Leading steeplechaser Cue Card could only finish third on his seasonal reappearance in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby.

Last season's Betfair Chase and King George VI Chase winner was well beaten by Irish Cavalier (16-1) and Menorah (12-1)
Paddy Brennan's mount (8-11 fav) was well in contention but struggled when he was called on for an effort late on.
The winner is the biggest success for jockey Jonathan Moore.
Trainer Rebecca Curtis admitted afterwards she was surprised with the horse's performance.
"I thought he'd run well, but I didn't think he'd win," she said. "He's still only seven and he obviously gets three miles. He's improving every season.
"There were a couple of blips last year, but they were when our horses were wrong. He did win at Punchestown.
"The more you race him the better he is."
BBC horse racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght:
If Cue Card was any horse other than the nation's best and favourite chaser, people would be saying this was a perfectly decent first run of the season, nicely setting up an attempt on race number two.
But as his trainer Colin Tizzard said in an interview with BBC Sport last week, when you get to this kind of level people expect more.
The fact is, it was first time out.
Remember too that his Wetherby win last season wasn't his best, and under the conditions of Saturday's race he had to carry more weight than the winner, so there's no need to panic.


A single ward at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness now remains closed because of an outbreak of norovirus.

Ward 2A has been out of bounds to new admissions and to visitors since the end of last month after patients fell ill to the vomiting bug.
Another ward that was closed at the end of February, 7C, has been reopened following a deep clean.
Wards 6C and 2C were shut at the weekend because of the virus but were opened again on Monday.
NHS Highland said norovirus remained to be present in the wider community and urged people to heed advice on how to help control it spread.


Conservative Stephen Mold says he is "humble and proud" after being elected Northamptonshire's police and crime commissioner (PCC).

Mr Mold polled 58,175 votes in the final round of counting ahead of Kevin McKeever (49,161, Labour), after UKIP's Sam Watts (27,708) was ruled out following the first round of voting.
Mr Mold replaces fellow Conservative PCC Adam Simmonds on Thursday.
He said: "I may not always be right but it won't be for the want of trying."
Candidates are listed alphabetically by surname. BBC News App users: tap here to see the results.
More information is available on the Choose my PCC website.


Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole will be out for at least four months following surgery on his hip.

The 28-year-old, who has only made two Premier League appearances for the Black Cats this season, went to the USA for an operation on a torn cartilage.
He last featured in a 3-2 defeat by Crystal Palace on 24 September.
Manager David Moyes said midfielders Jan Kirchhoff and Jack Rodwell, and forward Fabio Borini will also miss the visit of Hull City on Saturday.


Hundreds of people have paid their respects to Labour MP Jo Cox's Batley and Spen constituency ahead of a private family funeral service.

People applauded and threw flowers as the cortege passed slowly through Heckmondwike and Batley earlier.
The mother of two young children died on 16 June after being shot and stabbed outside a library in Birstall.
Amongst the mourners were school children, who held white roses as the cortege passed by.
People also left floral tributes and placed posters and placards along the route pledging to "Love Like Jo".
Live updates and tributes on Jo Cox's funeral
The mother of two young children died on 16 June after she was attacked outside the library in the village of Birstall.
Her killing provoked a wave of shock worldwide and a memorial fund set up by Jo's husband and friends has raised nearly Â£1.5m for organisations she supported.
Ahead of the funeral, Jo's family said: "Knowing that so many people share both our grief and our determination to take forward Jo's legacy is a source of great strength at what otherwise feels like a very bleak time."


Troublesome skin reactions after getting tattoos are "relatively common", a small study from the United States suggests.

Writing in the journal Contact Dermatitis, researchers asked 300 people if they had any unwanted side effects after getting inked.
Ten per cent reported symptoms such as itching, pain and scarring. Some lasted longer than four months.
Scientists are calling for monitoring to see how widespread the problem is.
Researchers asked passers-by in New York's Central Park to complete surveys about their tattoos.
They were asked if they had ever experienced an adverse reaction - any symptom that differed from what they considered a normal part of tattooing or healing.
Examples included redness, skin infections, allergies, sensitivity to the sun and prolonged scabbing.
And in 18 cases the symptoms lasted for more than four months.
Researcher Prof Marie Leger from New York University, said: "I'm not against tattooing.
"The majority of people had no problems but it is important to be aware these issues can occur.
"There are lots of different things that can go wrong - from unregulated contents in ink, to hygiene levels at the tattoo parlour.
"And in many cases no one is at fault. It is the body's immune reaction to the process."
Now researchers are calling for more studies to understand how frequent these reactions are and exactly why they occur.
Surveys in Europe suggest the number of people affected could be even higher.
But most countries, including England, do not have national reporting systems.
In some parts of the UK businesses have to apply for licences from their local authorities before they can offer tattoos.
But there are no nationally enforced standards or mandatory courses for artists.
NHS advice suggests people should check whether their studio has a licence, and that the premises is clean and well-maintained.
They should also make sure gloves are used and the instruments are sterile.
Contaminated needles, for example, can carry the risk of passing on infections such as Hepatitis B.
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health has worked with Public Health England to produce guidelines for businesses and local authorities.
Rick Stevens, president of the Tattoo and Piercing Industry Union, said: "Ideally accident and emergency departments would be able to report any bad reactions to local authorities and trace where they happened.
"But without an official tracing system some complications aren't being picked up properly.
"And there is a growing problem with unlicensed studios that operate underground.
"We would like to see an England-wide licence system so there are national standards in place for artists."


Aston Villa midfielder Tom Cleverley's doorstep conversation with ex-assistant manager Roy Keane was civilised, according to boss Paul Lambert.

Republic of Ireland assistant Keane was reported to have been angry at supposed leaks from the dressing room after he quit in November.
Keane was reported to have rung the doorbell at Cleverley's home for 15 minutes to confront the player.
"It certainly wasn't how it was portrayed," said Lambert.
"I spoke to Tom and he assures me that is certainly not what happened. That was it, really. I spoke to Tom and the matter is finished."
Keane, 43, said he stepped down in order to focus on his role in Martin O'Neill's Republic of Ireland coaching team.
It has been claimed that Keane had a poor relationship with several senior players, most notably vice-captain Gabriel Agbonlahor.
But Lambert said: "Roy's obviously got his Ireland role to contend with and work on, trying to qualify for Euro 2016. There's no problem on that side. He's my pal."
England international Cleverley, 25, is on a season-long deal at Villa from Manchester United and is ineligible to face his parent club in their Premier League game at Villa Park on Saturday.


Twerking, the raunchy dance move performed by Miley Cyrus at the MTV VMAs is among the new words added to the Oxford Dictionary of English.

Oxford Dictionaries Online said the word, borrowed from hip hop culture, had become increasingly visible in the past 12 months.
Other words such as omnishambles and selfie also made their debut in the dictionary's quarterly online update.
Omnishambles was named word of the year by the Oxford Dictionary in 2012.
The word - meaning a situation which is shambolic from every possible angle - was coined in 2009 by the writers of BBC political satire The Thick of It.
Katherine Connor Martin from Oxford Dictionaries said the word twerk had been known colloquially in US hip hop culture for around 20 years.
"By last year, it had generated enough currency to be added to our new words watch list, and by this spring, we had enough evidence of usage frequency in a breadth of sources to consider adding it to our dictionaries of current English," she said.
Other words added to Oxford Dictionaries Online
"There are many theories about the origin of this word, and since it arose in oral use, we may never know the answer for sure.
"The current public reaction to twerking is reminiscent in some ways of how the twisting craze was regarded in the early 1960s, when it was first popularised by Chubby Checker's song, The Twist," she added.
Cyrus's dance routine at the MTV VMA's on Sunday saw her dance suggestively with singer Robin Thicke to his hit song, Blurred Lines.
The performance drew complaints from several quarters, including a parenting pressure group in the US.
On average around 1000 new entries are added to Oxford Dictionaries Online every year.


A woman has been sexually assaulted while walking through a park in Sheffield, police have said.

The 21-year-old was attacked between 22:35 and 23:00 GMT on Monday in Weston Park.
South Yorkshire Police has launched an investigation and a large cordon has been put in place at the site in Western Bank.
Extra police patrols are taking place in the area and witnesses are urged to come forward with information.
More on this story from BBC Sheffield and South Yorkshire
Audrey Leadley, head of student support at the University of Sheffield nearby, said: "We are extremely concerned by the news of a sexual assault taking place in Weston Park last night and will support South Yorkshire Police in their investigations in any way we can.
"The safety and welfare of our students and staff is paramount.
"The University will offer support to any students or staff affected by this and will re-issue important safety advice to our students in light of this attack."


Police are searching for survivors after a boat capsized off the coast of Malaysia, killing at least 13 people, officials say.

Police say the bodies of nine women and four men were found washed up on a beach in Johor state early on Tuesday.
Those on board were thought to be illegal migrants or workers from Indonesia, they added.
Thousands of Indonesians work illegally in plantations and other industries in Malaysia.
They often risk dangerous sea journeys to bypass border controls when they enter Malaysia or return home.
District police chief Rahmat Othman said he believed up to 35 people could have been on board the boat, and a search and rescue operation was under way.
An Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman told Reuters that "ID cards from Indonesia" were found on the bodies of the 13 victims.
Accidents off Malaysia's coast are relatively common as illegal migrants try to find work in the relatively affluent country.
It is also a key transit hub for asylum seekers fleeing unrest in their own countries, such as in Myanmar, also known as Burma.


A campaign group has called on Coventry City Council to be "reasonable" after it brought in dog controls.

