Referees Nigel Owens and Wayne Barnes have been selected to officiate at their fourth Rugby World Cup.

Welshman Owens, 47, took charge of the 2015 final between New Zealand and Australia at Twickenham.

Barnes, 40, is joined by fellow English referee Luke Pearce, who will be appearing in his first tournament.

Four Frenchmen have been selected among the 12-strong group of referees while the host nation Japan has just one assistant referee, Shuhei Kubo.

England-based Matthew Carley and Karl Dickson have been selected as assistant referees along with Ireland RFU official Andrew Brace.

Owens and Barnes will match the achievement of Welsh referee Derek Bevan to officiate at four World Cups.

"I am very excited and honoured to be doing another World Cup, a tournament which is the pinnacle of everybody associated with rugby," said Owens.

"It is my fourth World Cup and in all probability it will be my last as a referee.

"It is something special as well with it being staged in Japan and it will be the first one in Asia."

Referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Luke Pearce (England), Jérôme Garcès (France), Romain Poite (France), Pascal Gauzere (France), Mathieu Raynal (France), Nigel Owens (Wales), Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand), Paul Williams (New Zealand), Nic Berry (Australia) and Angus Gardner (Australia).

Assistant referees: Matthew Carley (England, reserve referee), Karl Dickson (England), Andrew Brace (Ireland), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand), Federico Anselmi (Argentina), Shuhei Kubo (Japan) and Alex Ruiz (France).

TMOs: Graham Hughes (England), Rowan Kitt (England), Ben Skeen (New Zealand) and Marius Jonker (South Africa).

Bath have confirmed that former captain Stuart Hooper will become director of rugby as part of a new coaching team.

Hooper, 37, replaces Todd Blackadder, who had been with the club since 2016.

Neal Hatley will return as forwards and defence coach after helping England at the World Cup, while Luke Charteris is to become a specialist line-out coach.

"We are building a system based on who we are, how we play, how we train, and how we develop," said chief executive Tarquin McDonald.

"We will always be judged on the 80 minutes each weekend, but the level of rigour that surrounds the design of our rugby department and training programme is what we believe will deliver consistent performances and successful results."

Meanwhile, Girvan Dempsey is to continue in his role as attack and backs coach and Andy Rock has been confirmed in the role of performance director.

Bath are sixth in the Premiership table after beating Wasps 29-17 on Sunday.

Israel Folau has been found guilty of a "high level breach" of Rugby Australia's player code of conduct after he said "hell awaits" gay people in a social media post.

A three-person panel who presided over his hearing will now consider what punishment the 30-year-old will face.

His RA contract was terminated in April but he requested a hearing.

The Waratahs full-back, contracted with RA until 2022, escaped punishment for similar comments last year.

The panel will take written submissions from both parties before deciding Folau's sanction.

Folau - who has won 73 caps and was expected to play at this year's World Cup in Japan - gave evidence on Saturday, with RA chief executive Raelene Castle and Waratahs chief executive Andrew Hore also appearing before the panel.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has said Folau is unlikely to be selected for Australia again.

In addition to his rugby union career, Folau has also played professional rugby league and Australian rules football.

In April, Australian rugby league's governing body ruled out Folau returning to the NRL.

British and Irish Lions lock Richie Gray and Worcester fly-half Duncan Weir have been left out of Scotland's 42-man Rugby World Cup training squad.

English-born centre Rory Hutchinson earns a first call-up by coach Gregor Townsend after an impressive season with Northampton Saints.

Glasgow Warriors hooker Grant Stewart and Scarlets forward Blade Thomson, both also uncapped, are recalled.

Edinburgh back-row John Barclay is included as he eyes a third finals.

A forward and back will be added as Townsend gives players the chance to "play their way into the group", which will eventually be cut to a 31-man group heading to the finals in Japan.

Townsend said: "We made a conscious decision to keep squad numbers low, which enables us to do more work with those most likely to be on the plane to Japan.

"There are of course a number of very good players who have missed out - players who have been unlucky with injuries this year or haven't hit form at the right time - while others are unlucky to lose out on some very close decisions."

Gray, capped 62 times for Scotland, does not make the squad despite the 29-year-old having recovered from a lengthy back injury to feature for European semi-finalists and French league leaders Toulouse.

The 27-year-old Weir has played 27 times for his country but is also not included along with centre Alex Dunbar, the 30-cap 29-year-old having been on loan to Newcastle Falcons from Glasgow Warriors.

