Reuters Sports Schedule at 1400 GMT on Thursday, Oct 1

Reuters sports schedule at 1400 GMT on Thursday: - - - - RUGBY WORLD CUP (to Oct. 31) MATCHES Wales v Fiji Buoyant Welsh seek to build on momentum CARDIFF - Wales return to the Millennium Stadium to face Fiji in Pool A looking to build on their epic victory over England at Twickenham and close in on the quarter-finals. (RUGBY UNION-WORLD/WALES-FIJI, expect by 1745 GMT/1:45 PM ET, by Ed Osmond, Nick Mulvenney and Martyn Herman, 400 words) We will also file quotes sidebars on merit - - France v Canada France call for flair against plucky Canucks MILTON KEYNES - Unbeaten France are set to change tack for an expansive, free-flowing game against a lively Canadian side that came so close to upsetting Italy. (RUGBY UNION-WORLD/FRANCE-CANADA, expect by 2200 GMT/6 PM ET, by Justin Palmer, 400 words) - - PREVIEWS England v Australia LONDON - The second big showdown from Pool A sees England needing to beat Australia to keep their quarter-final hopes alive. (RUGBY UNION-WORLD/ENGLAND-AUSTRALIA (PREVIEW), expect by 1900 GMT/3 PM ET, by Mitch Phillips, 400 words) - - South Africa v Scotland Springboks in fight for World Cup survival LONDON - Twice world champions South Africa, damaged by a shock defeat by Japan, must beat a resurgent Scotland in their crunch game on Saturday to lower the odds on an ignominious early exit. (RUGBY UNION-WORLD/SAFRICA-SCOTLAND (PREVIEW), expect by 1545 GMT/11:45 AM ET, by Angus MacSwan, 400 words) - - We will also monitor news from across the tournament and file stories throughout. (RUGBY UNION-WORLD/) - - - - SOCCER Europa League (1900 GMT unless stated) Augsburg v Partizan Belgrade (1700) AZ Alkmaar v Athletic Bilbao (1700) Basel v Lech Poznan (1700) Belenenses v Fiorentina (1700) Besiktas v Sporting Lisbon (1700) Braga v Groningen Celtic v Fenerbahce Club Bruges v Midtjylland Dinamo Minsk v Rapid Vienna FK Krasnodar v FK Qabala FK Qarabag v Anderlecht (1700) Lazio v St Etienne (1700) Legia Warsaw v Napoli Liverpool v Sion Lokomotiv Moscow v Skenderbeu Korce (1700) Molde v Ajax Amsterdam Monaco v Tottenham Hotspur (1700) Olympique de Marseille v Slovan Liberec PAOK Salonika v Borussia Dortmund Rosenborg Trondheim v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (1700) Rubin Kazan v Girondins Bordeaux Schalke 04 v Asteras Tripolis (1700) Sparta Prague v Apoel Nicosia (1700) Villarreal v Viktoria Plzen LONDON - We will provide a wrap of the early matches before updating with later games. (SOCCER-EUROPA/, expect by 2000 GMT/4 PM ET, by Toby Davis, 500 words) - - LONDON - We will have all the latest team news ahead of this weekend's Premier League matches. (SOCCER-ENGLAND/, expect throughout) - - - - NFL Vick makes rare start for Steelers Michael Vick will make his fourth start in two seasons when he fills in for injured Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger against the visiting Baltimore Ravens in the opening game of Week Four. (NFL-STEELERS/, expect by 0415 GMT/12:15 AM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - GOLF Asia set for massive Presidents Cup boost -- Lahiri India's Anirban Lahiri has already enjoyed a career-best year at golf's highest level and is now itching to make his debut at the Presidents Cup next week when Asia will stage the biennial competition for the first time. (GOLF-PRESIDENTS/LAHIRI (INTERVIEW), expect by 2000 GMT/4 PM ET, by Mark Lamport-Stokes, 600 words) - - European Tour: Dunhill Links Championship, St Andrews (to 4) Copy on merit - - - - BASEBALL Rangers and rival Angels set for pivotal clash The Texas Rangers and visiting Los Angeles Angels, locked in a late-season battle to secure the American League West Division crown, open a crucial four-game set to close out the regular season. (BASEBALL-RANGERS/, expect by 0345 GMT/11:45 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - Yankees and Twins chase wildcard playoff berths The New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins, both looking to claim an American League wildcard playoff berth, meet the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians respectively in two of the 12 games on the Major League Baseball schedule. (BASEBALL-HIGHLIGHTS/, expect by 0330 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 800 words) - - - - NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (expect by 0001 GMT/8:01 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - CRICKET Zimbabwe v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Harare Zimbabwe meet Pakistan again HARARE - After Zimbabwe became the first international team to play in Pakistan following the 2009 Lahore attacks, they begin a reciprocal series at the Harare Sports Club. (CRICKET-ZIMBABWE/, expect by 1500 GMT/11 AM ET, 300 words) - - - - TENNIS ATP: Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur (to Oct 4) Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China (to Oct 4) WTA: Wuhan Open, Wuhan, China (to Oct 4) Tashkent Open, Tashkent, Uzbekistan (to Oct 4) Copy on merit - - - - (London Desk Editor: Tony Jimenez)