as any kind of surprise to the Astros, with whom Morton established himself as a beloved clubhouse leader and pillar of the community. In modern baseball, players change teams. It's the nature of things. And sometimes, those players will end up facing their old team. It happens all the time and it's a reliable subplot for those who cover the sport. But sometimes the "taking on his old team" narrative rings a few extra tones. This is one of those times.

"I love Charlie," Astros manager AJ Hinch said at the series' outset. "And everything that he's about. I routinely text with him to check on him and his family. It's weird, still weird, to see him across the way. It's still weird to see him in a [different] uniform, especially in this building at this time of the year."

Morton's embrace of the city of Houston, and the love it showed him in return, was never more evident than in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in late August of the Astros' championship season of 2017. After the club was temporarily relocated to Tropicana Field for a "home" series against the Texas Rangers, the Astros made an emotional return to Houston the following week, and when they took the field against the New York Mets, they became a symbol for a community determined to move forward in the wake of tragedy.

During that time, Morton was as eloquent as anyone in articulating what everyone was dealing with.

"Having my family here, my wife and my kids, and to see the goodness in people ... you know it's here," Morton said back then. "In times like this, when people are going through some of the worst times they've experienced, the goodness in people really shines. It makes it easier for us on the road and unable to do anything. I'm just really, really proud to be an Astro. I'm so proud to be a small part of the city and the community."

Houston began its recovery, and the Astros refocused themselves on the quest for their first title. And just two months later, they finished that quest -- and it was Morton on the mound at the end, delivering the climactic pitch to Corey Seager at Dodger Stadium. No matter what happens, Morton will always be the pitcher who was on the hill when Houston captured its first World Series.

Now, Morton's task is very different. He must take on a group of former teammates whom he knows so well, both as people and as a dangerous team, and there is no time for nostalgia and remembrance. The Astros have yet another ace lined up to pitch against a hungry Rays offense and all of those potent bats lined up to knock their old teammate off the mound. The scene will once again be the Trop, but instead of the 3,000 or so fans who showed up to watch the displaced Astros and Rangers back in 2017, a rare full house is expected to be on hand Monday. Same place, completely different vibe and a tremendous opportunity for the Tampa Bay franchise.

"Trying to connect this organization, this team, with the fan base here because I feel like there's a certain window you have, a lot of times, to establish that," Morton said. "Especially with younger fans, people that are first-generation Floridians.

"So I think that's something that certainly motivates me a little bit for, you know, being now a local, living in Bradenton. But playoff baseball and success, I mean, there are a myriad of motivations that come with that."

These are the ironies and subplots that make the fabric of postseason baseball so rich. The teams have more narrow-focused goals in mind. The Rays just want to survive to play on Tuesday. The Astros want to end the series right away, so they can line up their staff for what looks like an inevitable clash with the powerful bats of the Yankees, and in doing so, putting off any decision on who might be their fourth starter until the next round.

"We would love to be done and close the series out," Hinch said. "There's no reason for us to want to play any more games other than the ones we have to. If you can escape a series without using, for us in particular, JV and Cole [a second time], that would be outstanding setting up for the next series."

So, yes, it's a good pitching matchup and it's the playoffs, and that's always enough. But Greinke vs. Morton is more than that, for both pitchers, and if you like your baseball with a few extra layers of rich subtext, don't miss Game 3 on Monday.

"Everybody has a better day when they cross paths with Charlie Morton," Hinch said. "I think everybody in this room would agree. Everybody in our room would agree. Everybody across the way. But I also think we showed pretty well that we can set that [aside], compartmentalize that a little bit and try to beat him."

Results from road race action in the Welsh capital plus the ULTRA LONDON, Loch Ness Marathon and more

Coverage of IAAF World Championships action in Doha can be found here, while an English National Road Relays round-up is here and other recent highlights are below.

Cardiff University / Cardiff Half Marathon, Wales, October 6

Leonard Langat took 73 seconds off the course record to win the Cardiff University / Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday.

The Kenyan secured success after a sprint finish to pip his compatriot and 2016 champion Shadrack Kimining by a mere two seconds.

Langat won the race in 59:30, while long-time race leader Kimming had a 10-second PB to reward his efforts in second place in 59:32.

“I was feeling comfortable behind Shadrack and I pushed on in the final 500 metres,” said Langat. “I kept the pace up right to the finish because I was feeling so strong.”

The first British athlete home was Mohamud Aadan in 11th place in 64:15. Peter Le’Grice was one place further back in 64:21, a 35-second PB, while Charlie Hulson took the Welsh title, which has been dominated by Dewi Griffiths in recent years, with a PB time of 64:28 – a 51-second improvement on his previous best set in Copenhagen last month.

