Exeter Chiefs fly-half Gareth Steenson is to take on his first role in coaching as part of National League One side Plymouth Albion's backroom staff.

The 35-year-old, who is Chiefs' record points-scorer, will remain a player at Sandy Park but will also help oversee Albion's attacking play.

"This is a great opportunity for me," said Steenson.

"It's great to be a player, but this is a fantastic opportunity to be in a different environment."

England forward Maro Itoje speaks about the jovial atmosphere in the squad in the build-up to October's Rugby World Cup, saying it is mostly down to head coach Eddie Jones.

Itoje told the Today programme: "He sets high standards but also has an incredible sense of humour. He is one of the biggest jokers in our whole squad."

Jones announces his World Cup training squad on Thursday.

Read more: Lack of education behind racism - Itoje

Christian Lealiifano has been named in Australia's squad for the first time since being diagnosed with blood cancer leukaemia in August 2016.

The Brumbies fly-half, who is now in remission having been clear of any signs of the disease for two years, last played for Australia in June 2016.

The 31-year-old is in the 34-man squad for the Wallabies' Rugby Championship opener against South Africa on 20 July.

"He deserves to be there," said Australia coach Michael Cheika.

"If you take out the other things that he's achieved, he's been playing good rugby.

"I'm not the expert to speak on what Christian has been through, only he knows that and his family. What you can't deny is his form in Super Rugby."

Lealiifano, who captains Canberra-based team Brumbies, has made 19 appearances for Australia. His inclusion means there is no room for Melbourne Rebels fly-half Quade Cooper, who made the last of his 70 international appearances two years ago.

Scrum-half Nick Phipps, who has 71 international caps and flanker Ned Hanigan have also missed out.

Joe Powell and Nic White have been chosen as understudies to regular scrum-half Will Genia, with Toomua and Lealiifano, who has also had a successful stint with Ulster, the likely backups for regular fly-half Foley.

Australia host Argentina on 27 July and New Zealand on 10 August in the annual four-team Rugby Championship, which is being halved from six to three games this year because the World Cup starts in September.

Australia open their World Cup account against Fiji on 21 September.

There is more racism in football than rugby because of a lack of education, according to England rugby union international Maro Itoje.

Football has seen a number of high-profile incidents of alleged racist abuse in recent months involving the likes of Manchester City's Raheem Sterling.

When asked why rugby seems to suffer less overtly from racism than football does, Itoje said: "I think rugby fans - and people in rugby - are a little bit more educated than those in football."

He added: "That's not to say rugby's perfect. There are subtle things in rugby that we need to try and stamp out and get rid."

Speaking to the BBC Radio Four's Today programme, Itoje, who plays his club rugby for Saracens, also says the intense rivalry and tribalism between fans of different football clubs brings their "unconscious bias" to the surface in the form of racist abuse.

"Football fans are as passionate to their club as they are towards their religion, or in some sense their country," he said.

"When an opposition player, who is a person of colour, does damage to their team, they then bring out something as they want to hurt them. Often the way they do that is throw abuse at them, and that abuse is perceived to hurt them.

"With that it goes to the subconscious/unconscious bias that a lot of people have innately in them. So when they then spout out that abuse and they say a racist slur towards them, it goes back to their unconscious bias that they already had in them.

"I think in rugby, it's nowhere near as tribal. The fans are passionate but they're passionate in a different way. The values of rugby are so important, not only to the players but to the staff and the fans."

Satisfaction when you 'smoke' somebody

Itoje has also defended the level of physical aggression in rugby, saying it is key to the sport's appeal for players and fans - provided it is within the rules.

"If you go back to decades, centuries, millenniums ago, people were fighting. And not only fighting as a way to survive but as a spectacle, as a sport," he said.

"There's always been an appeal to people fighting one another. It's always something that's got people excited and the physical aspect to rugby is no different.

"A lot of players get a great deal of satisfaction after they 'smoke' somebody, after they hit them hard. I do, I completely put myself in that bracket. On the flip side, when you're on the receiving end of it and you get hit, you're like 'OK now it's my turn to try and dish out some of the damage.' Obviously all within the letter of the law.

"It's just a part of the game that people love and it's a part of the game that has to keep going."

Joe Marler has come out of international retirement and been named in England's World Cup training squad.

The 29-year-old Harlequins prop retired from England duty in September 2018 having won 59 caps.

But he has reversed that decision and is included in a 35-man training squad for this year's tournament in Japan.

"I saw Joe during the Barbarians week and he indicated that he had a desire to come back," said England head coach Eddie Jones.