The Coventry Dog Group, which was set up to represent dog owners' interests, said it was pleased the council had changed its original proposals to restrict dog-walking in the city.
But it said it would be "keeping an eye" on how the new legislation worked.
The council said it believed dog owners were happy with the new rules which were introduced due to public demand.
The controls consist of five provisions, which will apply in parks and public places across Coventry.
They place a maximum on the number of dogs that can be walked by one owner, ban dogs from children's play areas and say dogs need to be kept on leads next to roads, in graveyards, when sports matches are in progress and in areas signposted by the council.
They also allow wardens to order owners to put problem dogs on leads.
Any breach of the new rules during the first three months will result in an advisory notice.
After the "bedding in" period, the council will issue fixed penalties of up to Â£100.
Mike Konrad from Coventry Dog Group said the council had initially considered restricting dogs around sports pitches - something which more than 4,500 people had petitioned against.
"The council did take away that particular proposal and what is being introduced is more reasonable," he said. "But we are going to keep an eye on things."
Craig Hickin, head of the council's environmental services, said the rules were brought in "largely because people wanted them".
"We have fantastic green spaces in Coventry and it's about making sure we share them responsibly," he said.
"Elected members initially wanted to keep dogs on leads around sports pitches, but local people didn't like that. We believe dog organisations are now much happier."


Funding of £16m has been awarded to a new medical facility in Glasgow which aims to improve treatments for brain, stroke and cardiovascular diseases.

The Imaging Centre of Excellence will be based at the new South Glasgow University Hospital, which is due to open in 2015.
The centre is part of a new Precision Medicine facility, which aims to pioneer more personalised treatments.
The funding was agreed as part of the Glasgow and Clyde Valley City Deal.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney described the funding as "great news" for the new hospital.
"The state-of-the-art Imaging Centre of Excellence (ICE) will give Scotland a comparative advantage in clinical research.
"It will provide innovation facilities for our life science companies to support the development of products and services which will help the NHS meet Scotland's complex health needs."
Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said the new hospital would have "world-beating facilities".
"Glasgow is now very well placed to gain in both health and economic terms from such centres," he said.


Beijing drivers could face a total of  $1.6m (£1m) in fines for breaking driving restrictions during the city's pollution red alert, Chinese media say.

Restrictions during the alert meant cars could only be driven on alternate days, depending on whether its number plate ended in an odd or even number.
Statistics showed about 112,800 vehicles violated the rule - in just four days - newspaper Beijing News and state broadcaster CCTV said.
The most recent alert ended on Tuesday.
The penalty for driving on the wrong day is 100 yuan ($15; £10) for every three hours on the road.
The four-day alert was part of government efforts to address often dangerous levels of pollution in Beijing.
It was only the second red alert - the highest of four tiers of air pollution warnings - ever issued for the city, with the first coming earlier in December.
The four-day alerts trigger restrictions on factory and construction work, and barbecues, among other things.
The authorities had been criticised in the past for rarely issuing pollution warnings, despite facing several bouts of serious pollution. The current alert system started two years ago.
Car use is high in Beijing - of 5.6 million registered cars, buses and taxis in the capital, 4.3 million are private cars.
Long-term exposure to high levels of PM2.5 - a type of pollution involving fine particles less than 2.5 microns (0.0025mm) in diameter - has been linked to lung damage and respiratory illnesses.
The World Health Organization (WHO) considers PM2.5 readings of 25 micrograms per cubic metre as the maximum safe level. During the recent red alert, pollution peaked at 508 on Tuesday, according to the US Embassy's air pollution monitoring service in Beijing.
The US monitoring service describes that level as "beyond index" - one level above "hazardous", which stops at 500.
Coal-powered industries and heating systems - in heavy use during the cold Beijing winter - are major contributors to the pollution.
The air quality is often made worse by weather conditions and the city's geography - Beijing is bordered to the south and east by polluting industrial areas, and to the north and west by mountains that trap the dirty air over the city.


There has been a fish kill along a tributary of the River Moyola near Draperstown in County Londonderry.

It is understood that the numbers involved could be "significant".
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) investigation has traced the source of the problem to nearby premises but said it was not agricultural.
Investigators will work over the weekend to establish the actual extent of the impact.
Norman Henderson from the NIEA described it as a "fairly serious fish kill".
"It's a healthy wee river and it has been quite badly impacted," he said.
"Obviously we're in the early stages of the investigation because this came in on Friday and we're in darkness and we can't investigate at this time of the night but we'll be out again tomorrow, colleagues from Inland Fisheries will be out again tomorrow and they'll quantify the number of fish and the precise length of river affected."
Jack Chapman from Moyola Angling Association said the fish kill had destroyed a lot of good work that had been done on the river.
"We have lost some fish, fish can be replaced, but our concern is for the invertebrate and insect life in the river," he said.
"We can't replace that and that's the food for the fish of the future.
"Also the club has done a lot of enhancement work around the river putting in spawning beds for the fish to spawn on, those may also have been destroyed in this incident."
An estimated two-mile stretch of river has been affected.
The Moyola is a game fishery with salmon, brown trout and Dollaghan trout.


A woman who asked BT to install a landline at her home was told it would cost more than £22,500.

Jenny Stephen expected BT to connect her home to a telegraph pole visible from her window at a holiday village in Corton, Suffolk.
But BT Openreach quoted her a price of £18,799 plus VAT, saying it was due to the "huge" civil engineering task of laying 400m of underground cables.
Mrs Stephen said: "Maybe it's because I'm old, they think I'm stupid."
She retired to Waterside park on the coast 18 months ago and since then has tried to get BT to install a phone line.
More on this and other Suffolk stories
A neighbouring property has been linked by an overhead line to the telegraph pole on The Street, which is adjacent to the holiday park.
But BT told Mrs Stephen it would have to dig up the road to install her landline.
"[I'm told] there's no option, although a radio link or a link to another house would work," added Mrs Stephen.
"I just want to make a phone call but I can't get any sense out of anybody."
BT said: "The price quoted is due the huge civil engineering task to provide an underground service to one customer in Waterside Holiday Park.
"In this instance nearly 400m of cabling is required, as well as the need for surveys and complex underground duct work to be installed."
The owners of Waterside said it would be happy for BT to run overhead cables to Mrs Stephen's maisonette.


Three British men have been sentenced to a total of 43 years in prison in the United States for their part in one of the UK's biggest investment frauds.

Richard Pope, Simon Odoni and Paul Gunter conned British investors out of £80m.
This was then funnelled off into US bank accounts for them to enjoy a lavish lifestyle.
The men were the backbone of an international crime gang that swindled at least 2,300 UK citizens.
The City of London police believe it's the UK's biggest boiler room scam.
"These men are amongst the most arrogant, ruthless and destructive criminals the City of London police have ever dealt with and deserve every day they will spend behind bars," said Det Insp Kerrie Gower, who led the investigation.
The men co-ordinated what police described as a network of Spanish boiler rooms, employing hundreds of people to cold call investors, using high-pressure and misleading sales tactics to con them into buying worthless shares.
Most of the victims were retired professionals whose losses ranged from a few hundred pounds to £1m.
Andrea Goswami, from Yorkshire, still can't find the words to describe her loss. Her husband Mark killed himself after losing around £200,000.
"How could they be so arrogant to think they could get away with it, and have no conscience about it, and just to destroy people's lives in this way, just for money and just for sheer greed, and is it greed that's all that it's about - they say money's the root of all evil and they are evil for what they've done," she said.
"I'm never going to get my life back - the life I had with my husband, my chances of a happy married life with my daughter - we were trying for another child at the time, those hopes have been destroyed. Financially it's been devastating and it's a struggle, it will continue to be a struggle because of what they did."
Mark Goswami's money, and all the other stolen savings, were used to expand the criminal network and pay for the gang's extravagant purchases.
They included a £350,000 private plane, 26 properties and a number of luxury cars and speedboats.
The sentencing marks a major milestone in a seven-year transatlantic investigation involving an array of law enforcement agencies, from Spain to Florida.
John Joyce, special agent in charge in Tampa, Florida, said the case was a great example of how law enforcement partnerships worked on an international scale.
"The United States Attorney's Office, HSI [Homeland Security Investigations] and the US Secret Service worked this case with their law enforcement partners from London to investigate, prosecute and convict  Mr Gunter, Mr Odoni and Mr Pope.
"Their sentences should send a clear message to other fraudsters."
The fraud began in 2004 when Pope, 55, Gunter, 64 and Odoni, 56 acquired the identity of several fraudulent US-based companies. Call centres based in Spain were then used to try to sell fake stock to unsuspecting investors.
Websites and glossy brochures were used to give credibility to the gang's bogus investment opportunities.
The enormity of the case first came to light in 2006 when the City of London police linked a number of inquiries in the UK to activities under investigation by federal agencies in the US.
"The devastation and the impact that victims have suffered has been huge and it's had drastic consequences to individuals lives - marriages breaking down, selling of properties, individuals losing their businesses, having to work again when they were about to go in to retirement,"  said Det Insp Gower.
"The enormity and scale of the devastation, I can't even say in words what has happened in relation to this case."
Andrea Goswami travelled halfway round the world to tell her story in a Tampa courtroom.
"Going into the courtroom was the hardest thing I have ever had to do," she said.
But she was determined to get justice for her husband.
She said he was utterly destroyed by the realisation he'd been conned and the shame of losing everything he had invested in. Andrea only discovered the true scale of the losses after he died.
"He didn't want me to worry about it. My husband's a very proud man and he would never have told me the truth, he would have soldiered on. If he hadn't been so desperate at that time, if he'd only been able to talk to me about it - we could've got through it.
"He must have been so desperate about the situation and obviously didn't know what to do for the best - he'd feel like he failed us. It wasn't his fault but he wouldn't have seen it that way because that's the sort of person he was - very loving, kind and caring and very intelligent and wanted to do the best."
Richard Pope, originally from St Albans in Hertfordshire, was arrested in Spain and extradited to the US. He pleaded guilty in March 2011 of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud between 2004 and 2008.
In March 2013, the trials of Paul Gunter and Simon Odoni took place with Pope testifying against them. Both men were found guilty of three counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, as well as 19 counts of mail and wire fraud and 19 counts of money laundering.
Pope and Gunter had originally worked together in insurance in the UK.
Gunter had lived in London but later emigrated to the US.
Odoni, also originally from St Albans, tried to avoid his bail in the UK by relocating to the Dominican Republic, living in one of the beachside properties purchased through the scam.
He was later arrested in Florida while travelling through Miami Airport.
Paul Gunter was sentenced to 25 years, Simon Odoni got 13 years and 4 months while Richard Pope received a far shorter sentence in return for his co-operation of 4 years and 9 months.
All three men are spending years behind bars. But no sentence will be long enough for Andrea Goswami and her family.
"They've got families of their own. Would they do that to their own families? It doesn't even bear thinking about what sort of a mind they must have. To me it's incomprehensible and it makes me so, so angry that when I see what they bought with all the victims' money - they bought houses and boats and cars and property and left us with nothing. No amount of money can ever ever replace my husband."