Hulson, a former English cross-country champion, is preparing for his marathon debut in Valencia in December and was delighted with his run in Cardiff.

“I’m still relatively young for the marathon,” said the 26-year-old, “but I enjoy the longer work and there is no point in waiting around to have a go at it.

“I felt fairly comfortable at the pace at which I was running, but I won’t be going off that quick on my marathon debut. Anything under 2:13.00 I will be happy with and the long term goal is to make the Welsh team for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.”

There was another dramatic finish in the women’s race as Kenya’s Lucy Cheruiyot and Ethiopia’s Azmera Abreha ran side-by-side down the finishing straight, with Cheruiyot’s compatriot Paskalia Kipkoech not far behind.

In the end, the extra strength of Cheruiyot carried her to victory, although both she and Abreha were given the same time of 68:20. Kipkoech was a further five seconds behind in 68:25.

The first British athlete home in the women’s race was Jenny Spink in seventh in a time of 73:26. Rebecca Hilland came home in 10th in 77:42, while Carys Hughes won the Welsh title in 78:20, stripping 2 min, 49 sec off her previous best time.

In the elite men’s wheelchair race, Danny Sidbury won comfortably despite having to pull over to find some tools to tighten one of his wheels after it threatened to fall off.

Following the event, which featured a record 20,432 starters from a 27,500 entry, organisers announced the sad news of a fatality, with 35-year-old Nicholas Beckley said to have died in hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest.

“Nicholas Beckley, aged 35, died at the University Hospital of Wales, Heath, Cardiff, having collapsed at the finish line after completing the race,” organisers said in a statement. “He suffered a cardiac arrest and received immediate attention in the medical centre located at the finish line.

“Nick, who worked as a Senior Planner at Cardiff Council and was an alumni of Cardiff University, had run the race twice before and was a regular runner and football player.”

Matt Newman, CEO of event organisers Run 4 Wales, said “The thoughts of everyone connected with the race are with Nick’s family and friends at this difficult time. The medical team and emergency services reacted with great speed and professionalism to his collapse on the finish and he received specialist medical care within a minute of finishing.

“We will remain in close contact with the family and will continue to support them in every way we can.”

ULTRA LONDON, October 5

The inaugural edition of the event, which had 500 entries, saw runners take on either a 55km or 27.5km ultra running challenge in the UK capital.

Thomas Kingham (pictured) won the men’s 55km in 4:15:15, with Miki Neant claiming the women’s title in 5:03:09, while the 27.5km winners were Florent Papeil in 2:10:36 and Clémentine Ebel in 2:25:20.

The longer distance saw runners set out from Woolwich and travel through nine of South London’s boroughs, while those taking on the 27.5km course started at the midway point at Crystal Palace before participants finished together in Richmond upon Thames.

On Shrewsbury Half Marathon, October 6

The men’s race saw eventual winner Tom Roberts and runner-up Jack Pickett run together for a large section of the course, but it was Roberts who eventually pulled away to claim victory in a time of 69:54 ahead of Pickett’s 71:56.

Third place was claimed by Callum Welman in 76:16.

The women’s race was dominated throughout by Jackie Skinner, who took the win in a time of 81:27. Second place went to Rachel Sweatt in a time of 82:49 and Elliw Haf crossed the line five minutes later to take third place in a time of 87:48.

Baxters Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running, Scotland, October 6

Isaiah Kosgei clocked 2:29:31 to win the men’s marathon and Katie White ran 2:42:04 to break the course record in the women’s race.

The 10km winners were Cameron Strachan in 30:31 and Megan Keith in 34:42.

MBNA Chester Marathon, October 6

Tom Charles won the men’s race in 2:29:29, while Abbey van Dijk claimed the women’s title in a time of 3:01:51.

Bournemouth Marathon Festival, October 5/6

Lloyd Biddell won the men’s marathon in 2:25:48 ahead of Phil Wylie (2:33:26) and Steven Yates (2:41:06) while the women’s race was won by Gill Bland in 2:59:41 ahead of Jen Granger (3:00:30) and Juliet Champion (3:02:57).

James Hoad (69:45) and Sophie Delderfield (81:17) won the half-marathon races.

Mattoni Liberec Nature Run, Czech Republic, October 5

The second running of the Mattoni Liberec Nature Run 12 & 23km was dominated in cold and rainy conditions by Vít Pavlišta in the 23km race (1:26:16), while Marcela Rambová (1:47:57) was the women’s race winner.

