Arizona-based Brit Alice Wright has not raced on home soil for years and hopes to make it count this weekend by qualifying for Doha

When Alice Wright steps on to the track at the Highgate Harriers Night of the 10,000m PBs in north London on Saturday night it will not only be her first experience of the event but her first race in Britain for seven years.

“I couldn’t even tell you when I last raced here,” she told AW this week after travelling from her base in Flagstaff, Arizona, to London for a 25-lap race that incorporates the European Cup and British world trial.

“All of my races in recent years have been in America, which is kind of crazy. Of course I’ve raced for Great Britain (European Championships on the track and country) but not in Britain itself for a long time.”

On Saturday the 24-year-old is part of the GB team and will be aiming to be one of the top two Britons inside the World Championships qualifying time of 31:50.00. She clocked 31:56.52 at the Payton Jordan meeting in California in May and is hoping to slice at least six seconds off that mark this weekend.

“I was pretty happy to break 32 minutes finally as it had been a big goal of mine,” she says. “But it was annoying to be six seconds outside the world standard.

“If I had run inside 31:50 I would just have had one goal this weekend – to finish top two. But now the goal this Saturday is to get the standard and qualify for the World Championships. But then again I don’t know whose goal that isn’t for this race. Everyone’s going to be going after it and it should make for an exciting race.”

Wright is from Worcestershire and during her teenage years won plenty of minor medals in national events but was often overshadowed by Jess Judd, who was in the same age group.

In cross-country, for example, Wright took English Schools bronze in 2009 and was runner-up in the English Schools and Inter-Counties in 2011, whereas in the English Schools on the track she was fourth in the 1500m in 2009, third in the 3000m in 2010 and runner-up at 3000m in 2011.

As her junior career in the UK drew to an end, she went to New Mexico University in 2013 and was coached by Joe Franklin, who has coached other Brits like Josh Kerr and Charlotte Arter – the latter of whom also races this weekend over 10,000m.

The move to the United States helped her sort out a calf problem that was troubling her at the time and also saw her get involved in the American collegiate system of racing, which is largely why she has barely raced in the UK lately.

“Because I was on a scholarship I couldn’t say I was training for the British trials and instead had to do the NCAA system but now I’m out of that all my focus is now on trial races and getting on to British teams,” she explains. “So I’ll be coming back more regularly.”

Since leaving university she has joined the HOKA-sponsored Northern Arizona Elite team based in Flagstaff where she trains with several sub-2:30 female marathoners and is coached by Ben Rosario. Wright is keen to move up to 26.2 miles quite soon too and she has already posted a half-marathon best of 73:17.

“I’m not ready to put the 10km behind me yet though,” she says. “And I’m certainly not going to be stepping down to the 5km – or 1500m, god forbid – any time soon.

“I feel stronger in training in longer sessions and that points toward doing the marathon. I don’t want to delay it until my early 30s. I’d like to do one in the next year or so and as long as I can stay healthy – and I’m in the right group and place for that – I feel I’d be stupid not to do a marathon soon.”

Despite her time in the United States, she has not lost her strong English accent and she adds: “I’m hoping the marathon will be my sweet spot when it comes to pace.”

First comes the 10,000m on Saturday, though. “I’ve heard great things about this race so I’m hoping we can all run fast,” she says. “There are limited opportunities for athletes to run fast track 10,000m races anymore. It’s not in the Diamond League and it’s hard to find a fast 10,000m race. It’s really cool to see that Highgate has achieved this and I hope the fast times can be replicated on Saturday and that I can be one of the athletes who runs one.”

It is a rare chance for her family and UK-based friends to see her run too. “I’m excited that they will get to see me race. I just hope I can put on a good race for them and do them proud after all the support they’ve given me over the years.”

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]