With the August 28 deadline now passed for the final submission by all 20 teams of their 33-strong squads travelling to France, the names of the 660 players who will be involved at Rugby World Cup 2023 have been confirmed.
An All Blacks star headlined an array of international recruits who played in the second round of the Top League over the weekend.
Having been awarded a walkover in their home quarter-final against Castres, Leicester now head to France to face Toulon in the Challenge Cup semi-finals.
Tonga impressed against Argentina, although their chances of springing an unlikely upset were hamstrung by another Rugby World Cup refereeing blunder.
Argentina took a positive step towards their showdown next weekend against England in Tokyo with a Julian Montoya hat-trick in their win over Tonga on Saturday.
With so many warm-up matches played in the lead up to World Cups, World Cup debuts have tapered out in recent times. Look back through the years, however, and a number of test footballers have first been blooded on rugby's highest stage.
Coach Toutai Kefu has revamped his Tongan side to take on Japan in the second round of the Pacific Nations Cup, which sees the return of regular captain Siale Piutau.
Nasi Manu will add another chapter to his remarkable recovery from testicular cancer after being named captain of Tonga in his first match back in test rugby against Samoa this weekend.
Returning cancer survivor Nasi Manu headlines Toutai Kefu's 31-man Tonga squad for the upcoming Pacific Nations Cup.
Premiership bosses are not backing down in the insurance row over player access ahead of the World Cup.