"We have since had a couple of chats and we have given him the opportunity to do that. Now it is up to him to show us what he has got."

Four uncapped players are included in the training squad: Gloucester scrum-half Willi Heinz, Northampton flanker Lewis Ludlam, Bath wing Ruaridh McConnochie and Saracens hooker Jack Singleton.

Premiership player of the year Danny Cipriani has also made the cut, while Harlequins prop Kyle Sinckler is recalled after spending a week with his club.

While not named in the 35-man squad, inured trio George Kruis, Jack Nowell and Mako Vunipola will all continue their rehabilitation in camp.

Jones will name his final 31-man World Cup party next month.

"We can't wait to have the full squad in place and to have players competing for those 31 places," he added.

Jones has already jettisoned a handful of experienced players, with Danny Care, Chris Robshaw and Dylan Hartley missing out.

England's most-capped full-back Mike Brown has also been omitted, as has Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson, who made his international debut during the Six Nations.

"World Cup selection is a four-year process. We have looked at the squad carefully, tried to build up a squad that has enough experience, attitude and energy to be winners and I think we have that," Jones said.

"In the process, we have left out some players who can feel unlucky. For those guys who have missed out, the door is never closed but they have just got to be ready, as you never know when the opportunity comes."

England official World Cup training squad

Forwards: Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks), Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby), Ellis Genge (Leicester Tigers), Jamie George (Saracens), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Joe Launchbury (Wasps), Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints), Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints), Joe Marler (Harlequins), Ben Moon (Exeter Chiefs), Brad Shields (Wasps), Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins), Jack Singleton (Saracens), Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby), Billy Vunipola (Saracens), Harry Williams (Exeter Chiefs), Mark Wilson (Sale Sharks)

Backs: Danny Cipriani (Gloucester Rugby), Joe Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby), Elliot Daly (Saracens), Owen Farrell (Saracens), George Ford (Leicester Tigers), Piers Francis (Northampton Saints), Willi Heinz (Gloucester Rugby), Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby), Jonny May (Leicester Tigers), Ruaridh McConnochie (Bath Rugby), Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs), Ben Spencer (Saracens), Ben Te'o (unattached), Manu Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers), Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby), Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)

In camp for rehabilitation: George Kruis (Saracens), Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), Mako Vunipola (Saracens)

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. — Howard Moore outran a strong field of 360 sprint cars to win Wednesday night’s USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour feature at Riverside Speedway.

Moore started third on the quarter-mile dirt track and beat polesitter Derek Hagar to the checkered flag.

Ernie Ainsworth finished third, with Dale Howard and Jeff Swindell rounding out the top five.

The finish:

Feature (30 laps) 1. 3-Howard Moore[3] ; 2. 9jr-Derek Hagar[1] ; 3. 91 A-Ernie Ainsworth[2] ; 4. 47-Dale Howard[11] ; 5. 94-Jeff Swindell[5] ; 6. D6-Codu Gg43ardner[6] ; 7. 10-Terry  Gray[7] ; 8. 26-Marshall Skinner[4] ; 9. 07 T-Brandon Taylor[21] ; 10. 07-Johnny Bridges[9] ; 11. 44-Ronny Howard[14] ; 12. 13-Chase Howard[18] ; 13. 17b-Shelby Brown[16] ; 14. 38-Tony Agin[15] ; 15. 28-Jeff Willingham[23] ; 16. 39-Brad Bowden[17] ; 17. 0-Dustin Adams[19] ; 18. 11 B-Tyler Horn[13] ; 19. 4 c-Carson Short[12] ; 20. 10m-Morgan Turpen[10] ; 21. 4-Danny Smith[8] ; 22. 7 D-Dillon DeJournett[24] ; 23. 72k-Rick Kahler[25]

WAYNESFIELD, Ohio — Cale Conley, Max Stambaugh and Cody Gardner won the features during Wednesday night’s Jack Hewitt Classic at Waynesfield Raceway Park

Conley drove his No. 3c sprint car to victory in the FAST 410 winged sprint car feature, leading Buddy Kofoid to the checkered flag.

Parker Price-Miller, Cap Henry and Lee Jacobs rounded out the top five.

Stambaugh topped the NRA 360 sprint car feature, with Jared Horstman, Randy Hannagan, Tim Allison and Kyle Sauder following.

Finally, Gardner was the class of the field in the BOSS non-winged sprint car feature, leading defending race winner Lee Underwood and Thomas Meseraull to the finish.