Pro14 title-chasing Glasgow contribute 17 players to the training squad, while Edinburgh have 13.

Just under half - 14 - of those named featured in the 31-man squad that reached the quarter-final of the 2015 tournament in England.

Townsend will initially work in smaller groups to accommodate post-season breaks and players involved in the knockout stages of domestic or European Cup competition.

The majority of players will then be given three weeks off and will return from mid-June to intensify pre-season preparations in Edinburgh.

There will be three pre-season residential camps in Scotland and a hot weather camp in Portugal before four home-and-away summer Test matches against Georgia and France in August and early September.

"As it's likely to be hot and humid during the tournament, our warm-weather training camps in Portugal and Nagasaki, as well two Test matches in the heat of Nice and Tbilisi, should be invaluable," Townsend added.

Scotland training squad

Forwards

John Barclay (Edinburgh), Simon Berghan (Edinburgh), Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors), Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh), Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Allan Dell (Edinburgh), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Gary Graham (Newcastle Falcons), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), Willem Nel (Edinburgh), Gordon Reid (London Irish), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Sam Skinner (Exeter Chiefs), Grant Stewart (Glasgow Warriors), Josh Strauss (Sale Sharks), Blade Thomson (Scarlets), Ben Toolis (Edinburgh), George Turner (Glasgow Warriors), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors).

Backs

Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors), Chris Harris (Newcastle Falcons), Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors), George Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh), Greig Laidlaw (Clermont Auvergne), Sean Maitland (Saracens), Byron McGuigan (Sale Sharks), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors), Henry Pyrgos (Edinburgh), Finn Russell (Racing 92), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens).

England back row James Haskell is to retire at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old, who has won 77 caps and played in the past two World Cups, has struggled with ankle and toe problems with Northampton this season.

He joined Wasps in 2002 and spent seven years with the club before moving to Stade Francais, the Ricoh Black Rams in Japan and Super Rugby's Highlanders.

Haskell returned to Wasps in 2013 and moved to Saints last summer, but has only played four times this season.

"I have loved every minute of my career in rugby and feel very privileged to have played with and against some exceptional players," said Haskell, who also toured with the British and Irish Lions to New Zealand in 2017.

"This next chapter was supposed to go a very different way, however that is the nature of professional sport. I've never spent so much time injured in my entire career, but I'm doing everything I can to help the squad here until my contract ends.

"Retiring is obviously a really difficult decision for me to make; professional rugby has been the centre of my life for such a long time now and while it's weird to imagine living without it, I look to the future with huge excitement."

'One of the game's great characters'

Haskell won three Six Nations titles with England and was part of the team that won the Grand Slam in 2016 before starring in the side that whitewashed Australia on tour that summer.

He played in England's 2011 World Cup quarter-final loss to France and was part of the Wasps side that won the 2007 Heineken Cup final.

England head coach Eddie Jones said: "It was a privilege to coach him, but also great fun. He's what I'd describe as a glue player - someone who always tries to bring a squad together.

"His tour to Australia in 2016 sticks in my mind. He was absolutely outstanding on that tour, amazingly physical, uncompromising and just totally dominant.

"Despite injuries preventing him from achieving his goals this season, he should be remembered for a great career and as someone who never gave less than 100% for club and country.

"Not only a superb player, but also one of the game's great characters; rugby will be poorer without the old fella."

Analysis

BBC rugby union correspondent Chris Jones

Haskell's dream was to bow out after a successful Rugby World Cup in Japan, but - as he acknowledges - sport doesn't always do fairytales.

Either way he can reflect on an outstanding career, where he not only achieved a huge amount on the pitch, but broadened his horizons off it.

And while as an international player he perhaps didn't have the consistency of say a Richard Hill, Haskell did produce some remarkable displays at the highest level.

His individual performances against Wales in Cardiff in 2015, and in Australia a year later, will go down in English rugby folklore.

BARTLETT, Tenn. – Sides Motorsports will have a two-car team at Eldora Speedway this weekend.

Veteran Tim Kaeding is joining Jason Sides during the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series doubleheader at the high-banked oval on Friday and Saturday.

“I don’t think TK’s been there in a while so it’ll be fun to watch him,” Sides said. “It helps me because it’s another driver that can talk about what we need to do. I think it’s good to have two guys bouncing ideas off each other.”

Sides has two World of Outlaws wins at Eldora Speedway. He won the Kings Royal in 2004 and was victorious during a World of Outlaws show in 2009.