Detectives investigating a string sexual offences in the 1980s have released an e-fit image of a man they want to speak to.

James Smith, a Scotsman also known as Jimmy Smith, was last seen at George Tavern Pub in Tower Hamlets, London, in November 2015.
Scotland Yard want to talk to him in connection with allegations of rape and assault between 1981 and 1987.
The two victims were aged under 18 at the time, police said.
The allegations were first reported to police in 2013, but officers have been unable to locate Mr Smith.
The former Glasgow bus driver, originally from the Scottish Highlands, had a brother called Joe or Joseph.
He moved to London in 1980 and lived in Poplar, east London.
Mr Smith had light ginger hair at the time and would now be aged between 65 and 75.
Hannah Stewart, of the Met Police's sexual offences unit, said: "Inquiries to trace James Smith in connection with this investigation have so far been unsuccessful and by launching this appeal we hope that someone will be able to provide us with vital information that will lead us to him."


Scotland will face Ireland and hosts Japan in the pool stage of the Rugby World Cup 2019 finals.

A European qualifier and the winners of a play-off will join Scotland in their section at the tournament, which runs from 20 September to 2 November 2019.
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend insisted that Ireland were not necessarily the easiest of the four possible top seeds.
"Whoever we drew in the first set of teams was going to be very tough," he told BBC Scotland.
Drawing Ireland, world ranked four, meant the Scots avoided holders New Zealand, Australia and England.
Scotland, who beat Ireland 27-22 at Murrayfield at the start of this season's Six Nations and are presently ranked one place below them, had been in the second pot of seeds for the draw made in Japan.
"Ireland we know well and we know how good they are," said Townsend, who has taken over as coach following the end of his last season with Glasgow Warriors.
"They've really improved over the last few years, won the Six Nations last year, beat the All Blacks, beaten England this year as well.
"Whether it's better for us or Ireland that we know each other so well, we will find out in a couple of years' time."
It is the fourth time that the Scots have been drawn in the same pool as Japan and the sides faced one another in England two years ago.
The Scots then led by Vern Cotter beat the Cherry Blossoms 45-10 to finish runners-up in their group behind South Africa, but all three sides recorded three wins and a defeat after Japan shocked the Springboks.
"Obviously there's an excitement playing the host nation and it probably guarantees a sell-out game in that fixture and I'm sure there will be a lot of buzz in Japan around the group we're involved in," said Townsend.
"It will be hugely passionate and adds to the challenge for us to take on the host nation, but it's one we are looking forward to."
Japan, at 11th, were the second-highest ranked team Scotland could have faced out of pot three, with Argentina highest at ninth.
The Scots kept their unbeaten record at test level against the Cherry Blossoms intact with a 2-0 series win in Japan last year.
Japan coach Jamie Joseph said: "Japan haven't beaten Ireland or Scotland to date, so it is going to be a big challenge, but any group we got was going to be a challenge.
"We play Ireland in June, so it will give us a good understanding of their team."
Twenty nations will take part in the tournament and have been drawn into four groups of five.
The 12 teams who finished in the top three of their groups at the last World Cup automatically qualified for the event.
They were split into three bands based on their ranking, with eight more teams yet to be decided.
The All Blacks, England, Australia and Ireland were in band one, France, Scotland, South Africa and Wales made up band two and Argentina, Georgia, Italy and Japan are in band three.
The teams yet to qualify were in the two remaining pots.
Scotland will face the top qualifier from Europe, plus the winner of a play-off between the second top European team and the third from Oceania.
Pool A: Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Europe 1, play-off winner
Pool B: New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Africa 1, repachage winner
Pools C: England, France, Argentina, Americas 1, Oceania 2
Pool D: Australia, Wales, Georgia, Oceania 1, Americas 2


Gareth Bale became the leading British goalscorer in La Liga history as Real Madrid thumped Sevilla in an action-packed match at the Bernabeu.

The Wales forward, 26, hit the post and had a strike disallowed before tapping in his 43rd goal in the Spanish top flight, beating Gary Lineker's tally.
Madrid led through Karim Benzema's wonderful half-volley, before Sevilla's Kevin Gameiro missed a penalty.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Jese, either side of Bale's goal, sealed the win.
However, despite producing one of their best performances in recent weeks, Zinedine Zidane's side are still 10 points adrift of arch-rivals Barcelona in the title race.
Relive a dramatic night at the Bernabeu
Bale has become a firm favourite at the Bernabeu since his world record £85m move from Tottenham in September 2013, scoring his 43 league goals at an impressive rate.
Despite suffering with several injuries since arriving, Bale's strike-rate has not suffered - netting more than once every two games in his 76 La Liga appearances so far.
There had been a slight doubt over whether he would even start Sunday's game against sixth-placed Sevilla.
Bale will miss Wales' two friendly games next week because of fitness concerns and the impending birth of his second child.
But not only did he play, he outshone Ronaldo and Benzema in a full-strength Real attack.
Bale looked sharp from the start, his pace and movement causing problems for the Sevilla defence, and teeing up Benzema's stunning opener.
After seeing Sevilla's inspired keeper Sergio Rico tip his drive onto the post and then wrongly being ruled to have strayed offside when he converted Ronaldo's header, he finally passed ex-Barcelona and England striker Lineker's tally after the break with a simple finish from six yards.
And when the Welshman was withdrawn after 70 minutes, the Bernabeu crowd responded with a standing ovation.
More to follow.


Mae'r Aelod Seneddol dros Orllewin Clwyd, David Jones wedi colli ei le fel Gweinidog Gwladol dros adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd (UE).

Roedd Mr Jones yn ymgyrchu i Brydain adael yr UE cyn y refferendwm y llynedd.
Wrth gael ei holi gan y BBC ddydd Gwener dywedodd cyn ysgrifennydd Cymru, Mr Jones mai Mrs May yw'r "arweinydd gorau sydd gan y Torïaid ar hyn o bryd".
Y Farwnes Anelay sydd wedi cymryd ei le fel Gweinidog Gwladol dros adael y UE wrth i'r Prif Weinidog Theresa May roi trefn ar ei chabinet newydd.


President Barack Obama is set to strike an optimistic and hopeful tone in his final State of the Union address.

The president will focus on cementing his legacy rather than unveiling new policies, officials have said.
Mr Obama is expected to frame some of the key issues in a way that fellow Democrats can embrace during campaigning for the upcoming election.
However, recent polls suggest that seven in 10 people in the US do not share their leader's optimism.
A response by the Republican party will be delivered by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
In excerpts from the speech released in advance, Mr Obama urges Americans to make world changes work for them and overcome fears.
He will say the future the US wants is only possible if the country "fixes its politics" and works together.
"A better politics doesn't mean we have to agree on everything... But democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens," the speech reads.
Hours before the event, 10 US sailors were held by Iran after their boat had mechanical issues and sailed into Iranian waters. They are expected to be released on Wednesday.
Mr Obama's aides have avoided characterising the speech as a victory lap, but say it will highlight his accomplishments over the past seven years.
They say that it will present an optimistic alternative to the dire narratives put forward by Republican presidential candidates.
Among the events and developments that he will tout as successes are:
He will also continue his public messaging campaign aimed at improving the image of his strategy against the so-called Islamic State.
Keeping with tradition, the president will speak about what he would like to see Congress work on and his vision for the US beyond his last year in office.
While he is not expected to offer a large list of policy proposals, he could urge action on a number of items he feels have been left undone or could be accomplished with bipartisan support during his remaining year in office.
Among the items that could be on his to-do list:
Also keeping with tradition, First Lady Michelle Obama will host several guests that reflect the president's vision for US society.
This year, an empty chair will be featured in remembrance of gun violence victims.
Among the many guests:
The speech is expected to begin around 21:00 local time (02:00 GMT), and has - in the past - had a duration of about an hour.
Mr Obama's remarks mark the fulfilment of a constitutional mandate that requires the president to "from time to time give the Congress information on the State of the Union".
Historically, the update has usually been given annually, in January, as a speech to a joint session of Congress.


Cutting benefits for new EU migrants would not put people off wanting to move to the UK, a former European Commission president has said.