The 12km distance was won by Robert Heczko (43:31) and Tereza Hrochová (48:11), who managed to improve the women’s event record by five minutes.

Momen finds it tough against Al Tamimi  
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

Defending champions Mohamed ElShorbagy and Raneem El Welily got their title challenges under way at the FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships earlier today as they booked their round three spots at the PSA Platinum event held at Drexel University.

ElShorbagy is a three-time champion at the event and will be aiming to add a fourth to his ever expanding collection after already clinching both the China Squash Open and Oracle NetSuite Open titles at the start of this season.

However, the 36-year-old Golan did not make it easy for ElShorbagy, with the veteran Spaniard pushing him all the way in a feisty four-game encounter. The Spaniard led 8-3 in the fourth, but was unable to hold on to his advantage as the 28-year-old Bristol-based Egyptian closed out the win by an 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9 margin.

“When you play Borja, it is always going to be tough,” said ElShorbagy. “He is one of those players that if you are going to take them out, you have to fight for every point. He is so experienced, he knew what time to change the ball, what time to slow the pace and when to play at a faster pace.

“It would mean a lot to get my fourth title here. Every season I work on my game a lot. I finish every season and ask myself what went wrong and what I need to work on. I want to be back at No.1 again, I don’t want any other number but No.1. I’m going after that spot big time this season. Every session I did this summer was with that focus, and I’m not going to relax until I get it.”

Meanwhile, World No.3 Tarek Momen survived a big scare as he came through a five-game battle with Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi, winning 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 to book his place in the last 16.

Tamimi produced strong and disciplined squash in the first game to take a surprise lead over the World Championship runner-up, and fought back from 2-1 down to set up a decider. But Momen showed just how much his mental resilience has improved over the years in the fifth as he kept his composure to set up a third round meeting with Germany’s Raphael Kandra.

“I always give every player the utmost respect and never underestimate anyone,” said Momen. “I went into today’s match knowing that Abdulla has a good arsenal of attacking shots and I knew that he has a good game, but I feel the way he played today was well above his ranking. He was just unbelievable and at some points I felt like he couldn’t make any mistakes.”

Elsewhere, World No.1 Ali Farag began his attempts to win a second U.S. Open title with a 3-0 win over England No.1 Daryl Selby, while World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad defeated up-and-coming Egyptian Mostafa Asal. Declan James, who is managed by Selby, also went out in an all-English battle against left-hander Adrian Waller, who now meets Farag.

US interest in the men’s draw came to an end at the hands of New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson as he got the better of University of Penn junior Andrew Douglas.

In the women’s draw, World No.1 El Welily took just 23 minutes to despatch fellow Egyptian Nadine Shahin in straight games.

The 30-year-old has already reached finals at the China Open and Oracle NetSuite Open this season – winning the former – and she will now face compatriot Yathreb Adel in the next round after she battled past England’s Julianne Courtice in a tough five-game encounter at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia.

“I’m always happy to be back here in Philly,” said World No.1 El Welily afterwards.

“I absolutely love it here and the atmosphere is always amazing. It’s definitely not been a bad start to the season. I’m pretty pleased with the way I have performed, but the season is still very long and it is only two tournaments out of 10 or 12. It counts for nothing so I have to put it behind me and keep moving forward.”

Meanwhile, United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy overcame compatriot Olivia Fiechter, despite still struggling with the effects of an adductor strain sustained at the Oracle NetSuite Open.

The Boston-based Harvard-graduate withdrew from her quarter-final match in San Francisco and, sporting heavy strapping on her leg, battled to an 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 victory to ensure that she will face India’s Joshna Chinappa in the last 16.

“I was struggling with a little niggle in my leg from San Francisco,” said 26-year-old Sobhy.

“So I didn’t really know what to expect coming here and whether I was playing or not playing, playing and making it worse. But this tournament means so much to me and I wanted to at least try, so no matter what happened I gave it a shot and tried my best. I’m pleased to win and move to the next round.”

Sobhy’s younger sister, Sabrina, bowed out to No.2 seed Camille Serme while US No.2 Olivia Blatchford Clyne lost out to New Zealand’s Joelle King.

The day’s biggest upset saw Malaysia’s World No.48 Sivasangari Subramaniam down World No.13 Alison Waters to set up a meeting with England’s Sarah-Jane Perry, marking the first time she has reached the last 16 of a PSA Platinum event.

The third round begins today (Monday October 7) at 13:30 (GMT-4) local time, with all matches taking place on the glass court in Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center.

