Another turnover at the start of the second period proved costly for Kenya as Ronald Brown capitalised to score his sixth try of the tournament, one fewer than Otieno who had a big hand in Kenya’s only try of the final when he attracted the attention of three defenders to open up space for Daniel Taabu to cross.

The tried and tested combination that yielded dividends in the previous World Cup cost their team with fundamental mistakes in what could have been their final outing together in green and gold. The recalled half-back duo endured a torrid first half in their first starts of this World Cup after Cheika opted for experience at scrum-half and fly-half in place of Christian Lealiifano and Nic White, who featured in last weekend’s laboured victory over Fiji.

Wales knew that by stopping quick ball at the breakdown they would limit the threat of Genia and Foley, which was the undoing of them four years ago in the equivalent fixture at RWC 2015. Waren Gatland’s team had learned from that fateful afternoon at Twickenham and effectively shut off any quick ball supply.

On the few occasions early on when Australia’s forwards secured quick possession the playmaking pair – boasting over 175 caps between them – hastily attempted to pass the ball through the backs. But the desperate desire to feed the likes of Samu Kerevi and Marika Koroibete was the undoing of Foley within the first 10 minutes when Gareth Davies accepted a Hollywood pass with open arms.

It wasn’t just Foley who suffered at the outstretched arms of Davies in the Japanese capital. A miscalculated and fateful pass from Genia just two minutes before the break found its way into the welcoming hands of his opposite number. The 31-year-old took a clumsy couple of steps with ball in hand from the ruck, allowing Davies to read the play and run half the length of the pitch for an easy score. Genia, who has been one of the first names on Wallabies teamsheets over the last decade, will be left to contemplate if those ponderous moments and steps leading to Davies’s interception will have finally ended his status as preferred No.9.

It was a frustrating evening for the 30-year-old fly half, one that ended with his withdrawal just five minutes after the restart. Genia lasted little longer after another wayward pass from the ruck. This time he was relieved that the interception led to nothing beyond an audible chorus of boos from the stands.

With a third of the game remaining Cheika’s starting halves had been replaced by White and Matt Toomua. And the changes paid dividends. (Guardian)

Toomua’s half-break down the blindside, just seconds after his introduction, spurred the travelling fans into life. They sensed a late swing in the momentum of the match after Michael Hooper darted over the line for Australia’s second try, showing that experience counted for something in the forwards, at least.

Toomua and White orchestrated the closing stages, with their forward pack now securing cleaner and quicker ball at the breakdown. The Welsh defence was being pulled from side to side and the Wallabies midfield were finding cracks that were few and far between with Genia and Foley on the pitch. White even found time and space for a trademark dart down the blindside from the base of the breakdown as Australia grew stronger and offered more variation in their attacking play as the match entered the final 10 minutes.

However, it was a case of too little too late as a Rhys Patchell penalty extended Wales’s lead to a decisive four points. The first-half errors from Genia and Foley proved costly and may have put the final two nails in the coffin of their time as their country’s first-choice halfback combination.

In a candid and emotional interview, he tells the Sunday Mirror how he sobbed in the arms of a doctor, feared he would die – and felt like ending it all by driving over a cliff.

The 45-year-old is the first UK sportsman to reveal he has the virus and is breaking his silence because he wants to end stigma around HIV.

He also reveals he and husband Stephen – who he met after being diagnosed – married three years ago. Stephen does not have HIV.

Former Wales rugby union and league star Gareth says of his diagnosis: “I’ve been living with this secret for years.

“I’ve felt shame and keeping such a big secret has taken its toll.

“I had a fear people would judge me and treat me like a leper because of a lack of knowledge. I was in a dark place, feeling suicidal. I thought about driving off a cliff.

“To me, wanting to die was just a natural thought and felt like the easier way out, but you have to confront things.

“And having a strong support system and the personal strength and experience of overcoming those emotions got me through it.

“Many people live in fear and shame of having HIV, but I refuse to be one of them now. We need to break the stigma once and for all.

“I’m speaking out because I want to help others and make a difference.”

Gareth is speaking on the eve of the Rugby World Cup starting next week – when he will be a pundit for ITV. While reluctant to reveal the date of his diagnosis, Gareth spells out the profound moment he was given the news by medics.

The former British Lions captain, who revealed he was gay in 2009 and retired from rugby in 2011, said: “I’ll never ever forget the moment I found out. I went for a routine sexual health test at a private clinic in Cardiff.

“I’d had the tests every now and again and they’d always come back okay. I didn’t feel ill and I thought everything was going to be fine.

“The woman who did the test took blood as usual, then I went out to my car and waited for about an hour before going back in to get my results.”