Jose Manuel Barroso said plans for an "emergency brake" on in-work benefits for migrants was a creative compromise but would not reduce immigration.
He said the EU would be "weaker" if the UK voted to leave in a referendum.
He spoke out as the six founding members of the EU recommitted to building an "ever closer union".
PM David Cameron wants EU leaders to agree to a draft package of reforms to the UK's membership this month and then hold a referendum on whether the UK stays in the EU.
Leaders will debate the proposals in Brussels on 18 and 19 February. Mr Cameron requires the approval of all 28 EU members for the package, which includes limiting in-work benefits for migrants for up to four years.
Speaking to BBC's Newsnight, Mr Barroso described the UK as "one of the most important shareholders in Europe".
But the former Portuguese prime minister said: "The way the British look at Europe is frankly different from the way France, or Germany do.
"It is not only Britain that cares about sovereignty, we all want the rights of our country respected," he added.
He was speaking as the foreign ministers of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands resolved "to continue the process of creating an ever closer union".
But, reflecting the differing view in the UK, they acknowledged that not every country should have to agree.
Mr Cameron says his draft deal aimed at keeping Britain in the EU would deliver "substantial change".
The deal includes an "emergency brake" on in-work benefits paid to EU migrants and paves the way for the UK's referendum to take place as early as June.
However, when asked whether the proposed measures on in-work benefits would put anyone off from coming to the UK, Mr Barroso replied: "No, frankly not."
"People who want to go to Britain, if the basic rights of the people are ensured, they will be willing to go but of course with slightly different conditions," he said.
Mr Barroso, who stood down from the European Commission last year after 10 years as the EU executive's president, said: "Everyone wants Britain to remain."
'Scandalous policy'
Reacting to his interview, a spokesman for Vote Leave - which is campaigning for the UK to leave the EU - told the BBC: "Even the EU's biggest advocate knows the PM's renegotiation is trivial.
"The final package won't bring powers home, won't cut the cost of Brussels and won't fix the fundamental flaws at the heart of the European project."
The exchanges came as the Britain Stronger In Europe campaign unveiled 30 new cross-party recruits - ten each from the Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems.
And in other developments on Wednesday a report by Migration Watch said that 1.8 million illegal border crossings had been recorded by the EU border agency Frontex in 2015.
It says another three million migrants were expected over the next two years, adding that Greece and Italy "cannot possibly cope with such numbers", yet only 683 migrants have been returned.
Arron Banks, co-founder of Leave.EU, said: "This scandalous policy and security shambles demonstrates how the EU cannot control its borders and why it is heading for further catastrophe this summer."
On Tuesday papers released ahead of next week's crunch summit suggest any agreement on changes to the UK's membership of the EU would be "legally binding".
Draft conclusions of the summit, issued in advance, state any deal would be "fully compatible with EU treaties".
If Mr Cameron can secure agreement from the other 27 EU member countries, he is expected to proceed with an in-out referendum on the UK's membership by the end of June.
Guide: All you need to know about the referendum
EU renegotiation: Did Cameron get what he wanted?
Referendum timeline: What will happen when?
The view from Europe: What's in it for the others?
More: BBC News EU referendum special


A memorial service has been held for former Newcastle and Czech Republic goalkeeper Pavel Srnicek.

Hundreds of people gathered at St Andrew's Church in Newgate Street, Newcastle, to pay their respects.
Organised by his agent Steve Wraith, Srnicek's brother Milan and friends and family joined fans and former Newcastle and Sunderland players at the church.
Srnicek died on 29 December aged 47, nine days after suffering cardiac arrest.
Srnicek became a favourite with Newcastle fans during his first spell at St James' Park, between 1991 and 1998.
He returned to the club on a season-long deal in September 2006 but was released in May 2007 after making 190 appearances across his two playing periods there.
Srnicek also played for Sheffield Wednesday, Portsmouth and West Ham in England, and made 49 appearances for his country.
Mr Wraith said it was a "fitting goodbye" to somebody who was loved "very much".
"I think there's an outpouring of grief on Tyneside because we feel like we've lost one of our own."
He said it was a simple, football-themed service, with hymns and songs that meant a lot to him, including Abide With Me and You'll Never Walk Alone.
Speaking after the service, Shearer said: "It's not surprising, but it's great to see so many old faces here today. People have come from all over the world, all over the country to be here, and that tells you what a nice, genuine, humble, honest, hard-working professional Pav was. He was great to be around."
Former goalkeeper Steve Harper said Srnicek was a "huge influence" on his career.
"The time and effort - when he used to take me to one side and try the brilliant training drills he used to do, which I couldn't do, but I certainly had a good go at, he was just a great influence," he said.
"The work ethic he had made you realise how hard you had to work... to get that head start from somebody like that was a great legacy that he left behind which I then tried to continue when he left.
"He was just a wonderful man who loved Newcastle, and today gives me an opportunity to tell him that the people of Newcastle loved him more. Pav was a special person.
"It [the memorial] gave people of this great city and region the opportunity to say farewell to him too."
On Tuesday, Newcastle and Manchester United players took part in a minute's applause for Srnicek, ahead of their 3-3 draw.


Last year's wet summer, followed by one of the warmest winters on record, has helped to create a generation of sleepless slugs, wildlife experts have warned.

The weather has not been cold enough in recent months to send the creatures into hibernation.
Conservation charity BugLife said Britons could start to a see a slug population "explosion".
This could cause "devastation for our gardens", it warned.
Slugs stay active when temperatures remain above 5C (41F).
Because of the warm winter, slugs have not gone into hibernation and have been eating and and breeding through the winter months.
Twenty things you didn't know about slugs and snails
The average British garden usually has as many as 20,000 slugs - with the gastropods laying as many as 200 eggs per cubic metre - but Buglife predicted that number could increase over this year by 10%.
It said a decline in populations of many of the slugs' predators, such as amphibians and hedgehogs, was also a factor.
December 2015 was the warmest since records began in 1910, with temperatures around 7.9C (46F), making it feel more like April or May.
Matt Shardlow, chief executive of Buglife, said: "Due to climate shifts, warmer winters and wetter summers, we're seeing slugs become active all year round.
"Whereas key predators like amphibians will only lay their eggs once a year, slugs are not so restricted.
"Coupled with the fact that general slug varieties are also reaching full size earlier than ever, gardeners are simply not getting any respite and need innovative management solutions.
"The impact of super-sized, sleepless slugs could spell devastation for our gardens this summer."
While many slugs help condition soil by breaking it down and eat decaying plants - and even, in some cases, each other - others feed on fresh leaves and are regarded by gardeners as pests.
Gardeners can help prevent slugs from eating their plants by:
Plant pathologist Pippa Greenwood, who appears on Gardeners' Question Time, told BBC Radio Four's Today programme it was likely to be a "really bad year for slugs".
She said that most species of slugs in the UK were "harmless" - usually the larger ones - but a few caused "significant damage" in gardens.
Asked what gardeners should do about the problem, she added: "Take action now. What better way to spend a bank holiday weekend than going on a slug hunt."
Guy Barter, a horticulturist at the Royal Horticultural Society, said the slug population could be contained if it was a dry and hot summer because this prevented them from functioning and breeding normally.
But he said it was more likely this summer would at some point be wet - creating conditions that are ideal for slugs to breed and their numbers to quickly grow.
Mr Barter said gardeners should already be thinking about getting nematode worms - which kill slugs by feeding off them parasitically - and introducing them into their gardens when the weather is warmer.
Source: Wyevale Garden Centres
While good for slugs, recent weather conditions have been bad for bees and wasps.
The weather has been too warm for them to hibernate and the summers too wet for them to forage.
Wet, warm summers are also good for aphids - also regarded by gardeners as a pest - but Buglife said it was likely an increase in the number of ladybirds would balance the numbers out.


Economic growth in the 19 countries that make up the eurozone has been revised upwards.

The second estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) for April to June put growth at 0.4%, up from the first estimate of 0.3%.
The European statistics agency Eurostat also revised growth in the first quarter, from 0.4% to 0.5%.
Also on Tuesday it was announced that German imports and exports had both reached record levels.
Boosted by the continuing weakness of the euro, exports rose 2.4% to â‚¬103.4bn ($115.5bn; Â£75.1bn) in July, the federal statistics office Destatis estimated, after adjusting for seasonal and calendar effects.
Imports also rose, but not by as much, meaning the trade surplus grew to a record â‚¬25.0bn.
The upward revision to GDP for the first quarter is a result of the inclusion of Ireland, which had not been counted in earlier estimates.
The Irish economy grew 1.4% in the first three months of 2015, compared with the previous quarter, making it the fastest-growing eurozone country.
With the Irish figures not yet included, the fastest-growing eurozone member in the second quarter was Latvia at 1.2%.


Nottingham Forest striker Apostolos Vellios says his first goal for the club was a proud moment.

The 24-year-old, who joined Forest for £1m from Iraklis Thessaloniki, smashed in Forest's opener in their 2-2 draw at Aston Villa on Sunday.
Vellios told BBC Radio Nottingham: "Yes, it was a special moment for me to score my first goal.
"I am very happy also as the goal helped us take an important point from an away game."
Vellios picked up the ball with his back to goal before turning to fire in from 22 yards and the former Everton forward had a special mention for the travelling 3,000 Forest supporters at Villa Park.
"The fans were brilliant," he added. "All of them helped us and this was an important point for us."
Forest return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Rotherham in the Championship and manager Philippe Montanier revealed striker Britt Assombalonga, who has been out of action since limping off against Wigan on 20 August, will miss out again.
"I don't think Britt will be fit," said Montanier. "I am not sure how long Britt will be out, perhaps it will be very quick but at this moment it is a little early for him."


Children's social workers on a council that "missed chances" to save a four-year-old boy's life say they need more staff to cope with rising caseloads.

Daniel Pelka was murdered in Coventry in March 2012 by his mother and her partner.
City council leader Ann Lucas said more children's social workers was "the answer" to the "huge pressures" her staff faced.
The council said cases rose from 3,085 in March 2013 to 4,529 in March 2014.
Ms Lucas said reports of suspected child abuse had increased dramatically since Daniel's death.
The council currently has a team of 197 children's social workers.
But, Ms Lucas said the authority had grown increasingly reliant on agency workers, who were more expensive and did not provide the same consistency on cases.
"We have no choice - we have to take in agency workers," she said. "There aren't enough trained social workers.
"Social workers also have a huge burn-out rate. These people are working at the coal-face.
"I take my hat off to them. I think they are heroes - I don't know why they do it. They are castigated at every turn."
One social worker Chris Horne, told the BBC: "The bottom line is if there's more work than there are social workers, we're always going to struggle."
Senior social worker Sarb Bhambra added: "Staffing is always an issue. It's impossible to manage all the priorities because everything is a priority and there's only so many of us."
A freedom of information request reveals the number of reports of suspected abuse in Coventry has soared by 40% since 2011. There were more than 21,000 in 2013.
The results of an Ofsted inspection of children's services in Coventry are expected to be released in the coming weeks.


The Department of Justice has re-issued a fuller transcript of one of the Orlando gunman's 911 calls without redactions, after facing a wave of online backlash for omitting certain words.