The action will be broadcast on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.
 

PSA World Tour Platinum FS Investments US Open 2019, Daskalakis Athletic Center, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA. (Equal prize money: $185,500 for both men and women).

Men’s Second Round:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Daryl Selby (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 (38m)
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Declan James (ENG) 3-1: 11-2, 8-11, 13-11, 11-8 (59m)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 3-1: 12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 (70m)
[8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt Cameron Pilley (AUS) 3-1: 11-9, 5-11, 11-1, 11-7 (49m)
[7] Diego Elias (PER) bt George Parker (ENG) 3-1: 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4 (47m)
Joel Makin (WAL) bt Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) 3-1: 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-2 (55m)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Cesar Salazar (MEX) 3-1: 8-11, 13-11, 11-5, 10-6 retired (61m)
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Mostafa Asal (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 15-13 (49m)
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 3-2: 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 (65m)
Raphael Kandra (GER) bt Fares Dessouky (EGY) 3-1: 9-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-7 (59m)
Zahed Salem (EGY) bt Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-1: 9-11, 12-10, 13-11, 11-5 (51m)
[5] Simon Rösner (GER) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-1: 11-3, 12-10, 5-11, 11-7 (49m)
[6] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 3-0: 13-11, 11-6, 11-3 (53m)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 3-2: 9-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 (61m)
Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt [WC] Andrew Douglas (USA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (45m)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 3-1: 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9 (68m)

Men’s Third Round (Top Half, October 7):
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Adrian Waller (ENG)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v [8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
[7] Diego Elias (PER) v Joel Makin (WAL)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) v [4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)

Men’s Third Round (Bottom Half, October 8):
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Raphael Kandra (GER)
Zahed Salem (EGY) v [5] Simon Rosner (GER)
[6] Paul Coll (NZL) v Mazen Hesham (EGY)
Campbell Grayson (NZL) v [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)

Women’s Second Round:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 (23m)
[15] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Julianne Courtice (ENG) 3-2: 11-3, 11-9, 6-11, 4-11, 11-5 (47m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [10] Alison Waters (ENG) 3-1: 11-5, 4-11, 11-7, 11-9 (41m)
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 (29m)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) bt Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) 3-1: 12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 11-5 (43m)
Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt [11] Victoria Lust (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-5 (26m)
[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-2: 12-10, 9-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4 (70m)
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Tinne Gilis (BEL) 3-0: 11-6, 11-1, 11-1 (19m)
[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Nele Gilis (BEL) 3-1: 11-1, 5-11, 11-2, 11-9 (45m)
[13] Salma Hany (EGY) bt Low Wee Wern (MAS) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-2 (25m)
[16] Joey Chan (HKG) bt Lee Ka Yi (HKG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (25m)
[8] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt Melissa Alves (FRA) 3-0: 11-1, 17-15, 11-9 (40m)
[7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Olivia Fiechter (USA) 3-1: 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 (34m)
[12] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Donna Lobban (AUS) 3-2: 7-11, 11-3, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9 (50m)
[9] Annie Au (HKG) bt Rachael Grinham (AUS) 3-1: 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4 (39m)
[2] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [WC] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 (26m)

Women’s Third Round (Top Half, October 7):
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [15] Yathreb Adel (EGY)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v [6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) v Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)

Women’s Third Round (Bottom Half), October 8):
[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [13] Salma Hany (EGY)
[16] Joey Chan (HKG) v [8] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v [12] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[9] Annie Au (HKG) v [2] Camille Serme (FRA) 

Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA

The organisers of the Rugby World Cup and Formula 1 bosses are monitoring a powerful typhoon forming to the south of Japan which could bring fierce winds and torrential rain over the weekend.

Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) says Typhoon Hagibis is expected to reach the highest level of "violent".

The JMA added: "It could be the strongest to hit Japan this year."

World Rugby says it is heading in a "north-westerly direction" and could bring disruption to southern Japan.

The typhoon is predicted to hit the southern island of Kyushu on Saturday.

There are two fixtures on the island over the weekend - a potentially crucial match for Ireland against Samoa in Fukuoka on Saturday, while Wales face Uruguay in Kumamoto on Sunday.

World Rugby insists it has a "robust contingency plan in place" should the adverse weather impact tournament fixtures.

However, any games cancelled at the World Cup because of the weather are registered as scoreless draws.

Ireland need a bonus-point victory against Samoa to ensure their passage through to the quarter-finals.

Ireland's defence coach Andy Farrell said World Rugby is as "keen as we are to get this game played", adding: "The weather forecast changes all the time anyway, so we won't probably know until 48 hours out from the game.

