Jess Fishlock – who else? – put Wales on the threshold of qualification for the Euro 2025 finals as she became her country’s joint highest goalscorer. The striker matched Helen Ward’s all-time goalscoring record as Wales triumphed 3-0 over Croatia in Karlovac, propelling them to the top of their qualifying group.

We need to talk about England. You may have tried not to notice, but they have reached the final of a major football tournament, the first time they have got there on foreign soil. German soil. Deutscherboden. Now comes the question, perpetually asked of Welsh supporters whenever images of the flag of St. George – tattooed onto beer bellies jiggling on outdoor bar tables – fills our TV screens. How do you feel about that?

By Gareth James Cardiff Demons and South Wales Jets have teamed up to help secure the future of women’s and girls’ rugby league in South Wales. Together they will be running two development programmes. One, for women and girls aged 15-19, at Cardiff University Sports Park, Mendip Road, Llanrumney, Cardiff, runs for ten weeks, starting […]

You can tell when a team has its back firmly up against the wall because there is nowhere else to reach for new explanations. Wales have tried them all. They’re under-strength, they’re over-cooked, they’re rebuilding, they’re short on preparation time, there are too many rookies, not a big enough player pool, too many overseas players in the way at regional level, the fly-halves are too small, the props are too raw, there are leaves on the line and we’re experiencing exceptional call volumes at this moment in time, so please continue to hold

Chepstow hosts its latest meeting on Friday evening – Ladies with a competitive seven-race offering for punters heading to the track. Racing gets underway at 5.15 with a class four handicap before rounding off at 8.45 as nine runners take on the class six handicap to bring proceedings to a close.

Wales boss Rhian Wilkinson has urged her side to “find a way to deliver” ahead of their final two European Championship qualifying games. Her side sit second in Group B4 and kick off their final batch of matches with a trip to group leaders Croatia on Friday, before facing Kosovo in Llanelli next Tuesday.

Double Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones has escaped sanction after being found to have committed a no-fault doping violation following her failure to provide a urine sample in December last year. The UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) confirmed that on the basis of “very exceptional circumstances” relating to confidential medical records, Jones bears “no fault or negligence for her refusal or failure to submit to her sample collection”.

Craig Bellamy is determined to banish the perception of him as a firebrand as he steps into his first senior management role with Wales. Bellamy courted controversy on and off the pitch during a colourful playing career that saw him win 78 Wales caps between 1998 and 2013.

Wales have been forced into four changes, two of them positional, for the second Test against Australia in Melbourne on Saturday. Two of the changes come in the back row, where Taine Plumtree moves to number eight with Aaron Wainwright ruled out of the remainder of the tour by a hamstring injury.

Former Wales scrum-half Rhys Webb has insisted he will appeal a four-year ban from the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) for taking a growth hormone substance. Webb, 35, tested positive in July 2023 and was provisionally banned the following month having joined French second-tier club Biarritz earlier in the year.

Wales have suffered a huge blow – the loss of number eight Aaron Wainwright – ahead of Saturday’s second Test against Australia in Melbourne. Wainwright, who won his 50th cap when Wales went down to a 25-16 defeat in the series opener last weekend, suffered a leg injury and was forced off during the closing stages.

In his brutally frank autobiography, “Goodfella”, written a decade ago towards the end of his playing career, Craig Bellamy gives a blunt account of his first impressions when he initially broke into the senior national squad. “When I first started playing for Wales, it often felt as if I had stumbled into a black comedy,” says the newly appointed Wales manager.

Wales’ hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the U20 World Championship were blown of course in storm-ridden Cape Town when defending champions France secured a 29-11 victory at Athlone Stadium. Wales were unable to capitalise in the first half when they had a gale force wind behind their backs. France scored three converted tries to give the defending champions a comfortable 21-6 lead at the break.

The former Swansea, Oxford University, London Welsh and Wales prop Ian Buckett has died at the age of 56. Born in north Wales, Buckett was admired and feared in equal measure as a loose head prop who played for Wales throughout the age-grade ranks before going on to win senior honours. He made 186 appearances for Swansea over 10 seasons and played for the All Whites against New Zealand in 1989 and South Africa in 1994.

Craig Bellamy has welcomed his appointment as Wales manager by revealing the job is a dream fulfilled. Bellamy succeeds Rob Page – who was sacked last month – after turning down the opportunity to stay at Burnley under new manager Scott Parker. He has signed a contract until 2028.

The pressure is mounting on Wales and their head coach Warren Gatland after they suffered an eighth successive defeat last weekend. They have a chance to make amends in Sydney on Saturday, but coach and analyst Tomas Marks says they will have to make major improvements.

Craig Bellamy is expected to be named the new Wales manager on Tuesday. It is understood that Bellamy will succeed Rob Page – who was sacked last month – after turning down the opportunity to stay at Burnley under new Clarets boss Scott Parker.

By Ian Gordon Stevie Williams is confident his best cycling  years are still ahead of him after signing a deal to stay at Israel Premier tech until 2028. The 28-year-old from Aberystwyth has been rewarded for a stunning season that brought victories in the Tour Down Under and La Flèche Walloone, the first Brit to […]

Craig Harrison begins another Champions League adventure with New Saints on Tuesday, a competition he once aspired to play in till a horrific injury ended his career aged just 25. A double compound fracture of the leg while playing in a reserve game for Crystal Palace brought a nightmare end after he had achieved his “boyhood dream” of becoming a professional footballer.

Richard Whiffin has named his Wales U20 men’s side to take on France U20 in Tuesday’s third round of Pool A clashes in the U20 World Championship at Athlone Sports Stadium in Cape Town (UK 3.30pm). Captain Ryan Woodman along with second row Jonny Green and back row Morgan Morse are the only players to be making a third consecutive starting appearance in the showpiece tournament.