The excerpts, released on Monday, excluded the names of gunman Omar Mateen as well as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the so-called Islamic State (IS).
Mateen, who killed 49 people at a gay Orlando nightclub, described himself as an "Islamic soldier" and pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi during his phone calls to authorities.
But in the first version of the transcript, any reference to IS or their leader was removed.
For example:
Police: What's your name?
Mateen: My name is I pledge allegiance to [omitted].
The decision to omit the names sparked outrage among Twitter users including US House Speaker Paul Ryan.
The Wisconsin Republican denounced the decision to redact as "preposterous" and called on the Obama administration to release the full transcript "so the public is clear-eyed about who did this, and why".
"We know the shooter was a radical Islamist extremist inspired by Isis. We also know he intentionally targeted the LGBT community," Mr Ryan said in a statement, referring to IS.
Other users expressed outrage over the decision to remove IS from the text.
The Department of Justice released a statement later on Monday defending the redaction.
Officials said they wanted to remain sensitive to the victims, their families and the ongoing investigation, while also not providing "the killer or terrorist organisations with a publicity platform for hateful propaganda".
"Unfortunately, the unreleased portions of the transcript that named the terrorist organisations and leaders have caused an unnecessary distraction from the hard work that the FBI and our law enforcement partners have been doing to investigate this heinous crime," the statement said, before releasing the full transcript of Mateen's first 50-second phone call.
The other calls he made were not released.
Mateen first called a 911 dispatcher about 30 minutes after he began shooting. During the call, Mateen spoke Arabic and praised "God the Merciful".
In a later phone call, he told a negotiator to tell America to stop bombing Syria and Iraq and that was why he was "out here right now", according to the FBI transcript.
Mateen also told negotiators he had an explosive vest similar to the kind used by terrorists "in France," making a reference to the November terror attack in Paris. But no vests were found.
"[Mateen] does not represent the religion of Islam, but a perverted view," said Ron Hopper, the FBI assistant special agent in charge.
"Part of the redacting is meant to not give credence to individuals who have done terrorist attacks in the past," he said. "We're not going to propagate their violent rhetoric."


Seren Bundy-Davies says it is "disappointing" she will be the only Welsh track and field athlete at the Rio Olympics next month.

The 21-year-old will compete in the 400m individual race as well as the relay after being named in Team GB's 80-strong athletics team for the Games.
Hurdler Rhys Williams has appealed against his omission from the squad.
"There are a lot of people that are close to the standards and a few people that have run the standards," she said.
"It is always hard to know who's going to get selected and it is disappointing there's not a bigger Welsh contingency.
"It is what it is and I'm still going to try and run to the best of my ability and hopefully bring home a medal for Wales."
Bundy-Davies, who helped Britain win 4x400m European relay gold, is the 21st Welsh competitor to be named for Rio 2016, which begins on 5 August.
But Wales will have just one athletics competitor at an Olympics for the first time since the 1952 Helsinki Games, though that could change if Williams' appeal is successful.
"I think there are two sides to it," explained Bundy-Davies, adding: "A lot of people have been quite unlucky.
"Dai Greene [the 2011 world 400m hurdles champion] - he's struggled with injury and everyone knows he's capable of massive things if he's fit.
"It is kind of unfortunate, but at the same time I think Welsh athletics is kind of up and coming.
"There are a lot of younger people coming through that I'm sure will feature in the Commonwealth Games in a few years and the Olympics in 2020.
"Sometimes it's just having patience, waiting for people to come through, but there's a lot of talent in Welsh sport at the moment, especially in athletics."
The 4x400m title in Amsterdam on Sunday was Team GB's first European gold in the event since 1969 and their run of three minutes 25.05 seconds was the fastest time in the world this year.
Bundy-Davies also won relay bronze at last year's World Championships, having claimed individual bronze at the 2015 European Indoor Championships.
Legendary former 110m hurdler Colin Jackson has already tipped her as a medal contender in Brazil and she feels winning a relay medal is "really realistic".
"Bringing home the bronze medal last year showed we can medal at a world level," Bundy-Davies said.
"I think we've got an even stronger relay squad this year. I think people are quicker and we want it just as much.
"We've set a world lead in the European Championships and now we've won the gold medal we've showed we can do it at European level.
"Now we need to compete on a world level against Jamaica and the USA."
Bundy-Davies feels her best is yet to come in the individual 400m: "There's a lot of experience I still need to gain.
"I think I will be peaking more four to eight years down the line.
"Hopefully it will be realistic for me to bring home a medal from the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2020 Olympics."


Russian President Vladimir Putin has phoned pop star Elton John and proposed a meeting, according to the Kremlin.

Sir Elton has said he wants to talk to Mr Putin about his "ridiculous" attitude to gay rights.
The singer previously fell victim to pranksters who impersonated the Russian leader on the phone.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that Mr Putin had this time called the singer and asked him not to be offended by the hoax.
Mr Putin said on Thursday he was ready to meet Sir Elton - when their schedules allowed it - and discuss "any issues of interest" to the British star, Mr Peskov said.
'Prejudiced'
Russia has faced international criticism for its laws on homosexuality, including a 2013 bill prosecuting people for providing information about homosexuality to people under 18.
A report by Human Rights Watch last year said Russia was failing to prevent and prosecute homophobic violence amid a rise in attacks against minorities.
Speaking to the BBC earlier in September, Sir Elton said Mr Putin's attitude to gay people was "isolating and prejudiced" and "ridiculous".
He said he would like to speak to the president, although "he may laugh behind my back... and call me an absolute idiot".
Later a message on the musician's Instagram account thanked Mr Putin for "reaching out" in a phone conversation.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said reports of a conversation were "not true" and a recording of the hoax phone call was later aired on Russian TV.
Prankster Vladimir Krasnov admitted his involvement, telling the BBC and Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda that he made the call with his sidekick Alexei Stolyarov, known as "Lexus".


Listening to icebergs could help to assess the extent of glacier melt, scientists report.

Researchers in Poland, the UK and US have found different types of icebergs have their own acoustic signature as they calve away from the ice.
Monitoring this could help to determine how much ice is being lost and the effect this could have on global sea level rise.
The findings are reported in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Oskar Glowacki, from the Institute of Geophysics at the Polish Academy of Sciences, said: "Using acoustics, we can get very accurate data and we can collect this data continuously. We just place the hydrophones - underwater microphones - in the water and listen to the sounds."
The researchers used their kit to capture every rumble, groan and snap as ice cleaved away from the Hans Glacier in Svalbard.
Combining this with time-lapse photography, they discovered that the birth of different types of icebergs creates different sounds. The team found three acoustic signatures from this tidal glacier.
This not only allows them to work out how ice is crumbling into the water, but they can use the sounds to determine the stage of the break up, even when it is taking place underwater.
Dr Glowacki said: "It was really, really difficult to study these submarine events.
"We know now that when a submarine event starts, there is a disintegration below the sea surface, there are many cracks, and cracks are propagating and we can listen to this underwater.
"After this, the ice block detaches from the ice wall and it starts to appear on the surface. And using underwater acoustics, we can identify all stages of this sound."
Currently, glaciers are mainly monitored using satellites, but while they can spot huge ice break-ups, smaller blocks of ice are harder to detect.
The researchers say that listening to the ocean could help, allowing them to more accurately monitor how much ice is being lost to the sea as global temperatures rise.
Follow Rebecca on Twitter


Three teenagers arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after being detained in Turkey will not face charges, police have announced.

The males, two aged 17 and one 19, from north-west London, were reported missing in March amid fears they were planning to travel to Syria.
They were stopped by Turkish officials and arrested on their return to the UK.
The teenagers, who have not been named, were bailed while police carried out further inquiries.
Scotland Yard said they were all released without charge on Monday 8 June.
It is understood they had flown to the Turkish city of Istanbul from Barcelona in Spain. The teenagers were all detained at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport.
Their arrests came weeks after an international police hunt was launched to find three London schoolgirls who travelled to Istanbul on their journey to Syria.
Shamima Begum, Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16 - all from east London - took flights to Istanbul in February, from where it is feared they travelled to join Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria.
IS has taken over large swathes of Syria and Iraq, with the aim of establishing a "caliphate", a state ruled by a single political and religious leader according to Islamic law.


These farmers in central Thailand have been taking a rather muddy break from work - with an annual tractor race!

23 April 2017 Last updated at 15:08 BST
The farmers are usually busy working in paddy fields, where they use their tractors to plough and carry rice.
But once a year, they make special alterations to their tractors so that they'll be as powerful as possible racing around the course.


The autumn Tests on Saturday saw 14-man England overcome Argentina 27-14 in a drama-filled encounter at Twickenham, while Ireland pulled off a historic win over Australia in Dublin.

