Wales forward Elise Hughes says the prospect of reaching the World Cup would fulfil a lifelong ambition but insists the focus remains on Tuesday’s play-off second leg against Albania.

Rhian Wilkinson’s side take a slender 1-0 advantage into the return fixture in Llanelli after edging the first leg of their play-off semi-final.

A draw would be enough to send Wales through to the next stage of qualifying for next summer’s tournament in Brazil.

“When you’re a kid, it doesn’t get bigger than that,” Hughes said of playing at a World Cup.

“You dream and you’re in the garden thinking of the World Cup and you’re at your grassroots team thinking of the World Cup.

“Now this group has a chance to do it and that is the most important thing for the group here and now.

“But to do that, we’ve got to win the game on Tuesday. This is the most important game to date because it’s next.”

The Prem

Sale (14) 28

Tries: Canakaivata, Warr, Bamber, penalty try Cons: Ford 3

Harlequins (17) 24

Tries: Riley 2, Smith 2 Cons: Smith 2

Harlequins’ poor start to the Prem season continued with a third successive loss of the campaign against Sale at CorpAcq Stadium.

The Sharks came from behind to win the game with a 73rd-minute penalty try after the returning Marcus Smith had touched down twice in the opening quarter to give Quins an early lead.

After their opening-day reverse to Bristol at home, Sale have bounced back strongly with back-to-back wins over Saracens and Quins.

But, despite their first points of the season, another defeat leaves Quins rooted at the bottom of the table.

More to follow.

Sale: Carpenter; O’Flaherty, Marchant, Lozowski, Reed; Ford, Warr; N Smith, Jibulu, Opoku-Fordjour, van Rhyn (c), Bamber, Lawes, Tshiunza, Canakaivata.

Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, McIntyre, Francis, Dugdale, Hanson, Louw, Loganimasi

Harlequins: Furbank; Green, Northmore, Bradley, Murley (c); M Smith, Porter; Hobson, Riley, Kerrod, Dun, Treadwell, Kenningham, Driscoll, Cunningham-South.

Replacements: Walker, Johnson-Holmes, Streeter, Petti, Schmid, Friday, Beard, Isgró

Referee: Christophe Ridley.

First Test, Durban (day three of five)

Australia 390 & 33-0: Maddinson 17*

South Africa 284: Bedingham 49; Cummins 3-54

Australia lead by 139 runs

Scorecard

Australia’s modern Test side remain a fascinating one to unpick.

Viewed by many in England as there for the taking in last winter’s Ashes despite a 4-1 win, they are also labelled too old by many observers at home.

The victims of recent shock defeats by West Indies and Bangladesh, they are still unbeaten in their past nine Test series.

But while their struggling batting line-up was bailed out by Matt Renshaw across the first two days of the first Test in Durban, they took control over South Africa on day three in an all-too familiar way.

Nine years after they first appeared together as Australia’s bowling quartet, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon produced their latest relentless performance to dismiss South Africa for 284. There was even some magic from Steve Smith thrown in too.

Cummins took three wickets, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon two apiece, in doing so brushing off any doubts about their effectiveness at the start of a run of Tests against the world Test champions, in-form New Zealand, India and England.