His voice choking with emotion, Gareth adds: “When I went back in, I sat down on a chair next to a doctor’s bench. She told me in a quite matter of fact way I had tested HIV positive.

“When she said those words I broke down. I was in such a state. I immediately thought I was going to die.

“I felt like an express train was hitting me at 300mph. I wasn’t expecting it at all. Then I was thinking ‘how long have I got left?’ I was distraught.”

Gareth, who is 6ft 3in and 16st, found himself sobbing on the doctor’s shoulder while struggling to understand the enormity of the news and what the future held.

He goes on: “She treated me with such empathy and understanding and after about 20 minutes I got myself together.

“I remember she told me, ‘You need to go to the hospital right now and start the process straight away, because the doctors will be able to help you better understand your diagnosis. Don’t wait for tomorrow’.

“I drove straight to Cardiff Royal Infirmary, but I was still in such a traumatized state. In tears, I rang a good friend on the way and blurted it out.

“I told him, ‘I’ve got HIV – I’m going to die’. He was trying to comfort and reassure me and telling me to go and speak to the doctors, but I’d already made my mind up that my life was over.

“I’d never known anyone with HIV or AIDS. And everything I’d heard about HIV was death and frailness.

“Like most people I lived with the belief that HIV is terminal. I tried to keep going as normal in the days afterwards, but felt completely numb.”

Gareth had to reveal his diagnosis to a string of former sexual partners so they could be tested.

He says: “I had to tell people I’d had sex with since my last test that I was HIV positive.

“Your history suddenly becomes very relevant and you have a duty of care to tell them. I did it over the phone. That was hard.”

Gareth married his teenage sweetheart Jemma in 2002. They split up after he told her he was gay – and he went public about his sexuality 10 years ago. He was the first British rugby international to “come out”.

There are an estimated 101,600 people in the UK with HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus – but many consider it too taboo to reveal it.

That is why Gareth remained silent, until now. He says: “I’ve chosen to speak out about this in the Sunday Mirror because it’s the paper I trust to put my story out there in the right way and because I believe together we can make a difference.

“But the truth is I’m still scared even now of people finding out I’m living with HIV and I’m s****ing myself and feel petrified about what the reaction will be, because we still live in an era where HIV is not spoken about.”

Gareth admits he once believed the myths surrounding transmission of HIV.

He adds: “I thought that if people knew about me being HIV positive they wouldn’t want to breathe the same air as me, they wouldn’t want to drink from the same cup as me and if I walked into a coffee shop everyone would just walk out because they’d be so scared of being infected by me.

“I think if you went out on the street right now and told 10 people you have HIV, 50 per cent of them would be scared you’re going to give it to them.

“I don’t blame people for thinking it, because I did too, but we need to change that by talking about it and educating people.”

HIV targets and alters the immune system, increasing the risk and impact of other infections and diseases.

Without treatment, the lifelong infection – which is spread through sexual contact and blood – can progress to AIDS. No cure is currently available for HIV or AIDS.

But modern advances mean HIV patients in countries with good access to healthcare very rarely develop AIDS once they get treatment.

Life expectancy of people with the virus is approaching that of a person who tests negative, as long as they adhere to a combination of ongoing medications called anti-retroviral therapy. Gareth takes one tablet containing four medications each day.

His condition is now under control to the point it is considered “undetectable” and can’t be passed on.

He receives regular counselling and has blood tests at Cardiff Royal Infirmary every six months.

But Gareth has never used the main entrance, saying: “I’ve always gone through a side door before opening hours because I thought if people spotted me they’d put two and two together and work out my secret.

“It has all been shrouded in a sense of shame and from me entering the clinic to leaving always feels like a blur.

“I still don’t feel I could walk in through the main entrance even now, although maybe that’ll change.

“HIV is a scary subject. There’s a lot of fear and ignorance. But the fear is something people learned in the 1980s from the tombstone adverts on TV. In 2019 there is nothing to be afraid of.

“People need to know that due to modern medicine HIV is not life-threatening any more and because of the medication I take, there’s no way it can be passed on.

“It’s very controllable. In terms of effect on the body, diabetes is considered worse to have than HIV by doctors. I’m not dying.”

The star remains supremely fit and will today compete in the Wales Ironman event in Tenby, South Wales.

He says: “I’m fitter now than when I played rugby and I didn’t have HIV then. I’m not just all right, I’m better than all right.”

Gareth, from Bridgend, won 100 caps for Wales from 1995 to 2007.

He made global headlines when he came out as gay while still playing rugby union. He went on to play rugby league, earning four caps for Wales.

A career in TV followed – he was on Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing on Ice and appeared on Oprah and the Ellen DeGeneres chat show.