Wales and Scotland, meanwhile, finished their series with victories over Georgia and South Africa respectively.
Former England and Lions centre Jeremy Guscott analyses the action.
Considering England were down to 14-men for 76 minutes and they played for 20 minutes with 13 men, it was a very good win - especially against quality opposition like Argentina, who only a year ago were in the semi-finals of a World Cup.
The media remind people that this is now 13 games unbeaten - 12 coming under Eddie Jones. The record of 14 matches without defeat came between 2002-2003, in a period when England famously won with only 13 men against New Zealand in Wellington. That was way back when, and Jones is good at making it about the here and now.
The side of 2003 probably had three or four players who would have got into a world XV. This England side currently don't have that. They have some arguable cases, but not clear-cut. They are not where the 2003 side was, but that's not to say that they can't get there.
The work-rate of Chris Robshaw, Tom Wood and Billy Vunipola was world-class on Saturday. Mako Vunipola's confidence has been elevated, and we're seeing the developing partnership between George Ford and Owen Farrell. The guys are playing like it's their last game and it's really great to see.
A big question I've had about this England side is whether they can play with huge intensity? You have to have a high level of fitness, and to go for that long during a match with only 13 or 14 players shows their fitness level is certainly improving. It's nearer where it needs to be if they want to be the number one side in the world.
Eliot Daly was sent off after taking out number eight Leonardo Senatore as he caught a high ball.
It was 100% a red card for Daly.
Players in today's game have to understand that if you can't see where you're placing your foot, or you can't see what's in front of you, and you hit someone's head, then you run the risk of a red card or citing - so don't do it.
Daly is an incredibly gifted young player who I think mistimed that tackle. He could have pulled out, he chose not to. He knew up to the final seconds that he ran the risk of doing what he did.
In the heat of the first few minutes of an international, you don't always think clearly. He wasn't able to have those racing driver reflexes to be able to pull out. You don't want to think of the consequences if Senatore had landed more awkwardly.
I'd like to think it wouldn't affect Daly at all. He's only the fifth player to ever be sent off for England. But I'd like to think he's a good enough player and human being to understand it was a very silly mistake. He has to get over it and move on.
I think Australia are in good form. Some of the tries they score are so wonderfully crafted.
If England don't ramp up their intensity, especially at the breakdown, then Australia have a backline who will absolutely shred England. If they don't slow that quick ball down then it could be reminiscent of the World Cup defeat.
However, England's defence in Australia, when they whitewashed them, was very good. It's going to be very close... but I think England will win.
Ireland would be my team of the autumn internationals. Joe Schmidt has got them playing a very controlled, tactical game which requires precision and accuracy and execution.
They play with such intensity and make very few mistakes. It's very quick and very accurate. Watching that ball go down the line, through the Irish hands, is All Black-like. It's great to see.
To score three tries against Australia in their 27-24 win, and to beat New Zealand and South Africa, they really are on fire.
For a side to make an impression, you have to have ball-carriers and there's this kid, Tadhg Furlong, who seems to be all over the pitch.
Normally your tight-head prop is big and not very mobile and you don't want him touching the ball. But this kid seems a bit different. He's handy with the ball and very quick. I thought he was sensational.
Media playback is not supported on this device
It's the end of their autumn series and to get three out of four wins, Wales will be very pleased. In a decade's time that's what the history books will say. It won't be about how they played.
Under Rob Howley, they look like a side that's been training on something new and have taken their eye off what they were doing before. They look like they're struggling to link the two together. They've gone too far one way and it's made them forget how to integrate the other parts of what they've been doing.
It was good to see Justin Tipuric, who's now had a run of games, put in a good performance in their 27-13 win over South Africa. Many people were saying he was the man of the match.
Outside of that, we haven't seen any outstanding performances. When a side's top players don't play well, you can't hope to play well as a team. Some of these guys have got to find their mojo, their love for the game.
The good thing for Wales is they've won. I don't think they should be too despondent.
Media playback is not supported on this device
I'm pleased Scotland smashed Georgia. Clearly they were favourites going in to the game and they blew them away, winning 43-16.
The chat of Georgia forcing their way into the Six Nations has been put to bed a bit, even though Italy did lose to Tonga.
Scotland have a team that, when it clicks, is going to buzz and hum and sing in a beautiful way. They've just had a couple of setbacks against tier one sides that have pushed them into their shell.
You need to win the games you look like winning, otherwise you're seen as a team you can't get across the line. That's what Scotland are.
I would say lock Jonny Gray has been the top performing forward in the whole series, while Finn Russell is growing in confidence, and Stuart Hogg was sensational on Saturday. It's good to see these guys showing what they can do.
But there's no singing and dancing to be done just because they beat Georgia. It will feel good for the players but what would Ireland, England and Wales have beaten them by?
Jeremy Guscott was speaking to BBC Sport's Caroline Chapman
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.


Building work has got under way on a £150m casino complex on the NEC site near Birmingham.

Media playback is unsupported on your device
4 February 2013 Last updated at 12:15 GMT
Genting, which sponsors Aston Villa, is behind the development which is expected to be completed in 2015.
The Malaysian company said the scheme involved 1,750 construction jobs, while the completed complex would offer 1,100 jobs.


The wife of an engineer, who died after being hit by a car days after their wedding, has paid tribute to him.

Matthew Harding, 27, from Oldbury in Wolverhampton, was struck by a Citroen Picasso while he worked on a communication box in July last year.
At Wolverhampton Crown Court the underage driver, now 17, was jailed for four-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving last month.
He cannot be named for legal reasons.
More on this and other stories from Birmingham and the Black Country
Danielle Harding said Matthew was "one in a million" and "the most loveable person you could ever come across".
She said: "He would bend over backwards to help anyone out because he had a heart of gold. I lost a piece of myself I won't ever get back."
Matthew's mother Beryl said her family's life had been "broken" by the crash, which also seriously injured a colleague he was working with.
"He is the missing piece of our jigsaw that will never be found and there is a massive hole in our family that can never be repaired," she said.
"It is so difficult to accept the fact Matthew didn't leave on his terms, he was cruelly taken from us by an act that not could have, but should have, been avoided."
The driver, who was found by police after he fled the scene, also pleaded guilty to causing injury by dangerous driving, and has been banned from the roads for seven years and two months.
PC Chris Ridge, from West Midlands Police, said: "He was just 16, too young to drive, and his reckless actions have resulted in tragic consequences."


Clad in black, with a Darth Vader-like mask, a Nazi helmet and a sword, Anton Lundin Pettersson marched like a soldier through the school corridors, singling out those with dark skin to attack.

"It's a mixture of craziness and political action," said Professor Jerzy Sarnecki from Stockholm University's Department of Criminology.
"This is not a person without psychological problems. But he has been inspired by the discourse we have in this country now related to the question of refugees and foreigners."
Sweden expects to receive 190,000 asylum applications this year, one of the highest rates per capita in Europe.
Support for the far right has risen as Sweden's ability to house and integrate the new arrivals comes under strain.
Amid the febrile debate, some polls suggest the Sweden Democrats party - which is critical of Islam and immigration and won 13% of the vote in the 2014 election - is now the country's biggest party.
"Sweden as we know it will not survive the influx of refugees, that is what the party is saying," said Prof Sarnecki.
"Anonymous people on the internet say much worse things. They say there is no other way but to kill these people and burn the barracks where they are staying. They will celebrate this guy as someone who has offered his life for the survival of his people."
More than a dozen arson attacks this year have targeted refugee reception centres and homes.
However the Trollhattan attack is the worst thing that could have happened for the Sweden Democrats, Prof Sarnecki said: "It has made them toxic."
The attack has similarities to far right attacks that happened in the 1980s and 1990s, when Sweden was welcoming in refugees from the Bosnian and Iran-Iraq War, according to Professor Jonas Hinnfors, professor of political sciences at Gothenburg University.
But he says the deeper trend is that Swedes have become far more open-minded towards immigration, and he doesn't foresee that changing.
Up to 40% of people want fewer migrants today, down from 65% in the 1990s, he pointed out.
"Public opinion has become drastically more open on issues of race, immigration and people from different cultures. On the other hand, the far right is mobilising - and certain groups may feel their resistance is hardening. Whether one side will have much of an impact on the other in future is hard to say," he said.
Prof Sarnecki agrees that most Swedes are not against the society's rapid transformation from a homogeneous racial group into an ethnically mixed society.
"But a substantial group is against it," he said. "And they are scared to death."


Millions around the globe may have taken to the streets in recent years to protest against the impact of globalisation on their jobs and communities - but this backlash is only likely to grow as globalisation itself becomes more disruptive.

The stark warning comes from Richard Baldwin, president of the Centre for Economic Policy Research think-tank, who has been studying global trade for the past 30 years.
Technological advances could now mean white-collar, office-based workers and professionals are at risk of losing their jobs, Prof Baldwin argues.
In the US, voter anger with globalisation may have led to Donald Trump's election victory, but those who voted for him could be disappointed as his aim of bringing back jobs is unlikely to work, says Prof Baldwin, who also worked as an economist under President George HW Bush.
Protectionist trade barriers won't work in the 21st Century, he says. "Knowledge crossing borders in massive amounts [is the] big new disruptive thing."
It's going to help people in Africa and Asia compete more effectively with people in the West, as communication advances mean workers in the developing world will be able to control robots to do jobs in Europe and the US at lower cost, he says.
Developing world labour costs can be a tenth of what they are in the West, says Prof Baldwin.
"They can't get here to take the jobs but technology will soon allow virtual migration, thanks to telerobotics and telepresence."
Ever-faster internet speeds becoming globally more widely available, coupled with the rapidly falling prices of robots will allow workers, for example in the Philippines or China, to remotely provide services to a country like the UK - where the sector accounts for about 80% of the economy.
"What it will do is unbundle our jobs and change the nature of our occupation. Some of the things you do absolutely require your judgement - but parts of your job could be off-shored, just as some stages in a factory can be off-shored.
"All you need is more computing power, more transmitting power and cheaper robots - and all that is happening."
Security guards in US shopping malls could be replaced by robots controlled by security personnel based in Peru, and hotel cleaners in Europe could be replaced by robots driven by staff based in the Philippines, he argues in his book The Great Convergence.
The use of robots has grown exponentially since the mid-20th Century.
A typical industrial robot can cost about £4 an hour to operate, compared to average total European labour costs of about £40 an hour - or £9 an hour in China. And robots are getting cheaper to buy and are increasingly able to do more complex tasks.
This means the increased use of robots is also threatening millions of jobs in developing countries, says the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), as well as in developed economies.
And it's not just in factories; the worldwide number of domestic household robots will rise to 31 million between 2016 and 2019, says the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), with sales of robots for cleaning floors, mowing lawns, and cleaning swimming pools forecast to grow to about $13bn (£10.3bn) in this period.
In the 19th Century, the first wave of the industrial revolution triggered an upsurge in global trade. Steam power, the end of the Napoleonic wars and the subsequent era of peace cut the costs of moving goods internationally.
Global wealth became increasingly concentrated among just a few nations; the G7 group - the US, Germany, Japan, France, the UK, Canada and Italy - saw their share of the world's wealth rise significantly.
But from the 1990s a second wave of globalisation kicked in, with the rise of information and communications technology. There's been a dramatic change of gear, and "a century's worth of rich nations' rise has been reversed in just two decades," says Prof Baldwin.
Old-style globalisation "worked on a calendar that ticked year by year" whereas the current wave of globalisation is being driven by IT which is changing and disrupting economies and societies with increasing rapidity, he says.
All of this has created a backlash, especially in developed economies, as many voters say they are losing out or seeing little of the benefits that globalisation supposedly brings.
Prof Baldwin says protectionist policies, such as those of Donald Trump, are ultimately counterproductive. If firms become inefficient by being forced to move jobs back to the US, then ultimately they will lose their business to international competitors.
"People are so angry they are doing things that are not in their own interest.
"Cures are being sold which are not related to the problem."
He points out that the backlash is not the same in every single country. It often depends on how governments deal with workers who may be displaced by technology.
"For instance, in Japan they take care of their workers, and there really isn't an anti-globalisation feeling there," he says - unlike in the UK and the US.
As a consequence, even businesses that are benefiting from greater automation are increasingly sensitive about the potentially negative social and political consequences.
Similarly, in Europe the bosses of both Deutsche Telekom and Siemens have advocated paying a basic income to workers replaced by technology.
We may see a move to protectionism as countries try to preserve jobs within their economies, but this is unlikely to work in the long term, says Prof Baldwin.
The trick is to accept "21st Century reality", he says, and the fact that many jobs simply aren't going to come back.
Governments need to pay more attention to social policy, says Prof Baldwin. "In the post-war period of globalisation we liberalised trade but at the same time we expanded social welfare - instituted low-cost education and retraining for workers.
"In essence there was a set of complementary policies that reassured workers that they would have a good chance of taking advantage of globalisation."
The challenges all this is throwing up for governments are many, but Prof Baldwin says it should be possible to develop policies that embrace globalisation - and give workers displaced by it the support they need.
Follow Tim Bowler on Twitter @timbowlerbbc