The finishes:

FAST: 1 #3C Cale Conley 2 #11N Buddy Kofoid 3 #71PPM Parker Price-Miller 4 #4 Cap Henry 5 #81 Lee Jacobs 6 #97 Max Stambaugh 7 #35 Stuart Brubaker 8 #16 DJ Foos 9 #23 Hunter Schurenburg 10 #22 Cole Duncan 11 #70X Justin Peck 12 #84 Cale Stinson 13 #00 Thomas Messeraull 14 #14 Chad Wilson 15 #20I Kelsey Ivy 16 #68G Tyler Gunn 17 #18J RJ Jacobs 18 #71 Aryton Olsen 19 #22B Ryan Broughton 20 #6 Joey Saldana 

NRA: 1 #17M Max Stambaugh 2 #17 Jared Horstman 3 #22H Randy Hannagan 4 #11 Tim Allison 5 #2 Kyle Sauder 6 #66 Chase Dunham 7 #71 Gio Scelzi 8 #16B Ricky Peterson 9 #28H Hud Horton 10 #34 Luke Hall 11 #49 Shawn Dancer 12 #22M Dan McCarron 13 #5JR Jimmy McGarth 14 #77I John Ivy 15 #23 Devon Dobie 16 #12S Kyle Simon 17 #4* Tyler Street 18 #1H Zeth Sabo 19 #5W Jeff Williams 20 #35R Ron Blair

BOSS: 1 #9G Cody Gardner 2 #24L Lee Underwood 3 #00 Thomas Messeraull 4 #60 Kory Crabtree 5 #0 Steve Irwin 6 #82 Mike Miller 7 #33M Matt Westfall 8 #9N Luke Hall 9 #19 Matt Cooley 10 #68G Tyler Gunn 11 #18H Dallas Hewitt 12 #53 Steve Little 13 #7 Timmy Buckwalter 14 #9 Dustin Webber 15 #1H Korbyn Hayslett 16 #26 Cody White 17 #21K Kody Swanson 18 #01 Dustin Hammond 19 #34 Parker Frederickson 20 #2DI Dustin Ingle 

FONDA, N.Y. — Stewart Friesen ran down Matt Sheppard to win Wednesday night’s Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series modified feature at Fonda Speedway.

Friesen earned $10,000 for winning the 50-lap event.

Friesen had the lead on lap 31 when his wife, Jessica Friesen, created a yellow flag while running second. Stewart Friesen suffered a flat tire during the yellow flag and turned pit side, handing the lead to Sheppard.

While Sheppard and Erick Rudolph battled at the front of the field, Friesen restarted 16^thand made quick work of the field, charging back to the front.

With three to go, he was all over Sheppard and made the winning pass on the final lap.

Sheppard came home second, with Rudolph, Anthony Perrego and Rocky Warner following.

Tim Hartman Jr. claimed the sportsman feature.

The finish:

Stewart Friesen, Matt Sheppard, Erick Rudolph, Anthony Perrego, Rocky Warner, Andy Bachetti, Larry Wight, Brett Hearn, Mat Williamson, Craig Hanson, Michael Maresca, Billy Decker, Bobby Varin, David Schilling, Mike Mahaney, Matt DeLorenzo, Allison Ricci, Billy VanPelt, Cody Bleau, Steve Akers, Danny Creeden, Mike Gular, Jessica Friesen, Jeremy Smith, Corey Cormier, Billy Pauch Jr., J.R. Hurlburt, Alan Barker, Dave Constantino

PORT ROYAL, Pa. — Lance Dewease became the first two-time winner during Pennsylvania Speedweek Wednesday night at Port Royal Speedway.

Dewease drove Don Kreitz Jr.’s No. 69k to the $7,000 victory and moved into the Speedweek point lead in the process. It was Dewease’s second victory of the week and his sixth of the season.

Dewease held off Logan Wagner in the Zemco No. 1 for the victory with Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer and Kyle Reinhardt rounding out the top five.

The finish:

1 #69K Lance Dewease 2 #1 Logan Wagner 3 #48 Danny Dietrich 4 #51 Freddie Rahmer 5 #91 Kyle Reinhardt 6 #70 Brock Zearfoss 7 #39M Anthony Macri 8 #17B Steve Buckwalter 9 #24R Rico Abreu 10 #5 Dylan Cisney 11 #14 Tony Stewart 12 #11M Dale Blaney 13 #24 Lucas Wolfe 14 #12 Blane Heimbach 15 #9 James McFadden 16 #20 Ryan Taylor 17 #26 Cory Eliason 18 #11 TJ Stutts 19 #55K Robbie Kendall 20 #35 Tyler Reeser 21 #2 AJ Flick 22 #67 Justin Whittal 23 #57J Jeff Miller 24 #87R Aaron Reutzel 7/4