Last year, he and MP Damian Collins launched a draft amendment to the 1991 Football Offences Act that would outlaw homophobic abuse at matches.

In November 2018 Gareth was attacked by a 16-year-old in Cardiff over his sexuality. Officers dealt with the youth offender by restorative justice following a request by Gareth – who believed it was the best way for the lad to learn.

Gareth is donating his fee for this interview to HIV and AIDS charity The Terrence Higgins Trust.

He says: “Through the Trust I’ve met other people with HIV and that has been powerful. It made me realise how much good I can do and the part I have to play in making a difference.

“I hope me speaking out about my diagnosis will help a lot of people.”

Ledesma launched a broadside at Australia match official Angus Gardner in his post-match interview, complaining his side was being refereed like a “small nation” — comments that drew fire even in Argentinian media.

A contrite Ledesma appeared before reporters on Monday to say: “If I am here, it is to apologise to the people I may have offended — and to the values of rugby.”

“Speaking about ‘small nations’ or words to that effect was uncalled-for. And when you make a mistake, you have to apologise. That seems the most logical thing to me,” he added.

He said he had also sent an official letter to World Rugby about the incident, which earned him a sharp rebuke back home.

La Nacion said that the coach had “forgotten the fundamentals of rugby” and had sent a “dangerous and harmful message”.

“In any club in Argentina, boys learn that ‘the referee is always right’,” said the paper.

Ledesma stressed he had no reason to call into question the impartiality or integrity of Gardner, whom he said he knew from his team as assistant coach to Wallabies’ Michael Cheika.

His words came from “frustration at losing a match it was possible to win,” said Ledesma, adding: “I do not want people to think that we lost because of the referee.”

To progress beyond the pool stages, Argentina will in all likelihood need to beat England, as well as the less highly regarded teams in the pool, Tonga and the United States.

The team will be coached by Kama and fellow Springbok Women’s assistant coach, Eddie Myners. An expanded squad consisting of Springbok Women’s and SA Select players gathered in Port Elizabeth on Sunday to begin their preparations for Saturday’s match and the Bok Women’s Test against Spain on Saturday 21 September.

Both these matches will both be hosted at the WJ de Wet Stadium in Despatch. “We had our first training session on Monday and the conditioning aspect was quite challenging for some of the new players, as they are not used to training at this intensity,” said Raubenheimer.

“But it is important that we expose them to what is expected at this level, so they know what they have to work towards. That said, it has been pleasing to see them bite the bullet and push through, and it is a good start for them.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for the young players to stake a claim for places in the Test team in future, and I am really excited to see what they have to offer.” Kama was also pleased with the progress the players were making in camp and said:

“Our training is going well and the vibe in the squad is good. Some of the women are here for the first time and they are excited to be part of the group, so I have no doubt they will use this opportunity to grow as players and learn as much as possible.”

With only a week to prepare the squad, Kama said the focus in the next few days will be on the structures and sharpening up on the players’ basic skills. “We have limited time to prepare the squad so the keys for us this week are to fine-tune the basic skills and ensure that we can implement that effectively on the field. Our game plan in general will be quite simple, as we would like to get the best out of these skillful youngsters,” he said. Kama said there were two objectives for the team going into Saturday’s friendly. “One of the main goals with the selection of this team was to have an opportunity to work with the younger players and see who has the potential to play at a higher level,” said Kama. “But we would also like to win the match and prove that although this is an SA Select team we have good talent coming through. “Having played against Spain in the UK last year we have an idea of what to expect from their Invitational XV going into the game, but the key for us will be to implement our structures well and hopefully we will get the desired results. This match is a great opportunity for us to see what we have in the basket in terms of the talent on offer in SA.” Myners and Kama will name their match-day squad for the clash on Friday – SA Rugby

Cheika included David Pocock in his 31-man squad, alongside Michael Hooper, Jack Dempsey and Isi Naisarani in the back row, as well as a couple of hybrid lock-flankers, such as Lukhan Salakaia-Loto.

In the back three, Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge and Marika Koroibete are battling for positions, as well as a number of versatile options such as Kurtley Beale, Adam Ashley-Cooper, James O’Connor and the uncapped Jordan Petaia.

The 52-year-old has felt the need to bolster these two areas, however, with Brumbies back rower Rob Valetini and Rebels utility back Jack Maddocks both being brought in for the upcoming game against Samoa, in order to lighten the workload for players in the 31-man squad.

Valetini, 20, had his 2019 season disrupted by injury, although the powerful ball-carrier has been involved in Wallaby training camps and recently signed a two-year contract extension with Rugby Australia. The return to fitness of Pocock and the form of Naisarani both played against Valetini in his bid to make the 31-man squad last month.