“I figure with all the weather the track will be somewhat wetter than normal, which could be good,” he said. “There might be a top and a bottom.”

World of Outlaws races were rained out last weekend at Riverside Int’l Speedway in West Memphis, Ark., and at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Only a few days remain until the opening round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, and MX Sports Pro Racing has announced that a record total of prize money and contingency will be on the line.

Support from the championship’s six competing manufacturers has surpassed $6 million, providing an unprecedented level of funding for American motocross.

“The unwavering commitment from our manufacturers has helped the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship reach an all-time level of contingency support, which will only serve to benefit the hundreds of riders that will contest the Nationals this summer,” said Davey Coombs, President of MX Sports Pro Racing. “The OEMs play a crucial role in elevating the global influence of American motocross, and Pro Motocross provides a platform for manufacturers to showcase their off-road endeavors. Our record sum is also a welcome indication of the overall health of the motorcycle industry.”

Manufacturer participation in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is anchored by the factory and factory-supported efforts of Honda, Husqvarna, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki, and Yamaha. Each respective brand’s contingency contribution will be up for grabs across the 40-rider fields in both the 450 Class and 250 Class, who will also compete for nearly $1 million in pro purse money.

Reigning back-to-back 450 Class champion Eli Tomac of Monster Energy Kawasaki will look to join elite company in his quest for a three-peat, while a wide-open field of 250 Class competitors will each look to claim a vacant title, which would serve as the first for any of these riders. It all kicks off on Saturday, May 18, with the Bell Helmets Hangtown Motocross Classic, followed by a summer-long quest highlighted by visits to the most legendary and iconic racetracks in the country, from which a pair of champions will emerge at the Ironman National on Saturday, Aug. 24.

WELCOME, N.C. – Tame the Beast, a men’s grooming product brand, will back Tyler Reddick when he makes his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend at Kansas Speedway.

Tame the Beast encourages men to embrace their inner beast with their uniquely masculine grooming products. Products include a variety of scents and purposes, such as the Extreme Yawp Hair, Beard & Body Wash, Nutt Butter, and Caffeine Conditioner. The Nashville, Tenn.-based company uses all-natural, intense botanicals, including eucalyptus, ginseng, and pomegranate, in all of their products.

“We’re thrilled to support Tyler,” said John Cascarano, founder of Tame the Beast. “We’re all about helping men perform at their peak, and clearly Tyler is racing at the top of his game.”

Reddick made his NASCAR Cup Series debut earlier this year in the Daytona 500, finishing 27th after being caught up in a wreck late in the race. The defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion is currently leading the points in the Xfinity Series season, capturing one win, two pole awards, eight top-five and nine top-10 finishes so far this year.

Tame the Beast, whose motto is to groom boldly, has found a great match in Reddick, who is known for his aggressive driving style and giving each lap everything he’s got.

“Tame the Beast is an edgy, bold brand that’s making noise in the men’s grooming industry,” said Reddick. “I think that fits well with my driving style and the attitude of my RCR team this season. We’re out there every weekend, going hard to get every spot we can and often driving on the edge to get it. I’m excited to be partnering with Tame the Beast and helping spread their message to groom boldly.”

This will be Reddick’s first Kansas Speedway start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The 22-year-old driver has two starts at the 1.5-mile speedway in the Xfinity Series, collecting one pole and two top-five finishes.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – OutWest Express, a provider of transportation services in the Southwest, will join Front Row Motorsports and Matt Tifft for the Digital Ally 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race this weekend at Kansas Speedway.

Headquartered in El Paso, Texas, OutWest Express provides cost-effective and dependable transportation services, including 24-hour dispatch, expedited freight transit and company-owned tractors and trailers. Featuring performance-based engine monitoring systems and aerodynamic equipment designed to promote fuel efficiency, OutWest Express’s top-of-the-line fleet is ready and well-equipped for all types of transportation situations.

“We are excited to team up with Matt Tifft and Front Row Motorsports this weekend at Kansas Speedway,” said Zachary Chilson, VP of OutWest Express. “Kansas City is a major hub for our fleet and we are proud to provide stable job opportunities to the community. Teaming up with the 36 car is a great way to show NASCAR fans across the country who we are and what we can do.”

“It’s always great to team up with a new partner, especially a company like OutWest Express, whose core values resonate so well with the NASCAR fanbase,” said Tifft. “I’m proud to have them on the car this weekend and I’m glad we can help carry their message on track.”