"The boys haven't even spoken about it - we just go from day to day, get on with our preparations."

Wales might have already sealed their place in the quarter-finals before they face Uruguay with victory over Fiji on Wednesday, and head coach Warren Gatland says he does not want to "waste any negative energy on something that I can't change".

"We've had some updates in the past from World Rugby about potential weather stuff, and we will deal with that when it comes," Gatland told BBC Sport.

"We won't be thinking about that, we will just be focusing on the game."

Meanwhile, motorsport's governing body the FIA is also monitoring the situation ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.

In 2014 the race was affected by bad weather, and was halted prematurely when Jules Bianchi crashed heavily, suffering severe head injuries which led to his death nine months later.

Analysis

BBC weather presenter Ian Fergusson

Super Typhoon Hagibis is looking set to approach western Japan by Saturday. Although the exact track is uncertain and some weakening is expected on reaching Japan, the risk of direct impacts at Suzuka this weekend from both rain and wind do look increasingly concerning.

Argentina lock Tomas Lavanini has been given a four-match ban for a high tackle on England captain Owen Farrell at the Rugby World Cup.

Lavanini was shown a red card in the 18th minute of the Pumas' 39-10 defeat, which ended their chances of reaching the quarter-finals.

The 26-year-old, the most sin-binned player in Argentina's history, admitted committing an act of foul play.

Lavanini will miss the Pumas' final Pool C game against USA on Wednesday.

The lock is set to join his new team-mates at Premiership club Leicester after the tournament, and he will miss his first three matches with the Tigers.

Lavanini can return to action on 1 November, so he will be eligible for Leicester's Premiership game with Gloucester at Welford Road the day after.

He becomes the eighth player to be suspended at the World Cup for dangerous tackles, the subject of a major crackdown by governing body World Rugby as it seeks to reduce impacts to the head.

Chris Silverwood has been appointed as England men's head coach.

The 44-year-old Silverwood was promoted from the role of bowling coach to head coach across all formats, succeeding Trevor Bayliss, who left the post at the end of the 2019 season.

Silverwood emerged as the frontrunner for the job last week after Alec Stewart pulled out of the running and Gary Kirsten was also interviewed.

Silverwood impressed the ECB's selection panel, comprising Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison, Managing Director of England's Men's Cricket Ashley Giles and Head of Coach Development John Neal, through a strong interview and his intimate knowledge of the current set-up and systems.

Giles said Silverwood was "the standout candidate".

"I believe he is what we need to take our international teams forward," Giles said. "He is somebody we know well, but it is his intimate understanding of our structures and systems and his close relationships with Test captain Joe Root and white-ball captain Eoin Morgan that will help us develop our plans for the next few years.

"He has performed exceptionally well during his role as an assistant coach and has the ultimate respect of the players that have worked with him.

"Chris demonstrated in his interview a clear understanding and strategy of how both the red and white-ball teams need to evolve. He has some detailed thoughts on what it will take to win the Ashes in Australia and win major ICC white-ball tournaments."

Giles also said Silverwood's relationships with county coaches and directors of cricket would be "invaluable".

"Having led Essex to the County Championship title in 2017, his legacy is very much in evidence this campaign, which saw Essex win the domestic double of the Specsavers County Championship and the Vitality Blast," Giles said. "Ultimately, his highest quality is that he is a winner and that will be an important part of the job as we look to strive to become the most respected team in the world across all formats."

Silverwood's first competitive series at the helm will be England's tour of New Zealand, which includes a five-match IT20 series starting on November 1 in Christchurch and two Tests against the Black Caps from November 21.

"I aim to continue the great work that has been done over the past five years and build on our future, especially in the Test arena," Silverwood said. "I have enjoyed working with the players over the past two seasons, and developing the best crop of talent in the English game.

"I am excited to get started and build teams that the whole game can be proud of. There is a tremendous amount of talent coming through, and there is enormous potential for growth. The hard work starts now, and I am confident we can make a positive impact during our winter tours of New Zealand and South Africa."

Silverwood became England's full-time fast bowling coach at the end of 2017, working with the team throughout the past two seasons, including the victorious World Cup campaign.

Silverwood played six Tests and seven ODIs for England between 1996 and 2002 and spent 13 years at his home county of Yorkshire, before three more seasons at Middlesex. In that time, he took 577 first-class wickets at an average of 27.41.

After his retirement from playing, Silverwood joined the coaching staff at Essex in 2010. He was appointed head coach ahead of the 2016 season, leading them to promotion that same season and then on to the Championship title the following year.