Hannah Barham-Brown was studying at medical school when she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome two years ago.

The inherited condition leaves her joints weak and susceptible to dislocation.
It means she has to rely on a wheelchair a lot of the time. But when she was given the diagnosis she quickly realised the NHS was not going to be there for her.
She was offered a standard NHS-issue wheelchair - but at 20kg (3st 2lb) it would have been too heavy for her and potentially dangerous, given her condition.
She began to think her dreams of becoming a medic were over.
"I didn't even think I would get through medical school," she says.
A friend suggested she try to raise the money herself.
The NHS offered her Â£140 towards the costs, but modern lightweight wheelchairs can set you back thousands of pounds.
Ms Barham-Brown, 29, who is working across different hospitals in south London as part of her first year of being a junior doctor, took to crowdfunding and within 24 hours had raised enough to buy a fairly basic one for just over Â£2,000.
"Without it I wouldn't have been able to work as a doctor," she says.
"The standard one is just too heavy and has a wide turning circle.
"It just would not have been possible to get around the wards.
"Now, I'm the quickest doctor in the hospital - they're always sending me to get the bloods."
The wheelchair also allows her to play sport - she races and plays wheelchair basketball.
"It is so short-sighted not to fund wheelchairs that people need," she says.
"It keeps them active and working. Without them people become isolated, but unfortunately the cuts in the health service mean that is not possible."
Ms Barham-Brown is not the only person to have faced such difficulties.
She says she is increasingly hearing of people resorting to such tactics to get the equipment they need.
"More and more I'm seeing pleas on social media from people begging for support to buy wheelchairs, not only chairs like this - lightweight self-propelling chairs - but electric chairs," she says.
"The guidelines for getting chairs now are so strict, wheelchair services across the country are being privatised and it's just getting harder and harder to get access."


With the general election happening just over a month later there will be more interest than usual in this year's council elections, taking place on 4 May.

Where could the Liberal Democrats make a resurgence? Where might Labour and the Conservatives lock horns?
Where is Plaid Cymru in play, and what kind of role will independent councillors have in this election?
Here are some of the authorities where these questions will come to the fore as the results roll in on 5 May.
Can Labour hold on to the largest authority by population served in Wales? Can Jeremy Corbyn's leadership prove to be an asset rather than a liability in Wales' metropolitan capital?
The risk for the party is that it is hit on three sides by the opposition groups - with the Liberal Democrats stronger in the centre of the city, the Tories stronger in the north and Plaid in the west.
Can Labour fend that off and retain control, or will they lose out to rival parties on 4 May?
It regained control of the capital at the last elections in 2012 from a Lib Dem-Plaid Cymru coalition.
Since then the Labour group has been hit by internal rows - largely based along personality lines - and there has been a change in leader since the last election.
By-elections and quitting councillors have also contributed to its majority being shaved from 17 to six over the course of the term.
There are currently 39 Labour councillors, with 17 Lib Dems, 9 Conservatives, 5 Plaid Cymru and two independents.
There are 75 Labour candidates, 75 from the Liberal Democrats, 59 in Plaid Cymru, 75 Conservatives, 14 Greens, 12 UKIP candidates, 5 independents and 17 others.
This west Wales council has historically been a good example of a Labour/Plaid Cymru tussle with a significant independent presence.
At the last election Plaid lost two seats overall, while Labour gained 12.
Labour led a coalition with independents until 2015 when a coalition of Plaid Cymru and independent councillors took control.
The authority has been in the news in recent years, with controversy over the pay of chief executive Mark James, and a libel case also involving the senior officer.
Plaid Cymru, which is fielding the most number of candidates at 66, will want to boost its numbers and retain leadership of the authority. Labour will, naturally, want it back.
And how will independent numbers affect who eventually takes the helm?
The authority currently has 29 Plaid Cymru councillors, 22 Labour and 20 classed as independent, two classed as independent unaffiliated and one classed as People First.
Plaid Cymru has 66 candidates, while Labour has 54. There are 52 independents running, as well as 21 Conservatives, 12 UKIP candidates, six Lib Dems, one Green and two others.
Four seats, where the numbers of candidates nominated mean there is no competition in the wards concerned, will be uncontested.
Independents play a big role in local government in Wales.
There have a large presence in many of Wales' authorities, including Wrexham, where they are in control.
That only happened after Labour lost control of the authority, however, with ten Labour councillors quitting the party group in 2014.
With a highly-charged general election campaign taking place at the same time, can independents in Wales make their voices heard?
Can the Conservatives, who are tipped in the north east for general election gains and have a role within the ruling administration, make gains in Wrexham?
And can Labour recover lost ground or Plaid make any headway?
Wrexham currently has 20 independents, 12 Labour, five Conservatives, five Liberal Democrats, eight in the Wrexham Independent group and two Plaid Cymru councillors.
For the election there are 62 independents standing, 39 Labour candidates, 20 Conservatives, 15 Plaid Cymru, 13 Liberal Democrats, three UKIP, two Greens and two others.
Three seats will be uncontested.
Swansea was one of the authorities Labour won control of at the 2012 council elections.
But could it be an authority that serves as an opinion poll ahead of the general election the month later?
This time Labour's 72 candidates will be facing 70 from the Conservatives, in an election that comes two years after the latter party's shock general election victory in Gower.
Can Swansea county Tories solidify that gain by winning seats in the area, despite the fact that the party has few councillors currently?
Labour won the authority from a Liberal Democrat-led coalition, when the Lib Dems lost 10 seats. Can the party make a re-bound?
At present Labour has 47 councillors, versus 11 Liberal Democrats, four independents, three Conservatives, three in the Independents@Swansea group, two non-aligned and two others.
Labour are fielding 72 candidates in Swansea, versus 70 from the Tories, 25 from the Lib Dems, 17 from Plaid Cymru, 11 independents, eight Greens, seven UKIP and 17 others.
If the council elections are going to be any kind of indication of how the parties might do ahead of the snap election in May, it will be authorities like Bridgend that we will be keeping an eye on.
It is here, at Brackla Community Centre, where the prime minister took her general election campaign to Wales.
Theresa May was parking her Tory tanks on Labour's lawn, in the backyard of First Minister Carwyn Jones, and the Tories have been eyeing the seat for some time.
The irony is that the Conservatives are only fielding 36 candidates, although that is more than any other party except Labour.
If the Tories fail to get many councillors elected, will that be any indication of how the party may do in June - and will Mrs May's visit begin to look overly optimistic?
Or will Labour voters stick with the party for the locals, and go elsewhere for Westminster?
Labour currently has 31 Labour councillors, with 16 independents, three Liberal Democrats, one Conservative and one Plaid Cymru member.
Labour is standing 54 candidates, against 52 independents, 36 from the Conservatives, 18 Plaid Cymru, six from the Liberal Democrats, four in the Greens, one UKIP and two others.
Most but not all councils count overnight. Nine out of the 22 will not start full counts until the next day.
Overnight counts:
Friday counts:
Although the results should be known by Friday evening, unless a party wins an overall majority of seats on a council, it may be days or even weeks before the political make-up of the administration or cabinet to run the authority is agreed.


At least 77 people have been killed after a lorry loaded with passengers and goods crashed in the Central African Republic, officials say.

Dozens more were injured in the accident near the town of Bambari, about 300km (186 miles) north-east of the capital Bangui.
Most of the victims are said to be traders heading to a nearby market.
Local residents often travel in overloaded lorries due to lack of other transportation in the country.
The cause of Wednesday's crash is now being investigated.
A local lawmaker said the lorry was travelling faster than normal.
"They were driving fast to make it to the market on time. That's what probably caused the accident," Amaseka Topi told Reuters news agency.
Dozens of injured people are being treated in Bambari's hospital. There are fears that the death toll could rise further.
Years of neglect have left much of the Central African Republic's road system in ruins, and safety regulations are rarely enforced.
The poor landlocked country has been wracked by conflict along religious and ethnic lines since 2013.


Many people working in the public sector have suffered real terms pay cuts over the last five years, according to the TUC.

The real annual salaries of emergency workers, many of whom will be working over Christmas, have dropped by thousands of pounds, it said.
The Treasury said "difficult decisions" on public sector pay would protect 200,000 jobs.
It added that public sector wages had kept pace with the private sector.
Midwives and firefighters have seen a real terms annual pay cut of more than £3,000 on average, and nurses' and ambulance drivers' salaries have dropped by more than £2,000, the TUC said.
Police officers' pay is down £1,300, it added.
TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "Nearly a million people will be working on Christmas Day this year.
"Ministers should show some seasonal goodwill and end the real-terms pay cuts.
"The government's Scrooge-like public sector pay cap has to go, to ensure that wages at least keep up with prices."
But the Treasury said: "The government has made difficult decisions on public sector pay to maintain fiscal discipline and protect public sector jobs."


A late penalty try gave Sale victory over Castres at Stade Pierre-Antoine in their European Challenge Cup clash.

Nev Edwards scored an early try for Sale, before Castres' Florian Vialelle went over, but Julien Dumora's penalty put the hosts 10-7 ahead at the break.
Joe Ford sent over a penalty before Castres' Marc-Antoine Rallier and Sales' Will Addison were sin-binned.
Julien Caminati's late attempt to stop Charlie Ingall saw Sale awarded the decisive penalty try.
The win moves the English Premiership side to within one point of Pool Two leaders Newport Gwent Dragons after three games.
Sale got off to the ideal start, Edwards sprinting away for the game's opening points from an Andrei Ostrikov kick, but Castres heaped the pressure on in search of a reply, which came through Vialelle on eight minutes.
Sharks flanker Magnus Lund was forced off with a head injury before the television match official denied Castres a second try, with replays showing that the Sharks defence did enough to force full-back Caminati into touch.
Ford had a chance to put Sale ahead again, but his penalty on 27 minutes drifted wide. Dumora, however, made no mistake soon after, slotting over to give the French side the lead on 33 minutes.
A combination of probing grubber kicks and scrappy play eventually led to Ford teeing up his second penalty attempt, with the fly-half this time booting the three points to make it 10-10.
Rallier's yellow card following a scuffle saw Ford opt for the posts soon after, but he was off target again before Sales' one-man advantage was lost as Addison was sin-binned.
Sharks pushed for the breakthrough as Ingall went close to touching down, and the video referee eventually gave the penalty try after deciding that Caminati's attempt to stop the winger was illegal.
Castres: Caminati; Martial, Vialelle, Combezou, Decrop; Dumora, Dupont; Taumoepeau, Rallier, Montes; Samson, Moreaux, Caballero, Diarra, Beattie.
Replacements: Beziat, Tichit, Martinez, Desroche, Babillot, Fontaine, Lamerat, Seron.
Sale: Arscott; Edwards, Addison, Jennings, Ingall; Ford, Mitchell, Lewis-Roberts, Briggs, Mujati, Mills, Ostrikov, Lund, Seymour (capt), Easter.
Replacements: Taylor, Flynn, Parker, Beaumont, Neild, Jeffers, James, Haley.
Referee: David Wilkinson (Ireland)


An unpublished letter from writer and scholar CS Lewis has made £4,600 at auction in Gloucestershire, more than three times the original estimate.

The two-page note, addressed to Mrs Ellis and dated 19 August 1945, finds him dealing with the subject of joy.
It was found by its owner in a copy of Lewis's book, A Problem of Pain, bought years before.
Auctioneer Chris Albury said "keen interest worldwide" had boosted the guide price from £1,500.
Dominic Winter Auctioneers in South Cerney said the letter had been bought by a private buyer from California.
"It's a wonderful, thoughtful letter by one of the most highly regarded English writers of the 20th Century," Mr Albury said.
"Any original and unpublished letter that gives new insights into a collectable writer's ideas is going to have an appeal, and this one has literary, autobiographical, philosophical and theological content, so ticks every box.
"The letter was written just days after Japan's surrender at the end of the Second World War and perhaps the idea of joy, which he thought very unlike pleasure, was once again on his mind."
In the letter, which is in "very good" condition, Lewis writes: "Real joy...  jumps under one's ribs and tickles down one's back and makes one forget meals and keeps one (delightedly) sleepless o' nights.
"It shocks one awake when the other (security and prosperity) puts one to sleep.
"My private table is one second of joy is worth 12 hours of pleasure."
Mr Albury said the subject of joy was a "continual theme" throughout Lewis's life.
"Interesting, too, is the fact that he was to meet and marry a woman called Joy a few years later," he said.


The US government has announced new curbs on oil and gas exploration in Arctic waters off Alaska's northern coast.

It comes after oil giant Royal Dutch Shell last month stopped its Arctic activity citing "disappointing" tests.
The US interior department said it was cancelling two potential Arctic offshore lease sales and would not extend current leases.
The announcement has been welcomed by environmentalists.
Miyoko Sakashita, of the Center for Biological Diversity, said the decision was "great for the Arctic and its polar bears".
"We need to keep all the Arctic oil in the ground," she said.
US government leases are due to expire in the Beaufort Sea in 2017 and in the Chukchi Sea in 2020.
"In light of Shell's announcement, the amount of acreage already under lease and current market conditions, it does not make sense to prepare for lease sales in the Arctic in the next year and a half,"  Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement.
Shell has spent about $7bn (Â£4.5bn) on Arctic offshore development in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.
However, last month it announced it had not found sufficient amounts of oil and gas in the region to warrant further exploration.
It said it would end exploration off Alaska "for the foreseeable future".
Correspondents say the Arctic is a risky and expensive place for oil companies to explore, and the current low price of oil makes it even less attractive.
The US Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic holds about 30% of the world's undiscovered natural gas, as well as 13% of its oil.
However, environmental groups say offshore drilling will pollute and damage a natural wilderness.
They also argue that fossil fuels such as oil and gas must be left in the ground if the world is to avoid runaway climate change.


Manchester City ensured the Women's Super League One title race will go to the final day of the season after consigning Bristol Academy to relegation with a 6-1 win.

The hosts led 3-0 at the break thanks to goals from Jill Scott, Isobel Christiansen and Lucy Bronze.
Nikita Parris added a fourth, Christiansen netted her second from the spot and Georgia Stanway made it six.
Caroline Weir netted a consolation goal as Bristol were condemned to WSL 2.
The result ensured that Birmingham City retain their top-flight status, while City go top of the table ahead of Chelsea's evening fixture at Liverpool Ladies.
Manchester City defender Jennifer Beattie told BBC Sport:
"It feels good to get another three points as the main thing for us was just to focus on the win.
"There's always more to come from us, that's why we work so hard on the training ground.
"It's just stepping stones, if we get Champions League that'll be fantastic but if we get anything more then we'll be ecstatic."
Bristol Academy manager Willie Kirk told BBC Sport:
"It's relegation and the harsh realities of it is kicking in so it's a very quiet and subdued dressing room.
"Personal and professional pride has to kick in and that's what we've got to do next week.
"We need to have that pride and ambition to finish the season on some sort of positive."
Manchester City: Bardsley, Bronze (McManus 82), Houghton, Beattie, Stokes, Walsh, Scott, Harding (Corboz 61), Christiansen, Johnson; Parris (Stanway 57).
Substitutes not used: Radtke, Lipman Brougham, McIver.
Bristol Academy: Earps, Dykes, Brown, Ladd (Short 70), Brummel (Pinto 76), Ingle, Evans, James, Murray, Weir, Jade.
Substitutes not used: Reid, Lawrence, Popadinova, Passariello.


Some governments in Latin America have advised women not to get pregnant for a matter of months or years, because of the risk of birth defects from the Zika virus.

It is suspected that there is a link between expectant mothers getting Zika, and their babies being born with microcephaly (an abnormally small head). This can be deadly, and some children who survive face intellectual disability, vision problems and development delays.
A group of Brazilian lawyers, activists and scientists have decided to ask the country's supreme court to allow abortions for women who have contracted the virus.
Some people have argued that women have little choice over their pregnancies, as abortion and contraception are not widely available in the region.
Abortions are illegal in Brazil, except in health emergencies or cases of rape or the fatal foetal abnormality called anencephaly, where a large part of the brain and skull is missing.
Finding out about microcephaly "was the worst day of my life"
The mum of two teenagers with microcephaly who's helping worried new mums
Zika outbreak: What you need to know
Of the countries where women have been advised to postpone pregnancy:
Where Zika cases have been confirmed in the region, only Guyana and French Guiana permit abortion without restriction as to the reason.
Governments across the region are advising women to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, using precautionary measures like insect repellent, long-sleeved clothing - or even gloves - and covered shoes.
Women who are already pregnant are still encouraged to breastfeed, as it will not transmit microcephaly.
The Colombian government has recommended that pregnant women should stay above 2,200 metres, where mosquitoes tend not to go. Many big cities in Latin American are above this altitude.
When it comes to avoiding getting pregnant, contraception is in short supply in some parts of the region, especially in rural areas. The UN says that 20% of women in Bolivia and Guatemala - but just 6% of women in the richer country Brazil - who are sexually active are not using contraception, despite being fertile and not wanting to get pregnant.
The World Health Organization says the best form of protection against Zika is to prevent mosquito bites.  But the International Planned Parent Federation says contraception and abortion must be included in the fight against the Zika virus.
Up to six out of 10 pregnancies in Latin America are unplanned, although estimates vary.
Latin America is largely Catholic. The Church opposes all forms of abortion. Contraception is also against Church rules, but this is more regularly flouted by believers across the world.
However, following a trip to Mexico in February, Pope Francis said: "We must not confuse the evil consisting of avoiding a pregnancy with abortion."
In some cases, he said, the "lesser of two evils" could be applied.
His remarks came in response to a question about how best to tackle the Zika outbreak across Latin America.
Yes.
Researchers at the Guttmacher Foundation said there were 32 abortions per 1,000 women in Latin America in 2008.


Serena Williams and Roger Federer are the first of the big stars through to the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

Federer beat Tomas Berdych in straight sets 7-6, 6-2, 6-4.
He could face world number one Novak Djokovic in the next round on Thursday.
Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-1.
She's aiming for her 22nd Grand Slam title by winning this tournament.
Williams will take on Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska in her semi-final.